Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Florent Masson, Samuel Rommelaere, Fanny Schupfer, Jean-Philippe Boquete, Bruno Lemaitre
Summary: The abundance and amino acid composition of a protein called Spiralin B (SpiB) plays a crucial role in the nutritional interactions between insects and their endosymbionts. Increasing SpiB levels disrupts the localization of endosymbionts in insect eggs and decreases vertical transmission. This protein ensures the durability of the interaction in a variable environment.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Shigeyuki Kakizawa, Takahiro Hosokawa, Kohei Oguchi, Kaori Miyakoshi, Takema Fukatsu
Summary: Many insects have facultative symbiotic bacteria, and the prevalence of infection provides important information about the biological impact of these microbial associates. In this study, diverse stinkbugs were surveyed for Spiroplasma infection, revealing a low infection prevalence. Molecular analysis showed that stinkbug-associated Spiroplasma symbionts have multiple evolutionary origins and are not co-speciated with the host stinkbugs. There is a potential for host-symbiont specificity and/or ecological symbiont sharing. Spiroplasma symbionts are generally less abundant than primary gut symbiotic bacteria, localized to various tissues and organs, and vertically transmitted to offspring. They are facultative bacterial associates and not essential for the host stinkbugs, similar to Spiroplasma symbionts of fruit flies and aphids.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Letter
Medicine, General & Internal
Kimberly M. Nelson, Alexandra Skinner, Kristen Underhill
Summary: This study examines the current laws regarding minor consent for sexually transmitted infection/HIV services and the level of confidentiality protection in all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
JAMA-JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sari L. Reisner, David R. Pletta, Dana J. Pardee, Madeline B. Deutsch, Sarah M. Peitzmeier, Jaclyn M. W. Hughto, Meg Quint, Jennifer Potter
Summary: The study describes the development, piloting, and refinement of a digitally deployed measure to assess self-reported sexual behaviors associated with HIV and STI transmission for research with transmasculine adults. The measure successfully integrates gender-affirming language and branching logic to capture a wide array of sexual behaviors, providing necessary data to assess risk behaviors for HIV and STI transmission.
JMIR PUBLIC HEALTH AND SURVEILLANCE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Aniruddha Hazra, Joseph N. Cherabie
Summary: The multinational Mpox outbreak in 2022 has spread rapidly among men who have sex with men outside of sub-Saharan Africa. Close contact during sex and intimacy has been established as the main mode of human-to-human transmission. While sexual contact appears to be the primary means of spread, classifying Mpox as an STI is inaccurate and more effort should be focused on destigmatizing the disease and empowering at-risk communities.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Dermatology
K. Muscat, C. Cremona, T. Melillo Fenech, M. Abela, V. Padovese
Summary: Understanding the complex interplay between STIs, substance misuse, and mental health among inmates is crucial for targeted interventions. This study found high rates of risky sexual behaviors and drug use among inmates, leading to recommendations for improved screening, education, and follow-up care both in prisons and the community. Collaboration between sexual health clinics and prisons is necessary to address these public health challenges effectively.
JOURNAL OF THE EUROPEAN ACADEMY OF DERMATOLOGY AND VENEREOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Joy D. Scheidell, Typhanye V. Dyer, Andrea K. Knittel, Ellen C. Caniglia, Lorna E. Thorpe, Andrea B. Troxel, Carl W. Lejuez, Maria R. Khan
Summary: Incarceration is associated with a history of STI, with differences in risks between Black and White women. While the association between incarceration and PID is elevated among Black women, it is null among White women. Pregnancy loss may be higher among Black women who have been incarcerated, with STI potentially mediating this association.
JOURNAL OF WOMENS HEALTH
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Developmental
Yu-Tse Lin, Ju-Wei Hsu, Kai-Lin Huang, Shih-Jen Tsai, Tung-Ping Su, Cheng-Ta Li, Wei-Chen Lin, Tzeng-Ji Chen, Ya-Mei Bai, Mu-Hong Chen
Summary: Research shows that adolescents with conduct disorder are more likely to develop any STI compared to controls. Long-term use of second-generation antipsychotics is associated with a reduced risk of subsequent STI among patients with conduct disorder.
EUROPEAN CHILD & ADOLESCENT PSYCHIATRY
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Carlotta Cocchetti, Alessia Romani, Francesca Mazzoli, Jiska Ristori, Filippo Lagi, Maria Cristina Meriggiola, Giovanna Motta, Marina Pierdominici, Alessandro Bartoloni, Linda Vignozzi, Mario Maggi, Alessandra Daphne Fisher
Summary: The burden of sexually transmitted infections in the transgender population is underestimated, and this study found a high prevalence of STIs among transgender individuals. Compared to the general population, transgender people have higher rates of STIs, which may be related to socio-economic factors and health conditions.
JOURNAL OF CLINICAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Immunology
Kohji Uraguchi, Takao Irie, Hirokazu Kouguchi, Azusa Inamori, Mariko Sashika, Michito Shimozuru, Toshio Tsubota, Kinpei Yagi
Summary: By distributing anthelmintic baits on a university campus in Japan inhabited by foxes infected with Echinococcus multilocularis, we can design an effective baiting protocol for small public areas. High-density baiting can reduce the risk for human exposure to the parasite to near zero, but monthly baiting is required to maintain this effect.
EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Ricardo Rubio-Sanchez, Cristina Ubeda, Rocio Rios-Reina
Summary: This study aimed to detect volatile organic compounds (VOCs) emitted by highly prevalent STIs-causing bacteria in vaginal swabs and urine samples, in order to identify potential biomarkers for the early diagnosis of these STIs.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Hiroshi Arai, Takumi Takamatsu, Shiou-Ruei Lin, Tetsuya Mizutani, Tsutomu Omatsu, Yukie Katayama, Madoka Nakai, Yasuhisa Kunimi, Maki N. Inoue
Summary: Many microbes induce male killing (MK) in various insect species, but it is not clear whether they adopt similar or different MK mechanisms. Researchers found that Wolbachia and Spiroplasma disrupt the sex determination cascade by inducing female-type splice variants of doublesex in male insects. In addition, Wolbachia and Spiroplasma also trigger abnormal apoptosis in male embryos.
APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Jennifer Deese, Meng Wang, Dana Lapple, Julie A. E. Nelson, Bethany Kuerten, Markus J. Steiner, Pai Lien Chen, Marcia M. Hobbs
Summary: In a prospective study of 13 heterosexual couples, it was found that all vaginal immune markers were detectable in semen, and concentrations of these markers varied based on the recency of sexual activity.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Sze Long Chung, Ngai Sze Wong, King Man Ho, Shui Shan Lee
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence and factors associated with bacterial sexually transmitted infection (STI) coinfection among male patients attending public STI clinics in Hong Kong from 2009 to 2019. The study found an increasing prevalence of coinfection over the years, with chlamydia/gonorrhoea coinfection being the most common. Young age, HIV-positive status, and a history of concurrent genital warts/herpes were associated with coinfection in 2014/15. Additionally, male patients aged 30-49 and self-reported as men who have sex with men (MSM) were more likely to have repeat infections. The findings support the implementation of regular multi-STI testing as a control strategy for selected communities.
EPIDEMIOLOGY AND INFECTION
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Ellen N. Kersh, William M. Geisler
Summary: Advancing the understanding of pelvic inflammatory disease (PID) requires access to advanced diagnostic approaches, but current limitations and obstacles such as economic and geographical factors, expanding list of STIs causing reproductive sequelae, and the need for coordinated research efforts are challenges to be overcome. The future use of biomarkers in easily accessible specimens may provide a noninvasive approach to determining STI etiologies and requires further research.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2021)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Adrianna Tompros, Andrew D. Dean, Andy Fenton, Mark Q. Wilber, Edward Davis Carter, Matthew J. Gray
Summary: The study found that the emerging amphibian fungal pathogen Bsal primarily transmits through pure frequency dependence in aquatic environments, with a high infection rate. The pathogen has the potential to drive eastern newt populations to extinction, indicating that managing host density may not be an effective strategy.
TRANSBOUNDARY AND EMERGING DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Michael J. Bottery, Jessica L. Matthews, A. Jamie Wood, Helle Krogh Johansen, Jon W. Pitchford, Ville-Petri Friman
Summary: The study found that multidrug-resistant Stenotrophomonas maltophilia can provide high levels of antibiotic protection to Pseudomonas aeruginosa, but is ineffective against another antibiotic. The level of exposure protection against different carbapenems is determined by differences in antibiotic efficacy and inactivation rate.
Article
Ecology
Joel S. Woon, David Atkinson, Stephen Adu-Bredu, Paul Eggleton, Catherine L. Parr
Summary: Savanna termite species have wider thermal limits than forest species, which may be one of the physiological differences that enable them to cope with the more extreme conditions in savanna environments.
JOURNAL OF ANIMAL ECOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Ecology
M. Florencia Camus, Bridie Alexander-Lawrie, Joel Sharbrough, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: In this article, the authors discuss the diversity and peculiarities of cytoplasmic inherited genomes, as well as the broad evolutionary consequences of non-Mendelian inheritance. The origins of vertical transmission and uniparental inheritance are explored, and the vast diversity of cytoplasmic inheritance systems in Eukaryota is described. The evolution of genomic organisation and its interactions with the nuclear genome and population genetics dynamics are also discussed. The authors highlight the importance of understanding hereditary symbiosis in order to understand the evolution of eukaryotes.
Review
Microbiology
Michael J. Bottery
Summary: Plasmids play a significant role in horizontal gene transfer among prokaryotes, facilitating the exchange of ecologically important traits between distantly related bacterial taxa. Recent studies have shown that the community ecology, including bacterial diversity and interspecies interactions, can influence the dynamics of conjugative plasmid transfer and persistence within microbial communities. The fate of plasmids within communities is determined by the collective factors imposed by the community, rather than individual hosts.
CURRENT OPINION IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Stefanos Siozios, Crystal L. Frost, Rebecca Court, Ewa Chrostek, Georgia C. Drew, Jay D. Evans, David J. Hawthorne, James B. Burritt, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This study reports a microbe related to Arsenophonus nasoniae, traditionally considered heritable bacterial symbionts of arthropods, infecting honey bees (Apis mellifera). The microbe was cultured in vitro and its genome was sequenced. This finding suggests a different mode of transmission for this microbe compared to other Arsenophonus bacteria that are typically found only in arthropods.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Stefanos Siozios, Nigel Halliday, Miguel Camara, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This study describes a culturable bacterial symbiont, Symbiopectobacterium purcellii, with a predicted metabolism more complete than other symbionts and the synthesis of bioactive small molecules. LC-MS/MS analysis reveals a profoundly divergent AHL profile compared to other bacterial species.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Angus M. Quinn, Michael J. Bottery, Harry Thompson, Ville-Petri Friman
Summary: In a bacterial community where Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia coexisted, the evolution of imipenem resistance in P. aeruginosa coincided with the extinction of S. maltophilia due to increased production of pyocyanin, disrupting antibiotic exposure protection and pathogen resistance evolution.
Article
Microbiology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Steven R. Parratt, Stefanos Siozios, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: Vertically transmitted heritable microbial symbionts are important invertebrate biology and ecology. Arsenophonus provides a clear example of symbiotic transmission patterns, with some strains being obligate vertically transmitted symbionts and others having mixed modes of transmission. This research expands the understanding of genetic mechanisms in bacterial-insect interactions and broadens the range of host species infected with nasoniae/apicola clade strains.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Jordan E. Jones, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: The presence of defensive microbial symbionts within insects can affect the outcome of natural enemy attacks. The thermal environment is known to influence symbiont-mediated traits in insects. This study examined the effect of temperature on Spiroplasma-mediated protection against Leptopilina boulardi in Drosophila melanogaster and found that the developmental temperature of the mothers plays a stronger role in determining the protective influence of Spiroplasma than the temperature during or after wasp attack.
Editorial Material
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Michael Bottery, Michael A. Brockhurst
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Helen Rebecca Davison, Gregory D. D. Hurst, Stefanos Siozios
Summary: We explore the diversity of the genus 'Candidatus Megaira' using Sequence Read Archive and metagenomic assemblies. We identify four 'Ca. Megaira' genomes, including one complete scaffold, and an additional 14 draft genomes from uncategorized environmental metagenome-assembled genomes. Our findings reveal the underestimation of the diversity of 'Ca. Megaira' and suggest a potential for defensive symbiosis in this genus.
MICROBIAL GENOMICS
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Helen R. Davison, Jessica Crozier, Stacy Pirro, Helge Kampen, Doreen Werner, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: Symbiotic bacteria in Anopheles mosquitoes can alter host biology and the transmission of diseases. A study identified a symbiont called 'Ca. Tisiphia' in Anopheles plumbeus and investigated its genome and metabolic competence. This research provides valuable insights into the symbiotic relationships in Anopheles mosquitoes and their impact on host biology and disease transmission.
ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Zoology
Pol Nadal-Jimenez, Crystal L. Frost, Ana Claudia Norte, Jorge Garrido-Bautista, Timothy E. Wilkes, Rowan Connell, Annabel Rice, Indrikis Krams, Tapio Eeva, Philippe Christe, Gregorio Moreno-Rueda, Gregory D. D. Hurst
Summary: This paper examines the distribution of a parasitic bacterium in the population of a wasp host in Europe. The study finds that this bacterium is widely present in bee populations in Germany, the UK, Finland, Switzerland, and Portugal, but with varying frequencies. A new screening method using ethanol-preserved fly pupae is effective in detecting both wasp and bacterium infection. Future research should investigate the causes of frequency variation.
JOURNAL OF INVERTEBRATE PATHOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Farah I. Mumin, Andy Fenton, Abdinasir Yusuf Osman, Siobhan M. Mor
Summary: Zoonoses pose a significant burden on human and animal health in Somalia, but due to years of instability and weak disease surveillance, data on the burden of zoonoses is lacking. This scoping review assessed and synthesized the available literature on zoonoses in Somalia. The study found that Rift Valley Fever, brucellosis, and hepatitis E were the most frequently studied diseases, with limited research on the environmental aspects.