The black fever

The world is shrinking for Santosh Kumar Manjhi. Bedridden for the past few months, the boy looks much too young for his 13 years of age. His world is limited to his small room in village Capshar in district Saran of northern Bihar. His stomach is swollen, his body reduced to a skeleton. He has kala-azar, the black fever, also known as leishmaniasis. It is transmitted through the bite of the sandfly (Phlebotomus argentipes) infected with the parasite Leishmania donovani.

The microbes strike back

Malaria -- whose incidence dropped from an estimated annual 75 million cases with 0.8 million deaths before Independence to 0.1 million cases with no deaths by 1964 -- showed feverish activity in the '70s. It is stabilising now at about 2 million cases a year. Of late, however, a potentially fatal form of malaria, caused by Plasmodium falciparum, is accounting for as much as 35-40 per cent of the cases and is spreading to new areas.

Of algae, worms and cash flow

Microorganisms, earthworms enrich the soil Biofertilisers and earthworms are increasingly being used to replace chemical fertilizers

Fermented delicacies

Remember the last time you had a crisp dosa? As the morsels disappeared into your mouth, you probably would have said a word or two in praise of the cook for getting the rice-black lentil batter into the perfect proportion. But would you have credited a few anonymous little creatures for this culinary dexterity? The microbes, bacteria and yeast that worked tirelessly on the batter for about a day-and-a quarter giving the dosa lots of nitrogen, soluble proteins, reducing sugars and enzymes?

Technology to detect food poisoning pathogens

food poisoning might just be arrested before it strikes using a new method developed by researchers at Purdue University, usa. They have come up with a technology that even retail outlets can use to detect pathogens in food before it is sold.

Decoding antibiotic resistance in bacteria

disease-causing bacteria are gaining resistance to antibiotics by producing enzymes that deactivate them. A study has decoded the structure of the enzyme that helps bacteria gain resistance to a specific class of antibiotics. This is crucial because this class of antibiotics was the only remaining lot so fat to be able to fight resistant bacteria. Experts say understanding the enzyme's structure will help design effective antibiotics.

David Sands on bacteria's role in rainfall

Findings We have found that airborne bacteria may play a big role in the precipitation cycle. The bacteria act as nuclei around which ice forms. These biological nuclei can cause freezing at warmer temperatures. Bacteria Interviewee:  David Sands

Probiotics Not as safe as believed to be

it's believed that probiotics--dietary supplements containing microbes--benefit health. A recent study dispels the notion and says they may adversely affect patients suffering from acute infection in the pancreas, called pancreatitis. Probiotics strengthen the natural microflora--yeast and bacteria--in the body and the researchers hoped that this trait would help cure pancreatitis. But they were proved wrong.

Little evidence to bacteria-rich food claims

recently, several food products enriched with friendly bacteria have hit markets in India. The latest entrant, Yakult Danone's probiotic drink, claims that the lactose digesting bacteria added to the drink aid digestion. But there is little scientific evidence to support such claims.

Holy smoke disinfects indoor air

the ritual of burning medicinal plants to produce 'purifying' smoke is common to several religions. Hinduism has havan and Islam, bukhur (see box: Smoky remedies). Most modern physicians, though, are sceptical, saying the smoke might actually do more damage than good.