Saturday, July 13, 2013

Scientists outsmart dangerous bacteria using infrared light


CNET - Researchers in Vienna have developed a technique to quickly distinguish between strains of staph infection bacteria that can cause chronic infections and those that cannot.

The pesky bacterium Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), best known for causing staph infections such as MRSA, ranges dramatically in form. In fact, recent studies indicate that S. aureus performs an efficient little microevolution to adapt to its host, so that it can evade the immune system and even survive antibiotics.

Not to be outdone by the seeming intelligence of the bacterium, scientists at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna say they have devised a technique using infrared light to distinguish between strains of S. aureus that can cause chronic infections and those that cannot. They report their findings in the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.   More