bacteria

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

A New Technique Can Create Treatment Against Drug-Resistant Bacteria In Under A Week And Adapt To Antibiotic Resistance

Kristen Eller, University of Colorado Boulder The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea A new technique my colleagues and I developed that can kill deadly, multidrug-resistant bacteria in real time could be used to generate targeted therapies that replace traditional, increasingly ineffective antibiotics. Bacteria follow the same basic genetic process that all organisms do: DNA, which contains instructions on how an organism will look and function, is copied into an intermediate form called RNA that can be translated into proteins and other molecules the organism can use. PNAs can be introduced to interrupt the process in which DNA is converted into protein or other useful biological molecules necessary for life. Kristen Eller, CC BY-ND The techniqu...

Engineered Viruses Can Fight The Rise Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

3Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

TECHNOLOGY

Engineered Viruses Can Fight The Rise Of Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

As the world fights the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing the COVID-19 pandemic, another group of dangerous pathogens looms in the background. The threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria has been growing for years and appears to be getting worse. If COVID-19 taught us one thing, it’s that governments should be prepared for more global public health crises, and that includes finding new ways to combat rogue bacteria that are becoming resistant to commonly used drugs. In contrast to the current pandemic, viruses may be be the heroes of the next epidemic rather than the villains. Scientists have shown that viruses could be great weapons against bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. I am a biotechnology and policy expert focused on understanding how personal genetic and biological information c...

Several schools find harmful bacteria in water systems, reminding all reopening buildings to check the pipes

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Several schools find harmful bacteria in water systems, reminding all reopening buildings to check the pipes

As schools cautiously reopen for the fall semester, several have discovered potentially harmful bacteria in their water systems. Parents are likely concerned about what this means for their children, and other districts may be checking their own water’s safety. Schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania have already found Legionella, the bacteria that causes Legionnaires’ disease, in their water systems. Andrew Whelton/Purdue University, CC BY-ND As researchers who investigate water quality in buildings, we warned earlier this year that the pandemic stay-at-home orders could allow bacteria and harmful metals to accumulate in water as it sat unused in buildings’ pipes. Some building managers looked for those problems as they reopened and found them. More than 10 schools in Ohio and Pennsylvania hav...

Flesh-eating bacteria making headlines, but cases are ‘rare’

4Apr

By THEIRL1ADMIN01No Comments

HEALTH & WELLNESS

Flesh-eating bacteria making headlines, but cases are ‘rare’

Touted prominently this summer is news and educational information about current Eastern coastal algae blooms and flesh-eating bacteria. Many beaches have been closed due to high risk of infection or death. Ecowatch.com in June shared: “Vibrio vulnificus is an ‘opportunistic pathogen’ ... The bacteria thrive in warm salty and brackish waters and enter humans either through breaks in the skin or after being consumed with raw seafood. Up to one-third of people with vibrio vulnificus will die from the infection, which can cause a flesh-eating and commonly fatal bacteria known as necrotizing fasciitis.” The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists necrotizing fasciitis as rare, but also notes that 700 to 1,200 cases are diagnosed annually in the United States. Those with immune-comp...