August 17, 2016

Beneficial bacteria in the nose suppress pathogenic bacteria,  gut microbiome and Entamoeba histolytica infection, viromes of the Earth.

Jobs

Assistant/Associate Professor in Microbiology & Immunology, University of Illinois at Chicago – Science Careers

Internship: Coral microbiome under ocean acidification – King Abdullah University of Science and Technology – Saudi Arabia

Pregnancy and birth

Microbiota in Breast Milk of Chinese Lactating Mothers – Olga Sakwinska – PLOS ONE

Human skin microbiome

ReviewFactors shaping the composition of the cutaneous microbiota – K. Szabó – British Journal of Dermatology

Human respiratory microbiome

Staphylococcus aureus Shifts toward Commensalism in Response to Corynebacterium Species – Matthew M. Ramsey – Frontiers in Microbiology

Press: New findings detail how beneficial bacteria in the nose suppress pathogenic bacteria– Science Daily

Human gut microbiome

Disease Severity and Immune Activity Relate to Distinct Interkingdom Gut Microbiome States in Ethnically Distinct Ulcerative Colitis Patients – Jordan S. Mar – mBio

Stool microbiome reveals diverse bacterial ureases as confounders of oral urea breath testing for Helicobacter pylori and Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Bamako, Mali – Mamoudou Maiga – Journal of Breath Research

Review: Antibiotics as deep modulators of gut microbiota: between good and evil – Gianluca Ianiro – Gut

Review: The Intestinal Bacterial Microbiome and E. histolytica Infection – Stacey L. Burgess – Curr Trop Med Reports

Review: The microbiome and immune regulation after transplantation – Tabibian, James H. – Transplantation

Review: Experimental design considerations in microbiota/inflammation studies – Robert J Moore – Clin Transl Immunology

Animal experiments

Wolbachia Endosymbionts Modify Drosophila Ovary Protein Levels in a Context-Dependent Manner – Steen Christensen – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Composition of the Cockroach Gut Microbiome in the Presence of Parasitic Nematodes – Cláudia S. L. Vicente – Microbes and Environments

Animal microbiome

Link of a ubiquitous human coronavirus to dromedary camels – Victor M. Corman – PNAS

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Changes in the composition of the RNA virome mark evolutionary transitions in green plants – Arcady Mushegian – BMC Biology

ReviewIdentifying the role of soil microbes in plant invasions – Wayne Dawson – Journal of Ecology

Water microbiome

Uncovering Earth’s virome – David Paez-Espino – Nature

Press: Unveiled: Earth’s Viral Diversity. Environmental datasets help researchers double the number of microbial phyla known to be infected by viruses.- Joint Genome Institute
Researchers complete unprecedented study of the global virome – Katherine Lindemann – Research Gate Blog

290 Metagenome-assembled Genomes from the Mediterranean Sea: Ongoing Effort to Generate Genomes from the Tara Oceans Dataset – Benjamin J Tully – bioRxiv

The Microbiome and Mental Health: Looking Back, Moving Forward with Lessons from Allergic Diseases – Alan C. Logan

Extremophile microbiome

Yeasts from macroalgae and lichens that inhabit the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica
Alysson Wagner Fernandes Duarte – Environmental Microbiology Reports

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

Comparison of bacterial genome assembly software for MinION data and their applicability to medical microbiology – Kim Judge – Microbial Genomics

Fast comparison of genomic and meta-genomic reads with alignment-free measures based on quality values – Matteo Comin – BMC Medical Genomics

Gifted microbes for genome mining and natural product discovery – Richard H. Baltz – Journal of Industrial Microbiology & Biotechnology

Microbial Ecology

Biodiversity at multiple trophic levels is needed for ecosystem multifunctionality – Santiago Soliveres – Nature

Extrapolating abundance curves has no predictive power for estimating microbial biodiversity – Amy Willis – PNAS

Synergistic elimination of bacteria by phage and the immune system – Chung Yin (Joey) Leung – bioRxiv

Microbes in the news

The Counterintuitive Way That Microbes Survive in Antarctica – And what it could mean for the search for life on other worlds – Ed Yong – The Atlantic

Human Cells Make Up Only Half Our Bodies. A New Book Explains Why – Jonathan Weiner – New York Times

Journalist Edmund Soon-Weng Yong awarded 2016 Byron H. Waksman Award for excellence in the public communication of Life Sciences – NewsWise

Mouse microbes may make scientific studies harder to replicate – Kelly Servick – Science Mag

Biome, Genome, Microbiome…Houdinisome? – Jason Tetro – Germ Guy

Tiny Stanford invention purifies water in minutes using the sun – CNET

The importance of quality pre-analytical factors and their impact on microbiome analysis – Lisa Gamwell – DNA Genotek’s Microbiome Collection and Stabilization Blog

Behind paywall: Brazilian Researchers Profile Microbiome of Rio Before, During, After Olympic Games – Genome Web
Rio 2016 organizers are confident everything is fine. I’m not reassured – Sally Jenkins – Washington Post

Science, publishing, and career

Stanford programs prepare underrepresented high schoolers for careers in science, engineering and medicine – Victoria Chesley – Stanford News

August 12, 2016

On vacation, so here is a short and late Digest for you: Metabolomics of preterm birth, mouse gut bacteria collection, bacteria associated with mosses.

Pregnancy and birth

Use of metabolomics for the identification and validation of clinical biomarkers for preterm birth: Preterm SAMBA – Jose G. Cecatti – BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Animal microbiome

The Mouse Intestinal Bacterial Collection (miBC) provides host-specific insight into cultured diversity and functional potential of the gut microbiota – Ilias Lagkouvardos – Nature Microbiology

First public collection of bacteria from the intestine of mice. Mouse gut bacteria find a new home – Science Daily

Environment shapes the fecal microbiome of invasive carp species – Jessica J. Eichmiller – Microbiome

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Comparative analysis of bacteria associated with different mosses by 16S rRNA and 16S rDNA sequencing – Yang Tian – Journal of Basic Microbiology

Water microbiome

A metabolomics guided exploration of marine natural product chemical space – Dimitrios J. Floros – Metabolomics

Bioreactor microbiome

Unraveling the microbiome of a thermophilic biogas plant by metagenome and metatranscriptome analysis complemented by characterization of bacterial and archaeal isolates – Irena Maus – Biotechnology for Biofuels

Food microbiology

Vegemite Beer: yeast extract spreads as nutrient supplements to promote fermentation – Edward D. Kerr – PeerJ

Microbial Ecology and other

Compartmentalization in PVC super-phylum: evolution and impact – Sandrine Pinos – Biology Direct

Conflicts over host manipulation between different parasites and pathogens: Investigating the ecological and medical consequences – Nina Hafer – BioEssays

Microbes in the news

Soil Has a Microbiome, too. The unique mix of microbes in soil has a profound effect on which plants thrive and which ones die – Carrie Arnold – Smithsonian

Gut bacteria have own circadian clock – MedicalXpress

Not your momma’s microbe lab: a new genetic engineering machine takes microbial design to the masses – Casey Gilman – Philly.com

How brushing your teeth could prevent cancer: Twice daily scrub reduces bacteria linked to bowel tumours – Colin Fernandez – Daily Mail

Picture of the day: Metal-oxidizing bacteria from a gold mine – Science 360

Attendee Shares Experience from DDW® 2016 Active Learning Session on the Gut Microbiome – Gasto.org

Science, publishing, and career

The manterruption is real. Why Women Talk Less Than Men at Work – Alicia Adamczyk – Time / Money Magazine

SatireFirst Draft of Peer-Review Rebuttal Just Says “Fuck Off” – The Allium

 

 

August 11, 2016

Association between gut microbiome and cardiovascular disease risk, Arctic glacial surface habitats.

Human oral microbiome

Review: Discuss the role of microorganisms in the aetiology and pathogenesis of periapical disease – Vincent Aw – Australian Endodontic Journal

Human respiratory microbiome

Environmental and mucosal microbiota and their role in childhood asthma – Lena T. Birzele – Allergy

FUT2 genotype influences lung function, exacerbation frequency and airway microbiota in non-CF bronchiectasis – Steven L Taylor – Thorax

Human vaginal microbiome

Review: Vaginal Microbiota and Lubricant Use During Labor. Implications for Nursing Research, Practice, and Policy – Katie G. McElroy – SAGE Open Nursing

Human gut microbiome

Gut Microbiome Associates With Lifetime Cardiovascular Disease Risk Profile Among Bogalusa Heart Study Participants – Tanika N Kelly – Circulation Research

Association of Intestinal Microbiota with Metabolic Markers and Dietary Habits in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes – Yamaguchi Y. – Digestion

Cardiorespiratory fitness as a predictor of intestinal microbial diversity and distinct metagenomic functions – Mehrbod Estaki – Microbiome

Bacterial invasion of the pancreas revealed after analyses of the pancreatic cyst fluids – Vilvapathy Narayanan – bioRxiv

Review: Insights into human evolution from ancient and contemporary microbiome studies – Stephanie L Schnorr – Current Opinion in Genetics & Development

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959437X1630096X

Review: An overview of the bacterial contribution to Crohn disease pathogenesis – Moftah H Alhagamhmad – Journal of Medical Microbiology

Animal experiments

Intestinal Microbial Metabolites Are Linked to Severity of Myocardial Infarction in Rats – Vy Lam – PLOS ONE

Gut Microbial Metabolites Fuel Host Antibody Responses – Myunghoo Kim – Cell Host & Microbe

Fap2 Mediates Fusobacterium nucleatum Colorectal Adenocarcinoma Enrichment by Binding to Tumor-Expressed Gal-GalNAc – Jawad Abed – Cell Host & Microbe

Editorial: When Mr. Fap Meets the Gals – Santosh K. Ghosh – Cell Host & Microbe

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Comparative metagenomic analysis reveals mechanisms for stress response in hypoliths from extreme hyperarid deserts – Phuong Thi Le – Genome Biology and Evolution

Review: Recent advances in actinorhizal symbiosis signaling – Emilie Froussart – Plant Molecular Biology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Marine and giant viruses as indicators of a marine microbial community in a riverine system – Lisa M. Dann – Microbiology Open

Linking microbial diversity and functionality of Arctic glacial surface habitats – Stefanie Lutz – Environmental Microbiology

More microbiology

Microbiology, philosophy and education – Maureen A. O’Malley – Microbiology Letters

Local adaptation of a bacterium is as important as its presence in structuring a natural microbial community – Pedro Gómez – Nature Communications

Review: Biofilms: an emergent form of bacterial life – Hans-Curt Flemming – Nature Reviews Microbiology

 

Microbes in the news

Mental Health, Free Will, and Your Microbiome – Maria Popova – BrainPickings

A grimy, black biofilm is starting to cover the Jefferson Memorial, and it can’t be killed – Michael E. Ruane – The Washington Post
NPS ready to battle grimy biofilm coating on Jefferson Memorial – Nick Iannelli – WTOP
The Jefferson Memorialome? The Jeffersonome? The Jefferson Microbiome? A biofilm by any other name … – Jonathan Eisen – MicroBEnet

Young Inventors Work On Secret Proteins To Thwart Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria – Joe Palca – NPR Shots

DRDO developing bacteria from Antarctica to aid setting up of bio-toilets in India – India TV News

How the world’s tiniest organisms explain our evolution, our health, and our eventual demise: Interview with Ed Yong about Leeuwenhoek and microbes – Julia Belluz

Could Earth Bacteria Survive on Mars? LSU MARSLIFE Researcher Noelle Bryan Recovers Bacteria from the Stratosphere – Paige Brown Jarreau – Vimeo

Microbiology: Mob rule – Adrian Woolfson examines four books on the microbiological universe that churns within us – Nature

The social network in your gut – Wudan Yan – New Yorker

Bik’s non-microbiology Picks

Exoskeletons and economics: indoor arthropod diversity increases in affluent neighbourhoods – Misha Leong – Biology Letters

Research Highlight: Insect mix high in rich areas – Nature

Ancient DNA: Muddy messages about American migration – Suzanne McGowan – Nature

Science, publishing, and career

NIH sets new postdoc stipend levels – Maggie Kuo – Science

Kudos for female Antarctic researchers: to inspire the roughly 60% of early-career polar scientists who are women – Jan Strugnell – Nature

Nominate influential female Antarctic researchers and those involved in supporting research, both past and present, to potentially be included in Wikibomb event

August 9, 2016

Climate change and increasing Vibrio species in North Atlantic, microbiome of the aging mouth, Antarctic soil around Little Auk colony.

Events

5th Exploring Human Host-Microbiome Interactions in Health and Disease – Welcome Genome Campus, Cambridge, UK, 7-9 September 2016

4th World Congress on Targeting Microbiota – Institut Pasteur, France, October 17-19, 2016

Hot topics in microbiology: Campden BRI conference – Campden BRI, Chipping Campden, Gloucestershire, UK, October 13-14

Today & tomorrow – live webcast – Standards for Microbiome Measurements @NIST – Jonathan Eisen – MicroBEnet

General microbiome

Note: includes 16S rRNA gene studies as well, so not metagenomic sensu stricto: An overview of major metagenomic studies on human microbiomes in health and disease – Hongfei Cui – Quantitative Biology

Brazil: A Step Forward to Empower Global Microbiome Research Through Local Leadership – Victor S. Pylro – Trends in Microbiology

Human oral microbiome

Distinct interacting core taxa in co-occurrence networks enable discrimination of polymicrobial oral diseases with similar symptoms – Takahiko Shiba – Scientific Reports

Oral microbial community typing of caries and pigment in primary dentition – Yanhui Li – BMC Genomics

Review: The subgingival periodontal microbiota of the aging mouth – Magda Feres – Periodonotology 2000

Human respiratory microbiome

Review: The microbiome in chronic inflammatory airway disease: A threatened species – Robin John Green – The South African Medical Journal

Review: Lung microbiome in human immunodeficiency virus infection – Homer L. Twigg IIIa – Translational Research

Human vaginal microbiome

Evaluation of the vaginal flora in pregnant women receiving opioid maintenance therapy: a matched case-control study – Alex Farr – BMC Pregnancy Childbirth

Human gut microbiome

Microbial Factors Associated with Postoperative Crohn’s Disease Recurrence – Emily K. Wright – Journal of Crohn’s and Colitis

The mucosal microbiota in a young child with severe non-Helicobacter gastritis – Geoffrey A. Preidis – Therapeutic Advances in Gastroenterology

Profile of Gut Microbiota Associated With the Presence of Hepatocellular Cancer in Patients With Liver Cirrhosis – M. Grąt – Transplantation Proceedings

Comparison of the gut microbial community between obese and lean peoples using 16S gene sequencing in a Japanese population – Akira Andoh – Journal of Clinical Biochemistry and Nutrition

Book Chapter: The Second Brain and Possible Interactions with the Heart – Rosa Sollazzo – Psychotherapy for Ischemic Heart Disease

Infection microbiology

Comparison of methods for the identification of microorganisms isolated from blood cultures – Aydir Cecília Marinho Monteiro – Annals of Clinical Microbiology and Antimicrobials

Animal experiments

Disturbance in the Mucosa-Associated Commensal Bacteria Is Associated with the Exacerbation of Chronic Colitis by Repeated Psychological Stress; Is That the New Target of Probiotics? – Sohei Arase – PLOS ONE

Role of the Gut Microbiome in Modulating Arthritis Progression in Mice – Xiaofei Liu – Scientific Reports

Salmonella Typhimurium utilizes a T6SS-mediated antibacterial weapon to establish in the host gut – Thibault G. Sana – PNAS

Animal microbiome

Does adaptive radiation of a host lineage promote ecological diversity of its bacterial communities? A test using gut microbiota of Anolis lizards – Tiantian Ren – Molecular Ecology

The gut microbiota of the pine weevil is similar across Europe and resembles that of other conifer-feeding beetles – Aileen Berasategui – Molecular Ecology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

The Arctic soil bacterial communities in the vicinity of a little auk colony – Sylwia Zielinska – Frontiers in Microbiology

Soil Fungal:Bacterial Ratios Are Linked to Altered Carbon Cycling – Ashish A. Malik – Frontiers in Microbiology

Ancient landscapes and the relationship with microbial nitrification – Sasha N. Jenkins – Scientific Reports

Long-term antibiotic exposure in soil is associated with changes in microbial community structure and prevalence of class 1 integrons – David W. Cleary – FEMS Microbiology Ecology

Are Epiphytic Microbial Communities in the Carposphere of Ripening Grape Clusters (Vitis vinifera L.) Different between Conventional, Organic, and Biodynamic Grapes? – Elizabeth Kecskeméti – PLOS ONE

Bacterial communities in Antarctic lichens – Chae Haeng Park – Antarctic Science

Water and extremophile microbiome

Climate influence on Vibrio and associated human diseases during the past half-century in the coastal North Atlantic – Luigi Vezzulli – PNAS

Press: We’re trashing the oceans — and they’re returning the favor by making us sick – Chris Mooney – The Washington Post
Deadly Bacteria Spread across Oceans as Water Temperatures Rise. Cholera bacteria and others arise in more places and in greater abundance – Umair Irfan – Scientific American
Warming seas linked to rise in cholera bacteria in Europe and US – Brian Owens – New Scientist

Microbial community structure in hypolentic zones of a brine lake in a desert plateau, China – Wenzhen Yuan – Environmental Earth Sciences

Microbial diversity in sediment ecosystems (evaporites domes, microbial mats and crusts) of hypersaline Laguna Tebenquiche, Salar de Atacama, Chile – Ana B. Fernandez – Frontiers in Microbiology

Bioreactor microbiome

The full-scale anaerobic digestion microbiome is represented by specific marker populations – Jo De Vrieze – Water Research

Viruses and phages

Challenges in the analysis of viral metagenomes – Rebecca Rose – Virus Evolution

Metagenomics and bioinformatics

Bipartite graph analyses reveal inter-domain LGT involving ultrasmall prokaryotes and their divergent, membrane-related proteins – Alexander L. Jaffe – Environmental Microbiology

FARAO – The Flexible All-Round Annotation Organizer – Rickard Hammarén – Bioinformatics

Identifying wrong assemblies in de novo short read primary sequence assembly contigs – Vandna Chawla – Journal of Biosciences

A Bayesian Framework for the Classification of Microbial Gene Activity States – Craig Disselkoen – Frontiers in Microbiology

Techniques

Evaluation of 16S rRNA gene primer pairs for monitoring microbial community structures showed high reproducibility within and low comparability between datasets generated with multiple archaeal and bacterial primer pairs – Martin A. Fischer – Frontiers in Microbiology

More microbiology

Editorial: New insights into microbial ecology through subtle nucleotide variation – A M. Eren – Frontiers in Microbiology

Neisseria meningitides Can Survive in Corpses for At Least Eleven Days – Antonio Osculati – Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology

Microbes in the news

List of papers about bias in microbiome techniques: The unbearable madness of microbiome – Mick Watson – Opiniomics

Book Review: Follow your gut – The Enormous Impact of Tiny Microbes – Daniel K. Morais – Frontiers in Microbiology

Brito went to Fiji to study mobile genes in human microbiome – Tom Fleischman – Cornell Chronicle

MSU graduate awarded NSF fellowship to study disease affecting world’s citrus crops – Denise Hoepfner – Montana State University

Bacteria Could Aid Search for Creatures On Other Planets – Elizabeth Howell – Astrobiology Magazine

U.Va. scientists make important discovery about dangerous bacteria strains
Researchers pinpoint mechanisms of C. difficile strains – Daisy Xu – Cavalier Daily

Did farming practices in China create an antibiotic resistant bacteria that’s spreading around the world? – Alanna Shaikh – United Nations Dispatch

Science, publishing, and career

Dog eat dog: is a troubled expedition to Kenya causing the Smithsonian to devour its young?
A star scientist stands accused of misconduct, but colleagues say he’s being railroaded
– Michael Balter – The Verge

A “Scientific Diversity” Intervention to Reduce Gender Bias in a Sample of Life Scientists – Corinne A. Moss-Racusin – CBE Life Sciences Education

Bik’s non-microbiology Picks

Innate Immunity and Asthma Risk in Amish and Hutterite Farm Children – Michelle M. Stein – New England Journal of Medicine

August 5, 2016

Urinary tract microbiome, preterm gut microbiota and humanized mice, fungi of Crocus (Saffron plant), and bead-beating artefacts.

General microbiome

Introduction to special issue of Molecular MetabolismMicrobiota: ‘bugging’ insights into metabolic regulation – Thomas Schwarz-Romond – Molecular Metabolism

Human oral microbiome

Transcriptome Analysis of B Cell Immune Functions in Periodontitis: Mucosal Tissue Responses to the Oral Microbiome in Aging – Jeffrey L. Ebersole – Frontiers in Immunology

Human respiratory microbiome

Randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial with azithromycin selects for anti-inflammatory microbial metabolites in the emphysematous lung – Leopoldo N Segal – Thorax

Review: Microbiome in the pathogenesis of cystic fibrosis and lung transplant-related disease – Sushma K. Cribbs – Translational Research

Human urinary tract microbiome

Evaluation of the Urinary Microbiota of Women With Uncomplicated Stress Urinary Incontinence – Krystal J. Thomas-White – American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Human gut microbiome

Review: Microbiota as Mediator of Cancer Progression and Therapy – Jilian L. Pope – Translational Research

Review: The human microbiome in rheumatic autoimmune diseases: A comprehensive review – Patrick Coit – Clinical Immunology

Review: Human gut microbiota plays a role in the metabolism of drugs – Lenka Jourova – Biomed Pap Med Fac Univ Palacky Olomouc Czech Repub

Animal experiments

Preterm infant gut microbiota affects intestinal epithelial development in a humanized gnotobiotic mouse model – Yueyue Yu – American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology

Symbiotic gut commensal bacteria act as host cathepsin S activity regulators – Alex Steimle – Journal of Autoimmunity

Research Highlight (but very harsh title): Gut microbiota: Microbiota and behaviour: visiting the sins of the mother – Paul Forsythe – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Animal microbiome

A high-resolution map of the gut microbiota in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): A basis for comparative gut microbial research – Karina Gajardo – Scientific Reports

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Molecular phylogeny, diversity, community structure and plant growth promoting properties of fungal endophytes associated with the corms of Saffron plant: an insight into the microbiome of Crocus sativus Linn – Zahoor Ahmed Wani – Fungal Biology

Leaf Treatments with a Protein-Based Resistance Inducer Partially Modify Phyllosphere Microbial Communities of Grapevine – Martina Cappelletti – Frontiers in Plant Science

The Resilience of Microbial Community under Drying and Rewetting Cycles of Three Forest Soils – Xue Zhou – Frontiers in Microbiology

Fungus-associated bacteriome in charge of their host behavior – Kristin Schulz-Bohm – Fungal Genetics and Biology

Microbiota Characterization of Compost Using Omics Approaches Opens New Perspectives for Phytophthora Root Rot Control – Josefa Blaya – PLOS ONE

Water and extremophile microbiome

Microbes on a Bottle: Substrate, Season and Geography Influence Community Composition of Microbes Colonizing Marine Plastic Debris Microbes on a Bottle: Substrate, Season and Geography Influence Community Composition of Microbes Colonizing Marine Plastic Debris – Sonja Oberbeckmann – PLOS ONE

Microbial Community Responses to Increased Water and Organic Matter in the Arid Soils of the McMurdo Dry Valleys, Antarctica – Heather N. Buelow – Frontiers in Microbiology

Microbial community structure shifts are associated with temperature, dispersants and nutrients in crude oil-contaminated seawaters – Long Meng – Marine Pollution Bulletin

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

Rapid resistome mapping using nanopore sequencing – Eric van der Helm – bioRxiv

Metabolomics

Metabolomics evaluation of the impact of smokeless tobacco exposure on the oral bacterium Capnocytophaga sputigena – Jinchun Sun – Toxicology in Vitro

Training in metabolomics research. II. Processing and statistical analysis of metabolomics data, metabolite identification, pathway analysis, applications of metabolomics and its future – S. Barnes – Journal of Mass Spectrometry

Techniques

Bead-beating artefacts in the Bacteroidetes to Firmicutes ratio of the human stool metagenome – Heidi C. Vebø – Journal of Microbiological Methods

Pipeline for amplifying and analyzing amplicons of the V1–V3 region of the 16S rRNA gene – Heather K. Allen – BMC Research Notes

A Single-Batch Fermentation System to Simulate Human Colonic Microbiota for High-Throughput Evaluation of Prebiotics – Risa Takagi – PLOS ONE

More microbiology

Metabolic engineering of microbial competitive advantage for industrial fermentation processes – A. Joe Shaw – Science

Microbes in the news

AGA establishes NIH-funded registry to track fecal microbiota transplants – EurekAlert

Maternal microbial inheritance—benefits of breastfeeding – Md Zohorul Islam

ASM Agar Art Calendar 2016/2017

Science, publishing, and career

What Is the Key Best Practice for Collaborating with a Computational Biologist? – Cell Systems

University of Waterloo boosts salaries of female faculty after discrepancy found – Paola Loriggio – CP24

Bik’s Non-Microbiology Picks

Circadian regulation of sunflower heliotropism, floral orientation, and pollinator visits – Hagop S. Atamian – Science
How do sunflowers follow the Sun—and to what end? – Winslow R. Briggs – Science

August 3, 2016

Saliva and Polycystic Ovary Syndrome, early colonization of honey bees, hospital air metagenomes, analysis tool for viral metagenomes.

Human oral microbiome

The Salivary Microbiome in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and its Association with Disease-related Parameters: A Pilot Study – Lisa Lindheim – Frontiers in Microbiology

A novel compound to maintain a healthy oral plaque ecology in vitro – Marleen M. Janus – Journal of Oral Microbiology

Human vaginal microbiome

Does the vaginal microbiota plays a role in the development of cervical cancer? – Maria Kyrgiou – Translational Research

Human skin microbiome

Diverse human skin fungal communities in children converge in adulthood – Jay-Hyun Jo – Journal of Investigative Dermatology

Human gut microbiome

A pleiotropic missense variant in SLC39A8 is associated with Crohn’s disease and human gut microbiome composition – Dalin Li – Gastroenterology

Press: Genetic Variant Newly Linked to Crohn’s Disease Also Associated with Altered Gut Microbiome Composition – PR Web

Gut microbiota associated with HIV infection is significantly enriched in bacteria tolerant to oxygen – Grégory Dubourg – BMJ Open Gastroenterology

Review: A clinical update on the significance of the gut microbiota in systemic autoimmunity – Elizabeth C. Rosser – Journal of Autoimmunity

Review: The human gut microbiome of Latin America populations: a landscape to be discovered – Fabien Magne – Current Opinion in Infectious Diseases

Animal microbiome

Early gut colonizers shape parasite susceptibility and microbiota composition in honey bee workers – Ryan S. Schwarz – PNAS

Another pika paper by the same authors (who killed all pika to obtain gut contents – booh): Pika gut may select for rare but diverse environmental bacteria – Huan Li – Frontiers in Microbiology

Review: Bacterial symbiosis in the fish gut and its role in health and metabolism – Goutam Banerjee – Symbiosis

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Diverse gene functions in a soil mobilome – Wenting Luo – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Genetic Diversity and Association Characters of Bacteria Isolated from Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal Spore Walls – Gopal Selvakumar – PLOS ONE

Spatio-temporal variation of core and satellite arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus communities in Miscanthus giganteus – Christopher J. Barnes – Frontiers in Microbiology

DGGE: Impacts of Grazing Intensity and Plant Community Composition on Soil Bacterial Community Diversity in a Steppe Grassland – Tong-bao Qu – PLOS ONE

Book chapter: Calling in the Dark: The Role of Volatiles for Communication in the Rhizosphere – Nicole M. van Dam – Deciphering Chemical Language of Plant Communication

Book Chapter: Truffle-Associated Bacteria: Extrapolation from Diversity to Function – Elena Barbieri – True Truffle (Tuber spp.) in the World

Water and extremophile microbiome

Yeasts from sub-Antarctic region: biodiversity, enzymatic activities and their potential as oleaginous microorganisms – A. Martinez – Extremophiles

First report of microorganisms of Caucasus glaciers (Georgia) – Nicoletta Makowska – Biologia

Species sorting along a subsidy gradient alters bacterial community stability – Mario E. Muscarella – Ecology

Air microbiome / Built environment microbiome

Longitudinal Metagenomic Analysis of Hospital Air Identifies Clinically Relevant Microbes – Paula King – PLOS ONE

Bioinformatics

MetLab: An In Silico Experimental Design, Simulation and Analysis Tool for Viral Metagenomics Studies – Martin Norling – PLOS ONE

MetaCoMET: a web platform for discovery and visualization of the core microbiome – Yi Wang – Bioinformatics

More microbiology

Tempo and mode of genome evolution in a 50,000-generation experiment – Olivier Tenaillon – Nature

Press: Still changing after all these years. Long-term evolution experiment looks at genetic changes in bacteria: Richard Lenski – Science Daily

Review: Survival of the Fittest: How Bacterial Pathogens Utilize Bile To Enhance Infection – Jeticia R. Sistrunk – Clinical Microbiology Reviews

Book: Infective Endocarditis. Epidemiology, Diagnosis, Imaging, Therapy, and Prevention – Editors: Gilbert Habib – Springer

Élie Metchnikoff (1845–1916): celebrating 100 years of cellular immunology and beyond – David M. Underhill – Nature Reviews Immunology

Microbes in the news

Understanding diverse microbial communities: An interview with A. Murat Eren (Meren) – Kelle Freel – The Molecular Ecologist

Back from vacation? Your gut bacteria picked up souvenirs, too – Meredith Knight – Genetic Literacy Project

Evelo, Mayo Clinic team up to use bacteria for cancer immunotherapies – Ben Adams – Fierce Biotech

Plop into Canada’s first poop-themed dessert café next month – Heather Dockray – Mashable
Poop Dessert Cafe to open in Koreatown.Toronto is poised to get its first poop-themed café, set to open in August – The Star
First poo-themed dessert cafe set to open in Canada – Rachael Revesz – The Independent

Council agrees to trial of microbiology treatment – Lici Beveridge – Hattiesburg American

Opinion: Goals and possibilities in microbiology – Andrea Taboada – The Independent Florida Alligator

How Do Microbes Build Resistance to Metals? – Contagion

Bacteria Needed To Save Coral Reef – The Munich Eye

WATCH: Pac-Man Faithfully Recreated with Microbes – Nathaniel Scharping – Discover Magazine

 

July 29, 2016

Bifidobacteria/Spirochaetes trade-off in Italians vs. Hadza, asthma, transferring depression with human stool to rats, sea squirts symbionts, spacial structure of biofilms, and a glowing review of Ed Yong’s book “I Contain Multitudes”.

General microbiome

Dysbiosis Across Multiple Body Sites in Critically Ill Adult Surgical Patients – Andrew Yeh – Shock

Pregnancy / human oral microbiome

Smoking, pregnancy and the subgingival microbiome – Akshay D. Paropkari – Scientific Reports

Review: An Integrated Review of Intestinal Microbiota in the Very Premature Infant – Melissa C. Dollings –  Neonatal Network

Human respiratory microbiome

Bacterial microbiota of the upper respiratory tract and childhood asthma – Martin Depner – Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Review: The role of anaerobic bacteria in the cystic fibrosis airway – Laura J. Sherrard – Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine

Human vaginal microbiome

Commentary: The relationship between the vaginal microbiome and human health – MR Millar – BJOG

Human gut microbiome

Variations in the Post-weaning Human Gut Metagenome Profile As Result of Bifidobacterium Acquisition in the Western Microbiome – Matteo Soverini – Frontiers in Microbiology

Pediatric obesity is associated with an altered gut microbiota and discordant shifts in Firmicutes populations – Alessandra Riva – Environmental Microbiology

Histamine-secreting microbes are increased in the gut of adult asthma patients – Weronika Barcik – Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology

Dietary Supplementation with Rice Bran or Navy Bean Alters Gut Bacterial Metabolism in Colorectal Cancer Survivors – Amy M. Sheflin – Molecular Nutrition & Food Research

Four-week consumption of a Bifidobacterium bifidum strain modulates dominant intestinal bacterial taxa and fecal butyrate in healthy adults – Giorgio Gargari – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Fecal microbiota transplantation for patients with steroid-resistant/dependent acute graft-versus-host disease of the gut – Kazuhiko Kakihana – Blood

Trial: Effect of prebiotic intake on gut microbiota, intestinal permeability and glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial – Josephine Ho – Trials

Opinion: How stable is the human gut microbiota? And why this question matters – Harald Brüssow – Environmental Microbiology

Research highlight: Microbial mobilomes differ between societies – Naomi Attar – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Review: High-Resolution Characterization of the Human Microbiome – Cecilia Noecker – Translational Research

Review: Microbiota metabolite short chain fatty acids, GPCR, and inflammatory bowel diseases – Mingming Sun – Journal of Gastroenterology

Review: The influence of gut derived CD39 regulatory T cells in CNS demyelinating disease – Javier Ochoa-Repáraz – Translational Research

Review: Fecal microbiota transplantation in inflammatory bowel disease: the quest for the holy grail – B Pigneur – Mucosal Immunology

Review: The Gut Microbiota in Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases – Jessica D. Forbes – Frontiers in Microbiology

Review: Regulation of Autoimmunity by the Microbiome – Carlos R. Zárate-Bladés – DNA and Cell Biology

Animal experiments

Transferring the blues: Depression-associated gut microbiota induces neurobehavioural changes in the rat – John R. Kelly – Journal of Psychiatric Research

The microbiota contributes to CD8+ T cell activation and nutrient malabsorption following intestinal infection with Giardia – Infection and Immunity – Aleksander Keselman

Gut Microbial Membership Modulates CD4 T Cell Reconstitution and Function after Sepsis – Javier Cabrera-Perez – Journal of Immunology

Metabolite exchange within the microbiome produces compounds that influence Drosophila behavior – Caleb N. Fischer – bioRxiv

Variation in the Gut Microbiota of Termites (Tsaitermes ampliceps) Against Different Diets – Lijuan Su – Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology

Animal microbiome

Endozoicomonas Are Specific, Facultative Symbionts of Sea Squirts – Lars Schreiber – Frontiers in Microbiology

Comparison of a modified phenol/chloroform and commercial-kit methods for extracting DNA from horse fecal material – Ali H.D. Janab -Journal of Microbiological Methods

Death Becomes Them: Bacterial community dynamics and stilbene antibiotic production in Galleria mellonella cadavers killed by Heterorhabditis/Photorhabdus – Amanda C. Wollenberg – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Comparative metagenomic analysis of PAH degradation in soil by a mixed microbial consortium – German Zafra – Journal of Hazardous Materials

Water and extremophile microbiome

Metatranscriptome analysis of active microbial communities in produced water samples from the Marcellus Shale – Amit Vikram – Microbial Ecology

Characterizing microbial diversity in production water from an Alaskan mesothermic petroleum reservoir with two independent molecular methods – Vinh D. Pham – Environmental Microbiology

Protocol: Visualizing Patterns of Marine Eukaryotic Diversity from Metabarcoding Data Using QIIME – Matthieu Leray – Marine Genomics

Protocol: Sampling of Riverine or Marine Bacterial Communities in Remote Locations: From Field to Publication – Katja Lehmann – Marine Genomics

Microbes in space

Assessment of the Forward Contamination Risk of Mars by Clean Room Isolates from Space-Craft Assembly Facilities through Aeolian Transport – a Model Study – Luc van Heereveld – Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres

Built environment microbiome

Figures appear to show a gradual change, not a break, but: Summer holidays as break-point in shaping a tannery sludge microbial community around a stable core microbiota – Cesira Giordano – Scientific Reports

Food microbiology

Detailed analyses of the bacterial populations in processed cocoa beans of different geographic origin, subject to varied fermentation conditions – Cristian Bortolini – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Bioinformatics and metagenomics

A Scalable Permutation Approach Reveals Replication and Preservation Patterns of Network Modules in Large Datasets – Scott C. Ritchie – Cell Systems

Techniques

The effect of DNA extraction methodology on gut microbiota research applications – Konstantinos Gerasimidis – BMC Research Notes

Biofilms

Review: Spatial structure, cooperation and competition in biofilms – Carey D. Nadell – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Microbes in the news

A glowing book review: Living in a microbial world, book review of “I Contain Multitudes The Microbes Within Us and a Grander View of Life” by Ed Yong – Susan Perkins – Science

State College of Florida, New College graduate wins microbiology award: Stephanie Morgan’s research won an award at the Small World Initiative Symposium – Bradenton Herald

Microbiology: A budding researcher creates a stir with her LIST-supported project: Camilla Hurst – Luxembourg Institute of Science And Technology (LIST)

‘Bugs’ on the subway: Monitoring the microbial environment to improve public health – Harvard

‘Nose-y’ Bacteria Could Yield A New Way To Fight Infection – Carolyn Beans – NPR

The Marine Microbiome – A treasure trove of scientific and industrial potential – Cordis Europa
Video: Revealing the Secrets of Marine Microbes: methods that are being used to isolate and culture marine microorganisms – MaCuMBA project

July 27, 2016

Gut microbiome in men with pelvic pain, zebrafish stomach motility and bacterial competition, microbiomes of indoor environments, and the Microbial Olympics.

Human gut microbiome

Analysis of Gut Microbiome Reveals Significant Differences between Men with Chronic Prostatitis/Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome and Controls – Daniel A. Shoskes – Journal of Urology

Press: Gut Microbiome Diversity Lower in Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome – Medical Xpress

Animal and bioreactor experiments

Host Gut Motility Promotes Competitive Exclusion within a Model Intestinal Microbiota – Travis J Wiles – PLOS Biology

Press: Real-time imaging of fish gut ties bacterial competition to gut movements – Science Daily

Microbial Communities are Well Adapted to Disturbances in Energy Input – Nuria Fernandez-Gonzalez – bioRxiv

Built environment microbiome

What Have We Learned about the Microbiomes of Indoor Environments? – Brent Stephens – mSystems

Bioinformatics

Cloud Computing in Bioinformatics: current solutions and challenges – Barbara Calabrese – PeerJ preprint

More microbiology

Discovery of a sesamin-metabolizing microorganism and a new enzyme – Takuto Kumano – PNAS

Microbes in the news

The Microbial Olympics 2016 – Michaeline B. Nelson – Nature Microbiology

New method improves accuracy of microbiome measurement – University of Minnesota

How To Control Eczema? With Fierce Bacterial Competition – Daniel Soo – Asian Scientist

How Miraculous Microbes Help Us Evolve Better, Faster, Stronger – Ed Yong – Smithsonian

Could this household chemical mess with your body’s microbiome? – Brian Mastroianni – CBS News

Research team uses nanoparticles to break up plaque and prevent cavities – Katherine Unger Baillie

This smells promising: Nasal bacteria pump out a new antibiotic that kills MRSA – Anna Vlasits – STAT News

July 24, 2016

Songbird, soil nitrogen-cycling around the world, and parasites on an ancient butt-wipe stick.

Pregnancy and birth

Dysfunctional gut microbiota and relative co-abundance network in infantile eczema – Heping Wang – Gut Pathogens

Human oral microbiome

Review: From focal sepsis to periodontal medicine: A century of exploring the role of the oral microbiome in systemic disease – Purnima S Kumar – The Journal of Physiology

Human gut microbiome

ReviewThe Role of the Gut Microbiome on Chronic Kidney Disease – B. Sampaio-Maia – Advances in Applied Microbiology

Review: The Microbiota, Immunoregulation, and Mental Health: Implications for Public Health – Christopher A. Lowry – Current Environmental Health Reports

Animal and other experiments

Insulin resistance, microbiota and fat distribution changes by a new model of vertical sleeve gastrectomy in obese rats – Nicola Basso – Diabetes

Establishment of microbiota in larval culture of Pacific oyster, Crassostrea gigas – Katia Asmani – Aquaculture

Changes in the structure of the microbial community associated with Nannochloropsis salina following treatments with antibiotics and bioactive compounds – Haifeng Geng – Frontiers in Microbiology

Animal microbiome
Social environment has a primary influence on the microbial and odor profiles of a chemically signaling songbird – Danielle J. Whittaker – Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution

16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing for Epidemiological Surveys of Bacteria in Wildlife – Maxime Galan – mSystems

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Global biogeography of microbial nitrogen-cycling traits in soil – Michaeline B. Nelson – PNAS

Mammalian engineers drive soil microbial communities and ecosystem functions across a disturbance gradient – David J Eldridge – Journal of Animal Ecology

Biogeochemical drivers of microbial community convergence across actively retreating glaciers – Sarah C. Castle – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

The structure of bacterial communities along two vertical profiles of a deep colluvial soil – Marketa Sagova-Mareckova – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Silver nanoparticles, ions and shape governing soil microbial functional diversity: nano shapes micro – Yujia Zhai – Frontiers in Microbiology

Water microbiome

Metagenomic signatures of a tropical mining-impacted stream reveal complex microbial and metabolic networks – Mariana P. Reis – Chemosphere

Effects of Copper, Nickel, and Sulphate from the Smelters at Sudbury, Ontario (Canada) on Microbial Communities in Lakes – Togwell A. Jackson – Geomicrobiology Journal

Archeological microbes

Early evidence for travel with infectious diseases along the Silk Road: Intestinal parasites from 2000 year-old personal hygiene sticks in a latrine at Xuanquanzhi Relay Station in China – Hui-Yuan Yeh – Journal of Archaeological Science: Reports

Press: Ancient Faeces Provide Earliest Evidence of Infectious Disease Being Carried on Silk Road – SciCasts
Ancient bottom wipers yield evidence of diseases carried along the Silk Road – Maev Kennedy – The Guardian

Built environment microbiome

Microorganisms associated with corrosion of structural steel in diverse atmospheres – Laura L. Machuca – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

More microbes

Individuals hospitalized with acute mania have increased exposure to antimicrobial medications – Robert Yolken – Bipolar Disorders

Metagenomics and bioinformatics

Multiplexed Metagenomic Deep Sequencing To Analyze the Composition of High-Priority Pathogen Reagents – Michael R. Wilson – mSystems

Microbes in the news

Everyday chemicals may be messing up our microbiomes—but we don’t know – Beth Mole – Ars Technica
The jury is still out on whether antibacterial chemical impacts microbiome or causes resistance – Bob Yirka – Medical Xpress

Some Microbes Have Been With Us Since Before We Existed. Certain gut bacteria have evolved in parallel with apes, so that their family tree perfectly mirrors our own. – Ed Yong – The Atlantic

Plants have a microbiome just like humans — and it could transform how our food is produced – Ariel Schwartz – Tech Insider

New book: The Human Superorganism: How the Microbiome Is Revolutionizing the Pursuit of a Healthy Life – Rodney Dietert
Your Microbes, Yourself. In his new book, Rodney Dietert argues that it’s time to re-configure our relationship with germs: – Louise Fabiani – Pacific Standard

Science, publishing, and career

The Women and the Science
Rachel Ignotofsky tells the stories of 50 women in science in her fantastic new science art book – Scientific American
Women in Science: An Illustrated Who’s Who – Julie Leibach – Science Friday

Women in Science: An Illustrated Who’s Who

July 20, 2016

Jobs

Postdoc: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and associated microbiota – Boyce Thompson Institute at Cornell campus (NY) (via ASM)

Pregnancy and birth

Why Don’t All Infants Have Bifidobacteria in Their Stool? – Gerald W. Tannock – Frontiers in Microbiology

Not liking this title: I did not see that coming! It is more than bugs in the bagina – Tamsin Board – Molecular Reproduction and Development

The Probiotics in Pregnancy Study (PiP Study): rationale and design of a double-blind randomised controlled trial to improve maternal health during pregnancy and prevent infant eczema and allergy – Christine Barthow – BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth

Human skin microbiome

Age-related differences in morphological characteristics of residual skin surface components collected from the surface of facial skin of healthy male volunteers – N. E. Chalyk – Skin Research and Technology

Human respiratory microbiome

Metagenome and Metatranscriptome Profiling of Moderate and Severe COPD Sputum in Taiwanese Han Males – Shih-Wei Lee – PLOS ONE

Human gut microbiome

Bacterial and Fungal Microbiota Changes Distinguish C. difficile Infection from Other Forms of Diarrhea: Results of a Prospective Inpatient Study – William Sangster – Frontiers in Microbiology

Effects of Arabinoxylan and Resistant Starch on Intestinal Microbiota and Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Subjects with Metabolic Syndrome: A Randomised Crossover Study – Stine Hald – PLOS ONE

Review: Intestinal microbiota and chronic constipation – Ying Zhao – Springer Plus

Animal experiments

Intestinal Microbiota Promotes Psoriasis-Like Skin Inflammation by Enhancing Th17 Response – Zuzana Zákostelská – PLOS ONE

Animal microbiome

Effects of 16S rDNA sampling on estimates of the number of endosymbiont lineages in sucking lice – Julie M. Allen – PeerJ

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Patterns of natural fungal community assembly during initial decay of coniferous and broadleaf tree logs – Annemieke van der Wal – Ecosphere

Bioinformatics

CLIMB (the Cloud Infrastructure for Microbial Bioinformatics): an online resource for the medical microbiology community – Thomas Richard Connor – bioRxiv

More microbiology

Synchronized cycles of bacterial lysis for in vivo delivery – M. Omar Din – Nature

Press: Self-destructing bacteria are engineered to kill cancer cells – Sally Adee – New Scientist

Microbes in the news

Algae are melting away the Greenland ice sheet. ‘Black and Bloom’ project explores how microorganisms help to determine the pace of Arctic melting – Alexandra Witze – Nature

Science, publishing, and career

Featuring Bik’s Picks! Scientific literature: Information overload – Esther Landhuis – Nature

The unsung heroes of CRISPR. The soaring popularity of gene editing has made celebrities of the principal investigators who pioneered the field — but their graduate students and postdocs are often overlooked – Heidi Ledford – Nature

2016 Raymond and Beverly Sackler Prize in Convergence Research: QnAs with Stephen Quake – Prashant Nair – PNAS

Bik’s Picks

5 Questions: Randall Stafford advocates a plant-based diet – INterview with Randall Stafford – Stanford Medicine