Gut microbiome of Australian sea lions, Trichoderma fungi in endemic plants, and digging for microbial proof of Hannibal’s route over the alps.

Human vaginal microbiome

Comment: Translating the vaginal microbiome: gaps and challenges – Jacques Ravel – Genome Medicine

Human respiratory microbiome

Review: The lung microbiome: the perfect culprit for COPD exacerbations? – Carine Gomez – European Respiratory Journal

Animal models

Frogs: Short-term exposure to coal combustion waste has little impact on the skin microbiome of adult spring peepers, Pseudacris crucifer – Myra C. Hughey – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Short bowel syndrome (SBS)-associated alterations within the gut-liver axis evolve early and persist long-term in the piglet model of short bowel syndrome – Prue M. Pereira-Fantini – Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Maternal Antibiotic Treatment Impacts Development of the Neonatal Intestinal Microbiome and Antiviral Immunity – Gabriela Gonzalez-Perez – The Journal of Immunology

Generation and Characterization of Indoor Fungal Aerosols for Inhalation Studies – Anne Mette Madsen – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Correspondence: The premature invocation of a ‘gut-lung axis’ may obscure the direct effects of respiratory microbiota on pneumonia susceptibility – Robert P Dickson – Gut

Animal microbiome

Colony location and captivity influence the gut microbial community composition of the Australian sea lion (Neophoca cinerea) – Tiffany C. Delport – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

DGGE: Decreased microbial diversity and Lactobacillus group in the intestine of geriatric giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) – Zhirong Peng – World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Germs within Worms: Localization of Neorickettsia sp. within Life Cycle Stages of the Digenean Plagiorchis elegans – Stephen E. Greiman – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Comparison of the abundance and community structure of ammonia oxidizing prokaryotes in rice rhizosphere under three different irrigation cultivation modes – Jinping Zhang – World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Endemic plants harbour specific Trichoderma communities with an exceptional potential for biocontrol of phytopathogens – Christin Zachow – Journal of Biotechnology

Water microbiome

Diverse and temporally-variable particle-associated microbial communities are insensitive to bulk seawater environmental parameters – Cheuk-Man Yung – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Pollution and waste microbiology

Similar Microbial Consortia and Genes Are Involved in the Biodegradation of Benzalkonium Chlorides in Different Environments – Emine Ertekin – Environmental Science & Technology

Biofilm and Planktonic Bacterial and Fungal Communities Transforming High-Molecular-Weight Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons – Benjamin D. Folwell – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Microbes and art

These petri dish “paintings” reveal the hidden beauty of bacteria – Julia Belluz – Vox

After Effects: A series of architectural scale models constructed with black paper and covered with flour and a layer of mould to create the effect of old abandoned buildings – Daniele Del Nero.

Microbes in the news

Scarlett Fever: A 19th-century disease is on the rise in the UK—and nobody knows why – Akshat Rathi – Quartz

The truth about Hannibal’s route across the Alps. How exactly did the Carthaginian general and his elephants reach Italy? Scientists have got their hands dirty to come up with an answer – Philip Ball – The Guardian

Gender differences in antibiotic prescribing in the community: a systematic review and meta-analysis – Wiebke Schröder – Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy

Microbes Meet Cancer. Understanding cancer’s relationship with the human microbiome could transform immune-modulating therapies – Kate Yandell – The Scientist

Guts and Glory. An open mind and collaborative spirit have taken Hans Clevers on a journey from medicine to developmental biology, gastroenterology, cancer, and stem cells – Anna Azvolinsky – The Scientist

Science, pubilishing, and career

Medscape Physician Compensation Report 2016 – Carol Peckham – MedScape

Bik’s Picks

It turns out this planet has three suns in its sky – Rachel Feltman – Washington Post