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
Distinct gut microbiome patterns found in 5 cancer groups and in early-onset cancers
Researchers have discovered distinct gut microbiome patterns in adults 50 or younger with colorectal and breast cancers compared with those diagnosed later in life — one of several findings from an analysis of stool samples from 1,364 patients with cancer across cancer types, stages and treatments.
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NewsScientists overcome key barrier to self-amplifying vaccines
Scientists have overcome a key barrier to self-amplifying vaccines. The innovation could enable protection at lower doses, meaning vaccines could be rolled out further and faster than was previously imaginable. saRNA vaccines hold great promise but are hindered by an inherent flaw which undermines their effectiveness.
NewsGut microbiome emerges as a potential partner in precision cancer therapy
A new editorial examines how the human microbiome may influence cancer development, treatment response and emerging precision-oncology strategies.
NewsDecoding microbial communities: Metax improves taxonomic profiling
Researchers develop a computational tool for accurate identification and abundance estimation of microorganisms in complex samples.
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News
Study finds community-led dog vaccination could save children’s lives
A community-based approach to vaccinating dogs against rabies could help protect countless children in Africa and other areas from one of the world’s deadliest infectious diseases, according to a new study. The new approach also maintained more consistent vaccination coverage throughout the year.
NewsWearable nanotech could combat nerve agents
Fungi-inspired nanoparticles could someday provide a new way to help soldiers fight back against deadly nerve agents on the frontline. Scientists developed a nanoparticle-based compound that, when mixed into clothing dyes, could limit the impact of chemicals commonly found in pesticides, insecticides and nerve agents.
NewsMeasles is making a comeback: Study foresees an epidemic risk for Florida
As Florida considers dropping its measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine mandate for school attendance, a new study predicts that such a policy change could spark the largest measles epidemic in the United States in nearly 50 years.
NewsOne Health model links spillover, microbiomes and governance to global risk
Global health risks continue to emerge where people, animals and the environment meet. A new review highlights that managing these threats requires more than reacting to individual outbreaks: health systems need to monitor the biological, ecological and institutional conditions that allow risks to build.
NewsKU secures $5.8 million NIH grant to advance infectious disease research
The National Institutes of Health awarded the University of Kansas $5.8 million for Phase 3 of KU’s Chemical Biology of Infectious Disease center, supporting researchers across KU, KU Medical Center, Kansas State, Wichita State and regional partners in addressing infectious disease and antibiotic resistance.
NewsNew type of human jumping gene found in a poxvirus
Until now, no one has observed a human gene that is both mobile and required for bodily functions. Scientists have found a human genetic element in a poxvirus and discovered it was both an important gene for brain function and a jumping gene capable of moving and inserting itself in genomes.
NewsA natural defence against skin-infecting fungi: Mediterranean rockrose extract
A polyphenol-rich extract from Cistus salviifolius demonstrated fungicidal activity against several dermatophytes and decreased fungal infection in a laboratory model of human epidermis.
NewsNew tool closes gap on untapped potential of phages
A new tool to mutate bacteriophages – viruses that infect bacteria – provides a big leap forward in both our understanding of how they function, and our ability to harness their full potential. The new method allows for genome-wide mutagenesis of bacteriophages using CRISPR-Cas technology.
NewsCellular break-in: Parasite strategies for host invasion
Before the parasite Toxoplasma gondii can invade a cell, it has to know it has reached the right place. New research from the Whitehead Institute reveals that the parasite doesn’t simply recognize a ready-made doorway into the cell. Instead, it helps create the conditions for its own entry.
NewsResearch advances understanding of tick-borne Powassan virus
Researchers characterized changes in brain microRNAs during Powassan virus infection. MicroRNAs are tiny, natural molecules that help regulate how cells function by controlling protein production. The researchers found that these important regulators were widely disrupted as the infection progressed.
NewsResearchers develop AI tool that reveals hidden clues in the gut microbiome
Researchers are using artificial intelligence to uncover hidden clues among the trillions of bacteria living in the human gut, including changes that could one day help scientists detect diseases earlier.
NewsResearchers identify new vaccine target in malaria parasite
Researchers identified a previously uncharacterized site on the parasite’s major surface protein that antibodies can target to block liver infection, potentially preventing the dormant forms responsible for malaria relapses.
NewsDrug helps bladder cells to clear urinary infections
Researchers have identified a way to strengthen the bladder cells’ ability to eliminate urinary tract infection bacteria sheltered in the cells of the epiithelium. The drug OM-89, marketed as Uro-Vaxom®, activates cellular degradation pathways in bladder epithelial cells while also increasing the amount of antibiotic that enters them.
NewsBlood test shows whether newborns with fever have bacterial or viral infection
A new study suggests a test that compares the levels of two molecules in the blood is able to accurately distinguish between bacterial and viral infections in newborn babies with fever.
NewsSafer water: From single-target tests to real-time multipathogen surveillance
A new perspective outlines how integrated biosensing systems could move aquatic pathogen surveillance from periodic single-target testing toward rapid, online monitoring of multiple pathogens at once.
NewsFAO renews university’s designation as Reference Centre on Antimicrobial Resistance and Aquaculture Biosecurity
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations is redesignating Mississippi State University as an FAO Reference Centre on Antimicrobial Resistance and Aquaculture Biosecurity.
NewsChina’s microecology journey points to a one health future
Microbes are often associated with disease, but the trillions of microorganisms living in and around us also help support health, food production and environmental balance. A new review in Microbiome and One Health examines the development of China’s microecology field across more than 70 years and its contribution to the ...
NewsGut microbiome can reveal risk of type 2 diabetes
Changes in the composition of bacteria in the gut could provide early warning of type 2 diabetes (T2D), new research has found. The analysis of data from hundreds of thousands of individuals identified hundreds of changes in the composition of the gut microbiome that can be detected before the onset of any changes in blood glucose measures.
NewsGut bacteria-derived metabolite contributes to host lifespan extension
Researchers use genetically engineered Escherichia coli to reveal how gut bacteria-derived polyamines extend the lifespan of fruit flies.