Microbiology

Vaccinia Virus Spreads Four Times Faster Than Thought Possible

Viruses are thought to spread by entering a cell, replicating, and then moving on to infect new cells. But a new study published in Science reveals that some viruses spread much faster than previously thought, and it may be possible to stop the spread of d ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 21 2010 - 4:26pm

Good Germs, Bad Germs- Nutritions's Influence On The Immune System

T cells, B cells- antibodies- intervene when viruses and bacteria make us ill and they wipe out intruders effectively but cause collateral damage in the body's own tissue, which has to be repaired. In order for our immune system to not be in a constan ...

Article - News Staff - Jan 23 2010 - 11:00am

P. Aeruginosa Toxic To Wound-Treating Maggots

Bacteria that infect chronic wounds can be deadly to maggot 'biosurgeons' used to treat the lesions, say researchers writing in the journal Microbiology. During the study, maggots applied to simulated wounds heavily infected with the bacterium Ps ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 4 2010 - 8:01pm

Transcriptional Profiling Of Plasmodium Falciparum May Lead To Malaria Vaccine

Using transcriptional profiling, researchers at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have uncovered previously unknown gene expression patterns in malaria. The discovery could lead to the development of more potent drugs or a vaccine for malar ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 5 2010 - 2:58pm

Warning: Eating Reptiles Could Be Hazardous To Your Health

In some places around the world, reptiles are becoming a delicacy, but researchers writing in the International Journal of Food Microbiology say there are dangerous side effects that come with eating the animals. Experts warn that eating crocodiles, turtle ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2010 - 7:02pm

ToxT Protein Explains Cholera's Virulent Nature

The protein ToxT controls the virulent nature of Vibrio cholerae, the bacteria that causes cholera. And buried within ToxT is a fatty acid that appears to inhibit the protein, preventing V. cholerae from causing cholera. The findings appeared recently in P ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 12 2010 - 11:46am

Study Reveals Plasmodium's Replication Trick

The mechanism by which the parasite Plasmodium intensively replicates itself in human blood to spread malaria has eluded scientists despite decades of rigorous research. But now biologists writing in the journal Genome Research say they have discovered how ...

Article - News Staff - Sep 8 2010 - 7:03pm

Fungal Fumes Clear Out Destructive Wheat Pests

 Scientists searching for alternatives to synthetic pesticides say volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by the fungus Muscodor albus may offer a biologically based way to rid certain crops of destructive pests. Reseachers from the USDA's Agricult ...

Article - News Staff - Feb 19 2010 - 12:17pm

Gross, Clean Out Your Fridge!

Much like the Chicago Bears' defensive lineman William "The Fridge" Perry cleaned out the New England Patriots in Superbowl XX, you really should clean your fridge out more often. In fact, most Americans clean their fridges only once or twic ...

Article - Becky Jungbauer - Feb 25 2010 - 11:01pm

Antibiotic Resistance Increasing In Soil Microbes

A new study in Environmental Science and Technology reports that soil microbes have become progressively more resistant to antibiotics over the last 60 years, despite more stringent rules on the use of antibiotics in medicine and agriculture. The study inv ...

Article - News Staff - Mar 3 2010 - 11:31am