A deep metagenomic sequencing of more than 1000 individual gut microbiomes, coupled with detailed long-term diet, fasting, and same-meal postprandial cardiometabolic blood markers analyses, is described. Strong associations between a set of microbes and specific nutrients, foods, food groups, and general dietary indices are demonstrated. Microbial biomarkers of obesity were reproducible across cohorts, but blood markers of cardiovascular disease and impaired glucose tolerance were more strongly associated with microbiome structures. Panels of intestinal microbial species associated with different conditions and/or habits are identified, enabling stratification of the gut microbiome into generalizable health levels among individuals even without clinically manifest disease.

The present invention relates to the determination of the level of marker peptides in a sample derived from a bodily fluid of a subject presenting with non-specific complaints.

Cell based assays for botulinum neurotoxin are provided. Specific neurotoxin uptake or proteolytic activity directed to reporting constructs sensitive to botulinum neurotoxin in cells capable of being intoxicated by botulinum neurotoxin is enhanced by increasing expression of SV2 or heat shock proteins in such cells, respectively.

The present disclosure provides antibodies that specifically bind to botulinum neurotoxins (e.g., BoNT/A, BoNT/B, BoNT/C, BoNT/D, BoNT/E, BoNT/F, BoNT/G, etc.) and the epitopes bound by those antibodies. The antibodies and derivatives thereof that specifically bind to the neutralizing epitopes provided herein can be used to neutralize botulinum neurotoxin and are therefore also useful in the treatment of botulism.

An immunogenic polypeptide selected from an isolated Clostridium perfringens pilus polypeptide, a variant of the pilus polypeptide; a fragment of the pilus polypeptide; and a fragment of the variant, is useful for the preparation of a vaccine for the treatment or prevention of enteric necrosis in poultry. The isolated Clostridium perfringens pilus polypeptide includes an assembled pilus or the pilus subunits CnaA, FimA and/or FimB.

Methods of determining infection type are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises measuring the amount of TRAIL and/or IP10 no more than two days from symptom onset.

The invention disclosed herein relates generally to the fields of microbiology, ecology and microfluidics. Particularly, the invention disclosed herein provides compositions and methods for isolating bacteria from complex microbial communities and measuring growth rates of the isolated bacteria in a given environmental condition.

The present disclosure provides methods and lateral flow devices for detecting a plurality of target analytes in a liquid sample. In some implementations, the disclosed lateral flow device comprises a housing unit, a capillary flow bed, a sample-receiving zone, a buffer-receiving zone, and a capture zone. The device is configured to control the flow of the sample and reagent buffer in a sequential manner with minimal mixing. In some implementations, the disclosed method is capable of detecting a plurality of target analytes in an assay by applying the binding agents and the signaling agents in separate or sequential steps.

A microfluidic device for detection of an analyte in a fluid is described. The microfluidic device comprises a substrate having a first surface defining entrances to one or more chambers defined in the substrate, surfaces of the chambers defining a second surface of the substrate, the first surface being modified for selective targeting and capture of at least one analyte to operably effect a blocking of the entrance to at least one of the chambers, and wherein a response characteristic of the microfluidic device is operably varied by the blocking of the entrance to the at least one of the chambers, thereby providing an indication of the presence of the analyte within the fluid.

In one aspect, a method of detecting a pathogen, e.g., Listeria bacterium, Chlamydia bacteria, gonorrhea bacteria and/or HPV, in a sample is disclosed, which comprises bringing a sample into contact with a graphene layer functionalized with an antibody exhibiting specific binding to the pathogen, monitoring electrical resistance of said antibody-functionalized graphene layer in response to interaction with said sample, and detecting presence of the pathogen in said sample by detecting a change in said electrical resistance indicative of interaction of the pathogen with said antibody-functionalized graphene layer. For example, a decrease of the electrical resistance of the graphene layer can indicate the presence of the pathogen in the sample under study. In some embodiments, a method according to the present teachings is capable of detecting pathogens, such as Listeria bacteria, Chlamydia bacteria, gonorrhea bacteria and HPV in a sample at a concentration as low as 4 cfu per 100 grams of a sample.