Pathogen News and Research

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New evidence shows how fever alters immune cells

Fever is known to help power up our immune cells, and scientists in Shanghai have new evidence explaining how.

16 Jan 2019

CRISPR-Cas9 circular permutants can sense and respond to viral proteases

Using a technique called circular permutation, researchers at the University of California Berkeley have created a new suite of Cas9 variants called Cas9-CPs, which will simplify design of Cas9-fusion proteins for diverse applications beyond simple DNA cutting, such as base editing and epigenetic modifications.

11 Jan 2019

Staphylococcus aureus: Study describes development of resistance to antibiotic for the first time

The Staphylococcus aureus bacterium is one of the commonest pathogens and can even cause sepsis. The new antibiotic dalbavancin is very effective against many bacterial pathogens.

10 Jan 2019

Viral replication not necessary to cause lethal disease by food-borne pathogen

The replication of a bacterial virus is not necessary to cause lethal disease in a mouse model of a food-borne pathogen called Enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli, according to a study published January 10 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Sowmya Balasubramanian, John Leong and Marcia Osburne of Tufts University School of Medicine, and colleagues.

10 Jan 2019

New analytic method can precisely detect viral infections using immune responses

Cytomegalovirus is widespread and remains in the body for a lifetime after infection. In healthy individuals, this virus is usually kept in check but can become dangerous when the immune system is weakened or during pregnancy.

8 Jan 2019

New anti-Wolbachia drug could potentially treat onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis

Researchers from LSTM and the University of Liverpool have successfully optimized a hit from a whole cell screening of a 10000-compound library to deliver the first novel fully synthetic and rationally designed anti-Wolbachia drug, AWZ1066S, which could potentially be used to treat onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis.

8 Jan 2019

New bacteria-based drug delivery system could radically expand cancer treatment options

An interdisciplinary team of three Virginia Tech faculty members affiliated with the Macromolecules Innovation Institute has created a drug delivery system that could radically expand cancer treatment options.

21 Dec 2018

Researchers discover promising new compound against Buruli ulcer

Buruli ulcer - one of the most neglected among the NTDs - is a debilitating and stigmatizing disease. Affecting mainly children in West and Central Africa, the chronic disease results in devastating skin lesions and can lead to permanent disfigurement and long-term disabilities.

18 Dec 2018

Immune cells explode themselves to inform about the danger of invading bacteria

Our immune systems are working overtime this time of year. Knowing that a bunch of dedicated immune cells are willing to explode themselves to inform other cells about the danger may offer a bit of consolation.

17 Dec 2018

Recurrence of urinary tract infection may depend on bacterial strain, study shows

Genetically diverse bacterial strains that cause urinary tract infections differ in their ability to trigger protective immune responses in mice, potentially explaining why these infections frequently recur in many patients, according to a study published December 13 in the open-access journal PLOS Pathogens by Thomas Hannan and Scott Hultgren of Washington University School of Medicine, and colleagues.

14 Dec 2018

Study shows septin proteins detect and kill gut pathogen, Shigella

Using state-of-the art technologies to image human cells and study infection at the level of a single bacterial cell, the research team, led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, has uncovered the strongest evidence yet that septins take Shigella prisoner.

13 Dec 2018

Study finds drug targets for Ebola, Dengue, and Zika viruses

No drugs are currently available to treat Ebola, Dengue, or Zika viruses, which infect millions of people every year and result in severe illness, birth defects, and even death. New research from the Gladstone Institutes and UC San Francisco may finally change that. Scientists identified key ways the three viruses hijack the body's cells, and they found at least one potential drug that can disrupt this process in human cells.

13 Dec 2018

New collaborative partnership in quest of novel antibiotics

The Global Antibiotic Research and Development Partnership, Eisai Co., Ltd. and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited have signed an agreement for GARDP to access and screen components of Eisai and Takeda's chemical libraries.

12 Dec 2018

Sacrificial immune cells alert body to infection

Scientists have discovered a new mechanism by which immune cells burst to alert the body to infection with Yersinia pestis.

11 Dec 2018

Houston Methodist launches real-time website to track flu cases

Pathologists at Houston Methodist developed a real-time website to track flu cases, just in time to assist physicians, the CDC and patients for the fall 2018 flu season.

7 Dec 2018

Boosting our defenses to fight Klebsiella infections

Although a relatively common infection, some bacteria that causes pneumonia can be particularly deadly. As a case in point, take Klebsiella pneumoniae, which has been included on the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) list of infections that desperately need new treatments.

6 Dec 2018

UAB research may point a path to more effective influenza vaccines

Seasonal influenza vaccines are typically less than 50 percent effective, according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention studies. Research at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, published this week in Nature Immunology, may point a path to more effective vaccines.

6 Dec 2018