Bacteria do not colonize the gut before birth
Researchers examined prenatal stool (meconium) samples collected from 20 babies during breech Cesarean delivery. By including only breech caesarean deliveries in healthy pregnant women they were able to avoid the transmission of bacteria that occurs.....»»
Scientists discover why chicken farms are a breeding ground for antibiotic resistant bacteria
Scientists from the University of Nottingham are one step closer to understanding how bacteria, such as E. coli and Salmonella enterica, share genetic material which makes them resistant to antibiotics......»»
Scientists engineer plant microbiome for the first time to protect crops against disease and cut use of pesticides
Scientists have engineered the microbiome of plants for the first time, boosting the prevalence of 'good' bacteria that protect the plant from disease. The findings published in Nature Communications by researchers from the University of Southampton,.....»»
The surprisingly resourceful ways bacteria thrive in the human gut
The gut microbiome is so useful to human digestion and health that it is often called an extra digestive organ. This vast collection of bacteria and other microorganisms in the intestine helps us break down foods and produce nutrients or other metabo.....»»
Scientists solve mystery of how predatory bacteria recognizes prey
A decades-old mystery of how natural antimicrobial predatory bacteria are able to recognize and kill other bacteria may have been solved, according to new research......»»
Pathogenic bacteria use molecular "shuttle services" to fill their injection apparatus with the right product
Disease-causing bacteria of the genus Salmonella or Yersinia can use tiny injection apparatuses to inject harmful proteins into host cells, much to the discomfort of the infected person. However, it is not only with a view to controlling disease that.....»»
One-pot fermentative growth of predatory bacteria
The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified antibiotic resistance as one of the greatest threats to human health and life. With the alarming rise in antibiotic-resistant bacterial pathogens and the decline in antibiotic development and discove.....»»
Battling persistence in tuberculosis bacteria
Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), in collaboration with NCBS and InStem, have uncovered an important mechanism that allows the tuberculosis (TB) bacterium to persist in the human host for decades. They found that a single gene in.....»»
How antibiotic-resistant bacteria can teach us to modify behavior
Most people want to do something about climate change, but lifestyle trade-offs and a narrowing window to enact broad changes to industrial, transportation, and consumption patterns are daunting enough to make them resist......»»
Research team develops polymers that can kill bacteria
Antibiotic-resistant bacteria have become a rapidly growing threat to public health. Each year, they account for more than 2.8 million infections, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Without new antibiotics, even common.....»»
Scientists engineer bacteria to make two valuable products from plant fiber
We often look to the smallest lifeforms for help solving the biggest problems: Microbes help make foods and beverages, cure diseases, treat waste and even clean up pollution. Yeast and bacteria can also convert plant sugars into biofuels and chemical.....»»
A bacterial toolkit for colonizing plants
Using a novel experimental approach, Max Planck researchers have discovered a core set of genes required by commensal bacteria to colonize their plant hosts. The findings published in Nature Communications may have broad relevance for understanding h.....»»
Giant bacterium powers itself with unique processes
Not all bacteria are created equal. Most are single-celled and tiny, a few ten-thousandths of a centimeter long. But bacteria of the Epulopiscium family are large enough to be seen with the naked eye and 1 million times the volume of their better-kno.....»»
Researchers discover novel antibiotic substance in the human nose
Researchers at the University of Tübingen have discovered a novel antibiotic substance from the human nose that can be used against pathogenic bacteria. Named epifadin, the molecule is produced from specific strains of the bacterial species Staphylo.....»»
Photodynamic action weakens resistance to antibiotics in bacteria that attack airways
The development of antibiotics to combat multidrug-resistant bacteria, especially those that infect the airways, has been increasingly tricky, and some scientists have opted to try to weaken the bacteria so that the available therapeutic substances a.....»»
A CRISPR pioneer looks back as the first gene-editing therapy is approved
In 2007, Luciano Marraffini struck out on what was then a scientifically lonely path: to understand CRISPR, which had been discovered in bacteria only about a decade before......»»
Novel bacteria identification methods might help speed up disease diagnosis
Pseudomonas aeruginosa is a bacterial strain that can be responsible for several human diseases. The most serious include malignant external otitis, endophthalmitis, endocarditis, meningitis, pneumonia, and septicemia......»»
Study shows diverse gut bacteria communities protect against harmful pathogens by nutrient blocking
The human gut is home to hundreds of different bacterial species collectively known as the gut microbiome. A major health benefit these provide is to protect the gut against invading pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) that could cause harmful.....»»
New software paves the way for finding bacteriophages to control bacteria
A new bioinformatics software program at Flinders University is paving the way for a rapid expansion of research into bacteriophages, the viruses or phages that play key roles in controlling bacteria......»»
Q&A: Understanding coordination mechanisms in decentralized systems
Did you know that when a group of robots or bacteria moves in a space where there are several free objects, they deflect these objects so they can pass? An international research team managed to show that the trail left by this movement contributes t.....»»
Research reveals a rare enzyme role change with bacterial defense system assembly
Scientists have revealed a never-before-seen phenomenon in a protein: Alone, the enzyme processes DNA and RNA but, when bound to another protein as part of a defense system, interacts with a completely different type of compound to help bacteria comm.....»»