Immune System

When it comes down to it, it's your immune system versus the world. From "innate" immunity — which protects your body against basic threats — to "adaptive" immunity, which homes in on specific targets, your immune system has you covered. Sometimes, however, your immune system can turn against you, leading to autoimmune diseases. To keep up with all things immune, check here for the latest news.

Related Topics: Circulatory System, Nervous System, Virus, Endocrine System

Latest Updates

A researcher holds a vial blood against a background of chemical formulas.

How Long Will You Be Laid Up After Surgery? Blood Test May Tell

By Jesse Emspak published

Stem cell transplant.

'Stiff Person Syndrome' Treated by Stem Cell Transplant

By Elizabeth Palermo published

This image shows the effect of an FDA-approved drug that restored hair growth in a research subject with alopecia areata. Left to right: at baseline, at 3 months, and at 4 months of treatment.

Drug Could Regrow Hair in Some with Hair Loss

By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe published

A female Aedes aegypti mosquito

Chikungunya Vaccine Shows Promise

By Rachael Rettner published

immune system, kids, depression, mental health

Kids' Responses to Infections Linked with Depression Risk

By Jillian Rose Lim published

Kids with immune systems that react strongly to infections could have a higher risk of depression, a new study suggests.

How Do People Survive Ebola?

By Rachael Rettner published

There are some biological markers linked with a higher chance of surviving Ebola, experts say.

Ebola Virus: Why Isn't There a Cure?

By Rachael Rettner published

Gluten-Free Diet Reduces Risk of Type 1 Diabetes in Mice

By Rachael Rettner published

Exposure to a gluten-free diet prenatally or very early in life — in the womb or through a mother's milk — may reduce the risk of type 1 diabetes, at least in mice, a new study suggests.

Cold-Water Swims and Controlled Breathing May Dampen Inflammation

By Bahar Gholipour published

People might be able to influence their immune response by practicing certain breathing techniques in combination with spending time in low temperatures, a new study finds.

Gambian Fruit Bat

Why Bats Carrying Deadly Diseases Don't Get Sick

By Rachael Rettner published

Bats' ability to fly may protect the organisms from becoming ill with a range of viruses known to be deadly to humans, including Ebola and rabies, according to a new hypothesis.

Parasitic Amoeba Eating Human Cells

Parasitic Amoeba Chomps on Human Cells to Kill Them

By Charles Q. Choi published

Amoebae can kill human cells by eating them alive, biting off chunks of intestinal cells until they die, a new study finds. This is the first time scientists have seen this method of cell killing.

an image of HIV Virus

Rare Double Infection: Lupus Patient Makes Antibodies to Fight HIV

By Bahar Gholipour published

One woman's uncommon ability to fight her HIV infection may provide new insights for developing a vaccine that triggers a special immune response against the viral disease, researchers said.

Raw meat sits on a cutting board.

Food Poisoning: Are Older Adults At Greater Risk?

By Fred Cicetti published

The people at highest risk for suffering from food poisoning are seniors, pregnant women, young children, and those with chronic diseases.

Body's Response to Disease Has a Smell, Study Suggest

By Rachael Rettner published

Humans may be able to smell sickness, or at least detect a distinct odor in the sweat of people with highly active immune systems that are responding to infection, a new study from Sweden suggests.

A hookworm, viewed through a microscope.

Genome of the Blood-Sucking Hookworm Decoded

By Christopher Wanjek published

psoriasis-hand-11081702

Is There A Cure for Psoriasis?

By Fred Cicetti published

There's no cure for psoriasis yet, but there are many ways to get relief from the symptoms of this common skin disease.

flu shot

Flu Vaccine May Work Better in Women

By Joe Brownstein published

Flu Vaccine May Work Better in Women

Deductive reasoning

Cancer Immunotherapy Named Science 'Breakthrough of the Year'

By Rachael Rettner published

A type of cancer therapy that directs the body's own immune system to fight cancer cells has been named as the "breakthrough of the year" by one of the world's top science journals.

allergies, sneezing, hay fever

Climate Change May Worsen Mold Allergies

By Tia Ghose published

The higher levels of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could spur mold to grow more allergenic proteins, exacerbating people's response to the fungus, new research finds.

a person getting a vaccine

HPV Vaccine: One Dose May Be Enough

By Rachael Rettner published

A single dose of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine may be enough to generate long-term protection against infection with the virus, a new study from Costa Rica suggests.