Pathogen News and Research

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Immune system can produce 'universal antibodies' against various microorganisms

Bacteria and other microorganisms display structures from sugar molecules on their surfaces. These sugar structures play an important role for immune defense.

15 May 2018

Disease tolerance is the key to treating TB, say experts

A new study from McGill University suggests it is the body’s ability to “tolerate” rather than “resist” TB infection that stops symptoms of the disease developing.

14 May 2018

Scientists recover DNA from the oldest viruses

Researchers have successfully recovered DNA from the oldest viruses that are known to have infected mankind. These earliest viruses were all strains of hepatitis B.

13 May 2018

New studies use proteomics to shed light on pathogenic mechanisms

Recent studies in the journal Molecular & Cellular Proteomics have shed light on pathogenic mechanisms of the sexually-transmitted parasite Trichomonas vaginalis and the HIV-associated opportunistic lung fungus Aspergillus.

11 May 2018

Massachussetts public health department receives $100,000 grant to subsidize cost of tick testing

A recent report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that warns of a recent surge of tick-borne disease incidence in the United States was no surprise to Massachusetts State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Catherine Brown and microbiology professor Stephen Rich, director of the Laboratory of Medical Zoology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

9 May 2018

TUM researchers unravel mechanism of action for one of pore-forming bacterial toxins

Pore-forming toxins are common bacterial poisons. They attack organisms by introducing holes in cell membranes.

7 May 2018

Scientists use cryo-ET techniques to capture images of measles viruses

Researchers have been able to capture images of measles viruses as they emerge from infected cells, using state of the art cryo-electron tomography techniques

3 May 2018

Study identifies unique bacterial behavioral response to certain antibiotics

In a new study published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, researchers from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a pathogen that causes pneumonia, sepsis and other infections, communicates distress signals within a group of bacteria in response to certain antibiotics.

27 Apr 2018

Researchers uncover the mystery of B cell receptors

When a pathogen evades or overcomes our innate immune defenses, the adaptive immune system kicks into action. There are two types of adaptive immune responses: cell-mediated immunity mediated by T cells and humoral immunity mediated by antibodies produced by B cells.

27 Apr 2018

Western diets promote bacterial growth in the small intestine, increase fat digestion and absorption

A researcher at Midwestern University led a new study showing that Western diets, high in fat and simple sugar, promote the growth of bacteria in the small intestine that increase fat digestion and absorption.

27 Apr 2018

Zika virus can be used for treating aggressive human central nervous system tumors, shows study

A Brazilian study published April 26 in the journal Cancer Research shows for the first time in vivo that Zika virus can be used as a tool to treat aggressive human central nervous system (CNS) tumors.

27 Apr 2018

Researchers discover unique mechanism that drives spread of deadly infection

Scientists at the University of Birmingham have discovered a unique mechanism that drives the spread of a deadly infection.

26 Apr 2018

Why are Antibiotics Overprescribed for Meningitis Treatment?

Meningitis is a relatively rare disease, with our estimates for the incidence of meningitis in the UK being about 3.2 cases of meningitis per 100,000 adults. Crucially, bacterial meningitis is linked to significant morbidity and mortality - up to 30% mortality in pneumococcal meningitis cases.

25 Apr 2018

Researchers discover genetic catalysts that accelerate evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria

Researchers at Oxford University have shown that it is possible to identify genetic catalysts that accelerate the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria - and that this knowledge could be used to design treatments to stifle the development of resistance.

24 Apr 2018

Gene related to high fatality could be used as biomarker in patients with P. aeruginosa infection

Researchers discovered an easily measured gene linked to a high fatality rate, which could be used as a novel prognostic biomarker in patients with a Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) bloodstream infection, according to research presented at the 28th European Congress of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.

23 Apr 2018

Researchers identify target gene in P. aeruginosa infection

Researchers have discovered a gene linked to fatal outcomes in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) infection that could be used as a novel prognostic biomarker and treatment target.

23 Apr 2018

UGA scientist creates system for efficient detection of foodborne pathogens

Quick, efficient pathogen detection and fingerprinting is essential and often lifesaving when it comes to preventing foodborne illness. Now, University of Georgia food scientist Xiangyu Deng has created a system that can identify foodborne pathogens in a fraction of the time taken by traditional methods.

18 Apr 2018

Bacterial 'gene swapping' affects emergence and spread of infectious diseases

A new study by scientists at the University of Liverpool documents, for the first time, how the ability of bacteria to swap genetic material with each other can directly affect the emergence and spread of globally important infectious diseases.

17 Apr 2018

Single foodborne outbreak can have large ramifications for restaurants

A single foodborne outbreak could cost a restaurant millions of dollars in lost revenue, fines, lawsuits, legal fees, insurance premium increases, inspection costs and staff retraining, a new study from researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health suggests.

16 Apr 2018

Overestimation of Ebola virus mutation rates

Scientific evidence at the start of the last major Ebola epidemic in West Africa that suggested the virus would change exceptionally rapidly was probably due to methodological biases.

12 Apr 2018