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A blog for sharing appreciation of the width and depth of microbes and microbial activities on this planet.

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Making a Living in the Nucleus

Noteworthy — When it comes to intracellular pathogens, we usually think of those that remain inside a membrane-enclosed vacuole and those that escape into the cytoplasm. Much rarer are cases of parasite that make a living inside the nucleus. Read more →

Posted on March 27, 2025 at 01:30 AM in Noteworthy, Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Outpaced in the Evolutionary Arms Race

by Kevin Blake — Reports on antibiotic resistance almost invariably begin with a roll call of several very big numbers. 4.95 million deaths per year globally, calculates the World Health Organization. 2.8 million infections per year in the United States resulting in 35,000 deaths, per the US Centers for Disease Control. 10 million deaths per year by 2050 globally costing $100 trillion to the global economy, estimates the Wellcome Trust... Read more →

Posted on August 12, 2024 at 12:35 AM in Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Coley's Toxins Revisited

by Roberto — In the last few years, immunotherapy has quickly become the emerging "fourth pillar" in cancer treatment, joining surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy. The basic concept behind the development of immune checkpoint inhibitors as anti-cancer therapeutics is that activating the immune system can sometimes result in the body ridding itself of malignant cells. Read more →

Posted on March 25, 2024 at 02:30 AM in Odds & Ends, Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Wastewater Microbiology

by Mechas — Using wastewater to monitor human populations is a growing trend. The waste products found in the water discarded after domestic, commercial, or industrial use reflects the habits and consumptions of society and provide a pool of information on our customs and behaviors. Read more →

Posted on February 22, 2024 at 01:30 AM in Odds & Ends, Pathogens, Physiology & Genetics | Permalink | Comments (0)

How many bacterial pathogens infect humans?

by Roberto — In casual conversations I used to say that the number of bacteria causing human disease was small, a few dozen, perhaps around 100. Was I wrong! A paper by Bartlett et al. (2022) puts the number at 1513 and growing rapidly... Read more →

Posted on November 02, 2023 at 01:21 AM in Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Latent Mycobacterium tuberculosis Infections

by Roberto — A quarter of the world's population – that's two billion people – is estimated to be latently infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis. This staggering number is often presented in scientific publications, used by funding agencies for strategic planning, and taught to students (I've done this myself). But where does this number come from? Read more →

Posted on October 19, 2023 at 01:30 AM in Pathogens, Teachers Corner | Permalink | Comments (0)

Surrounded by Antibiotic Resistance

by Mechas — Most of us have at some point used antibiotics. These "miracle drugs" stop infectious bacteria from growing out of control, essentially curing us from what could be fatal infections. But antibiotics are also marvelous for other reasons. Read more →

Posted on October 09, 2023 at 01:18 AM in Ecology, Evolution, Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

Honey Bee Social Immunity

by Roberto — Flying insects are key to the functioning of many ecosystems, where they play numerous important roles such as pollination. Thus, the sharp decline in their numbers is cause for great concern. From a human perspective, the observed demise of many honey bee Apis mellifera populations is particularly troubling because of their critical role in the food chain. Read more →

Posted on May 22, 2023 at 01:30 AM in Ecology, Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

On the Source of the Black Death

by Roberto — Yersinia pestis. How immediate our reaction can be to the species name of this bacterium, making us conjure up images of pestilence. As its discoverer, Alexander Yersin, wrote in 1894 of an outbreak of bubonic plague in Hong Kong, this is the "bacille de la peste." (Working independently, Kitasato Shibasaburo also characterized the plague bacterium at nearly the exact same time.) Read more →

Posted on February 13, 2023 at 12:30 AM in Evolution, Pathogens | Permalink | Comments (0)

An antibiotic honeycomb

by Manuel Sánchez — Atomic force mi­cros­co­py (AFM) is one of the most pow­er­ful tools in stu­dy­ing the sur­fac­es of any ma­ter­ial. So it should come as no sur­prise that it has been used in the stu­dy of vi­ral en­vel­op­es and bio­lo­gi­cal mem­branes. One of its great ad­van­tages... Read more →

Posted on November 28, 2022 at 01:30 AM in Pathogens, Physiology & Genetics | Permalink | Comments (0)

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