1918 Pandemic Second Wave Had Fatal Consequences

History repeats itself

10-Feb-2021 - In the event of a pandemic, delayed reactions and a decentralized approach by the authorities at the start of a follow-up wave can lead to longer-lasting, more severe and more fatal consequences, researchers from the universities of Zurich and Toronto have found. The interdisciplinary team ...

Blocking the Iron Transport Could Stop Tuberculosis

02-Apr-2020 - The bacteria that cause tuberculosis need iron to survive. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now solved the first detailed structure of the transport protein responsible for the iron supply. When the iron transport into the bacteria is inhibited, the pathogen can no longer grow. This ...

Bat Influenza Viruses Could Infect Humans

22-Feb-2019 - Bats don’t only carry the deadly Ebola virus, but are also a reservoir for a new type of influenza virus. These newly discovered flu viruses could potentially also attack the cells of humans and livestock, researchers at the University of Zurich have now shown. Seasonal outbreaks of the flu are ...

Special Antibodies Could Lead to HIV Vaccine

12-Sep-2018 - Around one percent of people infected with HIV produce antibodies that block most strains of the virus. These broadly acting antibodies provide the key to developing an effective vaccine against HIV. Researchers from the University of Zurich and the University Hospital Zurich have now shown that ...

Attacking Flu Viruses from Two Sides

New possibilities for developing better vaccines and more efficient medication to combat flu

05-Apr-2018 - Fever, shivering, headaches, and joint pains – each year millions of people around the world are affected by the flu. While most people recover after a few days, the WHO estimates that each year between 250,000 and 500,000 people die from the disease. As there are only few effective treatment ...

Cluster of Resistant Tuberculosis Pathogen Discovered

10-Jan-2018 - Between February and November 2016, the Institute of Medical Microbiology at the University of Zurich discovered a multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis in eight refugees arriving in Europe from the Horn of Africa. The analyses provided an impulse for launching a transnational ...

Malaria Already Endemic in the Mediterranean by the Roman Period

Understanding the evolution of today’s diseases

31-Jul-2017 - Malaria was already widespread on Sardinia by the Roman period, long before the Middle Ages, as indicated by research at the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine of the University of Zurich with the help of a Roman who died 2,000 years ago. Even today, Malaria is one of the greatest medical ...

Broadly neutralizing HIV antibodies pave the way for vaccine

28-Sep-2016 - A small number of people infected with HIV produce antibodies with an amazing effect: Not only are the antibodies directed against the own virus strain, but also against different sub-types of HIV that circulate worldwide. Researchers from the University of Zurich and University Hospital Zurich ...