How the pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis secretes and traffics its only known exotoxin
Six years ago, Michael Niederweis, Ph.D., described the first known toxin of the deadly pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), an exotoxin that had gone undetected for 132 years......»»
How a sugar cane pathogen is gearing up a new era of antibiotic discovery
A potent plant toxin with a unique way of killing harmful bacteria has emerged as one of the strongest new antibiotic candidates in decades......»»
Lethal pathogen causes widespread biological disruption for frogs, but responses differ by species
A new study by a Western Sydney University researcher has explored a lethal fungal pathogen causing widespread biological disruption for frogs, assessing how responses differ by species across the globe......»»
Sugar-based inhibitors that can disarm the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa
The hospital pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa requires the sugar-binding proteins LecA and LecB to form biofilms as well as to attach to and penetrate host cells. These so-called lectins are therefore suitable targets for active substances to combat P.....»»
Legionella bononiensis: A new Legionella species has been identified
They call it Legionella bononiensis: it is the 64th species of Legionella identified worldwide, the second to be isolated in Italy since the discovery of the pathogen. It was discovered in 2019 in a hotel facility by researchers from the Laboratory o.....»»
Emily Brontë"s death needs to be radically reimagined—an expert explains
Novelist Charlotte Brontë was devastated when her sister Emily died from tuberculosis on December 19, 1848......»»
New DNA analysis provides first accurate tuberculosis genome
Researchers have developed a novel genome assembly tool that could spur the development of new treatments for tuberculosis and other bacterial infections......»»
Measuring the physiological responses of adults during soil-mixing activities
Researchers at Konkuk University in the Republic of Korea conducted a study to measure the effect of a soil-mixing activity on the psychological and physiological responses of humans, according to the presence or absence of Mycobacterium vaccae micro.....»»
Researchers discover a master regulator of plant immunity
The demonstration that a regulatory protein linked to stress responses in plants also serves as a master switch for anti-pathogen immunity could help breeders develop more pest-resistant and climate-resilient crops......»»
Secretion secrets revealed: Pathogen effector characterization for a devastating plant disease
Sometimes the most niche plant pathogens pack the greatest punch. Such is the case for the Florida citrus industry, which has seen a 70% decline in its orange production since the introduction of Huanglongbing (citrus greening) in 2005......»»
Want to save the bees? Pay attention to pathogens and flowers
New research published in the journal Ecology conclusively shows that certain physical traits of flowers affect the health of bumblebees by modulating the transmission of a harmful pathogen called Crithidia bombi. In particular, the research, conduct.....»»
The role of ethylene response factors in regulating fruit ripening and pathogen response
The changes that occur in fleshy fruits during ripening make them more sensitive than unripe fruit to infection by bacteria and fungi. The challenge for fruit production is to balance fruit ripening and pathogen resistance to maintain postharvest fru.....»»
Insights into pathogen-host interaction offer clue to protecting crops from blast disease
A mechanism used by a fungal pathogen to promote spread of the devastating cereal crop disease, blast, has been revealed in fine detail......»»
Ye olde pathogen: Learning about evolution from ancient DNA
As long as humans have been around, there have been pathogens to make us sick. Some have achieved infamy in human history—the bubonic plague, for example, or smallpox—and with modern technologies, scientists can time-travel to find out what the b.....»»
Scientists reveal protein mechanism behind tuberculosis pathogen success
Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb), the causative agent of tuberculosis (TB), remains a leading infectious threat to public health worldwide. It is estimated to have infected 2–3 billion people and causes ~1.5 million deaths each year......»»
Pockets of resistance found in survey of pathogen diversity
Unparalleled insights into the secret life of Streptococcus pneumoniae, the bacterium responsible for hundreds of thousands of infant deaths each year, have been revealed by new research from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, the University of Oxford, t.....»»
A big step toward treating tuberculosis without risking antibiotic resistance
Tuberculosis, an infectious disease that killed 1.5 million people in 2020, is most commonly treated with a cocktail of four drugs that must be taken for up to six months. This treatment plan, however, can have the unintended consequence of leading t.....»»
Mutation in key molecules could stop gonorrhea infection
Creating a mutation that inhibits how the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae causes gonorrhea, a common sexually transmitted infection, could offer a new way to prevent and treat the disease, according to researchers in the Institute for Biomed.....»»
The Fungus That Killed Frogs—and Led to a Surge in Malaria
A global fungal pandemic wiped out amphibians, destroyed biodiversity, and ultimately increased human illness. Now a second similar pathogen is on the way......»»
Using artificial intelligence to improve tuberculosis treatments
Imagine you have 20 new compounds that have shown some effectiveness in treating a disease like tuberculosis (TB), which affects 10 million people worldwide and kills 1.5 million each year. For effective treatment, patients will need to take a combin.....»»
Bacterial vesicles coated on gold nanoparticles to combat TB
Researchers from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have designed a new method to deliver a vaccine candidate for tuberculosis (TB). It involves using spherical vesicles secreted by bacteria coated on gold nanoparticles which can then be delivere.....»»