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
Wildlife imports linked to higher risk of animal-human disease outbreaks
Researchers have discovered that wildlife imports highly influence the possibility of zoonotic emerging infectious disease (EID). This marks the first global measurement of how wildlife trade is linked to outbreaks of animal-borne diseases, across countries and over time.
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NewsBiodegradable plastics show strikingly different fates under landfill conditions
Not all biodegradable plastics behave the same once they reach landfill-like environments. Researchers found that PHB broke down almost completely within weeks and PLA degraded substantially over several months, while PBAT barely mineralised, revealing how strongly biodegradation depends on environmental conditions and microbial activity.
NewsStudy identifies single amino acid change that alters Andes virus protein behavior in human cells
Researchers have identified a single amino acid difference between rodent- and human-derived Andes virus isolates that changes how a key viral protein behaves inside human cells. The findings help explain biological differences between closely related virus isolates.
NewsResearch helps bring new microbiome-focused women’s health product to market
Research has helped inform the development of BloomCalma™, a new intimate care product designed to support skin comfort during pregnancy and after childbirth. The product is the latest example of how academic research can be translated into commercial products.
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News
Genetic variant may increase the risk of pneumonia
A common genetic variant can weaken the lungs’ defences against bacteria and increase the risk of pneumonia, reveals a new study. The researchers have also discovered a previously unknown mechanism by which the immune system in the airways detects and combats bacteria.
NewsGut microbe remote-controls breast cancer — and one enzyme switch can cut the connection
A multidisciplinary team identifies Ruminococcus lactaris as a key tumor-promoting gut bacterium that produces UDP-GlcNAc to hijack the host O-GlcNAcylation system, driving breast cancer progression via an OGT–NFIB–KIT positive-feedback loop.
NewsBiomimetic nanoparticles target infection, inflammation and bone loss in periodontitis
A new biomimetic nanoparticle treatment for periodontitis is designed to tackle infection, inflammation and tissue damage at the same time. In laboratory and rat studies, the system killed key periodontal bacteria, shifted immune responses towards repair and reduced bone loss.
NewsQ&A: How do infections get past the placenta’s defenses?
For nine months, the placenta is the primary support system of the fetus, providing both nourishment and protection. Within hours of birth, it is usually discarded as medical waste. But this organ carries clues for the child’s future health and additional pregnancies for the mother.
NewsINRS and the Pasteur Network bring together scientists from 25 countries in Québec to strengthen the fight against pandemics
Held in North America for the first time, the Pasteur Network Annual Meeting highlighted how artificial intelligence and emerging technologies can advance global health preparedness and response.
NewsGenetic hitchhikers make Aspergillus infections even harder to treat
Resistance to antifungal medicines in the pathogenic fungus Aspergillus fumigatus is proving more persistent than previously thought. Research shows that fungicides used in agriculture, even those with a different mode of action from these medicines, can help maintain this resistance. This is because different resistance genes ‘hitchhike’ together.
NewsSyrian Arab Republic launches coordinated public health response following poliovirus detection in Deir Ezzor
The Ministry of Health is strengthening vaccination and surveillance activities to protect children following the detection of poliovirus type 1 (VDPV1) in two children aged between 6 and 13 months who developed paralysis in Deir Ezzor Governorate.
OpinionMaybe Vitamin C isn’t just expensive urine after all
“Expensive urine” has become a convenient way of dismissing vitamin supplements taken in doses beyond what our bodies have an immediate need for. But if some unabsorbed vitamin C remains in the gastrointestinal tract, it raises an interesting question about how it could be interacting with the gut microbiome.
NewsPortable test detects Zika and hepatitis C without a laboratory
Researchers have developed a portable test that can detect RNA viruses such as Zika and hepatitis C directly from whole blood without conventional laboratory purification. Using only a small heater and a handheld fluorescence reader, the method could bring sensitive molecular testing closer to patients in resource-limited settings.
NewsModified biochar improves antibiotic removal but reshapes soil microbiomes
Modified biochar can improve the removal of antibiotic residues from agricultural soils, but its effects depend strongly on soil type. Researchers found that better sulfamethoxazole removal was accompanied by major shifts in bacterial communities, showing that remediation benefits can come with ecological trade-offs.
NewsNative bacterial SynCom improves acidic soil and boosts lettuce growth
A synthetic community of two native soil bacteria helped reduce acidity and strongly boost lettuce growth in greenhouse experiments. Delivered on a sugarcane-processing residue, the microbes also increased nutrient availability and reshaped root-zone microbial activity.
NewsViral inflammation may disrupt the uterine lining and impair placental development
Viral infections early in pregnancy may disrupt the way the uterine lining prepares for implantation, with effects that can persist throughout pregnancy. In cell, mouse and 3D uterine models, researchers found that inflammation reduced decidualization and was linked to abnormal placental development and smaller fetuses.
NewsIndustrialisation may be reshaping the evolution of our gut bacteria
Gut bacteria living in industrialised societies appear to be evolving differently from those in non-industrialised populations. Researchers found that strains from industrialised hosts had recently acquired more genes, mostly through horizontal gene transfer, suggesting that modern lifestyles may be reshaping microbial evolution inside us.
NewsNew AI method spots outbreak signals in sparse and noisy data
A new early-warning method could help detect disease outbreaks even when case data are sparse, delayed or incomplete. By using topological data analysis to capture the underlying shape of epidemic time series, the system remained accurate even when up to half of the surveillance data were missing.
NewsCARB‑X–supported trivalent Salmonella vaccine advances to Phase 2 clinical trials
Combating Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Biopharmaceutical Accelerator (CARB-X) today announced that GSK’s global health vaccine program for a combined invasive nontyphoidal Salmonella and typhoid fever (iNTS‑TCV) has advanced into a Phase 2 clinical trial.
NewsHow human cells slow down the Ebola virus
Human cells may possess a previously underappreciated defence against Ebola virus infection. Researchers found that the cell-surface protein CD81 can restrict viral entry and replication, while Ebola appears to use two of its own proteins to counteract this protective mechanism.
NewsAnti-HIV antibody clinical trials offer clues to prevent viral escape and resistance
The broadly neutralizing antibody VRC01 has been thoroughly vetted as a potential prophylactic that could prevent people from becoming infected with HIV. A new analysis of data shows that the antibody initially provides strong protection, but that some strains of the virus can still cause breakthrough infections after treatment has stopped.
NewsHow a CRISPR sickle cell therapy moved from lab to clinical trial
Researchers have described how they advanced an experimental CRISPR approach for sickle cell disease into a blood stem cell therapy that can be manufactured at the scale and quality required for a clinical trial.
NewsCRISPR map reveals 6,500 genetic interactions in tuberculosis bacteria
Researchers have created the most detailed map yet of how essential genes interact in Mycobacterium tuberculosis. By uncovering nearly 6,500 genetic relationships, the study reveals hidden gene functions and points to new ways of identifying drug targets and more effective antibiotic combinations.