It’s a deadly bacterium that can spread like wildfire. New research suggests Yersinia pestis first developed its ability to cause lung infection and then evolved to be highly infectious.
How to trim agriculture’s global warming footprint?
Neil Howard
About 10% of human-generated greenhouse gas emissions come from farming. Researchers are working on ways to address this piece of the global warming puzzle.
Like something straight out of a biofilm.
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Biofilms have developed to let nutrients in but keep antimicrobials out.
CRISPR-Cas systems provide a new way to target pathogenic bacteria, without some of antibiotics’ downsides.
CRISPR-CAS9 image via www.shutterstock.com.
A naturally-occurring system discovered in bacteria holds promise as a way to fight pathogens – very specifically and without the risk of antibiotic resistance.
The bacteria living in your gut have more to do with your immune system than you might think.
Knorre/Shutterstock
Your intestines are home to many different kinds of bacteria (and some non-bacterial organisms as well). Together they’re called the “gut microbiome.” They come from the food you eat – and whatever else…
We’re in a protracted war against superbugs because we’ve overused existing antibiotics: a key weapon against disease.
Nomadic Lass/Flickr
We’ve heard a lot lately about superbugs – bacteria that are resistant to current antibiotics. But as the threat of superbugs continues to rise, the number of new treatments available has flatlined. This…
We don’t actually know whether probiotics have a measurable impact on digestive health.
brownpau/Flickr
The terms probiotics and prebiotics are appearing on more items in supermarket aisles all the time. Both words, their placement and the products they adorn, imply they’re good for you, that more of these…
Chemicals are all around us. They are crucial in all manner of industries, from agriculture to food to cosmetics. Most people give little thought to how these chemicals are made – and certainly very few…
There is no evidence that the health benefits of milk are compromised by pasteurisation.
jacqueline/Flickr
Milk is a highly nutritious food, and an important source of amino acids and minerals such as phosphorus and calcium, which contributes to bone health. Historically, milk was prone to contamination by…
Consuming bath milk is particularly risky because it may contain the deadly STEC E.Coli bug.
Olga Prokopova/Shutterstock
The death this week of a Victorian toddler after allegedly drinking “bath milk” is a reminder of how dangerous some natural cosmetics can be. The product – Mountain View Organic Dairy’s Organic Bath Milk…
Better antimicrobial stewardship could curb infection rates.
Global Panorama/Flickr
Going to the hospital can save your life, but it is not without risks. Patients can be exposed to dangerous infections while receiving treatment. In the United States, health care-associated infections…
A parasite wants to live with you, and to do that it needs to convince your body’s immune system to ignore it.
Sebastian Kaulitzki/Shutterstock
When you’re sick, you want the most effective treatment to help get you back on your feet. But what if that involved bugs? Maggots and leeches have been used for decades and are still supplied to hospitals…
The idea of faecal transplants was taken a step further in the recent story of Catherine Duff who, fed up with the crippling pains and diarrhoea caused by yet another C. difficile infection, decided to…
About 6,000 years ago, a bacterium underwent a few genetic changes. These allowed it to expand its habitat from the guts of mice to that of fleas. Such changes happen all the time, but in this particular…
New links between the bacteria in your gut and disease are being made almost daily. We know, for instance, that the microbial communities residing in your intestines have a role in your mood and levels…