Unlabelled: Multidrug-resistant is one of the most clinically important pathogens in the world, with infections leading to high rates of morbidity and mortality in both humans and animals. The ability of to form biofilms protects cells from antibiotics and promotes the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes; therefore, new strategies aimed at inhibiting biofilm growth are urgently needed. Probiotic species, including are gaining interest as potential therapies against for their ability to reduce colonization and virulence.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe evolution of mass raiding has allowed army ants to become dominant arthropod predators in the tropics. Although a century of research has led to many discoveries about behavioural, morphological and physiological adaptations in army ants, almost nothing is known about the molecular basis of army ant biology. Here we report the genome of the iconic New World army ant Eciton burchellii, and show that it is unusually compact, with a reduced gene complement relative to other ants.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAnimal-associated microbiomes are integral to host health, yet key biotic and abiotic factors that shape host-associated microbial communities at the global scale remain poorly understood. We investigated global patterns in amphibian skin bacterial communities, incorporating samples from 2,349 individuals representing 205 amphibian species across a broad biogeographic range. We analysed how biotic and abiotic factors correlate with skin microbial communities using multiple statistical approaches.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFColeopterans are the most diverse insect order described to date. These organisms have acquired an array of survival mechanisms through their evolution, including highly efficient digestive systems. Therefore, the coleopteran intestinal microbiota constitutes an important source of novel plant cell wall-degrading enzymes with potential biotechnological applications.
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