All posts; Tags Include "Microbiology"
- September 2, 2016
- 10:41 AM
- 53 views
This Month in Blastocystis Research - AUG
by Christen Rune Stensvold in Blastocystis Parasite Blog
About the factors potentially limiting susceptibility to Blastocystis colonisation/infection.... Read more »
Blessmann, J., Ali, I., Ton Nu, P., Dinh, B., Ngo Viet, T., Le Van, A., Clark, C., & Tannich, E. (2003) Longitudinal Study of Intestinal Entamoeba histolytica Infections in Asymptomatic Adult Carriers. Journal of Clinical Microbiology, 41(10), 4745-4750. DOI: 10.1128/JCM.41.10.4745-4750.2003
Scanlan PD, Stensvold CR, Rajilić-Stojanović M, Heilig HG, De Vos WM, O'Toole PW, & Cotter PD. (2014) The microbial eukaryote Blastocystis is a prevalent and diverse member of the healthy human gut microbiota. FEMS microbiology ecology, 90(1), 326-30. PMID: 25077936
- September 1, 2016
- 10:19 AM
- 73 views
Responsible resurrection: The ecology of de-extinction
by gdw in FictionalFieldwork
March of the mammoths Improvements in our genetic tinkering capabilities have led several people to suggest potential uses for our newfound powers. Although we ought to add some nuance and note that those powers are still in development. In any case, one of those powers is quite impressive. De-extinction, or the process of bringing back […]... Read more »
Seddon PJ, Griffiths CJ, Soorae PS, & Armstrong DP. (2014) Reversing defaunation: restoring species in a changing world. Science, 345(6195), 406-12. PMID: 25061203
McCauley, D., Hardesty-Moore, M., Halpern, B., & Young, H. (2016) A mammoth undertaking: harnessing insight from functional ecology to shape de-extinction priority setting. Functional Ecology. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12728
- August 1, 2016
- 07:36 PM
- 215 views
This Month in Blastocystis Research - Interactive Edition
by Christen Rune Stensvold in Blastocystis Parasite Blog
What are your thoughts on Blastocystis carriage and age? Please comment!... Read more »
Forsell J, Granlund M, Samuelsson L, Koskiniemi S, Edebro H, & Evengård B. (2016) High occurrence of Blastocystis sp. subtypes 1-3 and Giardia intestinalis assemblage B among patients in Zanzibar, Tanzania. Parasites , 9(1), 370. PMID: 27356981
Poulsen CS, Efunshile AM, Nelson JA, & Stensvold CR. (2016) Epidemiological Aspects of Blastocystis Colonization in Children in Ilero, Nigeria. The American journal of tropical medicine and hygiene, 95(1), 175-9. PMID: 27139454
- July 26, 2016
- 09:22 AM
- 322 views
Fungi found flourishing following fire
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
Morels and several other fungi (all members of the order Pezizales) are known to produce their mushrooms in recently burned soil, whether it's the result of a nice little campfire or an entire forest going up in smoke. The fire creates the right conditions for the fungus, which lies beneath the ground and so protected from flames and heat, to send up mushrooms. These mushrooms release spores into the environment, and the circle of life continues ever onward.In the case of morels, it's thought a ........ Read more »
Greene D, Hesketh M, & Pounden E. (2009) Emergence of morel (Morchella) and pixie cup (Geopyxis carbonaria) ascocarps in response to the intensity of forest floor combustion during a wildfire. . Mycologia, 102(4), 766-773. DOI: 10.3852/08-096
- July 14, 2016
- 09:39 PM
- 220 views
Are NETs involved in fighting Leptospira interrogans infections?
by Microbe Fan in Spirochetes Unwound
Neutrophils are the most abundant white blood cells in the bloodstream. As the first immune cells to be recruited to infected tissues, they play a key role in the fighting microbial intruders. It's long been known that they engulf microbes by phagocytosis, which results in the microbes being imprisoned within phagosomes inside the neutrophil. Deadly proteases, antimicrobial proteins, and reactive oxygen species are released into the phagosome to kill the microbes.Another means ........ Read more »
Scharrig E, Carestia A, Ferrer MF, Cédola M, Pretre G, Drut R, Picardeau M, Schattner M, & Gómez RM. (2015) Neutrophil extracellular traps are involved in the innate immune response to infection with Leptospira. PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 9(7). PMID: 26161745
Brinkmann V, Reichard U, Goosmann C, Fauler B, Uhlemann Y, Weiss DS, Weinrauch Y, & Zychlinsky A. (2004) Neutrophil extracellular traps kill bacteria. Science (New York, N.Y.), 303(5663), 1532-5. PMID: 15001782
- July 6, 2016
- 08:50 AM
- 388 views
Why do we eat spices?
by Alice Breda in la-Plumeria
I love curries. My favorite is Indian tikka masala which is prepared with tomato, yogurt and many different spices including turmeric, ginger, garlic, cardamom, cumin, paprika, cloves and cinnamon. But I’m not the only one, because the passion for spicy dishes is shared among humans of all regions and ages. We eat them fresh, dried, whole, ground, raw or cooked, and our love for these tasty substances led explorers such as Polo, Magellan and Columbus to undertake risky expeditions in searc........ Read more »
Sherman, P., & Billing, J. (1999) Darwinian Gastronomy: Why We Use Spices. BioScience, 49(6), 453. DOI: 10.2307/1313553
Billing J, & Sherman PW. (1998) Antimicrobial functions of spices: why some like it hot. The Quarterly review of biology, 73(1), 3-49. PMID: 9586227
- June 21, 2016
- 08:17 AM
- 287 views
Weird stuff found in recreational drugs: Opioid edition
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
This is the third post in a series on strange substances accidentally or intentionally added to street drugs. When you're done here, check out the posts on alcohol and meth.Opioids are drugs that affect the human body by binding to a group of related proteins conveniently known as opioid receptors. By connecting to these receptors in a certain manner, they convince receptor-bearing cells in the brain, spinal cord, and intestine to do useful things like reduce the sensation of pain (while making ........ Read more »
Brett M, Hallas G, & Mpamugo O. (2004) Wound botulism in the UK and Ireland. . Journal of Medical Microbiology, 53(6), 555-561. DOI: 10.1099/jmm.0.05379-0
Fahn S, & Sulzer D. (2004) Neurodegeneration and neuroprotection in Parkinson disease. . NeuroRX, 1(1), 139-154. DOI: 10.1602/neurorx.1.1.139
- June 15, 2016
- 08:05 AM
- 351 views
Tricky Little Buggers
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Evolution brings wisdom with age – and bacteria are ancient. Bacteria have evolved defenses ranging from evasion or inhibition of immune systems to protecting crucial functions from environmental injury. New studies have identified spring-loaded spikes that can be assembled and disassembled for puncturing other bacteria and delivering toxins, while other work is focused on using those same toxins to kill antibiotic resistant organisms, with E. coli have been engineered to produce toxins ag........ Read more »
Basler, M., Pilhofer, M., Henderson, G., Jensen, G., & Mekalanos, J. (2012) Type VI secretion requires a dynamic contractile phage tail-like structure. Nature, 483(7388), 182-186. DOI: 10.1038/nature10846
Saeidi, N., Wong, C., Lo, T., Nguyen, H., Ling, H., Leong, S., Poh, C., & Chang, M. (2011) Engineering microbes to sense and eradicate Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a human pathogen. Molecular Systems Biology. DOI: 10.1038/msb.2011.55
- June 14, 2016
- 03:01 AM
- 286 views
Xenodiagnosis to detect Borrelia burgdorferi in humans
by Microbe Fan in Spirochetes Unwound
We've seen that live Borrelia burgdorferi persists (in unculturable form) when infected mice are treated with antibiotics. What we don't know is whether they persist in humans with post-treatment Lyme disease syndrome (PTLDS), which refers to the lingering long-term symptoms experienced by a minority of Lyme disease patients who have been treated with the standard course of antibiotics.In theory, one could simply determine whether B. burgdorferi can be detected in bits of tissue or blood e........ Read more »
Marques A, Telford SR 3rd, Turk SP, Chung E, Williams C, Dardick K, Krause PJ, Brandeburg C, Crowder CD, Carolan HE.... (2014) Xenodiagnosis to detect Borrelia burgdorferi infection: a first-in-human study. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 58(7), 937-45. PMID: 24523212
Bockenstedt LK, & Radolf JD. (2014) Xenodiagnosis for posttreatment Lyme disease syndrome: resolving the conundrum or adding to it?. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 58(7), 946-8. PMID: 24523213
Telford SR 3rd, Hu LT, & Marques A. (2014) Is there a place for xenodiagnosis in the clinic?. Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, 12(11), 1307-10. PMID: 25301228
- June 13, 2016
- 08:30 PM
- 309 views
This Month in Blastocystis Research (MAY 2016)
by Christen Rune Stensvold in Blastocystis Parasite Blog
The May entry of "This Month in Blastocystis Research" focusses especially on the increasing interest in Blastocystis in a gut microbiota context. ... Read more »
Audebert C, Even G, Cian A, Blastocystis Investigation Group, Loywick A, Merlin S, Viscogliosi E, & Chabé M. (2016) Colonization with the enteric protozoa Blastocystis is associated with increased diversity of human gut bacterial microbiota. Scientific reports, 25255. PMID: 27147260
Andersen LO, Bonde I, Nielsen HB, & Stensvold CR. (2015) A retrospective metagenomics approach to studying Blastocystis. FEMS microbiology ecology, 91(7). PMID: 26130823
Stensvold CR, & Clark CG. (2016) Current status of Blastocystis: A personal view. Parasitology international. PMID: 27247124
O'Brien Andersen L, Karim AB, Roager HM, Vigsnæs LK, Krogfelt KA, Licht TR, & Stensvold CR. (2016) Associations between common intestinal parasites and bacteria in humans as revealed by qPCR. European journal of clinical microbiology . PMID: 27230509
Ramírez JD, Sánchez A, Hernández C, Flórez C, Bernal MC, Giraldo JC, Reyes P, López MC, García L, Cooper PJ.... (2016) Geographic distribution of human Blastocystis subtypes in South America. Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases, 32-5. PMID: 27034056
- June 9, 2016
- 11:45 PM
- 311 views
Multiple realizability of replicator dynamics
by Artem Kaznatcheev in Evolutionary Games Group
Abstraction is my favorite part of mathematics. I find a certain beauty in seeing structures without their implementations, or structures that are preserved across various implementations. And although it seems possible to reason through analogy without (explicit) abstraction, I would not enjoy being restricted in such a way. In biology and medicine, however, I often […]... Read more »
Taylor, P., & Jonker, L. (1978) Evolutionary stable strategies and game dynamics. Mathematical Biosciences, 40(1-2), 145-156. DOI: 10.1016/0025-5564(78)90077-9
- June 8, 2016
- 09:25 AM
- 361 views
Immune To Evolution
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Recent studies show that plant immune reactions include responses that are adaptive. Even more amazing, these responses include the recruitment of parasitic wasps to combat some herbivorous invaders. In addition, several plant chemicals that prime the immune responses have been identified, leading to a sort of immune memory. Plants do all this without a classical immune system. Once again, plants show us that in many ways, they are more complex than mammals.... Read more »
Fatouros, N., Lucas-Barbosa, D., Weldegergis, B., Pashalidou, F., van Loon, J., Dicke, M., Harvey, J., Gols, R., & Huigens, M. (2012) Plant Volatiles Induced by Herbivore Egg Deposition Affect Insects of Different Trophic Levels. PLoS ONE, 7(8). DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0043607
Yun, B., Feechan, A., Yin, M., Saidi, N., Le Bihan, T., Yu, M., Moore, J., Kang, J., Kwon, E., Spoel, S.... (2011) S-nitrosylation of NADPH oxidase regulates cell death in plant immunity. Nature, 264-268. DOI: 10.1038/nature10427
- May 30, 2016
- 08:17 AM
- 280 views
Identifying infections by their stench?
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
Bacteria tend to smell. A classic example is the geosmin-producing Streptomyces species responsible for the nice earthy scent of freshly dug up soil. In general, though, bacteria have unpleasant odours. Just think of cheese, armpits, and poop. Lots of bacteria in or on all of those things. Some of the stinkiest bacteria are ones capable of infecting us. The distinctiveness of their disgusting bouquets may provide a means of identifying them. Hippocrates apparently diagnosed tuberculosis (caused ........ Read more »
Rao K, Berland D, Young C, Walk ST, & Newton DW. (2013) The nose knows not: Poor predictive value of stool sample odor for detection of Clostridium difficile. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 56(4), 615-616. PMID: 23166192
- May 25, 2016
- 09:00 AM
- 440 views
Are our gut bacteria the key to immortality?
by gdw in FictionalFieldwork
The fight against aging Ever since the ancient Sumerians, men has sought eternal life. We still do. Anti-aging science has become quite an industry. As we dive deeper and deeper into our biological foundations, we’re learning more and more about how and why we age. A lot of mysteries remain, but there’s still talk about […]... Read more »
De Winter, G. (2014) Aging as Disease. Medicine, Health Care and Philosophy, 18(2), 237-243. DOI: 10.1007/s11019-014-9600-y
Biagi E, Franceschi C, Rampelli S, Severgnini M, Ostan R, Turroni S, Consolandi C, Quercia S, Scurti M, Monti D.... (2016) Gut Microbiota and Extreme Longevity. Current biology : CB. PMID: 27185560
- May 25, 2016
- 07:45 AM
- 355 views
Don't Be So Sensitive
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
Just like some people have a tendency to go overboard, so do some immune systems. Here’s all the ways that your immune system can get it wrong and leave you with allergies – and how some allergies can save your life.... Read more »
Calboli FC, Cox DG, Buring JE, Gaziano JM, Ma J, Stampfer M, Willett WC, Tworoger SS, Hunter DJ, Camargo CA Jr, Michaud DS. (2011) Prediagnostic plasma IgE levels and risk of adult glioma in four prospective cohort studies. J Natl Cancer Inst. . DOI: 10.1093/jnci/djr361
Joseph A Jackson, Ida M Friberg, Luke Bolch, Ann Lowe, Catriona Ralli, Philip D Harris, Jerzy M Behnke, Janette E Bradley. (2009) Immunomodulatory parasites and toll-like receptor-mediated tumour necrosis factor alpha responsiveness in wild mammals. BMC Biology. DOI: 10.1186/1741-7007-7-16
- May 19, 2016
- 08:31 AM
- 460 views
Antimicrobial antenna bacteria of bee-hunting wasps
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
For many people, including myself, a mention of the word wasp brings to mind a particular yellow and black annoyance found hovering around garbage cans in the summertime. However, as is usually the case with the natural world, wasps are far more interesting than our common experiences with them let on. To start, there are thousands upon thousands of species, not just the yellow jackets we try to avoid being stung by as we eat at a picnic table out in the park. Wasps are close cousins of bees and........ Read more »
Seipke RF, Kaltenpoth M, & Hutchings MI. (2012) Streptomyces as symbionts: An emerging and widespread theme?. FEMS Microbiology Reviews, 36(4), 862-876. PMID: 22091965
- May 18, 2016
- 09:36 AM
- 349 views
Video Tip of the Week: JGI user meeting videos, and MetaSUB
This week’s Video Tip of the Week is actually a whole bunch of videos. Although I’ll highlight one here as our tip, there are many great talks from the recent JGI Genomics of Energy & Environment meeting. Although typically we focus on specific software tools for our tips, I think this is a nice case […]... Read more »
Afshinnekoo, E., Meydan, C., Chowdhury, S., Jaroudi, D., Boyer, C., Bernstein, N., Maritz, J., Reeves, D., Gandara, J., Chhangawala, S.... (2015) Geospatial Resolution of Human and Bacterial Diversity with City-Scale Metagenomics. Cell Systems, 1(1), 72-87. DOI: 10.1016/j.cels.2015.01.001
Alexa B.R. McIntyre, Lindsay Rizzardi, Angela M Yu, Gail L. Rosen, Noah Alexander, Douglas J. Botkin, Kristen K. John, Sarah L. Castro-Wallace, Aaron S. Burton, Andrew Feinberg.... (2015) Nanopore Sequencing in Microgravity. bioRxiv. DOI: 10.1101/032342
- May 18, 2016
- 09:15 AM
- 474 views
Ironing Out The Black Death
by Mark Lasbury in As Many Exceptions As Rules
The black plague has taken the lives of millions over the centuries. Recent evidence shows that a small number of genetic changes were required to allow Y. pestis to use fleas as a vector. This increased Y. pestis virulence in humans, and might have wiped us out if it weren't for a genetic disease called hereditary hemochromatosis.... Read more »
Chouikha I, Hinnebusch BJ. (2012) Yersinia-flea interactions and the evolution of the arthropod-borne transmission route of plague. Curr Opin Microbiol. . DOI: 10.1016/j.mib.2012.02.003
- May 18, 2016
- 07:28 AM
- 399 views
Why antibiotics in ointments differ from those in pills
by Rosin Cerate in Rosin Cerate
There are many ways to get a drug into a person. Two common approaches are to swallow a small soluble solid or inject a liquid into a vein, causing it to be transported throughout the body to wherever it is needed.Topical medications are those applied to a body surface, be it skin, eyeballs, or the insides of your lungs. This is usually done to deliver the drug to the particular place requiring repair (e.g. eye drops for an eye infection) while minimizing the amount of drug ending up in other pa........ Read more »
Zavascki A, Goldani L, Li J, & Nation R. (2007) Polymyxin B for the treatment of multidrug-resistant pathogens: A critical review. Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy, 60(6), 1206-1215. DOI: 10.1093/jac/dkm357
- May 16, 2016
- 03:34 PM
- 389 views
Novel Borrelia Species Causes Lyme Disease with High Spirochetemia
by Pranab Chatterjee in Zoonoticus
In a recent paper in the Lancet Infectious Diseases, Pritt et al have identified a new genospecies of Borrelia which is attributed to have caused several cases of Lyme disease, marked by a high degree of spirochetemia. In their research article abstract, they state: Methods At the Mayo clinic, from 2003 to 2014, we tested […]... Read more »
Pritt BS, Mead PS, Johnson DK, Neitzel DF, Respicio-Kingry LB, Davis JP, Schiffman E, Sloan LM, Schriefer ME, Replogle AJ.... (2016) Identification of a novel pathogenic Borrelia species causing Lyme borreliosis with unusually high spirochaetaemia: a descriptive study. The Lancet. Infectious diseases. PMID: 26856777
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