On October 24, 1632, the Dutch tradesman and scientist Antonie van Leeuwenkoek, the inventor of the microscope, was born. He is commonly known as "the Father of Microbiology", and considered to be the first microbiologist.
Health care workers in emergency departments are often carriers of the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), potentially putting patients at risk.
Scientists have uncovered a chain reaction which could link Enterococcus faecalis bacteria living in our intestines to the development of colon cancer.
A report from Sun 11 May 2008 shows that 183 children from the capital city Ulaanbataar and provincess have been infected and have been admitted to hospitals for treatment.
As of 28 March, 2008, the Brazilian health authorities have reported a national total of 120,570 cases of dengue including 647 dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) cases, with 48 deaths.
Scientists are no further forward in developing a vaccine against HIV after more than 20 years of research says Nobel Prize-winning biologist David Baltimore.
The 1918 influenza strain developed two mutations in the hemagglutinin which allowed it to bind tightly to receptors in the human upper respiratory tract.
Ciguatera poisoning is caused by the consumption of tropical reef fish that have assimilated ciguatoxins through the marine food chain from toxic microscopic algae.
There is seemingly consistent and compelling evidence that there is no association between breastfeeding and breast cancer. We challenge the assumption follows that milk borne viruses cannot be associated with human breast cancer.
An outbreak of Q Fever is being investigated in the Cheltenham area. A total of 28 cases have been identified among local people, most requiring hospital treatment.
A hunt is on for 2 patients with a deadly form of tuberculosis who disappeared after the Cape High Court ordered they return to a South African hospital. The pair, diagnosed with extremely drug resistant (XDR) tuberculosis, are presumed to be in hiding.
Sewage systems do not break down Tamiflu, which means the main weapon against bird flu could seep into natural waters and make certain viruses resistant to the drug during a pandemic.
Government officials believe human error at the private pharmaceutical firm Merial Animal Health is the most likely source for the return of foot and mouth disease. Senior officials believe the virus may have been transported by an individual or by a car
Health officials say 2 recent incidents in which swimmers in Maryland were attacked by a rabid beaver should remind people that those "no swimming" signs are there for a reason. One rabid beaver, now dead, was responsible for an attack on a swimmer on Sun
An outbreak of measles has struck up to 21 children across South Yorkshire. All those affected are children aged between just three months and 12 years who have not had the MMR inoculation.
The public is being asked to help monitor Northern Ireland seal colonies following an outbreak of a deadly virus. Phocine distemper virus (PDV) wiped out half of northern Europe's seal population in 1998.
Diagnoses of new sex infections rose by 2% to 376,508 from 2005 to 2006, largely among young people and gay men, the UK Health Protection Agency repoerts.
Scientists say the power of copper to fight germs lies in the fact that copper ions separate on contact with bacteria and cause irreversible damage to the bacteria's cells.
Bacteria have tiny channels in their walls which operate like the valve on a pressure cooker - they open to release material when the pressure in a bacterial cell gets too great. If the channel didn't open to relieve pressure the bacteria would explode and die, so this is a target for drug development.
The death toll in China's outbreak of hand-foot-mouth disease has risen to 42 children, with the capital Beijing reporting its first case on Wednesday.
Phytophthora kernoviae, a disease that can kill oak and beech trees has been found for the first time in the UK. The fungus, which forms bleeding cankers on the bark of trees, blackens leaves on plants and causes shoots to die.
Scientists at the University of Calgary have developed a way of fertilizing the bacteria that exist in heavy oil reservoirs in order to improve recovery of hard-to-develop energy.
A US meat company has issued a nationwide recall for 21.7 million pounds (9843 tons) of ground beef products after reports of up to 25 cases of illness caused by suspected E. coli [O157:H7] in 8 states, including New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut.
University of Leicester scientists have made a discovery which could make probiotic yoghurts healthier. Dr Primrose Freestone has discovered that a natural food supplement could help make the bacteria in the yoghurts more effective. A fruit extract enabl
For the second time in a month Thiruvanathapuram Zoo in Kerala is battling the highly contagious foot-and-mouth disease. After one wild boar died of foot and mouth the zoo authorities decided to cull 19 others on Sunday but still don't know how many of th
It may seem remarkable that, 23 years after the identification of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), there is still denial that the virus is the cause of acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS).
The vast majority of women do not know that most cervical cancer is caused by a sexually transmitted infection. In a survey of 1,600 women only 2.5% cited human papillomavirus as a risk factor for cervical cancer.
Thousands of interesting new compounds have been discovered inside the bodies of marine sponges according to scientists speaking at the Society for General Microbiology’s 161st Meeting at the University of Edinburgh, UK.
Online textbook used in an introductory microbiology class. Also available is a strain identifier table: a list of dozens of bacteria and their physical and physiological characteristics. Click on the link in the right hand side entitled "Enteric Strain Searching" to access this table.
Database that describes the complete genome sequence of E. coli K-12 MG1655, the nucleotide position and function of every its genes, several types of cellular regulation, and metabolic pathways.
There is no official classification of prokaryotes, but the names given to prokaryotes are regulated. This website includes the nomenclature of prokaryotes and the nomenclatural changes as cited in the literature.
Provides information about microorganisms, extremophiles and extreme habitats, as well as links to websites on the ecology, diversity and evolution of microorganisms.
International Journal of Advances in Biology (IJAB) is a peer-reviewed, open access journal, addresses the impacts and challenges of Biology. The journal documents practical and theoretical results which make a fundamental contribution for the development of Biological sciences and applications.
Scientists discovered the only known ecosystem that consists of just one organism in a gold mine in South Africa. This ecosystem could be a model for early life on Earth or other planets.
Anyone who has sex can catch a sexually transmitted infection. Find out how to avoid infection, get tested, get treated and how to protect your sexual health.
The endangered red squirrel population of Angleseys Newborough Forest is facing a new killer virus. One animal is known to have died from the deadly red squirrel adenovirus.