Host–microbe interactions: bacteria

A selection of World Wide Web sites relevant to papers published in this issue of Current Opinion in Microbiology.     

Host–microbe interactions: Malassezia and human skin

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Host–microbe interactions: fungi/viruses/parasites

A selection of World Wide Web sites relevant to papers published in this issue of Current Opinion in Microbiology.     

Importance of Bacteroidetes in host–microbe interactions and ecosystem functioning

Bacteroidetes are prevalent in soil ecosystems and are associated with various eukaryotic hosts, including plants, animals, and humans. The ubiquity and diversity of Bacteroidetes exemplify their impressive versatility in niche adaptation and genomic plasticity. Over the past decade, a wealth of knowledge has been obtained on the metabolic functions of clinically relevant Bacteroidetes, but much less attention has been given to Bacteroidetes living in close association with plants. To improve our understanding of the functional roles of Bacteroidetes for plants and other hosts, we review the current knowledge of their taxonomy and ecology, in particular their roles in nutrient cycling and host fitness. We highlight their environmental distribution, stress resilience, genomic diversity, and functional importance in diverse ecosystems, including, but not limited to, plant-associated microbiomes.     

The Iron age of host–microbe interactions

Microbes exert a major impact on human health and disease by either promoting or disrupting homeostasis, in the latter instance leading to the development of infectious diseases. Such disparate outcomes are driven by the ever-evolving genetic diversity of microbes and the countervailing host responses that minimize their pathogenic impact. Host defense strategies that limit microbial pathogenicity include resistance mechanisms that exert a negative impact on microbes, and disease tolerance mechanisms that sustain host homeostasis without interfering directly with microbes. While genetically distinct, these host defense strategies are functionally integrated, via mechanisms that remain incompletely defined. Here, we explore the general principles via which host adaptive responses regulating iron (Fe) metabolism impact on resistance and disease tolerance to infection.     

Microbe–microbe interactions in mixed culture food fermentations

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Highlights► Microbial interactions in food fermentations are crucial for product functionality. ► Complex microbial consortia tolerate more variation in the environment. ► Knowledge of communities of fermenting microbes drives diversification of starter cultures. ► Use of complex starter cultures requires new propagation methodologies. ► Immobilised cell technology is a high potential solution for propagating complex cultures.