Anaerobic ammonia oxidation (Anammox) technology has emerged as a highly promising biological nitrogen removal approach, exhibiting remarkable technical and economic advantages in treating wastewater with high ammonia nitrogen content and a low carbon-to-nitrogen ratio. However, with the escalating global plastic pollution, microplastics (MPs) have become ubiquitous in wastewater treatment systems. This review systematically collates the research status regarding the sources and classification of microplastics in wastewater treatment plants, and the impacts of MPs on anammox systems. Based on their degradation characteristics, MPs are categorized into two major types: degradable microplastics and non-degradable microplastics. The critical factors influencing anammox processes in the presence of microplastics are comprehensively summarized and analyzed. The impacts exerted by MPs on anammox systems are closely correlated with key factors such as polymer type, particle size distribution, concentration-dependent effects, and exposure duration-dependent responses. Low concentrations of microplastics can act as biofilm carriers or provide carbon sources, thereby facilitating microbial adhesion and growth, and enhancing the nitrogen removal efficiency of the system. In contrast, high concentrations of microplastics usually inhibit anammox activity through pathways including physical clogging, toxic effects, and oxidative stress, which in turn leads to the decline of nitrogen removal performance, damage to sludge structure and alterations of microbial community structure in the system. The underlying mechanisms involve three aspects: shifts in microbial community structure, regulation of functional gene expression, and disturbance of metabolic processes. Finally, this review proposes potential future research directions. This study aims to provide comprehensive theoretical support for the stable operation of anammox systems and environmental risk management against the backdrop of microplastic pollution.

Camel milk is highly valued for its nutritional and therapeutic properties. However, extensive management systems often lead to inconsistent milk quality. This study aimed to evaluate the effects of sodium diacetate (SDA) and Aspergillus oryzae (AO) as dietary additives on the milk composition and fecal microbiota of lactating Bactrian camels. Thirty camels of similar parity were randomly assigned to three groups: a control group (TMR), an SDA group (1000 mg/kg DM), and an AO group (40 g/d). The trial lasted 45 days, including a 15-day acclimation period. Routine milk components were analyzed every 10 days, while fatty acids and fecal microbiota were assessed on day 30. Results showed that SDA supplementation significantly increased the concentrations of Vitamin E, Vitamin C, and unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) in milk without affecting milk yield or routine components. Microbiota analysis indicated that SDA treatment significantly increased the abundance of the fungal genus Melanocarpus, although no broad shifts in microbial community structure were observed across groups. In conclusion, dietary SDA (1000 mg/kg) effectively enhances bioactive substances in camel milk while maintaining stable milk quality. These findings suggest that SDA is a viable “green” additive for improving the functional value of camel milk in intensive production systems.

Anthropogenic nutrient inputs drove shifts in phytoplankton productivity and community structure in the northern South China Sea over the past century.

Is the endometrial microbiome altered in women who fail to get pregnant after ART and do microbial-derived metabolites influence endometrial cellular mechanisms important for embryo implantation? The endometrial microbiome in women who fail to get pregnant after ART is more diverse and has fewer lactobacilli species than the endometrial microbiomes of women who become pregnant; the short-chain fatty acid butyrate, a common metabolite found in the presence of increased microbial diversity, diminishes endometrial epithelial barrier function and increases the expression of inflammatory markers. Shifts in the endometrial microbial community structure have been linked to fertility and pregnancy complications although the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Microbial metabolites at other mucosal surfaces, such as the gut, act as important modulators of immune and barrier function, particularly in epithelial cells. Effects of changes in local bacterial microbial populations on fertility, and how their metabolites might influence endometrial cell function have not been explored. In this prospective longitudinal study of ART outcomes, 29 nulliparous women with unexplained infertility were recruited between October 2016 and February 2018. Endometrial tissue samples were taken for microbiome analysis and endometrial transcriptomics prior to ART. For primary cell culture studies, endometrial biopsies were obtained from fertile women of reproductive age undergoing laparoscopic surgical investigation between February 2021 and September 2023. In vitro models of implantation were established using endometrial cell lines and primary endometrial stromal cells. Microbiome 16S sequencing analysis was performed on bacterial DNA isolated from endometrial biopsies and correlated with receptivity markers. Endometrial RNA sequencing data from women undergoing ART were used to analyse differential gene expression of receptivity and decidualization markers in women who had a positive or negative ART cycle outcome. In vitro models, using both established endometrial cell lines and primary human endometrial epithelial cells and stromal cells, were developed to investigate the effects of microbial-derived metabolites. An in vitro model of peri-implantation was used to test the effect of butyrate on endometrial epithelial receptivity and stromal cell decidualization. Endometrial microbiome 16S sequencing revealed a lower abundance of Lactobacillus spp. and significantly higher abundance of pathogenic species such as Prevotella spp. and Corynebacterium spp. in women who did not become pregnant after ART. Endometrial microbiota from women who had positive ART outcomes showed significantly lower diversity indices. Intriguingly, analysis of endometrial RNA sequencing data from women with unexplained infertility undergoing ART showed that negative ART outcomes were associated with higher levels of some receptivity and decidualization markers in their endometrial tissue. Butyrate, but not lactate or acetate, also increased some markers of epithelial receptivity and stromal decidualization. Butyrate exposure also activated defence mechanisms in cultured endometrial epithelial cells by inducing expression of antimicrobial peptide(s) and inflammation markers, as well as impairing the barrier integrity of endometrial epithelial cell monolayers. The RNA-seq data used for the study can be found in GEO database, GEO ID GSE144895. The data for the 16S sequencing can be accessed in SRA BioProject number PRJNA1338067. Limitations of our study include the cohort size and technical challenges that precluded absolute butyrate measurement in endometrial tissue biopsies. Biopsy collection from women undergoing gynaecological investigation varied in menstrual cycle staging and fertility diagnoses, which may contribute to the variability between responses obtained from in vitro stimulations. The transferred embryos were not genetically tested, but were all of good or top quality. Our findings indicate that the endometrial microbiome is altered in women who fail to become pregnant after ART, and that the microbial-derived metabolite butyrate can induce inflammation and impair endometrial epithelial barrier function and drive increased gene expression levels of markers for epithelial receptivity and stromal decidualization in in vitro models of peri-implantation. Endometrial microbial dysbiosis and higher expression of receptivity markers were found in women who failed to establish pregnancy post-ART. Negative ART outcomes in this cohort were found to correlate with the presence of a wider, more diverse microbial community that includes Prevotella spp., which is among the butyrate-producing bacteria. Further investigation of the microbial metabolome in healthy endometrium would help clarify the physiological role of butyrate and other bacterial metabolites in endometrial function. This research was supported by the Grant for Fertility Innovation from Merck KGaA, grant award number 15692. The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper. N/A.

Rapid response of centric diatoms to nitrogen pulses in a warming Arabian Sea.

Eight-year effect of biochar amendment on soil properties, extracellular enzyme activity, N-cycling genes and microbiome structure in two Danish fallow soils.

Disentangling phytoplankton regime shifts and ecosystem stability under water diversion: Insights from functional traits and trophic interactions in a mesocosm experiment.

Cross-kingdom gut microbiota signatures and their associations with clinical phenotypes in adolescents with bipolar depression.

The Leizhou goat is a vital indigenous breed, yet its disease resilience can complicate early health monitoring. The white blood cell (WBC) count is a key indicator of immune status, but its relationship with the gut microbiota remains uncharacterized in this breed. This study aimed to characterize the fecal microbiota of Hainan black goats stratified based on their WBC counts. The goats were stratified into Lower, Middle, and High WBC groups based on peripheral WBC counts to compare their fecal microbiota and identify potential associations with systemic immunity. Significant differences in microbial alpha- and be-ta-diversity were observed among the groups, with the High WBC group showing the greatest richness. The microbiota was dominated by Bacillota and Bacteroidota at the phylum level. Linear discriminant analysis Effect Size (LEfSe) identified specific taxa en-riched in each group, such as Ruminococcusin the High WBC group. Critically, Spearman correlation analysis demonstrated significant positive correlations between WBC counts and the relative abundance of genera like unclassified_f_Oscillospiraceae and unclassi-fied_c_Clostridia. These findings demonstrate that WBC counts are significantly associated with distinct shifts in the gut microbial community structure of Hainan black goats. The identified WBC-associated microbial biomarkers suggest a link between the gut microbi-ome and host immune regulation, providing a foundation for future research on microbi-ota-mediated health assessment in goats.

Aim: This study evaluated the impact of pesticide use on soil bacterial community structure, abundance and diversity. Pesticide treated (PT) and untreated (UT) soils were obtained from a farmland at Onuebum Community, Bayelsa State, Nigeria. The UT soil served as the control. Place and Duration of Study: Department of Microbiology Laboratory, Federal University Otuoke, Bayelsa State, Nigeria, between May 2025 and June 2025. Methodology: The soils were analyzed for pesticide residues and phospholipid fatty acids (PLFA) using Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS). Isolation, enumeration and identification of bacterial species were done using standard microbiological techniques. Results: GC-MS revealed that PT soil had four organochlorine residues; Alpha-BHC (11.55 µg/kg), Aldrin (12.93 µg/kg), Heptachlor epoxide (1.05 µg/kg) and Gamma-chlordane (16.39 µg/kg) above Maximum Residue Limits (MRL) (7.4, 5, 0.6 and 4 µg/kg) respectively. However organophosphate residues in the soils were all below MRL (0.05 µg/kg). The UT soil had one organochlorine residue; Heptachlor epoxide (4.08 µg/kg) above MRL (0.6 µg/kg), while others were below MRL. The PT soil had one PLFA; palmitic acid (biomarker for General Bacteria) out of the compounds detected, while the UT soil had 18 PLFAs (biomarkers for General Bacteria, Fungi, Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria). The mean total csulturable heterotrophic bacterial counts (TCHBC) recorded for PT and UT were 7.1 × 104 and 2.3 × 104 CFU/g respectively. A total of 9 and 6 bacterial isolates were recovered from PT and UT soils respectively. The identified isolates from UT soil were (Bacillus pumilus, Burkholderia cepacia, Chromobacterium sp., Bacillus spp., Serratia sp., Streptococcus sp.) and PT soil (Bacillus thuringiensis, Lysinbacillus xylanilyticus, Klebsiella quasipneumoniae, Enterobacter mori, Rossellomorea marisflavi, Priestia megaterium, Chryseobacterium gleum, Lysinibacillus sphaericus). Conclusion: Findings from this study reveal a shift in the microbial community structure from a more diverse structure observed in UT soil to a less diverse structure observed in PT soil, selecting for mostly Bacillus species in (PT soil) known for their resilience under environmental stress. Therefore, integrated pest management and pesticide stewardship are recommended to reduce the negative impact of pesticides on agricultural soils.

Gastric cancer (GC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide, with the highest incidence in East Asia. Although H. pylori is a well-known risk factor, carcinogenesis can occur independently of H. pylori infection, and approximately 43% of adults carry H. pylori as part of their native microbiota. This study aimed to identify potential oral and gastric microbial markers across different histological stages of GC in both H. pylori-positive and -negative patients. Buccal swabs and gastric mucosa samples were collected from patients with intestinal metaplasia, low-grade dysplasia, high-grade dysplasia, early GC, or advanced GC. Total DNA was extracted, and 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing was performed. Microbiome diversity generally remained stable across histological stages, with no directional shifts in community structure. Differential abundance analysis revealed higher relative abundances of Anaerostipes, Phocaeicola, and Collinsella in the gastric antrum of cancerous samples. Anaerostipes and Phocaeicola are typically enriched in the intestinal microbiota but are rarely observed in the stomach, suggesting their potential ecological and pathological relevance in gastric carcinogenesis. In H. pylori-negative patients, however, a different stage-associated abundance pattern was observed, in which Faecalibacterium, a genus predominantly associated with the intestinal environment, was less abundant in advanced gastric cancer samples than in earlier histological stages within the gastric body. These findings suggest that microbial changes during gastric cancer progression may follow different trajectories depending on H. pylori infection status. In oral samples, Haemophilus and Prevotella were more abundant in intestinal metaplasia than in low-grade dysplasia, and network analysis indicated links between Neisseria and Filifactor at oral and gastric sites. However, as the study population was limited to a single country and ethnicity, the applicability of these microbial markers should be carefully considered.

Silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) are increasingly applied in agriculture and related technologies due to their antimicrobial properties, yet their interactions with soil-associated organisms and microbial communities remain insufficiently characterized. This study examined the effects of AgNP exposure (10.85 mg/L) on trace element accumulation and gut bacterial communities of the earthworm Eisenia fetida under two substrate conditions (horticultural substrate and compost). High-throughput 16S rRNA gene sequencing revealed substrate-dependent shifts in microbial community structure following AgNP exposure. Several bacterial taxa, including Proteobacteria, Gammaproteobacteria, Bacilli, Streptococcus sp., and Staphylococcus sp., exhibited pronounced numerical declines, indicating sensitivity to AgNPs, whereas Actinobacteria and Bacteroidetes showed comparatively higher relative abundances, suggesting greater tolerance. Compost partially mitigated the inhibitory effects of AgNPs on gut microbiota. Concurrently, AgNP exposure altered trace element accumulation patterns in earthworm tissues, highlighting interactions between silver uptake and elemental homeostasis. Collectively, these findings demonstrate that AgNPs can induce taxon- and substrate-specific responses in earthworm-associated microbial communities and metal accumulation, providing insight into potential ecological consequences of nanoparticle use in agricultural systems.

Effects of microsized and nanosized polystyrene on detrital processing and nutrient dynamics in streams.

Microbial community differences between healthy and Ustilago-infected oats.

Large-scale, decentralized microbiome sampling surveys and citizen science initiatives often require periods of storage at ambient temperature, potentially altering sample composition during collection and transport. We developed a generalizable framework to quantify and model these biases using sourdough as a tractable fermentation system, with samples subjected to controlled storage conditions (4 °C, 17 °C, 30 °C, regularly sampled up to 28 days). Machine-learning models paired with multi-omics profiling-including microbiome, targeted and untargeted metabolome profiling, and cultivation-revealed temperature-dependent shifts in bacterial community structure and metabolic profiles, while fungal communities remained stable. Storage induced ecological restructuring, marked by reduced network modularity and increased centrality of dominant taxa at higher temperatures. Notably, storage duration and temperature were strongly encoded in the multi-omics data, with temperature exerting a more pronounced influence than time. 24 of the top 25 predictors of storage condition were metabolites, underscoring functional layers as both sensitive to and informative of environmental exposure. These findings demonstrate that even short-term ambient storage (<2 days) can substantially reshape microbiome, metabolome, and biochemical profiles, posing risks to data comparability in decentralized studies and emphasizing the need to recognize and address such biases. Critically, the high predictability of storage history offers a path toward bias detection and correction- particularly when standardized collection protocols are infeasible, as is common in decentralized sampling contexts. Our approach enables robust quantification and modeling of such storage effects across multi-omics datasets, unlocking more accurate interpretation of large-scale microbiome surveys.

Zinc-containing PVC microplastics reduce soil microbial activity and alter community structure in the plastisphere following UV-induced weathering.

Strain-specific metabolic endpoints and predictive phase classification in gnotobiotic kimchi fermentation.

Shifts in prokaryotic communities and giant sulphur-oxidising bacteria in response to salmon aquaculture in sub-Antarctic marine sediments.

System-dependent divergence of microbial community and resistome in two anaerobic niches under sulfamethoxazole selection.

Environmental drivers modulate host-parasitoid coupling between the marine diatom Chaetoceros and the cercozoan Pseudopirsonia.