Microbiology

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Researchers Identify Genetic Factors Enabling Deadly E. coli Strains to Infect

Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have identified how certain dangerous bacteria are spread.

12 Sep 2026

Genetically Modified Bacterial Enzyme Breaks Down Dense Polyurethane Plastics

Your favorite pair of tennies, kicks, or trainers may soon become a little more sustainable. In a study publishing September 11 in the Cell Press journal Chem Catalysis, researchers have developed a new kind of enzyme based on a bacterium found in compost that can degrade the polyurethane material in shoe foams.

12 Sep 2026

Synchronized Gene Regulatory Pathways Defend C. diff Against Host and Microbiota Threats

The pathogen Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) - a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections - must contend with a variety of threats inside the harsh environment of the gut to survive and grow.

10 Sep 2026

Researchers Discover Groundbreaking Protein-Stabilizing Antiviral for Ebola

A University of Minnesota-led multi-institutional research team has discovered a highly potent small molecule that blocks Ebola virus entry by stabilizing the virus's entry protein and provides strong protection when given orally in a preclinical model.

10 Sep 2026

Study Evaluates Impact of Broad-Spectrum Fungal Immunization on Resident Gut Microflora

A vaccine created by University of Georgia researchers to battle multiple life-threatening fungal infections is successful in achieving protective immunity in pre-clinical animal models while also maintaining the biodiversity of the gut microbiome, according to a new study.

9 Sep 2026

Elusive Archaea Act as Flexitarians in Marine Sponge Symbiosis

Symbiotic ammonia-oxidizing archaea in marine sponges are not strict specialists, but true "flexitarians": A team led by microbiologists Bettina Glasl and Katharina Kitzinger from the University of Vienna, in collaboration with partners from Australia, has shown that these microbes dine not only on ammonia but also on amino acids such as valine, leucine, and isoleucine - and presumably do that to communicate with their animal host.

7 Sep 2026

Key Cellular Complexes Drive Protein Localization Within Resistant Bacterial Membranes

Gram-negative bacteria are responsible for causing several infections that are hard to treat, owing to their high resistance to antibiotics.

7 Sep 2026

Research Identifies Microorganisms That Convert Precursors Into Testosterone

Many prostate cancers depend on androgen hormones, including testosterone, to grow. That is why treatments for advanced disease often try to reduce testosterone production or block its effects.

7 Sep 2026

Bacterial Chemical Signals Work Together to Control Intestinal Movement

Mayo Clinic researchers have discovered that chemical signals produced by gut bacteria work together to control intestinal movement.

3 Sep 2026

Genetically Engineered Marine Bacteria Accelerate Global Carbon Dioxide Removal Efforts

Rock weathering, the breakdown and dissolving of rocks and minerals caused by their exposure to water, air, and biological life, is a major regulator of Earth's atmospheric CO2 levels and climate.

31 Aug 2026

Single Line T Cell Immunity Fails Maintaining Permanent Zika Protections

CA-Zika virus has been spreading for decades, but it first grabbed worldwide headlines in 2016. That February, with an outbreak sweeping the Americas, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the surge in Zika-linked birth defects a "public health emergency of international concern"-a designation which lasted until that November.

31 Aug 2026

Researchers Track Harmful Post COVID Autoantibodies to Specific B Cells

When the immune system encounters a virus, it produces antibodies designed to recognize and eliminate the invader.

31 Aug 2026

Essential SNX5 Protein Alerts Human Immune Cells to Tuberculosis Infections

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a protein that helps the immune system respond to tuberculosis (TB), one of the world's leading infectious diseases.

31 Aug 2026

Antarctic Soil Microbes Are Frequently Picking Up Genes for Turning Air Into Energy

Antarctica is one of the driest, coldest places on Earth and long ago its soil microbes were largely dismissed as static or inactive, asleep in the harsh conditions – but new research has revealed that is decidedly not the case.

28 Aug 2026

Mapping the Hidden Structural Networks Governing Hundreds of Gut Microbes

Understanding how bacteria influence one another is essential for understanding how microbial communities are formed and maintained. Researchers at Umeå University have now systematically mapped interactions between common gut bacteria, creating one of the most comprehensive datasets of its kind.

27 Aug 2026