Evolving antibiotic resistance under pressure
The bacteria Acinetobacter baumannii (A. baumannii) is a haunting presence in many hospitals in the United States, where more than one in 100 patients are treated for A. baumannii infections.…
New vaccine concept tackles harmful bacteria in the intestine
The issue of intestinal bacteria is a complex one. On the one hand, we are dependent on the microorganisms because they are the ones that digest the food in our…
Antimicrobial resistance genes hitch rides on imported seafood
Colistin is a potent, last-resort antibiotic, used only to treat people with dangerous, life-threatening bacterial infections that have developed resistance to other drugs. But it’s not foolproof. Worldwide, resistance to…
Mouth bacteria may hold insight into your future brain function
The bacteria in your mouth and on your tongue may be linked to changes in brain function as you age, new research suggested. The study, led by the University of…
Bacterial vaccine shows promise as cancer immunotherapy
Columbia researchers have engineered probiotic bacteria that educate the immune system to destroy cancer cells, opening the door for a new class of cancer vaccines that take advantage of bacteria’s…
Swedish research on antibiotic pollution becomes UN-declaration
In 2007, researchers at University of Gothenburg, Sweden published the first in a series of studies showing massive pollution with antibiotics from pharmaceutical factories in India. In connection with the…
MRSA: Superbugs spread to family members of recently hospitalized patients
Family members of patients recently discharged from the hospital may have a higher risk of getting an antibiotic-resistant infection, often called a superbug, even if the patient was not diagnosed…
One vaccine, many cancers
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a type of blood cancer that forms in the soft marrow of the bones, typically attacking cells that would otherwise form the key component of…