🦠 Category

microbiology

559 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.

🦠 microbiology

The Urinary Tract Commensal Peptoniphilus spp. Encodes a Novel 17β-Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase

This study identifies and characterizes novel NADPH-dependent 17β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases in the urinary tract commensals *Peptoniphilus obesi* and *Anaerococcus*, demonstrating their ability to interconvert androstenedione and testosterone and suggesting a previously unrecognized microbial mechanism for androgen availability in the genitourinary tract that may influence prostate cancer.

Binion, B., Ahmad, S., Wang, T., Tang, E., Barnick, B., Olukoya, D., Mbuvi, P., Dutta, D., Erdman, J., Gaskins, H. R., Y (…)2026-04-01
🦠 microbiology

Metagenomic and transcriptomic signatures of periodontitis in companion dogs

This study utilizes shotgun metagenomics and RNA-seq to characterize the distinct oral microbiome and host transcriptional signatures associated with periodontitis progression in companion dogs, revealing both shared and unique pathogenic mechanisms with human disease that validate canines as a valuable model for understanding periodontal etiopathogenesis and identifying novel therapeutic targets.

Grier, A., Grenier, J. K., Byron, M. J., Fiani, N., Traver, N. D., Valm, A. M., Peralta, S.2026-04-01
🦠 microbiology

A widespread gut bacterial lineage distinguished by redox metabolism and phage defense

By developing selective media to isolate the low-abundance gut bacterium *Eggerthella lenta*, researchers identified a widespread, inflammation-associated lineage (Group B) characterized by distinct redox metabolism and phage defense mechanisms, highlighting the critical role of bacterial population structure in host-microbiome interactions.

Noecker, C., Guo, L., Date, C., Rai, N., Daramy, F., Ramirez Hernandez, L. A., Kyaw, T. S., Trepka, K. R., Gupta, C. L. (…)2026-04-01
🦠 microbiology

CRISPR Screens Reveal Epstein-Barr Virus-activated JunB as a Key Lymphoblastoid B cell Dependency Factor that Represses Cyclin Dependent Kinase Inhibitor P18INK4c

This study identifies EBV-activated JunB as a critical dependency factor in lymphoblastoid B cells that drives proliferation by repressing the cell cycle inhibitor p18INK4c via an LMP1-NF-κB signaling axis, highlighting JunB as a promising therapeutic target for EBV-associated lymphoproliferative disorders.

Burton, E., Liao, Y., Maestri, D., Mitra, B., Gewurz, B. E.2026-04-01
🦠 microbiology

Distinct virus-specific regulation of RNA synthesis across genome segments by thogotovirus polymerases: insights from Oz virus and Dhori virus

This study reveals that while thogotoviruses utilize a distal duplex structure for RNA synthesis, Oz virus and Dhori virus differ in their reliance on specific base pairs at positions 5'12/3'11 within this structure to regulate segment-specific promoter activity, suggesting a genus-wide divergence in transcriptional control mechanisms.

Rakib, T. M., Mashimo, R., Akter, L., Shimoda, H., Kuroda, Y., Matsugo, H., Matsumoto, Y.2026-04-01
🦠 microbiology

Antimicrobial Combination Effects at Sub-inhibitory Doses do not Reliably Predict Effects at Inhibitory Concentrations

This study demonstrates that sub-inhibitory measurements of antimicrobial drug combinations frequently fail to predict their interactions at clinically relevant inhibitory concentrations due to concentration- and ratio-dependent shifts in synergy or antagonism, necessitating pharmacodynamic assessments across the full range of therapeutic doses.

Muetter, M., Angst, D. C., Regoes, R. R., Bonhoeffer, S.2026-03-31
🦠 microbiology

Body-wrapping anterior flagella drive ultrafast swimming in bacterial zoospores

This study reveals that *Actinoplanes missouriensis* zoospores achieve record-breaking swimming speeds of approximately 500 body lengths per second through a unique propulsion mechanism involving a synchronously rotating, anterior body-wrapping flagellar bundle, demonstrating that supramolecular flagellar organization rather than motor speed alone dictates the upper limits of bacterial motility.

Uemura, N. A., Ishida, T., Sowa, Y., Jang, M.-S., Tezuka, T., Nakane, D., Ohnishi, Y.2026-03-31
🦠 microbiology

Lethal Sudan virus infection in IFNAR-/- mice reveals hallmarks of a cytokine storm

This study demonstrates that C57BL/6J IFNAR-/- mice serve as a suitable model for Sudan virus infection, exhibiting rapid lethality, widespread systemic viral dissemination, and a cytokine storm-like inflammatory response that supports their use in investigating filovirus pathogenesis and immune dysregulation.

Gellhorn Serra, M., Rohde, C., Sauerhering, L., Meier, L., Kämper, L., Neubecker, P., Eickmann, M., Kupke, A., Becker (…)2026-03-31