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How to thrive in battery acid and among toxic metals
In the movie Alien, the title character is an extraterrestrial creature that can survive brutal heat and resist the effects of toxins.
Microbiology
Source: National Science Foundation
Posted on: Friday, Mar 08, 2013, 5:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1819 | Comments: 0
On the trail of mucus-eaters in the gut
The microbiology team of David Berry, Alexander Loy and Michael Wagner from the Faculty of Life Sciences, in collaboration with scientists at the Max F. Perutz Laboratories (University of Vienna and the Medical University of Vienna) and with the help of NanoSIMS technology, has for the first time succeeded in directly observing microorganisms feeding on the intestinal mucosa. The results of this r
Microbiology
Source: University of Vienna
Posted on: Wednesday, Mar 06, 2013, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 2633 | Comments: 0
Video: How do bacteria clog medical devices? Very quickly
A new study has exam­ined how bac­te­ria clog med­ical devices, and the result isn't pretty. The microbes join to cre­ate slimy rib­bons that tan­gle and trap other pass­ing bac­te­ria, cre­at­ing a full block­age in a star­tlingly short period of time.
Microbiology
Source: Princeton University
Posted on: Monday, Mar 04, 2013, 11:30am
Rating: | Views: 2074 | Comments: 0
Wolf in sheep's clothing: Uncovering how deadly bacteria trick the immune system
An outbreak of tuberculosis in the skid row area of downtown Los Angeles may have exposed up to 4,500 individuals to the bacterium that causes the deadly disease and has left federal officials scrambling to intervene. The outbreak is occurring during winter, when homeless individuals are driven to crowded shelters, when influenza is peaking and when people's vitamin D levels, typical
Microbiology
Source: University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Posted on: Friday, Mar 01, 2013, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1989 | Comments: 0
Study could explain why some people get zits and others don't
The bacteria that cause acne live on everyone's skin, yet one in five people is lucky enough to develop only an occasional pimple over a lifetime. What's their secret?
Microbiology
Source: University of California - Los Angeles Health Sciences
Posted on: Friday, Mar 01, 2013, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1632 | Comments: 0
Strains of antibiotic-resistant 'Staph' bacteria show seasonal preference; children at higher risk in summer
Strains of potentially deadly, antibiotic-resistant Staphylococcus aureus bacteria show seasonal infection preferences, putting children at greater risk in summer and seniors at greater risk in winter, according to results of a new nationwide study led by a Johns Hopkins researcher.
Microbiology
Source: Johns Hopkins Medicine
Posted on: Friday, Mar 01, 2013, 8:00am
Rating: | Views: 1624 | Comments: 0
Superbugs may have a soft spot, after all
The overuse of antibiotics has created strains of bacteria resistant to medication, making the diseases they cause difficult to treat, or even deadly. But now a research team at the University of Rochester has identified a weakness in at least one superbug that scientists may be able to medically exploit.
Microbiology
Source: University of Rochester
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 26, 2013, 2:45pm
Rating: | Views: 3128 | Comments: 0
Increasing evidence links high glycemic index foods and dairy products to acne
A study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has determined that there is increasing evidence of a connection between diet and acne, particularly from high glycemic load diets and dairy products, and that medical nutrition therapy (MNT) can play an important role in acne treatment.
Microbiology
Source: Elsevier Health Sciences
Posted on: Thursday, Feb 21, 2013, 8:00am
Rating: | Views: 1847 | Comments: 0
Engineering cells for more efficient biofuel production
In the search for renewable alternatives to gasoline, heavy alcohols such as isobutanol are promising candidates. Not only do they contain more energy than ethanol, but they are also more compatible with existing gasoline-based infrastructure. For isobutanol to become practical, however, scientists need a way to reliably produce huge quantities of it from renewable sources.
Microbiology
Source: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Posted on: Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1687 | Comments: 0
Using mouthrinse reduces plaque and gingivitis more than toothbrushing alone
New research published in the January/February 2013 issue of General Dentistry, the peer-reviewed clinical journal of the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD), indicates that the use of a germ-killing mouthrinse in addition to regular toothbrushing can significantly reduce plaque and gingivitis, more so than brushing alone.
Microbiology
Source: Academy of General Dentistry
Posted on: Wednesday, Feb 20, 2013, 10:30am
Rating: | Views: 1540 | Comments: 0
Novel coronavirus well-adapted to humans, susceptible to immunotherapy
The new coronavirus that has emerged in the Middle East is well-adapted to infecting humans but could potentially be treated with immunotherapy, according to a study to be published on February 19 in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. The study indicates that the virus HCoV-EMC can penetrate the lining of the passageways in the lung and evade the
Epidemiology
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 19, 2013, 11:30am
Rating: | Views: 1652 | Comments: 0
Ancient teeth bacteria record disease evolution
DNA preserved in calcified bacteria on the teeth of ancient human skeletons has shed light on the health consequences of the evolving diet and behaviour from the Stone Age to the modern day.
Microbiology
Source: University of Adelaide
Posted on: Monday, Feb 18, 2013, 12:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1644 | Comments: 0
Streptococcus pneumonia shields foreign DNA derived from other bacteria to promote genetic diversity and vaccine evasion
A new report demonstrates that the human pathogen Streptococcus (S.) pneumoniae (one of the known causes of bacterial pneumonia) possesses an unusual enzyme that protects foreign DNA taken up during transformation, allowing exchange of pathogenicity islands donated from other pathogenic bacteria. This study, published February 14 in the Open Access journal PLOS Pathogens
Microbiology
Source: Public Library of Science
Posted on: Friday, Feb 15, 2013, 4:00pm
Rating: | Views: 2699 | Comments: 0
Revealing the secrets of motility in archaea
The protein structure of the motor that propels archaea has been characterized for the first time by a team of scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) and Germany's Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Terrestrial Microbiology.
Microbiology
Source: DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Posted on: Friday, Feb 15, 2013, 2:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1539 | Comments: 0
What green algae are up to in the dark
How green algae produce hydrogen in the dark is reported by biologists at the Ruhr-Universität Bochum in the "Journal of Biological Chemistry". Hereby, they have uncovered a mechanism for the production of the gas which has hardly been examined before; usually, researchers are interested in light-driven hydrogen synthesis. "Hydrogen could help us out of the energy crisis", says Prof. Dr. Th
Microbiology
Source: Ruhr-University Bochum
Posted on: Friday, Feb 15, 2013, 10:45am
Rating: | Views: 1614 | Comments: 0
Sea bed to be mined for antibiotics
Scientists are to hunt for new antibiotics at the bottom of the ocean in an £8m project led by experts at Aberdeen University.
Microbiology
Source: BBC News
Posted on: Friday, Feb 15, 2013, 9:11am
Rating: | Views: 1159 | Comments: 0
Lack of energy an enemy to antibiotic-resistant microbes
Rice University researchers "cured" a strain of bacteria of its ability to resist an antibiotic in an experiment that has implications for a long-standing public health crisis.
Microbiology
Source: Rice University
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013, 2:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1508 | Comments: 0
High prevalence of drug-resistant MRSA found in nursing homes
While most infection control measures are focused on hospitals, a new study points to the need for more targeted interventions to prevent the spread of drug-resistant bugs in nursing homes as community-associated strains of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (CA-MRSA) are on the rise in these facilities. The study is published in the March issue of Infection Control and Hospital
Microbiology
Source: Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 12, 2013, 1:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1499 | Comments: 0
Scientists discover promising target to block Staphylococcus infection
National Institutes of Health (NIH) scientists have identified a promising lead for developing a new type of drug to treat infection caused by Staphylococcus aureus, a bacterium that frequently resists traditional antibiotics. The researchers discovered a system used by S. aureus to transport toxins that are thought to contribute to severe staph infections. These toxins—called phen
Microbiology
Source: NIH/National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
Posted on: Monday, Feb 11, 2013, 11:30am
Rating: | Views: 1841 | Comments: 0
Scientists find key to growth of 'bad' bacteria in inflammatory bowel disease
Scientists have long puzzled over why "bad" bacteria such as E. coli can thrive in the guts of those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), causing serious diarrhea. Now UC Davis researchers have discovered the answer—one that may be the first step toward finding new and better treatments for IBD.
Microbiology
Source: University of California - Davis Health System
Posted on: Friday, Feb 08, 2013, 4:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1867 | Comments: 0
Scientists notch a win in war against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
A team of scientists just won a battle in the war against antibiotic-resistant "superbugs" -- and only time will tell if their feat is akin to the bacterial "Battle of Gettysburg" that turns the tide toward victory.
Microbiology
Source: Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard
Posted on: Tuesday, Feb 05, 2013, 10:15am
Rating: | Views: 5306 | Comments: 0
Scientists unveil a superbug's secret to antibiotic resistance
Worldwide, many strains of the bacterium Staphyloccocus aureus, commonly known as staph infections, are already resistant to all antibiotics except vancomycin. But as bacteria are becoming resistant to this once powerful antidote, S. aureus has moved one step closer to becoming an unstoppable killer. Now, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have not only id
Microbiology
Source: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Posted on: Thursday, Jan 31, 2013, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1550 | Comments: 0
Tuberculosis may lurk in bone marrow stem cells of infected patients
Tuberculosis is a devastating disease that kills nearly 2 million people worldwide each year. Although antibiotics exist that can ameliorate the symptoms, the courses of therapy last for months and don't completely eradicate the disease, which frequently recurs years or decades after the initial treatment.
Microbiology
Source: Stanford University Medical Center
Posted on: Thursday, Jan 31, 2013, 12:30pm
Rating: | Views: 1342 | Comments: 0
Scientists trick iron-eating bacteria into breathing electrons instead
Scientists have developed a way to grow iron-oxidizing bacteria using electricity instead of iron, an advance that will allow them to better study the organisms and could one day be used to turn electricity into fuel. The study will be published on January 29 in mBio®, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.
Microbiology
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Wednesday, Jan 30, 2013, 8:15am
Rating: | Views: 1221 | Comments: 0
Skin, soft tissue infections succumb to blue light
Blue light can selectively eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the skin and soft tissues, while preserving the outermost layer of skin, according to a proof-of-principle study led by Michael R. Hamblin of the Massachusetts General Hospital, and the Harvard Medical School, Boston. The research is published online ahead of print in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemothera
Microbiology
Source: American Society for Microbiology
Posted on: Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013, 4:45pm
Rating: | Views: 1677 | Comments: 0
Study finds significant microorganism populations in middle and upper troposphere
In what is believed to be the first study of its kind, researchers used genomic techniques to document the presence of significant numbers of living microorganisms – principally bacteria – in the middle and upper troposphere, that section of the atmosphere approximately four to six miles above the Earth's surface.
Microbiology
Source: Georgia Institute of Technology
Posted on: Tuesday, Jan 29, 2013, 2:15pm
Rating: | Views: 1480 | Comments: 0
Synthetic corkscrew peptide kills antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria
An engineered peptide provides a new prototype for killing an entire category of resistant bacteria by shredding and dissolving their double-layered membranes, which are thought to protect those microbes from antibiotics. The synthetic peptide was effective in lab experiments against antibiotic-resistant Gram-negative bacteria, which cause a variety of difficult-to-treat, potentially
Microbiology
Source: University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
Posted on: Friday, Jan 25, 2013, 11:15am
Rating: | Views: 1767 | Comments: 0
Synchrotron infrared unveils a mysterious microbial community
In the fall of 2010, Hoi-Ying Holman of the U.S. Department of Energy's Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) was approached by an international team researching a mysterious microbial community discovered deep in cold sulfur springs in southern Germany.
Microbiology
Source: DOE/Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
Posted on: Wednesday, Jan 23, 2013, 11:30am
Rating: | Views: 1303 | Comments: 0
They hunt, they kill, they cheat: Single-celled algae shed light on social lives of microbes
Humans do it, chimpanzees do it, cuckoos do it – cheating to score a free ride is a well-documented behavior by many animals, even plants. But microscopically small, single-celled algae? Yes, they do it too, biologists with the University of Arizona's department of ecology and evolutionary biology have discovered. "There are cheaters out there that we didn't know of," said William Driscoll, le
Microbiology
Source: University of Arizona
Posted on: Tuesday, Jan 22, 2013, 10:30am
Rating: | Views: 1255 | Comments: 0
Bacteria's hidden skill could pave way for stem cell treatments
A discovery about the way in which bugs spread throughout the body could help to develop stem cell treatments.
Microbiology
Source: University of Edinburgh
Posted on: Friday, Jan 18, 2013, 1:00pm
Rating: | Views: 1341 | Comments: 0
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