Bacteria News and Research

RSS

Study shows how a specific gut bacterium influences infant immune system

Research published today in the journal Cell is the first to establish how a specific gut bacterium, activated Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001 (B. infantis), influences immune system development in infants, and could thereby reduce the risk of allergic and autoimmune conditions later in life.

18 Jun 2021

Study shows link between breast milk, gut bacteria, and development of the immune system

Many diseases caused by a dysregulated immune system, such as allergies, asthma and autoimmunity, can be traced back to events in the first few months after birth.

17 Jun 2021

Study validates accuracy of new molecular test for tuberculosis diagnosis

The 'Xpert Ultra' molecular test has a greater capacity than its predecessor ('Xpert MTB/RIF') in detecting tuberculosis cases, either passively (i.e. people who attend the hospital with disease symptoms) or actively (searching for possible cases in the community among contacts of cases).

17 Jun 2021

Researchers identify properties that enable proteins to remember and respond to pressure

A new rubber band stretches, but then snaps back into its original shape and size. Stretched again, it does the same. But what if the rubber band was made of a material that remembered how it had been stretched? Just as our bones strengthen in response to impact, medical implants or prosthetics composed of such a material could adjust to environmental pressures such as those encountered in strenuous exercise.

16 Jun 2021

Researchers explore potential exposure to microbial agents in-utero

The human fetal immune system begins to develop early during gestation, however, factors responsible for fetal immune-priming remain elusive.

16 Jun 2021

Novel altruistic stem cell defense mechanism may be targeted to develop new COVID-19 vaccines

The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 may have the ability to reactivate dormant tuberculosis (TB). In a novel study scientists report in The American Journal of Pathology that infection with a specific coronavirus strain reactivated dormant Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) in mice.

16 Jun 2021

Gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and post-stroke functional impairment

New findings from Cleveland Clinic researchers show for the first time that the gut microbiome impacts stroke severity and functional impairment following stroke.

16 Jun 2021

Bioactive packaging can keep strawberries fresh for up to 12 days

Québec produces more strawberries than any other Canadian province. Strawberries are delicate and difficult to keep fresh. In response to this challenge, Monique Lacroix, a professor at at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique, and her team have developed a packaging film that can keep strawberries fresh for up to 12 days.

16 Jun 2021

New web tool offers many capabilities vital to bacteria mutation research

In 1943, two scientists named Max Delbrück and Salvador Luria conducted an experiment to show that bacteria can mutate randomly, independent of external stimulus, such as an antibiotic that threatens a bacterial cells' survival.

15 Jun 2021

New eye surface reconstruction method using mussel adhesive protein

The eye is the first sensory organ that recognizes the presence or shape of an object. The conjunctiva is a thin mucous membrane that covers the front half of the eyeball.

15 Jun 2021

Low-fiber, high-fat diets cause significant shifts in the gut microbiome

Changes to gut microbiome are known to impact metabolic health. Physiologists at Laval University in Canada have discovered that diets containing low fiber and high fat cause significant shifts in the gut microbiome - the collection of bacteria, viruses, fungi and other multicellular microorganisms that live in the gastrointestinal system.

15 Jun 2021

Carbon-based antimicrobial nanoweapons to fight COVID-19

In a recent review article published in the journal ACS Nano, interdisciplinary researchers from across the world evaluated the role of carbon-based nanomaterials (CBNs), such as fullerene, carbon dots, graphene, and their derivatives as promising alternatives to combat COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) and other microbial infections.

15 Jun 2021

Plant-based diet appears to offer protection against hypertension and preeclampsia

A plant-based diet appears to afford significant protection to rats bred to become hypertensive on a high-salt diet, scientists report. When the rats become pregnant, the whole grain diet also protects the mothers and their offspring from deadly preeclampsia.

14 Jun 2021

Study reports self-disinfecting polymer surfaces that can inactivate SARS-CoV-2

Surfaces with anionic block copolymers can inactivate different viruses within minutes by making the polymer-microbe interface very acidic. Such surfaces can continuously disinfect surfaces without the need for reapplication of disinfectant.

14 Jun 2021

New 3D printing process helps build tailor-make artificial body parts, other medical devices

Using a new 3D printing process, University of Nottingham researchers have discovered how to tailor-make artificial body parts and other medical devices with built-in functionality that offers better shape and durability, while cutting the risk of bacterial infection at the same time.

11 Jun 2021

New framework establishes safe thresholds for antimicrobials

Researchers have made progress towards a G7 commitment to establish safe standards for the release of antimicrobials into the environment, by developing a new framework that establishes safe thresholds.

11 Jun 2021

Changes in community networks impact the ensuing spread of disease

The COVID-19 pandemic has made clear the importance of understanding precisely how diseases spread throughout networks of transportation. However, rigorously determining the connection between disease risk and changing networks--which either humans or the environment may alter--is challenging due to the complexity of these systems.

10 Jun 2021

Major anti-cancer protein released by neutrophils selectively kills tumor cells

A study published in the June 10, 2021 issue of Cell describes a remarkable new mechanism by which the body's own immune system can eliminate cancer cells without damaging host cells.

10 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 detection associates with viral RNA prevalence in patients and hospital environment

Watching what was happening around the world in early 2020, University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers knew their region would likely soon be hit with a wave of patients with COVID-19, the infection caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

10 Jun 2021

Cysteine persulfide found to be a new culprit in antibacterial resistance

A joint research project based in Kumamoto University, Japan has developed a new, highly sensitive analytical method that can detect degraded β-lactam antibacterial agents used in the treatment of bacterial infections.

9 Jun 2021