Antibiotics are losing their ability to kill bacteria. One of the main reasons for the rise in antibiotic resistance is the improper use of antibiotics, but our latest research shows that the ingredients in commonly-used weed killers like Round-up and Kamba can also cause bacteria to become less susceptible to antibiotics. Herbicides induce gene activity Already, about […]
Sulfites Inhibit The Growth Of Beneficial Gut Bacteria
A new study published by students and researchers at the University of Hawai‘i Maui College, found that sulfites in common food preservatives killed or inhibited the growth of the good bacteria found in the human gut. University of Hawai‘i Maui College students Emily Graham, Ashley Malek and Adriel Robidoux, chemistry lecturer Dr. Peter Fisher, and microbiology […]
Towels Top Kitchen Contamination Hazards List
Although only 9 percent of reported foodborne illness outbreaks occur in the home, scientists estimate the actual number of incidents is much higher. Research shows a leading cause of cross contamination within the home is actually an object associated with cleaning, the kitchen towel. A study recently published in the journal Food Protection Trends highlights […]
Antibiotics May Reduce The Ability Of Immune Cells To Kill Bacteria
Antibiotics normally act in concert with an organism’s immune system to eliminate an infection. However, the drugs can have broad side effects, including eliminating “good” bacteria in the course of fighting off a pathogen. A new study led by researchers from the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, MIT, and the Wyss Institute for Biologically […]
Eyeliner Application May Cause Eye Problems, Study Finds
People who apply eyeliner on the inner eyelid run the risk of contaminating the eye and causing vision trouble, according to research by a scientist at the University of Waterloo. This is the first study to prove that particles from pencil eyeliner move into the eye. Dr. Alison Ng, at the Centre for Contact Lens […]
How Manuka Honey Helps Fight Infection
Manuka honey may kill bacteria by destroying key bacterial proteins. Dr Rowena Jenkins and colleagues from the University of Wales Institute – Cardiff investigated the mechanisms of manuka honey action and found that its anti-bacterial properties were not due solely to the sugars present in the honey. The work was presented this week (7-10 September […]
Red Squirrels In The British Isles Are Infected With Leprosy Bacteria
Microbiologists at EPFL and the University of Edinburgh have discovered that red squirrels in Britain and Ireland carry the two bacterial species that cause leprosy in humans. Once rampant in medieval Europe, leprosy dramatically declined by the end of the Middle Ages for reasons that are still unclear. About a century ago, leprosy in Europe […]
Contact Lenses Alter Eye Bacteria, Making It More Skin-Like
Contact lenses may alter the natural microbial community of the eyes, according to a study published this week in mBio®, an online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology. In a study of 58 adults seeking outpatient eye care, researchers at New York University School of Medicine found that contact lenses make the eye […]
Skin Bacteria Could Protect Against Disease
There are more and more examples of the ways in which we can benefit from our bacteria. According to researcher Rolf Lood from Lund University in Sweden, this is true for the skin as well. He has shown that the most common bacteria on human skin secrete a protein which protects us from the reactive […]
Gut Bacteria Could Help Prevent Cancer
Researchers have shown that various types of intestinal bacteria might be factors in both causing and preventing obesity, and in other conditions and diseases. Now, a UCLA study suggests that it could also potentially be used to reduce the risk for some types of cancer. The research, published online April 13 in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS ONE, […]