Editorials

Our January 2026 special issue commemorates the tenth anniversary of the journal and celebrates researchers, peer reviewers and readers from the microbiology community and beyond.

A new community-led checklist provides reporting guidelines for microbiome research across environments.

Herpesviruses cause a high disease burden, yet vaccines are lacking. Developing efficacious vaccines remains challenging and more research is needed to address this unmet public health priority.

You may have spotted us at different conferences and wondered what we’re doing amid active researchers. Here, we demystify the editorial aims of conference attendance.

Bacteria and fungi can augment the flavour, composition and sustainability of foods, but more research is needed to push microbial foods — and consumer palates — to new heights.

We summarize our Focus issue on ‘Strategies to overcome infectious disease’ and present some of the approaches to tackle heightening rates of infectious diseases.

We reflect on self-reported gender information for corresponding authors and reviewers at Nature Microbiology and identify actions to address disparities.

The Pandemic Agreement proves that nations can work together to tackle future pandemic threats and provides cautious optimism in otherwise uncertain times.

Nature Microbiology has launched a joint collection on the clinical microbiome with Nature Communications, Nature Medicine and Communications Medicine.

Mathematical models can distil complex systems into their key components, posit theories that spark experimental research and forecast future events. We discuss the power of models to address pressing issues related to microbiology and our editorial perspective on this fast-evolving discipline.

It is increasingly clear that microplastic pollution can be detrimental to human, animal and environmental health. More research is needed to determine if and how our microbial partners are also negatively impacted, and what this means for host and ecosystem health.

Determining whether human organs house a resident microbiome is challenging and the findings can be controversial. However, forging collaborations and careful study design can help overcome these issues.

Global food insecurity is a growing crisis, but microbes could offer an effective tool for sustainable agriculture.

We look back at this year’s Nature Microbiology content covering the spectrum of microbiology, from fundamental advances to those that aim to tackle pressing concerns facing human health, the environment and the climate.

In this month’s issue, we launch a new Series on best practices: an evolving collection of articles that will expand over time to highlight tools, frameworks and resources that push us towards better microbiology research.

We provide a brief insight into our roles as professional journal editors to facilitate mutually respectful relationships between scientists and editors.

To successfully tackle the current mpox public-health emergency, we must learn from past outbreaks to focus research questions and take collaborative action.

This month’s issue of Nature Microbiology has a focus on microbial ecology, showcasing how these dynamics might be harnessed to better understand and safeguard life on Earth.

To mark World Microbiome Day, we reflect on recent developments in gut microbiome and diet research, including the complexities of this rapidly evolving field and future opportunities.

As antibiotic-resistant infections continue to rise globally, the development and application of phage therapy represents not only a promising but also a mandatory alternative approach to tackle this major public-health threat.