Foodborne Illness News
July 21, 2026
Top Headlines
July 17, 2026 Tiny plastic particles in drinking water may be doing more than contaminating the environment. New research suggests nanoplastics can actually help harmful bacteria survive by strengthening the slimy biofilms they form inside water systems. These ...
July 16, 2026 Researchers solved a long-standing mystery behind how a bacterial toxin associated with colorectal cancer damages the colon. The toxin first binds to a receptor called claudin-4, giving it access to attack the cells' protective barrier. After ...
July 16, 2026 A growing Cyclospora outbreak has sickened more than 400 people in four states, and investigators are still searching for the contaminated food responsible. The CDC warns the actual number of cases is likely much higher and urges anyone with ...
July 10, 2026 A new study found that dietary fiber can determine whether beneficial intestinal worms help reduce inflammation or become essentially inactive. With plenty of fiber, the worms remained healthy and ...
July 5, 2026 Researchers discovered an “Achilles’ heel” shared by E. coli, Shigella, and other diarrhea-causing bacteria: enzymes they use to breach the gut’s protective mucus layer. By targeting this common vulnerability, scientists may be able to ...
June 23, 2026 Researchers found that highly drug-resistant bacteria from hospitals are also resistant to glyphosate, a commonly used weedkiller. The discovery suggests that agricultural herbicides may be helping ...
June 18, 2026 Plague was already a deadly killer 5,500 years ago, long before cities, farming, or the rat-infested conditions usually linked to historic outbreaks. By analyzing ancient DNA from hunter-gatherer cemeteries in Siberia, researchers discovered early ...
June 16, 2026 A new study found that chronic wasting disease can sometimes spread silently, with infectious prions present even in animals that show no symptoms. While there is no confirmed human risk, researchers ...
June 11, 2026 A potentially dangerous tapeworm linked to severe, cancer-like disease has now been found in the Pacific Northwest, marking its first detection in wild animals along the U.S. West Coast. Researchers ...
June 6, 2026 Scientists warn that free-living amoebae may be an underappreciated public health threat, capable of causing deadly infections and shielding other dangerous microbes from water treatment. Climate change and aging infrastructure could help these ...
June 1, 2026 A Salk Institute study found that a simple dietary amino acid, methionine, dramatically improved survival in mice facing severe infections and inflammatory conditions. Rather than directly targeting the immune system, methionine boosted kidney ...
May 22, 2026 Scientists have identified potentially cancer-causing chemicals hiding in many everyday foods, especially those exposed to high heat cooking methods like grilling, roasting, smoking, and frying. The compounds, known as PAHs, can form during cooking ...
Latest Headlines
updated 10:08am EDT
May 2, 2026 Free-living amoebae are emerging as a global health concern, fueled by warming temperatures and outdated water systems. While many are harmless, some can cause deadly infections and even protect ...
Apr. 17, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a surprising twist in how bacteria share genes—including those that spread antibiotic resistance. Tiny virus-like ...
Apr. 13, 2026 Public restrooms might seem like a germ nightmare, but the real risks aren’t always where you think. While toilet seats can carry bacteria, viruses, and even parasite traces, studies show they’re ...
Apr. 7, 2026 A surprising new study reveals that what you eat could play a powerful role in fighting cholera, a deadly diarrheal disease. Researchers found that diets rich in certain proteins—especially casein ...
Apr. 6, 2026 Scientists have identified a potential new weapon against hepatitis E, a virus with no approved treatment and tens of thousands of deaths each year. The drug bemnifosbuvir, currently in trials for ...
Apr. 2, 2026 A deadly parasite responsible for sleeping sickness has been found using a surprisingly precise trick to stay hidden in the human bloodstream. ...
Mar. 21, 2026 Antibiotics are accumulating in a major Brazilian river, especially during the dry season when pollution becomes more concentrated. Scientists even detected a banned drug inside fish sold for food, ...
Mar. 21, 2026 Scientists have engineered probiotic bacteria to act as tumor-seeking drug factories. In mice, these bacteria infiltrated tumors and produced a cancer-fighting drug right where it was needed. This ...
Mar. 19, 2026 Malaria parasites contain tiny spinning crystals that have puzzled scientists for years. New research reveals they’re powered by a rocket-like reaction that breaks down hydrogen peroxide, releasing ...
Mar. 16, 2026 Scientists at MIT have discovered that a little-known protein called intelectin-2 plays a powerful double role in defending the gut. The protein strengthens the mucus layer that lines the ...
Earlier Headlines
Mar. 5, 2026 Scientists have uncovered a crucial weakness in the malaria parasite that could open the door to new treatments. Researchers identified a protein called Aurora-related kinase 1 (ARK1) that acts like ...
Jan. 27, 2026 A common parasite long thought to lie dormant is actually much more active and complex. Researchers found that Toxoplasma gondii cysts contain multiple parasite subtypes, not just one sleeping form. ...
Jan. 20, 2026 Scientists have uncovered new clues about why diabetic foot infections can become so severe and difficult to treat. By analyzing the DNA of E. coli bacteria taken from infected wounds around the ...
Jan. 18, 2026 When scientists sent bacteria-infecting viruses to the International Space Station, the microbes did not behave the same way they do on Earth. In microgravity, infections still occurred, but both ...
Jan. 12, 2026 Some antibiotics stop bacteria from growing without actually killing them, allowing infections to return later. Scientists at the University of Basel created a new test that tracks individual ...
Feb. 16, 2026 A parasite that may already be hiding in your brain has a shocking survival trick: it can infect the very immune cells sent to destroy it. Yet most people never get sick, and new research from UVA ...
Feb. 1, 2026 Researchers in Bangladesh have identified a bat-borne virus, Pteropine orthoreovirus, in patients who were initially suspected of having Nipah virus but tested negative. All had recently consumed raw ...
Jan. 24, 2026 Scientists are warning that a little-known group of microbes called free-living amoebae may pose a growing global health threat. Found in soil and water, some species can survive extreme heat, ...
Feb. 17, 2026 Researchers investigating crops grown in soil contaminated by the 2015 mining disaster in Brazil discovered that toxic metals are moving from the earth into edible plants. Bananas, cassava, and cocoa ...
Dec. 11, 2025 Northwestern scientists have created the fastest-ever hepatitis C diagnostic, delivering accurate results in only 15 minutes. The test uses the DASH rapid PCR system, originally developed for COVID, ...
Mar. 7, 2026 A mysterious form of plague that spread across Eurasia thousands of years before the Black Death has finally revealed a crucial clue. Scientists analyzing ancient DNA discovered the bacterium ...
Nov. 28, 2025 Researchers discovered why bird flu can survive temperatures that stop human flu in its tracks. A key gene, PB1, gives avian viruses the ability to replicate even at fever-level heat. Mice ...
Jan. 23, 2026 In Guatemala’s Western Highlands, researchers found that the drinking water people trust most may actually be the riskiest. Bottled water from refillable jugs—seen as the safest choice—was ...
Dec. 8, 2025 Garlic extract is emerging as a surprisingly powerful contender to chlorhexidine, the long-standing “gold standard” in antimicrobial mouthwashes. A systematic review of clinical studies shows ...
Nov. 18, 2025 Scientists are uncovering how GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy act on brain regions that control hunger, nausea, pleasure-based eating, and thirst. These discoveries may help create treatments ...
Nov. 4, 2025 Researchers have, for the first time, estimated how quickly E. coli bacteria can spread between people — and one strain moves as fast as swine flu. Using genomic data from the UK and Norway, ...
Nov. 3, 2025 Penn State scientists uncovered an ancient bacterial defense where dormant viral DNA helps bacteria fight new viral threats. The enzyme PinQ flips bacterial genes to create protective proteins that ...
Oct. 29, 2025 A team of scientists discovered a hidden antibiotic 100 times stronger than existing drugs against deadly superbugs like MRSA. The molecule had been overlooked for decades in a familiar bacterium. It ...
Oct. 26, 2025 Researchers have uncovered microbial evidence in the remains of Napoleon’s soldiers from the 1812 Russian retreat. Genetic analysis revealed pathogens behind paratyphoid and relapsing fever, ...
Oct. 29, 2025 Flatworms can rebuild themselves from just a small fragment, and now scientists know why. Their stem cells ignore nearby instructions and respond to long-distance signals from other tissues. This ...
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- Synthetic Compound Shows Promise Against Multidrug Resistance
- Insect Protein Blocks Bacterial Infection
Sunday, January 18, 2026
Thursday, May 29, 2025
- Evolution of a Single Gene Allowed the Plague to Adapt, Survive and Kill Much of Humanity Over Many Centuries
- Earlier Measles Vaccine Could Help Curb Global Outbreak
Wednesday, May 28, 2025
Thursday, May 22, 2025
Wednesday, May 21, 2025
- Unlocking the Secrets of Bat Immunity
- A Leap Forward in Transparent Antimicrobial Coatings
- Engineered Bacteria Can Deliver Antiviral Therapies, Vaccines
Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Monday, May 19, 2025
- Survival Trick: Pathogen Taps Iron Source in Immune Cells
- Family of Parasite Proteins Presents New Potential Malaria Treatment Target
- Could Nanoplastics in the Environment Turn E. Coli Into a Bigger Villain?
Friday, May 16, 2025
Monday, May 12, 2025
Thursday, May 8, 2025
Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- Groundbreaking Device Instantly Detects Dangerous Street Drugs, Offering Hope for Harm Reduction
- Researchers Restore Antibiotic Effect in the Event of Resistance
Tuesday, December 2, 2025
Wednesday, April 30, 2025
- New AI Technique Can Uncover Antiviral Compounds Using Limited Data
- Bacterial Villain Behind Lake Erie's 'potent Toxin' Unveiled
Monday, April 28, 2025
Wednesday, April 23, 2025
Tuesday, April 8, 2025
Monday, April 7, 2025
Friday, April 4, 2025
- New Research Boosts Future Whooping Cough Vaccines
- Discovery of Bacteria's Defense Against Viruses Becomes a Piece of the Puzzle Against Resistance
Thursday, April 3, 2025
- New Vaccine Concept Tackles Harmful Bacteria in the Intestine
- Precision Medicine Could Be Possible in the Fight Against Antibiotic Resistance
Wednesday, April 2, 2025
- Novel Point-of-Care Technology Delivers Accurate HIV Results in Minutes
- Multi-Resistance in Bacteria Predicted by AI Model
- New Antibiotic for Multidrug Resistant Superbug
Tuesday, April 1, 2025
Friday, March 28, 2025
- New Approach Could Treat Anthrax Beyond the 'point of No Return'
- Understanding the Immune Response to a Persistent Pathogen
Wednesday, March 26, 2025
Tuesday, March 25, 2025
Wednesday, March 19, 2025
- New Data on Mpox Vaccine Effectiveness
- Team Finds Regional, Age-Related Trends in Exposure to Drug-Resistant Pathogen
Tuesday, March 18, 2025
Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Monday, March 10, 2025
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
- Researchers Use a 'Trojan Horse' Approach to Develop New Antimalarial Drugs
- Research Identifies Key Antibodies for Development of Broadly Protective Norovirus Vaccine
Monday, March 3, 2025
- New Biosensor Can Detect Airborne Bird Flu in Under 5 Minutes
- Synthetic Microbiome Therapy Suppresses Bacterial Infection Without Antibiotics
Thursday, February 27, 2025
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Thursday, February 20, 2025
- Daily Cannabis Use Linked to Public Health Burden
- Digging Into a Decades-Old Hepatitis B Mystery Suggests a New Potential Treatment
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Thursday, February 6, 2025
- Warding Off Superbugs With a Pinch of Turmeric
- Essential Genome of Malaria Parasite Plasmodium Knowlesi Mapped
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Wednesday, January 29, 2025
- Study Finds Three New Safe, Effective Ways to Treat Drug-Resistant Tuberculosis
- Weather Change Linked to Increased Risk of Salmonella Outbreaks
Tuesday, January 21, 2025
Friday, January 17, 2025
- Extreme Rain Heightens E. Coli Risks for Communities of Color in Texas
- Rotavirus Protein NSP4 Manipulates Gastrointestinal Disease Severity
- In the Northeast, 50% of Adult Ticks Carry Lyme Disease Carrying Bacteria