Science points out that GMOs are safe for human consumption

As a senior in microbiology at the University of Washington, my education has been based upon making decisions and drawing conclusions from evidence [I-522: Ads stretch truth on what foods would be labeled, left out, page one, Oct. 23].

So when I hear the supporters of I-522 spew their anti-GMO rhetoric without legitimate evidence, it flies in the face of everything Ive been taught.

An overwhelming majority of scientific and medical experts including the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the National Academy of Sciences and even the World Health Organization have all agreed that GMOs are safe for human consumption. Why are we being asked to ignore the experts and submit to the fear the proponents are pushing?

The American Medical Association says, There is no scientific justification for special labeling of bioengineered foods. So what justification is there? I-522 would put what is functionally a warning label on foods tricking consumers into believing they have something to fear.

Legislating with fear and the rejection of facts has never been a good strategy. This measure is nothing but fear mongering by those with an anti-science, anti-corporation slant bent on forcing their own unfounded fears down our throats.

They cant scare me away from the truth.

Ryland Bydalek, Kenmore

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I-522: Draw your conclusions from evidence

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

29-Oct-2013

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

Low birth weight infants are host to numerous microorganisms immediately after birth, and the microbiomes of their mouths and gut start out very similar but differentiate significantly by day 15 according to a study published in mBio, the online open-access journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

"We could watch this differentiation over time. With each passing day, two body sites [mouth and distal gut] became more and more differentiated from each other. It was a consistent pattern," says co-author Elizabeth K. Costello of Stanford University.

Low birth weight infants, who are often born premature, are more susceptible than normal weight infants to invasive infections like necrotizing enterocolitis, a vulnerability that may be related to colonization by bacteria from their surroundings. Unlike adults, the microbiomes of the mouth, skin, and gut of infants right after birth are undifferentiated, says Costello - the microbiomes look more or less similar at each of these body sites. The researchers sought to find out how rapidly the communities of microbes in these different sites take on a character of their own.

They examined changes in the oral, skin, and gut microbiomes of low birth weight infants over the course of the first three weeks after birth and found that although the microbiomes in each of these sites start our markedly similar, they gradually differentiate over time. This is the first time the differentiation of the microbiota in multiple body sites in newborn infants has been investigated.

"We chose to look at premature infants between the ages of eight and 21 days old and asked, over this time period, what is going on with their oral, gut and skin communities," says Costello. The period from 8 to 21 days after birth marks a critical window for colonization of an infant, and it's also the period of onset for necrotizing enterocolitis (although none of the infants in this study were struck by the disease).

The researchers collected stool, saliva, and skin swabs from six low birth weight infants (five of whom were born premature) that ranged in weight from 1.65 - 4.01 lbs on postnatal days 8, 10, 12, 15, 18, and 21. They amplified, pyrosequenced, and analyzed the bacterial 16S genes present in each sample and compared them with analogous data from normal-birthweight (NBW) infants and healthy adults.

In the 8 - 21 day age range, there was a subtle but important divergence in the composition of the oral and gut microbiotas, a differentiation that was mostly driven by changes that evolved in the composition of the gut microbiome. The babies' microbiomes were also dominated at times by bacterial types that have been associated with newborn infections and necrotizing enterocolitis, including Staphylococcus, C. perfringens, P. aeruginosa and others.

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Microbiome in gut, mouth, and skin of low birth weight infants differentiate weeks after birth

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

29-Oct-2013

Contact: Jenny Ryan jenny.ryan@nrcresearchpress.com Canadian Science Publishing (NRC Research Press)

Many Canadian scientists and clinicians were unsung heroes during the early years (19771983) of research unfolding around verotoxigenic E. coli (VTEC). In an article published today in the Canadian Journal of Microbiology, Dr. Cimolai, a clinician and medical microbiologist, documents the history of this area of study, focusing on the key discoveries and major contributions made by Canadians to the science of what many people refer to as hamburger disease. This disease poses an ongoing and significant threat to the general population; examples of its impact are the Walkerton outbreak and recent meat tainting episodes affecting the beef production industry in Alberta, as well as food contamination in Europe.

Dr. Cimola writes As stories of microbiological and infectious disease discoveries are told, one of the most charming of these in Canadian history is the recognition of VTEC and associated disease. The considerable burden and impact of E. coli-associated infections is experienced worldwide. The contributions of our national scientists in this field must be seen as a vital part of medical and microbiological Canadiana.

Cimolai reports on key contributors, including Jack Konowalchuk, Joan Speirs and their collaborators in Ottawa, who defined the E. coli verotoxin; Mohamed Karmali, Martin Petric and colleagues at The Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, who established the association of VTEC and hemolytic-uremic syndrome; Carlton Gyles, University of Guelph Veterinary School, and Peter Fleming, Hermy Lior and their scientific and medical peers. Many Canadian investigators, but especially those in the veterinary school at the University of Guelph, also contributed to the science of VTEC among animals. The interactions between clinical and veterinary researchers led to a then unprecedented exponential growth in the knowledge base of VTEC. The Toronto group led by Karmali stood front and centre during the most critical period of scientific progress, but certainly Konowalchuk et al.s findings were pivotal.

From a Canadian perspective, many sentinel and key observations emerged early in the general science of this topic, and as a Canadian, one can be proud of how quickly the essence of these contributions was disseminated across Canada and worldwide, explains Dr. Cimolai. While perhaps not as impactful as the Banting and Best story, perhaps it may be the next best thing in the realm of microbiology but with a Canadian flavour.

These toxin-producing E. coli are disease-causing bacteria and can cause episodes of diarrhea and bloody diarrhea. They can also lead to a complicated medical disorder known as hemolytic uremic syndrome, the most common acute form of serious kidney failure among children. It is also a major disease-causing germ among animals, but especially bovine and porcine; farm animals and their related food products can serve as a source for the bacterium to humans. Water can also be contaminated by these germs. The profound impact of disease from these toxigenic E. coli continues to be felt around the globe.

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Read the full story in The Canadian Contribution to the Science of Verotoxigenic Escherichia coli and Associated Illnesses: The Early Years, published today in the Canadian Journal of Microbiology. Dr. Nevio Cimolai is a medical microbiologist and professor in the Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia in Vancouver, B.C.

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Canadian discoveries pivotal to the science of toxins and illness associated with E. coli

Luisa from Colombia is studying for her Doctorate of Microbiology at MSU
Luisa from Colombia gives a student testimonial about studying for her Doctorate of Microbiology at Montana State University in Bozeman, Montana. Learn more about Montana State University...

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Luisa from Colombia is studying for her Doctorate of Microbiology at MSU - Video

TAINAN, Taiwan--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

National Cheng Kung University (NCKU) Department of Microbiology and Immunology Assistant Professor Shu-Ying Wang had her joint multidisciplinary research published in one of the worlds most prestigious academic journal, the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of America (PNAS) recently.

The research article entitled Structural insights into the Interaction of Interleukin 33 (IL-33) with Its Receptors is in fact a joint effort with Beijing Tsinghua University Professors Xinquan Wang and Xi Liu, as well as Michal Hammel and John A. Tainer in Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, aiming to explore the molecular mechanism of IL-33 to provide structural basis for developing drugs to treat asthma and other innate immune disease.

The scientific reports in the past have shown that the outbreak and deterioration of hay fever, asthma, allergic rhinitis and other innate immune disease are related to IL-33, according to Wang.

She said, It was found that patients with these diseases have demonstrated higher content of IL-33 than normal people. IL-33 is the newest and the least understood member in the family of IL-1 cytokines. How IL-33 exerts its function to cause allergy and asthma has not yet been clarified.

In our research, we combine the technologies of protein crystallography and small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) that enable us to visualize the high-resolution molecular interactions between IL-33 and its receptors, and discover unprecedented structural information, showing IL-33 receptor ST2 is flexible and exist in different conformation in solution, revealed Wang.

Wang added, The project and collaboration were initiated by Xinquan Wang, who has a keen interest in studying structure-function relationship of IL-1 family of cytokines and has published the very first structure of ternary complex, composed of cytokine, receptor and co-receptor, in Nature Immunology in 2010. In order to truly understand how these molecules function in solution, Xinquan Wang called me to collaborate on this project by using the technique small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS).

Wang says, Rational drug design, which relies on the three-dimensional structure information, plays an important role in expediting the drug development process. By revealing the structural knowledge and understanding of molecular mechanism of IL-33, there will be higher possibility of developing new drugs in the future to effectively cure innate immune diseases.

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NCKU Transnational Research Team Uncovers the Structural Basis for Future Development of Potential Asthma Drugs

Microbiology Polk State College Winter Haven Professor Cronan 23 October 2013 Part 3

By: Bridget Southard

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Microbiology Polk State College Winter Haven Professor Cronan 23 October 2013 Part 3 - Video

Dr. Parker #39;s Microbiology Bacterial diseases digestive genitourinary

By: Mandi Parker

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Dr. Parker's Microbiology Bacterial diseases digestive genitourinary - Video

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

24-Oct-2013

Contact: Jim Sliwa jsliwa@asmusa.org 202-942-9297 American Society for Microbiology

More than one quarter of residents of 26 nursing homes in Orange County, California carry community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), which spread more easily, and may cause more severe infection than MRSA traditionally associated with healthcare facilities, according to a paper published in the November 2013 issue of the Journal of Clinical Microbiology.

"Nursing homes need to be part of MRSA control strategies in healthcare facilities," says Lyndsey Hudson of Imperial College of London, the lead author on the study.

Community-associated MRSA are strains that did not originate in hospitals. Burden and transmission of MRSA in nursing homes are likely driven by the number of residents with chronic illnesses or indwelling devices according to the study, which is the first-ever to assess MRSA diversity in nursing homes at a population level and across a large region.

Hudson hopes these findings will help clinicians design prevention and mitigation strategies.

The investigators had suspected that community-associated MRSA strains were infiltrating nursing homes, as they had previously been shown to be appearing in hospitals. The low turnover of patients in nursing homes as compared to hospitals dictates a much lower frequency of potential introductions of MRSA into those populations. However, the investigators were surprised at how prevalent the strains turned out to be. A total of 837 nursing home residents, of 3,806 whose noses were swabbed by the investigators, carried community-associated MRSA.

Risk factors for MRSA include diabetic foot ulcers, especially in cases of hospital-acquired MRSA, and various studies have found MRSA to be present in 10-30 percent of diabetic wounds. Additionally, older age is an established risk factor for hospital-acquired MRSA, and indwelling catheters and other medical devices are also risk factors.

"These findings support the need for regional approaches to reduce MRSA," says Hudson. These might include having hospitals and nursing homes work together to identify patients with MRSA, and apply prevention strategies to stop the spread of infection.

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Copious community-associated MRSA in nursing homes

PUBLIC RELEASE DATE:

23-Oct-2013

Contact: Garth Hogan ghogan@asmusa.org 202-942-9389 American Society for Microbiology

Washington, DC -- October 23, 2013 -- The Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station, site of Herbert William Conn's Research Laboratory at the Connecticut Agricultural College (later the University of Connecticut, Storrs) has been named a Milestones in Microbiology site by the American Society for Microbiology (ASM). A dedication ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, October 26, 2013, at 4:30 pm EST in the University of Connecticut, Storrs Biology/Physics Building Foyer. The ASM Milestones in Microbiology program recognizes institutions and scientists that have made significant contributions toward advancing the science of microbiology.

A symposium, "H. W. Conn's Golden Age of Bacteriology Becomes the New Golden Age of Microbial Biology," precedes the dedication ceremony from 1:30 -- 4:30 pm. During the ceremony, Stanley Maloy, Past President of the ASM, will present an official Milestones in Microbiology plaque on behalf of the Society.

"Herbert Conn played a central role in our understanding of the importance of microbes in agriculture, and how they impact public health -- problems that remain as relevant today as when he worked on them over a hundred years ago," says Maloy. "And, he did not simply publish these discoveries in academic journals for other scientists, but he lucidly explained the importance of microbes to the public as well."

Herbert W. Conn's international fame in dairy bacteriology began during his tenure as the bacteriologist at the Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station on the campus of the Connecticut Agricultural College (1888-1906). His research on the formation of butter and the causes of milk spoilage led to advances in bacterial cultivation and dairy foodstuff production. His findings served as the basis for the "Butter Exhibition" at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair, which allowed the public to taste flavors of butters made using different bacteria.

Starting in 1892, Conn served as "Lecturer on Dairy Bacteriology" at the Connecticut Agricultural College and so established the first formal instruction in Bacteriology at what was to become the University of Connecticut. After Conn stepped down from his instructional duties at the College in 1906, his laboratory assistant and former student William Esten continued in Conn's footsteps and became Professor of Dairy Bacteriology at the College.

Conn became a leading advocate for public health laws as a result of his work, and in 1905 was appointed Director of the new Connecticut State Board of Health Laboratory, one of the first such bodies in the United States. He founded the American Academy of Public Health, served on the New York Commission on Milk Standards, and was Director of the Cold Spring Harbor Biological Laboratory from 1889-1897. Conn was also an accomplished educator at Wesleyan University in Middletown, Connecticut, where he founded the Biology Department and served as its head until his death in 1917.

While working at the Agricultural Station, Conn collaborated with Drs. A. C. Abbott (University of Pennsylvania) and E. O. Jordan (University of Chicago) to found the Society of American Bacteriologists (later the American Society for Microbiology). At the inaugural meeting of the Society held at Yale University in 1899, Conn presented research that reflected his achievements at the Station. His presentation, "Natural Varieties of Bacteria," included an exhibit of cultures of a highly variable Micrococcus which he had isolated from milk.

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Storrs Agricultural Experiment Station designated as a Milestones in Microbiology site