Bacteria trapped — and terminated — by graphene filter
Chemists transform their laser-induced graphene into an air filter that not only traps pathogens but also kills them with a small blast of electricity.
Read moreMicrobes and More
The cholera bacterium can steal up to 150 genes in one go
Scientists have discovered that predatory bacteria like the cholera pathogen can steal up to 150 genes in one go from their neighbors. The study sheds light on one of the most fundamental mechanisms of horizontal gene transfer.
Read moreRare view into the formation of viruses
For the first time, researchers have captured images of the formation of individual viruses, offering a real-time view into the kinetics of viral assembly. The research provides new insights into how to fight viruses and engineer self-assembling particles.
Read moreWeak spot in pathogenic bacteria
Antibiotics are still the most important weapon for combatting bacterial infections. But medical science is running out of ''ammunition'' because of more and more frequently occurring resistances. Research teams have now elucidated the structure of the proteolytic complex ClpX-ClpP. This is a key to development of innovative antibiotics which target the degradation process of defective proteins in bacteria.
Read moreNew defensive mechanism against bacterial wound infections
Wound inflammation which results in impaired wound healing can have serious consequences for patients. Researchers have discovered a new defensive mechanism which enables our skin to actively kill bacteria. Central to this mechanism is a cellular messenger molecule known as 'interleukin 6', whose mode of action may be used in the future to prevent wound infections.
Read moreAntibiotic resistant genes prevalent in groundwater
The spread of antibiotic resistant genes (ARGs) through the water system could put public safety at-risk. Researchers studied and compared samples from an advanced groundwater treatment facility in California and groundwater aquifers to detect differences in ARG concentrations. They found that the advanced groundwater treatment facility reduced nearly all targeted ARGs to below detection limits, but groundwater samples had a ubiquitous presence of ARGs in both control locations and locations recharged with water from the advanced water treatment facility.
Read moreToxin promotes cattle-to-cattle transmission of deadly Escherichia coli strains
Shiga toxin subtype 2a (Stx2a) may play a key role in promoting the colonization and transmission of life-threatening Escherichia coli strains in cattle, according to a new study.
Read moreEngineered viruses could fight drug resistance
Biological engineers can program bacteriophages to kill different strains of E. coli by making mutations in the protein that the viruses use to bind to host cells. These engineered phages are less likely to provoke resistance in bacteria, and could help to overcome antibiotic resistance.
Read moreGut bacteria 'fingerprint' predicts radiotherapy side effects
Taking a 'fingerprint' of the mix of bacteria in the gut can indicate how susceptible individual cancer patients are to gut damage as a result of radiotherapy for prostate and gynaecological cancers, a new study shows. Researchers showed that having a reduced diversity of gut bacteria was associated with an increased risk of both immediate and delayed damage to the gut following radiotherapy.
Read moreFungal invasion of pancreas creates cancer risk
Certain fungi move from the gut to the pancreas, expand their population more than a thousand-fold, and encourage pancreatic cancer growth, a new study finds.
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