Escherichia coli capsules enjoy a genomic revival
Francois Lebreton
Nature Microbiology, Published online: 30 April 2026; doi:10.1038/s41564-026-02337-z Capsular polysaccharides are central to Escherichia coli virulence, but the scarcity of molecular typing has hindered research and development of drug or vaccine candidates. Two studies redefine the diversity, epidemiology and evolutionary dynamics of E. coli capsules by providing tools to integrate modern genomics with capsule biology.