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Biocides used in food industry at sublethal doses may be endangering public health

Biocides used in the food industry at sublethal doses may be endangering, rather than protecting, public health by increasing antibiotic resistance in bacteria and enhancing their ability to form harmful biofilms, according to a study published ahead of print in Applied and Environmental Microbiology. This is among the first studies to examine the latter phenomenon.

6 Jan 2014

Uneven distribution of cellular organelles during cell division may enhance bacterial population's survival

Although a population of bacteria may be genetically identical, individual bacteria within that population can act in radically different ways.

3 Jan 2014

Streptococcus biofilms persist on objects, surfaces in daycare center for longer periods after cleaning

Numerous scientific studies have concluded that two common bacteria that cause colds, ear infections, strep throat and more serious infections cannot live for long outside the human body.

27 Dec 2013

Decreasing levels of reactive oxygen species can break cycle of unhealing wounds

Chronic wounds affect an estimated 6.5 million Americans at an annual cost of about $25 billion. Further, foot blisters and other diabetic ulcers or sores account for the vast majority of foot and leg amputations in the United States today.

18 Dec 2013

Study: Blue light proves to have powerful bacteria-killing ability

Blue light has proven to have powerful bacteria-killing ability in the laboratory. The potent antibacterial effects of irradiation using light in the blue spectra have now also been demonstrated in human and animal tissues. A series of groundbreaking articles that provide compelling evidence of this effect are published in Photomedicine and Laser Surgery, a peer-reviewed journal published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers.

16 Dec 2013

IBN and IBM discover new medical application for converted PET bottles

Researchers at Singapore's Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and California's IBM Research - Almaden (IBM) have discovered a new, potentially life-saving application for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used to make plastic bottles.

10 Dec 2013

New material effective in destroying drug-resistant fungi

Researchers at Singapore’s Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (IBN) and California’s IBM Research – Almaden (IBM) have discovered a new, potentially life-saving application for polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is widely used to make plastic bottles.

9 Dec 2013

Groundbreaking study reveals novel approach to treat, eliminate MRSA infection

Recent work from University Distinguished Professor of Biology Kim Lewis promises to overcome one of the leading public health threats of our time. In a groundbreaking study published Wednesday in the journal Nature, Lewis' team presents a novel approach to treat and eliminate methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA, a potent bacterium whose resistance to antibiotics has kept it one step ahead of researchers.

14 Nov 2013

Drug used to treat intestinal worms could protect people from periodontitis, says study

A drug currently used to treat intestinal worms could protect people from periodontitis, an advanced gum disease, which untreated can erode the structures-including bone-that hold the teeth in the jaw. The research was published ahead of print in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy.

11 Nov 2013

Probiotics may help keep bad germs at bay

Microbes are everywhere - thousands of species are in your mouth, and thousands are in a glass of tap water. The ones in your mouth are mostly harmless - as long as you brush and floss so they don't form a biofilm that allows gum disease a path into the blood stream.

4 Nov 2013

Researchers develop new microfluidic device that could speed monitoring of bacterial infections

There are good bacteria and there are bad bacteria -- and sometimes both coexist within the same species. Take, for instance, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a microbe common in soil and water.

17 Oct 2013

Researchers develop new type of E. coli that kills bacteria responsible for hard-to-treat infections

The notorious bacteria E. coli is best known for making people sick, but scientists have reprogrammed the microbe - which also comes in harmless varieties - to make it seek out and fight other disease-causing pathogens.

3 Oct 2013

Understanding tribological damage in biomaterials and medical implants

During their service life, most biomaterials and medical implants are vulnerable to tribological damage. In addition, the environments in which they are placed are often corrosive. The combination of triobology, corrosion and the biological environment has been named ‘bio-tribocorrosion’. Understanding this complex phenomenon is critical to improving the design and service life of medical implants. This important book reviews recent key research in this area.

20 Sep 2013

Microbiologist finds breakthrough herbal medicine treatment for common human fungal pathogen

A Kansas State University microbiologist has found a breakthrough herbal medicine treatment for a common human fungal pathogen that lives in almost 80 percent of people.

13 Sep 2013

Surgeons must balance research and medical training with outstanding patient care

Like a juggler keeping multiple plates in the air, a surgeon in academic medicine must balance research and medical training with outstanding patient care. Charles Bellows, MD, FACS, relishes the challenge. Dr. Bellows, a University of New Mexico Professor of General Surgery, recently assumed the role of Chief of the Division of General Surgery in the Department of Surgery at the UNM School of Medicine.

12 Sep 2013

New antibody could prevent Candida infections in patients who receive central lines

A team of researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center has developed an antibody that could prevent Candida infections that often afflict hospitalized patients who receive central lines.

12 Sep 2013

Researchers receive $1M grant to research in biological components with solid-state electronics

An interdisciplinary team of researchers from Columbia University, led by Ken Shepard, professor of electrical engineering and biomedical engineering at Columbia Engineering and including Virginia W. Cornish, Helena Rubinstein Professor of Chemistry, and Lars Dietrich, assistant professor of biological sciences, has won a prestigious $1 million three-year grant from the W. M. Keck Foundation to advance their research in combining biological components with solid-state electronics, creating new systems that exploit the advantages of both.

23 Aug 2013

Research: 2 forms of iron to treat cystic fibrosis lung infection

The bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa needs iron to establish and maintain a biofilm in the lungs of cystic fibrosis patients, and therapies have been proposed to deprive the bacteria of this necessary element.

20 Aug 2013

Research shows how mammalian and bacterial kingdoms interact

The bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae harmlessly colonizes the mucous linings of throats and noses in most people, only becoming virulent when they leave those comfortable surroundings and enter the middle ears, lungs or bloodstream. Now, in research published in July in mBio, University at Buffalo researchers reveal how that happens.

8 Aug 2013

AmpliPhi releases data on phage therapy for treatment of lung infections in Cystic Fibrosis patients

AmpliPhi BioSciences Corp. (OTC: APHB) ("AmpliPhi"), the leader in the development of bacteriophage-based antibacterial therapies to treat drug resistant bacterial infections, yesterday presented data relating to the use of bacteriophages in the treatment of Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) at the 20th Biennial Evergreen International Phage Meeting held in Olympia, Washington, USA. P. aeruginosa is the major cause of lung infections in cystic fibrosis (CF) patients.