Pathogen News and Research

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Highly potent antibiotic candidate identified

One of the most promising new antibiotic candidates in decades is a powerful plant toxin that harbors a novel way of killing hazardous bacteria.

26 Jan 2023

New revelations on the immune system’s defenses against infections

Cells competing for a place in a germinal center confront a tough admissions process. Germinal centers, which form following exposure to a pathogen or vaccine, serve as a kind of immune system training academy, assisting B cells in refining their response to the threat.

18 Jan 2023

Detecting the extent of natural selection over time

Institut Pasteur, Université Paris Cité, the CNRS, and the Collège de France researchers have employed paleogenomics to trace 10,000 years of human immune system evolution. They examined the genomes of over 2,800 individuals who lived in Europe over the past 10 millennia.

From Institut Pasteur 18 Jan 2023

Structure of the complete virion of S. epidermidis–infecting phage revealed

Scientists from the University of Alabama at Birmingham used cryo-electron microscopy to reveal the structure of a bacterial virus in extraordinary detail.

20 Dec 2022

The potential of cellular “glue” in regenerative medicine

Scientists at UC San Francisco have created molecules that function as “cellular glue,” enabling them to precisely control how cells adhere to one another. The discovery is a significant step toward regenerative medicine’s long-term goal of creating new tissues and organs.

14 Dec 2022

Molecular regulation underlying emergency hematopoiesis uncovered

If the body’s emergency hematopoiesis program activates, it signifies an alert state of the immune system and serves two functions: In comparison to “normal mode” hematopoiesis, the emergency program results in enhanced replacement of immune cells consumed during infections or inflammations.

12 Dec 2022

Insight into the treatment for Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus

The Crimean Congo Hemorrhagic Fever Virus can be prevented by therapeutically relevant human monoclonal antibodies, according to research led by the University of California, Riverside.

30 Nov 2022

Adaptation to climate change in plants aided by epigenetic memories

Animals are able to quickly adapt to changing environmental conditions and survive. There is growing evidence that plants can, too.

21 Nov 2022

New framework for developing ecological countermeasures to prevent pandemics

Preserving and restoring natural habitats could prevent pathogens that originate in wildlife from spilling over into domesticated animals and humans, according to two new companion studies.

17 Nov 2022

Black death and the development of immune genes

The Black Death, which wiped off up to 50% of the European population in less than five years, was the single-worst mortality catastrophe in recorded history.

21 Oct 2022

Discovering H2O2 sensing capacity in plants that control immunity

All aerobic organisms produce the molecule hydrogen peroxide (H2O2). When present in low concentrations, it acts as a crucial secondary signal to control a variety of biological processes, including but not limited to plant-microbe interactions, abiotic stress tolerance, pollen tube growth, root hair formation, leaf cell expansion, and Casparian strip formation.

20 Oct 2022

Innovative method opens myriad new avenues for understanding the biology behind COVID-19

A highly innovative method using the latest technology has generated a comprehensive list of SARS-CoV-2 viral and human proteins that interact with each other, with one such interaction showing the virus directly influencing proteins that regulate the human immune system.

18 Oct 2022

Delicate strategy employed by pathogens to suppress pyroptosis

Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the bacteria that causes tuberculosis (TB), continues to be a major infectious threat to global public health.

18 Oct 2022

The influence of fatty acid metabolism on plant immunity

Most people do not realize that fatty acids can be found in a nutritious salad. Although fatty acids, lipids, and fats may seem unappealing, they are essential to human life and to the plants that are consumed.

17 Oct 2022

Brain-resident and recruited macrophages exhibit diverging responses

Prof. Kiavash Movahedi (VUB, VIB) headed a group that outlined how the immune system responds to infections entering the brain. The results offer new information on host-pathogen interactions as well as the long-term effects of brain infections.

14 Oct 2022

Microbiome manipulation to prevent and cure diseases

Tagbo Niepa, assistant professor of chemical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh, is inspired by this possibility in his research. His work on using the microbiome to enhance human health was recognized with a $2 million New Innovator Award from the National Institutes of Health, which funds “exceptionally creative scientists proposing high-risk, high-impact research.”

From University of Pittsburgh 5 Oct 2022

Single-cell functional tool screens active ARB in native soils

Soil antimicrobial resistance (AMR) poses significant health risks due to the possibility of transfer to humans via direct contact and the food chain.

3 Oct 2022

The master regulator behind the fungal infection of wheat identified

The most damaging fungal disease of wheat farmed in temperate regions worldwide, Septoria tritici blotch, is brought on by the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici.

From University of Exeter 27 Sep 2022

Novel means to prevent and treat gonorrhea

According to scientists from the Georgia State University’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences, producing a mutation that impedes the way the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae transmits gonorrhea might provide a novel means to prevent and treat the disease.

26 Sep 2022

Studies highlight bacteria accelerate the leukemia development in mice through specific viruses

By helping with digestion, supplying nutrients and metabolites, and collaborating with the immune system to ward off pathogens, gut bacteria have a significant impact on health.

14 Sep 2022