SUNDAY, May 19, 2013

Ice Cream Ingredient Improves Antibiotic Effectiveness
The food additive polysorbate 80, made famous by an ice cream commerical in the 1980s, appears to increase the killing power of the antibiotic colistin against several antibiotic-resistant pathogens.
Michelle Neudorf, International Health Management, Assoc, Schaumburg, IL, United States
Poster Session 11, Paper 16

Shifts in Gut Microbiome and Inflammatory Bowel Disease
A longitudinal study comparing patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) with healthy controls finds while there were significant differences in gut bacterial populations, some samples from IBD patients during remission were comparable to healthy controls.  Significant shifts in bacterial populations were associated with IBD flare-ups.
Erin McClure, Juniata College, Reading, PA, United States
Poster Session 25, Paper 284

Changes in Gut Bacteria Associated with Colon Cancer
In a mouse model of chemically induced colorectal cancer, researchers find a noticeable shift in the microbiome of gut prior to the development of tumors.
Joseph Zackular, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
Poster Session 25, Paper 282

Gut Bacteria Predict C. difficile
The diversity of intestinal bacteria is found to be greatly reduced just prior to incidence of C. difficile infection in hospitalized patients, with specific types of bacteria associated with increased risk of infection.
Caroline Vincent, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
Poster Session 25, Paper 274 (Summary Available)

Microbes Enhance Oil Recovery
Researchers develop a unique environmentally friendly approach using bacteria to more efficiently recover oil trapped in porous rock.
Hongbo Zhu, UC Berkeley, Berkeley, CA, United States
Poster Session 28, Paper 336

Virus Induces Resistance to HIV
Infection with the GVB-C virus (formerly known as hepatitis G virus) appears to increase the production of microRNAs that inhibit HIV replication, suggesting a genetically modified version of the virus could be a powerful tool in preventing HIV infection in high-risk groups.
Omar Bagasra, Claflin University, Orangeburg, SC, United States
Poster Session 33, Paper 410 (summary available)

Gout Drug Treats Skin Infections
A drug previously approved by the FDA for the treatment of gout appears to be effective at preventing and treating skin infections caused by Staphylococcus aureus.
Brian Gray, Univ. of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM, United States
Poster Session 42, Paper 506 (summary available)

Laboratories Provide Rapid Flu Test Results without Context
A survey of U.S. hospital clinical laboratories in 2012 found that while nearly 90 percent used rapid influenza diagnostic tests to screen patients for influenza, most did not provide information to direct the health care providers about proper test result interpretation.
Laurina Williams, CDC, Atlanta, GA, United States
Poster Session 43, Paper 532 (summary available)

The Aging Face of HIV
A study of HIV patients over 70 years of age finds excellent response to highly active antiretroviral treatment and good outcomes similar to that of younger HIV patients.
Thomas Nahass, ID Care, Hillsborough, NJ, United States
Poster Session 60, Paper 818 (Summary available)

How Cold Contributes to Colds
Validating your mother's advice, researchers have discovered that cold air temperatures suppress the innate immunity of the upper respiratory tract against rhinovirus infection, increasing the likelihood of a person coming down with the common cold.
Ellen Foxman, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States
Symposium Session 63

Bacteria Evade Immune System to Cause Ear Infections
Some strains of non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) bacteria, the leading cause of acute and chronic otitis media (ear infections) are able to survive inside host immune cells.   Understanding this complex immune evasion process could lead a better understanding of otitis media and possibly a way to better treat or prevent these infections.
Lauren King, Wake Forest School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC, United States
Symposium Session 71 (summary available)

Engineered Bacteria Use Hydrogen, CO2 to Produce Electricity
Researchers have engineered a strain of Geobacter sulfurreducens bacteria to produce an electric current in fuel cells using hydrogen and carbon dioxide instead of organic carbon.
Amit Kumar, University of Massachusetts Amherst, Amherst, MA, United States
Symposium Session 72 (summary available)

Rewired Bacteria Not Afraid of the Dark
Scientist have modified a strain of bacteria that usually is dependent on light to grow in the dark instead.
Jordan McEwen, UC Davis, Davis, CA, United States
Symposium Session 73 (summary available)

Antibiotic from Wasp Venom?
An antimicrobial peptide derived from wasp venom appears to be a highly effective antibacterial agent and may offer a promising new therapeutic option for treating bacterial infections.
Yuvon Mobley, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
Symposium Session 74 

Where You Live Affects What Lives in You
People who live together share more than just a household.  They also appear to harbor similar populations of viruses in their oral microbiome.
David Pride, UCSD, La Jolla, CA, United States
Symposium Session 78 (summary available)

MONDAY, May 20, 2013

Another Reason to Fear Bedbugs
As if the biting was not bad enough, bedbugs may also serve as a reservoir for Chlamydia pneumoniae, bacteria that cause pneumonia and arthritis and are believed to play a role in atherosclerosis.
Anna Oller, University of Central Missouri, Warrensburg, MO, United States
Poster Session 97, Paper 1056 (summary available)

How Smart is Your Smartphone?
A analysis of smartphones from nursing students finds 30 percent contaminated with Streptococci bacteria, 40 percent contaminated with Staphylococci bacteria and 20 percent contaminated with both.  Female students had the most contaminated phones.
Marilu Santos, University of North Carolina at Pembroke, Pembroke, NC, United States
Poster Session 97, Paper 1057

Food Labs Fail to Detect Pathogens
A 14-year retrospective study of food microbiology laboratories involving nearly 40,000 results finds that the labs routinely fail to detect pathogens in food samples more than 5 percent of the time.
Christopher Snabes, American Proficiency Institute, Traverse City, MI, United States
Poster Session 104, Paper 1622 (summary available)

Vaccines Against Foodborne Pathogen in Chickens
Researchers have developed two vaccine strategies to reduce colonization of poultry by the foodborne pathogen Campylobacter.
Lindsay Jones, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
Poster Session 110, Paper 1288 (summary available)

Statins Help Reduce Malaria Mortality
A combination of antimalaria drugs and statins eliminates mortality associated with cerebral malaria in experimental mouse models.
Nana Wilson, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, GA, United States
Poster Session 115, Paper 1321 (summary available)

STD Helps HIV Infect Cells
The bacterial pathogen Mycoplasma genitalium, which causes the sexually transmitted diseases urethritis in men and cervicitis in women appears to promote the transfer of HIV across the epithelial barrier, a finding that may help explain why people infected with M. genitalium have a higher incidence of HIV infection.
Kishore Das, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, Edinburg, TX, United States
Poster Session 122, Paper 1446 (summary available)

UV-Ozone Combo Reduces Ground Beef Contamination
A process involving ultraviolet irradiation and ozone helps inactivate shiga toxin-producing E. coli in ground beef without requiring any heating or leaving any chemical residue.
Norasak Kalchayanand, U.S. Meat Animal Research Center, Clay Center, NE, United States
Poster Session 131, Paper 1596 (summary available)

The Cost of Kosher
A study of retail raw chicken in Manhattan comparing conventional, organic, kosher and antibitioc-free finds that while, unsurprisingly, antibiotic-free chicken had the lowest frequency of antibiotic-resistant E. coli contamination, kosher chickens had the highest incidence.
Jack Millman, Horace Mann, New York, NY, United States
Poster Session 131, Paper 1603 (summary available)

Ancient Source of Bacterial Communication
A genetic study of ancient bacteria trapped in amber finds many have the gene for a protein that some modern-day bacteria use to communicate via process called quorum sensing.
Tasha Santiago-Rodriguez, University of Puerto Rico, Cayey, PR, United States
Poster Session 133, Paper 1701

Immune Response to Influenza Promotes Transmission of Bacterial Infection
Inflammation caused by the response of innate immunity to the influenza virus appears to promote transmission of the bacteria Streptococcus pneumoniae which are often responsible for secondary infections such as pneumonia.
Aimee Richard, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, United States
Symposium Session 144 (summary available)

The Merlot Microbiome
A study of the soil bacteria in and around the roots of merlot grapevines.
Iratxe Zarraonaindia, Argonne National Laboratory, Lemont, chicago, IL, United States
Symposium Session 147 (summary available)

Fracking and Groundwater
Shifts in microbial ecology of groundwater involved in fracking, the process of drilling and injecting fluid into the ground at a high pressure in order to fracture shale rocks to release natural gas inside.
Paula Mouser, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, United States
Symposium Session 151

TUESDAY, May 21, 2013

Hops Control Freeloading Bacteria in Goats
The beta-acids from hops inhibit the growth of hyper-ammonia-producing bacteria, a group of bacteria that take up resources without providing any benefit, in the rumen of goats.
Michael Flythe, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, United States
Poster Session 186, Paper 2159 (summary available)

Can Oral Bacteria Diagnose Cancer?
Researchers are analyzing the oral microbiota of people with and without cancer to determine if bacteria in the mouth can be reliable indicators of cancer.
Erin Fletcher, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA, United States
Poster Session 197, Paper 2295 (summary available)

Juices and Probiotics Don't Mix
A study of delivery methods of probiotic bacteria finds that putting them in vegetable or fruit significantly reduces their viability to the point where they may no longer offer a health benefit.  No such reduction was found for milk.
Julie McKinney, Pfizer Consumer Healthcare, Richmond, VA, United States
Poster Session 204, Paper 313

Fungus Saves Grapevines
An analysis of the microbial populations residing on grape vines that either have or are free of Pierce's disease, a deadly disease threatening the grape industry, has uncovered several species of fungi that may protect the vines.
Jiue-in Yang, University of California, Riverside, Moreno Valley, CA, United States
Poster Session 205, Paper 2434 (summary available)

Dry Copper Surfaces Inactivate Norovirus
The use of antimicrobial surfaces containing copper in high-risk closed environments such as cruise ships and care facilities could help reduce the spread of norovirus.
C Keevil, University of Southampton, Southampton, United Kingdom
Poster Session 210, Paper 2542 (summary available)

Long-Lasting Disinfectant Spray
Researchers have combined antimicrobials with controlled release polymers to make a spray disinfectant that also provides long-lasting sanitizing protection to a surface.
Rebecca Vongsa, Kimberly Clark Corporation, Neenah, WI, United States
Poster Session 210, Paper 2552 (summary available)

Antibiotics Not Equal for C. difficile
Different antibiotics leave different populations of bacteria in the gut, some of which may protect against C. difficile colonization.  The highest overall colonization resistance was seen in populations from mice treated with ciprofloxacin and clindamycin while streptomycin, cefoperazone and vancomycin treatment left microbiomes with relatively low resistance to colonization.
Alyxandria Schubert, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, United States
Symposium Session 219 

Light Therapy for C. difficile
Researchers have  identified a number of non-toxic light sensitive compounds that are able to kill C. difficile upon irradiation with laser light of a specific wavelength. The technique, known as Photodynamic Antimicrobial Chemotherapy (PACT), shows potential as a novel, rapid, and efficient alternative to traditional antibiotic treatments for C. difficile infection.
Luisa De Sordi, National Medical Laser Centre, University College London, London, United Kingdom
Symposium Session 219 (summary available)

Microbes in the Sky
An analysis of microbial communities in the troposphere suggests that the air microbiome plays a potentially important role in ice formation in the atmosphere and hence the development of clouds.
Natasha De Leon-Rodriguez, School of Biology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, United States
Symposium Session 221 (summary available)

Light Activated Genes
Researchers have engineered a light-activated module that allows them to turn bacterial genes on using infrared light.
Min-Hyung Ryu, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, United States
Symposium Session 223 (summary available)