microbiome
- Research ArticleGenome-Based Targeted Sequencing as a Reproducible Microbial Community Profiling Assay
New methods for profiling the microbial communities can create new approaches to understanding the composition and function of those communities. In this study, we combined bacterial genome-specific probe design with a highly multiplexed single primer extension reaction as a new method to profile microbial communities, using stool from various mouse strains as a test case.
- Research ArticlePrimer, Pipelines, Parameters: Issues in 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
In 16S rRNA gene sequencing, certain bacterial genera were found to be underrepresented or even missing in taxonomic profiles when using unsuitable primer combinations, outdated reference databases, or inadequate pipeline settings. Concerning the last, quality thresholds as well as bioinformatic settings (i.e., clustering approach, analysis pipeline, and specific adjustments such as truncation) are responsible for a number of observed...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyEffects of Seasonal Anoxia on the Microbial Community Structure in Demosponges in a Marine Lake in Lough Hyne, Ireland
The oceans have an uncertain future due to anthropogenic stressors and an uncertain past that is becoming clearer with advances in biogeochemistry. Both past and future oceans were, or will be, deoxygenated in comparison to present conditions.
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyIdentification of Nasal Gammaproteobacteria with Potent Activity against Staphylococcus aureus: Novel Insights into the “Noncarrier” State
Nasal carriage of Staphylococcus aureus is a risk factor for infection, but it is not yet understood why some individuals carry nasal S. aureus persistently, intermittently, or seemingly not at all when tested via culture methods. This study compared the nasal microbiomes of established...
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGut Microbiota Predict Enterococcus Expansion but Not Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus Acquisition
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that VRE causes an estimated 54,000 infections and 539 million dollars in attributable health care costs annually. Despite improvements in hand washing, environmental cleaning, and antibiotic use, VRE is still prevalent in many hospitals. There is a pressing need to better understand the processes by which patients acquire VRE. Multiple lines of evidence suggest that intestinal...
- Observation | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyStructured RNA Contaminants in Bacterial Ribo-Seq
Structured ncRNAs are pivotal mediators of bioregulation in bacteria, and their functions are often reliant on their specific structures. Here, we first inspect Ribo-Seq reads across noncoding regions, identifying contaminant reads in these libraries. We observe that contaminant reads in bacterial Ribo-Seq experiments that are often disregarded, in fact, strongly overlap with structured regions of ncRNAs. We then perform several...
- Editor's Pick Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDistinct Fecal and Plasma Metabolites in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Their Modulation after Microbiota Transfer Therapy
Despite the prevalence of autism and its extensive impact on our society, no U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved treatment is available for this complex neurobiological disorder. Based on mounting evidences that support a link between autism and the gut microbiome, we previously performed a pioneering open-label clinical trial using intensive fecal microbiota transplant. The therapy significantly improved gastrointestinal and...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Initial Gut Microbiota and Response to Antibiotic Perturbation Influence Clostridioides difficile Clearance in Mice
Clostridioides difficile is a leading nosocomial infection. Although perturbation to the gut microbiota is an established risk, there is variation in who becomes asymptomatically colonized, develops an infection, or has adverse infection outcomes. Mouse models of C. difficile infection (CDI) are...
- Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyGram-Negative Taxa and Antimicrobial Susceptibility after Fecal Microbiota Transplantation for Recurrent Clostridioides difficile Infection
Fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), which is highly efficacious in treating recurrent C. difficile infection (RCDI), has a promising application in decolonization of multidrug-resistant organisms, reduction of antibiotic resistance gene abundance, and restoration of healthy intestinal microbiota. However, data representing clinical microbiology results after FMT...
- Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAssessing the Variation within the Oral Microbiome of Healthy Adults
The human oral cavity is inhabited by a diverse community of microbes, known as the human oral microbiome. These microbes play a role in maintaining both oral and systemic health and, as such, have been proposed to be useful biomarkers of disease. However, to identify these biomarkers, we first need to determine the composition and variation of the healthy oral microbiome. In this report, we investigate the oral microbiome of 1,049...