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
Researchers discovered replication hubs for human norovirus
Researchers have reported the discovery of replication hubs for human norovirus, which could lead to designing antiviral drugs to prevent, control or treat these infections.
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NewsSeasonal flu vaccine study reveals host genetics’ role in vaccine response
Scientists have found that influenza subtype-bias is primarily driven by host genetics, particularly major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-II polymorphisms, with prior exposure playing a secondary role.
NewsCapybaras found dead from rabies on island in Brazil
The viral rabies strain found in the dead animals on Anchieta Island in Ubatuba was the variant transmitted by vampire bats, which probably fed on the capybaras’ blood at a time of habitat disturbance.
NewsThe surprising role of gut infection in Alzheimer’s disease
A new study implicates link between a common virus and the disease, which travels from the gut to the brain and may be a target for antiviral treatments.
More One Health
News
Tinkering with the ‘clockwork’ mechanisms of life
Scientists have successfully recreated and validated two distinct mechanisms that can program both the activation and deactivation rates of nanomachines in living organisms across multiple timescales.
NewsNature’s instructions: How fungi make a key medicinal molecule
Scientists outline how they deciphered nature’s own instructions — namely, the genes of the mold Penicillium citrinum — to discover a previously unreported enzyme that catalyzes the creation of cyclopentachromone-containing compounds.
NewsThe role of understudied dysfunctional immune cells in severe COVID-19: new research
A new study focuses on understanding how ‘notoriously understudied’ immune cells behave abnormally in patients with severe COVID-19 and provides insights into mechanism behind COVID-19 disease progression.
News‘Unbreakable’ Lassa vaccine shows promising results
A live-attenuated vaccine candidate against Lassa virus completely protected guinea pigs exposed to an otherwise lethal dose of the virus, researchers have reported.
NewsProbiotics with a protective armor: New method boosts survival and gut health
A research team has developed a new method for encapsulating probiotics, using nanoparticles formed by antisolvent precipitation to protect the probiotics.
NewsApplication of heavy-ion irradiation mutagenesis to improve the production efficiency of the antifungal drug micafungin
Scientists have used heavy-ion irradiation to improve efforts to produce the semisynthetic echinocandin antifungal agent micafungin which derives from fungal natural product FR901379 produced by Coleophoma empetri.
NewsDiscovery of β‐nitrostyrene derivatives as potential quorum sensing inhibitors for biofilm inhibition in Serratia marcescens
A new study has identified β‐nitrostyrene derivatives as potential quorum sensing inhibitors for biofilm inhibition and antivirulence factor therapeutics against Serratia marcescens.
NewsScientists offer user manual for yeast’s genetic switches
Scientists have found three gene regulation design principles that provide a flexible guideline for the effective control of microbiological production using yeast.
NewsDiarrheal diseases remain a leading killer for children under 5, adults 70+
A new global study reports a 60% drop in global mortality from diarrheal diseases, but children and the elderly still have the highest death rates, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
NewsNew discovery provides hope in fighting drug-resistant malaria
Researchers have described how they may have found a new target in Plasmodium falciparum, the deadliest malaria parasite: a cholesterol-managing protein called PfNCR1.
NewsAfter lockdown, immune system reacts more strongly to viruses and bacteria
The lockdowns during the COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on people’s immune response to microorganisms. During the lockdown, inflammation level in the body was low, but afterwards, the immune system reacted more intensely to viruses and bacteria.
NewsStart-up EBViously announces its launch
EBViously, a spin-off of Helmholtz Munich, officially started operations on 11 November 2024. The company is developing a preventive vaccine against diseases caused by the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV).
NewsPediatric investigation study confirms the safety of COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy
A new study shows that maternal COVID-19 vaccination is not associated with adverse health outcomes in infants.
NewsBad bacteria can trigger painful gut contractions; new research shows how
After a meal of questionable seafood or a few sips of contaminated water, bad bacteria can send your digestive tract into overdrive. Your intestines spasm and contract, efficiently expelling everything in the gut.
NewsScientists find a vulnerability in antibiotic resistance mechanism
Since the discovery of penicillin in 1928, antibiotics have changed medicine, allowing us to easily combat bacterial infections. However, with the invention of antibiotics, we have also entered a never-ending arms race with bacteria. They adapt rapidly to drugs, rendering many existing treatments ineffective. Such antibiotic-resistant bacteria, often dubbed “superbugs”, ...
NewsCases of whooping cough growing, but knowledge about it is lacking
Many in the public are not familiar with symptoms of whooping cough. Almost a third of respondents (30%) are not sure if pertussis is the same as whooping cough and not sure (30%) whether a vaccine exists to prevent it.
NewsStudy shows drop in use of antiviral medications in young children with influenza
Despite national medical guidelines supporting the use of antiviral medications in young children diagnosed with influenza, a recent study reports an underuse of the treatment.
NewsGenome researchers unfurl protective mantle of influenza virus
The structure of the flu virus’s protective mantle and its interactions with its RNA have been described on an atomic scale by a research team for the first time.
NewsBreakthrough infection test designed to tackle AMR on target for 2025 UK NHS availability after positive trial results
UK medtech company Presymptom Health has announced positive results from its clinical trial of diagnostic technology in the management of infection and sepsis in patients presenting to Emergency Departments with respiratory infection.
