bacteria

As H1N1 Fears Build, Hand Sanitizers Become Popular

Michael Santo — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:34:03 -0500

Overuse of antibiotics have led to drug-resistant bacteria. As people find they cannot gain access to the H1N1 vaccine, and fear builds, people are wondering about similar hand sanitizer overuse.

Showerheads a Veritable Hotbed of Bacteria: Study

Michael Santo — Mon, 14 Sep 2009 18:30:43 -0500

You might think you take a shower to get clean, but in reality, you might be getting a faceful of germs instead, according to a study released Monday by the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Bacteria can make radioactive metals inert

harminka — Tue, 08 Sep 2009 15:09:44 -0500

The Lost Orphan Mine below the Grand Canyon hasn't produced uranium since the 1960s, but radioactive residue still contaminates the area. Cleaning the region takes an expensive process that is only done in extreme cases, but Judy Wall, a biochemistry professor at the University of Missouri College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, is researching the use of sulfate-reducing bacteria to convert toxic radioactive metal to inert substances, a much more economical solution.

Marshals Raid Clarcon Products Labs

Michael Santo — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 14:31:27 -0500

US Marshals entered the production facility of Clarcon Labs in Roy, UT and confiscated all of their Clarcon products stock, and ingredients. This is a strange story, not because some sort of issue is occurring with these products, but because the FDA sent federal marshals in.

Researchers Turn Bacteria Into Biotech Factories

harminka — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:52:23 -0500

High-throughput sequencing has turned biologists into voracious genome readers, enabling them to scan millions of DNA letters, or bases, per hour. When revising a genome, however, they struggle, suffering from serious writer's block, exacerbated by outdated cell programming technology. Labs get bogged down with particular DNA sentences, tinkering at times with subsections of a single gene ad nauseam before moving along to the next one.

Gut Bacteria Prevents Malaria Spread

harminka — Fri, 08 May 2009 14:00:09 -0500

Bacteria in the gut of the Anopheles gambiae mosquito inhibit infection of the insect with Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria in humans, according to researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

Adenylylation regulates cell signaling

harminka — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 12:51:29 -0500

A new study reveals the importance of adenylylation in the regulation of cell signaling from bacteria to higher organisms.

Septicemia Fells Miss World Brazil; Forces Amputations

Michael Santo — Fri, 23 Jan 2009 14:23:28 -0600

A young, vibrant 20-year-old model, and former Miss World from Brazil. What would require her to have her hands and feet amputated? Septicemia, that's what.

Germs Beware: Dishwasher-Safe Wireless Keyboard Unveiled at CES

Michael Santo — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 16:46:39 -0600

New Bartonella Species That Infects Humans

harminka — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:09:42 -0600

Researchers at North Carolina State University and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have produced the first link between a species of bacteria most commonly found in sheep and human illness.

New dangerous method for bacterial toxin transfer

harminka — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 15:02:28 -0600

Scientists have discovered a new way for bacteria to transfer toxic genes to unrelated bacterial species, a finding that raises the unsettling possibility that bacterial swapping of toxins and other disease-aiding factors may be more common than previously imagined.

Resistance to TB Vaccine Protects Against Nine Strains in Mice

harminka — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 01:44:21 -0600

A new study shows that the current tuberculosis vaccine induces protective immunity against nine strains of the bacteria in mice indicating that strain-specific resistance may be uncommon. The researchers report their findings in the November 2008 issue of the journal Infection and Immunity.