As a result, the world is menaced by "superbugs" - strains of bacteria that defy all existing forms of treatment.
They have now repeated the feat ten times, and thus have 11 strains of bacteria that each possess 21 amino acids.
ECONOMIST: Chemists are trying to synthesise new varieties of life
The researchers found that similar strains of bacteria were found within individual day care centres - but that different centres harboured different strains.
According to Dr Wang, this approach could be used to create strains of bacteria capable of producing whole hosts of odd amino acids.
ECONOMIST: Chemists are trying to synthesise new varieties of life
Ms Glad and Dr Sundset report, in BMC Microbiology, that they were able to isolate only four strains of bacteria that carried blaTEM genes.
ECONOMIST: Are the bugs in wild animals resistant to antibiotics?
In previous work with bulls, horses and domestic pets, an average of 13 strains of bacteria per species were found to be carrying blaTEM genes.
ECONOMIST: Are the bugs in wild animals resistant to antibiotics?
But several biologists said they believed that the laboratory technique used to birth it would soon be applied to other strains of bacteria with commercial potential.
Sequenom is developing a high-speed "bacterial fingerprinting" technique based on mass spectrometry that can be used to rapidly identify the DNA of subtly different strains of bacteria or viruses.
Probiotics, meaning "for life", are products that contain live strains of bacteria incorporated into yoghurts, fruit juices or freeze-dried powders, which boost levels of the bacteria in the gut.
Kosan has generated several hundred variants of the antibiotic, some of which wipe out strains of bacteria that are resistant to most other marketed drugs--in test tube and animal experiments, anyway.
"The large number of beverages and soda fountain machines containing E. coli is still of considerable concern... and suggests that more pathogenic strains of bacteria could persist and thrive in soda fountain machines if introduced, " the authors wrote.
Researchers now want to look at how coconut oil interacts with Streptococcus bacteria at the molecular level and which other strains of harmful bacteria it can inhibit.
Some strains of the bacteria can cause severe diarrhoea, abdominal cramps and fever, and can cause fatal kidney failure in children.
Another is amikacin, which does not work for bone infections and has not been effective against some strains of the bacteria.
After identifying specific strains of the bacteria, they compared them with a larger group of infected people and armadillos from around the world.
However, some strains of the bacteria have now acquired some resistance to one or more of the antibiotics commonly used to treat them.
These six strains of killer bacteria, built for destruction and rapid reproduction and bred in hospitals nationwide, are among those that worry doctors most.
The urgency of antibiotic development is enhanced by the emergence of new and deadly bacteria strains, usually called CRE, a term that includes bacteria like some strains of KPC or NDM that are antibiotic resistant.
FORBES: The Antibiotic Bubble -- A Quest For Continued Antibiotic Effectiveness
The companies are a bit cagey about the details, but according to Robert Dorsch, who works on the DuPont side of things, and Ray Chandra, of Genencor, the technology involves inserting four genes taken from various species of bacteria and yeast into industrial strains of E. coli.
Even if the idea of a little diarrhea or a urinary tract infection does not faze you (both of which can be caused by E. coli), the problem is that as strains of antibiotic-resistant bacteria become more commonplace in our lives, the less we are able to use the drugs to treat common human diseases.
FORBES: Are You Eating 'Superbugs?' Resistant Bacteria Found At Alarming Rates On Meat In Stores
Japanese researchers have published the completed genomes of two antibiotic resistant strains of one of the world's most dangerous bacteria.
Hindsight and improved medical science has shown that during my short stay in Kabul, I contracted Borrelia bacteria (strains of which in the US cause "Lyme Disease") from ticks, which fell off mice that scampered over my feet during sleep, attracted probably by the bits of sweets given to me lovingly by Madaar (Mother), which I kept in my suitcase under the bed.
Dr Glenn Gibson, a food researcher at the University of Reading, is developing strains of Bifidobacterium bifidum which combat harmful gut bacteria.
They also said they were able to differentiate between two species of bacteria and two different strains of the same P. aeruginosa bacterium.
For the study, researchers from the University of Vermont analysed volatile organic compounds (VOCs) given off in exhaled breath by different bacteria as well as different strains of the same bacterium.
Fortunately, the testing did not reveal strains of E. coli 0157, a particularly virulent form of the bacteria that was responsible for several outbreaks, and deaths, from serious foodborne illnesses.
"For instance if I have a headache, I take a tablet for my headache, but if I take an antibiotic, all of the bacteria in my body are exposed to that antibiotic and I could be selecting drug-resistant strains, and I could be sharing them, " she said.
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