Category Archives: Microbial Ecology

November 10, 2017

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Events and jobs
Postdoctoral Fellow – Institute of Genome Sciences (IGS) with Hotopp Lab – Baltimore, Maryland

Pregnancy and early life
Influence of vitamin D on key bacterial taxa in infant microbiota in the KOALA Birth Cohort Study – Chris E. Talsness – PLoS One

Review: Role of the Human Breast Milk-Associated Microbiota on the Newborns’ Immune System: A Mini Review – Marco Toscano – Frontiers in Microbiology

Review: The First Microbial Colonizers of the Human Gut: Composition, Activities, and Health Implications of the Infant Gut Microbiota – Christian Milani – Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews

Multi-site human microbiome
Segmented Filamentous Bacteria Provoke Lung Autoimmunity by Inducing Gut-Lung Axis Th17 Cells Expressing Dual TCRs – C. Pierce Bradley – Cell Host and Microbe

Human vaginal microbiome
Genitourinary Syndrome of the Menopause: Vaginal Health and Microbiota – Maria Jesús Cancelo-Hidalgo – Menopause

Human gut microbiome
Review: Microbial biotransformations in the human distal gut – Elisabeth M Bik – British Journal of Pharmacology

Review: The Human Microbiome and Obesity: Moving beyond Associations – Padma Maruvada – Cell Host and Microbe

A Microbiomic Analysis in African Americans with Colonic Lesions Reveals Streptococcus sp.VT162 as a Marker of Neoplastic Transformation – Hassan Brim – Genes

Multiple articles from Frontiers in Immunology:
LC3-Associated Phagocytosis Is Required for Dendritic Cell Inflammatory Cytokine Response to Gut Commensal Yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae – Dimitra Lamprinaki – Frontiers in Immunology

Immunological and Clinical Effect of Diet Modulation of the Gut Microbiome in Multiple Sclerosis Patients: A Pilot Study – Marina Saresella – Frontiers in Immunology

Review: TH17 Cell and Epithelial Cell Crosstalk during Inflammatory Bowel Disease and Carcinogenesis – Jan Kempski – Frontiers in Immunology

Animal experiments
Difference in the gut microbiome between ovariectomy-induced obesity and diet-induced obesity – S. Choi – Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
No link available yet, linked to PubMed.

The effects of starter microbiota and the early life feeding of medium chain triglycerides on the gastric transcriptome profile of 2- or 3-week-old cesarean delivered piglets – Paolo Trevisi – Journal of Animal Science and Biotechnology

Animal microbiome
Prodigiosin, Violacein, and Volatile Organic Compounds Produced by Widespread Cutaneous Bacteria of Amphibians Can Inhibit Two Batrachochytrium Fungal Pathogens – Douglas C. Woodhams – Microbial Ecology

Accessing the Hidden Microbial Diversity of Aphids: an Illustration of How Culture-Dependent Methods Can Be Used to Decipher the Insect Microbiota – Alina S. Grigorescu – Microbial Ecology

Diversity and characterization of bacteria associated with the deep-sea hydrothermal vent crab Austinograea sp. comparing with those of two shallow-water crabs by 16S ribosomal DNA analysis – Na Zhang – PLoS One

Diets Alter the Gut Microbiome of Crocodile Lizards – Hai-Ying Jiang – Frontiers in Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome
Opinion: Nitrogen limitation of decomposition and decay: how can it occur? – Colin Averill – Global Change Biology

Compatible bacterial mixture, tolerant to desiccation, improves maize plant growth – Dalia Molina-Romero – PLoS One

Effects of root pruning on the physicochemical properties and microbial activities of poplar rhizosphere soil – Da-Wei Jing – PLoS One

Biochar amendment changes temperature sensitivity of soil respiration and composition of microbial communities 3 years after incorporation in an organic carbon-poor dry cropland soil – Junhui Chen – Biology and Fertility of Soils

Book of interest: Endophytes: Biology and Biotechnology – Dinesh K. Maheshwari

Biosynthetic potential of actinomycetes in brown forest soil on the eastern coast of the aegean sea – I. G. Shirokikh – Eurasian Soil Science

Water and extremophile microbiome
Editorial: Deep Carbon in Earth: Early Career Scientist Contributions to the Deep Carbon Observatory – Donato Giovannelli – Frontiers in Earth Science

Spatial variability of marine bacterial and archaeal communities along the particulate matter continuum – Mireia Mestre – Molecular Ecology

Cyanobacteria and Alphaproteobacteria May Facilitate Cooperative Interactions in Niche Communities – Marc W. Van Goethem – Frontiers in Microbiology

Influences of anthropogenic land use on microbial community structure and functional potentials of stream benthic biofilms – Xiaodong Qu – Scientific Reports

Linking Compositional and Functional Predictions to Decipher the Biogeochemical Significance in DFAA Turnover of Abundant Bacterioplankton Lineages in the North Sea – Bernd Wemheuer – Microorganisms

Biohydrogen production at pH below 3.0: Is it possible? – V.T. Mota – Water Research

Groundwater Microbial Communities Along a Generalized Flowpath in Nomhon Area, Qaidam Basin, China – Y Sheng – Ground Water
No link available yet, linked to PubMed.

Targeted metatranscriptomics of compost-derived consortia reveals a GH11 exerting an unusual exo-1,4-β-xylanase activity – Bruno L. Mello – Biotechnology for Biofuels

Environmental factors shaping the archaeal community structure and ether lipid distribution in a subtropic river and estuary, China – Wenting Guo – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Built environment
The Nosocomial Risk of Bacterial Contamination of Surgical Wards at Saint Francis Hospital in Katete District of Zambia – Frank Mtonga – ARC Journal of Clinical Case Reports

Food microbiology
Preventive effects of a probiotic mixture in an ovalbumin-induced food allergy model – HS Shin -Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
No link available yet, linked to PubMed.

Digestion under saliva, simulated gastric and small intestinal conditions and fermentation in vitro by human intestinal microbiota of polysaccharides from Fuzhuan brick tea – Guijie Chen – Food Chemistry

Phages and viruses
Several book chapters from Bacteriophage Therapy:
Book Section: Methods for Bacteriophage Preservation – Małgorzata B. Łobocka
Interaction of Bacteriophages with Mammalian Cells – Zuzanna Kaźmierczak

Perspective: The Intra-Dependence of Viruses and the Holobiont – Juris A. Grasis – Frontiers in Immunology

Bioinformatics
Metagenome sequence clustering with hash-based canopies – Mohammad Arifur Rahman – Journal of Bioinformatics and Computational Biology

Book: UNIT 1E.14 Computational Methods for Human Microbiome Analysis – Matthieu J. Miossec – Current Protocols in Microbiology

Microbes in the news
Enhanced understanding of the microbiome is helping medicine – The Economist

Microbes on the market
Seres Therapeutics to Participate in Three Upcoming November Conferences – Business Wire

Global Microbiome Sequencing Services Market Outlook 2017 Growth, Trends, Forecasts 2022 – Samuel – Talk Daily News

Space travel changes gut bacteria in mice – Science Nordic

New model reveals possibility of pumping antibiotics into bacteria – Phys Org
Paper: New free-exchange model of EmrE transport – Anne E. Robinson – PNAS

EPA approves bacteria-infected insects to kill mosquitoes – Bonnie Burton – CNET

Bacteria Hysteria
Deadly bacterial infections could be coming from your kitchen sink PLUGHOLE – Matt Atherton – Express

Science, publishing, and career
The GOP tax bill could be a disaster for PhD students – Jen Kirby – Vox

November 8, 2017

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Photosynthesizing bacteria printed on paper, investigations of microbial communities in water dispensers and mines, a review on the health benefits of natural products from truffles.

Human respiratory microbiome

Review: Airway Microbiota and Allergic Diseases: Clinical Implications – Eman M Fouda – International Journal of Pulmonary and Respiratory Sciences

Human oral microbiome

Proton pump inhibitor alters oral microbiome in gastrointestinal tract of healthy volunteers – Tsuyoshi Mishiro – Journal of Gastroenterology and Hematology

Human gut microbiome

Gut Microbiota Interacts with Markers of Adipose Tissue Browning, Insulin Action and Plasma Acetate in Morbid Obesity – José María Moreno-Navarrete – Molecular Nutrition and Food Research

Is there a relationship between intestinal microbiota, dietary compounds, and obesity? – Joanna Kałużna-Czaplińska – Trends in Food Science and Technology

Animal experiments

Combination of quercetin and resveratrol reduces obesity in high-fat diet-fed rats by modulation of gut microbiota – Le Zhao – Food and Function

Post-weaning social isolation of rats leads to long-term disruption of the gut microbiota-immune-brain axis – Fionn Dunphy Doherty – Brain, Behavior, and Immunity

Host-microbiota interaction induces bi-phasic inflammation and glucose intolerance in mice – Antonio Molinaro – Molecular Metabolism

Obesogenic diet-induced gut barrier dysfunction and pathobiont expansion aggravate experimental colitis – June-Chul Lee – PLOS ONE

Animal microbiome

Gut region influences the diversity and interactions of bacterial communities in pikas (Ochotona curzoniae and Ochotona daurica) – Huan Li – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Nitrate induction and physiological responses of two maize lines differing in nitrogen use efficiency: effects on N availability, microbial diversity and enzyme activity in the rhizosphere – Zeno Varanini – Plant and Soil

The emergent rhizosphere: imaging the development of the porous architecture at the root-soil interface – J R Halliwell – Scientific Reports

Co-existence of Rhizobia and Diverse Non-Rhizobial Bacteria in the Rhizosphere and Nodules of Dalbergia odorifera Seedlings Inoculated with Bradyrhizobium elkanii，Rhizobium multihospitium–like and Burkholderia pyrrocinia–like Strains – Junkun Lu – Frontiers in Microbiology

Diversity of endophytic bacteria from Piper spp. with antagonistic property against Phytophthora capsici causing foot rot disease in black pepper (Piper nigrum L.) – Nadiya Kollakkodan – Journal of Tropical Agriculture

Seasonal and annual variation in fungal communities associated with epigeic springtails (Collembola spp.) in boreal forests – Sten Anslan – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

An Integrated Insight into the Relationship between Soil Microbial Community and Tobacco Bacterial Wilt Disease – Hongwu Yang – Frontiers in Microbiology

Resource availability underlies the plant-fungal diversity relationship in a grassland ecosystem – Lauren C Cline – Ecology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Microflora Thermarum Atlas project: biodiversity in thermal spring waters and natural SPA pools – F Valeriani – Water Science and Technology: Water Supply

Modes of carbon xation in an arsenic and CO2-rich shallow hydrothermal ecosystem – Nolwenn Callac – Scientific Reports

Difference of nitrogen-cycling microbes between shallow bay and deep-sea sediments in the South China Sea – Tiantian Yu – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Seasonal Shifts in Bacterial Community Responses to Phytoplankton-Derived Dissolved Organic Matter in the Western Antarctic Peninsula – Catherine M Luria – Frontiers in Microbiology

Built environment

Role of microbial activity in Fe(III) hydroxysulfate mineral transformations in an acid mine drainage-impacted site from the Dabaoshan Mine – Yanping Bao – Science of the Total Environment

Investigation of microbial communities in water dispensers – Sangjung Park – Applied Biological Chemistry

Food microbiology

Review: Potential health benefits of natural products derived from truffles: A review – Seema Patel – Trends in Food Science and Technology

Probiotics/prebiotics

Review: The development of seaweed-derived bioactive compounds for use as prebiotics and nutraceuticals using enzyme technologies – Suvimol Charoensiddhi – Trends in Food Science and Technology

Phages and viruses

Characterization of ecologically diverse viruses infecting co-occurring strains of cosmopolitan hyperhalophilic Bacteroidetes – Judith Villager – The ISME Journal

Biodiversity of bacteriophages infecting Lactococcus lactis starter cultures – Joana Oliveira – Journal of Dairy Science

Bioinformatics

fusionDB: assessing microbial diversity and environmental preferences via functional similarity networks – Zhu Chengsheng – Nucleic Acids Research

Metabolomics

PAMDB: a comprehensive Pseudomonas aeruginosa metabolome database – Wailing Huang – Nucleic Acids Research

mVOC 2.0: a database of microbial volatiles – Marie C Lemfack – Nucleic Acids Research

Techniques

Comparison of DNA-fingerprinting (T-RFLP) and high-throughput sequencing (HTS) to assess the diversity and composition of microbial communities in groundwater ecosystems – Karsten Karczewski – Limnologica Ecology and Management of Inland Waters

More microbes

Review: Our microbes not only produce antibiotics, they also overproduce amino acids – Sergio Sanchez – The Journal of Antibiotics

Disruption of N-acyl-homoserine lactone-specific signalling and virulence in clinical pathogens by marine sponge bacteria – José A Gutiérrez-Barranquero – Microbial Biotechnology

Microbes in the news

Bacteria-Activated Wallpaper that Generates Electricity – Katharine Keane – Architect Magazine

US government approves ‘killer’ mosquitoes to fight disease – Emily Waltz – Nature News

Bacteria may help babies’ digestive tracts more than suspected, scientists find – EurekAlert

Using neutrons to study how resistant bacteria evolve – Phys Org

Researchers identify mechanisms through which H. pylori bacteria cause gastric cancer – News Medical Life Sciences

New model reveals possibility of pumping antibiotics into bacteria – EurekAlert

Microbes on the market

Seres Therapeutics Awarded Grant from CARB-X to Support Development of Microbiome Therapeutic Candidate – Business Wire

Michael J. Fox Foundation, 23andMe to Jointly Advance Parkinson’s Disease Research – Carolina Henriques – Parkinson’s News Today

November 6, 2017

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Today we have an interesting digest with several articles about human microbiome. Additionally, today we also remark part of the recently release book “Understanding the Gut-Bone Signaling Axis”, with interesting chapters treating the connections between microbiota and bone health.

(Each file with an asterisk in the start contains open access to fulltext)

 

Human Microbiome

Bone Mechanical Function and the Gut Microbiota – C. J. Hernandez – Understanding the Gut-Bone Signaling Axis (SpringerLink)

Prebiotics and Bone – Corrie M. Whisner – Understanding the Gut-Bone Signaling Axis (SpringerLink)

Inflammatory Bowel Disease: Effects on Bone and Mechanisms – Francisco A. Sylvester – Understanding the Gut-Bone Signaling Axis (SpringerLink)

Immunology of Gut-Bone Signaling – Fraser L. Collins –  Understanding the Gut-Bone Signaling Axis (SpringerLink)

Gut Microbiota and Bone Health – Darin Quach – Understanding the Gut-Bone Signaling Axis (SpringerLink)

Increased stool immunoglobulin A level in children with autism spectrum disorders – Jiaxiu Zhou – Research in Developmental Disabilities (ScienceDirect)

Gut Microbiota and Cancer Patients: A Broad-Ranging Relationship – Giovanni Cammarota – Mayo Clinic Proceedings

* Less Invasive Screening for Colorectal Cancer by Microbiota Analysis: Is it a Reality or an Illusion? – Hisashi Onodera – EBIoMedicine

Safety and Efficacy of Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection in Patients With Cancer Treated With Cytotoxic Chemotherapy: A Single-Institution Retrospective Case Series – Mehrdad Hefazi – Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Gastric microbial community profiling reveals a dysbiotic cancer-associated microbiota – Rui M Ferreira – Gut (BMJ)

Gut microbiota and hypertension: From pathogenesis to new therapeutic strategies – Yongbo Kang – Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology (ScienceDirect)

Associations Between Microbiota, Mitochondrial Function, and Cognition in Chronic Marijuana Users – Jun Panee – Journal of Neuroimmune Pharmacology

Genetic mannose binding lectin deficiency is associated with airway microbiota diversity and reduced exacerbation frequency in COPD – Alison J Dicker – Thorax (BMJ)

Molecular characterization of Multidrug Resistant Bacteroides isolates from Hungarian clinical samples – Károly Péter Sárvária – Journal of Global Antimicrobial Resistance (ScienceDirect)

* Commentary: Human Intestinal Microbiota and Colorectal Cancer: Moving Beyond Associative Studies – Christian Jobin – Gastroenterology

Faecal microbiota transplantation versus placebo for moderate-to-severe irritable bowel syndrome: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, single-centre trial – Peter Holger Johnsen – The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Estrogens and Female Liver Health – Karen L. Chena – Steroids (ScienceDirect)

 

Beneficial microbes

(Provisionally accepted, Full text available soon) Probiotic Bacteria Alter Pattern-Recognition Receptor Expression and Cytokine Profile in a Human Macrophage Model Challenged with Candida albicans and Lipopolysaccharide – Victor H. Matsubara – Frontiers in Microbiology

* Butyrate and propionate inhibit antigen-specific CD8+ T cell activation by suppressing IL-12 production by antigen-presenting cells – Claudia Nastasi – Scientific Reports (NPG)

 

Animal Microbiome

(Provisionally accepted, Full text available soon) The Gut Entomotype of Red Palm Weevil Rhynchophorus ferrugineus Olivier (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) and Their Effect on Host Nutrition Metabolism – Abrar Muhammad – Frontiers in Microbiology

Porcine small and large intestinal microbiota rapidly hydrolyze the masked mycotoxin deoxynivalenol-3-glucoside and release deoxynivalenol in spiked batch cultures in vitro – Silvia W. Gratz – Applied and Environmental Microbiology (ASM)

A stable core gut microbiota across fresh- to saltwater transition for farmed Atlantic salmon – Knut Rudi – Applied and Environmental Microbiology (ASM)

Fecal microbiota transplant from highly feed efficient donors shows little effects on age-related changes in feed efficiency-associated fecal microbiota in chickens – Sina-Catherine Siegerstetter – Applied and Environmental Microbiology (ASM)

Short communication: The effect of heat treatment of bovine colostrum on the concentration of oligosaccharides in colostrum and in the intestine of neonatal male Holstein calves – Amanda J. Fischer – Journal of Dairy Science

* Progressive Colonization of Bacteria and Degradation of Rice Straw in the Rumen by Illumina Sequencing – Yanfen Cheng – Frontiers in Microbiology

* Neuroprotective effect of Ruminococcus albus on oxidatively stressed SH-SY5Y cells and animals – Jieun Park – Scientific Reports (NPG)

* Gut dysbiosis and impairment of immune system homeostasis in perinatally-exposed mice to Bisphenol A precede obese phenotype development – Yann Malaisé – Scientific Reports (NPG)

Impact of Enteric Health and Mucosal Permeability on Skeletal Health and Lameness in Poultry – L. R. Bielke – Understanding the Gut-Bone Signaling Axis (SpringerLink)

Gut Microbiota Are Disease-Modifying Factors After Traumatic Spinal Cord Injury – Kristina A. Kigerl – Neurotherapeutics (SpringerLink)

 

Food Microbes

(Provisionally accepted, Full text available soon) Extractive Fermentation of Lactic Acid in Lactic Acid Bacteria Cultivation: A Review – Majdiah Othman – Frontiers in Microbiology

* Diversity within Italian Cheesemaking Brine-Associated Bacterial Communities Evidenced by Massive Parallel 16S rRNA Gene Tag Sequencing – Marilena Marino – Frontiers in Microbiology

The main spoilage-related psychrotrophic bacteria in refrigerated raw milk – J.C. Ribeiro Júnior – Journal of Dairy Science

* Preprint: Kombucha as a model system for multispecies microbial cooperation: theoretical promise, methodological challenges and new solutions ‘in solution’ – Alexander Niall May – BioRxiv

* New microbial resource: microbial diversity, function and dynamics in Chinese liquor starter – Yuhong Huang – Scientific Reports (NPG)

 

Environmental Microbes

(Provisionally accepted, Full text available soon) Illumina-Based Analysis of Endophytic and Rhizosphere Bacterial Diversity of the Coastal Halophyte Messerschmidia sibirica – Xueying Tian – Frontiers in Microbiology

Perturbation of seafloor bacterial community structure by drilling waste discharge – Tan T. Nguyen – Marine Pollution Bulletin

November 5, 2017

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A shorter digest today, but includes a lot of human gut microbiome studies and a cool study on microbes used to treat snake bites!

General microbiome

Comparison of two Jatropha species (Euphorbiaceae) used popularly to treat snakebites in Northeastern Brazil: Chemical profile, inhibitory activity against Bothrops erythromelas venom and antibacterial activity – Juliana Félix-Silva, Journal of Ethnopharmacology

Multi-site human microbiome

A slippery slope: On the origin, role and physiology of mucus – Farhan Taherali, Advanced Drug Delivery Reviews

Human gut microbiome

Faecal microbiota transplantation versus placebo for moderate-to-severe irritable bowel syndrome: a double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, single-centre trial –  Peter Holger Johnsen, The Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Estrogens and Female Liver Health – Karen L. Chen, Steroids

Safety and Efficacy of Fecal Microbiota Transplant for Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection in Patients With Cancer Treated With Cytotoxic Chemotherapy: A Single-Institution Retrospective Case Series – Mehrdad Hefazi, Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Gut Microbiota and Cancer Patients: A Broad-Ranging Relationship – Giovanni Cammarota, Mayo Clinic Proceedings

Gut microbiota and hypertension: From pathogenesis to new therapeutic strategies – Yongbo Kang, Clinics and Research in Hepatology and Gastroenterology

Preface to “Gut microbiome in health and disease” – Maikel P. Peppelenbosch, Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology

Results of the implementation of a multidisciplinary programme of faecal microbiota transplantation by colonoscopy for the treatment of recurrent Clostridium difficile infection – Antonio López-Sanromán, Gastroenterología y Hepatología (English Edition)

Animal experiments

Alterations in ruminal bacterial populations at induction and recovery from diet-induced milk fat depression in dairy cows – D.W. Pitta, Journal of Dairy Science

Chronic chlorpyrifos exposure elicits diet-specific effects on metabolism and the gut microbiome in rats – Bing Fang, Food and Chemical Toxicology

Housing influences tissue cytokine levels and the fecal bacterial community structure in rats – Padmaja Shastri, Journal of Functional Foods

An intact gut microbiota may be required for lactoferrin-driven immunomodulation in rats – Yongping Wen, Journal of Functional Foods

Untargeted metabolomic profiling of urine in Wistar rats reveals enhanced bioavailability of soy isoflavones post short-term consumption of noni (Morinda citrifolia) juice – José-Manuel Fallas-Ramirez, Journal of Functional Foods

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Long and short term effects of solarization on soil microbiome and agricultural production – Housam Kanaan, Applied Soil Ecology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Microbial communities involved in biogas production exhibit high resilience to heat shocks – Abendroth Christian, Bioresource Technology

Food microbiome

Application of high-throughput pyrosequencing in the analysis of microbiota of food commodities procured from small and large retail outlets in a U.S. metropolitan area – A pilot study – Daleniece Higgins, Food Research International

Microbial ecology along the processing of Spanish olives darkened by oxidation – Eduardo Medina, Food Control

Co-fermentation of onion and whey: A promising synbiotic combination – Federica Tinello, Journal of Functional Foods

Diverse yeasts for diverse fermented beverages and foods – Chris Todd Hittinger, Current Opinion in Biotechnology

Techniques

Microbiome measurement: Possibilities and pitfalls – Djawad Radjabzadeh, Best Practice & Research Clinical Gastroenterology

High-throughput eDNA monitoring of fungi to track functional recovery in ecological restoration – DongFeng Yan, Biological Conservation

Commensal Koch’s postulates: establishing causation in human microbiota research – B Anne Neville, Current Opinion in Microbiology

Microbes in the news

Disease outbreak at Marine Corps boot camp abates in San Diego – Carl Prine, The San Diego Union-Tribune

November 2, 2017

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Second day of November we have quite a few job offers, nice set of microbiome news, two reviews in “gut microbiome” sector. Two (personal) highlights today would be the Thomas J. Browning’s  paper about phytoplankon nutrient co-limitation and Luke R. Thompson’s paper about The Earth Microbiome Project. Enjoy…

Events and jobs

Research Technician, University of York, UK

Postdoctoral Researcher – Molecular Microbiologist, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

Bioinformatics Postdoc, Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology, Berlin, Germany

Microbiology Postdoctoral Scholar,  The University of California, Berkeley, California, US

Bioinformatics Analyst, Ares Genetics GmbH, Vienna, Austria

Assistant Professor of Microbiology, The University of Alabama in Huntsville, Huntsville, Alabama, US

Tenure-track Assistant Professor of Microbiology, Miami University, Miami, Ohio, US

Tenure Track Assistant Professor in Microbiology, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver,  Canada

General microbiome

Impaired competence in flagellar mutants of Bacillus subtilis is connected to the regulatory network governed by DegU – Theresa Hoelscher – bioRxiv

Gene network analysis identifies a central post-transcriptional regulator of cellular stress survival – Matthew Z. Tien – bioRxiv

Detection of cytosolic Shigella flexneri via a C-terminal triple-arginine motif of GBP1 inhibits actin-based motility – Anthony Piro – bioRxiv

Inter-species population dynamics enhance microbial horizontal gene transfer and spread of antibiotic resistance – Robert M Cooper – eLIFE

A communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity – Luke R. Thompson – Nature

Human gut microbiome

Rapid Assessment of Microbiota Changes in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder Using Bacteria-derived Membrane Vesicles in Urine – Yunjin Lee – Experimental Neurobiology

Review: Dietary and microbial metabolites in the regulation of host immunity – Jun Kunisawa – frontiers in Microbiology

Review: Gut microbiota as a potential target of metabolic syndrome: the role of probiotics and prebiotics – Mingqian He – Cell & Bioscience

Progression of Parkinson’s disease is associated with gut dysbiosis: Two-year follow-up study – Tomomi Minato – PLOS One

Animal experiments

Rapid regrowth and detection of microbial contaminants in equine fecal microbiome samples – Kalie F. Beckers – PLOS One

Cecal Microbiota in Broilers Fed with Prebiotics – Dany Mesa – Frontiers in Genetics

Commensal Lactobacillus Controls Immune Tolerance during Acute Liver Injury in Mice – Nobuhiro Nakamoto – Cell Reports

Food restriction followed by refeeding with a casein- or whey-based diet differentially affects the gut microbiota of pre-pubertal male rats – Majdi Masarwi – The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry

Animal microbiome 
Evidence for a conserved microbiota across the different developmental stages of Plodia interpunctella – Valeria Mereghetti -Insect Science

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Stable isotope informed genome-resolved metagenomics reveals that Saccharibacteria utilize microbially processed plant derived carbon – Evan P. Starr – bioRxiv

Water and extremophile microbiome 

Analysis of bacterial communities and characterization of antimicrobial strains from cave microbiota – Muhammad Yasir – Brazilian Journal of Microbiology

Highly divergent 16S rRNA sequences in ribosomal operons of Scytonema hyalinum (Cyanobacteria) – Jeffrey R. Johansen – PLOS One

Study of Microbial diversity in Ganga river water sample by the use of Metagenomics technique – Jamilah Ali Ahmed Zaed – Journal of Pharmacognosy and Phytochemistry

Niche specialization of bacteria in permanently ice-covered lakes of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica – Miye Kwon – Environmental Microbiology

Influence of bicarbonate on the abundance of microbial communities capable of reducing U(VI) in groundwater – Dianxin Li – RSC Advances

Monitoring microbial responses to ocean deoxygenation in a model oxygen minimum zone – Steven J. Hallam – Scientific Data

Synechococcus plasticity under environmental changes – Cristiana Callieri – FEMS Microbiology Letters

Nutrient co-limitation at the boundary of an oceanic gyre – Thomas J. Browning -Nature

Evaluation of different 16S rRNA gene V regions for exploring bacterial diversity in a eutrophic freshwater lake – Junyi Zhang – Science of The Total Environment

Microbial community structures and functions of wastewater treatment systems in plateau and cold regions – Dexin Fang – Bioresource Technology

Adaptability as the key to success for the ubiquitous marine nitrite oxidizer Nitrococcus — Jessika Füssel – Science Advances

Food microbiology

Characterization of Enterococcal Community Isolated from an Artisan Istrian Raw Milk Cheese: Biotechnological and Safety Aspects – Mirna Mrkonjic Fuka – Food Technology and Biotechnology

Probiotics / prebiotics
Lactobacillus reuteri suppresses E. coli O157:H7 in bovine ruminal fluid: Toward a pre-slaughter strategy to improve food safety? – Yolande Bertin – PLOS One

Bioinformatics

MetaCherchant: analyzing genomic context of antibiotic resistance genes in gut microbiota – Evgenii I Olekhnovich – Bioinformatics

Techniques

Quantification of diverse virus populations in the environment using the polony method – Nava Baran – Nature Microbiology

Microbes in the news 

Microbiome Link with Colorectal Cancer Drug Toxicity Points to Predictive Tests and Prevention – Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology News

Gut bacteria composition could predict toxicity of chemotherapy drugs in cancer patients – News Medical

Versatile marine bacteria could be an influence on global warming, scientists discover – Science Daily

By 2100, climate change could alter key microbial interactions in the ocean  – Phys Org

Microbes on the market 

Symbiotix Biotherapies Receives $5 Million in Institutional Financing to Advance its Development of Molecular Therapeutics that Modulate Regulatory T Cell Activity

Tina’s (non)microbiology picks 

Concept Inventory Development Reveals Common Student Misconceptions about Microbiology – Amy G. Briggs – Journal of Microbiology & Biology Education

Announcing the winner of this year’s ‘Dance Your Ph.D.’ contest – John Bohannon – Science

 

November 1, 2017

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Happy November everybody! We have an interesting collection of articles today. Co-cultivation of plant beneficial fungi as an effective strategy to modulate the production of bioactive metabolites and a review on the benefits of berries and their phytochemicals on the digestive and immune systems. Enjoy!

Events and jobs

Microbiology Lab Assistant – Seattle, Washington – Labcorp

General microbiome

The Microbiome in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Trauma-Exposed Controls: An Exploratory Study – Hemmings, Sian M.J – Pyschosomatic Medicine

Human respiratory microbiome

Review : CF Airway Microbiome: Overturning the Old, Opening the Way for the New – George A. O’Toole – Journal of Bacteriology

Human oral microbiome

Effect of maltitol-containing chewing gum use on the composition of dental plaque microbiota in subjects with active dental caries – Erica M. Prosdocimi – Journal of Oral Microbiology

Human gut microbiome

The circulating microbiome signature and inferred functional metagenomics in alcoholic hepatitis – Puneet Puri – Hepatology

Diet, Environments, and Gut Microbiota. A Preliminary Investigation in Children Living in Rural and Urban Burkina Faso and Italy – Carlotta De Filippo – Frontiers in Microbiology

Gut microbiome of mothers delivering prematurely shows reduced diversity and lower relative abundance of Bifidobacterium and Streptococcus – Cecilie Dahl – Plos One

Review : Systematic review of the effects of the intestinal microbiota on selected nutrients and non-nutrient – Colette Shortt – European Journal of Nutrition

Cereal products derived from wheat, sorghum, rice and oats alter the infant gut microbiota in vitro – Hasinika K. A. H. Gamage – Scientific Reports

Animal experiments

Antibiotic treatment disrupts bacterial communities in the colon and rectum of SIV-infected macaques – Alexander S. Zevin – FEMS Microbiology Letters

Ophiopogonin D alleviates high-fat diet–induced metabolic syndrome and changes the structure of gut microbiota in mice – Siyu Chen – The FASEB Journal

Animal microbiome

Bacterial Species Identified on the Skin of Bottlenose Dolphins Off Southern California via Next Generation Sequencing Techniques – Corey D. Russo – Microbial Ecology

Skin and fur bacterial diversity and community structure on American southwestern bats: effects of habitat, geography and bat traits – Ara S. Winter – PeerJ

Analysis of the Microbial Diversity in the Fecal Material of Giraffes – Jessica M. Schmidt – Current Microbiology

Morphological and genetic factors shape the microbiome of a seabird species (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) more than environmental and social factors – Douglas S. Pearce – Microbiome

Metabolomics

Plasma Metabolites From Choline Pathway and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in the PREDIMED (Prevention With Mediterranean Diet) Study – Marta Guasch-Ferré – Journal of the American Heart Association

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Strong Regionality and Dominance of Anaerobic Bacterial Taxa Characterize Diazotrophic Bacterial Communities of the Arcto-Alpine Plant Species Oxyria digyna and Saxifraga oppositifolia – Manoj Kumar – Frontiers in Microbiology

An endophytic Bacillus strain promotes growth of oil palm seedling by fine root biofilm formation – MdHoirul Azri – Rhizosphere

Effect of auxin producing and phosphate solubilizing bacteria on mobility of soil phosphorus, growth rate, and P acquisition by wheat plants – Guzel R. Kudoyarova – Acta Physiologiae Plantarum

Contrasting effects of ammonium and nitrate additions on the biomass of soil microbial communities and enzyme activities in subtropical China – Chuang Zhang – Biogeosciences

Impact of land use change and soil organic carbon quality on microbial diversity in soils across Europe – Márton Szoboszlay – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Microbial Diversity and Community Structure of Sulfate-Reducing and Sulfur-Oxidizing Bacteria in Sediment Cores from the East China Sea – Yu Zhang – Frontiers in Microbiology

Rhizosphere-associated Pseudomonas induce systemic resistance to herbivores at the cost of susceptibility to bacterial pathogens – Cara H. Haney – Molecular Ecology

*Co-Culture of Plant Beneficial Microbes as Source of Bioactive Metabolites – F. Vinale – Scientific Reports

Introducing BASE: the Biomes of Australian Soil Environments soil microbial diversity database – Andrew Bissett – Gigascience

Water and extremophile microbiome

Anaerobic digestion of spent mushroom substrate under thermophilic conditions: performance and microbial community analysis – Zheng Xiao – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Metagenomic characterization of biofilter microbial communities in a full-scale drinking water treatment plant – Seungdae Oh – Water Research

Distinct microbial communities in the active and permafrost layers on the Tibetan Plateau – Yong-Liang Chen – Molecular Ecology

Community composition and assembly processes of the free-living and particle-attached bacteria in Taihu Lake – Dayong Zhao – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Food Microbiology

Anti-obesity Effect of Exopolysaccharides Isolated from Kefir Grains – Juha Lim – J. Agric. Food Chem

Modulating Effects of Dicaffeoylquinic Acids from Ilex Kudingcha on Intestinal Microecology in vitro – Minhao Xie – Journal of Agricultural Food Chemistry

*Review of the health effects of berries and their phytochemicals on the digestive and immune systems – Coen Govers – Nutrition Reviews

Probiotics / prebiotics

Single-species versus dual-species probiotic supplementation as an emerging therapeutic strategy for obesity – G.Karimi – Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases

Bioinformatics

ROCker: accurate detection and quantification of target genes in short-read metagenomic data sets by modeling sliding-window bitscores – Luis H. Orellana – Nucleic Acids Research

Phages and viruses

Review : Assessing Species Diversity Using Metavirome Data: Methods and Challenges – Damayanthi Herath – Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal

Microbes in the news

Caves Host Gooey Biofilms Built by Methane-Eating Bacteria

3D Printed Artificial Small Intestine to Advance Research on Gut Bacteria

Enzymes from dangerous bacteria turn into important tools for protein chemistry

Microbes on the market

The University Medical Center Groningen and Novogene announce the start of the 10K Metagenome Project

Science, publishing, and career

Book Chapter : Leading Change in Undergraduate STEM Education – Adam K. Leibovich – Educational and Outreach Projects from the Cottrell Scholars Collaborative Undergraduate and Graduate Education Volume 1

Anitha’s non-microbiology picks

Congratulations Nancy Scherich! The winner of this year’s ‘Dance Your Ph.D.’ contest

ROSINA spectral measurements bring comet’s chemistry to life

Scary as they are, few vampires have a backbone

 

October 30, 2017

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Today’s digest is short and sweet — including some articles on the connection between gut and bone metabolism, the biodegradation of oil in the ocean, and a good number of rhizosphere papers. Enjoy!

General Microbiome

Listeria monocytogenes virulence factors are secreted in biologically active Extracellular Vesicles – Carolina Coelho, bioRxiv

Multi-site human microbiome

Microbiota and cancer: a complex equation with a lot of exciting unknowns – Oxana Dmitrieva, Seminars in Immunology

Osteomicrobiology: A New Cross-Disciplinary Research Field – Claes Ohlsson, Calcified Tissue International

Prebiotics, Bone and Mineral Metabolism – Corrie M. Whisner, Calcified Tissue International

Human gut microbiome

Gut dysbiosis breaks immunological tolerance toward the central nervous system during young adulthood – Sudhir K. Yadav, PNAS

Clostridium difficile in Older Adults – Curtis J. Donskey, Infectious Disease Clinics of North America

The Microbiome That Shapes Us: Can It Cause Obesity? – Endashaw Omer, Current Gastroenterology Reports

Human oral microbiome

Infection’s Sweet Tooth: How Glycans Mediate Infection and Disease Susceptibility – Steven L. Taylor, Trends in Microbiology

Animal experiments

Comparing microbiotas in the upper aerodigestive and lower respiratory tracts of lambs – Laura Glendinning, Microbiome

Dietary changes in nutritional studies shape the structural and functional composition of the pigs’ fecal microbiome-from days to weeks – Bruno Tilocca, Microbiome

Hindgut mucosa-associated microbiome interacting with host regulating Escherichia coli O157:H7 shedding in cattle – Ou Wang, Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Divergent responses of forest soil microbial communities under elevated CO2 in different depths of upper soil layers – Hao Yu, Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Microbial Degradation of Phenanthrene in Pristine and Contaminated Sandy Soils – Alexandra Schwarz, Microbial Ecology

Identification of heterotrophic zinc mobilization processes among bacterial strains isolated from wheat rhizosphere (Triticum aestivum L) – Benjamin Costerousse, Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Seed defense biopriming with bacterial cyclodipeptides triggers immunity in cucumber and pepper – Geun Cheol Song, Scientific Reports

Characterization and potential of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria isolated from native Andean crops – Katty Ogata-Gutiérrez, World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology

Water and extremophiles microbiome

Biodegradation of dispersed oil in seawater is not inhibited by a commercial oil spill dispersant – Odd G. Brakstad, Marine Pollution Bulletin

Functional characteristics and influence factors of microbial community in sewage sludge composting with inorganic bulking agent – Ke Wang, Bioresource Technology

Food microbiology

Yeast microbiota in artisanal cheeses from Corrientes, Argentina – Marina C. Cardozo, Revista Argentina de Microbiología

Flavonoids as detoxifying and pro-survival agents: What’s new? – Geir Bjørklund, Food and Chemical Toxicology

Techniques

Impact of DNA extraction, sample dilution, and reagent contamination on 16S rRNA gene sequencing of human feces – Eliana P. Velásquez-Mejía, Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Microbes in the News

How a 672,000-Gallon Oil Spill Was Nearly Invisible – CHRISTINA CARON, New York Times

October 24, 2018

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Today’s digest is full of REALLY cool science and features including a 3D image of the human lung microbiome and metabolome, how gut microbiome of wild mice promotes fitness, and an interesting perspective piece on how environmental filtering applies to microbiomes.

General microbiome

Environmental Filtering Is a Relic. A Response to Cadotte and Tucker.

Aguilar-Trigueros CA- Trends in Ecology and Evolution

Gut microbiome

The Leaky Gut and Altered Microbiome in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Lau WL- Journal of Renal Nutrition

Linking the Gut Microbial Ecosystem with the Environment: Does Gut Health Depend on Where We Live?

Tasnim N- Frontiers in Microbiology

Skin microbiome

High-Altitude Living Shapes the Skin Microbiome in Humans and Pigs.

Zeng B- Frontiers in Microbiology

Lung microbiome

Three-Dimensional Microbiome and Metabolome Cartography of a Diseased Human Lung

Garg N- Cell Host and Microbe

Animal microbiome

Wild Mouse Gut Microbiota Promotes Host Fitness and Improves Disease Resistance

Rosshart SP- Cell

Plant and soil microbiome

Soil bacterial community mediates the effect of plant material on methanogenic decomposition of soil organic matter

Yuan Q- Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Bacterial communities in soil become sensitive to drought under intensive grazing

Jurburg SD- Science of the Total Environment

Prokaryotic Community Distribution along an Ecological Gradient of Salinity in Surface and Subsurface Saline Soils.

Xie K- Scientific reports

Marine and inland water microbiome

Transcriptional activities of the microbial consortium living with the marine nitrogen-fixing cyanobacterium Trichodesmium reveal potential roles in community-level nitrogen cycling

Lee MD-Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Dynamic microbial populations along the Cuyahoga River.

Cannon MV-  PloS one

Preprint

High degree of virulence gene diversity in Streptococcus pyogenes isolated in Central Italy

Bencardino D- BioRxiv

Microbiome News

I Wish I’d Known This Before I Gave Birth

-mindbodygreen.com

October 19, 2017

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Today, we have a short Digest but with interesting remarks: Alzheimer’s disease associated microbiome, the bacterial tree of Life and more.

 

Human Microbiome

Gut microbiome alterations in Alzheimer’s disease – Nicholas M. Vogt – Scientific Reports

Links of gut microbiota composition with alcohol dependence syndrome and alcoholic liver disease – Veronika B. Dubinkina – Microbiome (BMC)

Male-specific Association Between Fat Free Mass Index and Faecal Microbiota in 2 to 3 Year Old Australian Children – Paula Smith-Brown – Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology & Nutrition

 

General Microbiome

Enrichment allows identification of diverse, rare elements in metagenomic resistome-virulome sequencing – Noelle R. Noyes – Microbiome (BMC)

Sulfites inhibit the growth of four species of beneficial gut bacteria at concentrations regarded as safe for food – Sally V. Irwin – PLoS ONE

Research Highlights: Host-microbe interactions: Aiming at GPCRs – Mirella Bucci – Nature Chemical Biology

 

Animal Microbiome

Recombinant Incretin-Secreting Microbe Improves Metabolic Dysfunction in High-Fat Diet Fed Rodents – Paul M. Ryan – Scientific Reports

Microbiota Diversification and Crash Induced by Dietary Oxalate in the Mammalian Herbivore Neotoma albigula – Aaron W. Miller – mSphere

Commentary: Microbes REV up Host Metabolism around the Clock – Geoffrey N. Pronovost – Immunity

Impact of age-related mitochondrial dysfunction and exercise on intestinal microbiota composition – David Houghton – The Journals of Gerontology Series A

Comparative Analysis of Gut Microbiota of Culex restuans (Diptera: Culicidae) Females From Different Parents – Ephantus J Muturi – Journal of Medical Entomology

 

Beneficial Microbes and Molecules

Maternal milk feedings reduce sepsis, necrotizing enterocolitis and improve outcomes of premature infants – J Cortez – Journal of Perinatology

Therapeutic potential of Bifidobacterium breve strain A1 for preventing cognitive impairment in Alzheimer’s disease – Yodai Kobayash – Scientific Reports

Recombinant Incretin-Secreting Microbe Improves Metabolic Dysfunction in High-Fat Diet Fed Rodents – Paul M. Ryan – Scientific Reports

 

Environmental Microbiome

The plant circadian clock influences rhizosphere community structure and function – Charley J Hubbard – The ISME Journal

 

Evolution

Towards a balanced view of the bacterial tree of life – Frederik Schulz – Microbiome (BMC)

 

Extremophiles

Primary and heterotrophic productivity relate to multi-kingdom diversity in a hypersaline mat – Hans C. Bernstein – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

 

Non-Microbiology picks

Sci-Hub provides access to nearly all scholarly literature – Daniel S Himmelstein – PeerJ Preprints

Nature index: On the biotech block – Alexandra Ossola – Nature

 

October 18, 2017

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Today, several reviews, including a trio of reviews about connections between HIV and microbiome.

Gut microbiome

Gut bacterial communities of diarrheic patients with indications of Clostridioides difficile infection – Dominik Schneider – Scientific Data (NPG)

News and Views: Gastric cancer: The gastric microbiota — bacterial diversity and implications – Manish A. Shah – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Review: The hygiene hypothesis in autoimmunity: the role of pathogens and commensals – Jean-François Bach – Nature Reviews Immunology

The Bacteroidales produce an N-acylated derivative of glycine with both cholesterol-solubilising and hemolytic activity – Alli Lynch – Scientific Reports

Gastric acid suppression promotes alcoholic liver disease by inducing overgrowth of intestinal Enterococcus – Cristina Llorente – Nature Communications

High-Fat Diet Changes Fungal Microbiomes and Interkingdom Relationships in the Murine Gut – Timothy Heisel – mSphere

Review: Gut Microbiota and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease: Insights on Mechanisms and Therapy – Junli Ma – Nutrients (MDPI)

Review article: The gut microbiome in inflammatory bowel disease-avenues for microbial management – J. McIlroy – Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapeutics

Commentary: Regulation of glucagon-like peptide-1 sensitivity by gut microbiota dysbiosis – Shunsuke Yamane – Journal Of Diabetes Investigation

Low-grade small intestinal bacterial overgrowth is common in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis on quantitative jejunal aspirate culture – UC Ghoshal – Indian Journal of Gastroenterology

 

Reproductive tract microbiome

The microbiota continuum along the female reproductive tract and its relation to uterine-related diseases – Chen Chen – Nature Communication

 

Microbiome in general

The microbiome beyond the horizon of ecological and evolutionary theory – Britt Koskella – Nature Ecology & Evolution

Trios—promising in silico biomarkers for differentiating the effect of disease on the human microbiome network – Zhanshan (Sam) Ma – Scientific Reports

 

Beneficial microbes and molecules

Prebiotic and Synbiotic Modifications of Beta Oxidation and Lipogenic Gene Expression after Experimental Hypercholesterolemia in Rat Liver – Claudia C. Alves – Frontiers in Microbiology

Vildagliptin increases butyrate-producing bacteria in the gut of diabetic rats – Qian Zhang – PLoS ONE

Caprylic and Polygalacturonic Acid Combinations for Eradication of Microbial Organisms Embedded in Biofilm – Joel Rosenblatt – Frontiers in Microbiology

PostScript: Faecal microbiota transplantation donor stools need screening for poliovirus – Peter Gerald Speck – Gut (BMJ)

 

Environmental research

Bacterial and fungal communities respond differently to varying tillage depth in agricultural soils – Craig Anderson – PeerJ

Microbial community diversity patterns are related to physical and chemical differences among temperate lakes near Beaver Island, MI – Miranda H. Hengy – PeerJ

Diversity and Structure of Diazotrophic Communities in Mangrove Rhizosphere, Revealed by High-Throughput Sequencing – Yanying Zhang – Frontiers in Microbiology

 

HIV and microbiome

Review: HIV and aging: role of the microbiome – Seema N. Desai – Current Opinion in HIV & AIDS

Review: The functional consequences of the microbiome in HIV: insights from metabolomic studies – Sergio Serrano-Villar – Current Opinion in HIV & AIDS

Review: Cross-reactivity of HIV vaccine responses and the microbiome – Wilton B Williams – Current Opinion in HIV & AIDS

 

Respiratory tract microbiome

Lung Microbiota is Related to Smoking Status and to Development of ARDS in Critically Ill Trauma Patients – Ariane R Panzer – American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine

 

More microbes

Adjacent-possible ecological niche: growth of Lactobacillus species co-cultured with Escherichia coli in a synthetic minimal medium – Kouhei Mizuno – Scientific Reports