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
Small bowel microbiome offers clues to women’s health
A new study has identified differences in the makeup and organization of the small bowel microbiome between women and men. One intriguing finding was a bacterial community containing Granulicatella, found only in women.
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NewsKazakh researchers ID antiviral and anti-inflammatory compounds in native medicinal plants
Researchers have identified biologically active compounds with antiviral, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory effects in several plant species native to Kazakhstan, providing new chemical and experimental data on medicinal flora from Central Asia.
NewsCurious by Nature: Professor Romain Glèlè Kakaï – Can we predict the next epidemic?
Professor Romain Glèlè Kakaï believes combining traditional mathematical models with artificial intelligence will improve the accuracy of epidemic forecasting and help public health leaders respond more quickly to future cholera and malaria outbreaks.
NewsA fourth T6SS in clinical Pseudomonas aeruginosa deploys the pore-forming effector TseMt
The hospital-associated pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa has type VI secretion systems (T6SSs). Most reference strains encode three T6SSs, but comparative genomics has identified an additional H4-T6SS in a subset of clinical isolates.
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News
Meningitis, hangover or freshers’ flu? Don’t dismiss serious symptoms
Students heading into freshers’ week are being warned not to assume a headache, vomiting or feeling wiped out is simply the result of a heavy night or the dreaded “freshers’ flu”. 246,089 doses of the MenB vaccine were administered to young people in England between 20 July and 31 August.
NewsBacteria in classroom dust associated with reduced lung function in children
Common bacteria found in classroom dust are associated with reduced lung function in children according to new research, Children in classrooms with higher levels of Streptomyces had a 0.08 litres lower forced vital capacity (FVC).
NewsBacteria can make testosterone. What could that mean for prostate cancer?
Scientists have identified an unexpected participant in androgen chemistry: a bacterium from the human urinary tract that can convert the steroid precursor DHEA into testosterone under laboratory conditions. It reveals a previously unknown microbial route to a hormone that is central to prostate biology.
NewsResearchers find C. difficile colonization in infants reshapes gut development
Practically since its discovery, the highly contagious bacterium Clostridioides difficile has been reported to not cause symptoms in infants. But new findings suggest that the bacterium can reshape the developing infant gut and may have long-term consequences.
NewsScientists discover link between gut bacteria and severe liver disease
Researchers have identified what may potentially be a missing link between specific activities in gut bacteria and the liver disease primary sclerosing cholangitis: the metabolite ImP, a molecule formed when certain gut bacteria break down dietary components.
NewsMosaic nanoparticles deliver broad-spectrum mucosal protection against diverse coronaviruses
Researchers have developed a novel “mosaic” nanoparticle vaccine platform that successfully penetrates the mucus barrier to deliver broad-spectrum mucosal protection against a diverse array of coronaviruses, including highly evasive SARS-like and MERS-like strains.
NewsGerontological Society of America supports new immunization guidance
The Gerontological Society of America (GSA) supports the 2026-27 respiratory season vaccine evidence review released by the Vaccine Integrity Project (VIP) in collaboration with the American Medical Association.
NewsMXene-based hydrogel disrupt bacterial biofilms and reprogram immune cell metabolism to reverse bone resorption in periodontitis
Researchers have developed an injectable MXene-based composite hydrogel (GQM) for the treatment of periodontitis. The hydrogel consists of oxidized gellan gum (OG), quaternized chitosan (QCS), and magnesium-tannic acid modified MXene nanosheets (MTA-Mg).
NewsInternational Society of Microbiota, Nature Awards and Yakult join forces to connect global funding with Japanese microbiome research
A new collaboration at ISM–RIKEN Targeting Microbiota 2026 will bring the Global Grants for Gut Health programme to Tokyo, alongside a dedicated funding discussion and three Best Abstract Prizes.
NewsStudy sheds light on how bacteria assemble outer membrane proteins
Researchers analyzed the various conformations that a chaperone protein adopts while delivering unfolded outer membrane proteins to the assembly machinery.
NewsThe body doesn’t just absorb a plant-based diet—it adapts to one, new review finds
A new review of plant-based diets concludes that the body actively adapts to sustained dietary change, absorbing iron more efficiently, synthesizing more of its own creatine and carnosine, using protein more economically, and remodeling gut bacteria to better ferment fiber.
NewsDifference in clinical characteristics and outcomes between hospital-acquired and community-acquired pleural infection
A critical aspect of managing pleural infection is understanding differences between hospital-acquired and community-acquired forms, as these two entities differ fundamentally in etiology, microbiology, antimicrobial resistance patterns, and patient populations.
NewsMicro-bladder model offers clues to stopping recurrent UTIs
A new study shows that phage therapy – the use of tiny viruses to kill bacteria without harming people – could help to reduce recurrent infections, which happen when the bacteria responsible for UTIs ‘hide’ in the tissue of the bladder.
NewsVaricella zoster virus can cause serious disease beyond chickenpox and shingles
New research is shedding light on the surprisingly broad range of neurological and systemic diseases that can be caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles.
NewsThe push to understand and treat HPV
Karl Munger is helping to lead an effort at Tufts University and Tufts Medicine that brings research scientists together with clinicians to save lives through improved HPV care and research.
NewsAncient Dujiangyan water wisdom inspires AI microfluidic chip to spot hidden sub-resistant bacteria
To pinpoint hidden populations of bacteria, researchers have developed a deep learning-based microfluidic rapid phenotypic AST system, named DP-AST, inspired by the “six-four water diversion” principle of the ancient Dujiangyan irrigation system in China.
NewsIndy gene reduction linked to healthier gut microbiota and longer lifespan in fruit flies
Scientists investigating aging have shown that Indy reduction is associated with lower bacterial load and higher bacterial diversity in aging Indy flies compared to controls.
NewsChina’s 2025 resistance map reveals progress and renewed threats
A 2025 analysis from the China Antimicrobial Surveillance Network (CHINET) tracked 516,309 clinical bacterial isolates from 80 hospitals across China, revealing a mixed picture: resistance declined in some major pathogens, but worrying rebounds appeared in others.
NewsA decade without congenital syphilis: a Danish success story
The basis for this public health landmark: universal screening of pregnant people during the first trimester of pregnancy has been offered free of charge in the country since 2010.