Katy Patras

Type 2 diabetes mellitus exacerbates vaginal group B Streptococcus colonization via impaired mucosal cytokine response Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a metabolic disorder that confers increased risk of microbial infections, including those caused by the opportunistic pathogen group B Streptococcus (GBS). Asymptomat...

Type 2 diabetes mellitus exacerbates vaginal group B Streptococcus colonization via impaired mucosal cytokine response | bioRxiv share.google/FOlGfq0GNfsM...

Type 2 diabetes mellitus exacerbates vaginal group B Streptococcus colonization via impaired mucosal cytokine response https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.01.08.698441v1

Type 2 diabetes mellitus exacerbates vaginal group B Streptococcus colonization via impaired mucosal cytokine response Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is a metabolic disorder that confers increased risk of microbial infections, including those caused by the opportunistic pathogen group B Streptococcus (GBS). Asymptomat...

New preprint from the lab highlighting the importance of vaginal immune responses to GBS persistence in Type 2 diabetes. Type 2 diabetes mellitus exacerbates vaginal group B Streptococcus colonization via impaired mucosal cytokine response | bioRxiv share.google/FOlGfq0GNfsM...

Registration for our 6th conference on clinical & scientific advances in UTI is OPEN!

📅WHEN: 4/9/26 - 4/11/26

🌎WHERE: Nashville, TN 🇺🇸

‼️APPLICATION DEADLINES‼️

✈️💰TRAVEL AWARD: 1/12/26

🗣️ABSTRACT: 2/16/26

🗓️EARLY REGISTRATION: 2/26/26

UTIGA.ORG/2026-6TH-CS...

#UTICONF26
#UTISKY
#IDSKY

Nasal microbionts differentially colonize and elicit cytokines in human nasal epithelial organoids | mSphere Human nasal microbiota often includes highly pathogenic members, many of which are antimicrobial resistance threats, e.g., methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and drug-resistant Streptococcus ...

Happy to share this new article online at #mSphere journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Human nasal organoids (HNOs) are a new model system for studying bacterial colonization and interspecies interactions. A big congratulations to the whole team, especially co-first authors: Andrea Boyd and Leah Kafer

What if NIH had been 40% smaller? Replaying history with less NIH funding shows widespread impacts on drug-linked research

This may be the most important paper ever published about NIH funded research.

www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...

Congrats Rebecca!!!

A critical message on the importance of federal funding in supporting global human health.

Thanks Jenny!

Human bladder organoids model urinary tract infection and bacteriophage therapy Urinary tract infections (UTIs), primarily caused by uropathogenic Escherichia coli (UPEC), are among the most common antibiotic-resistant infections. Despite this, currently available preclinical UTI...

Excited to share a new preclinical model, human bladder organoids, to study UTI, novel therapies, and beyond! Developed with Dr. Sarah Blutt, the BCM Organoid Core, and @tailor-labs.bsky.social www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...

Urinary Tract Infection Global Alliance No membership fees Join now!

📣 Dont miss out! Registration just opened for the 6th CSAUTI Conference organized by @globaluti.bsky.social
📆April 9-11th
📍Nashville, TN
utiga.org/registration

Can phage treat infection AND vaccinate? We found that phage treatment protects mice against re-infection by the same pathogen. Out today in PNAS. @tailor-labs.bsky.social www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Bacteria! We begin with only one!
Bacteria! Two is what we then become!

Bacteria! Each of us becomes two more!
Bacteria! We are stronger than before!

Bacteria! We keep growing at this rate!
Bacteria! No longer shall we wait!

Bacteria! The plan now unfolds!
Bacteria! We will take over the world!

Good to see @tailor-labs.bsky.social on here at last! Looking forward to more #phage in my feed.

#UTIhour is TOMORROW at 11am EDT/1500 UTC! Join us on Zoom to learn about host factors affecting #UTI, or check out the recording afterwards! Links to both are / will be available on our site at UTIGA.org/upcoming (zoom) or UTIGA.org/past (recording).

#UTIsky #IDsky

A cross-sectional analysis of the vaginal microenvironment in rheumatoid arthritis Objective: The human microbiota is implicated in the development and progression of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Given the increased RA burden in women, and well-known correlations between the vaginal m...

We found that women with RA have altered vaginal microbial and cytokine signatures, and higher levels of vaginal anti-citrullinated protein antibodies, compared to controls. This study reveals another important mucosal site affected by autoimmune disease. www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1...

Think UTIs are all about microbes? Think again. #WeAreNotAlltheSame —and your body plays a big role. Mark your calendars to find out who’s at risk April 30th for @globaluti.bsky.social #UTIHour hosted by @katypatras.bsky.social utiga.org/upcoming

ICSP Defines New Firmicutes Genus: 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘪 The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes Renames Group B 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 as 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘪

The International Committee on Systematics of Prokaryotes (ICSP) reclassifies Group B 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 as its own genus: 𝘎𝘢𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘧𝘪𝘦𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘪

I knew this was possible (e.g. 𝘌𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴 used to be Group D 𝘚𝘵𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘰𝘤𝘰𝘤𝘤𝘶𝘴) but still caught me by surprise

Cool they are honoring Rebecca Lancefield!

Happy Valentine’s Day from 5 kick ass microbiologists - who all made it to this week’s zoom meeting for the first time in ages! #women #STEM #faculty #science @katypatras.bsky.social @laurainthelab1.bsky.social @lindseyatutk.bsky.social @alisoncoady.bsky.social

Longitudinal phage–bacteria dynamics in the early life gut microbiome - Nature Microbiology Reanalysis of 12,262 longitudinal infant gut microbiome samples using the Marker-MAGu pipeline revealed phage–bacteria dynamics over the first year of life.

We interrupt your regularly-scheduled chaos to bring you some cool microbiome science. 🦠 🖥️ 🧬
"Longitudinal phage–bacteria dynamics in the early life gut microbiome" now out in Nature Microbiology.

We wanted a way to measure bacteria and phage in metagenomes 1/

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Thanks Joe, relieved we didn't quite hit that 10 year mark!

After almost a decade (started while I was a postdoc with @nizet.bsky.social and finished by my own stellar students), happy to see this finally out. We found that Tamm-Horsfall protein, the most abundant protein in urine, enhanced NETosis to protect against UTI. insight.jci.org/articles/vie...

Women’s Health and the Development of Microbiota in Childhood Explore expert research on women’s health and microbiota development in children

Infection and Immunity has a call for papers on Women’s Health and the Development of Microbiota in Childhood. For details see journals.asm.org/journal/iai/...

Distinct maternofetal immune signatures delineate preterm birth onset following urinary tract infection Preterm birth is the leading cause of infant mortality resulting in over one million neonatal deaths annually. Maternal urinary tract infection (UTI) during pregnancy increases risk for preterm birth;...

Why is preterm birth risk doubled with maternal UTI? It depends on the immune response. We found distinct immune signatures in a UTI-associated preterm birth mouse model. In a human cohort from @AShea_Lab, urine cytokine levels could predict preterm birth. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1...