Microbiology Content

Microbes Might Munch Magnetic Minerals at Oil Spill Site

Andy Fell — May 23, 2022 - 2:09pm

Microbes can change magnetic properties of soils, according to recent work from the University of Delaware. Senior author on the paper is Estella A. Atekwana, now dean of the College of Letters and Science at ��˽��̳�� Davis. This article, originally published in the AGU magazine Eos, explains.

‘Friendly’ Gut Bacteria May Eliminate Pathogens by Competing for Energy Resources

Andy Fell — May 16, 2022 - 4:32pm

New research from scientists at ��˽��̳�� Davis Health provides clues for how friendly bacteria in the gut — probiotics — may help eradicate bacterial pathogens like Salmonella by competing with them for needed resources.

The study, published May 13 in Cell Host & Microbe, shows that the availability of needed nutrients alone doesn’t define where bacteria — including pathogens like Salmonella — can survive and thrive in the gut.

How Bacteria Makes Copper into Antibiotic

Andy Fell — November 17, 2021 - 11:26am

Copper in small quantities is an essential nutrient but can also be toxic. Human immune cells use copper to fight invading pathogens. Some microorganisms, in turn, have evolved ways to take up copper and incorporate it into biological molecules, either as a way to absorb copper for nutrition or to neutralize its toxic effects.

Microbiologist Andreas Bäumler Awarded Robert Koch Prize 2021

Andy Fell — October 28, 2021 - 3:30pm

��˽��̳�� Davis Professor Andreas Bäumler will be awarded the Robert Koch Prize on Nov. 19, 2021, in Berlin. The recognition is for his groundbreaking research on the role of intestinal epithelium in the composition of microbiota and its effects in infectious and inflammatory diseases.

Media Advisory: ��˽��̳�� Davis LIVE on Coronavirus in the Built Environment

Andy Fell — July 13, 2020 - 9:00am

Can the way we design and use buildings affect the transmission of COVID-19? Will the pandemic affect how we think about indoor spaces where we live and work? In the next ��˽��̳�� Davis LIVE: COVID-19, July 16, we will hear from two researchers who study the microbes that live in buildings and how they can affect our health.

The guests:

National Survey Shows Different Bacteria on Cellphones and Shoes

Andy Fell — June 09, 2020 - 4:06pm

The largest study of its kind in the U.S. shows thousands of different types of bacteria living on cellphones and shoes, including groups that have barely been studied by scientists.

“This highlights how much we have to learn about the microbial world around us,” said David Coil, a researcher at the University of California, Davis, Genome Center and first author on the paper, published June 9 in the journal PeerJ.

COVID-19 and the Built Environment

Andy Fell — April 10, 2020 - 11:46am

Social distancing has Americans mostly out of the places they usually gather and in their homes as we try to reduce the spread of COVID-19. But some buildings, such as hospitals and grocery stores, have to remain open, and at some point, most of us will go back to the office or workplace. What is the role of building design in disease transmission, and can we change how we design the built environment to make it healthier?

Microbiology Majors Solve Problems That Are Anything But Small

Anonymous — October 23, 2018 - 6:00am

How do teeny-tiny organisms influence the rest of life on Earth? This is the question on the mind of Daniel Oberbuer, a senior microbiology major working in Professor Jonathan Eisen’s lab in the Genome and Biomedical Sciences Facility at ��˽��̳�� Davis.

“I’m currently working on a study that aims to characterize the microbiome of hummingbirds in an attempt to determine whether or not they have resident gut microbes,” said Oberbuer.

Higher Levels of Bifidobacteria in the Infant Gut Associated With Lower Antibiotic Resistance

Andy Fell — September 25, 2018 - 4:55pm

Gut microbes in children may play a role in keeping antibiotic-resistant infections at bay, according to a new study by researchers at the University of California, Davis. The work is published Sept. 26 in the journal mSphere.

Shining Light on the Social Lives of Viruses

Andy Fell — October 18, 2017 - 11:20am

Scientists know viruses are contagious and can spread quickly, but how do they interact with each other?

To gain an understanding into how viruses spread, and ultimately evolve, Samuel Díaz-Muñoz, assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics in the College of Biological Sciences at the University of California, Davis, explores the hustle and bustle of viruses’ social lives in a new paper published in Cell Host & Microbe.