Posted Today This news or article is intended for readers with certain scientific or professional knowledge in the field. Researchers studied how oral bacteria adhere to and develop biofilms (plaque) in the oral cavity. The team wanted to learn whether and how the bacterial cells might adjust their adhesive surface proteins. They discovered a previously unknown circuit that is embedded in the...
Tag: <span>bacteria</span>
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How genetically engineered viruses — and a rotten eggplant — prolonged a teenager’s life
In 2010, an undergraduate in Durban, South Africa, found herself scraping muck from the underside of a partially decomposed eggplant. It was, in a sense, homework. She was taking a University of KwaZulu-Natal course on viruses that attack bacteria, and a semi-rotten vegetable seemed like a good place to find them. The “enriched soil sample,”...
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Certain strains of bacteria associated with diabetic wounds that do not heal
Penn study implicates microbes in impaired wound healing that can lead to amputation UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE PHILADELPHIA – Whether a wound–such as a diabetic foot ulcer–heals or progresses to a worse outcome, including infection or even amputation, may depend on the microbiome within that wound. A new study from the Perelman School of Medicine...
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Bacteria in urine doesn’t always indicate infection
Testing, antibiotic treatment often unnecessary, say IDSA guidelines INFECTIOUS DISEASES SOCIETY OF AMERICA ARLINGTON, Va. – Doctors should think carefully before testing patients for a urinary tract infection (UTI) to avoid over-diagnosis and unnecessary antibiotic treatment, according to updated asymptomatic bacteriuria (ASB) guidelines released by the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and published in...
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Seawater bacteria provides leads to fight melanoma
Malignant melanoma can be a particularly dangerous form of cancer, and more therapeutic options are needed. Now, researchers report in ACS Medicinal Chemistry Letters that a bacteria from seawater has inspired promising leads for an entirely new way to treat the disease. In melanoma, cancer cells form in melanocytes, the cells that color the skin....
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Diabetes impairs multipotent stromal cell antibacterial activity
New Rochelle, NY, March 4, 2019-A new study reveals that the multipotent stromal cells (MSCs) of persons with diabetes have diminished capacity to fight off bacterial infection, providing new understanding into the basis of diabetes-associated immune dysfunction. The research is published in Stem Cells and Development, a peer-reviewed journal from Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers....
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Bacteria keep us healthy – but could they keep us young?
A study in mice has indicated that the make-up of bacteria in the gut is linked with learning abilities and memory, providing a potential avenue of research into how to maintain cognitive functioning as we age. It’s part of a field of research looking at the link between gut bacteria and ageing to help people...
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Most health ‘cures’ you hear about in the news aren’t ready for humans
You might have read something last week about how we’ll have a cure for cancer within the year. You read wrong, but it’s not your fault. The Jerusalem Post published an article last week that highlighted the Israeli biotech start-up Accelerated Evolution Biotechnologies Ltd. (AEBi) and the cancer research the company has been conducting. A flurry of international headlines followed, reporting that...
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Unmuting large silent genes lets bacteria produce new molecules, potential drug candidates
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — By enticing away, the repressors dampening unexpressed, silent genes in Streptomyces bacteria, researchers at the University of Illinois have unlocked several large gene clusters for new natural products, according to a study published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology. Since many antibiotics, anti-cancer agents and other drugs have been derived from genes...
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Insect antibiotic provides new way to eliminate bacteria
An antibiotic called thanatin attacks the way the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria is built. Researchers at the University of Zurich have now found out that this happens through a previously unknown mechanism. Thanatin, produced naturally by the spined soldier bug, can therefore be used to develop new classes of antibiotics. The global emergence of...