Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain
the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in
Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles
and JavaScript.
Charles Dorman discusses recent data that indicate that the nucleoid-associated protein H-NS might have a role in silencing the expression of horizontally transferred genes.
In this Essay, Karen-Beth Scholthof posits that wider use of the disease triangle concept, largely confined to the analysis of plant diseases, would encourage researchers to consider more closely the role of the environment in human health and disease.
Traditonally, clinicians have looked to antifungal drugs to help combat the ever-increasing incidence of fungal diseases. In this article, Cutler, Deepe and Klein discuss the evidence to support their view that antifungal vaccines are now a viable alternative strategy for the prevention of various fungal diseases that should be actively pursued by researchers.
The tuberculoma or tubercle is the granuloma that is formed during tuberculosis infection. The role of the immune system in the formation of the granuloma is documented extensively, but this Review takes a different tack and examines the role ofMycobacterium tuberculosisin the biology of the granuloma and how this relates to disease transmission and progression.
Telomeres are specialized DNA–protein complexes that are required for protection and replication of chromosome ends. In this Opinion, George Cross and colleagues discuss the biology of telomere function in trypanosomes and propose an intriguing role for these structures in regulating antigenic variation.
Bacterial populations produce persisters, cells that neither grow nor die in the presence of bactericidal agents, and are tolerant to antibiotics. The tolerance of persisters to antibiotics is important in persistent infections, and is especially significant in the recalcitrance of biofilms to antibiotics during infection.
