Antibiotic-induced alterations in the gut ecosystem increases the susceptibility to Candida albicans, yet the mechanisms involved remains poorly understood. Here we show that mice treated with the broad-spectrum antibiotic cefoperazone promoted the growth, morphogenesis and gastrointestinal (GI) colonization of C. albicans. Using metabolomics, we revealed that the cecal metabolic environment of the mice treated with cefoperazone showed a significant alteration in intestinal metabolites. Levels of carbohydrates, sugar alcohols and primary bile acids increased, whereas carboxylic acids and secondary bile acids decreased in antibiotic treated mice susceptible to C. albicans. Furthermore, using in-vitro assays, we confirmed that carbohydrates, sugar alcohols and primary bile acids promote, whereas carboxylic acids and secondary bile acids inhibit the growth and morphogenesis of C. albicans. In addition, in this study we report changes in the levels of gut metabolites correlated with shifts in the gut microbiota. Taken together, our in-vivo and in-vitro results indicate that cefoperazone-induced metabolome and microbiome alterations favor the growth and morphogenesis of C. albicans, and potentially play an important role in the GI colonization of C. albicans.

The human microbiome is influenced by a number of factors, including environmental exposure to microbes. Because many humans spend a large amount of time in built environments, it can be expected that the microbial ecology of these environments will influence the human microbiome. In an attempt to further understand the microbial ecology of built environments, the microbiota of car interiors was analyzed using culture dependent and culture independent methods. While it was found that the number and type of bacteria varied widely among the cars and sites tested, Staphylococcus and Propionibacterium were nearly always the dominant genera found at the locations sampled. Because Staphylococcus is of particular concern to human health, the characteristics of this genus found in car interiors were investigated. Staphylococcus epidermidis, S. aureus, and S. warnerii were the most prevalent staphylococcal species found, and 22.6% of S. aureus strains isolated from shared community vehicles were resistant to methicillin. The reduction in the prevalence of pathogenic bacteria in cars by using silver-based antimicrobial surface coatings was also evaluated. Coatings containing 5% silver ion additives were applied to steering wheels, placed in cars for five months and were found to eliminate the presence of culturable pathogenic bacteria recovered from these sites relative to controls. Together, these results provide new insight into the microbiota found in an important built environment, the automobile, and potential strategies for controlling the presence of human pathogens.

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Circadian rhythms are core regulators of a variety of mammalian physiologic processes and oscillate in a 24-h pattern. Many peripheral organs possess endogenous rhythmicity that is then modulated by a master clock; the skin is one of these peripheral organs. The dysregulation of rhythms is associated with decreased ability to ameliorate cellular stressors at a local and global level, which then increases the propensity for the development of neoplastic growths. In this article, we review the implications of altered circadian rhythms on DNA repair as well as modified gene expression of core clock proteins with particular focus on skin models. These findings are then correlated with epidemiologic data regarding skin cancer to showcase the effects of circadian disruption on this phenomenon.