Microbiology
Bacteria under attack by a flock of bacteriophages. Credit: Graham Beards/Wikimedia Commons
By Luc Henry, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne
Bacterial infections remain a major threat to human and animal health. Worse still, the catalogue of useful antibiotics is shrinking as pathogens build up resistance to these drugs. There are few promising new drugs in the pipeline, but they may not prove to be enough. Multi-resistant organisms – also called “superbugs” – are on the rise and many predict a gloomy future if nothing is done to fight back.
The answer, some believe, may lie in…
High-resolution cryo-electron microscopy has revealed in unprecedented detail the structural changes in the bacterial ribosome which results in resistance to the antibiotic erythromycin.
Multiresistant bacterial pathogens that are insensitive to virtually all available antibiotics are one of the major public-health challenges of this decade - due to regulations and a short window before the products become generic, companies have abandoned the antibiotics marketing and there are now more new ones coming off the market than are coming in.
Given that issue, the question of how resistance to…
Researchers are working to select autochthonous bacteria with biofertilizing potential as a result of the stimulating effect they have on the take-up of nutrients by plants, phytohormone production and phytopathogen control.
Both organic and synthetic fertilizers are expensive and not very sustainable from an environmental power of view so researchers from Neiker-Tecnalia, the Basque Institute for Agricultural Research and Development, in Spain, believe farmers would embrace bacteria-based biofertilizers.
The final goal in selecting autochthonous bacteria with a biofertilizing potential is…
Hank |
It's long been known that cows fed antibiotics to ward off diseases can be placing them back into the environment biologically - and that could be one reason for increased antibiotic resistance.
We can't be too hard on cows and chickens, people are doing the same thing, and in far greater quantities. We use a lot of antibiotics.
Organic company marketing departments and their environmental corporation allies have capitalized on the use of antibiotics in livestock, and in many cases, misrepresented it - the NRDC filed a lawsuit over antibiotic use for growth in 2011 but when California…
Hank |
The 21st century promises to bring a kind of science warfare only dreamed about in science fiction. Already it's become clear that it is possible to paralyze a large chunk of America and get policymakers in perpetual crisis mode, even with something as well-known as ebola.(1)
That kind of threat is getting mainstream attention now, but it has long been researched by government agencies that are in the business of predicting threats. And scientists working for them have recently created a hybrid bacteria - a cyborg mix of computer chip and genetically modified organism - that can not only…
Your gut bacteria won't change much. Credit: ponchicaBG
By Nicholas Ellaby, University of Liverpool
From eyes to the gap between the toes, we are covered in bacterial colonies.
Between 500 and 1000 unique species live in our gut alone. We provide an ideal environment for bacteria: warmth, moisture, nutrients and protection.
Once the food is mechanically reduced through chewing, bacterial communities in the gut get to work. Right from birth, these have been cultured for specific tasks: some love fats while others prefer complex proteins. It is only through having a range of bacterial species…
Valium (Diazepam) and similar medicines degrade naturally in the environment but it takes time, and until it happens there is concern about the freshwater environment.
Bacterial breakdown may give it a boost, a team of researchers has said.
Diazepam, used to treat anxiety and other similar conditions, has been detected in rivers across the UK and Europe. At the levels recorded, there is concern it may have the potential to produce harmful ecological effects in surface waters, including changing the behavior of fish shoals and their ability to sense danger from predators.
Experts in the…
Bacteria that metabolize ammonia may improve skin health and could even be used for the treatment of skin disorders like acne, finds a new study conducted by AOBiome LLC. Ammonia is a major component of sweat.
In a small study, human volunteers using the bacteria reported better skin condition and appearance compared with a placebo control group.
Ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB) are ubiquitous in soil and water and are essential components of the nitrogen cycle and environmental nitrification processes. The researchers hypothesized that AOB are uniquely suited for the environment…
A team of researchers headed by Prof Dr. Nicole Frankenberg-Dinkel at Ruhr-University Bochum have revealed similarities and differences in the assembly of the light-harvesting machinery of the cryptophyte Guillardia theta compared to cyanobacteria and red algae.
Cryptophytes: Matryoshka dolls of the waters
Unlike traditional eukaryotic cells – i.e. all cells with a nucleus – cryptophyte cells resemble a Russian doll in the form of an alga within an alga. They originated from a eukaryotic cell that engulfed and integrated a red alga. Thus, cryptophytes have acquired the ability to perform…
A team of researchers has developed a new model to study the motion patterns of bacteria in real time and to determine how these motions relate to communication within a bacterial colony.
The researchers chemically attached colonies of Escherichia coli bacteria to a microcantilever – a microscopic beam anchored at one end, similar to a diving board – thus coupling its motion to that of the bacteria. As the cantilever itself isn't doesn't generate any vibrations, or 'noise,' this allowed the researchers to monitor the colony's reactions to various stimuli in real time.
The traditional method…