E. coli News and Research

RSS

E. coli or Escherichia coli is the name of a type of bacteria that lives in your intestines. Most types of E. coli are harmless. However, some types can make you sick and cause diarrhea. One type causes travelers' diarrhea. The worst type of E. coli causes bloody diarrhea, and can sometimes cause kidney failure and even death. These problems are most likely to occur in children and in adults with weak immune systems. You can get E. coli infections by eating foods containing the bacteria. To help avoid food poisoning and prevent infection, handle food safely. Cook meat well, wash fruits and vegetables before eating or cooking them, and avoid unpasteurized milk and juices. You can also get the infection by swallowing water in a swimming pool contaminated with human waste. Most cases of E. coli infection get better without treatment in 5 to 10 days.

Interbacterial toxins may contribute to bacterial genetic diversity

A toxin produced by bacteria as a defense mechanism causes mutations in target bacteria that could help them survive, according to a study published today in eLife.

24 Feb 2021

Study uncovers how harmless E.coli gut bacteria turn deadly

An international team of scientists has determined how harmless E.coli gut bacteria in chickens can easily pick up the genes required to evolve to cause a life-threatening infection.

From University of Bath 15 Feb 2021

Research may help better understand the biochemistry underlying catalysis in cells

Investigators from the Institute of Scientific and Industrial Research at Osaka University, together with the Hiroshima Institute of Technology, have announced the discovery of a new protein that allows an organism to conduct an initial and essential step in converting amino acid residues on a crosslinked polypeptide into an enzyme cofactor.

From Osaka University 11 Feb 2021

Hidden genes in bacteriophages may be key to the development of new antibiotics

A study from the Center for Phage Technology, part of Texas A&M's College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and Texas A&M AgriLife Research, shows how the "hidden" genes in bacteriophages -- types of viruses that infect and destroy bacteria -- may be key to the development of a new class of antibiotics for human health.

8 Feb 2021

Toxin-antitoxin systems negatively control plasmid replication

According to Thomas Wood, Biotechnology Endowed Chair and Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Penn State College of Engineering., toxin-antitoxin (TA) structures are currently known to adversely regulate the replication of plasmids.

From Penn State University 2 Feb 2021

Study explores why Shiga toxin-producing E. coli infections are so dangerous

E. coli food poisoning is one of the worst food poisonings, causing bloody diarrhea and kidney damage. But all the carnage might be just an unintended side effect, researchers from UConn Health report in the 27 November issue of Science Immunology. Their findings might lead to more effective treatments for this potentially deadly disease.

7 Jan 2021

Scientists identify new weapon to fight against antibiotic-resistant bacteria

As scientists around the globe wage war against a novel, deadly virus, one University of Colorado Boulder lab is working on new weapons to battle a different microbial threat: a rising tide of antibiotic-resistant bacteria which, if left unchecked, could kill an estimated 10 million people annually by 2050.

24 Dec 2020

Researchers use different colors of light to control gut bacteria genes

Baylor College of Medicine researcher Meng Wang had already shown that bacteria that make a metabolite called colanic acid (CA) could extend the lifespan of worms in her lab by as much as 50%, but her collaboration with Rice University synthetic biologist Jeffrey Tabor is providing tools to answer the bigger question of how the metabolite imparts longer life.

23 Dec 2020

Study reveals novel dimension in the study of protein-protein interactions

Many proteins are required to maintain the structure, and to preserve the genetic integrity, of DNA. Sliding clamps are proteins that increase the efficiency of DNA replication.

11 Dec 2020

Novel model reveals how bacteria behave in multiple scenarios with usual spatial patterns

Bacteria is all around us--not just in bathrooms or kitchen counters, but also inside our bodies, including in tumors, where microbiota often flourish. These "small ecologies" can hold the key to cancer drug therapies and learning more about them can help development new life-saving treatments.

10 Dec 2020

New microrobots show promise for future medical applications

Cancer drugs have side effects, so for many years, scientists have been exploring ways to transport the active substances to a tumour in the body as precisely as possible. That is the only place that drugs should take effect.

9 Dec 2020

Study may lead to novel organisms that are more efficient at converting plants into biofuels

A new study reveals how bacteria control the chemicals produced from consuming 'food.' The insight could lead to organisms that are more efficient at converting plants into biofuels.

4 Dec 2020

Study shows how bacteria develop resistance to antibiotics

A group of researchers has successfully evolved the common microorganisms Escherichia coli at the experimental level.

25 Nov 2020

New strategy can speed up the development of bio-based products

Scientists have accomplished a major breakthrough by altering a microorganism to efficiently create a target compound using CRISPR-based gene editing.

10 Nov 2020

Highly automated device rapidly detects the presence of COVID-19

Throughout the pandemic, infectious disease experts and frontline medical workers have asked for a faster, cheaper and more reliable COVID-19 test.

6 Nov 2020

New research finds clues for disarming antibiotic-resistant bacteria

A virus can stop bacteria from sharing genes for antibiotic resistance among themselves, Texas A&M AgriLife researchers have discovered.

4 Nov 2020

Researchers unlock new possibilities for development of sustainable, clean bioenergy

Researchers at the University of Liverpool have unlocked new possibilities for the future development of sustainable, clean bioenergy.

4 Nov 2020

New DNA-cutting tool could advance gene editing for novel treatments

Gene editing for the development of new treatments, and for studying disease as well as normal function in humans and other organisms, may advance more quickly with a new tool for cutting larger pieces of DNA out of a cell's genome, according to a new study by UC San Francisco scientists.

21 Oct 2020

Researchers develop model to encode established biochemical principles at cellular level

The most important components for the functioning of a biological cell are its proteins. As a result, protein production is arguably the most important process for cell growth. The faster the bacterial growth rate, the faster protein synthesis needs to take place.

19 Oct 2020

Scientists develop new antimicrobial molecules from toxic proteins in wasp venom

A team led by scientists in the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania has engineered powerful new antimicrobial molecules from toxic proteins found in wasp venom.

13 Oct 2020