Behind the Paper
The real stories behind the latest research papers, from conception to publication, the highs and the lows
Filtered by: Microbiology
The evergreen power of anti-measles vaccination
Following the big drop in pediatric vaccination campaigns during the COVID-19 pandemic, a tremendous increase of measles disease cases has been observed across Europe in 2023 compared with the previous year.
Extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales: almost a decade persisting in our body
An overview of the paper: “Within-host genetic diversity of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacterales in long-term colonized patients”. Blog post authors: Lisandra Aguilar-Bultet; Sarah Tschudin-Sutter.
unlock the puzzle of no Zika virus outbreaks in Asia
Although 80% of the ZIKV infections are asymptomatic, the low incidence of ZIKV cases and very few ZIKV-associated microcephaly cases documented in the region remain poorly explained, considering the circulation of ZIKV in SEAsia for decades.
Buruli ulcer transmission and the philosophy of science
Buruli ulcer is a 'flesh-eating' bacterial infection of skin and soft tissue. Since the discovery in the 1940s of the causative agent Mycobacterium ulcerans, scientists have puzzled over how the infection is spread from the environment to humans.
Pathogenic bacteria hijack probiotic signal to activate virulence factor production and promote its survival
Are probiotics effective in preventing infections? what is their efficacy in physiologically relevant settings? We explored the beneficial effects of a human probiotic against a human pathogen in infection-relevant environments and discovered few unexpected but translationally relevant findings.