Trends in microbiology
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Trends in microbiology · May 2014
ReviewSupersize me: how whole-genome sequencing and big data are transforming epidemiology.
In epidemiology, the identification of 'who infected whom' allows us to quantify key characteristics such as incubation periods, heterogeneity in transmission rates, duration of infectiousness, and the existence of high-risk groups. Although invaluable, the existence of many plausible infection pathways makes this difficult, and epidemiological contact tracing either uncertain, logistically prohibitive, or both. ⋯ We review recent examples of the use of pathogen whole-genome sequencing for the purpose of forensic tracing of transmission pathways, focusing on the particular problems where evolutionary dynamics must be supplemented by epidemiological information on the most likely timing of events as well as possible transmission pathways. We also discuss potential pitfalls in the over-interpretation of these data, and highlight the manner in which a confluence of this technology with sophisticated mathematical and statistical approaches has the potential to produce a paradigm shift in our understanding of infectious disease transmission and control.
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Trends in microbiology · Jan 2014
ReviewThe role of aquatic ecosystems as reservoirs of antibiotic resistance.
Although antibiotic resistance has become a major threat to human health worldwide, this phenomenon has been largely overlooked in studies in environmental settings. Aquatic environments may provide an ideal setting for the acquisition and dissemination of antibiotic resistance, because they are frequently impacted by anthropogenic activities. This review focuses primarily on the emergence and dissemination of antibiotic resistance in the aquatic environment, with a special emphasis on the role of antibiotic resistance genes.
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Trends in microbiology · Sep 2013
ReviewProbiotic strategies for treatment of respiratory diseases.
Recent advances in next-generation sequencing and phylogenetic microarray technologies have identified diverse, niche-specific microbial communities that comprise the human superorganism. Mucosal microbiome perturbation is a prominent feature of an increasing number of chronic inflammatory disorders, including respiratory diseases, and efforts are now focused on identifying novel microbe-based strategies to treat or manage these conditions. ⋯ Although the field is still relatively nascent, the potential for identifying novel microbe-based therapeutics in the human microbiome is great. This article focuses primarily on the respiratory tract, its associated microbiome, potential interactions with the gastrointestinal microbiota, and the possibilities for microbiome-manipulation strategies in the treatment and prevention of respiratory disease.
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Trends in microbiology · Mar 2013
ReviewTreatment, promotion, commotion: antibiotic alternatives in food-producing animals.
Alternatives to antibiotics are urgently needed in animal agriculture. The form these alternatives should take presents a complex problem due to the various uses of antibiotics in animal agriculture, including disease treatment, disease prevention, and growth promotion, and to the relative contribution of these uses to the antibiotic resistance problem. ⋯ This is because a fundamental understanding of how antibiotics improve feed efficiency is lacking, and because an individual alternative is unlikely to embody all of the performance-enhancing functions of antibiotics. High-throughput technologies need to be applied to better understand the problem, and informed combinations of alternatives, including vaccines, need to be considered.
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Approximately 20% of the healthy human population is persistently colonized in the nasal cavity with Staphylococcus aureus, which constitutes a major risk for infection. S. aureus seems to predominantly colonize the anterior part of the nasal cavity by adhering to nasal surface structures and escaping the host innate and adaptive immune responses. Several bacterial and host factors that play a role in these processes have been identified in the past few years and were in part functionally evaluated in appropriate colonization models. However, the dynamics of host-pathogen crosstalk is only partially understood.