How does an intestinal microbe become a pathogen?
The bacterium Escherichia coli is found in the human intestine, and elsewhere. There it is harmless, but in certain conditions it can become a pathogen. It can cause bladder infections or even sepsis. A team of researchers led by RESIST professor Mar.....»»
Soybean cyst nematode is the most damaging soybean pathogen—and it"s rapidly spreading
The soybean cyst nematode (SCN) is the most damaging pathogen of soybeans in the United States and Canada and it is spreading rapidly, according to information compiled by Gregory Tylka and Christopher Marett, nematologists at Iowa State University......»»
Team creates microbe to turn waste into useful chemicals
A research team led by Oak Ridge National Laboratory bioengineered a microbe to efficiently turn waste into itaconic acid, an industrial chemical used in plastics and paints......»»
A new strain of a well-known probiotic might offer help for infants" intestinal problems
A new strain of the Lacticaseibacillus rhamnosus GG probiotic is able to utilise both lactose and casein as well as reproduce in dairy products. The discovery can make it unnecessary to separately add the probiotic to dairy products, in addition to w.....»»
Study reports novel role of enzyme in plant immunity and defense gene expression
A recently published article in the Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions journal provides new evidence that pathogens are hijacking the plant immune system to cause disease while providing insights into a newly discovered mechanism......»»
Flushing a public toilet? Don"t linger, because aerosolized droplets do
Flushing a toilet can generate large quantities of microbe-containing aerosols depending on the design, water pressure or flushing power of the toilet. A variety of pathogens are usually found in stagnant water as well as in urine, feces and vomit. W.....»»
The tuberculosis pathogen releases its toxin by a novel protein transport system
Six years ago, Michael Niederweis, Ph.D., described the first toxin ever found for the deadly pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This toxin, tuberculosis necrotizing toxin, or TNT, became the founding member of a novel class of previously unrecogni.....»»
Living fossils: Microbe discovered in evolutionary stasis for millions of years
It's like something out of science fiction. Research led by Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences has revealed that a group of microbes, which feed off chemical reactions triggered by radioactivity, have been at an evolutionary standstill for million.....»»
Two plant immune branches more intimately connected than previously believed
Plant inducible defense starts with the recognition of microbes, which leads to the activation of a complex set of cellular responses. There are many ways to recognize a microbe, and recognition of microbial features by pattern recognition receptors.....»»
Apes show dramatically different early immune responses compared to monkeys
A new study out of the University of Chicago and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in humans, chimpanzees, rhesus macaques and baboons has found key differences in early gene expression in response to pathogen exposure, highlighting the imp.....»»
Genome sequenced for pesky pumpkin pathogen
Pumpkin growers dread the tiny tan scabs that form on their fruit, each lesion a telltale sign of bacterial spot disease. The specks don't just mar the fruit's flesh, they provide entry points for rot-inducing fungus and other pathogens that can dest.....»»
Scientists one million "hops" closer to ending a disease endemic in cattle
Many people have never heard of Brucellosis, but farmers and ranchers in the United States forced to cull animals that test positive for the disease and people infected by the animal-transmitted Brucella abortus (B. abortus) pathogen that suffer chro.....»»
Strange microbe “breathes” nitrates using a mitochondria-like symbiont
A relatively recent symbiosis is reminiscent of the ‘powerhouse of the cell.’ Enlarge / The bacteria (yellow) live inside a larger eukaryotic cell. (credit: MAX PLANCK INSTITUTE FOR MARINE MICROBIOLOGY) Deep in Switzerland's Lake Zug swim.....»»
Probiotics increase gut bacteria diversity in extremely preterm infants
Extremely preterm infants can suffer from a life-threatening inflammation of the gut. A new clinical study has shown that supplements of a lactic acid bacterium may have positive effects by increasing the diversity of intestinal bacteria in these inf.....»»
Bacteria adapt syringe apparatus to changing conditions
Some of the best-known human pathogens—from the plague bacterium Yersinia pestis to the diarrhea pathogen Salmonella—use a tiny hypodermic needle to inject disease-causing proteins into their host's cells, thereby manipulating them. This needle i.....»»
Bacteria and viruses: A network of intestinal relationships
The balance of human intestinal microbiota, consisting of hundreds of bacterial species and phages (bacteria viruses), is crucial to good health. A research team, including scientists from the CNRS and the Institut Pasteur, has characterized the phag.....»»
First infection of human cells during spaceflight
Scientists have described the infection of human cells by the intestinal pathogen Salmonella Typhimurium during spaceflight. They show how the microgravity environment of spaceflight changes the molecular profile of human intestinal cells and how the.....»»
Floral probiotics reduce apple disease
While many celebrate apple blossoms as classic signs of spring, they are also welcoming entry gates for pathogens. Full of nutrients to lure pollinators and promote pollen germination, flowers also attract bacteria like Erwinia amylavora, a pathogen.....»»
Study highlights "unbridled globetrotting" of the strangles pathogen in horses
In the largest ever study of its kind into an equine pathogen, scientists in 18 countries used the latest DNA sequencing techniques to track the bacteria responsible for a disease called 'strangles' in horses around the world......»»
Model may help Chincoteague ponies avoid deadly infection
Researchers from North Carolina State University have created a model that can identify potential hot spots for the pathogen Pythium insidiosum in the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, home to the wild Chincoteague ponies......»»
Tracing malaria"s ecology using blood samples from birds
Malaria is the deadliest pathogen in human history. Nearly half the people on Earth are at risk of contracting the disease from the parasites that cause it. But humans aren't the only ones who can get these parasites—different forms are found in ot.....»»