Microbe Magazine
Cover Image
Cover: Phase contrast micrograph of a Clostridium difficile mutant that cannot efficiently import oligopeptides and sporulates at a higher frequency in response. C. difficile, a gastrointestinal pathogen of humans and other animals, is a strict anaerobe and forms a dormant spore allowing survival outside of the host (see p. 153). Spore formation in many bacteria is triggered by nutritional starvation. (Image courtesy of Adrianne N. Edwards, Christopher E. O'Brien, and Shonna M. McBride.)
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Microbe Magazine, Cover Image
Cover Image
Cover: Phase contrast micrograph of a Clostridium difficile mutant that cannot efficiently import oligopeptides and sporulates at a higher frequency in response. C. difficile, a gastrointestinal pathogen of humans and other animals, is a strict anaerobe and forms a dormant spore allowing survival outside of the host (see p. 153). Spore formation in many bacteria is triggered by nutritional starvation. (Image courtesy of Adrianne N. Edwards, Christopher E. O'Brien, and Shonna M. McBride.)
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FEATURES
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Cautious Optimism for the Antibacterial Pipeline
Despite many pessimistic reports about the lack of new antibacterial agents and the departure of most large pharmaceutical companies from antibiotic research programs, there are still a surprising number of agents in clinical trials. During the past 85 years, novel antibacterial agents continued ...
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More than One Way To Make a Spore
Endosporulation is one of the more extreme survival measures found, producing a dormant bacterium encapsulated in a protective, seed-like structure. Spores are naturally resistant to environmental insults, including extreme temperatures, desiccation, ultraviolet radiation, and chemical disinfecta...
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Expressing Horizontally Acquired Genes Requires Multitasking
Frequent exchanges of horizontally transferred (HT) DNA shape the evolution of microorganisms, a process affecting an estimated 75% of bacterial genes. Some of those HT genes, particularly those encoding virulence and antibiotic resistance and carried on DNA islands, present a formidable threat t...
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