Artificial hip implants, knee implants and catheters are susceptible to infections: bacteria that flow through the blood system can collect on these foreign surfaces and hunker down to proliferate.
Cell & Microbiology
Nov 1, 2017
0
99
Candida albicans is a notorious human fungal pathogen that causes thrush and serious systemic infections. Opportunistic C. albicans fungi, which often live inconspicuously in the normal flora of human skin and gut, can switch ...
Biotechnology
Oct 30, 2017
0
5
Magnetic nanoparticle clusters have the power to punch through biofilms to reach bacteria that can foul water treatment systems, according to scientists at Rice University and the University of Science and Technology of China.
Bio & Medicine
Aug 1, 2017
0
257
By some estimates, bacterial strains resistant to antibiotics—so-called superbugs - will cause more deaths than cancer by 2050.
Materials Science
Aug 1, 2017
0
7
Life has found ways to overcome, and even thrive, in many extreme situations—from super saline pools to the high temperatures of hydrothermal vents. A new experiment has shown that the microgravity found in space is also ...
Space Exploration
Jul 24, 2017
0
19
Have you ever heard of biofilms? They are slimy, glue-like membranes that are produced by microbes, like bacteria and fungi, in order to colonize surfaces. They can grow on animal and plant tissues, and even inside the human ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 22, 2017
2
365
Microbial biofilms—dense, sticky mats of bacteria that are hard to treat and can lead to dangerous infections—often form in medical equipment, such as flexible plastic tubing used in catheters or in tubes used to help ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 22, 2017
2
182
Dental plaque and the viscous brown slime in drainpipes are two familiar examples of bacterial biofilms. Removing such bacterial depositions from surfaces is often very difficult, in part because they are extremely water-repellent. ...
Cell & Microbiology
May 16, 2017
0
7
Microbial fuel cells exploit the metabolism of bacteria in order to generate electricity. A new type of biofilm developed in Bayreuth could soon make this relatively young technology considerably more effective, more stable, ...
Energy & Green Tech
Apr 13, 2017
0
28
Microbiologists at Trinity College Dublin have discovered a new way to prevent bacteria from growing on medical devices such as hip replacements or heart valves implanted in the human body. The discovery is a step towards ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 20, 2017
0
477
