Subj : Unveiling the secret of viruses-bacteria To : All From : ScienceDaily Date : Thu Jul 06 2023 22:30:32 Unveiling the secret of viruses-bacteria interactions in human-made environments Date: July 6, 2023 Source: City University of Hong Kong Summary: Viruses in human-made environments cause public health concerns, but they are generally less studied than bacteria. A recent study led by environmental scientists provided the first evidence of frequent interactions between viruses and bacteria in human-made environments. It found that viruses can potentially help host bacteria adapt and survive in nutrient-depleted human-made environments through a unique gene insertion. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIN Email ========================================================================== FULL STORY ========================================================================== Viruses in human-made environments cause public health concerns, but they are generally less studied than bacteria. A recent study led by environmental scientists from City University of Hong Kong (CityU) provided the first evidence of frequent interactions between viruses and bacteria in human-made environments. It found that viruses can potentially help host bacteria adapt and survive in nutrient-depleted human-made environments through a unique gene insertion. By understanding these virus-bacteria interactions and identifying the possible spread of antibiotic resistance genes, the research team hopes its latest findings can help derive effective control strategies to minimize human exposure to harmful microorganisms. Virus-host interactions are central to the ecology and evolution of microbial communities in diverse ecosystems. However, the immune mechanisms of infection and the virus-host interactions that occur in human-made environments, including buildings, public space, transportation and infrastructure, have been poorly understood. "As more and more of the global population are living in urban areas, the importance of hygiene in human-made environments is growing, particularly indoor ones, as occupants inside are constantly exposed to diverse microorganisms, which have public health implications. However, most previous studies of human-made environments overlooked viruses," said Professor Patrick Lee Kwan-Hon in the School of Energy and Environment (SEE) at CityU, who led the study. "Therefore, in our study, we comprehensively investigated viruses in human-made environments, and we identified many novel molecular mechanisms in which viruses and bacteria interact with each other. These findings are important not only for basic microbial science, but also the management of human-made environments to protect residents' health," added Professor Lee. In the study, researchers collected 738 samples from different types of human- made environments, including public facilities and residences, in Hong Kong. They collected the samples mainly from the surfaces of handrails, bollards, floors, poles, doorknobs and skin of residents. Then they used the metagenomic sequencing technique for analysis. The analysis resulted in many interesting discoveries. First, the data showed that viruses are integral members of microbial communities in human-made environments. Among them, bacteriophages, a kind of virus that infects and replicates within bacteria, are all over various surfaces in human-made environments. The team also identified many viruses that are distinct from those in other ecosystems. Second, the team found evidence of viruses inserting genes that control a specific step in a metabolic pathway and even the entire metabolic pathway into bacteria hosts. This suggests that viruses could help bacteria adapt and coevolve to survive in nutrient-depleted human-made environments. The study also found diverse and novel immune systems against viruses in bacteria, and small proteins in viruses that can evade bacteria immune systems. These results suggest that viruses and bacteria hosts frequently interact with each other in human-made environments and that they each have mechanisms to defend against each other. They also detected antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) in viruses on human skin and frequently touched indoor surfaces. These ARG-carrying viruses might infect bacterial hosts, and ARGs might be horizontally transferred between bacterial species. Therefore, the role played by viruses in human-made environments in the development of antibiotic resistance in bacteria is crucial and warrants further investigation. "Our study shows that the diversity, composition, metabolic functions and lifestyle of viruses vary, depending on the conditions of each human-made environment," said Professor Lee. "Therefore, it is important to develop customized control strategies to minimize human exposure to harmful microorganisms and to better protect residents' health. Our findings can contribute to this goal by enhancing the fundamental understanding of complex virus-bacteria interactions in human-made environments." * RELATED_TOPICS o Health_&_Medicine # Viruses # Medical_Topics # Human_Biology # HIV_and_AIDS o Plants_&_Animals # Microbes_and_More # Extreme_Survival # Virology # Bacteria * RELATED_TERMS o Virus o Microorganism o Transmission_(medicine) o Pathogen o Human_parainfluenza_viruses o Transplant_rejection o Avian_flu o Gene_therapy ========================================================================== Print Email Share ========================================================================== ****** 1 ****** ***** 2 ***** **** 3 **** *** 4 *** ** 5 ** Breaking this hour ========================================================================== * First_Snapshots_of_Fermion_Pairs * Why_No_Kangaroos_in_Bali;_No_Tigers_in_Australia * New_Route_for_Treating_Cancer:_Chromosomes * Giant_Stone_Artefacts_Found:_Prehistoric_Tools * Astonishing_Secrets_of_Tunicate_Origins * Most_Distant_Active_Supermassive_Black_Hole * Creative_People_Enjoy_Idle_Time_More_Than_Others * Restoring_Fragile_X_Protein_Production * Earth's_Solid_Metal_Sphere_Is_'Textured' * Elephants_Vary_Their_Dinner_Menu_Day-To-Day Trending Topics this week ========================================================================== PLANTS_&_ANIMALS Biochemistry_Research Insects_(including_Butterflies) Wild_Animals EARTH_&_CLIMATE Air_Pollution Ice_Ages Pollution FOSSILS_&_RUINS Ancient_Civilizations Cultures Early_Climate ========================================================================== Strange & Offbeat ========================================================================== PLANTS_&_ANIMALS Why_There_Are_No_Kangaroos_in_Bali_(and_No_Tigers_in_Australia) Number_Cruncher_Calculates_Whether_Whales_Are_Acting_Weirdly Fossils_Reveal_How_Ancient_Birds_Molted_Their_Feathers_--_Which_Could_Help Explain_Why_Ancestors_of_Modern_Birds_Survived_When_All_the_Other_Dinosaurs Died EARTH_&_CLIMATE Why_There_Are_No_Kangaroos_in_Bali_(and_No_Tigers_in_Australia) Turning_Old_Maps_Into_3D_Digital_Models_of_Lost_Neighborhoods Squash_Bugs_Are_Attracted_to_and_Eat_Each_Other's_Poop_to_Stock_Their Microbiome FOSSILS_&_RUINS Giant_Stone_Artefacts_Found_on_Rare_Ice_Age_Site_in_Kent,_UK How_Urea_May_Have_Been_the_Gateway_to_Life Newly_Discovered_Jurassic_Fossils_in_Texas Story Source: Materials provided by City_University_of_Hong_Kong. Note: Content may be edited for style and length. ========================================================================== Journal Reference: 1. Shicong Du, Xinzhao Tong, Alvin C. K. Lai, Chak K. Chan, Christopher E. Mason, Patrick K. H. Lee. Highly host-linked viromes in the built environment possess habitat-dependent diversity and functions for potential virus-host coevolution. Nature Communications, 2023; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38400-0 ========================================================================== Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2023/07/230706124533.htm --- up 1 year, 18 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 50 minutes * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1337:3/111) .