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
Warm temperatures disrupt spider sex-changing bacteria in dwarf-spiders across generations
A new study reveals that exposing dwarf spiders to a brief period of warm temperatures can disrupt a phenomenon where internal bacteria normally force genetic males to develop as females.
Read story
NewsGut microbiota can predict risk of type 2 diabetes years before it develops
The presence of certain bacteria in the gut microbiota, and fluctuations in a person’s metabolism, can be seen in people who go on to develop type 2 diabetes years later, paving the way for identifying people at risk of developing type 2 diabetes at an early stage.
NewsA bacterium capable of predicting the course of a disease
A research team made use of the bacterium’s natural capabilities without altering it genetically. Using plasma samples from patients with COVID-19, they were able to distinguish patients likely to develop a mild form of the disease from those at risk of progressing to a severe form.
NewsHow immune cells in our gut mesentery fight salmonella
Researchers have found that immune cells in a portion of the abdominal cavity, called the mesentery, play a critical role in suppressing — or exacerbating — salmonella infection.
More One Health
News
Drug candidate treats severe fatty liver disease by protecting the gut in animal models
Researchers discovered that a potential drug treats severe fatty liver disease by improving gut health. It reversed metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) in animal models by disrupting a disease-driving pathway that links the gut and liver.
NewsBronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry data featured in four World Bronchiectasis Conference abstracts
The Bronchiectasis and NTM Association announced that research leveraging data from the Bronchiectasis and NTM Research Registry was featured in four abstracts presented at the World Bronchiectasis Conference.
NewsNew study advances dry mRNA vaccine patch design
New research could help make future mRNA vaccines easier to store and distribute. The study identified conditions that help protect the particles that carry mRNA in dry vaccine patches, offering practical guidance for future patch design.
NewsMicrobiome and cancer: From passive bystanders to active players
A special issue reviews how microbiome science and cancer biology can converge as an integrated front for precision oncology. Articles span topics from hepatocellular carcinoma and colorectal cancer to gastric cancer and pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma.
NewsEject! Bacteria discovered with the ability to jettison cells as a survival mechanism
Biologists have found that communities of bacteria are capable of ‘escape pod’ ejection strategies. They documented the biofilm ejection phenomenon for the first time while studying a bacterium known as hay bacillus (Bacillus subtilis).
NewsFighting the world’s deadliest infection with PAC-MAN and AI
Researchers have developed techniques that can speed up the search for better tuberculosis drugs. They first measure which chemical compounds are able to slip across the outer membrane and then use those measurements to predict other compounds that can get into the Mtb cell.
NewsMicrobe-mapping project transforms entire university campus into a “living lab”
An innovative citizen science project is combining large-scale microbe sampling with metagenomics workshops and utilising the power of students to map out the varied microbiomes of the University of Milano-Bicocca’s campus - including those within the students themselves.
NewsTuberculosis vaccine changes brain’s immune environment and Alzheimer’s biomarkers in older adults
A study shows that BCG vaccines can alter immune responses and amyloid-beta biomarkers in non-Alzheimer’s participants, which may help explain previously observed links to lower disease risk.
NewsNew HIV vaccine shows unprecedented success in preclinical study
Scientists have developed an HIV vaccine that trains immune cells to see past HIV’s defenses. This HIV vaccine works by prompting the body’s immune system to make substantial numbers of rarely seen “broadly neutralizing” antibodies.
NewsPreparing for Andes virus outbreaks to prevent transmission in healthcare settings
Researchers examined past cases to help healthcare facilities and public health agencies prepare for future Andes virus outbreaks like the one that caused a cruise ship outbreak earlier this year.
NewsNo entry: Blocking viruses from entering cells
The Volkswagen Foundation funds a project by UdS, HIPS, and HZI to create an innovative platform for developing viral entry inhibitors—specifically targeting respiratory viruses and other viruses that pose a pandemic risk.
NewsResearchers identify a marine bacterial enzyme that opens a new route to build bioactive compound libraries
A research team has provided new insight into HapC, an enzyme from the marine bacterium Hahella chejuensis. They used modified short-chain versions of one key chemical building block and examined whether HapC could join them with another precursor to form new prodiginine compounds.
NewsKorea University College of Medicine Vaccine Innovation Center selected to lead KDCA-funded hantavirus vaccine development project
The Vaccine Innovation Center at Korea University College of Medicine has been selected by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA) as the lead institution for a national hantavirus vaccine development project.
NewsHow psychological stress alters gut microbes and ages blood stem cells in mice
Psychological stress is recognized as a risk factor for certain health conditions. Researchers describe a mechanism in mice that explains this association: psychological stress speeds up aging-like changes in the body’s blood-forming stem cells in the bone marrow by altering the intestinal microbiota.
NewsFeline fleas carry bacteria linked to human disease In South Texas, study finds
Researchers have identified the murine typhus pathogen in fleas found in the Rio Grande Valley, highlighting the importance of flea prevention for both pets and people.
NewsA subtle difference offers insight into bacteria survival strategies
Researchers have discovered that Bacillus subtilis employs a different survival strategy to E coli, raising the question of whether other types of bacteria use alternative strategies, and how this might help researchers think differently about antibiotic tolerance.
NewsCould your salad be the source? Pathologist discusses reported parasite outbreak in US
Amid reports of a parasite outbreak that has sickened people in several states across the U.S., a pathologist warns that it is likely linked to a widely distributed commercial food product.
NewsResearchers call for increased screening for parasitic disease linked to HIV and cervical cancer risk
New research has highlighted the need to test millions of women and girls for female genital schistosomiasis (FGS), a neglected disease that can increase the risk of chronic illness, HIV and cervical cancer.
NewsFrom infancy to old age, nationwide China study maps how serious lung infections change across life stages
An analysis of 695,142 hospitalized patients identifies eight life-stage pathogen profiles, three co-detection networks, and marked male predominance in bacterial and fungal infections.