BacterioFiles 340 - Plasmid Promotes Plant Pathogenesis

Pathogenic Rhodococcus causing
disfigurement
From: Savory et al, eLife 6:e30925

This episode: Some bacteria living around plants can become pathogenic just by gaining a few genes!

Thanks to Skylar Fuller for her contribution!

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Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Alternanthera yellow vein betasatellite

News item

Journal Paper:
Savory EA, Fuller SL, Weisberg AJ, Thomas WJ, Gordon MI, Stevens DM, Creason AL, Belcher MS, Serdani M, Wiseman MS, Grünwald NJ, Putnam ML, Chang JH. 2017. Evolutionary transitions between beneficial and phytopathogenic Rhodococcus challenge disease management. eLife 6:e30925.

Other interesting stories:

More gut microbe diversity could be good for arteries

Human gut microbes have enzymes that break down specific plant toxins (paper)

Gut microbes ferment fiber and modify immune response to protect mice from flu

Cooperation of plants and fungi breaks down if one finds alternative lifestyle (paper)

Disproven "arsenic in the DNA" bacterium actually has interesting arsenic detox strategies (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 339 - Medical Microbiota Measurement

Clostridium difficile bacteria

This episode: Fecal microbiota transplants work just as well when taken in pill form as when delivered through a tube!

Download Episode (10.5 MB, 11.5 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Halobacterium halobium

News item

Journal Paper:
Kao D, Roach B, Silva M, Beck P, Rioux K, Kaplan GG, Chang H-J, Coward S, Goodman KJ, Xu H, Madsen K, Mason A, Wong GK-S, Jovel J, Patterson J, Louie T. 2017. Effect of Oral Capsule- vs Colonoscopy-Delivered Fecal Microbiota Transplantation on Recurrent Clostridium difficile Infection: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Am Med Assoc 318:1985–1993.

Other interesting stories:

Protein that can form prions important for protecting mice from influenza (paper)

Figuring out how bacteria in fruit flies kill only males

Healthy skin microbes could help treat eczema

Good gut microbe is very comfortable with immune system

Archaea in bogs could be good microbes for plants too (paper)

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 338 - Maverick Mouse Microbes Mitigate Maladies

House mouse,
Mus musculus domesticus

This episode: Gut microbe transplants from wild mice protect lab mice from disease!

Download Episode (9.8 MB, 10.7 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Cabassou virus

News item

Journal Paper:
Rosshart SP, Vassallo BG, Angeletti D, Hutchinson DS, Morgan AP, Takeda K, Hickman HD, McCulloch JA, Badger JH, Ajami NJ, Trinchieri G, Pardo-Manuel de Villena F, Yewdell JW, Rehermann B. 2017. Wild Mouse Gut Microbiota Promotes Host Fitness and Improves Disease Resistance. Cell 171:1015-1028.e13.

Other interesting stories:

Phage cocktail can eliminate pathogen with minimal collateral damage

Preventive probiotics given with antibiotics can help keep C. diff away

Early exposure to dust and bacteria linked with less immune response to stress

Viruses that help wasps parasitize caterpillars also inhibit plant defenses

Only one microbe species can live in extremely acidic, almost boiling lake

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 337 - Gathering Gut Groupings Graphics

Bacteria labeled using FISH
By Velocity2222X
CC BY-SA 3.0

This episode: A simplified bacterial community in mouse guts doesn't have much community structure, relative to other body areas!

Download Episode (8.8 MB, 9.6 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Rhodomicrobium vannielii

News item

Journal Paper:
Welch JLM, Hasegawa Y, McNulty NP, Gordon JI, Borisy GG. 2017. Spatial organization of a model 15-member human gut microbiota established in gnotobiotic mice. Proc Natl Acad Sci 114:E9105–E9114.

Other interesting stories:

Studying the microbes found in Chinese hazy air (paper)

Sometimes bacteria modify their environment so hard, it kills them (paper)

Some ants' bacteria produce the pheromones they use for guidance

Modifying plants' microbiota might be difficult due to microbe diversity

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 336 - Phages Fortify Friendly Fighters

Neutrophil captures Pseudomonas
aeruginosa cells
By Paulo Henrique Orlandi Mourao,
CC BY-SA 3.0

This episode: Phage therapy can work very well when combined with an effective immune response from the host!

Download Episode (12.9 MB, 14.1 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Gammapapillomavirus 8

News item about "nightmare bacteria"

Journal Paper:
Roach DR, Leung CY, Henry M, Morello E, Singh D, Di Santo JP, Weitz JS, Debarbieux L. 2017. Synergy between the Host Immune System and Bacteriophage Is Essential for Successful Phage Therapy against an Acute Respiratory Pathogen. Cell Host Microbe 22:38-47.e4.

Other interesting stories:

Bacteria make antibacterial silver nanoparticles (paper)

Bacteria produce chemical that could enhance effectiveness of penicillin

Engineering yeast to produce valuable complex chemicals

Specific types of gut microbes affect cancer treatment effectiveness

Microbe-produced enzymes could help clean oil spills

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 335 - Purported Paraprobiotic Potential

Lactobacillus bacteria
Pelzer et al. 2012
PLOS One e49965

This episode: Paraprobiotics, or killed probiotic bacteria, are studied for health effects, but results and study design are questionable!

Download Episode (11.5 MB, 12.6 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Phlox virus S

Journal Paper:
Nishida K, Sawada D, Kawai T, Kuwano Y, Fujiwara S, Rokutan K. 2017. Para-psychobiotic Lactobacillus gasseri CP2305 ameliorates stress-related symptoms and sleep quality. J Appl Microbiol 123:1561–1570.

Other interesting stories:

Parasites infecting ants hide their presence

Inoculating soybean crops with extra bacteria can help them fix more nitrogen

Microbes help mice recover from bone marrow transplant (paper)

Lots of drugs other than antibiotics can harm gut communities (paper)

Using biofilm as camera film, for imaging

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

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Episode outline:

BacterioFiles 334 - Measuring Mycelial Moth Muncher Management

Gypsy moth caterpillar
By CharlesC, CC BY-SA 4.0

This episode: Figuring out the best way to study the spread of a fungus that kills an invasive tree-eating caterpillar pest!

Download Episode (8.2 MB, 8.9 minutes)

Show notes:
Microbe of the episode: Pasteurella aerogenes

News item

Journal Paper:
Bittner TD, Hajek AE, Liebhold AM, Thistle H. 2017. Modification of a Pollen Trap Design To Capture Airborne Conidia of Entomophaga maimaiga and Detection of Conidia by Quantitative PCR. Appl Environ Microbiol 83:e00724-17.

Other interesting stories:

Studying the whale microbiome

Gut bacteria help herbivorous ants get enough nitrogen

Environment factors can affect our microbes apart from genetic factors

Fiber could encourage gut microbes to help with type 2 diabetes

Gut microbes can affect parasitic worm infections

Post questions or comments here or email to bacteriofiles@gmail.com. Thanks for listening!

Subscribe: iTunes, RSS, Google Play. Support the show at Patreon, or check out the show at Twitter or Facebook.

Episode outline: