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Enterococcus strains harbour a plasmid-encoded defence against reuterin, a toxin produced by Limosilactobacillus reuteri, mediating a mutualistic metabolic interaction between these two gut microbiota members.
SMC proteins are key architects of chromosome organization across all domains of life, yet in their absence, A. pernix relies on transcription, anchored loops and self-interaction domains to maintain genome architecture.
Staphylococcus epidermidis IVK83, a nasal commensal, produces an extremely short-lived, broad-spectrum antimicrobial peptide–polyene called epifadin, which eliminates Staphylococcus aureus in vitro and in vivo.
Improving HIV interventions for men could reduce HIV acquisition in women, close the growing gender gap in HIV infections and further reduce HIV incidence in African countries.
The Bacteroides fragilis ubiquitin homologue, BfUbb, mediates intraspecies competition and provides a competitive advantage for encoding strains in the gut.
The host transcription factor, Bach1, promotes Mycobacterium tuberculosis pathogenesis by inhibiting protective glutathione metabolism and antioxidant responses that prevent ferroptosis.
The placenta nourishes the foetus and supports its development and growth. Our study now identifies the placenta as a potential route for foetal infection with Streptococcus agalactiae (group B Streptococcus), as indicated by an exaggerated in utero inflammatory response and poor perinatal outcome when group B Streptococcus is detected in the placenta.
Longitudinal population-based surveillance identifies shifts in HIV transmission patterns related to age and sex, suggesting that HIV programmes to increase HIV suppression in men are crucial to reduce incidence in women.
The spread of vector-borne infectious diseases is driven by a complex array of environmental and social drivers, including climate and land-use changes. Global and regional action is urgently needed to tackle carbon emissions and deforestation to halt future outbreaks.
To coincide with the 28th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28), taking place in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, we present a set of specially commissioned commentary and review articles that call attention to the outsized impact of microbes on the environment.
Climate changes can destabilize soil microbial communities, but compound and sequential extreme climate events will magnify the destabilizing effects to other trophic levels — thereby impacting terrestrial biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.
The unprecedented extent of highly pathogenic avian influenza coincides with intensifying global climate changes that alter host ecology and physiology, and could impact virus evolution and dynamics.
Critical thresholds are abrupt changes in ecosystems triggered by environmental disturbances, which can be used to assess resilience and vulnerability. Here, we propose how a trait-based approach could be used to harness the predictive power of microbial dynamics to manage ecosystem response to environmental changes.
The Nagoya Protocol was drafted to ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the international use of genetic resources, but the lack of unified procedures and unclear definitions relating to microorganisms present considerable hurdles to microbiology research.