All Middle East & Africa articles
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NewsSuccession of colonising fungi reveals the dynamic nature of herbivore dung
Scientists investigating fungi colonising the dung of African herbivores, including rhinoceros, giraffe and zebra, have revealed how different groups of fungi succeed one another as dung decomposes.
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Long ReadsHow indigenous microbes could rescue the Niger Delta
Benzene contamination from decades of oil exploitation has turned the Niger Delta’s groundwater into a slow-acting poison for millions of people. Yet the solution may already be living in the contaminated sediment itself, if only the political will exists to deploy it.
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NewsHow disease-causing E. coli quickly finds a new way to grip human cells—revealing a possible target for future treatments
A new study shows how a type of disease-causing E. coli can quickly adapt when it loses one of its main ways of attaching to the intestine. The bacteria either change shape or make small changes to a protein that strengthens their grip on human cells.
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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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NewsWidespread Covid death underreporting around the world raises broader questions about the reliability of official information
A new study finds that widespread underreporting of Covid-19 deaths cannot be explained simply by differences in countries’ ability to count and record deaths. Across 134 countries and territories, an estimated 45%–55% of governments misreported Covid mortality, with underreporting far more common than overreporting.
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NewsApplied Microbiology International announces new president, Professor Raquel Peixoto
Applied Microbiology International is delighted to announce that Professor Raquel Peixoto will be taking over the reins from Professor Jack Gilbert as President.
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NewsCurious by Nature: Professor Romain Glèlè Kakaï – Can we predict the next epidemic?
Professor Romain Glèlè Kakaï believes combining traditional mathematical models with artificial intelligence will improve the accuracy of epidemic forecasting and help public health leaders respond more quickly to future cholera and malaria outbreaks.
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NewsProbiotic and postbiotic treatments revive heat-stressed corals
Researchers have established that both live probiotic and inactivated postbiotic treatments improve coral health—while the animals are under thermal stress during a natural marine heatwave.
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NewsMeet the Global Ambassadors: our Q&A with Luay Abu-Qatouseh
The Microbiologist gets to know our Global Ambassador for Jordan, Associate Prof. Dr. Luay Abu-Qatouseh of the Faculty of Pharmacy and Medical Sciences, University of Petra.
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NewsDaily dose of zinc reduces infections by nearly 40% in children with sickle cell anemia
A new study shows that a daily 20mg dose of zinc reduced infections by nearly 40% among Ugandan children younger than 5 with sickle cell anemia.
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NewsClimate 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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NewsScientists 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.
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NewsPromising 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.
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NewsClimate 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.
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NewsThe fast track to antibiotic resistance
Researchers uncover a hidden mechanism that enables bacteria to rapidly develop antibiotic resistance; disrupting this mechanism could improve the effectiveness of antibiotic treatments.
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NewsStudy uncovers new path toward fighting malaria
Researchers have discovered that the malaria parasite relies on a specific type of fat to survive and multiply within the human host, uncovering a previously unknown vulnerability that could help guide future treatments.
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CareersQ&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.
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NewsWhen it comes to brain health, is microbiome science missing much of the world?
For more than two decades, scientists have uncovered remarkable links between the trillions of microbes living in our gut and the health of our brains. What if much of this science is based on studying only a narrow slice of global diversity?
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NewsPartners launch development of a portable rapid diagnostic system for Ebola virus disease
Professor Yasutoshi Kido of the Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka Metropolitan University (OMU), in collaboration with K.K. DNAFORM and the National Institute for Biomedical Research (INRB) of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is developing a portable rapid diagnostic system for Ebola virus disease (EVD) caused by Bundibugyo virus (BDBV). ...
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NewsWhen a lip ulcer isn’t what it seems: Rare case of syphilis mistaken for mouth injury
Any lip ulcer that is painless, firm, and persists beyond two to three weeks should prompt syphilis testing, even if the presentation does not fit the typical genital picture, warn scientists presenting an unusual case study.