Bugs take the sting out.

Jiang et al. investigate the role of the microbiota in postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a chronic pain condition resulting from varicella-zoster virus reactivation. They identify microbiome alterations in PHN patients, linking microbes and pain sensitivity. The researchers identify butyrate-producing Roseburia intestinalis as a mediator of pain sensitivity along the "gut-brain axis."