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How Legionella makes itself at home

A new study suggests that Legionella (red) oscillates between the endoplasmic reticulum (green), and bubble- or tube-shaped structures (blue) to help create or sustain a structure that houses this bacterium during infection.

Scientists at UT Southwestern have discovered a key protein that helps the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease to set up house in the cells of humans and other hosts. “Many infectious bacteria, from listeria to chlamydia to salmonella, use systems that allow them to dwell within their host’s cells,” says study leader Vincent Tagliabracci, Ph.D.