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Categories: Biology: Microbiology, Geoscience: Geology

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     (via sciencedaily.com)     Original source 

Brucellosis is a disease, caused by the members of bacterial Brucella family, that mainly infects cattle, goats and sheep, leading to pregnancy loss, which has caused billions of dollars in economic losses for livestock producers worldwide. The disease can also jump from animals to humans, mainly through consumption of unpasteurized dairy products or inhaling the spores from the tissues of infected animals. While the disease can cause arthritis, inflammation of the heart and flu-like symptoms in humans, the bacteria can also enter the brain and cause neurobrucellosis, which can lead to long-term neurological complications, headaches, nausea, disorientation, swelling of the brain and sometimes death. Now, a new study has highlighted the protective power of both innate lymphoid cells and specific signaling proteins, known as interferons, in reducing the harmful neurological effects of Brucella.

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After a nearly threefold drop in prescriptions for the antibiotic ciprofloxacin between 2015 and 2021, the rates of ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli bacteria circulating in the community did not decline. In fact, a study of Seattle-area women over age 50 who had not taken any antibiotics for at least a year discovered that the incidence of gut-colonizing ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli actually increased. About 1 in 5 women in the study were affected. The results are consistent with theoretical models indicating that, once a drug-resistant form of E.coli emerges, it will continue to spread by taking up long-term residence in individuals' gut microbiomes. Antibiotic resistant E. coli in the gut is of concern because the bacteria can enter the urinary tract and cause difficult-to-treat infections, particularly in women. Evidence from studies such as this one may be changing paradigms on how to fight the rise in antibiotic resistance.

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An international research team reports that, given the same genetic makeup, individual behavior alone determines whether or not an individual in a social group will contract a disease. Clonal raider ants of the species Ooceraea biroi that forage outside the nest are more likely to be infected by parasitic nematodes than conspecifics in the nest. The research team also observed that diseases in the colony altered the behavior of all ants: sick and healthy ants alike remained in the nest and the division of labor was reduced, affecting the overall social organization in the ant colony.

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Researchers have developed and demonstrated a new method for high-throughput single-cell sorting that uses stimulated Raman spectroscopy rather than the traditional approach of fluorescence-activated cell sorting. The new approach could offer a label-free, nondestructive way to sort cells for a variety of applications, including microbiology, cancer detection and cell therapy.

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Engineers identified an optical signature in a widely used class of magnetic 'Dynabeads' that could be used to quickly detect contaminants in food, water, or the human body.

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High levels of some minerals and metals in environmental water supplies may increase the risk of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) pulmonary infections in people with cystic fibrosis, according to a new study. The study found the presence of the metals molybdenum and vanadium along with sulfate -- a collection of mineral salts -- in the U.S. municipal water system was associated with an increased incidence of NTM pulmonary infections, the leading cause of drinking-water associated illnesses.

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A bitter taste in the mouth is often a symptom or side effect of illness, which may be the result of how the body reacts to pathogens. A new study sheds light on the mechanisms involved in the complex interplay between taste perception and immune function. Their work also highlights the potential of a sequencing tool for investigating epigenetic mechanisms that affect taste-cell gene expression.

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Fungi-eating orchids were found for the first time to offer their flowers to fungi-eating fruit flies in exchange for pollination, which is the first evidence for nursery pollination in orchids. This unique new plant-animal relationship hints at an evolutionary transition towards mutualistic symbiosis.

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A new review argues ever-present microplastics could promote gene transfer among microbes, potentially resulting in greater antibiotic resistance. The review calls for more research on microplastic-microbe interactions where our food is grown.

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A discovery about how a common insect acquires a microbe that is essential for its growth may help in the control of an agricultural pest.

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Many plants and crops rely on insects to pollinate them so they can reproduce. A new study has shown that several flowering plants from the group Euonymus are pollinated by fungus gnats, a dipteran insect. Specifically, they pollinate Euonymus plants which have red-petaled flowers with short stamens and yogurt-like scent. Although fungus gnats are known to pollinate hundreds of plant species, this study shows that the particular traits of red Euonymus flowers were likely to have been acquired via pollination syndrome, evolving over a process of natural selection to be pollinated specifically by fungus gnats. This research highlights the important role of Diptera, which are commonly regarded as pests, in plant diversity and evolution.

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A new powerful antibiotic, isolated from bacteria that could not be studied before, seems capable of combating harmful bacteria and even multi-resistant 'superbugs'. Named Clovibactin, the antibiotic appears to kill bacteria in an unusual way, making it more difficult for bacteria to develop any resistance against it.

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Researchers have discovered how high-fat diets can change gut bacteria and alter digestive molecules called bile acids that are modified by those bacteria, predisposing mice to colorectal cancer. The findings bring scientists closer to understanding the causes of and how to prevent colorectal cancer.

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A team of researchers successfully tested a new antifungal therapy to treat fungal meningitis.

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Recent research in cell biology highlights groundbreaking results. An international team of researchers have recently established a tool they developed to study the mechanics of the cell. The tool can be used to study the inner forces of the cell, for example, the stretching of the nuclear membrane. The microscopic force sensor, only about 0.00002 mm long, is constructed of exotic ingredients such as spider web protein parts, fluorescent proteins from jellyfish, and antibodies from alpaca. In addition, the multidisciplinary team of researchers has developed further the sensitivity of super-resolution microscopy technique.

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Genetic remnants of viruses that are naturally present in the human genome could affect the development of neurodegenerative diseases. Researchers come to this conclusion on the basis of studies on cell cultures.

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A new study suggests that using big data and machine learning in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) surveillance in livestock production methods could help inform interventions and offer protections against germs that are becoming resistant to antibiotics.

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A single injection of a novel CRISPR gene-editing treatment safely and efficiently removes SIV -- a virus related to the AIDS-causing agent HIV -- from the genomes of non-human primates, scientists now report. The groundbreaking work complements previous experiments as the basis for the first-ever clinical trial of an HIV gene-editing technology in human patients, which was authorized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 2022.

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Early social and environmental exposures can have large and lasting effects on child development and adult health. One of the systems that is vulnerable to external influence is the gut microbiome. A new study highlights a critical development window during which racial differences in the gut microbiome emerge. The findings are based on analysis of data from 2,756 gut microbiome samples from 729 U.S. children between birth and 12 years of age.

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Cooking food thoroughly and avoiding some types of vegetables and salad during a course of antibiotic treatment could potentially reduce antibiotic resistance, by preventing bacteria carrying resistance genes getting into the gut, according to a new study.