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PubMed2026

Soil Acidification Enriches Antibiotic Resistome.

Soil acidification represents a critical global change issue. Its impacts on antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), however, remain poorly understood. Here we first analyzed a published global dataset comprising 1012 sampling sites and found a significant negative correlation between soil pH and the total richness and relative abundance of ARGs. To validate the observed pattern, we subjected three soils (with initial pH 7.8-7.9) each to 4 acidification levels (pH 7, 6, 5, and 4) for 30 days and subsequent recovery for another 30 days in microcosms. Shotgun metagenomic sequencing revealed that acidification (pH 6, 5, and 4) significantly increased the total richness and relative abundance of ARGs, as well as the relative abundances of 175 ARG subtypes, across all three soils. These 175 acidification-enriched ARGs together accounted for more than 70% of all the ARGs under severely acidified conditions (pH 5 and 4). Moreover, 93% of the bacteria carrying acidification-enriched ARGs also carried various virulence factor genes homologs associated with pathogenicity in reference databases, resulting in increased risk score. The total relative abundance of the acidification-enriched ARGs was primarily associated with changes in bacterial community traits (community composition, acidification-enriched metabolic functions, and genome size), followed by the increase in availability of toxic metals. When soil recovered from severe acidification (pH 5 and 4), the total relative abundance of the acidification-enriched ARGs significantly declined, demonstrating that the effect of soil acidification is partially reversible. This study reveals an underrecognized risk of ARGs caused by soil acidification, highlighting that the prevention and mitigation of soil acidification are crucial for combating antibiotic resistance.

Hydrogen-Ion Concentration↗

PubMed2026

Decoding microbial metabolic complementarity from individual traits to community structuring.

A fundamental challenge in microbiome research lies in elucidating the functional capacity of microbial communities through community membership and genomic data. As community structuring and emergent functional traits are determined by bacterial community metabolic networks, it is important to gain insights into the principles that govern bacteria-bacteria interactions. Here, we applied an integrative framework linking individual strain-level traits to community structuring in a simplified synthetic bacterial community (SSC8) that promotes the growth of ungrafted watermelon. By combining mono- and coculture assays with genome-scale metabolic modeling and metabolomic profiling of spent media, we characterized directional interactions and resource dependencies among community members. Our findings show that positive interactions dominated the community network, accounting for 55% of all pairwise combinations, indicating a high prevalence of growth-promoting effects among strains. Genome-scale metabolic modeling showed that functional divergence among strains enhanced the potential for metabolic complementarity as phylogenetic distance increased. Integrating metabolic modeling with metabolomics further suggested that Pseudomonas azotifigens Q6 not only benefited from all other community members, but also exhibited mutualistic interactions with the other three strains, with metabolite exchange involving compounds such as L-lysine and L-cysteine. Pseudomonas azotifigens Q6 acted as an important driver of community composition by affecting the abundance of several other consortium members in vitro. These findings highlight the role of metabolic complementarity in driving community structuring by promoting selective persistence of specific strains. Our work provides mechanistic insights into microbial interaction networks in vitro and offers a conceptual foundation for the rational design of functionally robust and plant-beneficial microbiomes.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2022

Ecological dynamics of plasmid transfer and persistence in microbial communities.

Plasmids are a major driver of horizontal gene transfer in prokaryotes, allowing the sharing of ecologically important accessory traits between distantly related bacterial taxa. Within microbial communities, interspecies transfer of conjugative plasmids can rapidly drive the generation genomic innovation and diversification. Recent studies are starting to shed light on how the microbial community context, that is, the bacterial diversity together with interspecies interactions that occur within a community, can alter the dynamics of conjugative plasmid transfer and persistence. Here, I summarise the latest research exploring how community ecology can both facilitate and impose barriers to the spread of conjugative plasmids within complex microbial communities. Ultimately, the fate of plasmids within communities is unlikely to be determined by any one individual host, rather it will depend on the interacting factors imposed by the community in which it is embedded.

Bacteria↗

PubMed2026

Climate and soil shape Daqu wheat quality and seed microbiome via rhizosphere taxa and microbial assembly.

The grain quality and seed microbiome of Daqu wheat are fundamental determinants of Daqu fermentation performance; however, the mechanisms by which cultivation environments influence these traits via rhizosphere microbial communities remain unclear. Bacterial and fungal communities across the bulk soil-rhizosphere-seed continuum of three wheat cultivars grown in four ecoregions were characterized using absolute quantitative amplicon sequencing. The rhizosphere microbiome was treated as a central intermediary, while the response variables were seed microbial diversity and grain-quality traits, including starch content, protein content, and grain hardness. Twelve physicochemical properties of soil and 11 climatic factors were integrated into a multidimensional association framework. Environmental conditions exerted stronger influences on both seed quality traits and microbial diversity than cultivar identity. Distinct regional signatures were also evident in rhizosphere microbiomes, with environmental gradients explaining community variation more effectively than geographic distance. Bacterial communities exhibited greater sensitivity to environmental fluctuations than fungi. Mantel analyses identified available nitrogen, precipitation, and atmospheric pressure as significant drivers of core rhizosphere taxa (P < 0.05). iCAMP revealed that stochastic processes predominantly governed rhizosphere bacterial assembly, whereas stochastic and deterministic mechanisms jointly shaped fungal assembly. Partial least squares path modeling further uncovered a rhizosphere-mediated environment-seed cascade, wherein sunlight intensity and duration, atmospheric pressure, and soil nitrogen directly or indirectly affected seed wet gluten content, grain hardness, and seed microbial diversity through their influences on rhizosphere microbiota. Rhizosphere bacterial diversity was negatively associated with seed bacterial diversity (path coefficient = -0.118, P < 0.05), indicating that rhizosphere communities may shape seed endophytic bacterial assemblages via environmental filtering and competitive interactions. Collectively, these findings elucidate how environments shape the quality and seed microbiomes of Daqu wheat, providing scientific guidance for optimal site selection and the standardized production of high-quality brewing wheat for industrial Baijiu.

Triticum↗

PubMed2026

Characteristics and assembly mechanisms of tobacco-associated bacteria in typical tobacco-planting regions across China.

INTRODUCTION: Plant-associated microbiota critically modulates host growth and environmental adaptation, yet assembly mechanisms, niche differentiation, and ecological strategies of bacterial communities inhabiting tobacco microhabitats remain poorly elucidated across geographical gradients. METHODS: Here, we systematically characterized bacterial microbiome assembly across five tobacco-associated niches (bulk soil, rhizosphere soil, root, stem, and leaf) from seven typical tobacco-planting regions using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, genome annotation, and niche breadth analysis. The independent and interactive effects of geographical location and host compartment on community structure, and further compared genomic traits, functional profiles, and life-history strategies between specialist and generalist bacterial populations were quantified. RESULTS: The results revealed a deterministic soil-plant continuum stratification of bacterial communities and diversity, with progressively simplified communities and decreasing alpha diversity from bulk soil to above-ground tissues, accompanied by progressive dominance of Proteobacteria. Geographical factors predominantly structured soil microbial communities via divergent edaphic properties, while host filtering acted as a universal dominant driver shaping endophytic microbiome assembly. Niche differentiation analysis demonstrated that niche-specialized bacterial ASVs overwhelmingly dominated all microhabitats and geographical sites, whereas generalist taxa only constituted auxiliary populations. Although specialist and generalist microbes exhibited highly conserved core genomic architectures and overall functional repertoires, they displayed distinct niche-specific functional divergence in metabolic pathways, stress resistance, and secondary metabolism across host compartments. Life-history strategy analysis further revealed that Y-strategist represented the core adaptive bacterial population, especially enriched in above-ground tobacco tissues. DISCUSSION: Our study establishes a hierarchical dual-filtering assembly model for tobacco microbiota, clarifies the ecological differentiation and functional adaptation of specialist and generalist bacteria, and provides fundamental insights into the assembly rules and adaptive mechanisms of crop-associated microbiomes for future microbial resource utilization and agricultural microbiome regulation.

biogeography↗

PubMed2024

Genetic modification of the shikimate pathway to reduce lignin content in switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) significantly impacts plant microbiomes.

UNLABELLED: Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum L.) is considered a sustainable biofuel feedstock, given its fast-impact growth, low input requirements, and high biomass yields. Improvements in bioenergy conversion efficiency of switchgrass could be made by reducing its lignin content. Engineered switchgrass that expresses a bacterial 3-dehydroshikimate dehydratase (QsuB) has reduced lignin content and improved biomass saccharification due to the rerouting of the shikimate pathway towards the simple aromatic protocatechuate at the expense of lignin biosynthesis. However, the impacts of this QsuB trait on switchgrass microbiome structure and function remain unclear. To address this, wild-type and QsuB-engineered switchgrass were grown in switchgrass field soils, and samples were collected from inflorescences, leaves, roots, rhizospheres, and bulk soils for microbiome analysis. We investigated how QsuB expression influenced switchgrass-associated fungal and bacterial communities using high-throughput Illumina MiSeq amplicon sequencing of ITS and 16S rDNA. Compared to wild-type, QsuB-engineered switchgrass hosted different microbial communities in roots, rhizosphere, and leaves. Specifically, QsuB-engineered plants had a lower relative abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF). Additionally, QsuB-engineered plants had fewer Actinobacteriota in root and rhizosphere samples. These findings may indicate that changes in the plant metabolism impact both AMF and Actinobacteriota similarly or potential interactions between AMF and the bacterial community. This study enhances understanding of plant-microbiome interactions by providing baseline microbial data for developing beneficial bioengineering strategies and by assessing nontarget impacts of engineered plant traits on the plant microbiome. IMPORTANCE: Bioenergy crops provide an important strategy for mitigating climate change. Reducing the lignin in bioenergy crops could improve fermentable sugar yields for more efficient conversion into bioenergy and bioproducts. In this study, we assessed how switchgrass engineered for low lignin impacted aboveground and belowground switchgrass microbiome. Our results show unexpected reductions in mycorrhizas and actinobacteria in belowground tissues, raising questions on the resilience and function of genetically engineered plants in agricultural systems.

Panicum↗

PubMed2025

Urobiota analysis and genome-wide association study in pediatric recurrent urinary tract infections and vesicoureteral reflux.

Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the most common severe bacterial infections in young children, often associated with vesicoureteral reflux (VUR). To explore host genetic-microbiota interactions and their clinical implications, we analyzed the urinary microbiota (urobiota) and conducted genome-wide association studies for bacterial abundance traits in pediatric patients with UTI and VUR from the Randomized Intervention for Children with Vesicoureteral Reflux and Careful Urinary Tract Infection Evaluation cohorts. We identified 4 urobiota community types based on relative abundance, characterized by the genera Enterococcus, Prevotella, Pseudomonas, and Escherichia/Shigella, and their associations with VUR, age, and toilet training. Children with VUR exhibited decreased microbial diversity and increased abundance of genera that included opportunistic pathogens, suggesting a disrupted urobiota. We detected genome-wide significant genetic associations with urinary bacterial relative abundances, in or near candidate genes including CXCL12, ABCC1, and ROBO1, which are implicated in urinary tract development and response to infection. We showed that Cxcl12 was induced 12 hours after uropathogenic bacterial infection in mouse bladder. The association with CXCL12 suggests a genetic link between UTI, VUR, and cardiovascular phenotypes later in life. These findings provide the first characterization to our knowledge of host genetic influences on the pediatric urobiota in UTI and VUR, offering insights into the interplay between disease, host genetics, and the urobiota composition.

Urinary Tract Infections↗

PubMed2026

Ecological Filtering by Tuber Compartments Shapes Stable Core Microbiomes That Underpin Potato Plant Growth Across Environments.

Harnessing plant microbiomes for sustainable agriculture requires understanding not only whether they can boost crop performance, but also how ecological processes govern their assembly, stability, and functional contributions across environments. While we previously showed that seed tuber microbiomes can predict potato vigour using machine learning, it remained unclear how ecological processes shape tuber microbiome stability and functionality across host genotypes, tuber compartments, soil types, and years. Here, we analyzed the national-scale dataset of 240 field-collected potato seedlots, spanning six genotypes, two soil types, and two growing years, with a focus on the spatially distinct heel and eye compartments of the potato tuber. By profiling over 1200 bacterial and fungal communities and linking microbiome composition to plant performance, we show that plant genotype and tuber compartment are the strongest determinants of microbial diversity and composition. Compartment-specific enrichment of functional traits revealed spatial partitioning of microbial functions, with organic compound conversion and nitrogen cycling dominant in the heel, and energy metabolism enriched in the eye. Applying a macroecological abundance-occupancy framework, we identified a stable core microbiome of bacterial and fungal taxa that persisted across all environments and years. These core members were more strongly associated with plant growth-related traits than non-core taxa, and core taxa in different tuber compartments showed distinct correlations with taxa of potential pathogenic relevance. Together, our findings demonstrate that tuber compartments act as ecological filters that structure persistent, functionally specialised microbiomes linked to plant growth-related traits across environments. By providing an ecological and functional framework for compartment-resolved, stable core microbiomes, this study advances mechanistic understanding of plant-microbe interactions and identifies stable microbial partners as promising targets for improving potato resilience and productivity.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2025

Environmental Stresses Constrain Soil Microbial Community Functions by Regulating Deterministic Assembly and Niche Width.

Increasing evidence indicates that the loss of soil microbial α-diversity triggered by environmental stress negatively impacts microbial functions; however, the effects of microbial α-diversity on community functions under environmental stress are poorly understood. Here, we investigated the changes in bacterial and fungal α- diversity along gradients of five natural stressors (temperature, precipitation, plant diversity, soil organic C and pH) across 45 grasslands in China and evaluated their connection with microbial functional traits. By quantifying the five environmental stresses into an integrated stress index, we found that the bacterial and fungal α-diversity declined under high environmental stress across three soil layers (0-20 cm, 20-40 cm and 40-60 cm). Metagenomic-based analyses showed that the diversity of functional genes decreased along the stress gradients. High stress enhanced the abundance of genes associated with broad functional categories (e.g., glycolysis/gluconeogenesis, TCA cycle, DNA replication/repair and cell growth/death) but reduced the abundance of genes linked to specialised functional categories (e.g., C, N, S and methane metabolism). Phylogenetic null models and niche analyses indicated that stochastic assembly processes predominated in high-diversity communities, in which bacterial and fungal taxa had a narrow ecological niche. However, in low-diversity communities, deterministic assembly processes were dominant, and taxa had wide niches, correlating with the reduction in gene abundance observed for broad and specialised functional categories. Given the essential role of the microbiome in regulating ecosystem functions, our findings suggest that low-diversity-induced deterministic community assembly processes and a wide niche under high environmental stress may regulate microbial functions. These findings emphasise the ecological mechanisms through which microbial biodiversity regulates terrestrial ecosystem functioning.

Soil Microbiology↗

PubMed2025

Biofilms in clinical infection: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and the evolving therapeutic landscape.

Biofilms are structured communities of microorganisms encased in a self-produced polymeric matrix that typically adhere to surfaces. Recent research, however, has revealed that non-attached aggregates share many common traits with the surface-dependent biofilms. This mode of bacterial growth provides enhanced protection against antibiotics and resistance to host immune defenses. Biofilms require higher antibiotic concentrations than those needed to inhibit planktonic bacteria, necessitating prolonged high-dose and combination therapies to achieve effective eradication. This increased resistance is attributed to multiple factors, including the protective extracellular matrix, reduced metabolic activity of bacteria within the biofilm, and also the ability of bacterial genomes to rapidly adjust in response to environmental changes. Diagnostic modalities such as sonication, tissue culture, and polymerase chain reaction-based assays currently dominate clinical diagnostics of biofilm infections due to their practicality, cost-effectiveness, and proven reliability. Recent research has led to innovative treatment strategies that target biofilm structure, enhance drug delivery, and modulate host-pathogen interactions. This review summarizes our current knowledge of biofilm formation, explores the current techniques for detecting microbial biofilms, and discusses future perspectives for advancing diagnostic and therapeutic strategies.

Biofilms↗

PubMed2025

Unveiling Potato Cultivars With Microbiome Interactive Traits for Sustainable Agricultural Production.

Root traits significantly shape rhizosphere microbiomes, yet their interaction with microbes is often overlooked in plant breeding programs. Here, we propose that selecting modern cultivars based on microbiome interactive trait (MIT), such as root biomass, exudate patterns and the rhizosphere microbiome, can enhance agricultural sustainability by interacting effectively with soil microbiomes, which in turn, promotes plant growth and resistance to stress, thereby reducing reliance on synthetic crop protectants. Through a stepwise selection process (in silico and in vitro) that started with approximately 1000 potato genotypes, we chose 51 potato cultivars based on known phenotypical properties and distinct root exudate patterns. We conducted a greenhouse experiment to evaluate their capacity to interact with the soil microbiome and to assess their MIT scores. Our findings revealed that cultivars significantly influence plant growth, metabolite profiles, and rhizosphere fungal community composition. Moreover, we observed a positive correlation between microbial community diversity and root biomass. Additionally, leaf metabolites were correlated with rhizosphere bacterial composition, supporting the plant holobiont framework. Utilising z-scores, we aggregated all data related to plant growth, metabolomes, and microbiomes, creating a classification of 51 cultivars based on a gradient of MIT scores. By examining the distribution of low, intermediate, and high MIT, we identified a group of 11 potato cultivars suitable for further studies to assess their resilience and productivity under low-input production systems. This study provides an in-depth correlation between microbiome and several plant traits across 51 cultivars, offering tools to facilitate and expedite the incorporation of microbiome traits into breeding goals to support sustainable agriculture.

Solanum tuberosum↗

PubMed2026

Host life-history strategy is a critical determinant of virulent phage infection propensity.

Bacteriophages shape microbial communities through two major lifestyles: virulent (obligately lytic) and temperate (capable of lysogeny). Prevailing phage ecology frameworks focus on how environmental conditions, host density, and physiological state modulate infection modality. This perspective overlooks how host traits exert selective pressure on the distribution of virulent and temperate lifestyles across bacterial species, which limits understanding of phage ecology. To address this critical knowledge gap, we adopt a host-centric, trait-based perspective and use 5821 complete bacterial genomes to build a host life-history space predominantly defined by genome size, metabolic capacity, and growth rate potential. After mapping phage lifestyle association signals, prophage burden formed a continuous gradient across this space. Also, virulent phage association was positively correlated with prophage burden, revealing a nested structure of lifestyle signals. Functional trait analysis identified enrichment of resource-acquisition modules underlying both temperate and virulent associations. Overall, these findings indicate that phage lifestyle is significantly influenced by host life-history strategies, highlighting fast-growing, metabolically versatile hosts as favorable targets for virulent phage isolation and biocontrol applications.

Bacteriophages↗

PubMed2026

Genomic analysis of community-associated multidrug-resistant Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae and the identification of the ST2059-KL1 clone in the U.S.

UNLABELLED: Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae is an important member of the K. pneumoniae species complex (KpSC) and is increasingly reported as multidrug-resistant (MDR) in healthcare- and community-associated infections. Since clinical laboratories do not routinely distinguish K. quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae from K. pneumoniae, national prevalence estimates, particularly for MDR, are lacking. In this study, a total of 2,006 community-associated MDR KpSC isolates were collected from 42 U.S. states, with 30 K. quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae isolates originating from 12 states identified using whole genome sequencing. All isolates were resistant to ceftriaxone and exhibited high rates of resistance to other antimicrobial agents, including ampicillin-sulbactam (56.7%, 17/30), levofloxacin (75.9%, 22/29), and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (53.3%, 16/30). Notably, five isolates were also carbapenem-resistant. Genomic analysis resolved 10 sequence types (STs), with ST2059 (n = 13) and ST414 (n = 9) predominating. Ceftriaxone resistance in most isolates (90%, 27/30) was conferred by an extended-spectrum β-lactamase gene, predominantly blaCTX-M-15 (73.3%, 22/30); the remaining isolates carried either a carbapenemase (blaKPC-3) or an AmpC β-lactamase (blaCMY-2). Nanopore sequencing identified blaCTX-M-15 harbored on two types of IncFIB(Kpn3) antimicrobial resistance (AMR) plasmids, either with or without the conjugative tra gene cluster. Interestingly, the KL1 locus, associated with canonical hypervirulent K. pneumoniae strains, was detected in all ST2059 isolates. Further analysis of public genomic data showed that the KL1 locus is widely distributed across KpSC. KL1 phylogenetic analyses indicated frequent intrasubspecies recombination but limited intersubspecies exchange of KL1. The identification of the dominant MDR K. quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae KL1-ST2059 clone in the U.S. underscores the importance of ongoing genomic surveillance. IMPORTANCE: Klebsiella quasipneumoniae subsp. similipneumoniae is an underrecognized member of the Klebsiella pneumoniae species complex that is frequently misidentified in clinical laboratories, leading to an incomplete understanding of its role in antimicrobial resistance. In this study, we used large-scale genomic surveillance of community-associated multidrug-resistant isolates across the U.S. to identify this subspecies as a reservoir of clinically relevant resistance plasmids. Notably, we detected a widely distributed ST2059 lineage carrying the K1 capsular locus, a feature traditionally associated with hypervirulent K. pneumoniae. These findings highlight the convergence of resistance and virulence-associated traits in an overlooked species and underscore the need for genomic surveillance to monitor emerging high-risk lineages in community settings.

Drug Resistance, Multiple, Bacterial↗

PubMed2026

KG-Microbe: Building modular and scalable knowledge graphs for microbiome and microbial sciences.

BACKGROUND: The integration of many disparate forms of data is essential for understanding the microbial world and its interaction with the environment and human health. Doing so is particularly challenging in the context of microbe-host and microbe-microbe interactions that contribute to health or environmental outcomes. There are thousands of relevant microbial species, and millions of interactions among those microbes and with their environment or host. Integrated information (e.g., about host and microbial physiology, genetics, and metabolism) facilitates deeper understanding of complex mechanisms and helps interpret correlative results. RESULTS: The KG-Microbe construction framework is a novel approach to harmonizing bacterial and archaeal data in the form of a findable, accessible, interoperable, reusable and AI-ready knowledge graph (KG). Starting from a core KG with organismal traits, environments, and growth preferences and the integration of established ontologies, the framework generates a hierarchy of related KGs targeting specific use cases, including the human microbiome in the context of disease, or environmental microbiomes. The framework supports customizable taxa subsets representing communities or clades of interest. Evaluations of the KG-Microbe KGs through a series of competency questions demonstrate the accuracy and effectiveness of the data harmonization, and the utility of the resulting KGs in studies of inflammatory bowel disease and Parkinson's disease. Finally, the predictive and environmental capabilities of the KGs are demonstrated by predicting growth preferences using graph features. CONCLUSIONS: The KG-Microbe framework unifies microbial contexts in a single resource to support integrative analyses across biomedical, host, and environmental domains. KG-Microbe is a flexible, modular enabling technology for humans and machine learning methods to uncover candidate mechanistic explanations of microbial associations.

Microbiota↗

PubMed2026

Functional and flavour-enhancing properties of Staphylococcus sp. from Napham.

Napham, traditional fermented food of the Bodo community in Assam, is produced from tender shoots of Colocasia esculenta and dried fish, and was recently granted Geographical Indication (GI) status. Despite its cultural and nutritional significance, its beneficial microbiota remains insufficiently characterized. This study aimed to identify multifunctional bacterial isolates with both functional and flavor-enhancing properties for use as starter cultures. Forty-eight isolates were screened for Gram reaction, enzymatic activities (protease, lipase, carbohydrate fermentation), and biosafety traits. Four isolates (NAP/1, NAP/2, NAP/3, NAP/4) exhibiting a preliminary phenotypic safety profile based on in vitro screening were evaluated for gastrointestinal stress tolerance traits, including tolerance to acid (pH 2.0), phenol (0.4%), salt (8% NaCl), as well as auto-aggregation capacity and adhesion to chicken crop epithelial cells. Among them, isolate NAP/4 exhibited comparatively higher tolerance, strong adhesion, and high auto-aggregation, and demonstrated a favorable in vitro safety profile, including γ-hemolysis and broad antibiotic susceptibility. In curd and rice beverage models, NAP/4 enhanced sensory qualities and produced diverse flavor volatiles, supporting its candidacy as a multifunctional food-fermenting isolate prior to genomic validation. 16S rRNA sequencing revealed NAP/4 as Staphylococcus sp. (GenBank accession: PQ471484.1). Collectively, these findings highlight NAP/4 as a promising candidate for further genomic evaluation toward potential application in controlled fermentation systems and clean-label formulations. However, whole-genome sequencing and in vivo validation remain essential next steps to confirm safety and functional efficacy at the molecular level.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2026

Resistome and microbiome-immune interactions in an Eastern European population with high antibiotic use.

The gut microbiome influences host health, affecting gastrointestinal, metabolic, immune, cardiovascular, and neurological functions. A balanced microbiome is associated with favorable health outcomes. However, excessive antibiotic use and dietary habits can disrupt this ecosystem, leading to dysbiosis and affecting body homeostasis. This first comprehensive metagenomic analysis of the gut microbiome in a healthy Romanian cohort, a population underrepresented in microbiome studies and characterized by high antibiotic consumption, addresses a gap in current microbiome research. We report an enrichment of Enterobacteriaceae although overall composition is more comparable to other European than non-European cohorts. Community configurations align with established enterotype patterns, and our analysis provides insight into their relationship with within-phylum diversity. The analysis of antimicrobial resistance provides insight into the prevalence of resistance genes within this reservoir. We specifically report the presence of cfr(E), a Clostridioides difficile gene, and tet(X5), a variant from the ubiquitous tet family, genes not previously reported in healthy European populations. Integration with data from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control links the overall prevalence of resistance genes in this reservoir to antibiotic classes with higher community consumption in this population, notably beta-lactams and quinolones, highlighting potential targets for antibiotic stewardship programs. Finally, we investigate the relationship between the microbial profile and the systemic immune responses, inferred from correlations with in vitro cytokine production. Notably, we identify potential immune-priming roles for Collinsella, Flavonifractor, and Bifidobacterium species.IMPORTANCEThis first comprehensive study of the healthy gut microbiome in a Romanian cohort addresses a gap in current microbiome research, dominated by data sets from a limited number of regions. It sets a baseline for the microbiome and resistome composition of this population, and, while definitions of "healthy" microbiomes, or baseline resistomes, remain lacking, such study helps contextualize future studies and support the monitoring of dynamics. The Enterobacteriaceae abundance suggests a microbiome composition potentially influenced by antimicrobial consumption, a relevant pattern in a region with a high burden of nosocomial infections. In addition, the prevalence of antimicrobial resistance genes and the concordance with commonly used antibiotics in the community reinforce the need to address antibiotic use in public health strategies. Although gut microbiome-immunity relationships remain incompletely understood, our findings support a role for microbiome composition in immune-related traits and provide a valuable resource for future studies.

Humans↗

PubMed2026

Recurrent and niche-specific functional bacteriome of maize hybrid revealed by integrated metabarcoding and culturomics.

The plant microbiome plays a pivotal role in plant survival in natural habitats by facilitating nutrient acquisition, stress adaptation, and disease suppression, while also offering opportunities to enhance crop productivity and climate resilience. However, the distribution of persistent and culturable bacteriome across maize-associated niches and their functional potential remain poorly resolved. This study integrated metagenomic next-generation sequencing (mNGS-based metabarcoding) and culturomics to characterise the maize-associated bacteriome of bulk soil, rhizoplane, phylloplane, and cob of the maize hybrid PHM-1 under contrasting cropping and tillage systems, and to identify recurrent and agriculturally promising bacteriome components. The bacteriome exhibited pronounced niche-specific structuring, whereas overall bacterial community composition did not differ significantly across cropping and tillage treatments (ANOSIM, R = 0.038, p = 0.306). Proteobacteria predominated in the culturable bacteriome (69-84%; mean, 76.2%) but accounted for only 1% of the total bacteriome, whereas Patescibacteria and Firmicutes were relatively enriched. Niche-specific dominance was evident, with Pantoea accounting for 40.79% of the total and 56.27% of the culturable phylloplane bacteriome under cereal monocropping, while Serratia represented 31.59% and 59.40% of the total and culturable cob bacteriomes, respectively. Across niches, mNGS captured substantially greater bacteriome diversity, particularly uncultured and unidentified taxa in soil-associated compartments, whereas culturomics recovered a narrower but functionally accessible fraction. Culturomics yielded 99 isolates representing 32 species across 12 genera, including six genera shared with the mNGS-derived recurrent bacteriome: Bacillus, Enterobacter, Pantoea, Pseudomonas, Serratia, and Stenotrophomonas. Functional screening identified strong biocontrol and plant-beneficial traits among core-associated isolates. Pseudomonas oryzihabitans ZM-DL-PA10 inhibited Rhizoctonia solani, Macrophomina phaseolina, and Bipolaris maydis by up to 40.6%, 43.9%, and 45.2%, respectively, through secreted and volatile metabolites; exhibited P, K, and Zn solubilisation; and produced IAA and siderophores. It also recorded the lowest B. maydis disease index (ADI) of 1.00. Pantoea ananatis ZM-BH-EA4 showed 52.4% and 68.5% inhibition of R. solani and B. maydis, respectively, through volatile metabolites. Collectively, the integration of mNGS and culturomics revealed a strongly compartmentalised maize bacteriome and identified recurrent, culturable, and functionally promising bacterial taxa, providing a targeted resource for microbiome-based crop protection and climate-resilient maize production.

Zea mays↗

PubMed2026

Bacterial motility in rhizosphere colonization: mechanisms, constraints, and implications for microbial inoculants.

Although the potential of microbial inoculants for sustainable agriculture and environmental restoration has been widely recognized, their field performance remains highly variable and often unpredictable. Current research and development frameworks for microbial inoculants primarily focus on their plant growth-promoting functions and metabolic traits, often overlooking the ecological processes that determine whether introduced strains can successfully disperse, access, and establish within the rhizosphere. Increasing evidence suggests that successful dispersal and establishment cannot be assumed in the highly heterogeneous conditions of soil systems. Here, we summarize the key mechanisms underlying bacterial motility and discuss its role within the broader framework of microbial dispersal, highlighting how motility-mediated processes contribute to rhizosphere colonization. We propose that bacterial motility represents a key mechanistic determinant of biofertilizer efficacy. Its role extends beyond the ability of inoculant strains to physically reach the rhizosphere, encompassing competitive colonization on the root surface, long-term persistence, and the ability to respond to dynamic root-derived chemical gradients associated with newly developing root tissues. We argue that inoculant motility should be elevated from a passive descriptive trait to a core design parameter that can be systematically incorporated and regulated during the development and optimization of microbial inoculants. We outline a multi-tiered strategic framework for next-generation biofertilizer engineering that integrates strain selection, community design, motility regulation, and deployment strategies, thereby unlocking the full potential of synthetic microbial consortia for sustainable agriculture, ecosystem restoration, and climate change mitigation.

Biofertilizer↗