Africa & Middle East
Africa & Middle East News
Climate change predicted to drive changes in diarrheal disease prevalence in several countries in Africa
Researchers have identified key social and environmental factors that influence how climate change affects childhood diarrheal diseases in sub-Saharan Africa.
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Scientists reconstruct past ocean temperatures from red algae
Researchers have found a new way to reconstruct daily seawater temperatures over a four-month period. The key lies in rhodoliths: nodule-like calcareous structures formed by red algae that occur in oceans worldwide.
Promising single-dose malaria treatment advances toward pan-African clinical trial
A promising single-dose malaria treatment that could help address growing drug resistance and simplify treatment for patients.
Climate change is redrawing the malaria map in Africa, study finds
A study quantifying climate change’s historical and future impact in sub-Saharan Africa’s children finds that climate change has slightly increased malaria overall. Rising temperatures could increase the malaria risk in southern and East Africa while reducing it where it is most rampant today.
Clear but not clean: the hidden life of drinking water in Nigeria
In many communities across Nigeria, clear water is assumed to be safe. Transparency, both literal and visual, has become shorthand for purity. My recent research in Ede, southwestern Nigeria, began with a simple but uncomfortable question: what are people actually drinking?
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Enhancing Nigerian fermented foods for nutrition, health and sustainability
Fermented foods are integral to Nigerian cuisine and culture, providing sustenance, health benefits, and cultural heritage. These foods owe their unique flavours, textures, and health benefits to fermentation, a process driven by a diverse community of microorganisms, including bacteria, yeasts, and moulds.
What is eating my rocks? A possible novel biological niche inside limestone
“It seems something biological has once lived inside rocks in Namibia.” Read the story of this unusual discovery…
The threat of porcine circovirus in Nigerian pig farms
AMI New Lecturer Research Grant recipient explores the need for surveillance and mitigation of PCV2 in agricultural settings.
Cholera: vaccination or better infrastructure?
Vibrio cholerae continues to challenge public health systems worldwide. Should we prioritize vaccination or infrastructure improvements?
Is climate change driving an increase in cases of anthrax?
The anthrax outbreak in Africa could be a harbinger of more to come, with climate change creating opportunities for the emergence of more cross-over strains capable of causing anthrax-like infections.
Q&A: Meet Letters in Applied Microbiology Junior Reviewer Rabiath Féichokpè Raïssa Adigoun
We caught up with Dr. Rabiath Féichokpè Raïssa Adigoun, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Abomey-Calavi in Benin who is one of the newest Junior Reviewers with Letters in Applied Microbiology.
Q&A: Meet Letters in Applied Microbiology Junior Editor Daniel Jesuwenu Ajose
We caught up with Daniel Jesuwenu Ajose, a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the School of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Mpumalanga in South Africa, who is one of the newest Junior Editors with Letters in Applied Microbiology.
Summer studentship: Taiwo uncovers native strains for mycotoxin control in stored nuts
Taiwo Boluwatife Omowunmi reports back on her AMI-sponsored summer studentship which assessed native microbial strains for mycotoxin biocontrol in stored nuts.
AMI prizewinner Raquel Peixoto reveals how coral symbionts are key to tolerating rising temperatures
Marking World Coral Reef Day on June 1, AMI’s Rachel Carson Prize winner Professor Raquel Peixoto reveals how the ability of corals to tolerate rising temperatures is determined by the type of microorganisms that live inside them.
Summer studentship: Ojewale finds novel Actinomycetes offer rare antimicrobial metabolites
Ojewale Ifeoluwa Florence reports back on her AMI-sponsored summer studentship which focused on the investigation of Actinobacteria found in local freshwater environments in Ogun State, Nigeria, under supervisor Dr. Amina Badmos.
Connecting with microbiologists and presenting research: Oluwole Owoyemi reports back from ASM 2024
Medical microbiologist Oluwole Owoyemi of Achievers University Owo and Federal University of Technology, Akure, reports back from ASM MICROBE 2024 after being awarded a Scientific Event Travel Grant by Applied Microbiology International.