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
Pet dog microbiota may protect young children from respiratory tract infections
Children who have been in contact with dogs in early childhood are on average healthier and require fewer antibiotic courses than children without such contact. The protective association is explained, at least in part, by the spread of dog-associated microbes in the home.
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NewsEating a diverse range of plants everyday results in more favorable changes to microbiome than a probiotic
New research shows eating a wide variety of plants everyday could be more beneficial to the microbiome than taking a standard probiotic.
NewsAiming for more targeted treatment of serious lung infections
Microbial experts are using DNA sequencing readings to provide more accurate identification of microbial infections, which helps to address risks from long-term use of antibiotics in cystic fibrosis patients.
NewsAncient smallpox genomes reveal how European colonisation brought the disease to the Americas
Researchers have recovered and analysed the first ancient smallpox virus genomes ever identified in the Americas, providing the strongest direct evidence to date that the disease was introduced through European colonisation.
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Evolutionary history may help explain why some people develop more severe COVID-19 than others
A study suggests that some of the genes involved in the body’s immune response today bear the marks of ancient battles with infectious diseases. It also identified rare genetic variants that may help explain why some people developed more severe COVID-19 than others.
NewsDecoding the gut microbiome’s symphony in health and disease
Researchers have reported effective strategies for simultaneously measuring thousands of microbial and host proteins. They systematically compared five state-of-the-art mass spectrometry approaches using human fecal samples.
NewsDisarming cause in lupus patients’ infections
Microbiology researchers from the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, have discovered why patients with the autoimmune disease lupus are susceptible to serious bacterial infections.
NewsNew therapy eliminates gum disease bacterium while preserving beneficial oral microbes
Researchers have created an innovative treatment for periodontitis that targets and eliminates harmful bacteria while preserving beneficial oral microbes essential for health.
NewsHospital wastewater controls help contain antibiotic resistance in nearby waters
A new study of hospital wastewater reports that geography, rather than hospital proximity, primarily shaped resistance-gene profiles where wastewater controls were well established.
NewsEffect of a novel enteral nutrition mixture with probiotics versus standard enteral nutrition on gastrointestinal complications in critically ill surgical patients
A randomised controlled trial conducted in critically ill patients recovering from abdominal surgery found that a novel probiotic-enriched tube feeding formula reduced serious gut complications dramatically compared to standard enteral nutrition.
NewsNew Mexico measles outbreak estimated to cost $5.4 million
A cost analysis of the 2025 measles outbreak in New Mexico found that the outbreak carried an estimated societal cost of $5.4 million, or more than $53,000 per case.
NewsResearch funding to improve treatment for invasive fungal infections
The Federal Joint Committee is funding a new Germany-wide research project aimed at improving care for patients with invasive fungal infections.
NewsResearchers investigate case of soft-tick borne relapsing fever in Austin area
Researchers report a likely case of soft tick-borne relapsing fever (STRF) in an Austin-area resident.
NewsEarly surgery for bacterial eye infection offers hope to patients
A new clinical trial shows that early vitrectomy surgery for acute endophthalmitis could be more beneficial to patients’ vision compared with the current antibiotic-first approach.
NewsReshaping the gut microbiome can boost chemotherapy delivery to tumors
A common antibiotic reshaped gut bacteria in preclinical models, significantly reducing liver clearance and doubling how long chemotherapy remained in circulation to reach tumors.
NewsScientists fight drug-resistant parasites with nature-inspired drugs
As parasites become increasingly resistant to existing drugs, researchers are working to develop a new generation of treatments for two serious infectious diseases: malaria and babesiosis.
NewsShort-chain fatty acids and bile acids signaling in chronic hepatitis B
Current therapies suppress chronic hepatitis but rarely achieve functional cure (sustained HBsAg loss). Emerging gut‑liver axis evidence shows that microbial metabolites modulate HBV replication and immunity.
NewsBioactive metabolite boosts HIV treatment response, reverses gut dysfunction
Scientists have identified a naturally occurring metabolite that repairs gut damage caused by HIV infection and significantly improves the effectiveness of antiretroviral therapy in the nonhuman primate model of HIV/AIDS.
NewsTwo deadly flowers have big medical potential
Two plants that cause neurotoxicity and paralysis in the tiniest doses are also known to counter pain, malaria, cancer and pests. For the first time, researchers have discovered a way to recreate these powerful compounds in the lab - with the help of yeast.
NewsThe amino acid arginine helps the body fight tumors and viral infections
Scientists have discovered that an arginine-deficient diet impacts the immune system by stalling the production of the MHC-1 protein, which alerts the immune system to dangers such as a mutating cell or an invading virus.
NewsScientists bring Florida high school students to the front lines of pandemic preparedness
Thirty outstanding high school students from 18 communities across Florida arrived in Tampa last week for the Global Virus Network (GVN) Global Guardians for Pandemic Preparedness Program, curious about viruses and considering careers in science.
NewsTuberculosis drug discovery gets smarter with AI
Scientists have built an artificial intelligence tool to help scientists focus their efforts after initial screening of potential tuberculosis drugs. The team is also using AI to organize years of collaborative data into a searchable form.
NewsHighly reliable LFIA based on selenium nanoparticle reveals long-term real-world dynamics of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2
SDS modified selenium nanoparticles enable reliable lateral flow immunoassay, showing that neurological and hematological patients lose vaccine induced immunity much faster.