Category Archives: Animal Microbiology

Investigating Lyme disease on the South Downs

Posted on April 6, 2017 by

The South Downs National Park is an area that stretches for 140 km along the South Coast of England, and is home to a huge diversity of plants and animals. Some of the smaller inhabitants of the park are ticks: … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Microbiology, Clinical and Medical Microbiology, Emerging Diseases | Tagged | 3 Comments

Koalas have a virus that might protect them from chlamydia

Posted on April 4, 2017 by

In 2016, the koala was upgraded from ‘Least Concern’ to ‘Vulnerable’ on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The cuddly-looking marsupial is not only threatened by habitat loss, but also by disease – most notably chlamydia infections. Different species … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Microbiology, Events, Virology | 3 Comments

In New York State, bats are showing signs of recovery from white-nose syndrome

Posted on March 29, 2017 by

Bats in North America are in trouble. Millions of them have died over the past few years, over an area that stretches for thousands of miles, from Nova Scotia in Eastern Canada to Nebraska in the heart of North America. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology, Mycology | Tagged | 1 Comment

On the Horizon: Rift Valley fever

Posted on November 15, 2016 by

In 1930, a new disease was reported in sheep on a farm near the town of Naivasha, in the central Rift Valley region of Kenya. This disease caused mass spontaneous abortions among pregnant ewes and the death of newborn lambs. … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Microbiology, Clinical and Medical Microbiology, Emerging Diseases, On the Horizon, Virology | Tagged | 1 Comment

How is the hepatitis C-like hepacivirus of horses transmitted?

Posted on October 11, 2016 by

In 2011, a new virus was identified in dogs that were suffering from respiratory disease. Analysis revealed that this virus – at the time named canine hepacivirus (CHV) – was the closest known relative of the human virus hepatitis C … Continue reading →

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Spotlight on Grants: Do tardigrades have a microbiome?

Posted on September 26, 2016 by

Each year, the Microbiology Society awards a number of grants that enable undergraduates to work on microbiological research projects during the summer vacation. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be posting a series of articles from students who were awarded … Continue reading →

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Cows on antibiotics release more methane from their dung

Posted on July 19, 2016 by

It’s a well-known fact that cattle and other livestock are responsible for releasing greenhouse gases like methane into the atmosphere. However, contrary to popular belief, it’s actually bovine burps, not farts, that are to blame. Methane from belching is a … Continue reading →

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Is Antarctic wildlife at risk from human E. coli?

Posted on July 5, 2016 by

Antarctica is the only continent on Earth without a native human population. But at any one time, there are still thousands of people living there, most of them scientists. During the course of their research, it’s inevitable that these scientists … Continue reading →

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Can we model how viruses move between species?

Posted on March 24, 2016 by

Dr Ben Longdon from the University of Cambridge is presenting his work on emerging viruses at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference today (24 March). He may have found the key to predicting which viruses will emerge to cause severe illness … Continue reading →

Posted in Animal Microbiology, Clinical and Medical Microbiology, Virology | Tagged , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Old, deep and close to home: the places that scientists are looking for new drugs

Posted on March 23, 2016 by

Many of the drugs we use in hospitals – antibiotics, antifungals and anti-cancer drugs, to name but a few – are produced by bacteria that live in the soil beneath our feet. Most of the antibiotics we use were discovered … Continue reading →

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