Microbe Talk - Sexual health and the vaginal microbiome

• The first systematic review on the effects of bipolar medications on the gut microbiome furthers our understanding of the connection between the gut and the brain in patients treated for bipolar disorder. 
• By analysing existing datasets, researchers concluded that the health of the gut microbiome may predict a patient’s response to treatment with drugs. 
• The results of the study could pave the way for new personalised therapeutic strategies and inspire further studies and clinical trials focused on treatments with the microbiome in mind.

Microbes supporting the production of more metabolic energy could be key to the evolution of large brains.
 

• New research provides the first evidence that differences in gut microbiomes across species are linked to how energy is used in the body. This could have shaped human evolution of larger brains.
• The gut microbiome is a community of microorganisms in the digestive system. Previous research has linked changes in the gut microbiome to changes in host metabolism (the processes in the body that convert or use energy).
• The study found that mice given gut microbes taken from large-brained primates ate more and shifted their energy usage to glucose – the brain’s primary fuel source. Whereas the mice that were given gut microbes from smaller-brained primates stored the energy as fat.
• This change in energy utilization could be an explanation of how humans were able to evolve large brains relative to body size that are energetically expensive to maintain.

• Researchers have identified a significant change in composition and abundance of bacteria in study participants’ oral microbiomes after using a popular brand of alcohol-based mouthwash.
• The oral microbiome is the community of bacteria that live in the mouth, they help us digest our food and keep our mouth healthy.
• Researchers found that two species of opportunistic bacteria were significantly more abundant in the mouth after daily use of the alcohol-based mouthwash, Fusobacterium nucleatum and Streptococcus anginosus.
• These two bacteria have been previously linked to several diseases including gum disease and oesophageal and colorectal cancers.
• Although results show potentially damaging alterations to the microbiome, researchers urge that the study results do not mean that the general public should no longer use mouthwash.

In a first of its kind study, researchers have identified significant differences between the diversity of gut bacteria in grey squirrels compared to red squirrels which could hold the key to further understanding the ability of grey squirrels to outcompete red squirrels in the UK.

The results of new research into the effects of COVID-19 have suggested that a mild-to-moderate COVID-19 infection can lead to alterations of the upper respiratory tract (URT) microbiota, including a reduction in bacterial diversity and community structure that persists for at least several weeks after the initial infection.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, Tennessee, USA, observed a relationship between the URT microbiota and the severity of COVID symptoms in their patients. They hope this could lead to new therapy methods to reduce the effects of COVID-19 in the future.