Best of the journals 2019
Posted on January 3, 2020 by Laura Cox
We've already covered the most-read blog posts from 2019 and now it is time to re-cap some of the most downloaded articles from the Microbiology Society’s journals and the amazing science that was published in 2019.
Popular articles in the Journal of Medical Microbiology covered topics from the microbiome to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in 2019. A review article from researchers in Brazil discussed the links between the microbiota of the colon and the risk of developing cancer. In October, researchers in Australia developed a new antimicrobial susceptibility test which can provide results for a number of common causes of infection on the same day. In November, a research team from New Zealand reviewed the ways Pseudomonas aeruginosa protect themselves from the antibiotic ciprofloxacin.
The International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology (IJSEM) saw the discovery of two new species of freshwater bacteria in Austria. Upon further investigation, these bacteria turned out to be two representatives of a new genus. In January this year, we published the International Code of Nomenclature of Prokaryotes. ‘The Code’ provides some rules and guidelines to follow when naming new species of bacteria. In August,B. J. Tindall discussed how the incorrect citation of The Code can lead to misinterpretation and unnecessary confusion.
Our newest journal Access Microbiology has been a great success, with plenty of excellent research published over the past year. A case report published in August discussed a rare case of dermatophytosis in a healthy 22-year-old woman in India. Researchers in India analysed the genome of Xanthomonas oryzae, a bacteria that causes blight in rice. Another case report discussed a skin infection from the bacteria Corynebacterium ulcerans, the causative agent of diphtheria. The researchers think it is likely that this infection was contracted from a pet dog.
In the Journal of General Virology, a review on the complex balance required for a good immune response to viral infections with minimal damage to the host, proved extremely popular. Adam Hage and Ricardo Rajsbaum (who won the 2018 Ann Palmenberg Award) discussed the role of the tripartite motif (TRIM) family of ubiquitin ligases and how they contribute to immunity against viral infections. The ICTV Virus Taxonomy Profiles continued to be popular resources, with profiles on Caliciviridae and Paramyxoiviridae among the top three most-downloaded articles from JGV in 2019.
In Microbial Genomics, researchers from University College London investigated the evolution of a multidrug resistant strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae collected during an outbreak in a Beijing hospital. Another research article in the journal compared the different techniques to sequence and assemble complex bacterial genomes. Some research from Microbial Genomics was even seen in the news this year. The research assessed how the diversity and makeup of the gut microbiome varied during patients’ time in the intensive care unit.
Our flagship journal Microbiology continued to showcase the breadth of microbiology research, covering plastic pollution, the causes of important healthcare infections and the lengths bacterial infections go to to avoid clearance by antibiotics. Researchers in Ireland asked whether the global plastic waste problem could be solved by biodegradable plastics. Many readers accessed the Microbe Profile for Pseudomonas aeruginosa, which discusses the bacteria’s properties, key features and evolution. Finally, an article discussing the trade-offs bacteria make when challenged by antibiotics, which was chosen as Editor’s Choice for the January 2020 issue.