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.
News
Bacteria use collisions to navigate crowded environments
Scientists have found that the bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa solves the challenge of moving in crowded environments with a simple sensory mechanism that allows the bacteria to actively modulate their collective organization through touch.
Read story
NewsVanillin provides a sweet solution for chronic wound healing
Researchers have found that vanillin has pronounced antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties, making it a good candidate for wound-healing formulations.
NewsEven brief e-cigarette use can cause lasting lung damage and weaken defenses against respiratory viruses
Just days of e-cigarette vapor exposure can injure the lungs’ most delicate tissue and leave it more vulnerable to viral infection, according to a study. Prior vaping exposure also increased SARS-CoV-2 viral burden and suppressed several antiviral genes following infection.
NewsBlue light could cut food poisoning from raw chicken
A low-power blue light could be the key to significantly reducing food poisoning caused by raw chicken in the UK, scientists have found.They tested violet-blue photodynamic inactivation (VB-PDI) against 64 different strains of Campylobacter - every strain was killed by the treatment, regardless of species or antibiotic resistance profile.
More One Health
News
Model traces C. diff spread in hospital oncology units
In a new study, researchers modeled the transmission of Clostridioides difficile infections among patients in hospital cancer units. They found that most new infections were introduced by patients who were infected but not symptomatic at the time of admission, rather than by patients who were infected and symptomatic.
NewsHow cells fight back after bacterial toxins break through
Understanding how epithelial cells rapidly repair toxin-induced membrane injuries is important for understanding how tissues withstand bacterial attacks. Researchers have uncovered a lipid signaling pathway that helps epithelial cells respond to membrane injury.
NewsEven modest post-infection complications can make expanded vaccine coverage cost effective: New modelling
New modelling could help public health officials better factor in the long-term impacts of infectious disease when determining optimum vaccine coverage rates. Even small post-infection costs can tip the scales and make the case for vaccine-driven elimination, the study shows.
NewsStudy examines political differences in perceptions of vaccine safety and effectiveness
Vaccine perceptions can influence acceptance and uptake, according to a new study. Respondents perceived the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine as the safest and most effective and the COVID-19 vaccine as the least safe and effective.
NewsNew genetic platform could pave the way for better HPV vaccines
Scientists have developed a new genetic platform that could pave the way for more stable, efficient and widely available HPV vaccines, helping address persistent global shortages. The approach allows researchers to generate and select promising virus variants with traits that could improve future vaccine production and storage.
NewsEye-eating amoeba resists treatment — understanding its biochemistry could help
Acanthamoeba causes infections in the eye or brain that can lead to blindness or death. New research into the amoeba’s mitochondrial metabolism could lead to safer, more effective treatments.
NewsCOVID-19 immunity may help protect against other bat coronaviruses
Scientists have found that bat coronaviruses most likely to infect a wide range of animal species are those most closely related to SARS-CoV-2 and most likely to be recognised by immunity generated through COVID-19 infection.
NewsStaphylococcus aureus is highly resistant and virulent in milk
Staphylococcus aureus is frequently found in human and veterinary infections. Its ability to withstand antibiotic treatment makes it a major clinical challenge. To better understand the factors underlying this resistance, the scientists investigated the growth of the bacterium in two environments relevant to infection: milk and serum.
NewsGermany marks first CRISPR therapy success
A 19-year-old with severe beta-thalassemia has become the first patient in Germany to receive an approved CRISPR-based therapy as part of routine medical care. Four months after treatment at Charité, he no longer requires regular blood transfusions, marking a major step in bringing gene editing from the laboratory into everyday clinical practice.
NewsBacterial immunity—or a form of sex?
Researchers have found that, under starvation stress, E. coli can use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity to transfer and incorporate DNA, accelerating genetic reshuffling. The process resembles a primitive form of sexual reproduction and may help bacterial populations adapt to changing conditions.
NewsHeel-prick blood samples from newborns could provide important insights into protection against serious infection
Heel-prick blood samples from newborns can be used to measure antibodies against Group B Streptococcus, according to a new study. In the longer term, the method could contribute to the development of vaccines designed to protect infants against serious infections.
NewsItching for a solution: Addressing mosquito-borne disease as climate change bites
Prevention measures, including vector control, vaccine deployment and cutting greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming are critical to counter the growing burden of mosquito-borne diseases in a changing climate, according to a new review.
NewsHow gut bacteria can shape the brain’s response to stroke
How much damage a stroke causes in the brain depends strongly on how quickly blood flow can be restored. The patient’s own immune response that follows the stroke also plays an important role. Researchers have identified a specific bacterial signal that shapes this immune response and influences stroke outcome.
NewsHost immune status is significantly associated with herpesvirus retinitis phenotypes and clinical outcomes
The clinical progression and outcomes of two major herpesvirus retinitis forms are associated with patients’ immune status, reveal scientists. They evaluated the clinical symptoms at presentation, retinal detachment patterns, treatment strategies, and clinical outcomes of acute retinal necrosis and cytomegalovirus retinitis.
NewsA deadly fungus may not live to see the last of us
The battle lines have finally shifted in the war against a deadly fungal disease. The fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus has long been known to cause a severe, rapid respiratory infection, and it has become harder to fight. Researchers successfully killed the pathogen in animal studies by identifying how it resists current therapeutic methods.
NewsCRISPR nanodroplet technology offers a new strategy for rapid, multiplexed, species-level identification of mycobacteria
In a new commentary, researchers discuss the clinical and technological potential of a CRISPR-assisted nanodroplet platform, highlighting its ability to combine broad-range amplification, species-specific CRISPR recognition, fluorescence encoding, and microfluidic droplet pairing within a single diagnostic architecture.
NewsResearch uncovers how bacteria fight viruses, opening the door to better virus-based antibiotics
New research has revealed that bacteria detect viruses when a viral enzyme cuts an important sensor molecule in the bacterium, kicking off the immune response. The discovery paves the way for development of better phage therapies that can evade the bacterial immune system.
NewsSugar amplifies damage done to gut health by antibiotics
Eating sweets while taking antibiotics may worsen the harm done by the drugs to the normal community of bacteria in the gut, a new study has found. The study of hospitalized cancer patients found an additional 21% reduction in the variety of helpful bacterial species present for every 100 grams of sugar consumed in the 48 hours before treatment.
FeaturesTracking the invisible: monitoring microbial processes in freshwater ecosystems using fluorescence sensing
Rivers are dynamic ecosystems driven by microbial processes that regulate carbon and nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and oxygen consumption. Despite their central role in river health, microbial processes remain mostly invisible in routine water quality monitoring programmes, which continue to focus primarily on physicochemical parameters.