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The commensal bacteriumStaphylococcus epidermidis is a colonizer of the human skin. Despite lacking recognized virulence factors, S. epidermidiscan cause infection, often on the surface of indwelling medical devices. In this Review, Michael Otto highlights how normally benign bacterial factors take on more virulent roles during host infection with this 'accidental' pathogen.
Anaerobic methane formation and oxidation are important processes in the global carbon cycle that are mediated by syntrophic communities of bacteria and archaea. Here, Fons Stams and Caroline Plugge review the interspecies electron transfer that is the key to growth in syntrophic communities.
Gene duplication and amplification can enable bacteria not only to develop antibiotic resistance, but also to overcome the fitness costs that are often associated with resistance. In this Review, Sandegren and Andersson highlight the mechanisms underlying gene duplication and discuss the role of increasing gene copy number in adaptive bacterial evolution.
Adaptor proteins for the Hsp100/Clp and AAA+ proteins play an important part in the regulated degradation of a large number of bacterial processes. Kirstein and colleagues describe how these adaptor proteins interact with their respective proteases to regulate proteolysis.
Information about ancient microbial ecosystems can be obtained by using fossil lipids found in ancient sedimentary rocks as biomarkers. In this Opinion article, Jochen Brocks and Jillian Banfield describe how environmental genomic approaches are set to revolutionize the study of these microbial ecosystems and improve our understanding of the evolution of ancient communities of microorganisms.
Communicable diseases cause health problems for refugee populations. In this Science and society article, Ali and colleagues discuss the range of transmissible infections and the associated risk factors that have affected the Afghan refugee population.
