All news from Microbiology
Savannah River National Laboratory, in collaboration with Clemson University, the University of South Carolina and Savannah River Consulting LLC, has demonstrated the use of electrochemical techniques to monitor the growth status and energy levels of microorganisms used in biotechnology industries. As published in a recent Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology Express article, the techniques monitor the microbes in real time, improving the cost-effectiveness of the results compared to conventional sampling and analysis.
Research increasingly links the gut microbiome to a range of human maladies, including inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes and even cancer. Attempts to manipulate the gut with food rich in healthy bacteria, such as yogurt or kombucha, are in vogue, along with buying commercial probiotics that promise to improve users' chances against illness.
Oils from garlic and several other common herbs and medicinal plants show strong activity against the bacterium that causes Lyme disease, according to a study by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. These oils may be especially useful in alleviating Lyme symptoms that persist despite standard antibiotic treatment, the study also suggests.
A study carried out in collaboration with the University of Birmingham has used an innovative approach to identify thousands of antibiotic resistance genes found in bacteria that inhabit the human gut.
Researchers have discovered how bacterium manage to destroy enemy DNA, while keeping their own genetic material safe. When foreign bodies attack, the molecular militia that comprises our immune system goes to war. In the chaos of battle, this cavalry must be careful not to fire on its own soldiers; and organisms ranging from humans to bacteria have evolved special mechanisms to avoid this type of mix-up.
Forget MRSA and E. coli , there's another bacterium that is becoming increasingly dangerous due to antibiotic resistance-and it's present on the skin of every person on the planet. A close relative of MRSA, Staphylococcus epidermidis , is a major cause of life-threatening infections after surgery, but it is often overlooked by clinicians and scientists because it is so abundant.
A study led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) – an institution supported by "la Caixa" Foundation- reveals a new mechanism by which the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum converts from its asexual to its sexual form, which can be transmitted to the mosquito. The results, published in Nature Microbiology, provide important information on the parasite's lifecycle and will eventually contribute to design strategies aimed at stopping its transmission.
A study has shown that the showerheads contain slime that can be dangerous to the bacterium which lead to severe lung disease. Mycobacterial bacteria are responsible for lung diseases explain experts.
University of Adelaide scientist Dr. Katharina Richter has been named one of the top 10 innovators in the MIT Technology Review Innovators Under 35 competition for Australia, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Southeast Asia and Taiwan region.
Newborn Baby Jane in Sacramento, California, might have access to the best, most modern medical care, but she's likely missing something else: Friendly gut microbes. Uniquely adapted to human breast milk, these microbes provide optimal nutrition, keep out hostile infections, and may even stop the spread of disease.
A bacterial toxin that allows an infectious strain of bacteria to defeat its competitors has been discovered by Imperial College London scientists. The finding provides a better understanding of the mechanisms behind bacterial warfare, which is the first step to the design of improved treatments for microbial diseases.
New research published in the International Journal of Pharmaceutics demonstrates that 'good' bacteria in the live probiotic SymproveTM can successfully reach and colonize the gut, where they go on to change the existing gut flora. They are also capable of modifying immune response.
