Draft genome sequence of <i>Burkholderia sordidicola</i> S170, a potential plant growth promoter isolated from coniferous forest soil in the Czech Republic

Burkholderia species are key players in the accumulation of carbon from cellulose decomposition in coniferous forest ecosystems. We report here the draft genome of Burkholderia sordidicola strain S170, containing features associated with known genes involved in plant growth promotion, the biological control of plant diseases, and green remediation technologies

Sequencing of IncX-plasmids suggests ubiquity of mobile forms of a biofilm-promoting gene cassette recruited from <em>Klebsiella pneumoniae</em>

Plasmids are a highly effective means with which genetic traits that influence human health, such as virulence and antibiotic resistance, are disseminated through bacterial populations. The IncX-family is a hitherto sparsely populated group of plasmids that are able to thrive within Enterobacteriaceae. In this study, a replicon-centric screening method was used to locate strains from wastewater sludge containing plasmids belonging to the IncX-family. A transposon aided plasmid capture method was then employed to transport IncX-plasmids from their original hosts (and co-hosted plasmids) into a laboratory strain (Escherichia coli Genehogs®) for further study. The nucleotide sequences of the three newly isolated IncX-plasmids (pLN126_33, pMO17_54, pMO440_54) and the hitherto un-sequenced type-plasmid R485 revealed a remarkable occurrence of whole or partial gene cassettes that promote biofilm-formation in Klebsiella pneumonia or E. coli, in all four instances. Two of the plasmids (R485 and pLN126_33) were shown to directly induce biofilm formation in a crystal violet retention assay in E. coli. Sequence comparison revealed that all plasmid-borne forms of the type 3 fimbriae encoding gene cassette mrkABCDF were variations of a composite transposon Tn6011 first described in the E. coli IncX plasmid pOLA52. In conclusion, IncX-plasmids isolated from Enterobacteriaceae over almost 40 years and on three different continents have all been shown to carry a type 3 fimbriae gene cassette mrkABCDF stemming from pathogenic K. pneumoniae. Apart from contributing general knowledge about IncX-plasmids, this study also suggests an apparent ubiquity of a mobile form of an important virulence factor and is an illuminating example of the recruitment, evolution and dissemination of genetic traits through plasmid-mediated horizontal gene transfer

Bacterial communities in termite fungus combs are comprised of consistent gut deposits and contributions from the environment

Fungus-growing termites (subfamily Macrotermitinae) mix plant forage with asexual spores of their plant-degrading fungal symbiont Termitomyces in their guts and deposit this blend in fungus comb structures, within which the plant matter is degraded. As Termitomyces grows, it produces nodules with asexual spores, which the termites feed on. Since all comb material passes through termite guts, it is inevitable that gut bacteria are also deposited in the comb, but it has remained unknown which bacteria are deposited and whether distinct comb bacterial communities are sustained. Using high-throughput sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene, we explored the bacterial community compositions of 33 fungus comb samples from four termite species (three genera) collected at four South African geographic locations in 2011 and 2013. We identified 33 bacterial phyla, with Firmicutes, Bacteroidetes, Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, and Candidate division TM7 jointly accounting for 92 % of the reads. Analyses of gut microbiotas from 25 of the 33 colonies showed that dominant fungus comb taxa originate from the termite gut. While gut communities were consistent between 2011 and 2013, comb community compositions shifted over time. These shifts did not appear to be due to changes in the taxa present, but rather due to differences in the relative abundances of primarily gut-derived bacteria within fungus combs. This indicates that fungus comb microbiotas are largely termite species-specific due to major contributions from gut deposits and also that environment affects which gut bacteria dominate comb communities at a given point in time. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s00248-015-0692-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Draft genome sequences of two <i>Kocuria</i> isolates, K. <i>salsicia</i> G1 and K. <i>rhizophila</i> G2, isolated from a slaughterhouse in Denmark

We report here the draft genome sequences of Kocuria salsicia G1 and Kocuria rhizophila G2, which were isolated from a meat chopper at a small slaughterhouse in Denmark. The two annotated genomes are 2.99 Mb and 2.88 Mb in size, respectively

Draft genome assembly of two <i>Pseudoclavibacter helvolus</i> strains, G8 and W3, isolated from slaughterhouse environments

We report the draft genome sequences of two Pseudoclavibacter helvolus strains. Strain G8 was isolated from a meat chopper and strain W3 isolated from the wall of a small slaughterhouse in Denmark. The two annotated genomes are 3.91 Mb and 4.00 Mb in size, respectively

Genome sequence of <i>Arthrobacter antarcticus</i> strain W2, isolated from a slaughterhouse

We report the draft genome sequence of Arthrobacter antarcticus strain W2, which was isolated from a wall of a small slaughterhouse in Denmark. The 4.43-Mb genome sequence was assembled into 170 contigs

Genome sequence of <i>Psychrobacter cibarius</i> strain W1

Here, we report the draft genome sequence of Psychrobacter cibarius strain W1, which was isolated at a slaughterhouse in Denmark. The 3.63-Mb genome sequence was assembled into 241 contigs

Genome sequence of <i>Kocuria palustris</i> strain W4

We report the 3.09 Mb draft genome sequence of Kocuria palustris W4, isolated from a slaughterhouse in Denmark

Genome sequence of <i>Kocuria varians</i> G6 ssolated from a slaughterhouse in Denmark

We report here the first draft genome sequence of Kocuria varians G6, which was isolated from a meat chopper at a small slaughterhouse in Denmark. The 2.90-Mb genome sequence consists of 95 contigs and contains 2,518 predicted protein-coding genes

The murine lung microbiome in relation to the intestinal and vaginal bacterial communities

BACKGROUND: This work provides the first description of the bacterial population of the lung microbiota in mice. The aim of this study was to examine the lung microbiome in mice, the most used animal model for inflammatory lung diseases such as COPD, cystic fibrosis and asthma. Bacterial communities from broncho-alveolar lavage fluids and lung tissue were compared to samples taken from fecal matter (caecum) and vaginal lavage fluid from female BALB/cJ mice. RESULTS: Using a customized 16S rRNA sequencing protocol amplifying the V3-V4 region our study shows that the mice have a lung microbiome that cluster separately from mouse intestinal microbiome (caecum). The mouse lung microbiome is dominated by Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and Cyanobacteria overlapping the vaginal microbiome. We also show that removal of host tissue or cells from lung fluid during the DNA extraction step has an impact on the resulting bacterial community profile. Sample preparation needs to be considered when choosing an extraction method and interpreting data. CONCLUSIONS: We have consistently amplified bacterial DNA from mouse lungs that is distinct from the intestinal microbiome in these mice. The gut microbiome has been extensively studied for its links to development of disease. Here we suggest that also the lung microbiome could be important in relation to inflammatory lung diseases. Further research is needed to understand the contribution of the lung microbiome and the gut-lung axis to the development of lung diseases such as COPD and asthma