February 2026

Confocal fluorescence microscopy image of influenza A virus particles displaying both native and decoy hemagglutinin (HA), the viral receptor-binding protein. Decoy HA is shown in green, while native HA is labeled with a stem-binding antibody (blue) and a head-binding antibody (purple). The decoy HA was introduced to modulate the effective surface density of HA and assess its impact on the binding of protective IgG antibodies. This study finds that bivalent antibody binding remains robust even at significantly reduced HA densities, highlighting how binding geometry and HA flexibility shape antibody avidity. Benegal et al. 2026

Image Credit: Ananya Benegal

Pearls

The diverse roles of host membranes in plant–microbe interactions

Marie-Dominique Jolivet, Hua Wei, Isabella Gantner, Andreas Klingl, Caroline Gutjahr, Julien Gronnier

PLOS Pathogens: published February 5, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013921

Shaping immunity: Genetic diversity as a key resource for crop protection

Amit Fenn, Samara Mireza Correia de Lemos, Thomas Lahaye, Claude Becker, Ralph Hückelhoven, Nadia Kamal

PLOS Pathogens: published February 5, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013892

Mitochondrial ribosomes in apicomplexan and trypanosomatid parasites: Dissimilar drivers of complexity and convergent features

Ondřej Gahura, Prashant Chauhan

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013920

Precision targeting: The dawn of artificially customized disease resistance

Xinyue Fan, Shanwu Lyu, Wenqian Fan, Jie Shu, Xiaofei Cheng

PLOS Pathogens: published February 10, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013942

Consequences of prion strain mixtures: Indifference, competition, or collusion

Amanda L. Woerman, Jason C. Bartz

PLOS Pathogens: published February 11, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013956

It’s not me, it’s you: Anti-phage nuclease specificity inside a bacterium

Alex Hong, Joseph Bondy-Denomy

PLOS Pathogens: published February 13, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013959

Polypharmacology of anthelmintics at host and parasite ion channels

John D. Chan, Spencer S. Ericksen, Mostafa Zamanian

PLOS Pathogens: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013977

Review

The crosstalk between acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) and the Vibrio quorum sensing (QS) system: A review

Hao-Ching Wang, Ramya Kumar, Michael Eniola Ayenero, Kai-Cheng Hsu, Chu-Fang Lo, Shin-Jen Lin, Han-Ching Wang

PLOS Pathogens: published February 20, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013980

Research Articles

Genome-wide CRISPR screening identifies Annexin A1 as a facilitator of porcine astrovirus entry

Yuhang Luo, Qingting Dong, Shiqin Yi, Wenting Zhang, Yiyang Du, Qingli Fang, Wenchao Zhang, Kang Ouyang, Ying Chen, Yeshi Yin, Zuzhang Wei, Yifeng Qin, Weijian Huang

PLOS Pathogens: published February 2, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013943

Chlamydial membrane vesicles deliver the beta barrel outer membrane protein OmpA to mitochondria to inhibit apoptosis

Andreea Mesesan, Henry Oehler, Collins Waguia Kontchou, Aladin Haimovici, Martin Helmstädter, Oliver Kretz, Oliver Schilling, Stefan Tholen, John Atanga, Irina Nazarenko, Ulf Matti, Jonas Ries, Ian E. Gentle, Georg Häcker

PLOS Pathogens: published February 2, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013247

Mechanistic insights and in vivo HIV suppression by the BRD4-targeting small molecule ZL0580

Naveen Kumar, Zonghui Ma, Fuquan Long, Srinivasa Reddy Bonam, Hsien-Tsung Lai, Shwu-Yuan Wu, Haiying Chen, Nicholas C. Hazell, Jiani Bei, Xuefeng Liu, Yeqing Chen, Zhi Wei, Cheng-Ming Chiang, Jia Zhou, Haitao Hu

PLOS Pathogens: published February 2, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013449

The impact of clade B lineage 5 MERS coronaviruses spike mutations from 2015 to 2023 on virus entry and replication competence

Ray T. Y. So, Kenrie P. Y. Hui, John C. W. Ho, Kaman K. M. Lau, Ziqi Zhou, Michael C. W. Chan, Leo L. M. Poon, Malik Peiris

PLOS Pathogens: published February 3, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013336

Inhibitory NK receptor expression associates with altered antimalarial function of γδ T cells

Meagan E. Olive, Perri C. Callaway, Mikias Ilala, Justine Levan, Gonzalo R. Acevedo, Felistas Nankya, Emmanuel Arinaitwe, John Rek, Prasanna Jagannathan, Grant Dorsey, Moses R. Kamya, Margaret E. Feeney

PLOS Pathogens: published February 3, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013460

Antigen flexibility supports the avidity of hemagglutinin-specific antibodies at low antigen densities

Ananya Benegal, Yuanyuan He, Katilyn Ho, Giselle Groff, Zijian Guo, Michael D. Vahey

PLOS Pathogens: published February 5, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013862

Isolation and characterization of broadly-neutralizing anti-HCMV-gB antibodies from human donors using a prefusion-stabilized HCMV gB variant

Maria K. McClave, Yu-Hsin Wan, Ellen M. White, Beatriz Gálvez Martínez, Mohammad Karimian Shamsabadi, Nicholas Aldridge, Bibhav Poudel, Adrian W. Sperl, Andrew T. McGuire, Ekaterina E. Heldwein

PLOS Pathogens: published February 5, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013950

A novel SO₂ probe inhibits lysophagy induced by Senecavirus A infection by promoting LAMP1 Cys375 sulfenylation

Shuo Wang, WenWen Han, BaoXiang Zhao, Ye Hong, Jun Li, JunYing Miao, ZhaoMin Lin

PLOS Pathogens: published February 5, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013932

B Cell Receptor’s function in virus entry: Anti-SARS-CoV-2 B cell receptors can mediate viral entry in an ACE2-independent mechanism

Rene Larios, Md Belal Hossain, Rebecca Brown, Arjit Vijey Jeyachandran, Angel Elma Abu, Anne Kathrin Zaiss, Christina M. Ramirez, Masakazu Kamata, Steve Cole, Ting-Ting Wu, Kenneth Dorshkind, Vaithilingaraja Arumugaswami, Kouki Morizono

PLOS Pathogens: published February 6, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013946

Porcine B cell receptor repertoire uncovers balanced recognition of antigenic structures on serotype Asia1 foot-and-mouth disease virus

Shulun Huang, Shanquan Wu, Fengjuan Li, Pinghua Li, Pu Sun, Yimei Cao, Huifang Bao, Kaiheng Dong, Jiaxin Yang, Hehe Zhang, Qiongqiong Zhao, Ying Sun, Dong Li, Xingwen Bai, Yuanfang Fu, Hong Yuan, Xueqing Ma, Zhixun Zhao, Jing Zhang, Jian Wang, Zaixin Liu, Yong Peng, Kun Li, Jinlian Hua, Zengjun Lu, Dongsheng Lei, Qiang Zhang

PLOS Pathogens: published February 6, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013893

Mechanistic insights into CAM-induced disruption of HBV capsids revealed by all-atom MD simulations

Carolina Pérez-Segura, Boon Chong Goh, Jodi A. Hadden-Perilla

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013566

Impaired host shutoff is a fitness cost associated with baloxavir marboxil resistance mutations in influenza A virus PA/PA-X nuclease domain

Jack R. Case, Denys A. Khaperskyy

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013550

Plasmodium falciparum stomatin-like protein forms a putative complex with a metalloprotease in distinct mitochondrial loci

Julie M.J. Verhoef, Ezra T. Bekkering, Cas Boshoven, Megan Hannon, Felix Evers, Nicholas I. Proellochs, Cornelia G. Spruijt, Taco W. A. Kooij

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013922

Neural cells are susceptible to historic and recently emerged Oropouche virus strains

Kaleigh A. Connors, Maris R. Pedlow, Zachary D. Frey, Marjorie Cornejo Pontelli, Sean P. J. Whelan, W. Paul Duprex, Leonardo D’Aiuto, Zachary P. Wills, Amy L. Hartman

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013933

Informed mutation of western equine encephalitis virus to heparan sulfate binding: Implications for rational design of alphavirus live attenuated vaccines

Tetyana Lukash, Shishir Poudyal, Theron C. Gilliland Jr., Thomas Klose, Chengqun Sun, Shauna N. Vasilatos, Jessica L. Farren, Long Kwan Metthew Lam, Richard J. Kuhn, William B. Klimstra

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013941

Breaking disulfide bonds in a weakly bactericidal α-defensin unleashes a potent antimicrobial peptide with an altered conformation

Gan Luo, Mingzhu Zhao, Qingxia Wang, Yang Zhou, Dan Yao, Jue Zhang, Gang Wang, Junjie Zhang, Chongbing Liao, Wuyuan Lu

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013954

Differential roles of the type I and II secretion systems for the intracellular ABC141 Acinetobacter baumannii infection, which elicits an atypical hypoxia response in endothelial cells

Charline Debruyne, Landon Hodge, Karsten Hokamp, Anna S. Ershova, Carsten Kröger, Suzana P. Salcedo

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013265

Flexibility and modulation of translation initiation in enterovirus genomes

Rhian L. O'Connor, Georgia M. Cook, Jacqueline Hankinson, Ksenia Fominykh, Samantha H. Cheng, Daniel A. Nash, Aurélie Cenier, Komal M. Nayak, Stephen C. Graham, Janet E. Deane, Matthias Zilbauer, Andrew E. Firth, Valeria Lulla

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013967

Regnase-1-mediated regulation of neutrophils modulates SARS-CoV-2 pneumonia

Keiko Yasuda, Junichi Aoki, Kotaro Tanaka, Shintaro Shichinohe, Chikako Ono, Alexis Vandenbon, Daiya Ohara, Yukiko Muramoto, Songling Li, Daisuke Motooka, Hitomi Watanabe, Keiji Hirota, Gen Kondoh, Takeshi Noda, Daron M. Standley, Yuzuru Ikehara, Seiji Okada, Tokiko Watanabe, Yoshiharu Matsuura, Osamu Takeuchi

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013969

Legionella effector protein SidG disrupts host cytoskeleton via targeting Arp2/3 complex

Jiayang Liu, Siyao Liu, Rundong Shu, Kelong Ma, Qian Lu, Jinli Ge, Hongtao Liu, Jiaqi Fu, Jiazhang Qiu

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013957

Cytotoxic lymphocytes counteract viral type I interferon immune evasion

Michael Y. Schakelaar, Liling Shan, Shuang Li, Rianne G. Bouma, Josefien W. Hommes, Jorine G. F. Sanders, Jan Meeldijk, Laura L. Winkler, Toine ten Broeke, Robert F. Kalejta, Niels Bovenschen

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013955

Quantitative proteomics of infected macrophages reveals novel Leishmania virulence factors

Nicolas Hagedorn, Albert Fradera-Sola, Melina Mitnacht, Tobias Gold, Ulrike Schleicher, Falk Butter, Christian J. Janzen

PLOS Pathogens: published February 10, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013934

A SARS-CoV-2 variant-induced NTD-targeting antibody enhances viral infection via a distinctive binding mode

Wenting Li, Congcong Liu, Yaning Li, Qi Gui, Lin Cheng, Qing Fan, Bing Zhou, Haiyan Wang, Xiangyang Ge, Zheng Zhang, Renhong Yan, Bin Ju

PLOS Pathogens: published February 10, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013828

Amikacin-eravacycline combination mediates the synergistic elimination of carbapenem-resistant pathogens via in vitro and in vivo metabolic reprogramming

Xiaoli Yang, Yili Chen, Jinmei Yang, Jiaying Lei, Tinghua Liu, Yougang Mai, Xikang Tang

PLOS Pathogens: published February 10, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013938

Interferon-β induction heterogeneity during KSHV infection is correlated to levels and activation of the transcription factors ATF2 and RelA, and not IRF3

Machika Kaku, Marta Maria Gaglia

PLOS Pathogens: published February 11, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013947

A humanized IFN-γ mouse model reveals skin eschar formation, enhanced susceptibility and scrub typhus pathogenesis

Ryan H. Cho, Lihai Gao, Hui Wang, Yixuan Zhou, Casey Gonzales, Dario Villacreses, Emmett A. Dews, Xiaofei Zhou, Ruili Lv, Hema P. Narra, Lynn Soong, Yuejin Liang

PLOS Pathogens: published February 11, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013419

Identification of multiple Acinetobacter baumannii protein antigens as targets for potential immunotherapies using a novel protein microarray screening approach

Samantha Palethorpe, Giuseppe Ercoli, Elisa Ramos-Sevillano, Gathoni Kamuyu, Joe Campo, Samuel Willcocks, Rie Nakajima, Philip Felgner, Brendan Wren, Ganjana Lertmemongkolchai, Richard Stabler, Jeremy Brown

PLOS Pathogens: published February 12, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013958

Structural and mechanistic insights into caseinolytic protease inhibition for antimicrobial development against Pseudomonas plecoglossicida

Jingjie Chen, Ping Zhang, Hongxin Guan, Bing Gong, Xiaoding Li, Zekai Li, Fan Li, Biao Zhou, Xuemin Chen, Xinhua Chen, Songying Ouyang, Yong-An Zhang

PLOS Pathogens: published February 12, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013909

MYSM1-mediated epigenetic modification dysregulation leads to immunosuppression and secondary infections in sepsis

Jiali Xiong, Xin Cheng, Xiaoxing Xiong, Heyang Zhang, Qi An, Zhiqiang Li, Hong Fan, Guangli Li, Wei Li, Mingfu Tian, Jingjun Lv

PLOS Pathogens: published February 12, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013935

The UBC/SIRT5/DRP1 axis regulates mitochondrial dynamics to alleviate Staphylococcus aureus-induced oxidative stress and senescence in bovine mammary epithelial cells

Huijie Hu, Naiyuan Jiang, Juxiong Liu, Junlong Bi, Xuanting Liu, Bin Xu, Yu Cao, Wenjin Guo, Shoupeng Fu

PLOS Pathogens: published February 12, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013975

A type III secretion system is required for Bordetella atropi invasion of host cells in vivo

Tuan D. Tran, Serena J. Meadows-Graves, Amanda R. Haio, Alexander I. Varga, Robert J. Luallen

PLOS Pathogens: published February 13, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013949

Csep1^P protein from Campylobacter concisus induces a chemokine-dominant inflammatory state in macrophages and enhances proinflammatory response to gut bacteria

Christopher Yau Man Luk, Mohammad M. Rahman, Xiaotian Zhou, C. Mee Ling Munier, Fang Liu, Stephen M. Riordan, Anna Roujeinikova, Li Zhang

PLOS Pathogens: published February 13, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013951

Zoological transmission of encephalomyocarditis virus in the United States: Virus evolution, host ecology, and capsid antigenicity derived from an outbreak

Aastha Adhikari, Kurtis H. Feng, Ayusha Shrestha, Carlos E. Rodriguez, Elizabeth C. Nolan, Geoffrey W. Pye, Phillip C. Gauger, Thomas Denagamage, Edward C. Holmes, Andrew B. Allison

PLOS Pathogens: published February 17, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013861

The 3C-like serine protease activity of porcine astrovirus nsP1a/3 mediates mitochondrial apoptosis and MAVS cleavage to facilitate viral replication and antagonize type I interferon response

YiYang Du, Yueqing Lv, Xiaoying Feng, Yuhang Luo, Xiaofang Wei, Sixiao Shao, Yeli Zhou, Kang Ouyang, Yeshi Yin, Ying Chen, Zuzhang Wei, Weijian Huang, Yifeng Qin

PLOS Pathogens: published February 17, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013987

Structural basis for recognition of Rift Valley fever virus Gn protein by a human neutralizing monoclonal antibody with a kappa light chain

Guido C. Paesen, Nathaniel S. Chapman, Jonna B. Westover, Cynthia M. McMillen, Natalia A. Kuzmina, Emmett A. Dews, Luke Myers, Robert Stass, Joel M. Montgomery, Alexander Bukreyev, Amy L. Hartman, Brian B. Gowen, James E. Crowe Jr., Thomas A. Bowden

PLOS Pathogens: published February 17, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013926

NS5-targeting nucleoside analogs inhibit dengue virus and other flaviviruses

Priyanka Bhakt, Swechha M. Pokharel, Yue Li, Tamanna Srivastava, Jesse Miller, Mark Dittmar, Yongqing Zhu, David Nguyen, Zachary Walter, Kasirajan Ayyanathan, Matthew Tudor, Chenguang Yu, Arnab K. Chatterjee, Holly Ramage, David Schultz, Sara Cherry

PLOS Pathogens: published February 17, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013970

Crustacean Mab21 proteins drive tissue-specific antiviral immunity by activating IKKε outside the canonical nucleic-acid sensing paradigm

Haoyang Li, Qinyao Li, Hao Yang, Xiaodi Wang, Airong Lv, Xuanzheng Di, Ranran Wang, Sheng Wang, Bin Yin, Jianguo He, Chaozheng Li

PLOS Pathogens: published February 17, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013986

Cellular determinants of parvovirus B19 susceptibility in the human placenta

Corinne Suter, Melanie Küffer, Jan Bieri, Amal Fahmi, David Baud, Marco P. Alves, Carlos Ros

PLOS Pathogens: published February 18, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013984

Immune-focused RBD nanoparticles induce cross-reactive, RBS-directed responses capable of variant-resistant SARS-CoV-2 neutralization

Kylie M. Konrath, Kevin Liaw, Nicholas J. Tursi, Madison E. McCanna, Bryce M. Warner, Ebony N. Gary, Xizhou Zhu, Cory Livingston, Cara Monastra, Drew Frase, Neethu Chokkalingam, Alana Huynh, Nicholas Shupin, Kelly Bayruns, Sinja Kriete, Amber Kim, Joyce Park, Robert Vendramelli, Thang Truong, Kevin Tierney, Kimberly Azaransky, Estella Moffat, Carissa Embury-Hyatt, Lynn A. Beer, Oreoluwa Solanke, Susanne N. Walker, Richa Kalia, Hsin-Yao Tang, Laurent M.P.F. Humeau, Trevor R.F. Smith, Darwyn Kobasa, David B. Weiner, Daniel W. Kulp

PLOS Pathogens: published February 19, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013905

Conformations and sequence determinants in the lipid binding of an adhesive peptide derived from Vibrio cholerae biofilms

Xin Huang, Ramesh Prasad, Sarvagya Saluja, Yiyan Yang, Qi Yan, Sydney O. Shuster, Erdem Karatekin, Rich Olson, Chenxiang Lin, Caitlin M. Davis, Xiaofang Jiang, Huan-Xiang Zhou, Jing Yan

PLOS Pathogens: published February 19, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013990

RNF20 dynamically regulates RIG-I and MDA5 transcription and degradation via nucleocytoplasmic translocation to balance antiviral signaling

Jie Wang, Qiuju Liu, Shurui Zhao, Qi Shao, Feiyu Fu, Kehui Zhang, Jingjiao Ma, Zhaofei Wang, Yaxian Yan, Hengan Wang, Yuqiang Cheng, Jianhe Sun

PLOS Pathogens: published February 19, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013890

Viruses and vectors tied to honey bee colony losses

Zachary S. Lamas, Frank Rinkevich, Andrew Garavito, Allison Shaulis, Dawn Boncristiani, Elizabeth Hill, Yan Ping Chen, Jay D. Evans

PLOS Pathogens: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013939

Platelet-like particles released from Ebola virus-infected megakaryocytic cells behave like virus-like particles

Makoto Kuroda, Peter J. Halfmann

PLOS Pathogens: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013985

Improved immune responses and tuberculosis protection by aerosol vaccination with recombinant BCG expressing ESX-1 from Mycobacterium marinum

Fadel Sayes, Wafa Frigui, Alexandre Pawlik, Cécile Tillier, Magali Tichit, David Hardy, Roland Brosch

PLOS Pathogens: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013992

Src-dependent tyrosine-phosphorylation of NM2A has a protective role against bacterial pore-forming toxins

Cláudia Brito, Francisco S. Mesquita, Joana M. Pereira, Daniel S. Osório, Neil Billington, Ricardo R. Lima, Sílvia Vale-Costa, James R. Sellers, Didier Cabanes, Ana X. Carvalho, Sandra Sousa

PLOS Pathogens: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013945

Detection and characterization of Hepatitis B virus double-stranded linear DNA-derived covalently closed circular DNA in chronic hepatitis B patients

Hsin-Ni Liu, Elena Kim, Ning Sun, Zhili Wang, ThiThuyTu Nguyen, Fwu-Shan Shieh, Yuanjie Liu, Marc G. Ghany, Raymond T. Chung, Richard K. Sterling, Selena Y. Lin, Haitao Guo, Daryl T. Y. Lau, Ying-Hsiu Su

PLOS Pathogens: published February 24, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013999

Structural basis for carbohydrate recognition by the Gal/GalNAc lectin of Entamoeba histolytica involved in host cell adhesion

Samuel F. Gérard, Christina Redfield, Matthew K. Higgins

PLOS Pathogens: published February 24, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013948

An intrinsic loop-mediated structural stability modulating inhibitor potency in the SADS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2 main proteases

Rui Zeng, Shizhan Cui, Xiaoyan Xia, Chong Huang, Jingxuan Sun, Xinyue Deng, Qiaoling Gui, Huahao Fan, Xiaojuan Liu, Yang Yu, Shengyong Yang, Jian Lei

PLOS Pathogens: published February 24, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013981

African swine fever virus pEP364R acts as an important inflammatory-inducing factor to activate NLRP3 inflammasome-mediated pyroptosis by regulating DDX3X

Qian Li, XuSheng Ma, XiaoFen Shang, XiaoFeng Nian, Ruoqing Mao, ZhiKuan Luo, ZiXiang Zhu, Yi Ru, Fan Yang, WeiJun Cao, YanYan Chang, YiGang Xu, Asad Jahangir, Syed Mubash-Sher Tajmir, XiaoHong Ma, YanYan Zhang, YuGuang Fu, JingJing Pei, HaiXue Zheng

PLOS Pathogens: published February 25, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013874

Host-directed broad-spectrum immunotherapeutic strategy for respiratory infections: Heat-killed Caulobacter crescentus (HKCC) as an innate-immune based biotherapeutic/postbiotic

Shanika Werellagama, Raj S. Patel, Nancy Gupta, Satish Vedi, Diana Duque, Jegarubee Bavananthasivam, Rakesh Kumar, Anh Tran, Babita Agrawal

PLOS Pathogens: published February 25, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013994

Heme limitation induces LHR2, an essential gene for Leishmania pathogenesis

Graciela Juez-Castillo, Raquel García-Hernández, Diego Guerra-Arias, Paola Vargas, María Cabello-Donayre, Juan M. Monteiro, Brayan Valencia-Vidal, Luis Rivas, Eduardo Andrés-León, Santiago Castanys, Lina M. Orrego, José M. Pérez-Victoria

PLOS Pathogens: published February 25, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013993

Cell death modulation dictates tissue-specific tropism of lumpy skin disease virus

Yuan Wen, Tianmin Wang, Siqi Zhang, Jia Wang, Chao Li, Cong Liu, Fang Tang, Jianjun Dai, Feng Xue

PLOS Pathogens: published February 26, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013982

Baculoviruses exploit the mitotic kinase CDK1 to disrupt the nuclear lamina

Mei Mo, Silan Yu, Yushan Yang, Jiongjiong Liu, Kai Yang, Meijin Yuan

PLOS Pathogens: published February 26, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013991

Trafficking and organization of cyst wall components into a robust biphasic structure in Entamoeba

Tam Kha Vo, Hiroki Yoshida, Fumika Mi-ichi

PLOS Pathogens: published February 26, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013940

PRRSV-2 impedes lysosomes from eliminating secondary infected bacteria

Zifang Zheng, Xue Ling, Shuang Qiao, Jie Wu, Shuangquan Zhang, Xiao Liu, Yang Li, Caiyun Xie, Zhiqian Ma, Xuyang Guo, Zhiwei Li, Yingtong Feng, Lele Xu, Jianwu Zhang, Haixue Zheng, Shuqi Xiao

PLOS Pathogens: published February 27, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1014000

An atypical venus fly trap domain receptor regulates motility and phagocytosis in the protozoan parasite Entamoeba histolytica

Rivo Yudhinata Brian Nugraha, Ghulam Jeelani, Herbert J. Santos, Tomoyoshi Nozaki

PLOS Pathogens: published February 27, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1014019

Corrections

Correction: Toggle switch residues control allosteric transitions in bacterial adhesins by participating in a concerted repacking of the protein core

Dagmara I. Kisiela, Pearl Magala, Gianluca Interlandi, Laura A. Carlucci, Angelo Ramos, Veronika Tchesnokova, Benjamin Basanta, Vladimir Yarov-Yarovoy, Hovhannes Avagyan, Anahit Hovhannisyan, Wendy E. Thomas, Ronald E. Stenkamp, Rachel E. Klevit, Evgeni V. Sokurenko

PLOS Pathogens: published February 2, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013925

Correction: A Helicobacter pylori flagellar motor accessory is needed to maintain the barrier function of the outer membrane during flagellar rotation

Kyle Rosinke, Shoichi Tachiyama, Jan Mrázek, Jun Liu, Timothy R. Hoover

PLOS Pathogens: published February 2, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013912

Correction: Correction: STAT3, MYC, and EBNA1 cooperate through a ZC3H18 transcriptional network to regulate survival and proliferation of EBV-positive lymphomas

The PLOS Pathogens Staff

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013931

Correction: Identification of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa AgtR-CspC-RsaL pathway that controls Las quorum sensing in response to metabolic perturbation and Staphylococcus aureus

The PLOS Pathogens Staff

PLOS Pathogens: published February 10, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013944

Correction: Longitudinal dynamics of SARS-CoV-2-specific cellular and humoral immunity after natural infection or BNT162b2 vaccination

The PLOS Pathogens Editors

PLOS Pathogens: published February 19, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013976

Correction: Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli induces Entamoeba histolytica superdiffusion movement on fibronectin by reducing traction forces

Yuanning Guo, Jun Ye, Ariel Shemesh, Anas Odeh, Meirav Trebicz-Geffen, Haguy Wolfenson, Serge Ankri

PLOS Pathogens: published February 23, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013960

Correction: Alternative splicing expands the antiviral IFITM repertoire in Chinese rufous horseshoe bats

Nelly S. C. Mak, Jingyan Liu, Dan Zhang, Jordan Taylor, Xiaomeng Li, Kazi Rahman, Feiyu Chen, Siddhartha A. K. Datta, Kin Kui Lai, Zhengli Shi, Nigel Temperton, Aaron T. Irving, Alex A. Compton, Richard D. Sloan

PLOS Pathogens: published February 25, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1014001

Expression of Concern

Expression of Concern: Effects of Capsular Polysaccharide amount on Pneumococcal-Host interactions

The PLOS Pathogens Editors

PLOS Pathogens: published February 17, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013953

Short Reports

Exosome-mediated delivery of microRNAs by root-knot nematodes

M. Willow H. Maxwell, Alex Papp, Bharat Rohilla, Caitlin Simpson, Martin Fuller, Suruchi Roychoudhry, Chris A. Bell

PLOS Pathogens: published February 9, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1013908

Plasma albumin contributes to early Yersinia pestis survival at the onset of flea infection

Amélie Dewitte, Florent Sebbane, Sébastien Bontemps-Gallo

PLOS Pathogens: published February 27, 2026 | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.ppat.1014022

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