Tag Archives: Antibiotics

Policy Lunchbox: Review on Antimicrobial Resistance

Posted on August 2, 2016 by

Antimicrobial-resistant infections are an increasing global threat, serious enough that in July 2014 the then-UK Prime Minister David Cameron asked Lord Jim O’Neill to lead a major independent Review on Antimicrobial Resistance, to analyse the global challenges posed by antimicrobial … 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 →

Posted in Animal Microbiology, Environmental Microbiology | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a 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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Surfer bums and antibiotic resistant bacteria

Posted on January 20, 2016 by

Are surfers at greater risk of being colonised by antibiotic resistant bacteria? Anne Leonard, a PhD student at the University of Exeter Medical School, is trying to find out. Anne is part of a research team led by Dr William Gaze … Continue reading →

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Antibiotics: weapons or signals?

Posted on October 13, 2015 by

Bacteria and fungi have naturally been producing antibiotics for millions of years. Over the last century, we have been able to harness the power of these compounds for our own uses to treat infections. But what are antibiotics actually used … Continue reading →

Posted in Microbial Evolution and Diversity | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Microbe Talk Extra: Something in the water

Posted on September 3, 2015 by

Where do antibiotics end up after we’ve used them? The answer is almost everywhere – in our soils and crops, in our rivers and in our drinking water. Is this something we should be concerned about? And is it driving … Continue reading →

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Microbe Talk Extra: Culture Collections

Posted on July 7, 2015 by

Private Ernest Cable was a WW1 soldier who died on 13 March 1915 and his body now lies in a communal cemetery in Wimereux, France. Records suggest that Cable was the first British soldier in WW1 to die from dysentery … Continue reading →

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