Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. animalis comes to the spotlight in oral diseases.

Krieger et al.'s study in this issue of Cell Host & Microbe reveals that Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. animalis strains, previously underestimated, are significant in disease-affected oral areas. This challenges the long-held notion of the dominance of Fusobacterium nucleatum subsp. nucleatum, reshaping our understanding of Fusobacterium distribution in the oral microbiome.