Karen Pendergrass, Standards Team

This editorial synthesizes evidence on the role of iron in bacterial pathogenesis, emphasizing how iron scarcity and host nutritional immunity shape virulence, metabolic strategy, and antibiotic tolerance across diverse pathogens. Mechanisms covered include siderophore production and piracy, heme acquisition, ferrous iron uptake via Feo, and regulatory circuitry such as Fur and the […]

This review maps the battle for iron between bacterial pathogens and hosts, detailing nutritional immunity, bacterial siderophores and heme uptake, siderocalin defense, stealth siderophores, and clinical implications for infection risk, vaccines, and microbiome-informed care.

This review summarizes evidence that both low and high plasma iron increase infection risk, particularly in individuals with HFE C282Y homozygosity. Maintaining stable transferrin saturation is vital for immune function, with implications for managing hemochromatosis and iron deficiency to prevent infections and support microbiome health.

A comprehensive review of the hormonal regulation of puberty, diagnostic markers for distinguishing healthy from disordered puberty, and the implications for clinical practice, with emphasis on the endocrine framework relevant to future microbiome research.

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the most clinically significant species within the diverse Pseudomonas genus, known for being Glyoxalase I (Glo-I) and oxidase-positive. It is a versatile Gram-negative bacterium and a major opportunistic pathogen, frequently causing hospital-acquired infections such as pneumonia and bacteremia, particularly in immunocompromised individuals. Its pathogenicity is driven by a wide array of […]

Retrograde menstruation theory holds that during menstruation, some endometrial tissue reverses through the fallopian tubes into the pelvic cavity. It implants on pelvic organs, thickens, breaks down, and bleeds cyclically, causing inflammation, pain, and scar tissue, characteristic of endometriosis.

Pueraria lobata (kudzu) is used in traditional medicine for cardiovascular issues, menopause, and alcohol dependence due to its bioactive isoflavones. These compounds, particularly puerarin, offer vasodilatory effects and antioxidant properties, enhancing blood circulation and reducing oxidative stress.

Cholestyramine, a polymer resin, binds bile acids, toxins, and heavy metals, reducing cholesterol and fat absorption, while altering gut microbiome and aiding detoxification.

Bacterial vaginosis (BV) is caused by an imbalance in the vaginal microbiota, where the typically dominant Lactobacillus species are significantly reduced, leading to an overgrowth of anaerobic and facultative bacteria.

Recent research reveals that the gut microbiome significantly influences heart failure progression, contributing to inflammation and other complications.

Oxidase positivity in an organism refers to the ability of the organism to produce the enzyme cytochrome c oxidase, which is involved in the electron transport chain during aerobic respiration.

This study investigated the gut microbiota profiles, diagnostic value, and functional pathways specific to premenopausal breast cancer patients. It aimed to identify unique gut microbial markers distinguishing premenopausal breast cancer patients from postmenopausal patients and age-matched controls. The study also explored functional pathways of gut microbiota linked to breast cancer progression and […]

This study investigated the causal relationship between gut microbiome composition and endometriosis using a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach. The researchers aimed to determine whether specific gut microbiota taxa have a direct causal effect on endometriosis risk rather than a mere observational association. Who was studied? The study utilized genome-wide association study […]

Metformin is a synthetic derivative of guanidine derived from the guanidine alkaloid of the plant Galega officinalis L. with significant hypoglycemic effects. It is a first-line antihyperglycemic agent due to its efficacy, low cost, and favorable safety profile.

The Research Fast-Track (RFT) designation is a priority label used within the Microbiome Signatures framework to identify microbiome-targeted interventions that demonstrate exceptional translational potential and clinical relevance. This designation highlights interventions that warrant accelerated research, validation, and collaborative exploration due to their alignment with condition-specific microbiome signatures and their capacity to impact disease pathogenesis […]

This review illustrates zinc’s dose- and species-dependent impact on gut microbiota, linking both deficiency and excess to dysbiosis and systemic inflammation. Physiological Zn enhances barrier integrity and probiotic efficiency, while excess Zn favors pathogens. Zn–microbiota interactions extend beyond the gut, influencing neurodevelopmental and metabolic diseases.

This review details how nutritional immunity shapes host–pathogen interactions through metal sequestration and intoxication, highlights key microbial metal acquisition systems, and discusses their implications for microbiome signatures and the development of novel antimicrobial therapies.

This study identifies a distinct urinary metallomic signature in pancreatic cancer patients, marked by altered calcium, magnesium, copper, and zinc levels, along with lighter zinc isotopic composition. These findings suggest that non-invasive urine tests could enable early PDAC detection by leveraging trace metal imbalances and stable isotope shifts.

This study reveals that Graves’ disease is linked to distinct gut microbiota alterations, particularly increased Ruminococcus and Lactobacillus and decreased Synergistetes and Phascolarctobacterium, which correlate with thyroid autoantibody status and may serve as microbiome-based biomarkers for disease activity and therapeutic response.

This prospective study identifies a unique gut microbiome signature in Graves’ disease, characterized by decreased SCFA-producing bacteria and increased pro-inflammatory taxa, which partially recovers with antithyroid therapy. Twelve genera robustly distinguish GD, offering potential for early diagnosis and microbiome-targeted interventions.

This study reveals distinct gut microbiome alterations in Graves’ disease, identifies 12 key bacterial genera as diagnostic signatures, and shows microbiota recovery after antithyroid therapy, linking dysbiosis to immune regulation and disease pathogenesis.

This comparative study evaluated ketoconazole and hypochlorous acid for dermatophytosis in cats and dogs. Ketoconazole outperformed HOCl in microscopic clearance, though both showed strong clinical improvement. HOCl may serve as a partial alternative pending further optimization.

This study reveals that Chinese Graves’ disease patients exhibit reduced gut microbiota diversity and distinct compositional changes, with specific genera correlating to disease markers. Anti-thyroid therapy partially restores microbiome diversity, suggesting gut microbial signatures may serve as biomarkers or therapeutic targets in Graves’ disease.

This study found that Graves’ disease is associated with reduced gut microbial diversity and specific increases in Bacilli, Lactobacillales, Prevotella, Megamonas, and Veillonella, alongside decreases in Ruminococcus, Rikenellaceae, and Alistipes, identifying a distinctive intestinal microbiota signature relevant to GD pathogenesis.