To maintain genome integrity and ensure cell survival, bacteria have evolved several DNA repair pathways to repair different types of DNA damage and non-canonical bases, including strand breaks, nucleotide modifications, cross-links, mismatches and ribonucleotide incorporations. In this Review, Wozniak and Simmons provide a contemporary discussion of the excision-based mechanisms bacteria use to repair the diverse set of lesions they encounter.

Combining several antibiotics, either in mixtures or sequential order, is proposed to increase treatment efficacy and reduce resistance evolution. In this Review, Andersson and colleagues discuss the effects of antibiotic combinations, the directional effects of previous antibiotic treatments and the role of stress-response systems as well as the interactions between drugs and resistance mutations.

Chemotaxis is one of the best studied bacterial behaviours, but the underlying mechanisms are much better understood than the reasons and consequences of chemotaxis. In this Review, Keegstra et al. discuss the costs and benefits both for individual bacteria and whole populations.

This study shows how Fusobacterium nucleatum integrates a metabolic network in the oral microbiota.

A study in cell lines suggests that SARS-CoV-2 potentially spreads through tunnelling nanotubes.

This study compares insect-specific flaviviruses with those that can infect both mosquitoes and humans.

This Genome Watch highlights how population genomic strategies can aid in the development of an effective syphilis vaccine.

This study shows that plants recruit root bacteria that can protect them from drought.

A study in mice shows that the gut microbiota can metabolize vitamin A into retinoids.