Mostly Microbes and Infection - by David Ojcius

Highlights • C. albicans Th17 cells are restricted to a few proteins contained in fungal EVs • The oral mucosa is a major reservoir of Th17 cells, dominated by C. albicans reactivity • C. albicans -reactive Th17 cells are shared between oral and gut tissues • Homeostatic C. albicans Th17 cells adapt pathogenic traits in Crohn’s disease

Highlights • Single-cell Raman spectroscopy coupled with D 2 O labeling was first applied to Vibrio splendidus persisters. • V. splendidus persisters are metabolically active rather than fully dormant. • Persisters show remodeled cellular components with decreased nucleic acids and increased lipids and polysaccharides. • Vitamin C inhibits persisters by suppressing the stringent response, providing a green anti-persister approach. Abstract Persister cells, a multidrug-tolerant bacterial subpopulation, pose challenges to disease control, with research hindered by technical limitations. In this study, single-cell Raman spectroscopy (SCRS) combined with heavy water (D 2 O) labeling was employed to explore the metabolic activity and compositional changes of Vibrio splendidus persisters. Raman analysis revealed distinct biochemical profiles between persisters and normal cells: persisters reduced nucleic acid-related band intensity but increased lipid and polysaccharide-related bands. Usi...

Highlights • Sublethal oxytetracycline and CuCl 2 elevated per-cell 18S rDNA/rRNA copy numbers, disrupting allometric scaling with cell volume in two ciliated protists. • Oxytetracycline selectively increased rRNA: rDNA ratios, revealing stressor-specific ribosomal regulation. • Both stressors induced persistent intragenomic polymorphisms of 18S rRNA gene. • Pollutant-induced ASV inflation may bias microbial diversity estimates.

Highlights • Bedtime probiotic intake retains 100,000x more bacteria than daytime intake. • Oral-origin L. reuteri strain colonizes better than the non-oral isolate. • Probiotic persistence varies widely interindividually, some individuals retain strains 7+ days. • Supragingival plaque shows highest proportional probiotic abundance by site. • Higher probiotic levels correlate with greater pocket depth reduction in periodontitis.

Highlights • The global regulator ppGpp plays a central role in controlling AIEC virulence. • Loss of ppGpp impairs virulence across in vitro and in vivo infection models. • Two candidate biomarkers with discriminatory potential for AIEC identification were defined.

People who live together share more oral and gut microbes with each other than with other people in their communities, according to a study published June 15, 2026, in the Cell Press journal Cell Press Blue . This was true regardless of the cohabitants’ relationships—siblings, parents, and offspring all shared similar numbers of microbial strains, and romantic partners shared even more oral (but not gut) microbes with each other, likely due to kissing. The research, covered in NPR, Gizmodo , and IFLScience , also found a link between more transmissible microbes and health, particularly type 2 diabetes. The findings could help design more targeted therapies for improving people’s microbiomes.