Pathogen News and Research

RSS

Research provides opportunities for biological control of insect-borne pathogens

Researchers from INRA, CIRAD, CEA, the University of Montpellier, and Chicago and Vanderbilt Universities in the United States have developed an innovative method for analyzing the genome of the Wolbachia bacterium.

27 Mar 2019

Shaping new treatments for tuberculosis

To commemorate World TB Day, a Special Collection has been released by PLOS Medicine containing a series of articles that articulate the essential new steps in clinical research that will pave the way for the development of tomorrow's optimal treatment for all forms of tuberculosis.

25 Mar 2019

Researchers identify genes responsible for safener efficacy in grain sorghum

Weeds often emerge at the same time as vulnerable crop seedlings and sneak between plants as crops grow. How do farmers kill them without harming the crops themselves?

22 Mar 2019

Ebola spreads to second largest city in DRC

Bunia is the second largest city in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This week (20th of March 2019), the Health Ministry confirmed a case of the highly fatal Ebola virus infection at Bunia. Bunia has a population of nearly one million and this announcement has sparked fear.

22 Mar 2019

Pollutants appear to weaken immune system and increase pathogen virulence

Many people view pollutants and pathogens as separate causes of illness. However, recent research indicates that the two can interact, changing how people and animals respond to infectious diseases.

21 Mar 2019

Human microbiome metabolites enhance colon injury by enterohemorrhagic E. coli, study shows

It remains mysterious why humans get infected by some bacterial or viral pathogens relatively easily while animals that have very similar tissues and immune functions do not.

20 Mar 2019

Innovative model identifies primate species with potential to transmit Zika in the Americas

In the Americas, primate species likely to harbor Zika - and potentially transmit the virus - are common, abundant, and often live near people. So reports a new study published today in Epidemics. Findings are based on an innovative model developed by a collaborative team of researchers from Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies and IBM Research through its Science for Social Good initiative.

19 Mar 2019

Cholesterol lowering drug can also help treat cancer-associated cachexia

Brazilian researchers have discovered that a drug regularly prescribed to control cholesterol can also be used to treat cachexia, or wasting syndrome, a condition characterized by rapid weight loss and muscle atrophy associated with extreme physical weakness.

19 Mar 2019

TGen and ABL sign agreement to distribute new TB test technology

n an important step toward eradicating tuberculosis, the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City of Hope, has signed a licensing agreement with an international biomedical firm, Advanced Biological Laboratories, to market and distribute TGen's patented Next Generation Sequencing-based TB test technology.

19 Mar 2019

Partial oral antibiotic therapy shows efficacy and safety in patients with infectious endocarditis

Patients with an infection of the inner lining on the left side of the heart (endocarditis) who were switched from intravenous to oral antibiotic therapy had better long-term survival and fewer complications than similar patients who remained on conventional intravenous antibiotic therapy, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 68th Annual Scientific Session.

18 Mar 2019

Rice University bioscientists reveal danger of vitamin B12 deficiency

Using roundworms, one of Earth's simplest animals, Rice University bioscientists have found the first direct link between a diet with too little vitamin B12 and an increased risk of infection by two potentially deadly pathogens.

14 Mar 2019

Scientists introduce a simple, reliable method for universal isothermal DNA amplification

Whether revealing a perpetrator with DNA evidence, diagnosing a pathogen, classifying a paleontological discovery, or determining paternity, the duplication of nucleic acids (amplification) is indispensable.

13 Mar 2019

Virginia Tech professor uses mathematical modeling simulations to assess vaccine efficacy

The recent measles outbreaks across the country emphasize the importance of vaccinations.

11 Mar 2019

Mechanism through which bacteria attack the immune system discovered

A research team led by Prof. Dr. Winfried Römer and Dr. Elias Hobeika from the University of Freiburg and the University Medical Center in Ulm has discovered a mechanism with which bacteria activate white blood cells and attack an organism's immune system. The scientists recently published the results in the journal Science Signaling.

7 Mar 2019

Liver tissue model can help investigate the effects of RNA interference

Novel therapies based on a process known as RNA interference hold great promise for treating a variety of diseases by blocking specific genes in a patient's cells. Many of the earliest RNAi treatments have focused on diseases of the liver, because RNA-carrying particles tend to accumulate in that organ.

6 Mar 2019

Isolating Bacterial Pathogen DNA from Food Samples

Isolating bacterial pathogen DNA is important and often seen as QA ensure that the food manufactured or the ingredients used do not contain food-borne bacteria.

From Promega Corporation 5 Mar 2019

Researchers examine process of gut-based cells involved in long-term immunity

Only a few vaccines - for example, against polio and rotavirus - can be given orally. Most must be delivered by injection.

5 Mar 2019

New analysis highlights economic burden of dengue fever

Dengue fever is a major public health concern in many parts of South-East Asia and South America and its prevalence in Africa is thought to be expanding. Researchers have now conducted an analysis of the economic burden of dengue fever in Burkina Faso, Kenya and Cambodia.

4 Mar 2019

Researchers find how bats remain immune to various infections

An international research team led by Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore, has identified molecular and genetic mechanisms that allow bats to stay healthy while hosting viruses that kill other animals, according to a new study published in the journal Nature Microbiology.

27 Feb 2019

Scientists use CRISPR to reveal the secret life of antimicrobial peptides

When it comes to the immune system, we usually think about lymphocytes like B and T cells or macrophages going on constant seek-and-destroy missions against invading pathogens like bacteria and viruses.

26 Feb 2019