Henry Ford Hospital study: A MRSA strain linked to high death rates Nov 1, 2009
MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is a bacterium that is resistant to common antibiotics like penicillin. It can cause skin, bloodstream and surgical wound infections and pneumonia. (EurekAlert!)
Helper T Cell's Effect Raises Possibility Of Cellular Therapy, Vaccine Development Oct 31, 2009
15, 2005) A team from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has shown that by using a cancer vaccine based on the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, they can cure mice with established breast. . (Science Daily)
Pathogenic E. Coli Pervasive In Stream-water Samples With Low Concentrations Of Fecal Indicator Bacteria Oct 30, 2009
(May 29, 2007) New evidence implicating beach sand as a reservoir for E. coli -- the bacterium that is used as an indicator that water has been contaminated by fecal material -- has been reported by. (Mar. (Science Daily)
Deadly Stomach Infection Rising In Community Settings, Study Finds Oct 29, 2009
Clostridium difficile, often called C. difficile or "C. diff," is a bacterium that is resistant to some antibiotics and is most often contracted by the elderly in hospitals and nursing homes. "Recent reports have shown increasing incidence and severity of C. difficile infection -- especially in the older population," says Darrell Pardi, M.D., Mayo Clinic gastroenterologist and senior author on the study. (Science Daily)
The Mystery of Borderline Personality Disorder Oct 29, 2009
Now we just use the name of the bacterium that causes the illness: tuberculosis. Psychology, though, remains a profession practiced partly as science and partly as linguistic art. (Time.com)
Cancer: New Explanation Of 'Asian Paradox' Oct 29, 2009
30, 2007) A new study suggests that previous estimates of the risk of gastric cancer following infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori may be too low. The research identifies certain strains of the. (Science Daily)
Some foods require extra care Oct 27, 2009
Oysters may be harvested from waters contaminated with noroviruses, the report said, or carry vibrio, a bacterium related to cholera that can have severe health consequences ... Cheese and cheese products were sixth, with soft cheeses deemed a hazard for pregnant women because of listeria, a hearty bacterium that can cause miscarriage ... This bacterium can enter tomato plants through roots or flowers or small cracks in the skin of the fruit, "making it difficult to destroy without cooking," the... (Florida Today)
Immune System Quirk Could Lead To Effective Tularemia Vaccine Oct 25, 2009
But that's not true for F. tularensis as it is for other intracellular bacteria, such as the TB-causing Mycobacterium tuberculosis ... 19, 2006) How a potentially deadly bacterium that could be used as a bioterrorist tool eludes being killed by the human immune system is now better understood, researchers report in the December issue of the ... The bacterium at fault, Francisella tularensis, causes the. (Science Daily)
Seeing Previously Invisible Molecules Oct 24, 2009
(June 15, 2005) A team of scientists at the University of Chicago has developed a non-invasive laboratory technique that allows them to instantly map when genes are switching off and on in a living bacterium as it. (Dec. (Science Daily)
Stacks Of Filter Paper Provide A Realistic, Easy-to-use Medium For Growing Cells Oct 24, 2009
(June 15, 2009) A novel bacterium -- trapped three kilometers under glacial ice for over 120,000 years -- may hold clues as to what life forms might exist on other. . (Science Daily)
Tanzania: Death Toll Rises As Cholera Spreads Oct 24, 2009
The disease is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and is spread by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the bacteria. Health officials fear that the long rains due now could lead to more cases of cholera if correct hygiene is not observed. (allAfrica.com)
Fig Tree Problems Oct 23, 2009
Fig canker, a bacterium that can enter damaged tree trunks, causes the tree flesh to die and may girdle the fig. Sunburned trees are particularly at risk, so whitewashing the branches can help prevent infection. (Suite101.com)
Scientists create NICE solution to pneumonia vaccine testing problems Oct 23, 2009
The leading cause of pneumonia worldwide is the pneumococcus bacterium, which also causes meningitis, sepsis and other complications. Pneumococcus has more than 90 strains that vary by geographic region and change over time. (EurekAlert!)
Eating right, not supplements, is best at keeping your good bacteria healthy, dietitian says Oct 22, 2009
She equates the good bacterium in your gastrointestinal tract to another living being inside that helps keep you healthy ... But in older individuals or those with an underlying condition, probiotics may be needed to avoid potentially deadly problems such as overgrowth of bad bacterium like Clostridium difficile ... "A lot of these probiotics have only one bacterium but we have trillions of colony forming units in our gut," she says. (EurekAlert!)
Single-stranded DNA-binding protein is dynamic, critical to DNA repair Oct 22, 2009
Their study, of SSB in the bacterium Escherichia coli, appears today in the journal Nature. Whenever the double helix of DNA unravels, exposing each strand to the harsh environment of the cell, SSB is usually first on the scene, said University of Illinois physics professor and Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator Taekjip Ha, who led the study. (EurekAlert!)
Trigger Of Deadly Food Toxin Discovered Oct 22, 2009
8, 2007) Researchers have discovered how the protein CodY controls toxin production of Clostridium difficile, a bacterium that has caused epidemics of severe diarrhea in hospital patients. In its search for. (Science Daily)
Genomes Of Two Popular Research Strains Of E. Coli Sequenced Oct 21, 2009
20, 2009) An international team of researchers from the United States, Korea, and France has sequenced and analyzed the genomes of two important laboratory strains of E. coli bacteria, one used to study evolution and the other to produce proteins for basic research or practical applications. The findings will help guide future research and will also open a window to a deeper understanding of classical research that is the foundation of our understanding of basic molecular biology and genetics. (Science Daily)
Non-Cancerous Breast Conditions Oct 20, 2009
The breast tissue becomes inflamed, usually due to a bacterium or a blocked milk duct. Women experience one or more of the following symptoms: tenderness or pain, a tender lump, reddened skin, a fever, a change in the nipple, an ill-defined palpable mass, swelling and nipple discharge. (FOX61, CT)
TraDIS technique tackles typhoid Oct 17, 2009
Typhoid can be spread by carriers who, without showing symptoms, act as reservoirs, storing the bacterium in the gallbladder and passing it to others. The most famous such carrier was Typhoid Mary, who worked in the food industry in the US and spread typhoid fever without exhibiting any symptoms herself. (EurekAlert!)
Select 'Friendly' Bacteria Shape Immune System Oct 16, 2009
A little-known bacterial species called segmented filamentous bacterium, or SFB, can activate the production of specialized immune cells in mice ... (June 17, 2009) The bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae can be found in the upper airways (the nose, mouth, and throat) of most children. (Science Daily)
Giving Kids Tylenol After Shots Makes Vaccines Less Effective, Study Finds Oct 16, 2009
The children were vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, poliomyelitis, hepatitis B, whooping cough, diarrhea-causing rotaviruses and Haemophilus influenzae type B, a bacterium that can cause pneumonia and meningitis. High Fever. (Bloomberg -- UK)
National Science Foundation congratulates Nobel Laureates in medicine/physiology, chemistry and economics Oct 15, 2009
They contain the blueprints for how a human being, a plant or a bacterium, looks and functions. But the DNA molecule is passive. (EurekAlert!)
Senior Subjects: Chemical law getting much-needed reform Oct 15, 2009
With the resistant bacteria at work, some patients become infected with methecillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), or the equally feared C. (Clostridium) difficile, a bacterium that causes diarrhea and is primarily associated with hospital settings. MRSA travels from hospitals to homes and back. (Lincoln Journal, MA)
Illnesses reported after eating at Holts Summit annual fall festival Oct 15, 2009
There are thousands of possible bacterium that can be dangerous in food and it would cost too much to try to test for every possible source in a food sample. The food was not tested because the department did not have a potential source confirmed from an individual, she said. (Fulton Sun, MO)
regina c faulkner Oct 14, 2009
Caused by a bacterium, the disease presents itself through abscess formed in the lymph nodes ... The bacterium that causes these abortions is the same one that can also cause pneumonia in young lambs ... The bacterium can be transmitted from infected sheep to uninfected sheep, with ewe lambs being most susceptible to abortions. (Agri-View, WI)
Inhibitors Of Important Tuberculosis Survival Mechanism Identified Oct 13, 2009
Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, infects one person in three worldwide. Most infected people remain symptom-free because the bacterium is kept in check within immune system cells. (Science Daily)
Mechanism That Helps Bacteria Avoid Destruction In Cells Identified Oct 13, 2009
17, 2009) A single crafty protein allows the deadly bacterium Salmonella enterica to both invade cells lining the intestine and hijack cellular functions to avoid destruction. This evolutionary slight-of-hand. (Science Daily)
Bill Gates' millions to battle TB Oct 11, 2009
"We are in the midst of a new TB epidemic. The world desperately needs an effect vaccine to prevent TB, particularly in adolescents and adults. Dr Jerald Sadoff: New approaches are promising "Through accelerated research and development, a new vaccine could permanently change the trajectory of the epidemic and save millions of lives every year," he added. Two billion people - one out of every three people on Earth - are infected with the TB pathogen, a bacterium called Mycobacterium... (Yahoo News -- Tuberculosis)
Diseases Known to Affect Alpacas - ... Oct 11, 2009
Tetanus: a fatal disease caused by the bacterium Clostridium tetani causing stiffness and lock-jaw. Pulpy kidney: caused by the bacteria Clostridium perfringens and results in death of young livestock. (Suite101.com)
A first XI doing their country proud Oct 10, 2009
Her Australian roots have stood her in good stead, says Professor Barry Marshall, our 2005 Nobel laureate with Dr Robin Warren for their discovery that a bacterium causes peptic ul 00004000 cers. It shows the education we get here is world-class. (Sydney Morning Herald -- Australia)
Tech.view: From farm to fork Oct 10, 2009
One of the most notorious outbreaks, caused by the virulent Escherichia coli O157:H7 bacterium, happened in 1993. Four children died, dozens of people went to hospital with kidney failure and hundreds more became seriously ill after eating undercooked hamburgers from the Jack-in-the-Box chain of restaurants. (The Economist)
Cholera breaks out in Tanzania schools Oct 9, 2009
Cholera is caused by the bacterium Vibrio cholerae and is spread by eating food or drinking water contaminated with the bacteria. The disease has dogged Tanzania on and off, often reported in the Indian Ocean islands of Pemba and Zanzibar, where three people died of the disease in September. (AlertNet)
2 Americans, Israeli share Nobel Oct 8, 2009
Undaunted, Yonath began trying to grow crystals in the early 1970s, working with a bacterium that can grow under harsh environmental conditions on the assumption that its ribosomes would be more stable and thus more resistant to degradation during the process of inducing crystals to form. After 20 years of work, it became apparent that she could finally produce such crystals, and other researchers such as Steitz and Ramakrishnan joined the race to complete the work. (Boston Globe)
Nobel Prize In Chemistry: What Ribosomes Look Like And How They Functions At Atomic Level Oct 8, 2009
They contain the blueprints for how a human being, a plant or a bacterium, looks and functions ... An X-ray structure of a bacterium ribosome. (Science Daily)
Scientists Find New Way To Classify Gastric Cancers Oct 7, 2009
6, 2009) An international team of scientists has discovered a new way to classify stomach cancers, and researchers say it may be an important step toward designing more effective treatments and improving long-term survival. Stomach (gastric) cancer is particularly prevalent in Asia and represents the second leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. (Science Daily)
Key Behavior Of Immune Response To Listeria Identified Oct 7, 2009
15, 2005) A team from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine has shown that by using a cancer vaccine based on the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes, they can cure mice with established breast. (Sep. (Science Daily)
Use of Botox to Reduce Wrinkles and... Oct 7, 2009
Botox is a trade name for the neurotoxic protein called botulinum toxin, produced by the bacterium Clostridum botulinum. In large enough doses, the protein causes botulism which can be a fatal illness linked to food poisoning. (Suite101.com)
Two-thirds of chicken 'has bug' Oct 7, 2009
Two-thirds of chicken on sale in the UK is contaminated with a bacterium which can cause severe food poisoning, research shows ... However, the latest survey did find that levels of another common cause of food poisoning - salmonella - had fallen, with just 6% of samples showing traces of the bacterium. (BBC News -- Health)
Light Shed On The Secret Behind Probiotic Bacteria Promoting Health Oct 6, 2009
Under the supervision of researchers at the Institute of Biotechnology, and the Department of Basic Veterinary Sciences at the University of Helsinki, an international research team determined the genome sequences of LGG and a bacterium closely related to it. The results, published in the renowned PNAS journal, shed light on the origin of probiotic mechanisms and promote product development in the food industry. (Science Daily)
A Better Way To Watch Bacteria Swim Oct 6, 2009
When they rotate in a counterclockwise fashion (as seen from behind), they gather into what looks like a coordinated bundle that pushes the bacterium forward, causing it to corkscrew through its environment. But when one or more flagella rotate in the opposite direction, they splay apart, reorienting the bacterium ... The new method addresses both of these problems without altering the normal behavior of the bacterium, they found. (Science Daily)
All Tied Up: Tethered Protein Provides Long-sought Answer Oct 6, 2009
14, 2006) The discovery of a unique copper-repressing protein in the bacterium that causes tuberculosis in humans may pave the way toward new strategies for halting tuberculosis. (Oct. (Science Daily)
nanotubes help plants grow Oct 6, 2009
A genetically modified version of a bacterium that makes particles of metallic gold could be used to reveal deposits of the precious metal. Latest news. (Harper's Magazine)
Scientist wins Nobel Prize for medicine Oct 6, 2009
In 2005, Australians Barry J Marshall and Robin Warren, took out the medicine prize for their work on how the bacterium Helicobacter pylori plays a role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. Nobel established the prizes in his will in 1895. (Sydney Morning Herald -- World)
'Micro Shuttle' Drug Delivery Could Mean An End To Regular Dosing Oct 6, 2009
The capsules, which have a diameter of two micrometers (about the size of a bacterium), are built by wrapping strands of a metabolism-resistant material around spherical particles, which are then dissolved in acid, leaving behind an empty container. To fill the capsules, the scientists heat them in a solution that contains the desired drug compound. (Science Daily)
Potential Key To Curing Tuberculosis Oct 5, 2009
Tuberculosis is caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis and is a contagious disease that is on the rise, killing 1 ... The macrophage cells engulf and destroy these microbes, such as the Mycobacterium tuberculosis ... Peters found that the Mycobacterium tuberculosis produces a defensive molecule that prevents the macrophage cells from destroying them. (Science Daily)
Recent winners of the Nobel Prize in medicine Oct 5, 2009
2005: Barry J. Marshall and Robin Warren, of Australia, for their work in how the bacterium Helicobacter pylori plays a role in gastritis and peptic ulcer disease. 2004: Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck, both of the United States, for their work in studying odorant receptors and the organization of the olfactory system in human beings. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Science)
OUR VIEW: Terrorist bomb plot comes to the prairie Oct 3, 2009
" - The New York Times June 23, 2002Wait that means it very well could have been under President Clinton also:"Beginning during the Clinton administration, the US began genetically engineering a more potent variant of the anthrax bacterium. Supposedly, this was done to help the US come up with defenses against such a bacterium being used against the US by terrorists or another country. (Mattoon Journal-Gazette, IL)
CDC: Pneumoccus co-infection present in many H1N1 deaths Oct 2, 2009
The Centers for Disease Control, which released the report, said it was important to be vaccinated against the common bacterium. The CDC report analyzed specimens taken from 77 fatal cases of 2009 H1N1 and found bacterial co-infections in about a third of those cases. (Belmont Citizen Herald, MA)
Protein Structure Sheds Light On How Insects Smell, Points To Eco-Friendly Pest Control Oct 1, 2009
9, 2009) The toxin produced by the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis is a popular insecticide used to control pest moths and butterflies, and in some GM pest-proof crops. In a study published in BMC Biology. (Science Daily)
Taking Sharper Aim At Stomach Ulcer Bacteria Oct 1, 2009
(June 10, 2008) Scientists have isolated a new bacterium in pigs' stomachs thanks to a pioneering technique, offering hope of new treatments to people who suffer with stomach ulcers, according to research in the. (Oct. (Science Daily)
Faster Detection of Tuberculosis May Be on the Horizon Sep 30, 2009
In about half of all people with active TB, the disease-causing bacterium can't be identified using sputum tests ... About one-third of the world's population is infected with the bacterium that causes TB, M. tuberculosis, but only 10 to 20 percent of those who are infected will develop active TB, according to the World Health Organization. (MEDLINEplus)
First autopsy on Egyptian Mummy got 'wrong' cause of death Sep 30, 2009
But analysis by the UCL team has found traces of Mycobacterium tuberculosis - the bacterium which causes TB - in lung, gall bladder and bone samples. Researcher Dr Helen Donoghue said Dr Granville had failed to pin down exactly how the mummy had been preserved, and the exact technique remains a mystery today. (BBC News -- Health)
Experimental AIDS Vaccine Delivers Good News Sep 26, 2009
Most vaccines consist of parts of a virus or bacterium that prompt the immune system to make antibodies, which then protect the body by attacking the invading pathogen. The chief usefulness of the ALVAC-AIDSVAX vaccine will probably be what it can teach infectious-disease researchers about what is happening in the immune system when a person is even somewhat protected against HIV, the Washington Post reported. (MEDLINEplus)
Caltech scientists get detailed glimpse of chemoreceptor architecture in bacterial cells Sep 25, 2009
This side view of the bacterium Helicobacter hepaticus shows the flagella and the region in which the chemoreceptors cluster ... Enter the chemoreceptors, tiny protein molecules found at the front of the bacterium, near the flagella ... While swimming in a single direction, a bacterium such as Escherichia coli may encounter some nutrients, which then bind to the chemoreceptors. (EurekAlert!)
New Way Deadly Food-borne Bacteria Is Spread Sep 25, 2009
24, 2009) University of Central Florida Microbiology Professor Keith Ireton has uncovered a previously unknown mechanism that plays an important role in the spread of a deadly food-borne bacterium ... Listeria monocytogenes is a bacterium that can cause pregnant women to lose their fetuses and trigger fatal cases of meningitis in the elderly or people with compromised immune systems ... The bacterium has been linked to outbreaks traced to food processing plants in the U.S. and Canada. (Science Daily)
Pneumonia Shot (PPV) What Seniors... Sep 23, 2009
The pneumococcal vaccine, also known as the pneumonia shot or Pneumovax, may boost a senior s immunity against serious, and potentially deadly, infections caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium ... About 25% of pneumonia infections are caused by the Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterium. (Suite101.com)
New test quickly ID's active TB in smear-negative patients Sep 23, 2009
Active tuberculosis (TB) is the seventh-leading cause of death worldwide, and while the diagnosis of active TB can be rapidly established when the bacteria can be identified on sputum microscopy, in about half of all cases, the TB bacterium cannot be detected, making another diagnostic option critical in efforts to control the spread of TB. ... The World Health Organization estimates that approximately one-third of the world's population is infected with M. tuberculosis, the bacterium that... (EurekAlert!)
Building A Complete Metabolic Model: Comprehensive Understanding Of Bacteria Could Lead To New Insights Into Many Organisms Sep 22, 2009
21, 2009) Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) and other institutions have constructed a complete model, including three dimensional protein structures, of the central metabolic network of the bacterium Thermotoga maritima (T. maritima) ... Scientists have constructed a complete model, including three dimensional... (Science Daily)
Spread Unlikely After Possible Plague-Related Death Sep 22, 2009
As a precaution, antibiotics have been offered to about 100 co-workers, friends and family of genetics researcher Malcolm Casadaban, who died earlier this month after lab exposure to a weakened form of the bacterium that causes plague. The strain is federally approved for lab studies. (Fox News)
Plague death: Researcher dies from infection Sep 22, 2009
He said investigators plan to study the genetic sequence of the bacterium in the scientist's blood to see if it had somehow mutated, although early tests suggest it had not ... The most likely explanation, Alexander said, is that the researcher had an underlying genetic susceptibility to the bacterium, such as an excess of iron in the blood, that may have allowed the infection. (MSNBC -- Health)
Vaccine To Prevent Urinary Tract Infections Shows Early Promise Sep 20, 2009
To help combat this common health issue, the U-M scientists used a novel systematic approach, combining bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics, to look for key parts of the bacterium, Escherichia coli, that could be used in a vaccine to elicit an effective immune response. The team, led by Dr. Harry L.T. Mobley, Ph. (Science Daily)
Building a complete metabolic model Sep 18, 2009
September 17, 2009 -- Investigators at Burnham Institute for Medical Research (Burnham), University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI), Genomics Institute of the Novartis Research Foundation (GNF) and other institutions have constructed a complete model, including three dimensional protein structures, of the central metabolic network of the bacterium Thermotoga maritima (T. maritima). This is the first time scientists have developed such a... (EurekAlert!)
Risk, regulation and children: A toxic mix Sep 18, 2009
coli, a bacterium that in its benign forms colonises most people s guts. Forty cases have now been confirmed in what is likely to be Britain s largest-ever outbreak of E.coli poisoning spread by animals (contaminated food is a more common source). (The Economist)
New Antituberculosis Compounds Discovered Sep 17, 2009
"This is important because we are running out of effective antibiotics that are currently available. There are few drugs that successfully combat TB in its dormant stage, which makes the bacterium so resilient in the body. More important, there are many antibiotics that kill bacteria by blocking the synthesis of proteins, but there are none that kill bacteria by interfering with protein breakdown, as we have found here.". Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the bacterium that causes TB, infects one... (Science Daily)
Africa: Low Vaccine Coverage for Pneumonia Sep 17, 2009
The Hib bacterium caused 8. 1 million serious illnesses in 2000 an increase over an earlier WHO annual estimate of five million leaving up to 35 percent of survivors with permanent disabilities, according to WHO. Though Hib disease is preventable, hundreds of thousands of children die annually from the illness, which is difficult to diagnose. (allAfrica.com)
