Microbiology

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Gut bacteria may modify host animal's behavior, influence food choices

Gut bacteria are tiny but may play an outsized role not only in the host animal's digestive health, but in their overall well-being.

18 Jun 2020

Study calls for more research on bacteriophages involved in plant health

In an individual’s own gut and in marine environments, bacteriophages, viruses that infect bacteria, play an important role in the regulation of microbiome.

17 Jun 2020

Study shows how viruses evade antiviral defenses

According to a new study, researchers have identified a novel antiviral defense system that can possibly be used for treating several viral infections.

17 Jun 2020

Researchers identify antibody cocktail with potential to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 virus

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine evaluated several human antibodies to determine the most potent combination to be mixed in a cocktail and used as a promising anti-viral therapy against the virus that causes COVID-19.

17 Jun 2020

Combination drugs for COVID-19 show promise in laboratory tests

Six months into the COVID-19 pandemic, more than 7.4 million people have been infected, and more than 410 000 have died. As yet, there is no treatment or vaccine for the disease.

16 Jun 2020

BCG vaccine elicits trained immunity in humans

A tuberculosis vaccine developed 100 years ago also makes vaccinated persons less susceptible to other infections.

16 Jun 2020

Remodeling of gut microbiome strongly inhibits thickened-artery condition in mice

Scientists at Scripps Research have developed molecules that can remodel the bacterial population of intestines to a healthier state and they have shown--through experiments in mice--that this reduces cholesterol levels and strongly inhibits the thickened-artery condition known as atherosclerosis.

16 Jun 2020

Potent human antibodies protect against SARS-CoV-2 in animal tests

A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes the disease, when tested in animals and human cell cultures.

16 Jun 2020

Symbiotic bacteria support the unusual life cycle and diet of reed beetles

Insects that feed only on plants have a number of challenges to overcome. But they also have some active helpers to assist them with the supply of important nutrients.

15 Jun 2020

Jena microbiologists discover natural products in new species of bacteria

The sheer endless expanses of the oceans are hostile deserts -- at least from the perspective of a bacterium living in water.

15 Jun 2020

Interconnected mycobacteria stay alive longer

The tuberculosis pathogen Mycobacterium tuberculosis can protect itself better when combined and thus stay alive longer in the air.

15 Jun 2020

Study proposes "microbial Noah's ark" to protect long-term health of humanity

A new study finds that proposal to create a "microbial Noah's ark" to protect the long-term health of humanity is feasible and should move forward into a pilot project phase, that would include installing infrastructure to store microbes in a site such as Norway or Switzerland and a collaboration for collecting samples all over the world.

15 Jun 2020

Parasite infection associated with the overall composition of gastrointestinal microbiome

Parasite infections are a constant presence for many people who live in tropical regions, particularly in less industrialized areas.

15 Jun 2020

Protein dynamics can help fight bacterial infections

When pathogenic bacteria infect, the body’s immune system attempts to remove these invaders. One method to do this is to trigger an inflammatory response.

10 Jun 2020

KAUST scientists reveal the genetic metronome within malaria parasites

The parasites responsible for malaria seem to march to their own beat.The mystery behind the molecular basis of how these parasites synch their rhythm in replication to the host's clock-driven rhythms has been solved.

10 Jun 2020

Study reveals new insight on vaccines and antimicrobials

Bacteria are known to be versatile living organisms capable of colonizing a wide variety of tissues, hosts, or environments inside a host.

9 Jun 2020

CD8+ T cells can help develop vaccines against Japanese encephalitis, Zika fever

A clinical case of Japanese encephalitis is diagnosed in over 68,000 individuals every year, leading to the death of one in four of these affected patients.

8 Jun 2020

Teixobactin-based drug can kill superbugs

A team of researchers has reached one step closer in its quest for developing a feasible teixobactin-based drug.

8 Jun 2020

Researchers identify bacterium responsible for causing intestinal bleeding in pigs

A research team from University of Bern has recently identified the reason behind a fatal intestinal bleeding in piglets caused by bacterium.

5 Jun 2020

Genomic research can help combat COVID-19

Next-generation sequencing of the COVID-19 virus is providing powerful metagenomic data, which, combined with clinical data, will inform the search for effective treatments, as reported in the peer-reviewed journal Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology.

5 Jun 2020