Babies born vaginally have different gut bacteria — their microbiome — than those delivered by Caesarean, research has shown. Scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute, UCL, the University of Birmingham and their collaborators discovered that whereas vaginally born babies got most of their gut bacteria from their mother, babies born…
Resistance can spread even without the use of antibiotics
Antibiotic resistance does not spread only where and when antibiotics are used in large quantities, researchers conclude from laboratory experiments. Reducing antibiotic use alone is therefore not sufficient to curtail resistance, and should be done in conjunction with measures to prevent infection with resistant germs. Bacteria are becoming increasingly resistant…
New framework helps gauge impact of mosquito control programs
Effective methods of controlling mosquito populations are needed to help lower the worldwide burden of mosquito-borne diseases including Zika, chikungunya, and dengue. Now, researchers reporting in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases have described a new statistical framework that can be used to assess mosquito control programs over broad time and space…
Groundbreaking study could lead to fast, simple test for Ebola virus
In a breakthrough that could lead to a simple and inexpensive test for Ebola virus disease, researchers have generated two antibodies to the deadly virus. The antibodies, which are inexpensive to produce, potentially could be used in a simple filter paper test to detect Ebola virus and the related Marburg…
Fecal transplants may be best answer to antibiotic-resistant bacteria: Non-pharmaceutical treatment combats recurring Clostridium Difficile infections
Transplanting human donor fecal microbiota into the colon of a patient infected with Clostridiodes difficile (C. diff) may be the best treatment for those not helped by C. diff targeted antibiotics, according to an article in the Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. C. diff is the most common healthcare-acquired…
Experts sound alarm as mosquito- and tick-borne diseases set to flourish in warmer climate
New research presented at this year’s European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases (ECCMID) in Amsterdam, Netherlands (13-16 April) shows that the geographical range of vector-borne diseases such as chikungunya, dengue fever, leishmaniasis, and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) is expanding rapidly. Spurred on by climate change and international travel and…
Bacteria flip an electric switch to worsen food poisoning: Infection-driven change in macrophage movements disseminates bacteria throughout the body
Salmonella bacteria flip an electric switch as they hitch a ride inside immune cells, causing the cells to migrate out of the gut toward other parts of the body, according to a new study publishing on April 9 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Yaohui Sun and Alex Mogilner…
Sewage reveals levels of antimicrobial resistance worldwide
A comprehensive analysis of sewage collected in 74 cities in 60 countries has yielded the first, comparable global data, which show the levels and types of antimicrobial resistant bacteria that are present in mainly healthy people in these countries. The National Food Institute, Technical University of Denmark, headed the study,…
Healthier dairy products with bacterial films and nanofiber membranes
Bacterial biofilms are typically the target of heavy-duty cleaning regimens, but these films aren’t always bad news. In fact, growing them on thin sheets of nanofibers is a great way to produce a fermented milk product that can deliver hardy probiotics to the digestive tract, according to research just published…
Immune system’s unknown messenger
Researchers can now explain how a cell that is being attacked by bacteria or viruses specifically manages to ‘sound the alarm’ among its neighbouring cells so they can react with a quick response. “We’ve succeeded in finding and describing a messenger which both quickly and effectively can inform the surrounding…
Algorithm to predict PEDV outbreaks
Researchers from North Carolina State University have developed an algorithm that could give pig farms advance notice of porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV) outbreaks. The proof-of-concept algorithm has potential for use in real-time prediction of other disease outbreaks in food animals. PEDV is a virus that causes high mortality rates…