CRISPR discovery paves the way for novel COVID-19 testing method

Most conventional molecular diagnostics usually detect only a single disease-related biomarker. Great examples are the PCR tests currently used to diagnose COVID-19 by detecting a specific sequence from SARS-CoV-2. Such so-called ...

Dogs at war with fungus

The fungus that some dogs carry in their nose evolves within the dog's nose. The genetic changes indicate adaptation of the fungus to the dog. That's also of importance for humans, since infection with this fungus can be ...

Arcobacter abundant in Hurricane Florence floodwaters

A North Carolina State University research team's search for Campylobacter in the floodwaters from Hurricane Florence instead uncovered an abundance of a related emerging pathogen: Arcobacter. The study raises questions about ...

Uncovering the role of membrane sugars in flu infection

The flu virus relies on using human cells to reproduce and spread. But before it even gets to the cell surface, the virus must navigate the tall, dense forest of sugar-coated proteins on the cell surface known as the glycocalyx. ...

The battle between virus and host cell

When viruses enter the body, such as during an influenza or a gastrointestinal infection, the processes within the infected cells change: In the worst case, the virus takes the helm and reprograms the cell to its advantage. ...

Staying a step ahead of the game

Trypanosoma brucei, which causes sleeping sickness, evades the immune system by repeatedly altering the structure of its surface coat. Sequencing of its genome and studies of its 3-D genome architecture have now revealed ...

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