NDM1 in Japan

A gene, NDM1, that makes microorganisms drug-resistant has been detected in Japan for the first time, in a man who had medical treatment in India. It is a serious case because scientists say the gene -which is frequent in India- alters bacteria, making them resistant to all antibiotics.

Drug-resistant bacteria are not new. Many bacteria are resistant to the world's first antibiotic, penicillin, as well as successive generations of drugs. Excessive use and improper use of antibiotics have made the problem worse.

NDM-1 could be a global health problem in a short time and international coordination is needed. Apart from India, the new gene has been detected in small numbers in Australia, Canada, the United States, the Netherlands, Sweden and the U.K. Investigators say that many Americans and Europeans travel to India and Pakistan for cosmetic surgery, and it is there where the generalizing process may begin.

Antimicrobial resistance -the ability of microorganisms to escape drugs' efficacy- is an increasing global health problem that could affect diseases such as respiratory infections and dysentery, according to the WHO (World Health Organization).

The WHO says NDM-1 requires monitoring and study. With effective measures, countries have successfully battled multi-drug resistant microorganisms in the past. It recommends that governments improve their efforts in four areas: surveillance, rational antibiotic use, legislation to stop sales of antibiotics without prescription, and infection prevention measures such as hand-washing in hospitals.

Red parrot feathers resist bacterial degradation

Many white bird species, such as gulls and geese, have black wing feathers. This is because black colour is the result of melanins that are incorporated into the feather while it is growing. Melanins make feathers stronger, especially in birds that fly long distances.

But among birds, parrots are unique: they sinthesize their bright reds, oranges and yellows, with pigments that are not found anywhere else. Unlike other birds, their colours are not derived from their diet. 

These unique feather pigments may serve more functions than just visual communication in parrots, according to Edward Burtt, a professor at an American university. He noticed that some microbes, -Bacillus licheniformis, Bacillus pumilus and other Bacillus species- were eating feathers, and he also found that green feathers were resistant to bacterial degradation. 
 
Dr Burtt's team first classified colourful feathers from thirteen parrot species into six general colour categories: blue, green, red, yellow, black and white. The team placed differently-coloured feathers into a bacterial medium containing Bacillus licheniformis, a bacteria that degrades feathers. They measured how much the bacteria broke down the feathers and compared this between feathers of different colours. The investigation resulted in clear conclusions: feather colour affected the bacterial degradation: white feathers degraded more rapidly than black, blue, green and red feathers. 
 
Biochemical analysis of yellow molecules found that they are formed by small carbon chains with few double-bonds, while red ones have longer carbon chains with more double-bonds. In short, red molecules are bigger than yellow ones and have stronger bonds, so they should be more difficult for bacteria to break down.
    
Adapted from an article in guardian.co.uk, based on Burtt, E., Schroeder, M., Smith, L., Sroka, L. and McGraw, K. (2010) Colourful parrot feathers resist bacterial degradation. Biology Letters DOI 10.1098/rsbl.2010.0716 

The Uncommon Life of Your Common Cold

Misinformation about the common cold is perhaps much more frequent than the cold itself.

Do you catch cold from the cold? Cold doesn't cause colds, viruses do. Colds are more common in the fall and winter because the cooler, wetter weather drives people inside, and viruses can more easily jump from one person to the next.

Are some people genetically more inclined to colds? Scientists are really interested in this idea that if you infect people with the virus, everybody will get infected, but only 75% of people will actually come down with the cold.

What is the biggest mistake about colds? Probably that susceptibility to colds requires a weak immune system. If you want to diminish your cold symptoms, boosting elements of your immune system may be the last thing you want to do.

Will there ever be a cure for the common cold? Some promising drugs are being investigated. But it's a really tough nut to crack.

What about the power of empathy? Empathy can actually cut short a cold by a full day. That's better than any drug on the market, and there aren't any side effects!
Adapted from an article by Alexandra Silver. Picture by Corbis.