-
News | 2017.11.27
Adapt to survive: the intestinal microbiota promotes viral persistence
Scientists from the Institut Pasteur have identified the original strategy used by bacteriophages, the most abundant viruses in human-associated microbiota, to persist in the gut of mammals. Results demonstrate that bacteriophages take advantage of the diversity of bacteria residing in the intestines to modify their host range in order to withstand in this environment. The role for intestinal...
-
News | 2017.11.22
Plague outbreak: advice for travelers to Madagascar
An outbreak of pneumonic plague has been ongoing in Madagascar for several weeks. As indicated on the World Health Organization (WHO) website, "based on the available information to date, the risk of international spread of plague appears very low." WHO therefore advises against imposing any travel or trade restrictions on Madagascar. Here are some advice from the Institut Pasteur Medical Center....
-
News | 2017.11.27
International workshop in Iran to strengthen surveillance and control of rabies
Although there is an effective vaccine, rabies is still present in over 150 countries worldwide. The countries of the Middle East and Central Asia are particularly affected by this viral disease, including Iran where rabies is endemic.In order to strengthen the surveillance and control of rabies in these regions, the Institut Pasteur in Iran organized an international workshop, from October 8 to...
-
Document de presse | 2017.11.21
Gastric cancer: a new strategy used by Helicobacter pylori to target mitochondria
Scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the CNRS have recently identified new strategies used by Helicobacter pylori bacteria to infect cells. By specifically targeting mitochondria these bacteria, despite being extracellular, can optimize infection in the host. These findings pave the way for new strategies to combat H. pylori infection, which is associated with most cases of gastric cancer and...
-
Document de presse | 2017.11.28
Right/left: the heart of the matter
1% of all newborns – approximately 8,000 babies a year in France – are affected by a heart defect. 15% of these defects can be linked to a known genetic cause, but many remain unexplained. Defects affecting the alignment of cardiac chambers represent approximately 20% of heart defects in infants. A team of scientists from the Institut Pasteur and the UMR-1163 joint research unit at the Imagine...
-
Document de presse | 2017.12.01
When Listeria monocytogenes goes to sleep….
A serious infection of dietary origin that is caused by the Listeria monocytogenes bacterium, listeriosis is associated with severe clinical symptoms and a high mortality rate in individuals whose immune system is weakened. INRA scientists, working in collaboration with their colleagues at Institut Pasteur, have demonstrated the novel capacity of L. monocytogenes to generate dormant...
-
Document de presse | 2017.12.04
Computerised biology, or how to control a population of cells with a computer
Researchers from the Pasteur Institute and Inria, with researchers from the CNRS and Paris Diderot University, and from the Institute of Science and Technology (IST) in Austria, have published two articles in Nature Communications about computer control of cellular processes. Hybrid experimental platforms combining microscopes and software are enabling researchers to interface living cells with...
-
Document de presse | 2017.11.30
Antibiotic resistance: a surprising timeline
Scientists from the Institut Pasteur have retrospectively identified early cases of Salmonella resistance to ampicillin, a broad-spectrum antibiotic that is still widely used today. By analyzing the genomes of hundreds of historical samples of Salmonella, they proved that resistance first emerged well before ampicillin was released on the market for human use. Their discovery suggests that low...
-
Report | 2017.12.04
Keeping a close eye on influenza
Every year, influenza – or flu – is responsible for three to five million severe cases and 250,000 to 500,000 deaths worldwide. In other words, the "seasonal" influenza that causes annual outbreaks is far from being a "trivial" infection, and it is by no means harmless. "I didn't realize that flu could knock you out so completely," recalls a former flu sufferer, who was "unable to get out of bed...
-
News | 2017.12.06
Biotechnology: DNA polymerases that can replicate DNA without a primer!
A team from the Institut Pasteur, working with a Spanish team from the Autonomous University of Madrid, has discovered a new group of DNA polymerases that can start DNA replication without the help of other proteins. All previously known DNA polymerases needed a primer, which could come either from another protein or from a pre-existing DNA or RNA fragment. The discovery of a DNA polymerase that...
