A man with a respirator on his face

Scientists map how deadly bacteria evolved to become epidemic

04 July 2024

Pseudomonas aeruginosa – an environmental bacteria that can cause devastating multidrug-resistant infections, particularly in people with underlying lung conditions – evolved rapidly and then spread globally over the last 200 years, probably driven by changes in human behaviour, a new study has found.

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Digital generated image of different variants of virus cells against a black background.

New vaccine technology could protect from future viruses and variants

25 September 2023

Studies of a ‘future-proof’ vaccine candidate have shown that just one antigen can be modified to provide a broadly protective immune response in animals. The studies suggest that a single vaccine with combinations of these antigens – a substance that causes the immune system to produce antibodies against it – could protect against an even greater range of current and future coronaviruses.

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Image of SARS-CoV-2 viruses

Widely-used COVID-19 antiviral could be helping SARS-CoV-2 to evolve

25 September 2023

Molnupiravir, an antiviral drug used to treat patients with COVID-19, appears to be driving SARS-CoV-2 to mutate and evolve, with some of these new viruses being transmitted onwards, a new study has shown. It is not clear, however, whether these mutated viruses pose an increased risk to patients or are able to evade the vaccine.

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