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Khabre desk
Recent reporting, analysis and explainers from the Microbiology desk.
science
In a preprint, researchers report that antibiotic selection on human airway tissue favoured Pseudomonas aeruginosa clones that preserved the tissue and survived treatment better. The finding suggests that standard susceptibility measurements can miss infection traits shaped by the host environment.
science
A bioRxiv preprint reports cryo-EM structures of the flagellar motor in Borrelia burgdorferi, revealing stators that remain attached to the motor while disengaged from its rotor. The authors propose that this arrangement lets the bacterium regulate torque by switching individual stators in and out of engagement.
science
A bioRxiv preprint describes a two-part fertilization apparatus in male Cryptosporidium parasites. In infected mice, conditional inactivation of the membrane-fusion protein HAP2 blocked fertilization and oocyst production, and the authors report that it rapidly cleared infection.
science
A bioRxiv preprint reports Epulopiscium-related 16S sequences across human and animal gut samples. In human samples, the authors found age- and disease-associated differences in their abundance.
science
A Nature study describes DRT10, a bacterial antiviral system that uses a noncoding RNA to guide repeat-DNA synthesis. Its RNA-templated mechanism has parallels with eukaryotic telomerase.
science
A bioRxiv preprint reports that LptZ connects surface lipoprotein transport with outer membrane vesicle formation in Bacteroides. Experiments in an lptZ mutant also point to an expanded role for the bacterial Lpt transport machinery.
science
Researchers developed an engineered budding-yeast system to test resistance-conferring mutations in genes from several pathogenic fungi. They also used random mutagenesis to identify new candidate mutations.
science
A bioRxiv preprint reports that trimethoprim reduced phage production and toxin production in laboratory experiments with a clinical Shiga toxin-producing E. coli isolate. The effect persisted alongside DNA-damaging antibiotics that normally increase phage activity.
science
A bioRxiv preprint links a focal 2026 meningococcal outbreak in Kent, UK, to genetic changes that may have been acquired from carriage-associated Neisseria. The researchers propose that such highly invasive variants can emerge briefly and then disappear because they are poorly suited to sustained transmission.
science
A bioRxiv preprint reports a previously uncharacterised porcine adenovirus in a New Zealand high-health pig herd affected by neonatal deaths and reproductive problems. Genome sequencing placed the virus in the Mastadenovirus genus but on a distinct lineage from characterised porcine adenoviruses.
science
A bioRxiv preprint reports that synthetic, taxonomically complex bacterial communities rapidly evolved after adapting to novel plant hosts. The changes improved colonisation fitness while preserving the stability of the root microbiota.
science
A Purdue University team reports a loop-mediated isothermal amplification assay for detecting Balamuthia mandrillaris. In laboratory testing, the assay detected multiple isolates with higher sensitivity than conventional PCR and produced a visible colour-based result.
science
A bioRxiv preprint identifies the soil bacterium genus Trinickia as a candidate for supporting soybean drought resilience. Its abundance was strongly associated with greater root biomass during drought, while drought and rewetting produced different responses in the rhizosphere and bulk soil.
science
A bioRxiv preprint reports reproducible shifts in seawater microbial community composition after controlled near-space exposure, while overall diversity remained relatively stable.
science
Researchers are culturing Asgard archaea, rare microbes whose genomes link them to the ancestors of eukaryotic cells. Microscopy is revealing cell protrusions, movement and possible partnerships that may illuminate how complex life began.