BACKGROUND Historical accounts linking cancer and microbes date as early as four
millennia ago. After establishment of the germ theory of infectious diseases, clinical research …

Horizontal gene transfer (HGT) is arguably the most conspicuous feature of bacterial
evolution. Evidence for HGT is found in most bacterial genomes. Although HGT can …

We commonly acknowledge that bacterial viruses (phages) shape the composition and
evolution of bacterial communities in nature and therefore have important roles in ecosystem …

Toxin-antitoxin (TA) systems are ubiquitous genetic elements in bacteria that consist of a
growth-inhibiting toxin and its cognate antitoxin. These systems are prevalent in bacterial …

Background Viral-encoded auxiliary metabolic genes (AMGs) are important toolkits for
modulating their hosts' metabolisms and the microbial-driven biogeochemical cycles …

Antibiotic therapy has become increasingly ineffective against bacterial infections due to the
rise of resistance. In particular, ESKAPE pathogens (Enterococcus faecium, Staphylococcus …

Purpose Widespread antibiotic-resistant bacteria are threatening the arsenal of existing
antibiotics. Not only are antibiotics less likely to be effective today, but their extensive use …

Bacteriophages, the viruses infecting bacteria, hold great potential for the treatment of
multidrug-resistant bacterial infections and other applications due to their unparalleled …

Viruses that infect microbial hosts have traditionally been studied in laboratory settings with
a focus on either obligate lysis or persistent lysogeny. In the environment, these infection …

Antibiotic resistance is a major public health challenge worldwide, whose implications for
global health might be devastating if novel antibacterial strategies are not quickly …