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.
A National Taiwan University study reveals how intracellular bacteria co-opt mitochondrial transporters to evade immune defenses, suggesting that blocking this pathway could sensitize drug-resistant pathogens to host immunity.
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 5, 2026
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67
Spruce bark is rich in phenolic compounds that protect trees from pathogenic fungi. A research team at the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology in Jena has investigated how these plant defenses function within the food ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 29, 2025
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736
A new study involving the Medical University of Vienna shows how the multi-resistant fungus Candida auris utilizes carbon dioxide (CO₂) to survive on the skin and become resistant to antifungal therapies. The research team ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 23, 2025
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132
Human norovirus and adenovirus, two major causes of viral gastroenteritis, can persist for extended periods inside free-living amoebas that are common in natural and engineered water systems. A newly published study shows ...
Ecology
Dec 18, 2025
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18
Has a crucial component to the development of human medicine been hiding under our feet? Auburn University Assistant Professor of Entomology Clint Penick and a team of graduate students may have found that ants are far ahead ...
Evolution
Dec 18, 2025
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326
The bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas citri, which causes canker disease in citrus trees, activates selected parts of the fruit ripening program inside infected leaves. Normally, this program makes citrus fruits soften and sweeten ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 18, 2025
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24
Investigators from the laboratory of Derek Walsh, Ph.D., professor of Microbiology-Immunology, have discovered how human cytomegalovirus rewires intracellular mechanisms to control the movement of the cell nucleus, promoting ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 18, 2025
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38
Scientists have discovered that beneficial root-dwelling fungi boost plant resilience to disease by remodeling the plant cell membrane at pathogen infection sites—offering critical new insights into how plants coordinate ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 11, 2025
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86
Interactions among viruses can help them succeed inside their hosts or impart vulnerabilities that make them easier to treat. Scientists are learning the ways viruses mingle inside the cells they infect, as well as the consequences ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Dec 6, 2025
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78
Purdue University researchers found that a subset of epidermal cells in plant leaves serves as early responders to chemical cues from bacterial pathogens and communicate this information to neighbors through a local traveling ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 2, 2025
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20
