It's not just the presence of bacteria that can lead to disease; their spatial arrangement also matters. When scientists examined the bacteria that causes tooth decay, they found it 'shields' itself ...

Got cavities? Blame Streptococcus mutans, a bacterium found in the mouth that produces acids strong enough to dissolve tooth enamel, allowing the microbe to bore into teeth and cause decay. Now, ...

Tooth decay is bad enough when it is caused by Streptococcus mutans, a common bacterium that forms tartar. But tooth decay is even worse if S. mutans is joined by a relatively rare bacterium, S.