virology blog — About viruses and viral disease Antibacterial Phage Therapy - The Naked Scientists 2007.05.21 How bacteria-attacking viruses can help to combat superbugs Thomas Häusler Why should anyone be interested in an old cure that hasn’t been used in the West for 50 years? It’s a method that many doctors aren’t even aware of today. The most telling answer to this question came when I received a call in my office from a man one Friday morning in January 2001. The caller explained that he had read the article. More than any research I have done, his call hit me between the eyes. But in more and more cases doctors prescribe one antibiotic after the other without being able to eliminate the infection – because the bacteria are resistant against the drugs. An estimated 90,000 US patients die annually from infections contracted in the hospital, many of them caused by multi-resistant bacteria. There are not only resistant staph. Because of all this, it makes perfect sense to revisit phage therapy and evaluate how it can help us all staying healthy. It's as simple and intriguing as that.
Veterinary Medicine – Dog and Cat Diseases, Vet Schools, Parvo, Vet Questions T-DNA Binary system Systems in which T-DNA and vir genes are located on separate replicons are called T-DNA binary systems. T-DNA is located on the binary vector (the non-T-DNA region of this vector containing origin(s) of replication that could function both in E. coli and in Agrobacterium tumefaciens, and antibiotic-resistance genes used to select for the presence of the binary vector in bacteria, became known as vector backbone sequences). The replicon containing the vir genes became known as the vir helper. There are several binary vector systems that differ mainly in the plasmid region that facilitates replication in Agrobacterium. Common Helper plasmids include Plasmid structure[edit] Binary plasmid[edit] The T-DNA portion of the binary plasmid is flanked by left and right border sequences and consists of a transgene as well as a plant selectable marker (PSM). Helper plasmid[edit] The helper plasmid contains the vir genes that originated from the Ti plasmid of Agrobacterium. Notes[edit] References[edit]
News tips from the journal mBio Public release date: 3-Jan-2012 [ Print | E-mail Share ] [ Close Window ] Contact: Jim Sliwajsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297American Society for Microbiology Unique E. coli Protein May Be Not After All A bacterial protein recently thought to be a unique mechanism for utilizing iron may not be after all. The ability to acquire iron from their host is an important factor in the ability of bacteria to establish an infection. Based on the gene sequences responsible for its production, this compound appears to be a dye-decolorizing peroxidase (DyP), a relatively recently recognized superfamily of heme-containing peroxidases that are found in fungi and bacteria. "Given the diversity of organisms that possess DyP-type proteins, the identification of this class of proteins as heme dechelatases would have profound physiological and environmental implications. In the study, they propose and demonstrate that YfeX is a typical DyP with no ability to dechelate iron from heme. [ Print | E-mail
Awareness & education Meningitis Research Foundation estimates that there are around 3,400 cases of bacterial meningitis and septicaemia every year in the UK and Ireland. This means that every day nine people become ill with the diseases. With one in ten people dying, a death will occur almost every day. A further two people will be left with life-altering after effects as severe as brain damage, deafness and multiple amputations. The highest burden of meningitis in the world is in the Meningitis Belt of sub-Saharan Africa, where epidemics can strike up to a quarter of a million people in a single year, with tens of thousands of deaths. Meningitis vaccines offer excellent protection, but they are not yet available for all forms. What are meningitis and septicaemia? Find out what causes meningitis and septicaemia Symptoms of meningitis and septicaemia Meningitis and septicaemia can appear separately or together and have different symptoms. Who gets meningitis and septicaemia? MenB MenB in Ireland Meningitis prevention
Merck Veterinary Manual Emerging Infectious Diseases journal - CDC Heartland virus (HRTV) is a recently described phlebovirus initially isolated in 2009 from 2 humans who had leukopenia and thrombocytopenia. Serologic assessment of domestic and wild animal populations near the residence of 1 of these persons showed high exposure rates to raccoons, white-tailed deer, and horses. To our knowledge, no laboratory-based assessments of viremic potential of animals infected with HRTV have been performed. We experimentally inoculated several vertebrates (raccoons, goats, chickens, rabbits, hamsters, C57BL/6 mice, and interferon-α/β/γ receptor–deficient [Ag129]) mice with this virus. All animals showed immune responses against HRTV after primary or secondary exposure.