Microbiome of the nose: removing iron from multi-resistant germs

Whether dangerous staphylococci survive in the nose depends on what other bacteria are present - and how they obtain iron.

09-Aug-2024 - A research team led by Simon Heilbronner, Professor of Microbiology at the LMU Biocenter, has investigated how different bacteria that can colonize the nasal cavity deal with the iron deficiency there and interact with each other. The results of the study, which was recently published in the ISME ...

Algae as a beacon of hope?

14-Dec-2022 - Whether it'snew biofuels, innovative cancer drugs or sustainable foods, researchers around the world see immense potential in so-called euglenoids. However, of 1,000 known species, only 20 have been studied so far. The Euglena International Network (EIN) wants to change that. On board: ...

The bacteria powering a truly green revolution in personal electronics

UMass Amherst team engineers biofilm capable of producing long-term, continuous electricity from your sweat

08-Aug-2022 - Researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst recently announced that they have figured out how to engineer a biofilm that harvests the energy in evaporation and converts it to electricity. This biofilm has the potential to revolutionize the world of wearable electronics, powering ...

A new dimension in transplantation

Technique to transplant mitochondria from one living cell to another

29-Mar-2022 - In a technological breakthrough, researchers at ETH Zurich have announced the development of a new technique that can transplant mitochondria – the tiny powerhouses of the cell – from one living cell to another with unparalleled efficiency. Just as the human body can be divided into different ...

Structure of virus that infects bacteria in hot springs is revealed

06-Feb-2019 - Scientists have revealed the structure of a virus infecting bacteria that thrive in 160-degree hot springs in places like Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming. The discovery could lead to better targeted delivery of drugs into cells and new DNA sequencing technology, according to a study by ...

Fighting deadly drug resistant bacteria in intestines with new antibiotic

22-Jan-2019 - A new antibiotic developed by a Flinders University researcher is being heralded as a breakthrough in the war against a drug resistant superbug. Bacteria are winning the fight against antibiotics as they evolve to fight off traditional treatments, threatening decades of advancements in modern ...

From gut to space

Candida albicans exploits lack of oxygen to cause disease

18-Jan-2019 - Scientists from Umeå university have shown how the yeast Candida albicans can modulate and adapt to low oxygen levels in different body niches to cause infection and to harm the host. Studying adaption to hypoxic or anoxic niches is particularly fruitful, since it helps us to understand the ...

Pathogens may evade immune response with metal-free enzyme required for DNA replication

23-Oct-2018 - Some bacterial pathogens, including those that cause strep throat and pneumonia, are able to create the components necessary to replicate their DNA without the usually required metal ions. This process may allow infectious bacteria to replicate even when the host's immune system sequesters iron ...

A novel antibiotic from weeds

30-Jul-2018 - Researchers working on an SNSF project have discovered novel, antibiotically active chemical substances in a previously rarely explored site: the leaf of a common field weed. The just published findings show that this microcosm contains many still unknown natural products that could lead to new ...

Molecule may help tame virulent bacteria and prevent infection

Findings discuss how Staphylococcus can colonize our noses but not cause infection

27-Apr-2018 - According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about one in three humans carries Staphylococcus aureus, or "staph," in our noses, and 2 percent of us carry the dreaded methicillin-resistant (MRSA) strain that thwarts common antibiotics. So how is it that most of us never get ...