Planet of the microorganisms
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 257 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.38
This Focus issue on biogeochemistry highlights the metabolic versatility in microbial communities and the significance of microbial contributions to the flow of elements in Earth's biogeochemical cycles. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - April 11, 2018 Category: Microbiology Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 260 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.39
Author: Andrea Du Toit
The current Lassa fever outbreak in Nigeria is the largest recorded outbreak of the virus in the country, with about 1,400 suspected cases and more than 300 cases so far being confirmed in 2018, and case numbers are increasing (NCDC 18 March 2018; (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - April 4, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Environmental microbiology: Marine biogeochemical cycles in a changing world
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 259 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.40
Author: Ashley York
Two new studies highlight the potential impact of climate change on microbial biogeochemical cycles. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - April 4, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ashley York Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Breaking the code of antibiotic resistance
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 262 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.33
Authors: Stephanie W. Lo, Narender Kumar & Nicole E. Wheeler
This month's Genome Watch highlights how a better understanding of genotype–phenotype correlation may lead to the design of new diagnostic tests for antimicrobial resistance in clinical settings. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 26, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Stephanie W. Lo Narender Kumar Nicole E. Wheeler Tags: News and Analysis Source Type: research
Marine microbiology: Carbon export into the deep ocean
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 260 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.37
Author: Andrea Du Toit
Infection of E. huxleyi by coccolithoviruses facilitates downward vertical flux of both particulate organic and inorganic carbon, thus enhancing the efficiency of carbon export into the deep ocean. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 26, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Archaeal physiology: Alien methanogens on Saturn's moon?
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 261 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.36
Author: Ashley York
The idea of extraterrestrial life in the Universe captures our imagination. NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) recently announced that Enceladus — Saturn's icy moon — may support life as hydrogen and carbon dioxide in the moon's ocean could be used to generate energy through (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 19, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ashley York Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Microbiome: Viral hormones activate human insulin signalling
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 261 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.35
Author: Ashley York
The microbiome and its role in health and disease has been the subject of extensive research; however, the role of the virome in host physiology beyond causing acute infections has been studied to a lesser extent. A recent study reported several homologues of human hormones (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 19, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ashley York Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Environmental microbiology: Soil surface communities bite the dust
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 261 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.34
Author: Ashley York
Biological soil crusts (biocrusts) are communities of photoautotrophic cyanobacteria, algae and lichens that co-exist with heterotrophic fungi, bacteria and archaea, forming encrusted layers in the soil surface of arid ecosystems. Biocrusts cover ∼12% of the Earth's terrestrial surface, are important for soil stability and water (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 19, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ashley York Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Environmental microbiology: New diversity in the sulfur cycle
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 260 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.32
Author: Ursula Hofer
Two new studies explore the diverse microorganisms and their enzymes that contribute to the global sulfur cycle. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 19, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ursula Hofer Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Bacterial microcompartments
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 277 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.10
Authors: Cheryl A. Kerfeld, Clement Aussignargues, Jan Zarzycki, Fei Cai & Markus Sutter
Bacterial microcompartments (BMCs) are self-assembling organelles that consist of an enzymatic core that is encapsulated by a selectively permeable protein shell. The potential to form BMCs is widespread and found across the kingdom Bacteria. BMCs have crucial roles in carbon dioxide fixation in autotrophs and (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 5, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Cheryl A. Kerfeld Clement Aussignargues Jan Zarzycki Fei Cai Markus Sutter Tags: Review Source Type: research
Bacterial physiology: Bridging the gap for lipopolysaccharides
This study provides evidence that lipopolysaccharides are pushed from the inner membrane to the outer membrane of the bacterial cell envelope over a protein bridge. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 5, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Katharine H. Wrighton Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Resurrection of a poxvirus causes alarm
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 184 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.31
Author: Ashley York
A controversial study in which researchers generated an infectious horsepox virus using synthetic DNA and reverse genetics was recently reported. (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - March 5, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ashley York Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
Pseudomonas syringae: what it takes to be a pathogen
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 316 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.17
Authors: Xiu-Fang Xin, Brian Kvitko & Sheng Yang He
Pseudomonas syringae is one of the best-studied plant pathogens and serves as a model for understanding host–microorganism interactions, bacterial virulence mechanisms and host adaptation of pathogens as well as microbial evolution, ecology and epidemiology. Comparative genomic studies have identified key genomic features that contribute (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 26, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Xiu-Fang Xin Brian Kvitko Sheng Yang He Tags: Review Source Type: research
The spread and evolution of rabies virus: conquering new frontiers
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 241 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.11
Authors: Christine R. Fisher, Daniel G. Streicker & Matthias J. Schnell
Rabies is a lethal zoonotic disease that is caused by lyssaviruses, most often rabies virus. Despite control efforts, sporadic outbreaks in wildlife populations are largely unpredictable, underscoring our incomplete knowledge of what governs viral transmission and spread in reservoir hosts. Furthermore, the evolutionary history of (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 26, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Christine R. Fisher Daniel G. Streicker Matthias J. Schnell Tags: Review Source Type: research
Microbiome: Principles of microbiota engraftment
Nature Reviews Microbiology 16, 186 (2018).
doi:10.1038/nrmicro.2018.29
Author: Andrea Du Toit
Faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) has proved to be an effective treatment strategy for recurrent infections with Clostridium difficile. The success of FMT requires donor bacteria to engraft in the gut of the patient, but the factors that promote engraftment of individual strains has remained (Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology)
Source: Nature Reviews Microbiology - February 26, 2018 Category: Microbiology Authors: Andrea Du Toit Tags: Research Highlight Source Type: research
