Publications by authors named "Brittany Humphrey"
The natural assemblage of a symbiotic bacterial microbiome (bacteriome) with microalgae in marine ecosystems is now being investigated as a means to increase algal productivity for industry. When algae are grown in open pond settings, biological contamination causes an estimated 30% loss of the algal crop. Therefore, new crop protection strategies that do not disrupt the native algal bacteriome are needed to produce reliable, high-yield algal biomass.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFViral Preservation with Protein-Supplemented Nebulizing Media in Aerosols.
Appl Environ Microbiol
March 2023
Article Synopsis
- The SARS-CoV-2 outbreak highlighted the urgent need for better knowledge of how airborne viruses infect and spread, making bacteriophages, especially phi6, important for research due to their similarities with viral pathogens.
- However, phi6 loses over 99% of its viability when aerosolized, which challenges its use as a surrogate for studying real-life scenarios like sneezing and coughing.
- Recent research shows that adding bovine serum albumin (BSA) to the storage medium significantly enhances the survival of phi6 and other phages in aerosols, offering a budget-friendly alternative to commercial saliva products by reducing evaporation and improving overall viral stability.