Latest news
CFA publishes timely new industry-led UK Ready to Eat Foods Safety and Shelf Life Guidance
New industry-led good practice guidance for manufacturers and retailers of certain ready to eat (RTE) foods will be published on 12 January 2026 to help Food Business Operators (FBOs), Competent Authorities (CAs) and enforcement officers manage the risk posed by Listeria monocytogenes in those products.
Microbes may hold the key to brain evolution
A groundbreaking new study reveals that changes to the gut microbiome can change the way the brain works. It provides the first empirical data showing the direct role the gut microbiome plays in shaping differences in the way the brain functions across different primate species.
How a fungus leads to tissue growths in maize
When a maize plant is attacked by the fungus Ustilago maydis, tumor-like tissue growths occur at the site of infection. How the pathogen causes this response in its host has long been unknown. But a study has now shown how the fungus takes over the plant’s function for forming lateral roots.
Bats identified as origin of unexplained acute respiratory illness and encephalitis in Bangladesh
Infectious disease researchers have identified Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), an emerging bat-borne orthoreovirus, in archived throat swab samples and virus cultures from five patients in Bangladesh who were initially suspected to have Nipah virus infection but tested negative.
Antibiotics in sediments may quietly boost greenhouse gas emissions
A study shows that pharmaceutical pollution alters nitrogen cycling and greenhouse gas emissions in coastal sediments. Even environmentally relevant antibiotic concentrations increased N₂O release, suggesting that widespread contamination may enhance estuarine climate forcing.
Study reveals low immunity against H3N2 strain in Hong Kong; early vaccination urged
Flu activity has surged in many parts of the Northern Hemisphere, driven primarily by a newly emerged H3N2 strain known as ‘subclade K’. Researchers have found that most hospital patients in Hong Kong have little to undetectable levels of neutralising antibodies against this mutated strain.
Microbes may hold the key to brain evolution
A groundbreaking new study reveals that changes to the gut microbiome can change the way the brain works. It provides the first empirical data showing the direct role the gut microbiome plays in shaping differences in the way the brain functions across different primate species.
How a fungus leads to tissue growths in maize
When a maize plant is attacked by the fungus Ustilago maydis, tumor-like tissue growths occur at the site of infection. How the pathogen causes this response in its host has long been unknown. But a study has now shown how the fungus takes over the plant’s function for forming lateral roots.
Bats identified as origin of unexplained acute respiratory illness and encephalitis in Bangladesh
Infectious disease researchers have identified Pteropine orthoreovirus (PRV), an emerging bat-borne orthoreovirus, in archived throat swab samples and virus cultures from five patients in Bangladesh who were initially suspected to have Nipah virus infection but tested negative.
CFA publishes timely new industry-led UK Ready to Eat Foods Safety and Shelf Life Guidance
New industry-led good practice guidance for manufacturers and retailers of certain ready to eat (RTE) foods will be published on 12 January 2026 to help Food Business Operators (FBOs), Competent Authorities (CAs) and enforcement officers manage the risk posed by Listeria monocytogenes in those products.
Strategic advancement of second-generation fungal vaccine VXV-01 through Phase 1 trials
The Lundquist Institute (TLI) and its start-up company Vitalex Biosciences (Vitalex) have announced that the second-generation fungal vaccine candidate known as VXV‑01 is poised to move forward in development up to and including Phase 1 clinical evaluation.
CARB-X to support investigation of Exhalon’s breath-based lower respiratory tract infection testing platform
CARB-X has awarded Exhalon US$1M in seed funding to evaluate whether exhaled breath can be used as a non-invasive sample type to aid in the rapid and accurate diagnosis of lower-respiratory tract infections (LRTIs).
Turning crop waste into precision weapons against waterborne pathogens
Researchers have developed a novel class of biomass-derived carbon dots that selectively eradicate Staphylococcus aureus in water, using corn straw to synthesize amine-modified nanomaterials that act as oxidase mimics, enabling targeted bacterial inactivation without harming beneficial microorganisms.
General intelligence framework to predict virus adaptation based on a genome language model
Researchers have developed a viral risk prediction framework named GIVAL based on the pre-trained viral protein language model vBERT.
Silent dengue infections may hold clues to future vaccine design, study finds
Researchers report the first single-cell immune atlas of asymptomatic dengue, offering a rare look at how the immune system can defeat the virus without triggering illness. The work could help guide the design of safer and more effective dengue vaccines.
4 million euros for study with personalized phage therapy
UMC Utrecht has received a grant of 4 million euros for the first clinical study in the Netherlands involving a customized therapy with bacteriophages for patients with recurrent urinary tract infections.
Global Virus Network announces appointment of new board members
The Global Virus Network (GVN), a worldwide coalition of leading human and animal virologists, has announced the appointment of eight distinguished leaders to its Board of Directors.
How can nursing homes protect more patients from infections?
New US national guidance calls for full-time infection prevention staff; more training, support and vaccination for all staff; and partnerships with hospitals and public health agencies.