by University of California, San Francisco DNA, which has a double-helix structure, can have many genetic mutations and variations. Credit: NIH A genomic test developed at UC San Francisco to rapidly detect almost any kind of pathogen—virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite—has proved successful after a decade of use. The test has the potential to vastly improve...
Tag: <span>pathogen</span>
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Chemical trick activates antibiotic directly at the pathogen
Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research Electron micrograph of Escherichia coli Credit: Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research/Manfred Rohde “Due to increasing resistance, it is becoming more and more frequent that common and well-tolerated antibiotics no longer work against dangerous bacterial pathogens,” says Prof. Mark Brönstrup, head of the ‘Chemical Biology’ department at the HZI and a scientist...
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Researchers find a chink in the armor of tuberculosis pathogen
by Institute for Systems Biology Graphical Abstract. Credit: Cell Reports (2023). DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2023.112875 Mycobacterium tuberculosis (Mtb) is the pathogen that causes tuberculosis (TB), the world’s deadliest infectious disease. Mtb is so successful and harmful because it can adapt to different conditions inside our bodies, allowing it to evade treatment. By using a computer model to understand Mtb’s...
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New study shows pathogen and drug working together to fight fungal lung infection
by University of Maine Gram-stained P. aeruginosa bacteria (pink-red rods) Credit: Wikipedia Pathogens don’t always work against drug treatments. Sometimes, they can strengthen them, according to a new University of Maine study. Diseases caused by a combination of bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites—also known as polymicrobial infections—are challenging to treat because scientists don’t fully understand...
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Nutrition or pathogen? Balancing healthy metabolism and stress resistance
by Beth Newcomb, University of Southern California A new study led by the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology indicates that the negative long-term metabolic effects of fighting off infections could be mitigated by tweaking how a gene called SKN-1 directs cells to respond to stressors. A previous study in Caenorhabditis elegans in the laboratory...
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Highly virulent listeriosis pathogen discovered
by German Center for Infection Research The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a life-threatening infection in animals and humans. Contaminated food is a frequent source of infection. Elderly people, people with a weakened immune system and pregnant women are particularly at risk with a mortality rate of up to 30 per cent. An international...
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Viruses to stop cholera infections – the viral enemy of deadly bacteria could be humanity’s friend
by Andrew Camilli And Minmin Yen, The Conversation In the latest of a string of high-profile cases in the U.S., a cocktail of bacteria-killing viruses successfully treated a cystic fibrosis patient suffering from a deadly infection caused by a pathogen that was resistant to multiple forms of antibiotics. Curing infections is great, of course. But what about using these bacteria-killing viruses – bacteriophages – to prevent infections in the...