Research Highlights

This study reports that the Chlamydia trachomatis effector TepP modulates epithelial tight junctions to promote infection.

This study characterized the role of periplasmic PgfA in mycobacterial growth and division.

This study reports the identification of a highly divergent lineage of SARS-CoV-2 in white-tailed deer and provides evidence of deer-to-human transmission.

A new study identified two distinct lineages of monkeypox virus (MPXV) in the United States with evidence of genome editing by host apolipoprotein B editing complex (APOBEC3) cytosine deaminase, which might be accelerating MPXV evolution.

A recent study used a zebrafish model to show that the microbiota promotes social behaviour by stimulating microglial pruning of brain circuits during early neurodevelopment.

In this study, a multinational and multidisciplinary panel of experts provides actionable recommendations for policy makers to end the COVID-19 pandemic.

A recent study reports that nicotine accumulates in the gut during smoking and promotes the progression of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and shows that the gut bacterium Bacteroides xylanisolvens can degrade nicotine.

This study identifies the Mycobacterium tuberculosis effector protein PtpB and shows that it counteracts gasdermin D-mediated pyroptosis and inflammatory cytokine release by altering the phospholipid composition of the host membrane.

A recent study finds that an enzyme expressed by gut bacteria can inactivate anti-cancer fluoropyrimidine drugs, reducing drug efficacy and bioavailability in mice.

A recent study characterizes an inducible morphotype of Cryptococcus neoformans that is critical for extrapulmonary organ entry.

Two studies report how soil microbiota adapts after wildfires and soil warming.

This study reports that dietary sugar induces changes in the intestinal microbiota that disrupt immune-mediated protection from metabolic syndrome in mice.

A recent study reports the targeted suppression of an inflammatory bowel disease-associated pathobiont by phage therapy for treatment of intestinal inflammation.

Two new studies report how plastic pollution is shaping microbial communities in the environment.

This study shows that flaviviruses promote the proliferation of acetophenone-producing skin commensal bacteria, which enhances mosquito attraction and thus flavivirus transmission.

A recent study uncovered the geographical origins of the Black Death pandemic, offering a new perspective on the phylogenetic polytomy that served as a foundation for the expansion of Yersinia pestis across Eurasia and North Africa more than 600 years ago.

Two recent studies highlight the potential of broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies for the long-term control of HIV in the absence of antiretroviral therapy.

This study reports that a short prokaryotic argonaute protein from the archaeon Sulfolobus islandicus and its genetically associated proteins Aga1 and Aga2 confer antiviral defence by abortive infection.

This study shows that upon urinary tract infections, uropathogenic Escherichia coli persist and subsequently adapt to the distinct physiological conditions encountered in the gastrointestinal and urinary environments.

A recent study shows that chemotaxis shapes the microscale organization of the ocean’s microbiome.