The first detailed images of an elusive drug target on the outer wall of bacteria may provide scientists with enough new information to aid design of novel antibiotics. The drugs are much needed to treat deadly infections initiated by Staphylococcus aureus and other bacterial pathogens.

Photodynamic therapy (PDT) may be an effective way to treat the bacteria associated with periodontal diseases, and could provide a better option than antibiotics or other mechanical methods for treating periodontal diseases, according to a new study published in the March issue of the Journal of Periodontology.

Frog skin and human lungs hold secrets to developing new antibiotics, and a technique called solid-state NMR spectroscopy is a key to unlocking those secrets.

Penicillin and Erythromycin are examples of antibiotics that used to be one-time miracle cures. These drugs and other antibiotics are now less effective because bacteria have become more resistant. VOA's Carol Pearson has more on this growing problem.

The lives of shrimp have been saved by a dietary supplement which prevents infection by pathogenic (disease-causing) bacteria. Could this put a stop to the use of antibiotics?

A new type of protein discovered by Queen's University researchers may be useful in developing treatments for antibiotic-resistant bacteria, such as those that cause food poisoning and typhoid.

Since 1995 there has been a considerable increase in the number of infections with a specific type of Salmonella bacteria transmitted via food. This type, Salmonella serovar Typhimurium DT104, is resistant to at least five different antibiotics. Dutch researcher Armand Hermans found new genetic information in DNA of DT104 that might be involved in its survival and infection mechanism. This genetic information might also be involved in the increase in the number of infections caused by this pathogen.

Microorganisms have a proven track record for producing powerful molecules useful in antibiotics, as anticancer agents and in treating human diseases.

New tests to rapidly detect the flu are allowing doctors to cut down on the number of hospital patients who receive antibiotics, helping soften the rapidly worsening threat of antibiotic resistance, according to a study to appear in the Feb. 26 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study was posted online by the journal Jan. 22 because of the importance of the findings to public health.

EUREKA project E! 2675 HEALTHY WEANING has developed a plant-based product to stimulate the maturing of the digestive tract in pigs. Healthy weaning is critical for pigs, as at this stage they are very susceptible to infection; causing significant mortality.

Weizmann Institute scientists use peptides and lipopeptides to fight bacteria

In a new study published online in the open access journal PLoS Biology, Gaby Sennhauser, Marcus Gruetter, and colleagues use structural biology techniques to probe the molecular mechanisms of the major drug efflux pump in E. coli AcrB.