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.
Applied Microbiology International members are among a team of high level microbiologists who have teamed up to highlight how the world’s tiniest creatures are delivering solutions to climate change and pollution.
Read storyA recent study which examined threatened Staghorn coral species found that while some coral genotypes displayed resistance to either high nutrient levels from run-off or disease, none were resistant to both stressors simultaneously.
A group of interantional researchers identified the cause of sargassum blooms in the tropical Atlantic Ocean using computer modelling. They have modelled the ocean currents, wind pattern and the growth conditions that help them thrive in the region.
Scientists have developed an innovative solar-powered method to transform sewage sludge — a by-product of wastewater treatment — into green hydrogen for clean energy and single-cell protein for animal feed.
Researchers have taken a major step towards producing a more affordable and lower-risk polio vaccine using virus-like particles (VLPs). These particles mimic the outer protein shell of poliovirus, but are empty inside.
A new ecological research is underway to investigate the impact of microplastics on aquatic microbial communities in the Virginia Tech Duck Pond.
A study focuses on the microplastic pollution generated by polymer-coated, control-release fertilizers, highlighting the need for biodegradable alternatives.
A microbiologist has described how he contracted a type of bacterial pneumonia following a swim in the sea that was likely connected to an incident of sewage dumping in the area.
Researchers have called for new ethical frameworks to protect Indigenous communities’ genetic privacy in the growing field of wastewater surveillance. The study examines how analysis of community wastewater raises significant privacy concerns for Indigenous populations.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has reaffirmed its US $500 million pledge to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) in a signing event during the fourth Riyadh International Humanitarian Forum.
Scientists examining the combination of ultraviolet light and chlorine to detoxify water laden with toxins from cyanobacteria have demonstrated that this combination significantly enhanced the degradation of toxins compared to chlorine alone.
With climate change affecting algal blooms, researchers have discovered that the combined nutrient and meteorological factors have significant influence on bloom frequency in large lakes across the world.
The emergency polio outbreak response in the Gaza Strip is continuing, with a mass vaccination campaign scheduled from 22 to 26 February 2025. The novel oral polio vaccine type 2 (nOPV2) will be administered to over 591,000 children under 10 years of age.
Routine, relatively low-cost monitoring of several factors influencing water safety could ward off Legionnaires’ disease outbreaks in hospitals, nursing homes and other health care settings, a new study suggests.
A new National Science Foundation (NSF) grant will support a major effort to synthesize decades of research on protists. The project will integrate findings from Professor Peter Siver’s lifelong study of silica-scaled chrysophytes, a group of protists found in freshwater environments.
New research finds that unhealthy concentrations of bacteria are released into the air by toilet flushing - but active ventilation with an exhaust fan reduce the risk by 10 times.
Swimming in some lakes with still water can lead to infection with Legionella, bacteria that can cause pneumonia, and people who engage in open water swimming should be aware of this risk, a new paper warns.
In a borehole in Finland, volatile organic compounds (VOC) are detected in the bedrock and groundwater due to the presence of a highly diverse underground microbial community, which reflects the composition of VOC and thus the bedrock characteristics.
New research has highlighted microalgae’s capacity as a solution in the fight against climate change, but researchers warn that “smart microalgal bioprospecting” is needed to unlock its full potential.
Researchers have succeeded in cultivating an ultrasmall bacterial strain parasitizing archaea and classified the strain PMX.108T as new species and genus of Minisyncoccus archaeiphilus.
With the use of mathematic modelling, scientists uncovered the mechanisms of specific algae, such as Cyanidioschyzon merolae, to survive in the extreme environment of acidic hot springs near volcanos.
Ojewale Ifeoluwa Florence reports back on her AMI-sponsored summer studentship which focused on the investigation of Actinobacteria found in local freshwater environments in Ogun State, Nigeria, under supervisor Dr. Amina Badmos.
An unusually high amount of poliovirus detections in several European countries in recent months has underscored the importance of keeping Europe polio-free.