🦠 Category

microbiology

826 papers

Age-dependent pathogenicity of two severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome viruses in a ferret model

This study establishes that host age is the primary determinant of disease severity in ferrets infected with two distinct genotypes of Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome virus (SFTSV), with older animals exhibiting rapid, lethal progression compared to the milder, delayed symptoms in younger ferrets, thereby validating an age-stratified ferret model for evaluating SFTSV countermeasures.

Choi, E. B., Jang, E. Y., Kim, S. + 9 more2026-03-16🦠 microbiology

Eco-tank Housing Maintains Wild-Type Microbiota and Rewilds the Laboratory Mouse Gut Microbiome to Restore Natural Immune Tone

This study introduces the Eco-tank, a pathogen-monitored semi-natural housing system that restores ecological complexity to laboratory mice, thereby rewilding their gut microbiomes and enhancing baseline immune resistance without compromising adaptive immunity to better align preclinical models with natural immune phenotypes.

Lu, T., Dietz, Z. K., Ericsson, A. C. + 2 more2026-03-16🦠 microbiology

Symbiosis reshapes the metabolism of sulfate-reducing bacteria in gutless marine worms

This study reveals that symbiotic sulfate-reducing bacteria in gutless marine worms have evolved a distinct, oxygen-tolerant metabolic profile characterized by the retention of core functions, the loss of nutrient-scavenging mechanisms, and the expression of the glyoxylate bypass, resulting in larger genomes that support metabolic versatility within their host-associated environment.

D'Angelo, G., Kleiner, M., Mankowski, A. + 7 more2026-03-13🦠 microbiology

Large scale antibiotic-phage synergy studies reveal key combinations for urinary tract infection and urosepsis treatments

This study utilized a scalable high-throughput screening platform to map thousands of phage-antibiotic interactions in clinical *E. coli* and *K. pneumoniae* isolates, revealing species-specific synergy patterns that challenge taxonomic predictions and provide a foundation for rational combination therapies against multidrug-resistant urinary tract infections and urosepsis.

Adler, K. D., Michniewski, S. D., Wildsmith, C. + 13 more2026-03-13🦠 microbiology

The recovery of 12,789 genomes revealed the diversity, function, and microbial interactions of the geothermal spring microbiome

By reconstructing 12,789 genomes from 152 samples across 49 geothermal springs in Tengchong, this study reveals how pH and temperature drive community assembly into distinct groups and shape simplified yet efficient microbial interaction networks, offering comprehensive insights into the diversity and function of these extreme ecosystems.

Li, Y.-x., Rao, Y.-z., Li, Z.-w. + 12 more2026-03-13🦠 microbiology

Deep mutational scanning of recent SARS-CoV-2 variants highlights changing amino acid preferences within epistatic hotspot residues

This study utilizes deep mutational scanning of Omicron KP.3.1.1 and LP.8.1 RBDs to demonstrate that key evolutionary hotspots (residues 455, 456, and 493) exhibit shifting amino acid preferences due to ongoing epistatic reconfiguration, while also identifying mutations like H505W that may drive future viral evolution by stabilizing the closed spike conformation.

Taylor, A., Starr, T. N.2026-03-13🦠 microbiology

Metabolites from plasma-like medium fuel nitrogen metabolism and influence proliferation in Leptospira interrogans

This study demonstrates that cultivating *Leptospira interrogans* in a physiologically relevant plasma-like medium reveals glutamine as a critical nitrogen source and signaling metabolite that drives bacterial proliferation and biofilm formation, suggesting nitrogen assimilation as a promising therapeutic target for leptospirosis.

Ward, M. H., Scherer, N., Shriver, L. P. + 1 more2026-03-13🦠 microbiology

Copper stress upregulates oxidative stress response, histidine production and iron acquisition genes in E. coli

This study characterizes the transcriptional response of *E. coli* to copper stress, revealing that both sub-lethal and near-lethal concentrations upregulate oxidative stress defenses, histidine production, and iron acquisition genes, while also identifying limitations in using a GFP-based promoter library for large-scale screening due to low signal-to-noise ratios.

Ainelo, H., Joearu, K., Ainelo, A. + 1 more2026-03-13🦠 microbiology

Bacterial Stress Responses Lower mRNA-Protein Level Correlations

By integrating transcriptomics and proteomics data across three human bacterial pathogens under ten stress conditions, this study reveals that environmental stressors significantly weaken mRNA-protein level correlations, particularly for essential genes and those involved in osmotic stress, highlighting the critical role of post-transcriptional regulation in bacterial adaptation.

Suer, S. G., Lim, Y. Y., Dhurve, G. + 5 more2026-03-13🦠 microbiology

Integrated epidemiological and genomic analysis of some respiratory Bovine Coronavirus isolates reveals circulation of GIIb strains and ongoing viral evolution in U.S. Cattle (2020-2025)

This study analyzes 4,505 U.S. respiratory samples from 2020 to 2025 to reveal that Bovine Coronavirus (BCoV) prevalence is highest in young calves, frequently involves co-infections, and is driven by circulating GIIb strains undergoing ongoing genomic evolution.

Shah, A. U., Varga, C., Guger, P. + 1 more2026-03-13🦠 microbiology

Comprehensive analysis of air and surface hospital microbiomes uncovers potential hotspots and avenues for transmission of diverse pathogens linked to hospital-acquired infections

This study utilized optimized metagenomic sequencing to characterize the complex air and surface microbiomes of a UK hospital, revealing distinct microbial communities harboring diverse antimicrobial resistance genes and virulence factors that pose significant risks for the transmission of multidrug-resistant pathogens in high-risk clinical areas.

Cambara, J. C. O., Previtali, O., Cuber, P. + 5 more2026-03-13🦠 microbiology