Microbiology News and Research

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HPV in women at or after menopause may represent an infection acquired years ago

A new study suggests that human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in women at or after menopause may represent an infection acquired years ago, and that HPV infections may exist below limits of detection after one to two years, similar to other viruses, such as varicella zoster, which can cause shingles.

14 Dec 2012

Scientists discover FAIM molecule as potential biomarker for bone marrow cancer

Singapore scientists have identified FAIM, a molecule that typically prevents cell death, as a potential biomarker to identify an incurable form of cancer in the bone marrow.

14 Dec 2012

Dantrolene may help combat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys

Drugs are currently being tested that show promise in treating patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), an inherited disease that affects about one in 3,600 boys and results in muscle degeneration and, eventually, death.

13 Dec 2012

Researchers discover a trigger by which the HCV enters liver cells

Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) have discovered a trigger by which the Hepatitis C virus enters liver cells ─ shedding light on how this serious and potentially deadly virus can begin to damage the liver.

13 Dec 2012

TKI-resistant human leukemia stem cells are the source of genomic instability

An international team of scientists, led by researchers from Temple University School of Medicine, has found that a source of mounting genomic chaos, or instability, common to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) may lie in a pool of leukemia stem cells that are immune to treatment with potent targeted anticancer drugs.

12 Dec 2012

AstraZeneca, Case Western Reserve initiate AZD5847 Phase 2a trial in TB

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine and AstraZeneca, a global biopharmaceutical company, today announced the first patient enrolled in a Phase 2a trial to assess the effectiveness of AZD5847, a new test drug for patients with tuberculosis (TB), including patients with HIV co-infection.

12 Dec 2012

Study finds important links between Pf malaria and endemic Burkitt Lymphoma

New research, presented this morning at the 54th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Hematology (ASH), has identified important associations between Plasmodium falciparum (Pf) malaria and endemic Burkitt Lymphoma (eBL) that may help researchers identify young children who are more susceptible to eBL.

12 Dec 2012

New collaborative model for drug discovery can ensure antibiotics are not lost to resistance

Noting "multidrug-resistant organisms are showing up in top-flight hospitals" around the world, Carl Nathan, chair of the department of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, writes in this New York Times opinion piece, "What makes the rapid loss of antibiotics to drug resistance particularly alarming is that we are failing to make new ones."

12 Dec 2012

Two UT Southwestern researchers to receive 2013 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award

The Academy of Medicine, Engineering, and Science of Texas (TAMEST) announced that two UT Southwestern Medical Center researchers are among the four chosen for the 2013 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Awards.

12 Dec 2012

Bacteriophages may play an important role in competition among bacterial strains

Unique viruses called bacteriophages may play an important role in competition among bacterial strains, influencing the overall ecosystem of the human intestine, scientists at The University of Texas at Arlington and UT Southwestern Medical Center say.

11 Dec 2012

New coronavirus can infect cells from humans and bats alike

The SARS epidemic of 2002-2003 was short-lived, but a novel type of human coronavirus that is alarming public health authorities can infect cells from humans and bats alike, a fact that could make the animals a continuing source of infection, according to a study to be published in in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on December 11.

11 Dec 2012

Researchers track emergence and global spread of healthcare-associated C. difficile

Researchers show that the global epidemic of Clostridium difficile 027/NAP1/BI in the early to mid-2000s was caused by the spread of two different but highly related strains of the bacterium rather than one as was previously thought. The spread and persistence of both epidemics were driven by the acquisition of resistance to a frontline antibiotic.

10 Dec 2012

Targeting RAD52 protein can block the process by which leukemia stem cells repair themselves

Despite treatment with imatinib, a successful drug that targets chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), a deadly type of cancer, some patients may continue to be at risk for relapse because a tiny pool of stem cells is resistant to treatment and may even accumulate additional genetic aberrations, eventually leading to disease progression and relapse. These leukemia stem cells are full of genetic errors, loaded with potentially lethal breaks in DNA, and are in a state of constant self-repair.

10 Dec 2012

C5aRA treatment could be effective against periodontitis

Periodontitis, a form of chronic gum disease that affects nearly half of the U.S. adult population, results when the bacterial community in the mouth becomes unbalanced, leading to inflammation and eventually bone loss. In its most severe form, which affects 8.5 percent of U.S. adults, periodontitis can impact systemic health.

9 Dec 2012

Breast milk banks: an interview with Dr. Pieter Koorts

The available literature clearly demonstrates that in almost all circumstances a mother’s own breast milk is the ideal food for her infant. This is particularly important for preterm infants. Preterm infants are babies born before 37 completed weeks of pregnancy.

5 Dec 2012

New method can generate stable human mesenchymal stem cells for bone engineering

Human mesenchymal stem cells (hMSCs) can develop into bone cells and are useful for tissue engineering and regeneration. However, when grown in the laboratory they quickly lose their ability to continue dividing and they die.

5 Dec 2012

New clues about B. burgdorferi could lead to novel strategy to reduce Lyme disease

New clues about the bacteria that cause Lyme disease could lead to a novel strategy to reduce infections, according to a study to be published in mBio-, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology, on December 4.

4 Dec 2012

Hebrew University researchers pave way for development of new approaches to cure malaria

More than a million people die each year of malaria caused by different strains of the Plasmodium parasite transmitted by the Anopheles mosquito. The medical world has yet to find an effective vaccine against the deadly parasite, which mainly affects pregnant women and children under the age of five. By figuring out how the most dangerous strain evades the watchful eye of the immune system, researchers from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have now paved the way for the development of new approaches to cure this acute infection.

4 Dec 2012

Specific transporters could be exploited to deliver toxic substances into cancer cells

Whitehead Institute scientists report that certain molecules present in high concentrations on the surfaces of many cancer cells could be exploited to funnel lethal toxic molecules into the malignant cells. In such an approach, the overexpression of specific transporters could be exploited to deliver toxic substances into cancer cells.

3 Dec 2012

Loss of either T-bet or Eomes protein reduces immune system's ability to fight viral infection

When you get an acute infection, such as influenza, the body generally responds with a coordinated response of immune-cell proliferation and attack that rapidly clears the pathogen. Then, their mission done, the immune system stands down, leaving a population of sentinel memory cells to rapidly redeploy the immune system in the event of reinfection.

1 Dec 2012

Microbiology News and Research

HPV in women at or after menopause may represent an infection acquired years ago

Scientists discover FAIM molecule as potential biomarker for bone marrow cancer

Dantrolene may help combat Duchenne muscular dystrophy in boys

Researchers discover a trigger by which the HCV enters liver cells

TKI-resistant human leukemia stem cells are the source of genomic instability

AstraZeneca, Case Western Reserve initiate AZD5847 Phase 2a trial in TB

Study finds important links between Pf malaria and endemic Burkitt Lymphoma

New collaborative model for drug discovery can ensure antibiotics are not lost to resistance

Two UT Southwestern researchers to receive 2013 Edith and Peter O'Donnell Award

Bacteriophages may play an important role in competition among bacterial strains

New coronavirus can infect cells from humans and bats alike

Researchers track emergence and global spread of healthcare-associated C. difficile

Targeting RAD52 protein can block the process by which leukemia stem cells repair themselves

C5aRA treatment could be effective against periodontitis

Breast milk banks: an interview with Dr. Pieter Koorts

New method can generate stable human mesenchymal stem cells for bone engineering

New clues about B. burgdorferi could lead to novel strategy to reduce Lyme disease

Hebrew University researchers pave way for development of new approaches to cure malaria

Specific transporters could be exploited to deliver toxic substances into cancer cells

Loss of either T-bet or Eomes protein reduces immune system's ability to fight viral infection

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