Multiple benefits derived from a peer teacher program in two undergraduate microbiology lab courses.

A peer teaching program was implemented to alleviate the problem of a limited number of lab instructors attempting to teach large numbers of students in two different undergraduate microbiology lab courses. The benefit of having peer teachers was immediately obvious to the lab instructors, faculty and staff who were responsible for conducting the labs, but it was soon evident that there were also benefits for everyone else involved in the program. The students enrolled in the labs reported that having peer teachers in the lab enhanced their learning, and they felt comfortable receiving help from a peer teacher who had recently completed the course.

The destruction of Escherichia coli biofilms using high-intensity focused ultrasound.

High-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) has shown great potential for replacing surgery in many applications. In this work, HIFU was used to destroy Escherichia coli (E. coli) biofilms that had been grown on chambered microscope slides.

Ultrasound histotripsy and the destruction of Escherichia coli biofilms.

Ultrasound histotripsy has shown great potential for replacing surgery in many applications. In this work, a modification of ultrasound histotripsy was used to destroy Escherichia coli (E. coli) biofilms that had been grown on chambered microscope slides.

beta-Lactam induction of colanic acid gene expression in Escherichia coli.

An unexpected observation led us to examine the relationship between beta-lactam exposure and synthesis of colonic acid capsular polysaccharide in Escherichia coli. Strains containing a cps-lacZ transcriptional fusion were challenged with antibiotics having various modes of action, and gene expression was detected by a disk-diffusion assay and in broth cultures. The cps genes were induced by a subset of beta-lactams but not by agents inhibiting protein synthesis or DNA replication, indicating that cps expression was specific and not due to stresses accompanying cell death or by a general inhibition of peptidoglycan synthesis.