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Antimicrobial peptide resistance genes are found to be widespread in the gut microbiome but are exchanged at lower rates compared to antibiotic resistance genes, with functional compatibility between bacteria being important for gene exchange.
Integration of longitudinal gut metagenomic datasets from children in Finland, Estonia and Russian Karelia reveals high strain-level diversity, which consequently impacts the functional capabilities of the early life microbiome.
Hydrolysis of phosphatidylcholine to choline was found to be catalysed by phospholipase D enzymes from diverse members of the gut microbiota, revealing a mechanism by which commensals obtain choline for subsequent production of disease-associated trimethylamine.
APOBEC3 restriction, known to inhibit retroviruses by interfering with genome replication and hypermutating viral DNA, targets the γ-herpesvirus Epstein–Barr virus and is antagonized by the viral BORF2 protein.
The early identification of repetitive genomic loci in Haloferax species was instrumental in igniting interest in CRISPR–Cas systems. Now, work in this genus has revealed an important role of CRISPR–Cas in reducing an unusual form of inter-species archaeal mating that occurs by cell fusion.
Streptococcus pneumoniae strains colonizing the nasopharynx use quorum sensing and fratricide to outcompete incoming strains, thereby retaining ownership of the host. This occurs via activation of the competence regulon, induction of lytic proteins, and turning the invader into a source of DNA for genetic exchange.
Despite major advances in dissecting how pathogens cause disease and the development of treatments to combat infection, infectious diseases remain a major cause of death today. This month’s issue includes a special ‘Focus on Infectious Disease’, which highlights efforts to develop new ways to prevent, detect and treat infections.
This Review Article describes how recent advances in viral genome sequencing and phylogenetics have enabled key issues associated with outbreak epidemiology to be more accurately addressed, and highlights the requirements and challenges for generating, sharing and using such data when tackling a viral outbreak.
A Perspective discussing the factors that have contributed to the success and failure of point-of-care tests for resource-limited settings and the challenges and opportunities that exist for developing new infectious disease diagnostics.
The structure of enterovirus 71 in complex with its receptor SCARB2 provides insights into the mechanism of viral uncoating within the endo/lysosome compartment and identifies few conserved key residues within the binding footprint that might facilitate the design of receptor mimic therapeutics.
The Bacilluscereus enterotoxin haemolysin BL induces pore formation and activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome, leading to enhanced lethality during infection.
Using metabolomics and shotgun metagenomics on stool samples from individuals with and without inflammatory bowel disease, metabolites, microbial species and genes associated with disease were identified and validated in an independent cohort.
Thaumarchaeota isolates are capable of utilizing urea and cyanate for nitrification in vitro. Here, the authors show that this occurs in situ and that Thaumarchaeota are able to use urea and cyanate as an energy and nitrogen source in the marine environment.
A bacterial strain that requires the neurotransmitter GABA for growth was identified and used to isolate GABA-producing bacteria, including Bacteroides spp., from human stool samples; the relative abundance of Bacteroides was negatively correlated with an altered GABA-mediated response in a depression patient cohort.
An age-dependent immunocompetent ferret model for severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome phlebovirus (SFTSV) infection and pathogenesis recapitulates the clinical manifestations of human infections, including severe thrombocytopenia, reduced white blood cell counts and high fever with 93% mortality rate.
Two distinct pathways control inflammasome activation during Aspergillus fumigatus infection. The C-type lectin receptor (CLR) pathway activates MAPK and NF-κB signalling, whereas Toll-like receptor (TLR) signalling is activated through MyD88 and TRIF. Both pathways activate transcription factor IRF1, which induces antifungal effector IRGB10.
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection blunts induction of hepcidin expression by bone morphogenetic protein 6 (BMP6), probably via TNF-mediated downregulation of the BMP co-receptor HJV, while BMP6 regulates a gene repertoire reminiscent of type I IFN signalling. BMP6 and related activin proteins potently block replication of HCV, hepatitis B virus and Zika virus independently of IFN.
