Microbiology techniques articles from across Nature Portfolio

Mycobacterium abscessus is considered an emerging pathogen, given its prevalence in patients with pulmonary diseases, such as cystic fibrosis. Here, authors perform a genomic analysis on sequential isolates obtained from patients with persistent infections of M. abscessus.

Advances in CRISPR–Cas tools coupled with innovative screening and bioinformatic pipelines make it possible to conduct strain-specific and site-specific genome editing within a microbial community without the need for prior culturing or engineering.

Single-cell sequencing of nasal swab samples from people uninfected or infected with SARS-CoV-2 shows that children have a primed innate immune response, which may protect them from severe disease.

Multiple proteins are involved in bacterial cell division, including FtsZ, the FtsZ-binding proteins and the septal peptidoglycan synthesis complex. Recent studies assessing the dynamics of these proteins provide additional insights into their functions during the bacterial division process.

This month’s Under the Lens discusses a recent advance in the imaging of anaerobic gut bacteria using nanaerobic growth conditions.