{"title":"How should health researchers advance health equity?","authors":"Phaik Yeong Cheah, Michael Parker","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.09.003","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.09.003","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This commentary outlines ways in which health researchers can advance health equity. We focus on often-overlooked areas, including identifying context-specific drivers of inequity, carefully selecting research questions and priorities, engaging stakeholders, including those whose voices are seldom heard, improving diversity and inclusiveness among study participants, and using equity-oriented study designs.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145275927","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Raul Y Tito, Alexandra J Obregon-Tito, Graciela Meza-Sánchez, Daniel Vela-Collantes, Cecil M Lewis, Jeroen Raes
{"title":"Navigating trust and science: microbiome research in the Amazon.","authors":"Raul Y Tito, Alexandra J Obregon-Tito, Graciela Meza-Sánchez, Daniel Vela-Collantes, Cecil M Lewis, Jeroen Raes","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.08.007","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.08.007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Including Indigenous Peoples in microbiome research is both a scientific imperative and an ethical responsibility. Our long-standing partnership with the Matsés Peoples from the Peruvian Amazon provided scientific insights in microbial profiles that have coevolved with humans, studies only possible via trust-based ethical partnerships. Community-based participatory research (CBPR) is essential to navigate mistrust rooted in historical injustices. We present our experience implementing culturally informed protocols and equitable benefit-sharing as cornerstones of respectful, inclusive microbiome research with Peruvian Indigenous Peoples. This approach fosters sustainable research partnerships grounded in reciprocal trust and mutual benefit.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145259275","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Gordon D Brown, Elaine Bignell, Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo, Freddy Perez, Pilar Ramon-Pardo, Juan L Rodriguez-Tudela, Narda Medina Samayoa, Agustina Forastiero, Marcelo Galas, Carlos P Taborda, Alexander Jordon, Tom Chiller, Arnaldo L Colombo
{"title":"Working together to tackle fungal disease across Latin America.","authors":"Gordon D Brown, Elaine Bignell, Ana Alastruey-Izquierdo, Freddy Perez, Pilar Ramon-Pardo, Juan L Rodriguez-Tudela, Narda Medina Samayoa, Agustina Forastiero, Marcelo Galas, Carlos P Taborda, Alexander Jordon, Tom Chiller, Arnaldo L Colombo","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.09.002","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tim.2025.09.002","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Fungal infections are a major contributor to human infectious diseases. To address this in Latin America, international groups formed the Fungal Disease Interest Group (FDIG). At the Brazil conference of the International Society for Human and Animal Mycoses (ISHAM), FDIG hosted a forum highlighting key challenges and priorities to advance fungal disease research, education, and public health across the region.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145259212","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-06-12DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.018
Joshua Ladau, Ashkaan K Fahimipour, Michelle E Newcomer, James B Brown, Gary J Vora, Melissa K Melby, Julia A Maresca
{"title":"Microbial inoculants and invasions: a call to action.","authors":"Joshua Ladau, Ashkaan K Fahimipour, Michelle E Newcomer, James B Brown, Gary J Vora, Melissa K Melby, Julia A Maresca","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.018","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.018","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microbial inoculants are increasingly used for beneficial purposes in agriculture, bioremediation, and medicine, but they can carry risks of generating invasive microbes. Here, we present a roadmap for guarding against these invasions, proposing developing (i) coherent mechanistic understandings of how microbial inoculants can effect invasions, (ii) predictive models forecasting microbial invasion risks, and (iii) effective management strategies. To guide mechanistic understandings, we distill 17 guiding hypotheses. For predictive modeling, we highlight data collection needs and qualitative approaches. For management strategies, we stress the importance of accurately weighing the risks against benefits. The unified approach presented here provides a route toward an effective research and management infrastructure for microbial inoculants in order to avoid potentially catastrophic microbial invasions.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1064-1075"},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144286584","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-09-02DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.08.006
Susan M Bueno, Pablo A González, Alexis M Kalergis
{"title":"Strengthening cGMP capabilities for microbiology and immunology clinical research in South America.","authors":"Susan M Bueno, Pablo A González, Alexis M Kalergis","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.08.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.08.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>In South America, few countries can produce vaccines and biologics for clinical research under current good manufacturing practices (cGMP), which is a significant barrier to translating applied microbiology and immunology research into clinical trials, as well as further licensing and commercialization. In this comment, we offer a perspective on the relevance of enhancing cGMP production capacities for clinical trials in addressing specific epidemiological challenges in South America.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1040-1042"},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144993478","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-05-28DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.004
Ruggero La Rosa, Søren Molin, Helle Krogh Johansen
{"title":"Pseudomonas aeruginosa: persistence beyond antibiotic resistance.","authors":"Ruggero La Rosa, Søren Molin, Helle Krogh Johansen","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.004","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The persistence of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in chronic infections extends beyond the issue of antibiotic resistance. A critical, yet unresolved question is why antibiotics fail to eradicate all infecting bacteria, despite P. aeruginosa often being phenotypically susceptible. This highlights the need for a comprehensive understanding of persistence mechanisms, which we consider to be directly rooted in host-pathogen interactions and which are frequently overlooked. We propose that both gene regulatory adaptation and adaptive genetic evolution play fundamental roles in the long-term persistence of P. aeruginosa. Elucidating these complex interactions has profound clinical implications, but their elucidation depends on access to advanced and innovative model systems that accurately replicate host-pathogen relationships.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1076-1084"},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144180181","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-05-26DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.017
Abhirupa Ghosh, Charmie K Vang, Evan P Brenner, Janani Ravi
{"title":"Unlocking antimicrobial resistance with multiomics and machine learning.","authors":"Abhirupa Ghosh, Charmie K Vang, Evan P Brenner, Janani Ravi","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.017","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.017","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The global antimicrobial resistance (AMR) emergency is driven by complex and evolving molecular mechanisms. Cutting-edge machine learning methods and multiomics technologies can help to combat this crisis by predicting novel AMR biomarkers and outcomes with unprecedented precision and speed, offering critical insights into the molecular underpinnings of AMR.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1048-1051"},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12226009/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144161193","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-06-09DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.006
Dishon M Muloi, Alexandre Caron, James A Berkley, James M Hassell, Ilana L Brito, Kayla King, Arshnee Moodley, Eric M Fèvre
{"title":"Using the microbiota to study connectivity at human-animal interfaces.","authors":"Dishon M Muloi, Alexandre Caron, James A Berkley, James M Hassell, Ilana L Brito, Kayla King, Arshnee Moodley, Eric M Fèvre","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.05.006","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Interfaces between humans, livestock, and wildlife, mediated by the environment, are critical points for the transmission and emergence of infectious pathogens and call for leveraging the One Health approach to understanding disease transmission. Current research on pathogen transmission often focuses on single-pathogen systems, providing a limited understanding of the broader microbial interactions occurring at these interfaces. In this review, we make a case for the study of host-associated microbiota for understanding connectivity between host populations at human-animal interfaces. First, we emphasize the need to understand changes in microbiota composition dynamics from interspecies contact. Then, we explore the potential for microbiota monitoring at such interfaces as a predictive tool for infectious disease transmission and as an early-warning system to inform public health interventions. We discuss the methodological challenges and gaps in knowledge in analyzing microbiota composition dynamics, the functional meaning of these changes, and how to establish causality between microbiota changes and health outcomes. We posit that integrating microbiota science with social-ecological systems modeling is essential for advancing our ability to manage health risks and harness opportunities arising from interspecies interactions.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1110-1120"},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144267295","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Trends in MicrobiologyPub Date : 2025-10-01Epub Date: 2025-04-24DOI: 10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.009
Louis Berrios
{"title":"Bacteriophages as important considerations for mycorrhizal symbioses in our changing world.","authors":"Louis Berrios","doi":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.009","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.tim.2025.04.009","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bacteriophages, bacteria, and mycorrhizal fungi are key members of plant microbiomes, yet connections among them remain unexplored. This forum article highlights the potential importance of bacteriophage knock-on effects in mycorrhizal ecology, develops testable hypotheses, and details experiments that could clarify views of belowground nutrient economies and plant growth responses in our changing world.</p>","PeriodicalId":23275,"journal":{"name":"Trends in Microbiology","volume":" ","pages":"1052-1055"},"PeriodicalIF":14.9,"publicationDate":"2025-10-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144033691","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}