bacterias

Friendly bacteria reduce hospital infections

harminka — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 08:00:05 -0600

A probiotic bacterium, Lactobacillus plantarum 299, has been used to out-compete the dangerous bacteria that cause respiratory illness in ventilated patients.

Persistent bacterial infection exploits killing machinery of immune cells

harminka — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 11:48:12 -0600

A new study reveals an important and newly discovered pathway used by disease-causing bacteria to evade the host immune system and survive and grow within the very cells meant to destroy them. This discovery may lead to new treatments and vaccines for tuberculosis (TB) and certain other chronic bacterial and parasitic infections.

Commercial product effectively kills bacteria in vegetable washwater

harminka — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 07:41:46 -0500

Research conducted by food science faculty at the University of Idaho and Washington State University indicate that a commercially available fruit and vegetable wash, when used in a food-manufacturing setting, can dramatically decrease the number of disease-causing organisms in produce-processing washwater.

Scientist study bacterial communities inside us

harminka — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 11:47:17 -0500

The number of bacteria living within the body of the average healthy adult human are estimated to outnumber human cells 10 to 1. Changes in these microbial communities may be responsible for digestive disorders, skin diseases, gum disease and even obesity.

Breakthrough in plant research

harminka — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:37:13 -0600

The research groups of the Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences of the University of Helsinki and the University of California in San Diego have discovered a gene that is centrally involved in the regulation of carbon dioxide uptake for photosynthesis and water evaporation in plants.

Silica smart bombs deliver knock-out to bacteria

seher — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 15:12:31 -0600

Bacteria mutate for a living, evading antibiotic drugs while killing tens of thousands of people in the United States each year. But as concern about drug-resistant bacteria grows, one novel approach under way at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill seeks to thwart the bug without a drug by taking a cue from nature.

Bacteria and nanofilters — the future of clean water technology

seher — Tue, 12 Feb 2008 14:00:40 -0600

Bacteria often get bad press, with those found in water often linked to illness and disease. But researchers at The University of Nottingham are using these tiny organisms alongside the very latest membrane filtration techniques to improve and refine water cleaning technology.

Microbes churn out hydrogen at record rate

harminka — Tue, 13 Nov 2007 14:38:43 -0600

In new table-top reactor, bacteria from wastewater produce abundant, clean hydrogen from cellulose, or even vinegar, and a little electricity

Efficient crowd control in bacterial colonies

harminka — Tue, 30 Oct 2007 10:03:22 -0500

Bacterial cells form colonies with complex organization (aka biofilms), particularly in response to hostile environmental conditions. Recent studies have shown that biofilm development occurs when bacterial cells seek out small cavities and populate them at high densities.

Curbing C. difficile's toxin production

harminka — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 11:17:07 -0500

As if being admitted to the hospital weren’t bad enough, patients, once admitted, are at higher risk of becoming infected with a “superbug” bacterium, Clostridium difficile (C. difficile). The toxins produced by C. difficile kill human intestinal cells by causing them to burst open, allowing the bacteria to use them as fuel.

Bacteria successful in cancer treatment

harminka — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:56:02 -0500

Bacteria that thrive in oxygen starved environments have been used successfully to target cancer tumours, delivering gene therapy based anti-cancer treatments, according to scientists speaking today (Thursday 6 September 2007) at the Society for General Microbiology’s 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from 3-6 September 2007.

Quick microchip test for dangerous antibiotic resistant bacteria

harminka — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 00:46:19 -0500

Researchers at the Veterinary Laboratories Agency in Surrey have developed microchips capable of quickly and cheaply identifying dangerous and drug resistant bacteria in clinical samples, scientists announced today (Wednesday 5 September 2007) at the Society for General Microbiology's 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK, which runs from 3-6 September 2007.