Bacterial News and Research

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Less invasive approach for the treatment of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia

In the United States alone, approximately three-and-a-half million women have abnormal Pap smear tests each year.

23 Jun 2008

Gastroenteritis outbreak in South Australia claims another life

An outbreak of gastroenteritis at an aged care facility in Adelaide is of concern as it has claimed the life of a third victim.

17 Jun 2008

Salmonella tomato outbreak spreads in the U.S.

According to officials in the U.S. a salmonella outbreak linked to tainted tomatoes has expanded to five more states and the district of Columbia.

17 Jun 2008

Misoprostol off-label use may have led to deaths

Preliminary U-M studies indicate that oral use of RU-486's companion drug misoprostol is safe, but vaginal use may undermine body's immune responses

16 Jun 2008

Breakthrough toxin delivery system could pave way for new antibiotic drugs

Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have achieved a breakthrough in monitoring the toxin-delivery system of highly pathogenic bacteria - an accomplishment that could help pave the way for new drugs that will be capable of neutralizing those germs.

16 Jun 2008

Breastfeeding support lacking in U.S. hospitals and birth centers

Many birth facilities in the United States are not providing maternity care that is fully supportive of breastfeeding, according to a study in today's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWR), a publication of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

15 Jun 2008

Scientists identify molecular trick that may explain part of Salmonella's fierceness

Salmonella is serving up a surprise not only for tomato lovers around the country but also for scientists who study the rod-shaped bacterium that causes misery for millions of people.

15 Jun 2008

Scientist deciphers language bacterial cells use to 'talk' to each other - also discovers how to quell their conversation

Understanding the way bacterial cells "talk" to each other could lead to more effective methods for fighting the often persistent and serious infections caused by the biofilms they form, says a Texas A&M University professor of chemical engineering who not only has deciphered their language but also discovered how to quell their conversation.

11 Jun 2008

Mycobacterium tuberculosis can grow in surface-level bacteria clusters known as biofilms

University of Pittsburgh-led researchers discovered that the primary bacteria behind tuberculosis can grow on surfaces and that drug-tolerant strains flourish in these bacterial communities, the research team recently reported in Molecular Microbiology.

11 Jun 2008

Talking to cells

For an organism to develop and function, the individual cells must exchange information, or communicate, with each other. Is it possible to learn their language and "talk to" the cells? Yes it is: Cameron Alexander and George Pasparakis at the University of Nottingham (UK) have been able to facilitate a conversation between bacterial cells and artificial polymer vesicles.

5 Jun 2008

A genetic tool for cleaner water

A genetic tool used by medical researchers may also be used in a novel approach to remove harmful microbes and viruses from drinking water.

3 Jun 2008

Despite vaccine, public should not get complacent about pneumococcal disease

Although the childhood pneumococcal conjugate vaccine has been a boon in reducing the incidence invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD), the public and the medical community must not get complacent, as non-vaccine strains, some resistant to antibiotics, are on the rise, say scientists at a meeting today in Boston.

3 Jun 2008

Bacterial communities inside us can provide better understanding of health and disease

The number of bacteria living within the body of the average healthy adult human are estimated to outnumber human cells 10 to 1. Changes in these microbial communities may be responsible for digestive disorders, skin diseases, gum disease and even obesity.

3 Jun 2008

Probiotics provide hay fever hope

With the peak grass pollen season approaching, scientists can reveal that a daily dose of probiotic can change the immune status of people with hay fever.

2 Jun 2008

Simple infection control intervention in elementary schools reduces student absenteeism

A study from researchers at Children's Hospital Boston published in Pediatrics found that a simple infection control intervention in elementary schools - disinfecting frequently-touched surfaces and using alcohol-based hand sanitizers - helped reduce illness-related student absenteeism.

2 Jun 2008

Why do Finnish children have type 1 diabetes and allergic symptoms approximately five times more often than children in Russian Karelia?

High living standards and the life style connected to them seem to promote the development of autoimmune diseases and allergic symptoms. This has lead to the assumption that the immune system begins to overreact to the organism's own structures or to exogenous non-infectious proteins, i.e. allergens, when it does not have to work hard enough to protect the individual from infections.

28 May 2008

Global drug research programme comes to Diamond in Oxfordshire

Diamond has announced that USA-based global biotechnology company Vertex Pharmaceuticals Incorporated is the first industrial user at the UK's world class new research facility, Diamond Light Source

27 May 2008

Gum disease an indicator of increased cancer risk

British scientists say gum disease, both in smokers and non-smokers, may be a warning sign of an increased risk of cancer.

27 May 2008

Discovery on how an Helicobacter pylori toxin gets into cells

Helicobacter pylori is one tough bug. It can survive in the human stomach, a zone with a pH somewhere between that of lemon juice and battery acid. Now researchers have discovered how an H. pylori toxin gets into cells, a feat that helps the bacterium live in one of the most inhospitable environments in the body

26 May 2008

The emerging role of infection in Alzheimer’s

A number of chronic diseases are in fact caused by one or more infectious agents. For example, stomach ulcers are caused by Helicobacter pylori, chronic lung disease in newborns and chronic asthma in adults are both caused by Mycoplasmas and Chlamydia pneumonia, while some other pathogens have been associated with atherosclerosis. The realization that pathogens can produce slowly progressive chronic diseases has opened new lines of research into Alzheimer's disease.

25 May 2008