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Preterm labor precedes premature birth, the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Preterm labor can either occur in the context of microbe-associated intra-amniotic inflammation (i.e., intra-amniotic infection) or intra-amniotic inflammation in the absence of detectable microorganisms (i.e., sterile intra-amniotic inflammation).

Every year, 11% of infants are born preterm with significant health consequences, with the vaginal microbiome a risk factor for preterm birth. We crowdsource models to predict (1) preterm birth (PTB; <37 weeks) or (2) early preterm birth (ePTB; <32 weeks) from 9 vaginal microbiome studies representing 3,578 samples from 1,268 pregnant individuals, aggregated from public raw data via phylogenetic harmonization. The predictive models are validated on two independent unpublished datasets representing 331 samples from 148 pregnant individuals. The top-performing models (among 148 and 121 submissions from 318 teams) achieve area under the receiver operator characteristic (AUROC) curve scores of 0.69 and 0.87 predicting PTB and ePTB, respectively. Alpha diversity, VALENCIA community state types, and composition are important features in the top-performing models, most of which are tree-based methods. This work is a model for translation of microbiome data into clinically relevant predictive models and to better understand preterm birth.

AbstractZebrafish (Danio rerio) are an attractive model organism for scientific studies, including host–microbe interactions. The organism is particularly useful for studying aquatic microbes that can colonize vertebrate hosts, including Vibrio cholerae. Previous studies have established the presence of a core zebrafish intestinal microbiome, and tracked the development of the zebrafish intestinal microbiome from the larval stage to adulthood. An unexplored matter in this host–microbe relationship is the effect of the housing system on the zebrafish intestinal and tank water microbiomes. In this study, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to investigate the response of zebrafish intestinal and tank water microbiomes to a change in housing conditions. Zebrafish in the separated fish tanks showed no initial differences in the structures of their intestinal microbial profiles; the same prominent bacteria were present and abundant across tanks. Immediately after the housing switch, the zebrafish intestinal microbial profiles changed in composition and structure. Within 5 days of the housing switch, the intestinal microbiome had stabilized, and changed significantly from the prehousing switch profile. This study demonstrates that although external factors can significantly perturb and alter the zebrafish intestinal microbiome, the microbiome displays a large level of selective resilience whose primary members (namely Vibrio) persist.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) is an attractive model organism to use for an array of scientific studies, including host-microbe interactions. Zebrafish contain a core (i.e., consistently detected) intestinal microbiome consisting primarily of Proteobacteria.

Zebrafish (Danio rerio) are an attractive model organism for a variety of scientific studies, including host-microbe interactions. The organism is particularly useful for the study of aquatic microbes that can colonize vertebrate hosts, including Vibrio cholerae, an intestinal pathogen. V. choleraemust colonize the intestine of an exposed host for pathogenicity to occur.

Preterm birth is the leading cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. Multiple etiologies are associated with preterm birth; however, 25% of preterm infants are born to a mother with intra-amniotic infection, most commonly due to invasion of the amniotic cavity by Ureaplasmaspecies. Much research has focused on establishing a link between Ureaplasmaspecies and adverse pregnancy/neonatal outcomes; however, little is known about the taxonomy of and host response against Ureaplasmaspecies. Here, we applied a multifaceted approach, including human samples, in vivomodels, and in vitromanipulations, to study the maternal-fetal immunobiology of Ureaplasmainfection during pregnancy. Furthermore, we investigated the use of clarithromycin as a treatment for this infection. Our research provides translational knowledge that bolsters scientific understanding of Ureaplasmaspecies as a cause of adverse pregnancy/neonatal outcomes and gives strong evidence for the use of clarithromycin as the recommended treatment for women intra-amniotically infected with Ureaplasmaspecies.

We used long-term (2- to 15-h) focal-animal sampling (“follows”) and supplementary behavioral observations of adult spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) from 3 separate social groups within the Masai Mara National Reserve, Kenya, to investigate the degree to which sex, social rank, and human disturbance influenced hyena activity patterns, movement rates, and timing of den use. Hyenas followed for composite 24-h cycles were active during 31.5% ± 2.7% SE of the 24-h period. During hours of darkness (1900–0600 h) hyenas spent 53.0% ±4.1% of their time active, and 96.2% ± 0.9% of all activity occurred from 1800 to 0900 h. Mean movement rate during this period was 928 m/h ±104 SE, and was 584 ± 64 m/h throughout the 24-h period. Distance traveled during a 24-h period averaged 12.4 km. Male spotted hyenas tended to be more active than females, particularly during the morning (0700–1100 h), and also tended to exhibit higher movement rates. Neither rates of activity nor movement varied with social rank, but low-ranking females spent more time feeding than did high-ranking females. Finally, female hyenas in territories with daily livestock grazing and high tourist visitation rates showed lower activity and den use than hyenas in an undisturbed territory during the times of day when human activity coincided with potential hyena activity. Specific times of day when activity was reduced indicated that livestock grazing, not tourist activity, was probably responsible for observed shifts in activity. We discuss possible indirect costs associated with observed alterations in timing of den use and activity.