Bacteria

Researchers said they have found the strongest evidence yet linking some cases of heart disease with a bacterial infection. They said tests on Alaskan natives show that bacteria best known for causing pneumonia might help form the fat deposits that block arteries. The research, led by Dr. Michael Davidson at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, shows that the infection was there before the blockages, known as atherosclerosis, developed.

Salmonella bacteria have been genetically altered to produce an oral birth control vaccine being tested in mice that primes the immune system to reject sperm before conception, a researcher reported Monday. The vaccine causes a harmless, temporary infection in the intestine that triggers antibodies against genetic components of sperm that have been spliced into the bacteria, said Roy Curtiss of Washington University in St. Louis. Tests of the contraceptive vaccine have been done only with mice.

A Southern California company ordered a batch of its cheese removed from store shelves after federal investigators discovered a potentially deadly bacteria in samples of the product, state health authorities said Tuesday. The Cacique Cheese Co. of the City of Industry voluntarily recalled the product, identified as Cacique Ranchero Cheese, which has a "sell by" date of Dec. 5, 1991.

Lactobacillus acidophilus is a naturally occurring bacterium found in the human digestive system and also in some dairy products, such as yogurt. As the bacteria ferment, they produce lactase, hydrogen peroxide and other acids. In the body, the acids and enzymes released by acidophilus help keep the level of other bacteria and micro-organisms in check. Uses: Acidophilus is used to aid digestion, reduce symptoms associated with lactose intolerance and treat yeast infections.

Bacteria used to vaccinate people against tuberculosis are more effective than a standard chemotherapy drug for treating a common type of bladder cancer, doctors from 46 U.S. medical centers have concluded. The vaccine is made from the bacteria Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG), which gives tuberculosis to cows and is used to prevent the disease in humans.

Early last century, bacteria-eating viruses were considered a potentially powerful weapon against dangerous bacteria. After all, they were a natural enemy, infiltrating disease-causing microbes and destroying them from within. But the track record of these viruses, known as bacteriophages (or phages), proved spotty, and Western physicians largely abandoned them in favor of antibiotics. Now, it seems, disease-fighting has come full circle.

Despite intensive efforts to keep bacteria-laden runoff from hitting the ocean, Orange County health officials posted new notices along nearly two miles of beach on Wednesday warning of contamination. Tests on Tuesday found excessive levels of the bacterium enterococcus, usually an indicator of problems with urban runoff. After a disastrous summer of beach closures last year, with runoff considered a likely cause, city and county officials are spending nearly $1 million to divert 2.

E. coli (recently detected even in apple juice and alfalfa sprouts), listeria (found in cheese and hot dogs) and salmonella (seen in eggs and poultry) are all-too-familiar food-poisoning culprits, but perhaps we should be more worried about something called campylobacter. This bug sounds unfamiliar but actually is responsible for about 4 million infections every year, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Scientists and an Australian beer maker are teaming up to generate energy from brewery wastewater and bacteria. The University of Queensland was given a $115,000 grant to install the experimental microbial fuel cell at a Foster's Group brewery near Brisbane. The fuel cell is a battery in which bacteria consume water-soluble brewing waste such as sugar, starch and alcohol. The battery produces electricity and clean water, said Jurg Keller, the university's wastewater expert.