The diverse molecular mechanisms of cellular motility. (A) The rotary T9SS and conveyor belt of Flavobacterium johnsoniae. (B) The focal adhesin complex of Myxococcus xanthus. (C) The leg-like attachment machinery of Mycoplasma mobile. Additional mechanistic models of motility for Mycoplasma genitalium (21) and Mycoplasma pneumoniae (22–26) are described in the text, with additional details available in the cited literature. (D) Multiple Type IV pili strategically arranged at both sides of the septal wall ensure smooth, coordinated gliding in filamentous cyanobacteria. The molecular organization depicted is based on well-characterized Type IV pilus systems of cyanobacteria. (E) The actin and myosin-based glidosome of the apicomplexan Toxoplasma gondii. (F) The proposed raphe and actinomyosin system of the diatom Craspedostauros australis. (OM, outer membrane; IM, inner membrane; PG, peptidoglycan; IMC, inner membrane complex; pPM, parasite plasma membrane; hPM, host plasma membrane).

#MicrobiologyMonday: Gliding motility allows cells to move smoothly along surfaces without flagella. Although this strategy has evolved independently across many microbial lineages, common mechanical principles emerge. Learn more in #JBacteriology: asm.social/2SJ

Key limitations of GM modulation in influencing lung diseases.

#MicrobiologyMonday: By shaping immune responses and producing metabolites, the gut‑lung axis offers possibilities for microbiome‑based therapies for respiratory diseases—though more research is needed to turn promise into practice. #IAIJournal: asm.social/2RZ

Morphology and microscopic images of the CBC in PBRs treating MWW. (a) The combined form of bacteria and algae; (b) bacterial and algal polymers.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Farming fish and shrimp produces large volumes of wastewater. How can we treat it sustainably? 🌊🦠Indigenous cyanobacteria–bacteria biofilms already adapted to mariculture effluent can help! #JournalSpectrum: asm.social/2Rn

Three distinct perspectives of tolerance.

#MicrobiologyMonday: What does it mean to tolerate the microbiome?🦠 Researchers suggest that 3 different forms of tolerance can be recognized:

1️⃣Disease tolerance.
2️⃣Endotoxin tolerance.
3️⃣Immunological tolerance.

Learn more in #mBio: asm.social/2QW

Diagram representing the impacts of viruses on aqueous sediment geochemistry. Organic matter (OM) sinks to the sediments, which is cycled in the microbial community, as well as increasing abundance, diversity, activity, and degradation of OM. From this “microbial loop” recalcitrant dissolved organic matter (RDOM) and dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC) are stored in sediments. Carbon is also released into the atmosphere from the sediment, and viral infection transfers genes between hosts or releases exogenous DNA to be used by bacteria, potentially aiding in metabolic activity. Created in BioRender. Williams, J. (2026) https://BioRender.com/b4wqimp.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Marine sediments store vast amounts of carbon. By infecting and lysing microbes, viruses shape biogeochemical cycling from coastal zones to the deep sea and influence long-term carbon storage. Get the story in #AppEnvMicro: asm.social/2Qv

Summary of host protease subversion by viruses to escape the antiviral activities of antibodies. Yellow background shows the role of soluble decoys in luring neutralization, promoting immune dysfunction, or revealing epitopes, which generate non-neutralizing antibodies. Blue background illustrates how protease-induced conformational changes modify/hide neutralizing epitopes. Green background summarizes how viral subversion of host proteases lowers effector functions against viruses or infected cells.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Viral infections can hijack host proteases to reduce antibody effectiveness. These proteases lob off viral antigens expressed on host cell membranes, creating soluble decoys that bind antibodies & reduce neutralization. #JVirology: asm.social/2Pn

Huancai Lake in the Turpan–Hami Basin, China.

Huancai Lake in the Turpan–Hami Basin, China.

#MicrobiologyMonday: A new study from China’s Turpan–Hami Basin shows how microbes shift across deserts, wastelands and hypersaline lakes. 🌵🦠 Deserts are shaped by strong filtering, while hypersaline sites are driven by drift. Read more in #AppEnvMicro: asm.social/2Ob

Relative abundance of the dominant bacterial phyla and fungal class averaged across endophytic and epiphytic niches of plant parts (nectar, leaf, branch, trunk, coarse root, root tip) and soil in different seasons (autumn and spring) in rice growing fields of B. ceiba.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Bacteria and fungi living on and inside Bombax ceiba (a tropical tree) shift dramatically with the seasons and habitat. The findings, published in #JournalSpectrum, have implications for sustainable agriculture and conservation. asm.social/2Nv

Prominent programmed cell death pathways include the major sources of extracellular metabolite release. Bacteria/metabolites that can exploit/modulate these pathways are given in red with arrows facing away, lines indicating inhibition and arrows pointing towards bacteria indicate utilization. Table 1 provides further details and references. DAMP; danger-associated molecular pattern. PAMP; pathogen-associated molecular pattern. MOMP; mitochondrial outer membrane permeabilization. AMPs; antimicrobial peptides. GSH; glutathione. Panx1; Pannexin-1 membrane channel.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Cells can die in a lot of ways. Bacteria modulate and are modulated by host cell death. Insights on the mechanisms underlying these interactions can offer potential routes to control microbiota-associated diseases. #IAIJournal: asm.social/2MJ

On the surface of aging washed-rind cheeses (photo on left), A. westerdijkiae causes the typical orange rind to be discolored and sometimes develop wrinkles. In simulated cheese rinds in the lab, the same wrinkle phenotype appears after 21 days of rind development (photos of plates on right).

#MicrobiologyMonday: The spoilage fungus Aspergillus westerdijkiae inhibits beneficial cheese-rind bacteria via production of penicillic acid. Insights like this can help researchers assess the risks of fungal-driven spoilage in cheese. #mSystems: asm.social/2Ma

Fig 1 Culture of an Inquilinus limosus strain isolated from the respiratory tract of cystic fibrosis patient. The strain was plated on five commercial agar media and incubated for 24 hours to 72 hours at 35°C.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Inquilinus limosus is a nonfermentative gram-negative rod & emerging pathogen, particularly in chronic respiratory disease. This #ClinMicroRev article summarizes what we know & still need to learn about this underestimated organism: asm.social/2Lm

Experimental overview of the Kimjang kimchi session during the Sonmat festival. Two sessions were organized. In the first session, participants made kimchi in a group (see the left-hand panel figure). During the second session, kimchi was prepared individually (the right-hand panel), and skin microbiota samples were taken from the hands before the start. Kimchi fermentations were followed up in the lab by observing gas production and measuring pH after 3days. Microbial community composition was determined through V4-16S rRNA sequencing of both hand and kimchi samples, and overlap in bacterial taxa (at the level of amplicon sequence variants [ASVs]) was determined. Photographer—Willem Devriendt, Photogenica Fotografie

#MicrobiologyMonday: In Korean culture, Sonmat means “hand flavor”—the idea that hands influence kimchi’s taste. 🥬🤲 A study found links between hand microbes and kimchi microbes, plus differences in group vs solo Kimjang prep. Learn more: asm.social/2Kj

There is no conservation without microbial conservation: anthropogenic stressors, and loss of microbial diversity drive ecosystem degradation and pathogen proliferation across connected biomes. In absence of diversity and beneficial microbiota, terrestrial, coastal, and marine habitats are increasingly linked by the spread of harmful microorganisms fueled by pollution, habitat destruction, and climate change. Deforestation, agricultural runoff, chemical contamination, and industrial waste disrupt microbial community balance, leading to the replacement of beneficial microbes by pathogenic taxa. These pathogens circulate among ecosystems and hosts, exacerbating biodiversity loss, impairing organism health, and threatening ecosystem services and, ultimately, human health. Some of the figure vectors were designed by macrovector/Freepik.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Save the microbes! 🦠Most conservation frameworks focus on organisms we can see, not the ones we can't. The International Union for Conservation of Nature Microbial Conservation Specialist Group seeks to address this gap: #mSystems: asm.social/2IZ

Structures of the bacterial flagellum of Salmonella enterica

#MicrobiologyMonday: The bacterial flagellum is built through a hierarchical assembly process and powered by a dynamic motor capable of astonishing speeds. What's new in our understanding of these complex nanomachines? Find out in #MMBRJournal: asm.social/2HB

SEM and TEM images of P. destructans mycelia after treatment with compounds. (A, D, G) Untreated mycelia. (B, E, H) Mycelia treated with DMCH. (C, F, I) Mycelia treated with nonanal. Magnification 5,000× (A–C: bar 2 µm) and 10,000× (D–I: bar 500 nm). The arrows indicate damage to the hyphal cell wall and plasma membrane or leakage of cellular contents.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Two volatile organic compounds (VOCs) from bat caves inhibit P. destructans, the cause of white-nose syndrome, by deforming fungal cells, triggering oxidative stress and disrupting energy metabolism. Learn more in #AppEnvMicro: asm.social/2GO

Propulsion-independent surface migration in S. enterica LT2 and E. coli.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Bacteria swarm, but DYK they also "swash"? This flagella-independent movement is tied to fermentation: as cells ferment sugars, they create local osmolarity gradients, which generate a wave of fluid driving expansion. #JBacteriology: asm.social/2Gh

Darkfield microscopy of Leptospira culture.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Diagnosing leptospirosis in animals is tricky: symptoms vary widely & many infected animals show no signs at all. How to overcome these limitations? Get the details in #JClinMicro: asm.social/2FJ

⬇️Darkfield microscopy of Leptospira spirochetes.

Map of Salton Sea and dust collection sites. Wister (red) is located <2 mi from the eastern edge of the Salton Sea. Palm Desert is located approximately 26 mi northwest from the Salton Sea. Dust material from Boyd Deep Canyon was used in previous host pulmonary inflammation studies (18) and is a site located approximately 20 mi northwest from the Salton Sea. The map was made using Google Earth.

#MicrobiologyMonday: California's Salton Sea, the state's largest lake, is drying up. Studies in mice show that dust collected near the lake alters lung microbiomes and triggers more inflammation than dust from areas farther away. #mSphere: asm.social/2Fc

Mechanical stress in the S. aureus cell wall during the cell cycle. (A) As the cell cycle progresses, stress at the equator decreases due to growth of the septum while the stress remains unchanged at the pole. The stress distributions shown here were calculated for MSSA with cell volume 1.22 µm3, thickness 20 nm, turgor pressure 2 MPa, and septum relative stiffness 1.2. (B) Graphical representation of the changes in circumferential stress at the cell pole and equator as septum synthesis progresses. Here, septum progression is defined as (a − b)/a, where a is the cell radius and b is the septum aperture size, which decreases as the septum is formed (note that a and b are defined for the unpressurized cell; see Supplementary Information, Section II).

#MicrobiologyMonday: Staphylococcus aureus divides by building a septum and then splitting into 2 daughter cells. But how is septum formation coordinated with cell scission? Research in #mBio suggests cell wall mechanical stress could play a role: asm.social/2Eq

Beyond direct microbial colonization: multisensory experiences in nature and their potential to indirectly influence the gut microbiome via multiple biological systems and axes. For example, stress can impair gut immunity in part by downregulating NLRP6 activity, a key regulator of the inflammasome and microbial balance (42); elevated cortisol increases gut permeability (43), and nature walks (and listening to nature sounds) reduce cortisol (44) and increase parasympathetic tone (45, 46). Exposure to natural biodiverse materials can reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines (27, 28). All of these processes can influence the gut environment, composition, and dynamics.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Can bird song shape your microbiome? 🐦Scientists propose that interactions with nature may influence gut microbiome composition, suggesting it is shaped not just by direct microbial exposure, but by multisensory experiences. #mSystem asm.social/2Cx

Growth of S. capitata on Sabouraud dextrose agar (left) after 5 days of incubation at 30°C in ambient air produced white, fuzzy colonies. The microscopic morphology stained with lactophenol cotton blue (right) highlights the appearance of oblong annelloconidia clustered at the tips of the annellides, which are located along or at the tips of the hyphae.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Guess the microbe! 🔬🧐

Meet Saprochaete capitata, a yeast-like fungus found in soil. Usually harmless, it can cause severe infections in immunocompromised patients.

For an example case, check out #ASMCaseReports: asm.social/2BK

Swarming phenotypes of different Proteus isolates on blood agar. Shown is the phenotype of colonies after 24 h. (A) Non-swarming isolate of P. hauseri sampled from dog feces, (B) bull’s-eye pattern of swarming P. terrae sampled from water, (C and E) root-like structures seen in swarming P. terrae sampled from water, (D) P. terrae sampled from dog feces swarming irregularly, and (F) unilateral, thin swarming layer produced by P. terrae isolate from dog feces.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Proteus spp. are frequent causes of urinary tract and bloodstream infections. Several new Proteus spp. have been described, but their pathogenic potential is unclear. Get an update on these ubiquitous bacteria in #ClinMicroRev: asm.social/2AS

Examples of the responses to light of fungi. (A) Light induces the biosynthesis of the orange carotenoid pigment neurosporaxanthin in the vegetative mycelia of N. crassa, but this pigment is synthesized in large quantities in vegetative spores (conidia). When N. crassa grows in tubes with slanted media, orange conidia accumulate at the top of the tube, allowing the visualization of the difference between the orange mycelia of the wild-type and the white mycelia of the blind mutant white collar-1 (wc-1). (B) Blue light guides the growth, phototropism, of fruiting bodies, sporangiophores, of Phycomyces blakesleeanus. Light applied from one side of the sporangiophore during 5 minutes is sufficient to observe a change in the direction of growth. The photograph shows a side view (upper part) or the top view (bottom part) of a plate with P. blakesleeanus fruiting bodies growing toward light (arrow).

#MicrobiologyMonday: How do fungi see the world?🍄👁️They can detect colors using photoreceptors, with blue light serving as a key signal to guide fungal growth. In #MMBRJournal, researchers explore the role of photoreceptors in fungal biology: asm.social/2yD

Myxobacteria in various fruiting-body complexities.

#MicrobiologyMonday: First discovered in dried cow dung, Myxococcus xanthus is a premier model system for studying diverse fields of bacteriology. Learn about the milestones in development of M. xanthus as a multicellular model bacterium: journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
#JBacteriology

(A) Inhibitory effect of strain J7 on 10 pathogenic fungi, a1: control; a2: co-cultivation; a3: filtrate-modified medium culture.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Species of Aspergillus show promise as biocontrol agents. For example, a newly identified strain inhibited growth of an array of plant pathogens in the lab, while also boosting disease resistance and plant growth. #JournalSpectrum: asm.social/2wJ

Comparison of the characteristics of particular DNA tumor viruses.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Genomic integration of oncogenic DNA viruses can:

🧬 Disrupt normal genes.
🧬 Activate cancer-associated genes.
🧬 Increase genomic instability.

Studying such integration helps inform therapeutic breakthroughs. #JVirology: asm.social/2wa

The potential role of microbiota on attachment-associated emotions (e.g., via oxytocinergic pathways) completes the core overlapping elements of our hypothesis. It is essential to acknowledge the complexity of other factors (e.g., environmental, socio-cultural, and other axes, such as the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and cortisol) that influence human emotions and gut microbiomes.

#MicrobiologyMonday: What is love?♥️ It might start in the gut. This #mSystems paper explores the hypothesis that gut microbes can influence the hormonal and neural systems linked to love-associated emotions via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Read now: asm.social/2vw

Comparison of different influenza morphologies and dimensions. (A) Representative electron micrograph image of two spherical A/WSN/33 virions. Scale bar represents 200 nm. Below is a schematic of spherical virion morphology, showing the hemagglutinin (HA), neuraminidase (NA), and matrix 2 (M2) proteins embedded within the lipid bilayer. (B) Representative electron micrograph image of a bacilliform A/Udorn/72 virion. Scale bar represents 200 nm. Below is a schematic of bacilliform morphology, showing that beneath the lipid bilayer lies the matrix 1 (M1) protein that forms a core within which lies the eight ribonucleoprotein (RNP) complexes. (C) Representative electron micrograph image of a filamentous A/Udorn/72 virion. Scale bar represents 500 nm. Below is a schematic of filamentous virion morphology, showing the arrangement of the RNPs within the enlarged tip of the filament, known as an Archetti body.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Influenza viruses come in different shapes (e.g., spherical or filamentous), and that shape affects how they infect cells. Filamentous forms move more directly, possibly increasing uptake by host cells. Learn more in #MMBRJournal: asm.social/2tU

Model for the interaction between P. aeruginosa and K. pneumoniae. These bacteria can co-exist in nutrient-replete conditions. Under iron-limiting conditions, siderophore synthesis is induced in both bacteria. Iron limitation can also turn on the synthesis of biosurfactants, rhamnolipids, in P. aeruginosa, allowing it to push away K. pneumoniae.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Pseudomonas aeruginosa releases a surfactant that displaces Klebsiella pneumoniae from solid surfaces. By pushing K. pneumoniae away, the detergent allows P. aeruginosa to better compete for limited iron. Learn more in #mBio: asm.social/2sH

Illustration of simplified anaerobic food chain for waste digestion. Numbers denote different trophic groups: 1, primary fermenters; 2, methanogens; 3, secondary fermenters; 4, acetogens.

#MicrobiologyMonday: Turning waste into watts! Scientists are building synthetic microbial communities (SynComs) to supercharge anaerobic digestion (AD)—a process that turns organic waste into renewable energy (like biogas). #AppEnvMicro: asm.social/2rm