Much like our gut microbes, the community of microbes used to process human waste must be healthy to do the job well. Monitoring the DNA in waste sludge can help us ensure the system stays healthy.
A 19th-century depiction of a surgeon treating the foot of a male patient.
Historical image collection by Bildagentur-online/Alamy
While every week or two will generally suffice for sheets, towels are best washed every few days. A microbiologist explains.
Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii is classified as a priority 1 critical pathogen by the World Health Organization.
Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock
The current treatments for inflammatory bowel disease do not work for everyone. Tapping into new areas of biology may be the key to developing new therapies.
Fermented foods can be a good source of probiotics.
Yulia Naumenko/Moment via Getty Images
Probiotics are great for your gut, but which sources contain the most beneficial bacteria? Newly developed sensors are helping scientists figure it out.
Gut bacteria consume the nutrients that harmful pathogens need to survive, thereby keeping them in check, a new study finds.
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)
The contrasting realities of antimicrobial resistance between high-income countries and low- and middle-income countries demands international co-operation to effectively fight superbugs.
Australia is one of the highest users of antibiotics in the developed world. So when do we actually need antibiotics to treat an infection? And when should we avoid them?
We’ve all heard of antibiotic resistance. The same thing is happening with other causes of infections in humans: fungi, viruses and parasites. This is making thrush and other infections hard to treat.
Developing new antibiotics is important in the fight against antibiotic resistance. But we also need to use the antibiotics we already have much more wisely – GPs play a major role in this.
Olive trees that have died after becoming infected with Xylella fastidiosa.
Fabio Michele Capelli/Shutterstock
The meadow spittlebug can transmit a deadly bacterium – many plants in Britain could be at risk.
The industrialization of the fishing industry and changes in the environment have raised many issues about the management of our fisheries.
(Fanny Fronton)
Antibiotics have been around for less than a century. But as resistant bacteria become increasingly difficult to treat, we risk a greater number of deaths from infections.
Ivan Erill, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Researchers discovered a satellite virus latching onto the neck of another virus called MindFlayer. Studying the viral arms race between similar viruses could lead to new ways to fight infections.
‘Fried rice syndrome’ refers to food poisoning from a bacterium called Bacillus Cereus, which becomes a risk when cooked food is left at room temperature for too long.
Mosquitoes are the primary medium for contracting dengue.
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