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......»»
Study finds potentially druggable process of SARS-CoV-2 replication
Of all the proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the pathogen that causes COVID-19), the spike protein is the one that gets the most attention. This attention is well-deserved—the spike protein is essential for latching on to cells and infecting a host.....»»
Irish potato famine pathogen stoked outbreaks on six continents
North Carolina State University researchers continue to track the evolution of different strains of the plant pathogen that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s, which set down roots in the United States before attacking Europe......»»
Epigenetic changes drive the fate of a B cell
B cells are the immune cells responsible for creating antibodies, and most produce antibodies in response to a pathogen or a vaccine. A small subset of B cells instead spontaneously make antibodies that perform vital housekeeping functions. Understan.....»»
New screening method could lead to microbe-based replacements for chemical pesticides
Plants have evolved unique immunity mechanisms that they can activate upon detecting the presence of a pathogen. Interestingly, the presence of some nonpathogenic microorganisms can also prompt a plant to activate its systemic immunity mechanisms, an.....»»
Lemon trees showed less response to citrus greening disease pathogen than orange trees
Citrus greening disease was first discovered in Florida in 2005. Since then, production of oranges in the United States for processing has declined by 72 percent between the 2007-2008 growing season and the 2017-2018 growing season, primarily in Flor.....»»
TB immune response discovery could significantly reduce disease harm
A pioneering study has discovered the presence of a harmful inflammatory protein in patients with symptomatic tuberculosis (TB). Researchers say, by targeting the IL-17 cytokine, a component produced naturally by the immune system in response to infe.....»»
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......»»
Tailor-made therapy of multi-resistant tuberculosis
The successful treatment of multidrug-resistant tuberculosis requires clarification in advance as to which antibiotics the pathogens are resistant to. Classic testing is very time-consuming and delays the start of therapy. Researchers have now prepar.....»»
Starving tuberculosis of sugars may be a new way to fight it
Tuberculosis is a devastating disease that claims over 1.5 million lives each year. The increase in TB cases that are resistant to the current antibiotics means that novel drugs to kill Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) are urgently needed. Researcher.....»»
Disrupted movement makes macrophages more lethal to tuberculosis bacteria
Macrophages—the front line of our immune system—protect us from infections. But in the case of the tuberculosis bacteria, this often goes wrong. The group of Annemarie Meijer from the Leiden Institute of Biology has now discovered that macrophage.....»»
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.....»»
New study explains Mycobacterium tuberculosis high resistance to drugs and immunity
A consortium of researchers from Russia, Belarus, Japan, Germany and France led by a Skoltech scientist have uncovered the way in which Mycobacterium tuberculosis survives in iron-deficient conditions by utilizing rubredoxin B, a protein from a rubre.....»»
Rising Sika deer populations linked to bovine tuberculosis infections
New research suggests Ireland's increasing populations of Sika deer may be linked to local outbreaks of TB infection in cattle......»»
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.....»»
New discoveries on deadly fungus—possibly a key for treatment
Aspergillus fumigatus kills as many people as malaria and tuberculosis, but is less known. It is found everywhere, for example in the soil or in our compost, but is not normally dangerous to healthy people......»»
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.....»»
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.....»»
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.....»»