opInions on ONE HEALTH
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OpinionSafety and nutritional claims for raw milk
Robert F Kennedy Jr. famously advocates drinking raw milk and promotes its benefits. But how safe is unpasteurised milk? Nicola Holden and Gil Domingue, who sit on Applied Microbiology International’s Food Security Scientific Advisory Group, take a deep dive into the science.
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OpinionScience and the humanities in the crosshairs
The German Research Foundation (DFG) President Professor Dr Katja Becker issued a stark warning about the “war on science” and the need for solidarity at the organisation’s annual meeting in July. The Microbiologist reports her speech in full.
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OpinionIt’s game over for dangerous Gain of Function research
The Trump adminstration has signed an Executive Order halting federal gain of function research on microbes - but does it throw the baby out with the bathwater? Virologist Simon Wain-Hobson, Emeritus Professor with the Pasteur Institute, Paris, gives his take.
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OpinionAirport travel and your footwear as a pathogen transmission vector – should you be concerned
Should we be seriously concerned about the role of footwear in pathogen transmission, and what steps can we take to minimize potential risks?
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OpinionReproductive biology though the lens of the microbiome
Madangchanok Imchen and Seth R. Bordenstein from the One Health Microbiome Center - winner of AMI’s WH Pierce Prize 2024 - explore the potential of the reproductive microbiome, particularly the fascinating Wolbachia, to counter global disease threats.
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OpinionSharing microbial sequence-based data: The way forward
Public sector data associated with health are a highly valuable resource, yet in practice data-sharing poses multiple challenges. Dr Nicola Holden, from AMI’s One Health Scientific Advisory Group, explores the murky morass of big data.
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OpinionDoes getting help for gut health have to be a waiting game?
Gut health issues impact millions of people every day, but how useful are the current UK government measures in improving patient outcomes?
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OpinionOnce-subtropical Vibrio infections on the move along coastlines
As new stretches of coastline become vulnerable to potential Vibrio outbreaks in a warming aquatic environment, Applied Microbiology International member Elizabeth Archer examines how human health is inextricably linked with ocean health.
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OpinionAntimicrobial chemotherapy - which direction now?
The answer to antimicrobial resistance might not be the continual discovery of new antibiotics - but judicious use of the antibiotics and insights into antibiotic producing organisms we have already discovered.
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OpinionIs 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.
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OpinionCatch-22: the FDA, probiotics, and preterm infants
As the FDA issues warning letters about probiotic products sold for use in hospitalized preterm infants, families of babies threatened by necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) now face a deadly Catch-22 situation.
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OpinionSwimming with superbugs: the hidden threat in freshwater environments
AMI One Health Advisory Group member Elitsa Penkova delves into the growing antimicrobial resistance threat facing wild swimmers connecting with nature in rivers and lakes.
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OpinionMuch ado about microbes
A group of leading scientists has recently reviewed the benefits and risks of Gain of Function research and issued new consensus recommendations - Simon Wain-Hobson examines the report exclusively for The Microbiologist.
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OpinionHas a viral contribution to Alzheimer’s disease been in front of our noses this whole time?
The concept that a viral infection may induce pathology in regions far from its active location is gaining traction. Could this phenomenon also be at play in Alzheimer’s disease?
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OpinionEmerging risks in public health: is plastic pollution something to worry about?
Could plastic waste act as a vector for pathogens and contribute to the spread of infectious diseases?
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OpinionHow AI is being applied to improve microbiological research
How valuable is AI to the future of microbiology?
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OpinionThe role of AI in improving microbiology
What are the benefits and drawbacks of a technology that holds such promise?
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OpinionNew RSV vaccines on the way - so what do we do about vaccine hesitancy?
Not one, but two promising new vaccines are likely to be introduced to the UK, yet routine childhood vaccination rates have been decreasing for ‘old’ diseases like measles and polio - what’s going on?
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OpinionDoes the world need another antibiotic?
Barriers, opportunities and alternatives in the fight against AMR.
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OpinionMe, my microbes and I: rethinking antimicrobial stewardship and personal health education
Research into, and therefore general understanding of women’s health and disease, has been under funded and taboo for a long time.