Biofilms News and Research

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Researchers create new approach to reduce risk of dental implant failure

According to the American Academy of Implant Dentistry, 15 million Americans have crown or bridge replacements and three million have dental implants -- with this latter number rising by 500,000 a year.

24 Mar 2017

New class of membrane-busting compounds can combat MRSA skin infections in mice

Public health officials are increasingly concerned over methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA). The bacteria have developed resistance to a number of treatments, even antibiotics of last resort in some cases.

15 Mar 2017

Innovative ways to target antibiotic resistance in short term

There has been much recent talk about how to target the rising tide of antibiotic resistance across the world, one of the biggest threats to global health today.

3 Mar 2017

New investigational drug may help combat antibiotic-resistant global health threat

The deadly fungus, Candida auris, which has been found in hospitals, is resistant to entire classes of antimicrobial drugs, limiting treatment options for those infected.

24 Feb 2017

Use of the Quorum Cryo-SEM preparation system in microbial cell biology with electron cryotomography at the Jensen Laboratory

Quorum Technologies, market and technology leaders in electron microscopy coating and cryogenic preparation products, report on how their PP3010T Cryo-SEM preparation system is being used in the preparation of hydrated whole cells to be imaged using electron cryotomography in the Jensen Laboratory located at HHMI Caltech.

1 Feb 2017

KU Leuven researchers develop new dental implant that helps prevent and fight infections

A multidisciplinary team of researchers at KU Leuven (University of Leuven, Belgium) has developed a dental implant that gradually releases drugs from a built-in reservoir. This helps prevent and fight infections.

19 Jan 2017

Researchers finding way to manipulate signals in bacteria to reduce infections

The University of Illinois at Chicago College of Pharmacy has received a five-year, $1.25 million federal grant to continue its research into how bacteria that cause streptococcal infections can be manipulated.

12 Jan 2017

New research paves way for better strategies to diagnose and manage vascular graft infections

A rising prevalence of cardiovascular disease has generated substantial growth in the use of medical implants, such as vascular grafts.

11 Jan 2017

Dutch scientists discover favorable conditions for growth of Legionella bacteria

The bacteria that cause Legionnaire's disease grow well in warm tap water installations with ample dissolved organic matter--conditions that support the growth of biofilms. The research is published January 6th in Applied and Environmental Microbiology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

6 Jan 2017

Persistent infection in infant reveals mutation that helps bacteria tolerate antibiotic therapy

The quest to understand a prolonged infection in an infant being treated for leukemia has led to the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital discovery of a mutation that allows bacteria to tolerate normally effective antibiotic therapy. The report appears today in the scientific journal mBio.

3 Jan 2017

Researchers identify protein that degrades and inhibits infectious biofilms

Many infectious pathogens are difficult to treat because they develop into biofilms, layers of metabolically active but slowly growing bacteria embedded in a protective layer of slime, which are inherently more resistant to antibiotics.

9 Dec 2016

Researchers discover first toxin antitoxin system in biofilms

Bacterial resistance does not come just through adaptation to antibiotics, sometimes the bacteria simply go to sleep.

8 Dec 2016

WSU researchers develop novel technology to treat chronic wound infections

A WSU research team has successfully used a mild electric current to take on and beat drug-resistant bacterial infections, a technology that may eventually be used to treat chronic wound infections.

29 Nov 2016

Molecular chameleons can help track formation of bacterial biofilms

Molecules that change colour can be used to follow in real-time how bacteria form a protective biofilm around themselves.

23 Nov 2016

Polysorbate slows toxic effects of E. coli poisoning

Polysorbate, a safe additive found in everything from ice cream to cosmetics, has been proven to slow the toxic effects of E. coli poisoning.

4 Nov 2016

Researchers engineer new weapon to destroy antibiotic-resistant bacteria

Over the past few decades, many bacteria have become resistant to existing antibiotics, and few new drugs have emerged.

2 Nov 2016

Self-healing slippery surface coatings for medical devices could help thwart infection

Implanted medical devices like catheters, surgical mesh and dialysis systems are ideal surfaces on which bacteria can colonize and form hard-to-kill sheets called biofilms.

1 Nov 2016

Safe food additive can slow toxic effects of E. coli poisoning

Polysorbate, a safe additive found in everything from ice cream to cosmetics, has been proven to slow the toxic effects of E. coli poisoning.

1 Nov 2016

Novel nanofiber coating shows potential to prevent bacterial infections of orthopaedic prostheses

In a proof-of-concept study with mice, scientists at The Johns Hopkins University show that a novel coating they made with antibiotic-releasing nanofibers has the potential to better prevent at least some serious bacterial infections related to total joint replacement surgery.

24 Oct 2016

Novel Legionella bacteria named by Clemson undergraduates

The Clemson family has gained a new namesake: Legionella clemsonensis, a novel strain of the Legionella bacteria, the most common cause of waterborne bacterial outbreaks in the United States.

21 Oct 2016