Bacteria Put on an Invisibility Cloak to Cause Asymptomatic Infections
Bacteria Put on an Invisibility Cloak to Cause Asymptomatic Infections
Biofilms prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxins from being detected by sensory neurons, tricking the body into not looking sick.
Biofilms prevent Pseudomonas aeruginosa toxins from being detected by sensory neurons, tricking the body into not looking sick.
biofilm
How Bacterial Communities Divvy up Duties
Holly Barker, PhD | Jun 1, 2023 | 10+ min read
Biofilms are home to millions of microbes, but disrupting their interactions could produce more effective antibiotics.
Infographic: Stages of Biofilm Formation
Holly Barker, PhD | Jun 1, 2023 | 1 min read
Free-swimming bacteria settle on a surface to cooperate and form a protective biofilm.
Double Agents: Engineered Bacteria Tackle Pathogenic Biofilms in Mice
Katherine Irving | Jan 26, 2023 | 3 min read
Mycoplasma pneumoniae with pathogenic genes replaced by biofilm-degrading ones enhance survival in a mouse model of ventilator-associated pneumonia.
Laser-Triggered Nanobubbles Blast a Path into Biofilms
Jonathan Wosen | Apr 1, 2020 | 4 min read
Researchers could one day use the method to deliver antibiotics to topical wounds infected by hard-to-treat masses of bacteria.
Image of the Day: Living Art
Chia-Yi Hou | Jul 12, 2019 | 1 min read
Swirls of bacteria form on an agar plate.
Image of the Day: Micro Cleaners
Chia-Yi Hou | May 8, 2019 | 1 min read
Microrobots kill bacteria and clean surfaces covered in biofilm.
Fossilized Brains Called into Question, Might be Microbes
Abby Olena, PhD | Apr 11, 2018 | 4 min read
Authors of a new study suggest that 520-million-year-old structures, previously identified as the brains of ancient arthropods, are instead preserved microbial biofilms.
Image of the Day: Fungal Fireworks
The Scientist | Jun 26, 2017 | 1 min read
The fungus Aspergillus fumigatus begins to grow biofilms as it develops into a larger intertwined network.
Image of the Day: 3-Billion-Year-Old Bubbles
The Scientist | May 10, 2017 | 1 min read
Fossilized gas bubbles, formed from being trapped by microbial biofilms, provide the oldest signature of life in terrestrial hot springs.
Stress, Bacteria Trigger Heart Attack?
Jef Akst | Jun 12, 2014 | 1 min read
A study implicates the breaking up of bacterial biofilms on fatty plaques in arteries as causing stroke or heart attack following stress.
Film Stars
Anna Azvolinsky | Jun 1, 2014 | 3 min read
Engineered bacteria can shape electricity-conducting nanowires.
Early Evidence
Abby Olena, PhD | Mar 1, 2014 | 2 min read
Fossilized structures suggest that mat-forming microbes have been around for almost 3.5 billion years.
Thwarting Persistence
Abby Olena, PhD | Nov 13, 2013 | 3 min read
Researchers show that activating an endogenous protease can eliminate bacterial persisters.
Live Wires
Mohamed Y. El-Naggar and Steven E. Finkel | May 1, 2013 | 10+ min read
Discoveries of microbial communities that transfer electrons between cells and across relatively long distances are launching a new field of microbiology.
Electric Microbe Hairs
Mohamed Y. El-Naggar and Steven E. Finkel | Apr 30, 2013 | 1 min read
USC researcher Mohamed El-Naggar demonstrates how some bacteria grow electrical wires that allow them to link up in big biological circuits.
Electron Shuffle
Mohamed Y. El-Naggar and Steven E. Finkel | Apr 30, 2013 | 1 min read
Shewanella bacteria generate energy for survival by transporting electrons to nearby mineral surfaces.
Bacterial Conduit
Mohamed Y. El-Naggar and Steven E. Finkel | Apr 30, 2013 | 1 min read
Desulfobulbaceae bacteria were recently discovered to form centimeter-long cables, containing thousands of cells that share an outer membrane.
Bacterial Sacrifice
Kerry Grens | Jan 1, 2013 | 2 min read
Patterns of cell death aid in the formation of beneficial wrinkles during the development of bacterial biofilms.
Next Generation: Regulated Wrinkles
Sabrina Richards | Aug 9, 2012 | 2 min read
Researchers devise a way to create predictably patterned microwrinkles.