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Researchers discover bacteria can make DNA using urine
Bacteria (round spheres) on the surface of the bladder where they encounter urine to make their DNA. (Image: Glen Ulett)
Streptococcus, a bacterium that causes painful human urinary tract infections can generate new DNA using human urine, researchers at Griffith University have found.
Dr Matthew Sullivan and colleagues from the School of Medical Science discovered the bacterium, which often infects healthy humans, has specialised to make the chemical building blocks for its own DNA with important ramifications for its capacity to cause infection and disease.
In the study, published in the International Society of Microbial Ecology (ISME) Journal, the researchers carved out particular pieces of the bacteria’s genome to show that a specialised gene in the bacterium allows it to exploit natural chemicals found in urine as a way to produce new DNA.
Diphtheria could become a problem again thanks to new variants and antimicrobial resistance
March 12, 2021 11.49am EST
Disclosure statement
Ankur Mutreja receives funding from Wellcome, BMGF, UKRI, DBT and Hamied Foundation.
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Diphtheria is a respiratory disease that was a leading cause of death in children worldwide in the early 20th Century. Thanks to a successful vaccine introduced during the 1940s and 50s, diphtheria is a disease of the past for many people – though it still remains a threat in some parts of the world, including in south Asia and Africa.
Our team of researchers wanted to determine how the disease has changed over the past century to understand what sort of threat it carries today. We found numerous genetic variations in the bacteria that causes diphtheria, alongside a build up of antibiotic resistance. Both of these changes could pose major challenges for future treatment and control.
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Doctors tended to overprescribe antibiotics to COVID-19 patients in hospitals during the early pandemic months, but programs designed to limit overuse are helping, according to an analysis from Pew Charitable Trusts.Why it matters: Antibiotic resistance is a serious threat globally and in the U.S., with rising deaths due to bacterial infection, dwindling novel drugs to treat them, and huge associated economic costs. Many worry the pandemic will only make the problem worse.Stay on top of the latest market trends and economic insights with Axios Markets. Subscribe for freeDriving the news: Looking at the first six months of the pandemic, Pew researchers found 52% of COVID-19 patients in 5,838 hospital admissions were given at least one antibiotic, 96% of them within the first 48 hours of admission.But, only about 20% of those admitted were diagnosed with suspected or confirmed bacterial pneumonia and 9% were diagnosed with a community acquired UTI — a discrepancy indicating a conc