Direct biological fixation provides a freshwater sink for NO.

Nitrous oxide (NO) is a potent climate gas, with its strong warming potential and ozone-depleting properties both focusing research on NO sources. Although a sink for NO through biological fixation has been observed in the Pacific, the regulation of NO-fixation compared to canonical N-fixation is unknown. Here we show that both NO and N can be fixed by freshwater communities but with distinct seasonalities and temperature dependencies.

SpyPhage: A Cell-Free TXTL Platform for Rapid Engineering of Targeted Phage Therapies.

The past decade has seen the emergence of multidrug resistant pathogens as a leading cause of death worldwide, reigniting interest in the field of phage therapy. Modern advances in the genetic engineering of bacteriophages have enabled several useful results including host range alterations, constitutive lytic growth, and control over phage replication. However, the slow licensing process of genetically modified organisms clearly inhibits the rapid therapeutic application of novel engineered variants necessary to fight mutant pathogens that emerge throughout the course of a pandemic.

Differences in composition of interdigital skin microbiota predict sheep and feet that develop footrot.

Footrot has a major impact on health and productivity of sheep worldwide. The current paradigm for footrot pathogenesis is that physical damage to the interdigital skin (IDS) facilitates invasion of the essential pathogen Dichelobacter nodosus. The composition of the IDS microbiota is different in healthy and diseased feet, so an alternative hypothesis is that changes in the IDS microbiota facilitate footrot.

Impact of Strain Variation of on Disease Severity and Presence in Sheep Flocks in England.

and are variants of the apr gene of , the cause of footrot in sheep. They are putative markers for severe and mild disease expression. The aim of our study was to investigate the distribution of and in flocks with and without footrot.

A Pilot Study to Investigate the Feasibility of a Multiple Locus Variable Number Tandem Repeat Analysis to Understand the Epidemiology of in Ovine Footrot.

is the essential pathogen in ovine footrot, an important cause of lameness in sheep that reduces productivity and welfare. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of using multiple locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) developed to investigate isolates to understand the molecular epidemiology of in ovine footrot by investigation of communities of strains. MLVA sensitivity was improved by optimizing PCR conditions to 100% specificity for .

Serogroups of Dichelobacter nodosus, the cause of footrot in sheep, are randomly distributed across England.

We present the largest and most representative study of the serological diversity of Dichelobacter nodosus in England. D. nodosus causes footrot and is one of the top five globally important diseases of sheep.

Increase in the flock prevalence of lameness in ewes is associated with a reduction in farmers using evidence-based management of prompt treatment: A longitudinal observational study of 154 English sheep flocks 2013-2015.

Since 2006, farmers in England have received new recommendations on best practice to manage lameness in sheep through a range of knowledge exchange activities. The adoption of each recommendation varied, but in 2013 approximately 50% of farmers reported treating all lame sheep within 3 days of onset of lameness (prompt treatment), 41% did not practice routine foot trimming, 50% culled sheep that had been lame and 14% vaccinated against footrot; all recommended best practices. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of lameness in ewes in England from 2013 to 2015 and to identify changes in practice to manage lameness between 2013 and 2015 and the population attributable fraction for these managements.

Sites of persistence of Fusobacterium necrophorum and Dichelobacter nodosus: a paradigm shift in understanding the epidemiology of footrot in sheep.

Sites of persistence of bacterial pathogens contribute to disease dynamics of bacterial diseases. Footrot is a globally important bacterial disease that reduces health and productivity of sheep. It is caused by Dichelobacter nodosus, a pathogen apparently highly specialised for feet, while Fusobacterium necrophorum, a secondary pathogen in footrot is reportedly ubiquitous on pasture.

A new family of uncultivated bacteria involved in methanogenesis from the ubiquitous osmolyte glycine betaine in coastal saltmarsh sediments.

Background: Coastal environments are dynamic and rapidly changing. Living organisms in coastal environments are known to synthesise large quantities of organic osmolytes, which they use to cope with osmotic stresses. The organic osmolyte glycine betaine (GBT) is ubiquitously found in marine biota from prokaryotic Bacteria and Archaea to coastal plants, marine protozoa, and mammals.

COD/sulfate ratio does not affect the methane yield and microbial diversity in anaerobic digesters.

Anaerobic digestion of organic matter is the major route of biomethane production. However, in the presence of sulfate, sulfate-reducing bacteria (SRB) typically outcompete methanogens, which may reduce or even preclude methane production from sulfate-containing wastewaters. Although sulfate-reduction and methanogenesis can occur simultaneously, our limited understanding of the microbiology of anaerobic digesters treating sulfate-containing wastewaters constrains improvements in the production of methane from these systems.

Nutrient cycling potential within microbial communities on culturally important stoneworks.

Previous studies on microbes associated with deterioration of cultural heritage (CH) stoneworks have revealed a diverse microbiota adapted to stresses such as low nutrients, aridity and high salinity, temperatures and radiation. However, the function of these pioneer microbial communities is still unclear. This study examines bacterial and archaeal diversity in exfoliated and dark encrustation sandstone from Portchester Castle (UK) by 16S rRNA and functional gene analyses.

Deltaproteobacteria (Pelobacter) and Methanococcoides are responsible for choline-dependent methanogenesis in a coastal saltmarsh sediment.

Coastal saltmarsh sediments represent an important source of natural methane emissions, much of which originates from quaternary and methylated amines, such as choline and trimethylamine. In this study, we combine DNA stable isotope probing with high throughput sequencing of 16S rRNA genes and C-choline enriched metagenomes, followed by metagenome data assembly, to identify the key microbes responsible for methanogenesis from choline. Microcosm incubation with C-choline leads to the formation of trimethylamine and subsequent methane production, suggesting that choline-dependent methanogenesis is a two-step process involving trimethylamine as the key intermediate.

Interaction between Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa is beneficial for colonisation and pathogenicity in a mixed biofilm.

Debate regarding the co-existence of Staphylococcus aureus and Pseudomonas aeruginosa in wounds remains contentious, with the dominant hypothesis describing a situation akin to niche partitioning, whereby both microorganisms are present but occupy distinct regions of the wound without interacting. In contrast, we hypothesised that these microorganisms do interact during early co-colonisation in a manner beneficial to both bacteria. We assessed competitive interaction between S.

Development and validation of a multiple locus variable number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA) scheme for Fusobacterium necrophorum.

Fusobacterium necrophorum is associated with various diseases in humans and animals. Reservoirs (sites where the pathogen persists in the absence of disease) of F. necrophorum are believed to be present in healthy individuals e.

Draft Genome Sequence of ATCC 9027, Originally Isolated from an Outer Ear Infection.

ATCC 9027 was isolated in 1943 from a case of otitis externa and is commonly employed as a quality control strain for sterility, assessment of antibiofilm agents, and study of wound infection. Here, we present the 6.34-Mb draft genome sequence and highlight some pertinent genes that are associated with virulence.

Metagenomic data-mining reveals contrasting microbial populations responsible for trimethylamine formation in human gut and marine ecosystems.

Existing metagenome datasets from many different environments contain untapped potential for understanding metabolic pathways and their biological impact. Our interest lies in the formation of trimethylamine (TMA), a key metabolite in both human health and climate change. Here, we focus on bacterial degradation pathways for choline, carnitine, glycine betaine and trimethylamine -oxide (TMAO) to TMA in human gut and marine metagenomes.

Within-Flock Population Dynamics of .

Footrot causes 70-90% of lameness in sheep in Great Britain. With approximately 5% of 18 million adult sheep lame at any one time, it costs the UK sheep industry £24-84 million per year. The Gram-negative anaerobe is the causative agent, with disease severity influenced by bacterial load, virulence, and climate.

Nitrous oxide as a function of oxygen and archaeal gene abundance in the North Pacific.

Oceanic oxygen minimum zones are strong sources of the potent greenhouse gas NO but its microbial source is unclear. We characterized an exponential response in NO production to decreasing oxygen between 1 and 30 μmol O l within and below the oxycline using NO, a relationship that held along a 550 km offshore transect in the North Pacific. Differences in the overall magnitude of NO production were accounted for by archaeal functional gene abundance.

Phenotypic and Genotypic Characteristics of Small Colony Variants and Their Role in Chronic Infection.

Small colony variant (SCV) bacteria arise spontaneously within apparently homogeneous microbial populations, largely in response to environmental stresses, such as antimicrobial treatment. They display unique phenotypic characteristics conferred in part by heritable genetic changes. Characteristically slow growing, SCVs comprise a minor proportion of the population from which they arise but persist by virtue of their inherent resilience and host adaptability.

Anaerobic choline metabolism in microcompartments promotes growth and swarming of Proteus mirabilis.

Gammaproteobacteria are important gut microbes but only persist at low levels in the healthy gut. The ecology of Gammaproteobacteria in the gut environment is poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that choline is an important growth substrate for representatives of Gammaproteobacteria.

Riverbed methanotrophy sustained by high carbon conversion efficiency.

Our understanding of the role of freshwaters in the global carbon cycle is being revised, but there is still a lack of data, especially for the cycling of methane, in rivers and streams. Unravelling the role of methanotrophy is key to determining the fate of methane in rivers. Here we focus on the carbon conversion efficiency (CCE) of methanotrophy, that is, how much organic carbon is produced per mole of CH4 oxidised, and how this is influenced by variation in methanotroph communities.

Metabolic flexibility as a major predictor of spatial distribution in microbial communities.

A better understand the ecology of microbes and their role in the global ecosystem could be achieved if traditional ecological theories can be applied to microbes. In ecology organisms are defined as specialists or generalists according to the breadth of their niche. Spatial distribution is often used as a proxy measure of niche breadth; generalists have broad niches and a wide spatial distribution and specialists a narrow niche and spatial distribution.

Manuka honey inhibits adhesion and invasion of medically important wound bacteria in vitro.

Aim: To characterize the effect of manuka honey on medically important wound bacteria in vitro, focusing on its antiadhesive properties.

Materials & Methods: Crystal violet biofilm assays, fluorescent microscopy, protein adhesion assay and gentamicin protection assay were used to determine the impact of manuka honey on biofilm formation, human protein binding and adherence to/invasion into human keratinocytes.

Results: Manuka honey effectively disrupted and caused extensive cell death in biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Streptococcus pyogenes.