Metagenomics and Hi-C proximity-ligation sequencing show that viruses in dense microbial communities can interact with multiple, distantly related microbial hosts.

Uropathogenic Escherichia coli infection induces epigenetic remodelling and trained immune responses in bladder epithelial stem cells that affect susceptibility to recurrent infection.

Breakthroughs in developing an effective human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) vaccine have been rare despite decades of effort. By combining vaccination with a topical microbicide that also potentiates vaccine-induced immunity, 16 out of 20 female macaques were protected against vaginal acquisition of the highly pathogenic simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV).

The authors argue that the virome of the last eukaryotic common ancestor is bacterial, rather than archaeal, providing support for a syntrophic model of eukaryogenesis with two endosymbiosis events.

Systematic review and analysis of pre-pandemic coronavirus surveillance in bats identifies requirements for improvements to surveillance in the future.

Genomic and phenotypic analyses of 272 infant-associated Clostridium perfringens isolates suggest that pfoA is an important toxin gene in C. perfringens linked with preterm infant intestinal diseases.

RNAi and single-cell RNA-seq characterize the mechanism of endosymbiosis between coral and dinoflagellates.

Metadegradome sequencing maps 5′P mRNA decay intermediates in complex samples and 96 isolated bacterial species, to identify codon- and gene-level ribosome stalling responses to stress and drug treatment.

A suite of human monoclonal antibodies block infection by all human ACE2 binding sarbecoviruses, including severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variants, at subnanomolar concentrations in cell culture and protect mice against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection.

Centenarians have a diverse population of gut bacteriophages, a subset of which encode sulfate metabolism genes and may promote healthy aging.

Microbiota-targeted interventions for malnutrition are under investigation, but complex illnesses associated with malnutrition, such as eating disorders, may not be straightforward to treat.

Evidence that bacterial infection shapes susceptibility to recurrent UTI via epigenetic memory shows that integrated approaches that consider host and pathogen are essential to develop effective treatments.

Diagnosis is the weakest aspect of tuberculosis (TB) care and control. We describe seven critical transitions that can close the massive TB diagnostic gap and enable TB programmes worldwide to recover from the pandemic setbacks.

Characterization of an ancient chemosynthetic process in modern oceans prompts investigation into microbial metabolisms that might be hiding in the dark.