All USA & Canada articles – Page 5
-
NewsA deadly fungus may not live to see the last of us
The battle lines have finally shifted in the war against a deadly fungal disease. The fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus has long been known to cause a severe, rapid respiratory infection, and it has become harder to fight. Researchers successfully killed the pathogen in animal studies by identifying how it resists current therapeutic methods.
-
NewsResearch uncovers how bacteria fight viruses, opening the door to better virus-based antibiotics
New research has revealed that bacteria detect viruses when a viral enzyme cuts an important sensor molecule in the bacterium, kicking off the immune response. The discovery paves the way for development of better phage therapies that can evade the bacterial immune system.
-
NewsSugar amplifies damage done to gut health by antibiotics
Eating sweets while taking antibiotics may worsen the harm done by the drugs to the normal community of bacteria in the gut, a new study has found. The study of hospitalized cancer patients found an additional 21% reduction in the variety of helpful bacterial species present for every 100 grams of sugar consumed in the 48 hours before treatment.
-
NewsWeather and poultry litter shape E. coli survival in onion fields
How long can E.coli survive in the soil beneath an onion crop? A two-year field study suggests the answer depends not only on the type of poultry-based fertiliser used, but also on weather conditions such as humidity, rain, temperature and wind. The findings could help growers and regulators better assess food safety risks as extreme weather becomes more common.
-
NewsWealth and health aren’t the only indicators of national happiness – there are also cats. And their parasites!
National happiness is influenced by complex relationships beyond basic economic factors, according to a study that finds that cats and their parasites are strongly correlated with both positive and negative happiness scores worldwide.
-
NewsFrom silent killer to cellular fuel: chemist unlocks nature’s carbon monoxide sensors
While carbon monoxide (CO) is widely feared as an odorless, deadly household hazard, nature views it quite differently. In the microscopic world, carbon monoxide serves as an essential cellular messenger and a vital lifeline of energy for microbes thriving in harsh environments.
-
NewsViral infections can accelerate the progression of ALS, researchers find
A new study suggests that common viral infections — like influenza or COVID-19 — may accelerate the onset and progression of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. The findings suggest that it is the immune response triggered by these infections that accelerates the onset and progression of ALS.
-
News‘Molecular movie’ fills in blanks of how non-enveloped viruses infect cells
Researchers have answered a longstanding question about how certain non-enveloped viruses punch through the cell membrane to deliver their genetic material. The findings deepen understanding of virology and could aid the biotech industry’s search for ways to deliver relatively large therapeutic agents into cells to treat or prevent disease.
-
NewsHow and where mcrobes die in soil influences residues, organic matter, and soil health
Healthy soils depend not just on plant inputs, but also on the remains of microbes. A new study found that microbial residues build up when they bind to fine-textured, non-crystalline minerals that are rich in reactive iron.
-
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.
-
NewsHow ancient oceans sustained life
A newly uncovered feedback loop between phosphorus, microbes, and oxygen may explain how Earth stayed habitable billions of years ago, with implications for early life, modern oceans, and the search for life beyond Earth.
-
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.
-
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.
-
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.
-
NewsGroundbreaking research to sequence Antarctic genomes from microbes to whales
A molecular microbial ecologist and biological oceanographer has been awarded $18.4 million to lead a project that will pave the way for the next generation of Antarctic research. This research infrastructure will enable researchers to understand how Antarctic life has evolved and adapted to extreme conditions, while also seeding innovation.
-
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.
-
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.
-
NewsThe Andes were supposed to stop this cacao killer - they didn’t
Black pod disease destroys up to a quarter of the world’s cacao every year. A study provides the first comprehensive portrait of Phytophthora palmivora’s genetic structure in Colombia. Researchers genotyped and virulence-tested 73 isolates gathered from 48 locations across the country’s three main cacao-growing regions.
-
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.