genomics
Environmental MicrobiologyGenomic and Seasonal Variations among Aquatic Phages Infecting the Baltic Sea Gammaproteobacterium Rheinheimera sp. Strain BAL341Phages are important in aquatic ecosystems as they influence their microbial hosts through lysis, gene transfer, transcriptional regulation, and expression of phage metabolic genes. Still, there is limited knowledge of how phages interact with their hosts, especially at fine scales. Here, a Rheinheimera phage-host system constituting highly similar phages infecting one host strain is presented. This relatively limited diversity...
Food MicrobiologySalmonella enterica subsp. enterica Serovar Heidelberg Food Isolates Associated with a Salmonellosis Outbreak Have Enhanced Stress Tolerance CapabilitiesThis study provides a deep analysis of the intrinsic stress tolerance and virulence capabilities of Salmonella Heidelberg that may have contributed to the length and severity of a recent salmonellosis outbreak. Additionally, this study provides a comprehensive analysis of the transcriptomic response of S. enterica strains to heat stress conditions and...
Public and Environmental Health Microbiology | SpotlightAgricultural Origins of a Highly Persistent Lineage of Vancomycin-Resistant Enterococcus faecalis in New ZealandHistorical antimicrobial use in NZ agriculture has driven the evolution of ST108, a VRE lineage carrying a range of clinically relevant antimicrobial resistances. The persistence of this lineage in NZ for over a decade indicates that coselection may be an important stabilizing mechanism for its persistence.
Evolutionary and Genomic MicrobiologyUnveiling Genomic Diversity among Members of the Species Bifidobacterium pseudolongum, a Widely Distributed Gut Commensal of the Animal KingdomCurrently, little information exists on the genetics of the B. pseudolongum taxon due to the limited number of sequenced genomes belonging to this species. In order to survey genome variability within this species and explore how members of this taxon evolved as commensals of the animal gut, we isolated and decoded the genomes of 51 newly isolated strains. Comparative...
Food MicrobiologyLongitudinal Study of Shiga Toxin-Producing Escherichia coli and Campylobacter jejuni on Finnish Dairy Farms and in Raw MilkThe increased popularity of raw milk consumption has created demand for relaxing legislation, despite the risk of contamination by pathogenic bacteria, notably STEC and C. jejuni. However, the epidemiology of these milk-borne pathogens on the herd level is still poorly understood, and data are lacking on the frequency of milk contamination on farms with cattle...
Evolutionary and Genomic Microbiology | SpotlightTranscriptome and Comparative Genomics Analyses Reveal New Functional Insights on Key Determinants of Pathogenesis and Interbacterial Competition in Pectobacterium and Dickeya spp.Despite the considerable loss inflicted on important crops yearly by Pectobacterium and Dickeya diseases, investigations on key virulence and interbacterial competition assets relying on extensive comparative genomics are still surprisingly lacking for these genera. Such approaches become more powerful over time, underpinned by the growing amount of genomic information in public databases. In particular, our findings...
Food Microbiology | SpotlightGenus-Wide Assessment of Antibiotic Resistance in Lactobacillus spp.Lactobacillus species are generally considered to be nonpathogenic and are used in a wide variety of foods and products for humans and animals. However, many of the species examined in this study have antibiotic resistance levels which exceed those recommended by the EFSA, suggesting that these cutoff values should be reexamined in light of the genetic basis for...
Food MicrobiologyTranscriptional and Functional Analysis of Bifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis Exposure to TetracyclineBifidobacterium animalis subsp. lactis is widely used in human food and dietary supplements. Although well documented to be safe, B. animalis subsp. lactis strains must not contain transferable antibiotic resistance...
MinireviewFructophilic Lactic Acid Bacteria, a Unique Group of Fructose-Fermenting MicrobesFructophilic lactic acid bacteria (FLAB) are a recently discovered group, consisting of a few Fructobacillus and Lactobacillus species. Because of their unique characteristics, including poor growth on glucose and preference of oxygen, they are regarded as “unconventional” lactic acid bacteria (LAB...
- Environmental Microbiology | SpotlightReconstruction of the Bifidobacterial Pan-Secretome Reveals the Network of Extracellular Interactions between Bifidobacteria and the Infant Gut
The ecological success of bifidobacteria relies on the activity of extracellular proteins that are involved in the metabolism of nutrients and the interaction with the environment. To date, information on secreted proteins encoded by bifidobacteria is incomplete and just related to few species. In this study, we reconstructed the bifidobacterial pan-secretome, revealing extracellular proteins that modulate the interaction of...