microbiome/microbiota

March 14, 2022

Microbiome reflects COVID-19 severity

Characterization of the upper respiratory tract microbiome could help predict outcomes for COVID-19 infection, Vanderbilt researchers have discovered.

By Elliot Jaffe 
February 28, 2022

Invasive strep can defy zinc toxicity

Vanderbilt researchers find that invasive Group B Streptococcus strains, a significant risk to pregnant patients and infants, can grow in presence of toxic zinc levels.

By Taylor Engdahl
February 3, 2022

Team to study using probiotics to reduce heart disease risk

A Vanderbilt research team has received a $7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to understand how alcohol’s effect on the gut microbiome drives heart disease.

By Matt Batcheldor
January 13, 2022

Salmonella overcomes host resistance

The invading pathogen Salmonella, a common cause of food poisoning, can change its metabolism to overcome host resistance to its colonization.

By Leigh MacMillan
December 13, 2021

Oral microbes and gastric cancer

Studies in three large population cohorts that include Asian, African American and European American people support a role for the oral microbiota — the collection of microbial species in the mouth — in gastric cancer development.

By Leigh MacMillan
November 15, 2021

Who’s who in the respiratory landscape

A metatranscriptomics method developed by Vanderbilt researchers simultaneously characterizes viruses, microbiome and host response in nasal swabs, opening opportunities to explore molecular interactions directly in clinical samples.

By Leigh MacMillan
August 12, 2021

Study reveals missing link between high-fat diet, microbiota and heart disease

A high-fat diet disrupts the biology of the gut’s inner lining and its microbial communities — and promotes the production of a metabolite that may contribute to heart disease, according to a study published Aug. 13 in the journal Science.
By Leigh MacMillan
March 11, 2021

‘Friendly’ bacteria may impact COVID severity

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded Vanderbilt University Medical Center a two-year, $3.7-million contract to determine genetic and bacterial factors that may increase the risk for severe illness and death from COVID-19.
By Bill Snyder
March 4, 2021

Probiotic protection

A probiotic factor given early in life to mice prevented intestinal inflammation in adulthood, providing a rationale for probiotic intervention in individuals at high risk of developing inflammatory bowel disease.
By Anivarya Kumar
January 27, 2021

Study shows healthy diet is associated with diverse and health-promoting microbiome

Scientists are just beginning to understand the impact of diet on the gut microbiome and how this interaction affects human health, but baselines must first be established to yield answers.
By Tom Wilemon
January 11, 2021

Microbial RNA and rheumatoid arthritis

Small RNAs — short stretches of genetic material — from microbes may be playing a role in rheumatoid arthritis and other autoimmune diseases.
By Leigh MacMillan
November 18, 2020

V Scholar Award to support Byndloss’ cancer research

Mariana Byndloss, DVM, PhD, assistant professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, has received a V Scholar Award to support her studies of the links between obesity, the gut microbiome and colorectal cancer.
By Leigh MacMillan
October 20, 2020

Preserving gut mucus architecture

A new method that keeps microbes and gut cells together will be useful for studies of complex host-microbe interactions and for analysis of clinical specimens.
By Leigh MacMillan
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