One of the most remembered facts from biology class is about mitochondria. They’re called the “powerhouse of the cell” because they help make energy. But new research published in Cell reveals another crucial role. Mitochondria also help your immune system detect and trap harmful bacteria.

Inside neutrophils, a type of white blood cell, mitochondria act as sensors. They detect a chemical called lactate, which is made by bacteria during infection. When mitochondria sense lactate, they send a signal inside the neutrophil. This signal tells the neutrophil to launch a defense called a NET.

NETs, or neutrophil extracellular traps, are sticky webs made of DNA and proteins. These webs trap bacteria and help stop them from spreading. Scientists once thought NETs only formed from stress or damage inside cells. But this study shows NETs can also form in response to bacterial activity.

The discovery shows that mitochondria do more than make energy. They help your immune system respond to threats and fight off infection.

[Read more…]

A new study published in Virulence reveals how lung infections involving more than one type of bacteria suppress the immune system.

Mycobacterium abscessus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa often coinfect patients with chronic lung conditions. People with cystic fibrosis (CF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are especially at risk.

[Read more…]

One of the most unsettling traits of infectious diseases is their stealth. A person can feel healthy while a virus quietly spreads inside them. By the time symptoms appear, it may be too late to act quickly. That delay makes diagnosis and containment much harder.

Understanding incubation periods helps pinpoint where and when infection occurred. A new CDC study sheds light on the timing of Oropouche virus disease. Researchers focused on nearly 100 travel-related cases from 2024 to 2025. They used log-normal survival modeling to analyze 97 confirmed infections.

The goal was to define the window between exposure and symptoms. Their findings can guide outbreak responses and improve clinical decisions. The study found the median incubation period was 3.2 days.

[Read more…]

Ivermectin is a key anti-parasite drug used in humans and animals. Vaccine opponents wrongly promoted the medicine as a COVID-19 cure. While health officials found insufficient support for those claims, ivermectin now shows surprising promise against a different deadly disease: malaria.

A large clinical trial tested ivermectin’s ability to reduce malaria infections. Results found a 26% drop in malaria infections among children.

The study took place in Kwale, a coastal region of Kenya. Malaria is common there, and most people already use insecticide-treated nets. The study aimed to see if ivermectin could offer extra protection.

[Read more…]

Imagine going to the doctor with an open wound needing stitches. Instead of treatment, you are told the wound is imaginary. This experience is similar to what many ME/CFS patients face. Their symptoms are sometimes dismissed as psychosomatic, despite being real and disabling.

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is a long-term illness. It causes extreme fatigue, post-exertional malaise, pain, and brain fog. Symptoms often begin after an infection and can last for years. The disease affects more women than men and has no known cure.

A large UK preprint study linked eight genetic signals to ME/CFS. It is the largest genetic analysis of the disease ever done. The findings suggest ME/CFS has real biological causes, not just psychological ones. This research gives the illness a stronger scientific foundation and may guide future treatments.

[Read more…]