One health
Communicable diseases remain one of the major causes of mortality worldwide. There are disparities in the numbers of individuals affected by disease between low-and-middle-income countries and those in developed nations. Microbes will play in important role in drug discovery: producing anticancer drugs and antimicrobials. Applying One Health principles, to understand the interaction of pathogens and the human host, development of diagnostics, treatments, and disease prevention, applied microbiologists can shape global health and wellbeing outcomes.
News
Deep-sea nodules harbour hidden animal communities threatened by mining
Polymetallic nodules are not just mineral-rich rocks on the deep seafloor. Researchers found that their cracks and cavities shelter distinct communities of tiny animals, raising concerns that deep-sea mining could permanently destroy habitats that take millions of years to form.
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NewsLong-term nitrogen fertilisation reshapes soil microbes and links to PAH fate
Long-term nitrogen fertilisation does more than change soil nutrients. A 15-year field study found that different application rates reshaped bacterial and fungal communities and altered their genetic potential for carbon, nitrogen and PAH metabolism, suggesting that fertiliser management and legacy pollution should be considered together.
News‘Living medicine’ tackles drug-resistant biofilms growing on ventilation tubes
A ‘living medicine’ has thinned biofilms of antibiotic-resistant Pseudomonas aeruginosa in the lungs of pigs, a new study reveals. The experimental treatment involves inhaling a genetically modified bacterium designed to target layers of drug-resistant P. aeruginosa that grow on the surfaces of endotracheal tubes used in hospitals.
NewsLittle-known protein is a potential target for treating Chagas disease, study shows
Researchers have identified a protein that appears critical to the life cycle of Trypanosoma cruzi, the parasite that causes Chagas disease. Reducing production of IP6K impaired the parasite’s ability to develop into its infectious form inside human heart cells, highlighting a potential target for future treatments.
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News
Dietary creatine shows little independent effect on the oral microbiome
Dietary creatine does not appear to have a meaningful independent effect on the oral microbiome. In a nationally representative study of more than 3,800 US adults, initial associations largely disappeared after researchers accounted for demographic factors and the wider diet.
NewsEngineered Salmonella kills tumours. A salt-triggered gel keeps it from poisoning the mice
In mice with melanoma, the hydrogel matched free bacteria at shrinking tumours while cutting weight loss by 82% and reversing liver and spleen damage; it sets in seconds on sodium already present in the abdomen.
NewsTiny cracks and a nine-volt battery could help fight deadly superbugs
Scientists have uncovered an unlikely ally in the fight to prevent infections before they take hold. They have found that carefully controlled microscopic cracks can enhance the performance of an antibacterial coating, which helps destroy dangerous bacteria when activated with a small electrical charge.
NewsEbola preparedness needs to move beyond a single virus species
Decades of Ebola preparedness have produced vaccines, diagnostics and treatments, but many were built primarily around Zaire ebolavirus. A new perspective argues that future preparedness should span the wider ebolavirus genus, combining broader diagnostics, multivalent vaccines, conserved therapeutic targets and continuous genomic surveillance.
NewsRegular coffee drinking linked to changes in gut bacteria and intestinal function
If you drink coffee regularly, it appears to alter not only your gut bacteria but also the physiology of the gut itself. That is the conclusion of a study from the University of Copenhagen, which may help point the way towards better treatments for constipation.
NewsScientists image bacterial poles at molecular resolution for the first time
Researchers have imaged the ends of live rod-shaped bacteria at molecular resolution for the first time. The technique revealed structural differences between species and changes linked to cell division, offering a new way to study bacterial surfaces and potentially uncover weaknesses in drug-resistant pathogens.
NewsScientists breed a ‘pan-African’ malaria parasite to build a better whole-parasite malaria vaccine
Researchers have created a hybrid malaria parasite that combines the manufacturing advantages of the strain used in every current whole-parasite malaria vaccine with the much higher liver infectivity of a parasite collected recently in East Africa.
NewsBacterial lipa gene linked to stronger virulence and immune disruption in catfish
A bacterial metabolic gene may help Plesiomonas shigelloides become more damaging during fish infections. Increasing lipa expression strengthened bacterial attachment and biofilm formation, worsened disease symptoms in catfish and triggered substantial changes in the host immune response.
NewsWastewater bacteria could offer a window into community health
Wastewater may reveal much more about a community than which viruses are circulating. Researchers found that gut-associated bacterial patterns in sewage were linked with rates of chronic disease, health behaviours and socioeconomic conditions across several Ohio communities.
NewsThe invisible threat in air, water, and food: how ammonia quietly harms liver, brain, and gut
Ammonia is everywhere in modern life—released by farms, industry, and waste systems—and it reaches people through more routes than most realize. A review maps ammonia’s routes into the body, the liver-gut axis that keeps it in check, and engineered-bacteria transplants emerging as a possible therapy.
NewsGut microbes may steer where fat accumulates—through an ancient signaling hub
Fat tissue grows in two ways: existing fat cells swell, or progenitor cells spawn new fat cells. When new-cell formation falls behind long-term energy surplus, lipids pile up inside aging fat cells. A review argues that Wnt signaling sits at the junction where gut microbial metabolites may decide which way fat tissue goes.
NewsCARB-X funds UNSW Sydney to develop novel antibiotic targeting drug-resistant Gram negative bacterial infections
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) is awarding US$853k to UNSW Sydney to support the development of synthetic darobactin analogues, a new class of antibiotic designed to kill multidrug-resistant Gram-negative bacteria.
NewsHidden toxicity unmasked: engineered E. coli sets record for hemostatic compound dencichine
Dencichine, the hemostatic active ingredient of the herb panax notoginseng is hard to obtain, with earlier engineered E coli strains low-yielding and growing poorly. Researchers have traced the growth defect to a hidden toxicity and their fix resulted in a final strain that produced the highest reported titer to date.
NewsHorizon Awards 2026: Professor Stephen Obaro named as winner of Christiana Figueres Award
Professor Stephen Obaro, Professor of Pediatrics and Senior Scientist at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, USA , has been named as the winner of the Christiana Figueres Policy to Practice Award.
NewsFree webinar: Antimicrobial resistance is shaped by conflict, systems, and shared microbial worlds
Antimicrobial resistance is not just biological — it is shaped by conflict, systems, and shared microbial worlds. That’s the idea that will be explored in the latest FREE webinar from the fascinating Microbes and Social Equity 2026 Speaker Series, entitled ’Microbial Worlds in Crisis Inequality and the Politics of Resistance’.
NewsWildlife imports linked to higher risk of animal-human disease outbreaks
Researchers have discovered that wildlife imports highly influence the possibility of zoonotic emerging infectious disease (EID). This marks the first global measurement of how wildlife trade is linked to outbreaks of animal-borne diseases, across countries and over time.
NewsBiodegradable plastics show strikingly different fates under landfill conditions
Not all biodegradable plastics behave the same once they reach landfill-like environments. Researchers found that PHB broke down almost completely within weeks and PLA degraded substantially over several months, while PBAT barely mineralised, revealing how strongly biodegradation depends on environmental conditions and microbial activity.
NewsStudy identifies single amino acid change that alters Andes virus protein behavior in human cells
Researchers have identified a single amino acid difference between rodent- and human-derived Andes virus isolates that changes how a key viral protein behaves inside human cells. The findings help explain biological differences between closely related virus isolates.
NewsResearch helps bring new microbiome-focused women’s health product to market
Research has helped inform the development of BloomCalma™, a new intimate care product designed to support skin comfort during pregnancy and after childbirth. The product is the latest example of how academic research can be translated into commercial products.