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Microbial Top Facts: E. coli
Today we are taking a closer look at Escherichia coli (E. coli). In hygiene-sensitive industries, testing for E. coli is considered a good indicator of poor or failed hygiene systems.
25 Aug 2022
15 Aug 2022
Microbial Top Facts: Aspergillus
What makes Aspergillus thrive? Aspergillus spp. are ubiquitous environmental moulds that grow and disperse microscopic spores (conidia) into the air in both long and short distances; when they encounter solid or liquid surfaces and the conditions are right, they are deposited and proceed to germinate.
28 Jul 2022
Microbial Top Facts: Campylobacter
The genus Campylobacter contains motile, non-spore forming Gram-negative bacteria that typically appear comma- or s-shaped. Campylobacter contains 22 species among which Campylobacter jejuni and Campylobacter coli are the well-known species mainly responsible for gastroenteritis in humans.
22 Jun 2022
Microbial Top Facts: MRSA
First observed in 1960, Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a Gram-positive, multi-drug resistant strain of Staphylococcus aureus. Whilst some MRSA infections are minor, some infections can be life-threatening.
13 May 2022
Microbial Top Facts: Listeria monocytogenes
The species we are discussing in this blog is Listeria monocytogenes, one of the two species within the genus that is considered a major human pathogen. Listeria monocytogenes specifically refers to the bacterium that contaminates food and causes Listeriosis if ingested.
13 Apr 2022
Microbial Top Facts: Salmonella
The beginning of April 2022 saw yet another Salmonella outbreak, this time across multiple countries, including the UK. To better understand what causes Salmonella, what makes it thrive and how to avoid it, in today’s ‘Microbial Top Facts’, our microbiologists discuss this particular bacterium.
24 Mar 2022
Microbial Top Facts: Klebsiella pneumoniae
Klebsiella pneumoniae was originally known as Friedlander’s bacillus after German pathologist and microbiologist Carl Friedländer. He first described it as an encapsulated bacillus in 1882 when he isolated the bacterium from the lungs of people who died from pneumonia.
15 Feb 2022
Microbial Top Facts: Enterococcus faecalis
E. faecalis is a commensal bacterium that lives harmlessly in a healthy human gut and is commonly used as a probiotic. However, it can cause infections when it spreads to other parts of the body. Read on to find out more interesting facts about Enterococcus faecalis.
17 Nov 2020
Microbial Top Facts: Pseudomonas aeruginosa
Continuing our blog series of microbial top facts, today we feature Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa), a bacterium cultured frequently at our laboratory. It was discovered in 1882 by Carle Gessard through an experiment that identified this microbe by its water-soluble pigments that turned a blue-green when exposed to ultra-violet light.
12 Nov 2020
Microbial Top Facts: Shigella
With a type of the bacteria used in our laboratory for testing, we wanted to shine a light on Shigella in our microbial top facts blog series. The genus is divided in to four serogroups with multiple serotypes all of which vary significantly in genetic structure, the latter being one of the bacteria that can be tested for at our laboratory.
