News tagged with biofilms
DNA from cystic fibrosis patients with and without chronic infections points to unsuspected mutation
(Medical Xpress) -- Comparing the DNA from patients at the best and worst extremes of a health condition can reveal genes for resistance and susceptibly. This approach discovered rare variations in the DCTN4 ...
Genetics
Jul 08, 2012 |
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Dirty pacifiers may make infants sick, study says
(HealthDay)—Pacifiers are universally popular with new parents and their infants, but there's one big problem with them: They can get dirty. Very dirty.
Pediatrics
Nov 03, 2012 |
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New plasma jet gives 'cold' shoulder to 'superbugs'
Scientists at Queen's University Belfast have developed a new technique which has the potential to kill off hospital superbugs like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, C. difficile and MRSA.
Medical research
Oct 03, 2012 |
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Researchers find Salmonella to be more resilient than originally thought
(Medical Xpress)—Virginia Tech scientists have provided new evidence that biofilms—bacteria that adhere to surfaces and build protective coatings—are at work in the survival of the human pathogen Salmonella.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Apr 10, 2013 |
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Researchers suggest novel prevention of recurrent ear infections
Eliminating bacteria's DNA and boosting antimicrobial proteins that already exist may help prevent middle ear infections from reoccurring. These are the findings from a Nationwide Children's Hospital study that examined how ...
Medical research
Oct 30, 2012 |
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Parallel evolution - cystic fibrosis
(Medical Xpress) -- Researchers at the University of Liverpool are examining the evolution of Pseudomonas aeruginosa over time in the lungs of ten people with cystic fibrosis to understand why it persists ...
Medical research
Mar 06, 2012 |
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Could compound in artificial sweeteners worsen Crohn's disease?
(HealthDay) -- The food additive maltodextrin, commonly used in some artificial sweeteners, may worsen Crohn's disease by encouraging the growth of E. coli bacteria in the small intestine, a new study suggests.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
May 21, 2012 |
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Cigarette smoke boosts virulence in Staphylococcus aureus
Exposure to cigarette smoke has long been associated with increased frequency of respiratory infections—which are harder to treat in smoke-exposed people than in those who lack such exposures. Now Ritwij Kulkarni of Columbia ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Nov 08, 2012 |
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Research offers new clues to prevent infection in cardiac devices
Bacteria such as Staphylococcus aureus, the 'superbug' behind MRSA, can be a major problem for patients who have a medical implant, such as a replacement heart valve or pacemaker.
Medical research
Apr 10, 2012 |
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Study finds weakness in armor of killer hospital bacteria
There's new hope for development of an antibiotic that can put down a lethal bacteria or superbug linked to the deaths of hundreds of hospital patients around the world.
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Jun 07, 2012 |
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Novel tuberculosis research technology published
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), one-third of the world's population is currently infected with tuberculosis bacteria. The bacteria is incredibly resistant to treatment, and despite its prevalence, ...
Diseases, Conditions, Syndromes
Feb 15, 2012 |
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Biofilm
A biofilm is an aggregate of microorganisms in which cells adhere to each other on a surface. These adherent cells are frequently embedded within a self-produced matrix of extracellular polymeric substance (EPS). Biofilm EPS, which is also referred to as slime (although not everything described as slime is a biofilm), is a polymeric conglomeration generally composed of extracellular DNA, proteins, and polysaccharides. Biofilms may form on living or non-living surfaces and can be prevalent in natural, industrial and 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.
Microbes form a biofilm in response to many factors, which may 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.
For more information about Biofilm, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
