Clean water
UNICEF estimates that over 2.2 billion people worldwide do not have access to clean drinking water. Micro-organisms are responsible for a host of waterborne diseases, but simultaneously offer solutions in purifying water and improving sanitation. Biofertilizers offer promising solutions for reduced nutrient runoff and wastewater recycling. As well as applying microbes to combat the problem, applied microbiologists can use their knowledge of health and disease to reduce cases of waterborne disease.
Features
Clear but not clean: the hidden life of drinking water in Nigeria
In many communities across Nigeria, clear water is assumed to be safe. Transparency, both literal and visual, has become shorthand for purity. My recent research in Ede, southwestern Nigeria, began with a simple but uncomfortable question: what are people actually drinking?
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NewsOne of cholera’s great enemies is found in the human gut
Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study. Researchers found that in the Ganges Delta, cholera bacteria rapidly gain and lose special armour that protects against attacks from the virus, known as bacteriophage ICP1.
NewsTurning algae waste into powerful filters: New biochar membranes clean wastewater more efficiently
A new study has developed a sustainable filtration technology that transforms microalgae waste into high-performance membranes capable of removing pollutants and bacteria from wastewater. The innovation could offer a greener and more efficient solution for municipal water treatment.
NewsWastewater harbors high-risk antimicrobial resistance genes
Researchers found evidence of genetic material from two major bacterial groups, commonly known to exhibit high-risk resistance profiles, in wastewater samples from a large South Africa city.
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Stopping algae blooms with bacteria-busting buoys
Algae blooms make a pond’s surface shine in mesmerizing green hues. But if the microorganisms responsible are cyanobacteria, they can also release toxins that harm humans and wildlife alike. So, a team reporting in ACS ES&T Water has designed a “set it and forget it” system for distributing algaecide using ...
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NewsDifferent plastics, different threats: Tracking antibiotic resistance on riverborne debris
While traditional plastics steadily accumulate antibiotic resistance genes over time, biodegradable plastics can trigger short-lived but intense spikes in pathogens and resistance during degradation.
NewsMapping the hidden gene highways of wastewater biofilms
A new study uncovers the hidden microbial connections within wastewater biofilms by combining Hi-C sequencing with multi-omics to directly map which phages and plasmids are associated with which microbial hosts.
NewsEngineered biochar and beneficial bacteria team up to boost crop growth
Researchers have developed a specially engineered biochar made from sewage sludge that, when combined with beneficial bacteria, significantly enhances plant growth by improving how crops absorb nitrogen.
NewsDigital early warning systems essential as old diseases like cholera resurge in global crisis zones
A new critical analysis examines how the convergence of climate change, economic collapse, and conflict is bringing back a preventable disease once thought to be under control.
NewsScientists discover ‘consortium’ of bacteria cooperating to eat phthalate plasticizers that single microbes can’t stomach
Researchers have discovered a synergistic ‘consortium’ of plastic-eating bacteria, which can eat phthalate esters (PAEs) – plasticizers which are often found in building materials, food packages, and personal care products, but have been implicated in hormonal, metabolic, and developmental disorders and some cancers.
NewsMedicinal plants with anti-entamoeba histolytica activity: phytochemistry, efficacy, and clinical potential
Reported adverse effects associated with the current first-line treatment for amoebiasis, coupled with the evolution of resistance to it, call for the need to search for plant-based alternatives. This study systematically reviews medicinal plants with activity against Entamoeba histolytica.
NewsTiny plastics, green solutions: How algae could help clean polluted waters
A new review examines how algae interact with microplastics in aquatic systems. Importantly, it highlights how their biological interactions could be harnessed to mitigate microplastic pollution, offering new perspectives for sustainable aquatic environmental management.
NewsDiisobutyl phthalate at environmental concentration promotes conjugative transfer of antibiotic resistance genes
Researchers investigating the ecological safety risks posed by dibutyl phthalate (DBP), in aquatic environments found it significantly increased conjugative transfer frequency in both intragenus (E. coli DH5α to E. coli HB101) and intergenus (E. coli DH5α to B. subtilis WB100N) systems.
News10 Years, 70% shift: Wastewater upgrades quietly transform river microbiomes
Researchers investigated how the upgrade of a WWTP influenced nitrogen-cycling microorganisms and DNA viruses in its receiving river. The research compared the river whose WWTP was upgraded during the study period against the river whose upgrade occurred prior to the study.
NewsPeriphyton closes the nitrogen budget gap in rice paddies
Scientists identify a previously overlooked microbial N sink in rice paddies. Periphyton, a thin microbial community that develops at the soil–water interface, is composed of algae, bacteria, and extracellular polymeric substances, forming a dense microhabitat with strong capacities for nutrient uptake, transformation, and temporary storage.
NewsHow bacteria can reclaim lost energy, nutrients, and clean water from wastewater
A new review explores how technologies using electricity-generating bacteria—like those already piloted at the UK’s Glastonbury Festival and in field trials in Uganda, Kenya, and South Africa—could help us reclaim resources currently being flushed away.
NewsScientists unlock magnetic secrets of bacteria with built-in compass
Some bacteria are miniature masters of navigation: A built-in “compass” made of magnetic nanoparticles helps them to reliably find the optimal habitat. Researchers have now unlocked the magnetic properties of individual bacteria — an important step toward harnessing the potential for technology.
NewsWorld Water Day 2026: Book your free place on our Gender Equality and Water webinar
Applied Microbiology International will hold a free webinar on ‘Gender Equality and Water’ to mark World Water Day 2026 - March 18 2026. We’ll be joined by Professor Jiménez Cisneros, an expert in water management, sanitation and sustainable development, and Professor Lyla Mehta, an expert on water, sanitation, gender and development.
NewsElevated E. coli, staph still detected in Potomac river 4 weeks after sewage spill
Nearly a month after a wastewater pipe broke and spewed hundreds of millions of gallons of raw sewage into the Potomac River just north of Washington, D.C., the latest water testing results continue to show high levels of E. coli and S. aureus, including antibiotic-resistant MRSA.
NewsLower tillage boosts the soil’s natural phosphorus cycle - cutting the need for costly fertilizer inputs
Long-term tillage reduction helps to restore the soil’s natural phosphorus cycle, supporting more sustainable nutrient management with less reliance on costly and finite fertilizer inputs, according to a new study published in Sustainable Microbiology.
NewsStrategic changes in water treatment could prevent disease outbreaks
A breakthrough new study shows how strategic changes in water treatment effectively treated a deadly outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease. For the first time, the study provides evidence of an outbreak being stopped by introducing disinfection to previously untreated groundwater.
NewsTeam finds E. coli, other pathogens in Potomac River after sewage spill
Following one of the largest sewage spills in U.S. history, researchers detected high levels of fecal-related bacteria and disease-causing pathogens in the Potomac River, raising urgent public health concerns and underscoring the risks posed by aging sewer infrastructure.
NewsLarge-scale study analyses the impact of climate on Legionnaires’ disease in Catalonia
A study has analysed the relationship between climatic conditions, the presence of Legionella in water systems and cases of Legionnaires’ disease in Catalonia. The link between these different factors highlights the need to adapt prevention and surveillance strategies in the context of climate change.