Current Issues in Microbiology, Volume 2

Immunity’s Early-Warning System

The innate immune response constitutes the first line of defense against invading microbes and plays a role in inflammatory disease.  Surprising insights into how this system operates could lead to new therapies for a host of infectious and immune-related disorders.

 

Peacekeepers of the Immune System

Regulatory T cells, only recently proven to exist, keep the body’s defenses from attacking the body itself.  Manipulations of these cells could offer new treatments for conditions ranging from diabetes to organ rejection.

 

A New Assault on HIV

The constant search for weak points in the virus yields ideas for a wholly new class of drug.

 

Capturing a Killer Flu Virus

The deadliest flu strain in history has been resurrected.  What can the 1918 virus reveal about why it killed millions and where more like it may be lurking?

 

Can Chlamydia Be Stopped?

Chlamydia is a rampant sexually transmitted disease, the world’s leading cause of preventable blindness and a possible contributor to heart disease.  Recent discoveries are suggesting new ways to curtail its spread.

 

Attacking Anthrax

Recent discoveries are suggesting much-needed strategies for improving prevention and treatment.  High on the list: ways to neutralize the anthrax bacterium’s fiendish toxin.

 

The Challenge of Antibiotic Resistance

Certain bacterial infections now defy all antibiotics.  The resistance problem may be reversible, but only if society begins to consider how the drugs affect “good” bacteria as well as “bad.”

 

Emerging Viruses

Hemorrhagic fever viruses are among the most dangerous biological agents known.  New ones are discovered every year, and artificial as well as natural environmental changes are favoring their spread.