Best of the Journals 2018
Posted on December 11, 2018 by Laura Cox
As we approach the end of 2018, this week on Microbe Post we will be looking back at some of our achievements from the year. Today, we are looking at the Microbiology Society’s journals portfolio and some of the amazing microbiology research that was published in 2018.
In Microbial Genomics, researchers used genetic information to understand the spread of diseases. One paper discussed the genomic epidemiology of Renibacterium salmoninarum, a pathogen that causes bacterial kidney disease in farmed salmon. The paper focused on when the disease was introduced into Chile and how it spread after the first outbreak. Another paper was published describing how resistance to multiple drugs has evolved in the pathogen that causes TB. The researchers studied Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolated from an outbreak in Papua New Guinea.
In an Editorial published in the Journal of General Virology, Dr Derek Gatherer discussed the potential for rapid expansion of the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Dr Gatherer reflected on the history of the disease in the DRC, and the similarities with the Ebola outbreak that occurred in 2014. Another paper was published discussing how mismatched segments of the influenza virus genome could affect its evolution. The researchers hope that having a better understanding of these processes will help to predict and control future outbreaks of bird flu and swine flu.
In the Journal of Medical Microbiology, researchers discussed the challenges of diagnosing hepatitis E virus in the laboratory. Another paper explains how microbes re-cycle their cell wall proteins, and how this process leads to the development of antimicrobial resistance.
There were plenty of new species of microbes discovered in 2018. In the International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology, a new pathogenic species of Staphylococcus was discovered on a man in Cornwall. Also, two new species of bacteria were discovered on bees and flowers. The researchers think these bacteria are used by the bees to help nourish their offspring.
In Microbiology, the Editor in Chief co-authored a discussion of ‘Humanity’s deadly microbial foe’, tuberculosis. The Microbe Profile explains why Mycobacterium tuberculosis is such a successful pathogen and what questions still need to be answered to help tackle this disease. In July, a research article by Australian researchers made headlines for the finding that cinnamaldehyde, a component of cinnamon essential oil, can slow spread of the pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
This year also saw the launch of our new open access journal Access Microbiology. With a changing landscape of academic publishing, we are excited to be able to provide this service to the microbiology community.
To read more of the most read articles across all the Society's journals, you can see the full collection here. Thanks to everyone that has contributed to our journals this year, whether it is submitting their research, being on an editorial board or peer reviewing articles.
Remember, all journals income is invested back into the Society be it through funding grants, scientific meetings or helping to fund our policy activities. To learn more about our journals or to submit a paper, see here.
