Microbiology News and Research

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Unveiling Pseudomonas aeruginosa's lung invasion tactics with human lung microtissues

How do pathogens invade the lungs? Using human lung microtissues, a team at the Biozentrum of the University of Basel has uncovered the strategy used by a dangerous pathogen.

10 Jun 2024

Stanford study finds 15-day paxlovid treatment safe but ineffective for long COVID

In a clinical trial conducted by Stanford Medicine investigators and their colleagues, a 15-day course of Paxlovid -; an antiviral drug combination targeting SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19 -; proved safe as an extended-duration treatment but didn't lessen select symptoms of the syndrome known as long COVID: the persistence, or reappearance, of COVID-related symptoms three months or more after an initial COVID-19 infection.

7 Jun 2024

Antibacterial lipopeptide shown to be highly effective in killing Staphylococcus aureus

A novel antibacterial lipopeptide produced by the bacterium Serratia marcescens has been shown to be highly effective in killing Staphylococcus aureus – one of the most important pathogens occurring in humans.

6 Jun 2024

Developing pre-symptomatic diagnostic tools for Alzheimer's disease using long-read RNA sequencing

Researchers at the University of Kentucky Sanders-Brown Center on Aging are working to develop a pre-symptomatic disease diagnostic tool for Alzheimer's disease.

6 Jun 2024

Artificial intelligence accelerates natural-product antibiotic discovery

Almost a century ago, the discovery of antibiotics like penicillin revolutionized medicine by harnessing the natural bacteria-killing abilities of microbes.

5 Jun 2024

Common anti-inflammatory drug could combat deadly gut fungus, study finds

A team of UC Davis Health researchers discovered that a common anti-inflammatory drug, mesalamine, can replace the work of good bacteria in fighting the nasty fungus Candida albicans in the gut.

4 Jun 2024

Novel small molecule oral antiviral could be a game-changer in the fight against future pandemics

Obeldesivir (GS-5245), a novel investigational small molecule oral antiviral, represents a new tool in the ongoing effort to prepare for future pandemics.

4 Jun 2024

Existing drug alleviates symptoms of a rare genetic syndrome

A drug approved to treat certain autoimmune diseases and cancers successfully alleviated symptoms of a rare genetic syndrome called autoimmune polyendocrine syndrome type 1 (APS-1).

30 May 2024

MUSC researchers unravel the mystery of cancer recurrence

MUSC Hollings Cancer Center researchers have unlocked a discovery that could help to explain why cancer can recur in patients who have undergone chemotherapy or radiotherapy.

28 May 2024

Understanding the link between EBV-infected B cells and multiple sclerosis

The Wistar Institute's Paul M. Lieberman, Ph.D., and lab team led by senior staff scientist and first author, Samantha Soldan, Ph.D., have demonstrated how B cells infected with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) can contribute to a pathogenic, inflammatory phenotype that contributes to multiple sclerosis (MS); the group has also shown how these problematic B cells can be selectively targeted in a way that reduces the damaging autoimmune response of multiple sclerosis.

28 May 2024

Advanced techniques reveal plectasin's velcro-like action against bacteria

A small antibiotic called plectasin uses an innovative mechanism to kill bacteria. By assembling into large structures, plectasin latches onto its target on the bacterial cell surface comparable to how both sides of Velcro form a bond.

25 May 2024

Study confirms face masks' effectiveness in reducing disease transmission, calls for improved public understanding

Researchers reviewed the benefits, practicalities, and harms of masks and masking, finding that masks are effective in reducing respiratory disease transmission despite some adverse effects, and emphasized the need for improved public understanding and policies.

23 May 2024

Study explores how different modes of cell division evolved in close relatives of fungi and animals

Cell division is one of the most fundamental processes of life. From bacteria to blue whales, every living being on Earth relies on cell division for growth, reproduction, and species survival.

23 May 2024

Sphere Fluidics appoints Curtis Nicholson as Director of Sales, EMEA, to support accelerated growth in key markets

Sphere Fluidics, a leading provider of innovative microfluidics-based solutions for single-cell analysis and isolation, today announced the appointment of Curtis Nicholson as Director of Sales for Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA). Curtis’ appointment will strengthen the Company’s market position in these regions as it progresses ambitious plans for future growth and commercial success.

From Sphere Fluidics 23 May 2024

Matcha green tea powder may help keep gum disease bacteria at bay

Periodontitis is an inflammatory gum disease driven by bacterial infection and left untreated it can lead to complications including tooth loss.

21 May 2024

Study reveals positive impact of repeat COVID-19 vaccinations

Health-care workers received the first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in December 2020.

17 May 2024

AI uncovers gaps in global antimicrobial resistance research

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has helped identify knowledge, methodological and communication gaps in global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) research.

17 May 2024

SMART researchers identify key mechanism behind artemisinin resistance in malaria

Researchers from the Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Interdisciplinary Research Group (IRG) at Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology (SMART), MIT's research enterprise in Singapore, in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Columbia University Irving Medical Center (CUIMC), and Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore), have discovered a link between malaria parasites' ability to develop resistance to antimalarial drugs – specifically artemisinin (ART) – through a cellular process called transfer Ribonucleic acid (tRNA) modification.

16 May 2024

Study reveals highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in New York City wild birds

A small number of New York City wild birds carry highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza, according to a recent study published in the Journal of Virology, a journal of the American Society for Microbiology.

15 May 2024

Single measles jab up to 2.6 times more likely to be ineffective in C-section born children

The dynamics of measles immunity at birth and following vaccination.