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NanoLogix announces MRSA testing preliminary results, new Science Advisory Board members at UTHSC

NanoLogix, a biotechnology innovator in the rapid detection and identification of live-cell microorganisms, announces preliminary results of MRSA testing at the University of Texas Health Science Center - Houston. Dr. Jonathan Faro, M.D., Ph.D. has found NanoLogix technology is able to deliver results for MRSA in 6 hours, as opposed to conventional culture-based testing wait times of 24 to 48 hours.

7 Mar 2011

Researchers identify probiotic bacterial strain that may treat ulcers caused by H. pylori

Researchers from Spain have identified a strain of probiotic bacteria that may be useful in treating ulcers caused by Helicobacter pylori. They report their findings in the February 2011 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

25 Feb 2011

Bacteria and fungi may protect against asthma in rural children: Study

Children who grow up on farms are less likely to suffer from asthma than other rural children. An international team of researchers including Dr. Markus Ege and Professor Erika von Mutius at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitaet has published a large-scale study that now indicates that this may be due to differences in the spectrum of microbes the two groups are likely to encounter.

24 Feb 2011

Why are Chlamydia and HPV major public health problems?

Chlamydia trachomatis is a bacterium that is one of the most common sexually transmitted infections in Europe. Rates in sexually active young people are commonly between 5% and 10%. The number of diagnosed cases is increasing in many European countries, in part due to increased testing and the use of more sensitive tests.

22 Feb 2011

Tropical seaweed's antifungal chemical cues may have promising antimalarial properties for humans

A group of chemical compounds used by a species of tropical seaweed to ward off fungus attacks may have promising antimalarial properties for humans. The compounds are part of a unique chemical signaling system that seaweeds use to battle enemies - and that may provide a wealth of potential new pharmaceutical compounds.

22 Feb 2011

Scientists use synthetic oil for dispersing pathogenic fungi to prevent malaria spread

There are over 200 million cases of malaria each year and, according to the World Health Organisation, in 2009 malaria was responsible for 781,000 deaths worldwide. Malaria is spread by mosquitoes which breed in open water and spend much of their larval stage feeding on fungi and microorganisms at the water surface.

20 Feb 2011

New study: Asthma may have relationship with airway microbiota composition

Asthma may have a surprising relationship with the composition of the species of bacteria that inhabit bronchial airways, a finding that could suggest new treatment or even potential cures for the common inflammatory disease, according to a new UCSF-led study.

18 Feb 2011

Metallic copper surfaces kill bacteria on contact

Metallic copper surfaces kill microbes on contact, decimating their populations, according to a paper in the February 2011 issue of the journal Applied and Environmental Microbiology. They do so literally in minutes, by causing massive membrane damage after about a minute's exposure, says the study's corresponding author, Gregor Grass of the University of Nebraska, Lincoln. This is the first study to demonstrate this mechanism of bacteriocide.

17 Feb 2011

BD announces addition of new flow cytometry system for rapid microbial enumeration, detection

Industrial microbiologists now have a new tool that was designed specifically to help quality control laboratories rapidly screen raw materials, as well as in-process and finished goods, for the presence of microorganisms that can threaten product quality.

17 Feb 2011

EMBL scientists reveal new insights into bacterial enzymes that causes tuberculosis

In a paper published today in PNAS, scientists from the European Molecular Biology Laboratory in Hamburg, Germany, reveal new insights into the workings of enzymes from a group of bacteria including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes tuberculosis.

15 Feb 2011

Abbott launches PLEX-ID Biothreat Assay to detect, distinguish 17 different pathogens

Abbott announced today that it has introduced the PLEX-ID Biothreat Assay, which is designed to detect and distinguish 17 different biothreat pathogens.

7 Feb 2011

CDH first hospital in New England to use Xenex PX-UV disinfection system

Cooley Dickinson Hospital (CDH) today announced it is the first hospital in New England to use the Xenex PX-UV disinfection system to disinfect its patient and operating rooms.

2 Feb 2011

Gut bacteria may influence mammalian brain development and adult behavior

A team of scientists from across the globe have found that gut bacteria may influence mammalian brain development and adult behavior. The study is published in the scientific journal PNAS, and is the result of an ongoing collaboration between scientists at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden and the Genome Institute of Singapore.

1 Feb 2011

New method to identify communication pathways connecting distant regions within proteins

A School of Science at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis biophysicist has developed a new method to identify communication pathways connecting distant regions within proteins.

1 Feb 2011

BGU, PTT sign R&D collaboration agreement for commercial development of green algae strain

Ben-Gurion University of the Negev and the PTT Chemical Public Company Ltd. in Thailand have signed a research and development collaboration agreement for commercial development of BGU's proprietary green algae strain.

29 Jan 2011

Placental colonization by bacteria could lead to preterm birth and other developmental problems

The type of bacteria that colonize the placenta during pregnancy could be associated with preterm birth and other developmental problems in newborns according to research published in the current issue of the online journal mBio-.

28 Jan 2011

SRI awarded DOE grant to expand MetaCyc database and enhance Pathway Tools software

SRI International, an independent nonprofit research and development organization, announced today it has been awarded a grant by the Department of Energy (DOE) to expand its MetaCyc database and enhance its Pathway Tools software. This project will give SRI's bioinformatics tools even greater utility in the emerging area of bioenergy, or renewable energy derived from biological sources.

27 Jan 2011

'Phenotype switching' helps bacteria lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections

A new study into Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium which is responsible for severe chronic infections worldwide, reveals how the bacteria have developed a strategy of hiding within host cells to escape the immune system as well as many antibacterial treatments. The research, published by EMBO Molecular Medicine, demonstrates how 'phenotype switching' enables bacteria to adapt to their environmental conditions, lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections.

27 Jan 2011

Research shows how pathogenic bacteria hide inside host cells

A new study into Staphylococcus aureus, the bacterium which is responsible for severe chronic infections worldwide, reveals how bacteria have developed a strategy of hiding within host cells to escape the immune system as well as many antibacterial treatments. The research, published by EMBO Molecular Medicine, demonstrates how ‘phenotype switching’ enables bacteria to adapt to their environmental conditions, lie dormant inside host cells and become a reservoir for relapsing infections.

26 Jan 2011

FDA stops operations of N.Y.-based beverage company

At the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Justice today filed a complaint for permanent injunction against a Jamaica, N.Y.-based beverage company to prevent it from processing and distributing juice and other products.

14 Jan 2011