Biofilms News and Research

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New urinary catheter design can eliminate nearly all hard-to-kill biofilm

For the millions of people forced to rely on a plastic tube to eliminate their urine, developing an infection is nearly a 100 percent guarantee after just four weeks. But with the help of a little bubble-blowing, biomedical engineers hope to bring relief to urethras everywhere.

27 Mar 2014

Study to develop novel antibacterial orthodontic bracket cement incorporating DMADDM

Today, at the 43rd Annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), held in conjunction with the 38th Annual Meeting of the Canadian Association for Dental Research, Mary Anne Sampaio de Melo, from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, will present a research study titled "Antibacterial Orthodontic Cement Containing a Quaternary Ammonium Monomer Dimethylaminododecyl Methacrylate."

24 Mar 2014

Honey helps fight antibiotic resistance, says study

Honey, that delectable condiment for breads and fruits, could be one sweet solution to the serious, ever-growing problem of bacterial resistance to antibiotics, researchers said here today.

17 Mar 2014

Bacterium and fungus partner to cause painful form of tooth decay in preschool children

Early childhood caries, a highly aggressive and painful form of tooth decay that frequently occurs in preschool children, especially from backgrounds of poverty, may result from a nefarious partnership between a bacterium and a fungus, according to a paper published ahead of print in the journal Infection and Immunity.

13 Mar 2014

Researchers identify microbe that 'eats' electricity

There have been plenty of fad diets that captured the public's imagination over the years, but Harvard scientists have identified what may be the strangest of them all - sunlight and electricity.

11 Mar 2014

Microbes are more likely to adhere to tube walls in flowing water

In a surprising new finding, researchers have discovered that bacterial movement is impeded in flowing water, enhancing the likelihood that the microbes will attach to surfaces.

25 Feb 2014

Researchers find difficult to kill Salmonella biofilms with three types of disinfectant

Once Salmonella bacteria get into a food processing facility and have an opportunity to form a biofilm on surfaces, it is likely to be extraordinarily difficult, if not impossible, to kill it, according to research published ahead of print in the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

17 Jan 2014

Biocides used in food industry at sublethal doses may be endangering public health

Biocides used in the food industry at sublethal doses may be endangering, rather than protecting, public health by increasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria and enhancing their ability to form harmful biofilms, according to a study published ahead of print in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. This is among the first studies to examine the latter phenomenon.

6 Jan 2014

Uneven distribution of cellular organelles during cell division may enhance bacterial population's survival

Although a population of bacteria may be genetically identical, individual bacteria within that population can act in radically different ways.

3 Jan 2014

Streptococcus biofilms persist on objects, surfaces in daycare center for longer periods after cleaning

Numerous scientific studies have concluded that two common bacteria that cause colds, ear infections, strep throat and more serious infections cannot live for long outside the human body.

27 Dec 2013

Decreasing levels of reactive oxygen species can break cycle of unhealing wounds

Chronic wounds affect an estimated 6.5 million Americans at an annual cost of about $25 billion. Further, foot blisters and other diabetic ulcers or sores account for the vast majority of foot and leg amputations in the United States today.

18 Dec 2013

Study: Blue light proves to have powerful bacteria-killing ability

Blue light has proven to have powerful bacteria-killing ability in the laboratory. The potent antibacterial effects of irradiation using light in the blue spectra have now also been demonstrated in human and animal tissues. A series of groundbreaking articles that provide compelling evidence of this effect are published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

16 Dec 2013

IBN and IBM discover new medical application for converted PET bottles

Researchers at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and California's IBM Research - Almaden (IBM) have discovered a new, potentially life-saving application for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used to make plastic bottles.

10 Dec 2013

Groundbreaking study reveals novel approach to treat, eliminate MRSA infection

Recent work from University Distinguished Professor of Biology Kim Lewis promises to overcome one of the leading public health threats of our time. In a groundbreaking study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Lewis' team presents a novel approach to treat and eliminate methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a potent bacterium whose resistance to antibiotics has kept it one step ahead of researchers.

14 Nov 2013

Drug used to treat intestinal worms could protect people from periodontitis, says study

A drug currently used to treat intestinal worms could protect people from periodontitis, an advanced gum disease, which untreated can erode the structures-including bone-that hold the teeth in the jaw. The research was published ahead of print in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

11 Nov 2013

Probiotics may help keep bad germs at bay

Microbes are everywhere - thousands of species are in your mouth, and thousands are in a glass of tap water. The ones in your mouth are mostly harmless - as long as you brush and floss so they don't form a biofilm that allows gum disease a path into the blood stream.

4 Nov 2013

Researchers develop new microfluidic device that could speed monitoring of bacterial infections

There are good bacteria and there are bad bacteria -- and sometimes both coexist within the same species. Take, for instance, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a microbe common in soil and water.

17 Oct 2013

Researchers develop new type of E. coli that kills bacteria responsible for hard-to-treat infections

The notorious bacteria E. coli is best known for making people sick, but scientists have reprogrammed the microbe - which also comes in harmless varieties - to make it seek out and fight other disease-causing pathogens.

3 Oct 2013

Understanding tribological damage in biomaterials and medical implants

During their service life, most biomaterials and medical implants are vulnerable to tribological damage. In addition, the environments in which they are placed are often corrosive. The combination of triobology, corrosion and the biological environment has been named ‘bio-tribocorrosion’. Understanding this complex phenomenon is critical to improving the design and service life of medical implants. This important book reviews recent key research in this area.

20 Sep 2013

Microbiologist finds breakthrough herbal medicine treatment for common human fungal pathogen

A Kansas State University microbiologist has found a breakthrough herbal medicine treatment for a common human fungal pathogen that lives in almost 80 percent of people.

13 Sep 2013