Latest Articles
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionA Computational Modeling Approach Predicts Interaction of the Antifungal Protein AFP from Aspergillus giganteus with Fungal Membranes via Its γ-Core MotifFungal pathogens pose a serious danger to human welfare since they kill more people per year than malaria or tuberculosis and are responsible for crop losses worldwide. The treatment of fungal infections is becoming more complicated as fungi develop resistances against commonly used fungicides. Therefore, discovery and development of novel antifungal agents are of utmost importance.
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceBiofilm Formation Drives Transfer of the Conjugative Element ICEBs1 in Bacillus subtilisTransfer of mobile genetic elements from one bacterium to another is the principal cause of the spread of antibiotic resistance. However, the dissemination of these elements in environmental contexts is poorly understood. In clinical and environmental settings, bacteria are often found living in multicellular communities encased in a matrix, a structure known as a biofilm. In this study, we examined how forming a biofilm influences the...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyBifidobacterial Dominance of the Gut in Early Life and Acquisition of Antimicrobial ResistanceInfants are vulnerable to an array of infectious diseases, and as the gut microbiome may serve as a reservoir of AMR for pathogens, reducing the levels of AMR in infants is important to infant health. This study demonstrates that high levels of Bifidobacterium are associated with reduced levels of AMR in early life and suggests that probiotic interventions to increase infant Bifidobacterium levels have the potential to...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyAnalyses of a Ceftazidime-Avibactam-Resistant Citrobacter freundii Isolate Carrying blaKPC-2 Reveals a Heterogenous Population and Reversible GenotypeThe development of ceftazidime-avibactam resistance among KPC-producing isolates during treatment with this agent has been reported. Usually isolates that become resistant have a mutated blaKPC gene that confers resistance to ceftazidime-avibactam and susceptibility to meropenem. We report a Citrobacter freundii isolate that developed ceftazidime-...
Editor's Pick Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyPathways of Pathogenicity: Transcriptional Stages of Germination in the Fatal Fungal Pathogen Rhizopus delemarGermination is key to the growth of many organisms, including fungal spores. Mucormycete spores exist abundantly within the environment and germinate to form hyphae. These spores are capable of infecting immunocompromised individuals, causing the disease mucormycosis. Germination from spore to hyphae within patients leads to angioinvasion, tissue necrosis, and often fatal infections. This study advances our understanding of how spore...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionTRAIL (CD253) Sensitizes Human Airway Epithelial Cells to Toxin-Induced Cell DeathRicin toxin is a biothreat agent that is particularly damaging to lung tissue following inhalation. A hallmark of ricin exposure is widespread inflammation and concomitant destruction of the airway epithelium. In this study, we investigated the possible interaction between ricin and known proinflammatory cytokines associated with lung tissue. Using an established human airway epithelial cell line, we demonstrate that epithelial cell...
Research Article | Applied and Environmental ScienceWidespread Antibiotic, Biocide, and Metal Resistance in Microbial Communities Inhabiting a Municipal Waste Environment and Anthropogenically Impacted RiverLandfill leachate is a persistent contamination threat for terrestrial waters. Microbial metabolism in landfills transforms contaminants and contributes to greenhouse gas emissions. A better understanding of landfill-associated microbial communities will inform bioremediation of solid waste environments and improve pathogen monitoring. We leveraged shotgun metagenomics to investigate the microbial communities of the Riverton City dump...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyDeep Sequencing of H7N9 Influenza A Viruses from 16 Infected Patients from 2013 to 2015 in Shanghai Reveals Genetic Diversity and Antigenic DriftH7N9 subtype avian influenza viruses caused infections in over 1,400 humans from 2013 to 2017 and resulted in almost 600 deaths. It is important to understand how avian influenza viruses infect and cause disease in humans and to assess their potential for efficient person-to-person transmission. In this study, we used deep sequencing of primary clinical material to assess the evolution and potential for human adaptation of H7N9...
Research Article | Molecular Biology and PhysiologyMinicells as a Damage Disposal Mechanism in Escherichia coliBacteria have the ability to produce minicells, or small spherical versions of themselves that lack chromosomal DNA and are unable to replicate. A minicell can constitute as much as 20% of the cell’s volume. Although molecular biology and biotechnology have used minicells as laboratory tools for several decades, it is still puzzling that bacteria should produce such costly but potentially nonfunctional structures. Here, we show that...
