The Abiding Threat of Antibiotic Resistance
by Daniel — The phrase 'mook chivalry' might not be recognized by many of our readers, but the situation it describes will certainly be familiar: A hero faces a crowd of villains who are ready to attack.
At Georgia Tech, members and trainees of the Center for Microbial Dynamics and Infection discuss the identification of pathogen essential genes during coinfections, and how coral management can improve coral defenses against pathogens.
by Rob Phillips and Ron Milo — Viruses proliferate by infecting cells and hijacking their replication and protein synthesis machinery. After new viral proteins are synthesized and assembled, bursts of viruses are released from the infected (and usually soon to be dead) cells, starting the process all over again...
Pictures Considered #19 by Elio — In the early 1950's it wasn't clear yet if phages attach to bacteria via their head (sperm-like) or by their tail (syringe-like). Sounds simple but images showing both modes had been produced. In 1953, T. F. Anderson, one of the pioneers in the use of the electron microscope in microbiology...
by S. Marvin Friedman — Bacteria are for the most part gregarious organisms, living predominantly in dense communities consisting of multiple strains. In fact, the majority of infectious bacteria occur as multi-layered structures called biofilms, many of which are composed of multiple types of bacteria. As one can imagine, neighbor relations in such complex populations can be…
Vincent, Elio, and Michael consider a fungal pathogen of insects that acquired a gene from its host that facilitates infection, and presence of gram-negative nosocomial pathogens on community surfaces near hospitals in Brooklyn.
