Microbiology

Fungal infections that have been sickening HIV/AIDS patients in Southern California for decades literally grow on trees. For that discovery, we can thank a 13-year-old girl who spent the summer…

The bacterium Clostridium difficile causes antibiotic-related diarrhea and is a growing problem in the hospital environment and elsewhere in the community. Understanding how the microbe colonizes the…

A parasitic fungus - Ophiocordyceps camponoti-rufipedis, known as the "zombie ant fungus" - must kill its ant hosts outside their nest to reproduce and transmit their infection,so they manipulate its…

It sounds like science fiction, but a new paper in the journal BioEssays  says that bacteria within us — which outnumber our own cells about 100-fold — may very well be affecting both our…

Bacteria's ability to destroy viruses has been a mystery but researchers say they now have a clear picture of the bacterial immune system and say its unique shape is likely why bacteria can so…

Researchers have discovered a highly virulent, multi-drug resistant form of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, in patient samples in Ohio. Their investigation suggests that the particular genetic…

Our immunosensory system detects virus such as influenza via specific characteristics of viral ribonucleic acid - and the immune system's ability to prevent viruses from using molecular camouflage to…

The body's assailants are cleverer than previously thought. New research from Lund University in Sweden shows for the first time how bacteria in the airways can help each other replenish vital iron.…

The Deepwater Horizon oil spill, a BP project in the Gulf of Mexico, began in April of 2010. The oil rig collapsed and it took some three months to cap the gusher. During that, concern was also on…

A probiotic that prevents obesity could be on the horizon, at least if an animal model translates to humans. Bacteria that produce a therapeutic compound in the gut inhibit weight gain, insulin…