Antibiosis is a biological process in which one organism produces specific metabolites that adversely affect the survival, growth, reproduction, or physiology of another organism, typically of a different species. It commonly involves secretion of antibiotics, toxins, or other secondary metabolites into the surrounding environment, leading to inhibitory or lethal effects on competitors, pathogens, or symbionts. Antibiosis plays a critical role in microbial ecology, plant–microbe and microbe–microbe interactions, and biological control of pests and diseases, and is mechanistically distinct from resource competition or predation because its primary mode of action is chemically mediated interference rather than direct consumption or simple nutrient depletion.
Widely used to prevent infection, one of the active ingredients in the ointment, Neosporin, is neomycin. Discovered in the 1940s, neomycin is an effective topical antibiotic; however, if injected into the body to treat systemic ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 13, 2025
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The dairy industry has been plagued by a persistent global problem for decades—bacterial infection of cow udders that significantly reduces milk production.
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 10, 2025
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A research team led by Prof. Ben Ko Chi-bun, Associate Professor of the PolyU Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology, has discovered the critical mechanism of action of tetrandrine, a compound derived from ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 8, 2025
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The cellular slime mold Dictyostelium discoideum is a soil microbe that produces diverse natural products with potential antibiotic activity. Previously, three chlorinated compounds had been detected in Dictyostelium, but ...
Cell & Microbiology
Oct 8, 2025
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New research into antimicrobial peptides, small chains of amino acids able to damage bacterial cells, shows why some peptides are more effective at doing that and also why some cells are more vulnerable.
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 30, 2025
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Professor Bonghoon Kim of the Department of Robotics and Mechatronics Engineering at the Daegu Gyeongbuk Institute of Science & Technology has successfully developed a next-generation surface modification technology with ...
Bio & Medicine
Sep 23, 2025
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Most bacteria cannot be cultured in the lab—and that's been bad news for medicine. Many of our frontline antibiotics originated from microbes, yet as antibiotic resistance spreads and drug pipelines run dry, the soil beneath ...
Cell & Microbiology
Sep 12, 2025
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As the global health community grapples with the growing threat of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, researchers at the University of Regina in Canada have found promise in a powerful but often overlooked source: traditional ...
Plants & Animals
Aug 28, 2025
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A research team led by Prof. Li Wenjun from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has found that a desert bacterium, Nocardiopsis alba B57, can simultaneously fight harmful fungi ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 27, 2025
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Research from the Nanoscience Center of the University of Jyväskylä, Finland, has revealed that lignin, a polyphenol important for plant structure, has antimicrobial activity against viruses and bacteria. The results highlight ...
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 12, 2025
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