Blog listing

November 23, 2022

Some fungal infections, like athletes' foot or thrush, are relatively common and are usually not serious. But in those with underlying conditions or compromised immune systems, fungal infections can be deadly.

In recent weeks, the World Health Organisation has warned of the serious threat that fungi pose to humans with a new report and list of priority fungal pathogens. In this episode of Microbe Talk, Charlotte takes a look inside the creeping threat of fungal infections with guests Prof Kevin Kavanagh and Prof Neil Gow.

October 23, 2019

In this blog, Professor Garry Blakely, from the University of Edinburgh's School of Biological Sciences, discusses carbapenemase-producing bacteria and the importance of surveillance. In August 2019, Professor Blakely attended a Public Health England (PHE) steering group with a number of clinicians and diagnostic staff to discuss the limitations and effects that reporting infections from carbapenemase-producing bacteria could have on healthcare systems.

January 17, 2019

In 2017 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published the 12 Priority Pathogens. This list is a catalogue of the pathogens they believe pose the greatest threat to human health. The list draws attention to the growing incidence of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) evolving in bacteria, a development that is particularly worrying as genetic material can be passed between different species of bacteria, spreading resistance to life-saving antibiotics.

September 30, 2016

Last week, the ExCeL arena in London hosted New Scientist Live, a huge festival of science and technology. During the event the Microbiology Society collaborated with the Biochemical Society to organise a panel discussion about the problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) entitled ‘When A Scratch Can Kill’. We recorded the panel for the podcast, and Andy Day, our Public Affairs Intern tells us more about the event, below.

August 11, 2016

Every year, hundreds of millions of patients across the world are affected by Healthcare-associated Infections, according to estimates from the World Health Organization (WHO). These infections can result from a surgery, or from the use of a medical device like a catheter, for example, and cause significant mortality and economic losses.