University researcher co-authors publication on new bacterial species

6.09.2024

Dr. Habil. Ravi Kant

Dr. Habil. Ravi Kant of the Division of Tropical Parasitology at the Medical University of Gdańsk is the co-author of a publication titled Time-series sewage metagenomics distinguishes seasonal, human-derived and environmental microbial communities potentially allowing source-attributed surveillance. The article was published on August 30, 2024 in Nature Communications.

In a study led by Dr. Patrick Munk of the Technical University of Denmark, researchers analyzed wastewater samples from five European cities, resulting in the identification of 1,334 new bacterial species. Through time series analyses, the study showed substitution patterns of bacterial taxa, seasonal trends and human-related taxa. The scientist from MUG led the development of a bioinformatics pipeline in the project, designed specifically for the analysis of next-generation sequencing (NGS) data, with a particular focus on viral and bacterial metagenomics. This innovative pipeline played a key role in the analysis of complex longitudinal wastewater data, contributing to the successful results of the study.

In addition to his research contributions, Dr. Habil. Kant recently joined the editorial boards of several prestigious journals, including Viruses (MDPI), Frontiers in Microbiology and Frontiers in Tuberculosis. His experience and expertise in the fields of bioinformatics and metagenomics continue to have a significant impact on both the local academic community and the broader scientific world.

The research interests of Dr. hab. Kant include the search for new and re-emerging pathogens and studies of viral variation and evolution. His work has already been published in prominent journals to date, such as Nature (publication entitled (publication entitled Ancestral allele of DNA polymerase gamma modifies antiviral tolerance) and Plos Pathogenes (publication entitled The assembly of neutrophil inflammasomes during COVID-19 is mediated by type I interferons).

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