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
Tiny switch controls rare rotary machine in bacteria - and can even reverse direction of spin
Researchers have discovered a tiny molecular switch that can control and reverse the direction of a rare rotary machine linked to motility, surface colonization and protein secretion in bacteria.
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NewsYellow food coloring changes gut microbiome in early life
Researchers found that the gut microbiotaof young rats changed with exposure to acceptable daily intake levels of the food coloring tartrazine. The males showed increases in bacteria linked to low-grade inflammation and they also did not gain as much weight as was expected.
NewsMen and women may differ in how fitness level Is linked to gut microbiome diversity
Aerobic fitness may be influenced by microbes in the gut, but men and women appear to show a different connection, according to a first-of-its-kind study.
OpinionReversing the threat: How to stop measles from spreading again
As the Global Virus Network issues a stark warning over the significant resurgence of measles in the US and globally, William J. Moss, Sten H. Vermund, and Maggie L. Bartlett set out what needs to be done if the preventable harms of the current surge are to be reversed.
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News
That late-night snacking is probably messing up your gut
It’s well known that chronic stress can disrupt bowel function, sending people running to the bathroom or making them constipated. New research suggests that eating late at night amplifies these effects, with implications for both digestive health and the gut microbiome.
NewsSARS-CoV-2 does not persist in the placenta after maternal recovery from COVID-19
A new study finds that the virus that causes COVID-19 does not linger in placental tissue weeks to months after a pregnant woman recovers from infection - offering important reassurance for clinicians and patients alike.
NewsNew insights into how bacteria manage DNA
New analytical methods have enabled researchers to uncover how the sequence, physical shape and flexibility of bacterial DNA guide the activity of an enzyme called DNA gyrase, which previously got all the credit for managing DNA.
NewsMalaria shaped distribution of early human populations
Scientists investigated whether Plasmodium falciparum induced malaria shaped human habitat choice between 74,000 and 5,000 years ago, finding that malaria influenced habitat choice by pushing human groups away from high-risk environments and separating populations across the landscape.
NewsCOVID antiviral speeds recovery but doesn’t reduce hospitalization in vaccinated patients, trials find
Paxlovid (nirmatrelvir-ritonavir) does not reduce hospital admissions or deaths in vaccinated adults at higher risk of severe COVID-19, despite helping them recover faster, according to results from two national trials.
NewsHigh levels of gut bacterial toxin trigger lupus nephritis
Research suggests that using antibiotics to target the Ruminococcus gnavus lipoglycan, or the protein it activates on immune cell surfaces to amplify damaging inflammation, could serve as an alternative to current lupus nephritis therapies that suppress the immune system.
NewsSecret to a healthy liver found in a young microbiome
Restoring the gut microbiome to its youthful state may hold the key to slowing aging and preventing liver cancer, one of the fastest-growing cancers worldwide, according to a study.
NewsScientists find a new way coronaviruses can get into human cells
An international team of researchers has identified an East African bat coronavirus capable of entering human cells. Whilst the virus can bind to a cell receptor found in the human lung, preliminary testing in Kenya suggests it has not spilled over into the local human population.
NewsResearchers fight oral cancer with bioengineered chewing gum
Research shows that antiviral and antibacterial chewing gums reduce the levels of three microbes linked to worse outcomes in oral cancers, paving the way for more effective and affordable therapies.
NewsScientists catch a fungal enzyme open for business
A new study shows that caspofungin, a widely used antifungal drug, works only when its target enzyme is active, pointing the way toward designing better treatments.
NewsResearch on tick-transmitted disease reveals potential weakness, opening paths to new treatments
Tularemia is a rare but highly infectious disease caused by Francisella tularensis, a bacterium that can evade immune defenses. Scientists have isolated and studied a set of proteins that play a central role in infection, revealing a potential weakness.
NewsNew clues to hepatitis B species restriction could help build a novel model for studying infection and testing therapies
For decades, it was thought that the barrier to creating a workable mouse model for hepatitis B is an inability for the virus to gain a genetic foothold in the mouse due to its unique type of DNA. Now researchers have discovered that the problem is something different altogether—likely a misstep in the entry process.
NewsWHO certifies the Bahamas for eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV
In a landmark achievement for Caribbean public health, the World Health Organization (WHO) congratulates The Bahamas for becoming the latest Caribbean nation to be certified as having eliminated the mother-to-child transmission of HIV.
CareersFrom one bench to another: Representing early-career scientists at Parliament’s Voice of the Future
Tyler Myers, an MPhil Candidate at the University of Cambridge, reports back from the Royal Society of Biology’s Voice of the Future event at Parliament, where he served as a guest panelist representing Applied Microbiology International.
NewsNasal spray could transform treatment of deadly cerebral malaria
Master’s student Taznita Kista is exploring whether a nano-enabled nasal spray could change how cerebral malaria is treated. Her work focuses on a nose-to-brain drug delivery system using niosomes.
NewsFlu vaccine no longer required for U.S. military
The U.S. military is ending its long-standing requirement that service members receive the annual flu shot, a decision announced by Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.
NewsPioneering virologist Bernard Roizman dies at 96
Bernard Roizman, ScD, world-leading expert on herpes simplex virus (HSV) and Joseph Regenstein Distinguished Service Professor Emeritus of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Cell Biology at The University of Chicago, died on April 13, 2026, at the age of 96.
NewsIBS treatment response predicted by gut microbiome in new study
Researchers investigating irritable bowel syndrome with diarrhea observed distinct characteristics of patients’ gut microbiomes that predicted whether they responded to the low FODMAP diet or rifaximin — or did not respond to treatment.
NewsNew research reveals mechanisms behind coffee’s positive effects on the gut-brain axis
First of its kind research shows the potential role of coffee as a further intervention to promote positive gut health and its effects on the gut-brain axis. Coffee was found to positively affect perceived mood and stress levels in individuals taking part in this study.