When bacteria start talking, bad things happen.UW chemist
Many bacteria release chemical signals in search of their â??friends.â? When chemical levels remain low, the bacteria donâ??t make much mischief. But when the bugs congregate, chemicals build up, which alerts the microbes that there are enough of them to kick off an infection.
These collective infections can be especially severe and hard to treat. But Helen Blackwell, a University of Wisconsin-Madison assistant professor of chemistry, thinks sheâ??s found a way to stop these bacterial social gatherings before they start.