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
Researchers use robotics to find potential new antibiotic among hundreds of metal complexes
Researchers have used a cutting-edge robotic system capable of synthesising hundreds of metal complexes to develop a possible antibiotic candidate - offering fresh hope in the global fight against drug-resistant infections.
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NewsNew findings on Candida auris open up potential targets for future therapies
A study shows for the first time that Candida auris uses a CO₂-based metabolic strategy to survive in the nutrient-poor conditions of the skin and to better tolerate antifungal therapies – especially amphotericin B.
NewsBeing infected or vaccinated first influences COVID-19 immunity
A new study analysing the immune response to COVID-19 sheds light on an important question: does it matter whether a person was first infected or first vaccinated? According to the results, the order of the events does alter the outcome.
NewsScientists identify potential therapy and diagnostic markers for cerebral malaria
Researchers examined whether methylene blue could mitigate brain injury during severe malaria, and whether a practical set of blood biomarkers could help clinicians identify cerebral malaria early and track how patients respond to treatment.
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News
General intelligence framework to predict virus adaptation based on a genome language model
Researchers have developed a viral risk prediction framework named GIVAL based on the pre-trained viral protein language model vBERT.
NewsAntibiotic resistance is ancient, ecological, and deeply connected to human activity, new review shows
Antibiotic resistance genes are often portrayed as a modern medical problem driven by the overuse of antibiotics in hospitals and farms. A new comprehensive review published in Biocontaminant reveals a much deeper and more complex story. Antibiotic resistance is an ancient feature of microbial life, shaped by millions of years ...
NewsCytomegalovirus breakthrough could lead to new treatments
Researchers have developed a new type of antibody with a modified structure that can outsmart cytomegalovirus and neutralize its ability to evade the immune system.
NewsThe COVID-19 virus manipulates host cell RNA to shut down the immune system
Researchers have discovered that SARS-CoV-2 uses a sophisticated tactic to evade the human body’s defense system. In addition to evading the immune system before invading the host cell, SARS-CoV-2 manipulates the host cell’s genetic material in a way never before seen in other pathogens.
NewsReal-world data gives Africa a smarter path to fighting HIV and TB
African biostatisticians have offered a powerful, data-driven alternative that can accurately inform HIV policy, reduce healthcare costs, and save more lives.
NewsAn enzyme neutralizes pathogens by cleaving a bacterial toxin
Researchers have discovered an enzyme that neutralizes the virulence factor malleicyprol in the bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, considered one of the most dangerous bacterial pathogens in the tropics.
NewsThe antibiotic delafloxacin emerges as a potential therapeutic alternative against Legionella
A study shows, in an experimental laboratory model, that delafloxacin inhibits the intracellular replication of Legionella more effectively than one of the current standard treatments.
NewsProbiotics can restore gut microbiome in breastfed infants
A new study has found that supplementing exclusively breastfed infants with a probiotic, Bifidobacterium infantis EVC001, between 2 and 4 months of age can successfully restore beneficial bacteria in their gut.
NewsYour genes may influence gut microbiome of others, rat study shows
New research, carried out by studying more than four thousand animals, reveals that the composition of the rat gut microbiome is shaped not only by an individual’s own genes but also by the genes of the individuals they share a living space with.
NewsA new natural sunscreen: novel compound discovered from thermophilic cyanobacteria
Natural sunscreens shield the skin from harmful radiation, without triggering allergic reactions. Researchers have discovered a novel compound, β-glucose-bound hydroxy mycosporine-sarcosine, which is produced in thermal cyanobacteria under UV-A/UV-B and salt stress.
NewsEnvironmental traces of antibiotics found to boost gene transfer among bacteria
Using models of vertical inheritance and horizontal transfer, researchers have found that low doses of tetracycline, ampicillin, kanamycin, and streptomycin stabilize resistance and promote gene transfer across species.
NewsEvaluation of antiviral activity of organic–polyoxometalate hybrids based on berberine against encephalomyocarditis virus in vitro
A new study promotes the development of POM-based drugs for clinical application by controlling the organic cations on the surface of organic–POM hybrids, ultimately yielding new POM drugs with high efficiency and low toxicity.
NewsResearchers develop novel tracking method to reveal spread of antibiotic resistance across Hong Kong’s environment
Researchers have harnessed citywide genetic data and developed a novel genome-resolved tracking method to uncover precisely how antibiotic-resistant bacteria and their resistance genes move across Hong Kong’s environment.
NewsAs US measles cases rise, views of MMR vaccine safety and effectiveness – and willingness to recommend it – drop
As U.S. measles cases rise, a new nationally representative panel survey finds a small but significant drop in the proportion of the public that would recommend that someone in their household get the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella.
NewsClostridioides difficile: A suspected pro-carcinogenic bacterium for gastrointestinal tumors
A new review proposes that C. difficile infection (CDI) may be a previously underappreciated pro-carcinogenic factor in CRC and possibly other gastrointestinal cancers, offering a fresh angle for research and prevention strategies.
NewsBlack carbon from straw burning curbs antibiotic resistance spread in plastic-mulched farmland
By tracking ARG movement from soil into soybeans, a new study shows that black carbon not only counteracts the ARG-amplifying effects of plastic residues but also limits the transfer of resistance genes into plant tissues and seeds.
NewsGlobal study to evaluate whether dengue outbreaks can be anticipated earlier
Thousands of dengue forecasting models have been published, but few have been tested in real public-health settings. E-Dengue is a new open-source, user-friendly software system tailored for district-level decision-making.
News4 million euros for study with personalized phage therapy
UMC Utrecht has received a grant of 4 million euros for the first clinical study in the Netherlands involving a customized therapy with bacteriophages for patients with recurrent urinary tract infections.
NewsNew machine-learning models capture the rapid evolution of antimicrobial resistance
A tool developed to study bacterial evolution over billions of years has been successfully adapted to quickly and reliably identify resistant strains of Staphylococcus aureus.