According to scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, a newly identified protein found in mosquitoes may also be effective at fighting viral infections in humans.

Antibiotic tolerance occurs when bacteria are able to survive in the presence of antibiotics. This is dangerous because tolerant bacteria can cause infections that persist even after treatment. Some bacteria are tolerant to beta lactam antibiotics such as penicillin. Drugs in this class kill bacteria by breaking down their cell walls. Until now, how tolerant bacteria survive this process was poorly understood.

Attine ants are a group of several ant species known as farmers because they grow their own food. Each member of the colony has a job on the farm. Harvester ants cut grasses and leaves and foragers carry the harvested vegetation back to the nest. There, worker ants...

S. pneumoniae initially colonizes the nose and throat, but from there it can spread to the bloodstream and other organs. Researchers at three universities worked together to understand how S. pneumoniae adapts to different sites in the body. Using three different bacterial strains, they measured bacterial gene expression at five locations in an experimental mouse model – the nasopharynx, lungs, blood, heart, and kidneys.

The United States has one of the safest drinking water supplies in the world thanks to improvements in infrastructure and water treatment methods over the last century. However, millions of Americans still get sick from waterborne illnesses every year. For the first time, researchers at the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) have generated an estimate of our country’s overall burden from waterborne disease.

Patients with asymptomatic C. difficile colonization are gaining attention as a potential source of transmission. Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic recently conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 19 studies published between 1975 and 2020 in order to evaluate the risk factors for asymptomatic C. difficile colonization among adults.

One of many barriers to the discovery of novel antibiotics is a lack of information sharing. Although antibiotic research has been underway since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, it is difficult for scientists to build on past work and avoid repeating the same...

Detroit may be known as the Motor City due to the Big Three car manufacturers that call it home, but the automotive industry isn’t the only one booming in Michigan. The life sciences have seen significant growth in recent years and the field has become one of the...

When we think of fungi, yeast and mold are likely the first to come to mind, often with negative connotations. But fungi play important roles in many areas of our lives, including many positive uses. Fungi are necessary for many of our favorite foods and beverages....

A recent study out of New York has demonstrated an association among ventilator use, acute care hospital admission, and colonization with Candida auris. Colonization increases the risk for severe infection and the likelihood of transmission to other patients.