A new study led by Dr. Antonella Fioravanti in the lab of professor Han Remaut (VIB-VUB Center for Structural Biology) has shown that removing the armor of the bacterium that causes anthrax slows its growth and negatively affects its ability to cause disease.
Researchers want to use similar genetic patterns, which have been present in the blood of humans and animals for thousands of years, to improve computer-assisted disease prognosis.
The number of syphilis cases has been consistently going up across Europe since 2010, mostly affecting men who have sex with men living in urban areas. In 2017, notification rates reached an all-time high in the EU/EEA countries with more than 33,000 reported cases.
In 2014, a virus called crAssphage that infects bacteria was discovered as part of the body’s intestinal environment. Now, a new study has investigated the origin and evolution of this virus, which may have coevolved with human lineage.
While decolonization of Staphylococcus aureus reduces surgical site infection (SSI) rates following hip and knee arthroplasty, its cost-effectiveness is uncertain. Rennert-May, et al. (2019)
