Nature Microbiology
An online-only monthly journal interested in all aspects of microorganisms, be it their evolution, physiology and cell biology; their interactions with each other, with a host or with an environment; or their societal significance.
Buruli ulcer transmission and the philosophy of science
Buruli ulcer is a 'flesh-eating' bacterial infection of skin and soft tissue. Since the discovery in the 1940s of the causative agent Mycobacterium ulcerans, scientists have puzzled over how the infection is spread from the environment to humans.
Pathogenic bacteria hijack probiotic signal to activate virulence factor production and promote its survival
Are probiotics effective in preventing infections? what is their efficacy in physiologically relevant settings? We explored the beneficial effects of a human probiotic against a human pathogen in infection-relevant environments and discovered few unexpected but translationally relevant findings.
To inoculate or not to inoculate? Predicting crop yield increases after microbiome engineering with mycorrhizal fungi
Microbiome engineering has large potential for sustainable agriculture. Here we demonstrate that field inoculation with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can promote crop yield and inoculations success can be predicted using soil microbiome indicators.
Malaria genomic surveillance using nanopore sequencing: Shifting the focus into endemic countries
In this study, malaria parasite genetic surveillance was undertaken using targeted nanopore sequencing on portable MinION devices in Ghana. The end-to-end process, from sampling to sequencing to data analysis, was performed using laptop computers at two sites in Ghana, one urban and one rural.
Therapeutic phages that infect mycobacteria require cell-surface trehalose polyphleates
Trehalose polyphleates- very large, surface-exposed molecules- are required for infection of several phages used as therapy against opportunistic pathogen Mycobacterium abscessus.
A beginner's map of LY6E (and coronavirus control)
Behind-the-scenes, nostalgic rambling on the synthesis and completion of "LY6E is a pan-coronavirus restriction factor in the respiratory tract."
