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Articles on Antibiotics

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Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) caused by the Treponema pallidum bacterium. (NIAID, cropped from original)

FAQ: Why are syphilis cases on the rise in Canada?

With the alarming rise in syphilis cases in recent years, it’s important to know what it is, how it’s spread and who is most at risk.
While antimicrobial resistance is a threat to all humanity, a tale of two worlds emerges, highlighting the heightened vulnerability of low- and middle-income countries. (Shutterstock)

Antimicrobial resistance now hits lower-income countries the hardest, but superbugs are a global threat we must all fight

The contrasting realities of antimicrobial resistance between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries demands international co-operation to effectively fight superbugs.
Acinetobacter baumannii is a multidrug-resistant pathogen. GettyImages

Antimicrobial resistance is a silent killer that leads to 5 million deaths a year. Solutions must include the poor

Antimicrobial resistance is an epidemic that kills close to 5 million people annually. The solutions are complex and must take into account the needs of the poor.
Basic research often involves lab work that won’t be appreciated until decades down the line. Sebastian Condrea/Moment via Getty Images

Tenacious curiosity in the lab can lead to a Nobel Prize – mRNA research exemplifies the unpredictable value of basic scientific research

The winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine made a discovery that helped create the COVID-19 vaccines. They couldn’t have anticipated the tremendous impact of their findings.
Terminus of the Recherchebreen glacier in the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard, about 760 miles from the North Pole. Arterra Picture Library/Alamy

The melting Arctic is a crime scene. The microbes I study have long warned us of this catastrophe – but they are also driving it

To fully understand the extent of climate-related dangers the Arctic – and our planet – is facing, we must focus on organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye.
Antimicrobial resistance is now a leading cause of death worldwide due to drug-resistant infections, including drug-resistant strains of tuberculosis, pneumonia and Staph infections like the methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus shown here. (NIAID, cropped from original)

Removing antimicrobial resistance from the WHO’s ‘pandemic treaty’ will leave humanity extremely vulnerable to future pandemics

Drug-resistant microbes are a serious threat for future pandemics, but the new draft of the WHO’s international pandemic agreement may not include provisions for antimicrobial resistance.
Gain-of-function experiments in the lab can help researchers get ahead of viruses naturally gaining the ability to infect people in the wild. KTSDesign/Science Photo Library via Getty Images

Gain-of-function research is more than just tweaking risky viruses – it’s a routine and essential tool in all biology research

From cancer immunotherapy and antibiotics to GMO crops and pandemic surveillance, gain of function is a cornerstone of basic research.
Ancient DNA preserved in the tooth tartar of human fossils encodes microbial metabolites that could be the next antibiotic. Werner/Siemens Foundation

Reconstructing ancient bacterial genomes can revive previously unknown molecules – offering a potential source for new antibiotics

Ancient microbes likely produced natural products their descendants today do not. Tapping into this lost chemical diversity could offer a potential source of new drugs.

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