Why is vaccination for target populations plummeting in the UK? Share your insights!
As a group of leading UK health experts launches a new Commission on Access to Vaccines to understand why access levels are falling across the UK, Applied Microbiology International is calling on members to share their insights on childhood vaccinations.
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Can we make a vaccine against the next Disease X in 100 days?
The COVID-19 pandemic was one of the deadliest events in modern history. Estimated to have killed over 25 million people worldwide and caused trillions of dollars in economic damage, the devastation caused by this virus was both astronomical and unforgettable.
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A journey to run a polymerase chain reaction in the kitchen
Did you know an air fryer can thermocycle?
Rethinking Blastocystis: a One Health perspective on a common and controversial gut protist worth our attention
Here’s the reality: a stool report that reads “Blastocystis detected” still provokes strong reactions. Some clinicians worry and reach for antibiotics. Some laboratories add a note about “uncertain significance.” Patients search online and find polarised claims ranging from harmless commensal to stealth pathogen. The truth is more nuanced and more ...
The world’s fermented foods in health and history
The use of microbes in food fermentation dates back thousands of years; archaeological evidence suggests that fermented beverages such as rice wine were produced in China as early as 7000 BC, while bread and beer were staples in ancient Egypt.
Under the Lens video series
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
In our second episode, Dr Callum Cooper joins Professor Emmanuel Adukwu to talk about all things bacteriophage, from alternatives to antibiotics, social impact, and regulation.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
In our first episode, Professor Raquel Peixoto joins Professor Jack Gilbert for a deep dive into coral reefs, microbes, and the future of our planet.
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 2
The Microbiologist: Under the Lens | Episode 1
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Listeria: the inconvenient truth that shaped our industry
Director General of the Chilled Food Association, Karin Goodburn MBE, who sits on AMI’s Food Security Advisory Group, reveals why the publication of new Listeria guidance for the UK food industry is regarded as a landmark moment.
We couldn’t get people interested in science - until we started speaking their language
In 2020, Puerto Rico faced a misinformation crisis. Melanie Ortiz Alvarez De La Campa reveals how five STEM undergraduates created a sci-comm organization that helped pass legislation, educated thousands, and created an inclusive database of Caribbean scientists.
The politics behind the global divide in bacteriophage therapy
The therapeutic potential of bacteriophages (or ‘phages’) has been widely dismissed for decades in the West, despite being regularly used to treat patients worldwide in the early and mid-20th century. In an age rife with disinformation, can the true potential of clinical phage technology be communicated to a public already uneasy about scientific intervention?
Life is a rollercoaster: AMI Global Ambassador Chris Greening opens up on his ADHD journey
It can be the quiet moments that give you time to pause, ponder and sort through your tangled thoughts. For Professor Chris Greening, that moment came during a long bike ride last August that led to a ‘classic ADHD moment’.
Introducing AMI’s Diversity & Inclusion Strategy
Just over a month ago, AMI launched its first Diversity & Inclusion Strategy — the culmination of almost two years spent brainstorming, drafting, discussing, editing, and reviewing our role, responsibility, and ambitions within this vital space. Now that our strategy is live and visible to all, we’re proud to share the vision we’ve been building behind the scenes.
Summer Studentship: novel antivirals and host-virus interactions
Jessica Harris reports back on her Summer Studentship at De Montfort University, and her research into how plant-derived compounds affect viruses, and whether combining these antivirals might increase viral inhibition.
Over 250,000 deaths from meningitis globally in 2023; over one third in children under five
In 2023, globally 259,000 people died from meningitis and 2.5 million people were infected with the disease, suggests a study. Although death and infection rates have declined significantly since 1990, progress is insufficient to meet the WHO targets.
Fiber in whole wheat foods protects against gut inflammation in mice, study finds
Enriching the diet with wheat fiber protects mice against intestinal inflammation, according to a study. The finding helps explain why incidence of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) has increased, and suggests eating whole wheat foods may reduce one’s risk of developing it.
Medieval DNA reveals trans-Saharan connections, rapid genetic mixing, and leprosy in Islamic Ibiza
An international research team has revealed that the population of medieval Ibiza was remarkably diverse. One individual was found to be infected with Mycobacterium leprae, the bacterium responsible for leprosy, marking the first genetically confirmed case from medieval Islamic Iberia.
Food security
Scientists identify new Fusarium species behind wheat disease outbreak in Ethiopia
New research provides new insights into the severe 2022 outbreak of Fusarium head blight in Ethiopia and identifies emerging fungal pathogens that could have broader implications for global wheat production.
Clean Water
Different plastics, different threats: Tracking antibiotic resistance on riverborne debris
While traditional plastics steadily accumulate antibiotic resistance genes over time, biodegradable plastics can trigger short-lived but intense spikes in pathogens and resistance during degradation.
Stolen chloroplasts maintained by host-made proteins offer clues to plant cell origins
The single-celled predator Rapaza viridis temporarily retains chloroplasts from prey algae and imports its own proteins into them, new research has shown.
