Few strands of bacteria have achieved such a central place in public consciousness as Bacillus anthracis, the bacteria which causes Anthrax. While today it is a feared weapon of bioterrorism Bacillus ...

With the emergence of multi-drug resistant (MDR) “super bugs” the need for new bactericidal approaches is growing in urgency. Compounding the threat of MDR, is the rise of antibiotic resistance in ...

Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax, possesses a uniquely complex cell envelope that is critical to its pathogenicity. Central to its virulence are the secondary cell wall ...

It started with what seemed to be an ordinary dead chimpanzee. But when Fabian Leendertz, head of epidemiology and highly pathogenic microorganisms at the Robert Koch Institute in Germany, and his ...

When the bacteria that cause anthrax (Bacillus anthracis) aren't ravaging livestock or being used in acts of bioterrorism, they spend their lives as dormant spores. In these inert but hardy forms, the ...

New research suggests that anthrax-causing bacteria conspire with viruses to extend each other's lifespan. The work reveals a previously unknown relationship between Bacillus anthracis and viruses and ...

In response to a formal request from the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Academies will conduct an independent review of the scientific approaches used during the investigation of the ...

The research found that bacteria strains collected from humans and animals tended to have more copies of the virulence plasmids than those collected from environmental sources. The research, a ...

On April 2, 1979, a mysterious powder wafted unseen into the air from a chimney that rose 25 meters above a Soviet military camp some 1,400 kilometers east of Moscow. Over the course of the next few ...

The bacteria of Anthrax is a gram-positive, spore-forming, rod-shaped (bacillus) bacterium. It needs oxygen to thrive and has a capsule around it and hence has a protective layer around it. A spore is ...