Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 845 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2236

Authors: Clifton E. Barry 3rd, Helena I. Boshoff, Véronique Dartois, Thomas Dick, Sabine Ehrt, JoAnne Flynn, Dirk Schnappinger, Robert J. Wilkinson & Douglas Young

Immunological tests provide evidence of latent tuberculosis in one third of the global population, which corresponds to more than two billion individuals. Latent tuberculosis is defined by the absence of clinical symptoms but carries a risk of subsequent progression to clinical disease, particularly in the

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 840 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2263

Author: Andrew Jermy

Although highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) can reduce viral load below detectable levels, it cannot cure HIV-1 infection, owing to the presence of a reservoir of latent integrated HIV-1 proviruses in resting CD4+ T cells. Coupling the reactivation of this viral reservoir with

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 839 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2264

Author: Christiaan van Ooij

Bacteria are present in large numbers in the intestines of many animals, but how the host maintains the integrity of its tissues in the presence of these bacteria is still poorly understood. In a recent issue of Genes & Development, Buchon and colleagues show

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 856 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2237

Authors: Eva C. Ziegelhoffer & Timothy J. Donohue

Singlet oxygen is one of several reactive oxygen species that can destroy biomolecules, microorganisms and other cells. Traditionally, the response to singlet oxygen has been termed photo-oxidative stress, as light-dependent processes in photosynthetic cells are major biological sources of singlet oxygen. Recent work identifying a

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 864 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2239

Authors: Richard T. Eastman & David A. Fidock

Plasmodium falciparum resistance to chloroquine and sulphadoxine–pyrimethamine has led to the recent adoption of artemisinin-based combination therapies (ACTs) as the first line of treatment against malaria. ACTs comprise semisynthetic artemisinin derivatives paired with distinct chemical classes of longer acting drugs. These artemisinins are exceptionally

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 895 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2238

Authors: Joseph Torresi & Karin Leder

International travellers are often exposed to a wide range of infections, most of which are a reflection of common diseases in the destination country. The consequences of acquiring such infections are serious and can be associated with substantial morbidity and mortality. Attempting to define the

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 875 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2249

Authors: Amy Gladfelter & Judith Berman

The many different mechanisms that fungi use to transmit and share genetic material are mediated by a broad range of chromosome and nuclear dynamics. The mechanics underlying nuclear migration are well integrated into detailed models, in which the forces supplied by plus- and minus-end-directed microtubule

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 887 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2245

Authors: Martin J. Blaser & Stanley Falkow

Humans and our ancestors have evolved since the most ancient times with a commensal microbiota. The conservation of indicator species in a niche-specific manner across all of the studied human population groups suggests that the microbiota confer conserved benefits on humans. Nevertheless, certain of these

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 840 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2270

Author: Rachel David

RNase L plays an integral part in antiviral immunity by cleaving viral RNA and thereby activating the type I interferon (IFN) response. A study recently published in PLoS Pathogens now shows that RNase L also protects from virus-induced demyelination of the central nervous system

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 901 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2209-c1

Author: S. Dusko Ehrlich

In a recent Editorial by Raoult (Probiotics and obesity: a link?

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 901 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2209-c2

Authors: Nathalie Delzenne & Gregor Reid

We wish to counter the comments of Raoult (Probiotics and obesity: a link?

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 901 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2209-c3

Author: Didier Raoult

I am surprised that my Editorial (Probiotics and obesity: a link?

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 842 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2267

Author: Andrew Jermy

In the Gram-negative bacterium Escherichia coli, mRNA decay is initiated by RNase E-mediated endonucleolytic cleavage. By contrast, Gram-positive Bacillus subtilis lacks RNase E but does contain two enzymes, RNase J1 and RNase J2, that have endonucleolytic and 5′–3′ exonucleolytic activity and are known

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 843 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2271

Author: Alan Walker

This month's Genome Watch highlights the part that genomics can play in generating new insights into the interactions of probiotic Lactobacillus strains with the human gut.

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 844 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2272

Paracetamol reduces vaccine effectivenessRoutinely giving paracetamol to children after vaccination as a precaution against fever may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccination itself, researchers from the Czech Republic have found. A randomized trial of 459 children receiving vaccines showed that treatment with paracetamol in

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 838 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2273

Pneumonia kills more children under 5 years of age than any other infectious disease, but affordable and effective treatment and prevention measures are available. The time has come for the world to wake up to this forgotten killer.

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 837 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2274

The WHO estimates that a third of the world's population is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis, even if they do not show signs of clinical disease. However, the classification of tuberculosis (TB) as either latent or active has limited our understanding of its biology. On

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 841 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2275

BiofilmsEscherichia coli

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 842 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2276

Author: Sheilagh Molloy

Fungi can produce an impressive variety of secondary metabolites, the most abundant of which are the polyketides. Reporting in Nature, Jason Crawford, Tyler Korman and colleagues present the mechanistic basis of the main cyclization reaction that is necessary for the production of the potent

Nature Reviews Microbiology 7, 840 (2009). doi:10.1038/nrmicro2277

Author: Katrina Ray

The human gut is home to trillions of commensal microorganisms, and we are beginning to understand how these microorganisms interact with, and influence, the host immune system. New research published in Immunity and Cell now reveals that a specific commensal species, segmented filamentous