Superbugs and Generational Health

Mounting evidence over decades tells us that health in later life is linked to birthweight. But how does this come about? I will present our new discovery of an essential genetic component of the process by which the fatness of an adult is influenced by its mother, before it was even born. This important clue will help us identify a mechanism linking early life experience with later life health. Understanding this could offer new ways to improve lifelong health in the populations of the future.

The spread of superbugs is a huge problem in hospitals and healthcare settings. The use of disinfectants as part of cleaning and infection control procedures is therefore essential. Overuse and misuse of antibiotics helps create superbugs, but did you know that some disinfectants have the potential to make superbugs even stronger? This talk looks at how these products are used in infection control, and the worrying implications of superbugs evolving to become resistant not only to antibiotics, but to disinfectants as well.