Related topics: bacteria · fungus · pathogens

Sanitary care by social ants shapes disease outcome

Sanitary care in ants to fight disease is known to improve the wellbeing of the colony, yet it has been unclear how social disease defense interferes with pathogen competition inside the individual host body. In their recent ...

Bark beetles control pathogenic fungi

Ants and honeybees share nests of hundreds or thousands of individuals in a very small space. Hence the risk is high that infectious diseases may spread rapidly. In order to reduce this risk, the animals have developed special ...

Space station mold survives high doses of ionizing radiation

The International Space Station, like all human habitats in space, has a nagging mold problem. Astronauts on the ISS spend hours every week cleaning the inside of the station's walls to prevent mold from becoming a health ...

Feather mites may help clean birds' plumage, study shows

Feather mites help to remove bacteria and fungi from the feathers of birds, according to a new study by University of Alberta biologists. In fact, the relationship between these mites and their hosts could be considered mutualism, ...

Mini-tornadoes of spores illuminated during raindrop impact

Plant diseases are a significant threat to our food security. Rain provides fresh water to our crops, but splashing drops may also contribute to the spread of plant disease. Raindrop impact is known to be a mechanism for ...

How a fungus can cripple the immune system

The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is everywhere, and is extremely dangerous for people with weakened immune systems. It occurs virtually everywhere on Earth, as a dark grey stain on damp walls or in microscopically small spores ...

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