In this Review, Jones, Marken and Silver develop a conceptual framework for synthetic microbiology organized into three domains — factory, farm and field — to explore the utility of synthetic microbiology in addressing sustainability challenges, and examine several examples of microbial engineering applications relevant to each domain.

In this Review, Roussin-Léveillée, Mackey and colleagues examine microorganism interaction with and manipulation of the plant apoplast. Effector-driven extracellular niche establishment is conceptualized as foundational to plant pathogenesis and frames the discussion of the complex interplay between pathogen virulence, host immunity and the physiological dynamics shaping plant–microorganism interactions.

In this Review, Rosenthal, Asua and Conrad summarize our current knowledge of artemisinin partial resistance and focus on the emergence of resistance in Africa, including its epidemiology and transmission dynamics, and mechanisms of resistance.

This study reports the mechanism of plasmid clearance by the DNA defence module DdmDE of the Vibrio cholerae seventh pandemic strain.

This study by Chen et al. reveals that a high-fat diet leads to a predominance of Desulfovibrio species in the gut, correlating with a poor prognosis of breast cancer.

In this Journal Club, Carrie Shaffer discusses a study revealing that infection with CagA-positive Helicobacter pylori strains is associated with an increased risk of developing stomach adenocarcinoma.

In this Journal Club, Yi Shi discusses a paper reporting that influenza virus infection in humans induces broadly cross-reactive and protective antibodies against the viral neuraminidase.

This Genome Watch article discusses the application of sequencing methods for monitoring the rise of infectious diseases associated with climate change.

This study shows how two umbravirus-like viruses induce systemic infection in the plant host in the absence of virus-encoded movement proteins.