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
Measles outbreak shows how immunity gaps can unravel disease elimination
A year-long measles outbreak in Ontario was concentrated in closely connected, historically under-vaccinated communities and contributed to Canada losing its measles elimination status. Researchers warn that immunity gaps, cross-border social networks and declining trust in vaccination can quickly undermine decades of disease control.
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NewsStudy shows how pre-existing immunity shapes second dengue infections
Why can a second dengue infection be more dangerous than the first? A controlled human challenge study shows how pre-existing antibodies can either boost viral replication or help restrain it, offering new clues for designing vaccines that protect against all four dengue virus types.
NewsStudy reveals fungi as overlooked players in agricultural antibiotic resistance
Fungi may be helping antibiotic resistance genes survive during livestock manure composting. Researchers found that suppressing fungal activity weakened microbial networks and increased the removal of resistance genes, suggesting that fungi could play an overlooked role in the environmental spread of antimicrobial resistance.
NewsGene-regulatory pathway helps T cells tolerate gut bacteria and prevent inflammation
The immune system somehow tolerates trillions of gut bacteria without constantly attacking them. Researchers have now identified a gene-regulatory pathway that helps regulatory T cells maintain this peace, with defects in the pathway triggering severe inflammation and autoimmunity in mice.
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News
Why do some people spread the flu while others avoid infection? Mizzou researchers investigate
Why do some people spread influenza efficiently while others barely pass it on? A new $19 million NIH-funded research programme will investigate how immunity, temperature and humidity shape airborne flu transmission, with the aim of improving vaccines and other prevention strategies.
News$16.4m NIH grant launches new hepatitis C vaccine centre
Hepatitis C has long frustrated vaccine developers with its extraordinary ability to mutate and evade immunity. A new $16.4 million research centre will bring together experts in antibodies, T cells and vaccine design to identify the virus’s most stable weak points and develop broadly protective vaccine candidates.
NewsAvian flu could push vulnerable vulture populations into further decline
H5N1 avian influenza is emerging as a serious threat to already vulnerable vulture populations, with deaths reported across the Americas and Europe. Researchers warn that losing these scavengers could also weaken a natural barrier against disease by allowing infected carcasses and pathogens to persist for longer.
NewsMyxobacteria reveal hidden chemistry with anticancer potential
Researchers have uncovered a previously hidden family of natural products made by soil-dwelling myxobacteria and traced how the molecules are assembled. Follow-up work showed that one of these compounds binds to AKR1C3, a human protein linked to several cancers, highlighting the drug-discovery potential of previously silent microbial genes.
NewsMarine compound shows promise against deadly brain-eating amoeba
A compound isolated from a marine bacterium may offer a faster way to attack Naegleria fowleri, the amoeba responsible for one of the deadliest known brain infections. In laboratory tests, rutamycin B reached full potency within four hours and was far more toxic to the parasite than to human cells.
NewsOne Health initiative aims to build safer, more sustainable food systems
A new One Health initiative in Thailand is bringing together expertise across food safety, antimicrobial resistance, climate change and public health. The platform aims to turn scientific evidence into coordinated action across agrifood systems, with a strong focus on collaboration between researchers, government, industry and international partners.
NewsLeaf spectra reveal hidden nitrogen-fixing nodules in soybean roots
Soybean roots may no longer need to be dug up to reveal how well they are forming nitrogen-fixing nodules. Researchers have shown that hyperspectral signals from leaves can predict below-ground nodule traits, offering a non-destructive way to track plant–microbe partnerships under drought and salt stress.
NewsCommon cell-death inhibitor reveals an unexpected pathway in tuberculosis
A widely used cell-death inhibitor may be triggering macrophage death during mycobacterial infection through an unexpected off-target pathway. The findings reveal a caspase-8-independent route to necroptosis and could help explain how damaging necrotic granulomas form during tuberculosis.
NewsDistant climate patterns may offer early warning of Ebola outbreaks
Ebola outbreaks may leave a climatic trail months before they emerge. By analysing nearly five decades of outbreak data alongside large-scale climate oscillations, researchers identified distant weather patterns that could help flag periods and regions where Ebola risk may be increasing.
NewsScientists propose national microbiome plan to prevent chronic disease
Leading microbiome researchers are calling for a global ‘moonshot’ to determine how the microbes living in and on our bodies contribute to chronic disease. The proposed agenda would combine long-term human studies, clinical trials, global research standards and public education to move the field from promising associations towards proven causes and treatments.
NewsGut microbiome may help explain why sleep improvement varies after hydrogen supplementation
Hiroshima University researchers investigated the effects of hydrogen supplementation on sleep quality in healthy human volunteers. While hydrogen supplementation had no significant effect compared to a placebo, individuals in the hydrogen-supplementation group reporting better sleep quality were discovered to have a lower abundance of hydrogen producing bacteria in their gut microbiome.
NewsDrug-resistant bacteria in clinic air raise infection-control concerns
Air sampled inside a South African clinic contained multiple ESKAPE bacteria resistant to commonly used antibiotics, with some surviving even last-resort treatments. The findings raise concerns about airborne exposure in healthcare settings, particularly for patients with weakened immune systems.
NewsHow eggplants ‘farm’ their own microbiomes: Genetic secrets revealed
Eggplants appear to actively shape the microbial communities around their roots through their own genetics. A large global study has identified more than 1,200 genetic variants linked to key root microbes, revealing how crop evolution and domestication may have helped plants recruit beneficial microbial partners.
NewsTwo-in-one tool tracks viral RNA inside live infected cells in real time
The tool lets researchers film activity of Zika and chikungunya viruses in high resolution and identify virus-host interactions, a key step to developing effective antiviral strategies that could stop infections
NewsScientists reveal how deadly Andes hantavirus attaches to human cells
Earlier this year, an outbreak of Andes hantavirus on a cruise ship, which killed three passengers and sickened 13, highlighted the lack of approved vaccines or treatments for the virus. Scientists now show how the virus recognizes its target on a human cell, a finding that could lead to effective therapies against Andes virus and other hantaviruses.
NewsNew dosing data expands HIV treatment options for newborns
Newborns with HIV can now be treated with dolutegravir from the first days of life. An international clinical study identified a safe dosing regimen that produced drug levels comparable to those seen in older children and adults, helping support the FDA’s expanded approval.
NewsHow clinicians can manage recurrent catheter bloodstream infections
Long-term intravenous catheters can be essential for treatment, but they also create a persistent risk of serious bloodstream infections. A new clinical review outlines how doctors can diagnose, treat and prevent recurrent infections while preserving vital vascular access whenever it is safe to do so.
NewsCould climate change have helped Candida auris become a global pathogen?
How did Candida auris become a global health threat so quickly? A new review suggests climate change may be one factor, with rising environmental temperatures potentially favouring fungi that can tolerate the heat of the human body, although researchers stress that the link has not yet been proven.
NewsNeedle-free approach could offer a new way to deliver mRNA vaccines
A needle-free mRNA vaccine delivered through the skin protected mice against both SARS-CoV-2 and influenza while causing less inflammation than lipid-based formulations. The approach uses a high-pressure liquid jet and a combination of two immune-boosting adjuvants to strengthen protection without relying on conventional mRNA carriers.