News & Comment

This study shows how a satellite RNA manipulates both its host plant and aphid vector to ensure efficient transmission.

This study reports the discovery of new broad-spectrum metallo-β-lactamase inhibitors with a unique binding mode.

A mouse study shows a link between the microbiome, smoking cessation and weight gain, resembling preliminary results in humans.

This study presents an antibacterial coating for implants that kills pathogens and promotes bone integration.

A whole-genome sequencing study reveals a bottleneck in syphilis spread in the late 1990s followed by global spread.

This study reveals that bacterial TIR domains function similarly to plant and animal ones to trigger immune responses upon infection.

A new spatiotemporal modelling study shows that global antibiotic consumption rose by 46% between 2000 and 2018.

Experimental and modelling work suggests that stress-induced network disruption, which resembles ageing, triggers antibiotic persistence.

A carefully controlled study finds that restricted dietary preferences might underlie the association between autism spectrum disorder and gut microbiome changes.

The successful treatment of polymicrobial infections is difficult, in part owing to inter-species interactions, which can alter antibiotic susceptibility of the bacteria. This study, focusing on cystic fibrosis, shows that multi-drug resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia can provide protection against imipenem to sensitive Pseudomonas aeruginosa.

Bacterial barcoding revealed host bottlenecks and bacterial factors that influence systemic spread of bacterial infections.

An experimental evolution study showed that the cost of plasmid carriage can be caused by genetic conflicts between the plasmid and bacterial host chromosome.

Whether there is overlap between the microbial communities in the gut and oral cavity has been debated. This study found that the salivary and stool microbiomes are highly distinct.

This study describes Mycobacterium leprae infection of western chimpanzees in Côte d’Ivoire and disease manifestation.

A newly identified phage defence system uses cyclic pyrimidines to induce abortive infection.

This study finds that a tick symbiont modulates serotonin levels in the host and thus promotes blood feeding.

A study in preterm piglets shows that transplantation of faecal filtrate can prevent necrotizing enterocolitis.

This study shows that a system related to Tad pili mediates contact-dependent killing in predatory bacteria.

This study shows that bacteria can secrete a lipopolysaccharide receptor to capture outer membrane vesicles.

A monkey challenge study shows that infections with a low virus dose can lead to asymptomatic COVID-19.