Bacteria"s shapeshifting behaviour clue to new treatments for urinary tract infections
Urinary tract infections are both very common and potentially very dangerous. More than half of all Australian women will suffer from a UTI in their lifetime, and nearly one in three women will have an infection requiring treatment with antibiotics b.....»»
A potential new Apple Watch emergency SOS feature could save swimmers from drowning
A potential new Apple Watch emergency SOS feature described in a new patent application could help save some swimmers from drowning. The patent describes how the Watch could detect “irregular behaviour” and automatically transmit a call for he.....»»
New antibiotic class effective against multidrug-resistant bacteria discovered
Scientists at Uppsala University have discovered a new class of antibiotics with potent activity against multi-drug resistant bacteria, and have shown that it cures bloodstream infections in mice. The new antibiotic class is described in an article i.....»»
Ancient Adélie penguin DNA reveals that small repeats persist for hundreds of millions of years
Microsatellites are valuable tools for studying inheritance, genetic diversity, and population dynamics across a wide range of organisms including bacteria, plants, animals, and fungi. These short, repeating sequence motifs are a common feature of bo.....»»
Study shows common water pollutants cause heart damage in fish
Recent findings highlight the persistence of dihalogenated nitrophenols (2,6-DHNPs) in drinking water, resisting standard treatments like sedimentation, filtration, and boiling. The research demonstrates the severe cardiotoxic effects of these contam.....»»
Study identifies protein responsible for gas vesicle clustering in bacteria
Gas vesicles are hollow structures made of protein found in the cells of certain microorganisms, and researchers at Rice University believe they can be programmed for use in biomedical applications......»»
Biochemists discover first new antibacterial class in decades
Vanderbilt biochemists are part of a team taking a stride toward the development of antibacterials to treat uncomplicated urinary tract infections, a pervasive bacterial infection that affects 50%–60% of women in their lifetime......»»
Study finds wild nematode worms learn to avoid harmful bacteria—and their offspring inherit this knowledge
The nematode worm C. elegans will stay away from dangerous bacteria in its environment when exposed to certain bacterial RNAs—and can transmit that learned behavior to future generations. A team led by Coleen Murphy at Princeton University report t.....»»
Sniffing out bacteria: Team develops a novel approach for rapid bacterial species identification
Do you ever wonder how researchers identify bacterial infections? Traditionally, they collect samples from the infected site, grow the bacteria in a lab, and analyze them using a method called MALDI-ToF-MS. Although accurate, this method is time-cons.....»»
Researchers uncover the microbial secrets of dry eye
Researchers have used advanced sequencing technology to determine how the mix of microbes present in patients with healthy eyes differs from the mix found in patients with dry eye. The new work could lead to improved treatments for various eye proble.....»»
Biologists determine bacteria sense damage to relatives
Carnegie Mellon University biologists have discovered that Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria behind the cholera disease, can sense when its relatives die. Bacterial cell death is often accompanied by lysis, where the cell explodes, releasing internal cel.....»»
Unseen travelers: Dust storms may spread bacteria and fungi around the world
When allergy season hits, many blame their reactions on the local flora in the spring. However, African Saharan-Sahelian dust plumes, large enough to register on weather radar, travel around the globe every summer, bringing their own form of air poll.....»»
Researchers uncover key biomolecule involved in whooping cough infection
Researchers have identified a new complex-carbohydrate biomolecule, or glycan, that plays a key role in the nasal colonization of the Bordetella bacteria responsible for whooping cough. The discovery could make it possible to create a new drug or vac.....»»
Gut microbiota and antibiotics: Missing puzzle piece discovered
The intricacies of how intestinal bacteria adapt to their environment have yet to be fully explored. Researchers from the Helmholtz Institute for RNA-based Infection Research (HIRI) in Würzburg and the University of California, Berkeley, U.S., have.....»»
A closer look into cryptococcal fungal infections in pets
Allowing pets to roam outdoors can seem like harmless fun, providing them with exercise, mental stimulation, and a chance to explore......»»
Research reveals new starting points for the rapid and targeted development of future drugs
Many important medicines, such as antibiotics and anticancer drugs, are derived from natural products of bacteria. The enzyme complexes that produce these active ingredients have a modular design that makes them ideal tools for synthetic biology. By.....»»
Non-culturable Legionella identified with sequencing
Legionnaires' disease (LD), a rare and severe type of pneumonia, is a respiratory infection caused by species of Legionella bacteria. One of the most accurate ways to diagnose LD is to perform culture on samples from a patient's lower respiratory tra.....»»
Research suggests natural electrical grid deep inside Earth enables many types of microbes to survive
To "breathe" in an environment without oxygen, bacteria in the ground beneath our feet depend upon a single family of proteins to transfer excess electrons (produced during the "burning" of nutrients) to electric hairs called nanowires projecting fro.....»»
Nanoparticles target multiple COVID variants through the twist in the spike protein
Teardrop-shaped particles designed to inactivate multiple strains of the SARS-CoV-2 virus could one day complement existing treatments for COVID-19, according to a new study led by researchers at the University of Michigan and Jiangnan University in.....»»
FDA approves first drug to treat yeast ear infections in dogs
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first drug to treat yeast ear infections in dogs......»»
Genes identified that allow bacteria to thrive despite toxic heavy metal in soil
Some soil bacteria can acquire sets of genes that enable them to pump the heavy metal nickel out of their systems, a study has found. This enables the bacteria to not only thrive in otherwise toxic soils but help plants grow there as well......»»