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
Researchers engineer more sensitive CRISPR tool for virus detection
Researchers have engineered a more sensitive version of the RNA-targeting CRISPR enzyme Cas13a, improving its detection performance by 100-fold without sacrificing stability. The tool could support faster and more adaptable tests for HIV and a wide range of other RNA viruses.
Read story
NewsAspens ‘remember’ past drought in their leaves
Drought may leave more than narrow rings inside a tree trunk. New research suggests quaking aspen can retain a chemical ‘memory’ of dry years, changing the defensive compounds in their leaves and reshaping the fungal communities that live on them long after soils have rewetted.
NewsAn unusual bacterial defence system hides a powerful molecular switch
Researchers have uncovered a bacterial immune system that appears to work backwards. Unlike known retrons, which keep a toxin suppressed until infection, type VI retrons use phage-triggered DNA production to switch toxin activity on, revealing an unusually complex defence strategy that could inspire new gene-editing tools and antimicrobials.
NewsResearchers explore link between gut, brain health for people with HIV
Oregon Health & Science University researchers have secured a $5.8 million, five-year federal award to investigate whether damage to the gastrointestinal tract contributes to neuroinflammation in people living with HIV — raising the potential for new treatments to preserve brain function in people with HIV and older adults.
More One Health
News
PL-5 spray improves healing in infected burn wounds, phase IIIb trial finds
A late-stage clinical trial found that a topical spray called peceleganan (PL-5) helped adults with mild infected burn wounds heal better than placebo. It enrolled 348 adults and compared the spray with a placebo. The study tested once-daily treatment for 14 days and tracked wound closure, bacterial clearance, and safety.
NewsGlobal Virus Network adds six centers of excellence and new affiliate across four continents
The Global Virus Network (GVN), a coalition of leading medical virologists representing more than 100 Centers of Excellence and Affiliates in more than 40 countries, has announced six new Centers of Excellence and one Affiliate in Austria, Brazil, China, India, Panama, Switzerland and the United States.
NewsDeadly fungus Candida auris reveals a new trick for escaping treatment
An accidental laboratory observation has uncovered a new way that Candida auris can survive antifungal treatment. Researchers found that the deadly hospital fungus can duplicate its entire genome and generate different cell populations, giving it more opportunities to adapt, mutate and evade drugs.
NewsResearchers target Zika-related eye damage with new antiviral strategies
Zika virus can damage the developing retina and optic nerve, leaving babies with lifelong vision problems. Researchers have now received $2.7 million to uncover how the virus disrupts eye development and test drug candidates that could protect vision, with some compounds also showing activity against dengue and West Nile viruses.
NewsAn approach for novel antiviral compound discovery
Researchers in India have used an AI-based molecule generation platform to design a novel compound that computationally blocks one of the most conserved and functionally essential enzymes of SARS-CoV-2 — the main protease — with drug-like properties, no predicted toxicity, and a binding profile that compares favourably with clinically studied inhibitors.
NewsMount Sinai awarded five-year, $20.7 million vaccine development agreement to advance next-generation technologies against respiratory threats
Researchers at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have been awarded a five-year project agreement to develop Vaccine Immunoengineering for Targeted Antigen Presentation and Layered Control (VITAL), a research program exploring an improved approach to vaccination against respiratory pathogens.
NewsLong-term viral hepatitis control and changing patterns of liver cancer mortality in Japan
A review paper investigated how coordinated policy frameworks and robust epidemiological infrastructure have been associated with reductions in viral hepatitis–related HCC in Japan, and what gaps remain toward achieving hepatitis elimination.
NewsCholera cases surge as conflict in Yemen displaces over 200 000 people
Escalating conflict and mass displacement in Yemen are increasing the risk of infectious disease outbreaks as overcrowding, inadequate access to safe water and disrupted health services expose growing numbers of people to cholera, measles and other preventable diseases.
NewsAI could transform how laboratories detect rabies
Researchers have developed a world-first AI system that can detect rabies virus infection in cell cultures and measure protective antibody levels with high accuracy. The approach could make laboratory testing faster, more consistent and more accessible in countries where rabies remains endemic.
NewsSalicylic acid helps apples fight blue mould after harvest
A natural plant signalling compound could help apples fight one of their most common storage diseases. Researchers found that salicylic acid slowed blue mould development while reshaping the fruit’s phenolic metabolism, revealing chemical changes that may help explain how apples resist fungal decay.
NewsStudy maps antimicrobial resistance across major drinking water sources
Rivers, reservoirs and lakes can act as reservoirs for antibiotic residues and antimicrobial resistance, but the risks are not evenly distributed. A new study of drinking water sources in the Poyang Lake basin found that rivers and certain lake sites carried higher resistance-gene burdens, with mobile genetic elements emerging as a key factor linked to their spread.
NewsMachine learning links water quality measurements to potential pathogen risks
A study of drinking water prediction systems shows that environmental measurements could support predictions of multiple microbial targets and generate potential health risk estimates broadly consistent with calculations based on measured pathogen concentrations.
NewsWHO welcomes adoption of United Nations political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response
The World Health Organization (WHO) has welcomed the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) of the Political declaration on pandemic prevention, preparedness and response (PPPR).
News‘Molecular movie’ captures penicillin being built atom by atom
Scientists have captured the formation of penicillin’s defining β-lactam ring in unprecedented detail, revealing fleeting chemical steps that had remained hidden for decades. Using ultrafast X-ray imaging, the researchers built a molecular movie of the reaction that could help guide future antibiotic and enzyme design.
NewsMalaria remains the leading cause of hospital admission and in-hospital death in children under two in Sierra Leone
Malaria remains the biggest threat to young children in Sierra Leone, accounting for more than half of hospital admissions in a large two-year study. Researchers also found that children who received all routine vaccinations and preventive malaria treatment had a substantially lower risk of dying.
NewsA natural compound takes aim at C. difficile while sparing the gut microbiome
Researchers identify argyrin B, a promising natural compound that targets the bacterium behind dangerous intestinal infections while leaving beneficial gut microbes largely unharmed. The discovery could pave the way for new treatments with fewer relapses and side effects.
NewsPeople with long Covid have drastically different microbiome in their lungs and mouth
A study of more than 700 people has shown that those with long Covid have distinct differences in the mix of bacteria that live in their mouths and lungs, according to a study. The research also shows that these differences in the lung microbiome are linked to respiratory symptoms, as well as the cognitive and digestive problems known to occur in long Covid.
NewsA self-disinfecting fabric eliminates bacteria, fungi and viruses in hospital settings
Researchers have developed a new self-disinfecting cotton fabric capable of eliminating bacteria, fungi and viruses in hospital settings using visible light. The material incorporates two photoactive compounds which, when exposed to light, generate a highly reactive form of oxygen that damages the microorganisms adhering to the fabric.
NewsFrom warning signals to action: Closing a critical gap in infectious disease preparedness
Between the first sign of an unusual event and an effective public health response lie several critical steps: verifying the signal, identifying the pathogen, assessing the risk, making a decision, and translating that decision into action. A new Perspective asks: how can infectious disease risk assessment better support timely and actionable public health decisions?