Nature Microbiology

Nature Microbiology

@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Nature Microbiology publishes the latest research and commentary in all areas of microbiology. https://www.nature.com/nmicrobiol/

12K followers425 following872 posts

Nature Microbiology reposted

Eric Topol
@erictopol.bsky.social

Why were children so disproportionately affected by an Omicron variant (BA.3.2.2)? Lack of ancestral imprinting www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comLack of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 imprinting promotes Omicron sublineage BA.3.2.2 infection in children - Nature MicrobiologyPredominance of the Omicron sublineage BA.3.2.2 in paediatric cohorts results from the absence of vaccine-induced immune imprinting to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain, resulting in distinct patt...
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Bacterial steroid hormones shape coral immunity during heat stress #MicroSky

go.nature.comBacterial steroid hormones shape coral immunity during heat stressNature Microbiology, Published online: 26 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02534-wCoral-associated Endozoicomonas convert cholesterol into testosterone and progesterone, steroid hormones that reprogram coral immune responses during heat stress. The findings reveal unexpected chemical communication that could contribute to coral resilience as marine heatwaves intensify.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Lack of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 imprinting promotes Omicron sublineage BA.3.2.2 infection in children #MicroSky

go.nature.comLack of ancestral SARS-CoV-2 imprinting promotes Omicron sublineage BA.3.2.2 infection in childrenNature Microbiology, Published online: 26 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02526-wPredominance of the Omicron sublineage BA.3.2.2 in paediatric cohorts results from the absence of vaccine-induced immune imprinting to the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 Wuhan strain, resulting in distinct patterns of immunoglobulin heavy-chain variable region usage in children and adults.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Jesse Zaneveld
@jessezaneveld.bsky.social

Sooo excited to read this! Endozoicomonas messing with androstenedione could potentially provide such a clean explanation for the growth/disease associations we see with increasing Endozoicomonas levels across coral species.

Nature Microbiology@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Steroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stress #MicroSky

go.nature.comSteroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stressNature Microbiology, Published online: 22 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1Multi-omics and laboratory experiments reveal that a coral-associated bacterium can produce testosterone and progesterone; these two hormones alter the coral host’s innate immune responses during thermal stress.

Nature Microbiology reposted

RobLavigne
@roblavigne.bsky.social

After having to deal with fracture-related infection and its impact, up close and personal within my family during the past year, our latest research publication hits different... Deeply dedicated to see our 'Fibrilysins' developed towards clinical use in the near future.

Nature Microbiology@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! FibriLysins disrupt Staphylococcus aureus biofilms and abscess communities #MicroSky

go.nature.comFibriLysins disrupt Staphylococcus aureus biofilms and abscess communitiesNature Microbiology, Published online: 23 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02513-1Engineered FibriLysins dismantle fibrin-encapsulated Staphylococcus aureus communities and outperform vancomycin in a preclinical model of fracture-related infection.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Questioning the role of antibody-dependent enhancement in severe dengue #MicroSky

go.nature.comQuestioning the role of antibody-dependent enhancement in severe dengueNature Microbiology, Published online: 23 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02518-wAntibody-dependent enhancement of dengue virus infection is widely thought to explain severe dengue. However, there are multiple other interdependent pathobiological steps that could contribute to potentially life-threatening disease.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Steroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stress #MicroSky

go.nature.comSteroid hormones produced by coral-associated Endozoicomonas influence coral immune response during thermal stressNature Microbiology, Published online: 22 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02494-1Multi-omics and laboratory experiments reveal that a coral-associated bacterium can produce testosterone and progesterone; these two hormones alter the coral host’s innate immune responses during thermal stress.

Nature Microbiology reposted

jie-immunology.bsky.social
@jie-immunology.bsky.social

Happy to share our article in @natmicrobiol.nature.com www.nature.com/articles/s41.... Acute infections can leave lasting imprints on chronic disease risk, health, and aging. We argue that vaccine evaluation should capture protection against both acute illness and its long-term consequences.

nature.comAcute infection as a driver of chronic diseases and the unsung benefits of vaccination - Nature MicrobiologyAcute infections can leave durable biological imprints that alter host physiology, chronic disease susceptibility, long-term health and even biological ageing, well after pathogen clearance. Vaccines ...

Nature Microbiology reposted

Shai Bel (The Mucus Man)
@mucusman.bsky.social

🚨🚨 When we take antibiotics we assume they'll kill the bad bugs but won't affect us directly. In our new story @NatureMicrobiol , we found that's not always the case and developed a tool, CompoRes, to identify these direct effects on the host /1 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comDisentangling microbiota-dependent and -independent impacts of antibiotics on host physiology - Nature MicrobiologyUsing a computational tool called CompoRes, the authors show that antibiotics can alter feeding behaviour, immunity and circadian regulation, revealing a non-microbial pathway by which antibiotic trea...
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! G-protein-coupled receptor sensing of farnesol controls fungal dormancy and is susceptible to bacterial interference #MicroSky

go.nature.comG-protein-coupled receptor sensing of farnesol controls fungal dormancy and is susceptible to bacterial interferenceNature Microbiology, Published online: 19 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02509-xA farnesnol-responsive sensor controls fungal dormancy of a plant pathogen and is susceptible to interference by rhizosphere bacteria.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! SIV reservoir depletion and clearance from neonatal macaques following transient CCR5 depletion #MicroSky

go.nature.comSIV reservoir depletion and clearance from neonatal macaques following transient CCR5 depletionNature Microbiology, Published online: 19 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02511-3Transiently depleting cells that express the HIV co-receptor, CCR5, using a CCR5/CD3 bispecific antibody after stopping antiretroviral therapy in monkeys maintains them virus-free for at least several months.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Disentangling microbiota-dependent and -independent impacts of antibiotics on host physiology #MicroSky

go.nature.comDisentangling microbiota-dependent and -independent impacts of antibiotics on host physiologyNature Microbiology, Published online: 19 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02453-wUsing a computational tool called CompoRes, the authors show that antibiotics can alter feeding behaviour, immunity and circadian regulation, revealing a non-microbial pathway by which antibiotic treatment reshapes host physiology.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Genomic surveillance of an imported recombinant Clade Ib and IIb monkeypox virus case in India #MicroSky

go.nature.comGenomic surveillance of an imported recombinant Clade Ib and IIb monkeypox virus case in IndiaNature Microbiology, Published online: 19 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02508-yA recombinant Clade Ib and IIb monkeypox virus has been isolated from a travel-associated mpox case in India. Characterization of the recombinant shows that it clusters with a recently reported UK recombinant.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Acute infection as a driver of chronic diseases and the unsung benefits of vaccination #MicroSky

go.nature.comAcute infection as a driver of chronic diseases and the unsung benefits of vaccinationNature Microbiology, Published online: 16 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02506-0Acute infections can leave durable biological imprints that alter host physiology, chronic disease susceptibility, long-term health and even biological ageing, well after pathogen clearance. Vaccines should therefore be evaluated not only on their ability to prevent acute illness, but also on their efficacy in preventing or mitigating these long-lasting biological imprints and infection-associated chronic conditions.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Family matters in the root microbiota #MicroSky

go.nature.comFamily matters in the root microbiotaNature Microbiology, Published online: 12 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02507-zThe root microbiota remains an untapped resource for sustainable agriculture — resolving its recruitment cues is a research priority for moving towards translational applications. Family-conserved functional repertoires emerge as building blocks of the root microbiota in distinct plants, opening new avenues for the rational manipulation of biological interactions at the root–soil continuum.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Sickle cell haemoglobin status shapes malaria parasite genotype in asymptomatic infections #MicroSky

go.nature.comSickle cell haemoglobin status shapes malaria parasite genotype in asymptomatic infectionsNature Microbiology, Published online: 08 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02502-4Distinct Plasmodium falciparum genotypes underlie equal rates of asymptomatic infection in sickle cell haemoglobin carriers and non-carriers, indicating that sickle cell haemoglobin impacts parasite populations before exerting its known protective effects against malaria symptoms.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Helmholtz-Zentrum für Infektionsforschung (HZI)
@helmholtzhzi.bsky.social

Replying to @helmholtzhzi.bsky.social

Die Studie der Erstautor:innen @caroline-tawk.bsky.social & @youssefelmouali.bsky.social aus der Abteilung von Till Strowig ist im Fachjournal @natmicrobiol.nature.com erschienen. Das HZI-Team kooperierte dafür mit @embl.org, @unituebingen.bsky.social & Universität Trient. doi.org/10.1038/s415...

doi.orgSynergy between Enterobacteriaceae and diet mediates competition between dominant Bacteroidales in the human gut - Nature MicrobiologyMultiomic experiments using defined and native gut communities reveal that complex dietary glycans mediate the dominance of Prevotellaceae in non-industrialized gut metagenomes through signalling-medi...

Nature Microbiology reposted

Alexander Harms
@aharms485.bsky.social

Cover image alert 🎨🚨👇🏼 - check out the amazing drawing of Sophia Zimmermann from our group in Nature Microbiology @natmicrobiol.nature.com ! Fun fact: Sophia initially drew it as a present to Dorentina @humollidorentina.bsky.social when we celebrated her recent paper on TnSeq with phages 🥂😊.

Dorentina Humolli@humollidorentina.bsky.social

We wrote a short “Behind the Paper” post about our HIDEN-SEQ journey together with @aharms485.bsky.social. Check it out: go.nature.com/4yBHsdy Special to share it with the @natmicrobiol.nature.com cover, featuring the amazing art of the great scientist and artist Sophia Zimmermann from our lab!

Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Bacteria regulate collective behaviour by mechanosensing cell–cell collisions #MicroSky

go.nature.comBacteria regulate collective behaviour by mechanosensing cell–cell collisionsNature Microbiology, Published online: 06 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02505-1Density-dependent regulation of collective order through collision sensing and collision-induced reversals provides a navigational advantage to Pseudomonas aeruginosa during surface colonization and navigation through micromazes.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Fantin Mesny
@mesny.bsky.social

5 years ago, @hacquardst.bsky.social and I became very interested in 𝑃𝑙𝑒𝑐𝑡𝑜𝑠𝑝ℎ𝑎𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑙𝑙𝑎 𝑐𝑢𝑐𝑢𝑚𝑒𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑎, an emerging fungal pathogen that colonizes the roots of many plants 🌱 🍅 🌾 🆕📝 Final result of a huge team effort to uncover the bases of its multi-host compatibility👇 www.nature.com/articles/s41...

nature.comCarbohydrate-active enzymes from a core root mycobiota member enable infection of multiple plant hosts - Nature MicrobiologyHost-induced fungal CAZymes act as disease determinants and drive multihost compatibility.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Maryse Lebrun
@lebrunlab.bsky.social

Thrilled to share our paper "A conserved GTPase complex gates exocytosis for defence and parasitism across alveolates" Ciliates are fantastic to understand rhoptry exocytosis, and cryo-ET once again reveals so much🤩 Thanks to all who contributed. @martacova.bsky.social @yiweichang.bsky.social

Nature Microbiology@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! A conserved GTPase complex gates exocytosis for defence and parasitism across alveolates #MicroSky

go.nature.comA conserved GTPase complex gates exocytosis for defence and parasitism across alveolatesNature Microbiology, Published online: 02 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02501-5A GTPase complex conserved across alveolates gates exocytosis in the parasite Toxoplasma and the ciliate Tetrahymena. In Toxoplasma, an added apical vesicle tightens control over rhoptry secretion, a process critical to host cell invasion.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! A conserved GTPase complex gates exocytosis for defence and parasitism across alveolates #MicroSky

go.nature.comA conserved GTPase complex gates exocytosis for defence and parasitism across alveolatesNature Microbiology, Published online: 02 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02501-5A GTPase complex conserved across alveolates gates exocytosis in the parasite Toxoplasma and the ciliate Tetrahymena. In Toxoplasma, an added apical vesicle tightens control over rhoptry secretion, a process critical to host cell invasion.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Synergy between Enterobacteriaceae and diet mediates competition between dominant Bacteroidales in the human gut #MicroSky

go.nature.comSynergy between Enterobacteriaceae and diet mediates competition between dominant Bacteroidales in the human gutNature Microbiology, Published online: 02 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02500-6Multiomic experiments using defined and native gut communities reveal that complex dietary glycans mediate the dominance of Prevotellaceae in non-industrialized gut metagenomes through signalling-mediated cross-feeding with Enterobacteriaceae.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Communications Biology
@commsbio.nature.com

📣🦠Our cross-journal collection on microbial metabolic interactions, with @natmicrobiol.nature.com and @natcomms.nature.com is open for submissions! Topics of interest include nutrient exchange, complex microbial metabolism, physiology and eco-evo. #microbes nature.com/collections/dacbjabiah 👇

nature.comMicrobial metabolic interactionsIn this cross-journal collection, editors seek articles studying microbial metabolic interactions, including nutrient exchange, complex microbial metabolism ...
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Fusobacterium nucleatum enhances enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis-mediated neuron loss and intestinal motility dysfunction #MicroSky

go.nature.comFusobacterium nucleatum enhances enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis-mediated neuron loss and intestinal motility dysfunctionNature Microbiology, Published online: 01 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02497-yFusobacterium nucleatum promotes toxin expression in enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis that induces apoptosis in enteric neurons. This eventually leads to gut dysmotility that persists even after bacterial clearance but can be alleviated by using a probiotic cocktail.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Craig MacLean
@craigmaclean.bsky.social

Postdoc position available in my group to work on ERC funded project on evolutionary biology of antibiotic resistance. Looking for someone with expertise in bacterial genetics, AMR, and evolutionary biology. www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DSZ416/p...

jobs.ac.ukPostdoctoral Research Associate at University of OxfordExplore an exciting academic career as a Postdoctoral Research Associate. Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Vivek Mutalik
@vivekmutalik.bsky.social

Happy to share that @averynoonan.bsky.social paper “Phylogeny-agnostic strain-level prediction of phage–host interactions from genomes using machine learning” is now published in @natmicrobiol.nature.com 🎉🎊 👉🏽 rdcu.be/nR2NizD7H5va

Avery Noonan@averynoonan.bsky.social

We built GenoPHI: a machine learning workflow that predicts phage-host interactions at strain level. This could help rapidly select phages to treat drug-resistant bacterial infections or for microbiome engineering without exhaustive lab testing. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

biorxiv.orgbiorxiv.org
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Host cell traversal by Plasmodium parasites drives sterilizing T cell-mediated immunity following immunization #MicroSky

go.nature.comHost cell traversal by Plasmodium parasites drives sterilizing T cell-mediated immunity following immunizationNature Microbiology, Published online: 30 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02477-2Whole-organism malaria vaccine efficacy relies on host cell traversal by Plasmodium parasites, which promotes protective liver-resident CD8 T cell responses independently of intrahepatic parasite development.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Innate immune sensing of Plasmodium sporozoite cell traversal drives protective T cell responses #MicroSky

go.nature.comInnate immune sensing of Plasmodium sporozoite cell traversal drives protective T cell responsesNature Microbiology, Published online: 30 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02460-xPlasmodium sporozoites trigger innate immune activation through cell traversal-induced membrane damage. This wounding response, sensed via γδ T cells, is required for protective CD8+ T cell priming and underlies the immunogenicity of sporozoites.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! A generalized lineage nomenclature for viral genomic epidemiology #MicroSky

go.nature.comA generalized lineage nomenclature for viral genomic epidemiologyNature Microbiology, Published online: 30 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02468-3This study extends the Pango lineage nomenclature system beyond SARS-CoV-2, introducing a dynamic framework for tracking and communicating viral diversity, demonstrated through its application to CHIKV.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Phylogeny-agnostic strain-level prediction of phage–host interactions from genomes using machine learning #MicroSky

go.nature.comPhylogeny-agnostic strain-level prediction of phage–host interactions from genomes using machine learningNature Microbiology, Published online: 29 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02482-5This platform identifies phages capable of infecting specific bacterial strains using genome sequences alone and could enable rational phage-therapy design and precision microbiome engineering.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Oncogenic viral infection triggers LAMP2A SUMOylation and chaperone-mediated autophagy to promote tumorigenesis #MicroSky

go.nature.comOncogenic viral infection triggers LAMP2A SUMOylation and chaperone-mediated autophagy to promote tumorigenesisNature Microbiology, Published online: 29 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02476-3TRIM32-mediated SUMOylation of LAMP2A triggers classical chaperone-mediated autophagy, which viruses hijack to drive tumour growth. Peptide blockers of this modification show antitumour activity in mice model, identifying LAMP2A as a viable target.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Leah Smith
@leahmsmith.bsky.social

Adapting the power of transposon sequencing to phages! Our final paper is out now👇 Our plasmids 🧬 are available on @addgene.bsky.social – try phage Tn-seq on your favorite phage!

Nature Microbiology@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Defining the essential genome of diverse phages with phage Tn-seq #MicroSky

go.nature.comDefining the essential genome of diverse phages with phage Tn-seqNature Microbiology, Published online: 25 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02486-1Phage Tn-seq uses Tn5 transposon mutagenesis with anti-CRISPR-based selection and deep sequencing as a method to generate unbiased, genome-wide mutations across diverse phages
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Convergent receptor use at the coronavirus One Health interface #MicroSky

go.nature.comConvergent receptor use at the coronavirus One Health interfaceNature Microbiology, Published online: 28 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02491-4Two independent studies identified host species-specific aminopeptidase N as the entry receptor for hedgehog merbecoviruses, revealing convergent receptor use with alphacoronaviruses, but through a distinct binding site. Defining barriers to receptor use across species could help predict future host jumps and emerging transmission risks at the wildlife–veterinary–human interface.
Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Prophylactic treatment with broadly neutralizing antibody VRC01 selects for escape mutants after infection in Antibody-Mediated Prevention trials #MicroSky

go.nature.comProphylactic treatment with broadly neutralizing antibody VRC01 selects for escape mutants after infection in Antibody-Mediated Prevention trialsNature Microbiology, Published online: 28 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02467-4Prophylactic bnAb VRC01 selected for escape mutations in 31% of HIV breakthrough infections, but these mutations were rare in circulating viruses suggesting a fitness cost. More potent bnAbs such as N6 and 1-18 largely retained activity against escape variants.

Nature Microbiology reposted

Alexander Harms
@aharms485.bsky.social

The final version of our manuscript on TnSeq in bacteriophages (“HIDEN-SEQ”) is out today – if you have an interesting phage phenotype and want to know the underlying genetic basis, this one is for you! 1/4

Nature Microbiology
@natmicrobiol.nature.com

Out Now! Pseudomonas aeruginosa induces the generation of pathogenic IFNγ+Th17 cells that promote lung damage and chronic inflammation in cystic fibrosis #MicroSky

go.nature.comPseudomonas aeruginosa induces the generation of pathogenic IFNγ+Th17 cells that promote lung damage and chronic inflammation in cystic fibrosisNature Microbiology, Published online: 24 September 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02469-2Pseudomonas aeruginosa drives harmful immune responses in cystic fibrosis by reprogramming protective Th17 cells into pathogenic populations that damage lung tissue and sustain chronic inflammation.