Ecological Role of Bacteria Involved in the Biogeochemical Cycles of Mangroves Based on Functional Genes Detected through GeoChip 5.0

Bacteria have important functions in biogeochemical cycles, but studies on their function in an important ecosystem, mangroves, are still limited. Here, we investigated the ecological role of bacteria involved in biogeochemical cycles in seven representative mangroves of southern China.

Characterization of a 2016-2017 Human Seasonal H3 Influenza A Virus Spillover Now Endemic to U.S. Swine

H3.2010.2 is a new phylogenetic clade of H3N2 circulating in swine that became established after the spillover of a human seasonal H3N2 from the 2016–2017 influenza season. The novel H3.2010.2 transmitted and adapted to the swine host and demonstrated reassortment with internal genes from strains endemic to pigs, but it maintained human-like HA and NA.

Efficient Gene Knockout and Knockdown Systems in Neospora caninum Enable Rapid Discovery and Functional Assessment of Novel Proteins

Neospora caninum is a parasite with veterinary relevance, inducing severe disease in dogs and reproductive disorders in ruminants, especially cattle, leading to major losses. The close phylogenetic relationship to Toxoplasma gondii and the lack of pathogenicity in humans drives an interest of the scientific community toward using N. caninum as a model to study the pathogenicity of T. gondii .

Meconium Microbiome of Very Preterm Infants across Germany

Meconium is present in the intestines of infants before and after birth and constitutes their first bowel movements postnatally. The consistency, composition and microbial load of meconium is largely different from infant and adult stool.

The Protective Role of 1,8-Dihydroxynaphthalene–Melanin on Conidia of the Opportunistic Human Pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus Revisited: No Role in Protection against Hydrogen Peroxide and Superoxides

Opportunistic pathogens like Aspergillus fumigatus have strategies to protect themselves against reactive oxygen species like hydrogen peroxides and superoxides that are produced by immune cells. DHN-melanin is the green pigment on conidia of Aspergillus fumigatus and more than 2 decades ago was reported to protect conidia against hydrogen peroxide.

Development of a Genomics-Based Approach To Identify Putative Hypervirulent Nontyphoidal Salmonella Isolates: Salmonella enterica Serovar Saintpaul as a Model

Not all Salmonella isolates are equally likely to cause human disease, and Salmonella control strategies may unintentionally focus on serovars and subtypes with high prevalence in source populations but are rarely associated with human clinical illness. We describe a framework leveraging WGS data in the NCBI PD database to identify Salmonella subtypes over- and underrepresented among human clinical cases.

Human Milk Oligosaccharides Reduce Murine Group B Streptococcus Vaginal Colonization with Minimal Impact on the Vaginal Microbiota

During pregnancy, GBS ascension into the uterus can cause fetal infection or preterm birth. In addition, GBS exposure during labor creates a risk of serious disease in the vulnerable newborn and mother postpartum.

Clostridioides difficile Phosphoproteomics Shows an Expansion of Phosphorylated Proteins in Stationary Growth Phase

In this paper, we present a comprehensive analysis of protein phosphorylation in the Gram-positive enteropathogen Clostridioides difficile . To date, only limited evidence on the role of phosphorylation in the regulation of this organism has been published; the current study is expected to form the basis for research on this posttranslational modification in C. difficile .

Enterocytozoon schreckii n. sp. Infects the Enterocytes of Adult Chinook Salmon ( Oncorhynchus tshawytscha ) and May Be a Sentinel of Immunosenescence

In this work, we describe a new microsporidian species that infects the enterocytes of Chinook salmon. This novel pathogen is closely related to Enterocytozoon bieneusi , an opportunistic pathogen commonly found in AIDS patients and other severely immunocompromised humans.

PLB-985 Neutrophil-Like Cells as a Model To Study Aspergillus fumigatus Pathogenesis

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes are an important defense against human fungal pathogens, yet our model systems to study this group of cells remain very limited in scope. In this study, we established that differentiated PLB-985 cells can serve as a model to recapitulate several important aspects of human polymorphonuclear leukocyte interactions with the important human fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus .