E coli tagged posts

Researchers have identified a way to prevent chronic urinary tract infections, a common infection primarily caused by E. coli (shown above). Vaccinating mice against a key protein that E. coli use to latch onto the bladder and cause UTIs reduces severe disease, according to researchers at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Credit: Scott Hultgren and John Heuser

A potential way to prevent chronic urinary tract infections (UTIs) has beenfound. Their research points to a key protein that bacteria use to latch onto the bladder and cause UTIs, according to scientists at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Vaccinating mice against the protein reduces the ability of bacteria to cause severe disease...

type 1 and P fimbriae of uropathogenic Escherichia coli, the major causative agent of urinary tract infections in humans.

A way has been found to stop deadly bacteria from infecting patients. The discovery could lead to a whole new way of treating antibiotic-resistant ‘superbugs’. The Austalian researchers have uncovered what may be an Achilles heel on the bacteria cell membrane that could act as a potential novel drug target. Almost every second woman suffers from a urinary tract infection, UTI during her lifetime, mostly caused by E. coli. It travels along the urethra to the bladder where it triggers painful infections.

In order to infect the bladder (which is constantly being flushed out with urine), the bacteria have developed nanofilaments which effectively anchor the bacteria to the ...

sulfoquinovose (SQ)

A critical discovery about how bacteria feed on an unusual sugar molecule found in leafy green vegetables could hold the key to explaining how ‘good’ bacteria protect our gut and promote health. Leafy greens are essential for feeding good gut bacteria, limiting the ability of bad bacteria to colonise the gut by shutting them out of the prime ‘real estate’.

Researchers identified a previously unknown enzyme used by bacteria, fungi and other organisms to feed on the unusual but abundant sugar sulfoquinovose (SQ) found in green vegetables. Each year, leafy green vegetables eg, spinach – produce the sugar on an enormous scale globally. The discovery could be exploited to cultivate the growth of ‘good’ gut bacteria...

The rod-shaped bacterium E. coli served as the model system for DNA repair in the study. | Photo by U.S. Department of Defense

Bacterium exhibits remarkable ability to repair or prevent DNA damage arising from internal processes, contrary to previous findings. A study led by Indiana University biologist Patricia Foster and colleagues has found that forces in the external environment and oxidation are the greatest threats to an organism’s ability to repair damage to its own DNA.

The results are based on the first comprehensive, whole genome analysis of spontaneous mutation in Escherichia coli
“Our study investigated 11 DNA repair pathways previously identified as resulting in spontaneous mutations,” said Prof Foster...