Controlling bacteria’s necessary evil
Quorum sensing helps beneficial bacteria reign in their pathogenic origins
Germophobes – let’s chat. (more…)
Tag Archives: beneficial bacteria
Breast-feeding plays important role in ‘seeding’ infant microbiome with beneficial bacteria
UCLA-led study finds that nearly one-third of beneficial bacteria in baby’s intestinal tract comes directly from mother’s milk
Mothers protect their babies and teach them habits to stay healthy and safe as they grow. A new UCLA-led study shows that beneficial bacteria from mothers do much the same thing. (more…)
Making Germs Glow: New Test Helps Save Lives and Cuts Costs
*Replacing conventional laboratory tests with a new DNA sequence-based technology to identify pathogens causing bloodstream infections dramatically lowered mortality and health-care costs, a clinical study conducted by an interdisciplinary UA research team found.*
Unlike conventional laboratory tests, a new technology called PNA-FISH is designed to rapidly identify bloodstream pathogens by their genetic code. Results are available within hours instead of days providing pharmacists and physicians with information they can use to rapidly customize antimicrobial treatment for patients with infections.
PNA-FISH is an abbreviation for “peptide nucleic acid fluorescence in situ hybridization.” Rapid reporting of PNA FISH results to pharmacists and physicians cut the mortality of ICU patients with enterococcus or streptococcus bloodstream infections by almost half and slashed mortality from yeast infections by 86 percent. In addition, the intervention resulted in healthcare cost reduction of almost $5 million per year. (more…)
Like Humans, Amoebae Pack a Lunch Before They Travel
*Amoebae increase survival odds through rudimentary form of agriculture; finding has implications for human diseases*
Some amoebae do what many people do. Before they travel, they pack a lunch.
In results of a study reported in the journal Nature, evolutionary biologists Joan Strassmann and David Queller of Rice University show that long-studied social amoebae Dictyostellum discoideum (commonly known as slime molds) increase their odds of survival through a rudimentary form of agriculture. (more…)