Laboratory Equipment

Infection Renders Mosquitoes Immune to Malaria Parasites

Scientists funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, have established an inheritable bacterial infection in malaria-transmitting Anopheles mosquitoes that renders them immune to malaria parasites. Specifically, the scientists infected the mosquitoes with Wolbachia, a bacterium common among insects that previously has been shown to prevent malaria-inducing Plasmodium parasites from developing in Anopheles mosquitoes. Before now, researchers had been unable to create mosquitoes with a stable Wolbachia infection that passed consistently from mother to offspring.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/infection-renders-mosquitoes-immune-malaria-parasites

‘Bacteria-Eaters’ Prevent Infections on Implant Materials

They’re ba-ack! But in a new disease-fighting role. Viruses that infect and kill bacteria — used to treat infections in the pre-antibiotic era a century ago and in the former Soviet Union today — may have a new role in preventing formation of the sticky “biofilms” of bacteria responsible for infections on implanted medical devices. That’s the topic of a report in the ACS journal Biomacromolecules.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/bacteria-eaters-prevent-infections-implant-materials

Breast Milk May Defeat Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria

The fight against antibiotic resistance has gained an ally in breast milk. An ingredient found in human milk may make surface infections by the resistant bacteria MRSA more sensitive to attack by antibiotics, a team of researchers from the Univ. at Buffalo reports in the journal PLOS ONE.

The Univ. at Buffalo team added a protein complex – called HAMLET, after Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumor cells – purified from human milk to aggressive strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in Petri dishes and along the inside of the noses of mice. The researchers found that the bacteria were more responsive to antibiotics when they were used in combination with HAMLET.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/breast-milk-may-defeat-antibiotic-resistant-bacteria

Selenium Keeps Surfaces Bacteria-Free

There’s a new way to prevent medical implants from causing infection: treat them with a naturally antimicrobial element called selenium before they ever enter the body.

The durable and flexible materials called polymers are nearly ideal for making medical devices such as catheters and breathing tubes, as well as implants to replace joints and support bones. Unfortunately, bacteria love to grow on smooth polymer surfaces, creating a sticky biofilm that resists both antibiotics and the body’s natural defenses. To clear up the bacteria, patients often face further surgery to remove implants, as well as a regimen of antibiotics. But these drugs can fail as microbes mutate and develop resistance.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/selenium-keeps-surfaces-bacteria-free

Popular Drink Contains Fungi

A research project at Indiana State Univ. looking into a popular packaged drink has found five types of fungus.

Kathleen Dannelly, associate professor microbiology, says a previous study published online found only one fungus in Capri Sun, the popular drink manufactured by Kraft. However, the research in Dannelly’s lab found five different fungi. “As far as I can tell, the fact that they don’t put preservatives in this is really allowing lots of fungi to survive the drink process,” she says.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/05/popular-drink-contains-fungi

Alpine Bacteria IDs Alcohol Gateway to the Brain

Thanks to a rare bacteria that grows only on rocks in the Swiss Alps, researchers at The Univ. of Texas at Austin and the Pasteur Institute have been the first to identify how alcohol might affect key brain proteins.

It’s a major step on the road to eventually developing drugs that could disrupt the interaction between alcohol and the brain.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/alpine-bacteria-ids-alcohol-gateway-brain

New Antibodies Join Fight Against Bacteria

In an advance toward coping with bacteria that shrug off existing antibiotics and sterilization methods, scientists are reporting development of a new family of selective antimicrobial agents that do not rely on traditional antibiotics. Their report on these synthetic colloid particles, which can be custom-designed to recognize the shape of specific kinds of bacteria and inactivate them, appears in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/new-antibodies-join-fight-against-bacteria

Chicken, Ground Beef are Most Dangerous Meats

Ground beef and chicken are by far the riskiest meat and poultry products in the American food supply and pose the greatest likelihood of hospitalization, according to a new report by the Center for Science in the Public Interest. Furthermore, according to the nonprofit group’s analysis of more than 33,000 cases of foodborne illness connected to products regulated by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, chicken nuggets, ham, and sausage pose the lowest risk of foodborne illness.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/chicken-ground-beef-are-most-dangerous-meats

Food Poisoning from Raw Milk, Poultry on the Rise

Health officials are seeing more food poisonings caused by a bacteria commonly linked to raw milk and poultry. A study released this week says campylobacter (camp-eh-lo-BACK’-ter) cases grew by 14 percent over the last five years.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/food-poisoning-raw-milk-poultry-rise

In-Package Process Quickly, Effectively Kills Bacteria

Exposing packaged liquids, fruits and vegetables to an electrical field for just minutes might eliminate all traces of foodborne pathogens on those foods, according to a Purdue Univ. study.

Kevin Keener, a professor of food science, looks for new ways to kill harmful bacteria, such as E.coli and Salmonella, that contaminate foods and cause serious illnesses and deaths. His method uses electricity to generate a plasma, or ionized gas, from atmospheric gases inside the food package. This process creates a wide variety of bacteria-killing molecules including ozone, nitrogen oxides, hydrogen peroxide and others. These molecules only exist for a few hours and then revert back to the original atmospheric gas, leaving a bacteria-free product.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/package-process-quickly-effectively-kills-bacteria

Nanosponges Absorb Toxins from Bacterial Infections, Venom

Engineers at the Univ. of California, San Diego have invented a nanosponge capable of safely removing a broad class of dangerous toxins from the bloodstream — including toxins produced by MRSA, E. coli, poisonous snakes and bees. These nanosponges, which thus far have been studied in mice, can neutralize “pore-forming toxins,” which destroy cells by poking holes in their cell membranes. Unlike other anti-toxin platforms that need to be custom synthesized for individual toxin type, the nanosponges can absorb different pore-forming toxins regardless of their molecular structures. In a study against alpha-haemolysin toxin from MRSA, pre-innoculation with nanosponges enabled 89 percent of mice to survive lethal doses.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/videos/2013/04/nanosponges-absorb-toxins-bacterial-infections-venom

Flesh-Eating Bacteria Inspires Molecular Superglue

In a classic case of turning an enemy into a friend, scientists have engineered a protein from flesh-eating bacteria to act as a molecular superglue that promises to become a disease fighter. And their latest results, which make the technology more versatile, were the topic of a report today at the 245th National Meeting & Exposition of the American Chemical Society.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/flesh-eating-bacteria-inspires-molecular-superglue

Nanoparticles Fight Listeria, Other Foodborne Illnesses

Engineering researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have developed a new method to kill deadly pathogenic bacteria, including listeria, in food handling and packaging. This innovation represents an alternative to the use of antibiotics or chemical decontamination in food supply systems.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/04/nanoparticles-fight-listeria-other-foodborne-illnesses

Bacteria Can Become Addicted to Caffeine

Some people may joke about living on caffeine, but scientists now have genetically engineered E. coli bacteria to do that — literally. Their report in the journal ACS Synthetic Biology describes bacteria being “addicted” to caffeine in a way that promises practical uses ranging from decontamination of wastewater to bioproduction of medications for asthma.

Read more: http://www.laboratoryequipment.com/news/2013/03/bacteria-can-become-addicted-caffeine