Bacteria News

Imbalance of gut bacteria linked to bowel cancer By Tim Sandle New research suggests that a bacterium commonly found in the gut may, under particular conditions, release a toxin that triggers mutations in the cells found in the lining of the gut and this can lead to bowel cancer.

Bacteria-eating viruses bridge the gap of life and non-life By Tim Sandle Bacteriophage are a type of simple virus that infects bacteria, being spread by its bacterial host and being reliant upon the bacterial cell to replicate. New research indicates that some phages are more complex than they first appear.

Enlisting bacteria to make ‘green’ nylon By Tim Sandle Using bacteria to convert sugars into “green” products, such as polymer precursors for nylon, is progressing due to advances with metabolic engineering such as a specially designed biosensor from Los Alamos.

Essential Science: Gut bacteria affect how the colon moves By Tim Sandle A research study, looking at the microbiome of the human gut, shows how gut bacteria influence how the colon moves, and with this how digestion is controlled along with reasons for poor digestive health.

New research outlines advice for coping with acne By Tim Sandle Acne is a common skin condition, affecting people at different ages, and one that can wreak havoc with your self-esteem and often appears at the worst possible time. New research identifies some strategies for dealing with the condition.

Essential Science: Is a vaccine for MRSA possible? By Tim Sandle MRSA has caused numerous deaths in the hospital setting. Despite good progress with other vaccines, no vaccine for MRSA appears in sight. A new study shows why this is and points towards the best direction to go forwards.

Mealworms can effectively degrade toxic additives in plastics By Tim Sandle One solution to the toxins produced from some forms of plastic could be found with the humble mealworm, according to new research. Mealworms are capable of eating plastic and its toxic by-products.

Novel process allows microbes to harvest electrons By Tim Sandle In a new, and very novel, process researchers have shown how a species of bacteria can be used to 'eat' electricity. This involves pulling in electrons away from an electrode source.

Is it time for a ‘shocking’ new way to kill microbes? By Tim Sandle A new electrochemical approach is being developed to treat infections of metal-based implants, according to a new research study. The technology appears to be able to kill bacteria and fungi and reduce infection risk.

Hospital clean-up actually increased microbial contamination By Tim Sandle Edinburgh - A new study into the clean-up of a hospital in response to bacterial contamination reveals that the remediation process actually made matters worse, dislodging more contamination than there actually was to start with.

Mucus helps inactivate bacterial biofilms By Tim Sandle Boston - New research into mucus shows that it plays an essential role in controlling bacterial biofilms and helping to prevent infection. This is due to sugar molecules present, termed glycans and these disarm opportunistic pathogens.

Dolphins are showing cases of antibiotic resistance By Tim Sandle Antibiotic resistance and the consequential enhanced risk to from pathogenic organisms is not only something that affects humans; other animals, such as dolphins, are equally impacted, according to new research.

Rates of antimicrobial resistance rising drastically in animals By Tim Sandle New research shows that antimicrobial-resistant infections are increasing in animals across low and middle income countries at a rate far faster that earlier predictions suggested.

Microbiology News: Antimicrobials and mother's microbiome By Tim Sandle From a rise of superbugs in Southeast Asia, the earliest recorded evidence of tapeworm, and the microbial community of the mother influencing that of her child, represent three of the biggest microbiology news items this month. We delve deeper.

Why E coli knows how to produce the worst possible infection By Tim Sandle Medical microbiologists have established how the bacterium Escherichia coli knows how to cause the worst possible infection. The new insight should assist with preventing the foodborne illnesses.

Microfluidics device diagnoses sepsis in minutes By Tim Sandle Time matters greatly in hospitals and this includes undertaking diagnoses as rapidly as possible. A new automated system can detect an early biomarker for the potentially life-threatening condition sepsis within a few minutes.

Essential Science: Is anorexia partly caused by gut bacteria? By Tim Sandle Anorexia is primarily a psychological condition and there are many underlying factors. One new factor to come to light, which may well play an influence, is with the microbiome of the human gut, according to British researchers.

Will you next computer be made using graphene and bacteria? By Tim Sandle To develop more efficient computers, along with medical devices, scientists are examining nanomaterials. These are materials manipulated on the scale of atoms and which exhibit unique properties, opening a gateway to advanced technology.

Robot arm learns how to taste with engineered bacteria By Tim Sandle Biologists working with engineers have developed a robotic gripping arm which makes use of engineered bacteria in order to 'taste' for certain chemicals. This represents a new development in soft robotics.

Essential Science: Breakthrough for patients with pneumonia By Tim Sandle New research, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, presents the first clinical results with CAL02 in patients suffering from severe pneumonia, the first cause of infectious mortality in the world.

Careless disposal of medicines increases antimicrobial resistance By Tim Sandle Copenaghen - There are a number of ways by which antimicrobial resistance can spread, and one that is of growing concern is the disposal of medicines by consumers down sinks and toilets. A new technique can help to assess the extent of the spread.

Essential Science: Gum bacteria implicated in Alzheimer's disease By Tim Sandle The bacteria that inhabit the mouth, and especially the gums, if imbalanced can lead to some species dominating others. In these circumstances, there may be a connection with diseases like Alzheimer’s, according to a new study.

New materials promote natural healing methods By Tim Sandle London - Medical researchers have demonstrated how the use of new materials can be used to treat wounds by enhancing the body's natural healing processes.

Essential Science: Antimicrobial found in ancient Irish soil By Tim Sandle Swansea - A bacterium discovered in ancient Irish soil has been shown to be capable of halting the growth of certain ‘superbugs’. The discovery offers new hope for tackling antibiotic resistance.

The pathogenic skin bacterium 'no one' is talking about By Tim Sandle Bath - More high profile pathogenic bacteria regularly make news headlines, especially in relation to food recalls or to hospital hygiene. A new research paper warns that we shouldn't forget about a common bacterium that can cause harm.

Infectious bacteria on-board the International Space Station By Tim Sandle The International Space Station hosts some less desirable strains of bacteria, with the organism Enterobacter bugandensis having been identified from samples taken from the toilets used by the astronauts.

Key study seeks to improve skin infection treatment By Tim Sandle Washington - Researchers have begun undertaking examination into the effectiveness of treatments for skin diseases. The focus is with skin infections that are resistant to common antibiotics, especially diseases that are multi-drug resistant.

Farm herbicide Roundup could increase antibiotic resistance By Tim Sandle Antibiotic resistance is causing significant medical problems and while a key factor is over-prescription of antibiotic medications, there are other factors. Once factor, according to new research, could be common agricultural herbicides.

Artificial sweeteners are toxic to gut microbes By Tim Sandle Are artificial sweeteners harmful? This a question that scientists have been grappling with for several decades. While sweeteners help with weight-loss programs, new evidence suggests they affect our microbiome.

Bacteria in the human gut generate electricity By Tim Sandle An interesting discovery has been made about several species of bacteria that inhabit the human intestines and which constitute part of the human microbiome. These organisms have been shown to generate electricity.

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