English
Arabic
Chinese (Simplified)
Dutch
Esperanto
French
German
Greek
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
UrduFor a slow-growing microbe that multiplies infrequently, Mycobacterium tuberculosis , the pathogen that causes tuberculosis (TB) has long puzzled researchers as to how it develops resistance to antibiotics so quickly, in a matter of weeks to months. Now, TB researchers…
Tag: BACTERIOLOGY
Dual brake on transport protein prevents cells from exploding
A high concentration of salt or sugar in the environment will dehydrate microorganisms and stop them from growing. To counter this, bacteria can increase their internal solute concentration. Scientists from the University of Groningen elucidated the structure of a transport…
Potential cholera vaccine target discovered
Findings could help prevent the estimated 3 million cases and 95,000 deaths that occur each year from cholera
Tropical peatland conservation could protect humans from new diseases
Conservation of tropical peatlands could reduce the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the likelihood of new diseases jumping from animals to humans, researchers say. The scientists reviewed existing evidence and concluded the high biodiversity in tropical peat-swamp forests, combined…
Microbial remedies target chemical threats in the environment
Across America, hazardous waste sites pose an ongoing threat to human and environmental health. The most severe cases are known as Superfund sites, of which over a thousand currently exist. Some 50 million Americans live within three miles of one…
When temperatures rise, dog ticks more likely to choose humans over canines
New study presented at TropMed20 shows how climate change could expand and intensify the risk of disease that kills one in five if not treated early
Dairy cows exposed to heavy metals worsen antibiotic-resistant pathogen crisis
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Dairy cows, exposed for a few years to drinking water contaminated with heavy metals, carry more pathogens loaded with antimicrobial-resistance genes able to tolerate and survive various antibiotics. That’s the finding of a team of researchers…
Scientists discover secret to superbug’s virulence in diabetic infections
PITTSBURGH, Nov. 13, 2020 – The bodies of people with uncontrolled diabetes appear to be the perfect environment for a common type of superbug to thrive unchecked and do its worst damage, according to new research by University of Pittsburgh…
Managing the microbiome raises new hope for autism
According to the Centers for Disease Research, 1 in 54 children is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) each year, and the number has been rising. The disease causes perplexing, lifelong developmental disabilities, which usually arise during early childhood and…
Tracking down listeria
The BfR symposium discusses online how food can be made even safer and how consumers can be better protected
Light shed on the atomic resolution structure of phage DNA tube
A methodological milestone
Risk of childhood asthma by caesarean section is mediated through the early gut microbiome
The prevalence of caesarean section has increased globally in recent decades. While the World Health Organisation suggests that the procedure should be performed in less than 15% of births to prevent morbidity and mortality, the prevalence is higher in most…
Cloth face masks that can be disinfected by the sun
During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have become accustomed to wearing cotton face masks in public places. However, viruses and bacteria that stick to the mask could be transferred elsewhere when the wearer removes or touches it. Now, researchers reporting…
Life on ancient Earth and alien planets
Two research teams at the University of Arizona have been selected to lead NASA astrobiology projects under the agency’s Interdisciplinary Consortia for Astrobiology Research (ICAR) program
What’s That Growing on Your Face Mask?
Scientist Invents Novel Device to Conveniently Sanitize Contaminated Masks at Home or at Work
Oil-eating worms provide valuable assistance in soil remediation
Bionanotechnology Lab of Kazan Federal University works on adapting nematodes to consuming oil waste
Altai Pastoralism Project funded by National Geographic Society and Wenner-Gren Foundation
The Rise of Altai Mountain Pastoralism Project (RAMPP) will investigate the enigmatic Afanasievo culture in the Altai region and the spread of dairying and herding practices
Researchers identify new Rickettsia species in dogs
Researchers at North Carolina State University have identified a new species of Rickettsia bacteria that may cause significant disease in dogs and humans. This new yet unnamed species, initially identified in three dogs, is part of the spotted-fever group Rickettsia…
Princeton researchers find key to piercing harmful bacteria’s armor
Princeton researchers have discovered a new protein involved in assembly and maintenance of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria
Yin and Yang: Two signaling molecules control growth and behavior in bacteria
Bacteria are considered to be true experts in survival. Their rapid adaptive response to changing environmental conditions is based, among other things, on two competing signaling molecules. As the “Yin and Yang” of metabolic control they decide on the lifestyle…
phyloFlash: New software for fast and easy analysis of environmental microbes
Researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology in Bremen are developing a user-friendly method to reconstruct and analyze SSU rRNA from raw metagenome data.
Story tips: Ice breaker data, bacterial breakdown, catching heat and finding order
Climate – Ice breaker data With the conclusion of an unprecedented yearlong expedition to the North Pole called MOSAiC , data from instruments installed on an Arctic ice floe are available to the scientific community to improve models that predict…
Mystery molecule in bacteria is revealed to be a guard
Unusual structures in bacterial cells keep viral infection from spreading; a list of new ones could provide improved biotech tools
Buffalo fly faces Dengue nemesis
Australian cattle researchers use biological control to tackle insect pest
In your gut: How bacteria survive low oxygen environments
ITQB NOVA researchers have uncovered the mechanisms that allow the survival of the anaerobic pathogen Clostridioides difficile in the gut
Biologists shed light on mystery of how microbes evolve and affect hosts
TORONTO, ON – The era of COVID-19 and the need to constantly wash one’s hands and sanitize things have brought microbes to new levels of scrutiny, particularly for their impact on an individual’s health. While associations between microbes and their…
Coral researchers find link between bacterial genus and disease susceptibility
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Corals that appear healthy are more prone to getting sick when they’re home to too many parasitic bacteria, new research at Oregon State University shows. Supported by the National Science Foundation, the study, published in Environmental Microbiology…
Genetic analysis system yields new insights into bacterial pneumonia
Using a CRISPR interference system to study virulence genes in a mouse model of pneumonia, scientists observed surprising variability in how the disease progresses
Vampire bats social distance when they get sick
A new paper in Behavioral Ecology , published by Oxford University Press, finds that wild vampire bats that are sick spend less time near others from their community, which slows how quickly a disease will spread. The research team had…
Scientists uncover prophage defense mechanisms against phage attacks in mycobacteria
Experimental approach reveals Butters prophage uses a two-component system to block entry of some phages, but not others, from attacking a strain of mycobacteria related to infection-causing strains; important for advancing phage therapies
Endangered trees in Guam contribute to ecosystem diversity and health
Research at the University of Guam has shown that the decomposition of leaf litter from three threatened tree species releases nitrogen and carbon into the soil for use by other plants. The results illuminate the importance of biodiversity and the…
Model could improve design of vaccines, immunotherapies
The body’s immune system defeats diseases by sensing foreign invaders, like bacteria or viruses, and then mounting a response against them. But just how immune cell receptors work together to sense multiple molecules and make these decisions remained a mystery.…
Surprising players in acute liver failure point to potential treatment
Gut microbes and host cells jointly contribute to the progression of this mostly incurable disease
Frozen Food Foundation presents Dr. Zoellner with Freezing Research Award
Arlington, Va. -The Frozen Food Foundation , in conjunction with the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), presented Dr. Claire Zoellner, Food Safety Scientist at iFoodDecisionSciences, Inc., with the eleventh annual Frozen Food Foundation Freezing Research Award during IAFP’s 2020…
A simple, cost-effective molecular assay may help manage growing spread of drug-resistant gonorrhea
A multiplex assay based on high-resolution melting technology accurately identified antimicrobial resistant determinants in Neisseria gonorrhoeae, researchers report in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics
Drug-resistant hospital bacteria persist even after deep cleaning
Scientists have used genome sequencing to reveal the extent to which a drug-resistant gastrointestinal bacterium can spread within a hospital, highlighting the challenge hospitals face in controlling infections. Enterococcus faecium is a bacterium commonly found in the gastrointestinal tract, where…
Discovery of pH-dependent ‘switch’ in interaction between pair of protein molecules
All biological processes are in some way pH-dependent. Our human bodies, and those of other organisms, need to maintain specific- and constant- pH regulation in order to function. Changes in pH can have serious biological consequences or, as researchers at…
Protective shield: Membrane-attached protein protects bacteria & chloroplasts from stress
IM30 loses its complex ring structure under stress conditions and forms a protective carpet on the membrane surface / Surface structure observed for the first time
New tricks for old antibiotics
Researchers uncovered that a group of antibiotics confers protection against sepsis, beyond their ability to directly control the infection
RIT scientist receives NSF funding to explore cellular compartmentalization in bacteria
Interdisciplinary project will decode the rules of phase separation in bacterial chromatin
This red light means ‘go’ for medical discoveries
Scientists develop a better, redder biosensor for biological research
Mechanism linking gum disease to heart disease, other inflammatory conditions discovered
Researchers at the University of Toronto have found first evidence that neutrophil immune cell activity is the missing link connecting periodontal disease with heart disease, cancer, and other inflammatory conditions
Sludge-powered bacteria generate more electricity, faster
Changing the surface chemistry of electrodes leads to the preferential growth of a novel electroactive bacterium that could support improved energy-neutral wastewater treatment. To grow, electroactive bacteria break down organic compounds by transferring electrons to solid-state substrates outside their cells.…
CRISPR-induced immune diversification in host-virus populations
Just like humans, microbes have equipped themselves with tools to recognize and defend themselves against viral invaders. In a continual evolutionary battle between virus and host, CRISPR-Cas act as a major driving force of strain diversity in host-virus systems. A…
NYU Abu Dhabi study discovers how some single-cell organisms control microbiomes
This discovery paves the way for future research into climate change and understanding of evolution.
Immune protein orchestrates daily rhythm of squid-bacteria symbiotic relationship
Nearly every organism hosts a collection of symbiotic microbes–a microbiome. It is now recognized that microbiomes are major drivers of health in all animals, including humans, and that these symbiotic systems often exhibit strong daily rhythms. New research led by…
Those funky cheese smells allow microbes to ‘talk’ to and feed each other
Researchers discover that bacteria that ripen cheese respond to the volatile gases produced by cheese fungi
Small RNA as a central player in infections
More than half of the world’s population carries the bacterium Helicobacter pylori in their stomach mucosa.
Does science have a plastic problem? Microbiologists take steps to reducing plastic waste
‘Everyone can make a difference!’ urge microbiologists after developing a new approach that could reduce their laboratory’s plastic waste by over 500kg a year
Small RNA as a central player in infections
More than half of the world’s population carries the bacterium Helicobacter pylori in their stomach mucosa. It often causes no problems throughout life, but sometimes it can cause inflammation, and in some cases, it can even lead to the development…