Nature Communications · 10 October 2026 · From issue 50
Extensive genomic diversity in Desulfovibrio reveals species-specific functional traits associated with disease
A gut microbe's strains differ widely, and some may weaken immune tolerance.
Tingting Zheng, Isabel Keidel et al.
A large collection of genes from a common gut microbe shows that different strains act in different ways. Some strains have a tail-like part that can weaken a signal that keeps the immune system calm, at least in mouse gut tissue grown in a lab. Certain bacteria that make a gut gas in a different chemical way were found only in people with inflammatory bowel diseases.
The size of the gut microbe gene collection built from 90 diseases and 32 countries.
Lab and database study only, not proof the microbe causes disease.
Integrity screen: passed (3 checks) Checked 12 October 2026. Retraction record: none. DOI resolves at doi.org. Metadata record found (Nature Communications). Read the source
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