Pathogen News and Research

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Smart Gray Mold Pathogen Tastes Fruit and Vegetable Chemical Defenses to Counter Them

Even if you haven't heard of Botrytis cinerea, you've likely seen it - slowly growing in your store-bought blueberries, tomatoes or even on your beautiful orchids. Commonly known as gray mold, the fungus attacks hundreds of plants.

21 May 2026

Copper-Free Click Reactions Allow Safe In Vivo Tracking of Tumors Inside the Body

Conventional cancer treatments like chemotherapy often struggle with poor targeting, leading to severe systemic toxicity and drug resistance. Diagnostic techniques, while improving, are frequently invasive and cannot monitor treatment responses in real time.

20 May 2026

New Single-Cell Technique Reveals Why Bacteria Survive Antibiotics

SinBactM's innovative approach to single-bacterium metabolomics reveals distinct metabolic states, enhancing understanding of antibiotic resistance in bacteria.

6 May 2026

Discovery Shows How Plants Prevent Excess Immune Responses

Salicylic acid, the active molecule in aspirin and some acne medications, is a hormone in plants that is essential for immunity, but it's a double-edged sword: Too much can cause autoimmunity and stunt growth.

5 May 2026

Genomic Tool TRACS Improves Tracking of Microbial Transmission Patterns

The research, published today (24 April) in Nature Microbiology, describes how the new tool, called TRAnsmision Clustering of Strains (TRACS), uses genomics to distinguish between closely related bacterial strains.

4 May 2026

Host Genetics and Sex Shape Evolution of Viral Virulence

During the early stages of a pandemic, viruses tend to evolve in ways that enhance their ability to reproduce and spread, rather than to evade the host's immune system.

4 May 2026

Key Protein Switch Activates Leptospira Virulence and Disease Spread

During infection, pathogens must adapt quickly to the conditions to thrive inside the body. A research team at the University of Basel, Switzerland, has uncovered how a key protein switches on the machinery that enables Leptospira pathogens to survive and cause disease.

28 Apr 2026

New MIND Tool Enables Precise Control of Complex Microbiomes

University of California San Diego researchers have developed a new tool for understanding and modifying any microbiome, including the human microbiome.

22 Apr 2026

Is Fast Food Harming the Gut Health of Seagulls? We Could be About to Find Out

A brand new study looking at the impact of fast food on the gut health of seagulls has just won funding from the Royal Society.

22 Apr 2026

Researchers Uncover How the Immune System Teaches the Brain to Avoid Toxins

Researchers from the University of Bonn and University Hospital Bonn uncover vital mechanism for survival.

17 Apr 2026

AI Predicts Viral Mutations to Design Future-Proof Vaccines

The wave-shaped chart Ratul Chowdhury pulls up on a computer monitor in his office captures the evolutionary cat-and-mouse game his research lab is up against.

13 Apr 2026

Semen-Derived Exosomes Eye Drops to Treat Retinoblastoma

Innovative eye drops using semen-derived exosomes target retinoblastoma, improving therapeutic delivery and preserving ocular function in preclinical models.

8 Apr 2026

Genomic Study Reveals How Bacterial ‘Armor’ Reduces Cholera Disease Severity

Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study.

2 Apr 2026

New Computational Tools Improve Gene Function Determination Within Fungal Organisms

While RNA sequencing (RNA-seq) has become a standard tool for profiling which genes are active in an organism, determining the actual biological functions of those genes in fungi remains a significant technical challenge. Most existing software tools are designed to cover a broad range of species, often lacking the specificity required for the unique genetic landscape of fungi.

31 Mar 2026

Genetic Study Maps E. coli Capsules Behind Severe Infections

The first large-scale genetic study of E. coli's protective armor has identified the five capsule types that are responsible for 70 per cent of all multidrug-resistant bloodstream infections in Europe.

26 Mar 2026

Revive Penicillin’s Power by Exploiting Bacteria’s Hidden Weakness

When many disease-causing bacteria come into contact with penicillin, they do not necessarily die immediately, but instead enter a brief survival mode known as antibiotic tolerance.

13 Mar 2026

Land Clearing Linked to Myrtle Rust Disease in Native Forests

New research has revealed past land clearing is increasing the vulnerability of native Australian forests to the invasive myrtle rust disease — with regrowth forests emerging as hotspots for impact.

11 Mar 2026

New Cell-Free Method Reveals Hidden Rules of Bacterial Gene Expression

Inside every cell, thousands of molecular signals collide, overlap, and compensate, obscuring the true drivers of gene expression.

5 Mar 2026

Host-Driven Microbiome Engineering Enhances Soil Health and Plant Resilience

Continuous cropping is widely practiced in horticulture but frequently results in soil degradation, microbial imbalance, and increased disease pressure.

2 Mar 2026

New Antibodies Prevent EBV Infection in Humanized Mouse Models

Fred Hutch Cancer Center scientists reached a crucial milestone in blocking Epstein Barr virus (EBV), a pathogen estimated to infect 95% of the global population that is linked to multiple types of cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and other chronic health conditions.

18 Feb 2026