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.
Opinion
Reversing 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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NewsThat 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.
More One Health
News
Malaria 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.
NewsE. coli and ‘good’ bacteria balanced by breastmilk in baby gut microbiomes
Sugars contained exclusively in breast milk are helping to feed an important balance of bacteria in babies’ developing gut microbiomes, according to a study that describes how babies who are breastfed maintain a mutually beneficial co-existence of E. coli and Bifidobacterium.
NewsResearchers disable antimicrobial resistance in cystic fibrosis-associated bacteria
A newly discovered mechanism renders antibiotic-resistant bacteria vulnerable by disabling both their individual resistance and a process known as cross-protection, the ability of resistant bacteria to shield nearby, otherwise sensitive strains.
NewsMetagenomic software advance boosts research into microbial diversity
Researchers studying the diversity of microbes in environmental samples now have access to a new tool that opens the door to cheaper, more accessible analysis of their samples.