In Neurospora, a spore killer allele kills gametes that do not inherit it by interfering with spore development (Hammond et al., 2012).
The molecular mechanism of the Spore killer in Neurospora crassa is still a mystery.
After ruling out several alternatives, Zanders et al. discovered something remarkable: each chromosome in S. kambucha contains a spore killer gene.
Recently, two Spore killer elements (Sk-2 and Sk-3) were reported to be located near a chromosome rearrangement site in Neurospora crassa [ 6].
Suppression of meiotic silencing in some cases has enabled meiotic drive elements such as Spore killer (Raju et al. 2007; Hammond et al. 2012; Harvey et al. 2014).
To put this mapping challenge in perspective, the three "Spore killer" meiotic drive elements in Neurospora, a fungus with roughly comparable genetic tools to fission yeasts, were identified over 30 years ago, yet their mechanism(s) of action are still unknown and the first critical gene was only recently identified.
Household bleach is the most efficient killer of C. difficile spores, but most hospitals do not routinely apply it to every patient's room, let alone to communal areas.What else can be done to combat C. difficile?
He tries to enlist Ivy's help to create an antidote, but she tells Batman that an antidote can only be made from spores found exclusively in Killer Croc's cell in a sewer.
Gamete killers directly cripple or kill any of their 'sibling' sperm or spores that did not inherit the killer gene, and these genes have been discovered in mice, flies and various fungi (Burt and Trivers, 2006).
The spores that harbour a particular killer gene are immune to the respective poison, but the details of this immunity remain largely mysterious (though see Hammond et al., 2012).
Robert Stevens, the photo editor of The Sun, the man who could produce images of Nostradamus or Jeremiah or killer mummies, died of anthrax, apparently after inhaling spores when he held a letter very close to his face.
