Infectious diseases

Topic description and stories

Combating infectious diseases and the threat of antimicrobial resistance remains one of the greatest global challenges.

New study shows how Salmonella colonises the gut

19 Apr 2013

Researchers plan to use data collected to develop vaccines to control Salmonella in animals and humans

New research suggests animal-to-human transmission of MRSA

25 Mar 2013

Using whole genome sequencing, scientists have found two independent human cases of infection have been linked to livestock.

Darran Leal, Save the Tasmanian Devil Program

Hope for threatened Tasmanian devils

11 Mar 2013

Research paves way for the development of a vaccine for the contagious cancer which is driving Tasmanian devils to the brink of extinction.

Shape-shifting in an ATP-dependent multidrug transporter involves formation of a tetrahelix bundle (in red and blue)., Credit: Hendrik van Veen

From shape-shifting to therapy

09 Mar 2013

The latest research into the intricate processes that let substances into and out of cells will help to lay the foundations for the next generation...

Fingerprint of a killer

28 Feb 2013

Can whole genome sequencing provide the forensic information needed to map and control the global spread of antibiotic-resistant bacteria?

Pseudomonas aeruginosa work together to colonise lung tissue, Credit: Juergen Berger/Science Photo Library

Bacterial banter: a target for therapeutics

27 Feb 2013

Targeting the ‘conversations’ that bacteria have with one another could herald a new generation of therapeutics that curb the virulence of infectious...

New tool in the fight against tropical diseases

27 Feb 2013

Screening method created to expedite the development of new drugs in the fight against tropical diseases such as malaria and African sleeping...

Offensive manoeuvres in the war against HIV

25 Feb 2013

Although anti-HIV drugs can significantly prolong life, patients must take the drugs for the rest of their lives. New approaches to therapeutics may...