MicrobiologyBytes

Marine cyanophages and light
Abstract: In contrast to the phages of heterotrophic hosts, light can play a key role in all aspects of the life cycle of phages infecting ecologically important marine unicellular cyanobacteria of the genera Synechococcus and Prochlorococcus. Phage adsorption, replication, modulation of the host cell metabolism, and survival in the environment following lysis, all exhibit light-dependent components. The analysis of cyanophage genomes has revealed the acquisition of key photosynthetic genes during the course of evolution, such as those encoding central components of the light harvesting apparatus. These discoveries are beginning to reveal novel features of the interactions between parasite and host that shape the biology of both.
Environ Microbiol. 2006 Dec;8(12):2074-82.

Pandemic Influenza: The Inside Story
At about midnight on 7 September 2004, a mother arrived at her 11-year-old daughter’s bedside in a provincial hospital in Thailand. She sat down, hugged and kissed her child, and wiped secretions from her mouth. Little did she know that her daughter’s breathing difficulties were caused by the deadly H5N1 avian influenza virus. The next day, the girl was dead and, nearly two weeks later, so too was the mother, making a strong case for the virus passing from one human to another.

Trichomonas vaginalis genome
The genome sequence of Trichomonas vaginalis, the sexually transmitted parasite responsible for one of the most widespread sexually transmitted diseases worldwide, has been decoded.

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At 160 megabases, this genome is significantly larger than any other parasitic protozoan sequenced so far.

Avian Influenza Risk Perception in Europe and Asia
Emerging Infectious Diseases 13(2) February 2007.
Abstract: During autumn 2005, we conducted 3,436 interviews in European and Asian countries. We found risk perceptions of avian influenza to be at an intermediate level and beliefs of efficacy to be slightly lower. Risk perceptions were higher in Asia than Europe; efficacy beliefs were lower in Europe than Asia.
And the Americans don’t think we should worry at all …

Gonorrhea Doubles Risk for Male Bladder Cancer
Men who have had gonorrhoea are twice as likely to develop bladder cancer. This study strengthens the suspected link between infection with the gonorrhoea bacterium Neiserria gonorrhoeae and bladder cancer in men. The next step is to confirm whether the increased risk could be caused directly by the gonorrhoea infection or its symptoms. Further research is also needed to exclude the possibility that gonorrhoea is acting as a marker for a separate cancer-causing agent, such as another infection.
Protect Yourself: Learn more now

Indonesian boy dies of bird flu
A teenage boy has become Indonesia’s first bird flu fatality of 2007. Doctors said chickens had recently died in the area where the boy lived, suggesting he may have come into contact with infected poultry. According to the WHO, the disease has claimed more than 150 lives since it began ravaging Asian poultry farms in late 2003.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 12th, 2007 at 5:42 pm and is filed under Bacteria, Biology, Blogroll, Environment, Genetics, Health, Medicine, Microbiology, Parasitology, Science, University of Leicester, Virology. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.