April 16, 2020

Greetings from Pittsburgh, PA! I’ve been following Microbiome Digest for several years, but this is my first contribution. Although my research is in a different subject area now, my PhD work focused on host-associated microbiota. That topic still has a special place in my heart, so below you’ll find research articles focused on the microbiota of calves, honey bees, dogs, giant clams, mosquitos, and bats! If host-associated microbiota isn’t your topic of interest, I’ve also included other articles so you can learn “WhatsGNU” in microbiology!

General microbiome

Review: A benchmark of algorithms for the analysis of pooled CRISPR screens – Bodapati et al. – Genome Biology

Animal experiments

Comparison of the ruminal and fecal microbiotas in beef calves supplemented or not with concentrate – Lourenco et al. – PLOS One

The trisaccharide melezitose impacts honey bees and their intestinal microbiota – Seeburger – PLOS One

Fecal shedding of Salmonella spp., Clostridium perfringens, and Clostridioides difficile in dogs fed raw meat-based diets in Brazil and their owners’ motivation – Viegas et al. – PLOS One

Mechanistic molecular responses of the giant clam Tridacna crocea to Vibrio coralliilyticus challenge – Xu et al. – PLOS One

Animal microbiome

Metagenomic analysis of Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes from Grenada, West Indies – Ramos-Nino et al. – PLOS One

Detection of novel coronaviruses in bats in Myanmar – Valitutto et al. – PLOS One

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Plant microbiome analysis after Metarhizium amendment reveals increases in abundance of plant growth-promoting organisms and maintenance of disease-suppressive soil – Barelli et al. – PLOS One

The genome evolution and domestication of tropical fruit mango – Wang et al. – Genome Biology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Environmental control on the distribution of metabolic strategies of benthic microbial mats in Lake Fryxell, Antarctica – Dillion et al. – PLOS One

Preprint: Experimentally-validated correlation analysis reveals new anaerobic methane oxidation partnerships with consortium-level heterogeneity in diazotrophy – Metcalfe et al. – bioRxiv

Built environment

A comparative analysis of drinking water employing metagenomics -Brumfield et al. – PLOS One

Prevalence and pollution characteristics of antibiotic resistant genes in one high anthropogenically-impacted river – Li and Zhang – PLOS One

Longitudinal survey of microbiome associated with particulate matter in a megacity – Qin et al. – Genome Biology

Phages and viruses

Ozone efficacy for the control of airborne viruses: Bacteriophage and norovirus models – Dubuis et al. – PLOS One

Bioinformatics

Decode-seq: a practical approach to improve differential gene expression analysis – Li et al. – Genome Biology

WhatsGNU: a tool for identifying proteomic novelty – Moustafa and Planet – Genome Biology

A Zipf-plot based normalization method for high-throughput RNA-seq data – Wang – PLOS One

April 4, 2020

Good morning and salutations from Singapore! This is the first digest that I’m contributing for the blog, so I hope my selections are interesting to you all! Today’s digest begins with some recent COVID-19 pre-prints, before getting into papers on a diverse range of microbiome-related topics. Highlights today include a study on cats potentially harbouring SARS-CoV-2 (nooo…), the effect of C-section birth on the vaginal microbiota of adult women, and the impact of the virome on biogeochemical cycling in Lake Baikal.

COVID-19

Preprint: Characterization and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 in nasal and bronchial human airway epithelia – Pizzorno et al.

* Preprint: SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing serum antibodies in cats: a serological investigation – Zhang et al.

Preprint: Direct RNA sequencing and early evolution of SARS-CoV-2 – Taiaroa et al.

General microbiome

Review: Microbiota and metabolites in rheumatic diseases – Tong et al. – Autoimmunity Reviews

Human respiratory microbiome

Preprint: Distinctive airway microbial ecology of smokers and asthmatics – Turek et al.

Microbial burden and viral exacerbations in a longitudinal multicenter COPD cohort – Bouquet et al.Respiratory Research

Human gut microbiome

An in vitro evaluation of the effects of different statins on the structure and function of human gut bacterial community – Zhao et al.PLoS ONE

Human vaginal microbiome

* A cross-sectional pilot study of birth mode and vaginal microbiota in reproductive-age women – Stennett et al.PLoS ONE

Animal experiments

Polysaccharide extracted from WuGuChong reduces high-fat diet-induced obesity in mice by regulating the composition of intestinal microbiota – Wang et al.Nutrition & Metabolism

Animal microbiome

Intestinal microbes: an axis of functional diversity among large marine consumers – Scott et al.Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

The response of soil and phyllosphere microbial communities to repeated application of the fungicide iprodione: Accelerated biodegradation or toxicity? – Katsoula et al.FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Divergent patterns of microbial community composition shift under two fertilization regimes revealed by responding species – Yao et al.Applied Soil Ecology

Water and extremophile microbiome

* Preprint: New Viral Biogeochemical Roles Revealed Through Metagenomic Analysis of Lake Baikal – Coutinho et al.

Bioinformatics

Ten simple rules for providing effective bioinformatics research support – Kumuthini et al.PLoS Computational Biology

Finally, remember that physical isolation doesn’t have to mean social isolation. Call someone you haven’t talked to in a while, I’m sure they’ll appreciate it! You’re doing great 😀

March 27, 2020

We begin with a few updates about the recent research news about COVID 19 and how as a scientist you might be able to help. As a result of the global lock down, many conferences and seminars have moved online. You will find some of the microbiome-related online events in today’s post. Please also have a look at a special issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society for conceptual challenges in microbial community ecology.

COVID-19
Coronavirus vaccines: five key questions as trials begin – Nature News


How blood from coronavirus survivors might save lives – Nature News

COVID-19 Pandemic: Scientist volunteer form

An initiative to redirect scientific resources towards the fight against COVID-19

Virtual Events
Virtual Conference: 6th Annual Translational Microbiome Conference

Guts & Bugs: A virtual GI seminar series by Edelblum Lab

Let’s go viral: online microbiology seminars in partnership with International Society of Microbial Ecology
Schedule can be found via Twitter #MicroSeminar @MicroSeminar

General microbiome
SPECIAL ISSUE: Phillosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B : Conceptual challenges in microbial community ecology

Human respiratory microbiome
Review: Respiratory microbiome and epithelial interactions shape immunity in the lungs – Invernizzi et al. – Immunology

Human oral microbiome
Polymicrobial periodontal disease triggers a wide radius of effect and unique virome – Gao et al. – npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Metagenomic analysis of bacterial species in tongue microbiome of current and never smokers – Sato et al. – npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Spatial Ecology of the Human Tongue Dorsum Microbiome – Wilbert et al. – Cell Reports

Oral biofilms exposure to chlorhexidine results in altered microbial composition and metabolic profile – Chatzigiannidou et al. – npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Dysbiotic oral microbiota and infected salivary glands in Sjögren’s syndrome – Alam et al. – PLOS ONE

Animal experiments
Drosophila-associated bacteria differentially shape the nutritional requirements of their host during juvenile growth – Consuegra et al. – PLOS Biology

Bacterially produced metabolites protect C. elegans neurons from degeneration – Urrutia et al. – PLOS Biology

Dynamic interactions within the host-associated microbiota cause tumor formation in the basal metazoan Hydra – Rathje et al. – PLOS Pathogens

Association of colitis with gut-microbiota dysbiosis in clathrin adapter AP-1B knockout mice – Jangid et al. – PLOS ONE

Variations in microbiota composition of laboratory mice influence Citrobacter rodentium infection via variable short-chain fatty acid production – Osbelt et al. – PLOS Pathogens

Changes in the faecal microbiota of horses and ponies during a two-year body weight gain programme – Langner et al. – PLOS ONE

Animal microbiome
Microbiomes in the insectivorous bat species Mops condylurus rapidly converge in captivity – Edenborough et al. – PLOS ONE

Plant, root, and soil microbiome
Towards Nutrition-Sensitive Agriculture: An evaluation of biocontrol effects, nutritional value, and ecological impact of bacterial inoculants – Passera et al. – Science of The Total Environment

Book Chapter: Rhizobacteria Versus Chelating Agents: Tool for Phytoremediation – Kaur et al. – Microbial Technology for Health and Environment

Book Chapter: Applications of Microorganisms in Agriculture – Doley et al. – Microbial Technology for Health and Environment

Plant Invasion Has Limited Impact on Soil Microbial alpha Diversity: A Meta-Analysis – Custer & van Diepen – Diversity

Water microbiome
Carbonate facies‐specific stable isotope data record climate, hydrology, and microbial communities in Great Salt Lake, UT – Ingalls et al. – Geobiology

The microbiome of modern microbialites in Bacalar Lagoon, Mexico – Yanez-Montalvo et al. – PLOS ONE

Food microbiology
Variations in Fungal Community and Diversity in Doushen With Different Flavors – Luo et at. – Frontiers in Microbiology

Bioinformatics
MetaBridge: An Integrative Multi‐Omics Tool for Metabolite‐Enzyme Mapping – Blimkie et al. – Current Protocols in Bioinformatics

Validating metabarcoding-based biodiversity assessments with multi-species occupancy models: A case study using coastal marine eDNA – McClenaghan et al. – PLOS ONE

PPanGGOLiN: Depicting microbial diversity via a partitioned pangenome graph – Gautreau et al. – PLOS Computational Biology

The Community Simulator: A Python package for microbial ecology – Marsland et al. – PLOS ONE

Techniques
Genome-based species-specific primers for rapid identification of six species of Lactobacillus acidophilusgroup using multiplex PCR – You & Kim – PLOS ONE

Pathogens and microbiome
Commensal Neisseria cinerea impairs Neisseria meningitidis microcolony development and reduces pathogen colonisation of epithelial cells – Custodio et al. – PLOS Pathogens

Swimming motility of a gut bacterial symbiont promotes resistance to intestinal expulsion and enhances inflammation – Wiles et al. – PLOS Biology

March 24, 2020

Today’s Digest features a study to use engineered Acinetobacter to boost host immunity against bacterial pneumonia, and a review on the relationship between plant-microbe symbiosis and agriculture.The coronavirus is probably on the mind of all of us. Listen to Dr. Blaser talk about it. Stay well and keep reading.

Job

Research Tech II – CHOP Microbiome Center

COVID-19

Editorial: Coronavirus: three things all governments and their science advisers must do now – Nature

World View: Don’t rush to deploy COVID-19 vaccines and drugs without sufficient safety guarantees – Shibo Jiang – Nature

Q&A: The novel coronavirus outbreak causing COVID-19 – Dale Fisher & David Heymann – BMC Medicine

** Dr. Martin Blaser answers coronavirus questions from Twitter (full video available) – mlive.com

General microbiology

Regulation of fungal decomposition at single-cell level – Michiel Op De Beeck et al. – The ISME Journal

Antimicrobial resistance

** Broad-spectrum suppression of bacterial pneumonia by aminoglycoside-propagated Acinetobacter baumannii – M. Indriati Hood-Pishchany et al. – PLoS Pathogens

Vulnerability and resistance in the spatial heterogeneity of soil microbial communities under resource additions – Kelly Gravuer et al. – PNAS

Discovery of a novel integron-borne aminoglycoside resistance gene present in clinical pathogens by screening environmental bacterial communities – Maria-Elisabeth Böhm et al. – Microbiome

Characterization of antibiotic resistance and host-microbiome interactions in the human upper respiratory tract during influenza infection – Lingdi Zhang et al. – Microbiome

Human gut microbiome

The role of gut microbiota in bone homeostasis – Jyotirmaya Behera et al. – Bone

Animal experiments

Docosahexaenoate-enriched fish oil and medium chain triglycerides shape the feline plasma lipidome and synergistically decrease circulating gut microbiome-derived putrefactive postbiotics – Matthew I. Jackson & Dennis E. Jewell – PLoS One

Animal microbiome

The rodent vaginal microbiome across the estrous cycle and the effect of genital nerve electrical stimulation – Micah Levy et al. – PLoS One

The different dietary sugars modulate the composition of the gut microbiota in honeybee during overwintering – Hongfang Wang et al. – BMC Microbiology

Most dominant roles of insect gut bacteria: digestion, detoxification, or essential nutrient provision? – Tian-Zhong Jing et al. – Microbiome

Predictive ability of host genetics and rumen microbiome for subclinical ketosis – Grum Gebreyesus et al. – Journal of Dairy Science

Plant, root and soil microbiome

** Review: Agriculture and the Disruption of Plant–Microbial Symbiosis – Stephanie S. Porter & Joel L. Sachs – Trends in Ecology & Evolution

Taxon-specific microbial growth and mortality patterns reveal distinct temporal population responses to rewetting in a California grassland soil – Steven J. Blazewicz et al. – The ISME Journal

Reusing oil and gas produced water for agricultural irrigation: Effects on soil health and the soil microbiome – Hannah Miller et al. – Science of the Total Environment

Network analysis reveals the strengthening of microbial interaction in biological soil crust development in the Mu Us Sandy Land, northwestern China – Hong Zhou et al. – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Water and extremophile microbiome

Performance and functional microbial communities of denitrification process of a novel MFC-granular sludge coupling system – Qiujin Deng et al. – Bioresource Technology

Microbial community structure and functional properties in permanently and seasonally flooded areas in Poyang Lake – Yang Liu et al. – Scientific Reports

Associations between redox-sensitive trace metals and microbial communities in a Proterozoic ocean analogue – Kathryn I. Rico et al. – Geobiology

Reactor configuration influences microbial community structure during high-rate, low-temperature anaerobic treatment of dairy wastewater – Paul G McAteer et al. – Bioresource Technology

Bioinformatics

Multiple-Disease Detection and Classification across Cohorts via Microbiome Search – Xiaoquan Su et al. – mSystems

Microbes in the news

How the mi­cro­biome is in­volved in the de­vel­op­ment of can­cer – Christian Urban – MedicalXpress

How a Fiber-Rich Plant-Based Diet Keeps Your Gut Microbiome Happy and Healthy – Chelsea Debret – One Green Planet

Gerhart: Keeping well during a pandemic – Timothy Gerhart – Your Valley

Study shows positive effect of cover crops on soil microbiome – AgriNews

Microbiome search engine can increase efficiency in disease detection and diagnosis – Chinese Academy of Sciences – EurekAlert

7 Ways A Gastroenterologist Supports His Microbiome & Overall Health – Marvin Singh – mbg Health

Infliximab Helps Gut Microbiome in Children with Crohn’s, Study Finds – Ana Pena – IBD News Today

Microbes on the market

DuPont, APC Microbiome Ireland link up for babies – Melody M. Bomgardner – C&EN

March 23, 2020

In today’s digest, review on biliary tract microbiome, effect of disinfection on water microbiome, resveratrol on adipose tissue browning via gut microbiome modelling and influence of livestock farm environment on human gut microbiota and antibiotic resistome.

Hope all readers are staying safe at home!

General microbiome

Intestinal microbiota and its association with colon cancer and red/processed meat consumption – Nadine Abu‐Ghazaleh – Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Is it time to consider gut microbiome readouts for precision diagnosis and treatment of alcoholic liver disease? – Gail A.M. Cresci – Hepatology

Biliary tract microbiota: a new kid on the block of liver diseases? – Nicoletti A – European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences

Human microbiome

Characteristics of the urinary microbiome in kidney stone patients with hypertension – Fengping Liu – Journal of Translational Medicine

Pregnancy associates with alterations to the host and microbial proteome in vaginal mucosa – Christina Farr Zuend – American Journal of Reproductive Immunology

Prebiotics inhibit proteolysis by gut bacteria in a host diet-dependent manner: a three stage continuous in vitro gut model experiment – Xuedan Wang – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Animal experiments

Resveratrol enhances brown adipose tissue activity and white adipose tissue browning in part by regulating bile acid metabolism via gut microbiota remodeling – Suocheng Hui – International Journal of Obesity

Environmental remodeling of human gut microbiota and antibiotic resistome in livestock farms – Jian Sun – Nature Communications

Effects of the dietary fibre inulin and Trichuris suis products on inflammatory responses in lipopolysaccharide-stimulated macrophages – Laura J. Myhill – Molecular Immunology

Deoxycholic Acid-Induced Gut Dysbiosis Disrupts Bile Acid Enterohepatic Circulation and Promotes Intestinal Inflammation – Mengque Xu – Digestive Diseases and Sciences

Commensal Bacteria Impact a Protozoan’s Integration into Murine Gut Microbiota in a Dietary Nutrient-dependent Manner – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Plant, root and soil microbiome

Rhizosphere fungal communities of wild and cultivated soybeans grown in three different soil suspensions – Chunling Chang – Applied Soil Ecology

Straw decreased N2O emissions from flooded paddy soils via altering denitrifying bacterial community compositions and soil organic carbon fractions – Ning Wang – FEMS Microbial Ecology

Water microbiome

Microbial communities from subglacial water of naled ice bodies in the forefield of Werenskioldbreen, Svalbard – Sławomir Sułowicz – Science of the Total Environment

Disinfection exhibits systematic impacts on the drinking water microbiome – Zihan Dai – Microbiome

Microbial diversity in deep subsurface hot brines of the North West Poland: from a community structure to isolate characteristics – Agnieszka Kalwasińska – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Non microbiology picks

Identification of antiviral drug candidates against SARS-CoV-2 from FDA-approved drugs – Sangeun Jeon – BioRxiv

Comparative Pathogenesis Of COVID-19, MERS And SARS In A Non-Human Primate Model – Barry Rockx – BioRxiv

March 20, 2020

Good morning! I hope this post finds you well. There are lots of new microbiome papers to share, including work on the disruption of E. coli biofilms, inconsistent diets used in Drosophila microbiome studies, and the effects of pollution on soil microbial communities.

General microbiome

Biosynthesis of silver nanoparticles by Fusarium scirpi and its potential as antimicrobial agent against uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilms, Candelario Rodríguez-Serrano et al., PLOS ONE


Human gut microbiome

Targeted inhibition of gut bacterial β-glucuronidase activity enhances anticancer drug efficacy, Aadra P. Bhatt et al., PNAS

Gut Microbiome Pattern Reflects Healthy Aging and Predicts Extended Survival in Humans (preprint), Tomasz Wilmanski et al., bioRxiv

Propionic Acid Shapes the Multiple Sclerosis Disease Course by an Immunomodulatory Mechanism, Alexander Duscha et al., Cell

Adjusting for age improves identification of gut microbiome alterations in multiple diseases, Tarini S Ghosh et al., eLife

Environmental remodeling of human gut microbiota and antibiotic resistome in livestock farms, Jian Sun et al., Nature Communications

Review – Altering Routine Intensive Care Unit Practices to Support Commensalism, Hamilton and Behal, Nutrition in Clinical Practice

Household Pet Ownership and the Microbial Diversity of the Human Gut Microbiota, Ashley E. Kates et al., Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Meta-analysis – Assessing the efficacy and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation and probiotic VSL#3 for active ulcerative colitis: A systematic review and meta-analysis, Xiaofei Dang et al., PLOS ONE


Other human microbiome

Subgingival Host-Microbial Interactions in Hyperglycemic Individuals, P.S. Kumar et al., Journal of Dental Research

Investigating Bifidobacteria and Human Milk Oligosaccharide Composition of Lactating Mothers, Gabriele Andrea Lugli et al., FEMS Microbiology Ecology


Animal experiments

Effects of intestinal flora on the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of aspirin in high-altitude hypoxia, Sun and Zhang et al., PLOS ONE

Meta-analysis of diets used in Drosophila microbiome research and introduction of the Drosophila Dietary Composition Calculator (DDCC) (preprint), Broderick and Lesperance, bioRxiv

The Carnivorous Digestive System and Bamboo Diet of Giant Pandas May Shape Their Low Gut Bacterial Diversity, Wei Gui et al., Conservation Physiology


Animal microbiome

Non-invasive evaluation of the equine gastrointestinal mucosal transcriptome, Coleman and Whitfield-Cargile et al., PLOS ONE

Dietary substitution of soybean oil with coconut oil in the absence of dietary antibiotics supports growth performance and immune function in nursery and grower pigs, Andrea G. Braundmeier-Fleming et al., Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology

Isoflavone supplementation, via red clover hay, alters the rumen microbial community and promotes weight gain of steers grazing mixed grass pastures, Brittany E. Harlow et al., PLOS ONE

Domesticated equine species and their derived hybrids differ in their fecal microbiota, J.E. Edwards et al., Animal Microbiome

Integrative analysis of gut microbiome and metabolites revealed novel mechanisms of intestinal Salmonella carriage in chicken, Khin K.Z. Mon et al., Scientific Reports


Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Acute effects of PAH contamination on microbial community of different forest soils, Enrica Picariello et al., Environmental Pollution

Context-dependent Dynamics Lead to the Assembly of Functionally Distinct Microbial Communities, Leonora S Bittleston et al., Nature Communications

Lifting the veil on arid-to-hyperarid Antarctic soil microbiomes: a tale of two oases, Eden Zhang et al., Microbiome

Perspective – Toward Comprehensive Plant Microbiome Research, Kari Saikkonen et al., Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution


Water and extremophile microbiome

Deep-sea corals provide new insight into the ecology, evolution, and the role of plastids in widespread apicomplexan symbionts of anthozoans, Samuel A. Vohsen et al., Microbiome


Food microbiology

Lactic Acid Bacteria Isolated From Korean Kimchi Activate the Vitamin D Receptor–autophagy Signaling Pathways, Rong Lu et al., Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Consumption of Fermented Foods Is Associated with Systematic Differences in the Gut Microbiome and Metabolome, Bryn C. Taylor et al., mSystems

Differential Microbial Composition of Monovarietal and Blended Extra Virgin Olive Oils Determines Oil Quality During Storage, Zullo and Ciafardini, Microorganisms


Phages and viruses

Honey bees harbor a diverse gut virome engaging in nested strain-level interactions with the microbiota, Germán Bonilla-Rosso et al., PNAS


Bioinformatics

FORENSIC: an Online Platform for Fecal Source Identification, Adélaïde Roguet et al., mSystems

Review – Accurate and complete genomes from metagenomes, Lin-Xing Chen et al., Genome Research

Powmic: An R Package for Power Assessment in Microbiome Case-Control Studies, Li Chen, Bioinformatics


Techniques

RapidAIM: a culture- and metaproteomics-based Rapid Assay of Individual Microbiome responses to drugs, Leyuan Li et al., Microbiome


Non-microbiology picks

Marketplace shrimp mislabeling in North Carolina, Morgan L. Korzik et al., PLOS ONE

March 16, 2020

To all the work-from-home researchers (like me!), today’s digest covers microbiome in memory recognition, enteric neuropathy and neurodevelopmental disorder in rodent models. Gut microbiome in cardiovascular disease, a dual mechanism antibiotic and shifts in human gut microbiome and metabolome following gastric bypass. An important preprint that Covid-19 could not induce reinfection in infected rhesus macaques and that Ibuprofen may aggravate Covid-19 infection.

General microbiome

Gut microbiota and cardiovascular disease: opportunities and challenges – Negin Kazemian – Microbiome

Human microbiome
Pharmacomicrobiomics in inflammatory arthritis: gut microbiome as modulator of therapeutic response – Jose U. Scher – Nature Reviews Rheumatology

Long-term metal exposure changes gut microbiota of residents surrounding a mining and smelting area – Mengmeng Shao – Scientific Reports

Temporospatial shifts in the human gut microbiome and metabolome after gastric bypass surgery – Zehra Esra Ilhan – NPJ biofilms and microbiomes

Animal experiments

Habitat and seasonality shape the structure of tench (Tinca tinca L.) gut microbiome – Tomasz Dulski – Scientific Reports

Microecological Koch’s postulates reveal that intestinal microbiota dysbiosis contributes to shrimp white feces syndrome – Zhijian Huang – Microbiome

Early-life microbial intervention reduces colitis risk promoted by antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis – Jun Miyoshi – BioRxiv

Gut microbiota manipulation during the prepubertal period shapes behavioral abnormalities in a mouse neurodevelopmental disorder model – Justin M. Saunders – Scientific Reports

Minocycline-induced microbiome alterations predict cafeteria diet-induced spatial recognition memory impairments in rats – Sarah-Jane Leigh – Translational Psychiatry

A purified membrane protein from Akkermansia muciniphila or the pasteurised bacterium blunts colitis associated tumourigenesis by modulation of CD8+ T cells in mice – Lijuan Wang – Gut

PM2.5 exposure perturbs lung microbiome and its metabolic profile in mice – Jingli Li – Science of The Total Environment

High‐fat diet–induced alterations to gut microbiota and gut‐derived lipoteichoic acid contributes to the development of enteric neuropathy – Yvonne Nyavor – Neurogastroenterology and Motility

Plant, root and soil microbiome

Complementary Metagenomic Approaches Improve Reconstruction of Microbial Diversity in a Forest Soil – L. V. Alteio – mSystems

Impact of plants on the diversity and activity of methylotrophs in soil – Michael C. Macey – Microbiome

Conserved bacterial genomes from two geographically distinct peritidal stromatolite formations shed light on potential functional guilds – Samantha C. Waterworth – BioRxiv

Techniques

A framework for assessing 16S rRNA marker-gene survey data analysis methods using mixtures – Nathan D. Olson – Microbiome

Antibiotic resistance

A dual-mechanism antibiotic targets Gram-negative bacteria and avoids drug resistance – James K. Martin – BioRxiv

Non microbiology picks

Reinfection could not occur in SARS-CoV-2 infected rhesus macaques – Linlin Bao – BioRxiv

Anti-inflammatories may aggravate Covid-19, France advises – The Guardian

March 14, 2020

Events

NYSCC Microbiome Program Postponed – Happi

General microbiome

Weakest link dynamics predict apparent antibiotic interactions in a model cross-feeding community – EM Adamowicz – bioRxiv

Simultaneous copper removal and electricity production and microbial community in microbial fuel cells with different cathode catalysts – Y Wu – Bioresource Technology

Multi-site human microbiome

Disrupted tongue microbiota and detection of nonindigenous bacteria on the day of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation – S Oku – PLoS Pathogens

Human vaginal microbiome

Changes in key vaginal bacteria among postpartum African women initiating intramuscular depot-medroxyprogesterone acetate – BM Whitney – PLoS One

Human gut microbiome

Gut Microbial Protein Expression in Response to Dietary Patterns in a Controlled Feeding Study: A Metaproteomic Approach – S Pan – Microorganisms

A Story of Liver and Gut Microbes: How Does the Intestinal Flora Affect Liver Disease? A Review of the Literature – M Giuffrè – American Journal of Physiology

Fecal microbiota transplantation for the improvement of metabolism in obesity: The FMT-TRIM double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial – EW Yu – PLoS Medicine

Animal experiments 

Early-life microbial intervention reduces colitis risk promoted by antibiotic-induced gut dysbiosis – J Miyoshi – bioRxiv

Low mutational load and high mutation rate variation in gut commensal bacteria – RS Ramiro – PLoS Biology

Response to mechanical loading in rat Achilles tendon healing is influenced by the microbiome – F Dietrich-Zagonel – PLoS One

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Testing the two-step model of plant root microbiome acquisition under multiple plant species and soil sources – HR Barajas – bioRxiv

A survey of invasive plants on grassland soil microbial communities and ecosystem services – JK Bell – Scientific Data

Host identity is more important in structuring bacterial epiphytes than endophytes in a tropical mangrove forest – H Yao – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Water and extremophile microbiome 

Metagenomic Insights into Microbial Metabolisms of a Sulfur-Influenced Glacial Ecosystem – CB Trivedi – bioRxiv

Diel, daily, and spatial variation of coral reef seawater microbial communities – L Weber – PLoS One

Food microbiology

Shotgun Metagenomic Analysis Reveals New Insights on Bacterial Community Profiles in Tempeh – A Yulandi – bioRxiv

Phages and viruses

Identification of viruses belonging to the family Partitiviridae from plant transcriptomes – Y Jo – bioRxiv

The Restrictome of Flaviviruses – L Berthoux – Virologica Sinica

Plasma virome of 781 Brazilians with unexplained symptoms of arbovirus infection include a novel parvovirus and densovirus – E Fahsbender – PLoS One

Techniques

Intestinal Organoids: A Tool for Modelling Diet–Microbiome–Host Interactions – J Rubert – Trends in Endocrinology and Metabolism

Microbes in the news

Microbiome studies may require correction for PPI use – MD edge

As You Age, So Does Your Microbiome – Technology Networks

DuPont Nutrition & Biosciences and APC Microbiome Ireland on infant gut health project – Nutra Ingredients

The Role of Zinc: It’s More Important than You Think –  UMass Lowell

Microbiome Therapeutics Market to Make Great Impact in near Future by 2026 – Nyse News Times

Mapping Bacterial Neighborhoods in Gut – Mirage News

Non-microbe picks

Sorry, we’re open: Golden Open Access and inequality in the natural sciences – RJ Gray – bioRxiv

Quantifying and contextualizing the impact of bioRxiv preprints through automated social media audience segmentation – J Carlson – bioRxiv

Comparing quality of reporting between preprints and peer-reviewed articles in the biomedical literature – CFD Carneiro – bioRxiv

Studying the dynamics of the gut microbiota using metabolically stable isotopic labeling and metaproteomics – P Smyth – bioRxiv

March 10, 2020

Today’s digest features a study on the fecal microbiota transplantation and obesity, a comprehensive overview of the diversity and abundance of antibiotic resistance genes in migratory birds, and more. Happy reading!

Gut microbiome

*Fecal microbiota transplantation for the improvement of metabolism in obesity: The FMT-TRIM double-blind placebo-controlled pilot trial – Elaine W. Yu – PlosMedicine

Diet influences the functions of the human intestinal microbiome – Maria De Angelis — Scientific Reports

Bacillus coagulans SANK 70258 suppresses Enterobacteriaceae in the microbiota of ulcerative colitis in vitro and enhances butyrogenesis in healthy microbiota – Kengo Sasaki – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Mini review: Gut epithelial metabolism as a key driver of intestinal dysbiosis associated with noncommunicable diseases – Catherine D. Shelton and Mariana X. Byndloss – Infection and Immunity

Etiologic features of diarrheagenic microbes in stool specimens from patients with acute diarrhea in Thailand – Kazuhisa Okad – Scientific reports

Raman‐activated sorting of antibiotic‐resistant bacteria in human gut microbiota – Yi Wang – Environmental Microbiology

Animal microbiome

*Metagenomic analysis reveals the microbiome and resistome in migratory birds – Jian Cao – Microbiome

Lack of evidence for microbiota in the placental and fetal tissues of rhesus macaques – Kevin R. Theis – bioRxiv

Animal experiment

Diarrhoeal events can trigger long-term Clostridium difficile colonization with recurrent blooms – David VanInsberghe – Nature Microbiology

Plant/root/soil microbiome

Long-Term Phytoremediation of Coastal Saline Soil Reveals Plant Species-Specific Patterns of Microbial Community Recruitment – Xiaogai Wang – mSystems

Impact of Soil Microbial Amendments on Tomato Rhizosphere Microbiome and Plant Growth in Field Soil – Andrea Nuzzo – Microbial Ecology

Bioinformatics

DeepMAsED: Evaluating the quality of metagenomic assemblies– Olga Mineeva – Bioinformatics

A method for achieving complete microbial genomes and better quality bins from metagenomics data – Lauren M. Lui – bioRxiv

Estimating relative biomasses of organisms in microbiota using “phylopeptidomics” – Olivier Pible – Microbiome

March 5, 2020

Today’s Digest is heavy, so you might want to pace yourself. It’s hard to pick the highlights, but I’m biased towards fungal research, so first about a wake-up call to look at the fungi seriously. The insects might provide for remedy against antibiotic resistance and is the dust settled on the sparse fetal intestinal microbiota? Stay healthy and keep reading.

Event

Call for papers – Global Outbreaks and Responses – BMC Medicine

General microbiology

** Viewpoints: Fungal diseases as neglected pathogens: A wake-up call to public health officials – Marcio L. Rodrigues & Joshua D. Nosanchuk – PLoS NTD

Inducible cell-to-cell signaling for tunable dynamics in microbial communities – Arianna Miano et al. – Nature Communications

Antimicrobial resistance

** The insect antimicrobial peptide cecropin A disrupts uropathogenic Escherichia coli biofilms – Miriam Kalsy et al. – npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Using comparative genomics to understand molecular features of carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii from South Korea causing invasive infections and their clinical implications – Min Hyung Kim – PLoS One

Factors associated with sufficient knowledge of antibiotics and antimicrobial resistance in the Japanese general population – Shinya Tsuzuki et al. – Scientific Reports

Faeces and vaccines could be the key to tackling antimicrobial resistance – Elisabeth Mahase – BMJ

A survey of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Enterobacteriaceae in urban wetlands in southwestern Nigeria as a step towards generating prevalence maps of antimicrobial resistance – Olawale Olufemi Adelowo et al. – PLoS One

Pregnancy and early life

** Viable bacterial colonization is highly limited in the human intestine in utero – E. Rackaityte et al. – Nature Medicine

Perinatal Antibiotic Exposure Affects the Transmission between Maternal and Neonatal Microbiota and Is Associated with Early-Onset Sepsis – Ping Zhou et al. – mSphere

Combined analysis of microbial metagenomic and metatranscriptomic sequencing data to assess in situ physiological conditions in the premature infant gut – Yonatan Sher et al. – PLoS One

Human skin microbiome

A microbiome and metabolomic signature of phases of cutaneous healing identified by profiling sequential acute wounds of human skin: An exploratory study – Mohammed Ashrafi et al. – PLoS One

Human oral microbiome

Review: Single-Cell Genomics and the Oral Microbiome – M. Balachandran et al. – Journal of Dental Research

Insights Obtained by Culturing Saccharibacteria With Their Bacterial Hosts – B. Bor et al. – Journal of Dental Research

Electronic Cigarette Aerosol Modulates the Oral Microbiome and Increases Risk of Infection – Smruti Pushalkar et al. – iScience

Press: Oral Microbiome Changes Implicated in Gum Inflammation in E-Cigarette Users – GenomeWeb

In vitro: A salivary metabolite signature that reflects gingival host-microbe interactions: instability predicts gingivitis susceptibility – Marcela M. Fernandez-Gutierrez et al. – Scientific Reports

Human respiratory microbiome

Review: The Role of Lung and Gut Microbiota in the Pathology of Asthma – Weronika Barcik et al. – Immunity

Cancer and microbiome

Endogenous murine microbiota member Faecalibaculum rodentium and its human homologue protect from intestinal tumour growth – Elena Zagato et al. – Nature Microbiology

Escherichia coli adhesion portion FimH functions as an adjuvant for cancer immunotherapy – Wei Zhang et al. – Nature Communications

Temporal changes in gut microbiota profile in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia prior to commencement-, during-, and post-cessation of chemotherapy – Ling Ling Chua et al. – BMC Cancer

Review: Interplay between Dietary Polyphenols and Oral and Gut Microbiota in the Development of Colorectal Cancer – Carolina Cueva & Mariana Silva – Nutrients

Human gut microbiome

In vitro: Short-term supplementation of celecoxib-shifted butyrate production on a simulated model of the gut microbial ecosystem and ameliorated in vitro inflammation – Emma Hernandez-Sanabria et al. – npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Review: Crosstalk Between Gut Microbiota and Innate Immunity and Its Implication in Autoimmune Diseases – Yuhao Jiao et al. – Frontiers in Immunology

An empirically derived method for measuring human gut microbiome alpha diversity: Demonstrated utility in predicting health-related outcomes among a human clinical sample – Sarah L. Hagerty et al. – PLoS One

Proof-of-concept study of the efficacy of a microbiota-directed complementary food formulation (MDCF) for treating moderate acute malnutrition – Ishita Mostafa et al. – BMC Public Health

Microbiota as Predictor of Mortality in Allogeneic Hematopoietic-Cell Transplantation – Jonathan U. Peled et al. – New England Journal of Medicine

Human multi-site microbiome

Age-Related Variation of Bacterial and Fungal Communities in Different Body Habitats across the Young, Elderly, and Centenarians in Sardinia – Lu Wu et al. – mSphere

Response of the human gut and saliva microbiome to urbanization in Cameroon – Ana Lokmer et al. – Scientific Reports

The gut-microbiota-brain axis

Therapeutic Effects of the In Vitro Cultured Human Gut Microbiota as Transplants on Altering Gut Microbiota and Improving Symptoms Associated with Autism Spectrum Disorder – Kainan Chen et al. – Microbial Ecology

Built environment microbiome

A preliminary study on the potential of Nanopore MinION and Illumina MiSeq 16S rRNA gene sequencing to characterize building-dust microbiomes – Anders B. Nygaard et al. – Scientific Reports

Metabolomics

Spatial metabolomics of in situ host–microbe interactions at the micrometre scale – Benedikt Geier et al. – Nature Microbiology

Global chemical effects of the microbiome include new bile-acid conjugations – Robert A. Quinn et al. – Nature

Animal experiments

PM2.5 exposure perturbs lung microbiome and its metabolic profile in mice – Jingli Li et al. – Science of the Total Environment

Growth hormone deficiency and excess alter the gut microbiome in adult male mice – Elizabeth A Jensen et al. – Endocrinology

Dissociation of Adaptive Thermogenesis from Glucose Homeostasis in Microbiome-Deficient Mice – Tibor L. Krisko et al. – Cell Metabolism

Fecal IgA Levels Are Determined by Strain-Level Differences in Bacteroides ovatus and Are Modifiable by Gut Microbiota Manipulation – Chao Yang et al. – Cell Host & Microbe

Animal microbiome

Can rumen bacteria communicate to each other? – Mi-Young Won et al. – Microbiome

Entomopathogenic nematode-associated microbiota: from monoxenic paradigm to pathobiome – Jean-Claude Ogier et al. – Microbiome

The canine oral microbiome: variation in bacterial populations across different niches – Avika Ruparell et al. – BMC Microbiology

Evolutionary analysis of Mycobacterium bovis genotypes across Africa suggests co-evolution with livestock and humans – Osvaldo Frederico Inlamea et al. – PLoS NTD

Nanopore sequencing of microbial communities reveals the potential role of sea lice as a reservoir for fish pathogens – Ana Teresa Gonçalves et al. – Scientific Reports

Plant, root and soil microbiome

Insights on aquatic microbiome of the Indian Sundarbans mangrove areas – Paltu Kumar Dhal et al. – PLoS One

Ganoderma lucidum cultivation affect microbial community structure of soil, wood segments and tree roots – Fei Ren et al. – Scientific Reports

Effect of long-term destocking on soil fungal functional groups and interactions with plants – Jie Wang et al. – Plant and Soil

Comparative Analysis of Root Microbiomes of Rice Cultivars with High and Low Methane Emissions Reveals Differences in Abundance of Methanogenic Archaea and Putative Upstream Fermenters – Zachary Liechty et al. – mSystems

Fungal diversity and community composition of wheat rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils from three different agricultural production regions of South Africa – Magalane Pheladi Gqozo et al. – Applied Soil Ecology

Microbial and volatile profiling of soils suppressive to Fusarium culmorum of wheat – Adam Ossowicki & Vittorio Tracanna et al. – Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Industrial development as a key factor explaining variances in soil and grass phyllosphere microbiomes in urban green spaces – Zhen-Zhen Yan et al. – Environmental Pollution

Plant communities mediate the interactive effects of invasion and drought on soil microbial communities – Catherine Fahey et al. – The ISME Journal

Water and extremophile microbiome

Methyl t-butyl ether-degrading bacteria for bioremediation and biocontrol purposes – Giada d’Errico et al. – PLoS One

Uncovering microbial responses to sharp geochemical gradients in a terrace contaminated by acid mine drainage – Rui Xu et al. – Environmental Pollution

Snapshot: Microbial Extremophiles – Amy K. Schmid et al. – Cell

Denitrification performance and microbial communities of solid-phase denitrifying reactors using poly (butylene succinate)/bamboo powder composite – Wanhe Qi et al. – Bioresource Technology

Meta-omics Provides Insights into the Impact of Hydrocarbon Contamination on Microbial Mat Functioning – Johanne Aubé et al. – Microbial Ecology

Role of microbial diversity for sustainable pyrite oxidation control in acid and metalliferous drainage prevention – Omy T. Ogbughalu et al. – Journal of Hazardous Materials

Phages and viruses

** Coronavirus research highlights – BMC

Fecal Viral Community Responses to High-Fat Diet in Mice – Anjelique Schulfer et al. – mSphere

Technology

Rapid MinION profiling of preterm microbiota and antimicrobial-resistant pathogens – Richard M. Leggett et al. – Nature Microbiology

Assembly-free single-molecule sequencing recovers complete virus genomes from natural microbial communities – John Beaulaurier et al. – Genome Research

Bioinformatics

Rapid inference of antibiotic resistance and susceptibility by genomic neighbour typing – Karel Břinda et al. – Nature Microbiology

Microbes in the news

Tough microbe’s DNA could be a lasting archive – Steve Nadis – Science

How Bacteria Can ‘Sculpt The Gut’ – Maya Trabulsi – KPBS

The bee microbiome can fight back against fungi that cause Colony Collapse Disorder – Lauren Sara McKee – Massive Science

Ancient gut microbiomes shed light on human evolution – Newswise

Launch of the Marine Microbiome Roadmap – NIOZ

Understanding Microbiome Resilience on a Changing Planet – Michigan State University

Adaptations in gut microbes helped our ancestors thrive in new geographical territories: Study – New Kerala

Scientists Announce VIRGO, First Comprehensive Gene Catalog To Decode the Vaginal Microbiome – PR Newswire

Metabolomics Reveals Connection Between Gut Microbiome and Blood – Metabolon

Study shows universally positive effect of cover crops on soil microbiome – Phys.org

New Center of Microbiome Science is in the works at Ohio State – Emily Caldwell – Ohio State University News

Common diseases may be communicable through microbiome, says UBC researcher – Stephanie Blain – The Ubyssey

The microbes in your mouth, and a reminder to floss and go to the dentist – Science Daily

For Your Microbiome, How You Eat Could Be As Important As What You Eat – Technology Networks

Study: Infectious gut bacteria may predict UTI risk – Sue Treiman – Cornell Chronicle

The Best Way to Avoid Getting Sick Is to Wash Your Hands — But You’re Probably Doing It Wrong – Bojana Galic – Live Strong

Microbes on the market

DuPont carries on microbiome momentum with metabolic disease collaboration – Will Chu – Nutraingredients

Non-microbiology picks

Invest 5% of research funds in ensuring data are reusable – Barend Mons – Nature