Lineage dynamics of invasive Escherichia coli isolates in the Netherlands from 1975 to 2021: a retrospective longitudinal genomic analysis Escherichia coli is a common cause of invasive infections such as bloodstream and cerebrospinal fluid infections in neonates. Strains positive for the…

Am stoked and thrilled that our latest paper is now out. A longitudinal study of invasive E. coli from children in the Netherlands over 50 years

www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...

Global dissemination of optrA-mediated linezolid resistance in enterococci AbstractObjectives. Acquired resistance to last-line linezolid has emerged in Enterococcus spp. and can be conferred by the optrA gene. Here, we study the

Important study by Chris Connor and Ben Howden (both not on here?) @unimelb.edu.au

'Global dissemination of optrA-mediated linezolid resistance in enterococci', major roles of mobile genetic elements in the dissemination of this important resistance determinant

academic.oup.com/jac/article/...

In the standard SEM image, aggregates of bacterial cells with no visible matrix sit on top of a network of collagen fibrils. In the cryo image, interconnected aggregates are covered with a smooth coat of matrix, and no collagen is visible - it is under the aggregates, and the only tissue structures visible are patches of elastin fibres.

If you check out my lab's recent work, you'll notice how much biofilm structure is destroyed by dehydration & vacuum during standard scanning electron microscopy. These are both images of P. aeruginosa PA14 #biofilm on pig lung tissue at 48h p.i: using cryoSEM retains the biofilm matrix. #MicroSky

A four-panel figure showing scanning electron micrographs of Pseudomonas biofilm on the surface of pig lung tissue. Aggregates of bacteria sit on top of a network of collagen fibrils, with some bacterial cells penetrating the collagen mesh.

Paper out! We used RNAseq to track changes in P. aeruginosa gene expression over 7 days of #biofilm infection in our #CysticFibrosis lung model. www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour... #MicroSky (1/n)

Epistasis and co-adaptation in bacterial genome evolution Nature Reviews Genetics - Bacterial genome evolution is shaped by epistasis, which can constrain or promote specific evolutionary paths. The authors review how integrating the effects of epistatic...

I’ve spent a lot of time over the past two years thinking about genome evolution and how recent research revealing complex gene-gene interactions has complicated traditional ‘gene-centric’ genomic approaches to evolution. So here is a review that consolidates these thoughts!

rdcu.be/e6pHY

A set of genetic tools for use in Clostridioides difficile and related species The Clostridia are a phylogenetically diverse group of anaerobic, spore-forming bacteria that include species of medical, veterinary and industrial importance. The last two decades have seen major adv...

New paper from us.

If you're interested in genetic manipulation of Clostridia, we have a few new tools for you! 36 new plasmids - all available from @addgene.bsky.social

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

#microsky

Amazing work from @freyaallen.bsky.social and @prob91.bsky.social. I truly believe that Rob is the Sherlock Holmes of MGEs and one of the leaders in the field of artisanal bioinformatics😉!

IS1216 drives the evolution of pRUM-like multidrug resistance plasmids in Enterococcus faecium pRUM-like plasmids are commonly found in multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium, but the evolution of these plasmids has not been characterised in detail. When we analysed the genome sequences of tw...

Our new paper in MGen traces the evolution of a plasmid lineage associated with MDR in Enterococcus faecium, primarily driven by IS1216

For anyone interested in plasmid structures and the smaller MGEs that shape them 🧵👇 [1/14]

@microbiologysociety.org
www.microbiologyresearch.org/content/jour...

Resistance to last-resort antibiotics in enterococci Abstract. The genus Enterococcus comprises a diverse group of species, many of which are commensal members of the gut microbiota of humans and animals. The

Delighted that our review on resistance to last-resort antibiotics in Enterococci has been published in FEMS Microbiology Reviews

academic.oup.com/femsre/advan... (accepted manuscript version)

TL;DR: the Enterococci are really good at evolving resistance to antibiotics in new and creative ways.

Thanks Ross!!

Thanks Lisa!

From left to right: Willem, Freya, Jess and Rob. We are standing in front of a wall with a congratulations banner and some left-over Halloween decorations.

Absolutely delighted (and proud) that @freyaallen.bsky.social passed her viva with minor corrections today.

Thanks very much @jessicamablair.bsky.social @robfagan.bsky.social for examining!

Genome co-adaptation and the evolution of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in bacterial pathogens is a major threat to global health, rendering standard treatments ineffective and increasing the risk of severe infection or death. Re...

🚨New pre-print 🚨
We introduce our new tool GOLD-GWAS and demonstrate its use by digging into the evolution of MRSA facilitated by SCCmec

This work was led by talented PhD student @seungwonko.bsky.social who did most of the computational heavylifting 1/n

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

PNGaseA-mediated N-glycan stripping from peptides by infant-derived Bifidobacterium bifidum N-glycans are highly common sources of nutrition for human colonic-dwelling bacteria. These microbes have evolved a several methods to remove N-glycans from proteins; herein we describe the biochemica...

🚨 New preprint klaxon 🚨
We characterised the structure of a PNGaseA superfamily member from Bifidobacterium bifidum LMG13195 and highlight its preference for N-glycan structures attached to a peptide, rather than to a native or denatured protein 💫 @imibirmingham.bsky.social

IS1216 drives the evolution of pRUM-like multidrug resistance plasmids in Enterococcus faecium pRUM-like plasmids are commonly found in multidrug-resistant Enterococcus faecium , but the evolution of these plasmids has not been characterised in detail. When we analysed the genome sequences of t...

New manuscript from the group

'IS1216 drives the evolution of pRUM-like multidrug resistance plasmids in Enterococcus faecium'

www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

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