An international team of scientists is warning that everyday antibacterial soaps, wipes, sprays, and other “germ‑killing” products are quietly contributing to the global rise of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) while providing no added health benefit for most consumer uses. Antibiotic-resistant infections already cause more than one million deaths worldwide each year and could rival cancer as … Read more
A new rapid urine test can identify the correct antibiotic for urinary tract infections (UTIs) in less than six hours, reducing the standard two-to-three-day wait for laboratory results. Research from the University of Reading, the University of Southampton, and Hampshire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust shows the method identifies effective treatments in an average of 5.85 … Read more
IntroductionResistance vs. persistence: Key differencesBiological mechanisms underlying persistenceClinical consequences of persistenceResearch advances and therapeutic strategiesReferencesFurther reading Antibiotic persistence helps a small subpopulation of bacteria survive treatment without becoming genetically resistant, often leading to relapse and prolonged infection. Researchers are uncovering how stress responses, metabolic slowdown, and biofilm-associated survival shape persistence and how these pathways could … Read more
World Health Organization. Global Antimicrobial Resistance and Use Surveillance System (GLASS) Report: 2022. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240062702 (2022). World Health Organization. WHO Updates List of Drug-Resistant Bacteria Most Threatening to Human Health. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240038608 (2024). Krawczyk, B., Wityk, P., Gałęcka, M. & Michalik, M. The many faces of Enterococcus spp.-commensal probiotic and opportunistic pathogen. Microorganisms 9, 1900 (2021). Google … Read more
iFAST Diagnostics Ltd has developed a breakthrough technology that delivers antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) results with speed, accuracy, and actionable clinical detail. Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has emerged as one of the defining health challenges of our time. As bacteria evolve and become increasingly resistant to existing treatments, the global community faces a mounting crisis that … Read more
From routine infections to emerging health threats, being ready for what comes next is essential. Pandemic preparedness sits at the heart of that effort. Dr Lennie Derde, newly appointed CEO of the Ecraid medical research network, shares how stronger European collaboration and EU backing are building a more agile and coordinated clinical research response across … Read more
In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical region. By analyzing tens of thousands of metagenomes, the team found that while most microbes adapt to a specific ecosystem, a rarer subset … Read more
Antimicrobial resistance – when bacteria and fungi defend themselves against the drugs design to kill them – is an urgent threat to global public health, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. To combat this threat, the Gerdt Lab at Indiana University Bloomington studies how to weaken bacteria’s defenses against viruses. “Bacteria get sick, … Read more
Biologists have uncovered a new mode of communication inside cells that helps bacterial pathogens learn how to evade drugs. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Communications, describe how these mechanisms drive antimicrobial resistance in Listeria monocytogenes, the foodborne bacteria that causes listeriosis. The work is a collaboration between researchers at the University at Albany and … Read more
Efforts to reduce child mortality in Africa via mass treatment with the antibiotic azithromycin (AZM) may lead to increased drug resistance in bacteria that frequently cause pneumonia and meningitis, highlighting the need for careful monitoring, finds a new study led by UCL. The study, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, is a collaboration with researchers … Read more