New research, from scientists at Imperial College London, unravels how so-called bacterial persister cells manipulate our immune cells, potentially opening new avenues to finding ways of clearing these bacterial cells from the body, and stopping recurrence of the bacterial infection.
A new study shows that the infections children contract during their childhood are linked to an increase in the risk of mental disorders during childhood and adolescence. This knowledge expands our understanding of the role of the immune system in the development of mental disorders.
New research on the types of bacteria living in babies' noses could offer clues as to why some recover quickly from their first cough or cold, while others suffer for longer. The study, published in ERJ Open Research, suggests that babies who have a wide variety of different bacteria living in their noses tend to recover more quickly from their first respiratory virus, compared to those who have less variety and more bacteria from either the Moraxellaceae or Streptococcaceae family.
The spread of prions to the brain does not occur by direct transmission across the blood-brain barrier, according to a new study. As noted by the authors, insights into how prions enter the brain could lead to the development of effective strategies to prevent neurodegeneration, even after infection outside the nervous system has already taken place.
Using a multidisciplinary approach, an international team of researchers from several institutions, including Baylor College of Medicine, reveals that complex interactions between sugars and the microbiome in human milk influence neonatal rotavirus infection. Reported in the journal Nature Communications, this study provides new understanding of rotavirus infections in newborns and identifies maternal components that could improve the performance of live, attenuated rotavirus vaccines.
An enzyme intended to prevent autoimmune disease can be hijacked and used by some viruses to avoid immune detection. That discovery from Mayo Clinic researchers and collaborators appears in PLOS Biology. There's also good news. The same team also defined how much viral genetic material is needed to reverse the process and instead activate the immune system against the virus.
ANTIBIOTICS have emerged as potentially lifespan-enhancing drugs, according to the results of new research carried out in the UK. Genetic experiments that eliminate "senescent" cells – older cells, which lose the ability to divide – have already been proven to alleviate age-related dysfunction in model organisms. Now, scientists have shown for the first time that an FDA-approved antibiotic – Azithromycin – can effectively target and eliminate senescent cells in culture.
Adherence to proven protocols for disinfecting surgeons' hands, patients' skin, and operating room surfaces could help to halt the spread of dangerous Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) pathogens in the operating room and beyond, according to new research published in the American Journal of Infection Control (AJIC), the journal of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC).
Researchers at the University of Tübingen and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) have achieved a breakthrough in the decoding of multi-resistant pathogens. The team led by Professor Andreas Peschel and Professor Thilo Stehle was able to decode the structure and function of a previously unknown protein used by dreaded pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus like a magic cloak to protect themselves against the human immune system. The study was published in Nature.
Many soil bacteria are resistant to antibiotics by nature. A new mechanism for regulating that resistance has now been identified. Researchers have described a small RNA molecule that significantly affects antibiotic resistance as well as other processes inside the cell.
Scientists from the VIB-UGent Center for Inflammation Research identified the mechanisms by which the bacterial pathogen Clostridium difficile kills intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), thus destroying the protective mucosal barrier of the intestinal tract. The researchers demonstrate the physiological relevance of this process during infection and have published their findings in Nature Communications.
A weapons of Staphylococcus aureus is α-toxin, which destroys host cells by forming pores in their membranes. Researchers at UNIGE have identified the mechanism that allows these pores to be harmful. They uncover how proteins of human cells assemble into a complex to which pores are docked. They also demonstrate that blocking the assembly of the complex by removing one of its elements allows pores to be removed from the membrane and cells to survive.