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
Recent study reveals how bacteria capture a rare type of sugar molecule
Researchers have identified a novel transport protein that binds cyclic β-1,2-glucans, revealing unexpected diversity in bacterial sugar uptake mechanisms.
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NewsNovel therapeutic drug for tuberculosis is proposed using high-precision molecular simulation
Researchers have proposed a novel therapeutic agent for tuberculosis, using high-precision molecular simulation techniques. The proposed drug is anticipated to bind strongly to the drug-metabolizing enzyme cytochrome P450 (CYP).
NewsNew antibiotic design could help treat drug-resistant infections
A new study has shown that antibiotics can be chemically redesigned so they are less easily removed by efflux pumps. This allows the antibiotic to remain inside the bacterial cell at higher concentrations, restoring its ability to kill bacteria even when resistance mechanisms are present.
NewsExperts convened by WHO advise on candidate treatments and vaccines for Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus
In response to the current outbreak of Ebola disease caused by Bundibugyo virus, WHO convened several of its expert and advisory groups to assess potential vaccines and therapeutics for both prevention and treatment of Bundibugyo virus disease (BVD).
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News
Researchers identify immune ‘energy signature’ linked to tuberculosis protection
Researchers found that circulating monocytes from people with latent TB remain metabolically flexible, allowing them to mount strong antibacterial responses, whereas cells from people with active TB disease show impaired metabolism and weaker responses to infection.
NewsWhy antibiotics fail against a common dental implant disease
A study of peri-implantitis found that bacteria corrode implants, causing them to shed microscopic titanium particles into the surrounding tissue. Those particles hijack the immune cells sent to clear the infection and lock them into a state of inflammation that destroys the jawbone they are supposed to protect.
NewsExperimental HIV vaccine achieves a long-sought goal
In a first for the field, all non-human primates given a new series of vaccines generated antibodies capable of fighting multiple strains of HIV. It brings researchers closer to a vaccine effective against the vast diversity of HIV strains circulating worldwide.
NewsSeven European countries observe drop in chlamydia notifications especially among young people in 2024
After a decade of general increases in chlamydia cases across Europe, the first signs of a decline suggest a possible common driver. Is it a true reduction and will it be a sustainable one?
NewsScientists validate a link between autoimmunity in a subset of people with long COVID
A research team has demonstrated that autoimmunity, where the body’s immune system attacks its own tissues, is responsible for the often-debilitating and confounding symptoms of long COVID in a subset of people.
NewsUnilever investing $270m in Global Innovation Centre in New Haven, Connecticut
Unilever has unveiled plans to develop a new Global Innovation Centre in New Haven, Connecticut, opening by spring 2029. The centre will be a leading hub for the company’s research and development for its personal care, beauty and wellbeing businesses in the U.S. and globally.
CareersFrom 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.
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.
NewsResearchers 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.