E. coli News and Research

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E. coli or Escherichia coli is the name of a type of bacteria that lives in your intestines. Most types of E. coli are harmless. However, some types can make you sick and cause diarrhea. One type causes travelers' diarrhea. The worst type of E. coli causes bloody diarrhea, and can sometimes cause kidney failure and even death. These problems are most likely to occur in children and in adults with weak immune systems. You can get E. coli infections by eating foods containing the bacteria. To help avoid food poisoning and prevent infection, handle food safely. Cook meat well, wash fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking them, and avoid unpasteurized milk and juices. You can also get the infection by swallowing water in a swimming pool contaminated with human waste. Most cases of E. coli infection get better without treatment in 5 to 10 days.

More research urgently needed on the use of antibiotics in animals

A special issue of Animal Health Research Reviews turns the spotlight on the science underlying this growing crisis - looking at the evidence base for using antibiotics to prevent illness in beef and dairy cattle, swine, and broiler poultry.

23 Feb 2020

Artificial Intelligence brings a novel antibiotic compound

Researchers from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have made a scientific breakthrough where their machine-learning algorithm or Artificial Intelligence (AI) program successfully created a novel antibiotic compound. The drug has since then been tested on deadly bacteria in the lab, and in lab mice with a considerable amount of success, explain the researchers. The study results appear in the latest issue of the journal Cell.

20 Feb 2020

New laser-driven technology to detect toxins and pathogenic E. coli in food samples

Researchers at Purdue University have been working to develop new technologies to help stop the spread of foodborne illnesses, which kill 3,000 people a year, by detecting them more efficiently.

16 Feb 2020

Researchers engineer probiotics to safely deliver immunotherapies to tumors

Researchers at Columbia Engineering have engineered probiotics to safely deliver immunotherapies within tumors.

12 Feb 2020

New germ-killing fabric could help stop the spread of communicable diseases

UMass Lowell researchers have created germ-killing fabric that could help stop the spread of communicable diseases.

11 Feb 2020

Portable device paves way for better detection of foodborne illness

Foodborne illness hits about one in six people in the United States every year. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 48 million people in the U.S. get sick due to one or more of 31 recognized pathogens, including E. coli O157:H7, a particularly harsh strain of E. coli.

4 Feb 2020

Making it all work: brain-dependent immune activation in embryos

How does the immune system develop its functionality? This has been an ongoing area of research for biologists. Now, a new study published in the journal NPJ Regenerative Medicine in February 2020 shows that in very early fetal life the brain must signal directions to the developing immune system to help it defend the body from infectious agents. This signaling markedly improves the capability of the embryo to survive when faced with bacterial infection.

4 Feb 2020

UH professor examines life cycle of drug-resistant persister cells in recurrent infections

A University of Houston engineering professor is examining the life cycle of stubborn, drug-resistant persister cells in recurrent infections to find a way to destroy them.

4 Feb 2020

Going vegan lowers risk of urinary tract infection

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are usually caused by bacteria, such as Escherichia coli, which is normally found in the gut but enters the urinary tract through the urethra. UTIs, when left untreated, can reach and affect the kidneys. It is one of the most common microbial infections across the globe, with a worldwide prevalence of 10 in 1,000 people.

30 Jan 2020

Scientists develop self-propelling chemical trap to corner and destroy pathogens

Antibiotics are more efficient when they can act on their target directly at the site of infestation, without dilution.

30 Jan 2020

Study: 25% of pathogenic bacteria can spread antibiotic resistance directly to peers

Biomedical engineers at Duke University have demonstrated that at least 25 percent of antibiotic-resistant pathogenic bacteria found in clinical settings are capable of spreading their resistance directly to other bacteria.

29 Jan 2020

Bandages sense infections, change color, treat infection

In what reads like science fiction, a new study published in the journal ACS Central Science reports the development of bandages that detect the presence of bacteria in wounds and change color, depending on whether they are drug-sensitive or drug-resistant. This is an important step in helping patients recover better.

29 Jan 2020

The challenge of new antibiotic discovery

It is important to discover antibiotic drugs and to bring them to clinical use, a task made all the more urgent by the increase in the number of infections that are resistant to existing antibiotics. However, this task is a formidable one.

28 Jan 2020

Do biologists and physicists approach AFM differently?

This was the question at the forefront of my mind as I attended the Linz Winter Workshop back in February. Do biologists and physicists approach AFM differently and, does it matter?

From Nu Nano Ltd 28 Jan 2020

Taming pathogens with mucus and phages

Millions of people are treated with antibiotics each year for infections or as a preventative measure. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that at least 2.8 million people are infected with antibiotic-resistant bacteria each year, meaning the germs have found ways to overpower antibiotics and continue to grow.

24 Jan 2020

Novel composite could help to reduce foodborne illness outbreaks

A novel composite film -- created by the bonding of an antimicrobial layer to conventional, clear polyethylene plastic typically used to vacuum-package foods such as meat and fish -- could help to decrease foodborne illness outbreaks, according to researchers in Penn State's College of Agricultural Sciences.

21 Jan 2020

Research could be starting point for wound dressings with 'built-in infection stoppers'

Infections are a dreaded threat that can have fatal consequences after an operation, in the treatment of wounds, and during tissue engineering.

17 Jan 2020

Chinese people buying antibiotics in pharmacies even without a prescription

People in China can acquire antibiotics from retail pharmacies without a prescription, even though dispensing the medicine without a prescription isn’t allowed by regulations, a new study found.

15 Jan 2020

Probiotic drink could offer novel way to fight antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A probiotic drink could become a promising new weapon in the battle against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, after a team of Birmingham scientists engineered and patented a key genetic element that can tackle the genetic basis of resistance.

14 Jan 2020

A controlled phage therapy to target drug-resistant pathogens

The fight against drug-resistant pathogens remains an intense one. While the Centers for Disease Control's 2019 "biggest threats" report reveals an overall decrease in drug-resistant microbe-related deaths as compared to its previous report (2013) the agency also cautions that new forms of drug-resistant pathogens are still emerging.

13 Jan 2020