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
Bacterial immunity—or a form of sex?
Researchers have found that, under starvation stress, E. coli can use bacteriophages and CRISPR-Cas immunity to transfer and incorporate DNA, accelerating genetic reshuffling. The process resembles a primitive form of sexual reproduction and may help bacterial populations adapt to changing conditions.
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NewsHeel-prick blood samples from newborns could provide important insights into protection against serious infection
Heel-prick blood samples from newborns can be used to measure antibodies against Group B Streptococcus, according to a new study. In the longer term, the method could contribute to the development of vaccines designed to protect infants against serious infections.
NewsItching for a solution: Addressing mosquito-borne disease as climate change bites
Prevention measures, including vector control, vaccine deployment and cutting greenhouse gas emissions to limit global warming are critical to counter the growing burden of mosquito-borne diseases in a changing climate, according to a new review.
NewsHow gut bacteria can shape the brain’s response to stroke
How much damage a stroke causes in the brain depends strongly on how quickly blood flow can be restored. The patient’s own immune response that follows the stroke also plays an important role. Researchers have identified a specific bacterial signal that shapes this immune response and influences stroke outcome.
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News
Host immune status is significantly associated with herpesvirus retinitis phenotypes and clinical outcomes
The clinical progression and outcomes of two major herpesvirus retinitis forms are associated with patients’ immune status, reveal scientists. They evaluated the clinical symptoms at presentation, retinal detachment patterns, treatment strategies, and clinical outcomes of acute retinal necrosis and cytomegalovirus retinitis.
NewsA deadly fungus may not live to see the last of us
The battle lines have finally shifted in the war against a deadly fungal disease. The fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus has long been known to cause a severe, rapid respiratory infection, and it has become harder to fight. Researchers successfully killed the pathogen in animal studies by identifying how it resists current therapeutic methods.
NewsCRISPR nanodroplet technology offers a new strategy for rapid, multiplexed, species-level identification of mycobacteria
In a new commentary, researchers discuss the clinical and technological potential of a CRISPR-assisted nanodroplet platform, highlighting its ability to combine broad-range amplification, species-specific CRISPR recognition, fluorescence encoding, and microfluidic droplet pairing within a single diagnostic architecture.
NewsResearch uncovers how bacteria fight viruses, opening the door to better virus-based antibiotics
New research has revealed that bacteria detect viruses when a viral enzyme cuts an important sensor molecule in the bacterium, kicking off the immune response. The discovery paves the way for development of better phage therapies that can evade the bacterial immune system.
NewsSugar amplifies damage done to gut health by antibiotics
Eating sweets while taking antibiotics may worsen the harm done by the drugs to the normal community of bacteria in the gut, a new study has found. The study of hospitalized cancer patients found an additional 21% reduction in the variety of helpful bacterial species present for every 100 grams of sugar consumed in the 48 hours before treatment.
FeaturesTracking the invisible: monitoring microbial processes in freshwater ecosystems using fluorescence sensing
Rivers are dynamic ecosystems driven by microbial processes that regulate carbon and nutrient cycling, organic matter decomposition, and oxygen consumption. Despite their central role in river health, microbial processes remain mostly invisible in routine water quality monitoring programmes, which continue to focus primarily on physicochemical parameters.
NewsWeather and poultry litter shape E. coli survival in onion fields
How long can E.coli survive in the soil beneath an onion crop? A two-year field study suggests the answer depends not only on the type of poultry-based fertiliser used, but also on weather conditions such as humidity, rain, temperature and wind. The findings could help growers and regulators better assess food safety risks as extreme weather becomes more common.
NewsWealth and health aren’t the only indicators of national happiness – there are also cats. And their parasites!
National happiness is influenced by complex relationships beyond basic economic factors, according to a study that finds that cats and their parasites are strongly correlated with both positive and negative happiness scores worldwide.
NewsFrom silent killer to cellular fuel: chemist unlocks nature’s carbon monoxide sensors
While carbon monoxide (CO) is widely feared as an odorless, deadly household hazard, nature views it quite differently. In the microscopic world, carbon monoxide serves as an essential cellular messenger and a vital lifeline of energy for microbes thriving in harsh environments.
NewsViral infections can accelerate the progression of ALS, researchers find
A new study suggests that common viral infections — like influenza or COVID-19 — may accelerate the onset and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The findings suggest that it is the immune response triggered by these infections that accelerates the onset and progression of ALS.
News‘Molecular movie’ fills in blanks of how non-enveloped viruses infect cells
Researchers have answered a longstanding question about how certain non-enveloped viruses punch through the cell membrane to deliver their genetic material. The findings deepen understanding of virology and could aid the biotech industry’s search for ways to deliver relatively large therapeutic agents into cells to treat or prevent disease.
NewsGel and water reveal bacteria’s hidden world
What if the answer to seeing beyond the limits of a microscope was simply to make the bacteria bigger? Scientists have used gel and water to physically expand tiny cells, revealing structures that conventional optics struggle to resolve. The technique gave researchers a clearer view of Chlamydia and new insight into how its DNA is organised.
NewsWater transformed into a weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Engineers have developed a new approach for turning ordinary water into a weapon against antibiotic-resistant bacteria, according to a study that hinges on a new kind of crystal made from titanium dioxide. These crystals transform the normal oxygen molecules in water into a special molecule known as “singlet” oxygen.
NewsCell by cell: New machine-learning-based method reveals what can make bacteria dangerous
A new method detects fluorescently labelled bacteria inside human cells and uses machine learning to analyse microscopy images. This allows researchers to measure, in the same experimental system, how efficiently bacteria enter cells, how strongly they accumulate inside them, and what kind of DNA damage they induce.
NewsNew treatment aims to achieve lasting cure for persistent bacterial vaginosis
Researchers and clinicians are trialing new combinations of antibiotics to treat persistent bacterial vaginosis (BV), following their landmark discovery that the condition is sexually transmissible. A new study reveals why some women continue to experience a repeat diagnosis of BV even when their male partners are treated concurrently.
VideoSoil Stars Heligan Summit Highlights
Watch highlights from the Soil Stars Heligan Summit and hear from those involved about the ideas, discussions and ambitions that shaped the meeting.
NewsGlobal launch of cosmetic product based on AFYREN’s 100% natural propionic acid
A new cosmetic product formulated with AFYREN ingredient now available for skincare professionals and consumers
NewsCrawling Asgardians: Unexpected dynamics of ancient microbes discovered
Microbiologists placed Asgard archaea in an oxygen-free environment and filmed the living cells under a microscope. This resulted in the first live-cell recordings, which show dynamic changes in shape and a novel crawling movement across surfaces. The results reveal a remarkably dynamic, actin-based cytoskeleton, with parallels to that found in human cells.
NewsPneumonia can reveal undiagnosed blood cancer
Severe pneumococcal disease requiring hospitalization, most commonly pneumonia, can be a sign of previously undiagnosed blood cancer and immunodeficiency in adult patients, according to a study.