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ASM Weekly Newsdigest #651

Issue #651

In this week's issue:

1. Belly button bacteria oligarchs dominate our navel's ecosystem
2. Bugs in the system
3. Does the flu shot curb heart disease?
4. Scientists explore new class of synthetic vaccines
5. Malaria vaccine gives disappointing results
6. Drinking Pig Worms to Fight Crohn's Disease
7. Hints of a more virulent, mutating West Nile virus emerge
8. Fighting bacteria with mucus

Belly button bacteria oligarchs dominate our navel's ecosystem
Wired
November 8, 2012
http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2012-11/08/belly-button-diversity-project
The Belly Button Biodiversity Project, which explores the bacterial ecosystems living in its participants' navels, has discovered that a small number of bacterial phylotypes (or "species") dominate the micro-landscape.

Bugs in the system
The Economist
November 3, 2012
http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21565586-bacterial-medicine-starting-emerge-bugs-system
Bacterial medicine is starting to emerge.

Does the flu shot curb heart disease?
CNN
October 30, 2012
http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/30/health/flu-shot-heart-disease/index.html
The influenza vaccine may reduce the risk of heart related disease and death by up to 50%, researchers say.

Scientists explore new class of synthetic vaccines
ASU Research Matters
August 2, 2012
http://researchmatters.asu.edu/stories/scientists-explore-new-class-synthetic-vaccines-2329
In a quest to make safer and more effective vaccines, scientists have turned to a promising field called DNA nanotechnology to make an entirely new class of synthetic vaccines.

Malaria vaccine gives disappointing results
Nature
November 9, 2012
http://www.nature.com/news/malaria-vaccine-gives-disappointing-results-1.11785
A vast phase III clinical trial in Africa of the malaria vaccine candidate RTS,S/AS01 reported disappointing results.

Drinking Pig Worms to Fight Crohn's Disease
ABC News
November 7, 2012
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/drinking-pig-worms-fight-crohns-disease/story?id=17664441#.UJ02OW_A-Ig
Whipworms might help fight autoimmune diseases like Crohn's.

Hints of a more virulent, mutating West Nile virus emerge
Washington Post
November 9, 2012
http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/hints-of-a-more-virulent-mutating-west-nile-virus-emerge/2012/11/08/75e37776-2523-11e2-9313-3c7f59038d93_story.html
The West Nile virus epidemic of 2012, the worst in a decade, may be notorious for yet another reason: The virus, in some cases, is attacking the brain more aggressively than in the past, raising the specter that it may have mutated into a nastier form, say two neurologists who have extensive experience dealing with the illness.

Fighting bacteria with mucus
MIT News
November 8, 2012
http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/2012/fighting-bacteria-with-mucus.html
Results from a recent study suggest a possible new source of protection against biofilm formation: polymers found in mucus.

ASM Weekly Newsdigest # 648

ASM Weekly Newsdigest #648

In this issue:

1. Where You Live May Determine What Lives Inside Your Mouth
2. Cave bacteria could help develop future antibiotics
3. Dogs, Owners May Swap Disease-Causing Oral Bacteria: Study
4. A complex logic circuit made from bacterial genes
5. Could Martian Bacteria Have Seeded Earth?
6. Bacteria in balance
7. Small bacteria helping big things grow in the ocean
8. Making Snow With Recycled Sewage Could Breed Super Bacteria

Where You Live May Determine What Lives Inside Your Mouth
NPR
October 12, 2012
http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2012/10/12/162800320/where-you-live-may-determine-what-lives-inside-your-mouth
Researchers found that when identical twins stop living together in the same house, their oral bacteria became a bit more distinct.

Cave bacteria could help develop future antibiotics
BBC
September 9, 2012
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19520629
Bacteria found in caves could provide the clues to help produce antibiotics needed in the fight against drug-resistant superbugs, explains Prof Hazel Barton.

Dogs, Owners May Swap Disease-Causing Oral Bacteria: Study
Huffington Post
October 12, 2012
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/11/kissing-dog-oral-bacteria-_n_1958637.html
A new study suggests that it's possible for disease-causing oral bacteria to be exchanged between dogs and their owners.

A complex logic circuit made from bacterial genes
Washington University in St. Louis Newsroom
October 12, 2012
https://news.wustl.edu/news/Pages/24418.aspx
A recently designed circuit is to act as the controller in synthetic bacteria that monitor and modify their environment.

Could Martian Bacteria Have Seeded Earth?
TIME
October 11, 2012
http://science.time.com/2012/10/11/could-martian-bacteria-have-seeded-earth/
A new study of an ancient meteorite yields new clues to the origins of life.

Bacteria in balance
Boston.com
October 14, 2012
http://www.boston.com/lifestyle/health/2012/10/21/researchers-suggest-alternatives-blasting-bacteria-with-antibiotics/3jLPKL3VD2qmjstnTn2n3L/story.html
Researchers suggest alternatives to blasting bacteria with antibiotics.

Small bacteria helping big things grow in the ocean
PhysOrg
October 15, 2012
http://phys.org/news/2012-10-small-bacteria-big-ocean.html
A new discovery - of a symbiosis between tiny single-celled algae and highly specialised bacteria in the ocean - will help scientists to better understand oceans and the important role they play in our lives.

Making Snow With Recycled Sewage Could Breed Super Bacteria
New York Times
October 10, 2012
http://green.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/10/do-not-publish-on-the-slopes-gliding-on-wastewater/
New research indicates that the wastewater system supplying a major ski resort is a breeding ground for antibiotic-resistant genes.

ASM Weekly Newsdigest #650

Issue #650

In this week's issue:

1. Beneficial Bacteria In Honeybees Show Resistance To Antibiotics
2. Bacteria, yeast a diner's delight at Denmark's Noma
3. The changing microflora of bacteria in the lungs
4. Lyme disease bacterium shows resistance thanks to biofilm according to study
5. This Self-healing Concrete Repairs Itself with Bacteria
6. Mouse model could help identify viral vectors that may cause tumors
7. Researchers "Watch" Antibiotics Attack Tuberculosis Bacteria Inside Cells
8. Genetically engineered bacteria could help in Crohn's and colitis

Beneficial Bacteria In Honeybees Show Resistance To Antibiotics
RedOrbit
October 30, 2012
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112722668/honeybee-bacteria-antibiotics-103012/
A new study in the journal mBio shows shows that beneficial bacteria living in the gut of honeybees are demonstrating signs of resistance to antibiotics.

Bacteria, yeast a diner's delight at Denmark's Noma
Reuters
October 26, 2012
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/26/us-food-denmark-noma-idUSBRE89P0R120121026
While ant paste, milk curd and berry preserves make up the "Blueberries and ant" dish at Denmark's restaurant Noma, bacteria and yeast will soon be next for diners at the eatery which has been crowned world's best restaurant for three years.

The changing microflora of bacteria in the lungs
Scientific American
October 28, 2012
http://blogs.scientificamerican.com/lab-rat/2012/10/28/the-changing-microflora-of-bacteria-in-the-lungs/
Any part of the human body that is open to the outside world it available for the colonisation of bacteria. The lungs are no exception.

Lyme disease bacterium shows resistance thanks to biofilm according to study
The Examiner
October 26, 2012
http://www.examiner.com/article/lyme-disease-bacterium-shows-resistance-thanks-to-biofilm-according-to-study
The agent of Lyme disease, Borrelia burgdorferi (Bb) has been shown to have the ability to hide and demonstrate resistance from harsh environmental conditions to antibiotics used to treat the infection, thanks to the formation of a biofilm.

This Self-healing Concrete Repairs Itself with Bacteria
Discover
November 2, 2012
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2012/11/02/this-self-healing-concrete-repairs-itself-with-bacteria/
Dutch researchers are testing a new way to deal with the problem of cracking concrete: bacteria that, when exposed to water, form limestone.

Mouse model could help identify viral vectors that may cause tumors
MedicalXpress
October 26, 2012
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-10-mouse-viral-vectors-tumors.html
Investigators have identified a mouse model that could help evaluate the risk that viral vectors used in gene therapy might promote tumor formation as a side-effect.

Researchers "Watch" Antibiotics Attack Tuberculosis Bacteria Inside Cells
Infection Control Today
November 2, 2012
http://www.infectioncontroltoday.com/news/2012/11/researchers-watch-antibiotics-attack-tuberculosis-bacteria-inside-cells.aspx
Researchers report that mass spectrometry, a tool currently used to detect and measure proteins and lipids, can also now allow biologists to "see" for the first time exactly how drugs work inside living cells to kill infectious microbes.

Genetically engineered bacteria could help in Crohn's and colitis
MedicalXpress
November 2, 2012
http://medicalxpress.com/news/2012-11-genetically-bacteria-crohn-colitis.html
A new study in mice has shown that genetically engineered bacteria can protect against inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which includes a host of conditions including ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease.