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Researchers uncover genetic pathways behind rising cefiderocol resistance

Acinetobacter baumannii is a bacteria which can become a virulent killer in health-care settings among severely ill patients. The germ has rapidly developed drug resistance to even last-line carbapenem drugs.

20 Feb 2026

Frozen in time: Ancient bacteria reveal evolution of drug resistance

Bacteria have evolved to adapt to all of Earth's most extreme conditions, from scorching heat to temperatures well below zero.

17 Feb 2026

Infant bifidobacteria may protect against childhood allergies

Certain gut bacteria in infants may reduce the risk of developing allergies later in childhood. This is the finding of new research from the ALADDIN study at Karolinska Institutet, published in Nature Microbiology.

16 Feb 2026

Modified peptides show promise against tuberculosis bacteria

Antibiotic treatments are losing effectiveness against a range of common bacterial pathogens, including E. coli, K. pneumoniae, Salmonella and Acinetobacter, according to a warning issued by the World Health Organization last October.

13 Feb 2026

Engineered Listeria boosts innate immunity against cancer

After nearly 40 years of research on how Listeria bacteria manipulate our cells and battle our immune system to cause listeriosis, Daniel Portnoy and his colleagues have discovered a way to turn the bacteria into a potent booster of the immune system - and a potential weapon against cancer.

13 Feb 2026

High adherence and safety found in short TB treatments

A study comparing one- and three-month antibiotic treatments to prevent active tuberculosis (TB) finds that a high percentage of patients successfully completed both regimens and suffered few adverse side effects.

10 Feb 2026

Gut bacteria use formic acid as an electron taxi

Among the many trillions of microorganisms in the human gut is Blautia luti. Like many gut bacteria, it metabolizes indigestible dietary components, such as fiber in the form of carbohydrates.

7 Feb 2026

New analysis reveals hidden complexity in the vaginal microbiome

For decades, gynecological tests have relied on a simplified view of the vaginal microbiome, categorizing bacteria as either "good" or "bad."

6 Feb 2026

Enhanced natural killer cells show promise for HIV remission

More than 30 million people with HIV must take antiretroviral therapy (ART) medications daily to keep the virus under control, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).

5 Feb 2026

Breakthrough enables continuous laboratory growth of human norovirus

Researchers at Baylor College of Medicine report in Science Advances a breakthrough in human norovirus (HuNoV) research.

4 Feb 2026

Newly discovered stage controls malaria parasite division

Researchers studying the malaria parasite Plasmodium falciparum have discovered a previously unknown stage in its life cycle that appears to be crucial for reproduction.

4 Feb 2026

Australian researchers develop a new way to target deadly, drug-resistant bacteria

Australian researchers have developed a powerful new way to target deadly, drug-resistant bacteria by designing antibodies that recognize a sugar found only on bacterial cells – an advance that could underpin a new generation of immunotherapies for multidrug resistant hospital-acquired infections.

4 Feb 2026

Clear aligners protect oral microbiome better than fixed braces

Researchers compare the effects of clear aligners and fixed appliances on oral microbiota and oxidative stress in the oral cavity.

4 Feb 2026

Common human fungus found to worsen melanoma aggressiveness

Cancer is one of the causes responsible for the most deaths worldwide; in 2020, for example, it resulted in ten million deaths. It has been estimated that micro-organism infections caused between 13-18% of these cases.

3 Feb 2026

Bat viruses in Indochina Peninsula reveal viral diversity, PEDV origins, and spillover risks

Bats, critical reservoirs of viruses with significant cross-species spillover risks, have long been understudied in the Indochina Peninsula.

2 Feb 2026

African investment vital for medical research and innovation

Africa’s health future hinges on its ability to finance and commercialise its own medical innovations, rather than rely on increasingly uncertain international funding, African science leaders have warned.

31 Jan 2026

ERC Proof of Concept grant supports promising CRISPR-based cancer treatment research

Microbiologist John van der Oost of Wageningen University & Research (WUR) has received an ERC Proof of Concept grant to further develop a promising CRISPR-based approach to cancer treatment. With funding of €150,000, he and researcher Christian Südfeld will spend the next eighteen months working on a method to kill cancer cells from within, while sparing healthy cells as much as possible.

30 Jan 2026