A recent study found that soil microbial communities show consistent and predictable responses to extreme climatic events.

Correction to: Nature Reviews Microbiology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01107-0, published online 23 October 2024

A recent study shows that the commensal bacterium Lactiplantibacillus plantarum recognizes the foregut of the fruit fly as its physical niche via sugar-binding adhesins.

In this study, Castells-Nobau et al. show that bacteriophages present in the gut microbiome contribute to the regulation of food addiction.

In this journal club, Lucy Thorne discusses a paper that compares pandemic and non-pandemic HIV and shows that the ability of pandemic HIV to effectively evade the host’s innate immune response is a key factor in its pandemic potential.

This study shows that the Campylobacter jejuni-derived genotoxin named cytolethal distending toxin promotes colorectal cancer metastasis.

In this study, Padhi et al. demonstrate the potential of metagenomics-based approaches for the discovery of natural products from complex ecosystems.

This Genome Watch article highlights recent findings that expand the known diversity of methanogenic archaea and the metagenomic evidence that led to their identification and cultivation.

In a recent study, Gaborieau, Vaysset, Tesson et al. developed a method to predict phage–host specificity using genomic data.

In a recent study, Liu, Huang, Guo, McCallum et al. present a method to create functional, customized coronavirus receptors, which could facilitate the development of infection models that do not rely on native receptors.

Loveridge and Sigala uncover a divalent metal transporter that is required for cellular iron metabolism in Plasmodium falciparum parasites.

In this study, Tofani et al. demonstrate that the gut microbiota regulates stress responsiveness in mice via the circadian system.

This study provides insights into how adaptive changes in evolved microbial communities can affect pathogen invasion.

In this study, Ge et al. develop a mimic of natural killer cells to target and eliminate intracellular Staphylococcus aureus.

This Genome Watch discusses the use of metagenomic sequencing to investigate resistome dynamics in river ecosystems and their associations with the mobilome and microbiome, underscoring the role of rivers as reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance genes.

A strategic dialogue on ‘gender justice in the HIV response’ held at the 25th International AIDS Conference highlighted how bias and discrimination against women and girls in all their diversities disadvantages them in the HIV response. Ending AIDS requires increased participation and leadership by diverse women at all levels of the HIV response.

This study shows that high-level resistance in methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus involves an alternative mode of cell division.

This study describes the discovery of a previously uncharacterized phylogenetically distinct group of viroid-like human microbiome-associated RNAs.

This new study shows that the leading region of plasmids has a key role in overcoming host immunity by functioning as ‘anti-defence islands’ that protect the invading plasmid following entry.

This Genome Watch explores recent transcriptomic and metatranscriptomic analyses that revealed the key role of secondary endosymbionts in host immunity and disease transmission within their insect or plant hosts.

In this study, Lu et al. identify the gut symbiont Tomasiella immunophila as a contributor to the degradation of murine secretory immunoglobulin A, with effects on mucosal immunity.

The recent re-emergence of Oropouche virus in Central and South America and the Caribbean poses a public health threat and highlights the need for improved surveillance and control measures.

Correction to: Nature Reviews Microbiology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-023-00953-8, published online 27 July 2023.

An increasing number of countries in Africa are reporting cases of mpox, prompting the World Health Organization to declare it a public health emergency of international concern.

Nature Reviews Microbiology attended the 19th biennial meeting of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) in Cape Town, South Africa.

Correction to: Nature Reviews Microbiology https://doi.org/10.1038/s41579-024-01093-3, published online 28 August 2024.

Antibacterial drug resistance is a critical global health issue that affects countries across all economic levels, though it disproportionately affects populations in low- and middle-income countries. Infection and resistance rates vary considerably, necessitating tailored interventions to meet the specific demands of each area. This underscores the need for global solidarity and national accountability

Improving access to antibiotics will save lives and reduce the rise and spread of drug-resistant infections. Instead of traditional ‘last mile’ global health solutions, global leaders need to support efforts to develop suitable antibiotics and their rational use, ensuring that countries have the capacity to make them available.

As the United Nations convenes its second High-Level Meeting on antimicrobial resistance, urgent global action is needed. This Focus issue draws attention to pressing challenges of bacterial antimicrobial resistance and underscores the need for fast and coordinated international efforts.

A new study reports sustained HIV remission in an individual who underwent allogeneic haematopoietic stem cell transplantation with cells from a donor with wild-type CCR5.

This Genome Watch highlights how the revived interest in phages that target plasmid-carrying bacteria is expanding our knowledge of viral diversity, ecology and evolution, which is fundamental for developing safe biotherapeutics.

This study shows that Citrobacter rodentium alters its growth and virulence in response to varying intestinal pH, and, in turn, the host actively induces stomach acidification.

This Genome Watch highlights recent metagenomic surveys that have revealed the extensive prevalence and diversity of plasmids in the human gut microbiome and discusses the challenges in accurately reporting plasmid genomes identified from metagenomic data.

In this study, Kim, Kang, Jang et al. report a phenotype-based, ultra-rapid and blood culture-free antimicrobial susceptibility testing approach.

In this study, Li, Feng et al. identify an antimicrobial compound produced by plant root-associated Pseudomonas fluorescens with potent activity against drug-resistant, Gram-positive bacteria.

In this Journal Club, Francesca Ester Morreale revisits a paper reporting that arginine phosphorylation marks proteins for degradation in bacteria.

A recent study demonstrates targeting plasmid-encoded bacterial proteins containing immunoglobulin-like domains to prevent the conjugation and spread of antimicrobial resistance plasmids.

This study used structure-based drug design and modular synthesis to identify small molecules with antimicrobial activity.

Highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) viruses have occasionally infected humans, often with severe outcomes. Reports of HPAI in dairy cattle and the detection of high titres of the virus in cattle milk in the United States are therefore a cause for concern. Documented human infections linked to cattle infections, though mild, highlight the urgent need for enhanced biosecurity and vigilant monitoring