Research papers must make a significant and original contribution tomicrobiology and be of interest to a broad readership. The results of anyexperimental approach that meets these objectives are welcome, particularlybiochemical, molecular genetic, physiological, and/or physical investigations intomicrobial cells and their interactions with their environments, including their eukaryotic hosts.Mini-reviews in areas of special topical interest and papers on medical microbiology, ecology and systematics, including description of novel taxa, are also published.Theoretical papers and those that report on the analysis or 'mining' of data areacceptable in principle if new information, interpretations, or hypothesesemerge.