Pathogen News and Research

RSS

Research on broadly neutralizing antibodies may lead to universal flu vaccine

New research from an immunology team at the University of Chicago may shed light on the challenges of developing a universal flu vaccine that would provide long-lasting and broad protection against influenza viruses.

23 Oct 2020

Molecular communication may help increase the resistance of crop plants against parasitic plants

Cuscuta spp., also known as dodder, is a parasitic vine which grafts to the host plant using special suckers to obtain water, minerals and carbohydrates.

21 Oct 2020

Study explores the impact of microbial immune diversity on dynamics of host-virus interactions

CRISPR-Cas serves as a key driving force of strain diversity in host-virus systems during an evolutionary fight between the host and virus.

21 Oct 2020

Peptide therapy prevents overreaction of the immune system against infections

Individuals require enough action to remove offensive viruses or bacteria, but not so much that their body suffer a considerable damage.

From UC San Diego 15 Oct 2020

A new protein discovered that repairs DNA

Researchers have identified a new protein that makes it possible to repair DNA. The protein in question is called cryptochrome.

15 Oct 2020

Biofilms of major pathogenic bacteria can deform soft surfaces

The vast majority of bacteria in the world live on surfaces by forming structures called "biofilms". These communities host thousands to millions of bacteria of different types, and are so biologically complex and active that scientists describe them as "cities".

9 Oct 2020

Study offers new insights how the plant tips stay free of virus

Plants are able to keep growing indefinitely because they have tissues made of meristems--plant stem cells--which have the unique ability to transform themselves into the various specialized cells that make up the plant, dividing whenever appropriate and producing new cells of whatever type as needed.

9 Oct 2020

Researchers investigate the role of auxin in regulating pathogen gene expression

Scientists have long known that the plant hormone auxin controls many aspects of plant growth, development, and responses to the environment. Only more recently have they begun to understand that there is also a link between auxin and leaf spotting diseases.

7 Oct 2020

Gut microbial development could be restored in C-section infants by fecal microbiota transplant

The human gut contains a diverse ecosystem of microbes: mainly bacteria, as well as viruses and fungi, termed the gut microbiota.

5 Oct 2020

Researchers identify small molecules that target a structure within SARS-CoV-2 genome

SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that is responsible for causing COVID-19. This pathogen has now crippled economies, health care systems, and everyday lives across the world.

5 Oct 2020

Memory training for the immune system

After an infection of the human body with a pathogen, a cascade of reactions will usually be set into motion.

29 Sep 2020

Analysis of wild tomatoes elucidates genetic basis underlying fruit traits

Domestication and subsequent intensive breeding of tomato had a major impact on fruit ripening and the myriad metabolic processes accompanying it.

29 Sep 2020

Researchers discover how antibiotic resistance genes spread via plasmids

For the first time, researchers have discovered how antibiotic resistance genes are spreading, at a continental scale, via bacterial plasmids in the hospital superbug, Klebsiella pneumoniae.

25 Sep 2020

Scientists uncover new pathway to protect plants from fungal infection

Widespread fungal disease in plants can be controlled with a commercially available chemical that has been primarily used in medicine until now. This discovery was made by scientists from Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (MLU) and the University of the State of Paraná in Brazil.

23 Sep 2020

Researchers discover novel resistance gene to devastating potato disease

Late blight is the most important pathogen in potato and causes devastation worldwide. The disease, caused by the oomycete Phytophthora infestans, was the trigger of the Irish Famine and still one of the most serious threats to potato production that causes significant economic losses.

22 Sep 2020

T cells play a vital role in controlling SARS-CoV-2 during acute phase of infection

Ever since SARS-CoV-2 first appeared, researchers have been trying to understand whether sometimes the immune system does more harm than good during the acute phase of COVID-19. The latest study by researchers at La Jolla Institute for Immunology clearly argues in favor of the immune system.

17 Sep 2020

Allergic immune responses protect against bacterial infections

Allergy is one of the most common diseases in Europe, it is estimated that more than 150 million Europeans suffer from recurring allergies and by 2025 this could have increased to half of the entire European population.

10 Sep 2020

Human evolution shaped by pathogens and cell-autonomous immunity

Every human cell harbors its own defenses against microbial invaders, relying on strategies that date back to some of the earliest events in the history of life, researchers report.

10 Sep 2020

Researchers determine how prokaryotic and single-celled origins contribute to human evolution

Immune responses are produced by a complex, hierarchical organization of the immune system, tissues, organs, and components.

7 Sep 2020

Researchers investigate cellular factors that could be significant for COVID-19 infection

An infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 can affect multiple organs. With this in mind, researchers of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Cornell University in the US have investigated cellular factors that could be significant for an infection.

4 Sep 2020