November 25, 2016

Human multisite microbiome (of dead bodies)

Thesis: Understanding the relationship between the human microbiome and urban decay/recovery among autopsied adults in Detroit, Michigan – Amanda T. Rzotkiewicz – Michigan State University

Human oral microbiome

The autoimmunity–oral microbiome connection – NG Nikitakis – Oral Diseases

Human reproductive and urinary tract microbiome

Potential contribution of the uterine microbiome in the development of endometrial cancer – Marina R. S. Walther-António – Genome Medicine

Proinflammatory Cytokines as Regulators of Vaginal Microbiota – E. A. Kremleva – Bulletin of Experimental Biology and Medicine

Seven Bacteriophages Isolated from the Female Urinary Microbiota – Kema Malkia – Genome Announcements

Human gut microbiome

Altered intestinal microbiota–host mitochondria crosstalk in new onset Crohn’s disease – Walid Mottawea – Scientific Reports

Metagenomics of two severe foodborne outbreaks provides diagnostic signatures and signs of co-infection not attainable by traditional methods – Andrew D. Huang – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Review: Gut Microbiota and Autism: Key Concepts and Findings – Helen T. Din – Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders

Review: Intestinal Microbiota as an Alternative Therapeutic Target for Epilepsy – Jiaying Wu – Canadian Journal of Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology

Review: Irritable Bowel Syndrome: A gut microbiota-related disorder? – Yogesh Bhattarai – American Journal of Physiology – Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology

Review: Gut Microbiota, Bacterial Translocation, and Interactions with Diet: Pathophysiological Links between Major Depressive Disorder and Non-Communicable Medical Comorbidities – Slyepchenko A. – Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics

Review: Microbiome, metabolites and host immunity – Maayan Levy – Current Opinion in Microbiology

Animal and in vitro models

* Persistent microbiome alterations modulate the rate of post-dieting weight regain – Christoph A. Thaiss – Nature

Press: Yo-yo weight gain driven by gut bacteria’s ‘memory’ of obesity, says study – Hannah Devlin – The Guardian
Breakthrough in Dieting Science: Gut Bacteria Are Behind Relapsing Obesity – Ido Efrati and Ruth Schuster – Haaretz

Effects of a gut pathobiont in a gnotobiotic mouse model of childhood undernutrition – Vitas E. Wagner – Science Translational Medicine

Antibiotics impair murine hematopoiesis by depleting intestinal microbiota – Kamilla S. Josefsdottir – Blood

Pre- and post-weaning diet alters the faecal metagenome in the cat with differences vitamin and carbohydrate metabolism gene abundances – Wayne Young – Scientific Reports

Mucosa-associated biohydrogenating microbes protect the simulated colon microbiome from stress associated with high concentrations of poly-unsaturated fat – Rosemarie De Weirdt – Environmental Microbiology

Differential fecal microbiota are retained in broiler chicken lines divergently selected for fatness traits – Qiangchuan Hou – Scientific Reports

Evolutionary biologic changes of gut microbiota in an ‘adenoma-carcinoma sequence’ mouse colorectal cancer model induced by 1, 2-Dimethylhydrazine – Teng Sun – Oncotarget

Mini review: All Together Now: Experimental Multispecies Biofilm Model Systems – Chuan Hao Tan – Environmental Microbiology

Animal microbiome

The stable microbiome of inter and sub-tidal anemone species under increasing pCO2 – Erinn M. Muller – Scientific Reports

An Enrichment of CRISPR and Other Defense-Related Features in Marine Sponge-Associated Microbial Metagenomes – Hannes Horn – Frontiers in Microbiology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Soil Bacterial Community Response to Short-Term Manipulation of the Nitrogen Deposition Form and Dose in a Chinese Fir Plantation in Southern China – Caixia Liu – Water, Air, & Soil Pollution

Microbial community composition but not diversity changes along succession in arctic sand dunes – Anbu Poosakkannu – Environmental Microbiology

Soil-covered strategy for ecological restoration alters the bacterial community structure and predictive energy metabolic functions in mine tailings profiles – Yang Li – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Contrasting effects of two mammalian soil engineers on microbial communities – David J. Eldridge – Austral Ecology

Habitat-driven variation in mycorrhizal communities in the terrestrial orchid genus Dactylorhiza – Hans Jacquemyn – Scientific Reports

 * Are there keystone mycorrhizal fungi associated to tropical epiphytic orchids? – Stefania Cevallos – Mycorrhiza

Water and extremophile microbiome

Stromatolites from the Aptian Crato Formation, a hypersaline lake system in the Araripe Basin, northeastern Brazil – Lucas Veríssimo Warren – Facies

Diversity, abundance, and possible sources of fecal bacteria in the Yangtze River – Haohao Sun – Applied Microbiology and Biotechnology

Climate-related changes of soil characteristics affect bacterial community composition and function of high altitude and latitude lakes – Carina Rofner – Global Change Biology

Viruses and phages

Ultrastructure and Viral Metagenome of Bacteriophages from an Anaerobic Methane Oxidizing Methylomirabilis Bioreactor Enrichment Culture – Lavinia Gambelli – Frontiers in Microbiology

Seven Bacteriophages Isolated from the Female Urinary Microbiota – Kema Malkia – Genome Announcements

Metabolomics

The role of metabolism (and the microbiome) in defining the clinical efficacy of dietary flavonoids – Aedín Cassidy – The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Metagenomics and bioinformatics

Alignment-free Transcriptomic and Metatranscriptomic Comparison Using Sequencing Signatures with Variable Length Markov Chains – Weinan Liao – Scientific Reports

Techniques

ITS all right mama: investigating the formation of chimeric sequences in the ITS2 region by DNA metabarcoding analyses of fungal mock communities of different complexities
Anders Bjørnsgaard Aas – Molecular Ecology Resources

Microbes in the news

Stockholmers’ poop wanted in fight against drug-resistant bacteria – RT

The modern microbiome: Are we undoing evolution? – Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello – ASM Cultures

PhD student finds surprising secret to detecting staph infections earlier – Breanne Grady – USC News

November 24, 2016

Happy Thanksgiving! My inbox was full of exciting new papers, so here is a digest before I start cooking.

Microbiota and epigenetics, predatory bacteria to control infection, bacteria control water levels in leaves, microbial volatile compounds affect plant growth, the invertebrate virome, and natural products as mediators of disease.

Human respiratory microbiome

Evidence of microbiota dysbiosis in chronic rhinosinusitis – Michael Hoggard – International Journal of Allergy & Rhinology

Human gut microbiome

ABO antigen and secretor statuses are not associated with gut microbiota composition in 1,500 twins – Emily R. Davenport – BMC Genomics

New treatment options for irritable bowel syndrome with predominant diarrhea – Weber, H. Christian – Current Opinion in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Obesity

Animal models

* Diet-Microbiota Interactions Mediate Global Epigenetic Programming in Multiple Host Tissues – Kimberly A. Krautkramer – Molecular Cell

Press: Changes in the diet affect epigenetics via the microbiota – EurekAlert
Gut’s microbial community shown to influence host gene expression – EurekAlert

* Injections of Predatory Bacteria Work Alongside Host Immune Cells to Treat Shigella Infection in Zebrafish Larvae – Alexandra R. Willis – Current Biology

Harnessing the power of predatory bacteria as a ‘living antibiotic’ – Phys.org

Identifying species of symbiont bacteria from the human gut that, alone, can induce intestinal Th17 cells in mice – Tze Guan Tan – PNAS

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

+ Bacteria establish an aqueous living space in plants crucial for virulence – Xiu-Fang Xin – Nature

Press: Bacteria Spread Infection in Plants by Manipulating Water Level in Leaves – Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Plant domestication and the assembly of bacterial and fungal communities associated with strains of the common sunflower, Helianthus annuus – Jonathan W. Leff – New Phytologist

Host species and environmental variation can influence rhizobial community composition
– Holly B. Vuong – Journal of Ecology

Arabidopsis Responds to Alternaria alternata Volatiles by Triggering Plastid Phosphoglucose Isomerase-Independent Mechanisms – Ángela María Sánchez-López – Plant Physiology
Volatile compounds emitted by diverse phytopathogenic microorganisms promote plant growth and flowering through cytokinin action – Ángela María Sánchez-López – Plant, Cell & Environment
* Commentary: The methylerythritol 4-phosphate pathway as a metabolic crossroad for microbial and plant volatile organic compounds – Manuel Rodriguez-Concepcion – Plant, Cell & Environment

PressCompounds produced by phytopathogenic microbes encourage plant growth – EurekAlert

Water and extremophile microbiome

An oligotrophic deep-subsurface community dependent on syntrophy is dominated by sulfur-driven autotrophic denitrifiers – Maggie C. Y. Lau – PNAS

Viruses and phages

* Redefining the invertebrate RNA virosphere – Mang Shi – Nature

World of viruses uncovered. Pioneering study of invertebrates discovers 1,445 viruses including several new families – EurekAlert

Metabolomics

* Review: Natural products as mediators of disease – Neha Garg – Natural Products Reports

Techniques

Genomic sequencing-based mutational enrichment analysis identifies motility genes in a genetically intractable gut microbe – Sena Bae – PNAS

Research highlight: Culturomics: illuminating microbial dark matter – Iain Dickson – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Microbes in the news

Small world: The hot field of the microbiome. Ever since the discovery that bacteria can be good for us, there’s been a race to get into the lab. With Christine Szymanski and Josh Neufeld – Sharon Oosthoek – Maclean’s

Allergies: D-tryptophan explains probiotic characteristics of bacteria – Health Canal

Bacteria-destroying robot could replace antibiotics: Dutch inventer (sic) – Janene Pieters – NLTimes

Molecular chameleons reveal bacterial biofilm – EurekAlert

QIAGEN and CosmosID Launch New Plugin for Metagenomics Analysis – BusinessWire

Milliken recalls carpet cleaning powder on bacteria fears – Reuters

Bik’s non-microbiology Picks

Influence of Pokémon Go on Physical Activity: Study and Implications – Tim Althoff – arXiv

Aspartame may prevent, not promote, weight loss by blocking intestinal enzyme’s activity – EurekAlert

November 23, 2016

Why You Should Probably Be Glad You’re Not a Brown Bear or an Edible Dormouse – Julie Taylor – uBiome blog

“Thankfully, when you have your own microbiome analyzed by uBiome, you’ll be relieved to know that we won’t be sending round a guy in a helicopter with a tranquilizer gun. All you need to do is lightly swab a piece of used toilet paper.”

Human gut microbiome

Efficacy of Sterile Fecal Filtrate Transfer for Treating Patients With Clostridium difficile Infection – Stephan J. Ott – Gastroenterology

Research highlight: Microbiota under pressure – Andrea Aguilar – Nature Reviews Nephrology

Review: Candida albicans cell-type switching and functional plasticity in the mammalian host – Suzanne M. Noble – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Review: Gut Bacteria and Hydrogen Sulfide: The New Old Players in Circulatory System Homeostasis – Lenka Tomasova – MDPI Molecules

Microbiology of nearly sterile sites

Genomes of Gardnerella Strains Reveal an Abundance of Prophages within the Bladder Microbiome – Kema Malki – PLOS ONE

Animal experiments

Eye of the Finch: Characterization of the Ocular Microbiome of House Finches in Relation to Mycoplasmal Conjunctivitis – Courtney A. Thomason – Environmental Microbiology

Composition and diversity of mucosa-associated microbiota along the entire length of the pig gastrointestinal tract; dietary influences – Jennifer Kelly – Environmental Microbiology

Heat Stress Affects Facultative Symbiont-Mediated Protection from a Parasitoid Wasp – Eleanor R. Heyworth – PLOS ONE

Genome-guided design of a defined mouse microbiota that confers colonization resistance against Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium – Sandrine Brugiroux – Nature Microbiology

Assessment of the Fecal Microbiota in Beef Calves – J.S. Weese – Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine

The role of microbiota in compensatory growth of protein-restricted rats – Yizhi Zhu – Microbial Biotechnology

Animal microbiome

Molecular diversity of bacterial endosymbionts associated with dagger nematodes of the genus Xiphinema (Nematoda: Longidoridae) reveals a high degree of phylogenetic congruence with their host – Juan E. Palomares-Rius – Molecular Ecology

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Shared and host-specific microbiome diversity and functioning of grapevine and accompanying weed plants – Abdul Samad – Environmental Microbiology

Root isoflavonoids and hairy root transformation influence key bacterial taxa in the soybean rhizosphere – Laura J. White – Environmental Microbiology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Abundant and rare picoeukaryotic sub-communities present contrasting patterns in the epipelagic waters of marginal seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean – Wenxue Wu – Environmental Microbiology

Bringing microbial diversity into focus: high-resolution analysis of iron mats from the Lō‘ihi Seamount – Jarrod J. Scott – Environmental Microbiology

Probing the evolution, ecology and physiology of marine protists using transcriptomics – David A. Caron – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Food microbiology

High-Throughput Sequencing of Viable Microbial Communities in Raw Pork Subjected to a Fast Cooling Process – Chao Yang – Journal of Food Science

Microbes in the news

Set of 12 microbiology postcards – PREORDER – Microbes and Molecules sciart card set featuring bacteria and fungi, gift for scientist – The Vexed Muddler – Etsy.com

Traces of antibiotic-resistant bacteria have been found in polluted city air. Not good – David Nield – ScienceAlert

Why Sprouts Are Especially Good At Harboring Dangerous Bacteria – Sara G. Miller – LiveScience / Huffington Post

Infectious Diseases Keep Delivering Surprises To The U.S. – Katherine Hobson – NPR

UVA Microbiologist Expands His Research Across the Atlantic – University of Virginia

By Wagging its ‘Tail,’ Bacteria Common in CF Lung Infections May Initiate Immune Reaction – Joana Fernandes – Cystic Fibrosis News Today

‘In five years this will be routine’: Map My Gut start-up offers personalised microbiome advice – Annie-Rose Harrison-Dunn – NutraIngredients

Can bacteria in yogurt calm your anxiety? – Jeff Sossamon – Futurity

November 22, 2016

Vaginal Mirobiome in PPROM, Prevotella copri and rheumatoid arthritis, mice transplanted with stool from lean or obese humans, archaea in a pond.

Pregnancy and early life

High Diversity and Variability in the Vaginal Microbiome in Women following Preterm Premature Rupture of Membranes (PPROM): A Prospective Cohort Study – Teenus Paramel Jayaprakash – PLOS ONE

Human oral microbiome

Review: The oral microbiome – an update for oral healthcare professionals – M. Kilian – British Dental Journal

Human gut microbiome

Chronic opioid use is associated with altered gut microbiota and predicts readmissions in patients with cirrhosis – C. Acharya – Alimentary Pharmacology and Therapeutics

In vitro fermentation of B-GOS: Impact on faecal bacterial populations and metabolic activity in autistic and non-autistic children – Roberta Grimaldi – FEMS Microbial Ecology

Evidence for Immune Relevance of Prevotella copri, a Gut Microbe, in Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis – Annalisa Pianta – Arthitis & Rheumatology

Review: Human gut microbiota: the links with dementia development – Rashad Alkasir – Protein & Cell

Review: Gut hormones and gut microbiota: implications for kidney function and hypertensionGut hormones and gut microbiota: implications for kidney function and hypertension – Baris Afsar – Journal of the American Society of Hypertension

Review: Dysbiosis in the intensive care unit: Microbiome science coming to the bedside – Georgios D Kitsios – Journal of Critical Care

Review: Interactions between gut microbes and host cells control gut barrier and metabolism – P D Cani – International Journal of Obesity Supplements

Review: Life history and eco-evolutionary dynamics in light of the gut microbiota – Emilie Macke – Oikos

Animal experiments

Environmental spread of microbes impacts the development of metabolic phenotypes in mice transplanted with microbial communities from humans – Li Zhang – ISME Journal

Gut bacteria affect our metabolism – Science Daily

Animal microbiome

Gut microbiota of dung beetles correspond to dietary specializations of adults and larvae
– Shantanu P. Shukla – Molecular Ecology

Thesis: Characterization of the juvenile green turtle (Chelonia mydas) microbiome associated with the ontogenic shift from pelagic habitats to inshore resident areas – James T. Price – Purdue University

Tick microbiome and pathogen acquisition altered by host blood meal – Andrea Swei – The ISME Journal

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Investigation of Endophytic Bacterial Community in Supposedly Axenic Cultures of Pineapple and Orchids with Evidence on Abundant Intracellular Bacteria – Natalia Pimentel Esposito-Polesi – Current Microbiology

Tree species, tree genotypes and tree genotypic diversity levels affect microbe-mediated soil ecosystem functions in a subtropical forest – Witoon Purahong – Scientific Reports

High-methionine soybean has no adverse effect on functional diversity of rhizosphere microorganisms -J.G. Liang – Plant Soil Environment

Illumina sequencing-based community analysis of bacteria associated with different bryophytes collected from Tibet, China – Jing Yan Tang – BMC Microbiology
https://bmcmicrobiol.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12866-016-0892-3
Networks Depicting the Fine-Scale Co-Occurrences of Fungi in Soil Horizons – Hirokazu Toju – PLOS ONE

Isolation and Identification of Keratinolytic Bacteria that Exhibit Feather-degrading Potentials – F. O. Iruolaje – Journal of Advances in Biology & Biotechnology

Water and extremophile microbiome

Cryo-protective effect of an ice-binding protein derived from Antarctic bacteria – Marco Mangiagalli – The FEBS Journal

Unusually High Archaeal Diversity in a Crystallizer Pond, Pomorie Salterns, Bulgaria, Revealed by Phylogenetic Analysis – Margarita Kambourova – Archaea

Polymetallic nodules, sediments, and deep waters in the equatorial North Pacific exhibit highly diverse and distinct bacterial, archaeal, and microeukaryotic communities – Christine N. Shulse – Microbiology Open

Conference abstract: Defining the boarders of extreme life: The study of microbial communities and their settings gives insights into Mars analogue life within the MASE project – A Perras – 16th International Symposium on Microbial Ecology

Pollution microbiology

Influence of plantation on microbial community in porous concrete treating polluted surface water – Yan Long – International Biodeterioration & Biodegradation

Food microbiology

Study of the bacterial diversity of foods: PCR-DGGE versus LH-PCR – Cristiana Garofalo – International Journal of Food Microbiology

Viruses and phages

Viral coinfection is shaped by host ecology and virus-virus interactions across diverse microbial taxa and environments – Samuel L Diaz-Munoz – bioRxiv

More microbiology

Uncovering new drugs and targets – Andrea Du Toit – Nature Reviews Microbiology

Microbiota under pressure – Andrea Aguilar – Nature Reviews Nephrology

Microbes in the news

‘Bacteria beaters’ win Longitude Prize Discovery Award – Shan Ross – The Scotsman

Bacteria for bio-toilets by February 15 – The Times of India

Your Office Has a Microbiome, and It Might Make You Sick – Zoe Schlanger – Wired

Tomato plants are more resistant against nematodes when colonized by a fungus – Farming Futures

Scientists use bacteria to map out NZ. A team of scientists growing bacteria in the shape of New Zealand have caught the attention of their colleagues across the globe – News Australia

The cover image is a map of New Zealand drawn with pyoverdine-producing P. aeruginosa cells in an ocean of indigoidine-synthesizing E. coli. – Cell Chemical Biology

Science, publishing, and career

Citizen science: The people behind the data – Mary Goodchild – NERC Planet Earth

November 21, 2016

Why is the human vaginal microbiome unique, multiple sclerosis, fiber-deprived gut microbes eating mucus, vertical structure of the phyllospere, cave microbiome, resistome.

Pregnancy and early life

Associations between changes in the maternal gut microbiome and differentially methylated regions of diabetes-associated genes in fetuses: A pilot study from a birth cohort study – Kaori Tachibana – Journal of Diabetes Investigation

Human vaginal microbiome

Lactobacilli Dominance and Vaginal pH: Why is the Human Vaginal Microbiome Unique? – Elizabeth A. Miller – Frontiers in Microbiology

Human gut microbiome

Prevalence of Small Intestinal Bacterial Overgrowth in Multiple Sclerosis: a Case-Control Study from China – Yongbo Zhang – Journal of Neuroimmunology

MyNewGut: Insulin resistance as key factor for linking modulation of gut microbiome to health claims and dietary recommendations to tackle obesity – Stoffer Loman -Trends in Food Science & Technology

Review: The Multibiome: The Intestinal Ecosystem’s Influence on Immune Homeostasis, Health, and Disease – Heather A Filyk – EBioMedicine

Review: Microbiome and nutrition in autism spectrum disorder: current knowledge and research needs – Kirsten Berding – Nutrition Reviews

Review: Th Role of Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Kidney Injury Induced by Gut-derived Inflammatory Response – Wei Huang – Metabolism

Review: Role of Gastrointestinal Microbiota on Kidney Injury and the Obese Condition – Keerati Wanchai – The American Journal of the Medical Sciences

Animal and in vitro experiments

A Dietary Fiber-Deprived Gut Microbiota Degrades the Colonic Mucus Barrier and Enhances Pathogen Susceptibility – Mahesh S. Desai – Cell
Editorial: Veggies and Intact Grains a Day Keep the Pathogens Away – Francesca S. Gazzaniga – Cell
Press: High-fiber diet keeps gut microbes from eating the colon’s lining, protects against infection, animal study shows – Science Daily

Coevolutionary dynamics between a defensive microbe and a pathogen driven by fluctuating selection – Suzanne A. Ford – Molecular Ecology

Gut microbiota in Drosophila melanogaster interacts with Wolbachia but does not contribute to Wolbachia-mediated antiviral protection – Yixin H. Ye – Journal of Invertebrate Pathology

Modulation of the cytokine profile in Caco-2 cells by faecal lactobacilli and bifidobacteria from individuals with distinct dietary habits – Diomira Luongo – Cytokine

An Alteration in the Cecal Microbiota Composition by Feeding of 1-Kestose Results in a Marked Increase in the Cecal Butyrate Content in Rats – Takumi Tochio – PLOS ONE

Animal microbiome

Proteome data on the microbial microbiome of grasshopper feces – Nico Jehmlich – Data in Brief

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Vertical Structure of Phyllosphere Fungal Communities in a Tropical Forest in Thailand Uncovered by High-Throughput Sequencing – Ayako Izuno – PLOS ONE

Root nodule symbiosis in Lotus japonicus drives the establishment of distinctive rhizosphere, root, and nodule bacterial communities – Rafal Zgadzaj – PNAS

Press: Nitrogen-fixing symbiosis is crucial for legume plant microbiome assembly – EurekAlert

Influence of salt tolerant Trichoderma spp. on growth of maize (Zea mays) under different salinity conditions – Krishna Kumar – Journal of Basic Microbiology

Review: Recent changes to the classification of symbiotic, nitrogen-fixing, legume-associating bacteria: a review – Abdelaal Shamseldin – Symbiosis

Review: Forest microbiome: diversity, complexity and dynamics – Petr Baldrian – FEMS Microbiology Reviews

Review: The cave microbiome as a source for drug discovery: reality or pipe dream? – Soumya Ghosh – Biochemical Pharmacology

Extremophile microbiome

Opinion: Colonization of Black Smokers by Hyperthermophilic Microorganisms – Reinhard Wirth – Trends in Microbiology

Food microbiology

Biofilms formed by microbiota recovered from fresh produce: Bacterial biodiversity, and inactivation by benzalkonium chloride and enterocin AS-48 – Mª José Grande Burgos – LWT – Food Science and Technology

Metabolomics

Comparative in silico analysis of butyrate production pathways in gut commensals and pathogens – Swadha Anand – Frontiers in Microbiology

Resistome

Prevalence of antibiotic resistance genes among human gut-derived bifidobacteria – Sabrina Duranti – Applied and Environmental Microbiology

Review: Genomic and metagenomic technologies to explore the antibiotic resistance mobilome
– José L. Martínez – Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences

Microbes in the news

I got my gut sequenced – and found out I need to go to the dentist – Liam Mannix – Sydney Morning Herald

Bighorn sheep transfer OK’d despite concerns about disease – Brett French – Missoulian
http://missoulian.com/news/state-and-regional/bighorn-sheep-transfer-ok-d-despite-

High-Fat Diets Alter Gut Microbiota, Leading to Increased Choroidal Neovascularization – Dava Stewart – HCP Live

Student scientists engineer bacteria to break down plastic, hope to help clean Baltimore harbor – Scott Dance – The Baltimore Sun

Soil bacteria helps protect rice plants from arsenic and fungus. ‘Cocktail’ of soil bacteria can protect rice plants from deadly forces – Science Daily
Bacteria Might Be Able To Help Rice Affected By Fungus – Rodney Rafols – iTechPost

Microbes and art: van Dongen, Parreno, Park and more.

Electricity-Free Lamp Is Powered by Octopus Bacteria – Dutch designer Teresa Van Dongen has merged design and biology in her new project – Kiran Umapathy – PSFK

“Electricity? So passé. Dutch designer Teresa van Dongen dared to combine biology with the technology by creating an electricity-free lamp—the Ambio—that runs on octopus bacteria.  “

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The Ambio lamp is filled with living bioluminescent bacteria. Source: PSFK.com


An artwork controlled by a colony of bacteria – Aaron Souppouris – Engadget

“Anywhen is an immersive artwork by French avant-garde artist Philippe Parreno. (…) It features an ever-changing mix of sound, light and shadow, augmented by fish-shaped balloons, a transforming array of suspended speakers and a cinema that seemingly appears at random. Except, it’s not random. The individual elements of Anywhen are at the whim of bacteria.”

An art of loopholes. How the French artist Philippe Parreno studiously avoids having ideas – Emily Nathan  – The New Yorker

“I want to turn the museum into a similar kind of instrument, a weird hybrid made out of light and recorded sound and bacteria and acoustic panels, with sequences and motifs that recur and retreat,” he said. “Unless you want to spend eight hours there, you will definitely miss something. But that’s part of it, no? You always miss something in life.”

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Philippe Pareno’s “Anywhen”, an exhibition controlled by bacteria. Source: Engadget.com.


This Scientist crystallises Bacteria for Stained Glass and Lace! – Evelyn Warner – Labiotech

“Simon Park is a scientist who wants to teach us about the microbiome through his art. Among his works are a self-portrait, lace and stained glass, all of which have been produced from bacteria! (…) Through his art, he aims to draw our attention to them and make them more familiar. (The apotheosis of the latter is his self-portrait from his own microbial flora!) “

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Bacterial Stained Glass by Simon Park. Source: Labiotech.eu.


Belowground visions of life: Soil makes Art – Global Soil Biodiversity

“How can soil biodiversity scientists share their knowledge with the public? Art is the answer given by “Belowground visions of life: Soil makes Art”, a project funded by the Leverhulme Trust in the UK. This project supports an artist in residence, Ed Reynolds, working with Dr Tancredi Caruso, soil ecologist at the School of Biological Sciences, Queen’s University Belfast.”

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Original artwork by Ed Reynolds. Source: Global Soil Biodiversity.com


Microbial Awards Season in Biology 350! – Mark O. Martin – Microbes Rule

“Who knows if I can change lives? I do know that I can change the way my students view the world, using “microbial-colored glasses.” I also believe that art can intersect with science, often in ways that enhance learning. This semester, I had my Biology 350 micronauts try it two different ways, with (hopefully) some success. First, the Vexed Muddler and I cooked up a #MicrobialArt competition.”

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Josh’s art won First Prize: unfair and inaccurate assumptions about the microbial world.

“That was a heck of a #MicrobialMorning, but there was more to come. That’s right: it was then time for the #LuxAcademyAwards! Earlier this semester, I had students create “microbial art” by “painting” with luminous bacteria (Photobacterium leignothi) on Petri dishes. I then wanted folks across the Internet to vote on their favorites, and distribute yet more #MicrobialSwag to lucky #MicrobialArtists!”

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Molly created #LuxArt2016 4th place winner.


Bacteria-Inspired Art Infects a Chelsea Gallery – Andrew Nunes — The Creators Project

“Bacteria are more than just the building blocks of microorganisms in art collective Slavs and Tatars’ latest exhibition at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery. Titled Afteur Pasteur, an homage to the microbiologist who discovered microbial fermentation and pasteurization, the exhibition uses references to bacteria and microbes as unlikely lenses to examine larger cultural and historical ideas. (…) A fully functional ‘bacteria bar’ serves the yogurt drink ayran (sorry, there’s no kombucha here) allowing visitors to ingest a constituent life form while perusing the remaining works.”

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Ayran bar, Slavs and Tatars, 2016. Source: The Creators Project.


 

November 19, 2016

Metformin and diabetes, lizards, Brazilian tree phyllosphere, Amazonian dark earth, air pollution in China, microbiomes of ice cream and cannabis.

General microbiome

Phylosymbiosis: Relationships and Functional Effects of Microbial Communities across Host Evolutionary History – Andrew W. Brooks – PLOS Biology

Review: A place for host–microbe symbiosis in the comparative physiologist’s toolbox – Kevin D. Kohl – Journal of Experimental Biology

Human skin and wound microbiology

Review: Cooperative Evolutionary Strategy between the Bacteriome and Mycobiome – Mahmoud Ghannoum – mBio

Human gut microbiome

Metformin Is Associated With Higher Relative Abundance of Mucin-Degrading Akkermansia muciniphila and Several Short-Chain Fatty Acid–Producing Microbiota in the Gut – Jacobo de la Cuesta-Zuluaga – Diabetes Care

News: Metformin Alters Gut Microbiota Composition in Diabetes – Doctors Lounge

Review (Blastocystis) : Modulating the Gut Micro-Environment in the Treatment of Intestinal Parasites – Luis Vitetta – Journal of Clinical Medicine

Review: Recent advances in Entamoeba biology: RNA interference, drug discovery, and gut microbiome – Pedro Morgado – F1000 Research

Microbes in blood, urine, and tissue

Changes in blood microbiota profiles associated with liver fibrosis in obese patients: A pilot analysis – Benjamin Lelouvier – Hepatology

Review: The Urinary Tract Microbiome in Health and Disease – Isabel M. Aragón – European Urology Focus

Animal experiments

A High-Fat High-Sucrose Diet Rapidly Alters Muscle Integrity, Inflammation and Gut Microbiota in Male Rats – Kelsey H. Collins – Scientific Reports

Animal microbiome

Gut microbial ecology of lizards: insights into diversity in the wild, effects of captivity, variation across gut regions, and transmission – Kevin D. Kohl – Molecular Ecology

In liver, not in feces: Metagenomic Evaluation of Bacteria from Voles – Katja A. Koskela – Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Phyllosphere Metaproteomes of Trees from the Brazilian Atlantic Forest Show High Levels of Functional Redundancy – M.R. Lambais – Microbial Ecology

Metagenome sequencing of the microbial community of two Brazilian anthropogenic Amazon dark earth sites, Brazil – Leandro Nascimento Lemos – Genomics Data

Metal-resistant rhizobacteria isolates improve Mucuna deeringiana phytoextraction capacity in multi-metal contaminated soils from a gold mining area – Cácio Luiz Boechat – Environmental Science and Pollution Research

Identification of the Core Set of Carbon-Associated Genes in a Bioenergy Grassland Soil
Adina Howe – PLOS ONE

The nutrient preference of plants influences their rhizosphere microbiome – Feng Cai – Applied Soil Ecology

Effect of microbial-based inoculants on nutrient concentrations and early root morphology of corn (Zea mays) – Pamela Calvo – Journal of Plant Nutrition and Soil Science

The impact of winter legume and cereal cover crops on rhizosphere microbial communities of subsequent vegetable crops for contrasting crop decline – L.M. Manici – Biological Control

Impacts of protected colonial birds on soil microbial communities: When protection leads to degradation – María T. Domínguez – Soil Biology and Biochemistry

Water and pollution microbiome

Nearshore Pelagic Microbial Community Abundance Affects Recruitment Success of Giant Kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera – Megan M. Morris – Frontiers in Microbiology

Biostimulation and microbial community profiling reveal insights on RDX transformation in groundwater – Dongping Wang – Microbiology Open

Screening and In Situ Monitoring of Potential Petroleum Hydrocarbon Degraders in Contaminated Surface Water – Bulent Icgen – Clean Soil Air Water

Source tracking using microbial community fingerprints: Method comparison with hydrodynamic modelling – D.T. McCarthy – Water Research

Air microbiology

Airborne particulate matter pollution in urban China: A chemical mixture perspective from sources to impacts – Ling Jin – National Science Review

Review: Monitoring of the airborne biological particles in outdoor atmosphere. Part 1: Importance, variability and ratios – Andrés Núñez – International Microbiology

Review: Monitoring of airborne biological particles in outdoor atmosphere. Part 2: Metagenomics applied to urban environments – Andrés Núñez – International Microbiology

Food and cannabis microbiology

Metagenomic analysis of medicinal Cannabis samples; pathogenic bacteria, toxigenic fungi, and beneficial microbes grow in culture-based yeast and mold tests – Kevin McKernan – F1000 Research

Enrichment dynamics of Listeria monocytogenes and the associated microbiome from naturally contaminated ice cream linked to a listeriosis outbreak – Andrea Ottesen – BMC Microbiology

Bioinformatics

[PDF] A small-sample multivariate kernel machine test for microbiome association studies – Xiang Zhan – Fred Hutch Research

More microbiology

Quorum Sensing Controls Adaptive Immunity through the Regulation of Multiple CRISPR-Cas Systems – Adrian G. Patterson – Molecular Cell

Bacteria communicate to ramp up collective immune response to viral threats – Science Daily

A Molecular Genetic Basis Explaining Altered Bacterial Behavior in Space – Luis Zea – PLOS ONE

Alabama researcher helps solve mystery of runaway bacteria on spaceships – AL.com

Microbes in the news

PodcastThis Week in Microbiology: microbial DNA found on ATM machines in New York City, and how hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, alters microbial ecosystems deep in the Earth – TWIM

One swab from the surface of your smartphone can tell scientists all about your lifestyle
– Karen Turner – Washington Post

This bacteria is getting harder for kids to fight – Mashable

Armpit Bacteria Transplants Could Save Us From Our Stink – Kaleigh Rogers – Motherboard

Worrying traces of resistant bacteria in air – EurekAlert

 

Science, publishing, and career

An Open Letter from and to Female Scientists – Kelly Ramirez – Scientific American
500 Women Scientists: An open letter from women of science

Who Will Advise Trump on Science? – Ed Yong – The Atlantic

 

 

 

November 18, 2016

Pathogens in rheumatoid arthritis, Staph in hog workers, pathogens in bat guano, host colonization determinants, microbes on New York ATM keypads.

Human oral microbiome

Clinical effects of probiotics containing Bacillus species on gingivitis: a pilot randomized controlled trial – B. Alkaya – Journal of Periodontal Research

Human respiratory microbiome

Livestock-Associated, Antibiotic-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Nasal Carriage and Recent Skin and Soft Tissue Infection among Industrial Hog Operation Workers – Maya Nadimpalli – PLOS ONE

Hog workers carrying livestock-related, drug-resistant bacteria may be developing skin infections – News Medical

Human gut microbiome

A method for automated pathogenic content estimation with application to rheumatoid arthritis – Xiaoyuan Zhou and Christine Nardini – BMC Systems Biology

Imbalance of bacteriome profiles within the Finnish Diabetes Prediction and Prevention study: Parallel use of 16S profiling and virome sequencing in stool samples from children with islet autoimmunity and matched controls – Ondrej Cinek – Pediatric Diabetes

Review: Diet, microorganisms and their metabolites, and colon cancer – Stephen J. D. O’Keefe – Nature Reviews Gastroenterology & Hepatology

Review: Gut microbiota and functional diseases of the gastrointestinal tract – Nicola Imperatore – Minerva Gastroenterologica e Dietologlica

Animal experiments

Gram-positive bacteria are held at a distance in the colon mucus by the lectin-like protein ZG16 – Joakim H. Bergström – PNAS

In beesGenome-wide screen identifies host colonization determinants in a bacterial gut symbiont – J. Elijah Powell – PNAS

A new pathway for the gut microbiota to modulate the brain: activation of pattern-recognition receptors by microbial products – P Zheng – Mol Psychiatry

The bacterial peptidoglycan-sensing molecule Pglyrp2 modulates brain development and behavior – T Arentsen – Mol Psychiatry

Animal microbiome

BatsMicrobiome analysis reveals the abundance of bacterial pathogens in Rousettus leschenaultii guano – Sunil Banskar – Scientific Reports

Plant, root, and soil microbiome

Plant nodulation inducers enhance horizontal gene transfer of Azorhizobium caulinodans symbiosis island – Jun Ling – PNAS

Built environment microbiome

Microbial Community Patterns Associated with Automated Teller Machine Keypads in New York City – Holly M. Bik – mSphere

Food microbiome

Inferring the role of microorganisms in water kefir fermentations – Abigail Martínez-Torre – International Journal of Food Science & Technology

Microbes in the news

Australian Academy of Sciences announces 2017 honorific awardees, including infectious diseases professor Kathryn Elizabeth Holt

Common Skin Bacteria Could Save You From Other Skin Diseases – Monica U Santos – iTechPost
Skin bacterium releases enzyme that may protect against damage and disease – Catherine Paddock – Medical News Today

The Microbiome’s Role in Precision Medicine, with Jun Sun and Jack Gilbert – Kristen Thometz – WTTW

Microbes on the market

uBiome in the news: Startup will ‘DNA test’ your poop to analyze your gut health – Natural News

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Enterome Announce Immuno-Oncology Collaboration Focused on Microbiome-Derived Biomarkers, Drug Targets and Bioactive Molecules – BusinessWire

Upcoming North American Microbiome Congress in San Diego

A while ago I wrote about the (North American) Microbiome Congress, to be held in San Diego in January 2017, because of the lack of women among the speakers. Jonathan Eisen also wrote a post about that.

I was pleasantly surprised to see that the conference organizer, Kisaco Research, has taken our criticism to heart, and has worked hard to improve the diversity of the invited speakers. They now have a great line-up with Jessica Metcalf, Emma Taylor, David Pride, Julia Oh, Sarkis Mazmanian, Embriette Hyde, Susan Holmes, Rob Knight, Jeff Leach, George Weinstock, Curtis Huttenhower, and Catherine Lozupone.

They also feature the following statement on the conference’s website:

“The process of choosing a speaker faculty has many complicated variables, but it is clear that our choices should have been more diverse. I sincerely apologize to those who are offended by the decisions we have made. We recognize that it is our responsibility to help ensure that the speaker faculty reflect the diversity and culture of the field and science as a whole. In this instance we failed to live up to our own standards of sensitivity and diversity, for which we sincerely apologize. Kisaco Research is deeply committed to producing events that represent the diversity of the scientific fields we work with. We are embarrassed that this has been previously overlooked and are currently working to make this, and all other programmes, ones that the leading scientists are proud to be a part of.

Stephanie Jaczniakowska-McGirr
Conference Director
Kisaco Research
sjm@kisacoresearch.com”

Kudos to Kisaco Research for listening, apologizing, and taking action. That takes courage and I so, so, appreciate this.

Their new line-up looks like a wonderful set of speakers, and you might want to give this conference a second look. The North American Microbiome Congress from January 24-25 in San Diego.

Full disclosure: Kisaco Research has invited me to come to the congress, which I accepted. I might see you there!

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