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
A rapid test using a mobile phone will be able to identify the most severe cases of imported malaria within minutes
A new malaria tool uses a mobile phone to combine rapid diagnostic tests with video analysis and is capable not only of detecting the infection in under six minutes but also of predicting which patients may develop severe forms of malaria.
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NewsInstitut Pasteur issues statement on U.S. administration’s attacks against biomedical research, global public health action and vaccination
For several months now, the current U.S. administration has consistently attacked and endeavored to weaken biomedical research and public health action in the United States and worldwide with unparalleled vigor, the Institut Pasteur has said in a new statement.
NewsNew tool shows how to enter and change pneumocystis fungi
Researchers have reported success in genetically modifying the fungal pathogen Pneumocystis murina. Their approach uses extracellular vesicles from mouse lungs to deliver gene-modifying molecules inside the fungal cells. The modified fungus expressed the introduced genomic modifications.
NewsGlowing bacterial sensors detect gut illness in mice before symptoms emerge
Researchers have engineered gut bacteria that dim their fluorescent glow in the presence of illness. Their findings could improve how we diagnose problems in the gut by using bacteria that already live there.
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News
How genes influence the microbes in our mouths
A new study has found human genetic factors that influence the oral microbiome and may increase risk of cavities and tooth loss in some people. Analysis of the now largest collection of oral microbiome profiles reveals interactions between human and bacterial DNA.
NewsFecal microbiota transplantation improves response to immunotherapy in advanced kidney cancer
A new study provides compelling evidence that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) can enhance the effectiveness of immunotherapy in patients with advanced metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC).
NewsScientists say these two viruses may become the next public health threats
Two emerging pathogens with animal origins — influenza D virus and canine coronavirus — have so far been quietly flying under the radar, but researchers warn conditions are ripe for the viruses to spread more widely among humans.
NewsIn rare cases, autoantibodies can cause severe reactions to a live-attenuated virus Chikungunya vaccine that has been discontinued in the U.S.
A new study shows that preexisting autoantibodies in a small subset of the population can allow weakened vaccine viruses to escape control, explaining some adverse events tied to one kind of Chikungunya vaccine, which is no longer available in the U.S.
NewsNew platform could develop vaccines faster than ever before
Scientists are optimizing a vaccine-development platform created to accelerate how quickly life-saving vaccines can be designed and deployed during infectious-disease outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic.
NewsInnovative ‘poop pills’ show promising results in clinical trials for multiple types of cancer
Fecal microbiota transplants (FMT), can dramatically improve cancer treatment. One study shows that the toxic side effects of drugs to treat kidney cancer could be eliminated with FMT. A second suggests FMT is effective in improving the response to immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer and melanoma.
NewsPreparedness for future pandemics: MERS vaccine candidate shows long-lasting immune response
A new study has shown for the first time that an experimental vaccine against Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) induces a stable and functional immune response in humans that persists for at least two years after a booster vaccination.
NewsSerum interleukin-8 can tell pulmonary aspergillosis from bacterial pneumonia in patients with liver failure
Scientists found serum interleukin-8 can be used to differentiate invasive pulmonary aspergillosis from bacterial pneumonia in patients with HBV-associated acute-on-chronic liver failure.
NewsScientists find hidden diversity inside common brain parasite
Scientists have found that Toxoplasma gondii is far more complex than previously believed. Until now, cysts were believed to contain a single, uniform type of parasite lying dormant until reactivated, but have now been found to contain multiple distinct subtypes of parasites, each with different biological roles.
NewsResearchers demonstrate SARS-CoV-2 virus inactivation/destruction using focused sound waves
A team of researchers has successfully demonstrated the destruction of SARS-CoV-2 virus particles through exposure to high-frequency sound waves, marking a promising advance in non-pharmacological antiviral strategies.
NewsCOVID-19 viral fragments shown to target and kill specific immune cells
New research shows that after the body’s defenses kill the virus behind COVID-19, leftover digested chunks of SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can target specific immune cells based on their shape. It could explain why certain populations of cells that detect and fight infection are depleted in patients with severe COVID-19.
NewsAltered brain connection found in people with ME/CFS and Long COVID
People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) and Long COVID experience a disruption to their brain connectivity during a mentally demanding task. New research used ultra-high field MRI technology to investigate the significant reduction in brain connectivity in specific parts of the brain.
NewsWild blueberries: New review explores benefits for heart, metabolism and the microbiome
A new scientific review summarizes the growing body of research on wild blueberries and cardiometabolic health, which includes factors like blood vessel function, blood pressure, blood lipids and blood sugar. It highlights the gut microbiome as a likely contributor to the cardiometabolic effects.
NewsStudy cites link between mental health and long COVID in older women
Older women who have a history of both depression and anxiety had a 78% higher risk of developing long COVID after a SARS-CoV-2 infection, report researchers. Infection rates were not higher; only their risk of complications increased.
News‘Nudging’ both patients and providers boosts flu vaccine numbers
Patients were 28 per cent more likely to get a flu shot when they got a text message reminder and their primary care provider already had an order for the shot waiting, new research showed.
NewsAntibiotic therapy: is shorter just as effective?
Shorter-duration antibiotic therapy shows comparable success to longer-duration treatment in children with community-acquired pneumonia. However, a general conclusion about a shortened treatment duration is not possible, Tthe authors of a new study say.
NewsLong COVID brain fog far more common in US than India, other nations
Patients with long COVID-19 in the U.S. report far higher rates of brain fog, depression and cognitive symptoms than patients in countries such as India and Nigeria, according to a large international study.
NewsNaval Research Lab Space Station study reveals key challenges and opportunities for microbial biomanufacturing in space
Scientists have completed a spaceflight biology investigation aboard the International Space Station (ISS) that reveals how microgravity fundamentally alters microbial metabolism, limiting the efficiency of biological manufacturing processes critical to future long-duration space missions.
NewsScientists develop novel live-attenuated vaccine that blocks coronavirus transmission with a single intranasal dose
A research team at the LKS Faculty of Medicine, the University of Hong Kong (HKUMed), has developed a novel live-attenuated vaccine candidate, cb1, capable of generating broad immunity against a wide range of beta-coronaviruses with a single intranasal dose.