Staph bacteria altered to embed foreign molecules

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Potential for fighting Staphylococcus aureus infections
Last Updated: Friday, October 8, 2010 | 9:43 AM ET
CBC News

A team of researchers at Yale University engineered small molecules to allow them to be recognized by an enzyme responsible for identifying and attaching proteins to the bacterium's cell wall. (iStock)
Scientists have managed to alter the cell wall of Staphylococcus aureus bacteria to "trick" them into accepting small molecules and embedding them.

The development could lead to ways of combating staph infections that can cause pneumonia, strep throat and a wide range of skin infections. A dangerous antibiotic-resistant form of the bacteria, called methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus or MRSA, currently plagues many hospitals in Canada.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/health/story/2010/10/08/bacteria-cell-wall-trick.html#ixzz11mLO6sXr