The symbiotic spectrum: where do the gregarines fit? (2019)
Journal Article
Rueckert, S., Betts, E. L., & Tsaousis, A. D. (2019). The symbiotic spectrum: where do the gregarines fit?. Trends in Parasitology, 35(9), 687-694. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pt.2019.06.013

Gregarine apicomplexans are closely related to parasites such as Plasmodium, Toxoplasma, and Cryptosporidium, which are causing severe health and economic burdens. Colonizing only invertebrates and having no obvious medical relevance, they are mostly... Read More about The symbiotic spectrum: where do the gregarines fit?.

The role of fungi in heterogeneous sediment microbial networks (2019)
Journal Article
Booth, J., Fusi, M., Marasco, R., Michoud, G., Fodelianakis, S., Merlino, G., & Daffonchio, D. (2019). The role of fungi in heterogeneous sediment microbial networks. Scientific Reports, 9, Article 7537. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-43980-3

While prokaryote community diversity and function have been extensively studied in soils and sediments, the functional role of fungi, despite their huge diversity, is widely unexplored. several studies have, nonetheless, revealed the importance of fu... Read More about The role of fungi in heterogeneous sediment microbial networks.

Tracking Staphylococcus aureus in the intensive care unit using Whole-Genome Sequencing (2019)
Journal Article
Dancer, S. J., Adams, C. E., Smith, J., Pichon, B., Kearns, A., & Morrison, D. (2019). Tracking Staphylococcus aureus in the intensive care unit using Whole-Genome Sequencing. Journal of Hospital Infection, 103(1), 13-20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2019.04.016

Background: Staphylococcus aureus remains an important bacterial pathogen worldwide. This study utilized known staphylococcal epidemiology to track S. aureus between different ecological reservoirs in one ten-bed intensive care unit (ICU).

Methods... Read More about Tracking Staphylococcus aureus in the intensive care unit using Whole-Genome Sequencing.

Bacterial endophytes of mangrove propagules elicit early establishment of the natural host and promote growth of cereal crops under salt stress (2019)
Journal Article
Soldan, R., Mapelli, F., Crotti, E., Schnell, S., Daffonchio, D., Marasco, R., Fusi, M., Borin, S., & Cardinale, M. (2019). Bacterial endophytes of mangrove propagules elicit early establishment of the natural host and promote growth of cereal crops under salt stress. Microbiological Research, 223, 33-43. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micres.2019.03.008

Mangroves, dominating tropical intertidal zones and estuaries, are among the most salt tolerant plants, and propagate through reproductive units called propagules. Similarly to other plants’ seeds, propagules may harbor beneficial bacteria. Our hypot... Read More about Bacterial endophytes of mangrove propagules elicit early establishment of the natural host and promote growth of cereal crops under salt stress.

Microbes associated with fresh produce: sources, types and methods to reduce spoilage and contamination (2019)
Book Chapter
Kaczmarek, M., Avery, S. V., & Singleton, I. (2019). Microbes associated with fresh produce: sources, types and methods to reduce spoilage and contamination. In G. M. Gadd, & S. Sariaslani (Eds.), Advances in Applied Microbiology. Vol 107 (29-82). Elsevier. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.aambs.2019.02.001

Global food security remains one of the most important challenges that needs to be addressed to ensure the increasing demand for food of the fast growing human population is satisfied. Fruits and vegetables comprise an essential component of a health... Read More about Microbes associated with fresh produce: sources, types and methods to reduce spoilage and contamination.

Morphology and molecular systematic of marine gregarines (Apicomplexa) from Southwestern Atlantic spionid polychaetes (2018)
Journal Article
Rueckert, S., Glasinovich, N., Diez, M., Cremonte, F., & Vázquez, N. (2018). Morphology and molecular systematic of marine gregarines (Apicomplexa) from Southwestern Atlantic spionid polychaetes. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 159, 49-60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2018.10.010

Gregarines are a common group of parasites that infect the intestines of marine invertebrates, and particularly polychaetes. Here, we describe for the first time four gregarine species that inhabit the intestines of three spionid species: Dipolydora... Read More about Morphology and molecular systematic of marine gregarines (Apicomplexa) from Southwestern Atlantic spionid polychaetes.

Revisions to the Classification, Nomenclature, and Diversity of Eukaryotes (2018)
Journal Article
Adl, S. M., Bass, D., Lane, C. E., Lukeš, J., Schoch, C. L., Smirnov, A., Agatha, S., Berney, C., Brown, M. W., Burki, F., Cárdenas, P., Čepička, I., Chistyakova, L., del Campo, J., Dunthorn, M., Edvardsen, B., Eglit, Y., Guillou, L., Hampl, V., Heiss, A. A., …Zhang, Q. (2019). Revisions to the Classification, Nomenclature, and Diversity of Eukaryotes. Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, 66(1), 4-119. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeu.12691

This revision of the classification of eukaryotes follows that of Adl et al., 2012 [J. Euk. Microbiol. 59(5)] and retains an emphasis on protists. Changes since have improved the resolution of many nodes in phylogenetic analyses. For some clades even... Read More about Revisions to the Classification, Nomenclature, and Diversity of Eukaryotes.

Sources and survival of Listeria monocytogenes on fresh, leafy produce (2018)
Journal Article
on fresh, leafy produce. Journal of Applied Microbiology, 125(4), 930-942. https://doi.org/10.1111/jam.14025

Listeria monocytogenes in an intracellular human pathogen which enters the body through contaminated food stuffs and is known to contaminate fresh leafy produce such as spinach, lettuce and rocket. Routinely, fresh leafy produce is grown and processe... Read More about Sources and survival of Listeria monocytogenes on fresh, leafy produce.

Beware Biofilm! Dry biofilms containing bacterial pathogens on multiple healthcare surfaces; a multicentre study (2018)
Journal Article
Ledwoch, K., Dancer, S., Otter, J., Kerr, K., Roposte, D., Rushton, L., Weiser, R., Mahenthiralingam, E., Muir, D., & Maillard, J.-Y. (2018). Beware Biofilm! Dry biofilms containing bacterial pathogens on multiple healthcare surfaces; a multicentre study. Journal of Hospital Infection, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2018.06.028

Background
Wet biofilms associated with medical devices have been widely studied and their link with healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs) is well recognized. Little attention has been paid to the presence of dry biofilms on environmental surface... Read More about Beware Biofilm! Dry biofilms containing bacterial pathogens on multiple healthcare surfaces; a multicentre study.

Investigation of STM3071 as a potential regulator of cobalt transport in Salmonella enterica (2018)
Thesis
Piotrowska, A. A. Investigation of STM3071 as a potential regulator of cobalt transport in Salmonella enterica. (Thesis). Edinburgh Napier University. http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1253543

Using bioinformatics we have identified stm3071 as a possible regulator of anaerobically induced genes involved in metal homeostasis (Price-Carter et al., 2001) and the aim of this study is to determine the function of stm3071 and define the conditio... Read More about Investigation of STM3071 as a potential regulator of cobalt transport in Salmonella enterica.

Estimating excess length of stay due to healthcare-associated infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis of statistical methodology (2018)
Journal Article
Manoukian, S., Stewart, S., Dancer, S., Graves, N., Mason, H., McFarland, A., Robertson, C., & Reilly, J. (2018). Estimating excess length of stay due to healthcare-associated infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis of statistical methodology. Journal of Hospital Infection, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2018.06.003

Background
Healthcare-associated infection (HAI) affects millions of patients worldwide. HAI is associated with increased healthcare costs, owing primarily to increased hospital length of stay (LOS) but calculating these costs is complicated due to... Read More about Estimating excess length of stay due to healthcare-associated infections: A systematic review and meta-analysis of statistical methodology.

Quantifying the relative effect of environmental contamination on surgical ward MRSA incidence: An exploratory analysis (2018)
Journal Article
Lee, X. J., Pettitt, A. N., & Dancer, S. J. (2018). Quantifying the relative effect of environmental contamination on surgical ward MRSA incidence: An exploratory analysis. Infection, Disease & Health, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2018.02.005

Background: To investigate and quantify the contribution of environmental contamination towards methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) incidence observed in a hospital ward using stochastic modelling. Methods: A non-homogeneous Poisson pr... Read More about Quantifying the relative effect of environmental contamination on surgical ward MRSA incidence: An exploratory analysis.

Spatial zoning of microbial functions and plant-soil nitrogen dynamics across a riparian area in an extensively grazed livestock system (2018)
Journal Article
de Sosa, L. L., Glanville, H. C., Marshall, M. R., Williams, A. P., Abadie, M., Clark, I. M., Blaud, A., & Jones, D. L. (2018). Spatial zoning of microbial functions and plant-soil nitrogen dynamics across a riparian area in an extensively grazed livestock system. Soil Biology and Biochemistry, 120, 153-164. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2018.02.004

Anthropogenic activities have significantly altered global biogeochemical nitrogen (N) cycling leading to major environmental problems such as freshwater eutrophication, biodiversity loss and enhanced greenhouse gas emissions. The soils in the ripari... Read More about Spatial zoning of microbial functions and plant-soil nitrogen dynamics across a riparian area in an extensively grazed livestock system.

How Does a Photocatalytic Antimicrobial Coating Affect Environmental Bioburden in Hospitals? (2018)
Journal Article
Reid, M., Whatley, V., Spooner, E., Nevill, A. M., Cooper, M., Ramsden, J. J., & Dancer, S. J. (2018). How Does a Photocatalytic Antimicrobial Coating Affect Environmental Bioburden in Hospitals?. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 39(4), 398-404. https://doi.org/10.1017/ice.2017.297

BACKGROUND The healthcare environment is recognized as a source for healthcare-acquired infection. Because cleaning practices are often erratic and always intermittent, we hypothesize that continuously antimicrobial surfaces offer superior control of... Read More about How Does a Photocatalytic Antimicrobial Coating Affect Environmental Bioburden in Hospitals?.

Sources and contamination routes of microbial pathogens to fresh produce during field cultivation: A review (2018)
Journal Article
Alegbeleye, O. O., Singleton, I., & Sant’Ana, A. S. (2018). Sources and contamination routes of microbial pathogens to fresh produce during field cultivation: A review. Food Microbiology, 73, 177-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fm.2018.01.003

Foodborne illness resulting from the consumption of contaminated fresh produce is a common phenomenon and has severe effects on human health together with severe economic and social impacts. The implications of foodborne diseases associated with fres... Read More about Sources and contamination routes of microbial pathogens to fresh produce during field cultivation: A review.

The abundance of nitrogen cycle genes and potential greenhouse gas fluxes depends on land use type and little on soil aggregate size (2017)
Journal Article
Blaud, A., van der Zaan, B., Menon, M., Lair, G. J., Zhang, D., Huber, P., Schiefer, J., Blum, W. E., Kitzler, B., Wei, E. H., van Gaans, P., & Banwart, S. (2018). The abundance of nitrogen cycle genes and potential greenhouse gas fluxes depends on land use type and little on soil aggregate size. Applied Soil Ecology, 125, 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2017.11.026

Soil structure is known to influence microbial communities in soil and soil aggregates are the fundamental ecological unit of organisation that support soil functions. However, still little is known about the distribution of microbial communities and... Read More about The abundance of nitrogen cycle genes and potential greenhouse gas fluxes depends on land use type and little on soil aggregate size.

Report of the 2017 Protistology-UK Spring Meeting (2017)
Presentation / Conference Contribution
Rueckert, S., & Tsaousis, A. D. Report of the 2017 Protistology-UK Spring Meeting

The Protistology-UK 2017 spring meeting was organised as part of the 2017 Annual Meeting of the Microbiology Society in Edinburgh between the 3rd to the 6th of April 2017. The meeting was held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC)... Read More about Report of the 2017 Protistology-UK Spring Meeting.

Herd-level prevalence of selected endemic infectious diseases of dairy cows in Great Britain (2017)
Journal Article
Velasova, M., Damaso, A., Prakashbabu, B. C., Gibbons, J., Wheelhouse, N., Longbottom, D., Van Winden, S., Green, M., & Guitian, J. (2017). Herd-level prevalence of selected endemic infectious diseases of dairy cows in Great Britain. Journal of Dairy Science, 100(11), 9215-9233. https://doi.org/10.3168/jds.2016-11863

To implement appropriate and effective disease control programs at national level, up-to-date and unbiased information on disease frequency is needed. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of selected endemic infectious diseases in th... Read More about Herd-level prevalence of selected endemic infectious diseases of dairy cows in Great Britain.

Pathogenic outcome following experimental infection of sheep with Chlamydia abortus variant strains LLG and POS (2017)
Journal Article
Livingstone, M., Wheelhouse, N., Ensor, H., Rocchi, M., Maley, S., Aitchison, K., Wattegedera, S., Wilson, K., Sait, M., Siarkou, V., Vretou, E., Entrican, G., Dagleish, M., & Longbottom, D. (2017). Pathogenic outcome following experimental infection of sheep with Chlamydia abortus variant strains LLG and POS. PLOS ONE, 12(5), Article e0177653. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0177653

This study investigated the pathogenesis of two variant strains (LLG and POS) of Chlamydia abortus, in comparison to a typical wild-type strain (S26/3) which is known to be responsible for late term abortion in small ruminants. Challenge with the thr... Read More about Pathogenic outcome following experimental infection of sheep with Chlamydia abortus variant strains LLG and POS.

Evidence for rapid, tide-related shifts in the microbiome of the coral Coelastrea aspera (2017)
Journal Article
Sweet, M. J., Brown, B. E., Dunne, R. P., Singleton, I., & Bulling, M. (2017). Evidence for rapid, tide-related shifts in the microbiome of the coral Coelastrea aspera. Coral Reefs, 36(3), 815-828. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00338-017-1572-y

Shifts in the microbiome of the intertidal coral Coelastrea aspera (formally known as Goniastrea aspera) from Phuket, Thailand were noted over the course of a four day period of spring tides. During this time corals were naturally exposed to high tem... Read More about Evidence for rapid, tide-related shifts in the microbiome of the coral Coelastrea aspera.