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.
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Crawling Asgardians: Unexpected dynamics of ancient microbes discovered
Microbiologists placed Asgard archaea in an oxygen-free environment and filmed the living cells under a microscope. This resulted in the first live-cell recordings, which show dynamic changes in shape and a novel crawling movement across surfaces. The results reveal a remarkably dynamic, actin-based cytoskeleton, with parallels to that found in human cells.
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NewsPneumonia can reveal undiagnosed blood cancer
Severe pneumococcal disease requiring hospitalization, most commonly pneumonia, can be a sign of previously undiagnosed blood cancer and immunodeficiency in adult patients, according to a study.
NewsResearchers work toward universal flu, HIV vaccines
What if there was a way to achieve stronger, multi-year protection from a single flu jab? Researchers are looking to better understand a viral mechanism shared between influenza and HIV with the aim of disrupting infection. This research could help develop effective vaccines for both diseases, as well as new antivirals.
NewsBlueberries modify gut microbiome in older adults with mild depression
A new pilot study has found that older, sedentary adults who consumed blueberries daily showed a greater, more consistent reduction in depressive symptoms, paired with minor changes in markers of gut microbial enzymes.
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Researchers warn eye infections can cause preventable vision loss
Rising rates of infectious eye diseases are increasing the risk of preventable sight loss, with researchers warning that delayed diagnosis can have lasting consequences. New reviews highlight the importance of recognising symptoms such as blurred vision, floaters and sudden visual changes early, when treatment is most effective.
NewsFirm advances measles antibodies toward clinical development
Researchers have identified two potent human monoclonal antibodies that could become the first antibody-based therapy for measles. The antibodies strongly neutralized the virus in laboratory studies and animal models, offering a potential new option for vulnerable people who cannot safely receive or fully benefit from vaccination.
NewsGut enzyme links microbiota, barrier dysfunction and MASH progression
Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) is often viewed through the lens of hepatic lipid accumulation, inflammation and fibrosis. A new study identifies intestinal neutral ceramidase as a gut-derived driver of MASH progression through its effects on microbial metabolism, epithelial signalling and intestinal barrier function.
NewsAnti-cancer molecules show promise in the fight against malaria
Molecules known for their anti-cancer activity have proven effective in combating Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria. Researchers also investigated how differences in the structure of these molecules affect their impact on the parasites.
NewsHoneybee silk could power smarter wound dressings
Recombinant honeybee silk can be bioengineered in a lab, allowing researchers to modify the protein sequence and potentially introduce new features into the materials, such as infection-sensing signals or targeted drug release.
NewsAPIC and SHEA Statement on reported erosion of CDC capacity
Reports that the CDC has lost nearly a third of its workforce, including experienced scientists in its emerging infectious disease and respiratory disease centers, means guidance is slower to arrive, technical assistance is harder to reach, and scientific expertise is thinner at a time when most needed, experts warn.
NewsPromega launches Paradyme™ 27GY STR System, mnimising stutter artifacts in forensic DNA analysis
Promega Corporation has launched Paradyme™ 27GY STR System, the first commercially available short tandem repeat (STR) analysis kit to include the company’s Reduced-Stutter Polymerase (RSP). This novel enzyme significantly reduces the most common type of confounding artifact in forensic DNA analysis.
NewsAbout 1 in 3 Americans say RFK Jr. recommends measles vaccination
The number of measles cases in the United States is at the highest level in decades, attributed to a decrease in vaccination against measles. The public remains evenly divided on whether or not U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. recommends the MMR vaccine.
NewsWHO reports latest global trends in cholera, meningitis and plague
Cholera deaths increased by 30% in 2025, despite fewer cases being reported to the World Health Organization (WHO). In 2025, 47 countries reported 451 499 cholera cases and 7870 deaths to WHO, the highest number of annual cholera deaths reported to WHO since 1999.
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.
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.
NewsStudy 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.