Depiction of bacteriophage PP7 (orange) at the cell surface of Pseudomonas aeruginosa detaching the bacterium’s pilus (blue). The researchers identified protein structures and interactions using fluorescence microscopy, cryogenic-electron microscopy, and computational simulations. This image is derived based on the findings from the team.
Credit: Jirapat Thongchol/Texas A&M AgriLife Bacterial infections present major hurdles in both agriculture and healthcare, particularly with the increasing prevalence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. Researchers at Texas A&M AgriLife Research are investigating how viruses that infect bacteria neutralize these harmful pathogens, opening the door to innovative treatment approaches. In their recent study published in Science , Lanying Zeng, Ph.
D., a professor, and Junjie Zhang, Ph.D.
, an associate professor, both in the Texas A&M College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, detailed a precise mechanism by which phages disable bacteria. The collaborative effort also involved: Together, the team worked to explain a series of interactions scientists have sought to understand since the early 1970s. The need for new treatments Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a type of bacteria that can cause infections in the blood, lungs, and occasionally other parts of the body.
These infections are especially common in healthcare settings, which often encounter drug-resistant bacteria. According to the Centers for Disease Cont.
