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Researchers identify genetic mutation that causes idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Researchers in Japan have identified a genetic mutation that causes a severe lung disease called idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis by killing the cells lining the lung's airways.

10 Oct 2019

Compound in human breast milk inhibits growth of pathogenic bacteria

Researchers at National Jewish Health and the University of Iowa have identified a compound in human breast milk that fights infections by harmful bacteria while allowing beneficial bacteria to thrive.

10 Oct 2019

Scientists decode molecular architecture of secretion systems involved in tuberculosis

Tuberculosis is a highly contagious infectious disease that is typically spread through aerosols and mainly affects the lungs. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 1.7 million people die from such an infection worldwide every year.

10 Oct 2019

Study sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods

A new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis sheds light on how human gut microbes break down processed foods - especially potentially harmful chemical changes often produced during modern food manufacturing processes.

9 Oct 2019

Using tape strips to obtain skin biomarkers in children with atopic dermatitis

Applying strips of adhesive tape to skin lesions and non-lesional skin is a non-invasive way to obtain biomarkers to track the severity of early-onset pediatric eczema or atopic dermatitis in infants and young children, researchers report for the first time.

9 Oct 2019

Army scientists develop new weapon to combat super-bugs

Antibiotic resistance is a one of the world's most pressing public health problems. Army scientists have developed a new weapon to combat super-bugs, which could protect Soldiers and fight resistance.

9 Oct 2019

Researchers discover most virulent representatives of listeriosis pathogen

The bacterium Listeria monocytogenes can cause listeriosis, a life-threatening infection in animals and humans. Contaminated food is a frequent source of infection. Elderly people, people with a weakened immune system and pregnant women are particularly at risk with a mortality rate of up to 30 per cent.

9 Oct 2019

New game theory approach helps identify bacterial antibiotic resistance

Washington State University researchers have developed a novel way to identify previously unrecognized antibiotic-resistance genes in bacteria.

9 Oct 2019

Cholera pathogen can acquire large stretches of genetic material from neighboring bacteria

In 2015, EPFL researchers led by Melanie Blokesch published a seminal paper in Science showing that the bacterium responsible for cholera, Vibrio cholerae, uses a spring-loaded spear to literally stab neighboring bacteria and steal their DNA.

8 Oct 2019

Scientists make genetic data available for bacteria linked to Crohn's disease

Scientists have made genetic data publicly available for bacteria that might be lurking inside the gut walls of patients chronically affected with severe Crohn's disease.

8 Oct 2019

New antibiotic discovered in Mexican tropical forest

Scientists from Rutgers University and around the world have discovered an antibiotic produced by a soil bacterium from a Mexican tropical forest that may help lead to a "plant probiotic," more robust plants and other antibiotics.

8 Oct 2019

Cholera-causing bacteria steal large stretches of intact DNA to become more efficient

A new paper shows that the cholera germ is an inveterate and rapacious gene stealer, robbing other competing bacteria of up to 150 genes (over 150,000 base pairs) in a single attack. To put this in perspective, the cholera pathogen carries only about 4,000 genes altogether.

8 Oct 2019

Vaginal fluid transplant could help treat recurring bacterial vaginosis

Bacterial vaginosis is a common and irksome problem for many women. Now researchers have found the transplanting vaginal fluids of a healthy woman to women with troublesome bacterial vaginosis could restore the bacterial microbiome in the latter’s vaginas and thus help treat them.

8 Oct 2019

Febrile infants may be at increased risk for infections

Infants with a high fever may be at increased risk for infections, according to research from Penn State College of Medicine.

7 Oct 2019

Researchers identify an immune cell that helps keep time in the gut

As people go through their daily and nightly routines, their digestive tracts follow a routine, too: digesting food and absorbing nutrients during waking hours, and replenishing worn-out cells during sleep. Shift work and jet lag can knock sleep schedules and digestive rhythms out of whack.

4 Oct 2019

GW researchers show connection between bacteria in the microbiome and colon cancer

A mutant protein found in humans with colon cancer blocks a pathway that regulates proliferation and expansion of cells, increasing amounts of bacterial species associated with the development of colon cancer.

4 Oct 2019

New defensive mechanism against bacterial wound infections discovered

Wound inflammation which results in impaired wound healing can have serious consequences for patients. Researchers from Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin have discovered a new defensive mechanism which enables our skin to actively kill bacteria.

4 Oct 2019

Study finds prevalence of antibiotic-resistant genes in groundwater

With climate change comes increasing water shortages, and potentially longer periods of drought. As policymakers look urgently to wastewater recycling to stem the gap in water resources, the question is-- how best to reuse water and ensure public safety.

4 Oct 2019

Exploiting the weak spot in pathogenic bacteria to develop new antibiotics

Antibiotics are still the most important weapon for combatting bacterial infections. But medical science is running out of "ammunition" because of more and more frequently occurring resistances.

4 Oct 2019