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 identifies a globally distributed, diverse group of DNA viruses called egoviruses, which are the closest relatives of poxviruses and primarily infect gut ciliates and parabasalids in humans and animals, suggesting an evolutionary origin where poxvirus ancestors transitioned from infecting unicellular gut eukaryotes to animal cells.
This study characterizes the phenotypic traits and antimicrobial resistance profiles of archived *Bacillus paranthracis* clinical strains to distinguish them from *B. anthracis* and inform appropriate treatment strategies, revealing variable similarities to anthrax and emerging resistance to recommended antibiotics.
This study reveals that the recipient ClpAP protease complex enhances susceptibility to the T6SS DNase effector Tde2 by degrading inhibitory N-degron substrates, specifically the GuaC protein, which otherwise binds to and neutralizes Tde2's toxic activity.
This pilot study utilized 16S rRNA sequencing to reveal significant heterogeneity and diversity in the urinary microbiomes of ten culture-positive UTI patients, demonstrating that molecular methods can uncover complex polymicrobial communities and ecological variations that conventional culture methods may overlook.
This paper reports the isolation and characterization of six novel Escherichia coli-infecting bacteriophages from Lake Taldykol in Astana, Kazakhstan, which were discovered by high school students during the 2025 School of Molecular and Theoretical Biology and subsequently added to the Lund Collection of Bacteriophages.
This study demonstrates that antisense oligomers (ASOs) serve as a tunable tool for functional genomics and selective depletion of the genetically intractable human microbiota family Prevotellaceae by enabling targeted mRNA silencing across multiple species.
This study reveals that *Vibrio cholerae* employs a pathogen-specific double-negative feedback loop between the transcription factor LuxT and the small RNA VqmR to precisely regulate quorum sensing and promote biofilm formation, a critical factor for host colonization.
This study utilizes proteomics and RB-TnSeq to reveal that *Pantoea* sp. MT58 bioremediates TNT by assimilating nitrogen through a redundant nitroreduction pathway linked to the GS-GOGAT cycle, whereas *Pseudomonas putida* KT2440 relies solely on efflux pumps and tolerance proteins for survival without nitrogen assimilation.
By integrating Tara Oceans metagenomic and metatranscriptomic data, this study provides the first evidence that a single parmalean species can switch between distinct silicified (S-type) and naked flagellated (F-type) morphotypes in response to environmental thresholds, thereby reconciling the discrepancy between their widespread molecular detection and the limited observation of silicified cells.
This study reveals that *Plasmodium falciparum* RIFINs exploit the dynamic conformational equilibrium of the immune receptor LILRB1—stabilizing either an elongated form for trans-signalling or a buckled form for cis-signalling via MHC class I—to suppress host immune responses and ensure parasite survival.