A new tool to identify infants most at risk for severe respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) illness could aid pediatricians in prioritizing children under 1 to receive a preventive medication before RSV season (October-April).

Vanderbilt's Scott Smith, MD, PhD, has been awarded a five-year, $3.5 million grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the National Institutes of Health, to study the human immune response to tick bites and its role in preventing tick-borne illnesses.

Infectious diseases researcher H. Keipp Talbot, MD, MPH, has been appointed chair of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Using a technique developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, researchers identified antibodies that are excellent leads as potential therapies for human parainfluenza virus 3, a leading cause of acute and potentially fatal respiratory illness.

The Tennessee Emerging Infections Program has been awarded a new five-year grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to continue infectious disease surveillance research that has been conducted since 1999, and has expanded to include COVID, Mpox and HPV surveillance into oropharyngeal cancers.

The Vanderbilt Institute for Infection, Immunology and Inflammation recently debuted state-of-the-art new facilities in Medical Center.

The avian (bird) influenza vaccine creates a more robust immune response when paired with a potent ingredient known as an adjuvant, according to Vanderbilt research published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases.