Publications by authors named "Livingstone P"

Aims: Myxobacteria are non-pathogenic, saprophytic, soil-dwelling predatory bacteria known for their antimicrobial potential. Many pathogenic bacteria form biofilms to protect themselves from antimicrobial agents and the immune system. This study has investigated the predatory activities of myxobacteria against pathogenic bacteria in biofilms.

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Fibroblast activating protein (FAP) is a cell surface marker of cancer-associated fibroblasts with a distinct pro-tumorigenic role. The present study analyzed the pan-cancer expression; and clinical and mutational profiles of the FAP coding gene. Molecular dynamics simulation (MDS) deciphered the backbone dynamics and energetics of FAP.

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Background: Limited data exist for management strategies targeting immunotherapy-related enteritis (irEnteritis). Systemic corticosteroids are commonly used but often are limited by adverse events. Enteric corticosteroids such as budesonide offer an attractive alternative; however, the ileocolonic release of enteric-coated budesonide has limited utility for diffuse enteritis.

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Article Synopsis
  • Myxobacteria are unique predatory bacteria known for their antimicrobial properties and complex mechanisms for killing prey, making them a focus of antibiotic research.
  • MyxoPortal is an extensive genomic database featuring 262 genomes of different myxobacterial strains, providing detailed annotations on genes, functions, and evolutionary relationships.
  • The database also includes biosynthetic gene clusters, antimicrobial peptide sequences, and other genomic data, making it a valuable resource for researchers studying myxobacteria's potential in antimicrobial and ecological research.
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Aim: Corallococcus species are diverse in the natural environment with 10 new Corallococcus species having been characterized in just the last 5 years. As well as being an abundant myxobacterial genus, they produce several secondary metabolites, including Corallopyronin, Corramycin, Coralmycin, and Corallorazine. We isolated a novel strain Corallococcus spp RDP092CA from soil in South Wales, UK, using Candida albicans as prey bait and characterized its predatory activities against pathogenic bacteria and yeast.

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Macrolides are empirically used to treat bacterial community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). , being the major pathogen responsible for bacterial CAP with high mortality rates, express MefA-MsrD efflux pumps to hinder macrolide susceptibility. Despite its importance, the structural features of the efflux-protein complex and its impact on macrolide susceptibility have not yet been elucidated explicitly.

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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) threat is subsiding through extensive vaccination worldwide. However, the pandemic imposed major disruptions in global immunization programs and has aggravated the risks of vaccine-preventable disease (VPD) outbreaks. Particularly, lower-middle-income regions with minimal vaccine coverage and circulating vaccine-derived viral strains, such as polio, suffered additional burden of accumulated zero-dose children, further making them vulnerable to VPDs.

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Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global concern, and as soon as new antibiotics are introduced, resistance to those agents emerges. Therefore, there is an increased appetite for alternative antimicrobial agents to traditional antibiotics. Here, we used in silico methods to investigate potential antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) from predatory myxobacteria.

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Background And Objectives: The prevalence of child sexual abuse (CSA) in India is 18-50% depending on the population studied. To devise strategies for prevention of CSA at the primary care level, we studied the prevalence of CSA amongst college students aged 17-25 years.

Methods: A group of medical students and their friends were sent, an anonymous questionnaire validated by experts via WhatsApp.

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Fusobacterium necrophorum causes a range of mild to life threatening infections and there is uncertainty in terms of diagnosis and treatment due to the lack of knowledge on their pathogenic mechanisms. This study characterised genomes of F. necrophorum to compare their virulence factors and investigate potential infection markers.

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Members of the predatory Myxococcales (myxobacteria) possess large genomes, undergo multicellular development, and produce diverse secondary metabolites, which are being actively prospected for novel drug discovery. To direct such efforts, it is important to understand the relationships between myxobacterial ecology, evolution, taxonomy, and genomic variation. This study investigated the genomes and pan-genomes of organisms within the Myxococcaceae, including the genera Myxococcus and Corallococcus, the most abundant myxobacteria isolated from soils.

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The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is resulting in millions of infected individuals with several hundred thousands dead throughout the world. Amidst all the havoc, one interesting observation in the present COVID-19 pandemic is the negligible symptoms in the young; particularly children below 10 years of age. We assume the extensive pediatric vaccination with MMR vaccines followed globally could have resulted in innate immune responses, e.

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Article Synopsis
  • Extracellular membrane vesicles (OMVs) are produced by all life forms, including bacteria, and serve various functions based on their internal makeup.
  • This study specifically examines OMVs from different strains of Myxococcus xanthus, a predatory bacterium, by using comparative proteomic profiling to identify the proteins they contain.
  • Results show that while 80% of 'core' proteins in OMVs are linked to the core genome, individual strains display unique sets of proteins, suggesting that M. xanthus selectively packages proteins based on factors beyond just genetic presence.
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Despite widespread use in human biology, genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of bacteria are few and have, to date, focused primarily on pathogens. Myxobacteria are predatory microbes with large patchwork genomes, with individual strains secreting unique cocktails of predatory proteins and metabolites. We investigated whether a GWAS strategy could be applied to myxobacteria to identify genes associated with predation.

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spp. are common soil-dwelling organisms which kill and consume prey microbes through the secretion of antimicrobial substances. Two species of have been described previously ( and ).

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sp.strain BUPNP1 can utilize the priority environmental pollutant 4-nitrophenol (4-NP) as its sole source of carbon and energy. In this study, genome and transcriptome sequencing were used to gain mechanistic insights into 4-NP degradation.

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is an abundant genus of predatory soil myxobacteria, containing two species, (for which a genome sequence is available) and . To investigate the genomic basis of predation, we genome-sequenced 23 strains. Genomic similarity metrics grouped the sequenced strains into at least nine distinct genomospecies, divided between two major sub-divisions of the genus, encompassing previously described diversity.

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The ability to DNA fingerprint isolates helped to define the role of wildlife in the persistence of bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand. DNA fingerprinting results currently help to guide wildlife control measures and also aid in tracing the source of infections that result from movement of livestock. During the last 5 years we have developed the ability to distinguish New Zealand (NZ) isolates by comparing the sequences of whole genome sequenced (WGS) samples.

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spp. are ubiquitous, chemoheterotrophic, filamentous gliding bacteria with the ability to prey on other microbes through a "wolf pack" mechanism. The genus currently comprises four known species (, , , and ), which produce antimicrobial secondary metabolites such as siphonazole.

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Article Synopsis
  • Predation plays a crucial role in microbial ecosystems, yet the molecular mechanisms behind it are not well understood, prompting a study on Myxococcus xanthus and its predation of Escherichia coli to investigate gene expression changes.
  • The study found that when exposed to killed prey, M. xanthus showed significant changes in 1,319 genes, but only 12 genes were activated in response to living prey, indicating that the predator might sense prey indirectly.
  • In contrast, E. coli experienced extensive transcriptional changes when co-cultured with M. xanthus, affecting 40% of its genes and indicating that the predatory process targets key metabolic pathways related to cell wall and protein production.
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A central question to address in managing wildlife diseases is how much effort and resources are required to reduce infection prevalence to below a requisite threshold? This requires surveillance for infection in at least one species involved in the infection cycle, a process that is often expensive and time-consuming but one which could be enhanced using additional sources of readily-obtainable surveillance data. We demonstrate how surveillance data from ruminant livestock monitored for bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in New Zealand can be employed in spatially-explicit modelling to help predict the probability of freedom from Mycobacterium bovis infection in a sympatric wildlife reservoir species, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula). We apply the model to a case study and compare resulting probabilities of freedom when utilizing (1) livestock data only, (2) wildlife data only, and (3) combined livestock-plus-wildlife surveillance data.

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Myxobacteria are natural predators of microorganisms and the subjects of concerted efforts to identify novel antimicrobial compounds. Myxobacterial predatory activity seems to require more than just the possession of specific antimicrobial metabolites. Thus a holistic approach to studying predation promises novel insights into antimicrobial action.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bovine tuberculosis (bTB), caused by Mycobacterium bovis, poses significant public health and economic threats globally, particularly in New Zealand where wildlife, especially brushtail possums, play a major role in its spread among cattle.
  • Analysis of Whole Genome Sequenced isolates from both infected cattle and wildlife revealed high transmission rates between species, although the specifics can vary based on sampling methods. A strong spatial pattern and high substitution rate support the effectiveness of WGS as a typing tool.
  • Findings suggest that wildlife are currently the primary reservoirs for bTB in New Zealand, indicating a need for ongoing wildlife control efforts to combat the disease, while WGS will enhance surveillance and research initiatives aimed at b
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We describe the progressive development of New Zealand's national strategy for control of tuberculosis (TB) in its agricultural sector over the last four decades. The strategy is globally unique, reflecting the need for effective and co-ordinated management of TB in a wildlife maintenance host, the brushtail possum (Trichosurus vulpecula), in addition to controlling infection in cattle and farmed deer herds. Since the early 1990s, the strategy has been developed by the Animal Health Board (AHB), formed to empower the farming industry to take the leadership role in funding of TB control, policy development and administration.

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