Klebsiella pneumoniae tagged posts

Taurine, which helps the body digest fats and oils, could offer treatment benefit. Scientists studying the body’s natural defenses against bacterial infection have identified a nutrient — taurine — that helps the gut recall prior infections and kill invading bacteria, such as Klebsiella pneumoniae (Kpn). The finding, published in the journal Cell by scientists from five institutes of the National Institutes of Health, could aid efforts seeking alternatives to antibiotics.

Scientists know that microbiota — the trillions of beneficial microbes living harmoniously inside our gut — can protect people from bacterial infections, but little is known abo...

Koji Atarashi et al. Ectopic colonization of oral bacteria in the intestine drives TH1 cell induction and inflammation, Science (2017). DOI: 10.1126/science.aan4526 Credit: CC0 Public Domain

An international team has found evidence that suggests certain types of oral bacteria may cause or exacerbate bowel disorders. In their paper published in the journal Science, the group describes testing the impact of introducing bacteria found in the mouths of humans to mice models. Xuetao Cao with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences offers a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same journal issue and suggests that the work might one day lead to the development of new kinds of treatments for common bowel disorders.

Bowel disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome, IBS, ulcerative ...

bacterial biofilm

University of Birmingham and NIHR Surgical Reconstruction and Microbiology Research Centre (SRMRC) investigated antibacterial activity of acetic acid against key burn wound colonising organisms growing both planktonically and as biofilms.

Burns are a common traumatic injury and prone to becoming infected due to loss of a normal skin barrier. Local infection of the burn wound and subsequent sepsis are key concerns for patients, with sepsis the leading cause of death among patients with burn wounds. Infections of burn wounds are difficult to treat with traditional antibiotics as they do not effectively reach the wound, and the infecting organisms are often highly antibiotic resistant.

Low concentrations of acetic acid can be used to treat biofilms, and thus be used as alter...