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Researchers find previously unknown response within gut microbiome

The gut microbiome, which is a collection of numerous beneficial bacteria species, is key to our overall well-being and good health. Recent studies have linked the gut microbiome with several beneficial properties, such as aiding in the development of our immune system and warding off pathogen infections.

5 Mar 2020

Molecule-sized drills can target diseased cells and kill them in minutes

Molecule-sized drills do the damage they are designed to do. That's bad news for disease.

5 Mar 2020

Research shows how Chlamydia pathogen invades human cells

Together with scientists from Paris and Munich, a team of researchers working under Prof. Dr. Johannes Hegemann and Dr. Katja Moelleken has published these findings in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.

5 Mar 2020

Bioscientists develop coinfection model to predict multipathogen epidemics

Diseases often pile on, coinfecting people, animals and other organisms that are already fighting an infection.

5 Mar 2020

X-ray free electron laser helps probe deeper into deadly pathogen

Tularemia is a rare but often lethal disease. It is caused by one of the most aggressive pathogens on earth, the bacterium Francisella tularensis.

5 Mar 2020

New NGS technique offers quick, accurate diagnosis of sepsis

A report in the Journal of Molecular Diagnostics, published by Elsevier, describes a new technique that uses real-time next-generation sequencing to analyze tiny amounts of microbial cell-free DNA in the plasma of patients with sepsis, offering the possibility of accurate diagnosis of sepsis-causing agents within a few hours of drawing blood.

5 Mar 2020

Adding travel history to routine medical assessments could help stem pandemics' spread

Integrating travel history information into routine medical assessments could help stem the rapidly widening COVID-19 epidemic, as well as future pandemics, infectious disease specialists recommend in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

4 Mar 2020

Two common Staph bacteria living on human skin exacerbate Netherton syndrome

Netherton syndrome, a rare skin disease caused by a single genetic mutation, is exacerbated by the presence of two common Staphylococcal bacteria living on human skin, one of which was previously thought to only offer protective properties, report University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers.

3 Mar 2020

NHS doctors say UK not prepared for coronavirus outbreak

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has spread dramatically around the globe, infecting more than 92,000 people and killing more than 3,000.

3 Mar 2020

SFU researchers help discover potential new drug to kill superbugs

Researchers in Simon Fraser University's Brinkman Laboratory are collaborating with U.S. researchers to test a new drug that can kill a wide range of superbugs - including some bacteria now resistant to all common antibiotics.

3 Mar 2020

Analysis: One sure thing about COVID-19: No telling how many people have it

It has been nearly three months since the first cases of a new coronavirus pneumonia appeared in Wuhan, China, and it is now a global outbreak. And yet, despite nearly 90,000 infections worldwide (most of them in China), the world still doesn't have a clear picture of some basic information about this outbreak.

3 Mar 2020

Researchers take a close look at invisible communities of microbes in the mouth

Most people know that good oral hygiene - brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits - is linked to good health. Colorado State University microbiome researchers offer fresh evidence to support that conventional wisdom, by taking a close look at invisible communities of microbes that live in every mouth.

2 Mar 2020

Tapping pre-existing immunity to enhance therapeutic cancer treatment

A new research from the University of Helsinki showed for the first time how the pre-immunization acquired through common childhood vaccines can be used to enhance therapeutic cancer treatment.

2 Mar 2020

UK races to tackle coronavirus spread

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak spiked dramatically on Sunday, with more countries reporting additional cases. The deadly virus has added 13 more confirmed cases in the United Kingdom, with Scotland reporting its first case. Health officials are racing to identify people who are unaware they may have been exposed.

1 Mar 2020

Cancer chemical from common gut microbe

Many common gut bacteria carry cancer-causing mutations, says a new study published in the journal Nature on the 27th February 2020.

27 Feb 2020

Coronavirus virus unlikely to be transmitted to humans via food, consumer goods

An outbreak of respiratory tract diseases which can be traced back to an infection with a new type of coronavirus (2019-nCoV) was identified in Asia.

26 Feb 2020

Study finds no benefit in using broad-spectrum antibiotics as initial pneumonia treatment

Doctors who use drugs that target antibiotic-resistant bacteria as a first-line defense against pneumonia should probably reconsider this approach, according to a new study of more than 88,000 veterans hospitalized with the disease.

26 Feb 2020

Transmission of avian influenza viruses from poultry food consumption is unlikely

In the Federal State of Brandenburg, a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (often referred to as bird flu) was found in a wild goose, caused by a virus of the H5N8 subtype.

26 Feb 2020

Coronavirus vaccine trials commence

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak has swept the world, killing 2,770 people and infecting more than 81,000. Amid the health crisis, scientists from across the globe are racing to develop novel therapies and vaccines in the hope of stemming the spread of the deadly virus.

26 Feb 2020

Study sheds new light on the immune system’s ability to deal with co-infection

The body’s immune response to fungal infections changes when a patient is also infected by a virus, according to new research which investigated the two types of infection together for the first time.

26 Feb 2020