bacterial communities

The primary bacteria behind tuberculosis can grow on surfaces and that drug-tolerant strains flourish in these bacterial communities, according to new research in Molecular Microbiology.

The findings suggest a possible reason why human tuberculosis requires months of intensive antibiotic treatment and indicate a potential cause of the relapses that can nonetheless occur.

(University of Pittsburgh) University of Pittsburgh-led researchers discovered that the primary bacteria behind tuberculosis can grow on surfaces and that drug-tolerant strains flourish in these bacterial communities, the research team recently reported in Molecular Microbiology.

The findings suggest a possible reason why human tuberculosis requires months of intensive antibiotic treatment and indicate a potential cause of the relapses that can nonetheless occur.

Bacterial communities endemic to healthy corals could change depending on the amount and type of natural and man-made dissolved organic matter in seawater.

Healthy corals naturally exude a surrounding mucous layer in which a complex population of bacteria exists. Recent studies have indicated that some coral diseases may be linked to community shifts in this bacterial population.