Infectious Disease

The first polio case in the U.S. since 2013 emerged in July, and cases have increased abroad. Yvonne Maldonado answers questions about the virus and its impacts.

Elevated virus levels in hospitalized COVID-19 patients’ blood predicts worsening respiratory symptoms and suggests ongoing viral replication in later disease stages, Stanford Medicine-led study says.

Stanford Medicine scientists’ findings could explain why obese people have a higher risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection and are more likely to progress to severe disease and die of infection.

The mpox virus is normally endemic to Africa but has recently been found on other continents. It spreads through prolonged, direct contact with infected people or their bedding, clothing and towels.

Disrupting a virus’s genome packaging can halt replication and jumpstart a natural immune response against subsequent exposures, a Stanford Medicine study finds.

Vaccinology has taken great leaps forward in the past decade, largely due to advanced analytical methods as well as a shift in researchers’ focus from rodents to humans.

People with lower levels of an antiviral antibody as well as those with lung disease take longer to clear COVID-19 symptoms, say Stanford Medicine researchers.

Levels of a stringy, spongy substance soar in the sputum of COVID-19 patients requiring intubation, accounting for at least some of their breathing trouble. Development of an off-patent drug may prevent it.

Stanford Medicine now provides a test for the mpox virus. Rapid identification of infected people will help combat the virus’s spread and facilitate patient care.

Children as young as 6 months can now receive the Pfizer BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines.

Using machine learning, researchers from Stanford Medicine and their collaborators found specific genetic signals in people who develop severe coronavirus infection.