Upped toxin no longer needs to bind

Darkfrog submitted, created time 1 year 2 months (www.nature.com)

Bt toxins, which many plants produce naturally, have been used both as sprays and in genetically engineered crops to repel caterpillars and other competitive slimies. So far, resistance has only been found in two species. Resistant insects are found to prevent Bt from binding to receptors in their guts.

"The researchers found that when they deleted a specific region of a Bt toxin, the toxin no longer needed to bind to a receptor before it could kill its host."

Does this make anyone else nervous? The toxin will be tested extensively before it's used in the field.

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Fusidic acid-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (FRSA) carriage in patients with atopic eczema and pattern of prior topical fusidic acid use

gh0706 submitted, created time 1 year 6 months (www.sciencedirect.com)

The researchers questioned 62 dermatology outpatients with atopic eczema and Staphylococcus aureus colonisation regarding their use of topical preparations containing fusidic acid during the previous 6 months as well as the pattern of any such use. Recent exposure to topical fusidic acid was significantly correlated with the presence of fusidic acid-resistant S. aureus (FRSA) (P = 0.04). There was also a significant trend towards increasing FRSA carriage with increased duration of use

Submit comment | Blog It | Email It | Keywords: Eczema Staphylococcus aureus Resistance Fusidic acid