The increasing prevalence of antibiotic resistance, when infectious bacteria evolve to evade drugs designed to control them, is a pressing public health concern. Each year two million Americans ...

There are many ways of classifying bacteria. One method is based on the cell membrane. In 1884, a bacteriologist named Christian Gram created a test that could determine if a bacterium had a thick, ...

Bacterial species, and even specific strains can be differentiated using a number of molecular techniques such as PCR, quantitative PCR, genome sequencing and mass spectrometry. But even without ...

Gram staining is one way scientists can identify bacteria. Gram-positive bacteria, such as Staphylococcus, appear blue or purple under a microscope when scientists apply a stain. Conversely, ...

Gram-positive bacteria have thick cell walls. A Gram stain test, which involves a chemical dye, stains the bacterium’s cell wall purple. On the other hand, gram-negative bacteria stain pink instead.

"The therapeutic target could be used to create a completely new class of drugs for fighting Gram-positive bacteria including those that cause antibiotic-resistant infections," says John Phillips, ...

Gram-positive bacteria show blue or purple after Gram-staining in a laboratory test. They have thick cell walls. Gram-negative bacteria show pink or red on staining and have thin walls. They release ...

Gram staining was developed in the 1800s as a quick and simple procedure to distinguish between Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria. It is one of the first laboratory techniques taught to ...