Microbiology News and Research

RSS

AAAS elevates Dartmouth professors to rank of Fellow

The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) has elevated four Dartmouth professors to the rank of Fellow, including three members of the faculty of Dartmouth Medical School.

13 Jan 2011

Clostridium bacteria may offer a greener alternative to petrol

A diverse family of bacteria that can cause a potentially fatal illness in humans but could offer a greener alternative to petrol to power our cars will be the subject of a talk by a University of Nottingham academic at an international conference.

12 Jan 2011

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases features Inovio’s Chikungunya DNA vaccine

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, Inc., a leader in the development of novel therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today the publication of a scientific paper highlighting positive results from Inovio's multi-antigen Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) DNA vaccine in PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

12 Jan 2011

Scientists introduce DNA directly into cell nucleus using protein nanodisks

One of the challenges of gene therapy - a set of methodologies aimed at treating several nucleic acid diseases - is to assure that this material arrives directly to the nucleus of the cell without losing a substantial amount along the way and without producing any undesired side effects. With this aim, scientists experiment with the use of different types of vectors, molecules capable of transporting genetic material to the correct place.

12 Jan 2011

Private rooms in the ICU help reduce hospital infections

A research team from the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC) and McGill University has demonstrated that private rooms in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) play a key role in reducing hospital infections like C-difficile. The study, published today in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, also suggests that length of stay would be shorter and this could lead to cost savings to the healthcare system.

12 Jan 2011

New database provides easy access to information about genes and biological functions

The human genome sequence, initially completed in draft form nearly a decade ago, has revolutionized biological research. But most research findings are buried in the scientific literature, and linking basic biological processes to genomic information can be difficult without substantial effort or training. A new resource that provides easy access to information about genes and their biological functions was just released by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press.

12 Jan 2011

Acne bacterium may also cause infections all over the body

A bacterium which causes acne and is commonly found on the skin, is now known to cause infections all over the body. Propionibacterium acnes (P. acnes)5 has been associated with infections of artificial joints and heart valves (endocarditis), as well as eye infections and chest infections - which are common at this time of year.

12 Jan 2011

Dirty cash machines – Literally!

Experts have found that cash machines carry same amounts and kinds of bacteria as a public toilet. They took swabs from both places and found pseudomonads and bacillus bacteria types, both of which are behind common afflictions such as diarrhea.

11 Jan 2011

Plasminogen may serve as new target to treat prion diseases

Scientists at the University of Kentucky have discovered that plasminogen, a protein used by the body to break up blood clots, speeds up the progress of prion diseases such as mad cow disease.

11 Jan 2011

Predator microbes may work against antibiotic resistant disease-causing bacteria: Study

There are predators in the bacterial world that consume other bacteria, much as predators attack prey in the animal world. A team led by researchers at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-New Jersey Dental School suggests that some of these predator microbes might be put to work against disease-causing bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics.

11 Jan 2011

Potential single vaccine for permanent immunity to all influenza

The search for a universal flu vaccine has received a boost from a surprising source: the 2009 H1N1 pandemic flu strain.

10 Jan 2011

Positive preclinical results from Inovio's novel DNA vaccine targeting HIV Clade C virus

Inovio Pharmaceuticals, a leader in the development of therapeutic and preventive vaccines against cancers and infectious diseases, announced today the publication of a scientific paper highlighting positive preclinical results from Inovio's novel DNA vaccine targeting HIV Clade C viruses in the journal Vaccine.

10 Jan 2011

Study supports two-dose vaccine regimen for protecting children from chickenpox

Two doses of the varicella, or chickenpox, vaccine provide excellent protection in children against this highly contagious and, in some cases, severe disease. To be published in the February 1 issue of The Journal of Infectious Diseases, the findings support the two-dose vaccine regimen recommended in the United States since 2006.

7 Jan 2011

Lab21 acquires Microgen Bioproducts

Lab21 Limited, the Cambridge, UK-based specialist in personalised medicine and clinical diagnostics, has announced that it has acquired Microgen Bioproducts Ltd a UK company specialising in the development, manufacture and sale of diagnostic tests to identify diseases and organisms which pose a threat to health.

6 Jan 2011

UFCW applauds President Obama for signing new food safety regulations

The United Food and Commercial Workers International Union today applauded President Obama for signing into law a new overhaul of our nation's food safety system, which was passed by Congress last year. U.S. food safety regulations have been sorely in need of updating and this new law makes significant progress by strengthening oversight and consumer protection.

6 Jan 2011

Impact of flu vaccine opt-out is being seen as A(H1N1) returns to Europe

As the UK and a number of European countries are now experiencing epidemics of influenza, including A(H1N1) which was the 2009 pandemic virus, the European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (ESCMID) warns that the consequences of non-vaccination could emerge as a new flu emergency and are calling for greater efforts to encourage vaccination, not only for at risk groups but also health care workers.

6 Jan 2011

Study sheds light on quantity of MRSA colonization, relationship between quantities at different sites

A new study from Rhode Island Hospital now sheds light on both the quantity of MRSA at different body sites and the relationship between the quantities at different sites.

6 Jan 2011

Bacteria adopt defence strategy to promote antibiotic resistance

Genetic resistance to antibiotics is not the only trick bacteria use to resist eradication- they also have a second defence strategy known as persistence that can kick in.

6 Jan 2011

Bacteria from cat fleas: 1st Australian case

Australia’s fist case of a human infected with bacteria from cat fleas has been reported by a Newcastle doctor who says the disease may be more common than the GPs thought. The case study appeared in the Medical Journal of Australia that documents a Victorian family infected with Rickettsia felis after exposure to a kitten infested with fleas. Murdoch University scientists confirmed the presence of R. felis in cat fleas on cats and dogs in WA for the first time in 2006.

3 Jan 2011

Hydrocephalus in Ugandan children linked to farm animals, previous bacterial infection

Hydrocephalus in Ugandan children and other developing countries is seasonal, linked to farm animals and in part, caused by previous bacterial infection, according to an international team of researchers from Uganda and the United States, who believe that the best approach to this problem is prevention.

3 Jan 2011