Why is vaccination for target populations plummeting in the UK? Share your insights!
As a group of leading UK health experts launches a new Commission on Access to Vaccines to understand why access levels are falling across the UK, Applied Microbiology International is calling on members to share their insights on childhood vaccinations.
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A journey to run a polymerase chain reaction in the kitchen
Did you know an air fryer can thermocycle?
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Rethinking Blastocystis: a One Health perspective on a common and controversial gut protist worth our attention
Here’s the reality: a stool report that reads “Blastocystis detected” still provokes strong reactions. Some clinicians worry and reach for antibiotics. Some laboratories add a note about “uncertain significance.” Patients search online and find polarised claims ranging from harmless commensal to stealth pathogen. The truth is more nuanced and more ...
The world’s fermented foods in health and history
The use of microbes in food fermentation dates back thousands of years; archaeological evidence suggests that fermented beverages such as rice wine were produced in China as early as 7000 BC, while bread and beer were staples in ancient Egypt.
Yeast-plant interactions: nature’s silent partnership for ecosystems and agriculture
Plant–microbe interaction studies have increased greatly in recent years. This sharp increase in studies is attributed to the need to better understand these interactions, which in turn can be used to enhance crop productivity and stress tolerance, reduce fertilizer inputs, and improve plant health. This is vital to meet the ...
Under the Lens video series
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
In our second episode, Dr Callum Cooper joins Professor Emmanuel Adukwu to talk about all things bacteriophage, from alternatives to antibiotics, social impact, and regulation.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
In our first episode, Professor Raquel Peixoto joins Professor Jack Gilbert for a deep dive into coral reefs, microbes, and the future of our planet.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
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Listeria: the inconvenient truth that shaped our industry
Director General of the Chilled Food Association, Karin Goodburn MBE, who sits on AMI’s Food Security Advisory Group, reveals why the publication of new Listeria guidance for the UK food industry is regarded as a landmark moment.
We couldn’t get people interested in science - until we started speaking their language
In 2020, Puerto Rico faced a misinformation crisis. Melanie Ortiz Alvarez De La Campa reveals how five STEM undergraduates created a sci-comm organization that helped pass legislation, educated thousands, and created an inclusive database of Caribbean scientists.
The politics behind the global divide in bacteriophage therapy
The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages (or ‘phages’) has been widely dismissed for decades in the West, despite being regularly used to treat patients worldwide in the early and mid-20th century. In an age rife with disinformation, can the true potential of clinical phage technology be communicated to a public already uneasy about scientific intervention?
Life is a rollercoaster: AMI Global Ambassador Chris Greening opens up on his ADHD journey
It can be the quiet moments that give you time to pause, ponder and sort through your tangled thoughts. For Professor Chris Greening, that moment came during a long bike ride last August that led to a ‘classic ADHD moment’.
Introducing AMI’s Diversity & Inclusion Strategy
Just over a month ago, AMI launched its first Diversity & Inclusion Strategy — the culmination of almost two years spent brainstorming, drafting, discussing, editing, and reviewing our role, responsibility, and ambitions within this vital space. Now that our strategy is live and visible to all, we’re proud to share the vision we’ve been building behind the scenes.
Summer Studentship: novel antivirals and host-virus interactions
Jessica Harris reports back on her Summer Studentship at De Montfort University, and her research into how plant-derived compounds affect viruses, and whether combining these antivirals might increase viral inhibition.
Fiber in whole wheat foods protects against gut inflammation in mice, study finds
Enriching the diet with wheat fiber protects mice against intestinal inflammation, according to a study. The finding helps explain why incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has increased, and suggests eating whole wheat foods may reduce one’s risk of developing it.
Medieval DNA reveals trans-Saharan connections, rapid genetic mixing, and leprosy in Islamic Ibiza
An international research team has revealed that the population of medieval Ibiza was remarkably diverse. One individual was found to be infected with Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium responsible for leprosy, marking the first genetically confirmed case from medieval Islamic Iberia.
RNA-guided CRISPR system activates gene expression
In back-to-back studies, researchers report a naturally evolved gene-editing system that can activate genes, offering an advantage over existing CRISPR gene-editing systems that merely find and cut DNA.
Food security
Scientists identify new Fusarium species behind wheat disease outbreak in Ethiopia
New research provides new insights into the severe 2022 outbreak of Fusarium head blight in Ethiopia and identifies emerging fungal pathogens that could have broader implications for global wheat production.
Clean Water
Different plastics, different threats: Tracking antibiotic resistance on riverborne debris
While traditional plastics steadily accumulate antibiotic resistance genes over time, biodegradable plastics can trigger short-lived but intense spikes in pathogens and resistance during degradation.
Stolen chloroplasts maintained by host-made proteins offer clues to plant cell origins
The single-celled predator Rapaza viridis temporarily retains chloroplasts from prey algae and imports its own proteins into them, new research has shown.
