Bacillus subtilis natto is a species of bacteria that is used to ferment soy beans and their action results in the Japanese dish called Natto. Natto has powerful smell, strong flavor, and slimy texture. In addition to its use in the cuisine, they are now being celebrated in the fashion industry. Fashion industry? (Yes, I hear…Continue reading Bacteria 2 fashion
Category: Microbes
A targeted sequence panel for detecting 34 vertebrate virus families at once
The challenge in detecting a set of viruses simultaneously in clinical samples lies in the large variety of their genomes, i.e. there is no gene that is present in all viruses. With the advent of new sequencing technologies, including high throughput parallel sequence analysis, it became possible to process more sequence data. So much more…Continue reading A targeted sequence panel for detecting 34 vertebrate virus families at once
MIME: Mutational Interference Mapping Experiment – RNA viruses
MIME (Mutational Interference Mapping Experiment) is used to investigate the interaction of RNA with its respective interaction partners in greater detail. In this approach, the RNA of interest is randomly mutated and amplified. The vast pool of resulting mutated RNAs is then mixed with a possible interaction partner, e.g. a protein, is added. Next, the…Continue reading MIME: Mutational Interference Mapping Experiment – RNA viruses
New ancestral origin for Hepatitis A
Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is a single stranded RNA virus that belongs to the picornaviridae (from pico: very small and RNA viruses). The virus causes hepatitis in humans, especially in areas of low socioeconomic status. Until now no related virus has been found in other species. The publication below reports for the first time that…Continue reading New ancestral origin for Hepatitis A
Chestnut leaf extracts and antibiotic resistance
An interesting publication about the sensitivity of Staphylococcus aureus to European Chestnut (Castanea sativa) leaf extracts. These extracts were traditionally used in folk medicine to treat skin and soft tissue infections. The active compounds within the chestnut extracts showed that quorum sensing (a way for bacteria to communicate with each other; the phenomenon is related…Continue reading Chestnut leaf extracts and antibiotic resistance
On the reprogramming of gut bacteria
Switching gene expression on and off altered Bacteroides thetaiotamicron’s response (after reintroduction into mice) through adaptation of the diet. Full text @ http://www.cell.com/cell-systems/pdfExtended/S2405-4712%2815%2900006-X
Teixobactin: A new hope against some pretty horrible bugs ?
Hurrah, it’s been a long time since a completely novel antibiotic has been discovered, i.e. without tampering or enhancing old ones. A group at Boston university has now found an antibiotic, termed teixobactin, that can be used against Clostridium difficile infections. This species of bacteria causes a horrible type diarrhea that is often resistant to…Continue reading Teixobactin: A new hope against some pretty horrible bugs ?