Cell Host & Microbe

Our April issue is now live! On the cover: Peanut allergy & microbes Bacteria in the oral cavity & small intestine can degrade immunodominant peanut allergens, limiting anaphylaxis cell.com/cell-host-micr…

Weekend read! Cadaverine rewires macrophages: Gut-microbiota-derived cadaverine reprograms macrophage energy metabolism, altering inflammatory immunophenotypes. In IBD, cadaverine is associated w/increased flare risk & regulated by Enterobacteriaceae cell.com/cell-host-micr…

This Week in Microbiology 354: How a Gut Microbe Worsens Heart Disease Levin, Swanson, @TWiMSchmidt, @profVRR discuss a couple awesome microbiome papers from @CellHostMicrobe doi.org/10.1016/j.chom… doi.org/10.1016/j.chom… open.spotify.com/episode/0QUesr…

Highlight of new Cell Host & Microbe paper! Vaginal bacteria turn newborn skin into a beneficial ‘bioreactor’ science.org/content/articl…

Not just passengers! Perspective by Colin Hill & Co examines role of phages in fecal microbiota transplants (FMTs). Phages may actively reshape the recipient’s gut by transferring genes between microbes, potentially influencing treatment success cell.com/cell-host-micr…

VMT & infant neurodevelopment Vaginal microbiota transfer after cesarean birth restores skin lipid signal (N-bc2S1P) linked to neurodevelopment. In mice, engineered skin bacteria sustain N-bc2S1P & prolong rescue of cesarean-associated deficits cell.com/cell-host-micr…

"Vaginal microbiota transfer ameliorates cesarean-associated neurodevelopmental deficits in mice via microbial N-bc2S1P synthesis on neonatal skin" spkl.io/6015A4yYL Yuhang Zhang, Ri-hua Xie & colleagues @cellhostmicrobe

Microbiota mitigate antipsychotic-induced cognitive impairment Antipsychotics deplete Cyanobacteria & ergothioneine, leading to cognitive impairment. Ergothioneine treatment rescues cognitive deficits by inhibiting hippocampal oxidative stress & PTP1B cell.com/cell-host-micr…

Early-life interventions & airway microbiome Nasal microbial gene atlas in infants -/+ cystic fibrosis. Hypertonic saline inhalation reshapes airway microbiome, selects salt-tolerant H. influenzae & induces transporters linked to antibiotic tolerance cell.com/cell-host-micr…

Enterococcus faecalis-derived lactic acid suppresses macrophage activation to facilitate persistent and polymicrobial wound infections. Research by @KimInGeneva, @RonniAnderson & colleagues in @CellHostMicrobe #AAI2026 hubs.li/Q04c616c0

Weekend read! Plant microbiome & drought resistance Drought stress promotes specific microbial & metabolite enrichments in the wheat rhizosphere. These changes enhance plant drought resistance via plant-microbe interactions & have lasting legacy effects cell.com/cell-host-micr…

Microbiota utilization of intestinal amino acids modulates cancer progression and anticancer immunity @Nick_Collins11 @WeillCornell & colleagues @CellHostMicrobe #AAI2026 hubs.li/Q04c5R6_0

Female urogenital microbiome: Review by Sarah Lebeer & Co In urogenital tract, dominant lactobacilli shape vaginal immunity & community stability. Review examines molecular strategies & rational design of next-generation microbiome-based therapies cell.com/cell-host-micr…

#WeekendRead! #EveryCellIsAnImmuneCell! #InflammasomePower! Zhao &co show @cellhostmicrobe that a clostridium enriched in IBD exacerbates colitis via boosting #glycolysis & IL1b by macrophages & activating #NLRP3 in enteric #neurons, causing their loss! doi.org/10.1016/j.chom…

Gut phage ACRs Type II CRISPR-Cas systems dominate human gut w/diverse phage Acrs targeting these systems. Widespread family, GutAcraca, adopts similar structures to inhibit Cas9 & regulate its own expression, highlighting phage adaptation to gut ecology cell.com/cell-host-micr…

Microbes that chew allergens mitigate anaphylaxis Preview of work demonstrating that oral & small intestinal bacteria can modulate IgE-mediated anaphylaxis through metabolic degradation of immunodominant peanut allergens. cell.com/cell-host-micr…

Microbes impact peanut allergy Mouth & gut contain peanut-degrading bacteria(Rothia) that metabolize PN allergens. Mice colonized w/Rothia show decreased anaphylaxis & allergic patients w/better PN tolerance have higher abundance of these bacteria cell.com/cell-host-micr…

Crisping up Lactobacillus vaginal live biotherapeutics Highlight of 2 papers reporting clinical trials evaluating 3 vaginal live biotherapeutic products containing different Lactobacillus crispatus strain combinations for treatment of bacterial vaginosis. cell.com/cell-host-micr…

Lactobacillus crispatus live biotherapeutic for BV Vaginal live biotherapeutic product containing health-associated bacterium L. crispatus prevents bacterial vaginosis recurrence & reduces inflammation. Success depends on pre-treatment vaginal microbiota cell.com/cell-host-micr…

VIBRANT: Phase 1 trial of multi-strain L. crispatus for BV Women w/bacterial vaginosis receiving multi-strain vaginal L. crispatus live biotherapeutic 3–7 days post antibiotics showed vaginal colonization up to 12 wks, reducing risk of recurrent BV cell.com/cell-host-micr…

How to measure microbiome health? Commentary proposes adaptive coherence: capacity of host-microbiome systems to sustain integrated function via reorganization. Reframes health as emergent & relational, w/measurements of adaptability/functional integrity cell.com/cell-host-micr…