EurekAlert! In the Spotlight

Welcome to In the Spotlight, where each month we shine a light on something exciting, timely, or simply fascinating from the world of science.

This month, we’re focusing on infectious diseases, a topic that affects lives and communities around the world. Here, you’ll find the latest research news, insights, and discoveries shaping how infectious diseases are being studied, prevented, and treated globally.

Latest News Releases

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 16-Dec-2025 13:11 ET (16-Dec-2025 18:11 GMT/UTC)

7-Oct-2025

University of Houston professor awarded $3.9 million to fight deadly parasites that threaten children and immunocompromised adults

University of Houston
Grant and Award Announcement

A University of Houston professor has received nearly $4 million from the NIH to lead a translational effort turning enzyme-targeting science into urgently needed treatments for Cryptosporidium infections – which are caused by a life-threatening pathogen and have no existing cure.

6-Oct-2025

New Canadian study reveals where HIV hides in different parts of the body

University of Western Ontario
Peer-Reviewed Publication

The study reveals that HIV cloaks itself in the DNA of infected cells using unique DNA patterns in the brain, blood and parts of the digestive tract.

Journal: Communications Medicine
Funder: Canadian Institutes of Health Research

5-Oct-2025

Reevaluating nonoperative management for pediatric uncomplicated acute appendicitis

JAMA Network
Peer-Reviewed Publication

About The Study: In contrast to earlier studies, this meta-analysis found significantly higher treatment failure and major complication rates within a year with nonoperative management among children and adolescents. The meta-analysis provides pediatricians and pediatric surgeons with up-to-date data to inform shared decision-making with families and encourage individualized, patient-centered treatment.

Journal: JAMA Pediatrics

3-Oct-2025

Lessons from a historic quest to heal spider bites are helping to fight neglected tropical diseases today

University of California - Santa Cruz
Peer-Reviewed Publication

New research traces successful early efforts to produce new antivenoms in Latin America and explores implications for modern public health issues, like snakebite and Chagas disease.

Journal: Journal of the History of Biology

3-Oct-2025

Mini-organs reveal how the cervix defends itself

Aarhus University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Researchers from Aarhus University have uncovered how cells in the cervix actively detect and combat infections. Using patient-derived mini-organs and advanced single-cell mapping, the study reveals a complex, coordinated defense network against pathogens like chlamydia. The findings pave the way for vaccines and treatments that boost local immune responses. The research is published in the scientific journal Science Advances.

Journal: Science Advances

3-Oct-2025

POTS common in patients with long COVID

Karolinska Institutet
Peer-Reviewed Publication

A new study from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden shows that an unusual heart rhythm disorder, POTS, is particularly common in people with long COVID. The majority of those affected are middle-aged women. The study has been published in the scientific journal Circulation: Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology.

Journal: Circulation Arrhythmia and Electrophysiology

2-Oct-2025

AI can strengthen pandemic preparedness

Technical University of Denmark
Reports and Proceedings

Artificial intelligence could be a valuable tool for detecting emerging diseases earlier, researchers from five European universities and research institutes argue in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

Journal: The Lancet Infectious Diseases
Funder: Horizon 2020 Framework Programme