Research Focus: From the inclusion of wildlife in AMR action plans to influenza in cow and sheep milk

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is among the top ten global health threats, affecting humans, domestic animals, wildlife, and the environment. In response, the World Health Organization introduced the Global Action Plan on AMR in 2015 to guide countries in developing National Action Plans (NAPs) to address this issue.

These plans are intended to adopt the One Health approach, recognising that human, animal, and environmental health are interconnected. However, wildlife—which forms a key interface between these sectors—has often been overlooked.

Researchers from the Division of Global Agriculture and Food Systems reviewed 177 AMR National Action Plans to assess the extent of wildlife inclusion. We searched each document for wildlife mentions and analysed the context in which wildlife was included.

There was limited inclusion of wildlife in the national plans, with only 11% (20 out of 177) containing any wildlife mentions. Wildlife was mainly mentioned within One Health definitions or proposed actions such as surveillance, without detailed implementation strategies.

Their findings show that although wildlife is acknowledged in principle, it is largely absent from practical AMR implementation. This highlights an important gap in global One Health policy that may limit efforts to fully understand and address the AMR challenge.

Citation: Nicholas Bor, Jessica Mitchell, JAC-Antimicrobial Resistance, Volume 8, Issue 3, June 2026, dlag100, https://doi.org/10.1093/jacamr/dlag100

The fungal diagnostic landscape is evolving; whereas previously, traditional culture-based methods dominated, most invasive fungal disease is now diagnosed with non-culture-based tests, including direct microscopy, antigen, antibody, and molecular assays, supported by histopathology and radiology.

The British Society for Medical Mycology which includes researchers from NHS Lothian convened an expert group to update its 2015 best practice guidance. Some testing remains unchanged including guidance on histopathology and radiology investigations. 

Based on recent evidence, new or stronger recommendations include using of a specific PCR and blood tests for suspected invasive candidiasis and Pneumocystis pneumonia, Aspergillus antigen or antibody-based testing in expanded clinically vulnerable populations and use of Candida PCR and Mucorales PCR in specific contexts amongst other recommendations. 

Citation: Schelenz S, Barnes RA, Barton RC, Cleverley JR, Lucas SB, Kibbler CC, Denning DW; Lancet Infect Dis. 2015 Apr;15(4):461-74. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(15)70006-X. Epub 2015 Mar 12. 

Safeguarding the genome from non-self-elements is essential for development, reproduction, and aging.

One of the major threats to genomic integrity is transposable elements (TEs) which are mobile DNA sequences that can cause harmful mutations if they hop around the genome. These can be silenced through small RNAs (sRNAs) and argonaute proteins.

Recent work suggests TE-derived sRNAs may also act as virulence factors in host-pathogen interactions.

Researchers from the School of Biological Sciences used comparative transcriptomics of the sRNAs bound to the argonaute protein exWAGO within parasites of rodents, livestock, and humans and found that exWAGO is capable of loading sRNAs produced from all classes of TEs.

Citation: Martinez-Ugalde I, Neophytou K, Villagrana-Pacheco Y, Orrego Durañona A, Stevens L, Du X, Bancroft R, Hall JL, Pedersen AB, Blaxter M, Buck AH, Abreu-Goodger C. Genome Biol Evol. 2026 May 1;18(5):evag117. doi: 10.1093/gbe/evag117. PMID: 42099280; PMCID: PMC13195028.

Schistosomiasis is an infection caused by tiny worms that live in ponds, lakes and rivers.

Stunting (low height) is a key indicator of malnutrition which is influenced by poor nutrition, infections, chronic inflammation and impaired gut health. In sub-Saharan Africa, stunting frequently occurs in regions where schistosomiasis is endemic.

Researchers from Tackling Infections to Benefit Africa (TIBA) and the School of Biological Sciences found that Schistosoma haematobium infection alone could account for up to 1/3 of stunting cases.

They used epidemiological, gut microbiome and metabolomic analyses to investigate the impact of parasitic infection on growth. Infected children showed significantly altered gut microbiome profiles compared to uninfected peers, indicating potential microbiome disruption linked to disease and impaired development.

Further research, particularly longitudinal studies, is needed to confirm causality and optimize child health outcomes in endemic areas.

Citation: Osakunor DNM, Pfavayi LT, Mduluza T, Mutapi F. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2026 May 14;381(1950):20250094. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2025.0094. PMID: 42132027.

Researchers from Scotland's Rural College and the Roslin Institute have been looking at Heligmosomoides bakeri - a gastrointestinal nematode that infects rodents. 

They developed a mouse infection model to investigate the impact of co-infection on host resistance and tolerance to this nematode.

In doing so, mice were infected with the parasite and Theiler's murine encephalomyelitis virus (TMEV) that reside in the small intestine. Two infection protocols were used to also investigate the impact of the order of pathogen administration on host resistance and tolerance (H-V protocol: helminth first and V-H protocol: virus first).

Researchers found that co-infection in the H-V protocol, resulted in significantly improved resistance to H.bakeri. The positive impact on the resistance to H. bakeri was evident but less pronounced in mice in the V-H protocol.

Citation: Zulfa IH, Fragkoudis R, Doeschl-Wilson A, Houdijk JGM, Chase-Topping M, Bailey RI, Athanasiadou S. Vet Res Commun. 2026 May 1;50(4):296. doi: 10.1007/s11259-026-11217-0. PMID: 42065795; PMCID: PMC13134990.

Researchers from the Clinical Infection Research Group and Centre for Inflammation Research aimed to determine the impact of respiratory virus coinfection on clinical characteristics and outcomes of Staphylococcus aureus bacteremia (SAB).

They conducted an analysis within a retrospective observational cohort study of consecutive adults with monomicrobial SAB.

They identified 651 patients with SAB during the study period -  64.5% underwent polymerase chain reaction testing for respiratory viruses, 9.1% of whom (38/420) tested positive.

Researchers conclude that respiratory virus coinfection is a risk factor for bacteremic S. aureus pneumonia, which is associated with increased 30-day mortality, independent of age, comorbidity, and receipt of immunomodulatory treatments.

Citation: Roberts K, Dewar S, Sutherland RK, Russell CD. Open Forum Infect Dis. 2026 Mar 3;13(3):ofag113. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofag113. PMID: 41859699; PMCID: PMC12996906.

In late 2023, H5N1 high-pathogenicity avian influenza virus (HPAIV) started circulating in dairy cattle in the USA. High viral titres were detected in milk from infected cows, raising concerns about onward human infections.

Given this concern, researchers from the Roslin Institute have been looking into how long influenza viruses could remain infectious in milk without heat activation. 

Although the survival of influenza viruses in milk was variable, researchers found that viral infectivity remained over periods when people might reasonably be exposed to infected milk - for over a day at room temperature and for more than 7 days when refrigerated.

Citation: Schafers J, Warren CJ, Yang J, Zhang J, Cole SJ, Cooper J, Drewek K, McGinn N, Qureshi M, Reid SM, Pankaew N, Tan WS, Walsh SK, Banyard AC, Brown I, Digard P, Iqbal M, James J, Peacock TP, Hutchinson E. J Gen Virol. 2026 May;107(5):002257. doi: 10.1099/jgv.0.002257. PMID: 42095438; PMCID: PMC13151985.