Microorganism News and Research

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Fluorescent protein sensor detects changes in cellular oxygen levels with very high sensitivity

Based on a protein from E. coli, scientists at Tokyo Institute of Technology have developed a fluorescent protein sensor able to provide real-time information on dynamic changes in oxygen levels with very high sensitivity.

30 Aug 2018

INRS professors develop innovative strategy to identify leishmanicidal molecules

Leishmania is a microorganism that enters the human body via a sandfly bite. Instead of fleeing the white blood cells deployed by the immune system to destroy it, the parasite allows itself to be swallowed up.

24 Aug 2018

New medical diagnostic kit being developed for use in remote communities

A scientist at The Australian National University is developing a new just-add-water diagnostic kit for use in remote communities to detect malaria and other diseases.

17 Aug 2018

Novel finger-prick test can help prevent toxoplasmosis

A recent study, performed in Chicago and Rabat, Morocco, found that a novel finger-prick test for infection with the parasite Toxoplasma gondii during pregnancy - and many other potential applications - is 100 percent sensitive and 100 percent specific for detecting the presence of this life-damaging microorganism.

17 Aug 2018

Study provides insights into how immune cells kill bacteria with acid

The first line of immune defense against invading pathogens like bacteria are macrophages, immune cells that engulf every foreign object that crosses their way. After enclosing it in intracellular membrane vesicles, a process called phagocytosis, macrophages kill their prey with acid.

17 May 2018

Bacteria enhance antifungal drug resistance in early childhood caries

Early childhood caries, a form of severe tooth decay affecting toddlers and preschoolers, can set children up for a lifetime of dental and health problems. The problem can be significant enough that surgery is the only effective way to treat it.

25 Apr 2018

Researchers identify new Listeria species in Costa Rica

Listeria costaricensis is the official name given to the new bacterial species described by investigators from the Costa Rican Institute of Technology (TEC) and the WHO-collaborating center on Listeria at Institut Pasteur.

17 Apr 2018

Cannabis Quality and Contamination Testing

Dr. Bob Clifford has published and presented over 125 papers in the fields of food, pharmaceutical, environmental, energy, geology, material science, photonics, and cannabis. However, his true love is in food. After graduating with his Ph.D., he left his job with the FDA for Shimadzu where he has worked for the last 26 years.

From Pittcon 5 Feb 2018

Consumption of dietary fiber can prevent obesity and metabolic syndrome, study shows

Consumption of dietary fiber can prevent obesity, metabolic syndrome and adverse changes in the intestine by promoting growth of "good" bacteria in the colon, according to a study led by Georgia State University.

23 Jan 2018

Researchers show association between microbiome and cancer-related blood infections

Cancer patients receive essential medicines, fluids, blood and nutrients through long, flexible tubes called central venous catheters, or central lines.

22 Jan 2018

Genes in Space-3 team identifies microbes in real time aboard the space station

Being able to identify microbes in real time aboard the International Space Station, without having to send them back to Earth for identification first, would be revolutionary for the world of microbiology and space exploration.

29 Dec 2017

Russian scientists uncover previously unknown effect of leukemia drug

Researchers from RUDN University and Institute of Biomedical Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences have identified an alternative mechanism for the effective antitumor drug -- an enzyme called L-asparaginase.

10 Nov 2017

Study: Many patients change their behaviors after suffering repeated bouts of C. diff infections

After suffering repeated bouts of debilitating Clostridium difficile infections, many patients significantly change their behaviors, but some precautions may do little to prevent future infections, according to a first-of-its-kind study.

8 Nov 2017

Scientists develop novel antimicrobials to tackle multidrug-resistant bacteria

Scientists at the University of Surrey in collaboration with research partners at the University of Sheffield and University of Würzburg, Germany, have developed novel antimicrobials, which could be used to treat infections, caused by multidrug-resistant bacteria.

23 Oct 2017

Research reveals novel mechanism of ribosome dimerization using cryo-electron microscopy

Antibiotics are the most common medication used to treat microbial infections. Many antibiotics target intracellular bacterial ribosomes - cellular factories that synthesize proteins - which are essential for bacterial survival and proliferation.

28 Sep 2017

Differentiating sepsis and systemic inflammatory response syndrome using biomarkers

Firstly, it is necessary to make a distinction between systemic inflammation and Systemic Inflammatory Response Syndrome (SIRS). SIRS consists of changes in clinical signs including an abnormal body temperature, increased heart rate, increased respiratory rate, an abnormal white cell count (either decreased or elevated), or an increase in band neutrophils.

7 Sep 2017

Research reveals underlying reason for intense pain in patients with shingles

Chickenpox is a typical childhood illness. In most cases, it is benign, and the symptoms disappear within ten days. However, its causative agent, Varicella zoster virus (VZV), remains in the organism forever. In some cases, the virus can be reactivated years later, causing a different disease known as herpes zoster, or shingles.

24 Aug 2017

Study finds high rates of drug resistance to urinary tract infections in Bangladesh

Organisms causing urinary tract infections (UTI) are increasingly proving to be ineffective or showing resistance to drugs that are used to kill the germs. This phenomenon has been increasing worldwide, especially to commonly used antimicrobials (drugs) in children.

3 Aug 2017

Gut colonization linked to development and progress of heart failure

In the gut of patients with heart failure, important groups of bacteria are found less frequently and the gut flora is not as diverse as in healthy individuals.

11 Jul 2017

Researchers discover how new molecular scissors unzip and cleave DNA with high accuracy

Researchers from the University of Copenhagen (Denmark), led by the Spanish researcher Guillermo Montoya, have discovered how Cpf1, new molecular scissors unzip and cleave DNA.

6 Jul 2017