Humans encounter mycobacterial species due to their ubiquity in different environmental
niches. In many individuals, pathogenic mycobacterial species may breach our first-line …

Bacterial culture was the first method used to describe the human microbiota, but this
method is considered outdated by many researchers. Metagenomics studies have since …

SUMMARY A pure bacterial culture remains essential for the study of its virulence, its
antibiotic susceptibility, and its genome sequence in order to facilitate the understanding …

Tuberculosis, an ancient disease of mankind, remains one of the major infectious causes of
human death. We examine newly discovered facets of tuberculosis pathogenesis and …

Whole-genome sequencing of bacteria has recently emerged as a cost-effective and
convenient approach for addressing many microbiological questions. Here, we review the …

Twenty years ago, the publication of the first bacterial genome sequence, from Haemophilus
influenzae, shook the world of bacteriology. In this Timeline, we review the first two decades …

Leprosy is a chronic infectious disease caused by Mycobacterium leprae (M. leprae) and the
more recently discovered Mycobacterium lepromatosis (M. lepromatosis). The two leprosy …

Leprosy continues to be a challenge to health worldwide, with about 250 000 new cases
being detected every year. Despite widespread implementation of effective multidrug …

Despite significant improvements in leprosy (Hansen's disease) treatment and outlook for
patients since the introduction of multidrug therapy (MDT) 3 decades ago, the global …

Leprosy was endemic in Europe until the Middle Ages. Using DNA array capture, we have
obtained genome sequences of Mycobacterium leprae from skeletons of five medieval …