Detection of microbes in clinical samples, phages living in viruses, and archaea in biofilms.

Microbial detection in clinical samples

Metagenomic analysis of a sample from a patient with respiratory tract infection reveals the presence of a γ-papillomavirus – Marta Canuti – Frontiers in Microbiology

“We therefore concluded that the detected γ-papillomavirus is unlikely to be the causative agent of the respiratory complaints and its presence in the nose of the patient is not related to the disease.”

Detection of intestinal protozoa in paediatric patients with gastrointestinal symptoms by multiplex real-time PCR – L. Maas – Clinical Microbiology and Infection

“The performance of a multiplex real-time PCR for the detection of Blastocystis, Dientamoeba fragilis, Giardia lamblia, Cryptosporidium species and Entamoeba species in faecal samples was evaluated in an observational prospective study.”

Are Quantitative Bacterial Wound Cultures Useful? – George Kallstrom – Journal of Clinical Microbiology

“This minireview briefly summarizes the clinical microbiology of wound cultures, with an emphasis on the history and utility (or lack thereof) of the quantitative wound culture.”

Phages and viruses

The origins of giant viruses, virophages and their relatives in host genomes – Aris Katzourakis and Amr Aswad – BMC Biology

“These viruses, together with the transposon-related virophages that infect them, pose a number of questions about their evolutionary origins that need to be considered in the light of the complex entanglement between host, virus and virophage genomes.”

Antibiotics

Antibiotics promote aggregation within aquatic bacterial communities – Gianluca Corno – Frontiers in Microbiology

“In this study a chemostat-based experiment with 4 coexisting bacterial strains has been performed to mimicking the response of a freshwater bacterial community to the presence of antibiotics in low and high doses.”

Biofilms and Archaea

Biofilm formation of mucosa-associated methanoarchaeal strains – Corinna Bang – Frontiers in Microbiology

“Here, the ability of three methanoarchaeal strains, Methanobrevibacter smithii and Methanosphaera stadtmanae, which form part of the human gut microbiota, and the Methanosarcina mazei strain Gö1 to grow on different surfaces and form biofilms was investigated. “

Microbial ecology

Persistence in the shadow of killers – Robert M. Sinclair – Frontiers in Microbiology

“What we show is that coexistence is not only possible, but that it is possible even if the absolute fitness advantage of the sensitive strain over the killer strain is arbitrarily small. We do this by performing a specifically targeted mathematical analysis on our model, rather than via simulations.”

General microbiology

Editorial: Bioterrorism: myth or reality? – G. Greub and M. P. Grobusch – Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Dr. Bik’s Picks

Today I can only cry for the people onboard flight MH17.

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