Tick-borne diseases (TBD) including Spotted Fever Group Rickettsiosis (SFGR), ehrlichiosis, and increasingly Lyme disease, represent a substantial public health concern throughout much of the Southeastern United States. North Carolina experiences some of the highest rates of SFGR and ehrlichiosis in the United States, often accounting for more than of 10% and 5% of cases reported to the … Continued

In 2021, women and girls in sub-Saharan Africa accounted for three of five new HIV infections, and young women aged 15–24 years were three times as likely as young men in the same age group to be infected with HIV. Despite expanded access to oral PrEP, women are disproportionately affected by HIV experiencing considerable barriers … Continued

The 2022 HPTN Annual Meeting took place June 5-8 in Washington, D.C., bringing hundreds of worldwide researchers, collaborators, community representatives, and government health officials together to share updates and accomplishments and re-engage with each other as a community. Read more.

Infectious disease research at the UNC Institute for Global Health & Infectious Diseases (IGHID) attracts unique people driven to make big change in the world. As HIV/AIDS turned 40 in 2021, the world was immersed in a different pandemic, one that brought reminders of the tremendous change science made possible in understanding, treating and preventing … Continued

Dr. Arlene Sena and her team are working to develop a syphilis vaccine, “But we need to know what’s circulating worldwide first.” Arlene Seña, MD, MPH, a professor of medicine in the Division of Infectious Diseases, is co-project director of a cooperative research grant for a Treponema pallidum vaccine development initiative and a global clinical research consortium. … Continued

Serum therapy was used extensively before the development of antibiotics and vaccines, pioneered over a century ago in the fight against diphtheria. The discovery that serum made from the blood of immunized animals, mostly horses, could neutralize toxins and inhibit the growth of some bacteria provided an intervention — even if imperfect — for several … Continued

Chris Evans, DNP, MSN, a research instructor and assistant professor of clinical education in the Division of Infectious Diseases, was one of three recipients of the 2022 Claude Paoloni Preceptor of the Year Award! The Claude Paoloni Preceptor of the Year Award recognizes preceptors for outstanding contributions to the educational development of future pharmacists. These … Continued

COVID-19, a communicable disease caused by the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a relatively new pandemic in the public’s eye, but it is only one of the many infectious diseases that epidemiologists like David J. Weber, MD, MPH, are continually facing. “I was at UNC for the onset of the HIV pandemic, 2001 … Continued

  Tessa Andermann, MD, MPH, assistant professor in the division of infectious diseases, has received a pilot award from the Center for Gastrointestinal Biology and Disease (CGBD) for the study “Investigating the role of secondary bile acid derivatives in Th17-mediated disease: A pilot study of multiple myeloma and treatment response.” Dr. Andermann presented the proposed … Continued

Nancie Archin, PhD, assistant professor of medicine in the division of infectious diseases, recently received a mentoring award from the Office of Graduate Education’s Biological & Biomedical Sciences Program (BBSP). Former MD/PhD student Shane Falcinelli nominated Archin for the award. “Nancie is the kind of mentor whose door is always open…. and encourages the hearts … Continued

On September 20, 2021, a federal judge in Texas dismissed all claims against the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) brought by a group of patients with Lyme disease. The lawsuit alleged that the IDSA and other defendants had “engaged in a decades-long conspiracy to deny the existence and prevent treatment of chronic Lyme disease.” … Continued

People with HIV have a high rate of ending up behind bars, but even though the diagnosis is common among people in county jails, it’s hard to know the kind of care these patients receive while they’re detained due to a lack of research. David Rosen, PhD, MD, MPH, authored a recent study that attempts to … Continued