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Displaying results 181 to 190 of 616.
Hunting pathogens at full force
Researchers of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) and the Technische Universität Braunschweig have now elucidated the molecular mechanisms that allow cells to move forward effectively, using powerful cell edge protrusions. By applying the CRISPR/Cas…
Deciphering the motility apparatus of bacteria
Even for bacteria it is not satisfactory to just drift through life: Because every day is full of situations, in which a bacterium needs to move actively in its environment – for example when it searches for food or a suitable host. Under these circumstances, the…
Vaccination against liver infections
Similar to some other viruses, the hepatitis C virus specifically infects the liver and can cause a life-threatening chronic infection. Discovered in 1989, the virus thus far has managed to evade attempts at developing an effective vaccination. One of the underlying…
Rare blood disease improves the defence against germs
The bone marrow harbours the haematopoietic stem cells that produce the various types of red and white blood cells and platelets. They are induced to do so by messenger substances that bind to them and trigger a reaction chain, in which many different components…
WHO handrub formulations are effective against emerging viruses
Disinfectants are indispensable to reduce the potential risk of infection among the volunteers, medical staffs and people who are living in crisis zones. Antiseptic handrubs are one of the most important measures to limit the pathogen transmission. Since years, the WHO…
How multi-resistant pathogens can be defeated
The steadily increasing resistance of many pathogens to antibiotics is one of the major challenges of modern medicine. Many of the common antibiotics have already lost their effect. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for alternatives to antibiotics for the treatment…
Bacterial profiles at the click of a button
Modern sequencing technologies allow deciphering the entire genetic material – the genome – of a bacterium requiring only a short amount of time. This produces a huge amount of data with thousands of genes. However, the analysis of the bacterial properties encoded by…
How gut bacteria can make us ill
Yersiniae cause severe intestinal infections. Studies using Yersinia pseudotuberculosis as a model organism aim to elucidate the infection mechanisms of these bacteria. Scientists of the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig recently were the…
Hospital germs have their flaws too
The pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) uses a variety of tricks to perfectly adapt to its environment. Pseudomonas bacteria can colonise and proliferate in virtually any environment, including the lungs, eyes, urinary tract, an open wound or an implant.…
New therapeutic approaches for necrotising fasciitis
Streptococcus pyogenes is a very wide-spread Streptococcus species known to be the pathogen eliciting bacterial angina, which is also known as tonsillitis. Scarlet fever and middle ear infections can also be caused by this bacterium. Pathogens of the species…
