Research Highlights

Two studies provide insights into the possible roles of viruses in honey bee health and disease.

Researchers show that Plasmodium falciparum glutamic-acid-rich protein (PfGARP), a 80 kDa antigen expressed on the surface of P. falciparum-infected erythrocytes, is a malaria vaccine candidate for specifically targeting the blood stage of this parasite.

A recent study found that bacterial volatile organic compounds attract springtails to soil-dwelling Streptomyces species, promoting the dispersal of spores.

This study shows that platelets can harbour infectious HIV and transfer it to macrophages.

Two papers now report compound uptake in Mycobacterium tuberculosis by ATP-binding cassette (ABC) exporters, which are usually involved in the export of substrates out of the cell and which could be new drug targets.

In a new study, Torres, Cadwell and colleagues provide insights into a mechanism whereby host cells deploy extracellular vesicles as decoys that trap and ‘neutralize’ Staphylococcus aureus α-toxin to avoid cell damage.

This study developed an assay to screen for drugs that inhibit transfer of antimicrobial resistance plasmids between bacteria.

This study finds that phages produced by Pseudomonas aeruginosa form a shield around the bacteria and protect them from antibiotics.

An early effector of Chlamydia pneumoniae induces curvature of the host plasma membrane, which is sensed by a key regulator of endocytosis that is subsequently recruited to promote internalization of the pathogen.

Researchers have engineered the symbiont Snodgrassella alvi to express double-stranded RNA in honey bees that protects them from pathogens.

Two recent studies provide initial insights into a novel coronavirus that is associated with an outbreak of human respiratory disease.

The emergence of a new coronavirus in China raises global alarm.

This study reports the cultivation of a member of the Asgard archaea, which are the closest living relatives of the cells that gave rise to eukaryotes.

A recent study uncovers the molecular mechanism of artemisinin resistance in the most lethal human malaria parasite, Plasmodium falciparum.

Upon host colonization, increased vesiculation accelerates the modulation of the cell surface composition of Vibrio cholerae, which confers resistance to host-derived antimicrobial peptides and bile.

This study identifies a new family of T6SS-delivered ion-selective pore-forming toxins that is distinct from previously described T6SS effectors.

Two recent studies report new compounds that could be useful in combatting antibiotic resistance.

This study describes a novel fungus-related microbial eukaryote that infects marine diatoms.

Two recent studies find that pioneering bacterial cells use chemotaxis as a navigation strategy to boost range expansion, but colonizing too quickly can leave the population susceptible to invasion by competitors.

Further evidence that measles induce ‘immunological amnesia’ highlight the importance of the vaccination and the need to increase vaccination rates.