1. Role and regulation of the stress activated sigma factor sigma B (sB) in the saprophytic and host-associated life stages of Listeria monocytogenes Amber Dorey, Catarina Marinho, Pascal Piveteau and Conor O'Byrne 2. Oxalic acid, a molecule at the crossroads of bacterial-fungal interactions Fabio Palmieri, Aislinn Estoppey, Geoffrey L. House, Andrea Lohberger, Saskia Bindschedler, Patrick S. G. Chain and Pilar Junier 3. Bacterial spores, from ecology to biotechnology Christophe Paul, Sevasti Filippidou, Isha Jamil, Wafa Kooli, Geoffrey House, Aislinn Estoppey, Mathilda Hayoz, Thomas Junier, Fabio Palmieri, Tina Wunderlin, Anael Lehmann, Saskia Bindschedler, Torsten Vennemann, Patrick S. Chain and Pilar Junier 4. Nitrogen cycling during wastewater treatment Dawn E. Holmes, Yan Dang and Jessica A. Smith 5. Siderophores: from natural roles to potential applications Magdalena Albelda Berenguer, Mathilde Monachon and Edith Joseph