Articles in 2020

A recent study suggests that host–gut microbiome phylosymbioses depend on host factors that were lost during adaptation to flight.

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.

Plastic debris in the marine environment provides a durable substrate that can be colonized by microorganisms and supports the growth of microbial biofilms. In this Review, Amaral-Zettler and colleagues explore the microbial ecology of the plastisphere in the context of its diversity and function, as well as suggesting areas for further research.

Plasmodium falciparum and other malaria parasites have complex life cycles, inhabiting different host cells and tissues during their multistage development. In this Review, Marti and colleagues discuss blood-stage parasite development and the newly discovered reservoir in the haematopoietic niche.

In this Review, Perlmutter and Bordenstein discuss our current knowledge of microbial symbionts that inhabit or transmit through the reproductive tissues of arthropods, their modes of transmission, and the physiological and evolutionary outcomes of their symbiotic relationships.