bacteria

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P&G Recalls Contaminated Vicks Nasal Spray

Lots affected by bacteria were sold in US, UK, Germany

(Newser) - Procter & Gamble has voluntarily recalled batches of its Vicks nasal spray contaminated with bacteria. Though the bacteria are likely harmless to healthy people, CNN reports, the contamination could prove disastrous for those with compromised immune systems. The product is in the Vicks Sinex line in the US and UK,...

Gut Bacteria Can Make You Fat
 Gut Bacteria Can Make You Fat 
Nov 12, 2009 2:33 PM CST

Gut Bacteria Can Make You Fat

Unhealthy diet encourages efficient micro-organisms

(Newser) - Eating junk food may do a double whammy on your waistline: In addition to the calorie influx, high-fat foods alter intestinal bacteria, actually making it easier to get fat. Obese mice in a new study had significantly more of a specific type of bacteria, Firmicutes, that easily convert food into...

Map of Cell's Machinery Wins Chemistry Nobel

Trio of laureates includes first woman to win prize in 45 years

(Newser) - The Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded today to three scientists who mapped the structure of the ribosome, the part of the cell that reads DNA and uses its information to  create proteins. All three chemists constructed three-dimensional models of the ribosome, using X-ray crystallography to chart hundreds of thousands...

Plague Bacteria Linked to Death of Scientist

University of Chicago geneticist exposed to weakened strain

(Newser) - A 60-year-old researcher at the University of Chicago died earlier this month from an infection that may have been set off by the bacteria that causes the plague. Malcolm Casadaban was working with a weakened strain of the bacteria that is normally harmless, and the CDC has been called in...

Lather, Rinse, Disinfect the Showerhead

But even bleach may not kill stealth bacteria invading your bathtub

(Newser) - The showerheads of America are crawling with bacteria that can cause pulmonary disease in people with weakened immune systems, LiveScience reports. Around 20% of showerheads tested for a new study held significant levels of Mycobacterium avium, which can be suspended in air when water flows and be inhaled deep into...

Flu Shots Decrease Use of Antibiotics

Doctors prescribe them less when the shots are available

(Newser) - Providing flu shots to the public decreases the prescription of antibiotics, say Canadian researchers. The results of a 10-year study in Ontario will be good news to public health officials who worry that over-prescription of antibiotics is creating more resistant bacteria, reports Miller-McCune. Researchers found that doctors prescribed 64% fewer...

Cow E. Coli in Cookie Dough Stumps Feds

How could E. coli have invaded the supply?

(Newser) - Feds are scouring Nestle's Virginia plant for clues as to how E. coli 0157, which is found in cow intestines, ended up in cookie dough products the company recalled last week, the Washington Post reports. “It's a fascinating outbreak," said one of the bacterial mystery. "By just...

1,000 Species of Bacteria Crawling on Our Skin

(Newser) - We're not alone. A new study by the National Institutes of Health estimates that 1,000 different species of bacteria inhabit our skin, reports the Los Angeles Times. Some specialize in the terrain of the armpit or the belly button, while others prefer drier (and less populated) locales such as...

'Biohackers' Create New, DIY Organisms

Feds try to asses threat from part-time Frankensteins

(Newser) - Katherine Aull is creating new forms of life in her closet. Armed only with jury-rigged equipment and some DNA she bought online, the 23-year-old is creating custom E. coli bacteria she thinks could help cancer research. Aull is part of a growing movement of “biohackers,” amateur biologists crafting...

Infected Concrete Heals Self: Study

Scientists create self-healing concrete

(Newser) - Bacteria that secrete minerals are a well-known tool for "healing" cracked limestone statues, and the process got a Dutch scientist thinking. He theorized that concrete seeded with bacteria and a substance they transform into calcium carbonate would create a material that's able to seal cracks as they form. It...

Swine Flu Confirmed in UK
 Swine Flu Confirmed in UK 
Apr 27, 2009 1:48 PM CDT

Swine Flu Confirmed in UK

Pair brings disease home from a trip to Mexico

(Newser) - Two British citizens have contracted swine flu, the virus that has killed at least 149 people in Mexico and sickened 20 in the US, the Guardian reports. The pair returned from a trip to Mexico last week and fell ill, the Scottish health minister said today. Seven others who had...

Swine Flu Hits Hardest Among Young Adults

Excessive immune reaction may be at fault in Mexican deaths

(Newser) - The swine flu sweeping through Mexico is wreaking havoc among young adults in particular, reports the Washington Post, with the entire death toll as of yesterday comprised of those between 25 and 50. Some believe the trouble for young adults is an overpowering immune reaction that ravages throat and lung...

Salmonella Outbreak Raises a Red Flag

'We're lucky,' but drug-resistant bacteria lie in wait, experts warn

(Newser) - The ongoing salmonella outbreak has sickened hundreds of people and played a part in eight deaths, and that's the good news, experts tell MSNBC. The strain in question responds to the standard treatment, but other varieties of the salmonella bacteria have become increasingly resistant to antibiotics in recent decades."...

Methane Hints at Life on Mars
 Methane Hints at Life on Mars 
Jan 15, 2009 4:38 PM CST

Methane Hints at Life on Mars

Gas released in high concentrations could be from bacteria

(Newser) - The discovery of high methane concentrations on Mars may hint that underground life exists on the red planet, the Houston Chronicle reports. Scientists funded by NASA and other institutions, using Earth-based telescopes, have found plumes of methane in such high concentrations they believe bacteria, which can also produce the gas...

Beer 101? Now, That's a Party School!

UWisconsin offers course in bacteriology of fermentation

(Newser) - The University of Wisconsin is starting a class with one thing you’d think its students would already know well: beer. But the offering is about the science of brewing, focuses on fermentation, and is taught by the bacteriology department, the Chicago Tribune reports. “This is not a...

Women's Hands Tops in Bacteria: Study

(Newser) - Wash your hands, folks, especially you ladies. A new study found that women have a greater variety of bacteria on their hands than men do. And everybody has more types of bacteria than the researchers expected to find. "One thing that really is astonishing is the variability between individuals,...

Discoveries Boost Hope for Alien Life

New forms of extreme bacteria fuel hope for extraterrestrial life

(Newser) - Humans have always wondered about the possibility of alien life somewhere out there. And while scientists seem to agree that the discovery of extraterrestrials will not happen soon, growing numbers are convinced it will happen. The search is being fueled in part by recent discoveries of strange new life forms...

Brown-Bag Boom Makes for Stinky Office Fridges

Employees moan about offensive odors, liquefied carrots, missing pizza

(Newser) - A rise in brown-bag lunches is turning office fridges nationwide from a munchies Mecca into an oversized Petri dish—and workers are crying foul, the Chicago Tribune reports. Booming food prices and health concerns are increasing bring-your-own numbers, but the good stuff doesn't always get eaten. "I've found things...

Docs Link Ulcer Drop, Asthma Boom

Decline in stomach bacteria might link to asthma boom

(Newser) - A lack of ulcers may be driving the increased incidence of childhood asthma, Reuters reports. In a study of children infected with the H. pylori bacteria, which causes ulcers, those who had the infection were 59% less likely to have asthma than those who didn't. H. pylori infection has been...

Chicago Watchful for Second Helping of Tainted Taste

Officials remind of their limited role, year after salmonella outbreak at popular festival

(Newser) - With news still coming of people stricken by tomatoes tainted with salmonella, health officials say they're taking full precautions to prevent another outbreak at this year's Taste of Chicago, the Tribune reports. Booths will be inspected four times a day for sanitary conditions at the event, which begins today—though...

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