All articles by Linda Stewart – Page 4
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NewsFirst-of-its-kind preventative phage therapy provides promising results
The mammalian gut microbiome is teeming with a delicate balance of bacteria and the phages that keep them in check. What if the phages in the gut could prepare for an orally ingested pathogen and strike it down as it enters the gut, negating the need for a battle?
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NewsStudy supports effectiveness of RSV preventive antibody treatments for infants and provides new way to monitor viral resistance
An analysis of more than 60,000 respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) sequences from around the world found that viral variants associated with resistance to current RSV prevention tools remain rare, according to a study.
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NewsResearchers discover how Epstein-Barr Virus triggers multiple sclerosis attacks
In a study of blood samples from more than 100 participants with MS, researchers detected increased EBV lytic activity in immune cells up to three months before MS relapse and discovered that these cells also showed elevated expression of genes linked to MS risk.
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CareersMeet the Global Ambassadors: our Q&A with Sanjib Bhakta
The Microbiologist gets to know our Global Ambassador for the UK, Professor Sanjib Bhakta who is Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Biochemistry at Birkbeck, University of London.
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NewsHedgehog coronaviruses may threaten cats more than humans, new study finds
Researchers have discovered how a group of coronaviruses circulating in hedgehogs invades host cells, a key to understanding their potential to jump between species and their risk of causing a pandemic in humans.
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NewsLab tackles antibiotic resistance across multiple fronts in new trio of studies
To defeat multidrug-resistant superbugs, bacterial defenses must be confronted wherever they may emerge, from basic genetic mutations in a laboratory, to complex real-world transmission in hospital rooms. A new trio of studies demonstrates how an integrated approach might yet expose and overcome these diverse survival mechanisms.
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NewsFecal microbial signatures show promise for colorectal and pancreatic cancer assessment
Gastrointestinal and pancreatobiliary cancers can be difficult to detect early, creating a need for practical, noninvasive approaches for early detection and risk assessment. The gut microbiome has emerged as a potential source of cancer biomarkers, offering practical opportunities for noninvasive testing, as microbial changes can be assessed in fecal samples. ...
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NewsKey regulator helps seafood-associated bacterium balance iron and oxidative stress
Bacteria need iron, but bioavailable iron is often scarce, and too much can fuel chemical reactions that damage cells. Many Gram-negative bacteria balance iron through ferric uptake regulator (Fur), a metal-responsive protein that controls iron-related genes. Fur’s role in V. parahaemolyticus, however, had not been clearly defined.
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NewsCan AI find drugs to fight infection?
Researchers have used artificial intelligence (AI) to identify approved drugs that may be effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae. Using a dataset of molecules shown to be active against S. pneumoniae and a larger dataset of molecules inactive against another drug-resistant bacterium, the scientists trained three different learning algorithms.
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NewsBreakthrough optimization of chlamydospore fermentation for Cladophialophora guangxiense HX2
The dark septate endophyte Cladophialophora guangxiense HX2 exhibits excellent control efficacy against tomato bacterial wilt but industrial production of its chlamydospores has been challenging. Researchers have optimized the liquid fermentation process using chlamydospore yield of strain HX2 as the key response indicator.
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NewsBeyond the gut: Necrotizing enterocolitis drives neurodevelopmental impairment through gut-derived inflammation
A severe gut disease in premature infants, known as necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC), does far more than damage the intestines—it fundamentally alters brain development, leaving up to 40% of survivors with lasting cognitive, motor, and behavioral impairments.
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NewsCan probiotics help T cells fight solid tumors more effectively?
Transferred T cells often have difficulty reaching tumors and overcoming the strongly immunosuppressive environment surrounding cancer cells. Researchers have combined therapeutic T cells with engineered probiotics, physically attaching the bacteria to the surface of T cells to create a hybrid system called T-FOLactis.
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NewsBacteria in airway shape air pollution health risk
A study suggests that the subtype of the bacterium Streptococcus pneumoniae, together with air pollution exposure impacts the rate and timing of invasive disease — with some strains linked to immediate infection after air pollution exposure, and some taking several weeks.
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NewsGut bacterial enzyme worsens colitis by switching off a protective intestinal signal
Microbiome research often focuses on which microbes are present in the gut and what small molecules they produce. But gut bacteria also make enzymes that can act directly on molecules produced by the host. Researchers report that one such bacterial enzyme can weaken a protective intestinal signal and aggravate colitis in a preclinical model.
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NewsMosquito waste reveals viruses hiding in plain sight
When public health researchers want to know whether diseases such as COVID-19 or polio are circulating in a community, they can look for genetic evidence in wastewater. Source: Dana Price/Rutgers University Dana Price of the Rutgers Center for Vector Biology sets a mosquito-waste collection trap in the field ...
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NewsHow to build an evolutionary trap for viruses
When a virus mutates, the world usually finds out the hard way. Variants of influenza and SARS‑CoV‑2 can slip past vaccines and antibody drugs before scientists fully understand what has changed. A new study suggests the hard way may not be inevitable.
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NewsScientists discover why shingles pain can last after virus is gone
Researchers have discovered that small particles in the blood called exosomes are the likely culprit behind why some people with shingles experience lingering pain long after virus has cleared their body.The study investigated the cause of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) in patients infected with the varicella zoster virus.
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NewsDogs and cats carry antibiotic-resistant bacteria also found in people, study finds
Pets may carry strains of Klebsiella pneumoniae — a potentially serious bacterium that can cause infections that are also found in humans. The study is the first to map the global genetic makeup of K.pneumoniae carried by domestic dogs and cats, and to compare it on a large scale with the same bacteria in people.
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NewsShapeshifting plant roots rely on a balance of anatomy, metabolism, and microbes to maximize survival
Scientists have identified the mechanisms that allow plants to change their root anatomy to maximise survival when nutrients are scarce. The findings could pave the way for developing new ways to improve beneficial plant-microbe interactions in agriculture.
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NewsFecal microbiota transplantation may improve immunotherapy-related colitis
Targeting the gut microbiome with fecal microbiota transplantation may help cancer patients with immunotherapy-related colitis avoid the need for steroids and other immune-suppressing treatments, according to researchers.