Freelance Writing Jobs | Today's Articles | sign in

Articles
Writers
 
Browse Sections
Home Science & Nature Microbiology Latest Contributing Articles

Microbiology

Latest Contributing Articles


 		Hydrogen Powered Stomach Bacteria
Klebsiella bacteria in gut biofilms produce hydrogen gas that powers the electron transport chains of stomach Helicobacter implicated in gastric ulcers and cancer.
The Vaccine and Autism Scare
Discredited studies and misunderstandings have led to a public panic about vaccination. The panic has already caused great harm.
Opisthorchis viverrini – Liver Fluke
Opisthorchis viverrini, common in Thailand, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia, comes from raw fish and causes many deaths from liver cancer in Southeast Asia.
Strongyloides stercoralis – Threadworm
The threadworm, Strongyloides stercoralis, is a persistent parasite in warm climates and a significant cause of potentially fatal parasitic disease.
Flies Live Longer on Low Protein Diets
A new study shows a strong correlation between longer life and low protein diets in Drosophila, or fruit flies. Low protein diets slow down mitochondrial degradation.
Bacterial Resistance to Vancomycin
Every time a new antibiotic is introduced, bacteria find a way of becoming resistant to it. This article describes bacterial resistance to vancomycin.
What is Botulism?
Botulism is a rare but potentially lethal illness produced by bacteria. This article explores the spread of the illness, its symptoms, and its treatment.
Basic Cytoskeletal Proteins
The stability of cell shape and structure are maintained by cytoskeletal proteins that interact with and transport required functional molecules.
Staph Bacteria at Southern California Beaches
While no staph bacteria were found on Southern California beaches during a 2008 study, investigators do not think the risk in California is any less than in other areas.
Staphylococcus Bacteria and Staph Infections
Staph infections pose a real threat to children, the elderly and those with compromised immune systems, but, generally speaking, staph bacteria are common and harmless.
MRSA and Other Types of Staph Found in Ocean
An increase in staph bacteria found at public beaches has led some to worry about the risks of swimming in the ocean. Recent studies raise concerns.
H1N1 Influenza and the Cytokine Storm
With the reopening of schools and the resurgence of 2009 H1N1 ("swine flu"), health experts worry about an unusual pattern of severity.
Developing a New Treatment for Cystic Fibrosis
Research on microbes that cheat during quorum sensing may give scientists a novel weapon against bacteria that cause serious health problems in Cystic Fibrosis patients.
How Cyclooxygenase Works
Cyclooxygenase is an enzyme that helps convert arachidonic acid to prostaglandin-like molecules; these "prostanoids" fulfill a multitude of biological roles.
Gnathostoma spinigerum — Parasitic Worm
Gnathostoma spinigerum is a parasitic nematode of carnivores, especially dogs and cats, in Southeast Asia and Japan. It sometimes infects humans, causing gnathostomias.
Anisakis simplex and Anisakiasis
Anisakis simplex and a group of similar worms are the cause of numerous cases of food borne illness. It usually starts with eating raw ocean fish.
The History of Anisakiasis
Since the 1950s, it's emerged that herring worm, cod worm, and similar parasitic worms of marine mammals and fish cause a range of disease symptoms in humans.
Human Parasites in Raw Fish
Millions of people host parasites that they have acquired from eating raw fish. Rare in some countries, very common in others, some of these infections are dangerous
The Science of Swine Flu
The science behind the H1N1 virus is key to understanding why it is so difficult to produce effective anti-viral treatments.
Sparganosis - Parasitic Zoonosis
The most familiar human tapeworms live in the intestine, but in sparganosis, the parasite lives in tissues and organs. The infection is rare, but it can be horrific.
Diphyllobothrium latum – Fish-borne Parasite
Diphyllobothrium latum persists because humans eat raw fish and contaminate water sources with sewage. The natural history of this fish-borne tapeworm is interesting.
What is Laminin?
Laminin is one of the most important parts of the animal body. When a person has a lack of laminin, he or she can develop negative medical conditions.
A Living Antibiotic, Anyone?
Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus feasts on disease causing gram negative bacteria, making them potentially useful as 'living antibiotics'.
New Strategies in the Battle Against Malaria
Malarial mosquitoes and the parasites they carry continually evolve resistance to the pesticides and drugs used to kill them. New approaches must be found.
Differentiation of Regulatory T Lymphocytes
A new study reveals an important role of the mTOR protein in the molecular events that lead to the differentiation T helper cells.
Bacterial Biofilms – Cities of Slime
Bacteriology had it wrong for the past 300 years. Bacteria don't live alone. They live collectively in layers of slime where they do their own thing but do it together.
Flu Vaccine 2009 Produced, Distributed, Injected
Flu H1N1 (swine flu) vaccine has been prepared and purified from flu viruses grown in MCDK cells in large fermenters. The vaccine provides effective immune protection.
How Influenza Is Named
Swine flu, H1N1, bird flu, H5N1, type A influenza - these are five terms used to describe the various strains of a single virus, but what is the difference?
WHO Declares Swine H1N1 Pandemic for 2009
The World Health Organization (WHO) on June 11, 2009 made flu an official pandemic for 2009 season. Swine flu H1N1 is now a world-wide, infectious, dangerous disease.
Rat Lungworm – Angiostrongylus cantonensis
The rat lungworm is a natural parasite of rats in warm climates, but when it accidentally infects humans it can cause serious disease and even death.
Sustainable Agriculture Using Biofertilizers
Environmental concerns have necessitated a fresh look at "clean and green" options in agriculture. Biofertilizers are the new "in thing."
Why Organ Transplants Fail
Although organ grafting can be a boon for a patient, the immune system destroys the graft taking it as foreign and causes complications in an otherwise routine procedure.
Interesting Facts About Pinworm
Scientists have discovered a number of interesting facts about pinworm infection, as well as the life cycle, close relatives, and history of Enterobius vermicularis.
Pinworm – A Common Intestinal Worm in Children
Infecting 400 million people, pinworm is the most common nematode parasite of humans in many places. It owes its success largely to the simplicity of its life cycle.
Innate Immunity – What It Is
The human immune system is an extraordinarily complex yet perfectly orchestrated defense mechanism with specific and non-specific branches.
Why Swine Flu is Called H1N1 Influenza A
The World Health Organization has asked news outlets to refer to the 2009 Swine Flu virus as H1N1 Influenza A- but what does the name H1N1 Influenza A mean?
Flu Diagnosis and Diagnostic Tests Are Important
They were sick, but did they have the flu? Signs and symptoms may be very similar for different respiratory diseases.Special diagnostic tests help determine the disease.
How H1N1 Infects Human Cells
The H1N1 influenza pandemic that is spanning the globe is not unusual in human history. Influenza constantly changes its coat to evade immune defenses.
Influenza Vaccines, Egg Tissue Injected Inhaled
Influenza vaccines of egg, tissue-based, injected and nasal types, provide immune protection to populations of people at risk. Overall, vaccines are effective and safe.
Anthrax Disease, History, Vaccines Current Views
A simple bacillus, a soil resident, can cause a simple black ulcer on the skin, or it may spread through the entire body of a mammal and lead to death in a few days.
Polio Vaccines, What They Are and How They Work.
Polio is a feared, paralytic disease that is caused by any one of three major types of an intestinal virus. New tissue culture methods made polio vaccines a reality.
Rabies Vaccine, Pasteur, Roux and Hydrophobia
Rabies is a dreaded disease. Untreated rabies, spread by rabid animals' bites, is a death sentence. Pasteur's vaccine worked to protect against this bullet-shaped virus.
Hookworm Infection in Humans
Two species of hookworms infect humans in warm climates, causing mild to serious disease. More than a billion people have these worms.
Jenner and Smallpox Vaccination in England
Science is logical and somewhat serendipitous. Such was the case with Dr. Jenner who noted that milkmaids were immune to smallpox and put that thinking into vaccination.
Vaccines, Basic Antigen Antibody Facts Ideas
Vaccines promote basic antigen antibody host responses to foreign antigens. This "anamnestic response" helps contain and destroy future encounters with the same antigen.
Flu Vaccines, How They Are Made, How They Work
Flu vaccines are disease-preventing preparations that stimulate mammalian immune systems to remember, respond, and destroy the same flu pathogens encountered naturally.
Archaeans – Methanogens in Extreme Environments
Thought to be among the oldest organisms on earth, methanogens live in extreme environments and have adaptations allowing them to thrive in their harsh habitats.
Flu Drugs and Antivirals, Essential Facts
Flu drugs and antivirals are special drug chemotherapies that attack specific viral synthetic activities. Antibacterial antibiotics do not work for virus control.
Epidemic Pandemic of Swine Flu in 2009 Grows
First, it was flu in Mexico, then in the U.S., then Canada, now Europe. Who is susceptible? Who is at risk ? Where will the virus appear next? Will this be a pandemic?
Pandemics, Epidemics, Endemics, The Fundamentals
Knowledge of the how and why of the spread of infectious disease is important for control. Without this knowledge increased human disability and death may be inevitable.