Comparison of nine extraction methods for bacterial identification using the ONT MinION sequencer.

The Anthrax mailings bioterrorism attack in 2001 revealed the need for universal and rapid microbial forensic analyses on unknown biological evidence. However, the gold standard for bacterial identification includes culturing isolates, which is laborious. Molecular approaches for bacterial identification revolve around 16S ribosomal gene sequencing using Sanger or next generation sequencing (NGS) platforms, but these techniques are laboratory-based and can also be time-consuming.

A Slimy Business: the Future of Fish Skin Microbiome Studies.

Fish skin contains a mucosal microbiome for the largest and oldest group of vertebrates, a location ideal for microbial community ecology and practical applications in agriculture and veterinary medicine. These selective microbiomes are dominated by Proteobacteria, with compositions different from the surrounding water. Core taxa are a small percentage of those present and are currently functionally uncharacterized.

Biochemical but not compositional recovery of skin mucosal microbiome communities after disruption.

Background: The microbiomes of animals are complex communities that strongly affect the health of the hosts. Microbiomes on mucosal surfaces have the highest densities and most extensive biochemical exchanges with the hosts. Although antibiotics are potent tools to manage infections, they can disrupt the normal microbiota, causing numerous side effects.

Concept Inventory Development Reveals Common Student Misconceptions about Microbiology.

Misconceptions, or alternative conceptions, are incorrect understandings that students have incorporated into their prior knowledge. The goal of this study was the identification of misconceptions in microbiology held by undergraduate students upon entry into an introductory, general microbiology course. This work was the first step in developing a microbiology concept inventory based on the American Society for Microbiology's Recommended Curriculum Guidelines for Undergraduate Microbiology.

Development, Validation, and Application of the Microbiology Concept Inventory.

If we are to teach effectively, tools are needed to measure student learning. A widely used method for quickly measuring student understanding of core concepts in a discipline is the concept inventory (CI). Using the American Society for Microbiology Curriculum Guidelines (ASMCG) for microbiology, faculty from 11 academic institutions created and validated a new microbiology concept inventory (MCI).