bacteria – Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

The modern rise of an ancient disease

August 8, 2019August 8, 2019 Communications Team bacteria, drug resistance, macrolides, sexually transmitted disease, std, syphilis, treponema pallidum, yaws min read

Sanger scientists have sequenced the largest number of Treponema pallidum bacterial genomes to date. The bacterium causes syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease that is making a comeback. Their findings show us how the bacteria have evolved over time and developed resistance to antibiotics.

Sanger Science

Tracking a deadly shapeshifter

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 Communications Team bacteria, Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, pneumonia, poppunk, serotypes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, vaccination, vaccines min read

A global child killer constantly changes its coat to evade destruction, but a worldwide network of scientists is using genetics to get one step ahead.

How Sanger Institute researchers are using caterpillars to study pneumonia

Sanger Science

Catching pneumonia with caterpillars

March 14, 2019March 18, 2019 Sanger Institute 3Rs, animal care, animal research, bacteria, caterpillars, mice, pneumonia min read

Using caterpillars to investigate how human pneumonia works.

Salmonella Typhimurium. Credit: David Goulding, Wellcome Images

Sanger Science

The bacteria that’s as smart as a whip

March 30, 2015June 29, 2018 Communications Team bacteria, flagellins, Indonesia, Salmonella enterica, salmonella typhimurium, Typhoid min read

30.03.15 In the rest of the world, Salmonella Typhi has only one type of flagellin, the whip-like structure that helps it to move. Indonesian strains have at least three different types. Fernanda Schreiber asks why

The sequencing laboratory at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Credit: Genome Research Limited.

Sanger Science

SMRTer sequencing

March 2, 2015June 29, 2018 Communications Team bacteria, PacBio, sequencing, Streptococcus pneumoniae min read

02.03.15 We’re beginning to understand how bacterial DNA adapts and evolves. John Lees explains the long and short of the technology that’s made it possible