Dysentery-Causing Bacteria Spreading from Europe to Australia
Researchers have found that a strain of dysentery-causing bacterium that originated from Europe centuries ago is spreading rapidly to Australia and some developing countries.
First author Dr. Kathryn Holt, from the University of Melbourne, says that the bacterium strain Shingella sonnei is easily transmitted due to the high levels of drug resistance in developed countries.
Â
Contrary to standard guidelines, drug treatment and better sanitation alone will not be sufficient for controlling this strain. Vaccine development will be crucial. she says.Â
Â
Holt has pioneered the use of next-generation sequencing to study the bacterium that causes dysentery in humans and kills more than 1 million people, mostly young children.
Â
Although this strain is a relatively new species of bacterium, during its spread it has diversified into an array of different clones or strains found right across the world," Holt says. "This is hard to see using traditional methods, but by sequencing the DNA sequences of over 100 different forms of the bacteria, we were able to get a glimpse into its past and really start to understand how it is evolving and moving around the world."
Â
The research emphasizes the importance of developing a vaccine against the strain. The combination of increased incidence and antibiotic resistance means that a vaccine will be increasingly important for the long-term control and prevention of dysentery," Holt says.
Â
How Contaminated Is Your Stretcher? The Hidden Risks on Hospital Wheels
July 3rd 2025Despite routine disinfection, hospital surfaces, such as stretchers, remain reservoirs for harmful microbes, according to several recent studies. From high-touch areas to damaged mattresses and the effectiveness of antimicrobial coatings, researchers continue to uncover persistent risks in environmental hygiene, highlighting the critical need for innovative, continuous disinfection strategies in health care settings.
Beyond the Surface: Rethinking Environmental Hygiene Validation at Exchange25
June 30th 2025Environmental hygiene is about more than just shiny surfaces. At Exchange25, infection prevention experts urged the field to look deeper, rethink blame, and validate cleaning efforts across the entire care environment, not just EVS tasks.
A Controversial Reboot: New Vaccine Panel Faces Scrutiny, Support, and Sharp Divides
June 26th 2025As the newly appointed Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) met for the first time under sweeping changes by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr, the national spotlight turned to the panel’s legitimacy, vaccine guidance, and whether science or ideology would steer public health policy in a polarized era.
