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
Hedgehog coronaviruses may threaten cats more than humans, new study finds
Researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans.
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NewsHow disease-causing E. coli quickly finds a new way to grip human cells—revealing a possible target for future treatments
A new study shows how a type of disease-causing E. coli can quickly adapt when it loses one of its main ways of attaching to the intestine. The bacteria either change shape or make small changes to a protein that strengthens their grip on human cells.
NewsLab tackles antibiotic resistance across multiple fronts in new trio of studies
To defeat multidrug-resistant superbugs, bacterial defenses must be confronted wherever they may emerge, from basic genetic mutations in a laboratory, to complex real-world transmission in hospital rooms. A new trio of studies demonstrates how an integrated approach might yet expose and overcome these diverse survival mechanisms.
NewsFecal microbial signatures show promise for colorectal and pancreatic cancer assessment
Gastrointestinal and pancreatobiliary cancers can be difficult to detect early, creating a need for practical, noninvasive approaches for early detection and risk assessment. The gut microbiome has emerged as a potential source of cancer biomarkers, offering practical opportunities for noninvasive testing, as microbial changes can be assessed in fecal samples.
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News
Key regulator helps seafood-associated bacterium balance iron and oxidative stress
Bacteria need iron, but bioavailable iron is often scarce, and too much can fuel chemical reactions that damage cells. Many Gram-negative bacteria balance iron through ferric uptake regulator (Fur), a metal-responsive protein that controls iron-related genes. Fur’s role in V. parahaemolyticus, however, had not been clearly defined.
NewsCan AI find drugs to fight infection?
Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify approved drugs that may be effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Using a dataset of molecules shown to be active against S. pneumoniae and a larger dataset of molecules inactive against another drug-resistant bacterium, the scientists trained three different learning algorithms.
NewsBeyond the gut: Necrotizing enterocolitis drives neurodevelopmental impairment through gut-derived inflammation
A severe gut disease in premature infants, known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), does far more than damage the intestines—it fundamentally alters brain development, leaving up to 40% of survivors with lasting cognitive, motor, and behavioral impairments.
NewsCan probiotics help T cells fight solid tumors more effectively?
Transferred T cells often have difficulty reaching tumors and overcoming the strongly immunosuppressive environment surrounding cancer cells. Researchers have combined therapeutic T cells with engineered probiotics, physically attaching the bacteria to the surface of T cells to create a hybrid system called T-FOLactis.
NewsBacteria in airway shape air pollution health risk
A study suggests that the subtype of the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, together with air pollution exposure impacts the rate and timing of invasive disease — with some strains linked to immediate infection after air pollution exposure, and some taking several weeks.
NewsGut bacterial enzyme worsens colitis by switching off a protective intestinal signal
Microbiome research often focuses on which microbes are present in the gut and what small molecules they produce. But gut bacteria also make enzymes that can act directly on molecules produced by the host. Researchers report that one such bacterial enzyme can weaken a protective intestinal signal and aggravate colitis in a preclinical model.
NewsMosquito waste reveals viruses hiding in plain sight
When public health researchers want to know whether diseases such as COVID-19 or polio are circulating in a community, they can look for genetic evidence in wastewater.
NewsHow to build an evolutionary trap for viruses
When a virus mutates, the world usually finds out the hard way. Variants of influenza and SARS‑CoV‑2 can slip past vaccines and antibody drugs before scientists fully understand what has changed. A new study suggests the hard way may not be inevitable.
NewsScientists discover why shingles pain can last after virus is gone
Researchers have discovered that small particles in the blood called exosomes are the likely culprit behind why some people with shingles experience lingering pain long after virus has cleared their body.The study investigated the cause of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) in patients infected with the varicella zoster virus.
NewsDogs and cats carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria also found in people, study finds
Pets may carry strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae — a potentially serious bacterium that can cause infections that are also found in humans. The study is the first to map the global genetic makeup of K.pneumoniae carried by domestic dogs and cats, and to compare it on a large scale with the same bacteria in people.
NewsFecal microbiota transplantation may improve immunotherapy-related colitis
Targeting the gut microbiome with fecal microbiota transplantation may help cancer patients with immunotherapy-related colitis avoid the need for steroids and other immune-suppressing treatments, according to researchers.
NewsWidespread Covid death underreporting around the world raises broader questions about the reliability of official information
A new study finds that widespread underreporting of Covid-19 deaths cannot be explained simply by differences in countries’ ability to count and record deaths. Across 134 countries and territories, an estimated 45%–55% of governments misreported Covid mortality, with underreporting far more common than overreporting.
NewsFewer infections, more azithromycin use seen among emergency c-section patients following publication of clinical trial results
Researchers investigated if azithromycin use and postpartum infection rates changed after publication of trial evidence in 2016 among US pregnant women who underwent an unscheduled cesarean delivery.
NewsImmunization to prevent RSV in infants reduced ICU admissions by 97 per cent
A new immunization, offered free to all infants through universal programs in two Canadian provinces, provided strong protection against respiratory syncytial virus, commonly referred to as RSV, sharply reducing hospitalizations and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions in infants.
NewsThe usefulness of labelled white blood cells in diagnosing necrotizing external otitis
Using radiopharmaceutical technology, researchers can reliably and conveniently diagnose and monitor necrotizing external otitis, a rare disease of the skull base.
NewsStudy uncovers how mRNA vaccination may broaden flu antibody responses
A new study finds that mRNA vaccination sustained influenza-specific germinal-center activity for up to six months in some participants.
NewsDangerous strings of bacteria use flow to spread colonies
Researchers have identified how certain dangerous bacteria are spread. They studied chain-like adherence pattern (CLAP) varieties of Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), finding that single bacteria attach to a surface and elongate before dividing, producing chains without ever separating.
NewsMajor investment to unlock the potential of protist research
A new collaboration will tackle major technical challenges currently limiting protist genomics, helping to unlock the potential of protist research for biomanufacturing, sustainable agriculture and environmental applications.
NewsResearchers discover first PLP-dependent enzyme that influences bacterial protein production
Researchers discovered aminovaleramididine synthetase (AvaS), the first pyridoxal phosphate (PLP)-dependent enzyme involved in tRNA modification, expanding scientific understanding of how RNA shapes the reading of genetic information. The discovery reveals a previously unknown mechanism that bacteria use to regulate protein production.