Resources and further reading

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  Microbes and Food

  Food manufacturers continue to use micro-organisms today to make a wide range of food products. Learn more about the food production process, microbial growth on food, preservation and the bacteria that can cause food poisoning.

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  Food Chain

  All living things depend on each other to live. Learn more about where microbes are in the food chain and how they act as primary producers in the cycling of nutrients.

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  Microbiology Today: The Microbiome

  Microbiome research is a hot topic at the moment, and is the focus of this edition of Microbiology Today. The study of the microbiome highlights the microbes within these complex communities, and the interactions they have with each other and their environment.

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  Microbiology Today: Microbes and Food

  This issue of Microbiology Today focuses on the use of microbes and the roles they can play in food. We explore how microbes are used to influence flavour production and issues such as food sustainability.

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  Microbiology Today: Soil

  Learn more about the microbial world at our feet, the micro-organisms, microbiomes and microbial networks that exist, the ecosystem and processes at play in this issue of Microbiology Today. The issue explores the balance between protecting health and preventing soil degradation, and the microbial clues helping determine time of death in criminal cases.

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  Microbiology Today: Food

  As the human population continues to grow, ever greater demands are placed on food production. What contribution can microbiologists make to ensure that the supply of food to all people is secure in this uncertain and changing world? Learn more in this issue of Microbiology Today which focuses on food.

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  Microbiology Today: Honeybee

  Honeybees, the most important pollinators on the planet, are just like other living creatures; they are vulnerable to microbial attack and sometimes fall victim to a variety of viruses, bacteria and fungi. In this issue of Microbiology Today we explore how beneficial bacteria inside the honey crop have opened up a new research field.

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  Microbiology Today: Food and water

  In this issue of Microbiology Today we explore how the safety of some salad crops can come into question following outbreaks of disease, ways in which we can help harness food and water safety and explore the fruit and vegetables that can make you sick.

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  Unlocking the Microbiome report

  This report summarises the view of the working group and the wider community that there are many opportunities both for the advancement of scientific knowledge about microbiomes and for the useful application of that knowledge.

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  Unlocking the Microbiome Launch Event Summary

  On 15 November 2017, the Microbiology Society launched its science policy report ‘Unlocking the Microbiome’, at an event held at The Royal Society in London. Here is a summary of the key highlights.

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  Microbiome journal collection

  This unique collaboration breaks traditional disciplinary boundaries, bringing the microbiology and immunology communities together over shared interests.

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  Why is soil microbiology important?

  As part of our ‘A Sustainable Future’ policy project, we spoke to Professor Matthew Goddard from the University of Lincoln about his research into the soil microbiome.

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  Microbiome expert working group and stakeholder workshops

  Over Autumn 2016 the Society held five multidisciplinary stakeholder workshops in Cardiff, Manchester, London, Edinburgh and Dublin. Find out more about them and who took part here.

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  Enhancing Crop Performance using Soil Microbes

  This case study is written by Dr Ewen Mullins, who is Head of the Crop Science department at the Agriculture and Food Development Authority (TEAGASC). It focuses on how (TEAGASC) have identified a novel bacterium, which can modify plant characteristics and provide beneficial traits, such as resistance to diseases.

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  Could microbes hold the answer to rising soil salinity?

  As a species we rely heavily on plants, but as climate change continues to have an increased impact and soil salinity continues to increase worldwide, crops will begin to fail. But what if there are bacteria that can help solve this?

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  The Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum

  Learn more about the Westminster Food and Nutrition Forum, an event which involved discussions from policy makers and stakeholders on the future of UK agricultural policy

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  Antimicrobial resistance spreading rapidly through wild bird populations

  Bacteria which are resistant to multiple antimicrobials have been found in wildlife populations, and they are spreading this resistance on to susceptible bacteria.

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  Food Science: a picture can save tonnes of food from being wasted

  Dr Sholeem Griffin is a researcher in the Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition and the Centre for Biomedical Cybernetics at the University of Malta. Here, Dr Griffin discusses how her research could be applied to prevent food wastage.

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  Emerging rotaviruses ‘major threat’ to domestic pigeon populations

  A new virus has been causing disease outbreaks in domestic pigeons in Europe. The first outbreaks occurred in the summer of 2017 and have been seen in Germany, Belgium and Denmark. Mortality rate ranged from 20% to 39%.

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  Using animals in biomedical research: Why education holds the key

  In this blog we discuss the importance of animals in biomedical research and their essential support in developing innovative medicines that can improve human and animal health.

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  Could the gut microbiome influence livestock growth?

  Dr Stafford Vigors discusses his research into the analysis of the intestinal microbiome of pigs divergent in feed efficiency.

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  A high-fat diet could increase susceptibility to food poisoning

  Research has found that short-term consumption of a high-fat diet makes mice more susceptible to infection with the bacterium Listeria monocytogenes.

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  Microbe Talk: a sustainable future in soil health

  Dr Ellie Harrison, Research Fellow at the University of Sheffield and Luke Hillary, PhD student at Bangor University tell us about how their research into soil health is contributing to achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

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