Infection
Mitochondria can sense bacteria and trigger your immune system to trap them – revealing new ways to treat infections and autoimmunity
Mitochondria can sense bacteria and trigger your immune system to trap them – revealing new ways to treat infections and autoimmunity Mitochondria have been found to play a key role in sensing bacterial activity and helping neutrophils trap and kill bacteria, revealing new ways to treat infections and autoimmunity. The mitochondria can detect specific bacterial […]
Health
A common parasite can decapitate human sperm − with implications for male fertility
A common parasite can decapitate human sperm − with implications for male fertility Male fertility rates have been declining over the past half-century, with a recent study finding that male infertility rates increased nearly 80% from 1990 to 2019. A common single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii may be contributing to this trend, as it can infiltrate […]
Health
What can scientists learn from people who’ve never had COVID?
What can scientists learn from people who’ve never had COVID? Infectious diseases doctor and researcher Sabrina Assoumou says so-called “super-dodgers” could teach scientists a lot about the virus that causes COVID. Five years after the world shut down in response to the rapid spread of a mysterious disease, the total number of reported cases of […]
Health
Bird flu could be on the cusp of transmitting between humans − but there are ways to slow down viral evolution
Bird flu could be on the cusp of transmitting between humans − but there are ways to slow down viral evolution Workers who are in frequent contact with potentially sick animals are at high risk of bird flu infection. Costfoto/NurPhoto via Getty Images Disease forecasts are like weather forecasts: We cannot predict the finer details […]
Health
Genomic sequencing reveals previously unknown genes that make microbes resistant to drugs and hard to kill
Genomic sequencing reveals previously unknown genes that make microbes resistant to drugs and hard to kill In the 20th century, when a routine infection was treated with a standard antibiotic, recovery was expected. But over time, the microbes responsible for these infections have evolved to evade the very drugs designed to eliminate them. Each year, […]
Health