May 14, 2016

Your weekend microbiome update.

Human Respiratory microbiome

The significance of oral streptococci in patients with pneumonia with risk factors for aspiration: the bacterial floral analysis of 16S ribosomal RNA gene using bronchoalveolar lavage fluid – Kentaro Akata – BMC Pulmonary Medicine

The cystic fibrosis lower airways microbial metagenome – Patricia Moran Losada – ERJ Open Research

Nasopharyngeal Microbiome in Respiratory Syncytial Virus Resembles Profile Associated with Increased Childhood Asthma Risk – Christian Rosas-Salazar – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

Enumerating Virus-Like Particles and Bacterial Populations in the Sinuses of Chronic Rhinosinusitis Patients Using Flow Cytometry – Jessica A. P. Carlson-Jones – PLOS ONE

Human ear microbiome

MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry reveals a highly complex bacterial profile of otitis media with effusion – Zoltán Papp – International Journal of Pediatric Otorhinolaryngology

Human gut microbiome

Editorial: Heartbeat: The gut microbiota and heart failure – Catherine M Otto – Heart

Editorial: Dietary metabolism, gut microbiota and acute heart failure – WH Wilson Tang – Heart

Trimethylamine N-oxide and prognosis in acute heart failure – Toru Suzuki – Heart

Animal experiments

Dietary Regulation of the Gut Microbiota Engineered by a Minimal Defined Bacterial Consortium – Ting-Chin David Shen – PLOS ONE

Effects of alternative plant-based feeds on hepatic and gastrointestinal histology and the gastrointestinal microbiome of sablefish (Anoplopoma fimbria) – Linda D. Rhodes – Aquaculture

Addendum: Rebooting the Microbiome – Sean Munoz – Gut Microbes

Typos, horrible experiment, and controversial findings. Proceed with care: An investigation into blood microbiota and its potential association with Bacterial Chondronecrosis with Osteomyelitis (BCO) in Broilers – Rabindra K. Mandal – Scientific Reports

Animal microbiome

Phylogenetic network analysis applied to pig gut microbiota identifies an ecosystem structure linked with growth traits – Yuliaxis Ramayo-Caldas – The ISME Journal

Host age, social group, and habitat type influence the gut microbiota of wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) – Genevieve Bennett – American Journal of Primatology

Jellyfish: Aurelia aurita ephyrae reshape a coastal microbial community – Luca Zoccarato – Frontiers in Microbiology

Mosquito C-type lectins maintain gut microbiome homeostasis – Xiaojing Pang – Nature Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

D-Amino Acid Catabolism Is Common Among Soil-Dwelling Bacteria – Atanas D Radkov – Microbes and Environments

MycoDB, a global database of plant response to mycorrhizal fungi – V. Bala Chaudhary – Scientific Data

Effects of soil substrate quality, microbial diversity and community composition on the plant community during primary succession – Jan Frouz – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Deciphering the Bacterial Microbiome in Huanglongbing-Affected Citrus Treated with Thermotherapy and Sulfonamide Antibiotics – Chuanyu Yang – PLOS ONE

Fire-severity effects on plant–fungal interactions after a novel tundra wildfire disturbance: implications for arctic shrub and tree migration – Rebecca E. Hewitt – BMC Ecology

Water and extremophile microbiome

The symbiotic relationship of sediment and biofilm dynamics at the sediment water interface of oil sands industrial tailings ponds – T. Reid – Water Research

Changes in microbial communities associated with gas hydrates in subseafloor sediments from the Nankai Trough – Taiki Katayama – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

The Ability of Microbial Community of Lake Baikal Bottom Sediments Associated with Gas Discharge to Carry Out the Transformation of Organic Matter under Thermobaric Conditions – Sergei V. Bukin – Frontiers in Microbiology

The diversity and biogeography of the communities of Actinobacteria in the forelands of glaciers at a continental scale – Zhang, Binglin – Environmental Research Letters

Microbial dynamics of the extreme-thermophilic (70 °C) mixed culture for hydrogen production in a chemostat – Fang Zhang – International Journal of Hydrogen Energy

Dense microbial community on a ferromanganese nodule from the ultra-oligotrophic South Pacific Gyre: Implications for biogeochemical cycles – Fumito Shiraishi – Earth and Planetary Science Letters

Bacterial and archaeal communities in the deep-sea sediments of inactive hydrothermal vents in the Southwest India Ridge – Likui Zhang – Scientific Reports

Biofilm transplantation in the deep sea – Irene Wagner-Döbler – Molecular Ecology

Environmental switching during biofilm development in a cold seep system and functional determinants of species sorting – Weipeng Zhang – Molecular Ecology

Food microbiology

Composition and function of sourdough microbiota: From ecological theory to bread quality – Michael Gänzle – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Comparison of DNA-based techniques for differentiation of production strains of ale and lager brewing yeast – J. Kopecká – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Infection microbiology

Review: Polymicrobial-Host Interactions During Infection – Hong Tay Wei – Journal of Molecular Biology

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

A New Orthology Assessment Method for Phylogenomic Data: Unrooted Phylogenetic Orthology – Jesús A. Ballesteros – Molecular Biology and Evolution

Evaluating techniques for metagenome annotation using simulated sequence data (CC) – Richard J. Randle-Boggis – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Computational methods for predicting genomic islands in microbial genomes – Bingxin Lu – Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal

Microbial ecology

Quorum Sensing Communication Modules for Microbial Consortia – Spencer R. Scott – ACS Synthetic Biology

Ecological Opportunity, Evolution, and the Emergence of Flea-borne Plague – B. Joseph Hinnebusch – Infection and Immunity

Microbes in the news

NOAA Research on Microbial Communities Contributes to National Microbiome Initiative – Edward Pritchard – NOAA

Parasites Influence Makeup of Human Gut Microbiome, BoG Speaker Reports – GenomeWeb

April 20, 2016

Posting from SJC: The reproductive tract microbiome from heterosexual couples, olfactory epithelium changes in GF mice, and life in the twilight zone.

Jobs

Post doc positions in human microbiome research in the Lynch Lab at #UCSF – Jonathan Eisen – MicroBEnet

Human respiratory microbiome

Culture-Independent Identification of Nontuberculous Mycobacteria in Cystic Fibrosis Respiratory Samples – Lindsay J. Caverly – PLOS ONE

Human reproductive tract microbiome

Rationale and Safety Assessment of a Novel Intravaginal Drug-Delivery System with Sustained DL-Lactic Acid Release, Intended for Long-Term Protection of the Vaginal Microbiome – Hans Verstraelen – PLOS ONE

Bacterial communities in penile skin, male urethra, and vaginas of heterosexual couples with and without bacterial vaginosis – Marcela Zozaya – Microbiome

Human gut microbiome

Review: Antibiotics, obesity and the link to microbes – what are we doing to our children? – Olli Turta – BMC Medicine

Review: Microbiome mediation of infections in the cancer setting – Ying Taur – Genome Medicine

Review: Moody microbes or fecal phrenology: what do we know about the microbiota-gut-brain axis? – Paul Forsythe – BMC Medicine

Animal models

Olfactory epithelium changes in germfree mice – Adrien François – Scientific Reports

Association between Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Gut Microbiota – Yanjie Guo – PLOS ONE

Effect of fidaxomicin versus vancomycin on susceptibility to intestinal colonization with vancomycin-resistant enterococci and Klebsiella pneumoniae in mice – Abhishek Deshpande – Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

Intestinal microbiota and oral administration of Enterococcus faecium associated with the growth performance of new-born piglets – Y.B. Wang – Beneficial Microbes

Animal microbiome

Impact of the Chromatin Remodeling Factor CHD1 on Gut Microbiome Composition of Drosophila melanogaster – Johanna Sebald – PLOS ONE

MinireviewLower Termite Associations with Microbes: Synergy, Protection, and Interplay – Brittany F. Peterson – Frontiers in Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Volatile compounds emitted by diverse phytopathogenic microorganisms promote plant growth and flowering through cytokinin action – Ángela María Sánchez-López – Plant, Cell & Environment

Quantifying the associations between fungal endophytes and biocontrol-induced herbivory of invasive purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria L.) – Aaron S David – Mycologia

Effect of CaMSRB2-Expressing Transgenic Rice Cultivation on Soil Microbial Community – Soo-In Sohn – Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Water microbiome

Marine protist associations and environmental impacts across trophic levels in the twilight zone and below – VP Edgcomb – Current Opinion in Microbiology

The Arsenite Oxidation Potential of Native Microbial Communities from Arsenic-Rich Freshwaters – Stefano Fazi – Microbial Ecology

Probiotics

Review: Probiotic approach to prevent antibiotic resistance – Arthur C. Ouwehand – Annals of Medicine

Infection microbiology

Metataxonomic and Metagenomic Approaches vs. Culture-Based Techniques for Clinical Pathology – Sarah K. Hilton – Frontiers in Microbiology

More microbiology
A Generalized Spatial Measure for Resilience of Microbial Systems – Ryan S. Renslow – Frontiers in Microbiology

Community assembly and coexistence in communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi – Kriszta Vályi – The ISME Journal

Microbes in the news

Exploding bacteria could help in our battle against superbugs: Aussie researchers have discovered that some bacteria explode to share useful resources with others, causing the whole group to become nastier. – Signe Dean – SBS

Phylo.io: interactive viewing and comparison of large phylogenetic trees on the web – Oscar Robinson – Molecular Biology and Evolution

April 7, 2016

Biases and challenges with microbiome data, metabolic syndrome, stem cell transplants, ammonia-eating bacteria in fish gills, and a distinct pilus in the gut microbiome.

Events

Webinar: Cancer and the Oral Microbiome: A Metagenomics Approach – Scott Kelley, April 25

General microbiome

Good read about biases: Commentary: Challenges for Case-Control Studies with Microbiome Data – J. Paul Brooks – Annals of Epidemiology

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

Perspective: Microbiome and Anticancer Immunosurveillance – Laurence Zitvogel – Cell

Human oral microbiome

Effects of triclosan on host response and microbial biomarkers during experimental gingivitis – Brooke A. Pancer – Journal of Clinical Periodontology

Human skin microbiome

Review: New insights into acne pathogenesis: Exploring the role of acne-associated microbial populations – Bipul Kumar – Dermatologica Sinica

Human respiratory microbiome

Respiratory syncytial virus and rhinovirus severe bronchiolitis are associated with distinct nasopharyngeal microbiota – Jonathan M. Mansbach – Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Review: The respiratory microbiome: An underappreciated player in the human response to inhaled pollutants? – Sara D. Adar – Annals of Epidemiology

Human gut microbiome

The effect of heritability and host genetics on the gut microbiota and metabolic syndrome – Mi Young Lim – Gut

Functional changes in gut microbiota during haematopoietic stem cell transplantation for severe combined immunodeficiency – Jonathan P. Lane – Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Interplay between bile acid metabolism and microbiota in irritable bowel syndrome – M. Dior – Neurogastroenterology & Motility

Review: The Intestinal Microbiota in Metabolic Disease – Anni Woting – MDPI Nutrients

Animal models

The absence of microbiota delays the inflammatory response to Cryptococcus gattii – Marliete Carvalho Costa – International Journal of Medical Microbiology

Brain injury induces specific changes in the caecal microbiota of mice via altered autonomic activity and mucoprotein production – A. Houlden – Brain, Behavior, and Immunity

Animal microbiome

Branchial nitrogen cycle symbionts can remove ammonia in fish gills – Maartje A.H.J. van Kessel – Environmental Microbiology Reports

Bovine teat microbiome analysis revealed reduced alpha diversity and significant changes in taxonomic profiles in quarters with a history of mastitis – Helene Falentin – Frontiers in Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Could The Martian science heck work? Evolution of soil on Mars – Shannon Bohle – Astronomy & Geophysics

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

Amplicon-based metabarcoding reveals temporal response of soil microbial community to fumigation-derived products – Feng Wei – Applied Soil Ecology

Water microbiome

Identification of bacterial communities in sediments of Poyang Lake, the largest freshwater lake in China – Wenbo Kou – SpringerPlus

Influence of selected environmental factors on the abundance of aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs in peat-bog lakes – Sylwia Lew – Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Other microbiology

From Bacteroidia: A Distinct Type of Pilus from the Human Microbiome – Qingping Xu – Cell

Identification of new drug candidates against Borrelia burgdorferi using high-throughput screening – Venkata Raveendra Pothineni – Drug Design, Development and Therapy

Microbes and art

Another report on this beautiful art: Microbiome Art by Joana Ricou – Alex Alexiev – MicroBEnet

Students paint bacteria in cross campus learning Science Meets Art is a part of the SciCom initiative which is intended to help science students communicate their work and research – Connie Beltran – Texas Christian University

Microbes in the news

“Evolution of Soil on Mars”… where fiction becomes fact – David Coil – MicroBEnet

Gut Microbiota Altered in First-Episode Schizophrenia – Liam Davenport – Medscape

Gut Microbiome May Play Role in Myelination Disorders Including Multiple Sclerosis – interview with John Cryan – Medical Research

New type of symbiosis: Bacteria eat ammonia in fish gills – Science Daily

Elucidating the Microbiome of Acne Pathogenesis – Clincical Microbiomics

Biofilm oscillations: Excellent Paper on Metabolism dynamics + a video – Ben Libberton – NPJ Biofilms Community

California Strains of Lyme Bacteria May Survive Antibiotic Treatment According to Study – PR NewsWire

 

March 30, 2016

Microbiome and mood, bone marrow transplantation, archaea in kangaroos, tardigrade genome contamination.

Events

UC Berkeley Event: Archaea and the Three Domains: Classification of Life for Middle School

Microbiome expert to speak at UB –  Martin Blaser is a former president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, April 6-7 – Charlotte Hsu – University of Buffalo

Pregnancy and birth

Microbiome: Antibiotics and the infant microflora – Kristen Meyer & Kjersti Aagaard – Nature Microbiology

Human mouth microbiome

Accuracy of commercial kits and published primer pairs for the detection of periodontopathogens – Elisabeth Santigli – Clinical Oral Investigations

Human gut microbiome

Gut microbes in correlation with mood: case study in a closed experimental human life support system – L. Li – Neurogastroenterology & Motility

Anti-TNF Therapy Response in Patients with Ulcerative Colitis Is Associated with Colonic Antimicrobial Peptide Expression and Microbiota Composition – Maria K. Magnusson – Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis

Gut microbiota profiling of pediatric NAFLD and obese patients unveiled by an integrated meta-omics based approach – Federica Del Chierico – Hepatology

Commentary: Role of gut flora after bone marrow transplantation – Jonathan U. Peled – Nature Microbiology

Animal microbiome

Differences down-under: alcohol-fueled methanogenesis by archaea present in Australian macropodids – Emily C Hoedt – The ISME Journal

Mussel biofiltration effects on attached bacteria and unicellular eukaryotes in fish-rearing seawater – Eleni Voudanta – PeerJ

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Tobacco, Microbes, and Carcinogens: Correlation Between Tobacco Cure Conditions, Tobacco-Specific Nitrosamine Content, and Cured Leaf Microbial Community – Audrey D. Law – Microbial Ecology

Plant and soil fungal but not soil bacterial communities are linked in long-term fertilized grassland – Noriko A. Cassman – Scientific Reports

Drinking water microbiome

Flow cytometric examination of bacterial growth in a local drinking water network
Sam Van Nevel – Water and Environment Journal

Animal microbiome

Breakdown of coevolution between symbiotic bacteria Wolbachia and their filarial hosts – Emilie Lefoulon – PeerJ

Built environment microbiome

Review (but did not make much sense to me): Toward a microbial Neolithic revolution in buildings – David S. Thaler – Microbiome

Bioreactor microbiome

Functional maintenance and structural flexibility of microbial communities perturbed by simulated intense rainfall in a pilot-scale membrane bioreactor – Yuya Sato – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Fungi

News: Microbiology: Fungus produces a toxic surprise – Aaron P. Mitchell – Nature

Candidalysin is a fungal peptide toxin critical for mucosal infection – David L. Moyes – Nature

Biofilms

Spatio-temporal assembly of functional mineral scaffolds within microbial biofilms – Yaara Oppenheimer-Shaanan – NPJ Biofilms

Metagenomics and bioinformatics

Identifying contamination with advanced visualization and analysis practices: metagenomic approaches for eukaryotic genome assemblies – Tom O Delmont – PeerJ

myPhyloDB: a local web server for the storage and analysis of metagenomic data – Daniel K. Manter – Database

Detection of low-abundance bacterial strains in metagenomic datasets by eigengenome partitioning – Brian Cleary – Nature Biotechnology

Metabolomics

Optimization of metabolomics of defined in vitro gut microbial ecosystems – Dirk K. Wissenbach – International Journal of Medical Microbiology

Microbial ecology

Review: Challenges in microbial ecology: building predictive understanding of community function and dynamics – Stefanie Widder – The ISME Journal

Microbes in the news

Another reason to break the habit: Smoking alters bacterial balance in mouth – EurekAlert

Pseudomonas aeruginosa in shampoos and shower gels made by Gilchrist and Soames – FDA warning letter

Acne bacteria and hot dog cookers: Science projects take center stage at regional fair – Matt Barney – The Joplin Globe

Cave bacteria could control superbugs – News24

The 8-Bit Game That Makes Statistics Addictive – Ed Yong – The Atlantic

Microbes and art

“World’s First” Bacteria-Grown Book Combines Science and Culture – Nathaniel Ainley – The Creators Project

WTF

Polish company to brew beer from Czech model’s vagina bacteria – Ben Hooper – UPI

First Vaginal Beer: Bottled Instinct – Wojciech Mann – IndieGoGo
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March 24, 2016

Two papers on antibiotics in early childhood and obesity, diabetic foot ulcers, vertebrate animal microbiomes, cattle hides, kimchi, human archaeological remains, and high inter-center variability in microbiome results.

General microbiome

Review: Stress as a Normal Cue in the Symbiotic Environment – Julia A. Schwartzman – Trends in Microbiology

Pregnancy and birth

Administration of Antibiotics to Children Before Age 2 Years Increases Risk for Childhood Obesity – Frank I. Scott – Gastroenterology

Antibiotic Exposure During the First 6 Months of Life and Weight Gain During Childhood – Jeffrey S. Gerber – JAMA

Editorial: From Bottles to Diapers: How Manipulating and Exploring the Microbiome Is Defining Newborn Care – Jill L. Maron – Clinical Therapeutics

Research highlight: Gut microbiota dysbiosis precedes NEC – Hugh Thomas – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Human skin microbiome

One step closer to understanding the role of bacteria in diabetic foot ulcers: characterising the microbiome of ulcers – Karen Smith – BMC Microbiology

Human gut microbiome

Colonic Mucosal Epigenome and Microbiome Development in Children and Adolescents – R. Alan Harris – Journal of Immunology Research

Defining the microbial transcriptional response to colitis through integrated host and microbiome profiling – Nicholas Edward Ilott – The ISME Journal

Targeting colorectal cancer-associated bacteria: a new area of research for personalized treatments – T. Faïs – Gut Microbes

Relative Abundance in Bacterial and Fungal Gut Microbes in Obese Children: A Case Control Study – Borgo Francesca – Childhood Obesity

Review: Can attention to the intestinal microbiota improve understanding and treatment of anorexia nervosa? – Jacquelyn Carr – Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Editorial: Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Ulcerative Colitis: FoMenTing Change? – Flaviano S. Martins – Digestive Diseases and Sciences

Review: Does the Microbiome Cause B27-related Acute Anterior Uveitis? – James T. Rosenbaum – Ocular Immunology and Inflammation

Microbes in blood

The prognostic significance of bacterial DNA in patients with decompensated cirrhosis and suspected infection – Tony Bruns – Liver International

Animal models

The microbiota-derived metabolite indole decreases mucosal inflammation and injury in a murine model of NSAID enteropathy – Gut Microbes

TLR4-Dependent Secretion by Hepatic Stellate Cells of the Neutrophil-Chemoattractant CXCL1 Mediates Liver Response to Gut Microbiota – Amélie E. Bigorgne – PLOS ONE

Animal microbiome

Vertebrate bacterial gut diversity: size also matters – Jean-Jacques Godon – BMC Ecology

Larval growth rate is associated with the composition of the gut microbiota in the Glanville fritillary butterfly – L. Ruokolainen – Oecologia

Host origin and tissue-microhabitat shaping the microbiota of the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare – Jessica Dittmer – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Presence of pathogenic Escherichia coli is correlated with bacterial community diversity and composition on pre-harvest cattle hides – Jessica Chopyk – Microbiome

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

High Diversity Revealed in Leaf Associated Protists (Rhizaria: Cercozoa) of Brassicaceae – Sebastian Ploch – The Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology

Precipitation shapes communities of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in Tibetan alpine steppe – Jing Zhang – Scientific Reports

Spatial and seasonal influences on culturable endophytic mycobiota associated with different tissues of Eugenia jambolana Lam. and their antibacterial activity against MDR strains – Manila Yadav – BMC Microbiology

Response of enzyme activities and microbial communities to soil amendment with sugar alcohols – Huili Yu – Microbiology Open

Bioprospecting plant-associated microbiomes – Christina A. Müller – Journal of Biotechnology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Abundances, diversity and seasonality of (non-extremophilic) Archaea in Alpine freshwaters – Christoph Reitschuler – Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Anthropogenic effects on bacterial diversity and function along a river-to-estuary gradient in Northwest Greece revealed by metagenomics – Alexandra Meziti – Environmental Microbiology

Heterotrophic Proteobacteria in the vicinity of diffuse hydrothermal venting – Dimitri Meier – Environmental Microbiology

Waste and pollution microbiology

Response and resilience of soil microbial communities inhabiting in edible oil stress/contamination from industrial estates – Vrutika Patel – BMC Microbiology

Built environment microbiology

Diversity of ribosomal 16S DNA- and RNA-based bacterial community in an office building drinking water system – Jenni Inkinen – Journal of Applied Microbiology

Forensic microbiology

Complications in the study of ancient tuberculosis: Presence of environmental bacteria in human archaeological remains – Romy Müller – Journal of Archaeological Science

Food microbiology

Lentibacillus kimchii sp. nov., an extremely halophilic bacterium isolated from kimchi, a Korean fermented vegetable – Young Joon Oh – Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Computational modeling

Host Selection of Microbiota via Differential Adhesion – Kirstie McLoughlin – Cell Host & Microbe

Techniques

The real cost of sequencing: scaling computation to keep pace with data generation – Paul Muir – Genome Biology

Multicenter quality assessment of 16S ribosomal DNA-sequencing for microbiome analyses reveals high inter-center variability – Andreas Hiergeist –
International Journal of Medical Microbiology

Genotyping bacterial and fungal pathogens using sequence variation in the gene for the CCA-adding enzyme – Paul Franz – BMC Microbiology

Proteomics

Review: Tackling probiotic and gut microbiota functionality through proteomics – Lorena Ruiz – Journal of Proteomics

Microbes in the news

Can we model how viruses move between species? – Nancy Mendoza – Microbe Post

The Virus That Could Cure Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and More – Jon Palfreman – PBS

Report: Laminate wood flooring risk was underestimated by CDC – Jonathan Eisen – MicroBEnet

Microbiota profiles in patients with colorectal cancer differ from healthy individuals – Healio

Science, publishing and career

Set up a ‘self-retraction’ system for honest errors, says Daniele Fanelli – Nature

Incorporating Primary Scientific Literature in Middle and High School Education – Sarah C. Fankhauser – ASM Science

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March 22, 2016

Eye microbiota and contact lenses, leaf-cutter ant dumps, bacteria help with platinum transformation, metagenomics from a Swedish cave, extreme habitats at home, bacteria on board the ISS, a special issue on Megaviromes, and a recipe for Poop Peeps.

Jobs

Lecturership in Human Microbiome Studies – University of Reading, UK

Pregnancy and birth

Effect of Infant Formula Containing a Low Dose of the Probiotic Bifidobacterium lactis CNCM I-3446 on Immune and Gut Functions in C-Section Delivered Babies: A Pilot Study – L. Baglatzi – Clinical Medicine Insights: Pediatrics

Infection, immunology, and transplantion microbiology

Metagenomic analysis of bloodstream infections in patients with acute leukemia and therapy-induced neutropenia – P. Gyarmati – Scientific Reports

Rifaximin preserves intestinal microbiota balance in patients undergoing allogeneic stem cell transplantation – D Weber – Bone Marrow Transplantation

Gut microbiome–derived metabolites modulate intestinal epithelial cell damage and mitigate graft-versus-host disease – Nathan D Mathewson – Nature Immunology

Crosstalk between microbiota, pathogens and the innate immune responses – Claudia Günther – International Journal of Medical Microbiology

Human oral microbiome

Commentary: Microbiota-derived metabolites modulate tissue homeostasis: relevance to the oral cavity? – Hervé Le Moual – Oral Diseases

Human eye and skin microbiome

Changes in the Eye Microbiota Associated with Contact Lens Wearing – Hakdong Shin – mBio

Human vaginal microbiome

Improvement and automation of a real-time PCR assay for vaginal fluids – E. De Vittori – Forensic Science International

Human gut microbiome

Conference report: Talking about cross-talk: the immune system and the microbiome: A report on the first EMBO conference entitled “Next Gen Immunology—From Host Genome to the Microbiome: Immunity in the Genomic Era”, Feb 2016 – David Zeevi – Genome Biology

Review: An (Anti)-Inflammatory Microbiota: Defining the Role in Inflammatory Bowel Disease? – Burman S. – Digestive Diseases

Review: Gut Microbiota: The Brain Peacekeeper – Chunlong Mu – Frontiers in Microbiology

Review [PDF]: The intestinal microbiota and its role in human health and
disease – Keiko Kataoka – The Journal of Medical Investigation

Editorial: The microbiome as a possible target to prevent celiac disease – Maureen M Leonard – Expert Review of Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Animal models

Mice: Arthritis-induced alveolar bone loss is associated with changes in the composition of oral microbiota – Jôice Dias Corrêa – Anaerobe

Chickens: Dietary High Fluorine Alters Intestinal Microbiota in Broiler Chickens – Qin Luo – Biological Trace Element Research

Tilapia: Abrupt suspension of probiotics administration may increase host pathogen susceptibility by inducing gut dysbiosis – Zhi Liu – Scientific Reports

Animal microbiome

Cellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities from Leaf-Cutter Ant (Atta colombica) Refuse Dumps Vary in Taxonomic Composition and Degradation Ability – Gina R. Lewin – PLOS ONE

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Relic DNA is abundant in soil and obscures estimates of soil microbial diversity – Paul Carini – bioRxiv

Biological role in the transformation of platinum-group mineral grains – Frank Reith – Nature Geoscience

Associations between ectomycorrhizal fungi and bacterial needle endophytes in Pinus radiata: implications for biotic selection of microbial communities – Megan A. Rúa – Frontiers in Microbiology

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

No synergistic effects of water and nitrogen addition on soil microbial communities and soil respiration in a temperate desert – Yan Gui Su – CATENA

The role of phosphorus, magnesium and potassium availability in soil fungal exploration of mineral nutrient sources in Norway spruce forests – Nicholas P. Rosenstock – New Phytologist

Climate and edaphic controllers influence rhizosphere community assembly for a wild annual grass – Erin E. Nuccio – Ecology

Temporal distance decay of similarity of ectomycorrhizal fungal community composition in a subtropical evergreen forest in Japan – Shunsuke Matsuoka – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

ReviewThe Functioning of Rhizosphere Biota in Wetlands – a Review – Amir Neori – Wetlands

Water and extremophile microbiome

Experimental evidence that microbial activity lowers the albedo of glaciers – M. Musilova – Geochemical Perspectives Letters

Transcriptional analysis of sulfate reducing and chemolithoautotrophic sulfur oxidizing bacteria in the deep subseafloor – William D. Orsi – Environmental Microbiology Reports

Cave microbiome

Metagenomic Analysis from the Interior of a Speleothem in Tjuv-Ante’s Cave, Northern Sweden – Marie Lisandra Zepeda Mendoza – PLOS ONE

Built environment microbiology

Microbial diversity of extreme habitats in human homes – Amy M. Savage – PeerJ preprint

Growth of 48 built environment bacterial isolates on board the International Space Station (ISS) – David A. Coil – PeerJ

Food microbiology

Isolation and identification of biocellulose-producing bacterial strains from Malaysian acidic fruits – Wen Yi W. V – Letters in Applied Microbiology

Bioinformatics, techniques, and metagenomics

Strain-level microbial epidemiology and population genomics from shotgun metagenomics – Matthias Scholz – Nature Methods

Improving the microbial community reconstruction at the genus level by multiple 16S rRNA regions – Shengqin Wang – Journal of Theoretical Biology

A framework for inferring biological communities from environmental DNA – Andrew Olaf Shelton – Ecological Applications

Review: Next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the microbiological world: How to make the most of your money – Antony T. Vincent – Journal of Microbiological Methods

Metagenomics and viruses

A Next-Generation Sequencing Data Analysis Pipeline for Detecting Unknown Pathogens from Mixed Clinical Samples and Revealing Their Genetic Diversity – Yu-Nong Gong – PLOS ONE

Exploring the virome of cattle with non-suppurative encephalitis of unknown etiology by metagenomics – Daniel Wüthrich – Virology

The Intestinal Eukaryotic Virome in Healthy and Diarrhoeic Neonatal Piglets – Oskar E. Karlsson – PLOS ONE

Special issue of Current Opinion in Microbiology: Megaviromes
Review: Giant viruses come of age – Matthias G Fischer
Review: Giant viruses and the origin of modern eukaryotes – Patrick Forterre

To be or not to be alive: How recent discoveries challenge the traditional definitions of viruses and life – Patrick Forterre – Studies in History and Philosophy of Science Part C: Studies in History and Philosophy of Biological and Biomedical Sciences

More microbiology

The mystery of plague in medieval Iceland – Chris Callow – Journal of Medieval History

Microbes in the news

HT: Tomer Altman: Poop Peeps: Today we’re going to make Poop Peeps. Marshmallow Peeps that are shaped like the poop emoji.– Matthew Cetta – Nomageddon

Elizabethkingia, the rare and deadly bacteria that’s sickening people in the Midwest, explained – Julia Belluz – Vox

Forest resilience; can microbes help combat climate change issues faster than genetic adaptations? – Armand Séguin

Controversial New Push to Tie Microbes to Alzheimer’s Disease. A journal article says herpes virus and Lyme disease bacteria are behind the mind-robbing illness, but not all researchers are convinced – Melinda Wenner Moyer – Scientific American

Bacteria Are Revolutionizing Biotech–Here’s Why We Need To Talk About It – Catherine Feuillet – Forbes

Contact Lenses Fill Your Eyes With Bacteria – Mandy Oaklander – Time

Killing Bacteria With Gold Nanodisks And Light – Jennifer Hicks – Forbes

Space gives bacteria room to grow – Dan Satherley – NewsHub

Uncovering bacterial role in platinum formation – University of Adelaide

Top Science Fair Projects Put Stream Data, Bacteria to Work – Dan Swanson – News Channel Nebraska

The Daily Startup: Startups Look to ‘New Frontier’ of Microbiomes to Fight Disease – Wall Street Journal

The Human Microbiome Handbook – Edited by Jason Tetro, Emma Allen-Vercoe

New Bioinformatic Approach Enables Strain-Level Microbial Profiling From Metagenomic Data – Genome Web

Ulcerative Colitis Improves in Multidonor Fecal Transplant Trial – Damian McNamara – MedScape

Blog posts by me:

New papers, March 22, 2016 – Elisabeth Bik – MicroBEnet

Extreme environments at home – Elisabeth Bik – MicroBEnet

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March 13, 2016

General microbiome

Review: Engineering Human Microbiota: Influencing Cellular and Community Dynamics for Therapeutic Applications – S. Woloszynek – International Review of Cell and Molecular Biology

Pregnancy and birth / Human vaginal microbiome

Review: The vaginal microbiota, host defense and reproductive physiology – Steven B Smith – The Journal of Physiology

Human gut microbiome

Review: Brain-Gut-Microbiota axis: Challenges for Translation in Psychiatry – John R. Kelly – Annals of Epidemiology

Editorial: The microbiome in celiac disease: Beyond diet-genetic interactions – Jose U. Scher – Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
Animal models

Age, introduction of solid feed and weaning are more important determinants of gut bacterial succession in piglets than breed and nursing mother as revealed by a reciprocal cross-fostering model – Gaorui Bian – Environmental Microbiology

Heat-treated high-fat diet modifies gut microbiota and metabolic markers in apoe−/− mice – Nittaya Marungruang – Nutrition & Metabolism

Animal microbiome

Characterization of pollen and bacterial community composition in brood provisions of a small carpenter bee – Quinn S. McFrederick – Molecular Ecology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Cry1Ac Transgenic Sugarcane Does Not Affect the Diversity of Microbial Communities and Has No Significant Effect on Enzyme Activities in Rhizosphere Soil within One Crop Season – Dinggang Zhou – Frontiers in Plant Science

Succession of soil microbial communities and enzyme activities in artificial soils – Franziska Ditteric – Pedobiologia

Effect of copper and zinc on microbial tolerance to triclosan in two soil types – Gerty J. H. P. Gielen – Journal of Soils and Sediments

Microbial enzymes as an early warning management tool for monitoring mining site soils – Mohammad Wahsha – CATENA

Water and glacier microbiome

Bacterial communities potentially involved in iron-cycling in Baltic Sea and North Sea sediments revealed by pyrosequencing – Carolina Reyes – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

The Differing Biogeochemical and Microbial Signatures of Glaciers and Rock Glaciers – Timothy S. Fegel – Journal of Geophysical Research

Diuron tolerance and potential degradation by pelagic microbiomes in the Great Barrier Reef lagoon – Florent E. Angly – PeerJ

Infection microbiology

Whole genome sequencing identifies a novel species of the genus Capnocytophaga isolated from dog and cat bite wounds in humans – Salah Zangena – Scientific Reports

Viruses

RNA viruses as major contributors to Antarctic virioplankton – Jaclyn A Miranda – Environmental Microbiology

Review: Giant viruses of amoebas: an update – Sarah Aherfi – Frontiers in Microbiology

Microbial Ecology

Review: Dancing with the Stars: How Choreographed Bacterial Interactions Dictate Nososymbiocity and Give Rise to Keystone Pathogens, Accessory Pathogens, and Pathobionts – George Hajishengallis – Trends in Microbiology

Metagenomics and bioinformatics

LSG: An External-Memory Tool to Compute String Graphs for Next-Generation Sequencing Data Assembly – Paola Bonizzoni – Journal of Computational Biology

Microbes in the news

Cool Citizen Microbiology Project in Spain With Great Engagement – David Coil – Microbenet

Podcast: The Bacteria Behind Your Favorite Blues, Bries, and More – Science Friday

Science, publishing and career

Scientists who tweet: 3 Fred Hutch researchers talk about getting #science out into the world, 140 characters at a time – Mary Engel – Fred Hutch

This Student Adds A Woman In Science To Wikipedia Every Time She’s Harassed Online – Kelly Oakes – BuzzFeed

Bik’s Picks

Neandertals’ large lower thorax may represent adaptation to high protein diet – Miki Ben-Dor – American Journal of Physical Anthropology

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March 11, 2016

Posting from the airport – flying home to my folks for a week. I will try to keep you all updated, though! Fecal microbiota from dolphins (by another group!), microbes and Alzheimer’s, plastic-eating bacteria, and lead exposure.

Pregnancy and birth

State Scope of Practice Laws, Nurse-Midwifery Workforce, and Childbirth Procedures and Outcomes – Y. Tony Yang – Women’s Health Issues

Human oral microbiome

Characterization of a highly arginolytic Streptococcus species that potently antagonizes Streptococcus mutans – Xuelian Huang – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

The Microbiome of the Oral Mucosa in Irritable Bowel Syndrome – Nicolaas H. Fourie – Gut Microbes

Preliminary analysis of salivary microbiome and their potential roles in oral lichen planus
Kun Wang – Scientific Reports

Human respiratory microbiome

Review: The lung microbiome and exacerbations of COPD – Dy, Rajany – Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine

Human vaginal microbiome

Unique Insights in the Cervicovaginal Lactobacillus iners and L. crispatus Proteomes and Their Associations with Microbiota Dysbiosis – Hanneke Borgdorff – PLOS ONE

Human gut microbiome

The Microbiome, Intestinal Function, and Arginine Metabolism of Healthy Indian Women Are Different from Those of American and Jamaican Women – CC Kao – Journal of Nutrition

Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Inhibits Multidrug-Resistant Gut Pathogens: Preliminary Report Performed in an Immunocompromised Host – Jarosław Biliński – Archivum Immunologiae et Therapiae Experimentalis

The Intersection of TNF, IBD and the Microbiome – Yava L. Jones-Hall – Gut Microbes

Review: Bacterial species involved in the conversion of dietary flavonoids in the human gut – Annett Braune – Gut Microbes

Review: Formation of short chain fatty acids by the gut microbiota and their impact on human metabolism – Douglas J. Morrison – Gut Microbes

Microbiome models

Perinatal lead (Pb) exposure alters gut microbiota composition and results in sex-specific bodyweight increases in adult mice – Jianfeng Wu – Toxicological Sciences

Castration influences intestinal microflora and induces abdominal obesity in high-fat diet-fed mice – Naoki Harada – Scientific Reports

Animal microbiome

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) fecal microbiota – Matteo Soverini – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Bacterial associations reveal spatial population dynamics in Anopheles gambiae mosquitoes – Moritz Buck – Scientific Reports

Resistance to antimicrobial agents among enterococci isolated from fecal samples of wild marine species in the southern coast of Brazil – Janira Prichula – Marine Pollution Bulletin

Targeting eukaryote mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene: Unbiased Characterization of Anopheles Mosquito Blood Meals by Targeted High-Throughput Sequencing – Kyle Logue – PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Characterization of caecum and crop microbiota of Indian indigenous chicken targeting multiple hypervariable regions within 16s rRNA gene – S. Saxena – British Poultry Science

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Nitrogen-fixing bacterial communities in invasive legume nodules and associated soils are similar across introduced and native range populations in Australia – Christina Birnbaum – Journal of Biogeography

Abundance and Diversity of Bacterial, Archaeal, and Fungal Communities Along an Altitudinal Gradient in Alpine Forest Soils: What Are the Driving Factors? – José A. Siles – Microbial Ecology

Interactions between Bacteria And Aspen Defense Chemicals at the Phyllosphere – Herbivore Interface – Charles J. Mason – Journal of Chemical Ecology

Long-term effects of multi-walled carbon nanotubes and graphene on microbial communities in dry soil – Yuan Ge – Environmental Science and Technology

Air and space station microbiome

Airborne Bacterial Diversity from the Low Atmosphere of Greater Mexico City – Jaime García-Mena – Environmental Microbiology

Characterization of Fungi Isolated from the Equipment Used in the International Space Station or Space Shuttle – Kazuo Satoh – Microbiology and Immunology

Water, waste, and pollution microbiology

A bacterium that degrades and assimilates poly(ethylene terephthalate) – Shosuke Yoshida – Science

The occurrence of PAHs and faecal sterols in Dublin Bay and their influence on sedimentary microbial communities – Brian T. Murphy – Marine Pollution Bulletin

Bacterial communities potentially involved in iron-cycling in Baltic Sea and North Sea sediments revealed by pyrosequencing – Carolina Reyes – Microbiology Ecology

Microbial Ecology

Phylogenetic organization of bacterial activity – Ember M Morrissey – The ISME Journal

Infection and microbiology

Editorial: Microbes and Alzheimer’s Disease – Ruth F. Itzhaki – Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease

Treatment of in vitro enterohemorrhagic E. coli infection using phage and probiotics – Cecilia Dini _ Journal of Applied Microbiology

Microbes in the news

These plastic-eating bacteria could help cut down on waste – Rachel Feltman – Washington Post

Some bacteria think plastic is fantastic – Nicholas S. Wigginton – Science

Science: Newly Identified Bacteria Break Down Tough Plastic – Michelle Hampson – AAAS News

Scientists identify a virus and two bacteria that could be causing Alzheimer’s – Fiona MacDonald – Science Alert

Lead exposure changes gut microbiota, increases chance for obesity – Laurel Thomas Gnagey – University of Michigan

These newly discovered bacteria can help prevent cavities, and scientists want to put them in a pill – Peter Dockrill – Science Alert

Viral infections may affect respiratory microbiome of patients with CF – Healio

Emollient Treatment Improves Skin Microbiome in Atopic Dermatitis: Interview with Sophie Seite – Medical Research

Science, publishing, and career

The Frequency of “Brilliant” and “Genius” in Teaching Evaluations Predicts the Representation of Women and African Americans across Fields – Daniel Storage – PLOS ONE

Papers with simpler abstracts are cited more, study suggests – Dalmeet Singh Chawla – Retraction Watch
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March 9, 2016

Two papers on altered microbiome in HIV-infected humans and SIV-infected monkeys, ESBL carriage in hospital wards and medical students, fungus infection affects frog song, and protein recycling in the ocean.

Pregnancy and birth

Gut bacteria dysbiosis and necrotising enterocolitis in very low birthweight infants: a prospective case-control study – Barbara B Warner – The Lancet

Human gut microbiome

Editorial: The HIV-Associated Enteric Microbiome Has Gone Viral – Brent E. Palmer – Cell Host & Microbe

Altered Virome and Bacterial Microbiome in Human Immunodeficiency Virus-Associated Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome – Cynthia L. Monaco – Cell Host & Microbe

Comparison of the faecal colonization rates with extended-spectrum beta-lactamase producing enterobacteria among patients in different wards, outpatients and screened medical students – Fatemeh Ebrahimi – Microbiology and Immunology

Animal models

SIV Infection-Mediated Changes in Gastrointestinal Bacterial Microbiome and Virome Are Associated with Immunodeficiency and Prevented by Vaccination – Scott A. Handley – Cell Host & Microbe

Animal microbiome

Enhanced call effort in Japanese tree frogs infected by amphibian chytrid fungus
Deuknam An – Biology Letters

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Diversity and bioactivity of bacterial endophyte community of Cupressaceae – J. Soltani – Forest Pathology

Leaf litter decomposition in remote oceanic island streams is driven by microbes and depends on litter quality and environmental conditions – Verónica Ferreira – Freshwater Biology

Network modules and hubs in plant-root fungal biomes – Hirokazu Toju – Journal of the Royal Society Interface

Water and extremophile microbiome

Diverse, uncultivated bacteria and archaea underlying the cycling of dissolved protein in the ocean – William D Orsi – The ISME Journal

Food microbiology

Detection of pathogenic Escherichia coli and microbiological quality of chilled shrimp sold in street markets – Liliana Jose Barbosa – Letters in Applied Microbiology

More microbiology

Antimicrobial activity of extracts from macroalgae Ulva lactuca against clinically-important Staphylococci is impacted by lunar phase of macroalgae harvest – Amy M. Deveau – Letters in Applied Microbiology

Microbes in the news

Bacteria discovered by scientists in London cuts dependence on commercial fertilizers – John Miner – LFPress

Fungus makes tree frogs sing – Nature

Michigan researchers start $9.2M effort to study bacteria – Click on Detroit

“Nightmare Bacteria” Found in Southern California Sewage Treatment Plants – Alexander Haro – The Inertia

Two Starbucks Items Voluntarily Recalled Due to Bacteria, Allergen Risk – Gillian Mohney – ABC News

Science, publishing, and career

Scientific record: Class uncorrected errors as misconduct – Sophien Kamoun – Nature

A Multi-dimensional Investigation of the Effects of Publication Retraction on Scholarly Impact – Xin Shuai – Arxiv

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March 8, 2016

A very special edition of Bik’s Picks on this International Women’s Day: Soil decomposition on Mount Kilimanjaro, genome of a Ruminococcus associated with IBS, survival of microbes during the digestion of cheese.

Human oral microbiome

EditorialOral Biofilm Architecture at the Microbial Scale – Maria D. Ferrer – Trends in Microbiology

Human reproductive tract microbiome

Cervical Microbiota Associated with Risk of Higher Grade Cervical Intraepithelial Neoplasia in Women Infected with High-Risk Human Papillomaviruses – Chandrika J Piyathilake – Cancer Prevention Research

Human gut microbiome

Isolation and whole genome sequencing of a Ruminococcus-like bacterium, associated with irritable bowel syndrome – Ulla Hynönen – Anaerobe

Opinion: Gut microbiota impact on stroke outcome: Fad or fact? – Katarzyna Winek – J Cereb Blood Flow Metab

Review: Mechanisms linking the gut microbiome and glucose metabolism – Kristina M Utzschneider – J Clin Endocrinol Metab

Review: Gut Microbiome and Kidney Disease in Pediatrics: Does Connection Exist? – Tetyana L. Vasylyeva – Frontiers in Microbiology

Review: The complex interplay of diet, xenobiotics, and microbial metabolism in the gut: Implications for clinical outcomes – Mariia Taguer – Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Review: Obesity and Asthma: Microbiome-metabolome Interactions – Stephanie A Shore – American Journal of Respiratory Cell and Molecular Biology

Animal models

Gut Microbiota-Induced Immunoglobulin G Controls Systemic Infection by Symbiotic Bacteria and Pathogens – Melody Y. Zeng – Immunity

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Methodological Guidelines for Accurate Detection of Viruses in Wild Plant Species – Christelle Lacroix – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Rice bacterial endophytes: isolation of a collection, identification of beneficial strains and microbiome analysis – Iris Bertani – Environmental Microbiology

Sulfur Fertilization Changes the Community Structure of Rice Root-, and Soil-Associated Bacteria – Sachiko Masuda – Microbes and Environments

Do shifts in life strategies explain microbial community responses to increasing nitrogen in tundra soil? – Minna Männistö – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Temperature sensitivity and enzymatic mechanisms of soil organic matter decomposition along an altitudinal gradient on Mount Kilimanjaro – Еvgenia Blagodatskaya – Scientific Reports

Influence of pesticide seed treatments on rhizosphere fungal and bacterial communities and leaf fungal endophyte communities in maize and soybean – Rachel Nettles – Applied Soil Ecology

Forest understory plant and soil microbial response to an experimentally induced drought and heat-pulse event: the importance of maintaining the continuum – Isabell von Rein – Global Change Biology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Abundance and Biogeography of Picoprasinophyte Ecotypes and Other Phytoplankton in the Eastern North Pacific Ocean – Melinda P. Simmons – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Metagenomic 16s rrna investigation of microbial communities in the Black Sea estuaries in South-West of Ukraine – Oleksandra Bobrova – Acta Biochimica Polonica

Waste and pollution microbiology

Contaminant-Degrading Microorganisms Identified Using Stable Isotope Probing – Alison M. Cupples – Chemical Engineering & Technology

Food microbiology

Survival of lactic acid and propionibacteria in low- and full-fat Dutch-type cheese during human digestion Ex vivo – Aleksandra Martinovic – Letters in Applied Microbiology

Metagenomics and bioinformatics

Review: Targeted metagenomics of active microbial populations with stable-isotope probing -Sara Coyotzi – Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Infection and microbiology

Diagnosis of Bacterial Bloodstream Infections: A 16S Metagenomics Approach – Saskia Decuypere – PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases

Microbes in the news

Fibre and protein enhance gut bacteria in children – Malene Sommer Christiansen – Science Nordic

Extreme Microbiome Project Aims to Characterize Microbes Living in Harsh Environments – Monica Heger – Genome Web

UTI bacteria use hooks to hang on inside you when you pee – Clare Wilson – New Scientist

Science, publishing and career

Statistical significance and its part in science downfalls – Hilda Bastian – PLOS Blogs

Microbiology and Nature in Video Games – Alex Alexiev – MicroBEnet

Tricon2016: The Microbiome: Sorting Out the Hype from the Hope – Bonnie Feldman – Storify

Leap day, giant viruses, and gene-editing – Dawn Field – Oxford University Press blog
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