ORCID Profile
0000-0002-3543-8243
Current Organisation
Monash University
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Microbial ecology | Microbiology | Atmospheric aerosols |
Publisher: Oxford University Press (OUP)
Date: 18-10-2018
DOI: 10.1093/GBE/EVY226
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 05-2021
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 26-08-2021
DOI: 10.1371/JOURNAL.PNTD.0009678
Abstract: Mycobacterium ulcerans is the causative agent of Buruli ulcer, a rare but chronic debilitating skin and soft tissue disease found predominantly in West Africa and Southeast Australia. While a moderate body of research has examined the distribution of M . ulcerans , the specific route(s) of transmission of this bacterium remain unknown, hindering control efforts. M . ulcerans is considered an environmental pathogen given it is associated with lentic ecosystems and human-to-human spread is negligible. However, the pathogen is also carried by various mammals and invertebrates, which may serve as key reservoirs and mechanical vectors, respectively. Here, we examine and review recent evidence from these endemic regions on potential transmission pathways, noting differences in findings between Africa and Australia, and summarising the risk and protective factors associated with Buruli ulcer transmission. We also discuss evidence suggesting that environmental disturbance and human population changes precede outbreaks. We note five key research priorities, including adoption of One Health frameworks, to resolve transmission pathways and inform control strategies to reduce the spread of Buruli ulcer.
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Date: 27-10-2020
DOI: 10.1101/2020.10.27.356642
Abstract: Multiple bacteria, viruses, protists, and helminths cause enteric infections that greatly impact human health and wellbeing. These enteropathogens are transmitted via several pathways through human, animal, and environmental reservoirs. In idual quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays have been extensively used to detect enteropathogens within these types of s les, whereas the TaqMan Array Card (TAC) that allows simultaneous detection of multiple enteropathogens has only previously been validated in human clinical s les. Here, we performed a comprehensive double-blinded comparison of the performance of a custom TAC relative to standard qPCR for the detection of eight enteric targets, by using spiked s les, wastewater from Melbourne (Australia), and human, animal, and environmental s les from informal settlements in Suva, Fiji. Both methods exhibited high and comparable specificity (TAC: 100%, qPCR: 94%), sensitivity (TAC: 92% qPCR: 100%), and quantitation accuracy (TAC: 91% qPCR: 99%) in non-inhibited s le matrices. PCR inhibitors substantially impacted detection via TAC, though this issue was alleviated by 10-fold s le dilution. Among s les from informal settlements, the two techniques were comparable for detection (89% agreement) and quantitation (R 2 = 0.82). The TAC additionally included 38 other targets, enabling detection of erse faecal pathogens and extensive environmental contamination that would be prohibitively labour intensive to assay by standard qPCR. Overall, the two techniques produce comparable results across erse s le types, with qPCR prioritising greater sensitivity and quantitation accuracy, and TAC trading small reductions in these for a cost-effective larger enteropathogen panel that enables a greater number of enteric pathogens to be analysed concurrently, which is beneficial given the abundance and variety of enteric pathogens in environments such as urban informal settlements. The ability to monitor multiple enteric pathogens across erse reservoirs in turn allows better resolution of pathogen exposure pathways, and the design and monitoring of interventions to reduce pathogen load. Wellcome Trust Our Planet, Our Health program [OPOH grant 205222/Z/16/Z].
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 20-02-2018
Publisher: Wiley
Date: 18-11-2023
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 24-07-2020
DOI: 10.1038/S41396-020-0722-3
Abstract: Termite mounds have recently been confirmed to mitigate approximately half of termite methane (CH 4 ) emissions, but the aerobic CH 4 oxidising bacteria (methanotrophs) responsible for this consumption have not been resolved. Here, we describe the abundance, composition and CH 4 oxidation kinetics of the methanotroph communities in the mounds of three distinct termite species s led from Northern Australia. Results from three independent methods employed show that methanotrophs are rare members of microbial communities in termite mounds, with a comparable abundance but distinct composition to those of adjoining soil s les. Across all mounds, the most abundant and prevalent methane monooxygenase sequences were affiliated with upland soil cluster α (USCα), with sequences homologous to Methylocystis and tropical upland soil cluster (TUSC) also detected. The reconstruction of a metagenome-assembled genome of a mound USCα representative highlighted the metabolic capabilities of this group of methanotrophs. The apparent Michaelis–Menten kinetics of CH 4 oxidation in mounds were estimated from in situ reaction rates. Methane affinities of the communities were in the low micromolar range, which is one to two orders of magnitude higher than those of upland soils, but significantly lower than those measured in soils with a large CH 4 source such as landfill cover soils. The rate constant of CH 4 oxidation, as well as the porosity of the mound material, were significantly positively correlated with the abundance of methanotroph communities of termite mounds. We conclude that termite-derived CH 4 emissions have selected for distinct methanotroph communities that are kinetically adapted to elevated CH 4 concentrations. However, factors other than substrate concentration appear to limit methanotroph abundance and hence these bacteria only partially mitigate termite-derived CH 4 emissions. Our results also highlight the predominant role of USCα in an environment with elevated CH 4 concentrations and suggest a higher functional ersity within this group than previously recognised.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 10-01-2022
DOI: 10.1038/S41467-021-27769-5
Abstract: Throughout coastal Antarctica, ice shelves separate oceanic waters from sunlight by hundreds of meters of ice. Historical studies have detected activity of nitrifying microorganisms in oceanic cavities below permanent ice shelves. However, little is known about the microbial composition and pathways that mediate these activities. In this study, we profiled the microbial communities beneath the Ross Ice Shelf using a multi-omics approach. Overall, beneath-shelf microorganisms are of comparable abundance and ersity, though distinct composition, relative to those in the open meso- and bathypelagic ocean. Production of new organic carbon is likely driven by aerobic lithoautotrophic archaea and bacteria that can use ammonium, nitrite, and sulfur compounds as electron donors. Also enriched were aerobic organoheterotrophic bacteria capable of degrading complex organic carbon substrates, likely derived from in situ fixed carbon and potentially refractory organic matter laterally advected by the below-shelf waters. Altogether, these findings uncover a taxonomically distinct microbial community potentially adapted to a highly oligotrophic marine environment and suggest that ocean cavity waters are primarily chemosynthetically-driven systems.
Publisher: Springer Science and Business Media LLC
Date: 06-02-2023
DOI: 10.1038/S41564-023-01322-0
Abstract: Molecular hydrogen (H 2 ) is an abundant and readily accessible energy source in marine systems, but it remains unknown whether marine microbial communities consume this gas. Here we use a suite of approaches to show that marine bacteria consume H 2 to support growth. Genes for H 2 -uptake hydrogenases are prevalent in global ocean metagenomes, highly expressed in metatranscriptomes and found across eight bacterial phyla. Capacity for H 2 oxidation increases with depth and decreases with oxygen concentration, suggesting that H 2 is important in environments with low primary production. Biogeochemical measurements of tropical, temperate and subantarctic waters, and axenic cultures show that marine microbes consume H 2 supplied at environmentally relevant concentrations, yielding enough cell-specific power to support growth in bacteria with low energy requirements. Conversely, our results indicate that oxidation of carbon monoxide (CO) primarily supports survival. Altogether, H 2 is a notable energy source for marine bacteria and may influence oceanic ecology and biogeochemistry.
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2020
DOI: 10.2139/SSRN.3677479
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 10-2021
Publisher: Public Library of Science (PLoS)
Date: 06-09-2019
Publisher: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Date: 20-07-2021
Abstract: Termites are textbook ex les of the “extended phenotype” given their ability to construct complex mounds and regulate environments. Here, we show that termites also control microbial composition and biogeochemical cycling in their mounds through their emissions of hydrogen. These emissions drive remarkable enrichments of mound bacteria that use hydrogen to drive aerobic respiration and sometimes carbon fixation (i.e., lithoautotrophs). Such mound communities efficiently consume all termite-produced hydrogen and even mediate atmospheric uptake, while termite-produced methane escapes to the atmosphere. This provides further evidence that hydrogen is a major substrate for aerobic bacteria and that the terrestrial hydrogen sink is highly responsive to elevated emissions.
Publisher: BMJ
Date: 2021
DOI: 10.1136/BMJOPEN-2020-042850
Abstract: Increasing urban populations have led to the growth of informal settlements, with contaminated environments linked to poor human health through a range of interlinked pathways. Here, we describe the design and methods for the Revitalising Informal Settlements and their Environments (RISE) study, a transdisciplinary randomised trial evaluating impacts of an intervention to upgrade urban informal settlements in two Asia-Pacific countries. RISE is a cluster randomised controlled trial among 12 settlements in Makassar, Indonesia, and 12 in Suva, Fiji. Six settlements in each country have been randomised to receive the intervention at the outset the remainder will serve as controls and be offered intervention delivery after trial completion. The intervention involves a water-sensitive approach, delivering site-specific, modular, decentralised infrastructure primarily aimed at improving health by decreasing exposure to environmental faecal contamination. Consenting households within each informal settlement site have been enrolled, with longitudinal assessment to involve health and well-being surveys, and human and environmental s ling. Primary outcomes will be evaluated in children under 5 years of age and include prevalence and ersity of gastrointestinal pathogens, abundance and ersity of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) genes in gastrointestinal microorganisms and markers of gastrointestinal inflammation. Diverse secondary outcomes include changes in microbial contamination abundance and ersity of pathogens and AMR genes in environmental s les impacts on ecological bio ersity and microclimates mosquito vector abundance anthropometric assessments, nutrition markers and systemic inflammation in children caregiver-reported and self-reported health symptoms and healthcare utilisation and measures of in idual and community psychological, emotional and economic well-being. The study aims to provide proof-of-concept evidence to inform policies on upgrading of informal settlements to improve environments and human health and well-being. Study protocols have been approved by ethics boards at Monash University, Fiji National University and Hasanuddin University. ACTRN12618000633280 Pre-results.
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
Date: 14-02-2020
Publisher: Elsevier BV
Date: 2022
Publisher: CSIRO Publishing
Date: 2019
DOI: 10.1071/MA19051
Publisher: American Society for Microbiology
Date: 22-12-2020
DOI: 10.1128/MSYSTEMS.01131-20
Abstract: Desert ecosystems, spanning a third of the earth’s surface, harbor remarkably erse microbial life despite having a low potential for photosynthesis. In this work, we reveal that atmospheric hydrogen serves as a major previously overlooked energy source for a large proportion of desert bacteria. We show that both chemoheterotrophic and photoautotrophic bacteria have the potential to oxidize hydrogen across deserts s led across four continents. Whereas hydrogen oxidation was slow in native dry deserts, it increased by three orders of magnitude together with photosynthesis following hydration. This study revealed that continual harvesting of atmospheric energy sources may be a major way that desert communities adapt to long periods of water and energy deprivation, with significant ecological and biogeochemical ramifications.
Start Date: 2023
End Date: 12-2025
Amount: $454,741.00
Summary: Microbial life in the atmosphere. This project aims to resolve the nature and basis of microbial life in the atmosphere, the largest but most unexplored potential ecosystem on Earth. The atmosphere plays a role in transporting microbes, but our understanding of resident atmospheric microbial communities and their role in global atmospheric processes is minimal. Using cutting-edge molecular and biogeochemical approaches, this project aims to identify true microbial residents of the atmosphere, un .... Microbial life in the atmosphere. This project aims to resolve the nature and basis of microbial life in the atmosphere, the largest but most unexplored potential ecosystem on Earth. The atmosphere plays a role in transporting microbes, but our understanding of resident atmospheric microbial communities and their role in global atmospheric processes is minimal. Using cutting-edge molecular and biogeochemical approaches, this project aims to identify true microbial residents of the atmosphere, understand their mechanisms for survival in this environment and explore their role in seeding newly formed environments. The anticipated outcomes include fundamental knowledge on atmospheric microbial ecosystems, and their influence on global atmospheric processes. Read more Read less
Funder: Australian Research Council
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