MicrobeWorld

Viruses are obligate intracellular parasites, which means that they must enter a cell to reproduce. As virions are too large to diffuse passively across the plasma membrane, cellular pathways for uptake of extracellular materials provide entry routes. The first step in entry is adherence of viru... Read More

According to researchers from Concordia University, Montréal, Québec, Wisconsin's favorite microbe, Lactococcus lactis, could aid in the production of biofuels by helping break down plant matter.

Scientists discovered that the scaffolding proteins on the surface of the microbe can be metaboli... Read More

The Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) has developed the benthic microbial fuel cell (BMFC) as a persistent power supply for marine-deployed applications. The BMFC operates on the bottom of marine environments where it oxidizes organic matter residing in sediment with oxygen in overlying water. The... Read More

Recently thousands of dead and decaying pigs were pulled from rivers in Shanghai and Jiaxing, China. Apparently farmers dumped the animals into the water after the pigs became ill, and porcine circovirus was subsequently detected in the in pig carcasses and in the water. Porcine circoviruses are... Read More

Don’t Get Caught Dirty Handed (2003)

(Click here for most recent findings)

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Those of you with an interest in virology, or perhaps simply sensationalism, have probably seen the recent headlines proclaiming another laboratory-made killer influenza virus. From The Independent: ‘Appalling irresponsibility: Senior scientists attack Chinese researchers for creating new strain... Read More

Hans Martin, professor emeritus, Technical University Darmstadt, Germany, reflects on the mysteries of L-forms, strains of bacteria that lack cell walls.

Snippet:

"L-forms are bacterial variants with defective cell walls and irregular growth and multiplication. They arise after peptidoglyc... Read More

This episode: Bee colonies share gut bacteria to prevent disease!

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Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit,  Read More

This episode: Our brain might be home to helpful bacteria!

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There have been over 60 human infections with avian influenza virus H7N9 in China, and cases have been detected outside of Shanghai, including Beijing, Zhejiang, Henan, and Anhui Provinces. Information on the first three cases has now been published, allowing a more detailed consideration of the... Read More

Hosts: Vincent Racaniello, Rich Condit, Read More

The US Office of Science and Technology Policy recently released proposed guidelines for maximizing the benefits and minimizing misuse of life sciences research. The measures establish oversight responsibilities for universities and other institutions that receive Federal funding. Read More

The Virtual Museum of Bacteria is a website that presents curated links about bacteria, embedded in informative articles. The website is up and running since 1998, making it one of the oldest websites on the internet. The texts are kept simple, though the collected links vary from simple to adva... Read More

To honor the memory of Robert Austrian for his pioneering and important research on pneumococci and pneumococcal diseases, Wyeth is sponsoring research awards for young scientists in the field of pneumococcal vaccinology.

Wyeth has selected the International Symposium of Pneumococci and Pne... Read More