Article
Virology
Hongwei Liu, Magdalena Plancarte, Erin E. Ball, Christopher M. Weiss, Omar Gonzales-Viera, Karen Holcomb, Zhong-Min Ma, A. Mark Allen, J. Rachel Reader, Padraig J. Duignan, Barbie Halaska, Zenab Khan, Divya Kriti, Jayeeta Dutta, Harm van Bakel, Kenneth Jackson, Patricia A. Pesavento, Walter M. Boyce, Lark L. Coffey
Summary: By developing an ex vivo respiratory explant model, we compared infection kinetics of various IAV subtypes in wild marine mammals. The study found that respiratory tissue explants from California sea lions, Northern elephant seals, and rhesus macaques exhibited similar IAV infection kinetics. This ex vivo model serves as a valuable tool for studying IAV susceptibility in marine mammals.
JOURNAL OF VIROLOGY
(2021)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Kirsten Donald, Amanda Benedetti, Vinicius Donisete Lima Rodrigues Goulart, Alissa Deming, Hendrik Nollens, Grey Stafford, Sabrina Brando
Summary: This pilot study demonstrated the importance of environmental enrichment devices (EEDs) for pinnipeds in rehabilitation centers, as they can reduce undesired behaviors and improve the animals' quality of life.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Shichao Pei, Xiangliang Zhang, Victor M. Eguiluz, Sarah S. Kienle, Patrick W. Robinson, Daniel P. Costa, Carlos M. Duarte
Summary: Northern elephant seals, known for their large-scale foraging migrations, exhibit surprising coherence in female seals' migratory behavior. Patterns of movement remained coherent until the seals were 1,000 km away from the colony, beyond which coherence declined. Regional aggregations were observed, with female seals traveling within the center and isolated individuals on the edges. The presence of synchronized movement was demonstrated, suggesting the influence of both internal and external cues on migration timing.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Aaron W. Kirkpatrick, Daniel E. Crocker, Shane B. Kanatous, Kerri J. Smith, Sarah S. Kienle, Stephen J. Trumble
Summary: This study provides the first evidence of differences in blubber fatty acid profiles across ontogeny and sex in northern elephant seals. The study found that blubber fatty acid profiles change as northern elephant seals transition from young, developing seals to mature adults, but there were no differences in fatty acid profiles between sexes. Monounsaturated fatty acids play an important role in maintaining the fluidity of the blubber layer and thermoregulation.
FRONTIERS IN MARINE SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Matthew J. L. Munro, Barbara A. Byrne, Jane E. Sykes
Summary: This study described the features of mycobacterial infections in cats from northern California, with rapid-growing mycobacterial infections primarily manifesting as skin/subcutis disease and outdoor access. Mycobacterium avium infections showed higher resistance to fluoroquinolones and aminoglycosides compared to rapid-growing mycobacterial infections.
JOURNAL OF VETERINARY INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Majid Taati Moghadam, Ali Mojtahedi, Mehrdad Moosazadeh Moghaddam, Mahdi Fasihi-Ramandi, Reza Mirnejad
Summary: The misuse and overuse of antibiotics have led to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant infections. Researchers are looking for alternatives with antimicrobial properties, such as antimicrobial peptides (AMPs), which can fight against different resistant bacteria through various mechanisms.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Jerusha Stephen, Manjusha Lekshmi, Parvathi Ammini, Sanath H. Kumar, Manuel F. Varela
Summary: Infectious diseases caused by bacteria of the Vibrio genus have significant impacts on human health. The mechanisms of antimicrobial resistance in Vibrio spp. include biofilm formation and active antimicrobial efflux. Understanding these antimicrobial transport systems is important for studying Vibrio spp. pathogenesis and virulence.
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Diana Pereira, Tiago Soares Carreira, Nuno Alves, Angela Sousa, Joana F. A. Valente
Summary: The global COVID-19 pandemic has raised awareness of the risk posed by microorganisms to human well-being and survival. Scientists worldwide are actively searching for solutions to kill or slow down the spread of the virus. Metals have been extensively studied as antimicrobial solutions.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Review
Microbiology
Zahra Sedarat, Andrew W. Taylor-Robinson
Summary: Staphylococcus aureus, carried by up to 30% of humans, is a successful opportunistic pathogen causing various infections. The antimicrobial resistance of this bacterium is due to its unique biofilm structure, which provides protection against the host's immune response and antibiotics. Understanding the process of biofilm formation by S. aureus has shed light on potential targets for intervention in patient treatment and community infection control. Combining antibiotic therapy with other methods is the most effective approach.
Article
Immunology
Rohma Ghani, Benjamin H. Mullish, Julie A. K. McDonald, Anan Ghazy, Horace R. T. Williams, Eimear T. Brannigan, Siddharth Mookerjee, Giovanni Satta, Mark Gilchrist, Neill Duncan, Richard Corbett, Andrew J. Innes, Jiri Pavlu, Mark R. Thursz, Frances Davies, Julian R. Marchesi
Summary: Although FMT produces variable intestinal decolonization results for MDROs, this study demonstrated significant reductions in antibiotic duration, bacteremia, and length of stay in patients colonized/infected with MDRO receiving FMT, despite modest decolonization rates.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Yunqiu Shen, Chaochuan Zheng, Qiaoli Wu, Qilong Wu, Ming Jin, Yayun Jiang, Fuyuan Huang, Yongliang Lou, Laibao Zheng
Summary: In this study, peptide-functionalized gold nanoclusters were successfully synthesized and demonstrated the ability to image and kill bacteria, as well as locate bacteria in in vivo environments. These nanoclusters retained antibacterial activity and exhibited inhibitory and bactericidal effects against various bacteria and biofilms.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Wan Yang, Chen Cai, Donghai Yang, Xiaohu Dai
Summary: This study compared the responses of bacterial community, human pathogenic bacteria (HPB), and fecal indicator bacteria (FIB) to sludge pretreatment-anaerobic digestion (AD). The results showed that AD drove the variation of bacterial community and led to the convergence of HPB communities in pretreated sludge. FIB was found to be suitable for characterizing general pathogen removal rather than showing the real pattern of HPB. AD-related parameters played an important role in assessing pathogen inactivation.
JOURNAL OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS
(2023)
Article
Marine & Freshwater Biology
Richard Condit, Roxanne S. Beltran, Patrick W. Robinson, Daniel E. Crocker, Daniel P. Costa
Summary: Northern elephant seals migrate long distances to breeding beaches to raise pups during a brief period. The timing of their arrival is crucial, with early arrival wasting foraging time and late arrival causing parturition failure. Despite traveling thousands of kilometers while pregnant, female elephant seals are able to time their arrival within days, maintaining a precise annual birth cycle for many years consecutively.
MARINE MAMMAL SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Pharmacology & Pharmacy
Dejuan Wang, Jingru Shi, Chen Chen, Zhiqiang Wang, Yuan Liu
Summary: This study focuses on modifying the natural antimicrobial peptide Pleurocidin to develop potent and orally available antimicrobial agents. By truncating 11 amino acids at the C-terminus of Pleurocidin, four peptide analogues were obtained. Among them, GK-4 exhibited rapid bacteriostatic activity, stability, low hemolysis, and enhanced resistance to pepsin treatment. Mechanistic studies revealed that GK-4 induced membrane damage, dissipated bacterial membrane potential, and promoted ROS generation. SEM and CD analysis confirmed the resistance of GK-4 to pepsin hydrolysis. Overall, GK-4 shows promise as a potential orally available candidate for treating infections caused by multidrug-resistant pathogens.
Article
Immunology
Qiang Sun, Zixuan Li, Panpan Wang, Junfang Zhao, Shuai Chen, Minglei Sun
Summary: This study investigated the microbial characteristics of maxillofacial infections (MI) and descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) using metagenomic next-generation sequencing. The results showed that DNM group had higher species richness and diversity, with differential species including Bacillus, Lactobacillus, Streptococcaceae, and Streptococcus. Correlation analysis revealed associations between clinical characteristics and relative abundance of specific pathogens.
FRONTIERS IN CELLULAR AND INFECTION MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)