May 3, 2016

Counting the microbial species on Earth, goat rumen microbiome development, red kangaroos who died a tragic death, fungi in burgundy vineyards, Archaea in  Yellowstone, and image irregularities at a Pfizer lab in La Jolla.

Jobs and Events

Postdoctoral Fellowship Opportunity: Microbiology of the Built Environment – Sloan Foundation

Bioinformatics for the Microbiome, May 27 – Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine, $49

General microbiology

Scaling laws predict global microbial diversity: Earth is home to as many as 1 trillion (10exp12) microbial species – Kenneth J. Locey – PNAS

Pregnancy and birth

Impact of Prematurity and Perinatal Antibiotics on the Developing Intestinal Microbiota: A Functional Inference Study – Silvia Arboleya – MDPI International Journal of Molecular Sciences

Review: Young microbes for adult obesity – M. Serino – Pediatric Obesity

Review: Microbial therapeutic interventions – Nicole G. Grady – Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine

Human oral microbiome

Microbiome of Deep Dentinal Caries Lesions in Teeth with Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis – Isabela N. Rôças – PLOS ONE

Human respiratory tract microbiome

Nasopharyngeal Microbiota, Host Transcriptome and Disease Severity in Children with Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection – Wouter A.A. de Steenhuijsen Piters – Am J Respir Crit Care Med.

Human reproductive tract microbiome

Detection of DNA viruses in prostate cancer – Vitaly Smelov – Scientific Reports

Human gut microbiome

Effect of probiotic yoghurt on animal-based diet-induced change in gut microbiota: an open, randomised, parallel-group study – T. Odamaki – Beneficial Microbes

Fecal microbiota transplant for Clostridium difficile infection in older adults – William M. Tauxe – Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology

Review: Fine-tuning of the mucosal barrier and metabolic systems using the diet-microbial metabolite axis – Motoyoshi Nagai – International Immunopharmacology

Review: Gut Microbiome in CKD: challenges and opportunities – Anitha Nallu – Translational Research

Editorial: Transplanting a Microbial Organ: the Good, the Bad, and the Unknown – Dionysios A. Antonopoulos – mBio

Animal models
A polyphenol-rich fraction obtained from table grapes decreases adiposity, insulin resistance and markers of inflammation and impacts gut microbiota in high-fat-fed mice – Brian Collins – The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

Diet-induced obesity, energy metabolism and gut microbiota in C57BL/6J mice fed Western diets based on lean seafood or lean meat mixtures – Jacob Bak Holm – The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

Colonic Inflammation Accompanies An Increase of β-Catenin Signaling and Lachnospiraceae/Streptococcaceae in the Hind Gut of High-Fat Diet-Fed Mice – Huawei Zeng – The FASEB Journal

Gut commensal Bacteroides acidifaciens prevents obesity and improves insulin sensitivity in mice – J-Y Yang – Mucosal Immunology

Composition and Predicted Metabolic Capacity of Upper and Lower Airway Microbiota of Healthy Dogs in Relation to the Fecal Microbiota – Aaron C. Ericsson – PLOS ONE

Cultivation and qPCR Detection of Pathogenic and Antibiotic-Resistant Bacterial Establishment in Naive Broiler Houses – J. P. Brooks – Journal of Environmental Quality

Exploring the Goat Rumen Microbiome from Seven Days to Two Years – Lizhi Wang – PLOS ONE

Bacteriocin from epidemic Listeria strains alters the host intestinal microbiota to favor infection – Juan J. Quereda – PNAS

Animal microbiome

Spatial dynamics of the bacterial community structure in the gastrointestinal tract of red kangaroo (Macropus rufus) – Meirong Li – World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Assessment of Bacterial Communities in Thirteen Species of Laboratory-Cultured Domestic Mites (Acari: Acaridida) – Jan Hubert – Journal of Economic Entomology

Bacterial community in Haemaphysalis ticks of domesticated animals from the Orang Asli communities in Malaysia – Jing-Jing Khoo – Ticks and Tick-borne Diseases

Metabolomics of reef benthic interactions reveals a bioactive lipid involved in coral defence – Robert A. Quinn – Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Taxonomic and functional diversity of the culturable microbiomes of epigeic earthworms and their prospects in agriculture – Arjun Singh – Journal of Basic Microbiology

Methanogen Diversity in Indigenous and Introduced Ruminant Species on the Tibetan Plateau – Xiao Dan Huang – Archaea

Horse Species Symposium abstracts: Journal of Animal Science
Recent advances in the microbiome and physiology of the hindgut of the horse and dog – F. Camargo
Canine intestinal microbiology and metagenomics: From phylogeny to function – B. C. Guard – Journal of Animal Science
The microbiome of the horse hindgut: History and current knowledge – V. Julliand

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Bacterial diversity and composition in major fresh produce growing soils affected by physiochemical properties and geographic locations – Jincai Ma – Science of the Total Environment

Microbial diversity limits soil heterotrophic respiration and mitigates the respiration response to moisture increase – Fen-Guo Zhang – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Total and active microbial communities and phoD as affected by phosphate depletion and pH in soil – Sabine A. Ragot – Plant and Soil

Genetically modified WYMV-resistant wheat exerts little influence on rhizosphere microbial communities – Zhenhua Zhang – Applied Soil Ecology

Loss of testate amoeba functional diversity with increasing frost intensity across a continental gradient reduces microbial activity in peatlands – Vincent E.J. Jassey – European Journal of Protistology

Regional-scale analysis of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi: the case of burgundy vineyards – Marie-Lara Bouffaud – Oeno One

Review: Role of Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria in Agricultural Sustainability—A Review – Pravin Vejan – MDPI Molecules

Chapter: Mycorrhizas in Agroecosystems – Marcela C. Pagano – Recent Advances on Mycorrhizal Fungi

Water and extremophile microbiome

Next-Generation Sequencing Assessment of Eukaryotic Diversity in Oil Sands Tailings Ponds Sediments and Surface Water – Maria Aguilar – The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology

Drift in ocean currents impacts intergenerational microbial exposure to temperature – Martina A. Doblin – PNAS

Low Genome Content Diversity of Marine Planktonic Thaumarchaeota – Haiwei Luo – Environmental Microbiology Reports

The distribution, diversity and function of predominant Thermoproteales in high-temperature environments of Yellowstone National Park – Zackary J. Jay – Environmental Microbiology

Multidrug resistance phenotypes are widespread over different bacterial taxonomic groups thriving in surface water – Carlos Narciso-da-Rocha – Science of the Total Environment

A 150-year record of phytoplankton 1 community succession controlled by hydroclimatic variability in a tropical lake – Kweku Afrifa Yamoah – Biogeosciences

Review: Hydrothermal Vents and Methane Seeps: Rethinking the Sphere of Influence – Lisa A. Levin – Frontiers in Marine Science

ReviewMicrobial associations with macrobiota in coastal ecosystems: patterns and implications for nitrogen cycling – Orissa M Moulton – Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment

Book: Biotechnology of Extremophile – Springer

Waste and pollution microbiology

Revealing colonisation and biofilm formation of an adherent coal seam associated microbial community on a coal surface – Silas H.W. Vick – International Journal of Coal Geology

Enhanced Degradation of Diesel in the Rhizosphere of Lupinus luteus after Inoculation with Diesel-Degrading and Plant Growth-Promoting Bacterial Strains – María Balseiro-Romero – Journal of Environmental Quality

Built environment microbiology

Urban Microbiomes and Urban Agriculture: What Are the Connections and Why Should We Care? – Gary M. King – Sowing Seeds in the City

Bioinformatics, transcriptomics, metagenomics

rnaQUAST: a quality assessment tool for de novo transcriptome assemblies – Elena Bushmanova – Bioinformatics

Feature: Microbiology: the road to strain-level identification – Vivien Marx – Nature Methods

Protocol BookData Mining Techniques for the Life Sciences – Springer
Bacterial Genomic Data Analysis in the Next-Generation Sequencing Era – Massimiliano Orsini
Update on Genomic Databases and Resources at the National Center for Biotechnology Information – Tatiana Tatusova
Big Data, Evolution, and Metagenomes: Predicting Disease from Gut Microbiota Codon Usage Profiles – Maja Fabijanić

More microbiology

Riches of phenotype computationally extracted from microbial colonies – Tzu-Yu Liu – PNAS

Microbes in the news

UB’s microbiome hunters. These are exciting times at UB as its work on the human genome and microbiome matures. – Research Foundation for The State University of New York

Video: How Your City Has Its Own Unique Microbiome – Discovery News – YouTube

Wrapping up multiple sclerosis at UCSF – Claire Conway – UC San Francisco

Stalking Cave Bacteria to Make Secret Weapons Against Superbugs: Dr. Naowarat Cheeptham – Sam Grobart – Bloomberg

Seres Therapeutics Announces Achievement of Target Enrollment of SER-109 Phase 2 Study for the Prevention of Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection – Business Wire

Bacteria use traffic-cop-like mechanism to infect gutWSU scientists discover mechanism critical to pathogens’ success – EurekAlert

Tesla’s Bioweapon Defense Mode can protect you from bacteria, and reduce pollution
Cars. Tesla’s AC unit is available on the Model X and the new Model S – Alphr

Bacteria Hysteria

This odor-fighting, bacteria-killing underwear is made with pure silver – Christian de Looper – Yahoo Digital Trends
Millions of people are drinking mold and bacteria with their coffee. This is how to avoid it! – David Wolfe

Science, publishing and career

Image integrity concerns in papers from a Pfizer lab – Leonid Schneider – For Better Science

May 2, 2016

Pregnancy and birth

Review: Impact of early gut microbiota on immune and metabolic development and function – Mei Wang – Seminars in Fetal and Neonatal Medicine

Human oral microbiome

Recent advances in salivary cancer diagnostics enabled by biosensors and bioelectronics
Saswat Mishra – Biosensors and Bioelectronics

Human gut microbiome

Underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms in childhood irritable bowel syndrome – Bruno P. Chumpitazi – Molecular and Cellular Pediatrics

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Natural decay process affects the abundance and community structure of Bacteria and Archaea in Picea abies logs – J.M. Rinta-Kanto – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Built environment microbiome

Ciprofloxacin residue and antibiotic-resistant biofilm bacteria in hospital effluent – Jérôme Ory – Environmental Pollution

Melding the Old with the New: Trends in Methods Used to Identify, Monitor, and Control Microorganisms on Cultural Heritage Materials – Patricia Sanmartín – Microbial Ecology

Pollution and waste microbiology

Effect of thermal pretreatment on the biogas production and microbial communities balance during anaerobic digestion of urban and industrial waste activated sludge – Hajer Ennouri – Bioresource Technology

Food microbiology

Microbiological characterisation and volatiles profile of model, ex-novo, and traditional Italian white wheat sourdoughs – Valery Ripari – Food Chemistry

Microbes in the news

PTSD could be prevented with gut microbes, study suggests – Catharine Paddock – Medical News Today

3 years, 3 countries, 222 children: Big gut data tracks impact of hygiene on microbiome – Will Chu – Nutraingredients

Debunking “microbiome causes autism” myths – Exposing Autism One

DNA Genotek’s microbiome collection and stabilization blog. Advancing microbiome discoveries: An update on our grant winners – Megan McGrath – DNA Genotek

SCSU students present antibiotic research on Capitol Hill – Brian Zahn – New Haven Register

Mumbai: Microbiology students create trim almond truffle – Phorum Dalal – Mid Day

Students get a close up view on microbiology. Presentation demonstrated how bacteria plays a role in everyday life – Carolyn Blackburne – Your 4 State

Enlightening the World of Five-Year-Olds: Hand Washing Activity Shines Light on Germs – University of South Carolina Upstate

Using the microbiome to predict risk of infection following chemotherapy – Emmanuel Montassier & Dan Knights – BioMed Central Blog

Novel, bacteria-repelling biomaterial could increase the success of medical implants – Science Daily

Scientists reveal the secret of antibiotic-resistant bacteria – Phys.org

Citizen-scientists to help swimmers ID bacteria-filled lakes – The Eagle

Science, publishing, and career

This hilarious Twitter account uses Lego to show the realities of academia – Jacinta Bowler – Science Alert

Image Manipulation: Cleaning Up the Scholarly Record – Phil Davis – The Scholarly Kitchen

Bacteria in state’s drinking water is ‘public health crisis’ – Gazette Extra
Bik’s Picks

Five Small Animals That Messed With Big Science – Victoria Jaggard – National Geographic

May 1, 2016

Events

Bioinformatics for the Microbiome – Stanford Center for Genomics and Personalized Medicine – May 27, 2016

General microbiome

Microbiome sequencing: challenges and opportunities for molecular medicine – Thomas Clavel – Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics

Human skin microbiome

An In vitro Model for Bacterial Growth on Human Stratum Corneum – Danique A. van der Krieken – Acta Dermato-Venereologica

Human respiratory microbiome

Launching into the Deep: Does the Pulmonary Microbiota Promote Chronic Lung Inflammation and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Pathogenesis? – Marc A. Sze – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Human gut microbiome

Targeting the gut to protect the bladder: Oral Phage therapy approaches against urinary Escherichia coli infections? – Harald Brüssow – Environmental Microbiology

Characterization of gut microbiota profiles in coronary artery disease patients using data mining analysis of terminal restriction fragment length polymorphism: gut microbiota could be a diagnostic marker of coronary artery disease – Takuo Emoto – Heart and Vessels

Review: Gut microbiota: an Indicator to Gastrointestinal Tract Diseases – Trupti Patel – Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancer

Review: Gut microbiome and kidney disease: a bidirectional relationship – Souhaila Al Khodor – Pediatric Nephrology

Animal models

Akkermansia Muciniphila Protects Against Atherosclerosis by Preventing Metabolic Endotoxemia-Induced Inflammation in Apoe-/- Mice – Jin Li – Circulation

The effects of maternal and post-weaning diet on gut microbiota and glucose metabolism in mice offspring – Jia Zheng – Bioscience Reports

Effect of Dietary Starch Source and Concentration on Equine Fecal Microbiota – Brittany E. Harlow – PLOS ONE

Faecal bacterial composition in dairy cows shedding Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis in faeces in comparison with nonshedding cows – Marija Kaevska – Canadian Journal of Microbiology

Molecular exploration of fecal microbiome in quinoa-supplemented obese mice – Jose F. Garcia-Mazcorro – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Lingonberries alter the gut microbiota and prevent low-grade inflammation in high-fat diet fed mice – Lovisa Heyman-Lindén – Food and Nutrition Research

The influence of fishmeal-free diets on microbial communities in Atlantic salmon Salmo salar recirculation aquaculture systems – Victor Schmidt – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Insights into the biodiversity of the gut microbiota of broiler chickens – Leonardo Mancabelli – Environmental Microbiology

Maternal exposure to a Western-style diet causes differences in intestinal microbiota composition and gene expression of suckling mouse pups – Wilma T. Steegenga – Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

Animal microbiome

Environmental filtering decreases with fish development for the assembly of gut microbiota – Qingyun Yan- Environmental Microbiology

Global microbialization of coral reefs – Andreas F. Haas – Nature Microbiology

Comparison of Varroa destructor and Worker Honeybee Microbiota Within Hives Indicates Shared Bacteria – Jan Hubert – Microbial Ecology

Review: Diagnosis and interpretation of intestinal dysbiosis in dogs and cats – Jan Suchodolski – The Veterinary Journal

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Selective isolation of potentially phosphate-mobilizing, biosurfactant-producing and biodegradative bacteria associated with a sub-Arctic, terricolous lichen, Peltigera membranacea – Margrét Auður Sigurbjörnsdóttir – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Soil Protists in Three Neotropical Rainforests are Hyperdiverse and Dominated by Parasites – Frederic Mahe – bioRxiv

Edaphic properties override the influence of crops on the composition of the soil bacterial community in a semiarid agroecosystem – Luke D. Bainard – Applied Soil Ecology

Effects of land use change on the composition of soil microbial communities in a managed subtropical forest – Xiaoping Guo – Forest Ecology and Management

Bioprospecting of Plant Growth Promoting Bacilli and Related Genera Prevalent in Soils of Pristine Sacred Groves: Biochemical and Molecular Approach – Nathaniel A. Lyngwi – PLOS ONE

Aligning molecular studies of mycorrhizal fungal diversity with ecologically important levels of diversity in ecosystems – Ian R Sanders – The ISME Journal

Dynamics of microbial community composition and soil organic carbon mineralization in soil following addition of pyrogenic and fresh organic matter – Thea Whitman – The ISME Journal

Deterministic assembly processes govern bacterial community structure in the Fynbos, South Africa – I. Moroenyane – Microbial Ecology

Plant nitrogen-use strategy as a driver of rhizosphere archaeal and bacterial ammonia oxidiser abundance – Cécile E. Thion – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Ecological restoration alters microbial communities in mine tailings profiles – Yang Li – Scientific Reports

Water and extremophile microbiome

Co-occurrence analysis of microbial taxa in the Atlantic Ocean reveals high connectivity in the free-living bacterioplankton – Mathias Milici – Frontiers in Microbiology

Identification of Free-living and Particle-Associated Microbial Communities Present in Hadal regions of the Mariana Trench – Jonathan Tarn – Frontiers in Microbiology

Variation in coastal Antarctic microbial community composition at sub-mesoscale: spatial distance or environmental filtering? – Mario Moreno-Pino – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Microbial communities and arsenic biogeochemistry at the outflow of an alkaline sulfide-rich hot spring – Zhou Jiang – Scientific Reports

Comparative activity and functional ecology of permafrost soils and lithic niches in a hyper-arid polar desert – J. Goordial – Environmental Microbiology

Built environment microbiome

Melding the Old with the New: Trends in Methods Used to Identify, Monitor, and Control Microorganisms on Cultural Heritage Materials – Patricia Sanmartín – Microbial Ecology

Food microbiology

Overlap of spoilage microbiota between meat and meat processing environment in small-scale vs large-scale retail distribution – Giuseppina Stellato – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Fermentative capabilities and volatile compounds produced by Kloeckera/Hanseniaspora and Saccharomyces yeast strains in pure and mixed cultures during Agave tequilana juice fermentation – Ivonne Wendolyne González-Robles – Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Pollution and waste microbiology

The effects of salinity on nitrification using halophilic nitrifiers in a Sequencing Batch Reactor treating hypersaline wastewater – Scientific Reports – You-Wei Cui

Metagenomic analysis of rapid gravity sand filter microbial communities suggests novel physiology of Nitrospira spp.– Alejandro Palomo – The ISME Journal

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

Metaxa2 Diversity Tools: Easing microbial community analysis with Metaxa2 – Johan Bengtsson-Palme – Ecological Informatics

IPED: a highly efficient denoising tool for Illumina MiSeq Paired-end 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing data – Mohamed Mysara – BMC Bioinformatics

Minireview: Tracking strains in the microbiome: insights from metagenomics and models – Ilana L. Brito – Frontiers in Microbiology

Viruses and phages

Review: Endogenized viral sequences in mammals – Nicholas F. Parrish – Current Opinion in Microbiology

Probiotics

Probiotic Cream: Viability of Probiotic Bacteria and Chemical Characterization – Lutfiye Yilmaz-Ersan – Journal of Food Processing and Preservation

Transcriptomics

Use of Metatranscriptomics in Microbiome Research – Stavros Bashiardes – Bioinform Biol Insights

More microbiology

Complex molecular mixtures under cycling gradients as basis for lifes origins – Bert Poolman – bioRxiv

Phylogenomic analysis of lipid biosynthetic genes of Archaea shed light on the ‘lipid divide’ – Laura Villanueva – Environmental Microbiology

Review: Are you my symbiont? Microbial polymorphic toxins and antimicrobial compounds as honest signals of beneficial symbiotic defensive traits – Kai Hillman – Current Opinion in Microbiology

Microbes in the news

Findings from the Gut—New Insights into the Human Microbiome – Karen Weintraub – Scientific American

What our gut tells us about the ‘hygiene hypothesis’ – Veronica Meade-Kelly – MedicalXpress

Russian scientists prove Antarctic bacteria brought from other continents – TASS

Beer made from belly button fluff has a bit of the brewer in every glass – Jenni Ryal – Mashable @7centBrewery

Yep, This Brewery Makes Beer Using Bacteria From People’s Belly Buttons: “7 cent Brewery” – Alec MacDonald – Elite Daily

Bacteria from Burning Tree mastodon survived 13,000 years – Laura Arenschield – Dispatch

Echo Bay woman caught harvesting bacteria at gardening event – Jeff Klassen – Soo Today

Weakened coral reefs are facing the threat of algae colonisation – Kemal Atlay – SBS Australia

Junk Food Is Bad For Plants, Too – How a steady diet of fertilizers has turned crops into couch potatoes – Anne Biklé and David R. Montgomery – Nautilus

From running shoes to carbon sinks: four surprising uses for algae – ABC Future Tense

Science, publishing, and career

“Everyone” Downloads Research Papers Illegally – Science magazine just published a great piece on the utility of Sci-Hub. Unfortunately, its defense of its own business model is flawed – Justin Peters – Slate

April 28, 2016

A special issue of Science with 2 papers on lifestyle factors that determine composition of the stool microbiome in large human cohorts, variation in microbiome LPS immunogenicity contributes to autoimmunity, SEM analysis of cave speleothem microbial communities, and saliva bacteria in Chicha (Ecuadorian beer).

Jobs and Events

Early Career Microbiome Meal, during European Respiratory Society Meeting 2016 London, September 2016

Caporaso Lab is hiring a software engineer to work on QIIME and scikit-bio – Greg Caporaso – MicroBEnet

General microbiome

A special Science Issue called The Microbiota At WorkScreen Shot 2016-04-28 at 12.42PM, Apr 28 1.jpg

IntroductionManipulating the Microbiota – Caroline Ash, Kristen Mueller  – Science

ReviewCross-species comparisons of host genetic associations with the microbiome – Julia K. Goodrich – Science

ReviewHow colonization by microbiota in early life shapes the immune system – Thomas Gensollen – Science

ReviewAntibiotic use and its consequences for the normal microbiome – Martin J. Blaser – Science

Review: The healthy human microbiome – Jason Lloyd-Price – Genome Medicine

Pregnancy and birth

Infant formula with galacto-oligosaccharides (OM55N) stimulates the growth of indigenous bifidobacteria in healthy term infants – T. Matsuki – Beneficial Microbes

Human oral microbiome

Comparison of Boiling and Robotics Automation Method in DNA Extraction for Metagenomic Sequencing of Human Oral Microbes – Junya Yamagishi – PLOS ONE

Human respiratory microbiome

[PDF] The impact of different methods of DNA extraction on microbial community measures of BALF samples based on metagenomic data – Yan Wen – Am J Transl Res

Human reproductive tract microbiome

[PDF] Barcoded sequencing reveals diverse intrauterine microbiomes in patients suffering with endometrial polyps – Rui-Li Fang – Am J Transl Res

Opinion: Cervicovaginal Microbiomes–Threats and Possibilities – Gregor Reid – Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism

Review: Foodomics as part of the host-microbiota-exposome interplay – Lorenza Putignani – Journal of Proteomics

Human gut microbiome

Population-level analysis of gut microbiome variation – Gwen Falony – Science

Population-based metagenomics analysis reveals markers for gut microbiome composition and diversity – Alexandra Zhernakova – Science

Durable coexistence of donor and recipient strains after fecal microbiota transplantation – Simone S. Li – Science

Review: Resurrecting the intestinal microbiota to combat antibiotic-resistant pathogens – Eric G. Pamer – Science

Associations between dietary flavonoid intake and gut microbiota in a group of adults with cystic fibrosis (CF) – L. Li – Journal of Nutrition & Intermediary Metabolism

Variation in Microbiome LPS Immunogenicity Contributes to Autoimmunity in Humans – Tommi Vatanen – Cell

Gut Bacteria Metabolism Impacts Immune Recovery in HIV-infected Individuals – Sergio Serrano-Villar – EBioMedicine

Serologic microbial associated markers can predict Crohn’s disease behaviour years before disease diagnosis – R. S. Choung – Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Impact of age and sex on the composition and abundance of the intestinal microbiota in individuals with and without enteric infections – Pallavi Singh – Annals of Epidemiology

Review: Human gut microbiota and healthy aging: Recent developments and future prospective – Manish Kumar – Nutrition an Healthy Aging

Animal and other models

Soluble and Insoluble Fiber Differentially Impact Canine Fecal Microbiome and Circulating Metabolome – Matthew Irick Jackson – The FASEB Journal

Germ-free and antibiotic-treated mice are highly susceptible to epithelial injury in DSS colitis – Cristina Hernández-Chirlaque – Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis

High intensity exercise training increases the diversity and metabolic capacity of the mouse distal gut microbiota during diet-induced obesity – Emmanuel Denou – American Journal of Physiology

Induction of Subacute Ruminal Acidosis Affects the Ruminal Microbiome and Epithelium – Joshua C. Mccann – Frontiers in Microbiology

Review: Oral microbial biofilm models and their application to the testing of anticariogenic agents – Christina P.C. Sim – Journal of Dentistry

Animal microbiome

Patterns of bacteria-host associations suggest different ecological strategies between two reef building cold-water coral species – Anne-Leila Meistertzheim – Deep Sea Research Part I: Oceanographic Research Papers

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Characterizing and handling different kinds of AM fungal spores in the rhizosphere – Xueguang Sun – World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Illumina-based analysis of the rhizosphere microbial communities associated with healthy and wilted Lanzhou lily (Lilium davidii var. unicolor) plants grown in the field – Qianhan Shang – World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Microbial community structures and metabolic profiles response differently to physiochemical properties between three landfill cover soils – Xi-En Long – Environmental Science and Pollution Research

The effects of host age and spatial location on bacterial community composition in the English Oak tree (Quercus robur) – S. Meaden – Environmental Microbiology Reports

Universal indicators for oil and gas prospecting based on bacterial communities shaped by light-hydrocarbon microseepage in China – Chunping Deng – Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Performance of 16s rRNA primer pairs in the study of rhizosphere and endosphere bacterial microbiomes in metabarcoding studies – Bram Beckers – Frontiers in Microbiology

Water and extremophiles

The unexpected extremophile: Tolerance to fluctuating salinity in the green alga Picochlorum – Fatima Foflonker – Algal Research

Microbial communities in a range of carbon dioxide fluxes from a natural volcanic vent in Campo de Calatrava, Spain – Irena Fernández-Montiel – International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control

On the use of high-throughput sequencing for the study of cyanobacterial diversity in Antarctic aquatic mats – Igor Stelmach Pessi – Journal of Phycology

Quorum sensing plays a complex role in regulating the enzyme hydrolysis activity of microbes associated with sinking particles in the ocean – Andreas Krupke – Frontier in Marine Science

Succession of bacterial community structure during the early stage of biofilm development in the Antarctic marine environment – Yung Mi Lee – Korean Journal of MIcrobiology

Using scanning electron microscopy to study microbial communities in speleothem samples collected from Iron Curtain Cave – Cohord Mason – The Journal of Experimental Microbiology & Immunology

Large differences in potential denitrification and sediment microbial communities across the Laurentian great lakes – Gaston E. Small – Biogeochemistry

Built environment microbiome

Ecological succession of the microbial communities of an air conditioning cooling coil in the tropics – Enzo Acerbi – Indoor Air

Web Alert: Microbiology in archaeology: An annotated selection of World Wide Web sites relevant to the topics in environmental microbiology – Lawrence P. Wackett – Environmental Microbiology

Food microbiology

Bacteria associated with human saliva are major microbial components of Ecuadorian indigenous beers (chicha) – Ana L. Freire – PeerJ

A method to isolate bacterial communities and characterize ecosystems from food products: Validation and utilization in as a reproducible chicken meat model – Amélie Rouger – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

BaitFisher: A Software Package for Multispecies Target DNA Enrichment Probe Design – Christoph Mayer – Molecular Biology and Evolution

Microbial ecology

The Evolution of Quorum Sensing as a Mechanism to Infer Kinship – Jonas Schluter – PLOS Computational Biology

Co-existence facilitates interspecific biofilm formation in complex microbial communities – Jonas S Madsen – Environmental Microbiology

Viruses and phages

Molecular evolution of epizootic hemorrhagic disease viruses in North America based on historical isolates using motif fingerprints – W. C. Wilson – Virus Genes

Techniques

[Video Protocol] Efficient Nucleic Acid Extraction and 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing for Bacterial Community Characterization – Melis N. Anahtar – Journal of Visualized Experiments

Comparison of Boiling and Robotics Automation Method in DNA Extraction for Metagenomic Sequencing of Human Oral Microbes – Junya Yamagishi – PLOS ONE

The impact of different methods of DNA extraction on microbial community measures of BALF samples based on metagenomic data – Yan Wen – Am J Transl Res

Microbes in the news

Your gut bacteria are more than what you eat – Elizabeth Pennisi – Science

With quotes from me! New research confirms thriving gut bacteria is linked to a healthier body – Russell Brandom – The Verge

Want more good bugs in your gut? Try yogurt. And coffee – Patrick Skerrett – STAT News

This Bacteria Strain Offers a Curious Mix of Hope and Danger. The Elizabethkingia strain could cure malaria, but it’s also sickened dozens in Wisconsin – Lisa Margonelli – Slate

Bacteria beneficial to plants have spread across California – UC Riverside study shows spread of Bradyrhizobium has important implications for biofertilizers – EurekAlert

The Benefits of Slathering Your Newborn Baby with Vaginal Bacteria – Rebecca Schiller – Vice Broadly

A Timely Gut Check. At the American Museum of Natural History, meet your microbiome – Ralph Gardner – The Wall Street Journal

A Comprehensive Survey of Pre-Clinical Microbiology Curricula Among United States Medical Schools – Dora Melber – Clinical Infectious Diseases

Mayo Clinic Ventures Firm Explores Commercialization Of Gut Microbe Treatment – Don Jacobson – Twin City Business

Microbes and art

Quilting with soil: soil microorganisms had “painted” their efforts on the cloth in an unexpected variety of colors. – Martha Pings – Soils

Science, publishing, and career

Is most published research really false? – Jeffrey T Leek, Leah R Jager – bioRxiv

Who’s downloading pirated papers? Everyone. In rich and poor countries, researchers turn to the Sci-Hub website – John Bohannon – Science

The frustrated science student behind Sci-Hub – John Bohannon – Science

Plagiarism: A worm poking holes into the quality of our academic work – Christine Osae – The New Times

Bik’s Picks
Doctor ready to perform first human head transplant – Ross Kenneth Urken – News Week

April 26, 2016

Gut microbiome in preterm infants, the bee microbiome, monitoring of surfaces in the ISS, and a database-independent approach to OTU picking.

Jobs and events

Assistant/Associate Professor in Microbiome Studies – University of Arizona

I am one of the judges! 2016 MoBio Microbiome Awards – Deadline May 31

General microbiome

CommentA multi-omic future for microbiome studies – Janet K. Jansson – Nature Microbiology

Pregnancy and birth

Gut Microbiome Developmental Patterns in Early Life of Preterm Infants: Impacts of Feeding and Gender – Xiaomei Cong – PLOS ONE

Human oral microbiome

Microbiota-based Signature of Gingivitis Treatments: A Randomized Study – Shi Huang – Scientific Reports

Complementary clinical effects of red complex bacteria on generalized periodontitis in a caucasian population – E Lanza – Oral Diseases

Human blood ‘microbiome’

(also stool microbiome) Alteration of the serum microbiome composition in cirrhotic patients with ascites – Alba Santiago – Scientific Reports

Human gut microbiome

Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG Intake Modifies Preschool Children’s Intestinal Microbiota, Alleviates Penicillin-Associated Changes, and Reduces Antibiotic Use – Katri Korpela – PLOS ONE

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Using Upper Gastrointestinal Tract for the Treatment of Refractory or Severe Complicated Clostridium difficile Infection in Elderly Patients in Poor Medical Condition: The First Study in an Asian Country – Tae-Geun Gweon – Gastroenterology Research and Practice

Review: A healthy gastrointestinal microbiome is dependent on dietary diversity – Mark L. Heiman – Molecular Metabolism

Review: Mediterranean diet and faecal microbiota: a transversal study – Isabel Gutiérrez-Díaz – Food & Function

Editorial to a special Issue: Gut Microbiota and Metagenomic Advancement in Digestive Disease – Jinsheng Yu – Gastroenterology Research and Practice

Review: Efficacy and Mechanisms of Action of Fecal Microbiota Transplantation in Ulcerative Colitis: Pitfalls and Promises From a First Meta-Analysis – F. Scaldaferri – Transplantation Proceedings

Animal and other models

Sex steroid deficiency–associated bone loss is microbiota dependent and prevented by probiotics – Jau-Yi Li – the Journal of Clinical Investigation

Commentary: From the gut to the strut: where inflammation reigns, bone abstains – Jameel Iqbal – The Journal of Clinical Investigation

Acute dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis promotes gut microbial dysbiosis in mice – Peris Mumbi Munyaka – Journal of Basic Microbiology

Effects of low-level dietary microalgae supplementation on the distal intestinal microbiome of farmed rainbow trout Oncorhynchus mykiss (Walbaum) – Philip P Lyons – Aquaculture Research

The evolution of cooperation within the gut microbiota – Seth Rakoff-Nahoum – Nature

Gut microbiota-associated bile acid deconjugation accelerates hepatic steatosis in ob/ob mice – Mi-Young Park – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Effect of in ovo administration of an adult-derived microbiota on establishment of the intestinal microbiome in chickens – Adriana A. Pedroso – American Journal of Veterinary Research

Animal microbiome

First Comparative Analysis of the Community Structures and Carbon Metabolic Pathways of the Bacteria Associated with Alvinocaris longirostris in a Hydrothermal Vent of Okinawa Trough – Qing-lei Sun – PLOS ONE

The Bee Microbiome: Impact on Bee Health and Model for Evolution and Ecology of Host-Microbe Interactions – Philipp Engel – mBio

Masters thesis, pdf: Geographic influences on the skin microbiome of humpback whales – Kevin Charles Bierlch – Duke University

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Metabarcoding of Bacteria Associated with the Acute Oak Decline Syndrome in England – Melanie Sapp – MDPI Forests

Conservation tillage increases soil bacterial diversity in the dryland of northern China – Ziting Wang – Agronomy for Sustainable Development

Temporal dynamic of parasite-mediated linkages between the forest canopy and soil processes and the microbial community – Ana Mellado – New Phytologist

A watering manipulation in a semiarid grassland induced changes in fungal but not bacterial community composition – Theresa A. McHugh – Pedobiologia

Vertical micro-distribution of microbial communities living in Sphagnum fallax – Lihong Song – Inter-Research Aquatic Microbial Ecology

Bacterial Rhizosphere Biodiversity from Several Pioneer Desert Sand Plants Near Jizan, Saudi Arabia – Jorge R. Osman – The Open Conference Proceedings Journal

Water microbiome

Nutrient uplift in a cyclonic eddy increases diversity, primary productivity and iron demand of microbial communities relative to a western boundary current – Martina A. Doblin – PeerJ

Proteomic Stable Isotope Probing Reveals Taxonomically Distinct Patterns in Amino Acid Assimilation by Coastal Marine Bacterioplankton – Samuel Bryson – mSystems

Phylogenetic structure of bacterial assemblages co-occurring with Ostreopsis cf. ovata bloom – Silvana Vanucci – Harmful Algae

Persistence, loss and appearance of bacteria upstream and downstream – Lisa Dann – Marine and Freshwater Research

Ammonia-oxidizing archaea and bacteria in water columns and sediments of a highly eutrophic plateau freshwater lake – Yuyin Yang – Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Doctoral thesis: Characterization and comparison of microbial communities from different tourist ports in Mediterranean Sea and evaluation of applicability of bioremediation treatments – Enrica Bullita – Università di Cagliari

Built environment microbiome

Four-year bacterial monitoring in the International Space Station—Japanese Experiment Module “Kibo” with culture-independent approach – Tomoaki Ichijo – MPJ Microgravity

Food microbiology

The microbiological quality of pasteurized milk sold by automatic vending machines – Apostolos S. Angelidis – Letters in Applied Microbiology

Waste and pollution microbiology

Seasonal monitoring of bacteria and archaea in a full-scale thermophilic anaerobic digester treating food waste-recycling wastewater: correlations between microbial community characteristics and process variables – Joonyeob Lee – Chemical Engineering Journal

Effect of increased load of high-strength food wastewater in thermophilic and mesophilic anaerobic co-digestion of waste activated sludge on bacterial community structure – Hyun Min Jang – Water Research

Performance of a new suspended filler biofilter for removal of nitrogen oxides under thermophilic conditions and microbial community analysis – Li Han – Science of The Total Environment

Viruses and phages

Deciphering the virus-to-prokaryote ratio (VPR): insights into virus–host relationships in a variety of ecosystems – Kaarle J. Parikka – Biological Reviews

Metagenomics, phylogeny, and bioinformatics

Application of a Database-Independent Approach To Assess the Quality of Operational Taxonomic Unit Picking Methods – Patrick D. Schloss – mSystems

Deconvoluting simulated metagenomes: the performance of hard- and soft- clustering algorithms applied to metagenomic chromosome conformation capture (3C) – Matthew Z. DeMaere – PeerJ Preprint

From Sample to Multi-Omics Conclusions in under 48 Hours – Robert A. Quinn – mSystems

Microbes in the news

An emerging fungal disease is killing snakes in the US – Anand Jagatia – Microbe Post

Gut feeling: Research examines link between stomach bacteria, PTSD – Science Daily

Converting perchlorate into oxygen: Students colonise Mars with E. coli bacteria – Alpha Galileo

Are multidrug-resistant bacteria spread through sewage water? – Universität Bonn

Fermentation festival leads to rapid response system at Center for Microbiome Innovation – Science Codex

Changes in ‘microbiome’ during canine atopic dermatitis could lead to antibiotic-free therapies for human and canine disease – EurekAlert

More Than A Gut Feeling: Can Gut Microbiome Be Used To Treat Mental Disorders? – Catherine Cabral-Isabedra – Tech Times

Gut microbiome alteration may improve survival in graft-versus-host disease – Corinne Foley – 2MinuteMedicine

Your lungs are full of microorganisms … and that’s a good thing – Ian Hall – The Conversation

The new trillion-dollar market opportunity: Video with Jessica Richman – Anne Stych – BizJournals

Malaria, mosquitoes, and microbiota control – Jason Tetro – PopSci

Some Nonantibiotics Disrupt Biofilms in Endometritis Cases – Alexandra Beckstett – The Horse

A serious stomach bug: Norovirus costs billions of dollars of lost productivity – Ike Swetlitz – STAT News

April 24, 2016

Effect of gluten-free diet, broad and accurate taxonomic resolution with multiple genes, ice-nucleating bacteria, indoor bacteria, fungi, and archaea.

Human oral microbiome

Changes in the Oral Moisture and the Amount of Microorganisms in Saliva and Tongue Coating after Oral Ingestion Resumption: A Pilot Study -Natsuki Kishimoto – The Open Dentistry Journal

Human gut microbiome

The influence of a short-term gluten-free diet on the human gut microbiome – Marc Jan Bonder – Genome Medicine

Gut microbiota of Type 1 diabetes patients with good glycaemic control and high physical fitness is similar to people without diabetes: an observational study – C. J. Stewart – Diabetic Medicine

The Influence of Prebiotic Arabinoxylan Oligosaccharides on Microbiota Derived Uremic Retention Solutes in Patients with Chronic Kidney Disease: A Randomized Controlled Trial – Ruben Poesen – PLOS ONE

Minireview: Human microbiome versus food-borne pathogens: friend or foe – Jonathan Josephs-Spaulding – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Opinion: Strain-level dissection of the contribution of the gut microbiome to human metabolic disease – Chenhong Zhang – Genome Medicine

Review: Impact of the gut microbiota on inflammation, obesity, and metabolic disease – Claire L. Boulangé – Genome Medicine

Review: Translational aspects of the microbiome—to be exploited – Edit Mikó – Cell Biology and Toxicology

Animal models

Statement of Retraction. Replication of Obesity and Associated Signaling Pathways Through Transfer of Microbiota From Obese-Prone Rats – Frank A Duca – Diabetes

Gene expression of Lactobacillus plantarum and the commensal microbiota in the ileum of healthy and early SIV-infected rhesus macaques – Benjamin L. Golomb – Scientific Reports

Intestinal Microbiota and Microbial Metabolites Are Changed in a Pig Model Fed a High-Fat/Low-Fiber or a Low-Fat/High-Fiber Diet – Sonja N. Heinritz – PLOS ONE

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

(also filed under New Techniques below) New insights in host-associated microbial diversity with broad and accurate taxonomic resolution – Matthew T. Agler – bioRxiv

Detection of plant growth enhancing features in psychrotolerant yeasts from Patagonia (Argentina) – María Cecilia Mestre – Journal of Basic Microbiology

Discovery and characterization of ionic liquid-tolerant thermophilic cellulases from a switchgrass-adapted microbial community – John M Gladden – Biofuels

Soil biochar amendment shapes the composition of N2O-reducing microbial communities – Johannes Hartera – Science of the Total Environment

Climate change and human activities altered the diversity and composition of soil microbial community in alpine grasslands of the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau – Yong Zhang – Science of the Total Environment

Water and extremophile microbiome

Ice-nucleating bacteria control the order and dynamics of interfacial water – Ravindra Pandey – Science Advances

Unicellular cyanobacteria Synechocystis accommodate heterotrophic bacteria with varied enzymatic and metal resistance properties – Anas Abdulaziz – Journal of Basic Microbiology

Establishment of a multi-species biofilm model and metatranscriptomic analysis of biofilm and planktonic cell communities – Yuya Nakamura – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Evidence of adaptation, niche separation and microevolution within the genus Polaromonas on Arctic and Antarctic glacial surfaces – Jan Gawor – Extremophiles

Built environment microbiology

Fungal and Bacterial Communities in Indoor Dust Follow Different Environmental Determinants – Fabian Weikl – PLOS ONE

Presence of Archaea in the Indoor Environment and Their Relationships with Housing Characteristics – Sepideh Pakpour – Microbial Ecology

Food microbiology

Enhancing the sweetness of yoghurt through metabolic remodeling of carbohydrate metabolism in Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. Bulgaricus – Kim I. Sørensen – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Microbiota of an Italian Grana like cheese during manufacture and ripening unraveled by 16S rRNA-based approaches – Valentina Alessandria – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Taxonomy, new techniques, bioinformatics

New insights in host-associated microbial diversity with broad and accurate taxonomic resolution – Matthew T. Agler – bioRxiv

Wedding higher taxonomic ranks with metabolic signatures coded in prokaryotic genomes – Gregorio Iraola – bioRxiv

Reviews: Eco-Evo-Devo: developmental symbiosis and developmental plasticity as evolutionary agents – Scott F. Gilbert – Nature Reviews Genetics

Microbes in the news

How the world’s chillest bacteria make ice. They may be responsible for creating clouds and rain – Alessandra Potenza – The Verge

How The Bacteria In Your Gut Could Be Used To Treat Mental Illness. New research finds that altering gut bacteria in mice changes the way their brains work – Carolyn Gregoire – Huffington Post

Five ‘fake’ water firms in Mombasa shut after tests confirm bacteria – Elkana Jacob – The Star Kenya

Investigators reduce sugar content of yogurt without reducing sweetness: using microbiological methods that predate the era of genetic technologies – Science Daily

How Toronto’s germs are different from those in other cities. New study reveals each community has its own unique blend of fungi and bacteria — a microbial signature – Robin Levinson King – The Star

Microbes and art

Living Art: Meet the Woman Making Sculptures With Bacteria from Her Skin, UK-based artist Mellissa Fisher – Stephanie Leke – Broadly The Vice

April 22, 2016

General microbiome

Nutrigenomics, the Microbiome, and Gene-Environment Interactions: New Directions in Cardiovascular Disease Research, Prevention, and Treatment
A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association – Jane F. Ferguson – Circulation: Cardiovascular Genetics

Human skin and eye microbiome

Commentary: Details Matter: Designing Skin Microbiome Studies – Heidi H. Kong – Journal of Investigative Dermatology

Defining the normal “core microbiome” of conjunctival microbial communities – Yusen Huang – Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Supplement with abstracts for the American Academy of Dermatology 74th Annual Meeting – Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology

Supplement with abstracts for the Society for Investigative Dermatology (SID 2016) Annual Meeting – Journal of Investigative Dermatology

Human gut microbiome

Strain-level dissection of the contribution of the gut microbiome to human metabolic disease – Chenhong Zhang – Genome Medicine

Review: Microbiome alterations in HIV infection a review – Brett Williams – Cellular Microbiology

Review? Does Gut Microbiota Affect Endothelial Functions in Chronic Kidney Disease Patients With Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus? – American Journal of Kidney Diseases

Commentary: The return of microbes – Didier Raoult – Clinical Microbiology and Infection

Review: Use your antibiotics wisely. Consequences to the intestinal microbiome – Jorge Cervantes – FEMS Microbiology Letters

Review: The Microbiome, Timing, and Barrier Function in the Context of Allergic Disease – Duane R. Wesemann – Immunity

Animal and in vitro models
Cigarette Smoke Attenuates the Nasal Host Response to Streptococcus pneumoniae and Predisposes to Invasive Pneumococcal Disease in Mice – Pamela Shen – Infection and Immunity

Susceptibility to Ticks and Lyme Disease Spirochetes Is Not Affected in Mice Coinfected with Nematodes – Denny Maaz – Infection and Immunity

Adherence of probiotic bacteria to human colon epithelial cells and inhibitory effect against enteric pathogens – In vitro study – Nowak Adriana – International Journal of Dairy Technology

Microbiota-driven transcriptional changes in prefrontal cortex override genetic differences in social behavior – Mar Gacias – eLIFE

Gut Microbiota Drive Autoimmune Arthritis by Promoting Differentiation and Migration of Peyer’s Patch T Follicular Helper Cells – Fei Teng – Immunity

Preview: Viral Safeguard: The Enteric Virome Protects against Gut Inflammation – Stephanie M. Karst – Immunity

Animal microbiome

Fecal metagenomics for the simultaneous assessment of diet, parasites, and population genetics of an understudied primate – Amrita Srivathsan – Frontiers in Zoology

Comparative analysis of midgut bacterial communities in three aedine mosquito species from dengue-endemic and non-endemic areas of Rajasthan, India – S. S. Charan – Medical and Veterinary Entomology

Minireview: The Sponge Hologenome – Nicole S. Webster – mBio

Water and extremophile microbiome

Response of Antarctic cryoconite microbial communities to light – Elizabeth A. Bagshaw – Microbiology Ecology

Built environment microbiology
The Built Environment Is a Microbial Wasteland – Sean M. Gibbons – mSystems

Food microbiology

Assessment of the microbial diversity during an industrial-scale malting process by a polymerase chain reaction-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis – Ruilong Li – Journal of the Institute of Brewing (gotta love that name!)

Phages, viruses, and CRISPRs

The diversity-generating benefits of a prokaryotic adaptive immune system – Stineke van Houte – Nature

Microbes in the news
Your city’s microbiome is unique – Christina Procopiou – Newsweek

Human beings – and our offices – are crawling with microbes – Joanna Verran – The Conversation

About Jonathan EisenThis microbiologist loves bugs, hates hype – and wants you to send him your cat’s poop – Rob Waters – STATnews

Close-up of a dust bunny – Holly Ganz – MicroBE.net

Looking Back, Looking Forward and Phage Hunters: A Q&A with the Student Commencement Speaker – Emily Hellewell – Brigham Young University

Do gut microbes shape our evolution? Researcher proposes that a host’s microbiota can steer its evolution in new directions – Science Daily

Pfizer, Roche Embrace The Microbiome, Leading $43M Bet On Second Genome – Luke Timmerman – Forbes

You’re Home to Trillions of Microbes That Affect Everything From Digestion to Depression – Sydney Lupkin – Vice

Pancreatic Cancer Risk Tied to Specific Mouth Bacteria – Infection Control Today

Science, publishing, and career
Due process in the Twitter age – Marcia McNutt – Science

Peer review: Troubled from the start – Alex Csiszar – Nature

Dirty room-mates make lab mice more useful. Housing lab mice with pet-shop mice gives them more human-like immune systems – Sara Reardon – Nature

UC Davis Storer Lecture series – since 1963 87% of speakers are male – Jonathan Eisen – The Tree of LIfe

April 19, 2016

A review about breastmilk with a great name, skin microbiome in different populations, a mouse model for Sjögren’s, the office microbiome, Guam reef sponges, the Alaska tundra ecosystem, and taxonomic classification. Note that I will be traveling internationally in the next couple of days due to (another) tragic family situation, so posting will be irregular. But I will try my best!

Pregnancy and birth

Review: Breastfed at Tiffany’s – Thierry Hennet – Trends in Biochemical Sciences

Human skin microbiome

Body Site Is a More Determinant Factor than Human Population Diversity in the Healthy Skin Microbiome – Guillermo I. Perez Perez – PLOS ONE

Pathogenic bacteria profile and antimicrobial susceptibility patterns of ear infection at Bahir Dar Regional Health Research Laboratory Center, Ethiopia – Derese Hailu – SpringerPlus

Human oral microbiome (also see Animal models, below)

Comparison of the Oral Microbiome of Siblings Using Next-generation Sequencing: a Pilot Study – Hyo-Seol Lee – Oral Diseases

Human gastric microbiome

Characterisation of the gastrointestinal mucosa-associated microbiota: a novel technique to prevent cross-contamination during endoscopic procedures – E. R. Shanahan – Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Human gut microbiome

Conference Abstract: Walnut Consumption Influences the Human Gut Microbiome – Heather M Guetterman – The FASEB Journal

Conference Abstract: Anemia and Iron Status are Predictors of Gut Microbiome Composition and Metabolites in Infants and Children in Rural Kenya – Daniela Paganini – The FASEB Journal

Recurrent Clostridium difficile infection associates with distinct bile acid and microbiome profiles – J. R. Allegretti – Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Effects of sardine-enriched diet on metabolic control, inflammation and gut microbiota in drug-naïve patients with type 2 diabetes: a pilot randomized trial – Mariona Balfegó – Lipids in Health and Disease

Review: From gut dysbiosis to altered brain function and mental illness: mechanisms and pathways – G B Rogers – Molecular Psychiatry

Review: Reshaping the gut microbiota: Impact of low calorie sweeteners and the link to insulin resistance? – Jodi E. Nettleton – Physiology & Behavior

Book chapter, some plagiarism: Impact of Probiotics and Gut Microbiota on Host Behavior – Sarabjit Singh Kanwar – Microbes in Food and Health

Animal models of microbiome research

Mouse model: Altered Mucosal Microbiome Diversity and Disease Severity in Sjögren Syndrome – Cintia S. de Paiva – Scientific Reports

Systemic Characterization of an Obese Phenotype in the Zucker Rat Model Defining Metabolic Axes of Energy Metabolism and Host-Microbial Interactions – Jutarop Phetcharaburanin – Journal of Proteome Research

Metagenomic analysis of antibiotic-induced changes in gut microbiota in a pregnant rat model – Imran Khan – Frontiers in Pharmacology

Inflammasome signaling affects anxiety- and depressive-like behavior and gut microbiome composition – M-L Wong – Molecular Psychiatry

Animal microbiome

The reproductive tracts of two malaria vectors are populated by a core microbiome and by gender- and swarm-enriched microbial biomarkers – Nicola Segata – Scientific Reports

In four shallow and mesophotic tropical reef sponges from Guam the microbial community largely depends on host identity – Georg Steinert – PeerJ

Microbiome analysis and detection of pathogenic bacteria of Penaeus monodon from Jakarta Bay and Bali – Vincensius S.P. Oetama – Marine Pollution Bulletin

Diversity of endosymbiont bacteria associated with a non-filarial nematode group – Stela S. Lazarova – Nematology

Master thesis: Effects of Roundup (glyphosate) on gut microorganisms of farm animals – Charlotte Lynggaard Katholm – Aarhus University

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Functional composition of plant communities determines the spatial and temporal stability of soil microbial properties in a long-term plant diversity experiment – Tanja Strecker – Oikos

Bacterial communities of the cotton aphid Aphis gossypii associated with Bt cotton in northern China – Yao Zhao – Scientific Reports

Soil microbial community composition and respiration along an experimental precipitation gradient in a semiarid steppe – Cancan Zhao – Scientific Reports

Bioaerosol Deposition to Food Crops near Manure Application: Quantitative Microbial Risk Assessment – Michael A. Jahne – Journal of Environmental Quality

Effects of biofumigation using Brassica juncea and Raphanus sativus in comparison to disinfection using Basamid on apple plant growth and soil microbial communities at three field sites with replant disease – Bunlong Yim – Plant and Soil

Bacterial and eukaryal diversity in soils forming from acid mine drainage precipitates under reclaimed vegetation and biological crusts – Claudia Rojas – Applied Soil Ecology

Assessment of Bacterial Communities and Predictive Functional Profiling in Soils Subjected to Short-Term Fumigation-Incubation – Lin Chen – Microbial Ecology

Archaeal communities in the sediments of different mangrove stands at Dongzhaigang, China – Wei Li – Journal of Soils and Sediments

Metagenomics reveals pervasive bacterial populations and reduced community diversity across the Alaska tundra ecosystem – Eric R. Johnston – Frontiers in Microbiology

Water microbiome

Bacterioplankton biogeography in the Atlantic Ocean: a case study of the distance-decay relationship – Mathias Milici – Frontiers in Microbiology

Proteomic Stable Isotope Probing Reveals Biosynthesis Dynamics of Slow Growing Methane Based Microbial Communities – Jeffrey Marlow – Frontiers in Microbiology

Metagenomic analysis of sediments under seaports influence in the Equatorial Atlantic Ocean – Tallita Cruz Lopes Tavares – Science of The Total Environment

Dissolution Tests and Microbial Community Analysis Using the Bottom Sediment before and after a Heavy Storm – Ikuo Tsushima – Journal of Water and Environment Technology

Carbohydrate production by microbial mats communities in tidal flat from Bahía Blanca Estuary (Argentina) – E. M. Fernández – Environmental Earth Sciences

Built environment microbiome

Geography and Location Are the Primary Drivers of Office Microbiome Composition – John Chase – mSystems

Waste and pollution microbiology

Population Dynamics of Bulking and Foaming Bacteria in a Full-scale Wastewater Treatment Plant over Five Years – Xiao-Tao Jiang – Scientific Reports

Quantification of microbial load in diesel storage tanks using culture- and qPCR-based approaches – Pedro M. Martin-Sanchez – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

Bacterial communities in oil contaminated soils: Biogeography and co-occurrence patterns – Shuo Jiao – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Methanogen Population of an Oil Production Skimmer Pit and the Effects of Environmental Factors and Substrate Availability on Methanogenesis and Corrosion Rates – Okoro Chuma Conlette – Microbial Ecology

Phages and viruses

Parasite diversity drives rapid host dynamics and evolution of resistance in a bacteria-phage system – Alex Betts – Evolution

Research highlight: More of the world’s a phage – Naomi Attar – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

Fast and sensitive taxonomic classification for metagenomics with Kaiju – Peter Menzel – Nature Communications

META-pipe – Pipeline Annotation, Analysis and Visualization of Marine Metagenomic Sequence Data – Espen Mikal Robertsen – ArXiv

Fast and sensitive mapping of nanopore sequencing reads with GraphMap – Ivan Sović – Nature Communications

Single-Cell (Meta-)Genomics of a Dimorphic Candidatus Thiomargarita nelsonii Reveals Genomic Plasticity – Beverly E. Flood – Frontiers in Microbiology

Editorial: A tale of two tardigrades – Thomas A. Richards – PNAS

Review: A guide through a family of phylogenetic dissimilarity measures among sites – Sandrine Pavoine – Oikos

Review: Compositional analysis: a valid approach to analyze microbiome high throughput sequencing data – Gregory B Gloor – Canadian Journal of Microbiology

More microbiology

Accessing Nature’s diversity through metabolic engineering and synthetic biology – Jason R. King – F1000 Research

Utilization and control of ecological interactions in polymicrobial infections and community-based microbial cell factories – Vinoth Wigneswaran – F1000 Research

Microbes in the news

Your Invisible Neighbors: Each City Has Unique Microbes – Katherine Du – NPR

Can the bacteria on your skin reveal where you are from? Floors, walls and people in different cities have distinct microbial ‘signatures’ – Abigail Beall – Daily Mail

6 surprising facts about sugar-laden, virus-fighting breast milk – Megan Thielking – STAT News

Gut microbiota development driven by specific enzyme in breast milk – Yvette Brazier – Medical News Today

Mothers’ milk and the infant gut microbiota: An ancient symbiosis – Science Daily

Microbiome-Brain Research to Get $2.8M Boost from NIDA, NCCIH – Genome Web

Earth Day: New insights into coral health hidden in reefs’ microbiomes – National Science Foundation

Downwind safety on the farm. Manure application research aims to improve food safety – American Society of Agronomy

Heartburn Meds Alter the Gut. Acid blockers reduce the diversity of bacteria in the intestines—and that could lead to trouble – Melinda Wenner Moyer – Scientific American

Bacteria that ‘breathes’ iron: Microbes that might change our search for life in space – Dawn Papple – Inquisitr

Microbes and art
This artist uses bacteria as paint: Paint by Microbes – Steph Yin – PopSci

Science, publishing, and career

From #realtimechem to #whywedoresearch: Who are the Tweeting scientists? – Andrew Marsh – Piirus

Tips for Using Social Media to Promote Your Research – Emma Hedington – NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes

About Joseph MercolaKnown Quack Forced to Refund Customers for Lying About Effects of Tanning Beds – Bryan Menegus – Gizmodo

Bik’s Picks

Meet the woman who makes fake fingers for Japan’s reformed gangsters – Justin McCurry – The Guardian

April 18, 2016

Tongue coating and halitosis, mucosa and Crohn’s, biography in American forests diazotrophs, and microbes on parchment documents.

Events

Submit your microbial artwork and win the ISMEJ cover competition! – The ISME Journal

Human oral microbiome

Tongue Coating and the Salivary Microbial Communities Vary in Children with Halitosis – Wen Re – Scientific Reports

Human respiratory microbiome

Clinical impact of methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus on bacterial pneumonia: cultivation and 16S ribosomal RNA gene analysis of bronchoalveolar lavage fluid – Toshinori Kawanami – BMC Infectious Diseases

Human gut microbiome

Mucosa-attached bacterial community in Crohn’s Disease coheres with the Clinical Disease Activity Index – Holger Schäffler – Environmental Microbiology Reports

Animal microbiome

Impact of gut microbiota on the fly’s germ line – Michael Elgart – Nature Communications

Caribbean corals house shared and host-specific microbial symbionts over time and space – Nathaniel D. Chu – Environmental Microbiology Reports

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Biogeographic Patterns of Soil Diazotrophic Communities across Six Forests in the North America – Qichao Tu – Molecular Ecology

Unique Organic Matter and Microbial Properties in the Rhizosphere of a Wetland Soil – Daniel I. Kaplan – Environ. Sci. Technol.

Water microbiology

Characterization of microbial associations with methanotrophic archaea and sulfate-reducing bacteria through statistical comparison of nested Magneto-FISH enrichments – Elizabeth Trembath-Reichert – PeerJ

Air microbiology

Assessment of microbial communities in PM1 and PM10 of Urumqi during winter – Huange Gou – Environmental Pollution

Waste and pollution microbiology

Geochemical and temporal influences on the enrichment of acidophilic iron-oxidizing bacterial communities – Yizhi Sheng – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

ReviewInsights into microbial diversity in wastewater treatment systems: How far have we come? – Isabel Ferrera – Biotechnology Advances

Built environment microbiology

Evaluation of a Parchment Document, the 13th Century Incorporation Charter for the City of Krakow, Poland, for Microbial Hazards – Tomasz Lech – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Extraction of Aerosol-Deposited Yersinia pestis from Indoor Surfaces To Determine Bacterial Environmental Decay – Ian M. Gut- Applied and Environmental Microbiology

More microbiology

Mechanisms of Bacterial (Serratia marcescens) Attachment to, Migration along, and Killing of Fungal Hyphae – Tal Hover – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Principles for designing synthetic microbial communities – Nathan I Johns – Current Opinion in Microbiology

Microbes and art

Bacteria Rule Everything Around Me – Geoff Manaugh – BLDG blog

‘Financial Growth’ reveals just how much coins and money can communicate, transfer and exchange – Heidi Hinder

Microbes in the news

In Dutch, with quotes from me: Ineens zit je wel en wee in je darm – Sander Voormolen – NRC

The Endurance of Microbiology: An Interview with Mike Jetten, Mark Martin, Ute Römling, and Victor Torres – Trends in Microbiology

‘We have never been this close’: The campaign to eradicate polio takes a giant step forward – Helen Branswell – STAT News

Antarctica research published – Mike Henson – Thrash Lab

Q&A with Councilor Eva Harris on battle against Zika – American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Creating a biobank of the Flagstaff community: Me and my microbiota – Tom Carpenter – AZ Daily Sun

The Human Body’s Complicated Relationship With Fungi – Bret Stetka – WCQS

Queens University student discovers a virus strain – News Observer

Researchers chew over the differences in mouth bacteria in horses – HorseTalk

Newly discovered microbe keeps teeth healthy: Bacteria may offer a new way to prevent cavities – Society for Science

Next job for the microbiome: Tagging criminals – Andrew Porterfield – Genetic Literacy Project

Great Barrier Reef: the scale of bleaching has the most sober scientists worried – James Woodford – The Guardian

Viruses Find Love In A Boiling Place – Inside Science

UB establishes Center for Microbiome Research – University at Buffalo

Cow’s milk has vital prebiotic for a healthy baby’s microbiome – New Scientist

Mainstreaming the Microbiome – Susan K Finston – Biotech blog

Study: Jet Hand Dryers Blast Bacteria Around Bathrooms with Terrifying Force – Ed Jones – Modern Readers

April 13, 2016

Thematic issue on effect of antibiotics on microbiomes, limited effect of probiotics on stool proteomics, culex mosquito development, ocean acidification, and new technique to determine microbial growth.

General microbiome

Thematic Issue: the effects of anthropogenic use of antibiotics on the microbiomes in various ecosystems and the implications for human health. Guest edited by Prof. Kornelia Smalla, the articles included in this issue are freely available to read til 11th May 2016. Environmental Dimension of Antibiotic Resistance – FEMS Microbiology Ecology
Review: Network-based metabolic analysis and microbial community modeling – Cesar Cardona – Current Opinion in Microbiology

Review: The importance of the microbiome in epidemiologic research – Blake M. Hanson – Annals of Epidemiology

Editorial: Microbiome: Eating for trillions – Derrick M. Chu – Nature

Pregnancy and birth

Preview: Another Reason to Thank Mom: Gestational Effects of Microbiota Metabolites – Seth Rakoff-Nahoum – Cell Host & Microbe

Review: The interplay of host immunity and environment on risk for bacterial vaginosis and associated reproductive health outcomes – Kerry Murphy – The Journal of Infectious Diseases

Human respiratory microbiome

Enrichment of the lung microbiome with oral taxa is associated with lung inflammation of a Th17 phenotype – Leopoldo N. Segal – Nature Microbiology

Human gut microbiome

Faecal Metaproteomic Analysis Reveals a Personalized and Stable Functional Microbiome and Limited Effects of a Probiotic Intervention in Adults – Carolin A. Kolmeder – PLOS ONE

Review: The gut microbiota and metabolic disease: current understanding and future perspectives – T. Arora – Journal of Internal Medicine

Animal models

A Host-Produced Autoinducer-2 Mimic Activates Bacterial Quorum Sensing – Anisa S. Ismail – Cell Host & Microbe

Depletion of Butyrate-Producing Clostridia from the Gut Microbiota Drives an Aerobic Luminal Expansion of Salmonella – Fabian Rivera-Chávez – Cell Host & Microbe

Lipocalin 2 Protects from Inflammation and Tumorigenesis Associated with Gut Microbiota Alterations – Alexander R. Moschen – Cell Host & Microbe

Animal microbiome

Culex pipiens Development Is Greatly Influenced by Native Bacteria and Exogenous Yeast – Leonardo M. Díaz-Nieto – PLOS ONE

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Convergence of soil microbial properties after plant colonization of an experimental plant diversity gradient – Katja Steinauer – BMC Ecology

Bacterial community associated to the pine wilt disease insect vectors Monochamus galloprovincialis and Monochamus alternatus – Marta Alves – Scientific Reports

Relationship between presence of the desert shrub Haloxylon ammodendron and microbial communities in two soils with contrasting textures – Yanfeng Cao – Applied Soil Ecology

Network analysis reveals functional redundancy and keystone taxa amongst bacterial and fungal communities during organic matter decomposition in an arable soil – Samiran Banerjee – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Belowground response to drought in a tropical forest soil. I. Changes in microbial functional potential and metabolism – Nick Bouskill – Frontiers in Microbiology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Vibrio spp. within the Sydney Harbour Estuary – Nachshon Siboni – Frontiers in Microbiology

Assimilation of microbial and plant carbon by active prokaryotic and fungal populations in glacial forefields – Thomas Rime – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Implications of Ocean Acidification for Marine Microorganisms from the Free-Living to the Host-Associated – Paul A. O’Brien – Frontiers in Marine Science

Waste and pollution microbiology

Shifts in microbial community structure and diversity in a MBR combined with worm reactors treating synthetic wastewater – Jia Liu – Journal of Environmental Sciences

Biomineralization of atrazine and analysis of 16S rRNA and catabolic genes of atrazine degraders in a former pesticide mixing site and a machinery washing area – James F. Douglass – Journal of Soils and Sediments

The effect of seasonality upon the development of lotic biofilms and microbial biostabilisation – Holger Schmidt – Freshwater Biology

Review: The importance of sewer biofilms – Henriette Jensen – Water

Food microbiology and functional foods

Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 Supplementation Improves Exercise Performance and Increases Muscle Mass in Mice – Yi-Ming Chen – MDPI Nutrients

Investigation of the activity of the microorganisms in a Reblochon-style cheese by metatranscriptomic analysis – Christophe Monnet – Frontiers in Microbiology

Review: Prebiotics as a modulator of gut microbiota in paediatric obesity – A. C. Nicolucci – Pediatric Obesity

Techniques

Stable isotope probing with 18O-water to investigate microbial growth and death in environmental samples – Egbert Schwartz – Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Review: A priori Considerations When Conducting High-Throughput Amplicon-Based Sequence Analysis – Aditi Sengupta – Agricultural & Environmental Letters

Microbial ecology

Lack of functional redundancy in the relationship between microbial diversity and ecosystem functioning – Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo

Influence of dormancy on microbial competition under intermittent substrate supply: Insights from model simulations – Konstantin Stolpovsky – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

More microbiology

Metabolic Requirements of Escherichia coli in Intracellular Bacterial Communities during Urinary Tract Infection Pathogenesis – Matt S. Conover – mBio

Biostatistics

Reinventing Biostatistics Education for Basic Scientists – Tracey L. Weissgerber – PLOS Biology

Microbes in the news

MSU professor Gemma Reguera making tiny innovations with a big impact – Erin F. Wasinger – Lansing State Journal

SCSU prof Elizabeth Lewis Roberts discovers fungus, bacteria help grass (really) – Anna Bisaro – New Haven Register

Probiotics for Livestock – Reducing Antibiotic Reliance – Alex Alexiev – MicroBEnet

Taking Cues From Human Nutrition To Reduce Antibiotic Use In Livestock – Amy Mayer – NPR

Why bacteria can’t get any bigger—or smaller – Elizabeth Pennisi – Science

Digestion of lignin in the gut – Science Daily

“Truly exciting”: Probiotic may increase muscle mass, energy & performance – Stephen Daniells – Nutraingredients

Breakthrough at Binghamton furthers development of bacteria-powered energy – The Engineer

Vibrio: Aggressive infectious bacteria species found in Sydney Harbour – Daisy Dumas – Sydney Morning Herald

Science, publishing, and career

Do interventions to reduce misconduct actually work? Maybe not, says new report – Alison McCook – Retraction Watch

$250 million, 300 scientists and 40 labs: Sean Parker’s revolutionary project to ‘solve’ cancer – Ariana Eunjung Cha – Washington Post

Science fairs are as flawed as my solar-powered hot dog cooker – Carl Zimmer – STATnews

The dark side of Guardian comments: part of a series on the rising global phenomenon of online harassment – the Guardian

How one lab challenged a grant rejection and won €5 million – Ewen Callaway – Nature