Gut Bacteria

New studies have highlighted the importance of judicious antibiotic use, one found antibiotics can increase a person’s risk of fungal infections, while another suggests antibiotic use in old age is linked to higher risk of inflammatory bowel disease.

Scientists at the Houston Methodist Research Institute studying brain impacts have turned to the communities of bacteria in the gut, where they've found that changes following a concussion could be used to reveal the state of recovery.

New research has explored the relationship between eating habits and mental health in young men suffering from clinical depression, and shown that switching to a healthier Mediterranean diet can bring about significant reductions in symptoms.

Researchers have homed in on strains of gut bacteria associated with the severity of a common form of stroke. The findings build on research suggesting future therapies targeting the microbiome could reduce a person’s risk, and aid in recovery.

A new study has found some COVID-19 patients can shed fragments of the virus in their feces up to seven months past their initial infection. The researchers hypothesize this persistence of virus in the gut may play a role in long COVID symptoms.

New research has discovered a pathway by which bacteria in the gut can directly communicate with neurons in the brain responsible for regulating appetite and body temperature. The novel mechanism adds to our understanding of gut-brain communication.

A study has shown how engineered bacteria can protect the gut microbiome from the impact of antibiotic use. Mouse studies showed the bacteria breaks down antibiotics in the intestine while still allowing high levels of the drugs to enter the bloodstream.

New research has found genetically engineered bacteria may be an effective Parkinson’s disease treatment. Scientists engineered a bacteria to synthesize a consistent source of medicine inside a patient’s gut, and animal tests have shown it is effective.

While live probiotic bacteria produce many health benefits when ingested, the microbes have to get past your stomach and into your intestinal tract in order to be effective. An experimental new algae-based coating could soon help them do so.

Impressive new research has shown how a common diabetes drug can be inactivated by bacterial enzymes produced in the oral and gut microbiome. The researchers speculate this process may explain why the drug is not effective in some diabetic patients.

Weight gain following quitting smoking is such a common phenomenon it is often cited as one of the main reasons people are hesitant to quit. A study has now discovered how the microbiome may influence weight gain associated with the cessation of smoking.

Bold new research has plumbed the depths of poo-packed hippo pools and found they constitute a type of "meta-gut," in which microbes might be shared between the hippos to their benefit, kind of like a "probiotic shake."