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Indoor dust carrying bacteria that could be harbouring antibiotic resistance

Bacteria enter our homes on our the skin, or through the air, but once inside they may transfer antibiotic resistance traits to other bacteria residing in the indoor dust, a possibility raised by a new study

26 Jan 2020

Study uncovers how common stomach bacterium maintains its corkscrew-like shape

A new study shows how a common stomach bacterium is able to keep its corkscrew-like shape as it grows. Disrupting the shape could point the way for future, more-specialized antibiotics that prevent the bacterium from being harmful.

23 Jan 2020

Study uncovers how rice blast fungus uses its own cell wall to launch an attack

In response to environmental changes and nutrient starvation, cells are known to undergo extreme alterations. This includes switching from one type to another (“differentiation”) and changes in metabolic pathways (“metabolic switching”).

14 Jan 2020

Scientists discover how bacterial evolution of antibiotic arsenals is providing new drug blueprints

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin have discovered that two very different species of bacteria have evolved distinct, powerful antibiotic arsenals for use in the war against their bacterial neighbors.

9 Jan 2020

Extremely low concentrations of acetic acid could alter cellular processes in rice blast fungus

All living organisms respond and adapt to changes in their environment. These responses are sometimes so significant that they cause alterations in the internal metabolic cycles of the organism--a process called "metabolic switching." For example, rice blast fungus--a pathogenic fungal species that causes the "rice blast" infection in rice crops--switches to the "glyoxylate cycle" when the nutrient source starts to deplete.

8 Jan 2020

Study shows how immune cells quickly switch to attack mode

Macrophages have two faces: In healthy tissue, they perform important tasks and support their environment. However during an infection, they stop this work and hunt down the pathogens instead.

17 Dec 2019

Antioxidant in green tea plant could be key to fighting tuberculosis

An antioxidant found in the green tea plant could become key to tackling tuberculosis one day, a team of international scientists led by Nanyang Technological University, Singapore has found.

17 Dec 2019

Scientists modify approved cancer drug to develop new antibiotic

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria are increasingly the source of deadly infections. A team of scientists from the Technical University of Munich and the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig have now modified an approved cancer drug to develop an active agent against multidrug-resistant pathogens.

16 Dec 2019

Modifying a cancer drug has created a new agent for multi-resistant infections

Researchers have modified a cancer drug to create an agent that is effective at treating multi-drug-resistant infections.

16 Dec 2019

Molecular drills target and destroy deadly superbugs

Molecular drills have gained the ability to target and destroy deadly bacteria that have evolved resistance to nearly all antibiotics. In some cases, the drills make the antibiotics effective once again.

12 Dec 2019

Dead probiotic reduces age-related leaky gut in older mice, study finds

Scientists at Wake Forest School of Medicine have identified a dead probiotic that reduces age-related leaky gut in older mice. The study is published in the journal GeroScience.

9 Dec 2019

Manuka honey fights infection in surgical dressings

And now, Manuka honey is proving a gamechanger in the fight against extremely drug-resistant infections, according to a new study published in the journal Frontiers.

5 Dec 2019

New highly sensitive test for dengue virus developed using DNA star

Researchers have developed a new method for detecting and destroying the dengue virus that could be adapted for other viruses.

25 Nov 2019

Vaping wrecks immune cell function, increases infection risk

A new study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that e-cigarettes have toxic effects on neutrophils function, making them a threat to human health by increasing the likelihood of infection with Gram-negative bacteria.

17 Nov 2019

3D-printed cell traps help researchers remove the hay to expose cancer cells

Finding a handful of cancer cells hiding among billions of blood cells in a patient sample can be like finding a needle in a haystack. In a new approach enabled by 3D-printed cell traps, researchers are removing the hay to expose the cancer cells.

28 Oct 2019

Antibiotic resistance doubles in just two decades

Antibiotic resistance poses a grave challenge to many previously curable infectious diseases. At present, antibiotic resistance is proving to increase at a much faster rate compared to the development of new therapies.

21 Oct 2019

Novel antibiotic-free approach to tackle superbugs

Scientists have uncovered a novel antibiotic-free approach that could help prevent and treat one of the most widespread bacterial pathogens, using nanocapsules made of natural ingredients.

17 Oct 2019

'Tricked' bacteria open door to new antimicrobial therapies

Scientists have developed a new technique to trick bacteria into revealing hundreds of holes in their cell walls, opening the door for drugs that destroy bacteria’s cells.

14 Oct 2019

A Lego-like approach to enhance nature's own ability to attack bacteria

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers antibiotic resistance one of the most urgent public health threats, one that affects communities worldwide. The ramifications of bacteria's ability to become resistant to antibiotics can be seen in hospitals, public places, our food supply, and our water.

10 Oct 2019

Nanostructured surfaces can minimize bacterial adhesion

Staphylococcus aureus bacteria are one of the main causes of hospital-acquired infections. These pathogens are particularly problematic because they can form highly robust biofilms on both natural and artificial surfaces and are very difficult to remove.

10 Oct 2019