Kin selection theory predicts that the damage to a host resulting from parasite infection (parasite virulence) will be negatively correlated to the relatedness between parasites within the host. This occurs because a lower relatedness leads to greater competition for host resources, which favours rapid growth to achieve greater relative success within the host, and that higher parasite growth r...

We develop a 3D hydrodynamic model to investigate the mechanism of antimicrobial persistence in a multi-species oral biofilm and its recovery after being treated by bisbiguanide chlorhexidine gluconate (CHX). In addition to the hydrodynamic transport in the spatially heterogeneous biofilm, the model also includes mechanisms of solvent-biomass interaction, bacterial phenotype conversion, and bac...

BACKGROUND Factors like ethnicity, diet and age of an individual have been hypothesized to play a role in determining the makeup of gut microbiome. In order to investigate the gut microbiome structure as well as the inter-microbial associations present therein, we have performed a comprehensive global comparative profiling of the structure (composition, relative heterogeneity and diversity) and...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a major nosocomial pathogen. We sought to determine the frequency of the different types of SCCmec in MRSA isolates by performing a cross-sectional study. A total of 72 S. aureus isolates were collected from Imam Khomeini and Golestan hospitals and analysed for MRSA and SCCmec typing by multiplex PCR. The pattern of antibiotic resistance amo...

Microbes, while living in close proximity in biofilms, may in other cases not be closely localized in the environment. In the latter case, their interactions and communications are dependent on myriad factors such as existence of direct connections (e.g., web of hyphae from fungi) or pools of water where they could migrate. Hence, disparate groups of microbes could subsist on nutrients in their...

BACKGROUND Loss of biodiversity and increased nutrient inputs are two of the most crucial anthropogenic factors driving ecosystem change. Although both received considerable attention in previous studies, information on their interactive effects on ecosystem functioning is scarce. In particular, little is known on how soil biota and their functions are affected by combined changes in plant dive...

BACKGROUND Chronic malnutrition, termed stunting, is defined as suboptimal linear growth, affects one third of children in developing countries, and leads to increased mortality and poor developmental outcomes. The causes of childhood stunting are unknown, and strategies to improve growth and related outcomes in children have only had modest impacts. Recent studies have shown that the ecosystem...

A range of attributes determines the virulence of human pathogens. During interactions with their hosts, pathogenic microbes often undergo transitions between distinct stages, and the ability to switch between these can be directly related to the disease process. Understanding the mechanisms and dynamics of these transitions is a key factor in understanding and combating infectious diseases. Th...

Antibiotics are now "endangered species" facing extinction due to the worldwide emergence of antibiotic resistance (ABR). Food animals are considered as key reservoirs of antibiotic-resistant bacteria with the use of antibiotics in the food production industry having contributed to the actual global challenge of ABR. There are no geographic boundaries to impede the worldwide spread of ABR. If p...

Plant species, plant community diversity and microbial interactions can significantly impact soil microbial communities, yet there are few data on the interactive effects of plant species and plant community diversity on soil bacterial communities. We hypothesized that plant species and plant community diversity affect soil bacterial communities by setting the context in which bacterial interac...