public health, microbiology

A contaminated ham put bacteriologist Émile Pierre-Marie van Ermengem on the path to discovering the microbe that produces botulinum toxin.

The resurfaced conversation surrounding the idea that SARS-CoV-2 might have leaked from a lab in Wuhan, China, represents an opportunity to reexamine the confluence of science, politics, and public discourse.

The certification, a major accomplishment for the world’s most populous nation, may serve as an example to other countries struggling with malaria eradication.

The House of Commons rebuked the president of the Canadian Public Health Agency for not turning over sensitive information pertaining to the dismissal of government scientists from the National Microbiology Laboratory.

Randomized, controlled research conducted in an Indonesian city confirms the reduction in cases seen with previous observational work.

The World Health Organization–led program will promote equity in addition to facilitating access to samples, a WHO official involved in the project tells The Scientist.

In addition to continued scruitiny of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, research on similar pathogens could aid in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and future disease outbreaks.

The researchers found thousands of species not previously documented.

Two viruses from dogs and pigs were isolated from human patients, but neither was proven to cause severe disease or to transmit to other people.

A letter signed by 18 researchers argues that hypotheses about zoonotic spillover or accidental lab release both “remain viable” in the absence of additional evidence.

Doctors are reporting an uptick in cases of a highly lethal condition called mucormycosis that might be linked to steroid treatments for SARS-CoV-2.

Data from three studies indicate that fully vaccinated patients are able to stave off severe disease from the B.1.1.7, B.1.351, and P.1 variants.

While some experts speculate the variant could be partially responsible for India’s current surge in SARS-CoV-2 infections, information about the effects of its mutations is only beginning to emerge.

A modeling study of boarding behavior finds filling the plane from back to front extends the close contact time between passengers and therefore increases the risks posed by air travel.

Immunization had up to 77 percent efficacy in a Phase 2 clinical study of 450 children in Burkina Faso.

Scientists at the US CDC report no red flags in a preliminary analysis of the safety of Pfizer/BioNTech’s and Moderna’s mRNA-based immunizations among expectant mothers.

The chance of developing cerebral venous sinus thrombosis was nearly 10 times higher in the two weeks following a diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection than after receiving an mRNA vaccine, a data analysis finds.

Vaccinations with the Johnson & Johnson jab paused at several sites earlier this week after an unusual number of people experienced adverse reactions, but the CDC says there’s no cause for concern.

The European Medicines Agency emphasizes that the benefits of the jab in protecting against COVID-19 still far outweigh the risks.

A review of hundreds of cases finds that only a minority of patients noted being sick with a coronavirus infection prior to developing the severe inflammatory condition.