Following the tracks of an extremely adaptive bacterium

Investigations of the genome of Pseudomonas syringae reveal unique natural products: New perspectives for biotechnology

26-Jun-2025 - A recent study by an interdisciplinary research team shows how a soil bacterium can become a source of inspiration in the search of new active substances. Genomic analyses of the plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae shed light on its chemical diversity. Two newly discovered families of natural ...

Sensors against superbugs

Dangerous increase in antimicrobial resistance: Detect resistant pathogens faster and start customized treatment in good time

02-Apr-2025 - Antibiotic-resistant bacteria can cause life-threatening infections that are almost impossible to treat with existing medication. As a result, common illnesses such as urinary tract infections or skin wounds are becoming a health risk. Empa researchers are therefore working on sensors that ...

Lung organoids unveil secret: How pathogens infect human lung tissue

New sensor for monitoring bacteria

12-Jun-2024 - How do pathogens invade the lungs? Using human lung microtissues, a team at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has uncovered the strategy used by a dangerous pathogen. The bacterium targets specific lung cells and has developed a sophisticated strategy to break through the lungs’ line of ...

Track and trace members of the plant microbiome with DNA barcodes

28-Mar-2024 - A research team led by Paul Schulze-Lefert from the Max Planck Institute for Plant Breeding Research in Cologne, Germany, developed a modular toolkit for tracking bacterial strains colonising plant tissue in competition with other microbiome members. The study is now published in Nature ...

Neutrons for better vaccines against multidrug resistant germs

FRM II lets scientists look deep inside the structure of biomolecules

13-Apr-2023 - Neutrons from the Research Neutron Source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) can be used to explore the structure of biomolecules. The most recent success: the precise analysis of a promising vaccine against multidrug resistant germs. Bacteria which are resistant to all conventional antibiotics cause ...

Cytoskeleton acts as cells’ bouncer for bacteria

Researchers have discovered a previously unknown function of septins in defending cells against dangerous hospital pathogens

24-Oct-2022 - Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P.a.) are resistant to most antibiotics and cause life-threatening infections of wounds or the lungs. The P.a. bacteria species has an entire arsenal of strategies for evading the immune system and infecting tissue. Researchers working with Prof. Dr. Winfried Römer and Dr. ...

A bright spot for microbiological diagnostics

Researchers develop molecular probes to detect pathogens in clinical samples

17-May-2022 - The detection of bacterial pathogens in clinical samples is an important prerequisite for successful antimicrobial treatment. A team from the Helmholtz Centre for Infection Research (HZI) in Braunschweig, the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) and Tel Aviv University, Israel, has now ...

Bacterial toxin blinds algae

Chemical “fingerprints” reveal the “murder weapon”

18-Aug-2021 - University of Jena researchers have discovered a bacterial toxin that destroys the colour pigments in the eyespot of the single-cell green alga Chlamydomonas reinhardtii. Together with another toxic substance, the bacteria of the species Pseudomonas protegens not only disorientate and immobilise ...

New diagnostic tool aids quality control in xenotransplantations

Bacterial protein recognises immunogenic sugar molecules on pig cells

05-Dec-2017 - Sugars are highly important molecules for all life. They convey vital signals, and thus participate in manifold biological processes (e.g. determination of blood-types and the formation of bacterial biofilms). Sugars are often recognized by specialized proteins called lectins. Researchers at the ...

Competition among pathogens

26-May-2017 - Research at the University of Konstanz has identified a molecule that allows the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa to inhibit its rival, Staphylococcus aureus - Possible basis for the development of new antibiotics Bacteria of the species Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are among ...