Scientists say these two viruses may become the next public health threats

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Two emerging pathogens with animal origins — influenza D virus and canine coronavirus — have so far been quietly flying under the radar,…

Researchers warn that canine coronavirus, which has been linked to human respiratory illness in Southeast Asia, and influenza D, commonly found in cows, deserve closer monitoring to prevent future human outbreaks. Credit: Adobe Stock.

Scientist’s cat, again, helps discover new virus

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Pepper, the pet cat who made headlines last year for his role in the discovery of the first jeilongvirus found in the U.S., is at it again.…

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Pepper plots his next move in the yard of his Gainesville, Florida, home. Photo by John Lednicky.

Combination of two common compounds improves COVID survival in mice, UF researchers find

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — The combination of two over-the-counter compounds tested in mice significantly improved their chances of surviving the virus that causes…

Lactoferrin (yellow) binds ACE2 (cyan), the host receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

UF researchers repurpose a pesticide as an antibiotic to kill deadly bacteria

University of Florida researchers have made the surprise discovery that a drug used commonly as a pesticide worldwide inhibits the growth of a highly…

From left: Isabelle M. Llabona, Dr. Aria Eshraghi and Ashley Clarke are shown in Eshraghi's lab. Llabona and Clarke, both University of Florida students, participated in a research project that resulted in a paper in Microbiology Spectrum.

UF expert answers questions about the newly approved RSV vaccine

On May 3, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved a vaccine manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline to prevent respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, in older…

Doctor giving a patient a shot in the shoulder

Algorithm optimizes antibiotic use in settings with poor hygiene and sanitation

In developing countries, inappropriate antibiotic use is a persistent, difficult challenge. An international group of scientists that includes investigators…

UF researchers use AI to predict new coronavirus variants

A world awash in waves of novel coronavirus variants is left to react to each new emergence. Will this one be as deadly as delta? As transmissible as omicron?…

Microscopic image of SARS COVID-2 viruses

UF researchers discover new way to inhibit virus that causes COVID-19

When the virus that causes COVID-19 enters the body, it hijacks cellular proteins and suppresses the human inflammatory response, allowing the virus to spread.…

Cell slide samples. The presence of the pJAK2 peptide (top middle) is shown to block replication of a human coronavirus. The next panel (top right) shows how an inactive control peptide does not affect the spread of the virus.

Endemic COVID-19 could be one to 10 years away

If you donned your mask today and felt a primal urge to yell “When will this pandemic END-emic already?!” take heart. You are not alone. On the eve of the…

COVID-19 spread undetected in U.S., Europe earlier than believed, study shows, offering lessons for future outbreaks, including transmission of omicron variant

Local COVID-19 transmission was underway in California, New York, Florida and Texas well before the first reported U.S. case in Washington state on Jan. 20,…

Two common compounds show effectiveness against COVID-19 virus in early testing

A pair of over-the-counter compounds has been found in preliminary tests to inhibit the virus that causes COVID-19, University of Florida Health researchers…

A model of the human sigma-2 receptor is shown (in orange and red) bound to a drug candidate, AZ66 (red, white, blue and yellow sticks). AZ66 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 replication, inhibits shedding of SARS-CoV-2 from cells and inhibits cell death caused by COVID-19.

Coronavirus ‘spillovers’ more frequent than thought

University of Florida researchers have detected past instances of people becoming infected with a type of coronavirus that was until now thought only to be…