Mostly Microbes and Infection

  Highlights ● SCFAs function as gut-derived epigenetic regulators, bridging dietary fiber metabolism to brain-wide chromatin remodeling in neurodegenerative diseases. ● Butyrate acts as a potent HDAC inhibitor, enhancing histone acetylation to suppress neuroinflammation and promote synaptic plasticity in AD and PD models. ● SCFAs modulate DNA methylation dynamics via TET-DNMT balance, correcting aberrant gene expression linked to Aβ and α-synuclein pathologies. ● Emerging evidence positions histone lactylation as a novel SCFA-sensitive mechanism linking microglial metabolism to neuroinflammatory loops in neurodegeneration.

  Highlights • Reconstructed and curated of the genome-scale metabolic model (GEM) of  Fusobacterium nucleatum • Experimental data used to refine and validate the GEM, including biomass formulation with BOFdat (Biomass Objective Function from experimental data) • Integrated transcriptomic data to build context-specific metabolic models • Metabolic rewiring links  F. nucleatum  adaptation to colorectal cancer (CRC) context • Provides a systems framework to explore host-microbe metabolic interactions

  Highlights • A novel virus system rEBV-VSV was developed realizing efficient and native EBV entry via multi-synergetic glycoproteins with sensitive bioluminescence detection. • rEBV-VSV was especially competent for rapid and high-throughput entry-inhibition evaluation of drugs, antibodies, or sera and accurate study of EBV entry mechanisms via flexible mutations or recombination on rEBV-VSV. • Glycoprotein 42 (gp42) was found to mediate diverse functions of an important mutation L65A+L69A on glycoprotein H (gH) and also manipulated the efficacy of gH-targeted antibodies.

Highlights • Genome catalog of 4,098  B. infantis  and  B. longum  shows distinct biogeography and ecology • B. infantis  is depleted in Westernized populations but highly common in LMIC infants • Massively expanded  B. infantis  diversity and functions are absent from current probiotics • Geo-specific strain library informs diet- and population-tailored infant probiotic design

D EMENTIA IS tragically  common among the elderly. In 2021 57m people worldwide were thought to have the condition. Ageing is a risk factor for many other ailments too, ranging from chronic inflammation to a decline in organ function. A growing body of work, however, suggests that simply taking a course of the shingles vaccine can meaningfully slow the decline. The new data, from a range of countries, suggests that it cuts risk by 20%.

  Highlights • Administration of the bacteriophage cocktail at a high MOI reduced APEC-induced morbidity and mortality by 20-30% in laying hens, validating its potential as an antimicrobial alternative. • The oral route (drinking water) demonstrated superior therapeutic efficacy compared to intramuscular injection, resulting in the complete absence of macroscopic lesions and a noticeable reduction in median histopathological scores, particularly in the spleen. • The administered phage cocktail achieved effective lytic activity against APEC and was recovered across multiple tissues without causing collateral damage or altering the general bacterial structure of the cecal microbiota.