Microbiology News and Research

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Inhaling wildfire smoke's microbial content can increase risk of infection

Wildfire smoke contains microbes, a fact that's often ignored, but one that may have important health repercussions.

From The University of California, Davis 21 Dec 2020

Study: Fungi have proteins that allow them to sense consumable things

According to a new study, the same proteins responsible for enabling human senses, like smell, also enable some fungi to sense things they can consume.

17 Dec 2020

Gene expression database sheds light on pneumococcal infection

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine published one of the most comprehensive analyses of how genes get expressed during infection (known as a transcriptome).

16 Dec 2020

Researchers identify new therapeutic target to fight COVID-19 disease

In COVID-19 patients with severe lung disease, targeting the endothelial cells—that is, cells comprising the blood vessel wall, which control oxygen exchange between the bloodstream and airways—may be an innovative strategy to restore normal function of the lungs.

15 Dec 2020

Scientists aim to treat and prevent disease by understanding exercise benefits

A top exercise researcher and colleagues at the University of Virginia School of Medicine have launched an ambitious effort to understand the whole-body benefits of exercise so that doctors can use that information to prevent and treat disease.

11 Dec 2020

Hydrogen peroxide protects the intestinal lining from gut microbes

Scientists at UC Davis Health have discovered that an enzyme in the colon lining releases hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) - a known disinfecting compound- to protect the body from gut microbes.

From The University of California, Davis 10 Dec 2020

Study provides new insight on how lung bacteria protect against invading pathogens

New insight on how bacteria in the lungs protect against invading pathogens has been published today in the open-access eLife journal.

9 Dec 2020

Study shows fluorescent protein molecules act as tiny antennas with optical properties

Scientists have revealed that fluorescent protein molecules serve as antennas with optical characteristics according to their spatial orientation.

4 Dec 2020

Researchers use super-resolution microscopy to study bacterial infection mechanisms

Expansion microscopy, abbreviated as ExM, allows scientists to image cells and their components with a spatial resolution down to 200 nm.

4 Dec 2020

Plant amyloids could improve nutritional value of plant seeds, reduce allergenicity of legume seeds

Thanks to this work, as the journal Trends in Plant Science recently noted, it is now known that functional amyloids serve biological functions in representatives of almost all large groups of living organisms: bacteria, archaea, animals, fungi, and plants.

3 Dec 2020

Research may lead to new strategies for calcium malabsorption

A Rutgers study has discovered that vitamin D regulates calcium in a section of the intestine that previously was thought not to have played a key role.

From Rutgers University 2 Dec 2020

Scientists successfully edit SIV virus from genomes of non-human primates

Taking a major step forward in HIV research, scientists at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University have successfully edited SIV - a virus closely related to HIV, the cause of AIDS - from the genomes of non-human primates.

1 Dec 2020

New study refutes a major cellular process in bacteria

Despite explanations in textbooks, a new study has discovered and elucidated a cellular process that has continued to remain a mystery for researchers.

30 Nov 2020

UofL researcher finds less toxic way to deliver medicines

University of Louisville researchers have found a less toxic way to deliver medicines by using the natural lipids in plants, particularly grapefruit and ginger.

30 Nov 2020

New gene therapy can protect visual function in patients with dominant optic atrophy

Researchers have created a novel gene therapy approach that shows promise for someday treating an eye disease that results in progressive vision loss.

27 Nov 2020

Genetic modification in the ‘coat’ of fatal brain virus may allow it to escape antibodies

A genetic modification in the 'coat' of a brain infection-causing virus may allow it to escape antibodies, according to Penn State College of Medicine researchers.

23 Nov 2020

MMR vaccine may be protective against COVID-19, study shows

The measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine has been theorized to provide protection against COVID-19. In a new study published in mBio, an open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, researchers provide further proof of this by showing that mumps IgG titers, or levels of IgG antibody, are inversely correlated with severity in recovered COVID-19 patients previously vaccinated with the MMR II vaccine produced by Merck. MMR II contains the Edmonston strain of measles, the Jeryl Lynn (B-level) strain of mumps, and the Wistar RA 27/3 strain of rubella.

23 Nov 2020