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THE SHIFT. “A second major challenge is to shift from descriptive to functional metagenomics, in order to understand exactly how the pathobiome modulates pathogenesis, and to which extent it impacts on its environment, regardless of the ecological niche considered.” https://lnkd.in/gEfVGaC View in LinkedIn

REASONS FOR VIROID ACCUMULATION. "The reasons for transposable element build-up probably involve several processes. Elements that would normally be eliminated by ectopic exchange may fail to be eliminated from the neo-Y, due to lack of recombination. The efficacy of selective removal will also be reduced because of low recombination rates." http://www.nature.com/hdy/journal/v95/n2/full/6800697a.html View in LinkedIn

GREAT UNKNOWN. “It should be emphasized that we still only have a very limited understanding of how pathogenic agents themselves, including bacteriophages (as pathogens of bacteria), contribute to the functioning of many ecosystems.” https://lnkd.in/gEfVGaC View in LinkedIn

BUG’S MASKED BALL. “Enterobacter bacterium from the Anopheles gut microbial flora renders mosquitoes resistant to infection with the human malaria parasite, by interfering with parasite development through the production of reactive oxygen species.” https://lnkd.in/gEfVGaC View in LinkedIn

HIDDEN PARTICIPANT. “Symbiotic Wolbachia spp. disrupt, by unknown mechanisms, the colonization of mosquito salivary glands by the dengue and Chickungunya viruses, thus limiting their transmission.” https://lnkd.in/gEfVGaC View in LinkedIn

THIRD PARTY PLAYER. “It has been shown that the GroEL protein produced by aphid or whitefly endosymbionts is involved in the transmission of plant viruses vectored by these insects.” https://lnkd.in/gEfVGaC View in LinkedIn

SO ENDS this first weekend review of new thinking about the old concept of one pathogen one disease; there are some today who advocate an ecological viewpoint, where a web of interacting microorganisms cause a disease progression, and this has considerable biological support. The implications of this new thinking are profound. View in LinkedIn

WEB OF INTERACTIONS. “In addition, microorganisms interact with each other. Antagonistic and mutualistic behaviors have evolved as adaptations to living in microbial communities.” https://lnkd.in/gEfVGaC View in LinkedIn

PATHOGEN SELECTION PRESSURES. “ The ecosystems within which pathogens evolve are defined by their abiotic and biotic dimensions, including both host and vector populations. Pathogens must adapt to selective pressures associated with these complex ecosystems, in particular to both host and vector defense mechanisms as well as to any environmental fluctuations impacting on their survival and/or dispersal outside of hosts or vectors.” https://lnkd.in/gEfVGaC View in LinkedIn

SNAPSHOT OF EVOLUTION. “The third goal is to understand the impact of microbial communities on the persistence, transmission, and evolution of pathogens. In particular, to elucidate the spatio-temporal dynamics of these communities, the ecological interactions between microorganisms within communities, as well as the evolutionary forces at play (mutation, selection and gene flow)—especially when it comes to pathogen survival, extinction or dispersal.” https://lnkd.in/gEfVGaC View in LinkedIn