Articles tagged with Antibiotic Resistance
A new joint report from EFSA and ECDC highlights the ongoing threat of antimicrobial resistance in common foodborne bacteria such as Salmonella and Campylobacter. Despite some encouraging signals, progress has been limited, and continued action is essential to slow the emergence and spread of antimicrobial-resistant bacteria.
Researchers discovered a 5,000-year-old bacterial strain in an underground ice cave that shows resistance to multiple modern antibiotics. The Psychrobacter SC65A.3 strain has over 100 resistance-related genes and can inhibit the growth of several major antibiotic-resistant superbugs.
A Dartmouth study found that plasmids can form tight clusters within bacterial communities, making them resistant to antibiotics and clinical treatments. This phenomenon introduces a new avenue for bacterial infections to become more difficult to treat.
Researchers developed a novel CRISPR-based technology called pPro-MobV that can remove antibiotic-resistant elements from bacterial populations. The new tool uses gene-drive thinking and has the potential to combat antibiotic resistance in healthcare settings, environmental remediation, and microbiome engineering.
A new study reveals cyanobacteria as major carriers of antibiotic resistance genes in estuarine ecosystems. The researchers found strong connections between microbial carbon and nitrogen cycling and the presence of resistance genes.
New research reveals microalgae play a hidden role in spreading antibiotic resistance genes in natural water environments. The study highlights how microalgae create microenvironments that foster the growth and transmission of these genes, often found in bacteria.
Researchers have designed antibodies that recognize a unique sugar found on bacterial cells, providing a potential new treatment for multidrug-resistant hospital-acquired infections. The target of the antibody is pseudaminic acid, a sugar molecule produced exclusively by bacteria and used to evade immune responses.
The lack of data on safety and dosage limits life-saving antibiotics from children in Australia, New Zealand, and the Pacific Islands. Only six out of 12 recommended antibiotics are licensed for children under 12, with standard doses often too low.
Biologists have discovered a new mode of communication inside cells that helps bacterial pathogens learn how to evade drugs. The findings, published in Nature Communications, describe how mobile genetic elements transfer DNA sequences, including antimicrobial resistance genes, in Listeria monocytogenes.
A comprehensive review highlights a critical obstacle in effective global surveillance: the lack of a unified standard for interpreting antibiotic resistance data. Researchers argue that differences in international testing standards can lead to conflicting conclusions about resistance trends.
Researchers are using advanced DNA sequencing technologies to monitor environmental reservoirs of antibiotic resistance genes and assess their impact on human health. The study highlights the importance of integrating gene detection, host identification, and quantitative analysis to evaluate environmental antibiotic resistance.
Computational analysis reveals two strategies: stealthy plasmids pick up new genes first, while manipulative plasmids help them spread rapidly. This 'stealth-first' process can aid in predicting future resistance threats and tracking their emergence.
Researchers have demonstrated that Janus nanoparticles can disrupt drug-resistant bacteria's defenses, restoring the effectiveness of conventional antibiotics. The approach uses nanoparticles to create pores in bacterial membranes, allowing antibiotics to flood in and execute their killing function.
Researchers at NUS Medicine discovered that genetic vectors can efficiently spread antibiotic resistance within the gut, enabling even highly virulent bacteria to acquire drug resistance. This finding sheds light on the emergence of 'superbugs' in healthcare settings.
The event highlighted urgent global risks and science-led solutions for antimicrobial resistance, trust in data, and AI-enabled sustainable cities. Experts emphasized the need for immediate actions against AMR, which could kill more people than cancer by 2050.
Antimicrobial resistance is expected to kill more people than cancer by 2050 due to increasing public mistrust and delayed policy-making. Experts urge immediate global action against AMR, emphasizing the need for trust in science, transparency, and openness to address this growing threat.
Researchers from New England Biolabs and Yale University have developed a first fully synthetic bacteriophage engineering system using the High-Complexity Golden Gate Assembly platform. This method simplifies strain engineering techniques, allowing for rapid creation of tailored therapeutic strains to overcome antibiotic resistance.
Salk Institute scientists found distinct disease courses and tolerance mechanisms in younger and older mice with sepsis, indicating a need for age-tailored therapies. The study suggests that future treatments may focus on controlling infection-generated damage rather than just targeting the pathogen.
A new diagnostic platform enables rapid and accurate detection of drug-resistant C. auris pathogens using CRISPR technology, allowing for more effective treatment and prevention of hospital outbreaks. The dSHERLOCK test can detect the presence of mutations causing antimicrobial resistance in just 40 minutes.
Researchers found that vermicomposting reduces antibiotic resistance genes by 70-95% and mobile genetic elements by up to 68%. The process uses earthworms to transform raw manure into a stable, high-value fertilizer.
A new review highlights the growing threat of environmental antimicrobial resistance, which can spread through wastewater plants, farms, and oceans. The authors call for integrated surveillance to track resistance genes and prioritize traits that drive health risk, such as mobility, host pathogenicity, and multi-resistance.
A new study reveals that biodegradable plastics like PLA introduce a transient but intense risk window during breakdown, while conventional plastics like PVC pose a persistent threat as long-lived hubs for antibiotic resistance. The research highlights the need for considering the full life cycle of plastispheres in risk assessments.
Climate change is releasing ancient antibiotic resistance genes from glaciers into rivers and lakes that supply drinking water, posing a significant risk to human health. The 'glacier continuum' concept highlights the need for monitoring programs and early-warning frameworks to track resistance gene spread.
The new clinical standards for antimicrobial stewardship in tuberculosis care aim to integrate TB into existing AMS frameworks, strengthening surveillance and resistance monitoring. The standards prioritize effectiveness, safety, and resistance prevention, promoting structured expert consultation services and targeted testing.
Researchers create a novel mathematical framework to control biological noise, enabling precise single-cell control. The 'Noise Robust Perfect Adaptation' technology suppresses stochastic fluctuations while maintaining stable average behavior, with promising applications in cancer therapy and synthetic biology.
Researchers identify two archetypes of growth arrest that lead to persistence: regulated and disrupted states. The former provides protection from antibiotics, while the latter is marked by vulnerabilities, particularly impaired cell membrane stability. This distinction has significant implications for developing targeted therapies.
New study reveals that viruses living on plastics can act as drivers of antibiotic resistance dissemination by transferring genetic material between bacteria. Environmental context is crucial in understanding the risks of plastic pollution on public health.
A recent study found that tigecycline-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae strains are predominantly identified in chicken feces in China, but have expanded to other ecological niches and countries. The researchers highlighted the importance of antimicrobial stewardship policies in controlling the spread of resistance genes.
Researchers used robotics and 'click' chemistry to synthesize over 700 metal complexes in a week, identifying six potential new lead compounds. An iridium-based antibiotic candidate showed high effectiveness against bacteria while being non-toxic to human cells.
Researchers discovered a tiny RNA molecule called PreS that helps viruses copy their DNA more efficiently and boost replication in bacterial cells. This discovery provides important insights for designing smarter phage-based therapies against antibiotic-resistant infections.
Researchers developed a tool to quickly identify resistant strains of S. aureus using genomic profiles and machine-learning models. The approach is based on gene-content information rather than highly detailed genomic profiles, making it more practical for real-life clinical contexts.
A comprehensive review reveals that antibiotic resistance genes are ancient features of microbial life shaped by millions of years of evolution. Human activities such as agriculture, wastewater discharge, and global trade are accelerating the spread of these genes into disease-causing bacteria.
Researchers from HIRI analyzed over 24,000 bacterial genomes to demonstrate that common machine learning methods can lead to biased results. They found that conventional approaches may fail to capture true resistance signals and limit accuracy in new strains.
A recent study reveals that sampling biases in bacterial population structure can severely undermine the accuracy of AI models predicting antimicrobial resistance. The researchers recommend evaluating future methods to address this issue.
A new review highlights how complex microbial communities, including those in the human gut and environment, drive antimicrobial resistance evolution. The study identifies five pathways of horizontal gene transfer that enable bacteria to share resistance genes within communities.
The study evaluates the antimicrobial efficacy of Syzygium aromaticum (clove essential oil) and Salvadora persica (miswak) against key peri-implantitis pathogens. CEO and miswak exhibit promising activity, but a synergistic effect is not observed.
Researchers found that natural humification processes in soil can influence microbial communities and ecological risks. Artificial humic substances added to paddy soil showed a strong enrichment of genes related to carbohydrate metabolism, suggesting microbes quickly mobilize additional carbon.
Pseudomonas aeruginosa uses the type VI secretion system (T6SS) to counterattack when attacked by other bacteria, but this defense mechanism also makes it more vulnerable to antibiotics.
Researchers found that plant phenolic acids can dramatically boost the activity of existing antibiotics against multidrug resistant E. coli, reducing the chance of new resistance emerging. The compounds also make it easier for antibiotics to enter and stay inside bacterial cells.
A new perspective outlines an urgent scientific roadmap for understanding chemical-microbe interactions and their role in accelerating antimicrobial resistance. Emerging evidence highlights unexpected combined effects of pollutants at low levels, which can promote resistance even when each chemical is present alone.
A new study found that black carbon formed during wheat straw burning can significantly reduce the spread of antibiotic resistance genes in soil and soybean crops. Black carbon altered nutrient availability, modified the physical and chemical aging of mulch films, contributing to reduced gene transfer.
Researchers analyzed 1,240 wastewater samples from 351 cities worldwide and discovered latent antimicrobial resistance genes. The study highlights the need for broader surveillance of resistance in wastewater to curb future pandemics.
A large-scale laboratory screening identified 168 chemicals toxic to human-made gut bacteria. Washing fruit and veggies before consumption may help avoid exposure to these pollutants. Researchers developed a machine learning model to predict chemical harm, emphasizing the need for safer industrial practices.
A recent study found that microplastics in the natural environment are colonized by pathogenic and antimicrobial resistant bacteria. The study's findings suggest that these microplastics can act as carriers for harmful pathogens, posing a growing risk to environmental and public health.
A new study identifies how sulfamethoxazole, a common antibiotic, affects denitrification in estuarine sediments. The results show that the antibiotic disrupts the balance of nitrogen cycling processes, leading to increased nitrous oxide emissions and greenhouse gas warming.
Scientists have developed a new strategy to combat antibiotic resistance by studying the competition among plasmids within bacterial cells. By isolating individual cells and measuring intracellular plasmid competition, researchers discovered basic properties of plasmid and bacteria fitness and evolution.
Researchers have catalogued a new collection of bacteria-eating viruses to combat the growing threat of hospital superbug Klebsiella pneumoniae. The open-source phage library offers scientists a valuable resource to develop new treatments and improve understanding of phages and bacteria interactions.
The BfR is part of a nationwide interdisciplinary surveillance system, OHIS, to monitor antibiotic resistance. The goal is to identify trends and develop targeted measures.
Researchers warn that Brazil's domestic policies must align with international commitments on forest conservation and climate justice. The country must take concrete actions, such as reversing anti-environmental policies and protecting indigenous peoples' rights.
A new analytical tool can improve a hospital's ability to limit the spread of antibiotic-resistant infections by inferring asymptomatic carriers. The method, developed by Columbia University researchers, combines multiple data sources to predict the spread of an infection in the hospital setting.
The 2025 European Scientific Conference on Applied Infectious Disease Epidemiology (ESCAIDE) brings together over 3,000 participants to exchange knowledge and strengthen collaboration in infectious disease prevention and control. The conference highlights urgent priorities such as building trust in science, demonstrating science-based ...
A novel nanogel technology has been developed to kill drug-resistant bacteria, including Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Escherichia coli, with high selectivity and efficiency. The technology uses a heteromultivalent nanogel that binds to specific proteins on the bacterial surface, disrupting the membrane and leading to rapid bacterial death.
The Applied Microbiology International (AMI) society has issued a warning about the threat of antimicrobial resistance in viruses and other pathogens. AMI is urging policymakers to strengthen the revised Global Action Plan on Antimicrobial Resistance, including all types of pathogenic organisms.
New research reveals that large-scale livestock farming accelerates the spread of antibiotic resistance and heavy metal contamination in agricultural soils. Dried poultry manure, once applied to vegetable plots for food crops, drives a dramatic surge in dangerous antibiotic resistance genes.
Researchers at UC San Diego have developed a new method to combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria using bacteriophages, which target the Klebsiella pneumoniae species. The evolved phages demonstrated improved effectiveness in killing multiple bacterial strains, including multidrug-resistant and extensively drug-resistant K. pneumoniae.
The AMR portal connects bacterial genomes, resistance phenotypes, and functional annotations, providing a central hub for global AMR research. It brings together experimental and computational data types, allowing researchers to investigate how genetic variants translate into antimicrobial resistance.
Europe is facing a major public health crisis due to rising antimicrobial resistance (AMR) rates, with estimated deaths of over 35,000 annually. The EU must address this issue through strong action on antibiotic use, innovation in novel treatments and infection prevention and control practices.
A study published in Nature Communications found that while some municipal wastewater samples select for antibiotic-resistant E. coli, most instead suppress their growth, suggesting wastewater treatment plants may not be breeding grounds for resistance as commonly thought.
A study found high rates of antibiotic-resistant bacteria in raw milk, with 95% of isolated strains resistant to penicillin and erythromycin. The presence of multidrug-resistant Staphylococcus epidermidis in raw milk highlights the urgent need for responsible antibiotic use and improved hygiene practices.
Researchers from the University of Edinburgh have identified a new mechanism of resistance to common antibiotics, targeting a special repair system possessed by certain bacteria. This discovery could aid efforts to combat antimicrobial resistance, one of the world's most urgent health challenges.