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Endometriosis may be caused by bacterial infections

14 June 2023

Bacteria that contribute to gum disease may be a cause of the gynaecological condition endometriosis, which means it could be treated with antibiotics

Microbombs detonated by ultrasound can blast away tooth decay bacteria

16 May 2023

Tiny capsules burst open when hit with ultrasound waves, releasing chemicals that destroy films of bacteria like those found on teeth

C. difficile spore in gold emerges from a bacterium in turquoise

New antibiotic may clear Clostridium difficile and stop reinfection

8 May 2023

Clostridium difficile kills 13,000 people each year in the US alone. A new antibiotic tested in mice works better than our first-line treatments against infection – and prevents reinfection too

MRSA could be prevented with genetically engineered antibodies

3 May 2023

Genetic mutations to an antibody prevented MRSA infections in mice, and boosted the effectiveness of antibiotics for fighting the infection

Curbing fatty acid production in bacteria lowers antibiotic resistance

1 May 2023

Bacteria are more susceptible to antibiotics when they can't produce fatty acids, suggesting that drugs inhibiting this process could help us overcome antibiotic resistance

A transmission electron micrograph of a colony of Gardnerella vaginalis , bacteria that are found in vaginas and the urethras of men who have vaginal sex

The microbiome inside the penis can be altered by vaginal sex

21 March 2023

The penis plays host to a collection of bacteria known as the penile microbiome, and an analysis of urethral swabs has found that men who have vaginal sex can pick up bacteria normally found in the vagina

microscope images showing ciprofloxacin-resistant E. coli (credit: University of Oxford)

Become a citizen scientist in the fight against antibiotic resistance

15 March 2023

Sign up to a project called Infection Inspection and help researchers confront the rogue microbes that threaten to unleash an apocalypse of untreatable disease

Breastfed C-section babies get more of their microbiomes from milk

8 March 2023

Being born by C-section is known to influence a baby's microbiome and now a new study reveals that those who are breastfed get more of their bacteria from milk than babies delivered vaginally

Health workers treat people with cholera at a hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi, in January 2023

Global cholera outbreak: More than 1 billion people are at risk

27 February 2023

Twenty-two countries are in the midst of an outbreak, but an additional 21 nations could be at risk amid a worldwide surge in infections

In severe cases, Streptococcus pneumoniae bacteria can cause pneumonia and serious blood infections

Covid-19 pandemic tied to antibiotic resistance in pneumonia bacterium

16 February 2023

A modelling study suggests that the proportion of cases involving pneumonia-causing bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics has increased amid the covid-19 pandemic