Download or read book Bacterial Predation in Host Microbiomes written by Rory M. Welsh and published by . This book was released on 2015 with total page 108 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In host-associated microbiomes, the mechanisms that regulate community composition or the principles that govern dynamics remain far from clear. However, understanding how the structure of microbial communities shift as the system moves away from a healthy state is critical to assessing disease progression and to formulate any potential mitigation strategy. In this dissertation, I targeted a relatively understudied genus of predatory bacteria, Halobacteriovorax, capable of preying on known pathogens, and aimed to determine the ecological role of these unusual predators in the microbiome of their coral host. Halobacteriovorax are a genus of delta proteobacteria which exhibit a biphasic lifestyle. In attack phase they are small (1 to 2 [micro]m in length and 0.35[micro]m in width), highly motile, single flagellated vibriod shaped bacteria that must attach to other bacteria before penetrating their periplasm where they undergo filamentous growth and genome replication without competition. As nutrients become exhausted from the prey cell, the elongated Halobacteriovorax filament divides into multiple attack phase progeny that lyse the bdelloplast. The ecological role of these predators is still relatively understudied, but given their predatory lifestyle, high grazing rates, and broad prey range, Halobacteriovorax could play a major role in structuring microbial communities. In order to study how cell-cell interactions impact microbial community structure and function, I employed a wide range of methods and technologies utilizing culture dependent and independent techniques. Using high throughput sequencing I detailed shifts in community structure of the microbiome of the mucosal surface layer of multiple coral species in their natural environment by repeatedly sampling individuals over a two-year time scale. Halobacteriovorax were a core microbiome component detected in over 78 percent of the 198 samples. Using network analysis I was able to obtain the temporal and spatial dynamics of Halobacteriovorax, and show that despite their predatory nature they predominately co-occur with their potential prey in our networks. I also isolated and cultured novel Halobacteriovorax strains from multiple coral species, and characterized these coral-associated predatory bacterial isolates using full-length 16S rRNA sequencing of cultures, phylogenetic analysis of the full length reads, prey range evaluation, and microscopic documentation of unique predatory lifecycle stages. In order to study cell-cell interactions I employed microfluidic devices and high-resolution video microscopy, image analysis, and cell tracking to observe individual predator-prey interactions utilizing predatory Halobacteriovorax and a common pathogen to a variety of aquatic host organisms, Vibrio coralliilyticus, as the prey. In this co-culture system, I captured striking microscale observations that demonstrate Halobacteriovorax's ability to effectively prey on and reduce pathogenic V. coralliilyticus populations. To illuminate the role of Halobacteriovorax on the host microbiome, I challenged specimens of the important reef-building coral Montastraea cavernosa with V. coralliilyticus pathogens in the presence or absence of Halobacteriovorax predators, and then detailed the changes in the microbial communities over time using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The pathogen challenge reshaped coral microbiomes by increasing richness and reducing stability (increased beta-diversity) of the rest of the microbiome, suggesting strong secondary effects of pathogen invasion on commensal and mutualistic coral bacteria. The addition of Halobacteriovorax alone had only minor effects on the microbiome, and no infiltration of Halobacteriovorax into coral tissues was detected in amplicon libraries. Simultaneous challenges with both pathogen and predator eliminated detectable V. coralliilyticus infiltration into coral tissue samples, ameliorated changes to the rest of the coral microbiome, and prevented secondary blooms of opportunistic bacteria. All together my results suggest predation by Halobacteriovorax may act as a mechanism to regulate population size of a wide range of opportunistic pathogens and illustrates the powerful role of these predatory bacteria in the marine microbiome.
Download or read book Microbiomes of Soils Plants and Animals written by Rachael E. Antwis and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A comparative, holistic synthesis of microbiome research, spanning soil, plant, animal and human hosts.
Download or read book Host Microbe Interactions written by and published by Academic Press. This book was released on 2016-08-03 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Host-Microbe Interactions, the latest volume in the Progress in Molecular Biology series, provides a forum for the discussion of new discoveries, approaches, and ideas in molecular biology. It contains contributions from leaders in their respective fields, along with abundant references. This volume is dedicated to the subject of host-microbe interactions. Provides the latest research on host-microbe interactions, including new discoveries, approaches, and ideas Contains contributions from leading authorities on topics relating to molecular biology Informs and updates on all the latest developments in the field
Download or read book Predatory Prokaryotes written by Edouard Jurkevitch and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-12-08 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Predatory Prokaryotes examines the ecology of predation at the microbial level. It aims to increase the awareness of the great possibilities that predation between microbes offer for studying and discussing basic ecological and general biological concepts.
Download or read book Microbial Evolution and Co Adaptation written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2009-05-10 with total page 330 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Dr. Joshua Lederberg - scientist, Nobel laureate, visionary thinker, and friend of the Forum on Microbial Threats - died on February 2, 2008. It was in his honor that the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop on May 20-21, 2008, to examine Dr. Lederberg's scientific and policy contributions to the marketplace of ideas in the life sciences, medicine, and public policy. The resulting workshop summary, Microbial Evolution and Co-Adaptation, demonstrates the extent to which conceptual and technological developments have, within a few short years, advanced our collective understanding of the microbiome, microbial genetics, microbial communities, and microbe-host-environment interactions.
Download or read book Biodegradation and Persistence written by B. Beek and published by Springer. This book was released on 2005-09-06 with total page 338 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Biodegradation is a key phenomen among environmental processes. Low degradation rates lead to the persistence of chemicals in the environment and, as a consequence, to delayed or long-term effects, which may be even unknown by now. In this volume the editor has pulled together the newest results of research in biodegradation and persistence of potential environmentally harmful substances and the complex process involved. The main focus is on the microbial degradation, the evolution and predictability of the respective pathways and their impact on bioremediation. Additional chapters deal with sewage treatment plants, the impact of toxicants on impaired biodegradation, and with the need of a more realistic view on fate and behaviour of chemicals in the environment.
Download or read book The Social Biology of Microbial Communities written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-01-10 with total page 633 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with the germ theory of disease in the 19th century and extending through most of the 20th century, microbes were believed to live their lives as solitary, unicellular, disease-causing organisms . This perception stemmed from the focus of most investigators on organisms that could be grown in the laboratory as cellular monocultures, often dispersed in liquid, and under ambient conditions of temperature, lighting, and humidity. Most such inquiries were designed to identify microbial pathogens by satisfying Koch's postulates.3 This pathogen-centric approach to the study of microorganisms produced a metaphorical "war" against these microbial invaders waged with antibiotic therapies, while simultaneously obscuring the dynamic relationships that exist among and between host organisms and their associated microorganisms-only a tiny fraction of which act as pathogens. Despite their obvious importance, very little is actually known about the processes and factors that influence the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities. Gaining this knowledge will require a seismic shift away from the study of individual microbes in isolation to inquiries into the nature of diverse and often complex microbial communities, the forces that shape them, and their relationships with other communities and organisms, including their multicellular hosts. On March 6 and 7, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop to explore the emerging science of the "social biology" of microbial communities. Workshop presentations and discussions embraced a wide spectrum of topics, experimental systems, and theoretical perspectives representative of the current, multifaceted exploration of the microbial frontier. Participants discussed ecological, evolutionary, and genetic factors contributing to the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities; how microbial communities adapt and respond to environmental stimuli; theoretical and experimental approaches to advance this nascent field; and potential applications of knowledge gained from the study of microbial communities for the improvement of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and toward a deeper understanding of microbial diversity and evolution. The Social Biology of Microbial Communities: Workshop Summary further explains the happenings of the workshop.
Download or read book Host microbiome Interactions Impacting Pathogen and Mutualist Colonization Within Defensive Symbioses written by Jennifer Bratburd and published by . This book was released on 2020 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microbial interactions shape the world around us. One major determinant of the effect a microbe will have on its environment is the microbe's ability to colonize. For pathogens, colonization directly impacts the host's health and many hosts have mechanisms to limit or otherwise control microbial colonization. These limitations may also prove challenging for commensal or mutualistic microbes, which themselves may be critical many aspects of host health, including defending the host against pathogens. In this dissertation, I explore a spectrum of host-microbiome interactions, ranging from an individual mutualistic bacterial strains of the fungus-growing ant system to whole human gut microbial communities using several approaches to better understand defensive mutualisms. In Chapter 1, I discuss how understanding defensive symbiosis of social animal models, in particular insect systems, may help in understanding with human problems with controlling pathogens in large social populations. In Chapter 2, I present experimental colonization data and comparative genomics that suggests the lack of specificity from the symbiont in the fungus-growing ant and Pseudonocardia mutualism. To explore pathogen interactions with a more complex microbial community, in Chapter 3, I investigate how human gut microbial community responds to infection of the host in a gnotobiotic mouse model with metagenomics and metabolomics approaches. I contrast host without microbiota and hosts with microbiota but no infection to find that infection greatly perturbs the communities and I find particular metabolites in abundance on in the presence of both microbial community and pathogen. Expanding on human gut microbiome and germ-free mouse model approach, in Chapter 4, I use human stool samples as donors to inoculate germ-free in order to identify variability in the microbiome resistance to infection and apply metagenomic techniques to examine commonalities of resistant microbiomes. I find limited evidence of shared taxonomic groups in resistant microbes, but some indication of shared functional genes in the metagenomes associated with pathogen resistance. Together, these approaches provide insight into the complexity of host interplay with defensive microbes.
Download or read book Microbial Endocrinology written by Mark Lyte and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2010-04-06 with total page 325 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microbial endocrinology represents a newly emerging interdisciplinary field that is formed by the intersection of the fields of neurobiology and microbiology. This book will introduce a new perspective to the current understanding not only of the factors that mediate the ability of microbes to cause disease, but also to the mechanisms that maintain normal homeostasis. The discovery that microbes can directly respond to neuroendocrine hormones, as evidenced by increased growth and production of virulence-associated factors, provides for a new framework with which to investigate how microorganisms interface not only with vertebrates, but also with invertebrates and even plants. The reader will learn that the neuroendocrine hormones that one most commonly associates with mammals are actually found throughout the plant, insect and microbial communities to an extent that will undoubtedly surprise many, and most importantly, how interactions between microbes and neuroendocrine hormones can influence the pathophysiology of infectious disease.
Download or read book Fundamentals of Microbiome Science written by Angela E. Douglas and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2021-06-08 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book provides an accessible and authoritative guide to the fundamental principles of microbiome science, an exciting and fast-emerging new discipline that is reshaping many aspects of the life sciences. Resident microbes in healthy animals--including humans--can dictate many traits of the animal host. This animal microbiome is a second immune system conferring protection against pathogens; it can structure host metabolism in animals as diverse as reef corals and hibernating mammals; and it may influence animal behavior, from social recognition to emotional states. These microbial partners can also drive ecologically important traits, from thermal tolerance to diet, and have contributed to animal diversification over long evolutionary timescales"--Publisher by publisher.
Download or read book Bacteriophage Ecology written by Stephen T. Abedon and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-05-01 with total page 457 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bacteriophages, or phages, are viruses that infect bacteria and are believed to be the most abundant and genetically diverse organisms on Earth. As such, their ecology is vast both in quantitative and qualitative terms. Their abundance makes an understanding of phage ecology increasingly relevant to bacterial ecosystem ecology, bacterial genomics and bacterial pathology. Abedon provides the first text on phage ecology for almost 20 years. Written by leading experts, synthesizing the three key approaches to studying phage ecology, namely studying them in natural environments (in situ), experimentally in the lab, or theoretically using mathematical or computer models. With strong emphasis on microbial population biology and distilling cutting-edge research into basic principles, this book will complement other currently available volumes. It will therefore serve as an essential resource for graduate students and researchers, particularly those with an interest in phage ecology and evolutionary biology.
Download or read book The Ecology of Predation at the Microscale written by Edouard Jurkevitch and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-06-29 with total page 203 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The book will provide an update on our understanding of predator-prey through the prism of ecology, physiology, molecular biology, and mathematical modelling. The integration of these different perspectives while focusing on the microbial realm will highlight the importance of scale in ecological interactions, and their importance in applications. This book should thereby contribute to theoretical as well as to applied ecologists and microbiologists. Furthermore, the detailed but amenable chapters could serve as the basis of teaching advanced courses in (microbial) ecology and environmental microbiology.This work is a collection of articles that discuss microbial predation from a variety of perspectives. It provides the readers a concise resource describing factors that are critical for several different predatory microbes, including Myxobacterium spp. and Bdellovibrio-and-like organisms (BALOs), including the mechanisms involved, ecological conditions that adversely impact it and potential applications in aquaculture and bioproduction. The first half of this collection focuses more on ecological aspects of predation, with in-depth discussions on “wolf pack” predators, the presence and activities of predators in waste-water treatment plants and the role of intraguild predatory relationships, i.e., when two different predators are competing for a single prey but also interact with one another. The reader will gain a deeper understanding of the predatory mechanisms involved and their ecological roles. In the latter half, emphasis is given more to the application and limitations of predators. In addition to discussing secondary metabolite production within different microbial predators, the readers will also learn how predators are being used to purify secondary metabolites from prey. This section also discusses the expanding and promising role of predation in aquaculture, focusing on the application of predators to reduce pathogenic populations, but includes some important caveats for young researchers to consider and follow when working with Bdellovibrio. This work is written for both experienced researchers already in the field and for young scientists who are captivated by the thought of predation at the microscale and its growing importance within a wide-array of fields.
Download or read book Bacteriophage T4 written by Christopher K. Mathews and published by . This book was released on 1983 with total page 432 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:
Download or read book The New Science of Metagenomics written by National Research Council and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2007-06-24 with total page 170 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Although we can't usually see them, microbes are essential for every part of human life-indeed all life on Earth. The emerging field of metagenomics offers a new way of exploring the microbial world that will transform modern microbiology and lead to practical applications in medicine, agriculture, alternative energy, environmental remediation, and many others areas. Metagenomics allows researchers to look at the genomes of all of the microbes in an environment at once, providing a "meta" view of the whole microbial community and the complex interactions within it. It's a quantum leap beyond traditional research techniques that rely on studying-one at a time-the few microbes that can be grown in the laboratory. At the request of the National Science Foundation, five Institutes of the National Institutes of Health, and the Department of Energy, the National Research Council organized a committee to address the current state of metagenomics and identify obstacles current researchers are facing in order to determine how to best support the field and encourage its success. The New Science of Metagenomics recommends the establishment of a "Global Metagenomics Initiative" comprising a small number of large-scale metagenomics projects as well as many medium- and small-scale projects to advance the technology and develop the standard practices needed to advance the field. The report also addresses database needs, methodological challenges, and the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in supporting this new field.
Download or read book Public Health and Infectious Diseases written by Jeffrey Griffiths and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2010-03-09 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Emerging infectious diseases may be defined as diseases being caused by pathogens only recently recognized to exist. This group of diseases is important globally, and the experience of the last 30 years suggests that new emerging diseases are likely to bedevil us. As the global climate changes, so changes the environment, which can support not only the pathogens, but also their vectors of transmission. This expands the exposure and effects of infectious disease and, therefore, the importance of widespread understanding of the relationship between public health and infectious disease. Public Health and Infectious Diseases brings together chapters that explain reasons for the emergence of these infectious diseases. These include the ecological context of human interactions with other humans, with animals that may host human pathogens, and with a changing agricultural and industrial environment, increasing resistance to antimicrobials, the ubiquity of global travel, and international commerce. Features the latest discoveries related to influenza with a newly published article by Davidson Hamer and Jean van Seventer Provides a listing of rare diseases that have become resurgent or spread their geographic distribution and are re-emergent Highlights dengue and malaria, as well as agents such as West Nile and other arboviruses that have spread to new continents causing widespread concerns Includes discussions of climate influencing the spread of infectious disease and political and societal aspects
Download or read book Human Microbes The Power Within written by Vasu D. Appanna and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-02-05 with total page 183 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book offers a unique perspective on the invisible organ, a body part that has been visualized only recently. It guides the readers into the world of the microbial constituents that make humans the way they are. The vitamins they produce, the smell they generate, the signals they create, and the molecular guards they elaborate are some of the benefits they bestow on humans. After introducing the notion as to why microbes are an integral component in the development of humans, the book examines the genesis of the microbiome and describes how the resident bacteria work in partnership with the skin, digestive tract, sexual organs, mouth and lungs to execute vital physiological functions. It then discusses the diseases that are triggered by the disruption of the harmonious relationships amongst these diverse systems and provides microbial cures to ailments such as obesity and digestive complications. Finally, the book focuses on the future when the workings of the human microbes will be fully unravelled. Societal changes in health education, the establishment of the microbiome bank, the fight against hunger, space travel, designer traits and enhanced security are explained. Each chapter is accompanied by captivating illustrations and ends with a visual summary. Dr. Appanna has been researching for over 30 years on various aspects of microbial and human cellular systems. He is a professor of biochemistry and has also served as Department Chair and Dean of the Faculty at Laurentian University, Sudbury, Canada. The book is aimed at readers enrolled in medical, chiropractic, nursing, pharmacy, and health science programs. Practicing health-care professionals and continuing education learners will also find the content beneficial.
Download or read book Bacteriophages in Health and Disease written by Paul Hyman and published by CABI. This book was released on 2012 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bacteriophages are viruses that infect bacteria; as such, they have many potential uses for promoting health and combating disease. This book covers the many facets of phage-bacterial-human interaction in three sections: the role and impact of phages on natural bacterial communities, the potential to develop phage-based therapeutics and other aspects in which phages can be used to combat disease, including bacterial detection, bacterial epidemiology, the tracing of fecal contamination of water and decontamination of foods.
