June 18, 2020

Greetings from Pittsburgh!

Today’s digest is unintentionally themed around change. Included is an article on the metabolic versatility of Salmonella enterica and another on the genetic diversification of Escherichia coli. If you’re more interested in the big picture, there is also an article about the evolution of ecological niches in plant-associated microbes as well as an article about the impacts of global change on soil microbial diversity and functionality.

Here’s to hoping that we are just as resilient as the microbes we study!

Events and jobs

A special plug for the National Summer Undergraduate Research Project (NSURP). NSURP is a community-driven initiative to create rewarding remote summer research opportunities for BIPOC undergraduate students in the microbial sciences. They are actively recruiting mentors and students for this summer, with the hope to match pairs by June 22nd.

General microbiome

Salmonella finds a way: Metabolic versatility of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium in diverse host environments – Taylor and Winter – PLOS Pathogens

Phylogenetic background and habitat drive the genetic diversification of Escherichia coli – Touchon et al. – PLOS Genetics

Human skin microbiome

The microbiome of diabetic foot ulcers: a comparison of swab and tissue biopsy wound sampling techniques using 16S rRNA gene sequencing – Travis et al. – BMC Microbiology

Animal experiments

MAPK-dependent hormonal signaling plasticity contributes to overcoming Bacillus thuringiensis toxin action in an insect host – Guo et al. – Nature Communications

Investigation of the effects of probiotic, Bacillus subtilis on stress reactions in laying hens using infrared thermography – Soroko and Zaborski – PLOS ONE

Gut carriage of antimicrobial resistance genes in women exposed to small-scale poultry farms in rural Uganda: A feasibility study – Weil et al. – PLOS ONE

Animal microbiome

Anti-microbial activity of whole blood and plasma collected from Anna’s Hummingbirds (Calypte anna) against three different microbes – DeRogatis et al. – PLOS ONE

Bacteriophages specific to Shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli exist in goat feces and associated environments on an organic produce farm in Northern California, USA – Lennon et al. – PLOS ONE

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Survival of Escherichia coli O157 in autoclaved and natural sandy soil mesocosms – Baker et al. – PLOS ONE

Geometry and evolution of the ecological niche in plant-associated microbes – Chaloner et al. – Nature Communications

Meta-analysis of the impacts of global change factors on soil microbial diversity and functionality – Zhou et al. – Nature Communications

Food microbiology

Neighboring plants divergently modulate effects of loss-of-function in maize mycorrhizal phosphate uptake on host physiology and root fungal microbiota – Fabiańska et al. – PLOS ONE

Phages and viruses

Comparative analysis of viruses in four bee species collected from agricultural, urban, and natural landscapes – Olgun et al. – PLOS ONE

Bioinformatics

bigPint: A Bioconductor visualization package that makes big data pint-sized – Rutter and Cook – PLOS Computational Biology

Techniques

Subduing the influence of PCR inhibitors on amplifying aged, degraded, and low copy number DNA: PCR enhancer cocktail-p and rescue PCR – Kemp et al. – PLOS ONE

Click-to-Capture: A method for enriching viable Staphylococcus aureus using bio-orthogonal labeling of surface proteins – Shalizi et al. – PLOS ONE

June 17, 2020

Hello and welcome to Wednesday’s Digest! Today’s selection includes two separate but complementary papers from Cell Host & Microbe. The first, from Brett Finlay’s lab, investigates what drives the loss of Immunoglobulin A recognition by beneficial bacteria in the gut of undernourished children. The second, from Jeffrey Gordon’s lab, examines the impact of prebiotic and microbial interventions on oral vaccination responses in a mouse model of childhood undernutrition. These papers both highlight the important relationship between nutrition, the microbiota, and host mucosal immunity.

There are also a few fungi-focused papers today as well as some interesting animal microbiome research. Tan et al. compare the microbiome of pigs and their farmers and Andrade-Oliveira et al. found that antimicrobial resistance genes from a feline oral commensal can be transferred to a human-associated staphylococci. I also want to call attention to the techniques section, especially a paper by Song and Xie in which they used CRISPR/Cas9 to deplete host contamination in 16S rRNA gene amplicon samples.

Happy reading, y’all!

Pregnancy and Early-life
Analysis of Immune, Microbiota and Metabolome Maturation in Infants in a Clinical Trial of Lactobacillus Paracasei CBA L74-fermented Formula. Roggero, P. et al. Nature Communications.

Ecological Succession in the Vaginal Microbiota During Pregnancy and Birth. Rasmussen, M.A. et al. The ISME Journal.

Neonatal Diet Alters Fecal Microbiota and Metabolome Profiles at Different Ages in Infants Fed Breast Milk or Formula. Brink, L.R. et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Human Milk Fungi: Environmental Determinants and Inter-Kingdom Associations With Milk Bacteria in the CHILD Cohort Study. Moossavi, S. et al. BMC Microbiology.

Profiles of Human Milk Oligosaccharides and Their Relations to the Milk Microbiota of Breastfeeding Mothers in Dubai. Ayoub, C. et al. Nutrients.

Human Milk Microbiota Development During Lactation and Its Relation to Maternal Geographic Location and Gestational Hypertensive Status. Wan, Y. et al. Gut Microbes.

Skin Microbiome
Skin Microbiota Analysis-Inspired Development of Novel Anti-Infectives. Liu, Y. et al. Microbiome.

Review: Skin Microbiome Analysis for Forensic Human Identification: What Do We Know So Far? Tozzo, P. et al. Microorganisms.

Review: Protecting the Outside: Biological Tools to Manipulate the Skin Microbiota. O’Sullivan, J.N. et al. FEMS Microbiology and Ecology.

Vaginal Microbiome
Recovery of Vaginal Microbiota After Standard Treatment for Bacterial Vaginosis Infection: An Observational Study. Lehtoranta, L. et al. Microorganisms.

Alterations in Vaginal Microbiota and Associated Metabolome in Women With Recurrent Implantation Failure. Fu, M. et al. mBio.

Gut Microbiome
Alterations of the Gut Microbiota in Patients With COVID-19 or H1N1 Influenza. Gu, S. et al. Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Alterations in the Gut Microbiome and Suppression of Histone Deacetylases by Resveratrol Are Associated with Attenuation of Colonic Inflammation and Protection Against Colorectal Cancer. Alrafas, H.R. et al. Journal of Clinical Medicine.

Long-term Dietary Intervention Reveals Resilience of the Gut Microbiota Despite Changes in Diet and Weight. Fragiadakis, G.K. et al. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Oral Microbiome
Intraoral Microbial Metabolism and Association With Host Taste Perception. Gardner, A. et al. Journal of Dental Research.

Animal Experiments
Combined Prebiotic and Microbial Intervention Improves Oral Cholera Vaccination Responses in a Mouse Model of Childhood Undernutrition. Di Luccia, B. et al. Cell Host & Microbe.

Commensal Bacteria Modulate Immunoglobulin A Binding in Response to Host Nutrition. Huus, K.E. et al. Cell Host & Microbe.

The interplay between the gut microbiota and NLRP3 activation affects the severity of acute pancreatitis in mice. Xueyang, L. et al. Gut Microbes.

Structural and functional changes of gut microbiota in ovariectomized rats and their correlations with altered bone mass. Ma, S. et al. Aging (Albany NY).

Animal Microbiome
Comparative assessment of faecal microbial composition and metabonome of swine, farmers and human control. Tan, S.C. et al. Scientific Reports.

Staphylococcus nepalensis, a Commensal of the Oral Microbiota of Domestic Cats, Is a Reservoir of Transferrable Antimicrobial Resistance. Andrade-Oliveira, A.L. et al. Microbiology.

Increasing the Hindgut Carbohydrate/Protein Ratio by Cecal Infusion of Corn Starch or Casein Hydrolysate Drives Gut Microbiota-Related Bile Acid Metabolism To Stimulate Colonic Barrier Function. Pi, Y. mSystems.

The Microbial Biogeography of the Gastrointestinal Tract of Preterm and Term Lambs. Chong, C.Y.L. et al. Scientific Reports.

Microbial Ecology of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo Salar) Hatcheries: Impacts of the Built Environment on Fish Mucosal Microbiota. Minich, J.J. et al. Applied and Environmental Microbiology.

Dysbiosis in the Gut Microbiota of Soil Fauna Explains the Toxicity of Tire Tread Particles. Ding, J. et al. Environmental Science and Technology.

Insect Microbiome
Dietary Adaptation of Microbiota in Drosophila Requires NF-κB-Dependent Control of the Translational Regulator 4E-BP. Vandehoef, C. et al. Cell Reports.

Responses of soil and earthworm gut bacterial communities to heavy metal contamination. Liu, P. et al. Environmental Pollution.

Effect of Life Stage and Pesticide Exposure on the Gut Microbiota of Aedes Albopictus and Culex Pipiens L. Juma, E.O. et al. Scientific Reports.

Caterpillar Gut and Host Plant Phylloplane Mycobiomes Differ: A New Perspective on Fungal Involvement in Insect Guts. Višňovská, D. et al. FEMS Microbiology Ecology.

Plant, Root, and Soil Microbiome
The Response of Soil and Phyllosphere Microbial Communities to Repeated Application of the Fungicide Iprodione: Accelerated Biodegradation or Toxicity? Katsoula, A. et al. FEMS Microbiology Ecology.

Host Genotype Explains Rhizospheric Microbial Community Composition: The Case of Wild Cotton Metapopulations (Gossypium Hirsutum L.) in Mexico. Hernández-Terán, A. et al. FEMS Microbiology Ecology.

Review: Microbiome Approaches Provide the Key to Biologically Control Postharvest Pathogens and Storability of Fruits and Vegetables. Kusstatscher, P. et al FEMS Microbiology and Ecology.

Review: The Plant Microbiome: From Ecology to Reductionism and Beyond. Fitzpatrick, C.R. et al. Annual Review of Microbiology.

Water Microbiome
Persistence of Wastewater Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria and Their Genes in Human Fecal Material. Scaccia, N. et al. FEMS Microbiolgy Ecology.

Review: Microorganisms Populating the Water-Related Indoor Biome. Babič, M.N. et al. Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology.

Phage
Introducing Lu-1, a Novel Lactobacillus Jensenii Phage Abundant in the Urogenital Tract. Miller-Ensminger, T. et al. PLoS ONE.

Review: Bacteriophage-mediated Manipulation of the Gut Microbiome – Promises and Presents Limitations. Rasmussen, T.S. et al. FEMS Microbiology Reviews.

Bioinformatics
gutMEGA: A Database of the Human Gut MEtaGenome Atlas. Zhang, Q. et al. Briefings in Bioinformatics.

Techniques
Engineering CRISPR/Cas9 to mitigate abundant host contamination for 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing. Song, L. and Xie, K. Microbiome.

Optimization and Standardization of the Culturomics Technique for Human Microbiome Exploration. Diakite, A. et al. Scientific Reports

Direct detection of mRNA expression in microbial cells by fluorescence in situ hybridization using RNase H-assisted rolling circle amplification. Takahashi, H. et al. Scientific Reports.

June 08, 2020

Today, we present a broad spectrum of new studies covering among others the mycobiome of human milk, gut microbes and their association with brain development and cognitive function, and a catalogue of previously unseen microbial genomes. Of particular interest is a study that integrates different sources of data to model a personalized gut microbiome. Last but not least we selected a pre-print on the design and characterization of multiepitopes vaccine for SARS-CoV.

General microbiome

Cultivation-independent and cultivation-dependent metagenomes reveal genetic and enzymatic potential of microbial community involved in the degradation of a complex microbial polymer – Costa et al. – Microbiome

REVIEW: Conceptualizing the vertebrate sterolbiome – Ridlon – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Human milk mycobiome

Human milk fungi: environmental determinants and inter-kingdom associations with milk bacteria in the CHILD Cohort Study – Moossavi et al. – BMC Microbiology

Human skin microbiome

Skin microbiota analysis-inspired development of novel anti-infectives – Liu et al. – Microbiome

Human vaginal microbiome

PREPRINT: Vaginal microbiota of adolescents and their mothers: A preliminary study of vertical transmission and persistence – Bassis – bioRxiv

Human gut microbiome

Personalized whole‐body models integrate metabolism, physiology, and the gut microbiome – Thiele et al. – Mol Syst Biol

REVIEW: The gut microbiota profile of adults with kidney disease and kidney stones: a systematic review of the literature – Stanford et al. – BMC Nephrology

PREPRINT: Gut microbes and their genes are associated with brain development and cognitive function in healthy children – Bonham et al. – bioRxiv

Animal microbiome (for animals in the wild)

Microbial environment shapes immune function and cloacal microbiota dynamics in zebra finches Taeniopygia guttata – van Veelen et al. – Animal Microbiome

PREPRINT: Large scale metagenome assembly reveals novel animal-associated microbial genomes, biosynthetic gene clusters, and other genetic diversity – Youngblut – bioRxiv

Water and extremophile microbiome (sea, rivers, lakes, glaciers, permafrost, high-salt)

Novel insights into the Thaumarchaeota in the deepest oceans: their metabolism and potential adaptation mechanisms – Zhong et al. – Microbiome

The role of metal contamination in shaping microbial communities in heavily polluted marine sediments – Di Cesare et al. – Environmental Pollution

Techniques

Engineering CRISPR/Cas9 to mitigate abundant host contamination for 16S rRNA gene-based amplicon sequencing – Song & Xie – Microbiome

SARS-CoV-2

PREPRINT: In silico design and characterization of multiepitopes vaccine for SARS-CoV from its Spike proteins – Kathwate – bioRxiv

June 3, 2020

Today’s post covers articles on role of microbiome in sepsis, early life microbiota related to cystic fibrosis and respiratory syncitial virus disease, promise and challenge with cancer microbiome, effect of probiotics on intestinal homeostasis after chemotherapy and many more!

General microbiome

Predictive biology: modelling, understanding and harnessing microbial complexity – Allison J. Lopatkin – Nature Reviews Microbiology

The Gut Microbiome’s Role in the Development, Maintenance, and Outcomes of Sepsis – Max W Adelman – Critical Care

The Promise and Challenge of Cancer Microbiome Research – Sumeed Syed Manzoor – Genome Biology

Antidiabetic Effects of Flavan-3-ols and Their Microbial Metabolites – Estefanía Márquez Campos – Nutrients

Human microbiome

Longitudinal analysis reveals transition barriers between dominant ecological states in the gut microbiome – Roie Levy – PNAS

Strain-resolved microbiome sequencing reveals mobile elements that drive bacterial competition on a clinical timescale – Soumaya Zlitni – Genome Medicine

Comparative Assessment of Faecal Microbial Composition and Metabonome of Swine, Farmers and Human Control – Shiang Chiet Tan – Scientific Reports

Matching Between Donors and Ulcerative Colitis Patients Is Important for Long-Term Maintenance After Fecal Microbiota Transplantation – Koki Okahara – Journal of Clinical Medicine

Preganancy and early life

Alterations in Vaginal Microbiota and Associated Metabolome in Women With Recurrent Implantation Failure – Min Fu – mBio

Development of the Gut Microbiota in Early Life: The Impact of Cystic Fibrosis and Antibiotic Treatment – Maartje Kristensen – Journal of Cystic Fibrosis

Altered Gut Microbiota in Infants Is Associated With Respiratory Syncytial Virus Disease Severity – Jeffrey N Harding – BMC Microbiology

Ecological Succession in the Vaginal Microbiota During Pregnancy and Birth – M A Rasmussen – Isme Journal

Animal experiments

Host genotype and exercise exhibit species-level selection for members of the gut bacterial communities in the mouse digestive system – R. A. Dowden – Scientific Reports

Repetitive, Mild Traumatic Brain Injury Results in a Progressive White Matter Pathology, Cognitive Deterioration, and a Transient Gut Microbiota Dysbiosis – Mariana Angoa-Pérez – Scientific Reports

Association of Gut Microbiota Composition and Function With an Aged Rat Model of Senile Osteoporosis Using 16S rRNA and Metagenomic Sequencing Analysis – Sicong Ma – Aging

Increasing the Hindgut Carbohydrate/Protein Ratio by Cecal Infusion of Corn Starch or Casein Hydrolysate Drives Gut Microbiota-Related Bile Acid Metabolism To Stimulate Colonic Barrier Function – Yu Pi – mSystems

Plant, root and soil microbiome

Using Soil Bacterial Communities to Predict Physico-Chemical Variables and Soil Quality – Syrie M Hermans – Microbiome

Analysis of bacterial and archaeal communities associated with Fogo volcanic soils of different ages – Corinne Biderre-Petit – Fems Microbial Ecology

Water microbiome

Functional potential and assembly of microbes from sediments in a lake bay and adjoining river ecosystem for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon biodegradation – Zaisheng Yan – Environmental Microbiology

Functional foods

Effect of Probiotics on the Maintenance of Intestinal Homeostasis After Chemotherapy: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Pre-Clinical Studies – W G Lima – Beneficial Microbes

Non microbiology picks

Racial Disparities in Knowledge, Attitudes and Practices Related to COVID-19 in the USA– Wilson M Alobuia – Journal of Public Health

Ozone Treatment for Elimination of Bacteria and SARS-CoV-2 for Medical Environments – Craig Westover – BioRxiv

May 27, 2020

Good morning everybody. It was a bit calm during the last days. Today’s Microbiome Digest tries to give a nice summary of a broad range of latest microbiome related research. Enjoy it!

General microbiome

A microbiological survey of handwashing sinks in the hospital built environment reveals differences in patient room and healthcare personnel sinks – Franco et al – Scientific Reports

Multi-site human microbiome

REVIEW: Interaction between microbiota and immunity in health and disease – Zheng, Liwinski and Elinav – Cell Research

REVIEW: A Comprehensive Review on Natural Bioactive Compounds and Probiotics as Potential Therapeutics in Food Allergy Treatment – Pratap et al. – Front. Immunol.

Editorial: The intestinal microbiota in health and disease – Day, Keenan and Tannock – Journal of the Royal Society of New Zealand

Human oral microbiome

Longitudinal Study of Oral Microbiome Variation in Twins – Freire et al. – Scientific Reports

Human skin microbiome

Skin Microbiome in Atopic Dermatitis – Edslev, Agner and Andersen – Acta Dermato-venereologica

Human gut microbiome and virome

Preprint: Gut microbiome diversity is an independent predictor of survival in cervical cancer patients receiving chemoradiation – Sims et al. – medRxiv

The intestinal virome in children with cystic fibrosis differs from healthy controls – Coffey et al. – PLOS One

The human gut microbiota and depression: widely reviewed, yet poorly understood – Simpson, Schwartz and Simmons – Journal of Affective Disorders

The Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes Ratio: A Relevant Marker of Gut Dysbiosis in Obese Patients? – Magne et al. – Nutrients

Book Chapter: Who Inhabits Our Gut? Introducing the Human Gut Microbiota – Flint – Why Gut Microbes Matter

Book Chapter: Variability and Stability of the Human Gut Microbiome – Flint – Why Gut Microbes Matter

Book Chapter: How to Analyse Microbial Communities? – Flint – Why Gut Microbes Matter

Book Chapter: Treating the Gut Microbiome as a System – Flint – Why Gut Microbes Matter

Metabolomics

REVIEW: Application of metabolomics to the study of irritable bowel syndrome – Bennet et al. – Neurogastroenterology & Motility

Animal experiments (mouse/rat experiments, chickens/pigs on different diets)

Distinct actions of the fermented beverage kefir on host behaviour, immunity and microbiome gut-brain modules in the mouse – van de Wouw et al. – Microbiology

Preprint: Physical activity shapes the intestinal microbiome and immunity of healthy mice but has no protective effects against colitis in MUC2-/- mice – Estaki et al. – bioRxiv

Synergetic responses of intestinal microbiota and epithelium to dietary inulin supplementation in pigs – He et al. – European Journal of Nutrition

Animal microbiome (for animals in the wild)

No correlation between microbiota composition and blood parameters in nesting flatback turtles (Natator depressus) – Scheelings et al. – Scientific Reports

Linking perturbations to temporal changes in diversity, stability, and compositions of neonatal calf gut microbiota: prediction of diarrhea – Ma et al. – The ISME Journal

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

The microbiome as a biosensor: functional profiles elucidate hidden stress in hosts – Zolti et al. – Microbiology

Water and extremophile microbiome (sea, rivers, lakes, glaciers, permafrost, high-salt)

16S rRNA Gene Diversity in the Salt Crust of Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia, the World’s Largest Salt Flat – Pecher et al. – Microbiol Resour Announc

Built environment (subways, indoor surfaces)

Fungal diversity and its contribution to the biodeterioration of mural paintings in two 1700-year-old tombs of China – Ma et al. – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

Characterizing Microbial Signatures on Sculptures and Paintings of Similar Provenance – Torralba et al. – Microbial Ecology

Food microbiology

Proteomic and Metabolomic Correlates of Healthy Dietary Patterns: The Framingham Heart Study – Walker et al. – Nutrients

Bioinformatics/Resources

ARTS 2.0: feature updates and expansion of the Antibiotic Resistant Target Seeker for comparative genome mining – Mungan et al. – Nucleic Acid Research

Draft Genome Sequence of a Novel Species of Halococcus (Strain IIIV-5B), an Endophytic Archaeon Isolated from the Leaf Tissue of Avicennia germinans – Zayas-Rivera et al. – Microbiol Resour Announc

Precise phylogenetic analysis of microbial isolates and genomes from metagenomes using PhyloPhlAn 3.0 – Asnicar et al. – Nature Communications

May 7, 2020

Good morning! There’s a particularly broad collection of microbiome papers to share with you today, from the bacteria that hang onto wounds after debridement to the biofilms that form in the ancient ruins of a town buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. A few unusual highlights include the sexually transmitted microbiome of bedbugs and the gut microbes that colonize a sea cucumber after it grows up, remove its own digestive tract and grows a new one. Some interesting new software tools are hiding in the “Bioinformatics” section at the bottom as well.

General microbiome

Intracellular Staphylococcus aureus persisters upon antibiotic exposure, Frédéric Peyrusson et al., Nature Communications

Human respiratory microbiome

Investigation of the human nasal microbiome in persons with long- and short-term exposure to methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria from the pig farm environment, Md Zohorul Islam et al., PLOS ONE

Human skin microbiome

Microbial predictors of healing and short-term effect of debridement on the microbiome of chronic wounds, Samuel Verbanic et al., npj Biofilms and Microbiomes

Human gut microbiome

Systemic short chain fatty acids limit antitumor effect of CTLA-4 blockade in hosts with cancer, Clélia Coutzac et al., Nature Communications

Functional and phylogenetic alterations in gut microbiome are linked to graft-versus-host disease severity, Mathilde Payen et al., Blood Advances

Animal experiments

Preprint: Metagenomic alterations in gut microbiota precede and predict onset of colitis in the IL10 gene-deficient murine model, Miyoshi and Lee et al., bioRxiv

Dietary Fiber Protects against Diabetic Nephropathy through Short-Chain Fatty Acid–Mediated Activation of G Protein–Coupled Receptors GPR43 and GPR109A, Yan Jun Li et al., Journal of the American Society of Nephrology

Probiotic strain Lactobacillus plantarum YYC-3 prevents colon cancer in mice by regulating the tumour microenvironment, Yuanchun Yue et al., Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy

Effect of stevia on the gut microbiota and glucose tolerance in a murine model of diet-induced obesity, Sarah L. Becker et al., FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Animal microbiome

Sea cucumber intestinal regeneration reveals deterministic assembly of the gut microbiome, Brooke L. Weigel, Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Mating changes the genital microbiome in both sexes of the common bedbug Cimex lectularius across populations, Sara Bellinvia et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Mutualist and pathogen traits interact to affect plant community structure in a spatially explicit model, John W. Schroeder et al., Nature Communications

Preprint: Seasonal dynamics of methane cycling microbial communities in Amazonian floodplain sediments, Julia B. Gontijo et al., bioRxiv

Preprint: Community succession of the grapevine fungal microbiome in the annual growth cycle, Liu and Howell, bioRxiv

Characterizing changes in soil microbiome abundance and diversity due to different cover crop techniques, Wang and Wu et al., PLOS ONE

Preprint: Specific and conserved patterns of microbiota-structuring by maize benzoxazinoids in the field, Selma Cadot et al., bioRxiv

Water and extremophile microbiome

The role of changing temperature in microbial metabolic processes during permafrost thaw, Komi S. Messan et al., PLOS ONE

Built environment

Microbial biofilm community structure and composition on the lithic substrates of Herculaneum Suburban Baths, De Natale and Mele et al., PLOS ONE

Probiotics/prebiotics

Comparative effectiveness of probiotic-based formulations on cecal microbiota modulation in broilers, Denise R. Rodrigues et al., PLOS ONE

Phages and viruses

Weirdo19ES is a novel singleton mycobacteriophage that selects for glycolipid deficient phage-resistant M. smegmatis mutants, Cristian Alejandro Suarez et al., PLOS ONE

Bioinformatics

Decoding the language of microbiomes using word-embedding techniques, and applications in inflammatory bowel disease, Tataru and David, PLOS Computational Biology

Sequence count data are poorly fit by the negative binomial distribution, Stijn Hawinkel et al., PLOS ONE

Preprint: sPepFinder expedites genome-wide identification of small proteins in bacteria, Li and Chao, bioRxiv

Logicome Profiler: Exhaustive detection of statistically significant logic relationships from comparative omics data, Fukunaga and Iwasaki, PLOS ONE

April 24, 2020

Events

Virtual Podium 2020 – Session 5 (Microbiome) – April 24, 2020

Scientific career and work-life balance – April 24, 2020

World Malaria Day – April 25, 2020 – Draws attention to the impact of the disease and (re)urges us to find a way to overcome it once and for all.
Join the #talkingmalaria tweetchat on April 24, 2020 at 12 noon BST.

COVID-19

GRAND CHALLENGE: A billion molecules against COVID-19 – Joint European Disruptive Initiative

General microbiome

Reversibility of propionic acid inhibition to anaerobic digestion: Inhibition kinetics and microbial mechanism – Youl Han – Chemosphere

Responses of microbial structures, functions, metabolic pathways and community interactions to different C/N ratios in aerobic nitrification – Hongwei Sun – Bioresource Technology

PERSPECTIVE: Cultivating fungal research – Heidi H. Kong – Science

Human microbiome

REVIEW: Microbiota–immune interactions in asthma pathogenesis and phenotype – Nicholas W.Lukacs – Current Opinion in Immunology

CANCER IN TRANSLATION: Microbiome genomics for cancer prediction – Lorenz Adlung – Nature Cancer

Human skin microbiome

BOOK CHAPTER: The wound microbiome – Aayushi Uberoi – In: Wound Healing, Tissue Repair, and Regeneration in Diabetes.

Human gut microbiome

BOOK CHAPTER: Dietary Fiber and Gut Microbiota – Carolina Senés-Guerrero – In: Science and Technology of Fibers in Food Systems

Animal experiments

Effect of in feed administration of different butyrate formulations on Salmonella Enteritidis colonization and cecal microbiota in broilers – Lonneke Onrust – Veterinary Research

Stochasticity constrained by deterministic effects of diet and age drive rumen microbiome assembly dynamics – Ori Furman – Nature Communications

Sequence variant analysis reveals poor correlations in microbial taxonomic abundance between humans and mice after gnotobiotic transfer – Farnaz Fouladi – ISME Journal

Temporal changes in microbial communities attached to forages with different lignocellulosic compositions in the cattle rumen – Javad Gharechahi – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Animal microbiome

Host-microbiota interaction helps to explain the bottom-up effects of climate change on a small rodent species – Guoliang Li – ISME Journal

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Tapping into the maize root microbiome to identify bacteria that promote growth under chilling conditions – Stien Beirinckx – Microbiome

Regulatory relationship between quality variation and environment of Cistanche deserticola in three ecotypes based on soil microbiome analysis – Xiao Sun – Scientific Reports

Effects of biodegradable plastic film mulching on soil microbial communities in two agroecosystems – Sreejata Bandopadhyay – PeerJ

Water microbiome

Total Microbial Activity and Sulfur Cycling Microbe Changes in Response to the Development of Hypoxia in a Shallow Estuary – Yunjung Park – Ocean Science Journal

Built environment

Associations Between Respiratory Infections and Bacterial Microbiome in Student Dormitories in Northern China – Xi Fu – Indoor Air

Bacterial community analysis of floor dust and HEPA filters in air purifiers used in office rooms in ILAS, Beijing – Jianguo Guo – Scientific Reports

Microbes in space

The influence of spaceflight on the astronaut salivary microbiome and the search for a microbiome biomarker for viral reactivation – Camilla Urbaniak – Microbiome

Food microbiology

Insights into the Microbiological Safety of Wooden Cutting Boards Used for Meat Processing in Hong Kong’s Wet Markets: A Focus on Food-Contact Surfaces, Cross-Contamination and the Efficacy of Traditional Hygiene Practices – Patrick T. Sekoai – Microorganisms

Pre-print

MicrobioLink: An integrated computational pipeline to infer functional effects of microbiome-host interactions – Tahila Andrighetti – bioRxiv

Repeatability and reproducibility assessment in a large-scale population-based microbiota study: case study on human milk microbiota – Shirin Moossavi – bioRxiv

Mendelian randomization analysis revealed causal effects from gut microbiota to abdominal obesity – Qian Xu – bioRxiv

A quantitative measure of functional redundancy in microbial ecosystems – Taylor M Royalty – bioRxiv

Host association induces genome changes in Candida albicans which alters its virulence – Amanda C Smith – bioRxiv

Shirin’s non-microbiology picks

CAREER FEATURE: Safely conducting essential research in the face of COVID-19 – Virginia Gewin – Nature

Reaching a Large Urban Undergraduate Population through Microbial Ecology Course-Based Research Experiences – Samantha Parks – Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

POLICY FORUM: Against pandemic research exceptionalism – Alex John London – Science

WORLD VIEW: On the 50th Earth Day, take collective action for the planet – Emma Marris – Nature

BEHIND THE PAPER: Annotating the unknown: Functional Gene Annotation using Untargeted Metabolomics – Robert Jansen – Nature Microbiology Community

April 1, 2020

Hello Everyone, I am excited for my first post here. Continuing the trend the first few papers are on COVID-19 : first one talks about its classification and nomenclature. I hope everyone is staying safe and healthy. Last but not the least, keep up the hand washing.

COVID-19

* The species Severe acute respiratory syndrome-related coronavirus: classifying 2019-nCoV and naming it SARS-CoV-2- Coronaviridae Study – Group of the International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses – Nature Microbiology

Functional assessment of cell entry and receptor usage for SARS-CoV-2 and other lineage B betacoronaviruses – Letko et al. – Nature Microbiology

General microbiome
Variation in prostaglandin metabolism during growth of the diatom Thalassiosira rotula – Dato et al. – Scientific Reports

Pregnancy and early life
Factors affecting early-life intestinal microbiota development – Vandenplas et al. – Nutrition

Multi-site human microbiome
Gut, oral and skin microbiome of Indian patrilineal families reveal perceptible association with age – Chaudhari et al. – Scientific Reports

Human gut microbiome
Implication of the gut microbiome composition of type 2 diabetic patients from northern China – Li et al. – Scientific Reports

The microbiota programs DNA methylation to control intestinal homeostasis and inflammation– Ansari et al. – Nature Microbiology

Animal microbiome
The Contest of Microbial Pigeon Neighbors: Interspecies Competition Between Serratia marcescens and the Human Pathogen Cryptococcus neoformans – Haleva et al. – Fungal Biology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome
Pseudomonas PS01 Isolated from Maize Rhizosphere Alters Root System Architecture and Promotes Plant Growth – Chu et al. – Microorganisms

Phages and viruses
Viruses with different genome types adopt a similar strategy to pack nucleic acids based on positively charged protein domains – Requião et al. – Scientific Reports

*Review: 5 challenges in understanding the role of the virome in health and disease – Wang David – PLOS Pathogens

Bioinformatics
Whole-genome sequencing of Burkholderia pseudomallei from an urban melioidosis hot spot reveals a fine-scale population structure and localised spatial clustering in the environment – Rachlin et al. – Scientific Reports

Techniques
Comprehensive evaluation of complex polymicrobial specimens using next generation sequencing and standard microbiological culture – Cummings et al. – Scientific Reports

Review: Potential of proteomics to probe microbes – Matilda et al. – Journal of Basic Microbiology

March 5, 2020

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

Event

Call for papers – Global Outbreaks and Responses – BMC Medicine

General microbiology

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

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

Antimicrobial resistance

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

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

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

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

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

Pregnancy and early life

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

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

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

Human skin microbiome

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

Human oral microbiome

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

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

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

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

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

Human respiratory microbiome

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

Cancer and microbiome

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

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

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

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

Human gut microbiome

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

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

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

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

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

Human multi-site microbiome

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

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

The gut-microbiota-brain axis

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

Built environment microbiome

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

Metabolomics

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

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

Animal experiments

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

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

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

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

Animal microbiome

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

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

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

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

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

Plant, root and soil microbiome

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Water and extremophile microbiome

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

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

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

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

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

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

Phages and viruses

** Coronavirus research highlights – BMC

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

Technology

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

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

Bioinformatics

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

Microbes in the news

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

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

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

Ancient gut microbiomes shed light on human evolution – Newswise

Launch of the Marine Microbiome Roadmap – NIOZ

Understanding Microbiome Resilience on a Changing Planet – Michigan State University

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

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

Metabolomics Reveals Connection Between Gut Microbiome and Blood – Metabolon

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Microbes on the market

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

Non-microbiology picks

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

 

February 18, 2020

Highlights for today’s Digest: a study takes us deep into bacterial community of the dermal compartment of the skin, skin microbiota predicts chronological age most accurately, and a review on network analyses using multi-omics data. Enjoy!

General microbiology

A biphasic growth model for cell pole elongation in mycobacteria – Mélanie T. M. Hannebelle et al. – Nature Communications

Press: Bacteria under the microscope: A new growth model for tuberculosis – Lionel Pousaz, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne – Phys.org

Metabolic dependencies govern microbial syntrophies during methanogenesis in an anaerobic digestion ecosystem – Xinyu Zhu et al. – Microbiome

Antimicrobial resistance

Stepwise evolution and convergent recombination underlie the global dissemination of carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli – afael Patiño-Navarrete et al. – Genome Medicine

Pregnancy and early life

The effect of legume supplementation on the gut microbiota in rural Malawian infants aged 6 to 12 months – M Isabel Ordiz et al. – The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Human skin microbiome

** Universal Dermal Microbiome in Human Skin – Lene Bay et al. – mBio

Human cancer microbiome

Opinion: The Cancer Microbiome: Distinguishing Direct and Indirect Effects Requires a Systemic View – Joao B. Xavier et al. – Trends in Cancer

Human gut microbiome

Interactions between the gut microbiome and host gene regulation in cystic fibrosis – Gargi Dayama et al. – Genome Medicine

Human multi-site microbiome

Review: Blood Microbiota and Circulating Microbial Metabolites in Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease – Ganesan Velmurugan et al. – Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism

** Human Skin, Oral, and Gut Microbiomes Predict Chronological Age – Shi Huang et al. – mSystems

Press: Human Skin, Oral Microbiomes Can Estimate People’s Ages to Within Few Years – GenomeWeb

Animal experiments

Self-reinoculation with fecal flora changes microbiota density and composition leading to an altered bile-acid profile in the mouse small intestine – Said R. Bogatyrev et al. – Microbiome

Mouse: It’s the fiber, not the fat: significant effects of dietary challenge on the gut microbiome – Kathleen E. Morrison et al. – Microbiome

Animal microbiome

Trait-Based Comparison of Coral and Sponge Microbiomes – Cara L. Fiore et al. – Scientific Reports

Plant, root and soil microbiome

Functional relationships between aboveground and belowground spinach (Spinacia oleracea L., cv. Racoon) microbiomes impacted by salinity and drought – A. Mark Ibekwe et al. – Science of the Total Environment

Water and extremophile microbiome

Constraints on microbial communities, decomposition and methane production in deep peat deposits – Laurel A. Kluber et al. – PLoS One

Machine learning-aided analyses of thousands of draft genomes reveal specific features of activated sludge processes – Lin Ye et al. – Microbiome

Phages and viruses

Pearls: Virus interactions with bacteria: Partners in the infectious dance – Ursula Neu & Bernardo A. Mainou – PLoS Pathogens

Coronavirus: hospitals must learn from past pandemics – Nahid Bhadelia – Nature

Review: Phage diversity, genomics and phylogeny – Moïra B. Dion et al. – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Technology

Uncovering a hidden diversity: optimized protocols for the extraction of dsDNA bacteriophages from soil – Pauline C. Göller et al. – Microbiome

Review: Combining omics technologies with CRISPR-based genome editing to study food microbes – Meichen Pan & Rodolphe Barrangou – Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Complete, closed bacterial genomes from microbiomes using nanopore sequencing – Eli L. Moss et al. – Nature Biotechnology

Press: Closing bacterial genomes from the human gut microbiome using long-read sequencing – Dylan Maghini – Nature Bioengineering Community

Bioinformatics

A pipeline for targeted metagenomics of environmental bacteria – Anissa Grieb et al. Microbiome

** Review: Network analyses in microbiome based on high-throughput multi-omics data – Zhaoqian Liu et al. – Briefings in Bioinformatics

Microbes in the news

Getting the Band (of Microbes) Back Together – Jessica Messier – Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Gut microbe imbalance may stunt CF babies’ growth – Leila Gray – University of Washington

The Big Idea: The Microbiome – Purdue University

Moscow’s Subway Microbiome Looks Similar to that of New York’s – GenEngNews

A guide to caring for the Indian gut – Cherylann Mollan – Hindustan Times