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Innovative DNA engineering technique discovers potential functions hidden within bacterial genomes

A group of University of Illinois researchers, led by Centennial Chair Professor of the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering Huimin Zhao, has demonstrated the use of an innovative DNA engineering technique to discover potentially valuable functions hidden within bacterial genomes.

6 Dec 2013

Investigators use new technique to identify pathogens faster, directly from clinical samples

A team of Danish investigators has shown how to identify pathogens faster, directly from clinical samples. The research, published online ahead of print in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology appears in the journal's January 2014 issue.

2 Dec 2013

Three Umeå University researchers selected as Wallenberg Academy Fellows

Jonathan Klaminder, Christian Hedberg and Sjoerd Wanrooij have been selected as Wallenberg Academy Fellows at Umeå University. They are awarded grants between SEK 5 and 9 million each spread over five years from the largest single private investment in supporting young researchers in Sweden.

29 Nov 2013

Bruker receives FDA clearance to market MALDI Biotyper CA System in the U.S.

Bruker Corporation today announced that it has been granted U.S. FDA clearance under Section 510(k) to market its MALDI Biotyper CA System in the United States for the identification of Gram negative bacterial colonies cultured from human specimens.

26 Nov 2013

Mouse study highlights importance of microorganisms in optimal cancer treatment outcomes

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22 Nov 2013

Rapid DNA biochip tests for screening disease-causing bacteria

Patients affected by a bacterial infection can usually be treated with an antibiotic. But sometimes a resistant bacterial strain is causing the infection. In a hospital setting, doctors ideally want to know if they are dealing with such bacteria and which drugs they should choose. But if the doctor runs a test it can take days to get a result. Now, a European project is paving the way for much more rapid tests using DNA biochips. The aim is to rapidly screen disease-causing bacteria using a microarray to spot which resistant genes are present in bacteria.

20 Nov 2013

Study shows bacteria can passively integrate damaged DNA in their own genome

From a bacteria's perspective the environment is one big DNA waste yard. Researchers have now shown that bacteria can take up small as well as large pieces of old DNA from this scrapheap and include it in their own genome.

20 Nov 2013

New method could cut hours off the time it takes to diagnose blood infections

A new method could cut hours off the time it takes to diagnose blood infections while also eliminating the need for complicated manual processing and expensive equipment, according to a report to be published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on November 19.

19 Nov 2013

Friendly microbes in the guts of healthy children have numerous antibiotic resistance genes

Friendly microbes in the intestinal tracts (guts) of healthy American children have numerous antibiotic resistance genes, according to results of a pilot study by scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

14 Nov 2013

Scientists study effect of diet complexity, estrogen hormone receptors on intestinal microbiota

Texas A&M University and University of North Carolina School of Medicine scientists have completed a study on the effect of diet complexity and estrogen hormone receptors on intestinal microbiota.

11 Nov 2013

Study: Interactions between inflammation and changes in gut microbiota may result in colon tumors

Transferring the gut microbes from a mouse with colon tumors to germ-free mice makes those mice prone to getting tumors as well, according to the results of a study published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

6 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

Low birth weight infants more susceptible to invasive infections

Low birth weight infants are host to numerous microorganisms immediately after birth, and the microbiomes of their mouths and gut start out very similar but differentiate significantly by day 15 according to a study published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

29 Oct 2013

Purdue scientist develops solar UV radiation system to kill waterborne microbes

According to Ernest "Chip" R. Blatchley III, professor of civil engineering and environmental and ecological engineering at Purdue University, more than 800 million people do not have readily available, inexpensive access to a safe water supply.

25 Oct 2013

Researchers identify potential way to combat TB

Researchers have identified a potential way to manipulate the immune system to improve its ability to fight off tuberculosis.

24 Oct 2013

Researchers develop potential new tool for speedier detection of food pathogens

Researchers have developed a system that concentrates foodborne salmonella and other pathogens faster than conventional methods by using hollow thread-like fibers that filter out the cells, representing a potential new tool for speedier detection.

16 Oct 2013

Two scientists from Gladstone Institutes recognized for their contributions to science, medicine

In an unprecedented move, the California Academy of Sciences today will induct two scientists from the Gladstone Institutes', President R. Sanders "Sandy" Williams, MD, and Investigator Katherine Pollard, PhD, as Academy Fellows, bestowing yet another honor on two of San Francisco's most esteemed scientists.

11 Oct 2013

Researchers develop new approach to combat tubercle bacillus

A new approach to combating the tubercle bacillus, the microorganism that kills some 1.5 million people in the world each year, has been developed by a French-British team including scientists from CNRS, Inserm, the Institut Curie and Université Toulouse III - Paul Sabatier.

2 Oct 2013

Study on tempol impacted gut bacteria may lead to new treatments for obesity

A drug that appears to target specific intestinal bacteria in the guts of mice may create a chain reaction that could eventually lead to new treatments for obesity and diabetes in humans, according to a team of researchers.

25 Sep 2013

New antibody could prevent Candida infections in patients who receive central lines

A team of researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has developed an antibody that could prevent Candida infections that often afflict hospitalized patients who receive central lines.

12 Sep 2013