The growth and division of the Gram-positive cell requires the coordinated action of enzymes involved in the synthesis and degradation of the heteropolymer peptidoglycan. Herein, we present the use of...

Overall decreases may be due to a general decline in young people having new partners

Streptococci may enter a physiological state called competence, during which they express a specific set of genes required for exogenous DNA uptake and its subsequent integration into the genome throu...

Genetic manipulation is a fundamental process in the study of bacterial pathogenesis. The ability to make mutations and complements is necessary for definitive identification of virulence genes, and the ability to make unmarked mutations is preferable in these studies (1). Certain bacterial pathogens were considered genetically intractable for many years, such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Chlamydia trachomatis, and studies of their virulence mechanisms necessarily focused on epidemiology, immunology, cell biology in the host, and proteomic or transcriptomic analyses (2, 3). Those classic cases were eventually resolved by the discovery of effective transduction, natural transformation, and chemical transformation methods, greatly facilitating the identification of virulence factors (4–7). Gardnerella species have similarly been considered genetically intractable, and like M. tuberculosis and C. trachomatis, Gardnerella have an unusual cell envelope. Similar to other Actinobacteria, Gardnerella are generally considered gram-positive, but stain gram-variable because of their unusual and incompletely characterized envelope (8).

Archaea regularly interact with bacteria but reports of archaea killing bacteria are very rare. This study shows that many archaea encode peptidoglycan hydrolases, which specifically target bacterial ...

In this issue, Kurt-Jones et al. demonstrate a surprising role for the type I interferon, IFN-ε, in Neisseria gonorrhoeae infections of the female reproductive tract. Rather than protecting the host, ...

Brogan et al. uncover a signalling pathway in which levels of the nucleotide second messenger c-di-AMP increase in response to defects in cell wall synthesis. This regulatory pathway decreases turgor ...

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is the most prevalent vaginal disorder in women of childbearing age and causes pregnancy complications including preterm birth. Species of Gardnerella increase just prior to t...

Author summary Listeria monocytogenes is an important bacterial pathogen and the causative agent of listeriosis, a foodborne infection associated with significant morbidity and mortality. L. monocytog...

This novel antibiotic activates an existing "suicide" mechanism in gonococci

Doxycycline post-exposure prophylaxis (doxy PEP) is increasingly used among men who have sex with men (MSM). Its impact on antimicrobial resistance and the microbiome is uncertain.

The rate of gonorrhea cases across Europe rose by 31% in 2023 compared with 2022, and is up 321% since 2014.