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......»»
New potato-threatening pathogens reported for first time in Pennsylvania, US
As the home of beloved snack companies like Martin's Potato Chips, Utz and Snyder's of Hanover, Pennsylvania values its potatoes. Tasty tubers across the state may face the threat of newly identified pathogen strains, though, according to Penn State.....»»
Plant warfare: The crucial function of Nrc proteins in tomato defense mechanisms
In the fascinating world of plant biology, a study recently featured on the cover of The Plant Journal has been turning heads. The research delves into the intricate defense mechanisms of tomatoes against the notorious bacterial pathogen Pseudomonas.....»»
A new approach can address antibiotic resistance to Mycobacterium abscessus
Scientists at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital are tackling Mycobacterium abscessus (Mab) antibiotic resistance. This naturally antibiotic-resistant pathogen is becoming more prevalent, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutics. To add.....»»
Special publication investigates paleopathology and evolution of tuberculosis
Recent research suggests that the emergence of tuberculosis infection (TB) in human populations dates back tens of thousands of years earlier than previously known cases in the Middle East. In collaboration with an international research team, Hungar.....»»
Battling persistence in tuberculosis bacteria
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with NCBS and InStem, have uncovered an important mechanism that allows the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium to persist in the human host for decades. They found that a single gene in.....»»
New research reveals critical steps in Lassa virus ribonucleoparticle assembly and recruitment
Lassa virus (LASV) is the pathogen that causes Lassa hemorrhagic fever, a disease endemic to West Africa, which causes approximately 5,000 deaths each year. At the CSSB Centre for Structural Systems Biology, the Uetrecht (CSSB, LIV, Uni Siegen), Kosi.....»»
Nanoparticles with antibacterial action could shorten duration of tuberculosis treatment
A low-cost technology involving nanoparticles loaded with antibiotics and other antimicrobial compounds that can be used in multiple attacks on infections by the bacterium responsible for most cases of tuberculosis has been developed by researchers a.....»»
Ancient DNA reveals how a chicken virus evolved to become more deadly
An international team of scientists led by geneticists and disease biologists from the University of Oxford and LMU Munich have used ancient DNA to trace the evolution of Marek's Disease Virus (MDV). This global pathogen causes fatal infections in un.....»»
Novel compounds show promise in the fight against tuberculosis and neurodegenerative disease
Prof. Bernd Plietker and his research group at the Chair of Organic Chemistry I at TUD have specifically developed a class of natural substances—polyprenylated polycyclic acylphloroglucinols (PPAP for short). Due to its properties, the resulting de.....»»
Nonalcoholic beer at higher risk for foodborne pathogens, says study
The lack of alcohol in nonalcoholic or low-alcohol beer—particularly during manufacturing, storage and pouring—may prompt conditions ripe for foodborne pathogen growth, according to a new Cornell study......»»
New fungus is the oldest disease-causing species found to date
The earliest disease-causing fungus has been discovered within the Natural History Museum's fossil collections. The new fungal plant pathogen, Potteromyces asteroxylicola, which is 407-million-years-old, has been named in honor of celebrated Tales of.....»»
Using machine learning to identify microbiota patterns important for plant protection
In a recent study published in Nature Communications, the Vorholt lab investigated the properties of plant microbiota involved in host protection against pathogen colonization. They identified the presence of specific strains that confer robust prote.....»»
New study finds that male pathology in songbirds drives avian epidemic dynamics
New findings by biological sciences researchers at the University of Arkansas indicate that males play an outsized role in both the infection rate and spread of the avian bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma gallisepticum, a common cause of conjunctivitis i.....»»
Research links climate change to vampire bat expansion and rabies virus spillover
Vampire bats may soon take up residence in the United States and bring with them an ancient pathogen. "What we found was that the distribution of vampire bats has moved northward across time due to past climate change, which has corresponded with an.....»»
Daycare TB case exposes over 500 babies, children; emergency declared
The health department has set up multiple clinics to test children as quickly as possible. Enlarge / Mycobacterium tuberculosis. (credit: Getty | NIH/NIAID) Health officials in Omaha, Nebraska, are wasting no time in tes.....»»
"Superbugs" with hypervirulence and carbapenem resistance in Klebsiella pneumoniae
A new bacterial threat, the carbapenem-resistant hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae (CR-hvKP), is rapidly spreading in clinical environments in China, posing a significant public health challenge. This pathogen is simultaneously multidrug-resistant,.....»»
How cord-like aggregates of bacteria lead to tuberculosis infections
The ability of Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB), a serious respiratory infection, to form snake-like cords was first noted nearly 80 years ago. In a study published October 20 in the journal Cell, investigators report the biophysical mechanisms by wh.....»»
Pathogen that plagues food processing plants eradicated by blue light
Blue light kills both dried cells and biofilms of the pathogen Listeria monocytogenes, a frequent contaminant of food processing facilities. Demise of L. monocytogenes occurred quickest when cells or biofilms were placed on polystyrene, a widely used.....»»
The deep slumber of a hospital pathogen: Why infections with Acinetobacter baumannii can flare up again and again
The bacterium Acinetobacter baumannii is an extremely dangerous pathogen that is found, among other places, in hospitals. Many of the bacterial strains are resistant to different classes of antibiotics. Infections with Acinetobacter baumannii were fi.....»»
Novel plant pathogen discovered on world"s northernmost island
Ellesmere Island (76°N–83°N) is one of the northernmost islands in the world, along with Greenland and Spitsbergen Island. More than 100 species of vascular plants are distributed across this island in the ice-free areas in summer. However, there.....»»