Bacteria News and Research

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Aging and competition for nutrients determine changes in gut bacteria

Two studies with surprising discoveries: in the elderly, the bacterium E. coli evolves in a way that can become potentially pathogenic and increase the risk of disease and, according to data obtained in another study, the metabolism of the same bacterium present in the microbiota evolves differently if it is alone or accompanied by other bacteria.

11 Mar 2020

Blood test for microbial DNA could warn of cancer

A new study published in the journal Nature on March 11, 2020, could transform the currently held views on cancer causation and diagnosis. The researchers have come up with a new technique to detect the presence and type of cancer by looking at microbial DNA circulating in the blood of the person being screened.

11 Mar 2020

Characterization of novel L-fucose metabolism pathway in anaerobic bacteria

The genetic context in bacterial genomes and screening for potential substrates can help identify the biochemical functions of bacterial enzymes.

11 Mar 2020

Microbial DNA in the blood could help identify who has cancer

When Gregory Poore was a freshman in college, his otherwise healthy grandmother was shocked to learn that she had late-stage pancreatic cancer. The condition was diagnosed in late December. She died in January.

11 Mar 2020

City dwellers, children and seniors take more antibiotics

City dwellers take more antibiotics than people in rural areas; children and the elderly use them more often than middle-aged people; the use of antibiotics decreases as education increases, but only in rich countries: These are three of the more striking trends identified by researchers of the NRW Forschungskolleg "One Health and Urban Transformation" at the University of Bonn in a recent study.

11 Mar 2020

Diet influences multiple sclerosis disease course

The short-chain fatty acid propionic acid influences the intestine-mediated immune regulation in people with multiple sclerosis (MS).

11 Mar 2020

How to avoid coronavirus? Lessons from people whose lives depend on it

Andrea Amelse knows hand-washing.

11 Mar 2020

Gut bacteria can accumulate in tumors and improve effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy

Researchers at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center and University of Chicago have discovered that bacteria that usually live in the gut can accumulate in tumors and improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in mice.

10 Mar 2020

CRISPR-Cas system can be used to effectively target colitis pathogen

Research at North Carolina State University shows that the CRISPR-Cas system can be used to effectively target and eliminate specific gut bacteria, in this case Clostridioides difficile, the pathogen that causes colitis - a chronic, degenerative disease of the colon.

10 Mar 2020

How a virus forms a protective shell to evade the immune system

A virus is a small infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses can infect all types of life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.

10 Mar 2020

Immune systems of preemies can catch up

According to a new study published in March 2020 in the journal Nature Communications, babies born prematurely up to 32 weeks of pregnancy can quickly catch up on their immune system function after birth, bringing them to a state comparable to term infants.

9 Mar 2020

Bacteria may be involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, study shows

Bacteria may be involved in the development of type 2 diabetes, according to a study published today in Nature Metabolism by researchers from Université Laval, the Québec Heart and Lung Institute, and McMaster University.

9 Mar 2020

Machine learning has potential to enhance the diagnosis of mastitis infections in cows

The new study, published today in Scientific Reports, has found that machine learning has the potential to enhance and improve a veterinarian's ability to accurately diagnose herd mastitis origin and reduce mastitis levels on dairy farms.

9 Mar 2020

Research sheds light on molecular mechanisms that enable bacteria to compete and establish symbiosis

Two factors that control the expression of a key gene required by luminescent bacteria to kill competing bacterial cells have been identified.

7 Mar 2020

Gut bacteria can boost effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy, mice study suggests

Could the response to cancer immunotherapy depend on bacteria that originate in the gut and travel to the tumor?

7 Mar 2020

TB bacteria produce fatty acid that triggers a pain-response cough to spread the disease

Tuberculosis is distinguished primarily by the persistent cough that serves to spread the disease. Stopping whatever triggers that cough could greatly reduce the transmission of the disease, which annually kills more than 1.3 million people worldwide.

7 Mar 2020

Scientists map novel structure of so-called 'neurotransmitter: sodium symporter’

A novel structure of a so-called 'neurotransmitter: sodium symporter’ has been mapped at the University of Copenhagen.

6 Mar 2020

A joint effort to confront the challenges of rising antimicrobial resistance in Asia

The International Vaccine Institute (IVI) and the Technical University of Denmark's (DTU) National Food Institute announced today a joint effort to strengthen external quality assurance programs for diagnostic laboratories in Asia to confront the challenges of rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in the region.

6 Mar 2020

Microbiome research uncovers new form of antibiotic tolerance

Antibiotics can make easy work of infections. But how do they affect the complex ecosystems of friendly bacteria that make up our microbiome?

5 Mar 2020

Researchers find previously unknown response within gut microbiome

The gut microbiome, which is a collection of numerous beneficial bacteria species, is key to our overall well-being and good health. Recent studies have linked the gut microbiome with several beneficial properties, such as aiding in the development of our immune system and warding off pathogen infections.

5 Mar 2020