Bacteria News and Research

RSS

Good bacteria is bad news for atherosclerosis

Researchers have discovered that the microbiome heavily influences hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease.

11 May 2018

Addressing Antimicrobial Resistance Through Industry

Antimicrobial resistance is currently one of the biggest health threats in the world. Gary Cohen and Steve Conly discuss the role of Becton, Dickinson & Co and other organizations in the private sector in combating the spread of resistance.

11 May 2018

New study links oral antibiotics with increased risk of kidney stones

The potential to promote antibiotic resistance in bacteria isn't the only reason to avoid using antibiotics when possible.

11 May 2018

Researchers manipulate bacterial species in the gut using diet

Scientists from Stanford University School of Medicine have shown that by manipulating diet in a mouse model, it is possible to favor the engraftment of a specific bacterial strain over others.

10 May 2018

New study shows MRSA is no more expensive to treat than MSSA

A new study from the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy, with collaborators from Johns Hopkins University and University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, found that infections caused by one of the most common drug resistant bacteria in the US--methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, known as MRSA--are no more expensive to treat than MSSA, the methicillin-susceptible version of the same bacteria.

10 May 2018

Scripps Research professor wins 2018 RSC Bioorganic Chemistry Award

Floyd Romesberg, PhD, professor at The Scripps Research Institute, has won the 2018 Royal Society of Chemistry Bioorganic Chemistry Award for his ground-breaking contributions to the expansion of the genetic alphabet.

9 May 2018

Changing metabolic states of intestinal bacteria have an effect on MAIT defense cells

A little-explored group of immune cells plays an important role in the regulation of intestinal bacteria.

9 May 2018

Nuclear pore complexes are critical for survival of circulating T cells, study shows

Nuclear pore complexes in the nuclear membrane not only control the transport of molecules into and out of the nucleus- they play an essential role in the survival of T cells.

8 May 2018

Study identifies molecule that may be critical to repair of white matter

A new study identifies a molecule that may be critical to the repair of white matter, the fatty tissue wrapped around parts of brain cells that helps speed up communication. Damage to white matter is associated with several conditions, including multiple sclerosis and cerebral palsy, and can occur in the brains of preterm babies.

7 May 2018

OU researchers receive $5.7 million NIH grant to accelerate antibiotic discovery

University of Oklahoma professors, Helen Zgurskaya and Valentin Rybenkov, and team are addressing the challenge and critical need for new antibiotics that can fight infections caused by the multi-drug resistant bacterium, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, considered an urgent threat by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

7 May 2018

Researchers uncover role of ROS in clearing dead cells

If dead cells accumulate in the body, they can contribute to inflammation and pre-dispose individuals to multiple chronic inflammatory conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular diseases, Crohn's disease or lupus by uncharacterized pathways.

7 May 2018

Discovery could be used as starting point for development of new antibiotics

According to the WHO, around 700,000 people die every year as a result of antibiotic resistance. In Germany, around 6,000 people die every year because treatment with antibiotics is not effective.

7 May 2018

New research illustrates how beneficial bacteria establish robust gut colonization

The mammalian gut is warm, moist, and incredibly nutrient-rich--an environment that is perfect for bacterial growth. The communities of "good bacteria" in the gut, commonly referred to as the microbiome, are vital partners for the body, helping to digest fiber, extract nutrients, and prevent various diseases.

4 May 2018

Key metabolites shed by gut bacteria can help protect from inflammation, study finds

Researchers at Tufts University have elucidated a mechanism by which the "good" bacteria that reside in our gastrointestinal tract can help protect us from inflammation, and how their disruption (dysbiosis) can increase the susceptibility of the liver to more harmful forms of disease.

4 May 2018

Unexpected discovery could improve detection of malaria infections

While the global health community has made great strides toward eradicating malaria through prevention and treatment strategies, rapid and inexpensive methods to diagnose submicroscopic malaria in individuals who have no clinical symptoms and undetectable levels of disease-causing parasites in their blood remain an unmet need.

4 May 2018