Julian G. Dishart

Aug 7, 2024 | news.berkeley.edu | Robert Sanders |Julian G. Dishart |Andrew Dillin

Many organisms react to the smell of deadly pathogens by reflexively avoiding them. But a recent study from the University of California, Berkeley, shows that the nematode C. elegans also reacts to the odor of pathogenic bacteria by preparing its intestinal cells to withstand a potential onslaught. As with humans, nematodes’ guts are a common target of disease-causing bacteria.