One health
Communicable diseases remain one of the major causes of mortality worldwide. There are disparities in the numbers of individuals affected by disease between low-and-middle-income countries and those in developed nations. Microbes will play in important role in drug discovery: producing anticancer drugs and antimicrobials. Applying One Health principles, to understand the interaction of pathogens and the human host, development of diagnostics, treatments, and disease prevention, applied microbiologists can shape global health and wellbeing outcomes.
Careers
From microbiome research to personalized cosmetics: The genesis of BYOME LABS
BYOME LABS was founded through the initiative of David Suissa, an entrepreneur trained at École Polytechnique and the Corps des Mines. After leading companies in the fields of perfumery and applied microbiology, he chose to structure a new approach centered on the biological evaluation of cosmetic products.
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NewsResearchers link specific microbiomes to archaeological bone degradation
Well-preserved archaeological bone samples have different microbial communities than heavily degraded bone samples, providing a new understanding of how microbes contribute to bone degradation, according to a study.
NewsArchaic DNA may lower defences against common DNA viruses in people today
Researchers explored the contribution of archaic DNA - primarily Neandertal ancestry - to the DNA viral load of participants in the UK Biobank. By analysing viral sequences detected in large-scale genomic data, they asked whether archaic variants correlate with the presence or quantity of common DNA viruses.
NewsNew model shows how gut microbes help shape how many calories you absorb from food
A new mathematical model follows food through the digestive tract, estimating what the body absorbs directly, what reaches the colon and how gut microbes help process the remaining material into products that are either absorbed or excreted.
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Researchers may now understand why chikungunya virus infections turn chronic
About half of people infected with chikungunya virus will progress to a chronic form of the disease. A new study finds that chikungunya virus persists in joint-associated macrophages, a specialized type of white blood cell that helps the body defend against pathogens.
NewsColorectal cancer risk linked to gut microbiome alterations
A study finds that more than a decade after removal of an adenoma from the colon, the gut microbiome still partly resembles that observed in colorectal cancer (CRC).
NewsNew study finds neighborhood-level sampling could close equity gap in wastewater disease surveillance
Researchers working with New York State’s wastewater surveillance network found that while the system does a reasonably fair job of including vulnerable populations, it struggles in larger populations when an outbreak is starting, which is when it matters most.
NewsScientists fight antimicrobial resistance by treating diseases with human antibodies
In a review, researchers highlight the promise of using human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) to treat patients more effectively and tackle AMR. They say AMR needs to be addressed with multiple and differentiated strategies, and vaccines and mAbs are the most promising tools.
NewsLong Covid burden continues to grow, doubling current surveillance estimates, multi-hospital study shows
Investigators using a novel AI algorithm to comb through medical records of patients with COVID-19 in U.S. hospitals, found around one in six developed long COVID. These rates are twofold higher than current estimates.
NewsMaternal infection: A critical driver of offspring cardiac dysfunction
A new study reveals that maternal infection causes severe metabolic disturbances within the offspring’s heart, most notably enriching differentially expressed genes in lipid, energy, and amino acid metabolism. The infection also heavily suppressed cardiac cell proliferation.
NewsGut microbe found to worsen sepsis by triggering hyperinflammatory immune responses
Researchers have identified a specific gut microbial group that can dramatically worsen sepsis by excessively sensitizing immune cells. Genetically identical mice showed strikingly different infection outcomes depending on the composition of their gut microbiota.
NewsCommon illnesses, not hantavirus, pose greatest cruise and travel risk
Travelers booked on cruises this summer, or considering booking, shouldn’t change their plans out of fear of hantavirus, one researcher says. They should be aware of more common viral illnesses that occur in cruise settings such as norovirus, seasonal respiratory viruses, COVID-19 and influenza.
NewsHeart health may have impacted the risk of severe COVID-19 infection during the pandemic
Adults with highest heart health scores at the beginning of the pandemic were nearly half as likely to be hospitalized or die from COVID-19 when compared to those with the lowest scores, according to new research.
NewsDog daycare leptospirosis outbreak in Los Angeles reveals broader public health risks
A 2021 outbreak of leptospirosis that sickened more than 200 dogs in Los Angeles County reveals critical gaps in vaccination practices and raises broader concerns about the spread of the disease between animals and people.
NewsScientists determine how mysterious acids give bacteria their shape
Researchers have discovered how acids on the surface of bacteria give these microscopic organisms their characteristic “rod” shape—by keeping an enzyme at bay that would otherwise turn the cylindrical cells into shape-shifting blobs.
NewsScientists identify nearly two dozen antiviral compounds that could treat Ebola virus
Recent advances in artificial intelligence have enabled scientists to identify nearly two dozen antiviral compounds that could potentially treat a rare species of Ebola virus (Bundibugyo virus) currently affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo.
NewsInsect wing identifying app to tackle tropical disease threat
A mobile app that identifies disease-carrying insects from their wing patterns is being developed as part of a project using AI to help diagnose tropical diseases.
NewsStudies point to new way to fight potentially deadly Valley Fever
To better understand why Valley Fever spreads in some individuals, researchers found that patients with severe illness had an abnormal immune response. In some cases, the immune system was overactive; in other cases it was underactive.
NewsGut microbiome clusters may help predict inflammatory bowel disease severity and progression
A new study reports that the gut microbiome of IBD patients can be grouped into distinct compositional “cluster types” associated with disease severity and progression risk. These reflect higher-order microbial community organization rather than variation in individual bacterial species.
NewsNew urine test for microbial metabolites offers simple way to screen for autism in children
Scientists have developed a new screening tool to test urine for 17 microbial metabolites in children ages 2 to 11 years. By measuring these compounds in urine, they discovered that they could distinguish children with autism from typically developing children in their study groups with high accuracy.
NewsExperimental gene therapy shields brain from toxic protein damage
An experimental gene therapy could help protect the brain from the damage and cognitive decline linked to TDP-43-related proteinopathy, a type of neurodegeneration.
NewsNorth America and Europe could become hotspots for chikungunya virus due to climate change
Enabled by global heating, mosquito-borne chikungunya virus is likely to spread into temperate regions. Under climate change models, the virus will further expand northward into temperate regions, especially northeastern North America, central Europe, and East Asia, researchers say.
NewsInternational leaders in probiotic and prebiotic science to gather in Tokyo for one-day symposium
To help strengthen global collaboration and showcase innovative biotics research, The International Scientific Association for Probiotics and Prebiotics (ISAPP) is organizing a scientific symposium on October 6, 2026 in Tokyo, Japan in conjunction with its annual meeting.