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.....»»
New method combines DNA nanoballs and electronics to enable simple pathogen detection
Researchers at Karolinska Institute have developed a novel method using DNA nanoballs to detect pathogens, aiming to simplify nucleic acid testing and revolutionize pathogen detection. The study's results, published in Science Advances, could pave th.....»»
A Flesh-Eating Bacterium Is Creeping North as Oceans Warm
The Vibrio vulnificus pathogen thrives in hot coastal waters, and beachgoers can contract it via a small cut or scrape. It can also kill them in two days......»»
In a Fierce Desert, Microbe ‘Crusts’ Show How Life Tamed the Land
Extreme microorganisms carpeting the Atacama Desert in Chile illuminate how life might have first taken hold on Earth’s surface......»»
More than half of life on Earth is found in soil—here"s why that"s important
A recent study has found that soil is home to 59% of all life on Earth, from an insect feeding on the soil surface to a tiny microbe nestled in a soil pore. This discovery crowns soil as the most biodiverse habitat on the planet......»»
Bee populations at risk of one-two punch from heat waves, pathogen infection
The historically high heat waves that gripped the southwest United States and southern Europe this summer are causing problems for more than just humans. Extreme heat waves affect pollinators and the pathogens that live on them, creating a mutual imb.....»»
Researchers identify novel host-based target against multiple mosquito-transmitted viruses
New Cleveland Clinic research shows how mosquito-transmitted viruses—like Zika, West Nile, Yellow Fever and dengue viruses—hijack host cells to promote their own replication and infection. Published in Cell Host and Microbe, a recent study from t.....»»
Exposing the hidden genetic diversity of an ecologically harmful microbe
A microscopic species of algae is causing toxic algal blooms around the world, affecting two dozen states in the U.S., especially Texas. New research into the genetic diversity of the responsible organism, Prymnesium parvum, could help authorities pr.....»»
Microbe-stuffed soil crusts menaced by climate change
Using a novel method to detect microbial activity in biological soil crusts, or biocrusts, after they are wetted, a Penn State–led research team in a new study uncovered clues that will lead to a better understanding of the role microbes play in fo.....»»
How the hospital pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii quickly adapts to new environmental conditions
Each year, over 670,000 people in Europe fall ill because of antibiotic-resistant pathogens, and 33,000 die from the infections. Especially feared are pathogens with resistances against multiple, or even all, known antibiotics. One of these is the ba.....»»
Bringing back extinct molecules to fight modern bacteria
A team of microbiologists and bioengineers at the University of Pennsylvania has tested the possibility of bringing back extinct molecules to fight modern bacteria. In their study, reported in Cell Host & Microbe, Jacqueline Maasch, Marcelo Torres, M.....»»
New insights into the evolution of the plague pathogen
The origins of the plague go back to the Neolithic Age, with the oldest findings of the causative pathogen Yersinia pestis coming from human bones around 5,000 years old. In the history of the plague, the late antique Justinianic plague from the sixt.....»»
Over 230 people get puzzling neurological disorder in Peru; emergency declared
Cause of Guillain-Barré cases is under investigation, but gut microbe suspected. Enlarge / The Plaza Mayor or Plaza de Armas of Lima in Peru, part of a Unesco world heritage site in Lima. (credit: Getty | Frédéric Soltan/Corb.....»»
Desert microbes turn on drought tolerance when needed, finds study
Priming crop plants with a microbe sourced from the roots of desert plants could be a powerful tool to boost crop plant's resilience to drought......»»
Researchers discover drug-resistant, often deadly pathogen living in dogs" ears, creating concern it may jump to humans
Scientists at McMaster University and India's University of Delhi have discovered and isolated the first live culture of the drug-resistant pathogen Candida auris from an animal, specifically from the ear canals of stray dogs......»»
Here’s what happens when a swim team competes with an intestinal pathogen
Outbreak among Mass. swim teams spread to a Rhode Island team after a meet. Enlarge / A swimmer in the men's 200 meter breaststroke finals during a national championship competition on August 6, 2011, in Palo Alto, California......»»
No more crying over rotting onions? Researchers gain insight into bacteria threatening Vidalia onion production
The Vidalia onion is a trademarked variety of sweet onion that can only be grown in several counties in Georgia by law. These prized vegetables are currently threatened by the bacterial pathogen Pantoea ananatis, which severely damages the plant by r.....»»
Pathogen protein modularity enables elaborate mimicry of host phosphatase
Pathogens have developed an extensive array of proteins during the co-evolutionary arms race with their hosts. This is particularly true for Phytophthora, a genus that causes significant damage to agriculture and forestry. One well-known species, Phy.....»»
Akkermansia muciniphila found to regulate cholesterol biosynthesis in the gut
A study led by Duke University has looked into the operating mechanisms of Akkermansia muciniphila, a gut microbe associated with lower rates of metabolic disorders......»»
Scientists believe disorienting the malaria parasite may prevent it from causing harm
With almost 250 million cases a year, 621,000 of them fatal, malaria remains a major public health problem, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Malaria is a parasitic disease transmitted by mosquitoes and caused by a microbe of the genus Plasmodium......»»
A marine mystery: Finding the link between climate change and sea sponge loss
Sea sponges are essential to marine ecosystems. They play critical roles in the ocean, as they provide shelter and food to a plethora of marine creatures, recycle nutrients by filtering thousands of liters of sea water daily, and are hosts to microbe.....»»