#bacteriology
#bacteriology

OMG science

Here's some new dirt on a source of antibiotic resistance

fromArs Technica

Public health

Antibiotic resistance among germs swells during droughts, study suggests

Medicine

A single course of antibiotics can cause lingering changes in gut microbes

Public health

Drinking from a fetid pond': superbug-creating genes found in UK's largest lake

OMG science

Here's some new dirt on a source of antibiotic resistance

Bacteria are increasingly resistant to antibiotics, with drought contributing to this rise in resistance and impacting human health.

fromArs Technica

Public health

Antibiotic resistance among germs swells during droughts, study suggests

Medicine

A single course of antibiotics can cause lingering changes in gut microbes

more#antibiotic-resistance

Public health

Drinking from a fetid pond': superbug-creating genes found in UK's largest lake

#meningitis

Coronavirus

Are UK students at risk of more deadly meningitis outbreaks?

Coronavirus

Streeting praises response to meningitis outbreak

Coronavirus

U.K.'s deadly meningitis outbreak shows importance of vaccination

Public health

The Guardian view on meningitis in Kent: we must not take public health systems for granted | Editorial

Public health measures in Kent are effectively managing the meningitis outbreak, with vaccinations and antibiotics limiting its spread.

Coronavirus

Five questions that still need answering about the meningitis outbreak

Meningitis outbreak in the UK has affected 29 people, resulting in two deaths, with a super-spreader event linked to a nightclub.

Are UK students at risk of more deadly meningitis outbreaks?

The meningitis outbreak in Kent has resulted in 20 confirmed cases, with two fatalities and an ongoing investigation into its unusual occurrence.

Streeting praises response to meningitis outbreak

Health Secretary Wes Streeting commended efforts to combat the meningitis outbreak in Kent and expressed condolences for the two student deaths.

U.K.'s deadly meningitis outbreak shows importance of vaccination

Health officials in the U.K. are combating a meningococcal meningitis outbreak with antibiotics and vaccinations, affecting thousands, especially students.

The Guardian view on meningitis in Kent: we must not take public health systems for granted | Editorial

Public health measures in Kent are effectively managing the meningitis outbreak, with vaccinations and antibiotics limiting its spread.

Five questions that still need answering about the meningitis outbreak

Meningitis outbreak in the UK has affected 29 people, resulting in two deaths, with a super-spreader event linked to a nightclub.

more#meningitis

Inside a rare lab that's blazing a bold trail as it hunts for new drugs

Kelly Chibale describes the drug discovery process as a fairy-tale quest, stating, 'It doesn't mean that there aren't surprises or miracles. They do happen, but you have to kiss many frogs before you meet the prince.' This metaphor illustrates the challenges and unpredictability in finding effective medicines.

US news

#meningitis-outbreak

Public health

Thousands get meningitis vaccine as experts wait to see outbreak peak

fromwww.independent.co.uk

Coronavirus

Why is this meningitis outbreak so explosive?

Public health

Nightclub goers urged to come forward' for treatment amid meningitis outbreak

Coronavirus

What are the symptoms of meningitis and is there a vaccine?

Thousands get meningitis vaccine as experts wait to see outbreak peak

Over 4,500 young people vaccinated in response to a meningitis outbreak in Kent, with two fatalities reported.

Why is this meningitis outbreak so explosive?

A meningitis outbreak in Kent with 20 cases in one week is unprecedented and unusually rapid, defying typical meningitis transmission patterns that normally spread slowly through isolated cases or small clusters.

fromwww.independent.co.uk

Nightclub goers urged to come forward' for treatment amid meningitis outbreak

A meningitis outbreak in Kent has resulted in 13 confirmed cases and 2 deaths, prompting health authorities to urge nightclub visitors to seek preventative antibiotic treatment.

What are the symptoms of meningitis and is there a vaccine?

Two deaths from meningitis occurred in Kent, with 13 confirmed cases of meningitis and septicaemia reported in the Canterbury area, prompting preventive antibiotic distribution to students.

more#meningitis-outbreak

Medicine

Daily briefing: Vaccine-carrying mosquitoes could inoculate bats against rabies

Engineered mosquitoes carrying vaccines in saliva show promise for preventing rabies and Nipah virus transmission from bats to humans, though field effectiveness remains uncertain.

Everyday cooking

fromTasting Table

Cleaning Vs Disinfecting: The Key Difference That Can Make Or Break Your Kitchen - Tasting Table

Cleaning removes dirt, disinfecting kills pathogens, and sanitizing reduces germs to safe levels—each serves distinct purposes in kitchen hygiene.

fromThe Atlantic

I Remember a World Without Vaccines

I am open-minded; I believe in integrative practices, and I agree that the medical establishment can be arrogant and unduly influenced by the pharmaceutical industry, which now funds so much of medical research. But I fully understand Scherer's frustration with his interminable discussions with Kennedy about scientific articles.

Coronavirus

Travel

fromTravel + Leisure

This Common Travel Item Is the Dirtiest Thing You Pack, New Study Finds-and No, It's Not Your Shoes

Passports carry significantly more bacteria than other travel items, with 436 CFU per three square meters compared to checked luggage at 97 CFU.

Deadly campus meningitis outbreak in the U.K. kills 2, sickens many more

A meningococcal meningitis outbreak in the U.K. has killed at least two students and sickened over 11 people, with tens of thousands potentially affected despite vaccine availability.

Capturing dynamic phage-pathogen coevolution by clinical surveillance - Nature

Phage-inducible chromosomal island-like elements (PLEs) in Vibrio cholerae provide defense against ICP1 phage predation, influencing pandemic strain evolution and disease severity through dynamic phage-bacteria interactions.

fromAxios

The narrow slice of data that worries biosecurity experts

Certain biological datasets that materially increase misuse risk should be governed like sensitive health records while most biological data remains openly accessible.

Books

Marvellous microbes, memory and the multiverse: Books in brief

Microscopy uncovered microbes and cellular anatomy; biosemiotics connects life and sign systems; memory constitutes both reader and read of personal identity.

First-of-its-kind vaccine protects children from deadly intestinal infections

In children below the age of five, whose immune systems are still developing, the infections can lead to malnourishment; they cause up to 42,000 deaths annually. Soon there may be a vaccine to protect against these infections. In the Lancet Infectious Diseases last month, scientists shared the results of the first study to evaluate the safety and efficacy of an ETEC-controlling vaccine in a large pediatric population in Gambia.

Public health

Vaccinating bats could be good for people. But how do you vaccinate a bat?

Bats carry a lot of very deadly pathogens like Ebola virus, Nipah, Hendra, coronavirus, and also rabies virus. People are finding more and more bat-borne viruses. When such viruses are transmitted to humans, the results are often fatal so there's a lot of interest in trying to prevent spillover in the first place.

Coronavirus

The bacterium behind syphilis has a far more ancient history than we thought

Treponemal diseases, including syphilis, originated much earlier than thought; a 5,500-year-old Treponema pallidum genome from Colombia pushes back their evolutionary timeline.

fromFuturism

FBI Raids Mysterious Biological Lab

We don't know what exactly investigators found or whether they are in any way harmful. However, we do have an intriguing clue. The property was linked to Jia Bei Zhu, a 62-year-old Chinese citizen who was arrested in October 2023 on charges of manufacturing and distributing misbranded medical devices and making false statements to the FDA, according to NBC News.

US news

Marvellous microbes, memory and the multiverse: Books in brief

Leeuwenhoek's microscopic discoveries illuminated microbes and cells; biosemiotics links human and nonhuman sign systems; memory entwines the remembering and the remembered.

fromMail Online

Scientists use AI to create a virus never seen before

Scientists used AI and gene-assembly tools to create Evo-Φ2147, a novel 11-gene virus designed to kill pathogenic E. coli.

Single vaccine could protect against all coughs, colds and flus, researchers say

A single nasal spray vaccine induces lung macrophage readiness, offering broad protection against viruses, multiple bacteria, and potentially allergies for months.

fromThe Walrus

What Do Microbes Have to Do with How We Age? Everything, Actually | The Walrus

Microbes profoundly influence human aging and health and represent a promising frontier for interventions to delay age-related decline.

Unlocking the secrets of an ancient plague

A single strain of Yersinia Pestis bacteria killed hundreds of people in 7th-century Jerash within days, revealing the rapid spread and lethality of the Plague of Justinian pandemic.

#tuberculosis

Public health

TB or not TB? That is the question

fromwww.mercurynews.com

Public health

What to know about tuberculosis in the Bay Area after outbreak at high school

Public health

TB or not TB? That is the question

fromwww.mercurynews.com

Public health

What to know about tuberculosis in the Bay Area after outbreak at high school

Cancer patients 'warned for years' about hospital water infections

NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde admitted the QEUH environment likely caused some infections in patients, acknowledging a causal connection on the balance of probabilities.

fromTruthout