Microbiology articles from across Nature Portfolio

Entacapone, a drug used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, disrupts gut microbial communities by sequestering iron, creating a competitive advantage for iron-scavenging microbes that often carry antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes.

Routine coffee consumption is associated with a gut microbiome signature characterized by elevated levels of Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus. The growth of this bacterium is stimulated by coffee in vitro and its activities may influence the biotransformation of coffee-associated metabolites.

During the pre-lysis phases of phage infection, the cyanobacterium Synechococcus releases metabolites that attract heterotrophic bacteria — a process that is likely to influence carbon fate in the ocean.

Genetic disposition can impact response to virus infection. Here, the authors used a reinfection approach with antigenically distinct SARS-CoV-2 variants Omicron and Beta and show that differences in the immune response correlate with disease outcome in mouse models with different genetic background upon reinfection.

China’s zero-COVID policy was discontinued in December 2022 and was followed by a wave of COVID-19 infections. Here, the authors demonstrate that the end of this policy also coincided with increased antibiotic use, indicating possible inappropriate prescribing.

The phosphoethanolamine transferase modifies lipopolysaccharide structure and confers antibiotic resistance on Gram-negative bacteria. Here the authors reveal how the membrane lipid modulates the conformational transition of this important enzyme.

Entacapone, a drug used in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease, disrupts gut microbial communities by sequestering iron, creating a competitive advantage for iron-scavenging microbes that often carry antimicrobial resistance and virulence genes.

AI-enabled research might cause immense harm if it is used to design pathogens with worrying new properties. To prevent this, we need better collaboration between governments, AI developers and experts in biosafety and biosecurity.

Routine coffee consumption is associated with a gut microbiome signature characterized by elevated levels of Lawsonibacter asaccharolyticus. The growth of this bacterium is stimulated by coffee in vitro and its activities may influence the biotransformation of coffee-associated metabolites.

Analysis of nearly 2,000 people living in remote villages in Honduras reveals who’s spreading gut microorganisms to whom.

Multiple histories converge in Masaru Nobu’s story of culturing an archaeon closely related to us eukaryotes.