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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →