http://medicalxpress.com/ en-us Medical Xpress internet news portal provides the latest news on Health and Medicine. Researchers have been able to reconstruct the genome sequence of an outbreak strain of Shiga-toxigenic Escherichia coli (STEC) using metagenomics (the direct sequencing of DNA extracted from microbiologically complex samples), according to a study in the April 10 issue of JAMA, a Genomics theme issue. The findings highlight the potential of this approach to identify and characterize bacterial pathogens directly from clinical specimens without laboratory culture. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-04-genomics-id-outbreaks-infectious-disease.html Genetics Tue, 09 Apr 2013 16:00:01 EST news284735301 An innovative anti-bacterial spray that will kill MRSA is being developed by Norwich Research Park scientists thanks to funding from the University of East Anglia. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-03-mrsa.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 21 Mar 2013 08:20:01 EST news283071825 The bacteria that cause acne live on everyone's skin, yet one in five people is lucky enough to develop only an occasional pimple over a lifetime. What's their secret? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-people-zits-dont.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 28 Feb 2013 04:30:02 EST news281211221 Scientists at the University of Southampton have taken a significant and important step in keeping people safe from the most common form of meningitis in the UK. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-02-bridging-gap-meningitis-strains-vaccinated.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Wed, 27 Feb 2013 08:53:47 EST news281177531 Malaysian researchers have revealed the presence of multidrug-resistant strains of Listeria monocytogenes in frozen burger patties taken from supermarkets and other retail shops in Malaysia. The research was published in Pertanika Journal of Tropical Agricultural Science. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2013-01-emerging-antibiotic-resistance-listeria.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 24 Jan 2013 07:17:50 EST news278234260 One third of the world is infected with the bacterium that causes tuberculosis (TB), a disease that is increasingly difficult to treat because of wide spread resistance to available drugs. Researchers from the Institute of Pharmacology and Structural Biology (CNRS, Université de Toulouse) in Toulouse (France) have identified a fresh target to develop new drugs for TB. The study, published in the Open Access journal PLOS Pathogens, shows why the target will be important in developing new TB treatments. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-12-reveals-drug-urgently-tuberculosis-therapy.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:00:05 EST news275244869 Researchers at the University of California, Santa Cruz, have developed a new strategy for finding novel antibiotic compounds, using a diagnostic panel of bacterial strains for screening chemical extracts from natural sources. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-biomap-screening-procedure-antibiotics.html Medications Mon, 26 Nov 2012 13:42:13 EST news273159719 New and increasingly sophisticated vaccines are taking aim at a broad range of disease-causing pathogens, targeting them with greater effectiveness at lower cost and with improved measures to ensure safety. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-dna-vaccine-technology-poised-safe.html Medical research Mon, 05 Nov 2012 15:00:21 EST news271337228 Certain saturated fats that are common in the modern Western diet can initiate a chain of events leading to complex immune disorders such as inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) in people with a genetic predisposition, according to a study to be published early online in the journal Nature. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-06-western-diet-gut-bacteria-triggers.html Medical research Wed, 13 Jun 2012 13:00:01 EST news258810652 Infants whose gut is colonised by E. coli bacteria early in life have a higher number of memory B cells in their blood, reveals a study of infants carried out at the Sahlgrenska Academy at the University of Gothenburg, Sweden. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-05-gut-flora-affects-maturation-cells.html Immunology Mon, 07 May 2012 12:43:24 EST news255613393 Yoghurt has been valued for centuries for its health-promoting effects. These effects are thought to be mediated by the lactic acid bacteria typically contained in yoghurt. Evidence from recent scientific studies show that some bacterial strains actually have a probiotic effect and can thus prevent disease. A team of biologists and nutrition scientists working with Prof. Dirk Haller from the Technische Universitaet Muenchen (TUM) has now discovered the mechanisms at work behind this protective effect (Cell Host & Microbe). http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-04-invisible-helpers-probiotic-bacteria-inflammatory.html Medical research Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:23:43 EST news254657670 Aggressive infections in hospitals are an increasing health problem worldwide. The development of bacterial resistance is alarming. Now a young Danish scientist has found a natural substance in a Chilean rainforest plant that effectively supports the effect of traditional treatment with antibiotics. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-02-rainforest-combats-multi-resistant-bacterial-strains.html Medical research Mon, 20 Feb 2012 04:48:05 EST news248935650 (Medical Xpress) -- Yogurt is popular among consumers, largely because the special live bacteria it contains are thought to benefit digestive health. But how much influence do these bacteria actually have on digestion and, by extension, on overall health? http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-health-probiotics.html Medical research Wed, 26 Oct 2011 16:11:57 EST news238864299 An international team of scientists led by Monash University researchers has uncovered how a common hospital bacterium becomes a deadly superbug that kills increasing numbers of hospital patients worldwide and accounts for an estimated $3.2 billion each year in health care costs in the US alone. Their findings appear October 13th in the Open Access journal PLoS Pathogens. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-10-hospital-superbug-debugged.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Thu, 13 Oct 2011 17:30:51 EST news237745839 Repeated exposure of the eye to ophthalmic antibiotics appears to be associated with the emergence of resistant strains of microbes among patients undergoing intraocular injection therapy for neovascular retinal disease, according to a report in the September issue of Archives of Ophthalmology. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-09-ophthalmic-antibiotics-antimicrobial-resistance-intraocular.html Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes Mon, 12 Sep 2011 16:31:06 EST news235063799