Latest Articles
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyImpact of Engineered Expression of Mitochondrial Association Factor 1b on Toxoplasma gondii Infection and the Host Response in a Mouse ModelThe parasite Toxoplasma gondii currently infects approximately one-third of the world’s population and causes life-threatening toxoplasmosis in individuals with undeveloped or weakened immune systems. Current treatments are unable to cure T. gondii infection, leaving infected individuals with slow-...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyOral Administration of Porphyromonas gingivalis Alters the Gut Microbiome and Serum MetabolomeIncreasing evidence suggest that alterations of the gut microbiome underlie metabolic disease pathology by modulating gut metabolite profiles. We have shown that orally administered Porphyromonas gingivalis, a representative periodontopathic bacterium, alters the gut microbiome; that may be a novel mechanism by which periodontitis increases the risk of various...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceImpact of DNA Sequencing and Analysis Methods on 16S rRNA Gene Bacterial Community Analysis of Dairy ProductsValidated methods are urgently needed to improve DNA sequence-based assessments of complex bacterial communities. In this study, we used 16S rRNA PCR amplicon and gDNA mock community standards, consisting of nine, dairy-associated bacterial species, to evaluate the most commonly applied 16S rRNA marker gene DNA sequencing and analysis platforms used in evaluating dairy and other bacterial habitats. Our results show that bacterial...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDiscovery of mcr-1-Mediated Colistin Resistance in a Highly Virulent Escherichia coli LineageEscherichia coli ST95 is a globally disseminated clone frequently associated with bloodstream infections and neonatal meningitis. However, the ST95 lineage is defined by low levels of drug resistance amongst clinical isolates, which normally provides for uncomplicated treatment options. Here, we provide the first detailed genomic analysis of an...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyMost Sinorhizobium meliloti Extracytoplasmic Function Sigma Factors Control Accessory FunctionsFixed (reduced) soil nitrogen plays a critical role in soil fertility and successful food growth. Much soil fertility relies on symbiotic nitrogen fixation: the bacterial partner infects the host plant roots and reduces atmospheric dinitrogen in exchange for host metabolic fuel, a process that involves complex interactions between the partners mediated by changes in gene expression in each partner. Here we test the roles of a family of...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionIdentification of a Shared Cytochrome p4502E1 Epitope Found in Anesthetic Drug-Induced and Viral HepatitisDrug-induced hepatitis is the leading reason that an approved drug is removed from the commercial market. Halogenated anesthetics can induce hepatitis in susceptible persons, and cytochrome p4502E1 (CYP2E1) enzymes responsible for their metabolism induce antibodies in addition to hepatitis. CYP2E1 antibodies detected in anesthetic hepatitis patients have been detected in patients with viral hepatitis, suggesting that these different...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Genetic Transformation of Chlamydia pneumoniaeThe absence of tools for the genetic manipulation of C. pneumoniae has hampered research into all aspects of its biology. In this study, we established a novel reproducible method for C. pneumoniae transformation based on a plasmid shuttle vector system. We constructed a...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionStructure of the Recombinant Neisseria gonorrhoeae Adhesin Complex Protein (rNg-ACP) and Generation of Murine Antibodies with Bactericidal Activity against GonococciNeisseria gonorrhoeae (gonococcus [Ng]) is the causative organism of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhoea, and the organism is listed by the World Health Organization as a high-priority pathogen for research and development of new control measures, including vaccines. In this study, we demonstrated that the...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyHighly Reduced Genome of the New Species Mycobacterium uberis, the Causative Agent of Nodular Thelitis and Tuberculoid Scrotitis in Livestock and a Close Relative of the Leprosy BacilliM. uberis is an emerging skin pathogen in dairy animals. Its genome underwent massive reduction and gene decay, leading to a minimal set of genes required for an obligatory intracellular lifestyle, which highly resembles the evolution of the leprosy agents M. leprae and...
