Category Archives: Food Microbiology

January 17, 2017

Posted on by

Bacterial content of human milk, contribution of the microbiota to serotonin and bile acid production, review of genome-scale metabolic network models, model multi-species biofilm to study formation and interaction dynamics in bioelectrochemical systems.

Pregnancy and early life

Review: Interactions between early life stress and metabolic stress in programming of mental and metabolic health – Francesca Cirulli – Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences

A retrospective audit of bacterial culture results of donated human milk in Perth, Western Australia – Yahya Almutawif – Early Human Development

Animal experiments

Antibiotics-induced depletion of mice microbiota induces changes in host serotonin biosynthesis and intestinal motility – Xiaolong Ge – Journal of Translational Medicine

Food microbiology

* Resilience, dynamics and interactions within a multi-species exoelectrogenic model biofilm community – Anna Prokhorova – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Metabolomics

Review: Metabolic network modeling with model organisms – L Safak Yilmaz – Current Opinion in Chemical Biology

More microbes

Research Highlight: Evolutionary insights from the Vikings – Ashley York – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Microbes in the news

New Study Raises Specter of More Bacteria Resistant to Last Line Antibiotics – Ellie Kincaid – The Wall Street Journal

Teaching computers to recognize sick guts—machine learning and the microbiome – provided by University of California, San Diego – Phys.org

Woman Dies From Bacteria Resistant To All Antibiotics: Why Don’t More People Care? – Bruce Y. Lee – Forbes Pharma & Healthcare

Essential Science: Using bacteria to generate useful chemicals – Tim Sandle – Digital Journal

Bugs in space! Using microgravity to understand how bacteria can cause disease – Ellen Higginson – OUPblog

Are probiotics the answer for lactose intolerance? – Matt Englund – Medical Xpress

Heat & drug tolerant bacteria in Hyderabad meat triggers alarm – Syed Akbarl – The Times of India

Probiotics and Alzheimer’s: Personalised nutrition tipped to become crucial area of treatment research – Gary Scattergood – Nutraingredients.com

Microbes on the market

Global Human Microbiome Market Size, Share, Development and Demand, Forecast to 2022 – P&S Market Research – openPR

Seres Therapeutics, Inc. (MCRB) Downgraded by Zacks Investment Research – Daniel Jordon – Sports Perspectives and Market News

January 16, 2017

Posted on by

Environmental pollutants have become an increasingly common health hazard. The possible effects of environmental pollutants on gut microbiota and their subsequent effects on health is discussed in highlighted review.

Pregnancy and early life

Antibiotics in Pregnancy Increase Children’s Risk of Otitis Media and Ventilation Tubes – Tine Marie Pedersen – The journal of Pediatrics

Human skin microbiome

Insights into the mast cell–microbiome connection in the skin – Alon Y. Hershko – Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Microbiota fingerprints lose individually identifying features over time – David Wilkins – Microbiome

Human vaginal microbiome

Association between preterm labor and genitourinary tract infections caused by Trichomonas vaginalis, Mycoplasma hominis, Gram-negative bacilli, and coryneforms – Alaa El-Dien M.S. Hosny – Journal of the Chinese Medical Association

The Vaginal Microbiota and Urinary Tract Infection – Ann E. Stapleton – Microbiol Spectrum

Human nearly-sterile sites 

Metabolic profiles of exudates from chronic leg ulcerations – Adam Junka – Journal of Pharmaceutical and Biomedical Analysis

Human oral microbiome

Review: Ecology of the Oral Microbiome: Beyond Bacteria – Jonathon L. Baker – Trends in Microbiology

On-going Mechanical Damage from Mastication Drives Homeostatic Th17 Cell Responses at the Oral Barrier – Nicolas Dutzan – Immunity

Salivary Gluten Degradation and Oral Microbial Profiles in Health and Celiac Disease – Na Tian  – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Human gut microbiome

Expert review: Management of Clostridium difficile Infection in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Expert Review from the Clinical Practice Updates Committee of the AGA Institute – Sahil Khanna – Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology

Review: Effects of environmental pollutants on gut microbiota – Yuanxiang Jin – Environmental Pollution

Impact of dietary pattern of the fecal donor on in vitro fermentation properties of whole grains and brans – Sandrayee Brahma – Journal of Functional Foods

Review: The role of the gut microbiota in sepsis – Bastiaan W Haak – The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Gut microbiota interactions with the immunomodulatory role of vitamin D in normal individuals – Renata V. Luthold – Metabolism

“Angelakisella massiliensis” gen. nov., sp. nov., a new bacterial species isolated from human ileum – Morgane Mailhe – New Microbes and New Infections

Helicobacter pylori–related metabolic syndrome as predictor of progression to esophageal carcinoma in a subpopulation-based Barrett’s esophagus cohort – Jannis Kountouras – Gastrointestinal Endoscopy

Impact of dietary pattern of the fecal donor on in vitro fermentation properties of whole grains and brans – Sandrayee Brahma – Journal of Functional Foods

Absence of intestinal microbiota increases ß-cyclodextrin stimulated reverse cholesterol transport – Rima H. Mistry – Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

European consensus conference on faecal microbiota transplantation in clinical practice – Giovanni Cammarota – Gut
Animal experiments

Gd-DTPA-induced dynamic metabonomic changes in rat biofluids – Chuanling Wan – Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Increasing dietary nitrate has no effect on cancellous bone loss or fecal microbiome in ovariectomized rats – Melissa N. Conley – Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

Animal microbiome

Improved growth rate and disease resistance in olive flounder, Paralichthys olivaceus, by probiotic Lactococcus lactis WFLU12 isolated from wild marine fish – Thanh Luan Nguyen – Aquaculture

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

The effects of tree species and substrate on carbon sequestration and chemical and biological properties in reforested post-mining soils – Agnieszka Józefowska – Geoderma

Impacts of inorganic and organic fertilization treatments on bacterial and fungal communities in a paddy soil – Jichen Wang – Applied Soil Ecology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Effects of the halophilic fungi Cladosporium sphaerospermum, Wallemia sebi, Aureobasidium pullulans and Aspergillus nidulans on halite formed on sandstone surface – Maisa M.A. Mansour – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

Epiphytic Planctomycetes communities associated with three main groups of macroalgae – Joana Bondoso – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Floc formation reduces the pH stress experienced by microorganisms living in alkaline environments -C.J. Charles – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Capturing compositional variation in denitrifying communities: A multiple primer approach that includes autotrophic denitrifying Epsilonproteobacteria – S.A. Murdock  – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Waste and pollution microbiology

Review: Aerobic and anaerobic fungal metabolism and Omics insights for increasing polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons biodegradation – Sevcan Aydin – Fungal Biology Reviews

Built environment 

Biological invasion in the indoor environment: the spread of Eurotium halophilicum on library materials – Andrea Polo – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

Review: Integrated management of the risks of stored grain spoilage by seedborne fungi and contamination by storage mould mycotoxins – An update – Francis Fleurat-Lessard – Journal of Stored Products Research

Food microbiology

Impact of environmental conditions and process modifications on microbial diversity, fermentation efficiency and chemical profile during the fermentation of mezcal in Oaxaca – Manuel R. Kirchmayr – LWT – Food Science and Technology

Anti-aging and redox state regulation effects of A-type proanthocyanidins-rich cranberry concentrate and its comparison with grape seed extract in mice – Jingjing Jiao – Journal of Functional Foods

Probiotics / prebiotics

Probiotic mixture improves fatty liver disease by virtue of its action on lipid profiles, leptin, and inflammatory biomarkers – Hessah Mohammed Al-muzafar – BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine

January 14, 2017

Posted on by

So it is technically already January 15 most countries, but I have been busy today preparing to transfer Microbiome Digest to an eager group of 20 new contributors. It takes a lot of time to hopefully be able to safe some time – if that makes sense.

My inbox is still full of new alerts, but here is what I have been able to “digest” so far. It’s already a lot!

General human microbiome

Navigating social and ethical challenges of biobanking for human microbiome research –
Kim H. Chuong – BMC Medical Ethics

Editorial: Influence of the microbiota on host physiology – moving beyond the gut
– Kim E. Barrett – The Journal of Physiology

Pregnancy and early life

* Pregnant women carrying microcephaly foetuses and Zika virus contain potentially pathogenic microbes and parasites in their amniotic fluid – Diogo Antonio Tschoeke – BMC Medical Genomics

Growth and Morbidity of Gambian Infants are Influenced by Maternal Milk Oligosaccharides and Infant Gut Microbiota – Jasmine C. C. Davis – Scientific Reports

Identical bacterial populations colonize premature infant gut, skin, and oral microbiomes and exhibit different in situ growth rates – Matthew R Olm – Genome Research

The Microbiome and Complement Activation A Mechanistic Model for Preterm Birth – Alexis B. Dunn – Biological Research for Nursing

Review: Asthma and the microbiome: defining the critical window in early life – Leah T. Stiemsma – Allergy, Asthma & Clinical Immunology

Human gut microbiome

Alcohol, microbiome, life style influence alcohol and non-alcoholic organ damage – Manuela G. Neuman – Experimental and Molecular Pathology

Serum Trimethylamine N-oxide, Carnitine, Choline and Betaine in Relation to Colorectal Cancer Risk in the Alpha Tocopherol and Beta Carotene Study – Kristin A. Guertin – Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention

Laboratory Testing of Donors and Stool for Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Recurrent C. difficile Infection – Michael H. Woodwort – Journal of Clinical Microbiology

Editorial: Gut microbiota: implications for sports and exercise medicine – Owen Cronin – British Journal of Sports Medicine

Review/Addendum: Pathogen control at the intestinal mucosa – H2O2 to the rescue
Ulla G. Knaus – Gut Microbes

Editorial: Tune into the rhythm of your bugs – Purna Kashyap – Science Translational Medicine

Preview: Are Gut Microbes Responsible for Post-dieting Weight Rebound? – Julien Chilloux – Cell Metabolism

Review: Involvement of Reduced Microbial Diversity in Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Dawei Gong – Gastroenterology Research and Practice

Year in Review: Gut microbiota in 2016: A banner year for gut microbiota research – Wendy S. Garrett – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Review: Gut microbiota disturbance during helminth infection: can it affect cognition and behaviour of children? – Vanina Guernier – BMC Infectious Diseases

Review: An expanding stage for commensal microbes in host immune regulation – Yan Shi – Cellular & Molecular Immunology

Perspective: Decoding host–microbiota communication in the gut – now we’re flying!
– Stephen J. Keely – The Journal of Physiology

Just based on the abstract, this appears a wild hypothesis potentially ignoring economic status, fiber consumption etc:  Latitude as a co-driver of human gut microbial diversity? – Emma Dikongué – Ideas that Push the Boundaries

Book: Gut Microbiome and Behavior, Volume 131 – John F. Cryan, Gerard Clarke – Elsevier

Animal experiments

Intestinal microbiota as a tetrahydrobiopterin exogenous source in hph-1 mice – Jaques Belik – Scientific Reports

Oral treatment with Lactobacillus rhamnosus attenuates behavioural deficits and immune changes in chronic social stress – Aadil Bharwani – BMC Medicine

Year in review: Microbiome in 2016: T follicular helper cells and the gut microbiome in arthritis – Veena Taneja – Nature Reviews Rheumatology

Animal microbiome

* Bacterial Communities Associated with Houseflies (Musca domestica L.) Sampled within and between Farms – Simon Bahrndorff – PLOS ONE

Microbiome variation in corals with distinct depth distribution ranges across a shallow–mesophotic gradient (15–85 m) – Bettina Glasl – Coral Reefs

Symbiont-induced odorant binding proteins mediate insect host hematopoiesis – Joshua B Benoit – eLIFE

Drivers of variation in species impacts for a multi-host fungal disease of bats  –
Kate E. Langwig – Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B

Sponges: Evaluating the core microbiota in complex communities: A systematic investigation – Carmen Astudillo-Garcia – Environmental Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Bacterial community composition in costal dunes of the Mediterranean along a gradient from the sea shore to the inland – Haggai Wasserstrom – Scientific Reports

Phylogenetic relatedness, phenotypic similarity and plant–soil feedbacks – Connor R. Fitzpatrick

Review: Microbiome and the future for food and nutrient security – Brajesh K. Singh – Microbial Biotechnology

Water microbiome

Similar community assembly mechanisms underlie similar biogeography of rare and abundant bacteria in lakes on Yungui Plateau, China – Jingqiu Liao – Limnology and Oceanography

Built environment microbiome

Microbial diversity in different compartments of an aquaponics system – Zala Schmautz – Archives of Microbiology

Food microbiology

The influence of thiamine and riboflavin on various spoilage microorganisms commonly found in beer – Barry Hucker – The Journal of The Institue of Brewing

Waste and pollution microbiology

Microbial flora analysis for the degradation of beta-cypermethrin – Zhang Qi – Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Fungi (also see Animal Microbiome)

Medical mycology and fungal immunology: new research perspectives addressing a major world health challenge – Neil A. R. Gow – Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B

Proteomics and metabolomics

MAHMI database: a comprehensive MetaHit-based resource for the study of the mechanism of action of the human microbiota – Aitor Blanco-Míguez – Database

Perspective: Progress in the biology and analysis of short chain fatty acids – Roel J. Vonk – The Journal of Physiology

Bioinformatics and biostatistics

Using Machine Learning to Identify Major Shifts in Human Gut Microbiome Protein Family Abundance in Disease – Mehrdad Yazdani – IEEE

Microscale Insight into Microbial Seed Banks – Kenneth J. Locey – Frontiers in Microbiology

* EMPeror: Bringing the Dynamic Microbiome to Life with Animations – Yoshiki Vázquez-Baeza – Cell Host & Microbe

Parallel-META 3: Comprehensive taxonomical and functional analysis platform for efficient comparison of microbial communities – Gongchao Jing – Scientific Reports

Identifying Host Genetic Variants Associated with Microbiome Composition by Testing Multiple Beta Diversity Matrices – Hua X. – Human Heredity

MetaDP: a comprehensive web server for disease prediction of 16S rRNA metagenomic datasets – Xilin Xu – Biophysics Reports

Techniques

Methodological flaws introduce strong bias into molecular analysis of microbial populations – N. Krakat – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Editorial: Microbial Nanoscopy: Breakthroughs, Challenges, and Opportunities – Yves F. Dufrêne – ACS Nano

More microbes

* Asgard archaea illuminate the origin of eukaryotic cellular complexity – Katarzyna Zaremba-Niedzwiedzka – Nature

* Species-Independent Attraction to Biofilms through Electrical Signaling – Jacqueline Humphries – Cell

A bacterial global regulator forms a prion – Andy H. Yuan – Science

A periplasmic polymer curves Vibrio cholerae and promotes pathogenesis – Thomas M. Bartlett – Cell

Assembly of a nucleus-like structure during viral replication in bacteria – Vorrapon Chaikeeratisak – Science

Microbes in the news

Man’s best friend, bacteria’s worst enemy: dog sniffs out superbug in Canadian hospital – Ashifa Kassam – The Guardian

This article is not as bad as the title suggests but with photoshopped images:
Revealed: The millions of stomach-churning bacteria lurking in YOUR hair, skin, lungs, gut and mouth – and why – Mary Kekatos – Daily Mail

Video: Career profiles: Program Director at National Science Foundation Matthew Kane – American Society for Microbiology

A clear picture of bacteria: A new study has frozen bacteria extremely fast to gain a true-to-nature image of the internal and external structure – Science Daily

January 13, 2017

Posted on by

Nutrient acquisition by gut microbes, handling stress and gut microbiota changes in mice, evaluation of the MinION for microbiome studies.

Human gut microbiome

* Structural basis for nutrient acquisition by dominant members of the human gut microbiota – Amy J. Glenwright – Nature

New light shed on functioning of human gut bacteria – Science Daily

Metabolic adaptation of colonic microbiota to galactooligosaccharides: a proof-of-concept-study – M. Mego – Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Gut microbiota-dependent trimethylamine N-oxide in acute coronary syndromes: a prognostic marker for incident cardiovascular events beyond traditional risk factors – Xinmin S. Li, Slayman Obeid – European Heart Journal

Review: Basic Definitions and Concepts: Organization of the Gut Microbiome – Eamonn M.M. Quigley – Gastroenterology Clinics of North America

Animal experiments

* Handling stress may confound murine gut microbiota studies – Cary R. Allen-Blevins – PeerJ

Water microbiome

Effect of marker choice and thermal cycling protocol on zooplankton DNA metabarcoding studies – Laurence J. Clarke – Ecology and Evolution

Food microbiology

Cultivable microbiome of fresh white button mushrooms – W. Rossouw Letters in Applied Microbiology

Phages and viruses

Acquisition of Phage Sensitivity by Bacteria through Exchange of Phage Receptors – Elhanan Tzipilevich – Cell

For viral predators of bacteria, sensitivity can be contagious. New modes of bacteriophage spread discovered – ScienceDaily

Techniques

Evaluation of Oxford Nanopore MinION Sequencing for 16S rRNA Microbiome Characterization – Xiao Ma – bioRxiv

Lifetime of Phosphorescence from Nanoparticles Yields Accurate Measurement of Concentration of Oxygen in Microdroplets, Allowing One To Monitor the Metabolism of Bacteria – Michał Horka – Analytical Chemistry

Press: New type of monitoring provides information about the life of bacteria in microdroplets – Science Daily

Microbes in the news

Self-Experimenting Scientist Receives uBiome Grant to Investigate Consequences of Long-Term Antibiotic Use for Skin Conditions – PR Web

The art within Microbiology, and a coloring book – Chloe Schmidt – Frontiers Blog

Mapping the Microorganisms Behind Hospital-Borne Infections – Allison Bond – The Atlantic

Springfield Science Museum Explores the Human Microbiome – Business West

Researchers receive Moore Foundation grant to study the global ocean microbiome – Alan Flurry – University of Georgia

Scientists pave the way for enhanced detection and treatment of vascular graft infections – Science Daily

The Metabolome: The Missing Link that Binds the Microbiome with Human Health – Mike Milburn – GenEngNews

Proceed with caution: The Key to Reversing Autism May Be in the Microbiome – Emeran Mayer – Big Think

Microbes on the market

Carmel biotech firm scores major deal with pharmaceutical giant – Indianapolis Business Journal

Mawi DNA Technologies Launches ISWAB-Microbiome Sample Collection System – BusinessWire

Science, publishing, and career

Beware! Academics are getting reeled in by scam journals – The number of predatory publishers is skyrocketing – and they’re eager to pounce on unsuspecting scholars – Alex Gillis

January 12, 2017

Posted on by

uBiome blog

Losing Weight is the Most Popular New Year’s Resolution – Could Probiotics Help? – Julie Taylor – uBiome

Video: Young Microbiome Researchers: Celsius & Beyond – uBiome
For the uBiome team, working with other scientists is always rewarding, but we particularly enjoyed our recent collaboration with a team of researchers, many of whom were swamped by their lab coats and blue nitrile gloves.

Jobs

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Microbiology – California Academy of Sciences

Pregnancy and early life

* A molecular portrait of maternal sepsis from Byzantine Troy – Alison M Devault – eLIFE

The Generation R Study: design and cohort update 2017 – Marjolein N. Kooijman – European Journal of Epidemiology

Human oral microbiome

On the ecosystemic network of saliva in healthy young adults – Egija Zaura – The ISME Journal

Human gut microbiome

Seven brief reviews: Topical Issue of the Journal of Immunology: The Macro Influence of the Microbiome – Pamela J. Fink – The Journal of Immunology

Review: Microbiome and the future for food and nutrient security – Brajesh K. Singh – Microbial Biotechnology

Animal experiments

Neuroblastoma causes alterations of the intestinal microbiome, gut hormones, inflammatory cytokines, and bile acid composition – Christoph Castellani – Pediatric Blood & Cancer

Routine assessment of the gut microbiome to promote preclinical research reproducibility and transparency – Hannah R Wardill – Gut

Animal microbiome

Postnatal changes in the relative abundance of intestinal Lactobacillus spp. in newborn calves – Tadashi Takino – Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

Population- and growth-related differences in helminthic fauna of finless porpoises (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis) in five Japanese populations – Akira Shiozaki – Journal of Veterinary Medical Science

Antifeedants Produced by Bacteria Associated with the Gut of the Pine Weevil Hylobius abietis – Karolin Axelsson – Microbial Ecology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Trends in Taxonomic and Functional Composition of Soil Microbiome Along a Precipitation Gradient in Israel – Binu M. Tripathi – Microbial Ecology

Diel-scale temporal dynamics recorded for bacterial groups in Namib Desert soil – Eoin Gunnigle – Scientific Report

Foliar application of the leaf-colonizing yeast Pseudozyma churashimaensis elicits systemic defense of pepper against bacterial and viral pathogens – Gahyung Lee – Scientific Reports

Response of microbial communities colonizing salt marsh plants rhizosphere to copper oxide nanoparticles contamination and its implications for phytoremediation processes – Joana P. Fernandes – Science of the Total Environment

Biodegradation of the veterinary antibiotics enrofloxacin and ceftiofur and associated microbial community dynamics – Diogo A.M. Alexandrino – Science of the Total Environment

* Redox conditions and marine microbial community changes during the end-Ordovician mass extinction event – Justyna Smolarek – Global and Planetary Change

Use of plant growth promoting bacterial strains to improve Cytisus striatus and Lupinus luteus development for potential application in phytoremediation – María Balseiro-Romero – Science of the Total Environment

Response of microbial communities colonizing salt marsh plants rhizosphere to copper oxide nanoparticles contamination and its implications for phytoremediation processes -Joana P. Fernandes – Science of the Total Environment

Communication of Sedentary Plant-Parasitic Nematodes With Their Host Plants – T. Hewezi – Advances in Botanical Research

Book chapter: Application of Microbiology in Dryland Agriculture – Minakshi Grover – Innovations in Dryland Agriculture

Water and extremophile microbiome

Potential Activity of Subglacial Microbiota Transported to Anoxic River Delta Sediments – Karen A. Cameron – Microbial Ecology

Microbial community dynamics in Inferno Crater Lake, a thermally fluctuating geothermal spring – Laura Ward – The ISME Journal

* Determining virus-host interactions and glycerol metabolism profiles in geographically diverse solar salterns with metagenomics – Abraham G. Moller – PeerJ

Abundance of microorganisms and enzyme activity in the rapids-pool-benchland systems in natural Douliu River of China – Zhen Hong Wang – PeerJ Preprint

Distinct sensitivity of fungal freshwater guilds to water quality – Oliver Röhl – Mycological

Food microbiology

Bacterial microbiota of Kazakhstan cheese revealed by single molecule real time (SMRT) sequencing and its comparison with Belgian, Kalmykian and Italian artisanal cheeses – Jing Li – BMC Microbiology

A combined meta-barcoding and shotgun metagenomic analysis of spontaneous wine fermentation – Peter R Sternes – bioRxiv

Waste and pollution microbiology

Microbial community structure in a full-scale anaerobic treatment plant during start-up and first year of operation revealed by high-throughput 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing – Else Marie Fykse – Bioresource Technology

Bioinformatics

* MicroPattern: a web-based tool for microbe set enrichment analysis and disease similarity calculation based on a list of microbes – Wei Ma – Scientific Reports

Microbial ecology

Review: Where less may be more: how the rare biosphere pulls ecosystems strings – Alexandre Joussett – ISME Journal

Microbes in the news

Gut science is radically changing what we know of the human body – Pat Rich – University Affairs Canada

Renowned microbiology expert to visit West Florida. Claire Fraser will present, “The Human Gut Microbiome in Health and Disease” – SR Press Gazette

Microbiomes Move Standard Plate Count One Step Forward – Gregory Siragusa – Food Safety Tech

Researchers develop new compound to fight cytomegalovirus – EurekAlert

Eating red meat six times a week could increase chances of getting painful bowel disease – Daisy Dunne – Mirror

This looks intriguing: Microbiota and the masses: a love story – S. B. Divya – MacMillan

Microbes on the market

Gut microbiome profiling tests propelled by customer demand – Vijay Shankar – Nature Biotechnology

Bruker Announces Acquisition of CMO InVivo Biotech to Expand Molecular Biology, Microbiology and Pathology Consumables and Assay Business

Bik’s non-microbiology picks

UCSF Receives Historic Half-Billion-Dollar Donation – Lindsey Hoshaw – KQED

This is a tragic/comic read, but note that the original post contained some offending language, that was removed after protests on e.g. Twitter. The Rise and Fall of a Shrimp Biologist – David Scholnick – Scientific American

January 10, 2017

Posted on by

A culture-based study of 2000 nasal microbiomes, eye metabolites, cardiorespiratory fitness in breast cancer survivors, Akkermansia from a python, chickpea rhizosphere, tobacco wilt suppression, plant rhizosphere mass spectrometry, phyloSkeleton.

Human nasal microbiome

Epidemiological and ecological modelling reveal diversity in microbial population structures from a cross-sectional community swabbing study – Abigail L Coughtrie – bioRxiv

Human eye microbiome

LC-MS-Based Metabolic Fingerprinting of Aqueous Humor – Karolina Pietrowska – Journal of Analytical Methods in Chemistry

Human vaginal microbiome

MS thesis: Metagenomic characterization of the vaginal microbiome – Keshini Devakandan – University of British Columbia

Human gut microbiome

Gut microbiota composition associated with alterations in cardiorespiratory fitness and psychosocial outcomes among breast cancer survivors – Jesseca A. Paulsen – Supportive Care in Cancer

SYN-004 (ribaxamase), an oral β-lactamase designed to protect the gut microbiome from the deleterious effects of certain intravenously administered β-lactam antibiotics, degrades ceftriaxone excreted into the intestine in Phase 2a clinical studies – John F. Kokai-Kun – Antimicrobial Agents Chemotherapy

Animal experiments

Respiration of Microbiota-Derived 1,2-propanediol Drives Salmonella Expansion during Colitis – Franziska Faber – PLOS Pathogens

Animal microbiome

Complete Genome Sequence of Akkermansia glycaniphila Strain PytT, a Mucin-Degrading Specialist of the Reticulated Python Gut – Janneke P. Ouwerkerk – Genome Announcements

Symbiotic bacteria associated with a bobtail squid reproductive system are detectable in the environment, and stable in the host and in eggs throughout development – Allison H. Kerwin – Environmental Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Competition between rhizobia under different environmental conditions affects the nodulation of a legume – Zhao Jun Ji – Systematic and Applied Microbiology

Combined pre-seed treatment with microbial inoculants and Mo nanoparticles changes composition of root exudates and rhizosphere microbiome structure of chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) plants – E. N. Shcherbakova – Symbiosis

Interactions of soil particulate organic matter chemistry and microbial community composition mediating carbon mineralization in karst soils – Wei Xiao – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Metabolic profiling of root exudates from two ecotypes of Sedum alfredii treated with Pb based on GC-MS – Qing Luo – Scientific Reports

Effects of Wetland Vegetation on Soil Microbial Composition: A Case Study in Tumen River Basin, Northeast China– Qin Lei – Chin. Geogra. Sci

Microbial communities in pyrene amended soil–compost mixture and fertilized soil – Iris K. U. Adam – AMB Express

Competition assays and physiological experiments of soil and phyllosphere yeasts identify Candida subhashii as a novel antagonist of filamentous fungi – Maja Hilber-Bodmer – BMC Microbiology

Tobacco bacterial wilt suppression with biochar soil addition associates to improved soil physiochemical properties and increased rhizosphere bacteria abundance – Chengsheng Zhang – Applied Soil Ecology

Editorial: Microbial community ecology: Function over phylogeny – Sean M. Gibbons – Nature Ecology & Evolution

Review: Elucidating rhizosphere processes by mass spectrometry – A review – Ariana Rugova – Analytica Chimica Acta

Water and extremophile microbiome

Genomic repertoire of the Woeseiaceae/JTB255, cosmopolitan and abundant core members of microbial communities in marine sediments – Marc Mußmann – The ISME Journal

Food microbiology

Review: An Integrated View of the Effects of Wine Polyphenols and Their Relevant Metabolites on Gut and Host Health – Carolina Cueva – Molecules

Microbiological quality of Brazilian UHT milk: Identification and spoilage potential of spore-forming bacteria – Claudia L O Pinto – International Journal of Dairy Technology

Metabolomics for empirical delineation of the traditional Korean fermented foods and beverages – Digar Singh – Trends in Food Science & Technology

Source tracking of prokaryotic communities in fermented grain of Chinese strong-flavor liquor – Xueshan Wang – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Bioinformatics

phyloSkeleton: taxon selection, data retrieval and marker identification for phylogenomics – Lionel Guy – Bioinformatics

Microbes in the news

Hyperthermophiles and Cryophiles: The World’s Most Extreme Organisms – Priya Amin – Harvard Science Review

Bik’s non-microbiology picks

Responses of Human Neonates to Highly Diluted Odorants from Sweat – Helene M. Loos – Journal of Chemical Ecology

January 4, 2017

Posted on by

Short-chain sugars and lactose intolerance, NEC and bile salts, gut microbiome in women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, Brucella in frogs. And since this is a quiet time on the microbiome literature front,  I also included some other interesting microbes in the news.

Pregnancy and early life

* Fecal Bile Salts and the Development of Necrotizing Enterocolitis in Preterm Infants – Christian V. Hulzebos – PLOS ONE

Human respiratory microbiome

Effects of Propidium Monoazide (PMA) Treatment on Mycobiome and Bacteriome Analysis of Cystic Fibrosis Airways during Exacerbation – Linh Do Ngoc Nguyen – PLOS ONE

Human gut microbiome

* Impact of short-chain galactooligosaccharides on the gut microbiome of lactose-intolerant individuals – M. Andrea Azcarate-Peril – PNAS

* Alterations in Gut Microbiome Composition and Barrier Function Are Associated with Reproductive and Metabolic Defects in Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS): A Pilot Study – Lisa Lindheim – PLOS ONE

Review: Modulation of alloimmune response by commensal gut microbiota and potential new avenues to influence the outcome of allogeneic transplantation by modification of the ‘gut culture’ – S. Kanangat – International Journal of Immunogenetics

Editorial: Gut Microbiota, Diet and Health. (We and our gut microbes) – Juan Carlos Espín – Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

Editorial: Hot Topics in 2017 – Gut Microbiota, Whole Grains and Health – Hans-Ulrich Humpf – Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

Microbiology of nearly sterile sites

Pseudomonas aeruginosa Microcolonies in Coronary Thrombi from Patients with ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction – Gorm Mørk Hansen – PLOS ONE

Animal microbiome

* The Change of a Medically Important Genus: Worldwide Occurrence of Genetically Diverse Novel Brucella Species in Exotic Frogs – Holger C. Scholz – PLOS ONE

Synbiotics for Broiler Chickens—In Vitro Design and Evaluation of the Influence on Host and Selected Microbiota Populations following In Ovo Delivery – Aleksandra Dunislawska – PLOS ONE

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Frontiers for research on the ecology of plant-pathogenic bacteria: fundamentals for sustainability. Challenges in Bacterial Molecular Plant Pathology – Cindy E. Morris – Molecular Plant Pathology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Microbial Diversity and Cyanobacterial Production in Dziani Dzaha Crater Lake, a Unique Tropical Thalassohaline Environment – Christophe Leboulanger – PLOS ONE

Food microbiology

Crystal Ball: Exciting strain-level resolution studies of the food microbiome – Danilo Ercolini – Microbial Biotechnology

Viruses / phages / bioinformatics / metagenomics

Metavisitor, a Suite of Galaxy Tools for Simple and Rapid Detection and Discovery of Viruses in Deep Sequence Data – Guillaume Carissimo – PLOS ONE

Microbial Ecology

Effects of Spatial Localization on Microbial Consortia Growth – Michael Venters – PLOS ONE

More microbiology / Microbes in the news

RelA Mutant Enterococcus faecium with Multiantibiotic Tolerance Arising in an Immunocompromised Host– Erin S. Honsa – mBio

Inhibition of CRISPR-Cas9 with Bacteriophage Proteins – Benjamin J. Rauch – Cell

50 Years of Journal of Virology: Classic Spotlight, 1969 and 1970: Articles of Significant Interest Selected from the Journal of Virology Archives by the Editors – Journal of Virology

Research Highlight: Building a bacterial ribosome – Ashley York – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Sepsis and Hemocyte Loss in Honey Bees (Apis mellifera) Infected with Serratia marcescens Strain Sicaria – Nancy L. Burritt – PLOS ONE

Switching of metabolic programs in response to light availability is an essential function of the cyanobacterial circadian clock – Anna M Puszynska – bioRxiv

Microbiomes Move Standard Plate Count One Step Forward – Gregory Siragusa – Food Safety Tech

Bisphenol-A Linked to Endocrine Disorders in Pets, Humans – CBS Local

Microbes on the market

Alimentary discoveries produce a gut reaction among investors – Companies aim to exploit one of the 21st century’s big advances – Clive Cookson – Financial Times

Marina Biotech Granted European Claims Covering Bacteria Mediated Gene Silencing – Market Wired

A Bright Future for Bacteria – Betsy Davis – Pharma Elsevier

Synthetic Biologics to Present at the Biotech Showcase™ 2017 Conference – PR Newswire

Bacteria Hysteria

The Bacteria We’ve Got to Beat: Nasty germs lurk on cell phones, doorknobs, ketchup bottles — here’s how to fight ’em this flu season – Carleen Wild – Lifezette

January 2, 2017

Posted on by

A short Microbiome Digest today. Because of the winter break there are not many new papers. Enjoy the quiet times as long as they last!

Animal microbiome

Comparative analysis of the gut microbiota of black bears in China using high-throughput sequencing – Can Song – Molecular Genetics and Genomics

Food microbiology

Microbial Quality, Safety, and Pathogen Detection by Using Quantitative PCR of Raw Salad Vegetables Sold in Dhanbad City, India – Sujeet K. Mritunjay – Journal of Food Production

Microbes in the news

A year of microbes – Jennifer – The Microbial Menagerie

Bacteria strain named by Clemson students – Nancy Spitier – Clemson World

Science meets fiction: the microbiome and super powers – Srimathy Sriskantharajah – Bug Bitten

Forget the normal new year resolutions: think microbiome instead – David Dodwell – South China Morning Post

Researchers Say Gut Microbiota Affects Our Physiology – Sci-News

Boulder City bighorn herd still ailing as ‘insidious’ bacteria spreads – Henry Brean – Review Journal

 

December 31, 2016

Posted on by

Human lung microbiome

Study of the Lung Microbiome. Have We Reached the End of the Beginning?  – Alison Morris – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Microbes at nearly sterile sites

The Clinical Impact of Rapid, Direct MALDI-ToF Identification of Bacteria from Positive Blood Cultures – Kathryn French – PLOS ONE

Animal experiments

Impacts of resistant starch and wheat bran consumption on enteric inflammation in relation to colonic bacterial community structures and short-chain fatty acid concentrations in mice – Janelle A. Jiminez – Gut Pathogens

Animal microbiome

A Review of Bacterial Interactions With Blow Flies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) of Medical, Veterinary, and Forensic Importance – Jeffery K. Tomberlin – Annals of the Entomological Society of America

Comparative community structure of archaea in rumen of buffaloes and cattle – Shyam S Paul – Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

A decade of irrigation transforms the soil microbiome of a semi-arid pine forest – Martin Hartmann – Molecular Ecology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Exploration of cultivable fungal communities in deep coal-bearing sediments from ∼1.3 to 2.5 km below the ocean floor – Chang-Hong Liu – Environmental Microbiology

Strengths and Biases of High-Throughput Sequencing Data in the Characterization of Freshwater Ciliate Microbiomes – Vittorio Boscaro – Microbial Ecology

Microbial diversity and autotrophic activity in Kamchatka hot springs – Alexander Yu – Extremophiles

Cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms are a biological disturbance to western Lake Erie bacterial communities – Michelle A. Berry – Environmental Microbiology

Built environment microbiome

An emerging paradox: Toward a better understanding of the potential benefits and adversity of microbe exposures in the indoor environment – J. Mensah-Attipoe – Indoor Air

Sandpits as a reservoir of potentially pathogenic fungi for children – Anna Wójcik – Ann Agric Environ Med

Food microbiome

Microbiological characterization of vegetables and their rhizosphere soil in Eastern Poland – Teresa Kłapeć – Ann Agric Environ Med

Proteomics

Comparing genome versus proteome-based identification of clinical bacterial isolates
Valentina Galata – Briefings Bioinformatics

Microbes in the news

Now Sixty food poisoning cases ‘from farm’s trendy raw milk’ leads a judge to slap a ban on the business to block them from selling any more – Liz Hull – The Daily Mail

The Changing Face of American Forests. How pollution deposes dominant tree species and releases soil carbon – Nala Rogers – Inside Science

Can Bacteria Help Stop the Spread of Disease? – Infection Control Today

How Do Multidrug-Resistant Bacteria Survive Antibiotics Without Resistance Genes? – Contagion LIve

Easy, crunchy, healthy sauerkraut – Cindy Grace – AJC

Science, publishing, and career

Who Believes in the Storybook Image of the Scientist? – Coosje L. S. Veldkamp – Accountability in Research

What Scientists Think About Scientists – Neuroskeptic – Discover

December 30, 2016

Posted on by

Vancomycin treatment preceding fecal transplantation, a diet for IBD, dieting and gut microbiome diversity, halotolerant extremophiles for recycling pollutants, mass spectrometry on medical swabs.

Human vaginal microbiome

Genital injury signatures and microbiome alterations associated with depot medroxyprogesterone acetate usage and intravaginal drying practices – Kenzie D. Birse – The Journal of Infectious Diseases

Human gut microbiome

Oral Vancomycin Followed by Fecal Transplantation Versus Tapering Oral Vancomycin Treatment for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: An Open-Label, Randomized Controlled Trial – Susy S. Hota – Clinical Infectious Diseases

Fecal Fixation: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Clostridium difficile Infection – Stuart Johnson – Clinical Infectious Diseases

SCD diet: Clinical and Fecal Microbial Changes With Diet Therapy in Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease – David L. Suskind – Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology

Press: Changes With Diet Therapy in Active Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Science Daily

Review: From bugs to brains: The microbiome in neurological health – Kyla A. McKay – Multiple Sclerosis and Related Disorders

Animal experiments

Prior Dietary Practices and Connections to a Human Gut Microbial Metacommunity Alter Responses to Diet Interventions – Nicholas W. Griffin – Cell Host & Microbe

Press: Your Crappy American Diet Might Leave Your Gut Bacteria Stunted – Ryan F. Mandelbaum – Gizmodo
Your microbiota’s previous dining experiences may make new diets less effective – EurekAlert

Intestinal Serotonin Transporter Inhibition by Toll-Like Receptor 2 Activation. A Feedback Modulation – Eva Latorre – PLOS ONE

Press: Gut microorganisms affect our physiology – EurekAlert

Alterations in the gut microbiota can elicit hypertension in rats – Sareema Adnan – Physiological Genomics

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Impact of plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria on root colonization potential and life cycle of Rhizophagus irregularis following co-entrapment into alginate beads -P. Loján – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Review: Soil Bacteria Alter Plant Physiology to Mitigate Salinity Stress Effects in Glycophytes – Ramalingam Radhakrishnan – Frontiers in Plant Science

Presentation abstract: Soil microbial community structures and activities in relation to nitrogen cycling in two contrasting soils in Malawi – community responses to added carbon – Akane Chiba – International Nitrogen Initiative

Waste and pollution microbiology

Pyrosequencing reveals microbial community dynamics in integrated simultaneous desulfurization and denitrification process at different influent nitrate concentrations
– Chuan Chen – Chemosphere

Microbiological water quality in the medical device industry in Italy – Emilio D’Ugo – Microchemical Journal

Halotolerant extremophile bacteria from the Great Salt Lake for recycling pollutants in microbial fuel cells – Matteo Grattieri – Journal of Power Sciences

Functionality of microbial communities in constructed wetlands used for pesticide remediation: Influence of system design and sampling strategy – Tao Lv – Water Research

Metagenomic Characteristics of Bacterial Response to Petroleum Hydrocarbon Contamination in Diverse Environments as Revealed by Functional Taxonomic Strategies – Arghya Mukherjee – bioRxiv

Food microbiology

Saccharomyces uvarum is Responsible for the Traditional Fermentation of Apple CHICHA in Patagonia – ME Rodríguez – FEMS Yeast Research

Metabolomics

Medical swab analysis using desorption electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (DESI-MS) – a non-invasive approach for mucosal diagnostics – Pamela Pruski – Analytical Chemistry

Coping with inevitable accidents in metabolism – Antoine Danchin – Microbial Biotechnology

Techniques

Examining the potential use and long-term stability of guaiac faecal occult blood test cards for microbial DNA 16S rRNA sequencing – Morag Taylor – Journal of Clinical Pathology

Microbes in the news

Short podcast: Academic Minute – Diversifying Your Microbiome. Jack Gilbert details how the sharing of bacteria from person to person could make us healthier in the long run. – Inside Higher Ed

Ancient ‘Eternal Life’ bacteria leaves Russian scientist ‘Illness-Free’ – Harry Walker – Express

Bacteria evolution offers insights into human protein interactions – Brooks Hays – UPI

High school students discover new phages: Genomics research gives youth a leg up on education – Tonya S. Grace – Kentucky New Era

Fermentation expert Sandor Katz on why we shouldn’t fear bacteria – Andrew Sun – SCMP

Novel diet therapy helps children with crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis reach remission – Science Daily

Prebiotics for your skin: The La Roche-Posay Toleriane Double Repair Moisturizer Could Be the Secret to Better Skin – Sarah Kinonen – Allure