American Society for Microbiology

The American Society for Microbiology (ASM) is a professional organization for scientists who study viruses, bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa as well as other aspects of microbiology. Microbiology is the study of organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye and which must be viewed with a microscope. ASM membership includes scientists who do basic research into the nature and lives of viruses, bacteria, and other microorganisms. ASM membership also includes scientists who work in the field of applied microbiology, for example, researching cures for diseases caused by microorganisms, or the potential for microorganisms to create cheeses from milk, to generate fuels, or to clean up oil spills. ASM was founded in 1899 under the name the "Society of American Bacteriologists." In December 1960, it was renamed the "American Society for Microbiology."


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Protein improves efficacy of tumor-killing enzyme

Scientists have devised a method for delivering tumor cell-killing enzymes in a way that protects the enzyme until it can do its work inside the cell. In their study in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Societ ...

Cancer created Apr 30, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Roundworm quells obesity and related metabolic disorders

Researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, have shown in a mouse model that infection with nematodes (also known as roundworms) can not only combat obesity but ameliorate related metabolic disorders. ...

Immunology created Apr 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 1

Virus kills melanoma in animal model, spares normal cells

Researchers from Yale University School of Medicine have demonstrated that vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) is highly competent at finding, infecting, and killing human melanoma cells, both in vitro and in animal models, ...

Medical research created Apr 23, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (2) | comments 0

High-salt diet and ulcer bug combine to increase risk of cancer

Numerous epidemiologic studies have shown that a diet high in salt is associated with an increased risk of gastric cancer. Now Timothy L. Cover and colleagues of Vanderbilt University show that high dietary salt combined ...

Immunology created Apr 18, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Circumcision alters penis microbiome, could explain HIV protection

Circumcision drastically alters the microbiome of the penis, changes that could explain why circumcision offers protection against HIV and other viral infections. In a study to be published on April 16 in mBio, the online ...

HIV & AIDS created Apr 16, 2013 | popularity 3.4 / 5 (5) | comments 4 | with audio podcast

Other stomach microbiota modulate resistance to H. pylori-driven ulcers

Mice with different naturally occurring stomach bacteria have distinct susceptibilities to disease caused by Helicobacter pylori, the well-known cause of ulcers in humans, according to a study published online ahead of pri ...

Immunology created Mar 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Cleverly designed vaccine blocks H5 avian influenza in models

Until now most experimental vaccines against the highly lethal H5N1 avian influenza virus have lacked effectiveness. But a new vaccine has proven highly effective against the virus when tested in both mice and ferrets. It ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Mar 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Pain reliever naproxen shows anti-viral activity against flu

The over-the-counter anti-inflammatory drug naproxen may also exhibit antiviral activity against influenza A virus, according to a team of French scientists. The finding, the result of a structure-based investigation, is ...

Medications created Mar 21, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

American Academy of Microbiology releases resistance report

What do cancer cells, weeds, and pathogens have in common? They all evolve resistance to the treatments that are supposed to eliminate them. However, researchers developing the next generation of antibiotics, herbicides, ...

Other created Mar 07, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Good bacteria may expunge vancomycin-resistant bacteria from your gut

Too much antibiotic can decimate the normal intestinal microbiota, which may never recover its former diversity. That, in turn, renders the GI tract vulnerable to being colonized by pathogens. Now researchers from Memorial ...

Immunology created Feb 27, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0

Virus shows promise as prostate cancer treatment

A recombinant Newcastle disease virus kills all kinds of prostate cancer cells, including hormone resistant cells, but leaves normal cells unscathed, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the Journal of ...

Cancer created Feb 25, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Novel coronavirus well-adapted to humans, susceptible to immunotherapy

The new coronavirus that has emerged in the Middle East is well-adapted to infecting humans but could potentially be treated with immunotherapy, according to a study to be published on February 19 in mBio, the online open-a ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 19, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Scientists debate CDC recommendations during meningitis outbreak

A pair of commentaries to appear in an upcoming issue of the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy highlight a debate within the public health community surrounding Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Feb 05, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 1

Hydrogen sulfide: The next anti-aging agent?

Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) may play a wide-ranging role in staving off aging, according to a paper published online ahead of print in the journal Molecular and Cellular Biology. In this review article, a team from China explor ...

Medical research created Jan 29, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0

Skin, soft tissue infections succumb to blue light

Blue light can selectively eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections of the skin and soft tissues, while preserving the outermost layer of skin, according to a proof-of-principle study led by Michael R. Hamblin of the Ma ...

Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes created Jan 28, 2013 | popularity 4.8 / 5 (5) | comments 0