microbiota
MinireviewReframing Nutritional Microbiota Studies To Reflect an Inherent Metabolic Flexibility of the Human Gut: a Narrative Review Focusing on High-Fat DietsThere is a broad consensus in nutritional-microbiota research that high-fat (HF) diets are harmful to human health, at least in part through their modulation of the gut microbiota. However, various studies also support the inherent flexibility of the human gut and our microbiota’s ability to adapt to a variety of food sources, suggesting a more nuanced picture.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyA Novel Enterococcus faecalis Heme Transport Regulator (FhtR) Senses Host Heme To Control Its Intracellular HomeostasisEnterococcus faecalis, a normal and harmless colonizer of the human intestinal flora can cause severe infectious diseases in immunocompromised patients, particularly those that have been heavily treated with antibiotics. Therefore, it is important to understand the factors that promote its resistance and its virulence....
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyAn Antibiotic-Impacted Microbiota Compromises the Development of Colonic Regulatory T Cells and Predisposes to Dysregulated Immune ResponsesThe assembly of microbial communities that populate all mucosal surfaces of the human body begins right after birth. This process is prone to disruption as newborns and young infants are increasingly exposed to antibiotics, both deliberately for therapeutic purposes, and as a consequence of transmaternal exposure.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyNeonatal Mouse Gut Metabolites Influence Cryptosporidium parvum Infection in Intestinal Epithelial CellsCryptosporidium sp. occupies a unique intracellular niche that exposes the parasite to both host cell contents and the intestinal lumen, including metabolites from the diet and produced by the microbiota. Both dietary and microbial products change over the course of early development and could contribute to the changes seen in susceptibility to cryptosporidiosis in humans and mice.
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyThe Native Microbiome is Crucial for Offspring Generation and Fitness of Aurelia auritaAll multicellular organisms are associated with a diverse and specific community of microorganisms; consequently, the microbiome is of fundamental importance for health and fitness of the multicellular host. However, studies on microbiome contribution to host fitness are in their infancy, in particular, for less well-established hosts such as the moon jellyfish Aurelia aurita. Here, we studied the impact of the native...
Research Article | Clinical Science and EpidemiologyImmune Response and Microbiota Profiles during Coinfection with Plasmodium vivax and Soil-Transmitted HelminthsPlasmodium (malaria) and helminth parasite coinfections are frequent, and both infections can be affected by the host gut microbiota. However, the relationship between coinfection and the gut microbiota is unclear. By performing comprehensive analyses on blood/stool samples from 130 individuals in Colombia, we found that the gut microbiota may have a stronger relationship with the number of...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyLinking Human Milk Oligosaccharides, Infant Fecal Community Types, and Later Risk To Require AntibioticsHuman milk is the sole and recommended nutrition for the newborn infant and contains one of the largest constituents of diverse oligosaccharides, dubbed human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs). Preclinical and clinical association studies indicate that HMOs have multiple physiological functions largely mediated through the establishment of the gut microbiome. Until recently, HMOs were not available to investigate their role in randomized...
Research Article | Therapeutics and PreventionNew Host-Directed Therapeutics for the Treatment of Clostridioides difficile InfectionClostridioides difficile is a spore-forming anaerobic bacterium and the leading cause of antibiotic-associated colitis. With few therapeutic options and high rates of disease recurrence, the need to develop new treatment options is urgent. Prior studies utilizing a repurposing approach identified three nonantibiotic Food and Drug Administration-approved drugs,...
Commentary | Ecological and Evolutionary ScienceContext Is Key: Comparative Biology Illuminates the Vertebrate MicrobiomeMicrobes affect vertebrates on timescales from daily to evolutionary, and the cumulative effect of these interactions is immense. However, how microbiomes compare across (host) species is poorly understood, as most studies focus on relatively few species. A recent mBio article by S. J. Song, J. G. Sanders, F. Delsuc, J. Metcalf, et al. (mBio 11:e02901-19, 2019, https://doi.org/10.1128/mBio...
Research Article | Host-Microbe BiologyFecal Metabolomic Signatures in Colorectal Adenoma Patients Are Associated with Gut Microbiota and Early Events of Colorectal Cancer PathogenesisColorectal adenomas are precursors of CRC. Recently, the gut microbiota, i.e., the collection of microbes residing in our gut, has been recognized as a key player in CRC development. There have been a number of gut microbiota profiling studies for colorectal adenoma and CRC; however, fewer studies have considered the gut metabolome, which serves as the chemical interface between the host and gut microbiota. Here, we conducted a gut...