Electric switch makes Salmonella even more deadly

Researchers have found that Salmonella is able to use human electric fields and can make itself even more harmful to it's host. By finding this new pathway it's key to understanding why this pathogen is toxic. Salmonella affects many people with food poisoning and can even lead to death if left untreated.  Bacteria escape the gut of the host first and then release chemicals from the site of infection causing macrophages to go near. When the Salmonella enters the cecum theirs an electrical field that the Salmonella uses and attracts more macrophages. Once this happens the electric switch happens the macrophages change direction heading toward the circulatory system

I found this research very interesting and think that this new information will be useful to treating Salmonella and stopping the pathogen from contaminating food in the future. This pathway could also have to do with why water and food for humans is so easily contaminated. 

Low protein diet in early life increases lifespan in fruit flies

Researchers at the Francis Crick Institute have discovered that some fruit flies can live over twice as long as other Drosophila melanogaster. The flies that are fed a low protein diet early in life, and are switched onto a standard diet as adults, live longer. The researchers found that adult fruit flies release toxic lipids from their skin that shorten their lifespan. However, the lipids were found to be less toxic if the fly ate a low protein diet early in life, before it became an adult. The lipids function to prevent dehydration and stimulate mating behaviors.

The scientists also found that the lipids produced by the flies affect the other flies that are near them. So, if a fly is producing a more toxic lipid, they will have a shorter lifespan, and so will the flies around them.  Since flies affect their neighbors, it causes fruit flies to have a shorter lifespan when they are densely populated. However, when the flies were densely populated, but were genetically modified to produce less toxic lipids, the flies lived longer. Therefore, the scientists concluded that skin toxins cause the fruit flies to have a shorter lifespan, individually and in large groups.

I thought that this article was very interesting because it’s kind of counterintuitive. I would never have thought that something that flies need would be causing them to have shorter lifespans. The article states that humans also produce skin lipids to moisturize and protect our skin. It makes me wonder if the lipids produced by humans are toxic to us, and if there is a way to make them less toxic.  If less toxic lipids cause fruit flies to have longer lifespans, it could also have positive effects on humans.

Low protein diet in early life increases lifespan in fruit flies article

More information about fruit flies

New Technique Using DNA Data Could Help Doctors Treat MRSA

Scientist at the University of Bath have developed a new technique to predict the toxicity of a MRSA infection from its DNA sequence. This will help clinicians decide the best course of treatment for the infection. MRSA cause disease because of its toxicity which damages a host's tissue. In a study published online in Genome Research, researchers used genome sequence of MRSA to predict toxicity levels for individual bacteria. They identified 125 genetic mutations that made an individual isolate either high or low toxicity. Researchers were surprised to see that isolates from the same clone varied hugely in toxicity. They identified a common genetic signature shared by all the highly toxic strains. Head author of the study Dr. Ruth Massey from the University of Bath states, "...as cost and speed of genome sequencing decreases, it will be feasible to take a swab from a patient, sequence the genome of the bacterium causing the infection, and then use this to predict the toxicity of the infection." Along with MRSA, they are also using their methodology on other bacterial pathogens like Streptococcus pneumonia, which is a leading cause of death in infants and children under the age of 5.
This advancement in MRSA treatment is key. MRSA is a very serious disease. This past NFL season, a lot of players and people involved with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got MRSA. It was so serious that a few players had to miss some games because of it. The NFL even thought about cancelling one of the games. Also, if I remember correctly, I believe there was a breakout of MRSA in South Jersey while I was in high school. My school was taking its precautions by making us fill out papers and telling us to see our doctors.