Microbial Metallomics — Bloghttps://microbialmetallomics.comNew writing, research summaries, and paper reviews from Microbial Metallomics.en-US Tampon Metals and the Vaginal Microbiome: The Blind Spot in the Risk Assessmenthttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/tampon-metals-vaginal-microbiome-blind-spothttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/tampon-metals-vaginal-microbiome-blind-spotKaren PendergrassA 2026 FDA risk assessment by Jin et al. calls the metals in tampons safe, but only for one endpoint: the fraction absorbed systemically into the blood. That verdict rests on a single word, bioavailable. The vaginal microbes live on the surface, not in the bloodstream, and were never assessed.Critical CommentaryMon, 28 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000 The Metal–Microbiome–Disease Axis: Who Gets the Metal?https://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/metal-microbiome-disease-axishttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/metal-microbiome-disease-axisKaren PendergrassMetals change microbial ecology; microbes change metal chemistry; inflammation changes local metal access. Follow the mechanisms connecting exposure, nutritional immunity, and disease.EssayThu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Metals, the Microbiome, and Parkinson's: A Gut-First Pathway to Neurodegenerationhttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/metals-microbiome-parkinsons-neurodegenerationhttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/metals-microbiome-parkinsons-neurodegenerationKaren PendergrassHow heavy-metal exposure may reshape the gut microbiome and feed gut-first alpha-synuclein pathology in Parkinson's disease - a metallomic-microbiome view.EssayTue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Mercury, Methylmercury, and the Microbiome: How Gut Microbes Shape Neurotoxic Riskhttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/mercury-methylmercury-microbiomehttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/mercury-methylmercury-microbiomeKaren PendergrassHow gut microbes methylate and demethylate mercury via hgcAB and merB, how mercury reshapes the microbiome, and why this shapes methylmercury neurotoxic risk.EssayTue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 How Low-Dose Heavy Metals May Reshape the Gut Microbiome to Drive Obesityhttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/metals-microbiome-obesity-metabolic-syndromehttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/metals-microbiome-obesity-metabolic-syndromeKaren PendergrassLow-dose arsenic, cadmium, and lead may reshape the gut microbiome, depleting SCFA producers and promoting obesity and metabolic syndrome. Evidence examined.EssayTue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 How Dietary Nickel Arms Gut Bacteria — and May Fuel Gut Diseasehttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/nickel-gut-microbiome-diseasehttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/nickel-gut-microbiome-diseaseKaren PendergrassDietary nickel activates nickel-dependent virulence enzymes in gut Enterobacteriaceae — a mechanistic pathway that may link nickel exposure to NEC and IBD.EssayTue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Feeding the Enemy: How Dietary Iron Reshapes the Gut Microbiome and Raises Enteric Infection Riskhttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/dietary-iron-microbiome-enteric-infectionhttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/dietary-iron-microbiome-enteric-infectionKaren PendergrassUnabsorbed iron can alter the gut microbiome and intestinal inflammation. Human trials show that effects on diarrhea vary by setting and formulation.EssayTue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Does Lead Harm the Developing Brain Through the Gut Microbiome?https://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/lead-gut-microbiome-neurodevelopmenthttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/lead-gut-microbiome-neurodevelopmentKaren PendergrassAnimal and human cohort studies link lead exposure to gut microbiome dysbiosis, a candidate mediator of lead's neurodevelopmental harm via the gut-brain axis.EssayTue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Cadmium and the Gut Microbiome: A Hidden Route to Metabolic Diseasehttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/cadmium-gut-microbiome-metabolic-diseasehttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/cadmium-gut-microbiome-metabolic-diseaseKaren PendergrassCadmium reshapes the gut microbiome, depletes Lachnospiraceae, weakens the gut barrier, and is linked to hepatic and metabolic dysfunction. An evidence review.EssayTue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000 Arsenic and the Gut Microbiome: A Two-Way Streethttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/arsenic-gut-microbiome-two-wayhttps://microbialmetallomics.com/blog/arsenic-gut-microbiome-two-wayKaren PendergrassArsenic reshapes the gut microbiome, and gut bacteria shape arsenic's toxicity in return. See the bidirectional evidence linking metals, microbes, and disease.EssayTue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000