552 papers
Microbiology explores the invisible world of tiny life forms that shape our health, environment, and even the air we breathe. From bacteria and viruses to fungi and parasites, this field investigates how these microscopic organisms interact with us and each other, driving everything from disease outbreaks to beneficial fermentation processes. Understanding them is crucial for developing new medicines, improving food safety, and combating global health challenges.
At Gist.Science, we make the latest discoveries in this dynamic field accessible to everyone. We process every new preprint uploaded to bioRxiv in this category, transforming dense academic findings into both clear, plain-language explanations and detailed technical summaries. This ensures that whether you are a student, a researcher, or simply curious, you can grasp the significance of cutting-edge science without getting lost in jargon.
Below are the most recent papers in microbiology, curated and summarized directly from the bioRxiv server to keep you at the forefront of discovery.
This study reveals that susceptibility to *Clostridioides difficile* infection is driven by an inducible, M-like epithelial cell population that emerges during colonic regeneration and inflammation, rather than inflammation alone, as these cells express key toxin interaction genes and serve as a repair-associated niche for the pathogen.
This field-based study demonstrates that agricultural management strategies (conventional versus organic) significantly shape the temporal dynamics and composition of apple phyllosphere fungal communities, revealing distinct pathogen associations and contrasting diversity trends that highlight the ecological impact of orchard management on plant health.
CUPID-seq is a highly multiplexed amplicon sequencing strategy that utilizes combinatorial, phased, in-line dual indexing across two PCR rounds to significantly reduce costs and increase sample throughput on high-capacity sequencing platforms while maintaining unique sample identification.
This study presents a rapid, highly sensitive, and specific in-house TaqMan-based real-time PCR assay that successfully differentiates the emerging sexually transmitted *Trichophyton mentagrophytes* genotype VII from other related fungal pathogens, offering a significantly faster alternative to traditional sequencing methods for improved patient care and infection control.
This two-year study (2024–2025) in southern France reveals widespread circulation of West Nile and Usutu viruses among over 2,500 sedentary and migratory birds, with Usutu prevalence exceeding West Nile and overall infection rates higher in 2024, underscoring the critical role of mixed avifauna in sustaining local enzootic cycles and the need for integrated year-round surveillance to mitigate zoonotic risks.
This study reveals that *Pseudomonas aeruginosa* clinical isolates are characterized by smaller genomes with higher GC content and a reduced abundance of intact prophages compared to environmental isolates, suggesting that these genomic features are hallmarks of specialization to the human host.
This study reveals that while microbial taxonomic composition varies across tropical mangrove sediments, functional diversity related to carbon cycling remains conserved but shifts with depth, with Desulfobacterota and Chloroflexota identified as keystone taxa driving carbon fixation and metabolism to sustain long-term carbon storage.
This study employs an integrated multi-omics approach to demonstrate that the microalgal microbiome of *Isochrysis galbana* suppresses the fish pathogen *Vibrio anguillarum* primarily through constitutive iron sequestration via siderophore production, offering a sustainable alternative to antibiotics for aquaculture disease management.
This study demonstrates that direct physical binding between H3N8 equine influenza A virus and *Streptococcus equi* subsp. *zooepidemicus* enhances cell-type-specific bacterial colonization and drives bacterial-mediated immune activation, characterized by increased pro-inflammatory cytokines but reduced interferon-beta expression during co-infection.
This study demonstrates that the rate of osmotic pressure change during the efflorescence of drying saliva microdroplets serves as a quantitative, medium-independent predictor of bacterial inactivation, with faster humidity drops causing more severe osmotic shocks and greater viability loss in respiratory pathogens.