October 4, 2015

Pregnancy and birth

Discordant temporal development of bacterial phyla and the emergence of core in the fecal microbiota of young children – Jing Cheng – ISME Journal

Transplantation and infection microbiology

How’s your microbiota? Let’s check your urine. – Robert R. Jenq – Blood
Low urinary indoxyl sulfate levels early after transplantation reflect a disrupted microbiome and are associated with poor outcome – Daniela Weber – Blood

Next-Generation Sequencing for Infectious Disease Diagnosis and Management : A Report of the Association for Molecular Pathology – Martina I. Lefterova – The Journal of Molecular Diagnostics

Predicting Clinical Phenotype using OTU-based Metagenome Representation – Nathan LaPierre and Huzefa Rangwala – ICDM Workshop

Human gut microbiome

The Intestinal Microbiota in Acute Anorexia Nervosa and During Renourishment: Relationship to Depression, Anxiety, and Eating Disorder Psychopathology – Kleiman, Susan C. – Psychosomatic Medicine

InterviewThe Relationship Between the Gut Microbiota and Liver Disease – Jasmohan S. Bajaj – Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Animal models

Genetic determinants of in vivo fitness and diet responsiveness in multiple human gut Bacteroides – Meng Wu – Science

Biodegradation and Mineralization of Polystyrene by Plastic-Eating Mealworms: Part 2. Role of Gut Microorganisms – Yu Yang – Environmental Science & Technology

Animal microbiome

An abundance of Epsilonproteobacteria revealed in the gut microbiome of the laboratory cultured sea urchin, Lytechinus variegatus – Joseph A. Hakim – Frontiers in Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Time-series metagenomic analysis reveals robustness of soil microbiome against chemical disturbance – Hiromi Kato – DNA Research

Illumina-based analysis of bacterial diversity related to halophytes Salicornia europaea and Sueada aralocaspica – Ying-wu Shi – Journal of Microbiology

Communities of wood-inhabiting fungi in dead pine logs along a geographical gradient in Japan – Yu Fukasawa – Fungal Ecology

Elevated carbon dioxide accelerates the spatial turnover of soil microbial communities – Ye Deng – Global Change Biology

Waste microbiology

Contrasting microbial community composition and function perspective in sections of a full-scale coking wastewater treatment system – Shuang Zhu – Environmental Biotechnology

Microbial interactions and implications for oil biodegradation process in mangrove sediments – Adriana Daudt Grativol – PeerJ Preprint

Extremophiles

Subsurface Halophiles: An Analogue for Potential Life on Mars – Woolman, P. F – The Open University

Prokaryotic Community Diversity Along an Increasing Salt Gradient in a Soda Ash Concentration Pond – Addis Simachew – Microbiology of Aquatic Systems

Conference Abstract: Life on the frozen continent: diversity of RuBisCO, nifH and pufLM genes in soils around the Princess Elisabeth Station, Sør Rondane Mountains, Antarctica – Guillaume Tahon – Ghent University

Bioinformatics, mathematical models, metagenomics

Habitat Fluctuations Drive Species Covariation in the Human Microbiota – Charles K. Fisher – BioRxiv

Predicting Clinical Phenotype using OTU-based Metagenome Representation – Nathan LaPierre and Huzefa Rangwala – ICDM Workshop

Metabolomics, Proteomics

Video: An Aquatic Microbial Metaproteomics Workflow: From Cells to Tryptic Peptides Suitable for Tandem Mass Spectrometry-based Analysis – David Colatriano, David A. Walsh – JoVE

Rumen microbial communities influence metabolic phenotypes in lambs – Diego P. Morgavi – Frontiers in Microbiology

Phages and viruses

The Tailocin Tale: Peeling off Phage Tails – Maarten G.K. Ghequire and René De Mot- Trends in Microbiology

Functional foods

Review: Prebiotics: why definitions matter – Robert W Hutkins – Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Microbes in the news

Microbiome Meals: Researchers identify a handful of genes that help bacteria in the mouse gut adapt to dietary changes – By Rina Shaikh-Lesko – The Scientist

Signature dishes: As people pass through life they leave a trail of bacteria in their wake – Economist

Chronic kidney disease and its effect on microbiome metabolism – American Microbiome Institute

Recap: Gut microbiome conference September 2015, Huntington Beach – UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders

Nominations sought for NAS Committee on Microbiomes of the Built Environment – Jonathan Eisen – MicroBEnet

Legionnaires’ Bacteria Regrew in Bronx Cooling Towers That Were Disinfected – Benjamin Mueller – New York Times

NYU professor to chair presidential council on antibiotic bacteria resistance – Farhin Lilywala – Washington Square News

You say microbiota, I say microbiome: The 8 word guide to the microbiota – James Vitale – Taconic

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September 22, 2015

Effect of hookworm infection on microbiome of celiac subjects, neutrophil ageing, altering the bone niche, and a personal microbial cloud.

Pregnancy and birth

Influence of a combination of probiotics on bacterial infections in very low birthweight newborns – Zlatka Kanic – Wiener klinische Wochenschrift

Microbiome of death

High-throughput nucleotide sequence analysis of diverse bacterial communities in leachates of decomposing pig carcasses – Seung Hak Yang – Genetics and Molecular Biology

Human respiratory tract microbiome

Investigation of bacterial repopulation after sinus surgery and perioperative antibiotics – Leah J. Hauser – International Forum of Allergy & Rhinology

Human oral microbiome

Comparison of Subgingival and Peri-implant Microbiome in Chronic Periodontitis – Zhang, Qian – Chinese Journal of Dental Research

The novel association between red complex of oral microbe and body mass index in healthy Japanese: a population based cross-sectional study – Kanae Matsushita – Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition

Human gut microbiome

The relationship between faecal-associated and mucosal-associated microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome patients and healthy subjects – I. Rangel – Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Experimental hookworm infection and escalating gluten challenges are associated with increased microbial richness in celiac subjects – Paul Giacomin – Scientific Reports

Effect of administering a multi-species probiotic mixture on the changes in fecal microbiota and symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial – Hyuk Yoon – Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition

Review: Improving healthspan via changes in gut microbiota and fermentation – Michael J. Keenan – AGE

Review: Gastric Microbiota – Gianluca Ianiro – Helicobacter

Thesis: High-resolution analysis of the human intestinal microbiota stability landscape – Tineka Blake – Aalto University

Animal models

An integrated metabonomics and microbiology analysis of host-microbiota metabolic interactions in rats with Coptis chinensis-induced diarrhea – Yemeng Li – RCS Advances

Microbiota from Obese Mice Regulate Hematopoietic Stem Cell Differentiation by Altering the Bone Niche – Yubin Luo – Cell Metabolism

The levonorgestrel-releasing intrauterine system is associated with delayed endocervical clearance of Chlamydia trachomatis without alterations in vaginal microbiota – E.R. Liechty – Pathogens and Disease

Goldfish: Correlations of Gut Microbial Community Shift with Hepatic Damages and Growth Inhibition of Carassius auratus Induced by Pentachlorophenol Exposure – Haifeng Kan – Environmental Science & Technology

Neutrophil ageing is regulated by the microbiome – Dachuan Zhang – Nature

Animal microbiome

Diversity analysis of diazotrophs associated with corals from Xisha and Sanya, South China Sea – Qingsong Yang – Aquatic Ecosystem Health & Management

Characterization of the Skin Microbiota in Italian Stream Frogs (Rana italica) Infected and Uninfected by a Cutaneous Parasitic Disease – Ermanno Federici – Microbes and Environments

Microbial diversity and activity in the Nematostella vectensis holobiont: insights from 16S rRNA gene sequencing, isolate genomes, and a pilot-scale survey of gene expression
Jia Y. Har – Frontiers in Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Endophytic bacterial communities associated with two explant sources of Eucalyptus benthamii Maiden & Cambage – Natalia Pimentel Esposito-Polesi – World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Endospores, prokaryotes, and microbial indicators in arable soils from three long-term experiments – Paulina Tamez-Hidalgo – Biology and Fertility of Soils

Namib Desert dune/interdune transects exhibit habitat-specific edaphic bacterial communities – Sandra Ronca – Frontiers in Microbiology

Responses of aromatic-degrading microbial communities to elevated nitrate in sediments
Meiying Xu – Environmental Science & Technology

Climate change and physical disturbance cause similar community shifts in biological soil crusts – Scott Ferrenberg – PNAS

Water / Extremophile microbiome

Patchy-distributed ciliate (Protozoa) diversity of eight polar communities as determined by 454 amplicon pyrosequencing – Jae-Ho Jung – Animal Cells and Systems

Protist communities in a marine oxygen minimum zone off Costa Rica by 454 pyrosequencing – H. Jing – Biogeosciences Discussions

Built environment microbiome

Humans differ in their personal microbial cloud – James F. Meadow – PeerJ

Waste microbiology

Relationship between bacterial diversity and environmental parameters during composting of different raw materials – Xueqin Wang – Bioresource Technology

The sociality of bioremediation: Hijacking the social lives of microbial populations to clean up heavy metal contamination – Siobhan O’Brien, Angus Buckling – EMBO Reports

Culturing oil sands microbes as mixed species communities enhances ex situ model naphthenic acid degradation – Marc A. Demeter – Frontiers in Microbiology

Microbial Ecology

Predicting microbial traits with phylogenies – Marta Goberna and Miguel Verdú – The ISME Journal

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

Metagenomic reconstructions of bacterial CRISPR loci constrain population histories – Christine L Sun – The ISME Journal

CCLasso: correlation inference for compositional data through Lasso – Huaying Fang – Bioinformatics

Computational methodology for predicting the landscape of the human–microbial interactome region level influence – Edgar D. Coelho – Journal of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Techniques

Targeted single molecule mutation detection with massively parallel sequencing – Mark T. Gregory – Nucleic Acids Research

Micelle PCR reduces chimera formation in 16S rRNA profiling of complex microbial DNA mixtures – Stefan A. Boers – Scientific Reports

Virome Capture Sequencing Enables Sensitive Viral Diagnosis and Comprehensive Virome Analysis – Thomas Briese – mBio

Microbes in the news

Wherever You Go, Your Personal Cloud Of Microbes Follows – Rob Stein – NPR

Former CEO knew about contamination, wrote “Just ship it”: 28 years for salmonella: Peanut exec gets groundbreaking sentence – Moni Basu – CNN

UGA microbiology researchers identify potential mechanism for neurodegenerative diseases – News Medical

Researchers find novel signature in the brains of children with cerebral malaria – EurekAlert

Science, publishing, and career

About annoying invitations to write papers in questionable journals and strategies how to handle those: You are invited to submit… – David Moher and Anubhav Srivastava – BMC Medicine

Bik’s Picks

8 trillion microbeads pollute U.S. aquatic habitats daily – Jareen Imam – CNN

Science Says This Is the Sound Giraffes Make – Alexandra Sifferlin – Time

I Am the Walrus: What 35,000 Walruses Tell Us About Our Future in Warming World – Miyoko Sakashita – Huffington Post

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August 8, 2015

Lung and oral microbiomes in setting of HIV infection, cell biology of the plant–microbe interface, deep see prokaryotes, bacterial succession during grape fermentation, and correcting amplicon errors with Dada2.

Pregnancy and birth microbiome

Is abnormal vaginal microflora a risk factor for intrauterine fetal growth restriction? – Natalija Vedmedovska – Asian Pacific Journal of Reproduction

Multiple Opportunistic Pathogens, but Not Pre-existing Inflammation, May Be Associated with Necrotizing Enterocolitis – Steven T. Leach – Digestive Diseases and Sciences

Review: Nutrient availability, the microbiome and intestinal transport during pregnancy – Stuart Astbury – Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism

Human oral and lung microbiome

Multi-center Comparison of Lung and Oral Microbiomes of HIV-infected and HIV-uninfected Individuals – James M. Beck – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Review: Microbial protection and virulence in periodontal tissue as a function of polymicrobial communities: symbiosis and dysbiosis – Frank A. Roberts and Richard P. Darveau – Periodontology 2000

Needs assessment for emerging oral microbiome knowledge in dental hygiene education – R. Constance Wiener – Journal of Epidemiological Research

Human reproductive microbiome

Is abnormal vaginal microflora a risk factor for intrauterine fetal growth restriction? – Natalija Vedmedovska – Asian Pacific Journal of Reproduction

Human gut microbiome

Alterations of mucosal microbiota in the colon of patients with inflammatory bowel disease revealed by real time polymerase chain reaction amplification of 16S ribosomal ribonucleic acid – Jayakanthan Kabeerdoss – Indian J Med Res

An In Vitro Method to Assess Soil Arsenic Metabolism by Human Gut Microbiota: Arsenic Speciation and Distribution – Naiyi Yin – Environmental Science & Technology

Review: Does a low FODMAP diet help IBS? – Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

Microbiome models

Modulation of intestinal microbiota in mice by kefir administration – Dong-Hyeon Kim – Food Science and Biotechnology

High nutrient availability reduces the diversity and stability of the equine caecal microbiota – Naja C. K. Hansen – Microbial Ecology in Health & Disease

Impact of Dietary Fiber/Starch Ratio in Shaping Cecal Microbiota in Rabbits – YanLi Zhu – Canadian Journal of Microbiology

Animal microbiome

Electrical Retrieval of Living Microorganisms from Cryopreserved Marine Sponges Using a Potential-Controlled Electrode – Sumihiro Koyama – Marine Biotechnology

PhD Thesis: Reproduction, Sex Ratio and Bacterial Communities of the Coffee Berry Borer Hypothenemus Hampei F. (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) – Mariño Cárdenas – Universidad de Puerto Rico

Effect of starch source (corn, oats or wheat) and concentration on fermentation by equine fecal microbiota in vitro – Brittany E. Harlow – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Role of peptidases of the intestinal microflora and prey in temperature adaptations of the digestive system in planktivorous and benthivorous fish – V. V. Kuz’mina – Fish Physiology and Biochemistry

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Environmental conditions rather than microbial inoculum composition determine the bacterial composition, microbial biomass and enzymatic activity of reconstructed soil microbial communities – Weibing Xun – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Editorial: Introduction to a Virtual Special Issue on cell biology at the plant–microbe interface – Ralph Panstruga and Hannah Kuhn – New Phytologist

Influence of 34-years of fertilization on bacterial communities in an intensively cultivated black soil in northeast China – Jing Zhou – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Functional and structural responses of methanogenic microbial communities in Uruguayan soils to intermittent drainage – Yang Ji – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Effects of pasture management on soil fertility and microbial communities in the semi-arid grasslands of Inner Mongolia – Jun Liu – Journal of Soils and Sediments

Antibiotic resistance differentiates Echinacea purpurea endophytic bacterial communities with respect to plant organs – Alessio Mengoni – Research in Microbiology

Effect of combined microbes on plant tolerance to Zn–Pb contaminations – Anna Ogar – Environmental Science and Pollution Research

From mesophilic to thermophilic digestion: the transitions of anaerobic bacterial, archaeal, and fungal community structures in sludge and manure samples – Weimin Sun – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Water microbiome

Metagenome-based diversity analyses suggest a significant contribution of non-cyanobacterial lineages to carbonate precipitation in modern microbialites – Aurélien Saghaï – Frontiers in Microbiology

Thesis: Geobiological interactions of archaeal populations in acidic and alkaline geothermal springs of Yellowstone National Park, WY, USA – Jacob Preston Beam – Montana State University

Global diversity and biogeography of deep-sea pelagic prokaryotes – Guillem Salazar – ISME Journal

Built environment microbiology

Halophilic microbial communities in deteriorated buildings – Justyna Adamiak – World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Food microbiology

Insights into the bacterial community and its temporal succession during the fermentation of wine grapes – Hailan Piao – Frontiers in Microbiology

Identification of key microorganisms involved in Douchi fermentation by statistical analysis and their use in an experimental fermentation – Chen Chen – Journal of Applied Microbiology

In vitro fermentation of lupin seeds (Lupinus albus) and broad beans (Vicia faba): dynamic modulation of the intestinal microbiota and metabolomic output – Patricia Gullón – Food & Function

Bioinformatics

DADA2: High resolution sample inference from amplicon data – Benjamin J Callahan

Transcriptomics

Molecular and chemical dialogues in bacteria-protozoa interactions – Chunxu Song – Scientific Reports

Techniques

Methods for Improving Human Gut Microbiome Data by Reducing Variability through Sample Processing and Storage of Stool – Monika A. Gorzelak – PLOS ONE

Microbes in the News

Prestigious Japanese university comes up with cheesecake … made with Gorilla bacteria! – RocketNews

Lambton College research project proves successful in eliminating bacteria in firefighting gear – Lambton College

Where the sausage gets made – Holly Ganz – MicroBEnet

Calgary diseases expert on the importance of studying our guts – The Globe and Mail

Bik’s Picks

Creepers’ peepers: Why animals’ pupils have different shapes – Nicholas St. Fleur – Seattle Times

Venomous frogs discovered during painful scientific mishap: Frogs head-butt enemies with their spines to inject toxic venom – CBC News

ISS Astronauts to Sample Leafy Greens Grown on Space Station – NDTV

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July 16, 2015

Biomimetic robot models of host-microbiome interactions, an eukaryotic model for astrobiology, how plants use salicylic acid to sculpt their root microbiome, and how to cook Hadza tubers.

Human oral microbiome

TLR4, NOD1 and NOD2 Mediate Immune Recognition of Putative Newly-Identified Periodontal Pathogens – Julie Marchesan – Molecular Oral Microbiology

Human respiratory microbiome

Intraalveolar Catecholamines and the Human Lung Microbiome – Robert P. Dickson – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Human gut microbiome

Transforming berberine into its intestine-absorbable form by the gut microbiota – Ru Feng – Scientific Reports

I could not find information about primers or sequencing strategy, no ordination plots: Colonic bacterial composition in Parkinson’s disease – Ali Keshavarzian – Movement Disorders

Review: Role of gut microbiota in the modulation of atherosclerosis-associated immune response – Dmitry A. Chistiakov – Frontiers in Microbiology

Review: Potential role of the intestinal microbiota in programming health and disease – Olivier Goulet – Nutrition Reviews

Review: Microbiota and the gut–brain axis – John Bienenstock – Nutrition Reviews

Review: The Blood-Brain Barrier’s Gut Check – Nga Bien-Ly – Science Translational Medicine

Review: The Microbes inside Us and the Race for Colibactin – Helge B. Bode – Angewandte Chemie International Edition

Animal models

Macaques: Persistent effects of early infant diet and associated microbiota on the juvenile immune system – Nicole Narayan – Gut Microbes

Pigs: Wheat and barley differently affect porcine intestinal microbiota – Eva Weiss – Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture

Rats: Bacterial Flora Changes in Conjunctiva of Rats with Streptozotocin-Induced Type I Diabetes – Chao Yang – PLOS ONE

Animal microbiome

Fish-like marine chordate: Diversity and composition of the bacterial community in Amphioxus feces – Minming Pan – Journal of Basic Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Salicylic acid modulates colonization of the root microbiome by specific bacterial taxa – Sarah L. Lebeis – Science

Silencing a key gene of the common symbiosis pathway in Nicotiana attenuata specifically impairs arbuscular mycorrhizal infection without influencing the root-associated microbiome or plant growth – Karin Groten – Plant, Cell & Environment

Water microbiome

Microbial communities related to biodegradation of dispersed Macondo oil at low seawater temperature with Norwegian coastal seawater – Odd G. Brakstad – Microbial Biotechnology

Extremophile microbiome

UV-resistant yeasts isolated from a high-altitude volcanic area on the Atacama Desert as eukaryotic models for astrobiology – André A. Pulschen – Microbiology Open

Waste management microbiology

Changes in diversity of cultured bacteria resistant to erythromycin and tetracycline in swine manure during simulated composting and lagoon storage – L. Wang – Letters in Applied Microbiology

Functional foods

Assessing digestibility of Hadza tubers using a dynamic in-vitro model – Stephanie L. Schnorr – American Journal of Physical Anthropology

Bioinformatics

Exploring Host-Microbiome Interactions using an in Silico Model of Biomimetic Robots and Engineered Living Cells – Keith C. Heyde – Scientific Reports

K-Pax2: Bayesian identification of cluster-defining amino acid positions in large sequence datasets – Alberto Pessia – Microbial Genomics

Microbes in the news

Healthy Living: Preterm Birth Disparities: Doctor Dunlop and her team have begun a five year study to examine prenatal stress, diet and a woman’s microbiome on birth outcomes – 9&10 News
Five-year study to examine the gut microbiome of premature infants – Matt Wood – Science Life University of Chicago

Plant defense hormones help sculpt root microbiome – Science Daily

Research finds diversifying your diet may make your gut healthier – Science Codex

Do you smoke? UBiome wants to study your mouthome – Claire Maldarelli – Popular Science

Bik’s Picks

Polar Bears Don’t Go Into Hibernation-Like State in Summer, Researchers Say – James Gorman – New York Times

Finally, Bacon-Flavored Health Food Has Arrived: introducing dulse, a seaweed that tastes like bacon – Elizabeth Palermo – Live Science

Why screams are scary (hint: It’s not because they’re loud) – Eryn Brown – Los Angeles Times

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July 13, 2015

Trans-sialidases in human gut microbes, microbiome of the dairy cow’s uterus during metritis, and bacteria getting smaller because of ocean warming.

Jobs

Post-doctoral position is available in the laboratory of Lawrence David at Duke University: to help develop high-throughput microfluidic techniques for investigating bacterial interactions and ecology.

Conferences

Microbiome, Antibiotics and Human Disease, with Michael Fishbach, Martin Blaser, and Julie Segre – Cell Press Webinar July 28, 2015

11 speakers, only 1 woman: Meeting the Microbiome – 12 September 2015 – London, UK – CAM conferences

Microbiome of pregnancy and birth

High rates of Double-Stranded RNA Viruses and Mycoplasma hominis in Trichomonas vaginalis Clinical Isolates in South Brazil – Débora da Luz Becker – Infection, Genetics and Evolution

First Trimester Levels of BV-Associated Bacteria and Risk of Miscarriage Among Women Early in Pregnancy – Deborah B. Nelson – Maternal and Child Health Journal

Human oral microbiome

The impact of smoking and previous periodontal disease on peri-implant microbiota and health: a retrospective study up to 7-year follow-up – Quaranta A. – Annali Di Stomatologia

Human respiratory microbiome

Review: The Etiology and Pathogenesis of Chronic Rhinosinusitis: a Review of Current Hypotheses – Kent Lam – Current Allergy and Asthma Reports

Human gut microbiome

Discovery of intramolecular trans-sialidases in human gut microbiota suggests novel mechanisms of mucosal adaptation – Louise E. Tailford – Nature Communications

Viewpoint: Helicobacter pylori: enemy, commensal or, sometimes, friend? –  Michael B Whalen – The Journal of Infection in Developing Countries

Review: Engineering the Microbiome: a Novel Approach to Immunotherapy for Allergic and Immune Diseases – Nan Shen – Current Allergy and Asthma Reports

Review: Antimicrobial Use, Human Gut Microbiota and Clostridium difficile Colonization and Infection – Caroline Vincent – Antibiotics

Animal models

The microbiota regulates type 2 immunity through RORγt+ T cells – Caspar Ohnmacht – Science

Animal microbiome

Uterine microbiota progression from calving until establishment of metritis in dairy cows – Soo Jin Jeon – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Preening as a Vehicle for Key Bacteria in Hoopoes – Ángela Martínez-García – Microbial Ecology

Variation in the Microbiota of Ixodes ticks with geography, species and sex – Will Van Treuren – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

The Host as Driver of the Microbiota in the Gut and External Environment of Drosophila melanogaster – Adam C-N Wong – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

An Efficient Strategy Developed for Next-Generation Sequencing of Endosymbiont Genomes Performed Using Crude DNA Isolated from Host Tissues: A Case Study of Blattabacterium cuenoti Inhabiting the Fat Bodies of Cockroaches – Yukihiro Kinjo – Microbes and Environments

Arsenophonus and Sodalis symbionts in louse flies: an analogy to the Wigglesworthia and Sodalis system in tsetse flies – Eva Nováková – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Review: Microbial metagenomics in aquaculture: a potential tool for a deeper insight into the activity – Marcel Martínez-Porchas – Reviews in Aquaculture

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

High-Throughput Sequencing Reveals Drastic Changes in Fungal Communities in the Phyllosphere of Norway Spruce (Picea abies ) Following Invasion of the Spruce Bud Scale (Physokermes piceae ) – Audrius Menkis – Microbial Ecology

Diversity of endophytic and rhizoplane bacterial communities associated with exotic Spartina alterniflora and native mangrove using Illumina amplicon sequencing – Youwei Hong – Canadian Journal of Microbiology

Communities of Cultivable Root Mycobionts of the Seagrass Posidonia oceanica in the Northwest Mediterranean Sea Are Dominated by a Hitherto Undescribed Pleosporalean Dark Septate Endophyte – Martin Vohník – Microbial Ecology

Precipitation modifies the effects of warming and nitrogen addition on soil microbial communities in northern Chinese grasslands – Naili Zhang – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Long-term responses of plant growth, soil microbial communities and soil enzyme activities to elevated CO2 and neighbouring plants – Baoli Duan – Agricultural and Forest Meteorology

Denitrifying and diazotrophic community responses to artificial warming in permafrost and tallgrass prairie soils – Christopher R. Penton – Frontiers in Microbiology

Methanotrophic community abundance and composition in plateau soils with different plant species and plantation ways – Yu Dai – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Water microbiome

More, smaller bacteria in response to ocean’s warming? – Xosé Anxelu G. Morán – Proceedings B

Microbial community changes along the active seepage site of one cold seep in the Red Sea – Huiluo Cao – Frontiers in Microbiology

Spatiotemporal dynamics and determinants of planktonic bacterial and microeukaryotic communities in a Chinese subtropical river – Yongming Wang – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Sediment Ammonia-Oxidizing Microorganisms in Two Plateau Freshwater Lakes at Different Trophic States – Yuyin Yang – Microbial Ecology

Detecting nuisance species using NGST: Methodology shortcomings and possible application in ballast water monitoring – Anastasija Zaiko – Marine Environmental Research

A novel bacterial community index to assess stream ecological health – Kelvin E. M. Lau – Freshwater Biology

Bioreactor microbiome

Functional and taxonomic dynamics of an electricity-consuming methane-producing microbial community – Orianna Bretschger – Bioresource Technology

Microbial community distribution and genetic analysis in a sludge active treatment for a complex industrial wastewater: a study using microbiological and molecular analysis and principal component analysis – Giulio Moretti – Annals of Microbiology

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

A reproducible approach to high-throughput biological data acquisition and integration – Daniela Börnigen – PeerJ

MetaBoot: a machine learning framework of taxonomical biomarker discovery for different microbial communities based on metagenomic data – Xiaojun Wang – PeerJ

Good laboratory practice for clinical next-generation sequencing informatics pipelines
Amy S Gargis – Nature Biotechnology

Transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics

Mining microbial metatranscriptomes for expression of antibiotic resistance genes under natural conditions – Dennis Versluis – Scientific Reports

Fractionation of biogas plant sludge material improves metaproteomic characterization to investigate metabolic activity of microbial communities – Fabian Kohrs – Proteomics

Combining Mass Spectrometric Metabolic Profiling with Genomic Analysis: A Powerful Approach for Discovering Natural Products from Cyanobacteria – Karin Kleigrewe – Journal of Natural Products

Microbial Ecology

Phylogenetic diversity analyses reveal disparity between fungal and bacterial communities during microbial primary succession – Shawn P. Brown – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Editorial: Stopping superbugs, maintaining the microbiota – Victor Nizet – Science Translational Medicine

Biofilm Formation As a Response to Ecological Competition – Nuno M. Oliveria – PLOS Biology

Pawnobiome: Manipulation of the Hologenome Within One Host Generation and Beyond – Jameson D. Voss – Frontiers in Microbiology

Functional foods

Review: Towards microbial fermentation metabolites as markers for health benefits of prebiotics – Kristin A. Verbeke – Nutrition Research Reviews

Techniques

Blocking primers reduce co-amplification of plant DNA when studying bacterial endophyte communities – Brett E. Arenz – Journal of Microbiological Methods

Microbes in the news

The role of the microbiota in preventing allergies – Medical Xpress

World’s largest steel company to use rabbit gut microbe to cut emissions – Emma Hartley – The Guardian

Paw Prints: Streptococcus bacteria a part of natural flora of cats and dogs – Niki Laviolette – Tribune Star

“I’m treating my son’s autism… with someone else’s faeces” – Liam Quinn – Daily Mail
This celebrity reckons autism can be treated with a poo transplant: is he right? – Clair Weaver – AWW

Navy Researchers Identify Bacteria in Human Serum – Christian Kotanen – Science DOD
surface enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) spectroscopy

Why you can’t just eat one french fry (or donut or slice of pizza) – Katherine Ellen Foley – SBS.com

Genetically Modified Bacteria Could Change Future Drug Treatments – Brandi – Clapway

Scientists at Brown University using federal grant to study mysterious fungus killing bats – The Sun Chronicle

Stop Kissing And Cuddling Chicken To Stop Salmonella Outbreak: CDC – Jill Arce – Tech Times

Bik’s Picks

New Horizons Science Update: Pluto Is The Biggest One Of All – Nadia Drake – National Geographic

Your last chance to see ‘Manhattanhenge’ sunset is tonight – Amanda Schallert – NJ.com

What’s in a name? For newborns, maybe fewer medical errors – Tara Haelle – MS News
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June 24, 2015

Chinese mushroom might help with weight loss (in mice), asthma and the microbiome (also in mice), metabolic networks in the gut, and benefits of resistant starch. Plus: Taylor Swift won’t be doing anymore reviewing for Nature.

Human oral microbiome

Alterations of Bacteroides sp., Neisseria sp., Actinomyces sp., and Streptococcus sp. populations in the oropharyngeal microbiome are associated with liver cirrhosis and pneumonia – Haifeng Lu – BMC Infectious Diseases

Intra-Genomic Heterogeneity in 16S rRNA Genes in Strictly Anaerobic Clinical Isolates from Periodontal Abscesses – Jiazhen Chen – PLOS ONE

Human gut microbiome

Akkermansia muciniphila and improved metabolic health during a dietary intervention in obesity: relationship with gut microbiome richness and ecology – Maria Carlota Dao – Gut

Animal models

Ganoderma lucidum reduces obesity in mice by modulating the composition of the gut microbiota – Chih-Jung Chang – Nature Communications

Evidence that asthma is a developmental origin disease influenced by maternal diet and bacterial metabolites – Alison N. Thorburn – Nature Communications

Characterization of the bacterial gut microbiota of piglets suffering from new neonatal porcine diarrhoea – Marie Louise Hermann-Bank – BMC Veterinary Research

Animal microbiome

Allometry of animal–microbe interactions and global census of animal-associated microbes – Thomas L. Kieft, Karen A. Simmons – Proceedings B

Introduction of Non-Native Pollinators Can Lead to Trans-Continental Movement of Bee-Associated Fungi – Shannon M. Hedtke – PLOS ONE

Effect of poly-β-hydroxybutyrate on growth, enzyme activity and intestinal microbial community of Chinese mitten crab, Eriocheir sinensis (Milne-Edwards) juveniles – Liying Sui – Aquaculture Research

Small stonefly predators affect microbenthic and meiobenthic communities in stream leaf packs – Nabil Majdi – Freshwater Biology

Plant, root and soil microbiome

Hologenome theory supported by co-occurrence networks of species-specific bacterial communities in siphonous algae (Caulerpa) – T. Aires – FEMS Microbial Ecology

Land Use History Shifts In Situ Fungal and Bacterial Successions following Wheat Straw Input into the Soil – Vincent Tardy – PLOS ONE

Water microbiome

Inefficient microbial production of refractory dissolved organic matter in the ocean – Helena Osterholz – Nature Communications

The Link between Microbial Diversity and Nitrogen Cycling in Marine Sediments Is Modulated by Macrofaunal Bioturbation – Maryam Yazdani Foshtomi – PLOS ONE

Functional foods

Review: Preparation, health benefits and applications of resistant starch—a review – Bilal Ahmad Ashwar – Starch – Stärke

Metabolic networks and metabolomics

Inference of Network Dynamics and Metabolic Interactions in the Gut Microbiome – Steven N. Steinway – PLOS Computational Biology

A genome-wide systems analysis reveals strong link between colorectal cancer and trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO), a gut microbial metabolite of dietary meat and fat – Rong Xu – BMC Genomics

Application of a hierarchical enzyme classification method reveals the role of gut microbiome in human metabolism – Akram Mohammed – BMC Genomics

Comparative integrated omics: identification of key functionalities in microbial community-wide metabolic networks – Hugo Roume – NPJ Biofilms and Microbiomes

Use of the Analysis of the Volatile Faecal Metabolome in Screening for Colorectal Cancer – Claire A Batty – PLOS ONE

Microbes in the news

IndieGoGo project: A Probiotic Life: Microbiome Documentary

New colon cancer culprit found in gut microbiome – EurekAlert

Mushroom used in Chinese medicine ‘slows weight gain’ – James Gallagher – BBC News

Announcing the uBiome Studies Portal “We’re aiming to launch one new study every week.” – uBiome

What is the role of the gut microbiome in developing Parkinson’s disease? – EurekAlert

Microbiology and art

Artists Reveal the Bacterial Beauty of the Human Microbiome – Shaunacy Ferro – Mental Floss

Science, publishing, and career

A day in the life of a malaria researcher – Lin Lee – BioMedCentral Blogs

Towards an unbiased view of science: Authors at Nature Communications now have the option to choose double-blind peer review – Nature Communications

Satire: Taylor Swift Announces She Will No Longer Review For Nature – The Allium

Bik’s Picks

A Middle Triassic stem-turtle and the evolution of the turtle body plan – Rainer R. Schoch & Hans-Dieter Sues – Nature

Scientists Finally Decide Which Bit of This Weird Animal is the Head – Ed Yong – National Geographic

America’s Next Top Chef is a Supercomputer From IBM – Liz Stinson – Wired
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June 18, 2015

Microbial diversity in Cystic Fibrosis, eating corn starch with your red meat might help prevent colon cancer, and fungal microbiome signatures in children with IBD.

Human respiratory microbiome

Editorial: Assessing Airway Microbiota in Cystic Fibrosis: What More Should Be Done? – John J. LiPuma – Journal of Clinical Microbiology

Rapid Detection of Emerging Pathogens and Loss of Microbial Diversity Associated with Severe Lung Disease in Cystic Fibrosis – William G. Flight – Journal of Clinical Microbiology

Human gut microbiome

Fungal Signature in the Gut Microbiota of Pediatric Patients With Inflammatory Bowel Disease – Chehoud, Christel AB – Inflammatory Bowel Diseases

Butyrylated starch intake can prevent red meat-induced O6-methyl-2-deoxyguanosine adducts in human rectal tissue: a randomised clinical trial – Richard K. Le Leu – British Journal of Nutrition

Review: Regulatory immune cells in regulation of intestinal inflammatory response to microbiota – M Sun – Mucosal Immunology

Review: Obesity and the microbiome – Ruchi Mathur – Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Animal models

Rats and mice: Space Environmental Factor Impacts upon Murine Colon Microbiota and Mucosal Homeostasis – Lauren E. Ritchie – PLOS ONE

Plant root and soil microbiome

Prokaryotic Diversity in the Rhizosphere of Organic, Intensive, and Transitional Coffee Farms in Brazil – Adam Collins Caldwell – PLOS ONE

Water microbiome

Standard filtration practices may significantly distort planktonic microbial diversity estimates – Cory C. Padilla – Frontiers in Microbiology

Influence of seawater intrusion on microbial communities in groundwater – Tatsuya Unno – Sciences of the Total Environment

Bioreactor microbiome

Eubacteria and archaea communities in seven mesophile anaerobic digester plants in Germany – Christian Abendroth – Biotechnology for Biofuels

Putative Effect of Aquifer Recharge on the Abundance and Taxonomic Composition of Endemic Microbial Communities – Renee J. Smith – PLOS ONE

Microbes in the news

A peek into our teeming inner world – Clive Cookson – Business Day Live

11 Reasons to Love Bacteria, Fungi and Spores – Karen Emslie – Smithsonian

Inkjet Inks Made of Bioactive Silk Could Yield Smart Bandages, Bacteria-Sensing Surgical Gloves & More – Kim Thurler – Tufts Now

When ‘Kill The TseTse Fly, Kill The Disease’ Doesn’t Work – Rio is studying how different metabolic contributions of the microbiota may facilitate parasite transmission – News Wise

Bik’s Picks

Most kangaroos are lefties, study finds – Deborah Netburn – Los Angeles Times

What Food Can Replace Trans Fats’ Creamy Goodness? – Lexi Pandell – Wired.com

Scientists have used DNA tests to track Africa’s worst elephant poaching spots – Rachel Feltman – Washington Post
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June 12, 2015

Effects of drinking donkey milk, archaea and fungi on humans,  microbiomes of olives, spoilt wine, cold deserts, indoor air, strawberry soil, and more.

General microbiome

Review: Combining metagenomics, metatranscriptomics and viromics to explore novel microbial interactions: Towards a systems-level understanding of human microbiomes – Bikel Shirley – Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal

Review: Mycobiota: Micro-Eukaryotes Inhabiting Our Body as Commensals or
Opportunistic Pathogens – Lisa Rizzetto – Fungal Genomics & Biology

Review: Archaea in and on the Human Body: Health Implications and Future Directions – Mor N. Lurie-Weinberger, Uri Gophna – PLOS Pathogens

Human skin microbiome

Antimicrobial Efficacy of Preservatives used in Skin Care Products on Skin Micro Biota – Chintha Lalitha – International Journal of Science and Research

Review: Beneficial and deleterious bacterial–host interactions in chronic wound pathophysiology – C. Watters – Chronic Wound Care Management and Research

Human gut microbiome

Influence of Proton-Pump Inhibitors on the Luminal Microbiota in the Gastrointestinal Tract – Ayumi Tsuda – Clinical and Translational Gastroenterology

Microbiome models

A host-microbiome interaction mediates the opposing effects of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids on metabolic endotoxemia – Kanakaraju Kaliannan – Scientific Reports

In rats: Human, donkey and cow milk differently affects energy efficiency and inflammatory state by modulating mitochondrial function and gut microbiota – Giovanna Trinchese – The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

Fish: A multiple endpoint analysis of the effects of chronic exposure to sediment contaminated with Deepwater Horizon oil on juvenile Southern flounder and their associated microbiomes – Nancy J. Brown-Peterson – Aquatic Toxicology

Hops β-acids and zinc bacitracin affect the performance and intestinal microbiota of broilers challenged with Eimeria acervulina and Eimeria tenella – C. Bortoluzzi – Animal Feed Science and Technology

Staphylococcus aureus nasal isolates: The effects of spatial structure, frequency dependence and resistance evolution on the dynamics of toxin-mediated microbial invasions – Ben Libberton – Evolutionary Applications

Animal microbiome

Biodiversity of the Symbiotic Bacteria Associated with Toxic Marine Dinoflagellate Alexandrium tamarense – Xiaoling Zhang – Journal of Biosciences and Medicines

Plant microbiome

Wild trees in the Amazon basin harbor a great diversity of beneficial endosymbiotic fungi: is this evidence of protective mutualism? – Romina Gazis – Fungal Ecology

A Legume Genetic Framework Controls Infection of Nodules by Symbiotic and Endophytic Bacteria – Rafal Zgadzaj – PLOS Genetics

Diversity and spatial distribution of endophytes community composition in noni (Morinda citrifolia L.) – Liu Yang – Journal of Hill Agriculture

Comparisons of microbial abundance and community among different plant species in constructed wetlands in summer – Jian Zhang – Ecological Engineering

Soil (and plant root) microbiome

Impact of cover crop in pre-plant of apple orchards: relationship between crop health, root inhabiting fungi and rhizospheric bacteria – Luisa M. Manici – Journal of Plant Science

Amplicon-based metagenomics identified candidate organisms in soils that caused yield decline in strawberry – Xiangming Xu – Horticulture Research

Positively Frequency-Dependent Interference Competition Maintains Diversity and Pervades a Natural Population of Cooperative Microbes – Olaya Rendueles – Current Biology

A predictive model for microbial counts on beaches where intertidal sand is the primary source – Zhixuan Feng – Marine Pollution Bulletin

Reintroduction of locally extinct vertebrates impacts arid soil fungal communities – Laurence J. Clarke – Molecular Ecology

A simple experimental set-up to disentangle the effects of altered temperature and moisture regimes on soil organisms – Eveline J. Krab – Methods in Ecology and Evolution

Water microbiome

Identifying homogeneity of multivariate dispersions among biofilm-dwelling microbial communities in colonization surveys for marine bioassessment – Guangjian Xu – Ecological Indicators

Bacterial diversity along a 2600 km river continuum – Domenico Savio – Environmental Microbiology

Minireview: Microbial players involved in the decline of filamentous and colonial cyanobacterial blooms with a focus on fungal parasitism – Mélanie Gerphagnon – Environmental Microbiology

Extremophile microbiome

Bacterial diversity of Drass, cold desert in Western Himalaya, and its comparison with Antarctic and Arctic – Puja Gupta – Archives of Microbiology

Built environment microbiome

Indoor air bacterial communities in Hong Kong households assemble independently of occupant skin microbiomes – David Wilkins – Environmental Microbiology

Food microbiology

Potential spoilage yeasts in winery environments: Characterization and proteomic analysis of Trigonopsis cantarellii – Cauré Portugal – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Microbiota and Metabolome of Un-started and Started Greek-type Fermentation of Bella di Cerignola Table Olives – Maria De Angelis – Food Microbiology

Functional foods

Probiotic BIFICO cocktail ameliorates Helicobacter pylori induced gastritis – Hong-Jing Yu – World Journal of Gastroenterology

Review: Prebiotics, gut microbiota and metabolic risks: Unveiling the relationship – Adeela Yasmin – Journal of Functional Foods

Review: Current evidence on the use of probiotics in liver diseases – Norberto C. Chávez-Tapia – Journal of Functional Foods

Metagenomics 

Review: Methylotrophs in natural habitats: current insights through metagenomics – Ludmila Chistoserdova – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Metabolomics

Editorial: Microbial metabolite triggers antimicrobial defense – Sky W. Brubaker, Denise M. Monack – Science

Microbes in the news

Soil microbial community variation correlates most strongly with plant species identity – AOB blog

Pew Names 22 Top Scientists as Scholars in the Biomedical Sciences: topics range from microbiome, to mosquito’s preferences – Pew Trusts
andMicrobiology professor becomes UC Merced’s first Pew scholar: Clarissa Nobile receives award for biofilm research – UC Merced

2015 ISCB Overton Prize Awarded to Curtis Huttenhower – Christiana N. Fogg, Diane E. Kovats – PLOS Computational Biology

“Genes in Space” Student Finalists Announced: Tarun Srinivasan, of Houston, TX, plans to examine effects on the gut microbiome of spending time on the ISS – Ricki Lewis – PLOS Blogs

Method reveals what bacteria sense in their surroundings – Leila Gray – UW Health Sciences NewsBeat

“ticks had a microbiome rich in pathogens, including Bartonella”: Ticks’ Migration Linked to Changes in Disease Prevalence – Jacquelyn Gray – HCP Live

Like “kopi luwak” coffee, just bigger: Elephant poop coffee, Thailand’s new delicacy – Doug Powell – BarfBlog

New Tool To Monitor Harmful Bacteria: Scientists offer more accurate health risk prediction model to better inform beach closure decisions – Rosenstiel School of Marine & Atmospheric Science

#EULAR2015: First gut microbiota alterations described in systemic sclerosis patients – Karen Blum – PM360online

Some good information here about bacteria in our gutSix myths about digestion that just won’t die – ITClips

How does Swiss cheese gets its holes?: by carbon-dioxide-burping microbe Propionibacterium freudenreichii – Nicola Twilly – New Yorker

Product candidate to target specific elimination of Streptococcus mutans may alter oral microbiome to provide long-lasting benefits – Dentistry iQ

Fungus among us, but what kind? Typing error spawns retraction for mushroom paper – Retraction Watch

Science, publishing, and career

Business decisions: stories about the entrepreneurial learning curve – Jeffrey Mervis – Science

Bik’s Picks

Polar bear caught eating dolphins and freezing the leftovers – Penny Sarchet – New Scientist

There’s A Link Between Cat Ownership And Schizophrenia – Leigh Weingus – Huffington Post

“Advice to interns: work hard and make your mark.” New planet discovered by 15-year-old intern – Monica Sarkar – CNN

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June 10, 2015

Another load of microbiome reviews, historical responses of microbes to mercury in soil layers, and different pictures of microbial diversity using culture or molecular techniques.

Microbiome of pregnancy and health

Review: Lungs, Microbes and the Developing Neonate – Warner B.B., Hamvas A. – Neonatology

Review: Placentophagy: therapeutic miracle or myth? – Cynthia W. Coyle – Archives of Women’s Mental Health

Review: Preterm delivery and intimacy during pregnancy: interaction between oral, vaginal and intestinal microbiomes – Herrera Morban DA – Medwave

Human gut microbiome

Review: Monitoring host responses to the gut microbiota – Joshua S Lichtman, Justin L Sonnenburg and Joshua E Elias – The ISME Journal

ReviewIntestinal Fucose as a Mediator of Host–Microbe Symbiosis – Joseph M. Pickard and Alexander V. Chervonsky – The Journal of Immunology

Review: Novel players in coeliac disease pathogenesis: role of the gut microbiota – Elena F. Verdu – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Review: Gut Microbiome-Brain Communications Regulate Host Physiology and Behavior – Sun Hye Lee and Claire B. de La Serre – Journal of Nutritional Health & Food Science

Review: Biliary Mucosal Barrier and Microbiome – Verdier J – Viszeralmedizin

ReviewFrom Next-Generation Sequencing to Systematic Modeling of the Gut Microbiome – Boyang Ji and Jens Nielsen – Frontiers in Microbiology

Animal and other models of microbiome research

Bioimage analysis of Shigella infection reveals targeting of colonic crypts – Ellen T. Arena – PNAS

Animal microbiome

Filamentous fungi isolated from the fur microbiota of callitrichids kept in captivity in Brazil – de Freitas RA – J Zoo Wildl Med

Plant root and soil microbiome

Microbial response to simulated global change is phylogenetically conserved and linked with functional potential – Anthony S Amend – The ISME Journal

Microbial and biochemical basis of a Fusarium wilt-suppressive soil – Jae-Yul Cha – The ISME Journal

Microbial DNA records historical delivery of anthropogenic mercury – Alexandre J Poulain – The ISME Journal

Riverbed methanotrophy sustained by high carbon conversion efficiency – Mark Trimmer – The ISME Journal

Culture-Dependent and -Independent Methods Capture Different Microbial Community Fractions in Hydrocarbon-Contaminated Soils – Franck O. P. Stefani – PLOS ONE

Crop monoculture rather than agriculture reduces the spatial turnover of soil bacterial communities at a regional scale – Eva L. M. Figuerola – Environmental Microbiology

Bacteria and fungi associated with isoprene consumption in soil – Christopher M. Gray – Elementa-Science of the Anthropocene

Microbial rRNA:rRNA gene ratios may be unexpectedly low due to extracellular DNA preservation in soils – Glade Dlott – Journal of Microbiological Methods

Differences in microbial community composition between injection and production water samples of water flooding petroleum reservoirs – P. K. Gao – Biogeosciences

Commentary: Scrambled and not-so-tiny genomes of fungal endosymbionts – Chih-Horng Kuo – PNAS

Water microbiome

Sampling the Sea Surface Microlayer – Michael Cunliffe, Oliver Wurl – Springer Protocols
Built environment microbiome

Book chapter: Bacteria and Fungi in Green Roof Ecosystems – Krista L. McGuire – Green Roof Ecosystems

Extremophile microbiome

Application of artificial neural networks as a tool for moisture prediction in microbially colonized halite in the Atacama Desert – K. Wierzchos – Journal of Geophysical Research – Biogeosciences

Bioreactor microbiology

Methanobacterium Dominates Biocathodic Archaeal Communities in Methanogenic Microbial Electrolysis Cells – Michael Siegert – ACS Sustainable Chemistry & Engineering

Metagenomics and bioinformatics

ProDeGe: a computational protocol for fully automated decontamination of genomes – Kristin Tennessen – The ISME Journal

RNeXML: a package for reading and writing richly annotated phylogenetic, character, and trait data in R – Carl Boettiger – arXiv

PrimerView: high-throughput primer design and visualization – Damien M. O’Halloran – Source Code for Biology and Medicine

Techniques

Whole genome capture of vector-borne pathogens from mixed DNA samples: a case study of Borrelia burgdorferi – Giovanna Carpi – BMC Genomics

Cultivation of Environmental Bacterial Communities as Multispecies Biofilms – Marc A. Demeter – Springer Protocols Handbook

Microbes in the news

Brits will swab surfers’ butts to understand antibiotic-resistant bacteria – Alexandra Ossola – Popular Science

You’ve been invaded – by your Microbiome! Video with Rob Knight – UCSD TV

Understanding the nasal microbiome – American Microbiome Institute

How gut bacteria affects your health: What we know, what we don’t – Emily Kaiser – MPR News

The Secrets of Ocular Microbiomes – Mark B. Abelson – Review of Ophthalmology

Nice graphics: To the Phyllosphere and Beyond! – Ben Wolfe – Lucky Peach

Meanwhile in the Future: When Antibiotics Stop Working – Rose Eveleth – Gizmodo

Obesity and Microbiota: What’s Hype, What’s Helpful? – Jeannette Y. Wick – HCP Live

Science, publishing, and career

Nobel Prize Winner Tim Hunt Shocks Journalists With Sexist Comments – Cat Ferguson – BuzzFeed Science

Career coaching for scientists – Joanne Kamens – Nature Biotechnology

Intel Capital Creates $125M Fund for Women-, Minority-led Startups – Deborah Gage – Wall Street Journal

UTHealth’s Kevin Morano, microbiologist receives prestigious teaching honor by Minnie Stevens Piper Foundation – EurekAlert

Bik’s Picks

Caffeine acts through neuronal adenosine A2A receptors to prevent mood and memory dysfunction triggered by chronic stress – Manuella P. Kaster – PNAS

Chimps dig palm wine, new study finds: And in case you were wondering, the apes did occasionally get tipsy – Amina Khan – Los Angeles Times

This new Google-backed app will identify a bird just from a photo – Quartz

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June 9, 2015

Job openings for microbiome leaders in Pittsburgh, functional foods and microbial growth, and lots of reviews and editorials.

Jobs

The new Center for Microbiome and Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh is hiring leader(s) in microbiome research

Microbiome of pregnancy and birth

ReviewEarly microbial contact, breast milk microbiome and child health – S. Rautava – Journal of Developmental Origins of Health and Disease

Human oral microbiome

Screening of Probiotic Candidates in Human Oral Bacteria for the Prevention of Dental Disease – Tomohiko Terai – PLOS ONE

Review: Do oral bacteria alter the regenerative potential of stem cells? A concise review – Kyriaki Chatzivasileiou – Journal of Cellular and Molecular Medicine

Human gut microbiome

Editorial for David et al.’s cholera recovery paper: A gut instinct for recovery – Naomi Attar – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Letter to the Editor: Altered microbiota in microscopic colitis – Hans Fischer – Gut

Letter to the Editor: Colonisation with multidrug-resistant bacteria is associated with increased mortality in patients with cirrhosis – Oliver Waidmann – Gut

Animal microbiome

Review: The animal gut as a melting pot for horizontal gene transfer – N. Shterzer, I. Mizrahi – Canadian Journal of Microbiology

Plant root and soil microbiome

Assessment of rhizospheric culturable bacteria of Phragmites australis and Juncus effusus from polluted sites – Sofia I.A. Pereira – Journal of Basic Microbiology

Review: Dispersing misconceptions and identifying opportunities for the use of ‘omics’ in soil microbial ecology – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Built environment microbiome

The effects of different hygiene procedures in reducing bacterial contamination in a model domestic kitchen – Elin Røssvoll – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Functional foods

Pomegranate Ellagitannins Stimulate Growth of Gut Bacteria In Vitro: Implications for Prebiotic and Metabolic Effects – Zhaoping Li – Anaerobe

Prebiotics Modulate the Effects of Antibiotics on Gut Microbial Diversity and Functioning in Vitro – Laura P. Johnson – Nutrients

Microbes in the news

From World Aquaculture 2015: “The gut microbiome of farmed trout is far more complex than previous research has documented” – Alltech highlights latest research in farmed trout – Undercurrent News

How the ‘Microbiome’ Affects Your Baby’s Birth and Health – Penny Simkin – Seattle PI

MicroBiome Therapeutics Presents Clinical Data On Diabetes Drug NM505 At ADA’s 75th Scientific Sessions And Reports Issuance Of NM505 Patent – PR Newswire

Here’s What Happens When You Culture The Bacteria on an Eight Year Old’s Hand – Marissa Fessenden – Smithsonian

MERS Is Not SARS, but Control Was Poor: Seoul ID Docs – Outbreak claims seventh fatality as specialists acknowledge poor infection control – MedPage Today

Bik’s Picks

Massage-like stroking boosts the immune system in mice – Benjamin Major – Scientific Reports

Just add water: Stanford engineers develop a computer that operates on water droplets – Stanford News

A crummy dinosaur fossil turns out to hold 75 million-year-old blood and proteins – Rachel Feltman – The Washington Post

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