Host microbial interactions are dynamic, reciprocal biological processes in which multicellular hosts and their associated microorganisms (commensal, symbiotic, or pathogenic) exchange signals, metabolites, and structural components that modulate physiology, development, and immunity. These interactions involve host pattern-recognition receptors detecting microbe-associated molecular patterns, triggering signaling pathways that shape immune tolerance or activation. Microbes, in turn, influence host nutrient acquisition, barrier function, and cellular differentiation through metabolite production, colonization resistance, and modulation of host gene expression. The net outcome of host microbial interactions emerges from complex community-level dynamics, spatial organization at mucosal surfaces, and context-dependent environmental and genetic factors.
In the search to replace antibiotic growth promoters with effective alternatives in modern swine production, plant-based essential oils are showing potential to provide lasting benefits. In a rare long-term public study that ...
Veterinary medicine
Apr 1, 2026
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129
Cholera-causing bacteria are locked in an evolutionary arms race with a viral nemesis, according to a new genomic study. Researchers have found that, in the Ganges Delta, cholera bacteria rapidly gain and lose special armor ...
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 1, 2026
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10
Many insects have lived in close symbiosis with bacteria for millions of years, during which time the bacteria have provided them with vital nutrients, making the mutualistic relationship so close that neither partner can ...
Evolution
Apr 1, 2026
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5
In a new study of viral abundance over a short time frame in the Sargasso Sea, researchers found that almost all viruses with cyclical changes in abundance were most active at night—somewhat surprising when the team expected ...
Ecology
Mar 31, 2026
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20
University of Exeter scientists studied chemical communication by phages (viruses that infect bacteria). The phages assessed in the study have two choices when they enter a cell: lie dormant or kill the cell and release new ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 31, 2026
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12
In a new study, Northwestern University neurobiologists discovered that gut bacteria and the nose work together to shape social behavior in mice, including who fights and who backs down. Using a combination of genetic and ...
Ecology
Mar 30, 2026
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451
Scientists have uncovered an unexpected microbial relationship that could help explain differences in the severity of a major disease affecting common beans. The discovery sheds light on how the pathogen evolves and may point ...
Ecology
Mar 30, 2026
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136
Fusarium head blight (FHB) is a destructive disease of wheat that can reduce grain yields and contaminate grain with toxins harmful to humans and livestock. The disease threatens wheat production worldwide and poses ongoing ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 26, 2026
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168
The Hawaiian bobtail squid, a small, multi-colored native of coastal waters in Hawai'i, uses bioluminescence to camouflage itself and evade predators. However, the costume change is only possible through an exclusive symbiotic ...
Plants & Animals
Mar 26, 2026
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58
The first large-scale genetic study of E. coli's protective armor has identified the five capsule types that are responsible for 70% of all multidrug-resistant bloodstream infections in Europe. Researchers, including those ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 25, 2026
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11
