Antibiotic potentiation and inhibition of cross-resistance in pathogens associated with cystic fibrosis Targeting disulfide bond formation disables multiple antibiotic resistance mechanisms and prevents cross-protection between pathogens associated with cystic fibrosis lung infections, restoring antibio...

In @elife.bsky.social: Antibiotic potentiation and inhibition of cross-resistance in pathogens associated with cystic fibrosis doi.org/10.7554/eLif... Thank you Despoina for taking me on board of this nice work

The impact of artificial sweeteners on bacterial physiology and the microbiome Artificial sweeteners are non-nutritive compounds that have a profound sweetening effect with a negligible to zero calorific contribution. Global init…

Enjoying that diet coke? Ever wondered what it is doing to bacteria living in your body? Here we examine the current evidence on how artificial sweeteners influence the microbiome and bacterial physiology & the gaps in research. @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Excited to share our new paper out today in @science.org 🎉

We show that HGT via natural competence drives diversification of chromosomal integrons in V. cholerae 🤩

Below a 🧵 on key findings incl. background on natural competence in V. cholerae 1/
#microsky #phagesky
www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

New data from the lab, showing how fungicides can drive rapid selection for multidrug resistance In soil bacteria - even under warming. This was probably the most clear cut data I’ve ever seen (collected by @kelbrick.bsky.social), with clear selection on efflux pump regulator PFLU_3160. Enjoy!

Phage receptor prediction from genome sequencing alone. Bacterial receptor (blue) interacting with phage proteins (purple) is shown here

📣Huge preprint 🔔
Today we share something our group has been working toward for a long time, led by @lucasmoriniere.bsky.social We asked can we predict which receptor a phage targets from its genome sequence alone? For most phages, we couldn’t. So Lucas set out to do something I had only dreamed of.

And the preprint is out! www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

We compared plasmid conjugation in liquid and on solid across 13 AMR plasmids with different types of conjugative pili.

Phages communicate across species to shape microbial ecosystems Gallego-del-Sol et al. show that arbitrium-coding phages can sense non-cognate peptide signals from other phages to regulate lysis-lysogeny decisions. This crosstalk affects lysis-lysogeny outcomes of...

This paper started as an idea @albertomarina.bsky.social had many years ago… which of course means he was right all along 😄. Some of us just needed a few years (and a lot of experiments) to catch up.
Grateful (and slightly humbled) to be part of this. Thanks Alberto!
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

🔊 Looking for a Research Assistant in Bacterial Evolution to join my lab 🦠
🥼Main duties: Research (AMR + microbiome) + lab assistance.
⏲️ Post duration: 30 months
🗓️ Closing date for applications: 20th April 2026
💰 Salary: ~£35k

Details and how to apply: tinyurl.com/2a3v66y7

Please share!

Bogland plant Tormentil inhibits multidrug-resistant pathogen growth and potentiates antibiotics by disrupting iron homeostasis The antibiotic resistance crisis has created an urgent need for the development of novel therapeutic strategies to tackle recalcitrant infections. In this study, we identified Tormentil [Potentilla er...

Throwback to some of my PhD work!

We uncovered the antimicrobial activity of tormentil, a traditional medicinal plant, identifying compounds with activity against MDR bacteria and the ability to enhance colistin efficacy.

Really proud of this one ☺️

www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

🌊🦠Our latest work on water treatment now available as a @biorxivpreprint
🌊🦠

“Reusable immobilised quaternary ammonium particles reduce microbial and resistome burdens without promoting #AMR selection during wastewater post-treatment”

🔗 biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

1/5

A WYL transcriptional regulator activates the DNA damage response pathway in Acinetobacter species Abstract. The ability to sense DNA damage and activate DNA damage response pathways is critical for repairing DNA damage in all domains of life. The most w

I am pleased to share my lab’s latest publication - Acinetobacter species lack canonical DNA repair pathway activation mechanisms, and we discovered a conserved transcriptional activator that fills this role: academic.oup.com/nar/article/...

Research Fellow (Postdoctoral) at University of Birmingham Explore an exciting academic career as a Research Fellow (Postdoctoral). Don't miss out on other academic jobs. Click to apply and explore more opportunities.

Two post-doctoral positions open in our lab. We're looking for people with expertise in molecular microbiology and/or genome-scale tools. Initially 3 yrs, posts could be extended for upto 8 yrs. If you'd like to know more about us take a look at www.graingerlab.com

www.jobs.ac.uk/job/DQY475/r...

A defense system that protects against RNA viruses by sensing a conserved RNA structure in the viral genome - cool!

Reversible DNA condensation drives natural transformation

@natcomms.nature.com from Keith Mickolajczyk, Matthew Neiditch, and David Dubnau

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Clostridia from preterm infants metabolize human milk oligosaccharides to suppress pathobionts and modulate intestinal function in organoids - Nature Microbiology Clostridium perfringens lacking perfringolysin O toxin isolated from preterm infants metabolizes human milk oligosaccharide disialyllacto-N-tetraose to produce metabolites that promote the growth of c...

🚨 A new piece of the preterm gut microbiome puzzle just fell into place!

Bifidobacterium metabolise human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) in early life — shaping immunity, supporting gut development, and protecting against diseases like necrotising enterocolitis (NEC).

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Still not in the final format but couldn't wait to share it with you, after a long jpurney to get here. Our latest work (with @davidalbesa.bsky.social lab) on Tke5 T6SS toxin from my favourite bug P. putida KT2440. 🧵 1/5 www.nature.com/articles/s42...

Announcing StrainVis! 🦠🧫🧪

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

This nifty web-based tool allows you to visualize your strain level analyses. You can combine ANI and synteny based analyses and it will make all kinds of cool publication ready plots for you - examples follow. By Hagay Enav and Inbal Paz:

2 year fellowship available in AMR research www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk/grants/antim...

Lovely work driven by Lizzie Ledger in the group: a new but druggable mechanism by which Staphs produce biofilm using components of human serum. First polysaccharides, then protein, then eDNA, now lipids too!

bsky.app/profile/bior...

Hiring two postdocs, 3-years each, at @unisouthampton.bsky.social. We're investigating bat guano in Mexico

One postdoc in my group - plant/soil micro/microbiome: tinyurl.com/2zu8nrmv

One postdoc in bat ecology + ecoservices: tinyurl.com/27attrsc

Deadline March 30

@sotonbiosciences.bsky.social

A small polymerase ribozyme that can synthesize itself and its complementary strand The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life. RNA polymerase ribozymes can replicate RNA, but their large size and structural ...

The emergence of a chemical system capable of self-replication and evolution is a critical event in the origin of life.

This paper describes a ribozyme, a catalytic RNA molecule, able to do just that..

Fascinating stuff…

🧪🦠

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

In our most recent work David Forrest has discovered a widespread mechanisms linking transcription initiation to DNA supercoiling...

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

The defect of the ΔtatABC mutant adhesion is specifically due to the lack of the tatABC operon.

Invasive Acinetobacter baumannii ABC141 strain relies on the twin-arginine translocation export system for adhesion to host cells. Published Open Access and fee-free in Microbiology using a Publish and Read agreement: doi.org/10.1099/mic....

#MicrobioJ #PublishAndRead

🚨 Fully‑funded PhD for Home Students🚨

We'll explore non-antibiotic alternatives in relatistic environments, uncovering how they work, if they affect antibiotic activity and whether they influcence AMR acquistion. Come join a wonderful supervisory team!

#MicroSky #UTISky #AMar

tinyurl.com/38u552bu

Phenylacetic acid mediates Acinetobacter baumannii entry into a viable but non-culturable state Desiccation tolerance is central to the pathogenic success of the opportunistic pathogen Acinetobacter baumannii, allowing its survival on hospital surfaces in the absence of water and nutrients for m...

Delighted to share our latest work exploring the regulation of desiccation tolerance in Acinetobacter baumannii. Great effort by @lharkova.bsky.social and @rdedios.bsky.social

www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

I am thrilled to share with you the outcome of the first collaboration with Albesa-Jove's lab (albesalab.org), in which we characterised the molecular mechanisms underlying the binding of a T6SS adaptor-effector pair in P. putida, Tap3–Tke5. (🧵1/9). Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1038/s443...

Next-generation phage therapeutics for combating antibiotic-resistant infections at University of Southampton on FindAPhD.com PhD Project - Next-generation phage therapeutics for combating antibiotic-resistant infections at University of Southampton, listed on FindAPhD.com

PhD studentship available: Join the phage frontline against AMR! 🧫 🔬
Funded by Wessex Medical Research × Rosetrees Trust.
With @fnobrega.bsky.social, Prof Saul Faust (NIHR Southampton), Dr Liz Sheridan (NHS Dorset).
Info & Apply → www.findaphd.com/phds/project...
Email me for informal enquiries

Preprint out: We characterise PUA-Cal-HAD, a widespread bacterial antiphage defence family. An infection cue switches a preassembled complex into an immune filament that drains dNTPs via a coupled two-enzyme cascade, and phage DNA mimics can block filament assembly (anti-polymerisation).

Clinical isolates from chronic wounds reveal strain-specific, alkyl-quinolone-independent competition in Pseudomonas aeruginosa–Staphylococcus aureus biofilms Introduction. Chronic wounds are notoriously difficult to treat and are associated with decreased limb function, reduced quality of life and significant morbidity. Their recurrent nature, despite aggr...

P. aeruginosa can outcompete S. aureus in chronic wounds through strain-specific, alkyl-quinoline-independent mechanisms. This highlights why clinical isolates are key to understanding these infections. 🧬🧫 #Microbiology #Biofilms #Microsky www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

Fascinating