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Geographic Origin Plays Key Role in Tuberculosis Infection, Harvard Study Finds

For some forms of tuberculosis, the chances that an exposed person will get infected depend on whether the individual and the bacteria share a hometown, according to a new study comparing how different strains move through mixed populations in cosmopolitan cities.

2 Aug 2024

New CRISPR-Based Test Achieves Rapid Detection of Tuberculosis

The rapid detection of Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the etiological agent of tuberculosis.

1 Aug 2024

Swabbing Technique Reveals Diversity of Immune Cells in the Upper Airway

Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) have published the first-ever, in-depth analysis of immune cell memory in the upper airways of adult volunteers. Among these immune cells, the researcher spotted "tissue resident" memory cells, which stand ready to defend the airway from SARS-CoV-2 and other respiratory diseases.

1 Aug 2024

CRISPR-Cas Vs. Anti-CRISPR Proteins: The Battle Over Antibiotic Resistance In Bacteria

The relationship between antibiotic resistance in bacteria and the interactions between the CRISPR-Cas system and anti-CRISPR proteins.

30 Jul 2024

Researchers Discover Link Between Neolithic Farming and Brucellosis

Scientists believe the bacterial infection brucellosis, which affects millions of people every year and causes significant harm to the welfare of livestock, may have evolved along with the development of farming. They came to this conclusion after performing analyses of ancient DNA extracted from an 8,000-year-old sheep bone, in which the Brucella melitensis pathogen was detected.

29 Jul 2024

Harvard Researchers Crack the Code on Western Equine Encephalitis Decline

The story of the rise and fall of western equine encephalitis as a lethal disease offers essential lessons about how a pathogen can gain or lose its ability to jump from animals to humans.

29 Jul 2024

New RNA Sequencing Dataset Reveals Genetic Diversity Across Global Populations

An open-access dataset of RNA sequences from lymphoblastoid cell lines of 731 individuals spanning 26 populations and five continental groups.

24 Jul 2024

Decoding Dengue: The Use of Less Efficient Codons for Viral Advantage

Mosquito-borne viral infections once confined to tropical regions are spreading. Dengue virus infects up to 400 million people worldwide each year according to World Health Organization estimates, and no available treatments exist for this disease.

24 Jul 2024

How Tiny Freshwater Animals Utilize Bacterial DNA to Fight Fungal Infections

A group of small, freshwater animals protect themselves from infections using antibiotic recipes "stolen" from bacteria, according to new research by a team from the University of Oxford, the University of Stirling and the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), Woods Hole.

19 Jul 2024

Vps21 Pathway's Role in Morphological Transitions and Mating of Candida albicans

This study was led by Dr. Guanghua Huang (School of Life Sciences, Fudan University). The team discovered that the conserved Vps21 signaling pathway plays critical roles in the regulation of white-opaque switching and mating in Candida albicans, a major human fungal pathogen.

18 Jul 2024

Surface Plasmon Resonance Sensors: Transforming Drug Development and Clinical Diagnostics

The latest developments in SPR-based biosensors and their applications in drug discovery.

15 Jul 2024

UQ Researchers Reveal Mechanism of Immune Evasion by Haemophilus influenzae

Researchers from The University of Queensland have identified how a common bacterium is able to manipulate the human immune system during respiratory infections and cause persistent illness.

12 Jul 2024

Using Mobile Data to Track the Spread and Evolution of Superbugs

Key insights into the global spread, evolution, and resistance patterns of a major bacterium causing pneumonia and meningitis have been revealed through the combination of genomic data and human travel patterns over 14 years in South Africa.

4 Jul 2024

Metabolic Priming of CAR T Cells for Treatment of Solid Tumors

A promising therapy that treats blood cancers by harnessing the power of the immune system to target and destroy cancer cells could now treat solid tumors more efficiently.

3 Jul 2024

Genomic Analysis Reveals Andean Origin and Colombian Migration Route for P. infestans

A recent study casts doubt on the widely held belief that Phytophthora infestans, the deadly potato blight pathogen, originated in Mexico.

2 Jul 2024

Discovery Reveals the Role of Interleukin-12 in Directing B-Cell Antibody Responses

B cells are known to generate antibodies through two different responses—an "emergency response" and an "everything is okay, let’s prepare for the future response," says Mark Shlomchik, UPMC Professor and Distinguished Professor of Immunology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

28 Jun 2024

New Tool IMPRINT Enhances DNA Transformation in Various Bacterial Strains

Bacteria, with their unique capabilities, hold immense promise for improving various aspects of the world.

27 Jun 2024

Study Reveals Immune Factors Behind COVID-19 Resistance in Some Individuals

As part of the first-ever COVID-19 human challenge study, researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University College London (UCL), Imperial College London, the Netherlands Cancer Institute, and their collaborators examined immune responses against SARS-CoV-2 infection in healthy adult volunteers using single-cell sequencing.

20 Jun 2024

The Link Between Climate Change and Drug-Resistant Fungal Infections

In a recent study on fungal diseases in Chinese hospitals, researchers discovered that two individuals were infected by a previously undocumented fungus affecting human health.

20 Jun 2024