Volume 21 Issue 10, October 2023

The forthcoming UN summit marks the halfway point to 2030 and presents an important milestone in global efforts to address various challenges, including those related to climate change and environmental preservation. The UN SDGs include several related to microorganisms and climate change. Microbiology research is key to understanding and mitigating climate change, and in maintaining the health of terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems (SDGs 13, 14 and 15).

The human microbiome has a crucial role in global health, with implications for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Understanding and harnessing the potential of the microbiome, while recognizing its link to the global ecosystem, can drive innovative strategies for improved public health, and promote sustainable development.

Infectious diseases markedly influence progress towards the SDGs. Pandemics and global inequity have hindered progress towards the health targets, highlighting humanity’s interconnectedness and shared vulnerability to new infectious agents. Enhanced global collaboration and partnerships in training, surveillance, research and innovation are essential to reach the health SDGs by 2030.

In this study, Sharafutdinov et al. report a single nucleotide polymorphism in the gene encoding the HtrA protease of Helicobacter pylori that is associated with gastric cancer.

This study shows that a gut peptide is active against virulent forms of Candida albicans, thus contributing to the maintenance of fungal commensalism.

This study shows that Haloferax volcanii uses its type IV pili for cell attachment to a surface and mechanical cohesion between cells under flow conditions, thus promoting biofilm development.

In this study, Huang et al. discover Delftia tsuruhatensis TC1, a mosquito symbiotic bacterium that inhibits parasite development via the secretion of a small molecule.

In this Journal Club, Lisa Maier explores Abigail Salyers’ groundbreaking research on Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron, focusing on how she established a new genetic system and investigated how these gut bacteria bind and use starch, uncovering important insights into their metabolism.

In this Journal Club, Rebecca Shapiro discusses the discovery of the earliest antifungal drug, nystatin, by pioneering women Elizabeth Hazen and Rachel Brown.

In this Journal Club, Chelsey Spriggs discusses how the study of simian virus 40 (SV40) revealed a key sequence in the large T antigen that directs its transport into the cell nucleus, advancing our understanding of nuclear import mechanics.

In this Journal Club, Sarah Auburn discusses the pioneering development of the first framework for whole-genome sequencing of natural malaria infections, revolutionizing malaria genomics.

In this Journal Club, Tao Zuo discusses a study by Gogokhia et al. who found that gut bacteriophages can alter mucosal immunity to impact mammalian health.

In this Journal Club, Edmund Loh explores the pioneering work of Jun-Ichi Tomizawa and colleagues, which uncovers the importance of a small RNA in plasmid replication and elucidates its mechanism of action.

In this Journal Club, Thulani Makhalanyane discusses research revealing the existence of diverse and novel defence islands in bacteria and archaea.

In this Journal Club, Gonzalo Moratorio discusses a study using deep mutational scanning (DMS) to uncover how the influenza virus evades the host immune response, highlighting the potential of DMS in understanding the evolutionary arms race between pathogens and hosts.

In this Journal Club, Anja Spang discusses the discovery of nanosized archaea, transforming our knowledge of archaeal phylogeny and shedding light on their roles in ecology and evolution.

This Genome Watch highlights how the integration of genomic surveillance with epidemiological or clinical data can help understand pathogen transmission and improve public health interventions for infectious disease control.

In this Review, Singh et al. explore the impact of future climate scenarios on plant pathogen burden and biogeography, their interaction with the plant microbiome and the consequences on plant disease and productivity in different ecosystems. They propose different approaches to ensure long-term global food security.

In this Review, Landovitz, Scott and Deeks explore the current state of the art for HIV prevention and treatment, including unmet needs and emerging tools. They describe how researchers are combining different approaches, such as prevention, treatment and cure, to achieve better outcomes in the fight against the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

In this Review, Martínez, Hernando-Amado and colleagues explore how eco-evolutionary-based approaches can aid in the design of successful antibiotic therapies, including the exploitation of evolutionary trade-offs, targeting bacterial metabolism and studying the ancestral functions of antibiotic resistance determinants.

In this Review, Georjon and Bernheim provide an overview of the molecular diversity of the most recently discovered bacterial antiphage defence systems and discuss their evolution and the ecological impact of their diversity.