Scanning electron micrographs visualizing the cell morphology of enriched archaeal cultures and co-enriched background bacteria – M. smithii in A+C, Cand. M. intestini in B+D.
The research team, led by Christine Moissl-Eichinger from the Medical University of Graz, in collaboration with CeMESS, the University of Kiel (Germany), and the Jagiellonian University in Krakow (Poland), has developed a groundbreaking method to isolate elusive archaea from human feces, unveiling their hidden role in the gut microbiome.
Using advanced techniques like in silico modeling, FACS, optimized cultivation, genomic sequencing, and structure-based functional prediction, the team discovered new strains, including species potentially linked to gut health and disease, offering a valuable resource for future microbiome research.