A bacteriophage, also known informally as a phage, is a virus that infects and replicates within bacteria and archaea. The term was derived from "bacteria" and the Greek φαγεῖν, meaning "to devour". Bacteriophages are composed of proteins that encapsulate a DNA or RNA genome, and may have structures that are either simple or elaborate. Their genomes may encode as few as four genes and as many as hundreds of genes. Phages replicate within the bacterium following the injection of their genome into its cytoplasm.
Streptococcus is a genus of gram-positive coccus or spherical bacteria that belongs to the family Streptococcaceae, within the order Lactobacillales, in the phylum Bacillota. Cell division in streptococci occurs along a single axis, so as they grow, they tend to form pairs or chains that may appear bent or twisted. This differs from staphylococci, which divide along multiple axes, thereby generating irregular, grape-like clusters of cells. Most streptococci are oxidase-negative and catalase-negative, and many are facultative anaerobes.
The human microbiome is the aggregate of all microbiota that reside on or within human tissues and biofluids along with the corresponding anatomical sites in which they reside, including the skin, mammary glands, seminal fluid, uterus, ovarian follicles, lung, saliva, oral mucosa, conjunctiva, biliary tract, and gastrointestinal tract. Types of human microbiota include bacteria, archaea, fungi, protists, and viruses. Though micro-animals can also live on the human body, they are typically excluded from this definition. In the context of genomics, the term human microbiome is sometimes used to refer to the collective genomes of resident microorganisms; however, the term human metagenome has the same meaning.
Corynebacterium is a genus of Gram-positive bacteria and most are aerobic. They are bacilli (rod-shaped), and in some phases of life they are, more specifically, club-shaped, which inspired the genus name.
Sphingomonadaceae are a gram-negative bacterial family of the Alphaproteobacteria. An important feature is the presence of sphingolipids in the outer membrane of the cell wall. The cells are ovoid or rod-shaped. Others are also pleomorphic, i.e. the cells change the shape over time. Some species from Sphingomonadaceae family are dominant components of biofilms.
Haemophilus is a genus of Gram-negative, pleomorphic, coccobacilli bacteria belonging to the family Pasteurellaceae. While Haemophilus bacteria are typically small coccobacilli, they are categorized as pleomorphic bacteria because of the wide range of shapes they occasionally assume. These organisms inhabit the mucous membranes of the upper respiratory tract, mouth, vagina, and intestinal tract. The genus includes commensal organisms along with some significant pathogenic species such as H. influenzae—a cause of sepsis and bacterial meningitis in young children—and H. ducreyi, the causative agent of chancroid. All members are either aerobic or facultatively anaerobic. This genus has been found to be part of the salivary microbiome.
Murine coronavirus (M-CoV) is a virus in the genus Betacoronavirus that infects mice. Belonging to the subgenus Embecovirus, murine coronavirus strains are enterotropic or polytropic. Enterotropic strains include mouse hepatitis virus (MHV) strains D, Y, RI, and DVIM, whereas polytropic strains, such as JHM and A59, primarily cause hepatitis, enteritis, and encephalitis. Murine coronavirus is an important pathogen in the laboratory mouse and the laboratory rat. It is the most studied coronavirus in animals other than humans, and has been used as an animal disease model for many virological and clinical studies.
Claire M. Fraser is an American genome scientist and microbiologist who has worked in microbial genomics and genome medicine. Her research has contributed to the understanding of the diversity and evolution of microbial life. Fraser is the director of the Institute for Genome Sciences at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore, MD, where she holds the Dean's Endowed Professorship in the School of Medicine. She has joint faculty appointments at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the Departments of Medicine and Microbiology/Immunology. In 2019, she began serving a one-year term as President-Elect for the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), which will be followed by a one-year term as AAAS president starting in February 2020 and a one-year term as chair of the Board of Directors in February 2021.
Vaginal flora, vaginal microbiota or vaginal microbiome are the microorganisms that colonize the vagina. They were discovered by the German gynecologist Albert Döderlein in 1892 and are part of the overall human flora. The amount and type of bacteria present have significant implications for an individual's overall health. The primary colonizing bacteria of a healthy individual are of the genus Lactobacillus, such as L. crispatus, and the lactic acid they produce is thought to protect against infection by pathogenic species.
Porphyromonas is a Gram-negative, non-spore-forming, obligately anaerobic and non-motile genus from the family Porphyromonadaceae. There were 16 different Porphyromonas species documented as of 2015, which reside in both animal and human reservoirs. It was discovered more recently that Porphyromonas also exist in the environment, albeit to a lesser extent. This genus is notably implicated in the modulation of oral cavity, respiratory tract, and gastrointestinal tract disease states. It is suggested that Porphyromonas either operate as benign bacteria pertinent to host immunity or are potential pathobionts that opportunistically provoke diseased states when homeostasis is disrupted. Despite its characterization not being fully elucidated due to sparse research, various studies report the prevalence of this genus at 58.7% in healthy states compared with 41.3% in diseased states.
Campylobacter concisus is a Gram-negative, highly fastidious, mesophilic bacterium that grows under both anaerobic and microaerobic conditions with the presence of hydrogen significantly aiding growth. Motile, with either unipolar or bipolar flagella, the organisms have a characteristic spiral/corkscrew appearance and are oxidase-positive. Although the human oral cavity is the natural colonization site of the bacterium, C. concisus may also colonize the intestinal tract of some individuals. In particular, several studies have reported higher intestinal prevalence of C. concisus in patients with IBD compared to healthy controls, which has led to current speculation of the bacterium's implication in the induction of Crohn's disease.
Poribacteria are a candidate phylum of bacteria originally discovered in the microbiome of marine sponges (Porifera). Poribacteria are Gram-negative primarily aerobic mixotrophs with the ability for oxidative phosphorylation, glycolysis, and autotrophic carbon fixation via the Wood – Ljungdahl pathway. Poribacterial heterotrophy is characterised by an enriched set of glycoside hydrolases, uronic acid degradation, as well as several specific sulfatases. This heterotrophic repertoire of poribacteria was suggested to be involved in the degradation of the extracellular sponge host matrix.
Mycoobacterium iranicum is a bacterium from the genus Mycobacterium which has been isolated from a patient from Isfahan in Iran. Eight strains have been isolated from patients from various countries.
Cellulosimicrobium cellulans is a Gram-positive bacterium from the genus of Cellulosimicrobium. Cellulosimicrobium cellulans can cause rare opportunistic infections. The strain EB-8-4 of this species can be used for stereoselective allylic hydroxylation of D-limonene to (+)-trans-carveol.
Solobacterium is a Gram-positive, obligate anaerobic genus from the family of Erysipelotrichidae, with one known species. This genus has been found to be part of the salivary microbiome.
The salivary microbiome consists of the nonpathogenic, commensal bacteria present in the healthy human salivary glands. It differs from the oral microbiome which is located in the oral cavity. Oral microorganisms tend to adhere to teeth. The oral microbiome possesses its own characteristic microorganisms found there. Resident microbes of the mouth adhere to the teeth and gums. "[T]here may be important interactions between the saliva microbiome and other microbiomes in the human body, in particular, that of the intestinal tract."
Corynebacterium striatum is a bacterium that is a member of the Corynebacterium genus. It is classified as non-diphtheritic. The bacterium is a gram-positive prokaryote that assumes a 'club-like' morphology, more formally known as a corynebacteria structure. It is non-lipophilic and undergoes aerobic respiration and is also a facultative anaerobe it is catalase negative and oxidase positive glucose and sucrose fermenter.
The cetacean microbiome is the group of communities of microorganisms that reside within whales.
Candida catenulata is a yeast-form fungus in the phylum Ascomycota. It is distributed globally and commonly found on the skin of humans and animals, in soil, and in dairy products.
Mycobacteroides franklinii is a species of bacteria from the phylum Actinomycetota belonging to the genus Mycobacteroides. Most of the original strains were isolated from clinical specimens in Pennsylvania, but some have been found in conduit water in the Netherlands. In general, human M. franklinii infections present with symptoms similar to an infection with Mycobacteroides abscessus, but it can also be associated with tattoo infections. M. franklinii is also associated with outbreaks of mycobacteriosis in farmed fish. M. fanklinii is susceptible to cefoxitin and bedaquiline.
