37 Results
Lower Dose of Mpox Vaccine Is Safe and Generates Six-Week Antibody Response Equivalent to Standard Regimen
April 27, 2024
A dose-sparing intradermal mpox vaccination regimen was safe and generated an antibody response equivalent to that induced by the standard regimen at six weeks (two weeks after the second dose), according to findings presented today at the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases Global Congress in Barcelona. The results suggest that antibody responses contributed to the effectiveness of dose-sparing mpox vaccine regimens used during the 2022 U.S. outbreak.
High H5N1 Influenza Levels Found in Mice Given Raw Milk from Infected Dairy Cows
May 24, 2024
Mice administered raw milk samples from dairy cows infected with H5N1 influenza experienced high virus levels in their respiratory organs and lower virus levels in other vital organs, according to findings published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The results suggest that consumption of raw milk by animals poses a risk for H5N1 infection and raises questions about its potential risk in humans.
COVID-19 Vaccination and Boosting During Pregnancy Protects Infants for Six Months
February 14, 2024
Women who receive an mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccination or booster during pregnancy can provide their infants with strong protection against symptomatic COVID-19 infection for at least six months after birth. These findings reinforce the importance of receiving both a COVID-19 vaccine and booster during pregnancy to ensure that infants are born with robust protection that lasts until they are old enough to be vaccinated.
Bovine H5N1 Influenza from Infected Worker Transmissible and Lethal in Animal Models
October 28, 2024
Bovine H5N1 influenza virus taken from eye of infected worker transmissible and lethal in animal models.
NIH Study Shows Chronic Wasting Disease Unlikely to Move from Animals to People
May 17, 2024
A new study of prion diseases, using a human cerebral organoid model, suggests there is a substantial species barrier preventing transmission of chronic wasting disease (CWD) from cervids—deer, elk and moose—to people. The findings, from National Institutes of Health scientists and published in Emerging Infectious Diseases, are consistent with decades of similar research in animal models at the NIH’s National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
Researchers Create Safer Form of Coxiella burnetii for Scientific Use
January 25, 2024
Scientists have unexpectedly discovered that the weakened form of the bacteria Coxiella burnetii (C. burnetii) not typically known to cause disease, naturally acquired an ability to do so. C. burnetii causes Q Fever in humans and its weakened forms are those used for scientific purposes. Subsequently, the scientists identified the genetic mutation responsible for the increased ability to cause disease (virulence) and created a form of the bacteria without the genetic flaw that could safely be used for research.
NIH Awards Establish Pandemic Preparedness Research Network
September 13, 2024
The Research and Development of Vaccines and Monoclonal Antibodies for Pandemic Preparedness network—called ReVAMPP—will focus its research efforts on “prototype pathogens,” representative pathogens from virus families known to infect humans, and high-priority pathogens that have the potential to cause deadly diseases. The pandemic preparedness research network will conduct research on high-priority pathogens most likely to threaten human health with the goal of developing effective vaccines and monoclonal antibodies.
Features of H5N1 Influenza Viruses in Dairy Cows May Facilitate Infection, Transmission in Mammals
July 8, 2024
A series of experiments with highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza (HPAI H5N1) viruses circulating in infected U.S. dairy cattle found that viruses derived from lactating dairy cattle induced severe disease in mice and ferrets when administered via intranasal inoculation. The virus from the H5N1-infected cows bound to both avian (bird) and human-type cellular receptors, but, importantly, did not transmit efficiently among ferrets exposed via respiratory droplets.
Kidney Transplantation Between Donors and Recipients with HIV Is Safe
October 16, 2024
Kidney transplantation from deceased donors with HIV to recipients with HIV was safe and comparable to kidney transplantation from donors without HIV.
NIH Statement on Preliminary Efficacy Results of Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for HIV Prevention in Cisgender Women
June 26, 2024
The injectable antiretroviral drug lenacapavir was safe and 100% effective as long-acting HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among cisgender women in a Phase 3 clinical trial, according to top-line findings released by Gilead Sciences, Inc., the study sponsor. Lenacapavir is administered every six months, making it the most durable HIV prevention method to have shown efficacy in this population.
Statement: Long-Acting HIV Treatment Demonstrates Efficacy in People with Challenges Taking Daily Medicine as Prescribed
February 21, 2024
Long-acting antiretroviral therapy (ART) with cabotegravir and rilpivirine was superior in suppressing HIV replication compared to daily oral ART in people who had been unable to maintain viral suppression through an oral daily regimen, according to interim data from a randomized trial. Upon review of these findings, an independent Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) recommended halting randomization and inviting all eligible study participants to take long-acting ART.
NIH-Developed HIV Antibodies Protect Animals in Proof-of-Concept Study
January 17, 2024
Three different HIV antibodies each independently protected monkeys from acquiring simian-HIV (SHIV) in a placebo-controlled proof-of-concept study intended to inform development of a preventive HIV vaccine for people. The antibodies—a human broadly neutralizing antibody and two antibodies isolated from previously vaccinated monkeys—target the fusion peptide, a site on an HIV surface protein that helps the virus fuse with and enter cells.
