Host-pathogen interactions are the dynamic, reciprocal biological processes that occur between a host organism and an invading pathogen, encompassing molecular recognition, immune sensing, signaling, and effector responses, as well as pathogen strategies for attachment, invasion, replication, and immune evasion. These interactions involve pattern recognition receptors (e.g., Toll-like, NOD-like, and RIG-I-like receptors), pathogen-associated molecular patterns, and downstream signaling pathways that regulate inflammation, cell death, and antimicrobial defenses. Concurrently, pathogens deploy virulence factors, secretion systems, and immune-modulatory molecules to manipulate host cell pathways, subvert immunity, and optimize their survival, replication, and transmission, thereby determining infection outcomes and disease pathogenesis.
In the 1970s, researchers began to observe drastic amphibian declines in Brazil's Atlantic Forest, a global hotspot of frog biodiversity. For decades, these disappearances remained a mystery. Now, new research from scientists ...
Ecology
10 hours ago
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Energy production in our cells, oxygen traveling in our blood and immune cells fighting infection all depend on iron, an essential mineral that enters the food chain when plants absorb it from soil. But iron is often scarce—likely ...
Plants & Animals
11 hours ago
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5
Xylella fastidiosa is a pathogen that poses a serious threat to agri-food systems. An insect-borne bacterium that eventually causes trees to dry out and die, it was first detected in Spain in 2016, alarming the farming community. ...
Plants & Animals
12 hours ago
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4
With spring underway and the weather warming, reptiles are on the move in suburbs, parks and scrubland across Australia. Snake catchers and wildlife caregivers are responding to calls for help, and reptile enthusiasts—known ...
Plants & Animals
Oct 13, 2026
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16
Researchers at Gladstone Institutes have uncovered an unusual bacterial immune system that operates in reverse of known defenses. The discovery, published in Molecular Cell, details the mechanics of "type VI retrons"—a counterintuitive ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 13, 2026
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20
NASA experiments focused on human and plant health and drug-resistant organisms will travel to the International Space Station aboard SpaceX's 35th Commercial Resupply Services mission for the agency from Cape Canaveral Space ...
Astronomy
Oct 13, 2026
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25
Epithelial cells form the body's frontline barriers, helping keep microbes, toxins and other harmful substances out. Yet these protective cells are constantly exposed to threats, including microbial infections. Some bacteria ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 5, 2026
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30
Antimicrobial resistance is one of the world's top public health threats. Often termed a silent pandemic, antimicrobial-resistant bacteria have caused millions of deaths annually. If left unchecked, the number of deaths attributed ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 3, 2026
0
75
The toxin NheABC, produced by Bacillus cereus, is particularly active in the pH conditions found in open wounds. Researchers at Umeå University found that the toxin damages both cell membranes and mitochondria and helps the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 2, 2026
0
16
New technology from Texas A&M AgriLife Research could be a major step toward bringing disease-resistant peppers and tomatoes to growers' fields and lowering costs at grocery stores.
Biotechnology
Oct 2, 2026
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