Microbiology

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The Link Between Climate Change and Salmonella Incidence

Research links specific weather conditions to salmonellosis outbreaks, emphasizing the need for weather-based models in food safety and public health planning.

6 Feb 2025

New Genomic Toolkit Offers Hope Against Superbugs

Amid growing concerns about antibiotic-resistant infections, an international team of microbial experts has introduced a robust and versatile free online genomic toolkit designed to accelerate the development of phage therapy.

5 Feb 2025

Zika Virus Tricks Mosquitoes by Making Infected Humans Smell More Appealing

Recent research reveals Zika virus modifies host odors, making infected individuals more attractive to mosquitoes, impacting disease transmission dynamics.

5 Feb 2025

Gut Microbes May Explain Link Between Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Diabetes

It is well known that consuming sugary drinks increases the risk of diabetes, but the mechanism behind this relationship is unclear.

3 Feb 2025

New Insights into Akkermansia's Role in Gut Health

A microbe found in the lower part of the gut, linked to good health, has been thoroughly analyzed and found to specialize in breaking down sugars hidden in mucus as part of its focused diet.

3 Feb 2025

New Method Helps Detect Mutations Causing Immune Escape in Viruses

Viruses are masters at disguise. When they are pushed too far by our immune system, they send new virus variants into play that are no longer recognized by immune cells.

31 Jan 2025

Studies Reveal Early Resistance to Newly Developed Antibiotics

Researchers from the HUN-REN Biological Research Centre, Szeged (Hungary), have made a concerning discovery about the future of antibiotics. Two recent studies, published just days apart in Nature Microbiology and Science Translational Medicine found that resistance can develop against new antibiotics even before they are widely used, compromising their effectiveness from the start.

31 Jan 2025

Unique Genetic Signature Predicts Bacteria's Potential to Develop Antibiotic Resistance

Antibiotic resistance is a global public health crisis responsible for more than a million deaths annually.

29 Jan 2025

Mapping the Human Virome to Uncover Links Between Viruses and Health

You, my friend, are what scientists call a "holobiont"- an organism made up of human cells and the multiplicity of microscopic species living inside you and on your body.

27 Jan 2025

Study Reveals Microbes’ Dual Role in Carbon Cycle of Amazon Peatlands

Complex organisms, thousands of times smaller than a grain of sand, can shape massive ecosystems and influence the fate of Earth's climate, according to a new study.

27 Jan 2025

Bacteria Can Degrade PFAS and Its Toxic Byproducts

In the quest to take the "forever" out of "forever chemicals," bacteria might be our ally.

24 Jan 2025

Study Unveils Key Genetic Mechanism Behind Antibiotic Resistance in Bacteria

An international collaboration has achieved an important breakthrough in understanding the genetic mechanisms that allow bacteria to build resistance to drugs.

24 Jan 2025

Microbiome Signatures Can Predict Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Using medical data from more than 1,200 people, specific microbiome signatures have been identified that allow precise prediction of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD).

22 Jan 2025

New Insights into the Structure and Function of a Key Viral Protein

Researchers at Harvard Medical School and Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine have mapped a crucial part of the Nipah virus, a deadly bat-borne infection that has been responsible for human outbreaks every year since its discovery in 1999.

21 Jan 2025

Mapping Global Microbial Diversity Using Genomic Sequencing Data

Metagenomic datasets could help map out microbial diversity hotspots. Published January 17, 2025 in Science Advances, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Joint Genome Institute (JGI), a DOE Office of Science User Facility located at Berkeley Laboratory, have taken stock of the current state of microbial genomic biodiversity.

20 Jan 2025

Bacterial Growth in Mucus Leads to Formation of Cable-Like Structures

Scientists at Caltech and Princeton University have discovered that bacterial cells growing in a solution of polymers, such as mucus, form long cables that buckle and twist on each other, building a kind of "living Jell-O."

20 Jan 2025

Deep Sea Foraminifera Species Unveil Secrets of Life in Extreme Environments

Most life on Earth relies on the sun's energy for survival, but what about organisms in the deep sea that live beyond the reach of its rays? A new study led by Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), published in The ISME Journal, sheds light on how a species of foraminifera, single-celled organisms found in almost all marine habitats, thrives in a dark, oxygen-free environment.

17 Jan 2025

Researchers Develop Method to Produce Strigolactones Using Microbial Cell Factories

Sometimes just using a different tool makes the job a whole lot easier. A team of researchers co-led by the University of California San Diego has developed a method to produce a special class of plant hormones, known as strigolactones, at unprecedented levels using microbial cell factories.

17 Jan 2025

Gene-Edited Bacteria Increases Nitrogen Fixation in Corn

If corn ever felt envious of soybean’s relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, advancements in gene editing may one day level the playing field.

17 Jan 2025

Breakthrough in Understanding Semliki Forest Virus Neuro-Invasion

In a recent study, researchers from Uppsala University show that the Semliki Forest virus enters the central nervous system by first entering the cerebrospinal fluid and then binding to a specific cell type before penetrating deeper into the brain.

16 Jan 2025