Since the beginning of February we’ve been introducing you to the various microbes that live inside your gut. We’ve discussed Roseburia intestinalis, the microbe that helps produce the energy our cells need to fight disease. And we've looked at Bifidobacterium breve, the species that’s key for newborns in building a healthy gut. But as we’ve also learned from bacteria such as Bilophila wadsworthia, not all of the microbes that call our gut home are always friendly.

This is the case with Klebsiella pneumoniae. This microbe is the most common cause of pneumonia in hospital patients and the second most frequent cause of urinary tract infections. If it gets into a wound it can also cause sepsis.Yet it isn’t only people who are sick or undergoing hospital treatment who have K pneumoniae living in their microbiome. There’s actually a chance that this bacterium is already lurking inside your gut.

An estimated 4% of the population has this bacterial strain living in their gut microbiome. But the reasons why some of us get sick from K pneumoniae, and for others it remains a harmless microbe, is something researchers are still trying to uncover — and many think the wider microbiome holds the answer.

Elsewhere, a recent case study has provided researchers with new insights into a rare condition that affects the way some perceives faces. Prosopometamorphopsia, a disorder suffered by Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon, can make faces appear distorted — and at times even demonic. This latest study has allowed researchers for the first time to create visualisations of what the distortions look like to those who suffer with the condition.

Nato members are due to meet this Thursday, in what will be the 75th anniversary of the group. We hear why world leaders should be thinking about ways to Trump-proof their policies now – even though we don't yet know if Donald Trump will be re-elected.

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