News & Comment

The Nagoya Protocol was drafted to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the international use of genetic resources, but the lack of unified procedures and unclear definitions relating to microorganisms present considerable hurdles to microbiology research.

As resistance against antimicrobials continues to grow, collective action must be taken to turn the tide against this global public-health concern.

Jimmy Nkaiwuatei is the Head of Research, Discovery and Innovations at Students Against Superbugs Africa, a youth-led organization tackling the problem of antimicrobial resistance through education and outreach in Africa.

Thumbi Ndung’u reminisces about how far we have come in our fight against HIV-1, a pandemic virus that causes AIDS, and where we still need to go.

As more PhD students and postdoctoral fellows transition to professions outside academia, training programmes must prepare scientists for these alternative careers.

Investment in a new tuberculosis vaccine is a landmark step forward, but continued efforts to advance treatments, diagnostics and biosocial issues are needed to meet targets to end the epidemic by 2035.

The global outbreak of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus and its high toll on animal populations raise concerns about spillover into humans, but human host barriers need to be considered when estimating transmission potential.

Carl Nathan describes how learning from Mycobacterium tuberculosis, which causes tuberculosis, teaches us about the intricacies of bacteria–immune system interplay and its repercussions for non-infectious diseases, including cancer.

Liliane Mukaremera describes her scientific journey studying Cryptococcus neoformans, a major human fungal pathogen that causes life-threatening infections.

Methodological advances have helped identify viruses as causative agents of disease but this is complicated by heterogeneity in patient outcomes and long-term symptoms.

As a budding scientist in a resource-limited setting, collaboration has been invaluable to my progress so far, writes Bridgious Walusimbi.

This month we debut a new article type at Nature Microbiology called Microbe Matters that we hope will inspire and entertain by showcasing what motivates microbiologists and virologists.

Liz Sockett recounts lessons learned by getting to know Bdellovibrio bacteriovorus, a single-celled predator that invades and kills Gram-negative bacteria from within.

Nature Microbiology and Nature Communications are issuing a joint call for papers to highlight research focused on microbiome and nutrition.

An integrated science–policy–society interface that explicitly considers soil microbiomes is needed to achieve One Health goals.