Biofilms News and Research

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Scientists reveal existence of alternative bacterial quorum-sensing mechanism

Whether growing in a puddle of dirty water or inside the human body, large groups of bacteria must coordinate their behavior to perform essential tasks that they would not be able to carry out individually.

21 Aug 2017

Sugars in mother's milk exhibit antibacterial properties

Mother's milk, which consists of a complex and continually changing blend of proteins, fats and sugars, helps protect babies against bacterial infections.

21 Aug 2017

Understanding the rise in NTM infections

It is important to keep in mind that nontuberculous mycobacteria are environmental, and so unlike mycobacterial tuberculosis, generally this is not a person to person transmitted disease. The organisms are found universally in water and soil and so most people are exposed on a daily basis.

16 Aug 2017

UAB researchers create small molecule that prevents tooth cavities in preclinical model

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have created a small molecule that prevents or impedes tooth cavities in a preclinical model.

10 Aug 2017

High-frequency alternating magnetic fields can help destroy bacterial biofilms

A short exposure to an alternating magnetic field might someday replace multiple surgeries and weeks of IV antibiotics as treatment for stubborn infections on artificial joints, new research suggests.

9 Aug 2017

Researchers reveal new type of sweat test for better CF diagnosis

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is an incurable genetic disease in which patients have chronic lung infections. The sooner CF is diagnosed, the better the symptoms can be managed.

31 Jul 2017

Findings could influence ways to control bacterial growth on medical and other surfaces

A flexible tail allows swimming bacteria to thin the surrounding liquid and to free themselves when trapped along walls or obstacles.

30 Jun 2017

Researchers identify new wound healing properties of ficin

The project is headed by Senior Research Associate of the Microorganism Genetics Lab Ayrat Kayumov and funded by Russian Science Foundation and Project 5-100. The results have been published in Scientific Reports.

27 Jun 2017

Researchers identify new therapy target for gonorrhea

Researchers have identified a possible new treatment for gonorrhea, using a peptide that thwarts the infection-causing bacterium by interfering with an enzyme the microbe needs to respirate.

27 Jun 2017

Scientists develop novel enzyme technology that prevents formation of biofilms

Have you ever heard of biofilms? They are slimy, glue-like membranes that are produced by microbes, like bacteria and fungi, in order to colonize surfaces.

22 Jun 2017

Researchers examine formation of functional amyloids by bacteria in real time

A team of scientists from the VIB lab of Han Remaut and the lab of Yves Dufrêne at UCL Louvain-La-Neuve collaborated on a study of functional amyloids -protein aggregates with the typical amyloid structure that do not lead to disease but rather serve a dedicated biological function.

21 Jun 2017

Penn study points to novel therapeutic strategy for preventing severe tooth decay in toddlers

Though most tooth decay can be blamed on bacteria, such as Streptococcus mutans, the fungus Candida albicans may be a joint culprit in an alarmingly common form of severe tooth decay affecting toddlers known as early childhood caries.

20 Jun 2017

UAB researchers demonstrate persistence of donor microbes in recipients after fecal transplant

University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers have made the first direct demonstration that fecal donor microbes remained in recipients for months or years after a transplant to treat the diarrhea and colitis caused by recurrent Clostridium difficile infections -- a serious and stubborn cause of diarrhea after an antibiotic treatment for some other illness.

14 Jun 2017

Micropollutants exert stress on aquatic ecosystems

In Switzerland, more than 30,000 different substances are used on a daily basis in innumerable products - pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, cleaning agents or industrial chemicals.

1 Jun 2017

MGH scientists show how Shigella survives journey from mouth to the colon

Surviving the treacherous journey through the human body from the mouth to the colon takes a special kind of bacterial pathogen.

31 May 2017

TUM researchers show how biofilms develop water-repellent surface texture

Dental plaque and the viscous brown slime in drainpipes are two familiar examples of bacterial biofilms. Removing such bacterial depositions from surfaces is often very difficult, in part because they are extremely water-repellent.

18 May 2017

LSUHealthNO receives NIH grant to develop novel long-lasting dental filling materials

The National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research of the National Institutes of Health has awarded LSU Health New Orleans' School of Dentistry an R01 grant in the amount of $2,465,297 over five years to develop stronger, longer-lasting dental filling materials with antibacterial properties to inhibit recurrent cavities and extend the life of the restoration.

2 May 2017

Scientists aim to combat antibiotic-resistant infections by harnessing synthetic mucus

Researchers are pursuing an innovative and unexpected new avenue in the quest to fight antibiotic resistance: synthetic mucus. By studying and replicating mucus' natural ability to control pathogenic bacteria, the scientists hope to find new methods for combating infections.

26 Apr 2017

New strategy in antimicrobial peptides holds promise for combating multi-drug resistant bacteria

In an article published recently in Plos One, researchers from INRS-Institut Armand-Frappier Research Centre reported a strategy that could lead to the discovery of new cationic antimicrobial peptides (CAMPs) with greatly enhanced antimicrobial properties.

5 Apr 2017

Case Western Reserve and Q2 Pharma partner to develop antivirulence agents that disarm superbugs

Case Western Reserve University and Q2 Pharma Ltd., an Israeli biopharmaceutical company, have signed a two-year option to license small molecule, antivirulence technology to potentially treat bacterial infections such as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), the first known scientific effort of its kind.

31 Mar 2017