Microbiology

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Highly effective and safe Zika vaccine technology

Scientists from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) have discovered a Zika vaccine technology that is very safe and effective in preclinical mouse models.

29 Sep 2022

Fungus can be used for biological control of banana borers and Fusarium wilt

The banana borer Cosmopolites sordidus and the disease Fusarium wilt, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum, are among the most harmful pests that threaten the livelihoods of banana growers, who face major challenges in attempting to control them.

29 Sep 2022

Cryo-EM solves the decades-old mystery of bacterial movement

Scientists from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and their colleagues have discovered a decades-old mystery regarding how E. coli and other bacteria move.

28 Sep 2022

The exchange of nutrients between the mother and fetus mirrored by ‘placenta-on-a-chip’

Plasmodium falciparum infections can result in placental malaria, which can have serious consequences for both mother and child. Nearly 200,000 newborn fatalities annually from placental malaria, primarily as a result of low birth weight, as well as 10,000 maternal deaths.

27 Sep 2022

The master regulator behind the fungal infection of wheat identified

The most damaging fungal disease of wheat farmed in temperate regions worldwide, Septoria tritici blotch, is brought on by the fungus Zymoseptoria tritici.

From University of Exeter 27 Sep 2022

Tiny DNA strand net in a low-cost test platform traps COVID-19 virus

According to a new study, tiny nets made of DNA strands can capture the spike protein of the virus that causes COVID-19, illuminating it for a quick yet accurate diagnostic test and preventing it from infecting cells, suggesting a new potential path to antiviral treatment.

26 Sep 2022

Carp virus provides significant insights into immunology

In an article published in the journal Nucleic Acids Research, the team led by Prof. Alain Vanderplasschen, a virologist and immunologist at the University of Liège, describes 10 years of research on how a carp virus uses a protein domain called Zalpha (Zα) to inhibit the host cell’s defense mechanisms.

26 Sep 2022

Novel means to prevent and treat gonorrhea

According to scientists from the Georgia State University’s Institute for Biomedical Sciences, producing a mutation that impedes the way the bacterial pathogen Neisseria gonorrhoeae transmits gonorrhea might provide a novel means to prevent and treat the disease.

26 Sep 2022

Study shows how gut bacteria feed on carbohydrate attached to plant proteins

A carbohydrate commonly found attached to plant proteins is a food source for the bacteria in our gut, new research suggests.

23 Sep 2022

New imaging technologies to evade immune responses of Candida albicans

Researchers from the Monash Biomedicine Discovery Institute have demonstrated how the common fungus Candida albicans evades immune responses using newly discovered imaging technologies. The researchers claim that this involves a fungus that can shape-shift in an “alien-like” manner to escape immune cells.

21 Sep 2022

Soil viruses contribute auxiliary functions to their hosts

There are billions of fungi, bacteria, and viruses, in a handful of soil, all working to support the cycle of life. Comprehending the interaction of these microbes with one another aids researchers evaluate soil carbon and nutrient cycling, soil health, and also the means through which dead insects decompose.

21 Sep 2022

Clothianidin affects bee behavior and pollination performance

It is well known that strawberries whose blossoms have been visited by bees grow larger; however, it is not yet understood how neonicotinoid pesticide exposure to bees affects strawberry development.

16 Sep 2022

Novel therapeutic treats B. anthracis infection without antibiotics

Anthrax-causing spores were mailed to news outlets and members of Congress during the “Amerithrax” strikes of 2001, inflicting at least 22 illnesses and leaving five people dead.

15 Sep 2022

Studies highlight bacteria accelerate the leukemia development in mice through specific viruses

By helping with digestion, supplying nutrients and metabolites, and collaborating with the immune system to ward off pathogens, gut bacteria have a significant impact on health.

14 Sep 2022

Researchers propose a way to identify Chlamydia, a deadly bacterial disease

Chlamydia, the most common bacterial infection associated with sexually transmitted diseases, hides inside human cells using a cloaking mechanism to avoid detection and destruction.

9 Sep 2022

Microbes in the human gut impact neurological and emotional health

According to a recent viewpoint piece in Science by a UT Southwestern researcher, there is growing evidence that the microbes found in the human stomach might also affect a person’s neurological and emotional health.

9 Sep 2022

Research finds highest levels of pathogenic bacteria in urban and agricultural soils

During heavy rains, Hawaii's streams, rivers, and nearshore waters change on microscopic levels. Bacteria in these aquatic systems increase, and some of these bacteria can be harmful to human health.

8 Sep 2022

Generalizable strategy to program gene stability of microbial communities

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have revealed a microbial community phenomenon that is analogous to teaching neighbors how to perform critical jobs by ripping out and sharing parts of the brain.

8 Sep 2022

Using human saliva to treat infections that are resistant to antibiotics

Tens of millions of individuals throughout the world suffer from antibiotic resistance every year. The CDC reports that more than 35,000 people die each year as a result of more than 2.8 million antibiotic-resistant infections that take place there each year.

2 Sep 2022

Hydroquinine inhibits and kills several strains of clinically important bacteria

A naturally occurring substance known as hydroquinine has been discovered by researchers to have bacterial killing ability against a variety of pathogens.

2 Sep 2022