This seems like it could be of interest to microbial community researchers: The ISME Journal – High-resolution phylogenetic microbial community profiling Abstract (with bolding by me) Over the past decade, high-throughput short-read 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing has eclipsed clone-dependent long-read Sanger sequencing for microbial community profiling. The transition to new technologies has provided more …
A recent paper Dzieciol et al uses 16S pyrosequencing to characterize the bacterial biofilms on floor drains. Listeria monocytogenes was also tested for using both cuture-independent and -dependent techniques. Here is the abstract: Sanitation protocols are applied on a daily basis in food processing facilities to prevent the risk of cross-contamination with spoilage organisms. Floor drain water …
Happy Valentine’s Day! Here is a new post expressing my love for everything microbial and built. Based on real science and yes, there is chocolate. The great indoors Indoor microbial communities: Influence on asthma severity in atopic and nonatopic children – Karen C. Dannemiller – The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology ($$) We sought …
Old photographs often are unique artifacts that provide a realistic look into the recent human history. However, many of these older printed photos are deteriorating, due to humidity, temperature, extended light exposure, and biodeterioration. Scientific Reports published a nice paper this week about the microbes found on and in old photographs, called Microbial communities affecting albumen photography heritage: …
There has some coverage of new work from Maria Gloria Dominguez-Bello et al. about microbes in homes (across the world). See for example CBS News: What bacteria may reveal about your home This is basically a reprinting of an Associated Press article by Lauran Neergaard: Urbanization leads to change in type of bacteria in the home Also see this …
If you’re looking for a great podcast this weekend as you tackle and long drive or heaps of cleaning, look no further! Radiolab did a great podcast, called Staph Retreat a few months back. If you haven’t heard it yet, give it a listen. It covers the discovery of penicillin, the arms race between antibiotic …
As you all know, we are not alone in living in buildings. We have lots of things that live with us, some are invited guests like our pets and some we may or may not appreciate. Today I came across a lovely book by Richard Jones on insects that live in houses with us: House Guests, …
From Pat Schloss: Hi mothur users, I wanted to let you know that I will be teaching another of my R workshops for microbial ecologists this May. The workshop will run from May 23rd to 25th near the Detroit airport. The workshop is being filled on a first come, first served basis. The workshop is …
Your weekly update of the literature on microbes of the built environment sensu lato. Microbes in the house Rhinitis, Ocular, Throat and Dermal Symptoms, Headache and Tiredness among Students in Schools from Johor Bahru, Malaysia: Associations with Fungal DNA and Mycotoxins in Classroom Dust – Dan Norbäck – PLOS ONE (OA) There are few studies …
The essayist, philosopher and literary naturalist Loren Eiseley has been famously quoted for saying “If there is magic on this planet, it is contained in water…” There is no better place to explore the magic than an aquarium. Today’s molecular microbiology capabilities go way beyond the ability to satisfy our scientific curiosity. They enable …
