Monday, February 13, 2017

BacterioFiles 286 - Prokaryote Prevents Pregnancy Pathogen

This episode: Bacteria in mosquito cells can block transmission of Zika virus!

Download Episode (8.1 MB, 8.9 minutes)

Show notes:
News item

Journal Paper:
Aliota MT, Peinado SA, Velez ID, Osorio JE. 2016. The wMel strain of Wolbachia Reduces Transmission of Zika virus by Aedes aegypti. Sci Rep 6:28792.

Other interesting stories:
  • Modified bacteria change behavior as temperature changes
  • Ants' bacteria produce antifungal compounds (paper)
  • Gut microbes may be related to macular degeneration
  • E. coli could be used to make vaccines (paper)
  • Using bacteria to produce testosterone (paper)

  • Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

    Subscribe: iTunes, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

    2 comments:

    1. This is some exciting news. I hope this research gains some good momentum and support. Zika has been spreading quickly, finding a good way to combat the transmission of the virus sounds like a good step.

      ReplyDelete
      Replies
      1. Indeed! I know there was some testing in Florida of Oxitec's genetically-modified-to-be-sterile mosquitoes recently, but this approach seems potentially more promising.

        Delete