Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Virulence Phenotype Rapidly Assesses Candida Fungal Pathogenesis in Healthy and Immunocompromised Caenorhabditis elegans HostsOpportunistic pathogens are commensals capable of causing disease and are serious threats to human health. It is critical to understand the mechanisms and host contexts under which opportunistic pathogens become virulent. In this work, we present a novel assay to quickly and quantitatively measure pathogen virulence in healthy and immunocompromised nematode hosts. We found that Candida species, one of the most prominent fungal...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyComprehensive Identification of Fim-Mediated Inversions in Uropathogenic Escherichia coli with Structural Variation Detection Using Relative EntropyUTI is a common ailment that affects more than half of all women during their lifetime. The leading cause of UTIs is UPEC, which relies on type 1 pili to colonize and persist within the bladder during infection. The regulation of type 1 pili is remarkable for an epigenetic mechanism in which a section of DNA containing a promoter is inverted. The inversion mechanism relies on what are thought to be dedicated recombinase genes; however,...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyRapidly Processed Stool Swabs Approximate Stool Microbiota ProfilesCollection of fecal swab samples simplifies handling, processing, and archiving compared to collection of stool. This study confirms that fecal swabs reliably replicate the bacterial composition and diversity of stool samples, provided that the swabs are processed shortly after collection. These findings support the use of fecal swabs, when shipping and handling are done properly, to streamline measurements of intestinal microbiota....
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceDictyostelid Cellular Slime Molds from Christmas Island, Indian OceanReported here are the results of a study for dictyostelids carried out on Christmas Island, Indian Ocean. Six isolates representing four species of dictyostelid cellular slime molds were obtained from two of the four localities from which samples were collected on the island. Two of the species (Dictyostelium insulinativitatis and D. barbarae) belong to the Dictyosteliaceae, genus Dictyostelium, and are new to...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyA Cohort Study of the Impact of Carbapenem-Resistant Enterobacteriaceae Infections on Mortality of Patients Presenting with SepsisThe importance of this work relies on exploring the impact of multidrug-resistant bacterial infections such as those with carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae (CRE) on sepsis mortality. These infections are growing at alarming rates worldwide and are now among the most frequent and difficult-to-treat bacteria due to the very few options for susceptible antimicrobials available. This study examined 1,190 sepsis episodes, and...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceLoss and Gain in the Evolution of the Salmonella enterica Serovar Gallinarum Biovar Pullorum GenomePullorum disease, an acute poultry septicemia caused by Salmonella Gallinarum biovar Pullorum, is fatal for young chickens and is a heavy burden on poultry industry. The pathogen is rare in most developed countries but still extremely difficult to eliminate in China. Efficient epidemiological surveillance necessitates clarifying the origin of the isolates from different regions and their phylogenic relationships. Genomic...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyCandida glabrata Has No Enhancing Role in the Pathogenesis of Candida-Associated Denture Stomatitis in a Rat ModelMany denture wearers suffer from Candida-associated denture stomatitis (DS), a fungal infection of the hard palate in contact with dentures. Biofilm formation by Candida albicans on denture/palate surfaces is considered a central process in the infection onset. Although Candida glabrata is...
Research Article | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceBacterial Stabilization of a Panel of PicornavirusesRecent studies have shown that bacteria promote infection and stabilization of poliovirus particles, but the breadth of these effects on other members of the Picornaviridae family is unknown. Here, we compared the effects of bacteria on four distinct members of the Picornaviridae family. We found that bacteria reduced inactivation of all of the viruses during bleach treatment, but not all viral strains were stabilized...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceMarine RNA Virus Quasispecies Are Distributed throughout the OceansVery little is known about aquatic RNA virus populations and genome evolution. This is the first study that analyzes marine environmental RNA viral assemblages in an evolutionary and broad geographical context. This study contributes the largest marine RNA virus metagenomic data set to date, substantially increasing the sequencing space for RNA viruses and also providing a baseline for comparisons of marine RNA virus diversity. The new...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPyrophosphate Stimulates the Phosphate-Sodium Symporter of Trypanosoma brucei Acidocalcisomes and Saccharomyces cerevisiae VacuolesAcidocalcisomes, first described in trypanosomes and known to be present in a variety of cells, have similarities with S. cerevisiae vacuoles in their structure and composition. Both organelles share a Na+/Pi symporter involved in Pi release to the cytosol, where it is needed for biosynthetic reactions. Here we show that PPi...