Abstract. Broad-host-range IncA and IncC (A/C) conjugative plasmids propagate multidrug resistance in bacteria and mobilize chromosomal resistance islands,

People who underwent stem-cell transplantation and ate sugar-rich food had disrupted communities of gut microorganisms during antibiotic treatment.

Nature Microbiology, Published online: 02 October 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02500-6Multiomic experiments using defined and native gut communities reveal that complex dietary glycans mediate the dominance of Prevotellaceae in non-industrialized gut metagenomes through signalling-mediated cross-feeding with Enterobacteriaceae.

Cyclic oligonucleotide–based antiphage signaling systems (CBASS) are bacterial immune pathways evolutionarily related to cGAS-STING (cyclic GMP-AMP synthase–stimulator of interferon genes) in humans. ...

Using affinity purification-mass spectrometry, these authors identified the Healer system, a phage two-protein effector that repairs CRISPR-mediated DNA breaks via homologous recombination.

Heritable microbes profoundly influence insect biology, yet the traits they confer often evolve rapidly and differ among closely related symbiont s...

Scientists have discovered a powerful gene-targeting system in viruses. Billions of years old, VIPR seems to predate CRISPR and may be even more powerful.

Plasmids drive bacterial adaptation, but how their diversity arises has remained unclear. Here, they show that in Staphylococcus aureus, mobile genetic elements repeatedly fuse and delete plasmids, re...

Taillefer et al. show that a bacterial type VI secretion system is lost or attenuated during experimental evolution when it provides no competitive advantage but is maintained in the presence of susce...

The spread of antibiotic resistance between spatially discrete microbial colonies is poorly understood, despite its relevance to persistent colonization on a variety of surfaces (e.g., medical devices...

Abstract. Insertion sequences (ISs) are widespread prokaryotic transposable elements, often regarded as genomic parasites that primarily cause deleterious

Abstract. To successfully transfer, conjugative plasmids must overcome a recipient cell’s defence mechanisms. The leading region of many plasmids—the first

Bacteriophages are the most abundant life form on earth and can be applied to eliminate or engineer bacteria. Here, authors demonstrate RNA barcoding as a high throughput tool to measure bacteriophage...

Migration of microbial communities is poorly understood. Here, the authors use a meso-tube assay to show that hundreds of microbial species co-migrate over metre scales via chemotaxis, which restructu...

Diversity-generating retroelements are engineered for directed evolution in E.coli.

Inoculating soil with pink microbes could help reduce the use of toxic insecticides.