What makes a pathogen antibiotic-resistant?
Antimicrobial resistance is a story of constantly moving parts and players. With every new or tweaked antibiotic or antimicrobial drug, the targeted pathogens begin the evolutionary dance of acquiring resistance, prompting researchers to constantly d.....»»
New technology illustrates bacterial "hibernation states"
Like hibernating bears, certain bacterial cells have the ability to shift into a "low-power" metabolic state in which they can stably survive without growing. This state is often seen in the context of antibiotic-resistant infections as bacteria form.....»»
Researcher finds special proteins are key when antibiotic resistance spreads
Antibiotic resistance is a growing public health problem globally. The problem is exacerbated by the fact that some bacteria that have become resistant to antibiotics have the ability to spread that resistance to other bacteria via secretion systems......»»
"Nano-weapon" discovery boosts fight against antibiotic-resistant hospital superbugs
Researchers have discovered how a bacteria found in hospitals uses "nano-weapons" to enable their spread, unlocking new clues in the fight against antibiotic-resistant superbugs......»»
Chemical trick activates antibiotic directly at the pathogen
Colistin is a last-resort antibiotic that is usually only used for severe infections with resistant bacteria. This is due to its severe kidney-damaging side effects, which occur in about 30% of treated patients. A research team at the Helmholtz Cente.....»»
Team develops promising new form of antibiotic that makes bacterial cells self-destruct
To address the global threat of antibiotic resistance, scientists are on the hunt for new ways to sneak past a bacterial cell's defense system. Taking what they learned from a previous study on cancer, researchers from the University of Toronto (U of.....»»
Q&A: A faster way to identify drought-resistant plants for crop breeding research
Climate change is making droughts more common and more severe—which makes research into developing drought-resistant crops more important than ever. Now researchers have developed a new framework that should expedite this important research......»»
GPT-4-based AI agents show promise for detecting antimicrobial resistance
Researchers at the University of Zurich (UZH) have used artificial intelligence (AI) to help identify antibiotic-resistant bacteria. The team led by Adrian Egli, UZH professor at the Institute of Medical Microbiology, is the first to investigate how.....»»
A unified theory for predicting pathogen competition: Exploring how emerging new strains replace previous ones
The COVID-19 pandemic showed that predicting the invasion of a novel pathogen into the human population and its evolutionary potential to generate new variants is crucial for preventing future outbreaks. New research conducted at Princeton University.....»»
Calcium transport protein in bacteria offers insights for drug development and food safety
Researchers at Umeå University have revealed details on how bacteria use calcium to regulate vital processes in a way that differs from human cells. This breakthrough is significant in the fight against antibiotic resistance and for increasing safet.....»»
OneSpan strenghtens banking security with phishing-resistant authentication
OneSpan announced an innovation in phishing-resistant transaction security, VISION FX. This new solution combines OneSpan’s patented CRONTO transaction signing with FIDO2 protocols that strengthen protection against phishing and account takeover th.....»»
Targeting "selfish" bacteria could optimize inhibitors that fight antibiotic resistance
As strains of pathogens resistant to frontline antibiotics become more common worldwide, clinicians are more often turning to combination treatments that degrade this resistance as a first treatment option......»»
Genetic mechanism unlocks a key secret behind disease infection in crops
Researchers have unraveled a key genetic mechanism behind the way pathogens infect crops, leading to new strategies for breeding resistant crop varieties against other pathogens carrying the same genetic mechanism......»»
Research team develops metallodrug-antibiotic combination strategy to combat superbugs
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) bacterial infections have become a serious problem threatening human health worldwide. The overuse of antibiotics has promoted drug-resistant mutations in bacteria, causing almost all clinically used antibiotics to deve.....»»
Phage cocktail shows promise against drug-resistant bacteria
Researchers have a new battle tactic to fight drug-resistant bacterial infections. Their strategy involves using collections of bacteriophages, viruses that naturally attack bacteria. In a new study, researchers at the University of Chicago Pritzker.....»»
Study sheds light on limitations of zooplankton for inactivating pathogen contaminated water
Scientists at The University of Texas at El Paso and Stanford University were recently surprised to find that the natural community of zooplankton—tiny, aquatic animals known to graze on bacteria—present in freshwater and saltwater do not clean w.....»»
Researchers develop first banana plant resistant to TR4 and black sigatoka
Researchers have developed a banana plant that is resistant to both fusarium tropical race 4 (TR4) and black sigatoka, two of the most destructive diseases for bananas......»»
Exploring the role of hydrogen sulfide in the expression of iron uptake genes in E. coli
Antibiotic resistance and oxidative stress response are important biological mechanisms that help bacteria thrive, especially pathogenic bacteria like Escherichia coli. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), a chemical messenger molecule, regulates several intracel.....»»
Naked mole-rat found to have lost infection-resistant proteins
Scientists have found that the naked mole-rat—an underground rodent that lives up to 40 years—has lost a number of CD1 functional genes. The CD1 gene family in mammals is responsible for protein synthesis that protects the body against infectious.....»»
Graphene spike mat uses ordinary fridge magnet tech to fight antibiotic resistance
With strong bactericidal properties, graphene has the potential to become a game changer in the fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria. So far there have been no efficient ways to control these properties—and thus no way to make use of graphen.....»»
Potential breakthrough in battle against antibiotic resistance from historic brine
A historic brine bath is the site of a potential breakthrough in the prevention of antibiotic resistance in relation to MRSA, and other hospital pathogens......»»