Definition: A pathogen is a biological agent – such as a bacterium, virus, fungus, parasite or prion – that can cause disease in a host organism. In simple terms: a pathogen is an infectious microbe ...

Pathogens such as viruses and bacteria pose a considerable threat to our health and should be eliminated by the joint actions of our innate and adaptive immune systems. Our immune system uses a ...

This article was originally featured on Undark. It all started when Christopher Mason’s 3-year-old daughter licked a subway pole. Like any parent, he was horrified, but also keenly curious: What types ...

A genomic test developed at UC San Francisco to rapidly detect almost any kind of pathogen – virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite – has proved successful after a decade of use. The test has the ...

Researchers have developed a new method for detecting foodborne pathogens that is faster, cheaper, and more effective than existing methods. Their microfluidic chip uses light to detect multiple types ...

Researchers have made a significant breakthrough in understanding how certain pathogens defend themselves against the host's immune system. This collaborative study, led by scientists from the ...

For years scientists have puzzled over why the intracellular pathogen Salmonella is able to survive — and thrive — in human and animal tissues, even within otherwise hostile cells that are part of the ...

A genomic test developed at UC San Francisco to rapidly detect almost any kind of pathogen—virus, bacteria, fungus or parasite—has proved successful after a decade of use. The test has the potential ...

Louse-borne relapsing fever is caused by the spirochete bacterium Borrelia recurrentis, which is transmitted by body lice (not head lice). The disease was first described by Hippocrates (460–370 B.C.) ...