Gut dysbiosis and neutrophil extracellular traps in chronic heart failure.

Background: Chronic heart failure (HF) patients have reduced microbiota diversity. Leakage of microbes and their metabolites into the bloodstream may activate neutrophils. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) consist of chromatin and proteases, and may contribute to HF pathogenesis.

Microbial-derived imidazole propionate links the heart failure-associated microbiome alterations to disease severity.

Background: Interactions between the gut microbiota, diet, and host metabolism contribute to the development of cardiovascular disease, but a firm link between disease-specific gut microbiota alterations and circulating metabolites is lacking.

Methods: We performed shot-gun sequencing on 235 samples from 166 HF patients and 69 healthy control samples. Separate plasma samples from healthy controls (n = 53) were used for the comparison of imidazole propionate (ImP) levels.

Microbiome-derived cobalamin and succinyl-CoA as biomarkers for improved screening of anal cancer.

Human papillomavirus can cause preinvasive, high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions (HSILs) as precursors to cancer in the anogenital area, and the microbiome is suggested to be a contributing factor. Men who have sex with men (MSM) living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a high risk of anal cancer, but current screening strategies for HSIL detection lack specificity. Here, we investigated the anal microbiome to improve HSIL screening.

Intestinal fatty acid binding protein is associated with cardiac function and gut dysbiosis in chronic heart failure.

Background: The gut microbiota in patients with chronic heart failure (HF) is characterized by low bacterial diversity and reduced ability to synthesize beneficial metabolites. These changes may facilitate leakage of whole bacteria or bacterial products from the gut into the bloodstream, which may activate the innate immune system and contribute to the low-grade inflammation seen in HF. In this exploratory cross-sectional study, we aimed to investigate relationships between gut microbiota diversity, markers of gut barrier dysfunction, inflammatory markers, and cardiac function in chronic HF patients.

Antimicrobial drug use in the first decade of life influences saliva microbiota diversity and composition.

Background: The human microbiota contributes to health and well-being. Antimicrobials (AM) have an immediate effect on microbial diversity and composition in the gut, but next to nothing is known about their long-term contribution to saliva microbiota. Our objectives were to investigate the long-term impact of AM use on saliva microbiota diversity and composition in preadolescents.

Breastfeeding may have a long-term effect on oral microbiota: results from the Fin-HIT cohort.

Background: Breastfeeding contributes to gastrointestinal microbiota colonization in early life, but its long-term impact is inconclusive. We aimed to evaluate whether the type of feeding during the first six months of life was associated with oral microbiota in adolescence.

Methods: This is a cross-sectional sub-study using baseline information of 423 adolescents from the Finnish Health in Teens (Fin-HIT) cohort.

Meal Regularity Plays a Role in Shaping the Saliva Microbiota.

Background: Diet may influence health directly or indirectly via the human microbiota, emphasizing the need to unravel these complex relationships for future health benefits. Associations between eating habits and gut microbiota have been shown, but less is known about the association between eating habits and saliva microbiota.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate if eating habits and meal patterns are associated with the saliva microbiota.

Gender-Specific Associations Between Saliva Microbiota and Body Size.

Objective: The human intestinal microbiota likely play an important role in the development of overweight and obesity. However, the associations between saliva microbiota and body mass index (BMI) have been sparsely studied. The aim of this study was to identify the associations between saliva microbiota and body size in Finnish children.

Reproducibility and repeatability of six high-throughput 16S rDNA sequencing protocols for microbiota profiling.

Culture-independent molecular techniques and advances in next generation sequencing (NGS) technologies make large-scale epidemiological studies on microbiota feasible. A challenge using NGS is to obtain high reproducibility and repeatability, which is mostly attained through robust amplification. We aimed to assess the reproducibility of saliva microbiota by comparing triplicate samples.

Pseudomonas putida CSV86: a candidate genome for genetic bioaugmentation.

Pseudomonas putida CSV86, a plasmid-free strain possessing capability to transfer the naphthalene degradation property, has been explored for its metabolic diversity through genome sequencing. The analysis of draft genome sequence of CSV86 (6.4 Mb) revealed the presence of genes involved in the degradation of naphthalene, salicylate, benzoate, benzylalcohol, p-hydroxybenzoate, phenylacetate and p-hydroxyphenylacetate on the chromosome thus ensuring the stability of the catabolic potential.

Development of Genomic Tools for the Identification of Certain Pseudomonas up to Species Level.

Pseudomonas is a highly versatile bacterium at the species level with great ecological significance. These genetically and metabolically diverse species have undergone repeated taxonomic revisions. We propose a strategy to identify Pseudomonas up to species level, based on the unique features of their 16S rDNA (rrs) gene sequence, such as the frame work of sequences, sequence motifs and restriction endonuclease (RE) digestion patterns.

Mining and assessment of catabolic pathways in the metagenome of a common effluent treatment plant to induce the degradative capacity of biomass.

Metagenome analysis was used to understand the microbial community in activated sludge treating industrial wastewaters at a Common Effluent Treatment Plant (CETP) in South India. The taxonomic profile mapped onto National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) taxonomy using MEtaGenome ANalyzer (MEGAN), demonstrated that the most abundant domain belonged to prokaryotes, dominated by bacteria. Bacteria representing nine phyla were identified from the sequence data including representatives from two new phyla, Synergistetes and Elusimicrobia.

Genome Sequence of Naphthalene-Degrading Soil Bacterium Pseudomonas putida CSV86.

CSV86, a soil isolate, preferentially utilizes naphthalene over glucose as a source of carbon and energy. We present the draft genome sequence, which is 6.4 Mb in size; analysis suggests the chromosomal localization of genes coding for naphthalene utilization.

Genomic analysis reveals versatile organisms for quorum quenching enzymes: acyl-homoserine lactone-acylase and -lactonase.

Microbial virulence and their resistance to multiple drugs have obliged researchers to look for novel drug targets. Virulence of pathogenic microbes is regulated by signal molecules such as acylated homoserine lactone (AHL) produced during a cell density dependent phenomenon of quorum sensing (QS). In contrast, certain microbes produce AHL-lactonases and -acylases to degrade QS signals, also termed as quorum quenching.

Degradative potential of Stenotrophomonas strain HPC383 having genes homologous to dmp operon.

A strain, Stenotrophomonas HPC383 is isolated from effluent treatment plant treating wastewater from pesticide industry; degrades various aromatic compounds (cresols, phenol, catechol, 4methyl-catechol and hydroquinone) and crude oil, as determined through HPLC and GC analysis. Culture HPC383 could degrade (%) various compounds (1 mM) from a mixture: phenol - 99, p-cresol - 100, 4-methylcatechol - 96 and hydroquinone - 43 within 48 h of incubation, whereas it took 7 days to degrade 94% of 0.5% crude oil.

Evaluation of genetic and functional diversity of Stenotrophomonas isolates from diverse effluent treatment plants.

In this study, the samples were collected from nine ETPs and soil contaminated with petroleum products. The genetic diversity of 30 Stenotrophomonas isolates was demonstrated by phylogenetic analysis of their 16S rRNA gene nucleotide sequences, and randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) analysis supplemented with in silico signature and restriction enzyme (REs--AluI, BfaI, DpnII, HaeIII, RsaI and Tru9I) digestion analyses. Genetic diversity based on nucleotide sequence data revealed distinct clusters.