All articles by Linda Stewart – Page 47
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NewsTracking a persistent threat: How antibiotic-resistant bacteria travel from poultry farms to fresh produce
A new study develops an integrated quantitative microbial risk assessment (QMRA) model to trace the pathway of ESBL-producing E. coli from broiler farms to lettuce consumption, quantifying human health risks and identifying effective intervention strategies.
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NewsPlasmodium uses its own PI3K to suppress eat-me signal and evade host immune clearance
A study finds that Plasmodium PI3K actively suppresses the externalization of phosphatidylserine on the surface of infected erythrocytes. When the activity of parasite PI3K was chemically inhibited or genetically disrupted, phosphatidylserine exposure on infected red blood cells increased markedly.
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NewsHow the immune system battles lifelong viral infections acquired at birth
Millions of people worldwide carry viral infections they acquired at birth, often for life. For a long time it was assumed that the immune system hardly fights these pathogens. Researchers show that the body’s defenses do indeed act against the virus.
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NewsHow bacteria circumvent plants’ immune system
In order to defend themselves, plants have to quickly produce proteins that detect and combat infiltrating microbes. Researchers discovered that Pseudomonas syringae disrupts this process by triggering the formation of P-bodies – small, droplet-like structures in the cell that store and regulate RNA molecules.
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NewsSelf‑replicating circular RNA persists in extreme environments: Insights from hot spring microbiomes
Researchers who previously identified a highly unusual RNA virus in a high-temperature hot spring ecosystem searched for distinct types of self-replicating RNAs in a similar extreme environment, and a novel circular RNA replicon was identified within the microbial community inhabiting the hot spring.
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NewsDecades-long study finds ‘stable’ soil carbon degrades
After nearly four decades, the world’s longest-running soil warming experiment is revealing a surprising result: even ‘stable’ carbon in forest soils can break down as temperatures rise, releasing more CO₂ into the atmosphere.
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NewsLifestyle, diet, and clinical factors shape the gut microbiome in cancer patients
Lifestyle factors, such as physical activity and dietary modifications can beneficially modulate the gut microbiome of cancer patients - however their effects are often shaped by non-modifiable variables.
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NewsTibet’s thawing lakes accelerate greenhouse gas release
Lakes on the Tibetan Plateau are undergoing a dramatic transformation; once stable carbon sinks, they are rapidly becoming significant sources of greenhouse gases due to climate warming.
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NewsStick-on gel offers new way to treat and monitor plants
Scientists have developed an adhesive gel that can be loaded with substances, such as small molecule drugs or nanoparticles, and applied directly onto a plant to deliver those materials into its tissues. In tests, a gel loaded with antibiotics cleared a bacterial infection in a plant within about 48 hours.
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NewsTick threats in the context of climate change: One Health response strategies in the Middle East and North Africa region
A new study examines the multifaceted dimensions of tick-borne disease management in the MENA region through the lens of the One Health approach. The research synthesizes insights from a symposium that brought together experts to assess current threats and identify pathways forward.
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NewsBeyond outbreaks: zoonotic disease prevention at the human–animal interface in China
A study synthesizes evidence on 93 zoonotic diseases currently monitored by China’s public health, agricultural, and forestry sectors, and argues that meaningful risk reduction will require shifting from reactive outbreak response toward earlier prevention at the human–animal–environment interface.
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NewsHemp waste biocomposites offer a lower-carbon alternative for packaging and agricultural films
A new study explores how hemp hurd can be converted into microfiber-based biocomposites for packaging films and agricultural mulch films, and shows anaerobic digestion delivers the best environmental outcome for hemp hurd-based bioplastic systems.
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NewsKnowledge gaps expose vulnerable populations to tick-borne disease risks in northern China
While awareness of tick biology is relatively high in Northeast China and Inner Mongolia, a new study reveals alarming gaps in public knowledge about preventing tick-borne diseases—with rural residents and high-risk groups paradoxically showing the lowest protective awareness.
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NewsScientists pinpoint the changes that happen when gut bacteria invade the bloodstream
Researchers have pinpointed genotypic and phenotypic changes that take place when colonising bacteria in a patient’s gut invade and infect the bloodstream. The team aimed to determine what changes occur within bacteria in a patient’s gut that enable them to become invasive bloodstream pathogens.
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CareersFrom microbial processes to biofilm control: our interview with LAM deputy editor Marciane Magnani
We catch up with food microbiologist Professor Marciane Magnani of the Federal University of Paraíba in Brazil who has just been appointed as a Deputy Editor of Letters in Applied Microbiology.
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NewsScientists uncover how pathogens switch on their virulence
A research team has uncovered how a key protein switches on the machinery that enables Leptospira pathogens to survive and cause disease. The findings provide new insights into how pathogens regulate their virulence and may open new avenues for therapeutic interventions.
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NewsNew study suggests reduced newborn hepatitis B vaccination coverage may increase infant infections
Researchers found that lower vaccination coverage among infants born to unscreened mothers was associated with a substantial increase in HBV infections.
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NewsWhere people get their news influences their beliefs about vaccines
People who follow “new right” media outlets are more than twice as likely to be vaccine-hesitant compared to those who never engage with those outlets, a new study finds. Hesitant adults were more likely to rely on non-authoritative sources for health information.
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NewsGlobal Virus Network statement on H5N1 vaccine developments
The new vaccine momentum reflects the growing urgency of avian influenza (H5N1) threat and reinforces the need for coordinated global preparedness.
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NewsResearchers discover new mosquito-specific viruses
A new study looked at mosquitoes’ immune response to discover many more insect viruses. Researchers hope to someday use the mosquitoes’ own immune system to battle some of the most pervasive and antagonistic human viruses.