This Special issue of the journal Microbiology represents a collection of research articles prepared based on the presentation abstracts of participants of the IV Russian Microbiological Congress, which was held in Tomsk on September 24–29, 2023. The Microbiological Congresses have been held in Russia since 2017 and are organized by the Interregional Microbiological Society. The three previous congresses were held in Pushchino (2017), Saransk (2019), and Pskov (2021). The IV Congress was attended by over 500 participants who represented more than 50 research institutions and universities from 28 cities of Russia. The Congress Program included a number of topical issues relevant to a wide range of professionals, including microbiologists, biochemists, molecular biologists, biotechnologists, medical microbiologists, and bioinformaticians. Plenary, section, and poster reports were presented within the frame of five major sessions: microbial diversity and ecology, metabolisms and genomics of microorganisms, microbial biotechnologies, plant-microbial agrobiotechnologies, and medical microbiology. The next, V Russian Microbiological Congress will take place in Volgograd in 2025.

The articles included in this Special issue are prepared in the Short Report format. Topics covered by the articles reflect the high diversity of topical issues discussed during the Congress. All articles have undergone the usual review procedure and were selected by the members of the Editorial board.