Roberto Romero and Jacques Ravel report on the vaginal microbiome in the setting of term and preterm deliveries, red wine might be good for your teeth, and secretory IgA and gut microbiota influence each other.

Pregnancy and birth

• The vaginal microbiota of pregnant women who subsequently have spontaneous preterm labor and delivery and those with a normal delivery at term – Roberto Romero  – Microbiome – “no bacterial taxa differed in relative abundance between women who had a spontaneous preterm delivery and those who delivered at term”
• Gut microbiome in sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) differs from that in healthy comparison babies and offers an explanation for the risk factor of prone position – Amanda R Highet – International Journal of Medical Microbiology
• Bacteroides and Hafnia Infections Associated With Chorioamnionitis and Preterm Birth – Nadeem O. Kaakoush – Journal of Clinical Gynecology & Obstetrics –  “Microbiology cultures from swabs from the mother’s vagina during labor were reported negative; however, culture-independent analyses returned extensive Bacteroides spp. and Hafnia spp. infections.”
• Infection-induced inflammation and cerebral injury in preterm infants – Tobias Strunk – The Lancet Infectious Diseases – “Here we review available evidence that supports the concept of a strong association between bacteraemia, inflammation, and cerebral injury in preterm infants, with an emphasis on the underlying biological mechanisms, clinical correlates, and translational opportunities”

Gut microbiome

• Cooperativity among secretory IgA, the polymeric immunoglobulin receptor, and the gut microbiota promotes host–microbial mutualism – Charlotte S. Kaetzel – Immunology Letters
• Poster presentation: The association between faecal microbiota and asthma or wheezing: A systematic review and meta-analysis – S. Claassen – International Journal of Infectious Diseases
• Ecological impact of MCB3837 on the normal human microbiota – Mamun-Ur Rashid – International Journal of Antimicrobial Agents

Respiratory microbiome

• A Nasal Epithelial Receptor for Staphylococcus aureus WTA Governs Adhesion to Epithelial Cells and Modulates Nasal Colonization – Stefanie Baur – PLOS Pathogens – “we postulate a reservoir of S. aureus cells in the inner nasal cavity as a source for continuous colonization, which is at least partially maintained by WTA dependent adhesion to epithelial cells.”
• Effect of vitamin D3 supplementation on Staphylococcus aureus nasal carriage: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in healthy adults – S. Slow – Clinical Microbiology and Infection – “monthly administration of 100 000 IU of vitamin D3 did not reduce persistent S. aureus nasal carriage.”

Oral microbiome

• Red Wine and Oenological Extracts Display Antimicrobial Effects in an Oral Bacteria Biofilm Model – Irene Muñoz-González – Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry – “red wine and dealcoholized wine had an antimicrobial effect against F. nucleatum and S. oralis.”
• Oral microbiota levels may indicate pancreatic cancer – Healio.com – “Our results suggest the presence of a consistently distinct microbial profile for pancreatic cancer,” Pedro Torres, a graduate student at San Diego State University, said in a press release. “We may be able to detect pancreatic cancer at its early stages by taking individuals’ saliva and looking at the ratios of these bacteria.”
• Saliva Diagnostics: Utilizing Oral Fluids to Determine Health Status – Schafer C.A – Saliva: Secretion and Functions

Skin microbiome

• Not sure if I would pay $36 for this review, but here it is: Cutaneous microbiome studies in the times of affordable sequencing – Marjana Tomic-Canic – Journal of Dermatological Science –  “We now know that four phyla, Actinobacteria, Firmicytes, Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes, constitute preponderance of skin bacteria, while Malassezia dominates the fungal microbiome. “

More human microbiome

• Analysis of the factors affecting the formation of the microbiome associated with chronic osteomyelitis of the jaw – A. Goda – Clinical Microbiology and Infection – “ we clarified that COMJ was caused by a far greater range of bacterial species (12 phyla and 163 genera) than previously reported”
• I reported on this previously, but here is the ASM abstract: Urine is Not Sterile: The Urinary Microbiota of Overactive Bladder Patients – E.E. Hilt – ASM Abstracts

Metabolomics

• Analysis of interaction property of calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside with human gut microbiota – Wei Zhang – Journal of Chromatography B – “5 strains including Bacteroides sp.13, and sp.58,Clostridium sp.21-2, Veillonella sp.43-1, and Bacillus sp.46 were isolated from human intestinal bacteria and were studied their abilities to convert calycosin-7-O-β-D-glucoside”
• Effects of single dose and regular intake of green tea (Camellia sinensis) on DNA damage, DNA repair, and heme oxygenase-1 expression in a randomized controlled human supplementation study – Cyrus K. Ho – Molecular Nutrition & Food Research
• More green tea: Metabolic consequences of LDHA inhibition by epigallocatechin gallate and oxamate in MIA PaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cells – Qing-Yi Lu – Metabolomics

Animal models of gut microbiome

• The Cytosolic Bacterial Peptidoglycan Sensor Nod2 Affords Stem Cell Protection and Links Microbes to Gut Epithelial Regeneration – Giulia Nigro – Cell Host & Microbe – “We find that within the intestinal crypt, Lgr5⁺ stem cells constitutively express the cytosolic innate immune sensor Nod2 at levels much higher than in Paneth cells.”

Microbiome in the news

• Our bodies, our bugs, and learning to love the bacteria that live inside us – Jane Macdougall – National Post – “Eating yogurt instead of taking a pill might sound crazy, but it’s worth considering why that is”
• Blaser QA TK TK – Carl Zimmer – Wired.com – “Microbiologist Martin Blaser of New York University School of Medicine says that many species of germs are disappearing from our bodies—and that’s a problem.”
• This appear to be a highly biased study: Experts warn over bad bacteria count – Taiwanese children compare poorly with their Asian peers in good and bad bacteria count, which could make them more susceptible to diseases – Wei Yi-chia and Jason Pan – Taipei Times – “The study, released on Thursday by the Association for Lactic Acid Bacteria (TALAB), found that Taiwanese schoolchildren have up to 30 times more Escherichia coli and 15 times more Clostridium perfringens — two of the “bad” bacteria — than kids of the same age in Japan.”
• Shampoo and Soap Wreak Havoc on the Skin’s Microbiome Say Researchers – Donna Westlund – Guardian Libery Voice

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