Bacteria & Viruses

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning in late October 2023 urging consumers to avoid purchasing and to immediately stop using 26 over-the-counter eye drop products because of risk of eye infection that could result in partial vision loss or even blindness. More products were soon added to the list, and a few others have been voluntarily recalled. No cases of eye infection from the products have been reported as of mid-November 2023. It’s just the latest in a series of warnings and recalls related to bacterial…

November 14, 20234 min readBy The Conversation & Ivan ErillThis colorized transmission electron microscope image shows a newly discovered satellite virus latched onto its helper virus. This research represents the first time scientists have observed one virus attached to another. Out of 50 observed helpers, 40 had a satellite bound. Bioinformatic analysis of the satellite and helper viruses’ genomes provides clues as to why the satellite may have evolved to attach to the helper, and suggests this pair may have been…

A “blob” of seaweed double the width of the U.S. that’s inching across the Caribbean and delivering loads of algae to Florida beaches is also carrying some unwelcome tourists: disease-causing bacteria. And the plastic debris we pour into the oceans may be making the situation worse. The bacteria belong to a genus called Vibrio, which includes more than 100 species. About a dozen of these can harm humans, typically by infecting open wounds or causing food poisoning when consumed. In a new study published on May 3 in the…

The emergence of disease-causing bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics is often attributed to the overuse of antibiotics in people and livestock. But researchers have homed in on another potential driver of resistance: antidepressants. By studying bacteria grown in the laboratory, a team has now tracked how antidepressants can trigger drug resistance. “Even after a few days exposure, bacteria develop drug resistance, not only against one but multiple antibiotics,” says senior author Jianhua Guo, who works at the…