Microbiology

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Epstein-Barr virus reactivation likely to blame for long COVID symptoms

Long COVID symptoms, such as weariness, brain fog, and rashes, may be caused by Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) reactivation because of the inflammatory response to coronavirus infection, which occurs in about 30% of individuals following recovery from initial COVID-19 infection.

25 Jun 2021

New nanobodies could fight against SARS-CoV-2 variants

Looking for a new strategy in the long-running battle against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, researchers have developed nanobodies.

23 Jun 2021

Fluorescence microscopy and deep learning predict viral infections

Researchers have now used fluorescence images from live cells to train an artificial neural network to reliably detect cells that are infected by herpes viruses.

22 Jun 2021

Scientists explore the human gut to combat SARS-CoV-2 virus

Scientists have discovered that some commensal bacteria residing in the human gut release compounds that suppress the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

21 Jun 2021

New technique boosts the efficacy of future malaria vaccines

A new technique for obtaining pure malaria parasites from infected mosquitos could speed up the development of novel, more powerful malaria vaccinations.

21 Jun 2021

A new treatment approach against SARS-CoV-2

Scientists have come up with a new method to treat SARS-CoV-2 infection by fixing the cell damage instead of fighting the virus directly.

21 Jun 2021

Study finds link between reduced microbial stability and soil carbon loss

Researchers have recently identified a relationship between reduced microbial stability and soil carbon loss in the active layer of deteriorated alpine permafrost.

18 Jun 2021

Diesel-polluted soil can be remediated using soil bacteria

Diesel-polluted soil from now defunct military outposts in Greenland can be remediated using naturally occurring soil bacteria according to an extensive five-year experiment in Mestersvig, East Greenland, to which the University of Copenhagen has contributed.

17 Jun 2021

New packaging film can keep strawberries fresh for up to 12 days

Québec produces more strawberries than any other Canadian province. Strawberries are delicate and difficult to keep fresh. In response to this challenge, Monique Lacroix, a professor at at the Institut national de la recherche scientifique (INRS), and her team have developed a packaging film that can keep strawberries fresh for up to 12 days.

16 Jun 2021

Study sheds new light on the early stages of viral evolution

Scientists from the Universities of York and Leeds, in association with Hilvert Laboratory at the ETH Zurich, have investigated the evolution, structure, and assembly of virus-like particles. According to the researchers, this breakthrough discovery will impact the way viruses are treated in the future.

11 Jun 2021

SARS-CoV-2 virus does not spread on hospital surfaces

By observing what was going on across the world in early 2020, researchers from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine knew that their region will soon be flooded with patients infected with COVID-19—the disease caused by the coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2.

From UC San Diego 11 Jun 2021

COVID-19 spread varies seasonally, but warmer conditions are not enough to prevent transmission

New research shows transmission of the virus behind COVID-19 varies seasonally, but warmer conditions are not enough to prevent transmission.

10 Jun 2021

Study reveals new insights into role of polyphenols in the soil microbiome

Fruits, vegetables, red wine and chocolate are all rich in polyphenols, natural plant compounds that double as cancer-fighting antioxidants. We can access these foods' health benefits because the microbes in our guts happily feast on them, breaking them down into smaller chemical components.

10 Jun 2021

Pre-trained viruses are more effective in countering antibiotic resistance

The risk of antibiotic resistance increases as bacteria continue to evade even the most powerful contemporary medicinal treatments. Antibiotic-resistant microorganisms threaten to take more than 10 million lives by 2050, as present-day treatments prove ineffective.

9 Jun 2021

International travelers may pick up AMR genes from different destinations

According to a research work published in the Genome Medicine journal, travelers abroad may contract bacteria and other vectors with genes that confer antibiotic resistance, which linger in the travelers’ gut when they return home.

9 Jun 2021

Study reveals how coronavirus aerosols flow through the lower lungs

When we inhale isolated coronavirus particles, more than 65% reach the deepest region of our lungs where damage to cells can lead to low blood oxygen levels, new research has discovered, and more of these aerosols reach the right lung than the left.

8 Jun 2021

Study explores how the microbiome could be manipulated for good

There's a lot of interest right now in how different microbiomes--like the one made up of all the bacteria in our guts--could be harnessed to boost human health and cure disease. But Daniel Segrè has set his sights on a much more ambitious vision for how the microbiome could be manipulated for good: "To help sustain our planet, not just our own health."

7 Jun 2021

Scientists discover two drugs that provide effective SARS-CoV-2 suppression

COVID-19 continues to claim lives across the world and is infecting millions more. Although several vaccines have recently become available, making significant strides towards preventing COVID-19, what about the treatment of those who already have the infection?

From Tokyo University of Science 4 Jun 2021

Three plausible solutions mitigates zoonotic risk associated with intensive animal agriculture

As early as the Neolithic period (circa 3900 BC), the domestication of animals likely led to the development of diseases including measles and smallpox. Since then, zoonotic disease has led to other major transnational outbreaks including HIV, Ebola, SARS, MERS, and H1N1 swine flu, among others.

3 Jun 2021

Scientists design new gene drive to stop the transmission of devastating diseases

CRISPR-based technologies offer enormous potential to benefit human health and safety, from disease eradication to fortified food supplies. As one example, CRISPR-based gene drives, which are engineered to spread specific traits through targeted populations, are being developed to stop the transmission of devastating diseases such as malaria and dengue fever.

From UC San Diego 3 Jun 2021