COVID-19 vaccine elicits antibodies in 90% taking immunosuppressants (Links to an external site)
However, people treated for autoimmune conditions produce weaker responses than healthy people COVID-19 vaccination elicited antibody responses in nearly nine out of 10 people with weakened immune systems, although their responses were only about one-third as strong as those mounted by healthy people, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine […]
Bernard Camins, MD, MSCR, former faculty member, participates in the coin toss for the men’s singles match on Pride Day at the 2021 US Open
Rainbow flags flew proudly at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on September 1 as the USTA celebrated and welcomed the LGBTQ+ community to the first-ever Open Pride Day during the main draw of the 2021 US Open. It’s been an exciting start of the #USOpen for Dr. Bernard Camins, an infectious diseases specialist […]
Antibodies block specific viruses that cause arthritis, brain infections – Could form basis of universal therapy, vaccines for alphaviruses (Links to an external site)
Alphaviruses — mosquito-borne viruses that can trigger brain infections and arthritis — may have met their match. Researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have identified two antibodies that protect animals from disease caused by alphaviruses. The antibodies worked for every alphavirus tested, meaning they potentially could form the basis of treatments […]
Elvin Geng, MD, PhD, professor of medicine, uses epidemiologic model that indicates early COVID-19 shutdowns helped St. Louis area avoid thousands of deaths (Links to an external site)
Delays in implementing public health orders likely would have resulted in many more hospitalizations, deaths. In March 2020, not long after the first cases of COVID-19 were reported locally, health officials in the city of St. Louis and St. Louis County issued emergency public health orders intended to reduce interactions between people and slow the […]
Podcast: Vaccines and COVID-19 infection generate protective antibodies, even against delta
This episode of ‘Show Me the Science’ focuses on the work of scientist Ali Ellebedy, who has published several papers about the immune response to vaccines and COVID-19 infection. Ali Ellebedy, PhD, a researcher at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, has found that patients with COVID-19 infections and others who have been […]
WashU infectious diseases alum, Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, named St. Louis Public Health Director
St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones named Dr. Matifadza Hlatshwayo Davis, an infectious disease specialist, the director of the St. Louis City Department of Health. Hlatshwayo Davis most recently was on the infectious diseases faculty at John Cochran VA Medical Center in St. Louis. Her work includes fighting Covid-19, and HIV/AIDS, including on the Fast Track Cities Initiative, a […]
Antibody protects against broad range of COVID-19 virus variants – Targets key part of virus’s spike protein that changes little across variants (Links to an external site)
The virus that causes COVID-19 today is not the same as the one that first sickened people way back in December 2019. Many of the variants circulating now are partially resistant to some of the antibody-based therapeutics that were developed based on the original virus. As the pandemic continues, more variants inevitably will arise, and […]
Hilary Reno, MD, PhD, FIDSA, an author of recent STI Treatment Guidelines 2021 also co-authors “A Guide to Taking a Sexual History”
Associate professor of medicine, Dr. Hilary Reno, is a co-author of the recently released Sexually Transmitted Infections Treatment Guidelines, 2021 (cdc.gov). The guidelines provide current evidence-based prevention, diagnostic and treatment recommendations that replace the 2015 guidance. Although the new guidelines emphasize treatment, prevention strategies and diagnostic recommendations are also discussed. CDC’s Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) […]
Andrej Spec, MD, MSCI, FECMM selected to lead the update of the Histoplasma guidelines by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA)
Andrej Spec, MD, MSCI, FECMM has been selected to lead the update of the Histoplasma guidelines by the Infectious Disease Society of America (IDSA); the first update since 2007. The guidelines haven’t been updated since 2007. Dr Spec was chosen among a large field of candidates based on his research in histoplasmosis. Most recently he […]
Hilary Babcock, MD, MPH and Jennie Kwon, DO, MSCI are co-authors of MMRW early release of reports on COVID-19 Hospitalizations and Vaccine Effectiveness (Links to an external site)
Real-world evaluations have demonstrated high effectiveness of vaccines against COVID-19–associated hospitalizations (1–4) measured shortly after vaccination; longer follow-up is needed to assess durability of protection. In an evaluation at 21 hospitals in 18 states, the duration of mRNA vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna) effectiveness (VE) against COVID-19–associated hospitalizations was assessed among adults aged ≥18 years. Among […]
Congrats to Dr. Robyn Klein, who has received an $8.7M grant to investigate why some emerging viral infections can trigger memory problems that last long after the virus is gone from the body. (Links to an external site)
More than half of the survivors of West Nile virus brain infections are left with memory disorders that make everyday tasks such as remembering the route from home to work challenging. Similar issues can arise in the aftermath of other viral infections, such as the “brain fog” that plagues some people after a diagnosis of […]
Dr. Rupa Patel’s focus on implementation science of an intervention that works, PrEP, leads to awarded CDC grant to build PrEP capacity in multiple states (Links to an external site)
You have a gene. It’s called “cholinergic receptor nicotinic alpha 5 subunit,” or CHRNA5 for short. It does important things inside your body. Certain sections of it, for example, dictate how your brain processes nicotine.
Beating the clock on ticks and tick-borne illnesses – infectious disease clinic medical director Thomas Bailey, MD, explains
Weather conditions this summer are resulting in a very active tick season, especially in the Midwest. And where there are ticks, the diseases they carry are not far behind – ehrlichiosis, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, Heartland virus, and Bourbon virus. Washington University physician and infectious disease clinic medical director Thomas Bailey, MD, explains, “While many […]
Antibodies elicited by COVID-19 vaccination effective against delta variant – Jacco Boon, PhD and Ali Ellebedy co-senior authors (Links to an external site)
Despite causing a surge in infections this summer that has resulted in thousands of hospitalizations and deaths, the delta variant of the virus that causes COVID-19 is not particularly good at evading the antibodies generated by vaccination, according to a study by researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
Second year fellow, Gayathri Krishnan, MD, creates online platform for women professionals in the field of Infectious Diseases
Women in Infectious Diseases (WIID) is created for women professionals in ID to collaborate, promote, support, advocate, embrace, encourage and nurture each other and to celebrate all the amazing work being done by women in the field of Infectious Diseases. Our motto in WIID is “for women, with women, by women in ID”. According to AAMC, […]