Tag Archives: bacteria
Heavy metals and cyanobacteria: towards bioremediation
Heavy metals are one of the most common pollutants worldwide, being a serious hazard to the environment and public health. These metals are usually removed from polluted waters by physicochemical methods that can have substantial costs, low
Key elements of proteins involved in the bacterial production of the toxin methylmercury
Mercury is a prevalent global pollutant that has adverse effects on human health. This toxin is present in the environment not only as a result of releases during natural events, such as volcanic eruptions, forest fires and
Out of thin air – how marine bacteria beat nitrogen limitation
Nitrogen (N), one of life’s most important building blocks, is often in short supply; both on land and in the ocean (Fig. 1). This shortage means that N is often the factor limiting the growth and abundance
What’s in your water? Using DNA to keep drinking waters clean
Turn on a tap, and many of us will be greeted with safe and clean drinking water. This is something that people living in developed nations often take for granted, as contaminated drinking water is a significant
Endospore formation: a mechanism for microbial response to unfavorable environment
The strain included in the report is Bacillus sp. CHD6a, a member of the phylum Firmicutes isolated from the shallow-sea hydrothermal vent systems off northeast Taiwan’s coast. Bacillus is a genus of Gram-positive, rod-shaped and ubiquitous in
Origin of photosynthesis: Is photosynthetic ability present in Actinobacteria?
The origin of photosynthesis, which sustains most life on earth, by converting light energy from the sun into chemical energy for plants, animals and other organism, remains an important unresolved problem in the history of life. Besides
A brucellosis vaccine that provides sterile immunity
Brucellosis is a disease caused by infection with bacteria of the genus Brucella. Most of Brucella species are capable of infecting humans, and they are all considered zoonotic since different animals are their preferential hosts. Brucella ovis
Could a newly-discovered bacteria contribute to cancer?
For many years, doctors and scientists have known that certain viruses, such as human papilloma virus (HPV), are capable of causing cancer. Until recently, bacteria were ignored as potential carcinogens. This changed with the discovery that Helicobacter
The matrix reloaded: how a self-produced extracellular matrix controls the development of multicellular microbial communities
In nature, many bacteria live in multicellular communities called biofilms. Biofilms offer their resident bacterial cells protection from environmental insults and assaults, and better attachment to hosts. For humans, they have medical and industrial costs, but also
Aerobic condition accelerates carotenoid production in Enterococcus gilvus
Lactic acid bacteria (LAB) is industrial important bacteria because LAB are used in fermented foods and probiotics. The clarification of the stress tolerance mechanism of LAB is beneficial for probiotic and molecular breeding to equip LAB with
Genome sequence of the natural antagonist Pseudomonas fluorescens 2-79 against fungal plant diseases
In agriculture we have to deal with a huge variety of diseases caused by phytopathogenic bacteria, fungi or insects for instance. Many of these plant pathogens live in the soil and attack the respective cultivar at the
S5nA – a novel group a streptococcal immune evasion factor
Streptococcus pyogenes (aka Group A Streptococcus, GAS) is a pathogenic bacterium that causes disease in humans, ranging from pharyngitis (‘strep throat’) and skin infections to severe invasive diseases, such as necrotizing fasciitis (‘flesh-eating disease) and life-threatening toxic
A case of meningo-vascular syphilis associated with bilateral anterior cerebral artery aneurysms
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted disease caused by Treponema pallidum, a bacterium of the order of spirochetes, with human beings as the only host. Recently, the drastic increase in the incidence of syphilis worldwide, especially in urban
Can bacteria resist a new antibacterial method?
Antibiotic resistance in bacteria is on the rise worldwide, making some previously-treatable infections incurable or even life-threatening. Thus there is a growing need for the discovery and development of new antibacterial methods of disinfection. Ideally these methods
Morgellons disease: the search for a perpetrator
Morgellons disease is a poorly understood skin condition associated with Lyme disease. Patients suffering from the disease often have spontaneously-appearing, slowly-healing skin ulcers and may have crawling or stinging sensations in their skin. They may have one
Demyelination and remyelination signalling in multiple sclerosis as an aid to targeted therapy
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is an inflammatory autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) characterised by demyelination. Demyelination, i.e. damage and erosion of the myelin sheath which protects the nerve fibres, occurs in the white matter of
Ultrasounds for heart infections can be reduced by following simple rules
Staphylococcus aureus bacteria often cause severe bloodstream infections, called Staph aureus bacteremia (SAB). Once Staph aureus enters the bloodstream it can spread to the heart and cause an infection of the heart valves called infective endocarditis (IE).
Specialised vesicle proteins which reduce the development of bacterial lung injury
Lung injury can occur from many stimuli including bacteria, asbestos and trauma. Injury occurs following breakdown of the barrier which lines blood vessels in the lungs. This breakdown forms gaps in lung vessels through which fluid and
From the gut to the eye: commensal microbes as potential triggers of autoimmune uveitis
Autoimmune uveitis is a group of inflammatory diseases that affect the retina of the eye and related tissues and constitute a major cause of human blindness. It is believed that the disease is triggered by the activation
