Bacteria's Vulnerability Uncovered by Single Molecule Chemistry
March 21st 2016Drug-resistant bacteria are fast becoming one of the big worries of the 21st century. Now researchers at the University of Copenhagen have discovered a previously unknown weakness -- an Achilles' heel of bacteria. Their discovery, a crucial step in bacteria's energy metabolism, may be the first step in developing an entirely novel form of antibiotics.
Researchers Develop New Tools to Combat Antibiotic Resistance
March 18th 2016A University of Saskatchewan (U of S) research team has discovered a way to prevent bacteria from developing resistance to antibiotics, potentially helping to blunt the edge of a looming threat to public health around the world.
Expert Pushes for Zika, Microcephaly Surveillance
March 17th 2016Rapid testing for the Zika virus is a critical need in the recent Ebola-affected countries of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea, says a Georgetown University professor, because of the recent Zika outbreak on nearby Cape Verde and the similarity in symptoms between Zika and early Ebola.
New Technique for Rapidly Killing Bacteria Using Tiny Gold Disks and Light
March 17th 2016Researchers have developed a new technique for killing bacteria in seconds using highly porous gold nanodisks and light, according to a study published today in Optical Materials Express, a journal published by The Optical Society. The method could one day help hospitals treat some common infections without using antibiotics, which could help reduce the risk of spreading antibiotic resistance.
Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone are Managing Ebola Flare-ups Effectively
March 17th 2016Health authorities from Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and representatives of partner organizations have expressed confidence in the capacity of the three Ebola-impacted countries to effectively manage residual risks of new Ebola infections-pointing to the rapid government-led containment of recent flare-ups of the disease.
Amping Antimicrobial Discovery With Automation
March 16th 2016The antimicrobial arsenal that we count on to save millions of lives each year is alarmingly thin--and these microbes are rapidly evolving resistance to our weapons. But help may be on the way: In a study posted in the AMB Express, researchers from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) show that automated techniques commonly used to screen new drugs for mammalian cell toxicity could also dramatically speed up the challenging task of antimicrobial discovery.