infectious disease, genetics & genomics

DNA evidence points to Asian amphibians as the source of a fatal disease that has been wiping out frogs across the globe.  

The EPA is now in charge of regulating the use of Oxitec’s strain of Aedes aegypti, genetically engineered to reduce populations of the insects.

One amino acid change within a viral structural protein makes the difference between mild cases of brain damage and severe microcephaly in mice.

Rare genetic variants could blunt efforts to destroy pest populations. 

Cross-species trysts likely spread human papillomavirus (HPV) to Homo sapiens, according to new research.

A new genomic analysis reveals that the pathogen responsible for the gastrointestinal disease likely originated in Europe and hitched a ride to new lands with settlers.

Researchers develop a more-efficient method for rewriting DNA that could hold therapeutic value for HIV and other diseases.

What researchers are learning as they sequence, map, and decode species’ genomes

Eighteenth-century DNA sequences yield insights into the history of tuberculosis infections.

The Genealogy of a Gene, On the Move, The Chimp and the River, and Domesticated

A twin study suggests that the blood-sucking insects are more attracted to people with certain genes.

A strain of the dysentery-causing bacterium isolated in 1915 tells the story of a young soldier who died of the disease in the early days of World War I.

Ebola, MERS, and enterovirus D68; polio eradication efforts; new regulations on potentially dangerous research

Parents of children with the fatal genetic disease Niemann-Pick Type C are taking an active role in research to understand how mutations associated with the disease may protect against Ebola.

Researchers find more than a dozen brand new viruses lurking in rodents inhabiting the Big Apple.

Tracking chikungunya virus; reconsidering wood decay-based fungal classification; ASC specks spread inflammation; antibiotic tolerance in E. coli; RIKEN review yields corrections

Health officials report that a patient in a Florida hospital has tested positive for the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus.

Federal stem cell regulations vary; Salmonella exploit host immune system; microglia help maintain synaptic connections; prosthesis re-creates feeling of touch

Combating bacterial persistence; ancient canine evolution; T cells and transplants; sharing omics data and code

As the death toll rises, scientists scour the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus genome for clues as to how it first infected humans.