microbiome
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyBacterial Community Structure Dynamics in Meloidogyne incognita-Infected Roots and Its Role in Worm-Microbiome InteractionsThe study of high-resolution successional processes within tightly linked microniches is rare. Using the power and relatively low cost of metabarcoding, we describe the bacterial succession and community structure in roots infected with root-knot nematodes and in the nematodes themselves. We reveal separate successional processes in galls and adjacent non-gall root sections, which are driven by the nematode’s life cycle and the...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Translating Gut Microbiome Studies To Benefit Human HealthAnna M. Seekatz works in the field of the gut microbiome as it related to infectious diseases. In this “mSphere of Influence” article, she reflects on how two studies, “The impact of a consortium of fermented milk strains on the gut microbiome of gnotobiotic mice and monozygotic twins” (N. P. McNulty, T. Yatsunenko, A. Hsiao, et al., Sci Transl Med 3:106ra106, 2011) and “High-throughput DNA sequence analysis reveals stable engraftment...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyDaily Vaginal Microbiota Fluctuations Associated with Natural Hormonal Cycle, Contraceptives, Diet, and ExerciseThe vaginal microbiome is a critical component of women’s sexual and reproductive health, with variations in microbial composition, particularly the loss of Lactobacillus species, being implicated in gynecologic and obstetric diseases. Given that the vaginal microbiome is so crucial, why do vaginal microbial profiles vary strikingly from person to person and even change over time within the same person? In the present study,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Genotoxin Colibactin Shapes Gut Microbiota in MiceInfections of genotoxic Escherichia coli spread concomitantly with urbanized progression. These bacteria may prompt cell senescence and affect DNA stability, inducing cancer via the production of colibactin, a genotoxin shown capable of affecting host DNA in eukaryotic cells. In this study, we show that the action of colibactin may also be directed against other...
Commentary | Host-Microbe BiologymSphere of Influence: Microbiome-Associated Phenotypes Are ModifiableMichael Woodworth focuses on translational microbiome therapeutic research. In this mSphere of Influence article, he reflects on how “Gut microbiomes of Malawian twin pairs discordant for kwashiorkor” by Michelle Smith et al. (M. I. Smith, T. Yatsunenko, M. J. Manary, I. Trehan, et al., Science 339:548–554, 2013, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1229000) made an impact on him...
Research Article | Synthetic BiologyControlling the Growth of the Skin Commensal Staphylococcus epidermidis Using d-Alanine AuxotrophyThe skin microbiome is rich in opportunities for novel therapeutics for skin diseases, and synthetic biology offers the advantage of providing novel functionality or therapeutic benefit to live biotherapeutic products. The development of novel bacterial strains whose growth can be controlled without the use of antibiotics or genetic elements conferring antibiotic resistance enables modulation of therapeutic exposure and improves safety...
Observation | Host-Microbe BiologyHorizontal Gene Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance from Acinetobacter baylyi to Escherichia coli on Lettuce and Subsequent Antibiotic Resistance Transmission to the Gut MicrobiomePrevious efforts have correlated antibiotic-fed livestock and meat products with respective antibiotic resistance genes, but virtually no research has been conducted on the transmission of antibiotic resistance from plant foods to the mammalian gut (C. S. Hölzel, J. L. Tetens, and K. Schwaiger, Pathog Dis 15:671–688, 2018, https://doi.org/10.1089/fpd.2018.2501; C. M. Liu et al., mBio 9...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLack of Evidence for Microbiota in the Placental and Fetal Tissues of Rhesus MacaquesMicrobial invasion of the amniotic cavity (i.e., intra-amniotic infection) has been causally linked to pregnancy complications, especially preterm birth. Therefore, if the placenta and the fetus are typically populated by low-biomass microbial communities, current understanding of the role of microbes in reproduction and pregnancy outcomes will need to be fundamentally reconsidered. Could these communities be of benefit by competitively...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyIntestinal Dysbiosis in Carriers of Carbapenem-Resistant EnterobacteriaceaeThe gut microbiota plays important roles in the host’s normal function and health, including protection against colonization by pathogenic bacteria. Alterations in the gut microbial profile can potentially serve as an early diagnostic tool, as well as a therapeutic strategy against colonization by and carriage of harmful bacteria, including antibiotic-resistant pathogens. Here, we show that the microbiota of hospitalized patients...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyImmunization with a Biofilm-Disrupting Nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae Vaccine Antigen Did Not Alter the Gut Microbiome in Chinchillas, Unlike Oral Delivery of a Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Commonly Used for Otitis MediaThe prevalence of chronic and recurrent diseases, combined with the overuse/abuse of antibiotics that has led to the sobering emergence of bacteria resistant to multiple antibiotics, has mandated that we develop novel approaches to better manage these diseases or, ideally, prevent them. Biofilms play a key role in the pathogenesis of chronic and recurrent bacterial diseases but are difficult, if not impossible, to eradicate with...