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Greater gut microbial diversity in kidney cancer patients linked to better treatment outcomes

Physicians at City of Hope, working in collaboration with scientists at Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), have found that greater gut microbial diversity in patients with metastatic kidney cancer is associated with better treatment outcomes on Food and Drug Administration-approved immunotherapy regimens.

20 Aug 2020

Novel molecular survival strategy of Shigella bacterium uncovered

Enteric pathogens, such as the bacterium Shigella, can cause severe intestinal disease with bloody diarrhea. In a new study, researchers from Tokyo Medical and Dental University (TMDU) discovered a novel molecular survival strategy by which Shigella is able to cause damage to the intestines despite two elaborate protective mechanisms used by host cells.

19 Aug 2020

Researchers discover the exit route for Vibrio bacteria from cells

As soon as the foodborne pathogen Vibrio parahaemolyticus infects a human intestinal cell, the bacteria are already planning their escape. After all, once it is in and multiplies, the bacterium must find a way out to infect new cells.

19 Aug 2020

Study shows how proteins act as a defense mechanism to protect their own DNA

Viruses usually inject their DNA into a host cell to multiply. As soon as this foreign material penetrates the intracellular fluid, it activates a defense mechanism called the cGAS-STING pathway.

18 Aug 2020

New method reverses antibiotic resistance in certain bacteria

Scientists have identified a novel method in which hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is used to reverse antibiotic resistance in certain bacteria.

13 Aug 2020

UC Riverside physicist receives NIH grant to study how pathogens evolve

For several years, physicist John Barton at the University of California, Riverside, has been working on developing models to understand and predict how pathogens, such as HIV, evolve. This research pursuit has just received support from the National Institutes of Health.

11 Aug 2020

Researchers identify new mechanism of papillomavirus that tricks the human immune system

Certain antibodies are known to protect humans from viral infections—or perhaps not?

6 Aug 2020

New UK supply contract for COVID-19 sample collection kits

EKF Diagnostics Holdings plc, the AIM listed point-of-care business, announces that it has received an initial order worth £3 m from a partner from the private sector to supply PrimeStore MTM, a novel patented sample collection device, to be used in a COVID-19 testing programme for UK staff.

From EKF Diagnostics 5 Aug 2020

A New Way of Killing Tuberculosis

AZoLifeSciences speaks to Dr. Tim Blower about his research into tuberculosis, and how the discovery of a new toxin could lead to new anti-TB drugs.

From Durham University 5 Aug 2020

New algorithm can decolonize harmful gut bacteria

The human gut may not be recollected frequently, but it is home to a complex ecosystem of microbes that have a significant role to play in the way human beings function.

4 Aug 2020

Researchers show efficacy of phage cocktail therapy on wound infections

Australian researchers have shown how viruses can be used to save lives, developing the potential use of bacteriophages in bandages to treat life-threatening golden staph infections which may not respond to traditional antibiotics.

31 Jul 2020

Study may lead to new therapeutic approaches against coronaviruses

The immune system secretes an endogenous protein that can strongly suppress coronaviruses, the pathogen that is responsible for causing the current pandemic.

29 Jul 2020

Study shows genetic mutations allow MRSA to develop antibiotic resistance

Researchers have discovered that genetic mutations that occur in MRSA enable it to evolve and turn out to be more resistant to antibiotics like penicillin.

27 Jul 2020

Infectious bacteria can produce genetic variants among siblings, study finds

A research team from the University of Tübingen and the German Center for Infection Research is investigating how pathogens influence the immune response of their host with genetic variation.

23 Jul 2020

Scientists gain insights into how parasitic bacterium gives rise to lesions

Bacteria of the genus Bartonella are parasites that can be transmitted to humans via insect bites and animal scratches, resulting in an infection known as "bartonellosis." Cat-scratch disease and trench fever are forms of bartonellosis caused by different Bartonella species infecting humans.

17 Jul 2020

Healthy microbiome can reduce severity of chickungunya disease

Chikungunya virus, once confined to the Eastern Hemisphere, has infected millions of people in the Americas since 2013, when mosquitoes carrying the virus were discovered in the Caribbean.

15 Jul 2020

Early exposure to vaccine-derived antigens can have dramatic effect on antibody diversity

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have added fresh evidence that early exposure to vaccine-, bacterial- or microbiota-derived antigens has a dramatic effect on the diversity of antibodies an adult mammal will have to fight future infections by pathogens.

14 Jul 2020

UTMB researchers uncover new mechanism for designing dengue therapeutics

A multidisciplinary team from The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston has uncovered a new mechanism for designing antiviral drugs for dengue virus. The study is currently available in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

14 Jul 2020

Severely injured donor lungs can be recovered using cross-circulation platform

Respiratory disease is the third leading cause of death worldwide, and lung transplantation is still the only cure for patients with end-stage lung disease.

14 Jul 2020

Human papilloma viruses may play a causal role in prostate cancer

Human papilloma viruses (HPVs) - a common group of viruses known to cause cervical cancers - may also have a causal role in prostate cancer, according to a literature review published in the open access journal Infectious Agents and Cancer, supporting the case for universal HPV vaccination.

14 Jul 2020