Infectious Diseases

June 2, 2022

Bacterial battle in 3D

Using imaging mass spectrometry and microscopy, Vanderbilt researchers visualized how staph bacteria modifies lipids in its membrane to evade immune system-mediated killing.

By Bill Snyder
Erin Green, PhD, Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, and colleagues are studying how a certain bacterial pathogen can survive on hospital surfaces for months with no water.
May 5, 2022

VUMC team discovers how bacterial pathogen survives without water

Vanderbilt researchers are studying a bacterial pathogen that can survive on hospital surfaces — without water — for months, an ability that has helped it become a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.

By Leigh MacMillan
Eric Skaar, PhD, MPH, Hualiang Pi, PhD, and colleagues are studying a regulatory factor in the bacterium that causes the disease anthrax.
April 7, 2022

Study advances understanding of bacterial bioterrorism agent

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a critical regulatory factor in the bacterium that causes the disease anthrax and has been used as a biological weapon.

By Leigh MacMillan
March 17, 2022

Study compares kidney injury risk for COVID, flu patients

A Vanderbilt study found that renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAASi) inhibitor drugs, which are commonly used to regulate high blood pressure, do not disproportionately increase the risk of acute kidney injury (AKI) in patients with COVID-19 compared to patients hospitalized with influenza.

By Emily Stembridge
February 28, 2022

Invasive strep can defy zinc toxicity

Vanderbilt researchers find that invasive Group B Streptococcus strains, a significant risk to pregnant patients and infants, can grow in presence of toxic zinc levels.

By Taylor Engdahl
February 24, 2022

Study to explore neurologic impact of flu treatment

A Vanderbilt study will explore the neurologic and psychiatric complications of flu and evaluate adverse effects of the antiviral treatment oseltamivir, also known by the brand name Tamiflu.

By Jessica Pasley
February 3, 2022

Study finds shorter treatment better for young children with outpatient pneumonia

A Vanderbilt study found that five days of antibiotics is superior to 10 days for children with community-acquired pneumonia who are not hospitalized.
By Craig Boerner
January 6, 2022

Study explores how bacteria become drug resistant

Vanderbilt researchers have revealed more of the inner-workings of a two-stage “molecular motor” in the cell membrane that enables bacteria to become resistant to drugs.
By Bill Snyder
October 4, 2021

Neurologic complications of the flu

Neurologic complications are common in children hospitalized with influenza, especially those with chronic neurologic conditions, and are associated with worse outcomes.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 30, 2021

Molecular imaging of C. diff infection

C. difficile — the leading cause of hospital-associated intestinal infections — induces a rapid influx of bile acids into the gut, which could provide a novel target for blocking infection.
By Leigh MacMillan
September 10, 2021

Caught in a web: study reveals that immune cells cooperate to trap and kill bacteria

Vanderbilt researchers have identified a new antibacterial mechanism that could inspire novel strategies for combating staph and other extracellular bacterial pathogens.
By Leigh MacMillan
July 16, 2021

Study identifies monoclonal antibodies that may neutralize many norovirus variants

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, have taken a big step toward developing targeted treatments and vaccines against a family of viruses that attacks the gastrointestinal tract.
By Bill Snyder
June 23, 2021

Pediatricians see spike in RSV cases, urge parents to be on lookout for symptoms

“We are seeing a spike in respiratory illnesses, especially RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and parainfluenza, which cause croup and bronchiolitis in young children and flu-like symptoms in older children and adults,” said James Antoon, MD, PhD, FAAP, assistant professor of Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt.
By Jessica Pasley
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