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.
Viruses and their hosts—whether bacteria, animals, or humans—are locked in a constant evolutionary arms race. Cells evolve defenses against viral infection, viruses evolve ways around those defenses, and the cycle continues.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 2, 2025
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Researchers at LMU in collaboration with the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg have discovered how the parasite Toxoplasma gondii builds a specialized structure that allows it to move and invade host ...
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 2, 2025
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Ant colonies operate as tightly coordinated "superorganisms" with individual ants working together, much like the cells of a body, to ensure their collective health. Researchers at the Institute of Science and Technology ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 2, 2025
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Throughout evolution, pathogenic microorganisms, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, have developed sophisticated defense strategies to survive and multiply in the hostile environment of their hosts. These mechanisms increase ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 14, 2025
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When pathogens enter our cells as part of an infection, our body will trigger a programmed cell death known as "pyroptosis" as part of an antimicrobial response. This response also plays a role in processes which are not ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 4, 2025
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A team from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology has discovered a new class of bacterial mobile genetic elements that use giant viruses—known as jumbo phages—to move between cells. The work, published in the ...
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 3, 2025
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The bacterium known as Pseudomonas aeruginosa is an unwelcome visitor in the human body. Serious infections can result when a bunch of these bugs settle together on a surface to form a biofilm—a community of microbes like ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 28, 2025
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For billions of years, bacteria have waged an ongoing arms race against viruses, evolving many defense mechanisms against the infectious invaders. Now, these evolutions may offer innovative ways for humans to fight viruses, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 27, 2025
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Scientists have discovered how one of the world's most destructive plant diseases manages to slip past crops' defenses—a breakthrough that could help farmers grow stronger, more resilient plants.
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 20, 2025
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103
Viruses are masters at taking over our cells: They disable our defenses and hijack the cellular machinery in order to multiply successfully. For example, the herpes simplex virus 1, which causes blister-like skin rashes, ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 15, 2025
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