Bacterial genes tell the tale of an outbreak’s evolution

Bacterial genes tell the tale of an outbreak’s evolution

Researchers at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Children’s Hospital Boston have retraced the evolution of an unusual bacterial infection as it spread among cystic fibrosis (CF) patients by sequencing scores of samples collected during the outbreak, since contained. A significant achievement in genetic pathology, the work also suggests a new way to recognize adaptive mutations — to see evolution as it happens — and sheds light on how our bodies resist infection.

Miraculous Microbes: They Make Holy Statues "Bleed"--and Can Be Deadly, Too

Link: Miraculous Microbes: They Make Holy Statues "Bleed"--and Can Be Deadly, Too

The Killer Bacteria Hall of Fame no doubt houses the usual suspects: Yersinia pestis,perpetrator of the Plague; Treponema pallidum, the spiral-shaped culprit insyphilis; and Vibrio cholerae, the swimmer that causes cholera. But you have probably never heard of one of the inductees.

Researchers create billion-year-old bacteria and trace its evolution

Link: Researchers create billion-year-old bacteria and trace its evolution

University of Waikato researchers have managed to create a billion-year-old bacterial enzyme and then trace its evolution through history, to the modern day.