Engineered Antimicrobial Peptides Developed To Kill Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria

With antibiotic resistant bacteria becoming prevalent, reaching high levels, scientists are studying ways to counteract and address this serious problem. Using the drug resistant bacteria that causes Tuberculosis, researchers are testing a new therapy using antimicrobial peptides to overcome this. This research was presented at the 247th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society (ACS).

The TB bacteria is slowly coming up with resistant strains that pose a real serious health risk. Scientists have developed a new way to destroy these organisms and similar ones that have built a resistance to antibiotics; drilling.

Using protein engineered antimicrobial peptides (AMP), the outer membrane of bacterial organisms are broken down removing its structural support and protection mechanism. Just like drill bits, the AMPs drill into the thick walls of the cells killing the bacteria. Using three synthesised strains of AMP, lab tests show that all three of these antimicrobial peptides were successful in killing the Mycobacterium tuberculosis and M. smegmatis bacteria .

This is just the first generation of AMPs produced and scientists are also studying another class of AMPs, picidin a and 3, to improve and expand its arsenal against this deadly trend.

Studying Possible Pandemic Through Three Plagues Linked To Same Bacterial Pathogen

Mapping the spread of a pandemic

Scientists discovered that the two most devastating plagues, the plague of Justinian and the Black Death, responsible for killing 50% of Europe, were caused by distinct strains of the Yersinia pestis bacteria.

There have been three major plague outbreaks; The Plague of Justinian in the 6th and 7th centuries, The Black Death in the 12th century and in the 1890s, another outbreak of the Black Death appeared in China and India.

Prior to the study, there is little information on the cause or origin of the Justinian plague. They reconstructed the genome by isolating DNA fragments of 1500 year old teeth of two victims of the Justinan plague and noted that it was caused by a strain of the Yersinia pestis bacteria.

The first two plagues appeared 800 years apart and scientists are wondering how the two plagues were linked and how one can just fade (Justinian plague) and the other can re-emerge 700 years later.

Their study suggests that a new strain of the plague can emerge again in the future.

American Academy of Pediatrics Endorses Ban on Sale of Unpasteurized Milk

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) released a policy statement strongly recommending that pregnant women, infants and young children should avoid raw or unpasteurized milk and milk products and only consume pasteurized products. They also endorse the ban on the sale of unpasteurized milk and milk products in the same statement.

Milk is pasteurized to get rid of disease causing pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella and Campylobacter.

Pasteurization is a process where milk is heated at a temperature of 72°C (161°F) for 15 seconds then immediately cooled. Another similar process is Ultra-high temperature processing (UHT) where the milk is exposed to a temperature of 138°C (280°F) for a minimum of two seconds.

Studies have shown that there is no difference in the levels of proteins, carbohydrates, calcium, vitamins and enzymes in both pasteurized and unpasteurized milk. Claims that unpasteurized milk is healthier and prevents lactose intolerance has not been substantiated by scientific studies.

In the early 20th century, tubercolosis was spread through the consumption of contaminated unpasteurized milk.

Other health organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), the National Environmental Health Association (NEHA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), and the World Health Association (WHA) have also taken this stand on unpasteurized milk.

Deadly Anthrax Toxin Can Go Undetected in Human Body For Days

Anthrax is an infectious disease that is caused by the Bacillus anthracis bacteria. Bacillus anthracis is a gram positive, rod shaped bacteria that can be found in soil and commonly infects domestic and wild animals.

Animals can be infected with anthrax by breathing in or ingesting the bacterial spores present in the soil, vegetation, or water. Once active, the bacteria starts multiplying in the body and produces toxins that causes severe illness and even death.

Humans can get anthrax through contact with infected animals or contaminated animal products. Although infectious, the disease is not contagious.

The latest study on the disease show that the toxin produced by the bacteria can go undetected for days as it enters the cell. The toxin is invisible to the body's immune system and the cellular machinery responsible for destroying proteins which explains why antibiotics are not enough to combat the infection.

The pathogen can also exit the cell days after and continue to infect other cells. This explains why some succumb to the disease weeks after the last signs of bacterial presence.

The image above (Credit: EPFL / Global Health Institute) is a schematic representation of the long-term and long-distance Lethal Factor (LF) delivery modes. Anthrax LF is internalized via a dynamin dependent pathway and 34 delivered to early endosomes. There the toxin receptor complex is sorted into nascent ILVs. Anthrax PA forms a channel into the membrane of the ILV and translocates LF into the lumen. LF, encapsulated in the ILVs is transported in a microtubule dependent manner to later stages of the endocytic pathway. There, two fates are observed: LF is either delivered to the cytosol, presumably by back fusion, over periods of days or LF-containing ILVs are released into the extracellular medium as exosomes. These exosomes can be taken up by naïve recipient cell via an anthrax toxin receptor independent dynamin-dependent mechanism. LF is subsequently released into the cytosol of the recipient cell in a Tgs101 and Alix dependent manner (inspired from (Raposo and Stoorvogel, 2013)).

Organic Energy and Electronics - Using Bacteria As An Energy Source

Scientists are studying ways to take advantage of the anaerobic respiration process of bacteria in creating fuel and electricity.

Using Dissimilatory metal-reducing bacteria (DRMB), scientists at the Naval Research Laboratory are studying how these organisms catalyze electron reactions during their respiration process. This process can be used to harvest energy from cultured bacteria in its own environment such as seawater or wastewater.

Anaerobic respiration is a a process that uses electron acceptors such as sulfate (SO42-), nitrate (NO3-), and sulfur (S) instead of oxygen (O2). The process still uses a respiratory electron chain albeit without oxygen. An exogenous final electron acceptor is still needed for electrons to pass through the system.

The electron transfer, known as extracellular electron transfer (EET), is what is exploted to ultimately create energy.

The study can open up applications in the future such as fuel from seawater, electricity from wastewater or at a microlevel - bacteria coated electronics that can power up on its own. Other related technologies have used algae and other crops such as soybean to create biofuel and biodiesel.

In 2009, researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark discovered the presence of bacteria capable of generating electric currents in the seabed.

SIGIRR Protein Found To Protect Gut Flora From Toxins

Credit: Barcroft/Fame Pictures/NPR

Scientists have discovered that the SIGIRR protein protects the beneficial bacteria in the gut (known as Gut Flora) from toxins and substances that can cause food poisoning and bowel inflammation. The Single Ig IL-1-Related Receptor (SIGIRR) is a protein encoded by the SIGIRR gene in humans.

The human body carries over a thousand species of bacteria. Most of these can be found in the human intestinal tract or the gut. These bacteria, collectively called Human Gut Flora comprises about 500 species and is beneficial to the body.

Gut flora performs important functions such as fermenting unused energy substrates, training the immune system, preventing growth of harmful, pathogenic bacteria, regulating the development of the gut, producing vitamins (such as biotin and vitamin K) for the host, and producing hormones to direct the host to store fats.

Although the positive relationship between gut flora and the human body, there are certain situations and conditions that bacteria can cause infections, disease, and even cancer.

Mapping and DNA Sequencing the Genomes of Uncharted Microbial Organisms - Microbial Dark Matter

Great Boiling Spring in Nevada
Credit: Brian Hedlund, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Scientists led by the U.S. Department of Energy Joint Genome Institute (DOE JGI) are mapping the genetic make up of previously uncharted branches in the bacterial and archaeal cells and organisms. These cells, referred to as "microbial dark matter" cannot be cultured in a laboratory and because they live in specific conditions and environments, are hard to reproduce.

Living organisms are divided into three kingdoms or domains, Eukaryota, Bacteria, and Archaea. They are classified based on their cellular organization, biochemistry, and molecular biology which each share on a fundamental basis with others in the domain regardless of the diversity.

Microbes are important to life. Bacteria, for example, comprises about 10% of a human body's weight and can be found in all organs and tissues. These organisms have great influence on a body's biological and even behavioral processes. The influence of microbial life is not restricted to the human body, it can also have influence over other areas such as the environment, global cycles, and also climate processes. A recent study points to microbes as the cause for rising methane levels in the ocean.

With this undertaking, scientists visited nine habitats around the world to collected uncultivated microbial cells from which they were able to reassemble and identify 201 distinct genomes. The data can be used to align with 28 major previously uncharted branches of the tree of life.

The nine habitats visited were Sakinaw Lake in British Columbia; the Etoliko Lagoon of western Greece; a sludge reactor in Mexico; the Gulf of Maine; off the north coast of Oahu, Hawaii, the Tropical Gyre in the south Atlantic; the East Pacific Rise; the Homestake Mine in South Dakota; and the Great Boiling Spring in Nevada.

Development of Broad Spectrum Antivirals For Potential Treatment of Various Viral Infections

There is no effective small-molecule therapy for most viruses, including highly pathogenic viruses such as Ebola, which is associated with mortality rates of up to 90 percent following infection. Filone et al, describe compounds that inhibit the replication of genetically diverse viruses, including Ebola. These compounds can limit virus replication (illustrated as green molecules "blocking" spread of orange Ebola virus virions from an infected cell). These molecules represent probes of a central virus function as well as a lead compound for the development of effective broad-spectrum antivirals.
Credit: Image created by Claire Marie Filone and John Connor, Ebola virus micrograph by Chris Reed at USAMRIID.

Researchers are studying molecules called indolie alkaloids that can be modified to enhance antiviral activity for a possible treatment for various viral infections such as the deadly Ebola virus.

Viruses are small infectious agents that are made up of a chain of genetic DNA or RNA. Viruses needs a host cell to stay alive and replicate.

The difference between bacteria and a virus is that a bacteria is a living single celled organism. A virus is not considered a living organism (there are some arguments for and against this). A virus does not have any cellular parts or internal cellular structure. It consists only of a protein coat that holds a coiled string of nucleic acid, in this case DNA or RNA.

While bacteria can thrive in most surfaces and environments, a virus needs a living host to stay alive. It infects the cells of the host and uses these cells to make copies of it, infecting other cells in the process. Viruses spread from host to host through contact; direct or indirect.

Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. They address bacterial infections by killing off the bacteria. For viral infections, there are relatively few drugs that can address these. This is because the virus lives inside the cells. Destroying the virus means killing the cells of the host.

Immunizing against a virus is the most common way. Immunization protects the body from contracting the viral infection. But as seen with the common cold or the influenza virus, viruses can mutate and work around the immunization.

Phenol-soluble modulin (PSM) Transport System Is Key To Developing Staph Infection Drug

Electron Microscope Image of Staphylococcus aureus
Credit: CDC

Scientists at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) are developing a new drug based on their studies on phenol-soluble modulins (PSMs) that can treat infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus.

Staphylococcus or simply staph, is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria are bacteria that can be stained dark blue or violet by Gram staining. Staphylococcus appear round and form in clusters (see image).

There are about 40 species under the staphylococcus genus and most are harmless. But one strain of staph that may cause problems is the Staphylococcus aureus bacterium. It is commonly carried in the skin and the nasal passages (nose) by healthy people. Staphylococcus aureus is resistant to antibiotics and is a common cause of skin infections, respiratory disease, and food poisoning. S. aureus is a surface bacteria and can survive for months depending on the strain.

Infections occur when this bacteria enters the body through an open wound or when the skin is punctured or broken. One dangerous condition is MRSA or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infection. This is a strain that has become resistant to the medication used to commonly treat ordinary staph infections.

Antiseptic Baths Significantly Reduce Blood Infection Risk In Critically Ill Children

Antiseptic baths with diluted chlorhexidine gluconate (CHG) safely reduces risk of bloodstream infection in critically ill children.

A bedside bath or sponge bath is an alternative to regular bathtub bathing or showering. It is usually done to patients where water immersion is challenging or may pose a health risk.

Sponge baths are important for bedridden patients not only for personal hygiene but also because of bedsores. Bedsores form when excess dirt and oil accumulate in the body because of limited mobility.

Bedside baths are done with a sponge, soap, and water. There are products that are specifically made for these kinds of baths. Regular soap tend not to rinse off well during bedside baths and may cause irritation.

Research Suggest Beneficial Effect of Probiotic Therapy for HIV Patients

Researchers demonstrate that probiotics can be useful in treating HIV.

Probiotics are the opposite of antibiotics. Antibiotics fight bacterial infections by killing bacteria or inhibit their growth in the body. Probiotics are good bacteria that help in body functions and protect the body from harmful bacteria.

The most common use for probiotics are related to the digestive system. Although there are studies that probiotics can also be applied to therapies for diabetes, cancer, alleriges, anemia, and even cavities.

Some food that are commonly consumed that contains probiotics are yogurt, onions, garlic, sauerkraut, buttermilk and kimchi (a korean dish). There are also probiotic supplements available.

Probiotics are marketed depending on its bacterial strain. Bacillus coagulans and Lactobacillus plantarum are probiotics that are used by people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). The Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis strain are used for gastrointestinal conditions while probiotics containing Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis are for abdominal pain.

As stated on the embedded BBC video, on the average, the effects of probiotics are positive. But the effect of probiotics change from person to person. Most get the beneficial effect of it while others experience the complete opposite.

Virulent Form of Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) Bacteria May Protect Against Stroke and Cancer

Researchers suggest that an especially virulent strain of the gut bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori)may protect stroke and some types of cancer.

A stroke is a disease where blockages (called clots) in the artery obstruct the flow of blood to the brain. Without the blood that carries oxygen and nutrients to it, brain cells start to die and may cause permanent damage.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States. The most popular type of stroke are Ischemic strokes. 87% of all strokes are of this type.

The American Heart Association defines it as an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. This is due to the development of fatty deposits lining the vessel walls. This condition is called atherosclerosis.

Depending on what part of the brain is affected, cognitive and physical activities deteriorate. If the stroke affects the right side of the brain the following may occur:

• Paralysis on the left side of the body
• Vision problems
• Quick, inquisitive behavioral style
• Memory loss

If the left brain is affected, the person may experience the following:

• Paralysis on the right side of the body
• Speech/language problems
• Slow, cautious behavioral style
• Memory loss

There are some cases where the stroke targets the brain stem. This would result in having both sides of the brain are affected. Patients who experience this would experience total paralysis from the neck down and would be unable to speak.

Treatment for stroke victims should be immediate. The patient must be in the hospital where anti-clot medication is administered within 3 hours of experiencing symptoms.

Long term treatment requires physical, cognitive, and psychological therapy as well as medication to avoid future strokes.

Cable Bacteria Capable of Generating A Network of Electrical Current Under the Seabed Discovered

Three years ago, Researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark discovered the presence of electric currents in the seabed. They suspect at the time bacteria joined together in a network is responsible for this phenomenon. After three years, they have discovered proof to their theory: the actual bacteria.

The image shows cable bacteria in the mud of the sea bottom.
Credit: Mingdong Dong, Jie Song and Nils Risgaard-Petersen

While studying the phenomenon, the researchers noted that drawing a horizontal wire through the seabed cut off the current flow, similar to cutting power cables in real life. They also noted the presence of the bacteria whenever they studied the ocean floor.

The whole thing came together when they studied and observed the bacteria and noticed wire-like strings enclosed by a membrane.

“Such unique insulated biological wires seem simple but with incredible complexity at nanoscale,” says PhD student Jie Song, Aarhus University, who used nanotools to map the electrical properties of the cable bacteria.

Synthetic Biology Combined With Systems Biology Can Help Artificially Engineered Cells To Solve Environmental Problems

Transmission electron micrograph of metabolically engineered Escherichia coli cells accumulating poly(lactate-co-3hydroxybutyrate) copolymers

A new and emerging field in biology is synthetic biology. According to the synthetic biology community, synthetic biology can be defined as:

• The design and construction of new biological parts, devices, and systems, and;
• the re-design of existing, natural biological systems for useful purposes.

Synthetic biology is split into two types or disciplines. One group looks at creating unnatural cells to copy or mimic natural molecules. This can be done by inserting man-made dna to a cell, for instance. Another group looks at using natural cells and molecules and placing them within a system which makes it behave unnaturally.

Combining this field of science with systems biology, which is the study of how cell structures behave as one whole system, scientists can construct a cell or group of cells to function in a way that can help solve a particular problem.

An example of this would be to artificially construct a cell or a system that can address an environmental problem such as an oil spill. A scientist can construct an organism that can convert petroleum polluting the ocean into a biodegradable product or even oxygen.

Another way would be to create a cell to produce a biodegradable fuel such as the ones used in manufacturing algae-based fuel. There are even microbes that can directly produce electricity (piezoelectricity).

Medical applications can also benefit this technology. Microbes and microbial systems such as cancer detecting molecules or even organisms that can target a specific harmful protein can be created.

Super-microbes engineered to solve world environmental problems

Environmental problems, such as depleting natural resources, highlight the need to establish a renewable chemical industry. Metabolic engineering enhances the production of chemicals made by microbes in so-called "cell factories". Next Monday, world class scientist Professor Sang Yup Lee of KAIST (Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) will explain how metabolic engineering could lead to the development of solutions to these environmental problems.

For example, the polyester polylactic acid (PLA) is a biodegradable material with a wide range of uses, from medical implants, to cups, bags, food packaging and disposable tableware. It and its co-polymer can be produced by direct fermentation of renewable resources using metabolically engineered Escherichia coli.

Research Show Relationship Between Intestinal Bacteria and Type 2 Diabetes

The human body is a host to thousands of species of bacteria. The bulk of these bacteria live in the human intestinal tract or the gut. These bacteria perform activities that are beneficial to the body.

Bacteria that are not harmful and are beneficial to the body are said to be part of the normal flora. Since "flora" pertains to plants, the term "biota" is also used although generally, flora is an accepted word to describe this microsystem.

Human gut flora, consists of an average of 500 different species. They serve various beneficial functions such as fermenting unused energy substrates, training the immune system, preventing growth of harmful, pathogenic bacteria, regulating the development of the gut, producing vitamins (such as biotin and vitamin K) for the host, and producing hormones to direct the host to store fats.

Although the relationship of gut flora and the human body is generally beneficial and mutual, there are certain situations and conditions that bacteria can cause infections, disease, and even cancer.

Gut bacteria could cause diabetes

The number of people suffering from type 2 diabetes world-wide has risen rapidly in recent years, and scientists estimate that just as many people could be suffering from the illness without realising it. New research now indicates that your gut bacteria can reveal whether you suffer from the disease.

"We have demonstrated that people with type 2 diabetes have a high level of pathogens in their intestines," says professor Jun Wang from the University of Copenhagen's Department of Biology and Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Basic Metabolic Research.

Chemical Triclosan Used In Hand Sanitizers And Antibacterial Soap Reduces Muscular Strength

Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal agent. It is used in a range of consumer products where it is used to treat and stop the growth of bacteria, fungi, and mildew.

Triclosan safety is currently under review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Health Canada. There are currently twenty antimicrobial registrations, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates under the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA).

Triclosan is used as a registered pesticide only in a small portion of its overall uses. It is also used in conveyor belts, fire hoses, dye bath vats, or ice-making equipment as an antimicrobial pesticide. Triclosan can be directly applied to commercial HVAC coils, where it prevents microbial growth.

Chemical widely used in antibacterial hand soaps may impair muscle function

Triclosan, an antibacterial chemical widely used in hand soaps and other personal-care products, hinders muscle contractions at a cellular level, slows swimming in fish and reduces muscular strength in mice, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis, and the University of Colorado. The findings appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

"Triclosan is found in virtually everyone's home and is pervasive in the environment," said Isaac Pessah, professor and chair of the Department of Molecular Biosciences in the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine and principal investigator of the study. "These findings provide strong evidence that the chemical is of concern to both human and environmental health."

Triclosan is commonly found in antibacterial personal-care products such as hand soaps as well as deodorants, mouthwashes, toothpaste, bedding, clothes, carpets, toys and trash bags. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1998 estimated that more than 1 million pounds of triclosan are produced annually in the United States, and that the chemical is detectable in waterways and aquatic organisms ranging from algae to fish to dolphins, as well as in human urine, blood and breast milk.

The investigators performed several experiments to evaluate the effects of triclosan on muscle activity, using doses similar to those that people and animals may be exposed to during everyday life.

Non-Toxic Akwaton Disinfectant Works Well In Hospital Environment At Low Concentrations In Figting Bacterial Infections

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Disclaimer: The Society for General for Microbiology is reporting on a scientific study published in its own publication, Journal of Medical Microbiology. The Society does not endorse or promote use of Akwaton and holds no relationship with its commercial suppliers or distributors.
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A bacterial spore is a spore or spore-like structure produced by bacteria.

A spore is a structure that is reproductive in nature and are adapted for quick dispersal and long term survival even in adverse conditions. These form part of the life cycles of bacteria, plants, algae, fungi and some protozoa.

Bacteria such as Bacillus and Clostridium form spores called endospores. Endospores are dormant, tough, and non-reproductive structures which bacteria reduce it reduces itself to maintain survivability.

Endospore formation is usually triggered by a lack of nutrients. These allow the bacteria to lie dormant for extended periods, even centuries. Revival of spores millions of years old has been claimed. When the environment becomes more favorable, the endospore can reactivate itself to the vegetative state.

New non-toxic disinfectant could tackle hospital infections

A new disinfectant, Akwaton, that works at extremely low concentrations could be used in healthcare settings to help control persistent hospital-acquired infections such as Clostridium difficile. The study is reported online in the Journal of Medical Microbiology.

Researchers from the Université de Saint-Boniface in Winnipeg, Canada tested the new compound, Akwaton, against bacterial spores that attach to surfaces and are difficult to destroy. Previous work by the group has shown Akwaton is also effective at low concentrations against strains of Meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli.

Scientists Develop New Surface That Repels Bacterial Biofilm - Slippery-Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces (SLIPS)

The word "SLIPS" is coated with the SLIPS technology to show its ability to repel liquids and solids and even prevent ice or frost from forming. The slippery discovery has now been shown to prevent more than 99 percent of harmful bacterial slime from forming on surfaces.
Credit: Joanna Aizenberg, Rebecca Belisle, and Tak-Sing Wong

A biofilm is an aggregate of microorganisms in which cells adhere to each other on a surface. An aggregate is a collective of different microorganisms that form a single system.

Most people are familiar with slime, which is a kind of biofilm; Extracellular Polymeric Substance (EPS). Although slime is a biofilm, not all slime are biofilms. EPS is a polymeric conglomeration generally composed of extracellular DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides. Biofilms may form on any living or non-living surfaces and can be prevalent in natural, industrial and even hospital settings.

The microbial cells growing in a biofilm are physiologically distinct from planktonic cells of the same organism, which, by contrast, are single-cells that may float or swim in a liquid medium.

Biofilms are formed for various reasons. Some include include cellular recognition of specific or non-specific attachment sites on a surface, nutritional cues, or in some cases, by exposure of planktonic cells to sub-inhibitory concentrations of antibiotics. When a cell switches to the biofilm mode of growth, it undergoes a phenotypic shift in behavior in which large suites of genes are differentially regulated.

New coating evicts biofilms for good

Biofilms may no longer have any solid ground upon which to stand.

A team of Harvard scientists has developed a slick way to prevent the troublesome bacterial communities from ever forming on a surface. Biofilms stick to just about everything, from copper pipes to steel ship hulls to glass catheters. The slimy coatings are more than just a nuisance, resulting in decreased energy efficiency, contamination of water and food supplies, and—especially in medical settings—persistent infections. Even cavities in teeth are the unwelcome result of bacterial colonies.

In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), lead coauthors Joanna Aizenberg, Alexander Epstein, and Tak-Sing Wong coated solid surfaces with an immobilized liquid film to trick the bacteria into thinking they had nowhere to attach and grow.

"People have tried all sorts of things to deter biofilm build-up—textured surfaces, chemical coatings, and antibiotics, for example," says Aizenberg, Amy Smith Berylson Professor of Materials Science at the Harvard School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and a Core Faculty Member at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard. "In all those cases, the solutions are short-lived at best. The surface treatments wear off, become covered with dirt, or the bacteria even deposit their own coatings on top of the coating intended to prevent them. In the end, bacteria manage to settle and grow on just about any solid surface we can come up with."

Taking a completely different approach, the researchers used their recently developed technology, dubbed SLIPS (Slippery-Liquid-Infused Porous Surfaces) to effectively create a hybrid surface that is smooth and slippery due to the liquid layer that is immobilized on it.

MIT News: Bacterial Gene Discovered Enabling Survival in Extreme Conditions

The oil slick as seen from space by NASA's Terra satellite on May 24, 2010

Newfound gene may help bacteria survive in extreme environments

In the days following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, methane-eating bacteria bloomed in the Gulf of Mexico, feasting on the methane that gushed, along with oil, from the damaged well. The sudden influx of microbes was a scientific curiosity: Prior to the oil spill, scientists had observed relatively few signs of methane-eating microbes in the area.

Now researchers at MIT have discovered a bacterial gene that may explain this sudden influx of methane-eating bacteria. This gene enables bacteria to survive in extreme, oxygen-depleted environments, lying dormant until food — such as methane from an oil spill, and the oxygen needed to metabolize it — become available. The gene codes for a protein, named HpnR, that is responsible for producing bacterial lipids known as 3-methylhopanoids. The researchers say producing these lipids may better prepare nutrient-starved microbes to make a sudden appearance in nature when conditions are favorable, such as after the Deepwater Horizon accident.

The lipid produced by the HpnR protein may also be used as a biomarker, or a signature in rock layers, to identify dramatic changes in oxygen levels over the course of geologic history.

“The thing that interests us is that this could be a window into the geologic past,” says MIT postdoc Paula Welander, who led the research. “In the geologic record, many millions of years ago, we see a number of mass extinction events where there is also evidence of oxygen depletion in the ocean. It’s at these key events, and immediately afterward, where we also see increases in all these biomarkers as well as indicators of climate disturbance. It seems to be part of a syndrome of warming, ocean deoxygenation and biotic extinction. The ultimate causes are unknown.”

Welander and Roger Summons, a professor of Earth, atmospheric and planetary sciences, have published their results this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

A sign in the rocks

Earth’s rocky layers hold remnants of life’s evolution, from the very ancient traces of single-celled organisms to the recent fossils of vertebrates. One of the key biomarkers geologists have used to identify the earliest forms of life is a class of lipids called hopanoids, whose sturdy molecular structure has preserved them in sediment for billions of years. Hopanoids have also been identified in modern bacteria, and geologists studying the lipids in ancient rocks have used them as signs of the presence of similar bacteria billions of years ago.

But Welander says hopanoids may be used to identify more than early life forms: The molecular fossils may be biomarkers for environmental phenomena — such as, for instance, periods of very low oxygen.

To test her theory, Welander examined a modern strain of bacteria called Methylococcus capsulatus, a widely studied organism first isolated from an ancient Roman bathhouse in Bath, England. The organism, which also lives in oxygen-poor environments such as deep-sea vents and mud volcanoes, has been of interest to scientists for its ability to efficiently consume large quantities of methane — which could make it helpful in bioremediation and biofuel development.

For Welander and Summons, M. capsulatus is especially interesting for its structure: The organism contains a type of hopanoid with a five-ring molecular structure that contains a C-3 methylation. Geologists have found that such methylations in the ring structure are particularly well-preserved in ancient rocks, even when the rest of the organism has since disappeared.

Cranberry And How It Prevents Urinary Tract Infection (UTI) Studied

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is a bacterial infection of the Urinary system. This condition is more prevalent among women than men.

The urinary system comprises the kidneys, ureters, bladder and urethra. UTI can occur in any of these organs but is mose prevalent in the lower urinary tract where the bladder and the urethra resides. This type of UTI is known as cystitis or a bladder infection.

When UTI is present in the the upper urinary tract it is known as pyelonephritis or a kidney infection.

Symptoms from an infection on the lower urinary tract includes painful urination and either frequent urination or urge to urinate (or both). Pyelonephritis symptoms include fever and flank pain in addition to the symptoms of a lower UTI. The bacteria, Escherichia coli, is generally the cause for both types of UTI.

Cranberry products associated with prevention of urinary tract infections

Use of cranberry-containing products appears to be associated with prevention of urinary tract infections in some individuals, according to a study that reviewed the available medical literature and was published by Archives of Internal Medicine, a JAMA Network publication.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are common bacterial infections and adult women are particularly susceptible. Cranberry-containing products have long been used as a "folk remedy" to prevent the condition, according to the study background.