Infectious Diseases

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November 3, 2025

Artificial HIV patients do their part for science

To speed HIV research, VUMC scientists are drafting droves of people who do not exist to serve as research subjects.

By Paul Govern
November 3, 2025

Prescribing with purpose

A Vanderbilt University Medical Center study finds unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions in hospitalized children and highlights opportunity for antibiotic stewardship.

By Chelsea N. Campbell
The team studying how to control sepsis in the lungs and kidneys includes, from left, Huan Qiao, MD, PhD Jacek Hawiger, MD, PhD, Jozef Zienkiewicz, PhD, and Yan Liu, MD, MS. (photo by Erin O. Smith)
October 22, 2025

New sepsis therapy developed at VUMC edges closer to the clinic

Jacek Hawiger and his colleagues report that a “peptide genomic therapy” given in combination with an antibiotic nearly doubles survival rates from sepsis in an animal model, compared to treatment with antibiotic alone.

By Bill Snyder
September 23, 2025

Flu vaccines available now: Protect yourself this fall

With respiratory virus season approaching, health experts at Vanderbilt University Medical Center are urging Middle Tennesseans to protect themselves and their families by getting vaccinated against the flu. For VUMC employees, the Occupational Health Clinic is facilitating multiple influenza vaccination options.

By Paul Govern
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August 30, 2025

One shot of RSV vaccine effective against hospitalization in older adults for two seasons

RSV causes substantial seasonal illness during fall and winter in the U.S., with an estimated 100,000-150,000 hospitalizations and 4,000-8,000 deaths.

By Craig Boerner
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August 6, 2025

Study demonstrates burden of potentially preventable hospitalizations for pneumococcal pneumonias among adults in Tennessee and Georgia 

Community-acquired pneumonia refers to a case of the disease contracted without prior exposure to a health care setting.

By Evan Dorian
July 7, 2025

Experts offer tips on dealing with ticks this summer

Four tick-borne illnesses are most common in Tennessee, including spotted fever rickettsiosis, ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever.
By Jessica Pasley
June 30, 2025

Coronavirus pioneer Mark Denison bids farewell to VUMC colleagues after remarkable career

The discoveries about coronavirus biology that Denison and his colleagues made were foundational for the rapid validation of antiviral drugs and development of new vaccines that helped bring the COVID-19 pandemic under control.
By Bill Snyder
May 28, 2025

VUMC infectious disease experts explain what antibiotic resistance means for individuals and populations — and how to protect against it

A rising global health threat, antibiotic resistance presents several complications, but protection is possible.
By Evan Dorian
April 10, 2025

$4.1 million grant awarded to study unnecessary antibiotic prescriptions 

Antibiotic prescriptions handed out in unplanned care spaces contribute to antimicrobial resistance, especially if they are not necessary to treat infections.
By Evan Dorian
April 8, 2025

A link between bacterial infection and colorectal cancer: study

Understanding factors that contribute to the development of colorectal cancer could point to new targets for treating the disease at earlier stages, when survival rates are highest.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 25, 2025

C. diff uses toxic compound to fuel growth advantage

The findings of a new research study increase understanding of the molecular drivers of C. diff infection and point to novel therapeutic strategies aimed at a pathogen that causes about half a million infections in the U.S. each year.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 10, 2025

VUMC to develop AI technology for therapeutic antibody discovery

The approach will address “bottlenecks” that slow the traditional antibody discovery process, and it aims to make it possible to generate monoclonal antibody therapies against any target of interest.
By Leigh MacMillan
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