Snug Bugs

Some types of bacteria protect themselves by banding together and forming biofilm, a slimy coating that sticks to surfaces and gums up human tissue, making it harder for your natural defences or drugs to zap the infection. An important discovery about biofilms has been made during a study of the common hospital infection, Pseudomonas aeruginosa – these unpleasant bugs are pictured (false coloured green) atop a biofilm (purple) which is shielding a large colony beneath. Scientists found that once the biofilm was complete, the bacteria produced an enzyme called oligoribonuclease. This neutralises a substance called cyclic-di-GMP, which is made by bacteria to control biofilm production. The results of the study suggest that oligoribonuclease could be used to design new antibiotics, disinfectants and surface treatments to control biofilms.

Written by Mick Warwicker

Mick Warwicker

Writer

A freelance communications consultant and writer, Mick specialises in science and education. A science graduate and award-winning print and broadcast journalist, he was Head of Communications at Newcastle University from 2000–2011.

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• Image by Debra Weinstein, Sao-Mai Nguyen-Mau and Vincent Lee
• Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, University of Maryland, USA
• Image copyright held by original authors
• Research published in PNAS, September 2015