Search

Radiotherapy can potentially influence the diversity and composition of the oral microbiome. We performed a study comparing the composition of oral microbiota in patients with oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) before radiotherapy (n = 6), at three months (n = 6), and six months (n = 6) post-radiotherapy, and controls (n = 6). We profiled the oral microbiome by 16S rRNA gene sequencing using Illumina MiSeq. Alpha diversity (Chao1 index) showed significant differences in species richness between healthy controls and OSCC patients (P  = 0.014). Conversely, no noteworthy distinctions were observed in the Chao1 index when comparing the pre-and post-radiation periods at both three and six months. The beta diversity of the oral microbiota differed significantly between the controls and OSCC patients (P  = 0.014). However, no significant differences were observed in beta diversity between pre- and post-radiation at three months, whereas a significant difference was observed at six months (P  = 0.038). Linear Discriminant Analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) demonstrated lower abundance of Corynebacterium, Actinomyces, Veillonella , and Haemophilus , and higher abundance of Selenomonas and Mycoplasma in OSCC patients than in healthy controls. The oral microbiome composition varied among healthy controls, patients with OSCC, and post-radiation therapy patients with OSCC. The observed recovery in the numerical dominance of specific beneficial oral taxa and the reduction in pathogenic bacteria after radiation therapy highlights the need for further investigations into their clinical implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oxalic acids are widely distributed in tissues of various plants that can exacerbate the effect on other plant-grazing animals including humans. Bacterial communities had been demonstrated to specify with the rhizosphere of host type and which can differ with oxalogenic plant. The present study has been conducted with the primary objective of understanding the root-associated microbial communities in Colocasia esculenta, an oxalogenic plant and to recognize possible bacterial species that present the potential of having their capability to metabolize oxalates. Of the 852 sequences obtained, 311 corresponded to rhizosphere (S), 250 to rhizoplane (P) and 291 were from non-rhizospheric (NS) soil. Flavobacteriaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Moraxellaceae and Pseudomonadaceae were the major contributors in the rhizoplane microbial community assemblage. Paenibacillaceae was the major contributor to the rhizospheric microbial community. The findings of the study showed that the rhizoplane, owing to the characteristic root exudates, has a distinctive composition of microbial partners as compared to the rhizosphere and bulk soil communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Human schistosomiasis is a highly prevalent neglected tropical disease (NTD) caused by Schistosoma species. Research on the molecular mechanisms influencing the outcomes of bladder infection by Schistosoma haematobium is urgently needed to develop new diagnostics, therapeutics and infection prevention strategies. The objective of the research study was to determine the microbiome features and changes in urine during urogenital schistosomiasis and induced bladder pathologies., Methodology: Seventy participants from Eggua, southwestern Nigeria provided morning urine samples and were screened for urogenital schistosomiasis infection and bladder pathologies in a cross-sectional study. Highthroughput NGS sequencing was carried out, targeting the 16S V3 region. Filtered reads were processed and analyzed in a bioinformatics pipeline., Principal Findings: The study participants (36 males and 34 females, between ages 15 and 65) were categorized into four groups according to status of schistosomiasis infection and bladder pathology. Data analytics of the next-generation sequencing reads revealed that Proteobacteria and Firmicutes dominated and had influence on microbiome structure of both non-infected persons and persons with urogenital schistosomiasis. Furthermore, gender and age influenced taxa abundance independent of infection or bladder pathology. Several taxa distinguished urogenital schistosomiasis induced bladder pathologies from urogenital schistosomiasis infection alone and from healthy persons, including known immune-stimulatory taxa such as Fusobacterium, Sphingobacterium and Enterococcus. Some of these significant taxa, especially Sphingobacterium were projected as markers of infection, while several genera including potentially beneficial taxa such as Trabulsiella and Weissella, were markers of the non-infected. Finally, expected changes in protein functional categories were observed to relate to cellular maintenance and lipid metabolism., Conclusion: The urinary microbiome is a factor to be considered in developing biomarkers, diagnostic tools, and new treatment for urogenital schistosomiasis and induced bladder pathologies.