Causes of Pneumonia Epizootics among Bighorn Sheep, Western United States, 2008–2010

PubMed Central

Highland, Margaret A.; Baker, Katherine; Cassirer, E. Frances; Anderson, Neil J.; Ramsey, Jennifer M.; Mansfield, Kristin; Bruning, Darren L.; Wolff, Peregrine; Smith, Joshua B.; Jenks, Jonathan A.

2012-01-01

Epizootic pneumonia of bighorn sheep is a devastating disease of uncertain etiology. To help clarify the etiology, we used culture and culture-independent methods to compare the prevalence of the bacterial respiratory pathogens Mannheimia haemolytica, Bibersteinia trehalosi, Pasteurella multocida, and Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae in lung tissue from 44 bighorn sheep from herds affected by 8 outbreaks in the western United States. M. ovipneumoniae, the only agent detected at significantly higher prevalence in animals from outbreaks (95%) than in animals from unaffected healthy populations (0%), was the most consistently detected agent and the only agent that exhibited single strain types within each outbreak. The other respiratory pathogens were frequently but inconsistently detected, as were several obligate anaerobic bacterial species, all of which might represent secondary or opportunistic infections that could contribute to disease severity. These data provide evidence that M. ovipneumoniae plays a primary role in the etiology of epizootic pneumonia of bighorn sheep. PMID:22377321

A host basal transcription factor is a key component for infection of rice by TALE-carrying bacteria.

PubMed

Yuan, Meng; Ke, Yinggen; Huang, Renyan; Ma, Ling; Yang, Zeyu; Chu, Zhaohui; Xiao, Jinghua; Li, Xianghua; Wang, Shiping

2016-07-29

Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) are sequence-specific DNA binding proteins found in a range of plant pathogenic bacteria, where they play important roles in host-pathogen interactions. However, it has been unclear how TALEs, after they have been injected into the host cells, activate transcription of host genes required for infection success. Here, we show that the basal transcription factor IIA gamma subunit TFIIAγ5 from rice is a key component for infection by the TALE-carrying bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, the causal agent for bacterial blight. Direct interaction of several TALEs with TFIIAγ5 is required for activation of disease susceptibility genes. Conversely, reduced expression of the TFIIAγ5 host gene limits the induction of susceptibility genes and thus decreases bacterial blight symptoms. Suppression or mutation of TFIIAγ5 can also reduce bacterial streak, another devastating disease of rice caused by TALE-carrying X. oryzae pv. oryzicola. These results have important implications for formulating a widely applicable strategy with which to improve resistance of plants to TALE-carrying pathogens.

The expansion of brown rot disease throughout Bolivia: possible role of climate change.

PubMed

Castillo, José Antonio; Plata, Giovanna

2016-05-01

Bacterial wilt is a devastating plant disease caused by the bacterial pathogen Ralstonia solanacearum species complex and affects different crops. Bacterial wilt infecting potato is also known as brown rot (BR) and is responsible for significant economic losses in potato production, especially in developing countries. In Bolivia, BR affects up to 75% of the potato crop in areas with high incidence and 100% of stored potatoes. The disease has disseminated since its introduction to the country in the mid-1980s mostly through contaminated seed tubers. To avoid this, local farmers multiply seed tubers in highlands because the strain infecting potatoes cannot survive near-freezing temperatures that are typical in the high mountains. Past disease surveys have shown an increase in seed tubers with latent infection in areas at altitudes lower than 3000 m a.s.l. Since global warming is increasing in the Andes Mountains, in this work, we explored the incidence of BR in areas at altitudes above 3000 m a.s.l. Results showed BR presence in the majority of these areas, suggesting a correlation between the increase in disease incidence and the increase in temperature and the number of irregular weather events resulting from climate change. However, it cannot be excluded that the increasing availability of latently infected seed tubers has boosted the spread of BR.

Ecology, Epidemiology and Disease Management of Ralstonia syzygii in Indonesia.

PubMed

Safni, Irda; Subandiyah, Siti; Fegan, Mark

2018-01-01

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex phylotype IV strains, which have been primarily isolated from Indonesia, Australia, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia, have undergone recent taxonomic and nomenclatural changes to be placed in the species Ralstonia syzygii . This species contains three subspecies; Ralstonia syzygii subsp. syzygii , a pathogen causing Sumatra disease of clove trees in Indonesia, Ralstonia syzygii subsp. indonesiensis , the causal pathogen of bacterial wilt disease on a wide range of host plants, and Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis , the causal pathogen of blood disease on Musa spp. In Indonesia, these three subspecies have devastated the cultivation of susceptible host plants which have high economic value. Limited knowledge on the ecology and epidemiology of the diseases has hindered the development of effective control strategies. In this review, we provide insights into the ecology, epidemiology and disease control of these three subspecies of Ralstonia syzygii .

Reduction in bacterial ooze formation on immature fruitlets after preventive treatments of Fosethyl-Al against fire blight Erwinia amylovora.

PubMed

Deckers, T; Schoofs, H; Verjans, W; De Maeyer, L

2010-01-01

Fire blight, caused by the bacterium Erwinia amylovora (Burill Winslow et al.), is a very important bacterial disease on apple and pear orchards with devastating effects in some production area and in some years. Fire blight control consists in a whole strategy of measures that should start with control measures in and around the fruit tree nurseries. Only the use of Vacciplant (Laminarin), an inducer of the self-defence mechanism, is registered in Belgium since 2009. In other European countries Fosethyl-Al has been registered for fire blight control. Recently, research trials have been done at Pcfruit research station for several years on the activity of ALiette (fosethyl-Al) against fire blight. Fosethyl-Al, also a plant defence enhancing molecule, applied preventively 3 times at a dose of 3.75 kg/ha standard orchard (3 x 3000 g a.i./ha standard orchard), showed a reduction in the host susceptibility and decreased the disease development on artificial inoculated flower clusters and shoots. Also a clear reduction in the ooze droplet formation on artificially inoculated immature fruitlets has been observed with this molecule. This reduction in the bacterial ooze formation is considered as a very important factor in the spread of the disease in the orchard.

[Metalloproteinases in meningoencephalitis].

PubMed

Pastuszka, Ewa; Pabin, Agata; Radkowski, Marek

2008-01-01

Meningoencephalitis remains a devastating disease with high morbidity and mortality. Despite advances in antibiotic treatment and critical care, mortality rate in bacterial meningoencephalitis is close to 25%. Moreover, neurological and neuropsychological sequelae emerge in up to 50% of survivors. Adverse outcome is significantly associated with events secondary to meningitis and damage of the blood-brain barrier. Several studies conducted on animals confirmed that matrix-metalloproteinases (MMP), a family of enzymes with major actions in the remodeling of exracellural matrix components facilitate this process which results in acute neurological complications. Gelatinases (MMP-2, MMP-9), the most complex family member, through degradation of gelatine and collagen IV play an important role in the pathogenesis of brain's inflamatory diseases (e.g. Guillian-Barre syndrom) and contribute to spreading the disease beyond the central nervous system. Infection (bacterial, viral or fungal) can lead to increased concentration and activity of metalloproteinases due to excessive enzyme's secretion or decrease in level of its natural inhibitors. A detailed analysis of those enzymes could help in developing new diagnostic and prognostic markers for meningoencephalitis and could facilitate new treatment approaches.

Ecology, Epidemiology and Disease Management of Ralstonia syzygii in Indonesia

PubMed Central

Safni, Irda; Subandiyah, Siti; Fegan, Mark

2018-01-01

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex phylotype IV strains, which have been primarily isolated from Indonesia, Australia, Japan, Korea, and Malaysia, have undergone recent taxonomic and nomenclatural changes to be placed in the species Ralstonia syzygii. This species contains three subspecies; Ralstonia syzygii subsp. syzygii, a pathogen causing Sumatra disease of clove trees in Indonesia, Ralstonia syzygii subsp. indonesiensis, the causal pathogen of bacterial wilt disease on a wide range of host plants, and Ralstonia syzygii subsp. celebesensis, the causal pathogen of blood disease on Musa spp. In Indonesia, these three subspecies have devastated the cultivation of susceptible host plants which have high economic value. Limited knowledge on the ecology and epidemiology of the diseases has hindered the development of effective control strategies. In this review, we provide insights into the ecology, epidemiology and disease control of these three subspecies of Ralstonia syzygii. PMID:29662468

A host basal transcription factor is a key component for infection of rice by TALE-carrying bacteria

PubMed Central

Yuan, Meng; Ke, Yinggen; Huang, Renyan; Ma, Ling; Yang, Zeyu; Chu, Zhaohui; Xiao, Jinghua; Li, Xianghua; Wang, Shiping

2016-01-01

Transcription activator-like effectors (TALEs) are sequence-specific DNA binding proteins found in a range of plant pathogenic bacteria, where they play important roles in host-pathogen interactions. However, it has been unclear how TALEs, after they have been injected into the host cells, activate transcription of host genes required for infection success. Here, we show that the basal transcription factor IIA gamma subunit TFIIAγ5 from rice is a key component for infection by the TALE-carrying bacterium Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae, the causal agent for bacterial blight. Direct interaction of several TALEs with TFIIAγ5 is required for activation of disease susceptibility genes. Conversely, reduced expression of the TFIIAγ5 host gene limits the induction of susceptibility genes and thus decreases bacterial blight symptoms. Suppression or mutation of TFIIAγ5 can also reduce bacterial streak, another devastating disease of rice caused by TALE-carrying X. oryzae pv. oryzicola. These results have important implications for formulating a widely applicable strategy with which to improve resistance of plants to TALE-carrying pathogens. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.7554/eLife.19605.001 PMID:27472897

Emerging flavobacterial infections in fish: A review

PubMed Central

Loch, Thomas P.; Faisal, Mohamed

2014-01-01

Flavobacterial diseases in fish are caused by multiple bacterial species within the family Flavobacteriaceae and are responsible for devastating losses in wild and farmed fish stocks around the world. In addition to directly imposing negative economic and ecological effects, flavobacterial disease outbreaks are also notoriously difficult to prevent and control despite nearly 100 years of scientific research. The emergence of recent reports linking previously uncharacterized flavobacteria to systemic infections and mortality events in fish stocks of Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and North America is also of major concern and has highlighted some of the difficulties surrounding the diagnosis and chemotherapeutic treatment of flavobacterial fish diseases. Herein, we provide a review of the literature that focuses on Flavobacterium and Chryseobacterium spp. and emphasizes those associated with fish. PMID:26257926

Bacterial meningitis in solid organ transplant recipients: a population-based prospective study.

PubMed

van Veen, K E B; Brouwer, M C; van der Ende, A; van de Beek, D

2016-10-01

Solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients are at risk of infections of the central nervous system. However, the incidence and clinical course of bacterial meningitis in SOT recipients are unclear. We studied occurrence, disease course, and prognosis of bacterial meningitis in SOT recipients in the Netherlands. All patients with a medical history of solid organ transplantation were selected from our nationwide prospective cohort study on community-acquired bacterial meningitis in patients >16 years old, performed from March 1, 2006 to October 31, 2014. Data on patient history, symptoms and signs on admission, treatment, and outcome were collected prospectively. For transplant recipients, additional information was collected retrospectively. We identified 6 SOT recipients, all receiving renal transplants. The annual incidence of bacterial meningitis was 7-fold higher (95% confidence interval [CI] 2.94-17.02, P < 0.001) for renal transplant recipients as compared with the general population (9.56 [95% CI 3.98-22.96] vs. 1.35 [95% CI 1.28-1.43] per 100,000 patients per year). One of the 6 patients (17%) presented with the classic presentation of bacterial meningitis (fever, neck stiffness, and change in mental status). Seizures were common, occurring in 33% of patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae and Listeria monocytogenes were identified in 2 patients each, and Escherichia coli and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were both identified once. Four of 6 patients (67%) had an unfavorable functional outcome. Bacterial meningitis is a rare but devastating complication of solid organ transplantation. SOT recipients are at high risk for developing meningitis, and recognition of this condition may be difficult, owing to atypical clinical manifestation. © 2016 The Authors. Transplant Infectious Disease Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

DNA Polymorphisms and Biocontrol of Bacillus Antagonistic to Citrus Bacterial Canker with Indication of the Interference of Phyllosphere Biofilms

PubMed Central

Huang, Tzu-Pi; Tzeng, Dean Der-Syh; Wong, Amy C. L.; Chen, Chun-Han; Lu, Kuan-Min; Lee, Ya-Huei; Huang, Wen-Di; Hwang, Bing-Fang; Tzeng, Kuo-Ching

2012-01-01

Citrus bacterial canker caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri is a devastating disease resulting in significant crop losses in various citrus cultivars worldwide. A biocontrol agent has not been recommended for this disease. To explore the potential of bacilli native to Taiwan to control this disease, Bacillus species with a broad spectrum of antagonistic activity against various phytopathogens were isolated from plant potting mixes, organic compost and the rhizosphere soil. Seven strains TKS1-1, OF3-16, SP4-17, HSP1, WG6-14, TLB7-7, and WP8-12 showing superior antagonistic activity were chosen for biopesticide development. The genetic identity based on 16S rDNA sequences indicated that all seven native strains were close relatives of the B. subtilis group and appeared to be discrete from the B. cereus group. DNA polymorphisms in strains WG6-14, SP4-17, TKS1-1, and WP8-12, as revealed by repetitive sequence-based PCR with the BOXA1R primers were similar to each other, but different from those of the respective Bacillus type strains. However, molecular typing of the strains using either tDNA-intergenic spacer regions or 16S–23S intergenic transcribed spacer regions was unable to differentiate the strains at the species level. Strains TKS1-1 and WG6-14 attenuated symptom development of citrus bacterial canker, which was found to be correlated with a reduction in colonization and biofilm formation by X. axonopodis pv. citri on leaf surfaces. The application of a Bacillus strain TKS1-1 endospore formulation to the leaf surfaces of citrus reduced the incidence of citrus bacterial canker and could prevent development of the disease. PMID:22848728

Induction of antimicrobial 3-deoxyflavonoids in pome fruit trees controls fire blight.

PubMed

Halbwirth, Heidrun; Fischer, Thilo C; Roemmelt, Susanne; Spinelli, Francesco; Schlangen, Karin; Peterek, Silke; Sabatini, Emidio; Messina, Christian; Speakman, John-Bryan; Andreotti, Carlo; Rademacher, Wilhelm; Bazzi, Carlo; Costa, Guglielmo; Treutter, Dieter; Forkmann, Gert; Stich, Karl

2003-01-01

Fire blight, a devastating bacterial disease in pome fruits, causes severe economic losses worldwide. Hitherto, an effective control could only be achieved by using antibiotics, but this implies potential risks for human health, livestock and environment. A new approach allows transient inhibition of a step in the flavonoid pathway, thereby inducing the formation of a novel antimicrobial 3-deoxyflavonoid controlling fire blight in apple and pear leaves. This compound is closely related to natural phytoalexins in sorghum. The approach does not only provide a safe method to control fire blight: Resistance against different pathogens is also induced in other crop plants.

Identification and Genetic Characterization of Ralstonia solanacearum Species Complex Isolates from Cucurbita maxima in China

PubMed Central

She, Xiaoman; Yu, Lin; Lan, Guobing; Tang, Yafei; He, Zifu

2017-01-01

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex is a devastating phytopathogen with an unusually wide host range, and new host plants are continuously being discovered. In June 2016, a new bacterial wilt on Cucurbita maxima was observed in Guangdong province, China. Initially, in the adult plant stage, several leaves of each plant withered suddenly and drooped; the plant then wilted completely, and the color of their vasculature changed to dark brown, ultimately causing the entire plant to die. Creamy-whitish bacterial masses were observed to ooze from crosscut stems of these diseased plants. To develop control strategies for C. maxima bacterial wilt, the causative pathogenic isolates were identified and characterized. Twenty-four bacterial isolates were obtained from diseased C. maxima plants, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing and pathogenicity analysis results indicated that the pathogen of C. maxima bacterial wilt was Ralstonia solanacearum. The results from DNA-based analysis, host range determination and bacteriological identification confirmed that the 24 isolates belonged to R. solanacearum phylotype I, race 1, and eight of these isolates belonged to biovar 3, while 16 belonged to biovar 4. Based on the results of partial egl gene sequence analysis, the 24 isolates clustered into three egl- sequence type groups, sequevars 17, 45, and 56. Sequevar 56 is a new sequevar which is described for the first time in this paper. An assessment of the resistance of 21 pumpkin cultivars revealed that C. moschata cv. Xiangyu1 is resistant to strain RS378, C. moschata cv. Xiangmi is moderately resistant to strain RS378, and 19 other pumpkin cultivars, including four C. maxima cultivars and 15 C. moschata cultivars, are susceptible to strain RS378. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C. maxima bacterial wilt caused by R. solanacearum race 1 in the world. Our results provide valuable information for the further development of control strategies for C. maxima wilt disease. PMID:29093727

Identification and Genetic Characterization of Ralstonia solanacearum Species Complex Isolates from Cucurbita maxima in China.

PubMed

She, Xiaoman; Yu, Lin; Lan, Guobing; Tang, Yafei; He, Zifu

2017-01-01

Ralstonia solanacearum species complex is a devastating phytopathogen with an unusually wide host range, and new host plants are continuously being discovered. In June 2016, a new bacterial wilt on Cucurbita maxima was observed in Guangdong province, China. Initially, in the adult plant stage, several leaves of each plant withered suddenly and drooped; the plant then wilted completely, and the color of their vasculature changed to dark brown, ultimately causing the entire plant to die. Creamy-whitish bacterial masses were observed to ooze from crosscut stems of these diseased plants. To develop control strategies for C. maxima bacterial wilt, the causative pathogenic isolates were identified and characterized. Twenty-four bacterial isolates were obtained from diseased C. maxima plants, and 16S rRNA gene sequencing and pathogenicity analysis results indicated that the pathogen of C. maxima bacterial wilt was Ralstonia solanacearum . The results from DNA-based analysis, host range determination and bacteriological identification confirmed that the 24 isolates belonged to R. solanacearum phylotype I, race 1, and eight of these isolates belonged to biovar 3, while 16 belonged to biovar 4. Based on the results of partial egl gene sequence analysis, the 24 isolates clustered into three egl- sequence type groups, sequevars 17, 45, and 56. Sequevar 56 is a new sequevar which is described for the first time in this paper. An assessment of the resistance of 21 pumpkin cultivars revealed that C. moschata cv. Xiangyu1 is resistant to strain RS378, C. moschata cv. Xiangmi is moderately resistant to strain RS378, and 19 other pumpkin cultivars, including four C. maxima cultivars and 15 C. moschata cultivars, are susceptible to strain RS378. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of C. maxima bacterial wilt caused by R. solanacearum race 1 in the world. Our results provide valuable information for the further development of control strategies for C. maxima wilt disease.

Bacterial Meningitis in the Infant

PubMed Central

Ku, Lawrence C.; Boggess, Kim A.

2014-01-01

SYNOPSIS Neonatal bacterial meningitis is an uncommon but devastating infection. Although the incidence and mortality have declined over the last several decades, morbidity among survivors remains high. The types and distribution of causative pathogens are related to birth gestational age, postnatal age, and geographic region. Confirming the diagnosis of meningitis can be difficult. Clinical signs are often subtle, and the lumbar puncture is frequently deferred in clinically unstable infants. When obtained, confirmatory testing with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture is often compromised by antepartum or postnatal antibiotic exposure. While blood cultures and CSF parameters may be helpful in cases where the diagnosis is uncertain, bacterial meningitis occurs in infants without bacteremia and with normal CSF parameters. Newer tests such as the polymerase chain reaction are promising but require further study. Prompt treatment with appropriate antibiotics is essential to optimize outcomes. Successful efforts to prevent meningitis in infants have included the use of intrapartum antibiotic prophylaxis against Group B Streptococcus (GBS). Clinical trials investigating the use of a GBS vaccine for the prevention of neonatal GBS disease are ongoing. PMID:25677995

Pharmabiotic Manipulation of the Microbiota in Gastrointestinal Disorders: A Clinical Perspective.

PubMed

Giron, Fanny; Quigley, Eamonn M M

2018-04-24

The advent and widespread availability of high-throughput technology has revolutionized the assessment of the communities of microorganisms that inhabit the gastrointestinal tract - the gut microbiota. As our understanding of the role of the microbiota in health and human disease increases so to do efforts to prevent and treat disease through the modulation of the microbiota. Several strategies are available to us and range from time honored approaches, such as antibiotics and probiotics, to changes in diet, the administration of prebiotics as food supplements and fecal microbiota transplantation. Of these, diet is perhaps the most pervasive but often ignored modulator of the microbiota and a failure to recognize its impact complicates the interpretation of many microbiota studies. The impacts of antibiotics on the microbiotia are more complex than originally thought and, though antibiotics can be life-saving, their effects on commensal bacterial populations can have devastating consequences. Though there have been many studies of, and even more claims made for, probiotics, the majority of available studies suffer from significant deficits in study design and execution and many claims remain to be substantiated. Though holding much promise, the study of prebiotics in human disease is still in its infancy. Possibilities other than the administration of live organisms have been identified through efforts to mine the microbiota for novel therapeutics and include dead organisms, bacterial components, small molecules elaborated by bacteria and even bacterial DNA; the term pharmabiotic has been introduced to encompass the full range of therapeutic possibilities that the microbiota offers.

Inhibition of Pseudogymnoascus destructans growth from conidia and mycelial extension by bacterially produced volatile organic compounds.

PubMed

Cornelison, Christopher T; Gabriel, Kyle T; Barlament, Courtney; Crow, Sidney A

2014-02-01

The recently identified causative agent of white-nose syndrome (WNS), Pseudogymnoascus destructans, has been implicated in the mortality of an estimated 5.5 million North American bats since its initial documentation in 2006 (Frick et al. in Science 329:679-682, 2010). In an effort to identify potential biological and chemical control options for WNS, 6 previously described bacterially produced volatile organic compounds (VOCs) were screened for anti-P. destructans activity. The compounds include decanal; 2-ethyl-1-hexanol; nonanal; benzothiazole; benzaldehyde; andN,N-dimethyloctylamine. P. destructans conidia and mycelial plugs were exposed to the VOCs in a closed air space at 15 and 4 °C and then evaluated for growth inhibition. All VOCs inhibited growth from conidia as well as inhibiting radial mycelial extension, with the greatest effect at 4 °C. Studies of the ecology of fungistatic soils and the natural abundance of the fungistatic VOCs present in these environments suggest a synergistic activity of select VOCs may occur. The evaluation of formulations of two or three VOCs at equivalent concentrations was supportive of synergistic activity in several cases. The identification of bacterially produced VOCs with anti-P. destructans activity indicates disease-suppressive and fungistatic soils as a potentially significant reservoir of biological and chemical control options for WNS and provides wildlife management personnel with tools to combat this devastating disease.

Genomics of Clostridium

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Jacobson, Mark Joseph; Johnson, Eric A.

The clostridia have a rich history and contemporary importance in industrial, environmental, and medical microbiology. Due to their ability to form endospores, clostridia are ubiquitous in nature and are found in many environments, especially in soils and the intestinal tract of animals including humans. Many clostridia cause devastating diseases of humans and animals, such as botulism, tetanus, and gas gangrene, through the production of protein toxins. The clostridia produce more protein toxins that are lethal for humans and animals than any other bacterial genus (Johnson, 2005; Van Heyningen, 1950). Other species are important in the formation of solvents and organic acids by anaerobic fermentations or as a source of unique enzymes for biocatalysis (Bradshaw and Johnson, 2010; Hatheway and Johnson, 1998).

Widespread Elevational Occurrence of Antifungal Bacteria in Andean Amphibians Decimated by Disease: A Complex Role for Skin Symbionts in Defense Against Chytridiomycosis

PubMed Central

Catenazzi, Alessandro; Flechas, Sandra V.; Burkart, David; Hooven, Nathan D.; Townsend, Joseph; Vredenburg, Vance T.

2018-01-01

Emerging infectious disease is a growing threat to global health, and recent discoveries reveal that the microbiota dwelling on and within hosts can play an important role in health and disease. To understand the capacity of skin bacteria to protect amphibian hosts from the fungal disease chytridiomycosis caused by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), we isolated 192 bacterial morphotypes from the skin of 28 host species of frogs (families Bufonidae, Centrolenidae, Hemiphractidae, Hylidae, Leptodactylidae, Strabomantidae, and Telmatobiidae) collected from the eastern slopes of the Peruvian Andes (540–3,865 m a.s.l.) in the Kosñipata Valley near Manu National Park, a site where we previously documented the collapse of montane frog communities following chytridiomycosis epizootics. We obtained isolates through agar culture from skin swabs of wild frogs, and identified bacterial isolates by comparing 16S rRNA sequences against the GenBank database using BLAST. We identified 178 bacterial strains of 38 genera, including 59 bacterial species not previously reported from any amphibian host. The most common bacterial isolates were species of Pseudomonas, Paenibacillus, Chryseobacterium, Comamonas, Sphingobacterium, and Stenotrophomonas. We assayed the anti-fungal abilities of 133 bacterial isolates from 26 frog species. To test whether cutaneous bacteria might inhibit growth of the fungal pathogen, we used a local Bd strain isolated from the mouthparts of stream-dwelling tadpoles (Hypsiboas gladiator, Hylidae). We quantified Bd-inhibition in vitro with co-culture assays. We found 20 bacterial isolates that inhibited Bd growth, including three isolates not previously known for such inhibitory abilities. Anti-Bd isolates occurred on aquatic and terrestrial breeding frogs across a wide range of elevations (560–3,695 m a.s.l.). The inhibitory ability of anti-Bd isolates varied considerably. The proportion of anti-Bd isolates was lowest at mid-elevations (6%), where amphibian declines have been steepest, and among hosts that are highly susceptible to chytridiomycosis (0–14%). Among non-susceptible species, two had the highest proportion of anti-Bd isolates (40 and 45%), but one common and non-susceptible species had a low proportion (13%). In conclusion, we show that anti-Bd bacteria are widely distributed elevationally and phylogenetically across frog species that have persisted in a region where chytridiomycosis emerged, caused a devastating epizootic and continues to infect amphibians. PMID:29593698

In vivo inhibition of tryptophan catabolism reorganizes the tuberculoma and augments immune-mediated control of Mycobacterium tuberculosis

PubMed Central

Gautam, Uma S.; Foreman, Taylor W.; Bucsan, Allison N.; Veatch, Ashley V.; Alvarez, Xavier; Adekambi, Toidi; Golden, Nadia A.; Gentry, Kaylee M.; Doyle-Meyers, Lara A.; Didier, Peter J.; Blanchard, James L.; Kousoulas, K. Gus; Lackner, Andrew A.; Kalman, Daniel; Rengarajan, Jyothi; Khader, Shabaana A.; Kaushal, Deepak

2018-01-01

Mycobacterium tuberculosis continues to cause devastating levels of mortality due to tuberculosis (TB). The failure to control TB stems from an incomplete understanding of the highly specialized strategies that M. tuberculosis utilizes to modulate host immunity and thereby persist in host lungs. Here, we show that M. tuberculosis induced the expression of indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO), an enzyme involved in tryptophan catabolism, in macrophages and in the lungs of animals (mice and macaque) with active disease. In a macaque model of inhalation TB, suppression of IDO activity reduced bacterial burden, pathology, and clinical signs of TB disease, leading to increased host survival. This increased protection was accompanied by increased lung T cell proliferation, induction of inducible bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue and correlates of bacterial killing, reduced checkpoint signaling, and the relocation of effector T cells to the center of the granulomata. The enhanced killing of M. tuberculosis in macrophages in vivo by CD4+ T cells was also replicated in vitro, in cocultures of macaque macrophages and CD4+ T cells. Collectively, these results suggest that there exists a potential for using IDO inhibition as an effective and clinically relevant host-directed therapy for TB. PMID:29255022

Effects of plant antimicrobial phenolic compounds on virulence of the genus Pectobacterium.

PubMed

Joshi, Janak Raj; Burdman, Saul; Lipsky, Alexander; Yedidia, Iris

2015-01-01

Pectobacterium spp. are among the most devastating necrotrophs, attacking more than 50% of angiosperm plant orders. Their virulence strategy is based mainly on the secretion of exoenzymes that degrade the cell walls of their hosts, providing nutrients to the bacteria, but conversely, exposing the bacteria to plant defense compounds. In the present study, we screened plant-derived antimicrobial compounds, mainly phenolic acids and polyphenols, for their ability to affect virulence determinants including motility, biofilm formation and extracellular enzyme activities of different Pectobacteria: Pectobacterium carotovorum, P. brasiliensis, P. atrosepticum and P. aroidearum. In addition, virulence assays were performed on three different plant hosts following exposure of the bacteria to selected phenolic compounds. These experiments showed that cinnamic, coumaric, syringic and salicylic acids and catechol can considerably reduce disease severity, ranging from 20 to 100%. The reduced disease severity was not only the result of reduced bacterial growth, but also of a direct effect of the compounds on important bacterial virulence determinants, including pectolytic and proteolytic exoenzyme activities, that were reduced by 50-100%. This is the first report revealing a direct effect of phenolic compounds on virulence factors in a wide range of Pectobacterium strains. Copyright © 2015 Institut Pasteur. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

New insights into valve-related intramural and intracellular bacterial diversity in infective endocarditis

PubMed Central

Feder, Stefan; Lehmann, Stefanie; Kullnick, Yvonne; Buschmann, Tilo; Blumert, Conny; Horn, Friedemann; Neuhaus, Jochen; Neujahr, Ralph; Bagaev, Erik; Hagl, Christian; Pichlmaier, Maximilian; Rodloff, Arne Christian; Gräber, Sandra; Kirsch, Katharina; Sandri, Marcus; Kumbhari, Vivek; Behzadi, Armirhossein; Behzadi, Amirali; Correia, Joao Carlos; Mohr, Friedrich Wilhelm

2017-01-01

Aims In infective endocarditis (IE), a severe inflammatory disease of the endocardium with an unchanged incidence and mortality rate over the past decades, only 1% of the cases have been described as polymicrobial infections based on microbiological approaches. The aim of this study was to identify potential biodiversity of bacterial species from infected native and prosthetic valves. Furthermore, we compared the ultrastructural micro-environments to detect the localization and distribution patterns of pathogens in IE. Material and methods Using next-generation sequencing (NGS) of 16S rDNA, which allows analysis of the entire bacterial community within a single sample, we investigated the biodiversity of infectious bacterial species from resected native and prosthetic valves in a clinical cohort of 8 IE patients. Furthermore, we investigated the ultrastructural infected valve micro-environment by focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (FIB-SEM). Results Biodiversity was detected in 7 of 8 resected heart valves. This comprised 13 bacterial genera and 16 species. In addition to 11 pathogens already described as being IE related, 5 bacterial species were identified as having a novel association. In contrast, valve and blood culture-based diagnosis revealed only 4 species from 3 bacterial genera and did not show any relevant antibiotic resistance. The antibiotics chosen on this basis for treatment, however, did not cover the bacterial spectra identified by our amplicon sequencing analysis in 4 of 8 cases. In addition to intramural distribution patterns of infective bacteria, intracellular localization with evidence of bacterial immune escape mechanisms was identified. Conclusion The high frequency of polymicrobial infections, pathogen diversity, and intracellular persistence of common IE-causing bacteria may provide clues to help explain the persistent and devastating mortality rate observed for IE. Improved bacterial diagnosis by 16S rDNA NGS that increases the ability to tailor antibiotic therapy may result in improved outcomes. PMID:28410379

In Vitro Trypanocidal Activity of Antibodies to Bacterially Expressed Trypanosoma brucei Tubulin

PubMed Central

Kateete, DP; Alezuyo, C; Nanteza, A; Asiimwe, C; Lubega, GW

2012-01-01

Background There are only four drugs for treating African trypanosomiasis, a devastating disease in sub-Saharan Africa. With slow discovery of better drugs, vaccination is viewed as the best method of control. We previously showed that antibodies to native Trypanosoma brucei brucei tubulin inhibit the growth of trypanosomes in culture. Here, we aimed to determine the effect of antibodies to bacterially expressed trypanosome tubulin on T. brucei brucei growth. Methods T. brucei brucei alpha and beta tubulin genes were individually expressed in Escherichia coli under the tryptophan promoter. Monoclonal tubulin antibodies reacted specifically with the expressed tubulins with no cross-reaction with the opposite tubulin. Rabbits were immunized with 450µg each of the concentrated recombinant tubulin, and production of antibodies assessed by ELISA and Western blotting. The effect of polyclonal antibodies on trypanosome growth was determined by culturing bloodstream T. brucei brucei in up to 25% of antisera. Results Low antisera dilutions (25%) from the immunized rabbits inhibited trypanosome growth. The most cytotoxic antisera were from one rabbit immunized with a mixture of both alpha and beta tubulins. However, the result was not reproduced in other rabbits and there was no apparent effect on growth at higher antisera dilutions. Conclusion Antibodies to bacterially expressed trypanosome tubulin are not effective at killing cultured bloodstream trypanosomes. PMID:23109963

Exogenous treatment with salicylic acid attenuates occurrence of citrus canker in susceptible navel orange (Citrus sinensis Osbeck).

PubMed

Wang, Yin; Liu, Ji-Hong

2012-08-15

Citrus canker caused by Xanthomonas axonopodis pv. citri (Xac) is a devastating bacterial disease threatening the citrus industry. Salicylic acid (SA) plays a key role in plant defense response to biotic stress, but information is scarce concerning the application of SA to enhancing Xac resistance. In the present research attempts were made to investigate how exogenous application of SA influenced canker disease outbreak in navel orange (Citrus sinensis). Exogenously applied SA at 0.25 mM significantly enhanced the endogenous free and bound SA, particularly the latter. Upon exposure to Xac, lower disease incidence rate and smaller lesion sites were observed in the samples pre-treated with SA, accompanied by repression of bacterial growth at the lesion sites. Concurrent with the augmented disease resistance, SA-treated leaves had higher H₂O₂ level and smaller stomata apertures before or after Xac infection when compared with their counterparts pre-treated with water (control). SA treatment elevated the activities of phenylalanine ammonia-lyase and β-1,3-glucanase, but only the latter was higher in the SA-treated samples after Xac infection. In addition, mRNA levels of two pathogenesis-related genes, CsCHI and CsPR4A, were higher in the SA-treated samples relative to the control. Taken together, our results strongly suggest that the exogenously applied SA has evoked a cascade of physiological and molecular events that function singly or in concert to confer resistance to Xac invasion. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved.

Use of digital PCR to improve early detection of CLas infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing is a devastating disease of citrus caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus. Huanglongbing has devastated the Florida citrus industry and is threatening citrus in Texas and California. Detection of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus infections as early as possible is ...

Phylogenetic diversity of Pasteurellaceae and horizontal gene transfer of leukotoxin in wild and domestic sheep.

PubMed

Kelley, Scott T; Cassirer, E Frances; Weiser, Glen C; Safaee, Shirin

2007-01-01

Wild and domestic animal populations are known to be sources and reservoirs of emerging diseases. There is also a growing recognition that horizontal genetic transfer (HGT) plays an important role in bacterial pathogenesis. We used molecular phylogenetic methods to assess diversity and cross-transmission rates of Pasteurellaceae bacteria in populations of bighorn sheep, Dall's sheep, domestic sheep and domestic goats. Members of the Pasteurellaceae cause an array of deadly illnesses including bacterial pneumonia known as "pasteurellosis", a particularly devastating disease for bighorn sheep. A phylogenetic analysis of a combined dataset of two RNA genes (16S ribosomal RNA and RNAse P RNA) revealed remarkable evolutionary diversity among Pasteurella trehalosi and Mannheimia (Pasteurella) haemolytica bacteria isolated from sheep and goats. Several phylotypes appeared to associate with particular host species, though we found numerous instances of apparent cross-transmission among species and populations. Statistical analyses revealed that host species, geographic locale and biovariant classification, but not virulence, correlated strongly with Pasteurellaceae phylogeny. Sheep host species correlated with P. trehalosi isolates phylogeny (PTP test; P=0.002), but not with the phylogeny of M. haemolytica isolates, suggesting that P. trehalosi bacteria may be more host specific. With regards to populations within species, we also discovered a strong correlation between geographic locale and isolate phylogeny in the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (PTP test; P=0.001). We also investigated the potential for HGT of the leukotoxin A (lktA) gene, which produces a toxin that plays an integral role in causing disease. Comparative analysis of the combined RNA gene phylogeny and the lktA phylogenies revealed considerable incongruence between the phylogenies, suggestive of HGT. Furthermore, we found identical lktA alleles in unrelated bacterial species, some of which had been isolated from sheep in distantly removed populations. For example, lktA sequences from P. trehalosi isolated from remote Alaskan Dall's sheep were 100% identical over a 900-nucleotide stretch to sequences determined from M. haemolytica isolated from domestic sheep in the UK. This extremely high degree of sequence similarity of lktA sequences among distinct bacterial species suggests that HGT has played a role in the evolution of lktA in wild hosts.

Structural Characterization of Core Region in Erwinia amylovora Lipopolysaccharide.

PubMed

Casillo, Angela; Ziaco, Marcello; Lindner, Buko; Merino, Susana; Mendoza-Barberá, Elena; Tomás, Juan M; Corsaro, Maria Michela

2017-03-04

Erwinia amylovora ( E. amylovora ) is the first bacterial plant pathogen described and demonstrated to cause fire blight, a devastating plant disease affecting a wide range of species including a wide variety of Rosaceae . In this study, we reported the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) core structure from E. amylovora strain CFBP1430, the first one for an E. amylovora highly pathogenic strain. The chemical characterization was performed on the mutants waaL (lacking only the O-antigen LPS with a complete LPS-core), wabH and wabG (outer-LPS core mutants). The LPSs were isolated from dry cells and analyzed by means of chemical and spectroscopic methods. In particular, they were subjected to a mild acid hydrolysis and/or a hydrazinolysis and investigated in detail by one and two dimensional Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and ElectroSpray Ionization Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance (ESI FT-ICR) mass spectrometry.

Vibrational duetting mimics to trap and disrupt mating of the devastating Asian citrus psyllid insect pest

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is the primary vector of a bacterium that produces a devastating disease of citrus, huanglongbing. Efficient surveillance of ACP at low population densities is essential for timely pest management programs. ACP males search for mates on tree branches by producing vibra...

[Contribution of the rapid diagnostic tests for infectious diseases to the patient management in the Great East Japan earthquake].

PubMed

Hatta, Masumitsu; Kaku, Mitsuo

2012-01-01

On 11 March 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale off the northeast coast of Honshu Island, Japan, produced a devastating tsunami that destroyed many towns and villages near the coast in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures. Miyagi Prefecture was the area most severely devastated by the tsunami, with extensive loss of life and property; hundreds of thousands of people lost their houses and were forced to move to evacuation areas. In the days and weeks following devastating natural disasters, the threat of infectious disease outbreak is high. Rapid diagnostic tests can be performed at or near the site of patient care and the tests were very useful in this disaster, because they enabled us to manage patients appropriately in the settings where medical resources were limited. Here we report actual cases where the rapid diagnostic tests for infectious diseases were useful in the patient management.

Breaking the DNA-binding code of Ralstonia solanacearum TAL effectors provides new possibilities to generate plant resistance genes against bacterial wilt disease.

PubMed

de Lange, Orlando; Schreiber, Tom; Schandry, Niklas; Radeck, Jara; Braun, Karl Heinz; Koszinowski, Julia; Heuer, Holger; Strauß, Annett; Lahaye, Thomas

2013-08-01

Ralstonia solanacearum is a devastating bacterial phytopathogen with a broad host range. Ralstonia solanacearum injected effector proteins (Rips) are key to the successful invasion of host plants. We have characterized Brg11(hrpB-regulated 11), the first identified member of a class of Rips with high sequence similarity to the transcription activator-like (TAL) effectors of Xanthomonas spp., collectively termed RipTALs. Fluorescence microscopy of in planta expressed RipTALs showed nuclear localization. Domain swaps between Brg11 and Xanthomonas TAL effector (TALE) AvrBs3 (avirulence protein triggering Bs3 resistance) showed the functional interchangeability of DNA-binding and transcriptional activation domains. PCR was used to determine the sequence of brg11 homologs from strains infecting phylogenetically diverse host plants. Brg11 localizes to the nucleus and activates promoters containing a matching effector-binding element (EBE). Brg11 and homologs preferentially activate promoters containing EBEs with a 5' terminal guanine, contrasting with the TALE preference for a 5' thymine. Brg11 and other RipTALs probably promote disease through the transcriptional activation of host genes. Brg11 and the majority of homologs identified in this study were shown to activate similar or identical target sequences, in contrast to TALEs, which generally show highly diverse target preferences. This information provides new options for the engineering of plants resistant to R. solanacearum. © 2013 The Authors. New Phytologist © 2013 New Phytologist Trust.

Using whole genome sequencing to study American foulbrood epidemiology in honeybees

PubMed Central

Ågren, Joakim; Schäfer, Marc Oliver

2017-01-01

American foulbrood (AFB), caused by Paenibacillus larvae, is a devastating disease in honeybees. In most countries, the disease is controlled through compulsory burning of symptomatic colonies causing major economic losses in apiculture. The pathogen is endemic to honeybees world-wide and is readily transmitted via the movement of hive equipment or bees. Molecular epidemiology of AFB currently largely relies on placing isolates in one of four ERIC-genotypes. However, a more powerful alternative is multi-locus sequence typing (MLST) using whole-genome sequencing (WGS), which allows for high-resolution studies of disease outbreaks. To evaluate WGS as a tool for AFB-epidemiology, we applied core genome MLST (cgMLST) on isolates from a recent outbreak of AFB in Sweden. The high resolution of the cgMLST allowed different bacterial clones involved in the disease outbreak to be identified and to trace the source of infection. The source was found to be a beekeeper who had sold bees to two other beekeepers, proving the epidemiological link between them. No such conclusion could have been made using conventional MLST or ERIC-typing. This is the first time that WGS has been used to study the epidemiology of AFB. The results show that the technique is very powerful for high-resolution tracing of AFB-outbreaks. PMID:29140998

Exposure of gnotobiotic Artemia franciscana larvae to abiotic stress promotes heat shock protein 70 synthesis and enhances resistance to pathogenic Vibrio campbellii

PubMed Central

Pineda, Carlos; MacRae, Thomas H.; Sorgeloos, Patrick; Bossier, Peter

2008-01-01

Larvae of the brine shrimp Artemia franciscana serve as important feed in fish and shellfish larviculture; however, they are subject to bacterial diseases that devastate entire populations and consequently hinder their use in aquaculture. Exposure to abiotic stress was shown previously to shield Artemia larvae against infection by pathogenic Vibrio, with the results suggesting a mechanistic role for heat shock protein 70. In the current report, combined hypothermic/hyperthermic shock followed by recovery at ambient temperature induced Hsp70 synthesis in Artemia larvae. Thermotolerance was also increased as was protection against infection by Vibrio campbellii, the latter indicated by reduced mortality and lower bacterial load in challenge tests. Resistance to Vibrio improved in the face of declining body mass as demonstrated by measurement of ash-free dry weight. Hypothermic stress only and acute osmotic insult did not promote Hsp70 expression and thermotolerance in Artemia larvae nor was resistance to Vibrio challenge augmented. The data support a causal link between Hsp70 accumulation induced by abiotic stress and enhanced resistance to infection by V. campbellii, perhaps via stimulation of the Artemia immune system. This possibility is now under investigation, and the work may reveal fundamental properties of crustacean immunity. Additionally, the findings are important in aquaculture where development of procedures to prevent bacterial infection of feed stock such as Artemia larvae is a priority. PMID:18347942

[Cooperation and support activities of infection control after the Great East Japan Earthquake].

PubMed

Hatta, Masumitsu; Kaku, Mitsuo

2013-12-01

On 11 March 2011, an earthquake measuring 9.0 on the Richter scale occurred off the northeast coast of Honshu Island, Japan, produced a devastating tsunami that destroyed many towns and villages near the coast in Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures. Miyagi Prefecture was the area most severely devastated by the tsunami, with extensive loss of life and property; hundreds of thousands of people lost their houses and were forced to move to evacuation areas. In the days and weeks following devastating natural disasters, the threat of infectious disease outbreak is high. We initiated cooperation and support activities in terms of infection control at evacuation centers in the aftermath of the disaster. For example, we assessed sanitary and infectious risk factors in evacuation centers, in collaboration with Miyagi Prefectural Government and public health centers in the devastated area, to prevent the transmission of infectious diseases among evacuees. We also supported the control of two outbreaks of influenza A, which occurred in different centers in Miyagi Prefecture in the early period after the disaster. Both outbreaks subsided without any complicated or fatal cases of influenza as a result of the prompt implementation of a systemic approach with a bundle of control measures.

Investigating the adaptive immune response in influenza and secondary bacterial pneumonia and nanoparticle based therapeutic delivery

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chakravarthy, Krishnan V.

In early 2000, influenza and its associated complications were the 7 th leading cause of death in the United States[1-4]. As of today, this major health problem has become even more of a concern, with the possibility of a potentially devastating avian flu (H5N1) or swine flu pandemic (H1N1). According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), over 10 countries have reported transmission of influenza A (H5N1) virus to humans as of June 2006 [5]. In response to this growing concern, the United States pledged over $334 million dollars in international aid for battling influenza[1-4]. The major flu pandemic of the early 1900's provided the first evidence that secondary bacterial pneumonia (not primary viral pneumonia) was the major cause of death in both community and hospital-based settings. Secondary bacterial infections currently account for 35-40% mortality following a primary influenza viral infection [1, 6]. The first component of this work addresses the immunological mechanisms that predispose patients to secondary bacterial infections following a primary influenza viral infection. By assessing host immune responses through various immune-modulatory tools, such as use of volatile anesthetics (i.e. halothane) and Apilimod/STA-5326 (an IL-12/Il-23 transcription blocker), we provide experimental evidence that demonstrates that the overactive adaptive Th1 immune response is critical in mediating increased susceptibility to secondary bacterial infections. We also present data that shows that suppressing the adaptive Th1 immune response enhances innate immunity, specifically in alveolar macrophages, by favoring a pro anti-bacterial phenotype. The second component of this work addresses the use of nanotechnology to deliver therapeutic modalities that affect the primary viral and associated secondary bacterial infections post influenza. First, we used surface functionalized quantum dots for selective targeting of lung alveolar macrophages both in vitro and in vivo. Second, we targeted human bronchial epithelial cells (A549) with gold nanoparticles complexed to 5'PPP-ssRNA to induce RIG-I cytoplasmic ligand, which results in induction of type 1 interferon and concomitant reduction in influenza viral replication. 1-6. Please see dissertation for all references.

International collaborations to facilitate a better understanding of Newcastle disease epidemiology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Infections of poultry species with virulent strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV) cause Newcastle disease (ND), worldwide one of the most economically significant and devastating diseases for poultry producers. Biological engagement programs (BEP) between the Southeast Poultry Research Laborator...

Newcastle disease virus infection in quail

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Newcastle disease (ND), caused by virulent strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), is a devastating disease of poultry worldwide. The pathogenesis of ND in quail is poorly documented. To characterize the ability of virulent NDV strains to replicate and cause disease in quail, groups of 14 two-week...

Zinc treatment increases the titre of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' in huanglongbing-affected citrus plants while affecting the bacterial microbiomes.

PubMed

Zhang, M Q; Guo, Y; Powell, C A; Doud, M S; Yang, C Y; Zhou, H; Duan, Y P

2016-06-01

Huanglongbing (HLB)-affected citrus often display zinc deficiency symptoms. In this study, supplemental zinc was applied to citrus to determine its effect on Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) titre, HLB symptoms, and leaf microbiome. HLB-affected citrus were treated with various amounts of zinc. The treatments promoted Las growth and affected microbiomes in citrus leaves. Phylochip(™) -based results indicated that 5475 of over 50 000 known Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) in 52 phyla were detected in the midribs of HLB-affected citrus, of which Proteobacteria was the most abundant, followed by Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. In comparison, the microbiomes of zinc-treated diseased plants had overall more OTUs with higher amounts of Proteobacteria, but decreased percentages of Firmicutes and Actinobacteria. In addition, more OTUs of siderophore-producing bacteria were present. Only zinc-sensitive Staphylococcaceae had higher OTU's in the diseased plants without zinc treatments. Although HLB-affected citrus appear zinc deficient, zinc amendments increased the pathogen levels and shifted the microbiome. HLB is currently the most devastating disease of citrus worldwide. Zinc is often applied to HLB-affected citrus due to zinc deficiency symptoms. This study provided new insights into the potential effects of zinc on HLB and the microbial ecology of citrus. © 2016 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

Microbial community dynamics and effect of environmental microbial reservoirs on red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus)

PubMed Central

Loudon, Andrew H; Woodhams, Douglas C; Parfrey, Laura Wegener; Archer, Holly; Knight, Rob; McKenzie, Valerie; Harris, Reid N

2014-01-01

Beneficial cutaneous bacteria on amphibians can protect against the lethal disease chytridiomycosis, which has devastated many amphibian species and is caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis. We describe the diversity of bacteria on red-backed salamanders (Plethodon cinereus) in the wild and the stability of these communities through time in captivity using culture-independent Illumina 16S rRNA gene sequencing. After field sampling, salamanders were housed with soil from the field or sterile media. The captive conditions led to different trajectories of bacterial communities. Eight OTUs present on >90% of salamanders in the field, through time, and in both treatments were defined as the core community, suggesting that some bacteria are closely associated with the host and are independent of an environmental reservoir. One of these taxa, a Pseudomonas sp., was previously cultured from amphibians and found to be antifungal. As all host-associated bacteria were found in the soil reservoir, environmental microbes strongly influence host–microbial diversity and likely regulate the core community. Using PICRUSt, an exploratory bioinformatics tool to predict gene functions, we found that core skin bacteria provided similar gene functions to the entire community. We suggest that future experiments focus on testing whether core bacteria on salamander skin contribute to the observed resistance to chytridiomycosis in this species even under hygenic captive conditions. For disease-susceptible hosts, providing an environmental reservoir with defensive bacteria in captive-rearing programs may improve outcomes by increasing bacterial diversity on threatened amphibians or increasing the likelihood that defensive bacteria are available for colonization. PMID:24335825

Pathological and phylogenetic characterization of Newcastle disease viruses from Israel and Pakistan

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Newcastle disease (ND) is a devastating disease of poultry worldwide caused by virulent strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV). New strains of NDV frequently emerge, creating challenges for disease control. Since 2012, NDV strains of new genotype VIIi have been reported in Israel and Pakistan, b...

HrpE3 is a type III effector protein required for full virulence of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola in rice.

PubMed

Cui, Yiping; Zou, Lifang; Zou, Huasong; Li, Yurong; Zakria, Muhammad; Chen, Gongyou

2013-09-01

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola (Xoc) is the causal agent of bacterial leaf streak, a devastating disease in rice. Xoc uses a type III secretion (T3S) system, which is encoded by the hrp-hrc-hpa (hypersensitive response and pathogenicity, hrp-conserved and hrp-associated) genes, to inject repertoires of T3S effectors (T3Es) into plant cells. Many of the hrp-hrc-hpa genes have roles in pathogenesis, but the role of hrpE3, which shows homology to hpaE in X. campestris pv. vesicatoria (Xcv), is poorly understood. In this study, hrpE3 was shown to be transcribed independent of the hrpD operon, and its expression was dependent on a promoter within hpaB. The expression of hrpE3 was positively regulated by HrpG and HrpX, a finding probably caused by an imperfect plant-inducible promoter (PIP) box (TTCGT-N16 -TTCGA) in the hrpE3 promoter. The secretion of HrpE3 was dependent on T3S, and subcellular localization of HrpE3 was cytoplasmic and nuclear in plant cells. A mutation in hrpE3 reduced the virulence of Xoc by decreasing disease lesion length and bacterial growth in planta. Full virulence was restored to the mutant when Xoc hrpE3, but not Xcv hpaE, was expressed in trans. The differences in transcription, secretion via the T3S system and bacterial virulence in plants were attributed to N-terminal amino acid differences between Xoc HrpE3 and Xcv HpaE. Collectively, the results demonstrate that hrpE3 encodes a T3E protein which is delivered into the plant cell through the T3S system, localizes to the cytoplasm and nucleus, and is required for full virulence in rice. © 2013 BSPP AND JOHN WILEY & SONS LTD.

Progression of pathogenic events in cynomolgus macaques infected with variola virus.

PubMed

Wahl-Jensen, Victoria; Cann, Jennifer A; Rubins, Kathleen H; Huggins, John W; Fisher, Robert W; Johnson, Anthony J; de Kok-Mercado, Fabian; Larsen, Thomas; Raymond, Jo Lynne; Hensley, Lisa E; Jahrling, Peter B

2011-01-01

Smallpox, caused by variola virus (VARV), is a devastating human disease that affected millions worldwide until the virus was eradicated in the 1970 s. Subsequent cessation of vaccination has resulted in an immunologically naive human population that would be at risk should VARV be used as an agent of bioterrorism. The development of antivirals and improved vaccines to counter this threat would be facilitated by the development of animal models using authentic VARV. Towards this end, cynomolgus macaques were identified as adequate hosts for VARV, developing ordinary or hemorrhagic smallpox in a dose-dependent fashion. To further refine this model, we performed a serial sampling study on macaques exposed to doses of VARV strain Harper calibrated to induce ordinary or hemorrhagic disease. Several key differences were noted between these models. In the ordinary smallpox model, lymphoid and myeloid hyperplasias were consistently found whereas lymphocytolysis and hematopoietic necrosis developed in hemorrhagic smallpox. Viral antigen accumulation, as assessed immunohistochemically, was mild and transient in the ordinary smallpox model. In contrast, in the hemorrhagic model antigen distribution was widespread and included tissues and cells not involved in the ordinary model. Hemorrhagic smallpox developed only in the presence of secondary bacterial infections - an observation also commonly noted in historical reports of human smallpox. Together, our results support the macaque model as an excellent surrogate for human smallpox in terms of disease onset, acute disease course, and gross and histopathological lesions.

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE) the story of a vanishing disease.

PubMed

Gadoth, Natan

2012-10-01

Subacute sclerosing panencephalitis (SSPE), is a devastating "slow virus" brain disease which affects young children who had measles some 6-7 years earlier. Although, the pandemic of SSPE during 1960-1980's was almost eradicated due to mass immunization, the disease is still taking the life of young children in countries where measles immunization is incomplete and in world regions where genetic polymorphism to this particular infection is present. The present review was written for the fortunate young generation of pediatricians and pediatric neurologists who probably have not seen a case of SSPE during their career, and for those who work in counties where the disease has not been eradicated. It is also a reminder that with full coverage of measles immunization this devastating disease can be fully eradicated. Copyright © 2012 The Japanese Society of Child Neurology. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Metabolic Interplay between the Asian Citrus Psyllid and Its Profftella Symbiont: An Achilles’ Heel of the Citrus Greening Insect Vector

PubMed Central

Ramsey, John S.; Johnson, Richard S.; Hoki, Jason S.; Kruse, Angela; Mahoney, Jaclyn; Hilf, Mark E.; Hunter, Wayne B.; Hall, David G.; Schroeder, Frank C.; MacCoss, Michael J.; Cilia, Michelle

2015-01-01

‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease, is transmitted by Diaphorina citri, the Asian citrus psyllid. Interactions among D. citri and its microbial endosymbionts, including ‘Candidatus Profftella armatura’, are likely to impact transmission of CLas. We used quantitative mass spectrometry to compare the proteomes of CLas(+) and CLas(-) populations of D. citri, and found that proteins involved in polyketide biosynthesis by the endosymbiont Profftella were up-regulated in CLas(+) insects. Mass spectrometry analysis of the Profftella polyketide diaphorin in D. citri metabolite extracts revealed the presence of a novel diaphorin-related polyketide and the ratio of these two polyketides was changed in CLas(+) insects. Insect proteins differentially expressed between CLas(+) and CLas(-) D. citri included defense and immunity proteins, proteins involved in energy storage and utilization, and proteins involved in endocytosis, cellular adhesion, and cytoskeletal remodeling which are associated with microbial invasion of host cells. Insight into the metabolic interdependence between the insect vector, its endosymbionts, and the citrus greening pathogen reveals novel opportunities for control of this disease, which is currently having a devastating impact on citrus production worldwide. PMID:26580079

Disease dynamics and potential mitigation among restored and wild staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis

PubMed Central

Lohr, Kathryn E.; Cameron, Caitlin M.; Williams, Dana E.; Peters, Esther C.

2014-01-01

The threatened status (both ecologically and legally) of Caribbean staghorn coral, Acropora cervicornis, has prompted rapidly expanding efforts in culture and restocking, although tissue loss diseases continue to affect populations. In this study, disease surveillance and histopathological characterization were used to compare disease dynamics and conditions in both restored and extant wild populations. Disease had devastating effects on both wild and restored populations, but dynamics were highly variable and appeared to be site-specific with no significant differences in disease prevalence between wild versus restored sites. A subset of 20 haphazardly selected colonies at each site observed over a four-month period revealed widely varying disease incidence, although not between restored and wild sites, and a case fatality rate of 8%. A tropical storm was the only discernable environmental trigger associated with a consistent spike in incidence across all sites. Lastly, two field mitigation techniques, (1) excision of apparently healthy branch tips from a diseased colony, and (2) placement of a band of epoxy fully enclosing the diseased margin, gave equivocal results with no significant benefit detected for either treatment compared to controls. Tissue condition of associated samples was fair to very poor; unsuccessful mitigation treatment samples had severe degeneration of mesenterial filament cnidoglandular bands. Polyp mucocytes in all samples were infected with suspect rickettsia-like organisms; however, no bacterial aggregates were found. No histological differences were found between disease lesions with gross signs fitting literature descriptions of white-band disease (WBD) and rapid tissue loss (RTL). Overall, our results do not support differing disease quality, quantity, dynamics, nor health management strategies between restored and wild colonies of A. cervicornis in the Florida Keys. PMID:25210660

UV-C Adaptation of Shigella: Morphological, Outer Membrane Proteins, Secreted Proteins, and Lipopolysaccharides Effects.

PubMed

Chourabi, Kalthoum; Campoy, Susana; Rodriguez, Jesus A; Kloula, Salma; Landoulsi, Ahmed; Chatti, Abdelwaheb

2017-11-01

Water UV disinfection remains extremely important, particularly in developing countries where drinking and reclaimed crop irrigation water may spread devastating infectious diseases. Enteric bacterial pathogens, among which Shigella, are possible contaminants of drinking and bathing water and foods. To study the effect of UV light on Shigella, four strains were exposed to different doses in a laboratory-made irradiation device, given that the ultraviolet radiation degree of inactivation is directly related to the UV dose applied to water. Our results showed that the UV-C rays are effective against all the tested Shigella strains. However, UV-C doses appeared as determinant factors for Shigella eradication. On the other hand, Shigella-survived strains changed their outer membrane protein profiles, secreted proteins, and lipopolysaccharides. Also, as shown by electron microscopy transmission, morphological alterations were manifested by an internal cytoplasm disorganized and membrane envelope breaks. Taken together, the focus of interest of our study is to know the adaptive mechanism of UV-C resistance of Shigella strains.

Newcastle disease: current vaccine research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Newcastle disease (ND) is one of the most important infectious diseases that affect poultry due to its devastating economic impact and world-wide distribution and contribution towards malnutrition in countries that rely on production of village chickens as a source of animal protein. Besides biosec...

Bacterial Symbionts of a Devastating Coffee Plant Pest, the Stinkbug Antestiopsis thunbergii (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

PubMed Central

Matsuura, Yu; Hosokawa, Takahiro; Serracin, Mario; Tulgetske, Genet M.; Miller, Thomas A.

2014-01-01

Stinkbugs of the genus Antestiopsis, so-called antestia bugs or variegated coffee bugs, are notorious pests of coffee plants in Africa. We investigated the symbiotic bacteria associated with Antestiopsis thunbergii, a major coffee plant pest in Rwanda. PCR, cloning, sequencing, and phylogenetic analysis of bacterial genes identified four distinct bacterial lineages associated with A. thunbergii: a gammaproteobacterial gut symbiont and symbionts representing the genera Sodalis, Spiroplasma, and Rickettsia. In situ hybridization showed that the gut symbiont densely occupied the lumen of midgut crypts, whereas the Sodalis symbiont, the Spiroplasma symbiont, and the Rickettsia symbiont sparsely and sporadically infected various cells and tissues. Diagnostic PCR survey of 154 A. thunbergii individuals collected at 8 localities in Rwanda revealed high infection frequencies (100% for the gut symbiont, 51.3% for the Sodalis symbiont, 52.6% for the Spiroplasma symbiont, and 24.0% for the Rickettsia symbiont). These results suggest that the gut symbiont is the primary symbiotic associate of obligate nature for A. thunbergii, whereas the Sodalis symbiont, the Spiroplasma symbiont, and the Rickettsia symbiont are the secondary symbiotic associates of facultative nature. We observed high coinfection frequencies, i.e., 7.8% of individuals with quadruple infection with all the symbionts, 32.5% with triple infections with the gut symbiont and two of the secondary symbionts, and 39.6% with double infections with the gut symbiont and any of the three secondary symbionts, which were statistically not different from the expected coinfection frequencies and probably reflected random associations. The knowledge of symbiotic microbiota in A. thunbergii will provide useful background information for controlling this devastating coffee plant pest. PMID:24727277

Poultry management: a useful tool for the control of necrotic enteritis in poultry.

PubMed

Tsiouris, Vasilios

2016-06-01

The intestinal ecosystem of poultry has been inevitably changed as a result of the ban of antimicrobial growth promoters. The re-emergence of necrotic enteritis has been the most significant threat for the poultry industry, which, in clinical form, causes high mortality and in subclinical forms, affects growth and feed conversion. It is one of the most common and economically devastating bacterial diseases in modern broiler flocks in terms of performance, welfare and mortality. Necrotic enteritis is a multi-factorial disease process, in which a number of co-factors are usually required to precipitate an outbreak of the disease. Although, Clostridium perfringens has been identified as the aetiological agent of the disease, the predisposing factors that lead to over-proliferation of C. perfringens and the subsequent progression to disease are poorly understood. Any factor that causes stress in broiler chicks could suppress the immune system and disturb the balance of the intestinal ecosystem, in such a way that the risk of a necrotic enteritis (NE) outbreak increases. Poultry management could significantly affect the pathogenesis of NE. In particular, feed restriction and coccidiosis vaccination can protect against NE, while extreme house temperature, feed mycotoxins and high stocking density predispose to NE. It becomes really important to understand the pathogenesis of the disease, as well as to clarify the interactions between husbandry, nutritional and infectious factors and the outbreak of necrotic enteritis. This is necessary and extremely important in order to develop managerial strategies at the farm level to control the incidence and severity of the disease in the post-antibiotic era.

Discovery of huanglongbing (HLB) pre-symptomatic Ribonucleic acid (RNA) biomarkers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most devastating citrus disease and is associated with vector-borne Liberibacter. Currently there is no cure for huanglongbing. Visual disease symptoms appear in only a few leaves months after initial Liberibacter exposure compromising disease management by tree removal. S...

Intracerebral Hemorrhages in Adults with Community Associated Bacterial Meningitis in Adults: Should We Reconsider Anticoagulant Therapy?

PubMed Central

Mook-Kanamori, Barry B.; Fritz, Daan; Brouwer, Matthijs C.; van der Ende, Arie; van de Beek, Diederik

2012-01-01

Objective To study the incidence, clinical presentation and outcome of intracranial hemorrhagic complications in adult patients with community associated bacterial meningitis. Methods Nationwide prospective cohort study from all hospitals in the Netherlands, from 1 March 2006, through 31 December 2010. Results Of the 860 episodes of bacterial meningitis that were included, 24 were diagnosed with intracranial hemorrhagic complications: 8 upon presentation and 16 during clinical course. Clinical presentation between patients with or without intracranial hemorrhage was similar. Causative bacteria were Streptococcus pneumoniae in 16 patients (67%), Staphylococcus aureus in 5 (21%), Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Listeria monocytogenes both in 1 patient (4%). Occurrence of intracranial hemorrhage was associated with death (63% vs. 15%, P<0.001) and unfavorable outcome (94% vs. 34%, P<0.001). The use of anticoagulants on admission was associated with a higher incidence of intracranial hemorrhages (odds ratio 5.84, 95% confidence interval 2.17–15.76). Conclusion Intracranial hemorrhage is a rare but devastating complication in patients with community-associated bacterial meningitis. Since anticoagulant therapy use is associated with increased risk for intracranial hemorrhage, physicians may consider reversing or temporarily discontinuing anticoagulation in patients with bacterial meningitis. PMID:23028898

Identification of Biocontrol Agents to Control the Fungal Pathogen, Geomyces destructans, in Bats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Braunstein, S.; Cheng, T.

2013-12-01

The fungal pathogen Geomyces destructans (Gd) causes the disease White-nose Syndrome (WNS) in bats and is estimated to have killed millions of bats since its emergence in North America in 2006. Gd is predicted to cause the local extinction of at least three bat species if rates of decline continue unabated. Given the devastating impacts of Gd to bat populations, identifying a viable method for controlling the pathogen is pertinent for conservation of affected bat species. Our work focuses on identifying naturally-occurring skin bacteria on bats that are antagonistic to Gd that could potentially be used as a biocontrol. We cultured bacteria from skin swabs taken from wild bats (Myotis lucifugus, Eptesicus fuscus, Myotis sodalis, Perimyotis subflavus). We conducted challenge experiments to identify bacterial strains that inhibited Gd growth. Bacteria that exhibited antifungal properties were identified using 16S and gyrB markers. Our methods identified several bacteria in the Pseudomonas fluorescens complex as potential biocontrol agents. Future work will continue to test the viability of these bacteria as biocontrol agents via experimental treatments with live captive bats. The failure of previous non-biocontrol methods highlights the importance of developing these bacteria as a biologically-friendly method for controlling Gd. A bat infected with Geomyces destructans. Photo by West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Bacterial culture from the swab of a bat's wings

Foot-and-mouth disease virus receptors: multiple gateways to initiate infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Since its discovery over 100 years ago as the causative agent of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), research has been directed at understanding the biology of the foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) so as to be able to control this devastating and highly contagious disease of cloven-hoofed livestock. Giv...

Pathological aspects of NDV infection in the ICPI model

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Newcastle disease (ND) is caused by virulent strains of Newcastle disease virus (NDV), and is a devastating disease of poultry worldwide. The intracerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI) is the internationally recognized system used to assess the virulence of NDV strains, with those scoring = 0.7 consi...

Scabies: important clinical consequences explained by new molecular studies.

PubMed

Fischer, Katja; Holt, Deborah; Currie, Bart; Kemp, David

2012-01-01

In 2004, we reviewed the status of disease caused by the scabies mite Sarcoptes scabiei at the time and pointed out that very little basic research had ever been done. The reason for this was largely the lack of availability of mites for experimental purposes and, to a degree, a consequent lack of understanding of its importance, resulting in the trivial name 'itch mite'. Scabies is responsible for major morbidity in disadvantaged communities and immunocompromised patients worldwide. In addition to the physical discomfort caused by the disease, scabies infestations facilitate infection by bacterial pathogens such as Streptococcus pyogenes and Staphylococcus aureus via skin lesions, resulting in severe downstream disease such as in a high prevalence of rheumatic fever/heart disease in affected communities. We now have further evidence that in disadvantaged populations living in tropical climates, scabies rather than 'Strep throat' is an important source of S. pyogenes causing rheumatic fever and eventually rheumatic heart disease. In addition, our work has resulted in two fundamental research tools that facilitate much of the current biomedical research efforts on scabies, namely a public database containing ~45,000 scabies mite expressed sequence tags and a porcine in vivo model. Here we will discuss novel and unexpected proteins encountered in the database that appear crucial to mite survival with regard to digestion and evasion of host defence. The mode(s) of action of some of these have been at least partially revealed. Further, newly discovered molecules that may well have a similar role, such as a family of inactivated cysteine proteases, are yet to be investigated. Hence, there are now whole families of potential targets for chemical inhibitors of S. scabiei. These efforts put today's scabies research in a unique position to design and test small molecules that may specifically interfere with mite-derived molecules, such as digestive proteases and mite complement inhibitors. The porcine scabies model will be available to trial in vivo treatment with potential inhibitors. New therapies for scabies may be developed from these studies and may contribute to reduce the spread of scabies and the subsequent prevalence of bacterial skin infections and their devastating sequelae in the community. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

APPLICATION OF PROPICONAZOLE IN MANAGEMENT OF LAUREL WILT DISEASE IN AVOCADO (Persea americana Mill.) TREES

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Laurel wilt is a vascular disease of Lauraceous plants caused by a fungus (Raffaelea spp.) that is carried by a recently introduced, nonnative ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus). The disease is devastating to Persea species including redbay (Persea borbonia) and avocado (Persea americana) trees i...

Overexpression of a citrus NDR1 ortholog increases disease resistance in Arabidopsis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Emerging devastating diseases, such as Huanglongbing (HLB) and citrus canker, have caused tremendous losses to the citrus industry worldwide. Genetic engineering is a powerful approach that could allow us to increase citrus resistance against these diseases. The key to the success of this approach r...

Breeding for cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is caused by a whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) transmitted geminivirus. It is a major disease of cotton in Africa and South Asia, and has spread to other countries through ornamental plants. It can potentially devastate U.S. cotton where commercial varieties have no resi...

Managing Abiotic Factors of Compost to Increase Soilborne Disease Suppression

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Griffin, Deirdre E.

2012-01-01

Soilborne pathogens can devastate crops, causing economic losses for farmers due to reduced yields and expensive management practices. Fumigants and fungicides have harmful impacts on the surrounding environment and can be toxic to humans. Therefore, alternative methods of disease management are important. The disease suppressive abilities of…

Xanthomonas adaptation to common bean is associated with horizontal transfers of genes encoding TAL effectors.

PubMed

Ruh, Mylène; Briand, Martial; Bonneau, Sophie; Jacques, Marie-Agnès; Chen, Nicolas W G

2017-08-30

Common bacterial blight is a devastating bacterial disease of common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris) caused by Xanthomonas citri pv. fuscans and Xanthomonas phaseoli pv. phaseoli. These phylogenetically distant strains are able to cause similar symptoms on common bean, suggesting that they have acquired common genetic determinants of adaptation to common bean. Transcription Activator-Like (TAL) effectors are bacterial type III effectors that are able to induce the expression of host genes to promote infection or resistance. Their capacity to bind to a specific host DNA sequence suggests that they are potential candidates for host adaption. To study the diversity of tal genes from Xanthomonas strains responsible for common bacterial blight of bean, whole genome sequences of 17 strains representing the diversity of X. citri pv. fuscans and X. phaseoli pv. phaseoli were obtained by single molecule real time sequencing. Analysis of these genomes revealed the existence of four tal genes named tal23A, tal20F, tal18G and tal18H, respectively. While tal20F and tal18G were chromosomic, tal23A and tal18H were carried on plasmids and shared between phylogenetically distant strains, therefore suggesting recent horizontal transfers of these genes between X. citri pv. fuscans and X. phaseoli pv. phaseoli strains. Strikingly, tal23A was present in all strains studied, suggesting that it played an important role in adaptation to common bean. In silico predictions of TAL effectors targets in the common bean genome suggested that TAL effectors shared by X. citri pv. fuscans and X. phaseoli pv. phaseoli strains target the promoters of genes of similar functions. This could be a trace of convergent evolution among TAL effectors from different phylogenetic groups, and comforts the hypothesis that TAL effectors have been implied in the adaptation to common bean. Altogether, our results favour a model where plasmidic TAL effectors are able to contribute to host adaptation by being horizontally transferred between distant lineages.

Microbiological Examination of Erwinia amylovora Exopolysaccharide Ooze.

PubMed

Slack, Suzanne M; Zeng, Quan; Outwater, Cory A; Sundin, George W

2017-04-01

Fire blight, caused by the pathogen Erwinia amylovora, is the most devastating bacterial disease of pome fruit in North America and worldwide. The primary method of dispersal for E. amylovora is through ooze, a mass of exopolysaccharides and bacterial cells that is exuded as droplets from infected host tissue. During the 2013 and 2014 field seasons, 317 ooze droplets were collected from field-inoculated apple trees. Populations of E. amylovora in ooze droplets were 10 8 CFU/μl on average. Ooze droplets harboring larger (>10 8 CFU/μl) cell populations were typically smaller in total volume and had darker coloring, such as orange, red, or dark red hues. Examination of apple host tissue at the site of emergence of ooze droplets using scanning electron microscopy revealed that ooze was not exuding through natural openings; instead, it was found on erumpent mounds and small (10-μm) tears in tissue. These observations suggested that E. amylovora-induced wounds in tissue provided the exit holes for ooze extrusion from the host. Analyses of E. amylovora populations in ooze droplets and within the stems from which ooze droplets emerged indicated that approximately 9% of the total bacterial population from infected stems is diverted to ooze. Gene expression analyses indicated that E. amylovora cells in stem sections located above ooze droplets and in ooze droplets were actively expressing critical pathogenicity genes such as hrpL, dspE, and amsK. Thus, our study identified ooze as a source of large, concentrated populations of E. amylovora that emerged from the host by rupturing host tissue. Because the cells in ooze droplets are expressing genes required for pathogenesis, they are already primed for infection should they be dispersed from ooze to new infection courts.

HOW to Save Dutch Elm Diseased Trees by Pruning

Treesearch

J.R. Allison; G.F. Gregory

1979-01-01

Dutch elm disease (DED), caused by the fungus, Ceratocystis ulmi, is the most devastating shade tree disease in the United States. Healthy elms can become diseased by 1) elm bark beetles that carry the fungus from elm to elm, or 2) through root grafting with already infected trees. Along with wilt symptoms, streaking (sapwood discoloration), a characteristic internal...

Derivation of chicken induced pluripotent stem cells tolerant to Newcastle disease virus-induced lysis through multiple rounds of infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Newcastle disease (ND), caused by Newcastle disease virus (NDV), is a devastating disease of poultry and wild birds. ND is prevented by rigorous biocontainment and vaccination. One potential approach to prevent spread of the virus is production of birds that show innate resistance to NDV...

Plant-based strategies for mosquito control

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mosquitoes transmit some of the most devastating emerging infectious diseases of humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Although vector control by use of chemical insecticides has played an important role in prevention and management of these diseases, their sustained use remains questionable due t...

Management of diabolical diabetes mellitus and periodontitis nexus: Are we doing enough?

PubMed Central

Gurav, Abhijit N

2016-01-01

Periodontitis is the commonest oral disease affecting population worldwide. This disease is notorious for the devastation of tooth supporting structures, ensuing in the loss of dentition. The etiology for this disease is bacterial biofilm, which accumulates on the teeth as dental plaque. In addition to the biofilm microorganisms, other factors such as environmental, systemic and genetic are also responsible in progression of periodontitis. Diabetes mellitus (DM) is metabolic disorder which has an impact on the global health. DM plays a crucial role in the pathogenesis of periodontitis. Periodontitis is declared as the “sixth” major complication of DM. Evidence based literature has depicted an enhanced incidence and severity of periodontitis in subjects with DM. A “two way” relationship has been purported between periodontitis and DM. Mutual management of both conditions is necessary. Periodontal therapy (PT) may assist to diminish the progression of DM and improve glycemic control. Various advanced technological facilities may be utilized for the purpose of patient education and disease management. The present paper clarifies the etio-pathogenesis of periodontitis, establishing it as a complication of DM and elaborating the various mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis. The role of PT in amelioration of DM and application of digital communication will be discussed. Overall, it is judicious to create an increased patient cognizance of the periodontitis-DM relationship. Conjunctive efforts must be undertaken by the medical and oral health care professionals for the management of periodontitis affected DM patients. PMID:26962409

Progression of Pathogenic Events in Cynomolgus Macaques Infected with Variola Virus

PubMed Central

Rubins, Kathleen H.; Huggins, John W.; Fisher, Robert W.; Johnson, Anthony J.; de Kok-Mercado, Fabian; Larsen, Thomas; Raymond, Jo Lynne; Hensley, Lisa E.; Jahrling, Peter B.

2011-01-01

Smallpox, caused by variola virus (VARV), is a devastating human disease that affected millions worldwide until the virus was eradicated in the 1970 s. Subsequent cessation of vaccination has resulted in an immunologically naive human population that would be at risk should VARV be used as an agent of bioterrorism. The development of antivirals and improved vaccines to counter this threat would be facilitated by the development of animal models using authentic VARV. Towards this end, cynomolgus macaques were identified as adequate hosts for VARV, developing ordinary or hemorrhagic smallpox in a dose-dependent fashion. To further refine this model, we performed a serial sampling study on macaques exposed to doses of VARV strain Harper calibrated to induce ordinary or hemorrhagic disease. Several key differences were noted between these models. In the ordinary smallpox model, lymphoid and myeloid hyperplasias were consistently found whereas lymphocytolysis and hematopoietic necrosis developed in hemorrhagic smallpox. Viral antigen accumulation, as assessed immunohistochemically, was mild and transient in the ordinary smallpox model. In contrast, in the hemorrhagic model antigen distribution was widespread and included tissues and cells not involved in the ordinary model. Hemorrhagic smallpox developed only in the presence of secondary bacterial infections – an observation also commonly noted in historical reports of human smallpox. Together, our results support the macaque model as an excellent surrogate for human smallpox in terms of disease onset, acute disease course, and gross and histopathological lesions. PMID:21998632

FaRXf1: a locus conferring resistance to angular leaf spot caused by Xanthomonas fragariae in octoploid strawberry.

PubMed

Roach, Jack A; Verma, Sujeet; Peres, Natalia A; Jamieson, Andrew R; van de Weg, W Eric; Bink, Marco C A M; Bassil, Nahla V; Lee, Seonghee; Whitaker, Vance M

2016-06-01

Angular leaf spot is a devastating bacterial disease of strawberry. Resistance from two wild accessions is highly heritable and controlled by a major locus on linkage group 6D. Angular leaf spot caused by Xanthomonas fragariae is the only major bacterial disease of cultivated strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa). While this disease may cause reductions of up to 8 % of marketable yield in Florida winter annual production, no resistant cultivars have been commercialized. Wild accessions US4808 and US4809 were previously identified as resistant to the four genetic clades of X. fragariae, and introgression of the trait into commercial quality perennial-type germplasm was initiated. Previous reports indicated high heritability for the trait but proposed both single-locus and multi-locus inheritance models. The objective of this study was to determine the mode of inheritance of resistance, to identify causal loci, and to begin introgression of resistance into Florida-adapted germplasm. Resistance was observed in two years of field trials with inoculated plants that assayed four full-sib families descended from US4808 to US4809. Resistance segregated 1:1 in all families indicating control by a dominant allele at a single locus. Using a selective genotyping approach with the IStraw90 Axiom(®) SNP array and pedigree-based QTL detection, a single major-effect QTL was identified in two full-sib families, one descended from each resistant accession. High-resolution melt curve analysis validated the presence of the QTL in separate populations. The QTL was delimited to the 33.1-33.6 Mbp (F. vesca vesca v1.1 reference) and 34.8-35.3 Mbp (F. vesca bracteata v2.0 reference) regions of linkage group 6D for both resistance sources and was designated FaRXf1. Characterization of this locus will facilitate marker-assisted selection toward the development of resistant cultivars.

Molecular Mapping of High Resistance to Bacterial Leaf Spot in Lettuce PI 358001-1.

PubMed

Wang, Yunwen; Lu, Huangjun; Hu, Jinguo

2016-11-01

Lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) is a diploid (2n = 18) with a genome size of 2,600 Mbp, and belongs to the family Compositae. Bacterial leaf spot (BLS), caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians, is a major disease of lettuce worldwide. Leaf lettuce PI 358001-1 has been characterized as an accession highly resistant to BLS and has white seed. In order to understand inheritance of the high resistance in this germplasm line, an F 3 population consisting of 163 families was developed from the cross PI 358001-1 × 'Tall Guzmaine' (a susceptible Romaine lettuce variety with black seed). The segregation ratio of reaction to disease by seedling inoculation with X. campestris pv. vitians L7 strain in the F 3 families was shown to be 32:82:48 homozygous resistant/heterozygous/homozygous susceptible, fitting to 1:2:1 (n = 162, χ 2 = 3.19, P = 0.20). The segregation ratio of seed color by checking F 2 plants was 122:41 black/white, fitting to 3:1 (n = 163, χ 2 = 0.002, P = 0.96). The results indicated that both BLS resistance and seed color were inherited as a dominant gene mode. A genetic linkage map based on 124 randomly selected F 2 plants was developed to enable molecular mapping of the BLS resistance and the seed color trait. In total, 199 markers, comprising 176 amplified fragment length polymorphisms, 16 simple-sequence repeats, 5 resistant gene candidate markers, and 2 cleaved amplified polymorphic sequences (CAPS) markers were assigned to six linkage groups. The dominant resistance gene to BLS (Xcvr) was mapped on linkage group 2 and the gene locus y for seed color was identified on linkage group 5. Due to the nature of a single gene inheritance, the high-resistance gene should be readily transferred to adapted lettuce cultivars to battle against the devastating disease of lettuce.

Ten years of a multidisciplinary diabetic foot team approach in Sao Paulo, Brazil

PubMed Central

Batista, Fábio; Augusto Magalhães, Antonio; Gamba, Mônica; Nery, Caio; Cardoso, Cristina

2010-01-01

Diabetes mellitus can cause devastating foot problems including loss of protective sensation with subsequent ulcerations and amputations. The natural history and pathophysiology of diabetic foot ulcers is best understood and managed by a multiprofessional team approach. The main factors for prevention and treatment of these devastating diabetic foot conditions are shown, with special attention to education of the patient. This approach decreases the morbidity of the disease, besides its economical and social feasibility. PMID:22396805

A comparative study of three detection techniques for Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli, the causal pathogen of sugarcane ratoon stunting disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Ratoon stunting disease (RSD), which is caused by the bacterium Leifsonia xyli subsp. xyli (Lxx), is now recognized worldwide as the most economically devastating disease impacting sugarcane. RSD causes significant yield losses and variety degradation. Diagnosis of RSD is challenging because it does...

Constitutively active IRF7/IRF3 fusion protein completely protects swine against Foot-and-Mouth Disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) remains one of the most devastating livestock diseases around the world. Several serotype specific vaccine formulations exist but require about 5-7 days to induce protective immunity. Our previous studies have shown that a constitutively active fusion protein of porcine ...

Proteomics analysis reveals novel host molecular mechanisms associated with thermotherapy of ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’-infected citrus plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) is the most devastating disease of citrus plants, and longer-term measures for controlling the disease via breeding or genetic engineering are hampered by the fact that all cultivated citrus species are susceptible to the disease. However, the degree of HLB susceptibility ...

Ascochyta blight of chickpeas

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Chickpea is becoming increasingly important as a rotational crop in cereal production systems. Ascochyta blight is the most devastating disease of chickpea and must be appropriately managed to minimize its damage to crops and increase chickpea yield. The disease is caused by the fungus Ascochyta r...

Molecular genetics of Erwinia amylovora involved in the development of fire blight.

PubMed

Oh, Chang-Sik; Beer, Steven V

2005-12-15

The bacterial plant pathogen, Erwinia amylovora, causes the devastating disease known as fire blight in some Rosaceous plants like apple, pear, quince, raspberry and several ornamentals. Knowledge of the factors affecting the development of fire blight has mushroomed in the last quarter century. On the molecular level, genes encoding a Hrp type III secretion system, genes encoding enzymes involved in synthesis of extracellular polysaccharides and genes facilitating the growth of E. amylovora in its host plants have been characterized. The Hrp pathogenicity island, delimited by genes suggesting horizontal gene transfer, is composed of four distinct regions, the hrp/hrc region, the HEE (Hrp effectors and elicitors) region, the HAE (Hrp-associated enzymes) region, and the IT (Island transfer) region. The Hrp pathogenicity island encodes a Hrp type III secretion system (TTSS), which delivers several proteins from bacteria to plant apoplasts or cytoplasm. E. amylovora produces two exopolysaccharides, amylovoran and levan, which cause the characteristic fire blight wilting symptom in host plants. In addition, other genes, and their encoded proteins, have been characterized as virulence factors of E. amylovora that encode enzymes facilitating sorbitol metabolism, proteolytic activity and iron harvesting. This review summarizes our understanding of the genes and gene products of E. amylovora that are involved in the development of the fire blight disease.

Alteration in the Gut Microbiota Provokes Susceptibility to Tuberculosis.

PubMed

Khan, Nargis; Vidyarthi, Aurobind; Nadeem, Sajid; Negi, Shikha; Nair, Girish; Agrewala, Javed N

2016-01-01

The microbiota that resides in the gastrointestinal tract provides essential health benefits to the host. In particular, they regulate immune homeostasis. Recently, several evidences indicate that alteration in the gut microbial community can cause infectious and non-infectious diseases. Tuberculosis (TB) is the most devastating disease, inflicting mortality and morbidity. It remains unexplored, whether changes in the gut microbiota can provoke or prevent TB. In the current study, we have demonstrated the antibiotics driven changes in the gut microbial composition and their impact on the survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis ( Mtb ) in the lungs, liver, and spleen of infected mice, compared to those with intact microbiota. Interestingly, dysbiosis of microbes showed significant increase in the bacterial burden in lungs and dissemination of Mtb to spleen and liver. Furthermore, elevation in the number of Tregs and decline in the pool of IFN-γ- and TNF-α-releasing CD4 T cells was noticed. Interestingly, fecal transplantation in the gut microbiota disrupted animals exhibited improved Th1 immunity and lesser Tregs population. Importantly, these animals displayed reduced severity to Mtb infection. This study for the first time demonstrated the novel role of gut microbes in the susceptibility to TB and its prevention by microbial implants. In future, microbial therapies may help in treating patients suffering from TB.

Transgenic expression of antimicrobial peptide D2A21 confers resistance to diseases incited by Pseudomonas syringae pv. tabaci and Xanthomonas citri, but not Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Citrus Huanglongbing (HLB) associated with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) and citrus canker disease incited by Xanthomonas citri are the most devastating citrus diseases worldwide. To control citrus HLB and canker disease, we previously screened over forty antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in...

COMPARATIVE GENOME ANALYSES OF MONILIOPHTHORA PERNICIOSA AND MONILIOPHTHORA RORERI: TWO CLOSELY RELATED PHYTOPATHOGENIC BASIDIOMYCETES THAT CAUSE DISTINCTLY DIFFERENT DISEASES OF THEOBROMA CACAO

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Theobroma cacao (cacao), the source of chocolate, is a tropical understory tree. Fungal diseases such as Witches’ Broom Disease (WBD) and Frosty Pod Rot Disease (FPRD) of cacao have devastated cacao production in much of the Western Hemisphere and are threats to the main cacao producing regions in A...

Effect of foot-and-mouth disease virus infection on the frequency, phenotype and function of circulating dendritic cells in cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) is a highly contagious virus that causes one of the most devastating diseases in cloven-hoofed animals. Disease symptoms in FMDV-infected animals appear within 2 to 3 days of exposure. Dendritic cells (DC) play an essential role in protective immune responses agai...

Human seizures couple across spatial scales through travelling wave dynamics

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Martinet, L.-E.; Fiddyment, G.; Madsen, J. R.; Eskandar, E. N.; Truccolo, W.; Eden, U. T.; Cash, S. S.; Kramer, M. A.

2017-04-01

Epilepsy--the propensity toward recurrent, unprovoked seizures--is a devastating disease affecting 65 million people worldwide. Understanding and treating this disease remains a challenge, as seizures manifest through mechanisms and features that span spatial and temporal scales. Here we address this challenge through the analysis and modelling of human brain voltage activity recorded simultaneously across microscopic and macroscopic spatial scales. We show that during seizure large-scale neural populations spanning centimetres of cortex coordinate with small neural groups spanning cortical columns, and provide evidence that rapidly propagating waves of activity underlie this increased inter-scale coupling. We develop a corresponding computational model to propose specific mechanisms--namely, the effects of an increased extracellular potassium concentration diffusing in space--that support the observed spatiotemporal dynamics. Understanding the multi-scale, spatiotemporal dynamics of human seizures--and connecting these dynamics to specific biological mechanisms--promises new insights to treat this devastating disease.

Early detection of HLB with metabolomics

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most devastating of all citrus diseases and poses a serious threat to the U.S. citrus industry. Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) is a bacterium associated with, and believed to cause, HLB disease of citrus. Confirmation of CLas infection is crucial for regulatory a...

Predictors of Meningococcal Vaccination among University Students

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

D'Heilly, Sarah; Ehlinger, Edward; Nichol, Kristin

2006-01-01

Invasive disease secondary to Neisseria meningitidis is a rare but devastating illness among university students. The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommends educating college freshmen about meningococcal disease and vaccinating all college freshmen who live in residence halls. We conducted this survey to gain a better…

Three American tragedies: chestnut blight, butternut canker, and Dutch elm disease

Treesearch

Scott E. Schlarbaum; Frederick Hebard; Pauline C. Spaine; Joseph C. Kamalay

1998-01-01

Three North American tree species, American chestnut (Castanea dentata), butternut (Juglans cinerea), and American elm (Ulmus americana), have been devastated by exotic fungal diseases over the last century. American chestnut was eliminated from eastern forests as a dominant species by chestnut blight (...

Quantitative disease resistance: dissection and adoption in maize

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Maize is the world’s most widely cultivated crop, providing food, feed, and biofuel. Maize production is constantly threatened by the presence of devastating pathogens worldwide. Characterization of the genetic components underlying disease resistance is a major research area in maize which is highl...

Introduction to Oomycetes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The oomycetes, also known as “water molds”, are a group of several hundred organisms that include some of the most devastating plant pathogens. The diseases they cause include seedling blights, damping-off, root rots, foliar blights and downy mildews. Some notable diseases are the late blight of po...

Distribution of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' Above and Below Ground in Texas Citrus.

PubMed

Louzada, Eliezer S; Vazquez, Omar Ed; Braswell, W Evan; Yanev, George; Devanaboina, Madhavi; Kunta, Madhurababu

2016-07-01

Detection of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' represents one of the most difficult, yet critical, steps of controlling Huanglongbing disease. Efficient detection relies on understanding the underlying distribution of bacteria within trees. To that end, we studied the distribution of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' in leaves of 'Rio Red' grapefruit trees and in roots of 'Valencia' sweet orange trees grafted onto sour orange rootstock. We performed two sets of leaf collection on grapefruit trees; the first a selective sampling targeting symptomatic leaves and their neighbors and the second a systematic collection disregarding symptomology. From uprooted orange trees, we exhaustively sampled fibrous roots. In this study, the presence of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' was detected in leaves using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) targeting the 16S ribosomal gene and in roots using the rpIJ/rpIL ribosomal protein genes and was confirmed with conventional PCR and sequencing of the rpIJ/rpIL gene in both tissues. Among randomly collected leaves, 'Ca. L. asiaticus' was distributed in a patchy fashion. Detection of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' varied with leaf symptomology with symptomatic leaves showing the highest frequency (74%) followed by their neighboring asymptomatic leaves (30%), while randomly distributed asymptomatic leaves had the lowest frequency (20%). Among symptomatic leaves, we found statistically significant differences in mean number of bacterial cells with respect to both increasing distance of the leaf from the trunk and cardinal direction. The titer of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' cells was significantly greater on the north side of trees than on the south and west sides. Moreover, these directions showed different spatial distributions of 'Ca. L. asiaticus' with higher titers near the trunk on the south and west sides as opposed to further from the trunk on the north side. Similarly, we found spatial variation in 'Ca. L. asiaticus' distribution among root samples. 'Ca. L. asiaticus' was detected more frequently and bacterial abundances were higher among horizontally growing roots just under the soil surface (96%) than among deeper vertically growing roots (78%). Bacterial abundance declined slightly with distance from the trunk. These results point to paths of research that will likely prove useful to combating this devastating disease.

Transcriptomics reveals multiple resistance mechanisms against cotton leaf curl disease in a naturally immune cotton species, Gossypium arboreum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Cotton is an economically important crop affected by a number of abiotic and biotic stresses. Cotton leaf curl disease (CLCuD) is caused by virus in the genus Begomovirus (family Geminiviridae), collectively called cotton leaf curl viruses (CLCuVs). It is one of the most devastating virual diseases ...

Control of foot-and-mouth disease by using replication-defective human adenoviruses to deliver vaccines and biotherapeutics

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) is one of the most contagious viral diseases that can affect cloven-hoofed livestock and wild animals. Outbreaks of FMD have caused devastating economic losses and the slaughter of millions of animals in many regions of the world affecting the food chain and global devel...

The Lolium pathotype of Magnaporthe oryzae recovered from a single blasted wheat plant in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat blast is a devastating disease that was first identified in Brazil and has subsequently spread to surrounding countries in South America. In May 2011, disease scouting in a University of Kentucky wheat trial plot in Princeton, Kentucky identified a single plant with disease symptoms that diffe...

[COMPLICATED URINARY TRACT INFECTIONS IN THE ELDERLY].

PubMed

Ćosić, I; Ćosić, V

2016-12-01

Urinary tract infections (UTI) are the most common bacterial infections involving lower (cystitis, prostatitis) or upper (pyelonephritis, renal abscess, perinephric abscess) urinary tract. Differentiation of complicated and uncomplicated UTI is usually based on the presence of structural or functional urinary tract abnormalities, which can increase the risk of treatment failure and development of serious complications. Factors that increase the risk are foreign bodies, stones, obstruction, neurogenic bladder, kidney transplantation, immunosuppression, and pregnancy. Complicated UTI includes a spectrum of conditions that increase the risk of treatment failure, as well as of serious complications such as bacteremia and sepsis, perinephric abscess, renal impairment and emphysematous pyelonephritis. To avoid the potentially devastating outcomes, appropriate diagnostic procedures, antibiotic and surgical treatment, and appropriate follow-up are required. The incidence of complicated UTI will grow in the future due to general aging of the population, increasing incidence of diabetes, and ever growing number of immunocompromised and immunosuppressed patients. It is of key importance to recognize complicated UTI on time, and treat it wisely and aggressively to reduce duration of the disease and the risk of antibiotic resistance.

Dietary Modulation of Gut Microbiota Contributes to Alleviation of Both Genetic and Simple Obesity in Children.

PubMed

Zhang, Chenhong; Yin, Aihua; Li, Hongde; Wang, Ruirui; Wu, Guojun; Shen, Jian; Zhang, Menghui; Wang, Linghua; Hou, Yaping; Ouyang, Haimei; Zhang, Yan; Zheng, Yinan; Wang, Jicheng; Lv, Xiaofei; Wang, Yulan; Zhang, Feng; Zeng, Benhua; Li, Wenxia; Yan, Feiyan; Zhao, Yufeng; Pang, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Xiaojun; Fu, Huaqing; Chen, Feng; Zhao, Naisi; Hamaker, Bruce R; Bridgewater, Laura C; Weinkove, David; Clement, Karine; Dore, Joel; Holmes, Elaine; Xiao, Huasheng; Zhao, Guoping; Yang, Shengli; Bork, Peer; Nicholson, Jeremy K; Wei, Hong; Tang, Huiru; Zhang, Xiaozhuang; Zhao, Liping

2015-08-01

Gut microbiota has been implicated as a pivotal contributing factor in diet-related obesity; however, its role in development of disease phenotypes in human genetic obesity such as Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) remains elusive. In this hospitalized intervention trial with PWS (n = 17) and simple obesity (n = 21) children, a diet rich in non-digestible carbohydrates induced significant weight loss and concomitant structural changes of the gut microbiota together with reduction of serum antigen load and alleviation of inflammation. Co-abundance network analysis of 161 prevalent bacterial draft genomes assembled directly from metagenomic datasets showed relative increase of functional genome groups for acetate production from carbohydrates fermentation. NMR-based metabolomic profiling of urine showed diet-induced overall changes of host metabotypes and identified significantly reduced trimethylamine N-oxide and indoxyl sulfate, host-bacteria co-metabolites known to induce metabolic deteriorations. Specific bacterial genomes that were correlated with urine levels of these detrimental co-metabolites were found to encode enzyme genes for production of their precursors by fermentation of choline or tryptophan in the gut. When transplanted into germ-free mice, the pre-intervention gut microbiota induced higher inflammation and larger adipocytes compared with the post-intervention microbiota from the same volunteer. Our multi-omics-based systems analysis indicates a significant etiological contribution of dysbiotic gut microbiota to both genetic and simple obesity in children, implicating a potentially effective target for alleviation. Poorly managed diet and genetic mutations are the two primary driving forces behind the devastating epidemic of obesity-related diseases. Lack of understanding of the molecular chain of causation between the driving forces and the disease endpoints retards progress in prevention and treatment of the diseases. We found that children genetically obese with Prader-Willi syndrome shared a similar dysbiosis in their gut microbiota with those having diet-related obesity. A diet rich in non-digestible but fermentable carbohydrates significantly promoted beneficial groups of bacteria and reduced toxin-producers, which contributes to the alleviation of metabolic deteriorations in obesity regardless of the primary driving forces.

Dietary Modulation of Gut Microbiota Contributes to Alleviation of Both Genetic and Simple Obesity in Children☆

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chenhong; Yin, Aihua; Li, Hongde; Wang, Ruirui; Wu, Guojun; Shen, Jian; Zhang, Menghui; Wang, Linghua; Hou, Yaping; Ouyang, Haimei; Zhang, Yan; Zheng, Yinan; Wang, Jicheng; Lv, Xiaofei; Wang, Yulan; Zhang, Feng; Zeng, Benhua; Li, Wenxia; Yan, Feiyan; Zhao, Yufeng; Pang, Xiaoyan; Zhang, Xiaojun; Fu, Huaqing; Chen, Feng; Zhao, Naisi; Hamaker, Bruce R.; Bridgewater, Laura C.; Weinkove, David; Clement, Karine; Dore, Joel; Holmes, Elaine; Xiao, Huasheng; Zhao, Guoping; Yang, Shengli; Bork, Peer; Nicholson, Jeremy K.; Wei, Hong; Tang, Huiru; Zhang, Xiaozhuang; Zhao, Liping

2015-01-01

Gut microbiota has been implicated as a pivotal contributing factor in diet-related obesity; however, its role in development of disease phenotypes in human genetic obesity such as Prader–Willi syndrome (PWS) remains elusive. In this hospitalized intervention trial with PWS (n = 17) and simple obesity (n = 21) children, a diet rich in non-digestible carbohydrates induced significant weight loss and concomitant structural changes of the gut microbiota together with reduction of serum antigen load and alleviation of inflammation. Co-abundance network analysis of 161 prevalent bacterial draft genomes assembled directly from metagenomic datasets showed relative increase of functional genome groups for acetate production from carbohydrates fermentation. NMR-based metabolomic profiling of urine showed diet-induced overall changes of host metabotypes and identified significantly reduced trimethylamine N-oxide and indoxyl sulfate, host-bacteria co-metabolites known to induce metabolic deteriorations. Specific bacterial genomes that were correlated with urine levels of these detrimental co-metabolites were found to encode enzyme genes for production of their precursors by fermentation of choline or tryptophan in the gut. When transplanted into germ-free mice, the pre-intervention gut microbiota induced higher inflammation and larger adipocytes compared with the post-intervention microbiota from the same volunteer. Our multi-omics-based systems analysis indicates a significant etiological contribution of dysbiotic gut microbiota to both genetic and simple obesity in children, implicating a potentially effective target for alleviation. Research in context Poorly managed diet and genetic mutations are the two primary driving forces behind the devastating epidemic of obesity-related diseases. Lack of understanding of the molecular chain of causation between the driving forces and the disease endpoints retards progress in prevention and treatment of the diseases. We found that children genetically obese with Prader–Willi syndrome shared a similar dysbiosis in their gut microbiota with those having diet-related obesity. A diet rich in non-digestible but fermentable carbohydrates significantly promoted beneficial groups of bacteria and reduced toxin-producers, which contributes to the alleviation of metabolic deteriorations in obesity regardless of the primary driving forces. PMID:26425705

II. Pathogens

Treesearch

Ned B. Klopfenstein; Brian W. Geils

2011-01-01

Invasive fungal pathogens have caused immeasurably large ecological and economic damage to forests. It is well known that invasive fungal pathogens can cause devastating forest diseases (e.g., white pine blister rust, chestnut blight, Dutch elm disease, dogwood anthracnose, butternut canker, Scleroderris canker of pines, sudden oak death, pine pitch canker) (Maloy 1997...

Spatiotemporal patterns in the airborne dispersal of spinach downy mildew

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Downy mildew, caused by the biotrophic oomycete pathogen, Peronospora effusa, is the most devastating disease of spinach that threatens sustainable production. The disease results in yellow lesions that render leaves unmarketable as the high value fresh produce. In this study, the levels of D...

The Draft Genome Sequence of Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the Black Sigatoka Pathogen of Banana

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mycosphaerella fijiensis is a fungal pathogen of banana and the causal agent of the devastating Black Sigatoka or black leaf streak disease. Its control requires weekly fungicide applications when bananas are grown under disease-conducive conditions, which mostly represent precarious tropical enviro...

The phloem-sap feeding mealybug (Ferrisia virgata) carries 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' populations without transmitting disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) is the primary causal agent of huanglongbing (HLB), the most devastating disease of citrus worldwide. Currently the known insect vectors of the HLB-associated bacteria are three species of psyllids, Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Psyllidae), Trio...

Overexpression of a citrus NDR1 ortholog increases disease resistance in Arabidopsis.

PubMed

Lu, Hua; Zhang, Chong; Albrecht, Ute; Shimizu, Rena; Wang, Guanfeng; Bowman, Kim D

2013-01-01

Emerging devastating diseases, such as Huanglongbing (HLB) and citrus canker, have caused tremendous losses to the citrus industry worldwide. Genetic engineering is a powerful approach that could allow us to increase citrus resistance against these diseases. The key to the success of this approach relies on a thorough understanding of defense mechanisms of citrus. Studies of Arabidopsis and other plants have provided a framework for us to better understand defense mechanisms of citrus. Salicylic acid (SA) is a key signaling molecule involved in basal defense and resistance (R) gene-mediated defense against broad-spectrum pathogens. The Arabidopsis gene NDR1 (NON-RACE-SPECIFIC DISEASE RESISTANCE 1) is a positive regulator of SA accumulation and is specifically required for signaling mediated by a subset of R genes upon recognition of their cognate pathogen effectors. Our bioinformatic analysis identified an ortholog of NDR1 from citrus, CsNDR1. Overexpression of CsNDR1 complemented susceptibility conferred by the Arabidopsis ndr1-1 mutant to Pseudomonas syringae strains and also led to enhanced resistance to an oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. Such heightened resistance is associated with increased SA production and expression of the defense marker gene PATHOGENESIS RELATED 1 (PR1). In addition, we found that expression of PR1 and accumulation of SA were induced to modest levels in citrus infected with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacterial pathogen associated with HLB disease. Thus, our data suggest that CsNDR1 is a functional ortholog of Arabidopsis NDR1. Since Ca. L. asiaticus infection only activates modest levels of defense responses in citrus, we propose that genetically increasing SA/NDR1-mediated pathways could potentially lead to enhanced resistance against HLB, citrus canker, and other destructive diseases challenging global citrus production.

Overexpression of a citrus NDR1 ortholog increases disease resistance in Arabidopsis

PubMed Central

Lu, Hua; Zhang, Chong; Albrecht, Ute; Shimizu, Rena; Wang, Guanfeng; Bowman, Kim D.

2013-01-01

Emerging devastating diseases, such as Huanglongbing (HLB) and citrus canker, have caused tremendous losses to the citrus industry worldwide. Genetic engineering is a powerful approach that could allow us to increase citrus resistance against these diseases. The key to the success of this approach relies on a thorough understanding of defense mechanisms of citrus. Studies of Arabidopsis and other plants have provided a framework for us to better understand defense mechanisms of citrus. Salicylic acid (SA) is a key signaling molecule involved in basal defense and resistance (R) gene-mediated defense against broad-spectrum pathogens. The Arabidopsis gene NDR1 (NON-RACE-SPECIFIC DISEASE RESISTANCE 1) is a positive regulator of SA accumulation and is specifically required for signaling mediated by a subset of R genes upon recognition of their cognate pathogen effectors. Our bioinformatic analysis identified an ortholog of NDR1 from citrus, CsNDR1. Overexpression of CsNDR1 complemented susceptibility conferred by the Arabidopsis ndr1-1 mutant to Pseudomonas syringae strains and also led to enhanced resistance to an oomycete pathogen Hyaloperonospora arabidopsidis. Such heightened resistance is associated with increased SA production and expression of the defense marker gene PATHOGENESIS RELATED 1 (PR1). In addition, we found that expression of PR1 and accumulation of SA were induced to modest levels in citrus infected with Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacterial pathogen associated with HLB disease. Thus, our data suggest that CsNDR1 is a functional ortholog of Arabidopsis NDR1. Since Ca. L. asiaticus infection only activates modest levels of defense responses in citrus, we propose that genetically increasing SA/NDR1-mediated pathways could potentially lead to enhanced resistance against HLB, citrus canker, and other destructive diseases challenging global citrus production. PMID:23761797

Second impact syndrome in football: new imaging and insights into a rare and devastating condition.

PubMed

Weinstein, Elizabeth; Turner, Michael; Kuzma, Benjamin B; Feuer, Henry

2013-03-01

Premature return to play for the concussed pediatric athlete may result in devastating neurological injury. Identification of at-risk patients and ideal management of the concussed athlete remain challenging for the pediatrician. The authors review a case of second impact syndrome in which neuroimaging was obtained between the first and second impacts, a circumstance which to their knowledge has not been previously reported. This case offers new insights into the underlying pathophysiology of this disease process and potential risk factors for its development.

Bacterial Diseases of Bananas and Enset: Current State of Knowledge and Integrated Approaches Toward Sustainable Management

PubMed Central

Blomme, Guy; Dita, Miguel; Jacobsen, Kim Sarah; Pérez Vicente, Luis; Molina, Agustin; Ocimati, Walter; Poussier, Stephane; Prior, Philippe

2017-01-01

Bacterial diseases of bananas and enset have not received, until recently, an equal amount of attention compared to other major threats to banana production such as the fungal diseases black leaf streak (Mycosphaerella fijiensis) and Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. cubense). However, bacteria cause significant impacts on bananas globally and management practices are not always well known or adopted by farmers. Bacterial diseases in bananas and enset can be divided into three groups: (1) Ralstonia-associated diseases (Moko/Bugtok disease caused by Ralstonia solanacearum and banana blood disease caused by R. syzygii subsp. celebesensis); (2) Xanthomonas wilt of banana and enset, caused by Xanthomonas campestris pv. musacearum and (3) Erwinia-associated diseases (bacterial head rot or tip-over disease Erwinia carotovora ssp. carotovora and E. chrysanthemi), bacterial rhizome and pseudostem wet rot (Dickeya paradisiaca formerly E. chrysanthemi pv. paradisiaca). Other bacterial diseases of less widespread importance include: bacterial wilt of abaca, Javanese vascular wilt and bacterial fingertip rot (probably caused by Ralstonia spp., unconfirmed). This review describes global distribution, symptoms, pathogenic diversity, epidemiology and the state of the art for sustainable disease management of the major bacterial wilts currently affecting banana and enset. PMID:28785275

Identification of novel powdery mildew resistance sources in wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Powdery mildew is a globally dominating disease of wheat with a high occurrence frequency, and genetic resistance plays an important role in managing this devastating disease. The objectives of this study were to evaluate leaf rust resistance and the underlying genes of breeding lines in the USA, a...

Understanding the molecular mechanisms of rice blast resistance using rice mutants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Induced mutation can be useful for studying resistance gene controlled plant immunity. Resulting knowledge should benefit the development of strategies for crop protection. The Pi-ta gene in rice has been effectively deployed for preventing rice blast disease-the most devastating disease of rice wo...

Label-Free Detection of Soybean Rust Spores using Photonic Crystal Biosensors

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soybean rust, caused by the fungus Phakopsora pachyrhizi, is one of the most devastating foliar diseases affecting soybeans grown worldwide. The disease was reported for the first time in the United States in 2004. Early spore detection, prior to the appearance of visible symptoms, is critical to ef...

High density mapping of a resistance gene to Ug99 from an Iranian landrace

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Managing the disease wheat stem rust caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) including the highly virulent race TTKSK is imperative for the preservation of global food security. The most effective strategy for managing this potentially devastating disease is pyramiding several resistance ge...

Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae: a threat to global oat production

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae causes crown rust disease in cultivated and wild oat. The significant yield losses inflicted by this pathogen makes crown rust the most devastating disease in the oat industry. P. coronata f. sp. avenae is a basidiomycete fungus with an obligate biotrophic lifestyle a...

FNL Scientists and Collaborators Solve 3-D Structure of Key Protein in Alzheimer’s Disease | FNLCR Staging

Cancer.gov

Researchers at the Frederick National Lab (FNL) have collaborated in solving the three-dimensional structure of a key protein in Alzheimer’s disease, providing new insight into the basic mechanisms that give rise to the devastating illness. The pro

Simultaneous laurel wilt disease biology and resistance research

Treesearch

Jason A. Smith; Randy C. Ploetz

2012-01-01

Laurel wilt (LW) is a devastating, emerging disease of native and non-native members of the Lauraceae family in the southeastern United States. Currently, the fungal pathogen (Raffaelea lauricola) and its vector (Xyleborus glabratus) are found in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, and North and South Carolina. The wilt is...

Mapping a new black spot resistance locus in rose [abstract

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rose black spot, caused by Diplocarpon rosae, is one of the most devastating foliar diseases of cultivated roses (Rosa hybrida). The pathogen is globally distributed and has the potential to cause large economic losses in the outdoor rose industry. Genetic resistance is the most economical disease m...

Developing a disease resistance research program for tanoaks

Treesearch

Katherine J. Hayden; Jessica W. Wright; Richard S. Dodd; Matteo Garbelotto

2012-01-01

The introduced pathogen Phtyophthora ramorum has had a devastating impact on populations of tanoak (Notholithocarpus densiflorus (Hook. & Arn.) Manos, Cannon & S.H.Oh) in California and Oregon, where it causes the disease known as sudden oak death. Tanoaks are a keystone species ecologically, and one of the few species that are...

Repellency of Selected Psidium guajava cultivars to the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Asiatic huanglongbing (HLB)(also known as citrus greening disease) is the most devastating disease of citrus worldwide. It is caused by a bacterium ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ and transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri. Considerable research has been conducted toward...

Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera:Liviidae) abundance in Puerto Rico declines with elevation

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Diaphorina citri is the primary vector of Hunglongbing disease, the most devastating disease of citrus. Diaphorina citri populations in Puerto Rico were monitored with yellow sticky traps on citrus trees at different elevations, ranging from 10 to 880 m above sea level. Trapping was conducted in Mar...

Multi-Family Psychoeducational Support Group Therapy for Families with a Member Afflicted with Irreversible Brain Syndrome (Alzheimer's Disease): Report of a Pilot Study.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Paley, Evelyn S.; And Others

Alzheimers Disease (AD), an incurable disability which afflicts older adults, can have devastating emotional consequences for the victim and the family. In an attempt to determine the effectiveness of multifamily psychoeducational support, group therapy (MFPSGT), 22 persons (13 families) from the Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders…

HIV and Cancer Interaction Highlights Need to Address Disease Stigma

Cancer.gov

The global landscape of disease highlights disparities that exist between nations. An estimated 36 million people worldwide live with HIV and AIDS, of which only 1 million are located within the United States. While the diagnosis of a life-threatening disease can be devastating, individuals with HIV and AIDS frequently bear an additional burden of stigma and discrimination.

Optimizing quality of life in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

PubMed Central

van Manen, Mirjam J. G.; Geelhoed, J. J. Miranda.; Tak, Nelleke C.; Wijsenbeek, Marlies S.

2017-01-01

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a devastating, progressive and ultimately fatal lung disease. The combination of poor prognosis, uncertainty of disease course and severe symptom burden heavily impacts patients’ and their families’ quality of life. Though new antifibrotic drugs have been shown to decrease disease progression, the effect on health-related quality of life (HRQOL) has not been convincingly demonstrated. In a relentless disease such as IPF, striving to optimize HRQOL should complement the endeavour to prolong life. Unfortunately, there is a paucity of interventions improving symptoms and functionality for patients with IPF, and research focusing on symptom improvement, and assessing and optimizing HRQOL, is limited. This review summarizes the most recent insights into measuring and improving quality of life for patients with IPF, and discusses challenges in the management of this devastating disease. Moreover, we postulate a new model for continuous care in IPF – ‘the ABCDE of IPF care’: Assessing patients’ needs; Backing patients by giving information and support; delivering Comfort care by focusing on treating symptoms and taking into account Comorbidities; striving to prolong life by Disease modification; helping and preparing patients and their caregivers for the eventual End-of-life events that are likely to occur. PMID:28134007

Proteostasis and Diseases of the Motor Unit.

PubMed

Rinaldi, Carlo; Mäger, Imre; Wood, Matthew J

2016-01-01

The accumulation in neurons of aberrant protein species, the pathological hallmark of many neurodegenerative diseases, results from a global impairment of key cellular processes governing protein synthesis/degradation and repair mechanisms, also known as the proteostasis network (PN). The growing number of connections between dysfunction of this intricate network of pathways and diseases of the motor unit, where both motor neurons and muscle are primarily affected, has provided momentum to investigate the muscle- and motor neuron-specific response to physiological and pathological stressors and to explore the therapeutic opportunities that manipulation of this process may offer. Furthermore, these diseases offer an unparalleled opportunity to deepen our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind the intertissue communication and transfer of signals of proteostasis. The most compelling aspect of these investigations is their immediate potential for therapeutic impact: targeting muscle to stem degeneration of the motor unit would represent a dramatic paradigm therapeutic shift for treating these devastating diseases. Here we will review the current state of the art of the research on the alterations of the PN in diseases of the motor unit and its potential to result in effective treatments for these devastating neuromuscular disorders.

Activation of Innate Immune-Response Genes in Little Brown Bats (Myotis lucifugus) Infected with the Fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans

PubMed Central

Rapin, Noreen; Johns, Kirk; Martin, Lauren; Warnecke, Lisa; Turner, James M.; Bollinger, Trent K.; Willis, Craig K. R.; Voyles, Jamie; Misra, Vikram

2014-01-01

Recently bats have been associated with the emergence of diseases, both as reservoirs for several new viral diseases in humans and other animals and, in the northern Americas, as hosts for a devastating fungal disease that threatens to drive several bat species to regional extinction. However, despite these catastrophic events little Information is available on bat defences or how they interact with their pathogens. Even less is known about the response of bats to infection during torpor or long-term hibernation. Using tissue samples collected at the termination of an experiment to explore the pathogenesis of White Nose Syndrome in Little Brown Bats, we determined if hibernating bats infected with the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans could respond to infection by activating genes responsible for innate immune and stress responses. Lesions due to fungal infection and, in some cases, secondary bacterial infections, were restricted to the skin. However, we were unable to obtain sufficient amounts of RNA from these sites. We therefore examined lungs for response at an epithelial surface not linked to the primary site of infection. We found that bats responded to infection with a significant increase in lungs of transcripts for Cathelicidin (an anti-microbial peptide) as well as the immune modulators tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukins 10 and 23. In conclusion, hibernating bats can respond to experimental P. destructans infection by activating expression of innate immune response genes. PMID:25391018

Activation of innate immune-response genes in little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) infected with the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans.

PubMed

Rapin, Noreen; Johns, Kirk; Martin, Lauren; Warnecke, Lisa; Turner, James M; Bollinger, Trent K; Willis, Craig K R; Voyles, Jamie; Misra, Vikram

2014-01-01

Recently bats have been associated with the emergence of diseases, both as reservoirs for several new viral diseases in humans and other animals and, in the northern Americas, as hosts for a devastating fungal disease that threatens to drive several bat species to regional extinction. However, despite these catastrophic events little Information is available on bat defences or how they interact with their pathogens. Even less is known about the response of bats to infection during torpor or long-term hibernation. Using tissue samples collected at the termination of an experiment to explore the pathogenesis of White Nose Syndrome in Little Brown Bats, we determined if hibernating bats infected with the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans could respond to infection by activating genes responsible for innate immune and stress responses. Lesions due to fungal infection and, in some cases, secondary bacterial infections, were restricted to the skin. However, we were unable to obtain sufficient amounts of RNA from these sites. We therefore examined lungs for response at an epithelial surface not linked to the primary site of infection. We found that bats responded to infection with a significant increase in lungs of transcripts for Cathelicidin (an anti-microbial peptide) as well as the immune modulators tumor necrosis factor alpha and interleukins 10 and 23. In conclusion, hibernating bats can respond to experimental P. destructans infection by activating expression of innate immune response genes.

New insights into the biological effects of anthrax toxins: linking cellular to organismal responses

PubMed Central

Guichard, Annabel; Nizet, Victor; Bier, Ethan

2013-01-01

The anthrax toxins lethal toxin (LT) and edema toxin (ET), are essential virulence factors produced by B. anthracis. These toxins act during two distinct phases of anthrax infection. During the first, prodromal phase, which is often asymptomatic, anthrax toxins act on cells of the immune system to help the pathogen establish infection. Then, during the rapidly progressing (or fulminant) stage of the disease bacteria disseminate via a hematological route to various target tissues and organs, which are typically highly vascularized. As bacteria proliferate in the bloodstream LT and ET begin to accumulate rapidly reaching a critical threshold level that will cause death even when the bacterial proliferation is curtailed by antibiotics. During this final phase of infection the toxins cause an increase in vascular permeability and a decrease in function of target organs including the heart, spleen, kidney, adrenal gland, and brain. In this review, we examine the various biological effects of anthrax toxins, focusing on the fulminant stage of the disease and on mechanisms by which the two toxins may collaborate to cause cardiovascular collapse. We discuss normal mechanisms involved in maintaining vascular integrity and based on recent studies indicating that LT and ET cooperatively inhibit membrane trafficking to cell-cell junctions we explore several potential mechanisms by which the toxins may achieve their lethal effects. We also summarize the effects of other potential virulence factors secreted by B. anthracis and consider the role of toxic factors in the evolutionarily recent emergence of this devastating disease. PMID:21930233

Necrotizing enterocolitis and preterm infant gut bacteria

PubMed Central

Warner, Barbara B.; Tarr, Phillip I.

2016-01-01

Summary Necrotizing enterocolitis remains an intractable consequence of preterm birth. Gut microbial communities, especially bacterial communities, have long been suspected to play a role in the development of necrotizing enterocolitis. Direct-from-stool nucleic acid sequencing technology now offers insights into the make-up of these communities. Data are now converging on the roles of Gram-negative bacteria as causative agents, despite the dynamic nature of bacterial populations, the varying technologies and sampling strategies, and the overall small sample sizes in these case–control studies. Bacteria that confer protection from necrotizing enterocolitis have not been identified across studies. The beneficial effect of probiotics is not apparent in infants with birth weights <1000 g (these infants are at highest risk of, and have the highest case fatality rate from, necrotizing enterocolitis). Further work should be directed to the modulating gut microbes, or the products they produce, to prevent this devastating complication of preterm birth. PMID:27343151

Ten-year performance of the United States national elm trial

Treesearch

Jason J. Griffin; William R. Jacobi; E. Gregory McPherson; Clifford S. Sadof; James R. McKenna; Mark L. Gleason; Nicole Ward Gauthier; Daniel A. Potter; David R. Smitley; Gerard C. Adams; Ann Brooks Gould; Christian R. Cash; James A. Walla; Mark C. Starrett; Gary Chastagner; Jeff L. Sibley; Vera A. Krischik; Adam F. Newby

2017-01-01

Ulmus americana (American elm) was an important urban tree in North America prior to the introduction of the Dutch elm disease pathogen in 1930. Subsequently, urban and community forests were devastated by the loss of large canopies. Tree improvement programs produced disease tolerant American and Eurasian elm cultivars and introduced them into the...

First report of frosty pod rot caused by Moniliophthora roreri on cacao in Bolivia

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Frosty pod rot (FPR) is a devastating cacao disease caused by the basidiomycete Moniliophthora roreri (Aime and Phillips-Mora, 2005). The disease is confined to 13 countries in Central and South America and constitutes a permanent threat for cacao cultivation worldwide. In July 2012, FPR was detect...

Efficacy of an autodisseminator of an entomopathogenic fungus, Isaria fumosorosea, to suppress Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri, under greenhouse conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), transmits the causative agents of citrus greening disease or huanglongbing (HLB), the most devastating disease of citrus trees in the world today. ACP dwelling in noncommercial citrus (neighborhoods, commercial landscapes, etc.) can stymie area-wide management program...

Small RNA profiling reveals phosphorus deficiency as a contributing factor in symptom expression for Citrus Huanglongbing Disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating citrus disease that is associated with bacteria of the genus Candidatus Liberibacter(Ca. L.). Powerful diagnostic tools and management strategies are desired to control HLB. Host small Ribonucleic acid (sRNA) play a vital role in regulating host responses to pa...

Identification of blast resistance genes for managing rice blast disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rice blast, caused by the fungal pathogen Magnaporthe oryzae, is one of the most devastating diseases worldwide. In the present study, an international set of monogenic differentials carrying 24 major blast resistance (R) genes (Pia, Pib, Pii, Pik, Pik-h, Pik-m, Pik-p, Pik-s, Pish, Pit, Pita, Pita2,...

Comparison of different detection methods for citrus greening disease based on airborne multispectral and hyperspectral imagery

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Citrus greening or Huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating disease spread in many citrus groves since first found in 2005 in Florida. Multispectral (MS) and hyperspectral (HS) airborne images of citrus groves in Florida were taken to detect citrus greening infected trees in 2007 and 2010. Ground truthi...

Analysis of the genome sequence of Phomopsis longicolla: A fungal pathogen causing Phomopsis seed decay in soybean

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phomopsis longicolla T. W. Hobbs (syn. Diaporthe longicolla) is a seed-borne fungus causing Phomopsis seed decay in soybean. This disease is one of the most devastating diseases reducing soybean seed quality worldwide. To facilitate investigation of the genomic basis of pathogenicity and to understa...

Invasive plants, insects, and diseases in the forests of the Anthropocene

Treesearch

Alexander M. Evans

2014-01-01

Invasive species, non-native plants, insects, and diseases can devastate forests. They outcompete native species, replace them in the ecosystem, and even drive keystone forest species to functional extinction. Invasives have negative effects on forest hydrology, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling. The damage caused by invasive species exacerbates the other forest...

A Descriptive Survey of Inflammatory Bowel Disease within the Active Army Population (1971-1982).

DTIC Science & Technology

1985-06-01

psychological response to stress has an impact on the disease once it is established. This includes the recurrence of the disease as well as its severity. An...underlying question that remains is: Which is the causal agent, the disease or the psychological response to the disease? The inflammatory process of the... psychological factor. Only with increased knowledge of their epidemiologic factors will researchers begin to understand the basis for these devastating

Fosfomycin i.v. for Treatment of Severely Infected Patients

ClinicalTrials.gov

2018-05-08

Bacterial Infections; Bone Diseases, Infectious; Osteomyelitis; Central Nervous System Bacterial Infections; Meningitis, Bacterial; Encephalitis; Brain Abscess; Urinary Tract Infections; Respiratory Tract Infections; Pneumonia, Bacterial; Skin Diseases, Bacterial; Soft Tissue Infections; Intraabdominal Infections; Sepsis; Bacteremia; Endocarditis, Bacterial

White-Nose Syndrome of bats

Treesearch

Jessie A. Glaeser; Martin J. Pfeiffer; Daniel L. Lindner

2016-01-01

Devastating. Catastrophic. Unprecedented. This is how white-nose syndrome of bats (WNS) is characterized. It is one of the deadliest wildlife diseases ever observed and could have significant impacts on outdoor recreation, agriculture and wildlife management.

Vaccination against Alzheimer disease: an update on future strategies.

PubMed

Fettelschoss, Antonia; Zabel, Franziska; Bachmann, Martin F

2014-01-01

Alzheimer disease is a devastating chronic disease without adequate therapy. More than 10 years ago, it was demonstrated in transgenic mouse models that vaccination may be a novel, disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer. Subsequent clinical development has been a roller-coaster with some positive and many negative news. Here, we would like to summarize evidence that next generation vaccines optimized for old people and focusing on patients with mild disease stand a good chance to proof efficacious for the treatment of Alzheimer.

Vaccination against Alzheimer disease

PubMed Central

Fettelschoss, Antonia; Zabel, Franziska; Bachmann, Martin F

2014-01-01

Alzheimer disease is a devastating chronic disease without adequate therapy. More than 10 years ago, it was demonstrated in transgenic mouse models that vaccination may be a novel, disease-modifying therapy for Alzheimer. Subsequent clinical development has been a roller-coaster with some positive and many negative news. Here, we would like to summarize evidence that next generation vaccines optimized for old people and focusing on patients with mild disease stand a good chance to proof efficacious for the treatment of Alzheimer. PMID:24535580

Foot-and-mouth disease virus serotype O phylodynamics: genetic variability associated with epidemiological factors in Pakistan

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

One of the most challenging aspects of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD) control is the high genetic variability of the FMD virus (FMDV). In endemic settings such as the Indian subcontinent, this variability has resulted in the emergence of pandemic strains that have spread widely and caused devastating ...

Registration of OK05312, a high-yielding hard winter wheat donor of Cmc4 for wheat curl mite resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat streak mosaic (WSM) is a devastating disease in the High Plains region that is advancing eastward toward lower elevations. Its control is best achieved by combining known disease resistance genes with resistance to the insect vector. A hard red winter (HRW) wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) germpla...

Frequency of Verticillium species in commercial spinach fields and transmission of V. dahliae from spinach to subsequent lettuce crops

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Verticillium wilt, caused by Verticillium dahlia,e is a devastating disease of lettuce in California. The disease on lettuce is currently restricted to a small geographic area in the central coastal California, even though cropping patterns in other coastal lettuce production regions in the state ar...

Genes for wheat resistance ad susceptibility to Fusarium head blight and Septoria tritici blotch disease of wheat

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Septoria tritici blotch (STB) and Fusarium head blight (FHB) are two of the most devastating diseases of wheat. Breeding for host resistance is an important component of integrated strategies for STB and FHB control. We identify genes and functional gene markers that can be used to expedite the proc...

A colorimetric bioassay for high-througput and cost-effectively assessing anti-foot-and-mouth disease virus activity

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Foot-and-Mouth Disease virus (FMDV) is one of the most contagious animal viruses and has a devastating effect on livestock industries if an outbreaks occurs, especially in FMD-free countries. The virus is very sensitive to inhibition by type I interferons. Currently, a reported assay to measure FM...

Elm genetic diversity and hybridization in the presence of Dutch elm disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Dutch elm disease (DED) has devastated native North American elm species for more than 75 years. The impact of DED on the genetic diversity of one native elm species, U. rubra or slippery elm, is summarized and its potential impact on the genetic diversity of the other four North American native elm...

Characterization of the microbial community structure in Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus-infected citrus plants treated with antibiotics in the field

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB) is one of the most devastating diseases of citrus worldwide. There are no effective control measures for this newly emerging and century-old disease. Previously, we reported a combination of Penicillin G and Streptomycin were effective in eliminating or suppressing the HLB bacter...

Biological characterization of v. Cholerae-specific bacteriophages isolated from water sources in Georgia.

PubMed

Elbakidze, T; Kokashvili, T; Janelidze, N; Porchkhidze, K; Koberidze, T; Tediashvili, M

2015-03-01

Vibrio cholerae, a widely spread bacterium in various marine, fresh, and brackish water environments, can cause a devastating diarrheal disease - cholera and also mild forms of gastroenteritis. Bacterial viruses are natural controllers of bacterial population density in water systems. The goal of this study was to isolate and characterize V. cholerae-specific bacteriophages occurring in the Georgian coastal zone of the Black Sea and inland water reservoirs in the eastern part of Georgia. During 2006-2009, 71 phages lytic to V. cholerae were collected from these aquatic environments. The phage isolation rate was varying from 8% to 15%, depending on the sampling season and site, and the abundance of host bacteria. The majority of phages specific to V. cholerae were collected from freshwater sources. The phage isolation showed seasonal character covering warm period -from April to September. Based on basic characteristics of primary phage isolates (lytic spectrum, virion morphology and DNA restriction profiles) 23 V. cholerae -specific phages were selected for series of consecutive screenings. Comparatively wide spectrum of lytic activity was revealed in case of 14 phages specific to V. cholerae O1, and one phage - VchBS3, active against non-O1 V. cholerae. Three phages active against V. cholerae non-O1 and six V. cholerae O1 -specific phages have been studied in detail for a number of biological features (stability in different solutions, temperature-, pH- and UV- sensitivity, influence of high ionic strength etc.), considered to be additional important characteristics for selection of phages with therapeutic potential.

Incidence and Predictors of Bacterial infection in Febrile Children with Sickle Cell Disease.

PubMed

Morrissey, Benita J; Bycroft, Thomas P; Almossawi, Ofran; Wilkey, Olufunke B; Daniels, Justin G

2015-01-01

Children with sickle cell disease are at increased risk of developing bacteremia and other serious bacterial infections. Fever is a common symptom in sickle cell disease and can also occur with sickle cell crises and viral infections. We aimed to evaluate the incidence and predictors of bacteremia and bacterial infection in children with sickle cell disease presenting with fever to a district hospital and sickle cell center in London. A retrospective analysis was performed on all attendances of children (aged under 16 years) with sickle cell disease presenting with a fever of 38.5 °C or higher over a 1-year period. Confirmed bacterial infection was defined as bacteremia, bacterial meningitis, urinary tract infection (UTI), pneumonia, osteomyelitis or other bacterial infection with positive identification of organism. Children were defined as having a suspected bacterial infection if a bacterial infection was suspected clinically, but no organism was identified. Over a 1-year period there were 88 episodes analyzed in 59 children. Bacteremia occurred in 3.4% of episodes and confirmed bacterial infection in 7.0%. Suspected bacterial infection occurred in 33.0%. One death occurred from Salmonella typhirium septicemia. C-reactive protein (CRP) level and white blood cell (WBC) count were both significantly associated with bacterial infection (p = 0.004 and 0.02, respectively.) In conclusion, bacterial infections continue to be a significant problem in children with sickle cell disease. C-reactive protein was significantly associated with bacterial infections, and could be included in clinical risk criteria for febrile children with sickle cell disease.

Delftia tsuruhatensis WGR-UOM-BT1, a novel rhizobacterium with PGPR properties from Rauwolfia serpentina (L.) Benth. ex Kurz also suppresses fungal phytopathogens by producing a new antibiotic-AMTM.

PubMed

Prasannakumar, S P; Gowtham, H G; Hariprasad, P; Shivaprasad, K; Niranjana, S R

2015-11-01

The bacterial strain designated as WGR-UOM-BT1 isolated from rhizosphere of Rauwolfia serpentina exhibited broad-spectrum antifungal activity and also improved early plant growth. Based on morphological, biochemical and 16S rRNA gene sequence analyses, the strain BT1 was identified as Delftia tsuruhatensis (KF727978). Under in vitro conditions, the strain BT1 suppressed the growth of wide range of fungal phytopathogens. Purified antimicrobial metabolite from the strain BT1 was identified as nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound, 'amino(5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-2-(thiophen-2-yl)-2,3-dihydrofuran-3-yl)methanol' (AMTM), with molecular mass of 340•40 and molecular formula of C17 H19 NO3 S. The strain BT1 was positive for rhizosphere colonization (tomato), IAA production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity and phosphate solubilization. Under laboratory and greenhouse conditions, the strain BT1 promoted plant growth and suppressed foliar and root fungal pathogens of tomato. Therefore, antimicrobial and disease protection properties of strain BT1 could serve as an effective biological control candidate against devastating fungal pathogens of vegetable plants. Besides, the production of IAA, P solubilization and ACC deaminase activity enhance its potential as a biofertilizer and may stabilize the plant performance under fluctuating environmental conditions. In this study, we reported that Delftia tsuruhatensis WGR-UOM-BT1 strain has the plant growth promotion activities such as rhizosphere colonization (tomato), IAA production, 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) deaminase activity and phosphate solubilization. This bacterial strain was found producing an antimicrobial nitrogen-containing heterocyclic compound identified as 'amino(5-(4-methoxyphenyl)-2-methyl-2-(thiophen-2-yl)-2,3-dihydrofuran-3-yl)methanol' [C17 H19 NO3 S] (AMTM), which is new to the bacterial world. © 2015 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

RhoA/Rho-kinase signaling: a therapeutic target in pulmonary hypertension.

PubMed

Barman, Scott A; Zhu, Shu; White, Richard E

2009-01-01

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a devastating disease characterized by progressive elevation of pulmonary arterial pressure and vascular resistance due to pulmonary vasoconstriction and vessel remodeling as well as inflammation. Rho-kinases (ROCKs) are one of the best-described effectors of the small G-protein RhoA, and ROCKs are involved in a variety of cellular functions including muscle cell contraction, proliferation and vascular inflammation through inhibition of myosin light chain phosphatase and activation of downstream mediators. A plethora of evidence in animal models suggests that heightened RhoA/ROCK signaling is important in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension by causing enhanced constriction and remodeling of the pulmonary vasculature. Both animal and clinical studies suggest that ROCK inhibitors are effective for treatment of severe PAH with minimal risk, which supports the premise that ROCKs are important therapeutic targets in pulmonary hypertension and that ROCK inhibitors are a promising new class of drugs for this devastating disease.

QTLs for Resistance to Major Rice Diseases Exacerbated by Global Warming: Brown Spot, Bacterial Seedling Rot, and Bacterial Grain Rot.

PubMed

Mizobuchi, Ritsuko; Fukuoka, Shuichi; Tsushima, Seiya; Yano, Masahiro; Sato, Hiroyuki

2016-12-01

In rice (Oryza sativa L.), damage from diseases such as brown spot, caused by Bipolaris oryzae, and bacterial seedling rot and bacterial grain rot, caused by Burkholderia glumae, has increased under global warming because the optimal temperature ranges for growth of these pathogens are relatively high (around 30 °C). Therefore, the need for cultivars carrying genes for resistance to these diseases is increasing to ensure sustainable rice production. In contrast to the situation for other important rice diseases such as blast and bacterial blight, no genes for complete resistance to brown spot, bacterial seedling rot or bacterial grain rot have yet been discovered. Thus, rice breeders have to use partial resistance, which is largely influenced by environmental conditions. Recent progress in molecular genetics and improvement of evaluation methods for disease resistance have facilitated detection of quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with resistance. In this review, we summarize the results of worldwide screening for cultivars with resistance to brown spot, bacterial seedling rot and bacterial grain rot and we discuss the identification of QTLs conferring resistance to these diseases in order to provide useful information for rice breeding programs.

Phytophthora ramorum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phytophthora ramorum is a recently emerged plant pathogen and causal agent of one of the most destructive and devastating diseases currently affecting US horticulture and forests. Formally described in 2001, P. ramorum is a filamentous, diploid protozoan that is one of 117 currently recognized Phyto...

DNA markers linked to the R2 rust resistance gene in sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) facilitate anticipatory breeding for this disease variant

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Pre-emptive breeding for host disease resistance is an effective strategy for combating and managing devastating incursions of plant pathogens. Comprehensive, long term studies have revealed that virulence to the R2 sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) rust resistance gene in the line, MC29, does not ex...

The Italian elm breeding program for Dutch elm disease resistance

Treesearch

Alberto Santini; Francesco Pecori; Luisa Ghelardini

2012-01-01

In the 20th century, elms across Europe and North America were devastated by two pandemics of Dutch elm disease (DED), caused by the introduction of two fungal pathogens: Ophiostoma ulmi, followed by O. novo-ulmi. At the end of 1920s, research into a resistance to DED began in Europe and then in the United States. No...

Variable Number of Tandem Repeat Markers in the Genome Sequence of Mycosphaerella Fijiensis, the Causal Agent of Black Leaf Streak Disease of Banana (Musa spp.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Mycosphaerella fijiensis, the causal agent of banana leaf streak disease (commonly known as black Sigatoka), is the most devastating pathogen attacking bananas (Musa spp). Recently the whole genome sequence of M. fijiensis became available. This sequence was screened for the presence of Variable Num...

Rhipicephalus appendiculatus ticks transmit theileria parva from persistently infected cattle in the absence of detectable parasitemia: implications for East Coast fever epidemiology

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

East Coast fever is a devastating disease of cattle caused by infection with the protozoan parasite, Theileria parva. Transmitted by the three-host tick, Rhipicephalus appendiculatus, the disease is present in 11 sub-Saharan African countries and is a major constraint to improvement of livestock pro...

HOW to Identify and Manage Dutch Elm Disease

Treesearch

Linda Haugen

1998-01-01

At one time, the American elm was considered to be an ideal street tree because it was graceful, long-lived, fast growing, and tolerant of compacted soils and air pollution. Then Dutch elm disease (DED) was introduced and began devastating the elm population. Estimates of DED losses of elm in communities and woodlands across the U.S. are staggering (figure 1). Because...

Elms and Dutch elm disease: a quick overview

Treesearch

Michael Marcotrigiano

2017-01-01

In the 1930s Dutch elm disease (DED) was accidentally introduced from Europe into the United States. It had a devastating impact on American elm (Ulmus americana) and its relatives in urban and riparian environments. In the United States, the three-part pathosystem for DED is unique in that the affected elm species are North American, the pathogen originated in Asia,...

USDA-ARS strategies to address the imminent threat of redbay ambrosia beetle and laurel wilt disease to avocados in Florida

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Laurel wilt, a deadly fungal disease of avocado and other trees in the Lauraceae, is vectored by the redbay ambrosia beetle (Xyleborus glabratus). First detected in GA in 2002, the beetle has spread to SC and FL to within 70 miles of commercial avocado areas. Impact is potentially devastating to the...

Transcriptome analysis of sweet orange trees infected with ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ and two strains of citrus tristeza virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB) and tristeza, are diseases of citrus caused by a member of the a-proteobacteria, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CaLas), and Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) respectively. HLB is a devastating disease, but CTV strains vary from very severe to very mild. Both CaLas and CTV are p...

Devastating Transboundary Impacts of Sea Star Wasting Disease on Subtidal Asteroids.

PubMed

Montecino-Latorre, Diego; Eisenlord, Morgan E; Turner, Margaret; Yoshioka, Reyn; Harvell, C Drew; Pattengill-Semmens, Christy V; Nichols, Janna D; Gaydos, Joseph K

2016-01-01

Sea star wasting disease devastated intertidal sea star populations from Mexico to Alaska between 2013-15, but little detail is known about its impacts to subtidal species. We assessed the impacts of sea star wasting disease in the Salish Sea, a Canadian / United States transboundary marine ecosystem, and world-wide hotspot for temperate asteroid species diversity with a high degree of endemism. We analyzed roving diver survey data for the three most common subtidal sea star species collected by trained volunteer scuba divers between 2006-15 in 5 basins and on the outer coast of Washington, as well as scientific strip transect data for 11 common subtidal asteroid taxa collected by scientific divers in the San Juan Islands during the spring/summer of 2014 and 2015. Our findings highlight differential susceptibility and impact of sea star wasting disease among asteroid species populations and lack of differences between basins or on Washington's outer coast. Specifically, severe depletion of sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) in the Salish Sea support reports of major declines in this species from California to Alaska, raising concern for the conservation of this ecologically important subtidal predator.

Devastating Transboundary Impacts of Sea Star Wasting Disease on Subtidal Asteroids

PubMed Central

Montecino-Latorre, Diego; Eisenlord, Morgan E.; Turner, Margaret; Yoshioka, Reyn; Harvell, C. Drew; Pattengill-Semmens, Christy V.; Nichols, Janna D.

2016-01-01

Sea star wasting disease devastated intertidal sea star populations from Mexico to Alaska between 2013–15, but little detail is known about its impacts to subtidal species. We assessed the impacts of sea star wasting disease in the Salish Sea, a Canadian / United States transboundary marine ecosystem, and world-wide hotspot for temperate asteroid species diversity with a high degree of endemism. We analyzed roving diver survey data for the three most common subtidal sea star species collected by trained volunteer scuba divers between 2006–15 in 5 basins and on the outer coast of Washington, as well as scientific strip transect data for 11 common subtidal asteroid taxa collected by scientific divers in the San Juan Islands during the spring/summer of 2014 and 2015. Our findings highlight differential susceptibility and impact of sea star wasting disease among asteroid species populations and lack of differences between basins or on Washington’s outer coast. Specifically, severe depletion of sunflower sea stars (Pycnopodia helianthoides) in the Salish Sea support reports of major declines in this species from California to Alaska, raising concern for the conservation of this ecologically important subtidal predator. PMID:27783620

Neurodegenerative signaling factors and mechanisms in Parkinson's pathology.

PubMed

Goswami, Poonam; Joshi, Neeraj; Singh, Sarika

2017-09-01

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive degenerative disorder of central nervous system which is mainly characterized by selective loss of dopaminergic neurons in the nigrostrial pathway. Clinical symptoms of this devastating disease comprise motor impairments such as resting tremor, bradykinesia, postural instability and rigidity. Current medications only provide symptomatic relief but fail to halt the dopaminergic neuronal death. While the etiology of dopaminergic neuronal death is not fully understood, combination of various molecular mechanisms seems to play a critical role. Studies from experimental animal models have provided crucial insights into the molecular mechanisms in disease pathogenesis and recognized possible targets for therapeutic interventions. Recent findings implicate the involvement of abnormal protein accumulation and phosphorylation, mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative damage and deregulated kinase signaling as key molecular mechanisms affecting the normal function as well survival of dopaminergic neurons. Here we discuss the relevant findings on the PD pathology related mechanisms and recognition of the cell survival mechanisms which could be used as targets for neuroprotective strategies in preventing this devastating disorder. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Strategies in Ebola virus disease (EVD) diagnostics at the point of care.

PubMed

Coarsey, Chad T; Esiobu, Nwadiuto; Narayanan, Ramswamy; Pavlovic, Mirjana; Shafiee, Hadi; Asghar, Waseem

2017-11-01

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a devastating, highly infectious illness with a high mortality rate. The disease is endemic to regions of Central and West Africa, where there is limited laboratory infrastructure and trained staff. The recent 2014 West African EVD outbreak has been unprecedented in case numbers and fatalities, and has proven that such regional outbreaks can become a potential threat to global public health, as it became the source for the subsequent transmission events in Spain and the USA. The urgent need for rapid and affordable means of detecting Ebola is crucial to control the spread of EVD and prevent devastating fatalities. Current diagnostic techniques include molecular diagnostics and other serological and antigen detection assays; which can be time-consuming, laboratory-based, often require trained personnel and specialized equipment. In this review, we discuss the various Ebola detection techniques currently in use, and highlight the potential future directions pertinent to the development and adoption of novel point-of-care diagnostic tools. Finally, a case is made for the need to develop novel microfluidic technologies and versatile rapid detection platforms for early detection of EVD.

Ophiostomatoid fungi associated with invasive Tetropium spp. (Fabr.) (Coleoptera:Cerambycidae) in Atlantic Canada.

Treesearch

Karin Jacobs; Keith A. Seifert; Ken J. Harrison; Georgette Smith; Thomas Kirisits

2003-01-01

Species of the Ascomycete genus Ophiostoma are well-known for causing stain in living trees and lumber, as well as devastating pathogens, for example O. ulmi and O. novo-ulmi, the causes of Dutch elm disease.

Machine learning for characterization of insect vector feeding

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Insects that feed by ingesting plant and animal fluids cause devastating damage to humans, livestock, and agriculture worldwide, primarily by transmitting phytopathogenic and zoonotic pathogens. The feeding processes required for successful disease transmission by sucking insects can be recorded by ...

Treatment of sexually transmitted bacterial diseases in pregnant women.

PubMed

Donders, G G

2000-03-01

Testing for and treating sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in pregnant women deserves special attention. Treatment possibilities are limited because of potential risks for the developing fetus, and because effects can differ in pregnant compared with non-pregnant women, re-infection may be missed because of the intrinsic delicacy of contact-tracing during pregnancy and because pregnant women are more reluctant to take the prescribed medication in its full dose, if at all. However, the devastating effects of some of these genital infections far outweigh any potential adverse effects of treatment. Although active syphilis has become a rarity in most Western countries, it is still prevalent in South America, Africa and South-East Asia. Benzathine benzylpenicillin (2.4 million units once or, safer, twice 7 days apart) is the treatment of choice, although patients with syphilis of longer standing require 3 weekly injections as well as extensive investigation into whether there has been any damage due to tertiary syphilis. Despite declining rates of gonorrhea, the relative rate of penicillinase-producing strains is increasing, especially in South-East Asia. The recommended treatment is intramuscular ceftriaxone (125 or 250 mg) or oral cefixime 400 mg. Despite good safety records after accidental use, fluoroquinolones are contraindicated during pregnancy. An alternative to a fluoroquinolone in pregnant women with combined gonorrhea and chlamydial infection is oral azithromycin 1 or 2 g. Azithromycin as a single 1 g dose is also preferable to a 7 day course of erythromycin 500 mg 4 times a day for patients with chlamydial infection. Eradication of Haemophilus ducreyi in patients with chancroid can also be achieved with these regimens or intramuscular ceftriaxone 250 mg. Trichomonas vaginalis, which is often seen as a co-infection, has been linked to an increased risk of preterm birth. Patients infected with this parasite should therefore received metronidazole 500 mg twice daily for 7 days as earlier fears of teratogenesis in humans have not been confirmed by recent data. Bacterial vaginosis is also associated with preterm delivery in certain risk groups, such as women with a history of preterm birth or of low maternal weight. Such an association is yet to be convincingly proven in other women. The current advice is to treat only women diagnosed with bacterial vaginosis who also present other risk factors for preterm delivery. The treatment of choice is oral metronidazole 1 g/day for 5 days. The possible reduction of preterm birth by vaginally applied metronidazole or clindamycin is still under investigation. In general, both test of cure and re-testing after several weeks are advisable in most pregnant patients with STDs, because partner notification and treatment are likely to be less efficient than outside pregnancy and the impact of inadequately treated or recurrent disease is greater because of the added risk to the fetus. Every diagnosis of an STD warrants a full screen for concomitant genital disease. Most ulcerative genital infections, as well as abnormal vaginal flora and bacterial vaginosis, increase the sexual transmission efficiency of HIV, necessitating even more stringent screening for and treating of STD during pregnancy.

Draft genome of the most devastating insect pest of coffee worldwide: the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Vega, Fernando E.; Brown, Stuart M.; Chen, Hao

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most economically important insect pest of coffee worldwide. We present an analysis of the draft genome of the coffee berry borer, the third genome for a Coleopteran species. The genome size is ca. 163 Mb with 19,222 predicted protein-coding genes. Analysis was focused on genes involved in primary digestion as well as gene families involved in detoxification of plant defense molecules and insecticides, such as carboxylesterases, cytochrome P450, gluthathione S-transferases, ATP-binding cassette transporters, and a gene that confers resistance to the insecticide dieldrin. A broad range of enzymes capable of degrading complexmore » polysaccharides were identified. We also evaluated the pathogen defense system and found homologs to antimicrobial genes reported in the Drosophila genome. Ten cases of horizontal gene transfer were identified with evidence for expression, integration into the H. hampei genome, and phylogenetic evidence that the sequences are more closely related to bacterial rather than eukaryotic genes. We find the draft genome analysis broadly expands our knowledge on the biology of a devastating tropical insect pest and suggests new pest management strategies.« less

Draft genome of the most devastating insect pest of coffee worldwide: the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei

PubMed Central

Vega, Fernando E.; Brown, Stuart M.; Chen, Hao; Shen, Eric; Nair, Mridul B.; Ceja-Navarro, Javier A.; Brodie, Eoin L.; Infante, Francisco; Dowd, Patrick F.; Pain, Arnab

2015-01-01

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most economically important insect pest of coffee worldwide. We present an analysis of the draft genome of the coffee berry borer, the third genome for a Coleopteran species. The genome size is ca. 163 Mb with 19,222 predicted protein-coding genes. Analysis was focused on genes involved in primary digestion as well as gene families involved in detoxification of plant defense molecules and insecticides, such as carboxylesterases, cytochrome P450, gluthathione S-transferases, ATP-binding cassette transporters, and a gene that confers resistance to the insecticide dieldrin. A broad range of enzymes capable of degrading complex polysaccharides were identified. We also evaluated the pathogen defense system and found homologs to antimicrobial genes reported in the Drosophila genome. Ten cases of horizontal gene transfer were identified with evidence for expression, integration into the H. hampei genome, and phylogenetic evidence that the sequences are more closely related to bacterial rather than eukaryotic genes. The draft genome analysis broadly expands our knowledge on the biology of a devastating tropical insect pest and suggests new pest management strategies. PMID:26228545

Draft genome of the most devastating insect pest of coffee worldwide: the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei

DOE PAGES

Vega, Fernando E.; Brown, Stuart M.; Chen, Hao; ...

2015-07-31

The coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei, is the most economically important insect pest of coffee worldwide. We present an analysis of the draft genome of the coffee berry borer, the third genome for a Coleopteran species. The genome size is ca. 163 Mb with 19,222 predicted protein-coding genes. Analysis was focused on genes involved in primary digestion as well as gene families involved in detoxification of plant defense molecules and insecticides, such as carboxylesterases, cytochrome P450, gluthathione S-transferases, ATP-binding cassette transporters, and a gene that confers resistance to the insecticide dieldrin. A broad range of enzymes capable of degrading complexmore » polysaccharides were identified. We also evaluated the pathogen defense system and found homologs to antimicrobial genes reported in the Drosophila genome. Ten cases of horizontal gene transfer were identified with evidence for expression, integration into the H. hampei genome, and phylogenetic evidence that the sequences are more closely related to bacterial rather than eukaryotic genes. We find the draft genome analysis broadly expands our knowledge on the biology of a devastating tropical insect pest and suggests new pest management strategies.« less

Emerging hardwood pest problems and implications for the Central Hardwood region

Treesearch

Bruce D. Moltzan

2003-01-01

Over the last 100 years of human action there has been a correlated increase in the movement of insects and disease to the new world. Chestnut Blight, Dutch Elm Disease, Gypsy Moth, Butternut Canker, and White Pine Blister Rust are stern reminders of historically devastating exotic invasions. Sudden Oak Death, Asian Long-horned Beetle, Oak Wilt, Red Oak Borer, and Oak...

Cholera in Zimbabwe: Developing an Educational Response to a Health Crisis

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Mandikonza, Caleb; Musindo, Beatrice; Taylor, Jim

2011-01-01

In February 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe had claimed 3,300 lives and infected 66,000 people--greater than the toll of that disease in the whole of Africa in most years. How is it possible that a disease such as cholera can have such a devastating effect in modern times? How should one…

Unraveling the Mysteries of Progeria | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is a rare and devastating genetic disorder in which patients appear normal at birth, but by 12 to 18 months display signs of premature aging such as hair loss, slowed growth, weakening of bone and joint integrity, and cardiovascular disease. Because no treatments currently exist, most patients with progeria die in their mid-teens from heart disease or stroke.

Seasonally variable intestinal metagenomes of the red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus)

PubMed Central

Jia, Shangang; Zhang, Xiaowei; Zhang, Guangyu; Yin, An; Zhang, Sun; Li, Fusen; Wang, Lei; Zhao, Duojun; Yun, Quanzheng; Tala; Wang, Jixiang; Sun, Gaoyuan; Baabdullah, Mohammed; Yu, Xiaoguang; Hu, Songnian; Al-Mssallem, Ibrahim S; Yu, Jun

2013-01-01

The intestinal microbes residing in the red palm weevil (RPW, Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) larva consume tender interior fibrous tissues of date palm trunks. The understanding of such microbiota at molecular level provides vital clues for the biological control of this devastating pest. Using pyrosequencing and shotgun strategy, we first study taxonomic profiles of the microbiota sampled at different months (March, July and November), and then confirm the impact of high-temperature stress on the microbial populations based on data from 16S rRNA amplicons using both field and laboratory samples. We further identify Klebsiella pneumoniae in November and Lactococcus lactis in July as the dominant species of the microbiota. We find that the RPW gut microbiota degrades polysaccharides and sucrose with hydrolases and that different active bacterial species in November and July are responsible for the symbiotic relationship between the microbiota and the host. Our results provide vital information for pest control and cellulolytic bacterial species characterization. PMID:24102776

Nutritional requirements for soybean cyst nematode

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soybeans [Glycine max] are the second largest cash crop in US Agriculture, but the soybean yield is compromised by infections from Heterodera glycines, also known as Soybean Cyst Nematodes [SCN]. SCN are the most devastating pathogen or plant disease soybean producers confront. This obligate parasi...

Tuberculosis-resistant transgenic cattle

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Tuberculosis is a devastating disease that affects humans and many animal species. In humans, tuberculosis (TB) is mainly caused by Mycobacterium tuberculosis, while most cases in cattle are caused by Mycobacterium bovis. However, Mb can also cause, albeit rarely, human TB. In this issue, Wu et al. ...

Theodore E. Woodward Award: The devastating backlash of a dread disease: poliomyelitis.

PubMed

Billings, F Tremaine; Collins, Robert D

2005-01-01

The paper is in three parts. 1) A description of acute anterior poliomyelitis; 2) A summary of the condition of post-polio syndrome; 3) A description of two small epidemics of poliomyelitis juxtaposed and related to one another.

A Class II small heat shock protein OsHsp18.0 plays positive roles in both biotic and abiotic defense responses in rice.

PubMed

Kuang, Jie; Liu, Jianzhong; Mei, Jun; Wang, Changchun; Hu, Haitao; Zhang, Yanjun; Sun, Meihao; Ning, Xi; Xiao, Langtao; Yang, Ling

2017-09-12

Bacterial blight caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo) is one of the most devastating diseases of rice. However, the molecular mechanism underpinning the Xoo resistance of rice is still not fully understood. Here, we report that a class II small heat shock protein gene, OsHsp18.0, whose expression was differentially induced between a resistant and a susceptible variety in response to Xoo infection, plays positive roles in both biotic and abiotic resistance. The molecular chaperone activity of OsHsp18.0 was confirmed by a bacterium-expressed glutathione S-transferase fusion protein. Overexpression of OsHsp18.0 in a susceptible rice variety significantly enhanced its resistance to multiple Xoo strains, whereas silencing of OsHsp18.0 in a resistant variety drastically increased its susceptibility. The enhanced Xoo resistance in OsHsp18.0-overexpressing lines was positively correlated with the sensitized salicylic acid-dependent defense responses. In addition to disease resistance, the OsHsp18.0 overexpressing and silencing lines exhibited enhanced and reduced tolerance, respectively, to heat and salt treatments. The subcellular localization study revealed that the green fluorescent protein-OsHsp18.0 was enriched on the nuclear envelope, suggesting a potential role of OsHsp18.0 in the nucleo-cytoplasmic trafficking. Together, our results reveal that the rice OsHsp18.0 is a positive regulator in both biotic and abiotic defense responses.

Contrasting Ecological Processes and Functional Compositions Between Intestinal Bacterial Community in Healthy and Diseased Shrimp.

PubMed

Zhu, Jinyong; Dai, Wenfang; Qiu, Qiongfen; Dong, Chunming; Zhang, Jinjie; Xiong, Jinbo

2016-11-01

Intestinal bacterial communities play a pivotal role in promoting host health; therefore, the disruption of intestinal bacterial homeostasis could result in disease. However, the effect of the occurrences of disease on intestinal bacterial community assembly remains unclear. To address this gap, we compared the multifaceted ecological differences in maintaining intestinal bacterial community assembly between healthy and diseased shrimps. The neutral model analysis shows that the relative importance of neutral processes decreases when disease occurs. This pattern is further corroborated by the ecosphere null model, revealing that the bacterial community assembly of diseased samples is dominated by stochastic processes. In addition, the occurrence of shrimp disease reduces the complexity and cooperative activities of species-to-species interactions. The keystone taxa affiliated with Alphaproteobacteria and Actinobacteria in healthy shrimp gut shift to Gammaproteobacteria species in diseased shrimp. Changes in intestinal bacterial communities significantly alter biological functions in shrimp. Within a given metabolic pathway, the pattern of enrichment or decrease between healthy and deceased shrimp is correlated with its functional effects. We propose that stressed shrimp are more prone to invasion by alien strains (evidenced by more stochastic assembly and higher migration rate in diseased shrimp), which, in turn, disrupts the cooperative activity among resident species. These findings greatly aid our understanding of the underlying mechanisms that govern shrimp intestinal community assembly between health statuses.

Bacteriophages and Bacterial Plant Diseases

PubMed Central

Buttimer, Colin; McAuliffe, Olivia; Ross, R. P.; Hill, Colin; O’Mahony, Jim; Coffey, Aidan

2017-01-01

Losses in crop yields due to disease need to be reduced in order to meet increasing global food demands associated with growth in the human population. There is a well-recognized need to develop new environmentally friendly control strategies to combat bacterial crop disease. Current control measures involving the use of traditional chemicals or antibiotics are losing their efficacy due to the natural development of bacterial resistance to these agents. In addition, there is an increasing awareness that their use is environmentally unfriendly. Bacteriophages, the viruses of bacteria, have received increased research interest in recent years as a realistic environmentally friendly means of controlling bacterial diseases. Their use presents a viable control measure for a number of destructive bacterial crop diseases, with some phage-based products already becoming available on the market. Phage biocontrol possesses advantages over chemical controls in that tailor-made phage cocktails can be adapted to target specific disease-causing bacteria. Unlike chemical control measures, phage mixtures can be easily adapted for bacterial resistance which may develop over time. In this review, we will examine the progress and challenges for phage-based disease biocontrol in food crops. PMID:28163700

Pseudomonas aeruginosa rugose small-colony variants evade host clearance, are hyper-inflammatory, and persist in multiple host environments.

PubMed

Pestrak, Matthew J; Chaney, Sarah B; Eggleston, Heather C; Dellos-Nolan, Sheri; Dixit, Sriteja; Mathew-Steiner, Shomita S; Roy, Sashwati; Parsek, Matthew R; Sen, Chandan K; Wozniak, Daniel J

2018-02-01

Pseudomonas aeruginosa causes devastating infections in immunocompromised individuals. Once established, P. aeruginosa infections become incredibly difficult to treat due to the development of antibiotic tolerant, aggregated communities known as biofilms. A hyper-biofilm forming clinical variant of P. aeruginosa, known as a rugose small-colony variant (RSCV), is frequently isolated from chronic infections and is correlated with poor clinical outcome. The development of these mutants during infection suggests a selective advantage for this phenotype, but it remains unclear how this phenotype promotes persistence. While prior studies suggest RSCVs could survive by evading the host immune response, our study reveals infection with the RSCV, PAO1ΔwspF, stimulated an extensive inflammatory response that caused significant damage to the surrounding host tissue. In both a chronic wound model and acute pulmonary model of infection, we observed increased bacterial burden, host tissue damage, and a robust neutrophil response during RSCV infection. Given the essential role of neutrophils in P. aeruginosa-mediated disease, we investigated the impact of the RSCV phenotype on neutrophil function. The RSCV phenotype promoted phagocytic evasion and stimulated neutrophil reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. We also demonstrate that bacterial aggregation and TLR-mediated pro-inflammatory cytokine production contribute to the immune response to RSCVs. Additionally, RSCVs exhibited enhanced tolerance to neutrophil-produced antimicrobials including H2O2 and the antimicrobial peptide LL-37. Collectively, these data indicate RSCVs elicit a robust but ineffective neutrophil response that causes significant host tissue damage. This study provides new insight on RSCV persistence, and indicates this variant may have a critical role in the recurring tissue damage often associated with chronic infections.

A current view of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Hooli, Basavaraj V; Tanzi, Rudolph E

2009-07-08

Several genes that influence susceptibility to Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been known for over two decades. Recent advances have elucidated novel candidate genes and the pathogenetic mechanisms underlying neurodegeneration in AD. Here, we summarize what we have learned from studies of the known AD genes with regard to the causes of AD and emerging therapies. We also review key recent discoveries that have enhanced our understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of this devastating disease, based on new investigations into the genes and molecular mechanisms underlying AD.

Genetic architecture of downy mildew resistance in cucumber

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Downy mildew (DM) caused by the obligate oomycete Pseudoperonospora cubensis is the most devastating fungal disease to cucumber production. The molecular mechanism of DM resistance in cucumber is not well understood. We conducted QTL mapping for DM resistances in four cucumber lines including WI7120...

Theodore E. Woodward Award: The Devastating Backlash of a Dread Disease: Poliomyelitis

PubMed Central

Billings, F. Tremaine; Collins, Robert D

2005-01-01

The paper is in three parts. 1) A description of acute anterior poliomyelitis; 2) A summary of the condition of post-polio syndrome; 3) A description of two small epidemics of poliomyelitis juxtaposed and related to one another. PMID:16555605

Bacterial Community Associated with Healthy and Diseased Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Larvae and Rearing Water across Different Growth Stages.

PubMed

Zheng, Yanfen; Yu, Min; Liu, Jiwen; Qiao, Yanlu; Wang, Long; Li, Zhitao; Zhang, Xiao-Hua; Yu, Mingchao

2017-01-01

Bacterial communities are called another "organ" for aquatic animals and their important influence on the health of host has drawn increasing attention. Thus, it is important to study the relationships between aquatic animals and bacterial communities. Here, bacterial communities associated with Litopenaeus vannamei larvae at different healthy statuses (diseased and healthy) and growth stages (i.e., zoea, mysis, and early postlarvae periods) were examined using 454-pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Bacterial communities with significant difference were observed between healthy and diseased rearing water, and several bacterial groups, such as genera Nautella and Kordiimonas could also distinguish healthy and diseased shrimp. Rhodobacteraceae was widely distributed in rearing water at all growth stages but there were several stage-specific groups, indicating that bacterial members in rearing water assembled into distinct communities throughout the larval development. However, Gammaproteobacteria , mainly family Enterobacteriaceae , was the most abundant group (accounting for more than 85%) in shrimp larvae at all growth stages. This study compared bacterial communities associated with healthy and diseased L . vannamei larvae and rearing water, and identified several health- and growth stage-specific bacterial groups, which might be provided as indicators for monitoring the healthy status of shrimp larvae in hatchery.

Bacterial Community Associated with Healthy and Diseased Pacific White Shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei) Larvae and Rearing Water across Different Growth Stages

PubMed Central

Zheng, Yanfen; Yu, Min; Liu, Jiwen; Qiao, Yanlu; Wang, Long; Li, Zhitao; Zhang, Xiao-Hua; Yu, Mingchao

2017-01-01

Bacterial communities are called another “organ” for aquatic animals and their important influence on the health of host has drawn increasing attention. Thus, it is important to study the relationships between aquatic animals and bacterial communities. Here, bacterial communities associated with Litopenaeus vannamei larvae at different healthy statuses (diseased and healthy) and growth stages (i.e., zoea, mysis, and early postlarvae periods) were examined using 454-pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA gene. Bacterial communities with significant difference were observed between healthy and diseased rearing water, and several bacterial groups, such as genera Nautella and Kordiimonas could also distinguish healthy and diseased shrimp. Rhodobacteraceae was widely distributed in rearing water at all growth stages but there were several stage-specific groups, indicating that bacterial members in rearing water assembled into distinct communities throughout the larval development. However, Gammaproteobacteria, mainly family Enterobacteriaceae, was the most abundant group (accounting for more than 85%) in shrimp larvae at all growth stages. This study compared bacterial communities associated with healthy and diseased L. vannamei larvae and rearing water, and identified several health- and growth stage-specific bacterial groups, which might be provided as indicators for monitoring the healthy status of shrimp larvae in hatchery. PMID:28769916

Selective Human Virus and the Ethics of Research Regulation,

DTIC Science & Technology

1981-03-01

though more widespread) virus is Epstein-Barr, which is thought to cause infectious mononucleosis and possibly Burkitt’s lyaphoma (a cancer). As Albert... infectious mononucleosis , a disease with predilection for adolescents and young adults in the higher socio-economic groups. 6) Burkitt’s lymphoma...the virus may risk getting infectious mononucleosis , which can be a devastating disease." ( 9 ) This brings up the problems created by industrial

Host preference of the vector beetle, host resistance, and expanding patterns of Japanese oak wilt in a stand

Treesearch

Kazuyoshi Futai; Hiroaki Kiku; Hong-ye Qi; Hagus Tarn; Yuko Takeuchi; Michimasa Yamasaki

2012-01-01

Since the early 1980s, an epidemic forest disease, Japanese Oak Wilt (JOW), has been spreading from coastal areas along the Sea of Japan to the interior of Honshu island and has been devastating huge areas of forests by killing an enormous number of oak trees in urban fringe mountains, gardens, and parks. The disease is caused by a fungus, Raffaelea...

Engineering of Bacteriophages Y2::dpoL1-C and Y2::luxAB for Efficient Control and Rapid Detection of the Fire Blight Pathogen, Erwinia amylovora.

PubMed

Born, Yannick; Fieseler, Lars; Thöny, Valentin; Leimer, Nadja; Duffy, Brion; Loessner, Martin J

2017-06-15

Erwinia amylovora is the causative agent of fire blight, a devastating plant disease affecting members of the Rosaceae Alternatives to antibiotics for control of fire blight symptoms and outbreaks are highly desirable, due to increasing drug resistance and tight regulatory restrictions. Moreover, the available diagnostic methods either lack sensitivity, lack speed, or are unable to discriminate between live and dead bacteria. Owing to their extreme biological specificity, bacteriophages are promising alternatives for both aims. In this study, the virulent broad-host-range E. amylovora virus Y2 was engineered to enhance its killing activity and for use as a luciferase reporter phage, respectively. Toward these aims, a depolymerase gene of E. amylovora virus L1 ( dpoL1-C ) or a bacterial luxAB fusion was introduced into the genome of Y2 by homologous recombination. The genes were placed downstream of the major capsid protein orf68 , under the control of the native promoter. The modifications did not affect viability of infectivity of the recombinant viruses. Phage Y2:: dpoL1-C demonstrated synergistic activity between the depolymerase degrading the exopolysaccharide capsule and phage infection, which greatly enhanced bacterial killing. It also significantly reduced the ability of E. amylovora to colonize the surface of detached flowers. The reporter phage Y2:: luxAB transduced bacterial luciferase into host cells and induced synthesis of large amounts of a LuxAB luciferase fusion. After the addition of aldehyde substrate, bioluminescence could be readily monitored, and this enabled rapid and specific detection of low numbers of viable bacteria, without enrichment, both in vitro and in plant material. IMPORTANCE Fire blight, caused by Erwinia amylovora , is the major threat to global pome fruit production, with high economic losses every year. Bacteriophages represent promising alternatives to not only control the disease, but also for rapid diagnostics. To enhance biocontrol efficacy, we combined the desired properties of two phages, Y2 (broad host range) and L1 (depolymerase for capsule degradation) in a single recombinant phage. This phage showed enhanced biocontrol and could reduce E. amylovora on flowers. Phage Y2 was also genetically engineered into a luciferase reporter phage, which transduces bacterial bioluminescence into infected cells and allows detection of low numbers of viable target bacteria. The combination of speed, sensitivity, and specificity is superior to previously used diagnostic methods. In conclusion, genetic engineering could improve the properties of phage Y2 toward better killing efficacy and sensitive detection of E. amylovora cells. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

Engineering of Bacteriophages Y2::dpoL1-C and Y2::luxAB for Efficient Control and Rapid Detection of the Fire Blight Pathogen, Erwinia amylovora

PubMed Central

Born, Yannick; Fieseler, Lars; Thöny, Valentin; Leimer, Nadja; Duffy, Brion

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Erwinia amylovora is the causative agent of fire blight, a devastating plant disease affecting members of the Rosaceae. Alternatives to antibiotics for control of fire blight symptoms and outbreaks are highly desirable, due to increasing drug resistance and tight regulatory restrictions. Moreover, the available diagnostic methods either lack sensitivity, lack speed, or are unable to discriminate between live and dead bacteria. Owing to their extreme biological specificity, bacteriophages are promising alternatives for both aims. In this study, the virulent broad-host-range E. amylovora virus Y2 was engineered to enhance its killing activity and for use as a luciferase reporter phage, respectively. Toward these aims, a depolymerase gene of E. amylovora virus L1 (dpoL1-C) or a bacterial luxAB fusion was introduced into the genome of Y2 by homologous recombination. The genes were placed downstream of the major capsid protein orf68, under the control of the native promoter. The modifications did not affect viability of infectivity of the recombinant viruses. Phage Y2::dpoL1-C demonstrated synergistic activity between the depolymerase degrading the exopolysaccharide capsule and phage infection, which greatly enhanced bacterial killing. It also significantly reduced the ability of E. amylovora to colonize the surface of detached flowers. The reporter phage Y2::luxAB transduced bacterial luciferase into host cells and induced synthesis of large amounts of a LuxAB luciferase fusion. After the addition of aldehyde substrate, bioluminescence could be readily monitored, and this enabled rapid and specific detection of low numbers of viable bacteria, without enrichment, both in vitro and in plant material. IMPORTANCE Fire blight, caused by Erwinia amylovora, is the major threat to global pome fruit production, with high economic losses every year. Bacteriophages represent promising alternatives to not only control the disease, but also for rapid diagnostics. To enhance biocontrol efficacy, we combined the desired properties of two phages, Y2 (broad host range) and L1 (depolymerase for capsule degradation) in a single recombinant phage. This phage showed enhanced biocontrol and could reduce E. amylovora on flowers. Phage Y2 was also genetically engineered into a luciferase reporter phage, which transduces bacterial bioluminescence into infected cells and allows detection of low numbers of viable target bacteria. The combination of speed, sensitivity, and specificity is superior to previously used diagnostic methods. In conclusion, genetic engineering could improve the properties of phage Y2 toward better killing efficacy and sensitive detection of E. amylovora cells. PMID:28389547

Fatty Acid Methyl Ester (FAME) analyses for characterization and detection of grapevine pathogens

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Grapevines can become infected by a variety of devastating pathogens, including the bacterium Xylella fastidiosa and canker fungi. Multiple strains of Xylella fastidiosa exist, each causing different diseases on various hosts. Although sequence-based genotyping can assist in distinguishing these str...

Selected techniques and protocols in American foulbrood research

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

American foulbrood is one of the most devastating diseases of the honey bee caused by the spore-forming, Gram-positive rod-shaped bacterium Paenibacillus larvae. The recent updated genome assembly and annotation of this pathogen now permits in depth molecular studies. In the present paper, selecte...

Behavioral assay on Asian citrus psyllid attraction to orange jasmine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is an important pest because it transmits a bacterium putatively responsible for huanglongbing, a devastating citrus disease. Research on ACP chemical ecology is of interest with respect to identifying attractants and repellents for managing the psyllid. We report on a...

Microbial Scourges and Their Impact on Health.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Howell, Dennis G.; Soltys, Marian A.

1982-01-01

A review of great epidemics (rat-borne, plague, smallpox, cholera, influenza, rabies, tuberculosis) reveals the devastation they have caused. Success in the battle against these is being won through hygiene, sanitation, vector control, and vaccines, especially since microbiology has provided a rational understanding of the diseases. (Author/JN)

Dissecting black spot resistance in polyploid hybrid roses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Devastating foliar diseases, such as black spot caused by Diplocarpon rosae, pose constant threats to the ornamental quality of outdoor grown roses. Black spot is primarily managed though the use of fungicides, however, there is a high demand for resistant roses which require low chemical inputs. To...

Synthetic substrate-borne vibrational signals that elicit Asian citrus psyllid communicatory and search responses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, vectors a harmful bacterium, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, that causes huanglongbing, an economically devastating disease of citrus. Adult male and female ACP transmit vibratory communication signals over 10-50-cm distances within their...

Particle exposure and the historical loss of Native American lives to infections

EPA Science Inventory

This is a letter to the editor-excerpt: An alternative reason for the devastating loss of Native American lives to infectious diseases introduced through interactions with Europeans could include an impact of exposure to particulate matter (PM) associated with the preparation of...

Strategies in Ebola virus disease (EVD) diagnostics at the point of care

PubMed Central

Coarsey, Chad T.; Esiobu, Nwadiuto; Narayanan, Ramswamy; Pavlovic, Mirjana; Shafiee, Hadi; Asghar, Waseem

2017-01-01

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a devastating, highly infectious illness with a high mortality rate. The disease is endemic to regions of Central and West Africa, where there is limited laboratory infrastructure and trained staff. The recent 2014 West African EVD outbreak has been unprecedented in case numbers and fatalities, and has proven that such regional outbreaks can become a potential threat to global public health, as it became the source for the subsequent transmission events in Spain and the USA. The urgent need for rapid and affordable means of detecting Ebola is crucial to control the spread of EVD and prevent devastating fatalities. Current diagnostic techniques include molecular diagnostics and other serological and antigen detection assays; which can be time-consuming, laboratory-based, often require trained personnel and specialized equipment. In this review, we discuss the various Ebola detection techniques currently in use, and highlight the potential future directions pertinent to the development and adoption of novel point-of-care diagnostic tools. Finally, a case is made for the need to develop novel microfluidic technologies and versatile rapid detection platforms for early detection of EVD. PMID:28440096

Metagenomic Sequencing for Surveillance of Food- and Waterborne Viral Diseases.

PubMed

Nieuwenhuijse, David F; Koopmans, Marion P G

2017-01-01

A plethora of viruses can be transmitted by the food- and waterborne route. However, their recognition is challenging because of the variety of viruses, heterogeneity of symptoms, the lack of awareness of clinicians, and limited surveillance efforts. Classical food- and waterborne viral disease outbreaks are mainly caused by caliciviruses, but the source of the virus is often not known and the foodborne mode of transmission is difficult to discriminate from human-to-human transmission. Atypical food- and waterborne viral disease can be caused by viruses such as hepatitis A and hepatitis E. In addition, a source of novel emerging viruses with a potential to spread via the food- and waterborne route is the repeated interaction of humans with wildlife. Wildlife-to-human adaptation may give rise to self- limiting outbreaks in some cases, but when fully adjusted to the human host can be devastating. Metagenomic sequencing has been investigated as a promising solution for surveillance purposes as it detects all viruses in a single protocol, delivers additional genomic information for outbreak tracing, and detects novel unknown viruses. Nevertheless, several issues must be addressed to apply metagenomic sequencing in surveillance. First, sample preparation is difficult since the genomic material of viruses is generally overshadowed by host- and bacterial genomes. Second, several data analysis issues hamper the efficient, robust, and automated processing of metagenomic data. Third, interpretation of metagenomic data is hard, because of the lack of general knowledge of the virome in the food chain and the environment. Further developments in virus-specific nucleic acid extraction methods, bioinformatic data processing applications, and unifying data visualization tools are needed to gain insightful surveillance knowledge from suspect food samples.

Metagenomic Sequencing for Surveillance of Food- and Waterborne Viral Diseases

PubMed Central

Nieuwenhuijse, David F.; Koopmans, Marion P. G.

2017-01-01

A plethora of viruses can be transmitted by the food- and waterborne route. However, their recognition is challenging because of the variety of viruses, heterogeneity of symptoms, the lack of awareness of clinicians, and limited surveillance efforts. Classical food- and waterborne viral disease outbreaks are mainly caused by caliciviruses, but the source of the virus is often not known and the foodborne mode of transmission is difficult to discriminate from human-to-human transmission. Atypical food- and waterborne viral disease can be caused by viruses such as hepatitis A and hepatitis E. In addition, a source of novel emerging viruses with a potential to spread via the food- and waterborne route is the repeated interaction of humans with wildlife. Wildlife-to-human adaptation may give rise to self- limiting outbreaks in some cases, but when fully adjusted to the human host can be devastating. Metagenomic sequencing has been investigated as a promising solution for surveillance purposes as it detects all viruses in a single protocol, delivers additional genomic information for outbreak tracing, and detects novel unknown viruses. Nevertheless, several issues must be addressed to apply metagenomic sequencing in surveillance. First, sample preparation is difficult since the genomic material of viruses is generally overshadowed by host- and bacterial genomes. Second, several data analysis issues hamper the efficient, robust, and automated processing of metagenomic data. Third, interpretation of metagenomic data is hard, because of the lack of general knowledge of the virome in the food chain and the environment. Further developments in virus-specific nucleic acid extraction methods, bioinformatic data processing applications, and unifying data visualization tools are needed to gain insightful surveillance knowledge from suspect food samples. PMID:28261185

Weathering the storm: Improving therapeutic interventions for cytokine storm syndromes by targeting disease pathogenesis.

PubMed

Weaver, Lehn K; Behrens, Edward M

2017-03-01

Cytokine storm syndromes require rapid diagnosis and treatment to limit the morbidity and mortality caused by the hyperinflammatory state that characterizes these devastating conditions. Herein, we discuss the current knowledge that guides our therapeutic decision-making and personalization of treatment for patients with cytokine storm syndromes. Firstly, ICU-level supportive care is often required to stabilize patients with fulminant disease while additional diagnostic evaluations proceed to determine the underlying cause of cytokine storm. Pharmacologic interventions should be focused on removing the inciting trigger of inflammation and initiation of an individualized immunosuppressive regimen when immune activation is central to the underlying disease pathophysiology. Monitoring for a clinical response is required to ensure that changes in the therapeutic regimen can be made as clinically warranted. Escalation of immunosuppression may be required if patients respond poorly to the initial therapeutic interventions, while a slow wean of immunosuppression in patients who improve can limit medication-related toxicities. In certain scenarios, a decision must be made whether an individual patient requires hematopoietic cell transplantation to prevent recurrence of disease. Despite these interventions, significant morbidity and mortality remains for cytokine storm patients. Therefore, we use this review to propose a clinical schema to guide current and future attempts to design rational therapeutic interventions for patients suffering from these devastating conditions, which we believe speeds the diagnosis of disease, limits medication-related toxicities, and improves clinical outcomes by targeting the heterogeneous and dynamic mechanisms driving disease in each individual patient.

Bacterial Secretome Analysis in Hunt for Novel Bacteriocins with Ability to Control Xanthomonas citri subsp. Citri

PubMed Central

Gholami, Dariush; Goodarzi, Tannaz; Aminzadeh, Saeed; Alavi, Seyed Mehdi; Kazemipour, Nasrin; Farrokhi, Naser

2015-01-01

Background Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri (Xcc), the causative agent of bacterial citrus canker, has affected citriculture worldwide. Varieties of means have been used to minimize its devastating effects, but no attention has been given to bacteriocins. Objectives Here and for the first time, we report the isolation and characterization of two novel bacteriocins. Materials and Methods Secretome containing bacteriocins of isolated bacteria was separated via SDS-PAGE. Each isolated protein band was characterized and checked for its efficacy in controlling two pathogenic isolates of Xcc via disk diffusion assay. The effects of varieties of carbon, nitrogen and phosphate sources were evaluated on both bacterial growth and bacteriocin production via Taguchi orthogonal method. Results The two bacteriocins showed an activity up to 55ºC that were sensitive to proteases suggesting being protein in nature. Analysis of SDS-PAGE purified protein bands of bacterial secretomes with demonstrated potency against Xcc revealed the presence of peptides with relative molecular masses of 16.9 and 17 kDa for Cronobacter and Enterobacter, respectively. Sequence analysis of peptides revealed an HCP1 family VI secretion system homologue for Cronobacter (YP_001439956) and pilin FimA homologue for Enterobacter (CBK85798.1). A Taguchi orthogonal array was also implemented to determine the effect of temperature and eight other chemical factors on bacteriocin production for each bacterium. Conclusions Two peptides with novel antibacterial activities effective against Xcc were isolated, characterized and conditions were optimized for their higher production. PMID:28959294

New insights into pancreatic cancer biology.

PubMed

Hidalgo, M

2012-09-01

Pancreatic cancer remains a devastating disease. Over the last few years, there have been important advances in the molecular and biological understanding of pancreatic cancer. This included understanding of the genomic complexity of the disease, the role of pancreatic cancer stem cells, the relevance of the tumor microenvironment, and the unique metabolic adaptation of pancreas cancer cells to obtain nutrients under hypoxic environment. In this paper, we review the most salient developments in these few areas.

Elucidation of sevadicin, a novel non-ribosomal peptide secondary metabolite produced by the honey bee pathogenic bacterium Paenibacillus larvae.

PubMed

Garcia-Gonzalez, Eva; Müller, Sebastian; Ensle, Paul; Süssmuth, Roderich D; Genersch, Elke

2014-05-01

American foulbrood (AFB) caused by the bee pathogenic bacterium Paenibacillus larvae is the most devastating bacterial disease of honey bees worldwide. From AFB-dead larvae, pure cultures of P. larvae can normally be cultivated indicating that P. larvae is able to defend its niche against all other bacteria present. Recently, comparative genome analysis within the species P. larvae suggested the presence of gene clusters coding for multi-enzyme complexes, such as non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). The products of these enzyme complexes are known to have a wide range of biological activities including antibacterial activities. We here present our results on antibacterial activity exhibited by vegetative P. larvae and the identification and analysis of a novel antibacterially active P. larvae tripeptide (called sevadicin; Sev) produced by a NRPS encoded by a gene cluster found in the genome of P. larvae. Identification of Sev was ultimately achieved by comparing the secretome of wild-type P. larvae with knockout mutants of P. larvae lacking production of Sev. Subsequent mass spectrometric studies, enantiomer analytics and chemical synthesis revealed the sequence and configuration of the tripeptide, D-Phe-D-ALa-Trp, which was shown to have antibacterial activity. The relevance of our findings is discussed in respect to host-pathogen interactions.

Response of sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) to 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' infection: microscopy and microarray analyses.

PubMed

Kim, Jeong-Soon; Sagaram, Uma Shankar; Burns, Jacqueline K; Li, Jian-Liang; Wang, Nian

2009-01-01

Citrus greening or huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating disease of citrus. HLB is associated with the phloem-limited fastidious prokaryotic alpha-proteobacterium 'Candidatus Liberibacter spp.' In this report, we used sweet orange (Citrus sinensis) leaf tissue infected with 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' and compared this with healthy controls. Investigation of the host response was examined with citrus microarray hybridization based on 33,879 expressed sequence tag sequences from several citrus species and hybrids. The microarray analysis indicated that HLB infection significantly affected expression of 624 genes whose encoded proteins were categorized according to function. The categories included genes associated with sugar metabolism, plant defense, phytohormone, and cell wall metabolism, as well as 14 other gene categories. The anatomical analyses indicated that HLB bacterium infection caused phloem disruption, sucrose accumulation, and plugged sieve pores. The up-regulation of three key starch biosynthetic genes including ADP-glucose pyrophosphorylase, starch synthase, granule-bound starch synthase and starch debranching enzyme likely contributed to accumulation of starch in HLB-affected leaves. The HLB-associated phloem blockage resulted from the plugged sieve pores rather than the HLB bacterial aggregates since 'Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus' does not form aggregate in citrus. The up-regulation of pp2 gene is related to callose deposition to plug the sieve pores in HLB-affected plants.

Johnsongrass mosaic virus contributes to maize lethal necrosis in East Africa

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Maize lethal necrosis (MLN), a severe virus disease of maize, has emerged in East Africa in recent years with devastating effects on production and food security where maize is a staple subsistence crop. In extensive surveys of MLN-symptomatic plants in East Africa, sequences of Johnsongrass mosaic ...

Effects of elevated [CO2] on the defense response of wheat against Fusarium graminearum infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the world’s most devastating wheat diseases, and results in significant yield loss and contamination of grain with harmful mycotoxins called trichothecenes. Despite emerging risks of increased mycotoxin contamination in food and feed associated with climate chang...

Partial proteome of the corynetoxin-producing Gram-positive bacterium, Rathayibacter toxicus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rathayibacter toxicus is a Gram-positive bacterium that is the causative agent of annual ryegrass toxicity (ARGT), a disease that causes devastating losses in the Australian livestock industry. R. toxicus exhibits a complex life cycle, using the nematode Anguina funesta as a physical vector to carry...

CNV analysis of host responses to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a devastating disease with a significant impact on the swine industry causing major economic losses. Recent studies revealed a region on Sus Scrofa chromosome (SSC) 4 associated with serum viremia and weight gain in pigs infected with the PRRS ...

Current state of knowledge of hepatic encephalopathy (part IV): Management of Hepatic Encephalopathy by liver support systems.

PubMed

Hassanein, Tarek

2017-04-01

Hepatic Encephalopathy is a devastating complication of End-Stage Liver Disease. In its severe grades it requires extra intervention beyond the standard medical approaches. In this article were view the role of liver support systems in managing hepatic encephalopthy.

Structural and Functional Characterization of TRI3 Acetyltransferase from Fusarium sporotrichioides

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB) is a devastating disease of cereal crops whose worldwide incidence is increasing and at present there is no satisfactory way of combating this pathogen or its associated toxins. There is a wide variety of trichothecene mycotoxins and they all contain a 12,13-epoxytrichoth...

Empirical, metagenomic, and computational techniques illuminate the mechanisms by which fungicides compromise bee health

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Because disease can be devastating to crops, growers often spray fungicides as preventative measures. Unfortunately, many sprays are applied to in-bloom crops, which expose bees to fungicide residues. Generally considered “bee-safe,” fungicides are applied globally on flowering crops. However, there...

Marker validation for Rpf1 red stele resistance in strawberry

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Red stele is a devastating root rot disease in strawberries. Several sources for genetic resistance are exploited in breeding, and several race-specific R-genes were identified. Recently, a tightly linked SSR marker was found for the Rpf1 gene at Wageningen-UR, The Netherlands. One hundred and forty...

Host plant resistance associated with Poncirus trifoliata influences oviposition, development and adult emergence of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, is the primary vector of the phloem-inhabiting bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus putatively responsible for citrus greening (huanglongbing), a devastating citrus disease. Infestations of Diaphorina citri frequently develop on Citrus and ...

Current Agricultural Research Issues on One-Host ticks and Bovine Babesiosis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bovine babesiosis is a tick-borne disease caused by the apicomplexan protozoans Babesia bovis and B. bigemina, which can have devastating economic effects on the livestock industry. Estimates indicate the domestic livestock industry realizes annual savings of at least 3 billion dollars at today’s c...

Allelic analysis of sheath blight resistance with association mapping in rice

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Sheath blight is one of the most devastating diseases world-wide in rice. For the first time, we adopted association mapping to identify quantitative trait loci for sheath blight resistance from the USDA rice mini-core collection. The phenotyping was conducted with a newly developed micro-chamber me...

Transgenic wheat expressing a barley UDP-glucosyltransferase detoxifies deoxynivalenol and provides high levels of resistance to Fusarium graminearum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fusarium head blight (FHB), mainly caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a devastating disease of wheat and barley that results in huge economic losses worldwide. During infection, F. graminearum produces trichothecene mycotoxins, such as deoxynivalenol (DON), that increase fungal virulence and decreas...

Future Approaches for Inner Ear Protection and Repair

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Shibata, Seiji B.; Raphael, Yehoash

2010-01-01

Health care professionals tending to patients with inner ear disease face inquiries about therapy options, including treatments that are being developed for future use but not yet available. The devastating outcome of sensorineural hearing loss, combined with the permanent nature of the symptoms, make these inquiries demanding and frequent. The…

Protecting the Oblivious

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ramaswami, Rama

2008-01-01

When it comes to dealing with cyber attacks, there's no silver bullet. Ironically, however, college educators are already accustomed to wielding what may be the best weapon of all--education. Assaulted by the myriad species of spam, worms, Trojan horses, spyware, viruses, and other diseases that so easily infect and sometimes devastate campus…

A graft-based chemotherapy method for screening effective molecules and rescuing Huanglongbing (HLB)-affected citrus plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB), the most devastating disease of citrus worldwide, is associated with three species of fastidious and phloem-limited a-Proteobacteria in the genus of ‘Candidatus Liberibacter’. We previously reported a regeneration-based chemical screening system using periwinkle cuttings. In ...

SNP-based differentiation of Phytophthora infestans clonal lineages using locked nucleic acid probes and high resolution melt analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phytophthora infestans, the cause of the devastating late blight disease of potato and tomato, exhibits a clonal reproductive lifestyle in North America. Phenotypes such as fungicide sensitivity and host preference are conserved among individuals within clonal lineages, while substantial phenotypic ...

Colonization of Clonostachys rosea on soybean root inoculated with Fusarium graminearum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Soybean root rot, caused by Fusarium graminearum, is a devastating disease. Clonostachys rosea has been reported to have protection against plant pathogens in different crops. The objectives of this study were to determine if a strain of C. rosea (ACM941) can colonize soybean root that were inocula...

Asian citrus psyllid, huanglongbing and the orange jasmine conundrum

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is an important invasive pest in Florida because it vectors a bacterium ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’ (LAS) responsible for a devastating citrus disease known as huanglongbing (HLB). Soon after finding HLB in Florida, concerns arose that orange jasmine in urban areas wo...

Submission of nucleotide sequence eimeria tenella elongation factor 1-alpha to genBank database

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Avian coccidiosis is caused by multiple species of the apicomplexan protozoan, Eimeria, and is one of the most economically devastating enteric diseases for the poultry industry worldwide. Host immunity to Eimeria infection, however, is relatively species-specific. The ability to immunize chickens a...

The Socioeconomic Impact of Lymphatic Filariasis in Tropical Countries

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Nwoke, Bertram Ekejiuba Bright; Nwoke, Eunice Anyalewechi; Dozie, Ikechukwu Nosike Simplicius

2007-01-01

Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is an endemic parasitic disease and a major cause of acute and chronic morbidity and incapacitation with devastating public health and socio-economic consequences. It exacerbates poor conditions of afflicted persons and endemic communities through reduced or lost labour supply and productivity. Stigmatisation and…

First report of Xyleborus glabratus (Coleoptera: Curculionidae: Scolytinae) and laurel wilt in Louisiana, USA: The disease continues westward on sassafras

Treesearch

Stephen W. Fraedrich; C. Wood Johnson; Roger D. Menard; Thomas C. Harrington; Rabiu Olatinwo; G. Susan Best

2015-01-01

Laurel wilt, caused by Raffaelea lauricola Harrington, Fraedrich & Aghayeva (Ophiostomatales: Ophiostomataceae), has spread rapidly through the coastal plains forests of the southeastern United States (USA) with devastating effects on redbay (Persea borbonia [L.] Spreng.; Laurales: Lauraceae) populations (Fraedrich et...

Host-choice behavior of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) under laboratory conditions

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, is the vector of huanglongbing (HLB), considered to be the most devastating disease of citrus worldwide. Knowledge of the ACP’s host-plant finding behavior aids in our understanding of the epidemiology of HLB and in designing experiments to ...

Huanglongbing increases Diplodia Stem End Rot in Citrus sinensis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB), one of the most devastating diseases of citrus is caused by the a-Proteobacteria Candidatus Liberibacter. Diplodia natalensis Pole-Evans is a fungal pathogen which has been known to cause a postharvest stem-end rot of citrus, the pathogen infects citrus fruit under the calyx, an...

Speech Intelligibility and Marital Communication in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: An Exploratory Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Joubert, Karin; Bornman, Juan; Alant, Erna

2011-01-01

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rapidly progressive neuromuscular disease, has a devastating impact not only on individuals diagnosed with ALS but also their spouses. Speech intelligibility, often compromised as a result of dysarthria, affects the couple's ability to maintain effective, intimate communication. The purpose of this…

Morphological characterization of a new and easily recognizable nuclear male sterile mutant of sorghum (Sorghum bicolor).

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

All commercial sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L. Moench) hybrids are produced using A1 cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) lines. However, this homogenous cytoplasm could predispose sorghum to devastating diseases. Furthermore, it is expensive to develop and maintain the CMS-based breeding system, because it...

Multimodal cues drive host-plant assessment in Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) transmits the causal agent of Huanglongbing, a devastating disease of citrus trees. In this study, we measured behavioral responses of D. citri to combinations of visual, olfactory, and gustatory stimuli in test arenas. Stimuli were presented to the psyllids ...

Spectral difference analysis and airborne imaging classification for citrus greening infected trees

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Citrus greening, also called Huanglongbing (HLB), became a devastating disease spread through citrus groves in Florida, since it was first found in 2005. Multispectral (MS) and hyperspectral (HS) airborne images of citrus groves in Florida were acquired to detect citrus greening infected trees in 20...

The i5K Initiative: Advancing arthropod genomics for knowledge, human health, agriculture, and the environment

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Insects and their arthropod relatives including mites, spiders, and crustaceans, play major roles in the world’s terrestrial, aquatic, and marine ecosystems. Arthropods compete with humans for food and transmit devastating diseases. They also comprise the most diverse and successful branch of metazo...

White snakeroot poisoning in goats: Variations in toxicity with different plant chemotypes

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

White Snakeroot is a toxic plant that causes human and livestock diseases known as the trembles and milk sickness and historically devastated entire settlements. White snakeroot toxins, which differ significantly in plant populations, were initially identified as tremetol which is thought to be mix...

Within-orchard edge effects of the azimuth of the sun on Diaphorina citri adults in mature orchards

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB) has been considered the most devastating disease of citrus. The bacterium and vector associated with HLB in Florida are ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ and Diaphorina citri (Asian citrus psyllid), respectively. D. citri is positively phototropic, and higher populations have b...

The in planta proteome of wild type strains of the fire blight pathogen, Erwinia amylovora.

PubMed

Holtappels, M; Vrancken, K; Noben, J P; Remans, T; Schoofs, H; Deckers, T; Valcke, R

2016-04-29

Erwinia amylovora is a Gram-negative plant pathogen that causes fire blight. This disease affects most members of the Rosaceae family including apple and pear. Here, an infection model is introduced to study proteomic changes in a highly virulent E. amylovora strain upon interaction with its host as compared to a lower virulent strain. For this purpose separate shoots of apple rootstocks were wound-infected and when infection became systemic, bacterial cells were isolated and processed for analysis in a proteomics platform combining 2-D fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry. Comparing the proteome of the isolates, significant abundance changes were observed in proteins involved in sorbitol metabolism, amylovoran production as well as in protection against plant defense mechanisms. Furthermore several proteins associated with virulence were more abundant in the higher virulent strain. Changes at the proteome level showed good accordance at the transcript level, as was verified by RT-qPCR. In conclusion, this infection model may be a valuable tool to unravel the complexity of plant-pathogen interactions and to gain insight in the molecular mechanisms associated with virulence of E. amylovora, paving the way for the development of plant-protective interventions against this detrimental disease. During this research a first time investigation was performed on the proteome of E. amylovora, grown inside a susceptible host plant. This bacterium is the causal agent of fire blight, which can affect most members of the Rosaceae family including apple and pear. To do so, an artificial infection model on shoots of apple rootstocks was optimized and employed. When infection was systemic, bacterial cells were extracted from the plant tissue followed by extraction of the proteins from the bacteria. Further processing of the proteins was done by using a 2-D fluorescence difference gel electrophoresis analysis followed by mass spectrometry. By the use of two strains differing in their virulent ability, we were able to draw conclusions concerning virulence and behavior of different strains inside the host. This research provides a model to investigate plant-pathogen interactions and more importantly, we identified possible new targets for the development of novel control methods against this devastating disease. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

White-nose syndrome in North American bats - U.S. Geological Survey updates

USGS Publications Warehouse

Lankau, Emily W.; Moede Rogall, Gail

2016-12-27

White-nose syndrome is a devastating wildlife disease that has killed millions of hibernating bats. This disease first appeared in New York during 2007 and has continued to spread at an alarming rate from the northeastern to the central United States and throughout eastern Canada. The disease is named for the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, which often appears white when it infects the skin of the nose, ears, and wings of hibernating bats. This fact sheet provides updates on white-nose syndrome research and management efforts and highlights US Geological Survey scientists’ contributions to understanding and combating this disease.

Childhood inflammatory brain diseases: pathogenesis, diagnosis and therapy.

PubMed

Twilt, Marinka; Benseler, Susanne M

2014-08-01

Inflammatory brain diseases (IBrainDs) are a leading cause of devastating neurological deficits or neuropsychiatric syndromes in previously healthy children. The spectrum is expanding rapidly and new disease entities have been discovered in the last decade. IBrainD can occur as a primary disease or may occur secondary to an underlying cause. This review focuses on the clinical presentation, diagnostic features, pathology and histology characteristics and treatment of the primary childhood IBrainDs. © The Author 2013. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the British Society for Rheumatology. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Files, Daniel Kane; Jausurawong, Tani; Katrajian, Ruba; Danoff, Robert

2015-06-01

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic, debilitating disease that can have devastating effects. Presentation varies widely in symptoms, pace, and progression. In addition to a thorough history and physical examination, diagnostic tools required to diagnose MS and exclude other diagnoses include MRI, evoked potential testing, and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Although the disease is not curable presently, quality of life can be improved by minimizing the frequency and severity of disease burden. Disease modification, symptom management, preservation of function, and treatment of psychosocial issues are paramount to enhance the quality of life for the patient affected with MS. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Label-free quantitative secretome analysis of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae highlights the involvement of a novel cysteine protease in its pathogenicity.

PubMed

Wang, Yiming; Gupta, Ravi; Song, Wei; Huh, Hyun-Hye; Lee, So Eui; Wu, Jingni; Agrawal, Ganesh Kumar; Rakwal, Randeep; Kang, Kyu Young; Park, Sang-Ryeol; Kim, Sun Tae

2017-10-03

Bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), is one of the most devastating diseases resulting in a huge loss of the total rice productivity. The initial interaction between rice and Xoo takes place in the host apoplast and is mediated primarily by secretion of various proteins from both partners. Yet, such secretory proteins remain to be largely identified and characterized. This study employed a label-free quantitative proteomics approach and identified 404 and 323 Xoo-secreted proteins from in vitro suspension-cultured cells and in planta systems, respectively. Gene Ontology analysis showed their involvement primarily in catalytic, transporter, and ATPase activities. Of a particular interest was a Xoo cysteine protease (XoCP), which showed dramatic increase in its protein abundance in planta upon Xoo interaction with a susceptible rice cultivar. Knock-out mutants of XoCP showed reduced pathogenicity on rice, highlighting its potential involvement in Xoo virulence. Besides, a parallel analysis of in planta rice-secreted proteins resulted in identification of 186 secretory proteins mainly associated with the catalytic, antioxidant, and electron carrier activities. Identified secretory proteins were exploited to shed light on their possible role in the rice-Xoo interaction, and that further deepen our understanding of such interaction. Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (Xoo), causative agent of bacterial blight disease, results in a huge loss of the total rice productivity. Using a label-free quantitative proteomics approach, we identified 727 Xoo- and 186 rice-secreted proteins. Functional annotation showed Xoo secreted proteins were mainly associated with the catalytic, transporter, and ATPase activities while the rice secreted proteins were mainly associated with the catalytic, antioxidant, and electron carrier activities. A novel Xoo cysteine protease (XoCP) was identified, showing dramatic increase in its protein abundance in planta upon Xoo interaction with a susceptible rice cultivar. Knock-out mutants of XoCP showed reduced pathogenicity on rice, highlighting its potential involvement in Xoo virulence. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Fungal disease and the developing story of bat white-nose syndrome

USGS Publications Warehouse

Blehert, David S.

2012-01-01

Two recently emerged cutaneous fungal diseases of wildlife, bat white-nose syndrome (WNS) and amphibian chytridiomycosis, have devastated affected populations. Fungal diseases are gaining recognition as significant causes of morbidity and mortality to plants, animals, and humans, yet fewer than 10% of fungal species are known. Furthermore, limited antifungal therapeutic drugs are available, antifungal therapeutics often have associated toxicity, and there are no approved antifungal vaccines. The unexpected emergence of WNS, the rapidity with which it has spread, and its unprecedented severity demonstrate both the impacts of novel fungal disease upon naïve host populations and challenges to effective management of such diseases.

Psychiatric and Psychological Impact of Chronic Skin Disease.

PubMed

Jafferany, Mohammad; Pastolero, Paul

2018-04-26

Chronic skin disease has a devastating effect on a person's physical and psychological well-being. Skin disease significantly impacts all aspects of a patient's life including school, relationships, career choices, social and leisure activities, and sexual life. The physical, psychological, and social consequences affect not only the patients, but also caregivers and family members as well. Common psychological problems associated with skin disease include, but are not limited to, feelings of stress, anxiety, anger, depression, shame, social isolation, low self-esteem, and embarrassment. Besides psychopharmacology, multiple psychotherapeutic techniques have proved to be helpful in addressing the psychological sequelae of skin disease. © Copyright 2018 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

Seeking approval: Present and future therapies for pemphigus vulgaris

PubMed Central

Mao, Xuming; Payne, Aimee S

2014-01-01

Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes. Despite the potentially fatal prognosis, there are currently no FDA-approved treatments specifically for pemphigus. In 2006, the FDA designated orphan drug status to mycophenolate mofetil for the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris indicating both federal and commercial interest in developing therapies for this devastating disease. This review focuses on pemphigus therapies that are currently in preclinical or clinical trials, as well as potential novel therapies based on recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease. PMID:18465660

Seeking approval: present and future therapies for pemphigus vulgaris.

PubMed

Mao, Xuming; Payne, Aimee S

2008-05-01

Pemphigus vulgaris is an autoimmune blistering disease of the skin and mucous membranes. Despite the potentially fatal prognosis, there are currently no FDA-approved treatments specifically for pemphigus. In 2006, the FDA designated orphan drug status to mycophenolate mofetil for the treatment of pemphigus vulgaris, indicating both federal and commercial interest in developing therapies for this devastating disease. This review focuses on pemphigus therapies that are currently in preclinical or clinical trials, as well as potential novel therapies based on recent advances in the understanding of the pathophysiology of this disease.

Development of a multiplex PCR assay for rapid and simultaneous detection of four genera of fish pathogenic bacteria.

PubMed

Zhang, D F; Zhang, Q Q; Li, A H

2014-11-01

Species of genus Aeromonas, Vibrio, Edwardsiella and Streptococcus are the most common fish pathogenic bacteria that cause economically devastating losses in aquaculture. A multiplex polymerase chain reaction (mPCR) was developed for the simultaneous detection and differentiation of the four genera of fish pathogenic bacteria. Through the use of genus-specific primers instead of species-specific ones, the current mPCR covered much more target bacterial species compared with previously reported species-specific mPCR methods. The specificity of the four putative genus-specific primers was validated experimentally while used exclusively (uniplex PCR) or combined (mPCR) against bacterial genomic DNA templates of the target bacteria and nontarget bacteria. The PCR amplicons for the following genera were obtained as expected: Aeromonas (875 bp), Vibrio (524 bp), Edwardsiella (302 bp) and Streptococcus (197 bp), and the fragments could be separated clearly on the agarose gel electrophoresis. The mPCR did not produce nonspecific amplification products when used to amplify 21 nontarget species of bacteria. The mPCR detection limits for each target bacterial genera were 50 colony-forming units (CFU) in pure culture and 100 CFU in fish tissue samples. In conclusion, the mPCR assay was proven to be a powerful alternative to the conventional culture-based method, given its rapid, specific, sensitive and reliable detection of target pathogens. The fish pathogenic bacteria of genus Aeromonas, Vibrio, Edwardsiella and Streptococcus frequently cause severe outbreaks of diseases in cultured fish, and the genus-specific multiplex PCR assay developed in this study can detect the bacteria of the four genera when present in the samples either alone or mixed. The mPCR assay is expected to identify the causative agents more efficiently than uniplex PCR or species-specific multiplex PCR for clinical diagnosis, resulting in the earlier implementation of control measures. This mPCR assay provides a rapid, specific and sensitive tool for the detection or identification of common fish pathogenic bacteria in aquaculture practice. © 2014 The Society for Applied Microbiology.

The Oral Microbiota in Health and Disease: An Overview of Molecular Findings.

PubMed

Siqueira, José F; Rôças, Isabela N

2017-01-01

Culture-independent nucleic acid technologies have been extensively applied to the analysis of oral bacterial communities associated with healthy and diseased conditions. These methods have confirmed and substantially expanded the findings from culture studies to reveal the oral microbial inhabitants and candidate pathogens associated with the major oral diseases. Over 1000 bacterial distinct species-level taxa have been identified in the oral cavity and studies using next-generation DNA sequencing approaches indicate that the breadth of bacterial diversity may be even much larger. Nucleic acid technologies have also been helpful in profiling bacterial communities and identifying disease-related patterns. This chapter provides an overview of the diversity and taxonomy of oral bacteria associated with health and disease.

Incidence of bacterial diseases associated with irrigation methods on onions (Allium cepa).

PubMed

Chorolque, A; Pozzo Ardizzi, C; Pellejero, G; Aschkar, G; García Navarro, F J; Jiménez Ballesta, R

2018-04-24

In the last decade, diseases of bacterial origin in onions have increased and this has led to significant losses in production. These diseases are currently observed in both the Old and New Worlds. The aim of the experimental work reported here was to evaluate whether the irrigation method influences the incidence of diseases of bacterial origin. In cases where the inoculum was natural, the initial incidence of Soft Bacterial Rot was not manifested in any treatment in the first year, whereas at the end of the conservation period all treatments had increased incidences of infection. Sprinkler irrigation (8%) was statistically differentiated from the other treatments, for which the final incidence was similar (4.5%). For all irrigation treatments, the final incidence of Bacterial Soft Rot decreased or remained stable towards the end of the cycle, with the exception of sprinkler irrigation in 2015, which increased. It can be inferred from the results that the irrigation method does have an influence on the incidence of diseases of bacterial origin in the post-harvest stage for onions. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

[Bacterial meningitis].

PubMed

Brouwer, M C; van de Beek, D

2012-05-01

Bacterial meningitis is a severe disease which affects 35.000 Europeans each year and has a mortality rate of about 20%. During the past 25 years the epidemiology of bacterial meningitis has changed significantly due to the implementation of vaccination against Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningtidis group C and Streptococcus pneumoniae. Due to these vaccines, meningitis is now predominantly a disease occurring in adults, caused especially by Streptococcus pneumoniae, while it was formerly a child disease which was largely caused by Haemophilus influenzae. Bacterial meningitis is often difficult to recognize since the classical presentation with neck stiffness, reduced awareness and fever occurs in less than half of the patients. The only way to diagnose or exclude bacterial meningitis is by performing low-threshold cerebrospinal fluid examination with a suspicion of bacterial meningitis. The treatment consists of the prescription of antibiotics and dexamethasone.

Bacterial profiling of White Plague Disease across corals and oceans indicates a conserved and distinct disease microbiome

PubMed Central

Roder, Cornelia; Arif, Chatchanit; Daniels, Camille; Weil, Ernesto; Voolstra, Christian R

2014-01-01

Coral diseases are characterized by microbial community shifts in coral mucus and tissue, but causes and consequences of these changes are vaguely understood due to the complexity and dynamics of coral-associated bacteria. We used 16S rRNA gene microarrays to assay differences in bacterial assemblages of healthy and diseased colonies displaying White Plague Disease (WPD) signs from two closely related Caribbean coral species, Orbicella faveolata and Orbicella franksi. Analysis of differentially abundant operational taxonomic units (OTUs) revealed strong differences between healthy and diseased specimens, but not between coral species. A subsequent comparison to data from two Indo-Pacific coral species (Pavona duerdeni and Porites lutea) revealed distinct microbial community patterns associated with ocean basin, coral species and health state. Coral species were clearly separated by site, but also, the relatedness of the underlying bacterial community structures resembled the phylogenetic relationship of the coral hosts. In diseased samples, bacterial richness increased and putatively opportunistic bacteria were consistently more abundant highlighting the role of opportunistic conditions in structuring microbial community patterns during disease. Our comparative analysis shows that it is possible to derive conserved bacterial footprints of diseased coral holobionts that might help in identifying key bacterial species related to the underlying etiopathology. Furthermore, our data demonstrate that similar-appearing disease phenotypes produce microbial community patterns that are consistent over coral species and oceans, irrespective of the putative underlying pathogen. Consequently, profiling coral diseases by microbial community structure over multiple coral species might allow the development of a comparative disease framework that can inform on cause and relatedness of coral diseases. PMID:24350609

Immobilized antibiotics to prevent orthopedic implant infections

PubMed Central

Hickok, Noreen J.; Shapiro, Irving M.

2012-01-01

Many surgical procedures require the placement of an inert or tissue-derived implant deep within the body cavity. While the majority of these implants do not become colonized by bacteria, a small percentage develops a biofilm layer that harbors invasive microorganisms. In orthopaedic surgery, unresolved periprosthetic infections can lead to implant loosening, arthrodeses, amputations and sometimes death. The focus of this review is to describe development of an implant in which an antibiotic tethered to the metal surface is used to prevent bacterial colonization and biofilm formation. Building on well-established chemical syntheses, studies show that antibiotics can be linked to titanium through a self-assembled monolayer of siloxy amines. The stable metal-antibiotic construct resists bacterial colonization and biofilm formation while remaining amenable to osteoblastic cell adhesion and maturation. In an animal model, the antibiotic modified implant resists challenges by bacteria that are commonly present in periprosthetic infections. While the long-term efficacy and stability is still to be established, ongoing studies support the view that this novel type of bioactive surface has a real potential to mitigate or prevent the devastating consequences of orthopaedic infection. PMID:22512927

Characterization of stem rust resistance in wheat cultivar 'Gage'

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat (Triticum spp.) stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici Eriks. & E. Henn. (Pgt), re-emerged as a devastating disease of wheat because of virulent race Ug99 (TTKSK). Many bread wheat (T. aestivum L.) cultivars grown in North America are susceptible to Ug99 or its derivative races ...

Elevated [CO2] compromises both Type I and Type II wheat resistance to Fusarium head blight

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fusarium head blight (FHB) is one of the world’s most devastating wheat diseases, and results in significant yield loss and contamination of grain with harmful mycotoxins called trichothecenes. Despite emerging risks of increased mycotoxin contamination in food and feed associated with climate chang...

Effects of interferon-alpha on the immune response to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most devastating and costly diseases to the swine industry world-wide. Overall, the adaptive immune response to PRRS virus (PRRSV) is weak and results in delayed elimination of virus from the host and inferior vaccine protection. PR...

Genome Sequences of 19 Novel Erwinia amylovora Bacteriophages

PubMed Central

Esplin, Ian N. D.; Berg, Jordan A.; Sharma, Ruchira; Allen, Robert C.; Arens, Daniel K.; Ashcroft, Cody R.; Bairett, Shannon R.; Beatty, Nolan J.; Bickmore, Madeline; Bloomfield, Travis J.; Brady, T. Scott; Bybee, Rachel N.; Carter, John L.; Choi, Minsey C.; Duncan, Steven; Fajardo, Christopher P.; Foy, Brayden B.; Fuhriman, David A.; Gibby, Paul D.; Grossarth, Savannah E.; Harbaugh, Kala; Harris, Natalie; Hilton, Jared A.; Hurst, Emily; Hyde, Jonathan R.; Ingersoll, Kayleigh; Jacobson, Caitlin M.; James, Brady D.; Jarvis, Todd M.; Jaen-Anieves, Daniella; Jensen, Garrett L.; Knabe, Bradley K.; Kruger, Jared L.; Merrill, Bryan D.; Pape, Jenny A.; Payne Anderson, Ashley M.; Payne, David E.; Peck, Malia D.; Pollock, Samuel V.; Putnam, Micah J.; Ransom, Ethan K.; Ririe, Devin B.; Robinson, David M.; Rogers, Spencer L.; Russell, Kerri A.; Schoenhals, Jonathan E.; Shurtleff, Christopher A.; Simister, Austin R.; Smith, Hunter G.; Stephenson, Michael B.; Staley, Lyndsay A.; Stettler, Jason M.; Stratton, Mallorie L.; Tateoka, Olivia B.; Tatlow, P. J.; Taylor, Alexander S.; Thompson, Suzanne E.; Townsend, Michelle H.; Thurgood, Trever L.; Usher, Brittian K.; Whitley, Kiara V.; Ward, Andrew T.; Ward, Megan E. H.; Webb, Charles J.; Wienclaw, Trevor M.; Williamson, Taryn L.; Wells, Michael J.; Wright, Cole K.; Breakwell, Donald P.; Hope, Sandra

2017-01-01

ABSTRACT Erwinia amylovora is the causal agent of fire blight, a devastating disease affecting some plants of the Rosaceae family. We isolated bacteriophages from samples collected from infected apple and pear trees along the Wasatch Front in Utah. We announce 19 high-quality complete genome sequences of E. amylovora bacteriophages. PMID:29146842

Development of a duplex ddPCR assay for detection of “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus”

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB) (aka citrus greening) is a devastating citrus disease associated with “Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus” (CLas). Currently, diagnosis of CLas in regulatory samples is based on a real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assay using 16S rRNA gene specific primers/pr...

QTL mapping of downy mildew resistance in PI 197088 and PI 330628 cucumbers

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Downy mildew (DM, Pseudoperonospora cubensis) is a devastating fungal disease of cucumber worldwide. Several plant introduction lines have been identified with high resistance to the post-2004 new DM strain found in the U.S. However, the inheritance of DM resistance is still not well defined. Molecu...

Vaccination with Eimeria tenella Elongation Factor-1alpha Recombinant Protein Induces protective Immunity against E. tenella and E. maxima infections

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Avian coccidiosis is caused by multiple species of the apicomplexan protozoan, Eimeria, and is one of the most economically devastating enteric diseases for the poultry industry worldwide. Host immunity to Eimeria infection, however, is relatively species-specific. The ability to immunize chickens a...

Registration of an oilseed sunflower germplasm line HA-BSR1 highly tolerant to Sclerotinia basal stalk rot

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Basal stalk rot (BSR) caused by Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary is a devastating disease that causes a significant damage to worldwide sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) production by reducing seed yield and quality. The objective of this research was to develop highly BSR tolerant sunflower g...

Influence of Varroa mite (Varroa destructor) infestation levels and management practices on insecticide sensitivity in the honey bee (Apis mellifera)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Because Varroa mites may cause devastating losses of honey bees through direct feeding, transmitting diseases, and increasing pathogen susceptibility, chemical and mechanical practices commonly are used to reduce mite infestation. While miticide applications are typically the most consistent and eff...

A real-time PCR assay for early detection of eastern filbert blight

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Eastern filbert blight (EFB) is a devastating disease of European hazelnut, Corylus avellana, which causes economic losses in Oregon where 99% of the U.S. crop is produced. The causal fungus, Anisogramma anomala, is native to eastern North America, where it is found associated with the American haz...

A simple culture method inducing sexual reproduction by Fusarium graminearum, the primary causal agent of Fusarium head blight

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The homothallic ascomycete fungus Fusarium graminearum is the primary causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), a devastating disease of wheat and barley worldwide. The fungus undergoes both asexual and sexual stages in its life cycle. The asexual stage produces conidiospores, whereas the sexual s...

Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) responses to microcontroller-buzzer communication signals of potential use in vibration traps

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Monitoring of Diaphorina citri Kuwayama populations is an important component of efforts to reduce damage caused by huanglongbing, a devastating disease it vectors in citrus groves. Currently, D. citri is monitored primarily by unbaited sticky traps or visual inspection of trees. A potentially more ...

Protection and coexistence of conventional papaya productions with PRSV resistant transgenic papaya

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Papaya ringspot virus (PRSV) is a devastating disease that has a detrimental impact on both commercial papaya production and Caricaceae germplasm conservation. Transgenic line 55-1 and derived progeny ‘SunUp’ and ‘Rainbow’ are resistant to PRSV and have saved the papaya industry in Hawaii. In small...

Pre- and post-harvest development of Phytophthora fruit rot on watermelons treated with fungicides in the field

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fruit rot, caused by Phytophthora capsici, is a serious disease in most watermelon producing regions in southeastern U.S., and has caused devastating loss over the past few years. In many instances, severe losses occurred after harvest during transportation. Experiments were conducted in 2010, 201...

Dothistroma Needle Blight of Pines

Treesearch

Glenn W. Peterson

1982-01-01

Dothistroma blight is a devastating foliar disease of a wide range of pine species. The causal fungus, Dothistroma pini Hulbary, infects and kills needles. Premature defoliation caused by this fungus has resulted in complete failure of most ponderosa pine plantings in States east of the Great Plains. In the central and southern Great Plains, D. pini damages Austrian...

Toward The Identification Of Candidate Genes Involved In Black Pod Disease Resistance In Theobroma cacao L.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Black Pod (Phytophthora sp.) has a devastating effect on the worldwide cacao (Theobroma cacao) yield and incorporating resistance into production fields has been an ongoing effort of breeding programs. Previous meta-QTL analysis of genetic maps created with a variety of molecular markers identified...

Toward the identification of candidate genes involved In black pod disease resistance in Theobroma cacao L.

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Black Pod (Phytophthora sp.) has a devastating effect on the worldwide cacao (Theobroma cacao) yield and incorporating resistance into production fields has been an ongoing effort of breeding programs. Previous meta-QTL analysis of genetic maps created with a variety of molecular markers identified...

Behavioral responses of male Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) to mating communication signals from vibration traps in citrus (Sapindales: Rutaceae) trees

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, vectors the bacterium causing citrus greening disease, which has devastated citrus production worldwide wherever it has been introduced. To help monitor and target D citri populations in commercial groves, thereby facilitating more effective manag...

Powder Keg on the Upper Missouri: Sources of Blackfeet Hostility, 1730-1810.

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Judy, Mark A.

1987-01-01

Evaluates reasons why Blackfeet Indians were bitterly hostile toward white fur traders in the upper Missouri River basin during the early 1800s. Explains causes of internal tribal turmoil including rapid adaptation of horses to tribal culture, devastating effects of disease, and guns disrupting the balance of power among tribes. (JHZ)

Papyracillic acid and its derivatives as biting deterrents against Aedes aegypti(Diptera: Culicidae): structure–activity relationships

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aedes aegypti L. is the major vector of the arboviruses responsible for dengue fever, one of the most devastating human diseases. Papyracillic acid, the main phytotoxin produced by Ascochyta agropyrina var. nana, was evaluated in a preliminary screening together with other fungal phytotoxins, cyclo...

Comparative “omics” of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex highlights differences in genetic potential and metabolite synthesis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Species of the Fusarium fujikuroi species complex (FFC) cause a wide spectrum of often devastating diseases on diverse agricultural crops, including coffee, fig, mango, maize, rice, and sugarcane. Although species within the FFC are difficult to distinguish by morphology, and their genes often share...

The destructive citrus pathogen, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ encodes a functional flagellin characteristic of a pathogen-associated molecular pattern

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Huanglongbing (HLB) is presently the most devastating citrus disease worldwide. As an intracellular plant pathogen and insect symbiont, the HLB bacterium, ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (Las) retains the entire flagellum-encoding gene cluster in its significantly reduced genome. Las encodes a...

Plum orchards can remain Plum pox virus free for the life of the orchard

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Plum pox virus (PPV), the cause of sharka disease, is a quarantine virus pathogen that can cause devastating losses mainly to plum. Estimated costs associated with sharka management worldwide in the last 30 years exceeded 10 billion Euros. To prevent the spread of PPV, we suggest three requirement...

Conservation of genetic diversity in slippery elm (Ulmus rubra) in Wisconsin despite the devastating impact of Dutch elm disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Forest trees tend to be genetically diverse, a condition related to their longevity, outcrossing mating system and extensive gene flow that maintains high levels of genetic diversity within populations. Forest pest epidemics are responsible for many historic and contemporary population declines repo...

Bioassay conditions for infection of Pinus radiata seedlings with Phytophthora pinifolia zoospores

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Phytophthora pinifolia is known to cause a devastating disease on Monterey pines in Chile. Although this pathogen is not yet present in the U.S., there is reason for concern. The main source of Monterey pine genetic material is found in California and there is potential for other important tree sp...

AIDS Researcher Gives Retrospective

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hawkins, B. Denise

2011-01-01

Nearly 30 years ago, renowned immunologist James E.K. Hildreth, M.D., Ph.D., was compelled to start researching the virus that causes AIDS. He marveled at its enigma and was pressed into action by its ability to cut lives short and devastate communities. The disease set him on a course of medical inquiry that has included biomedical breakthroughs…

Sources of stem rust resistance in wheat-alien introgression lines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, is one of the most devastating diseases of wheat and the novel highly virulent race of TTKSK and its lineage are threatening wheat production worldwide. The objective of the study was to identify new sources of resistance in wheat-alien introgre...

Detection of wheat stem rust race RRTTF in Ecuador in 2016

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat stem rust is a devastating disease that has incited numerous severe epidemics resulting in extreme yield losses over the past century. Stem rust infection in plots of wheat line UC11075, known to carry the Sr38 resistance gene, was severe in February 2016 in a nursery at the Instituto Nacional...

Genomic dissection of nonhost resistance to wheat stem rust in Brachypodium distachyon

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat stem rust caused by the fungus Puccinia graminis f.sp. tritici (Pgt) is a devastating disease that has largely been controlled for decades by the deployment of resistance genes. However, new races of this pathogen have emerged that overcome many important wheat stem rust resistance genes used ...

Lived Experience of Women Suffering from Vitiligo: A Phenomenological Study

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Borimnejad, Leili; Yekta, Zohreh Parsa; Nasrabadi, Alireza Nikbakht

2006-01-01

Vitiligo is a chronic skin disease, which through change of appearance and body image, exerts a devastating effect on people, especially women. The objective of this study is to explore lived experience of women with Vitiligo by the hermeneutic phenomenology method. The purposive sample consisted of 16 Iranian women. Data analysis followed…

A SNP mutation affects rhizomania-virus content of sugar beets grown on resistance-breaking soi

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rhizomania is one of the most devastating biotic stresses affecting sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L.). It is caused by Beet necrotic yellow vein virus (BNYVV) vectored by the plasmodiophorid Polymyxa betae K. The only means available to control the disease is the use of genetically resistant varieties. ...

Cassava brown streak virus has a rapidly evolving genome: implications for virus speciation, variability, diagnosis and host resistance

PubMed Central

Alicai, Titus; Ndunguru, Joseph; Sseruwagi, Peter; Tairo, Fred; Okao-Okuja, Geoffrey; Nanvubya, Resty; Kiiza, Lilliane; Kubatko, Laura; Kehoe, Monica A.; Boykin, Laura M.

2016-01-01

Cassava is a major staple food for about 800 million people in the tropics and sub-tropical regions of the world. Production of cassava is significantly hampered by cassava brown streak disease (CBSD), caused by Cassava brown streak virus (CBSV) and Ugandan cassava brown streak virus (UCBSV). The disease is suppressing cassava yields in eastern Africa at an alarming rate. Previous studies have documented that CBSV is more devastating than UCBSV because it more readily infects both susceptible and tolerant cassava cultivars, resulting in greater yield losses. Using whole genome sequences from NGS data, we produced the first coalescent-based species tree estimate for CBSV and UCBSV. This species framework led to the finding that CBSV has a faster rate of evolution when compared with UCBSV. Furthermore, we have discovered that in CBSV, nonsynonymous substitutions are more predominant than synonymous substitution and occur across the entire genome. All comparative analyses between CBSV and UCBSV presented here suggest that CBSV may be outsmarting the cassava immune system, thus making it more devastating and harder to control. PMID:27808114

Calciphylaxis: a devastating complication of derangements of calcium-phosphorus metabolism--a case report and review of the literature.

PubMed

Carter, Trish; Ratnam, Shobha

2013-01-01

Calciphylaxis is a rare and potentially devastating condition also referred to as uremic gangrene syndrome, calcific uremic arteriolopathy, metastatic calcification, and uremic small-vessel disease that can present in patients with end stage renal disease. This article reports a case of a 38-year-old African-American female on peritoneal dialysis for six years with a known history of non-adherence with diet, medications, and prescribed peritoneal dialysis treatment regimen. At her monthly clinic visit, the patient complained of burning sensation in the fingers of both hands with limited fine motor movement due to edema and severe pain. A presumptive diagnosis of calciphylaxis led to hospital admission with confirmation by X-ray of her hands. The patient was switched to hemodialysis with low calcium dialysate, aggressive reduction in phosphorus, diet counseling, use of cinacalcet, and six weeks of intravenous sodium thiosulfate infusion with hemodialysis treatments. The patient's condition improved with resolution of symptoms. This case was chosen based on the rarity of a calciphylaxis presentation and paucity of knowledge regarding diagnosis and treatment.

Bacterial microbiome of the nose of healthy dogs and dogs with nasal disease

PubMed Central

Dorn, Elisabeth S.; Suchodolski, Jan S.; Nisar, Tariq; Ravindran, Prajesh; Weber, Karin; Hartmann, Katrin; Schulz, Bianka S.

2017-01-01

The role of bacterial communities in canine nasal disease has not been studied so far using next generation sequencing methods. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes has revealed that the canine upper respiratory tract harbors a diverse microbial community; however, changes in the composition of nasal bacterial communities in dogs with nasal disease have not been described so far. Aim of the study was to characterize the nasal microbiome of healthy dogs and compare it to that of dogs with histologically confirmed nasal neoplasia and chronic rhinitis. Nasal swabs were collected from healthy dogs (n = 23), dogs with malignant nasal neoplasia (n = 16), and dogs with chronic rhinitis (n = 8). Bacterial DNA was extracted and sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was performed. Data were analyzed using Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME). A total of 376 Operational Taxonomic Units out of 26 bacterial phyla were detected. In healthy dogs, Moraxella spp. was the most common species, followed by Phyllobacterium spp., Cardiobacteriaceae, and Staphylococcus spp. While Moraxella spp. were significantly decreased in diseased compared to healthy dogs (p = 0.005), Pasteurellaceae were significantly increased (p = 0.001). Analysis of similarities used on the unweighted UniFrac distance metric (p = 0.027) was significantly different when nasal microbial communities of healthy dogs were compared to those of dogs with nasal disease. The study showed that the canine nasal cavity is inhabited by a highly species-rich bacterial community, and suggests significant differences between the nasal microbiome of healthy dogs and dogs with nasal disease. PMID:28459886

Bacterial microbiome of the nose of healthy dogs and dogs with nasal disease.

PubMed

Tress, Barbara; Dorn, Elisabeth S; Suchodolski, Jan S; Nisar, Tariq; Ravindran, Prajesh; Weber, Karin; Hartmann, Katrin; Schulz, Bianka S

2017-01-01

The role of bacterial communities in canine nasal disease has not been studied so far using next generation sequencing methods. Sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA genes has revealed that the canine upper respiratory tract harbors a diverse microbial community; however, changes in the composition of nasal bacterial communities in dogs with nasal disease have not been described so far. Aim of the study was to characterize the nasal microbiome of healthy dogs and compare it to that of dogs with histologically confirmed nasal neoplasia and chronic rhinitis. Nasal swabs were collected from healthy dogs (n = 23), dogs with malignant nasal neoplasia (n = 16), and dogs with chronic rhinitis (n = 8). Bacterial DNA was extracted and sequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was performed. Data were analyzed using Quantitative Insights Into Microbial Ecology (QIIME). A total of 376 Operational Taxonomic Units out of 26 bacterial phyla were detected. In healthy dogs, Moraxella spp. was the most common species, followed by Phyllobacterium spp., Cardiobacteriaceae, and Staphylococcus spp. While Moraxella spp. were significantly decreased in diseased compared to healthy dogs (p = 0.005), Pasteurellaceae were significantly increased (p = 0.001). Analysis of similarities used on the unweighted UniFrac distance metric (p = 0.027) was significantly different when nasal microbial communities of healthy dogs were compared to those of dogs with nasal disease. The study showed that the canine nasal cavity is inhabited by a highly species-rich bacterial community, and suggests significant differences between the nasal microbiome of healthy dogs and dogs with nasal disease.

Bacterial disease management: challenges, experience, innovation and future prospects: Challenges in Bacterial Molecular Plant Pathology.

PubMed

Sundin, George W; Castiblanco, Luisa F; Yuan, Xiaochen; Zeng, Quan; Yang, Ching-Hong

2016-12-01

Plant diseases caused by bacterial pathogens place major constraints on crop production and cause significant annual losses on a global scale. The attainment of consistent effective management of these diseases can be extremely difficult, and management potential is often affected by grower reliance on highly disease-susceptible cultivars because of consumer preferences, and by environmental conditions favouring pathogen development. New and emerging bacterial disease problems (e.g. zebra chip of potato) and established problems in new geographical regions (e.g. bacterial canker of kiwifruit in New Zealand) grab the headlines, but the list of bacterial disease problems with few effective management options is long. The ever-increasing global human population requires the continued stable production of a safe food supply with greater yields because of the shrinking areas of arable land. One major facet in the maintenance of the sustainability of crop production systems with predictable yields involves the identification and deployment of sustainable disease management solutions for bacterial diseases. In addition, the identification of novel management tactics has also come to the fore because of the increasing evolution of resistance to existing bactericides. A number of central research foci, involving basic research to identify critical pathogen targets for control, novel methodologies and methods of delivery, are emerging that will provide a strong basis for bacterial disease management into the future. Near-term solutions are desperately needed. Are there replacement materials for existing bactericides that can provide effective disease management under field conditions? Experience should inform the future. With prior knowledge of bactericide resistance issues evolving in pathogens, how will this affect the deployment of newer compounds and biological controls? Knowledge is critical. A comprehensive understanding of bacterial pathosystems is required to not only identify optimal targets in the pathogens, but also optimal seasonal timings for deployment. Host resistance to effectors must be exploited, carefully and correctly. Are there other candidate genes that could be targeted in transgenic approaches? How can new technologies (CRISPR, TALEN, etc.) be most effectively used to add sustainable disease resistance to existing commercially desirable plant cultivars? We need an insider's perspective on the management of systemic pathogens. In addition to host resistance or reduced sensitivity, are there other methods that can be used to target these pathogen groups? Biological systems are variable. Can biological control strategies be improved for bacterial disease management and be made more predictable in function? The answers to the research foci outlined above are not all available, as will become apparent in this article, but we are heading in the right direction. In this article, we summarize the contributions from past experiences in bacterial disease management, and also describe how advances in bacterial genetics, genomics and host-pathogen interactions are informing novel strategies in virulence inhibition and in host resistance. We also outline potential innovations that could be exploited as the pressures to maximize a safe and productive food supply continue to become more numerous and more complex. © 2016 BSPP and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Understanding Mircrobial Sensing in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Using Click Chemistry

DTIC Science & Technology

2016-10-01

limitation, we have developed an expanded metabolic labeling approach that chemically tags lipopolysaccharide, capsular polysaccharide , and peptidoglycan...click-chemistry, bacterial cell wall, bacterial outer membrane, peptidoglycan, lipopolysaccharide, endotoxin, capsular polysaccharide , inflammatory...bacterial outer membrane, peptidoglycan, lipopolysaccharide, endotoxin, capsular polysaccharide , inflammatory bowel disease, microbiome, microbiota

Colon-targeted delivery of live bacterial cell biotherapeutics including microencapsulated live bacterial cells

PubMed Central

Prakash, Satya; Malgorzata Urbanska, Aleksandra

2008-01-01

There has been an ample interest in delivery of therapeutic molecules using live cells. Oral delivery has been stipulated as best way to deliver live cells to humans for therapy. Colon, in particular, is a part of gastrointestinal (GI) tract that has been proposed to be an oral targeted site. The main objective of these oral therapy procedures is to deliver live cells not only to treat diseases like colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, and other GI tract diseases like intestinal obstruction and gastritis, but also to deliver therapeutic molecules for overall therapy in various diseases such as renal failure, coronary heart disease, hypertension, and others. This review provides a comprehensive summary of recent advancement in colon targeted live bacterial cell biotherapeutics. Current status of bacterial cell therapy, principles of artificial cells and its potentials in oral delivery of live bacterial cell biotherapeutics for clinical applications as well as biotherapeutic future perspectives are also discussed in our review. PMID:19707368

21 CFR 522.313b - Ceftiofur hydrochloride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

... bacterial respiratory disease (swine bacterial pneumonia) associated with Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae... treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD, shipping fever, pneumonia) associated with Mannheimia...

Bacterial communities associated with Porites white patch syndrome (PWPS) on three western Indian Ocean (WIO) coral reefs.

PubMed

Séré, Mathieu G; Tortosa, Pablo; Chabanet, Pascale; Turquet, Jean; Quod, Jean-Pascal; Schleyer, Michael H

2013-01-01

The scleractinian coral Porites lutea, an important reef-building coral on western Indian Ocean reefs (WIO), is affected by a newly-reported white syndrome (WS) the Porites white patch syndrome (PWPS). Histopathology and culture-independent molecular techniques were used to characterise the microbial communities associated with this emerging disease. Microscopy showed extensive tissue fragmentation generally associated with ovoid basophilic bodies resembling bacterial aggregates. Results of 16S rRNA sequence analysis revealed a high variability between bacterial communities associated with PWPS-infected and healthy tissues in P. lutea, a pattern previously reported in other coral diseases such as black band disease (BBD), white band disease (WBD) and white plague diseases (WPD). Furthermore, substantial variations in bacterial communities were observed at the different sampling locations, suggesting that there is no strong bacterial association in Porites lutea on WIO reefs. Several sequences affiliated with potential pathogens belonging to the Vibrionaceae and Rhodobacteraceae were identified, mainly in PWPS-infected coral tissues. Among them, only two ribotypes affiliated to Shimia marina (NR043300.1) and Vibrio hepatarius (NR025575.1) were consistently found in diseased tissues from the three geographically distant sampling localities. The role of these bacterial species in PWPS needs to be tested experimentally.

The Role of Viral, Host, and Secondary Bacterial Factors in Influenza Pathogenesis

PubMed Central

Kash, John C.; Taubenberger, Jeffery K.

2016-01-01

Influenza A virus infections in humans generally cause self-limited infections, but can result in severe disease, secondary bacterial pneumonias, and death. Influenza viruses can replicate in epithelial cells throughout the respiratory tree and can cause tracheitis, bronchitis, bronchiolitis, diffuse alveolar damage with pulmonary edema and hemorrhage, and interstitial and airspace inflammation. The mechanisms by which influenza infections result in enhanced disease, including development of pneumonia and acute respiratory distress, are multifactorial, involving host, viral, and bacterial factors. Host factors that enhance risk of severe influenza disease include underlying comorbidities, such as cardiac and respiratory disease, immunosuppression, and pregnancy. Viral parameters enhancing disease risk include polymerase mutations associated with host switch and adaptation, viral proteins that modulate immune and antiviral responses, and virulence factors that increase disease severity, which can be especially prominent in pandemic viruses and some zoonotic influenza viruses causing human infections. Influenza viral infections result in damage to the respiratory epithelium that facilitates secondary infection with common bacterial pneumopathogens and can lead to secondary bacterial pneumonias that greatly contribute to respiratory distress, enhanced morbidity, and death. Understanding the molecular mechanisms by which influenza and secondary bacterial infections, coupled with the role of host risk factors, contribute to enhanced morbidity and mortality is essential to develop better therapeutic strategies to treat severe influenza. PMID:25747532

Comparing bacterial community composition between healthy and white plague-like disease states in Orbicella annularis using PhyloChip™ G3 microarrays

USGS Publications Warehouse

Kellogg, Christina A.; Piceno, Yvette M.; Tom, Lauren M.; DeSantis, Todd Z.; Gray, Michael A.; Zawada, David G.; Andersen, Gary L.

2013-01-01

Coral disease is a global problem. Diseases are typically named or described based on macroscopic changes, but broad signs of coral distress such as tissue loss or discoloration are unlikely to be specific to a particular pathogen. For example, there appear to be multiple diseases that manifest the rapid tissue loss that characterizes ‘white plague.’ PhyloChip™ G3 microarrays were used to compare the bacterial community composition of both healthy and white plague-like diseased corals. Samples of lobed star coral (Orbicella annularis, formerly of the genus Montastraea [1]) were collected from two geographically distinct areas, Dry Tortugas National Park and Virgin Islands National Park, to determine if there were biogeographic differences between the diseases. In fact, all diseased samples clustered together, however there was no consistent link to Aurantimonas coralicida, which has been described as the causative agent of white plague type II. The microarrays revealed a large amount of bacterial heterogeneity within the healthy corals and less diversity in the diseased corals. Gram-positive bacterial groups (Actinobacteria, Firmicutes) comprised a greater proportion of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) unique to healthy samples. Diseased samples were enriched in OTUs from the families Corynebacteriaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Rhodobacteraceae, and Streptococcaceae. Much previous coral disease work has used clone libraries, which seem to be methodologically biased toward recovery of Gram-negative bacterial sequences and may therefore have missed the importance of Gram-positive groups. The PhyloChip™ data presented here provide a broader characterization of the bacterial community changes that occur within Orbicella annularis during the shift from a healthy to diseased state.

Comparing Bacterial Community Composition between Healthy and White Plague-Like Disease States in Orbicella annularis Using PhyloChip™ G3 Microarrays

PubMed Central

Kellogg, Christina A.; Piceno, Yvette M.; Tom, Lauren M.; DeSantis, Todd Z.; Gray, Michael A.; Zawada, David G.; Andersen, Gary L.

2013-01-01

Coral disease is a global problem. Diseases are typically named or described based on macroscopic changes, but broad signs of coral distress such as tissue loss or discoloration are unlikely to be specific to a particular pathogen. For example, there appear to be multiple diseases that manifest the rapid tissue loss that characterizes ‘white plague.’ PhyloChip™ G3 microarrays were used to compare the bacterial community composition of both healthy and white plague-like diseased corals. Samples of lobed star coral (Orbicella annularis, formerly of the genus Montastraea [1]) were collected from two geographically distinct areas, Dry Tortugas National Park and Virgin Islands National Park, to determine if there were biogeographic differences between the diseases. In fact, all diseased samples clustered together, however there was no consistent link to Aurantimonas coralicida, which has been described as the causative agent of white plague type II. The microarrays revealed a large amount of bacterial heterogeneity within the healthy corals and less diversity in the diseased corals. Gram-positive bacterial groups (Actinobacteria, Firmicutes) comprised a greater proportion of the operational taxonomic units (OTUs) unique to healthy samples. Diseased samples were enriched in OTUs from the families Corynebacteriaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Rhodobacteraceae, and Streptococcaceae. Much previous coral disease work has used clone libraries, which seem to be methodologically biased toward recovery of Gram-negative bacterial sequences and may therefore have missed the importance of Gram-positive groups. The PhyloChip™data presented here provide a broader characterization of the bacterial community changes that occur within Orbicella annularis during the shift from a healthy to diseased state. PMID:24278181

Reduction of rainbow trout spleen size by splenectomy does not alter resistance against bacterial cold water disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

In lower vertebrates, the contribution of the spleen to anti-bacterial immunity is poorly understood. Researchers have previously reported a phenotypic and genetic correlation between resistance to Flavobacterium psychrophilum, the causative agent of bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) and spleen so...

Bacterial meningitis.

PubMed

Heckenberg, Sebastiaan G B; Brouwer, Matthijs C; van de Beek, Diederik

2014-01-01

Bacterial meningitis is a neurologic emergency. Vaccination against common pathogens has decreased the burden of disease. Early diagnosis and rapid initiation of empiric antimicrobial and adjunctive therapy are vital. Therapy should be initiated as soon as blood cultures have been obtained, preceding any imaging studies. Clinical signs suggestive of bacterial meningitis include fever, headache, meningismus, and an altered level of consciousness but signs may be scarce in children, in the elderly, and in meningococcal disease. Host genetic factors are major determinants of susceptibility to meningococcal and pneumococcal disease. Dexamethasone therapy has been implemented as adjunctive treatment of adults with pneumococcal meningitis. Adequate and prompt treatment of bacterial meningitis is critical to outcome. In this chapter we review the epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management of bacterial meningitis. © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Establishing the UK DNA Bank for motor neuron disease (MND).

PubMed

Smith, Lucy; Cupid, B C; Dickie, B G M; Al-Chalabi, A; Morrison, K E; Shaw, C E; Shaw, P J

2015-07-14

In 2003 the Motor Neurone Disease (MND) Association, together with The Wellcome Trust, funded the creation of a national DNA Bank specific for MND. It was anticipated that the DNA Bank would constitute an important resource to researchers worldwide and significantly increase activity in MND genetic research. The DNA Bank houses over 3000 high quality DNA samples, all of which were donated by people living with MND, family members and non-related controls, accompanied by clinical phenotype data about the patients. Today the primary focus of the UK MND DNA Bank still remains to identify causative and disease modifying factors for this devastating disease.

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Susheela, A.K.

Fluorosis, a crippling disease caused by ingesting excess fluoride in drinking water, is a public health problem, affecting people in 20 nations in the world. One of the worst public health problems in the history of mankind known to have occurred and reported about 6 decades ago strangely enough the disease continue to be afflicting millions of people in India, Africa and China with all its severity even during the turn of the century. The present report describes the disease characteristics and the devastating manner in which the disease affects children and adults. The need to bring this to themore » attention of policy, makers, has been attempted.« less

Cognitive impairment and pragmatics.

PubMed

Gutiérrez-Rexach, Javier; Schatz, Sara

2016-01-01

One of the most important ingredients of felicitous conversation exchanges is the adequate expression of illocutionary force and the achievement of perlocutionary effects, which can be considered essential to the functioning of pragmatic competence. The breakdown of illocutionary and perlocutionary functions is one of the most prominent external features of cognitive impairment in Alzheimer's Disease, with devastating psychological and social consequences for patients, their family and caregivers. The study of pragmatic functions is essential for a proper understanding of the linguistic and communicative aspects of Alzheimer's disease.

Recognition and treatment of neuropsychiatric disturbances in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Akbar, Umer; Friedman, Joseph H

2015-01-01

The non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD) have been attracting increasing attention due to their ubiquitous nature and their often devastating effects on the quality of life. Behavioral problems in PD include dementia, depression, apathy, fatigue, anxiety, psychosis, akathisia, personality change, sleep disorders and impulse control disorders. Some of these are intrinsic to the neuropathology while others occur as an interplay between pathology, psychology and pharmacology. While few data exist for guiding therapy, enough is known to guide therapy in a rational manner.

A case of Apophysomyces trapeziformis necrotizing soft tissue infection.

PubMed

Echaiz, Jose F; Burnham, Carey-Ann D; Bailey, Thomas C

2013-12-01

Mucormycosis is a rare and devastating disease. Apophysomyces trapeziformis is an environmental mold that was recently implicated in several cases of cutaneous and soft tissue mucormycosis in victims of a tornado in Joplin, Missouri. Here, we report a case of Apophysomyces trapeziformis necrotizing soft tissue infection in a resident of Joplin 10 months after the disaster and without preceding trauma. Aspects of histological and microbiological diagnosis are also reviewed. Copyright © 2013 International Society for Infectious Diseases. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Empowering Local Organizations and Decision-makers in a Changing Climate: EO-guided Environmental Surveillance of Cholera and Rotavirus for South Asia

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Akanda, A. S.; Hasan, M. A.; Jutla, A.; Aziz, S.; Alam, M.; Ahsan, G. U.; Huq, A.; Colwell, R. R.

2017-12-01

Despite significant advancements in scientific research, diarrheal diseases remain a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in the developing world. Although under-5 child mortality due to such diseases is dropping, prevalence of most diarrheal diseases has increased over past decades, exerting a terrible toll on global public health. Providing safe water and sanitation access, and a safe and clean environment in a sustainable manner remains a critical challenge in the face of rapid population growth, urbanization and increasing threats of natural hazards in a changing climate. We focus on the Bengal Delta region of South Asia, where Cholera and Rotavirus diarrhea continue to have a devastating impact on the public health burden. Climatic change and anthropogenic forcings have greatly affected available water quantity and quality, while the lack of effective institutions and capacity have greatly affected the water-sanitation and public health sectors. The region suffers from recurring dry season freshwater scarcity and temperature extremes, salinity intrusion in coastal areas, inland flooding during monsoons, and resulting water contamination across the delta region. We use earth observation (EO) datasets and techniques to develop a series of tools for surveillance, analysis and decision support to empower government, academic, and non-government stakeholder organizations in South Asia to monitor changes in environmental conditions related to the two most devastating diarrheal diseases, cholera and rotavirus. The developed tools will enable decision makers and stakeholders to significantly increase their understanding of the threats to public health and environmental and climatic conditions related to these diseases, ways to monitor future projections of disease risk, and help identify required policy interventions and strategies to strengthen prevention efforts and limit disease burden in near- (tactical) and long- (strategic) terms.

A maize resistance gene functions against bacterial streak disease in rice

PubMed Central

Zhao, Bingyu; Lin, Xinghua; Poland, Jesse; Trick, Harold; Leach, Jan; Hulbert, Scot

2005-01-01

Although cereal crops all belong to the grass family (Poacea), most of their diseases are specific to a particular species. Thus, a given cereal species is typically resistant to diseases of other grasses, and this nonhost resistance is generally stable. To determine the feasibility of transferring nonhost resistance genes (R genes) between distantly related grasses to control specific diseases, we identified a maize R gene that recognizes a rice pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, which causes bacterial streak disease. Bacterial streak is an important disease of rice in Asia, and no simply inherited sources of resistance have been identified in rice. Although X. o. pv. oryzicola does not cause disease on maize, we identified a maize gene, Rxo1, that conditions a resistance reaction to a diverse collection of pathogen strains. Surprisingly, Rxo1 also controls resistance to the unrelated pathogen Burkholderia andropogonis, which causes bacterial stripe of sorghum and maize. The same gene thus controls resistance reactions to both pathogens and nonpathogens of maize. Rxo1 has a nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat structure, similar to many previously identified R genes. Most importantly, Rxo1 functions after transfer as a transgene to rice, demonstrating the feasibility of nonhost R gene transfer between cereals and providing a valuable tool for controlling bacterial streak disease. PMID:16230639

A maize resistance gene functions against bacterial streak disease in rice.

PubMed

Zhao, Bingyu; Lin, Xinghua; Poland, Jesse; Trick, Harold; Leach, Jan; Hulbert, Scot

2005-10-25

Although cereal crops all belong to the grass family (Poacea), most of their diseases are specific to a particular species. Thus, a given cereal species is typically resistant to diseases of other grasses, and this nonhost resistance is generally stable. To determine the feasibility of transferring nonhost resistance genes (R genes) between distantly related grasses to control specific diseases, we identified a maize R gene that recognizes a rice pathogen, Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzicola, which causes bacterial streak disease. Bacterial streak is an important disease of rice in Asia, and no simply inherited sources of resistance have been identified in rice. Although X. o. pv. oryzicola does not cause disease on maize, we identified a maize gene, Rxo1, that conditions a resistance reaction to a diverse collection of pathogen strains. Surprisingly, Rxo1 also controls resistance to the unrelated pathogen Burkholderia andropogonis, which causes bacterial stripe of sorghum and maize. The same gene thus controls resistance reactions to both pathogens and nonpathogens of maize. Rxo1 has a nucleotide-binding site-leucine-rich repeat structure, similar to many previously identified R genes. Most importantly, Rxo1 functions after transfer as a transgene to rice, demonstrating the feasibility of nonhost R gene transfer between cereals and providing a valuable tool for controlling bacterial streak disease.

Arthropod-borne bacterial diseases in pregnancy.

PubMed

Dotters-Katz, Sarah K; Kuller, Jeffrey; Heine, R Phillips

2013-09-01

Arthropod-borne bacterial diseases affect more than 25,000 Americans every year and thousands more around the world. These infections present a diagnostic dilemma for clinicians because they mimic many other pathologic conditions and are often low on or absent from the differential diagnosis list. Diagnosis is particularly challenging during pregnancy, as these infections may mimic common pregnancy-specific conditions, such as typical and atypical preeclampsia, or symptoms of pregnancy itself. Concerns regarding the safety in pregnancy of some indicated antibiotics add a therapeutic challenge for the prescriber, requiring knowledge of alternative therapeutic options for many arthropod-borne bacterial diseases. Physicians, especially those in endemic areas, must keep this class of infections in mind, particularly when the presentation does not appear classic for more commonly seen conditions. This article discusses presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of the most common of these arthropod-borne bacterial diseases, including Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tick-borne relapsing fever, typhus, plague, cat-scratch disease, and Carrión disease.

Bacterial brown leaf spot of citrus, a new disease caused by Burkholderia andropogonis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A new bacterial disease of citrus was recently identified in Florida and named as bacterial brown leaf spot (BBLS) of citrus. BBLS-infected citrus displayed flat, circular and brownish lesions with water-soaked margins surrounded by a chlorotic halo on leaves. Based on Biolog carbon source metabolic...

Wheat transcription factor TaWRKY70 is positively involved in high-temperature seedling-plant resistance to Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a devastating disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum) worldwide. Wheat high-temperature seedling-plant (HTSP) resistance to Pst is non-race-specific and durable. WRKY transcription factors have proven to play important roles in ...

Validation of a major quantitative trait locus associated with host response to experimental infection with Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Infectious diseases are costly to the swine industry and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) is the most devastating. In earlier work, a quantitative trait locus associated with resistance/susceptibility to PRRSV was identified on Sus scrofa chromosome 4 (SSC4) using ~560 exp...

Genome Sequences of 19 Novel Erwinia amylovora Bacteriophages.

PubMed

Esplin, Ian N D; Berg, Jordan A; Sharma, Ruchira; Allen, Robert C; Arens, Daniel K; Ashcroft, Cody R; Bairett, Shannon R; Beatty, Nolan J; Bickmore, Madeline; Bloomfield, Travis J; Brady, T Scott; Bybee, Rachel N; Carter, John L; Choi, Minsey C; Duncan, Steven; Fajardo, Christopher P; Foy, Brayden B; Fuhriman, David A; Gibby, Paul D; Grossarth, Savannah E; Harbaugh, Kala; Harris, Natalie; Hilton, Jared A; Hurst, Emily; Hyde, Jonathan R; Ingersoll, Kayleigh; Jacobson, Caitlin M; James, Brady D; Jarvis, Todd M; Jaen-Anieves, Daniella; Jensen, Garrett L; Knabe, Bradley K; Kruger, Jared L; Merrill, Bryan D; Pape, Jenny A; Payne Anderson, Ashley M; Payne, David E; Peck, Malia D; Pollock, Samuel V; Putnam, Micah J; Ransom, Ethan K; Ririe, Devin B; Robinson, David M; Rogers, Spencer L; Russell, Kerri A; Schoenhals, Jonathan E; Shurtleff, Christopher A; Simister, Austin R; Smith, Hunter G; Stephenson, Michael B; Staley, Lyndsay A; Stettler, Jason M; Stratton, Mallorie L; Tateoka, Olivia B; Tatlow, P J; Taylor, Alexander S; Thompson, Suzanne E; Townsend, Michelle H; Thurgood, Trever L; Usher, Brittian K; Whitley, Kiara V; Ward, Andrew T; Ward, Megan E H; Webb, Charles J; Wienclaw, Trevor M; Williamson, Taryn L; Wells, Michael J; Wright, Cole K; Breakwell, Donald P; Hope, Sandra; Grose, Julianne H

2017-11-16

Erwinia amylovora is the causal agent of fire blight, a devastating disease affecting some plants of the Rosaceae family. We isolated bacteriophages from samples collected from infected apple and pear trees along the Wasatch Front in Utah. We announce 19 high-quality complete genome sequences of E. amylovora bacteriophages. Copyright © 2017 Esplin et al.

Variation in the AvrSr35 effector determines Sr35 resistance against wheat stem rust race Ug99

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) causes wheat stem rust, a devastating fungal disease. The Sr35 resistance gene confers immunity against this pathogen’s most virulent races, including Ug99. We used the comparative whole genome sequencing of chemically mutagenized and natural Pgt isolates to id...

Examining the Psychosocial Adjustment and School Performance of Ugandan Children with HIV/AIDS

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Busman, Rachelle A.

2010-01-01

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has had a devastating impact on the children of Africa. In Uganda, over 100,000 children are infected, mostly through vertical transmission of the disease from their mother. With recent improvements in medical treatment, children are now surviving longer and reaching school age, but there is limited research…

Characterization and purification of proteins suitable for the production of antibodies against ‘Ca. Liberibacter asiaticus’

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB), which is caused by ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus’ (CaLas), is one of the most devastating pathogens of citrus, and with no effective method of control, poses a serious threat to citrus production throughout the world. In a previous study we described the...

Induction of humoral immune response to multiple recombinant rhipicephalus appendiculatus antigens and their effect on tick feeding success and pathogen transmission

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Background: Rhipicephalus appendiculatus is the primary vector of Theileria parva, the etiologic agent of East Coast fever (ECF), a devastating disease of cattle in sub-Saharan Africa. We hypothesized that a vaccine targeting tick proteins that are involved in attachment and feeding might affect fee...

First detection of bat white-nose syndrome in western North America

Treesearch

Jeffrey M. Lorch; Jonathan M. Palmer; Daniel L. Lindner; Anne E. Ballmann; Kyle G. George; Kathryn Griffin; Susan Knowles; John R. Huckabee; Katherine H. Haman; Christopher D. Anderson; Penny A. Becker; Joseph B. Buchanan; Jeffrey T. Foster; David S. Blehert; Katherine McMahon

2016-01-01

White-nose syndrome (WNS) is an emerging fungal disease of bats caused by Pseudogymnoascus destructans. Since it was first detected near Albany, NY, in 2006, the fungus has spread across eastern North America, killing unprecedented numbers of hibernating bats. The devastating impacts of WNS on Nearctic bat species are attributed to the likely...

Tuberculosis: will it infect wild elk?

USGS Publications Warehouse

Roffe, T.J.; Smith, B.

1992-01-01

Tuberculosis! Just the name conjures up images of a devastating, chronic, debilitating disease. And so it is in both humans and animals. Tuberculosis (TB) is not known to be present to any significant degree in the free-ranging elk herds of North America. But increasing reports of TB in deer species-including elk-on game ranches prompt grave concern.

Biological control of Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) in Florida by the parasitoid Tamarixia radiata in urban plantings of orange jasmine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid is an important invasive citrus pest in the United States because it vectors a bacterium responsible for a devastating disease of citrus known as huanglongbing. A parasitoid of the psyllid, Tamarixia radiata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae), was imported from Southeast Asia and re...

A Morpholino Strategy to Assess TSC Gene Function in Zebrafish

DTIC Science & Technology

2006-11-01

ABSTRACT Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder associated with severe neurological symptoms including mental retardation, autism ...ABSTRACT Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a genetic disorder associated with severe neurological symptoms including mental retardation, autism ...devastating autosomal dominant disease that results in severe neurological symptoms including mental retardation, autism , and seizures (DiMario, 2004

First report of brown rot on apple fruit caused by Monilinia fructicola in the United States

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Brown rot, caused by Monilinia fructicola (G. Wint.) Honey, is the most devastating disease of stone fruits in North America resulting in significant economic losses. The fungus has been recently reported to cause pre and postharvest brown rot on apple fruit in Germany, Italy, and Serbia. However, M...

Why Biosecurity Matters: Students' Knowledge of Biosecurity and Implications for Future Engagement with Biosecurity Initiatives

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Ram, Rajesh; France, Bev; Birdsall, Sally

2016-01-01

Background: Research on biosecurity is important as New Zealand's agricultural export-driven economy is susceptible to biosecurity threats. Because New Zealand is reliant on the primary industries to drive its economy, bovine diseases such as foot and mouth could have a devastating effect on the economy. Purpose: Making sure that the general…

Development of a Rift Valley fever real-time RT-PCR assay that can detect all three genome segments

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Outbreaks of Rift Valley fever in Kenya, Madagascar, Mauritania, and South Africa had devastating effects on livestock and human health. In addition, this disease is a food security issue for endemic countries. There is growing concern for the potential introduction of RVF into non-endemic countries...

The efficacy of recombinant turkey herpesvirus vaccines targeting the H5 of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus from the 2014/2015 North American outbreak

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The outbreak of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus in North American poultry during 2014 and 2015 demonstrated the devastating effects of the disease and highlighted the need for effective emergency vaccine prevention and control strategies targeted at currently circulating strains. This study...

MontanideTM Gel01 ST adjuvant enhances PRRS modified live vaccine efficacy by regulating porcine humoral and cellular immune responses

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is a devastating disease caused by the PRRS virus. The MontanideTM class of flexible polymeric adjuvants has recently been shown to enhance protective immunity against PRRSV infection in piglets when used in combination with PRRS modified live vac...

Response of swamp bay, Persea palustris , and redbay, P. borbonia , to Raffaelea spp. isolated from Xyleborus glabratus

Treesearch

T. J. Dreaden; A. S. Campbell; C. A. Gonzalez-Benecke; R. C. Ploetz; J. A. Smith

2016-01-01

Laurel wilt is a devastating invasive disease of members of the Lauraceae plant family. It is caused by the fungus Raffaelea lauricola, which is a nutritional symbiont of its ambrosia beetle vector, Xyleborus glabratus. In the United States, six Raffaelea spp., in addition to R. lauricola...

Identification of wheat gene Sr35 that confers resistance to Ug99 stem rust race group

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Wheat stem rust, caused by Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici (Pgt) is a devastating disease that can cause severe yield losses. A new Pgt race designated Ug99 has overcome most of the widely used resistance genes and is spreading through Africa and Asia threatening major wheat production areas. We re...

Exposing Cancer Cells' Secret Aides to Spread Disease to Distant Sites | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

Researchers are shedding new light on the way cancer spreads from the primary organ to distant sites in the body, a process called metastasis. The assault of metastatic tumors on vital organs too frequently results in death, and until recently, little was known about the molecular mechanisms governing this devastating phenomenon.

Long-term changes in fusiform rust incidence in the southeastern United States

Treesearch

KaDonna C. Randolph; Ellis B. Cowling; Dale A. Starkey

2015-01-01

Fusiform rust is the most devastating disease of slash pine (Pinus elliottii) and loblolly pine (Pinus taeda) in the southeastern United States. Since the 1970s, the USDA Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Program has assessed fusiform rust incidence on its network of ground plots in 13 states across the...

An interspecific barberry hybrid enables genetic dissection of non-host resistance to the wheat stem rust pathogen

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stem rust, caused by the macrocyclic fungal pathogen Puccinia graminis (Pg), is one of the most devastating diseases of wheat and other small grains globally; and the emergence of new stem rust races virulent on deployed resistance genes brings urgency to the discovery of more durable sources of gen...

Conservation status of a threatened tree species: establishing a baseline for restoration of Juglans cinerea L

Treesearch

Amanda M. Parks; Michael A. Jenkins; Keith E. Woeste; Michael E. Ostry

2013-01-01

To mitigate the loss of native tree species threatened by non-native pathogens, managers need to better understand the conservation status of remaining populations and the conditions that favor successful regeneration. Populations of Juglans cinerea L. (butternut), a wide-ranging riparian species, have been devastated by butternut canker, a disease...

21 CFR 522.313b - Ceftiofur hydrochloride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

... treatment and control of swine bacterial respiratory disease (swine bacterial pneumonia) associated with...) Indications for use. For treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD, shipping fever, pneumonia) associated...

21 CFR 522.313b - Ceftiofur hydrochloride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

... treatment and control of swine bacterial respiratory disease (swine bacterial pneumonia) associated with...) Indications for use. For treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD, shipping fever, pneumonia) associated...

21 CFR 522.313b - Ceftiofur hydrochloride.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

... treatment and control of swine bacterial respiratory disease (swine bacterial pneumonia) associated with...) Indications for use. For treatment of bovine respiratory disease (BRD, shipping fever, pneumonia) associated...

The intricate mechanisms of neurodegeneration in prion diseases

PubMed Central

Soto, Claudio; Satani, Nikunj

2010-01-01

Prion diseases are a group of infectious neurodegenerative diseases with an entirely novel mechanism of transmission, involving a protein-only infectious agent that propagates the disease by transmitting protein conformational changes. The disease results from extensive and progressive brain degeneration. The molecular mechanisms involved in neurodegeneration are not entirely known but involve multiple processes operating simultaneously and synergistically in the brain, including spongiform degeneration, synaptic alterations, brain inflammation, neuronal death and the accumulation of protein aggregates. Here, we review the pathways implicated in prion-induced brain damage and put the pieces together into a possible model of neurodegeneration in prion disorders. A more comprehensive understanding of the molecular basis of brain degeneration is essential to develop a much needed therapy for these devastating diseases. PMID:20889378

Hidradenitis suppurativa - Management, comorbidities and monitoring.

PubMed

Vekic, Dunja A; Cains, Geoffrey D

2017-01-01

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease presenting in intertriginous areas. HS is associated with a number of disease-modifying comorbidities, including metabolic syndrome and androgen dysfunction, and smoking. This review provides a synopsis of the aetiology and diagnosis of HS, and an overview of management for this often devastating disease. The clinical course and disease severity of HS are variable among patients. HS has profound physical and psychological consequences that affect patients' quality of life. Effective treatment is now a realistic goal, but needs to be combined with treatment of the comorbidities and psyche. Evidence-based management guidelines have been established for the management of this disease. General practitioners play a pivotal role in the holistic treatment of this disease.

Compositions and Methods for the Treatment of Pierce's Disease

DOEpatents

Gupta, Goutam

2008-10-07

Chimeric anti-microbial proteins, compositions, and methods for the therapeutic and prophylactic treatment of plant diseases caused by the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa are provided. The anti-microbial proteins of the invention generally comprise a surface recognition domain polypeptide, capable of binding to a bacterial membrane component, fused to a bacterial lysis domain polypeptide, capable of affecting lysis or rupture of the bacterial membrane, typically via a fused polypeptide linker. In particular, methods and compositions for the treatment or prevention of Pierce's disease of grapevines are provided. Methods for the generation of transgenic Vitus vinefera plants expressing xylem-secreted anti-microbial chimeras are also provided.

Prevalence and antimicrobial resistance pattern of bacterial meningitis in Egypt

PubMed Central

Shaban, Lamyaa; Siam, Rania

2009-01-01

Infectious diseases are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the developing world. In Egypt bacterial diseases constitute a great burden, with several particular bacteria sustaining the leading role of multiple serious infections. This article addresses profound bacterial agents causing a wide array of infections including but not limited to pneumonia and meningitis. The epidemiology of such infectious diseases and the prevalence of Streptococcus pneumoniae, Neisseria meningitidis and Haemophilus influenzae are reviewed in the context of bacterial meningitis. We address prevalent serotypes in Egypt, antimicrobial resistance patterns and efficacy of vaccines to emphasize the importance of periodic surveillance for appropriate preventive and treatment strategies. PMID:19778428

Emerging bacterial pathogens: the past and beyond.

PubMed

Vouga, M; Greub, G

2016-01-01

Since the 1950s, medical communities have been facing with emerging and reemerging infectious diseases, and emerging pathogens are now considered to be a major microbiologic public health threat. In this review, we focus on bacterial emerging diseases and explore factors involved in their emergence as well as future challenges. We identified 26 major emerging and reemerging infectious diseases of bacterial origin; most of them originated either from an animal and are considered to be zoonoses or from water sources. Major contributing factors in the emergence of these bacterial infections are: (1) development of new diagnostic tools, such as improvements in culture methods, development of molecular techniques and implementation of mass spectrometry in microbiology; (2) increase in human exposure to bacterial pathogens as a result of sociodemographic and environmental changes; and (3) emergence of more virulent bacterial strains and opportunistic infections, especially affecting immunocompromised populations. A precise definition of their implications in human disease is challenging and requires the comprehensive integration of microbiological, clinical and epidemiologic aspects as well as the use of experimental models. It is now urgent to allocate financial resources to gather international data to provide a better understanding of the clinical relevance of these waterborne and zoonotic emerging diseases. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Fungal Periprosthetic Joint Infection in Total Knee Arthroplasty: A Systematic Review

PubMed Central

Jakobs, Oliver; Schoof, Benjamin; Klatte, Till Orla; Schmidl, Stefan; Fensky, Florian; Guenther, Daniel; Frommelt, Lars; Gehrke, Thorsten; Gebauer, Matthias

2015-01-01

Fungal periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) is a rare but devastating complication following total knee arthroplasty (TKA). A standardized procedure regarding an accurate treatment of this serious complication of knee arthroplasty is lacking. In this systematic review, we collected data from 36 studies with a total of 45 reported cases of a TKA complicated by a fungal PJI. Subsequently, an analysis focusing on diagnostic, medicaments and surgical procedures in the pre-, intra- and postoperative period was performed. Candida spp. accounts for about 80% (36 out of 45 cases) of fungal PJIs and is therefore the most frequently reported pathogen. A systemic antifungal therapy was administered in all but one patient whereas a local antifungal therapy, e.g. the use of an impregnated spacer, is of inferior relevance. Resection arthroplasty with delayed re-implantation (two-stage revision) was the surgical treatment of choice. However, in 50% of all reported cases the surgical therapy was heterogeneous. The outcome under a combined therapy was moderate with recurrent fungal PJI in 11 patients and subsequent bacterial PJI as a main complication in 5 patients. In summary, this systematic review integrates data from up to date 45 reported cases of a fungal PJI of a TKA. On the basis of the current literature strategies for the treatment of this devastating complication after TKA are discussed. PMID:25874061

Live Attenuated Bacterial Vaccines in Aquaculture

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Aquaculture has emerged as an important economical agribusiness, worldwide. Among the top barrier to growth of aquaculture is infectious disease that is causing severe economic losses. Bacterial species of more than 20 genera have been reported as causes of diseases. The risk of disease is often ...

A Persistent and Diverse Airway Microbiota Present during Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Exacerbations

PubMed Central

Huang, Yvonne J.; Kim, Eugenia; Cox, Michael J.; Brodie, Eoin L.; Brown, Ron; Wiener-Kronish, Jeanine P.

2010-01-01

Abstract Acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are a major source of morbidity and contribute significantly to healthcare costs. Although bacterial infections are implicated in nearly 50% of exacerbations, only a handful of pathogens have been consistently identified in COPD airways, primarily by culture-based methods, and the bacterial microbiota in acute exacerbations remains largely uncharacterized. The aim of this study was to comprehensively profile airway bacterial communities using a culture-independent microarray, the 16S rRNA PhyloChip, of a cohort of COPD patients requiring ventilatory support and antibiotic therapy for exacerbation-related respiratory failure. PhyloChip analysis revealed the presence of over 1,200 bacterial taxa representing 140 distinct families, many previously undetected in airway diseases; bacterial community composition was strongly influenced by the duration of intubation. A core community of 75 taxa was detected in all patients, many of which are known pathogens. Bacterial community diversity in COPD airways is substantially greater than previously recognized and includes a number of potential pathogens detected in the setting of antibiotic exposure. Comprehensive assessment of the COPD airway microbiota using high-throughput, culture-independent methods may prove key to understanding the relationships between airway bacterial colonization, acute exacerbation, and clinical outcomes in this and other chronic inflammatory airway diseases. PMID:20141328

The intestinal microbiome and the leaky gut as therapeutic targets in alcoholic liver disease

PubMed Central

Hartmann, Phillipp; Chen, Wei-Chung; Schnabl, Bernd

2012-01-01

Alcoholic liver disease (ALD) encompasses hepatic steatosis, which may progress to alcoholic hepatitis, fibrosis, and cirrhosis. It remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the US and worldwide. The severity of liver disease correlates with plasma levels of bacterial products in patients, and experimental ALD depends on the level of gut derived bacterial products in rodents. Since intestinal decontamination and deficiency of bacterial product receptors or their downstream signaling molecules protect from alcohol-induced liver disease, bacterial translocation (BT), qualitative, and quantitative changes of the enteric microbiome are considered as being of fundamental importance in the pathogenesis of ALD. Recent enhancements in diagnostic technologies provide a better insight into these shifts. This review highlights vital events in ALD such as BT, the importance of Toll-like receptor (TLR) signaling, intestinal bacterial overgrowth (IBO), and changes in the intestinal microbiome. Furthermore, a treatment trial section of patients reviews possible future options of therapy for ALD modifying the enteric microbiome. PMID:23087650

Medfly Ceratitis capitata as Potential Vector for Fire Blight Pathogen Erwinia amylovora: Survival and Transmission.

PubMed

Ordax, Mónica; Piquer-Salcedo, Jaime E; Santander, Ricardo D; Sabater-Muñoz, Beatriz; Biosca, Elena G; López, María M; Marco-Noales, Ester

2015-01-01

Monitoring the ability of bacterial plant pathogens to survive in insects is required for elucidating unknown aspects of their epidemiology and for designing appropriate control strategies. Erwinia amylovora is a plant pathogenic bacterium that causes fire blight, a devastating disease in apple and pear commercial orchards. Studies on fire blight spread by insects have mainly focused on pollinating agents, such as honeybees. However, the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), one of the most damaging fruit pests worldwide, is also common in pome fruit orchards. The main objective of the study was to investigate whether E. amylovora can survive and be transmitted by the medfly. Our experimental results show: i) E. amylovora can survive for at least 8 days inside the digestive tract of the medfly and until 28 days on its external surface, and ii) medflies are able to transmit the bacteria from inoculated apples to both detached shoots and pear plants, being the pathogen recovered from lesions in both cases. This is the first report on E. amylovora internalization and survival in/on C. capitata, as well as the experimental transmission of the fire blight pathogen by this insect. Our results suggest that medfly can act as a potential vector for E. amylovora, and expand our knowledge on the possible role of these and other insects in its life cycle.

Medfly Ceratitis capitata as Potential Vector for Fire Blight Pathogen Erwinia amylovora: Survival and Transmission

PubMed Central

Ordax, Mónica; Piquer-Salcedo, Jaime E.; Santander, Ricardo D.; Sabater-Muñoz, Beatriz; Biosca, Elena G.; López, María M.; Marco-Noales, Ester

2015-01-01

Monitoring the ability of bacterial plant pathogens to survive in insects is required for elucidating unknown aspects of their epidemiology and for designing appropriate control strategies. Erwinia amylovora is a plant pathogenic bacterium that causes fire blight, a devastating disease in apple and pear commercial orchards. Studies on fire blight spread by insects have mainly focused on pollinating agents, such as honeybees. However, the Mediterranean fruit fly (medfly) Ceratitis capitata (Diptera: Tephritidae), one of the most damaging fruit pests worldwide, is also common in pome fruit orchards. The main objective of the study was to investigate whether E. amylovora can survive and be transmitted by the medfly. Our experimental results show: i) E. amylovora can survive for at least 8 days inside the digestive tract of the medfly and until 28 days on its external surface, and ii) medflies are able to transmit the bacteria from inoculated apples to both detached shoots and pear plants, being the pathogen recovered from lesions in both cases. This is the first report on E. amylovora internalization and survival in/on C. capitata, as well as the experimental transmission of the fire blight pathogen by this insect. Our results suggest that medfly can act as a potential vector for E. amylovora, and expand our knowledge on the possible role of these and other insects in its life cycle. PMID:25978369

Plague in Guinea Pigs and Its Prevention by Subunit Vaccines

PubMed Central

Quenee, Lauriane E.; Ciletti, Nancy; Berube, Bryan; Krausz, Thomas; Elli, Derek; Hermanas, Timothy; Schneewind, Olaf

2011-01-01

Human pneumonic plague is a devastating and transmissible disease for which a Food and Drug Administration–approved vaccine is not available. Suitable animal models may be adopted as a surrogate for human plague to fulfill regulatory requirements for vaccine efficacy testing. To develop an alternative to pneumonic plague in nonhuman primates, we explored guinea pigs as a model system. On intranasal instillation of a fully virulent strain, Yersinia pestis CO92, guinea pigs developed lethal lung infections with hemorrhagic necrosis, massive bacterial replication in the respiratory system, and blood-borne dissemination to other organ systems. Expression of the Y. pestis F1 capsule was not required for the development of pulmonary infection; however, the capsule seemed to be important for the establishment of bubonic plague. The mean lethal dose (MLD) for pneumonic plague in guinea pigs was estimated to be 1000 colony-forming units. Immunization of guinea pigs with the recombinant forms of LcrV, a protein that resides at the tip of Yersinia type III secretion needles, or F1 capsule generated robust humoral immune responses. Whereas LcrV immunization resulted in partial protection against pneumonic plague challenge with 250 MLD Y. pestis CO92, immunization with recombinant F1 did not. rV10, a vaccine variant lacking LcrV residues 271-300, elicited protection against pneumonic plague, which seemed to be based on conformational antibodies directed against LcrV. PMID:21406168

Genome of the Actinomycete Plant Pathogen Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus Suggests Recent Niche Adaptation▿ †

PubMed Central

Bentley, Stephen D.; Corton, Craig; Brown, Susan E.; Barron, Andrew; Clark, Louise; Doggett, Jon; Harris, Barbara; Ormond, Doug; Quail, Michael A.; May, Georgiana; Francis, David; Knudson, Dennis; Parkhill, Julian; Ishimaru, Carol A.

2008-01-01

Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus is a plant-pathogenic bacterium and the causative agent of bacterial ring rot, a devastating agricultural disease under strict quarantine control and zero tolerance in the seed potato industry. This organism appears to be largely restricted to an endophytic lifestyle, proliferating within plant tissues and unable to persist in the absence of plant material. Analysis of the genome sequence of C. michiganensis subsp. sepedonicus and comparison with the genome sequences of related plant pathogens revealed a dramatic recent evolutionary history. The genome contains 106 insertion sequence elements, which appear to have been active in extensive rearrangement of the chromosome compared to that of Clavibacter michiganensis subsp. michiganensis. There are 110 pseudogenes with overrepresentation in functions associated with carbohydrate metabolism, transcriptional regulation, and pathogenicity. Genome comparisons also indicated that there is substantial gene content diversity within the species, probably due to differential gene acquisition and loss. These genomic features and evolutionary dating suggest that there was recent adaptation for life in a restricted niche where nutrient diversity and perhaps competition are low, correlated with a reduced ability to exploit previously occupied complex niches outside the plant. Toleration of factors such as multiplication and integration of insertion sequence elements, genome rearrangements, and functional disruption of many genes and operons seems to indicate that there has been general relaxation of selective pressure on a large proportion of the genome. PMID:18192393

Elucidation of sevadicin, a novel non-ribosomal peptide secondary metabolite produced by the honey bee pathogenic bacterium Paenibacillus larvae.

PubMed

Garcia-Gonzalez, Eva; Müller, Sebastian; Ensle, Paul; Süssmuth, Roderich D; Genersch, Elke

2014-05-01

American foulbrood (AFB) caused by the bee pathogenic bacterium Paenibacillus larvae is the most devastating bacterial disease of honey bees worldwide. From AFB-dead larvae, pure cultures of P. larvae can normally be cultivated indicating that P. larvae is able to defend its niche against all other bacteria present. Recently, comparative genome analysis within the species P. larvae suggested the presence of gene clusters coding for multi-enzyme complexes, such as non-ribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs). The products of these enzyme complexes are known to have a wide range of biological activities including antibacterial activities. We here present our results on antibacterial activity exhibited by vegetative P. larvae and the identification and analysis of a novel antibacterially active P. larvae tripeptide (called sevadicin; Sev) produced by a NRPS encoded by a gene cluster found in the genome of P. larvae. Identification of Sev was ultimately achieved by comparing the secretome of wild-type P. larvae with knockout mutants of P. larvae lacking production of Sev. Subsequent mass spectrometric studies, enantiomer analytics and chemical synthesis revealed the sequence and configuration of the tripeptide, D-Phe-D-ALa-Trp, which was shown to have antibacterial activity. The relevance of our findings is discussed in respect to host-pathogen interactions. © 2014 Society for Applied Microbiology and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Factors that affect parasitism of black-tailed prairie dogs by fleas

USGS Publications Warehouse

Eads, David A.; Hoogland, John L.

2016-01-01

Fleas (Insecta: Siphonaptera) are hematophagous ectoparasites that feed on vertebrate hosts. Fleas can reduce the fitness of hosts by interfering with immune responses, disrupting adaptive behaviors, and transmitting pathogens. The negative effects of fleas on hosts are usually most pronounced when fleas attain high densities. In lab studies, fleas desiccate and die under dry conditions, suggesting that populations of fleas will tend to decline when precipitation is scarce under natural conditions. To test this hypothesis, we compared precipitation vs. parasitism of black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) by fleas at a single colony during May and June of 13 consecutive years (1976–1988) at Wind Cave National Park, South Dakota, USA. The number of fleas on prairie dogs decreased with increasing precipitation during both the prior growing season (April through August of the prior year) and the just-completed winter–spring (January through April of current year). Due to the reduction in available moisture and palatable forage in dry years, herbivorous prairie dogs might have been food-limited, with weakened behavioral and immunological defenses against fleas. In support of this hypothesis, adult prairie dogs of low mass harbored more fleas than heavier adults. Our results have implications for the spread of plague, an introduced bacterial disease, transmitted by fleas, that devastates prairie dog colonies and, in doing so, can transform grassland ecosystems.

Role of 6-Gingerol in Reduction of Cholera Toxin Activity In Vitro and In Vivo

PubMed Central

Saha, Pallashri; Das, Bornita

2013-01-01

Vibrio cholerae is one of the major bacterial pathogens responsible for the devastating diarrheal disease called cholera. Chemotherapy is often used against V. cholerae infections; however, the emergence of V. cholerae with multidrug resistance (MDR) toward the chemotherapeutic agents is a serious clinical problem. This scenario has provided us with the impetus to look into herbal remediation, especially toward blocking the action of cholera toxin (CT). Our studies were undertaken to determine the antidiarrheal potential of 6-gingerol (6G) on the basis of its effect on CT, the virulence factor secreted by V. cholerae. We report here that 6G binds to CT, hindering its interaction with the GM1 receptor present on the intestinal epithelial cells. The 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) was determined to be 10 μg/ml. The detailed mechanistic study was conducted by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), fluorescence spectroscopy, and isoelectric focusing. These results were validated with in vitro studies performed with the CHO, HeLa, and HT-29 cell lines, whereas a rabbit ileal loop assay was done to estimate the in vivo action, which confirms the efficacy of 6G in remediation of the choleragenic effects of CT. Thus, 6G can be an effective adjunctive therapy with oral rehydration solution for severe CT-mediated diarrhea. PMID:23817372

Marker-assisted selection for resistance to bacterial cold water disease in a commercial rainbow trout breeding population

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD), caused by Flavobacterium psychrophilum, is an endemic and problematic disease in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) aquaculture. Previously, we have identified SNPs (single nucleotide polymorphisms) associated with BCWD resistance in rainbow trout. The objective...

Software support for Huntingtons disease research.

PubMed

Conneally, P M; Gersting, J M; Gray, J M; Beidleman, K; Wexler, N S; Smith, C L

1991-01-01

Huntingtons disease (HD) is a hereditary disorder involving the central nervous system. Its effects are devastating, to the affected person as well as his family. The Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Indiana University (IU) plays an integral part in Huntingtons research by providing computerized repositories of HD family information for researchers and families. The National Huntingtons Disease Research Roster, founded in 1979 at IU, and the Huntingtons Disease in Venezuela Project database contain information that has proven to be invaluable in the worldwide field of HD research. This paper addresses the types of information stored in each database, the pedigree database program (MEGADATS) used to manage the data, and significant findings that have resulted from access to the data.

Idiopathic intracranial hypertension and sickle cell disease: two case reports.

PubMed

Segal, Laura; Discepola, Marino

2005-12-01

Two patients with sickle cell disease presented with headaches and visual disturbances, typical complaints of this disorder. However, prompt diagnosis of idiopathic intracranial hypertension and initiation of medical therapy lead to improved symptoms and restored vision. Ophthalmologists should consider sickle cell disease to be an independent risk factor for idiopathic intracranial hypertension when a patient is being assessed for visual disturbances. Although a rare condition, idiopathic intracranial hypertension has several key signs useful in establishing a diagnosis. It is critical to recognize the warning signs and symptoms to prevent devastating ophthalmologic complications. We report the first cases of idiopathic intracranial hypertension in patients with the novel Quebec-Chori beta-chain variant of sickle cell disease.

Impact of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens S13-3 on control of bacterial wilt and powdery mildew in tomato.

PubMed

Yamamoto, Shoko; Shiraishi, Soma; Kawagoe, Yumi; Mochizuki, Mai; Suzuki, Shunji

2015-05-01

Biological control is a non-hazardous technique to control plant diseases. Researchers have explored microorganisms that show high plant-disease control efficiency for use as biological control agents. A single soil application of Bacillus amyloliquefaciens strain S13-3 suppressed tomato bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum, a soilborne bacterial pathogen, through production of antibiotics augmented possibly by induction of systemic acquired resistance. Soil application also controlled tomato powdery mildew disease through induction of systemic acquired resistance. S13-3 showing bifunctional activity with a single application to soil may be an innovative biological control agent against bacterial wilt and powdery mildew in tomato. © 2014 Society of Chemical Industry.

Structural imaging in premanifest and manifest Huntington disease.

PubMed

Scahill, Rachael I; Andre, Ralph; Tabrizi, Sarah J; Aylward, Elizabeth H

2017-01-01

Huntington disease (HD) neuropathology has a devastating effect on brain structure and consequently brain function; neuroimaging provides a means to assess these effects in gene carriers. In this chapter we first outline the unique utility of structural imaging in understanding HD and discuss some of the acquisition and analysis techniques currently available. We review the existing literature to summarize what we know so far about structural brain changes across the spectrum of disease from premanifest through to manifest disease. We then consider how these neuroimaging findings relate to patient function and nonimaging biomarkers, and can be used to predict disease onset. Finally we review the utility of imaging measures for assessment of treatment efficacy in clinical trials. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Elucidating the triggers, progression, and effects of Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Medeiros, Rodrigo; Chabrier, Meredith A; LaFerla, Frank M

2013-01-01

As the number of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) continues to rise, the need for efficacious therapeutics is becoming more and more urgent. Understanding the molecular relationship and interactions between Aβ and tau and their contribution to cognitive decline remain one of the most fundamental and unresolved questions in the AD field. Likewise, elucidating the initial triggers of disease pathology, as well as the impact of various factors such as stress and inflammation on disease progression, are equally important to fully understand this devastating disorder. Here we discuss recent studies that have illuminated the importance of key facilitators of disease progression using the 3xTg-AD and CaM/Tet-DTA mouse models, and suggest viable targets for ameliorating both molecular pathology and cognitive decline.

Evaluating clinical periodontal measures as surrogates for bacterial exposure: The Oral Infections and Vascular Disease Epidemiology Study (INVEST)

PubMed Central

2010-01-01

Background Epidemiologic studies of periodontal infection as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease often use clinical periodontal measures as a surrogate for the underlying bacterial exposure of interest. There are currently no methodological studies evaluating which clinical periodontal measures best reflect the levels of subgingival bacterial colonization in population-based settings. We investigated the characteristics of clinical periodontal definitions that were most representative of exposure to bacterial species that are believed to be either markers, or themselves etiologic, of periodontal disease. Methods 706 men and women aged ≥ 55 years, residing in northern Manhattan were enrolled. Using DNA-DNA checkerboard hybridization in subgingival biofilms, standardized values for Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans, Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola and Tannerella forsythia were averaged within mouth and summed to define "bacterial burden". Correlations of bacterial burden with clinical periodontal constructs defined by the severity and extent of attachment loss (AL), pocket depth (PD) and bleeding on probing (BOP) were assessed. Results Clinical periodontal constructs demonstrating the highest correlations with bacterial burden were: i) percent of sites with BOP (r = 0.62); ii) percent of sites with PD ≥ 3 mm (r = 0.61); and iii) number of sites with BOP (r = 0.59). Increasing PD or AL severity thresholds consistently attenuated correlations, i.e., the correlation of bacterial burden with the percent of sites with PD ≥ 8 mm was only r = 0.16. Conclusions Clinical exposure definitions of periodontal disease should incorporate relatively shallow pockets to best reflect whole mouth exposure to bacterial burden. PMID:20056008

A mathematical model for expected time to extinction of pathogenic bacteria through antibiotic

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ghosh, M. K.; Nandi, S.; Roy, P. K.

2016-04-01

Application of antibiotics in human system to prevent bacterial diseases like Gastritis, Ulcers, Meningitis, Pneumonia and Gonorrhea are indispensable. Antibiotics saved innumerable lives and continue to be a strong support for therapeutic application against pathogenic bacteria. In human system, bacterial diseases occur when pathogenic bacteria gets into the body and begin to reproduce and crowd out healthy bacteria. In this process, immature bacteria releases enzyme which is essential for bacterial cell-wall biosynthesis. After complete formation of cell wall, immature bacteria are converted to mature or virulent bacteria which are harmful to us during bacterial infections. Use of antibiotics as drug inhibits the bacterial cell wall formation. After application of antibiotics within body, the released bacterial enzyme binds with antibiotic molecule instead of its functional site during the cell wall synthesis in a competitive inhibition approach. As a consequence, the bacterial cell-wall formation as well as maturation process of pathogenic bacteria is halted and the disease is cured with lysis of bacterial cells. With this idea, a mathematical model has been developed in the present research investigation to review the inhibition of biosynthesis of bacterial cell wall by the application of antibiotics as drug in the light of enzyme kinetics. This approach helps to estimate the expected time to extinction of the pathogenic bacteria. Our mathematical approach based on the enzyme kinetic model for finding out expected time to extinction contributes favorable results for understanding of disease dynamics. Analytical and numerical results based on simulated findings validate our mathematical model.

Restructuring of Endophytic Bacterial Communities in Grapevine Yellows-Diseased and Recovered Vitis vinifera L. Plants ▿

PubMed Central

Bulgari, Daniela; Casati, Paola; Crepaldi, Paola; Daffonchio, Daniele; Quaglino, Fabio; Brusetti, Lorenzo; Bianco, Piero Attilio

2011-01-01

Length heterogeneity-PCR assays, combined with statistical analyses, highlighted that the endophytic bacterial community associated with healthy grapevines was characterized by a greater diversity than that present in diseased and recovered plants. The findings suggest that phytoplasmas can restructure the bacterial community by selecting endophytic strains that could elicit a plant defense response. PMID:21622794

Restructuring of endophytic bacterial communities in grapevine yellows-diseased and recovered Vitis vinifera L. plants.

PubMed

Bulgari, Daniela; Casati, Paola; Crepaldi, Paola; Daffonchio, Daniele; Quaglino, Fabio; Brusetti, Lorenzo; Bianco, Piero Attilio

2011-07-01

Length heterogeneity-PCR assays, combined with statistical analyses, highlighted that the endophytic bacterial community associated with healthy grapevines was characterized by a greater diversity than that present in diseased and recovered plants. The findings suggest that phytoplasmas can restructure the bacterial community by selecting endophytic strains that could elicit a plant defense response.

Practical benefits of knowing the enemy: Modern molecular tools for diagnosing the etiology of bacterial diseases and understanding the taxonomy and diversity of plant pathogenic bacteria

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Knowing the identity of bacterial plant pathogens is essential to strategic and sustainable disease management. However, such identifications are linked to bacterial taxonomy, a complicated and changing discipline that depends on methods and information that often are not used by those who are diagn...

'Drugs from bugs': bacterial effector proteins as promising biological (immune-) therapeutics.

PubMed

Rüter, Christian; Hardwidge, Philip R

2014-02-01

Immune system malfunctions cause many of the most severe human diseases. The immune system has evolved primarily to control bacterial, viral, fungal, and parasitic infections. In turn, over millions of years of coevolution, microbial pathogens have evolved various mechanisms to control and modulate the host immune system for their own benefit and survival. For example, many bacterial pathogens use virulence proteins to modulate and exploit target cell mechanisms. Our understanding of these bacterial strategies opens novel possibilities to exploit 'microbial knowledge' to control excessive immune reactions. Gaining access to strategies of microbial pathogens could lead to potentially huge benefits for the therapy of inflammatory diseases. Most work on bacterial pathogen effector proteins has the long-term aim of neutralizing the infectious capabilities of the pathogen. However, attenuated pathogens and microbial products have been used for over a century with overwhelming success in the form of vaccines to induce specific immune responses that protect against the respective infectious diseases. In this review, we focus on bacterial effector and virulence proteins capable of modulating and suppressing distinct signaling pathways with potentially desirable immune-modulating effects for treating unrelated inflammatory diseases. © 2013 Federation of European Microbiological Societies. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. All rights reserved.

In-vitro inhibiton of Pantoea ananatis by antagonistic bacteria

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Karagöz, Kenan

2017-04-01

Like most cultivated crops, onions (Allium cepa L.) are plagued by phytopathogenic bacteria. Although bacterial diseases of onion occur sporadically, they can cause loss of yield, in the range of a few percent up to 40%. Center rot of onion caused by Pantoea ananatis is the one of the major bacterial disease. Cultural methods and copper compounds often are recommended for control of bacterial diseases, but these are insufficient and the use of some chemicals has adverse effects. For these reasons, biological control is important manner for control of plant disease. In this study; it was researched that in-vitro inhibition effect of 271bacterial strains on P. ananatis in-vitro. Commercially available streptomycin, kanamycin and tetracycline disks were used as control. In consequence; three isolates show more or less inhibitory effect against P. ananatis.

The presence of alpha interferon at the time of infection alters the innate and adaptive immune responses to porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS) is one of the most devastating and costly diseases to the swine industry world-wide. Overall, the adaptive immune response to PRRS virus (PRRSV) is weak and results in delayed elimination of virus from the host and inferior vaccine protection. PRR...

Use of multiple sequencing technologies to produce a high-quality genome of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of bat White-Nose syndrome

USGS Publications Warehouse

Drees, Kevin P.; Palmer, Jonathan M.; Sebra, Robert; Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Chen, Cynthia; Wu, ChengCang; Bok, Jin Woo; Keller, Nancy F.; Blehert, David; Cuomo, Christina A.; Linder, Daniel L.; Foster, Jeffrey T.

2016-01-01

White-Nose syndrome has recently emerged as one of the most devastating wildlife diseases recorded, causing widespread mortality in numerous bat species throughout eastern North America. Here, we present an improvised reference genome of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans for use in comparative genomic studies.

Genome-wide association mapping for stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis F. sp. tritici) in US Pacific Northwest winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis F. sp. tritici; also known as yellow rust) is a globally devastating disease of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) and a major threat to wheat production in the US Pacific Northwest (PNW), therefore both adult plant and all-stage resistance have been introduced into the w...

HOPX1 Ea (Eop3) in Erwinia Amylovora functions as an avirulence gene in apple and is regulated by HRPL

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fire blight is a devastating disease of rosaceous plants caused by the Gram-negative bacterium E. amylovora. This pathogen delivers virulence proteins into host cells utilizing the Type-Three Secretion System (T3SS). Expression of the T3SS and associated substrates are activated by the alternative s...

Quantitative and qualitative stem rust resistance factors in barley are associated with transcriptional suppression of defense regulons

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stem rust (Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici; Pgt) is a devastating fungal disease of wheat and barley. Pgt race TTKSK (isolate Ug99) is a serious threat to these Triticeae grain crops because resistance is rare. In barley, the complex Rpg-TTKSK locus on chromosome 5H is presently the only known so...

Wheat stripe rust resistance protein WKS1 reduces the ability of the thylakoid-associated ascorbate peroxidase to detoxify reactive oxygen species

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stripe rust is a devastating fungal disease of wheat caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici(Pst). The WKS1 resistance gene has an unusual combination of serine/threonine kinase and START lipid-binding domains and confers partial resistance to Pst. Here we show that wheat plants transformed w...

Genotyping-by-sequencing uncovers the introgression alien segments associated with Sclerotinia basal stalk rot resistance from wild species—I. Helianthus argophyllus and H. petiolaris

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Basal stalk rot (BSR), caused by Sclerotinia Sclerotiorum, is a devastating disease in sunflower worldwide. The progress of breeding for Sclerotinia BSR resistance has been hampered due to the lack of effective sources of resistance for cultivated sunflower. Our objective was to transfer BSR resista...

Mapping host-species abundance of three major exotic forest pests

Treesearch

Randall S. Morin; Andrew M. Liebhold; Eugene R. Luzader; Andrew J. Lister; Kurt W. Gottschalk; Daniel B. Twardus

2005-01-01

Periodically over the last century, forests of the Eastern United States devastated by invasive pests. We used existing data to predict the geographical extent of future damage from beech bark disease (BBD), hemlock woolly adelgid (HWA), and gypsy moth. The distributions of host species of these alien pests were mapped in 1-km2 cells by interpolating host basal area/ha...

Quantitative trait loci mapping of resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum race 2 in Citrullus lanatus var. citroides using genotyping-by-sequencing

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

One of the most devastating watermelon diseases worldwide, Fusarium wilt, is caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (Fon). Spread of the particularly virulent Fon race 2 in the United States, coupled with the lack of resistance in edible cultivars of the sweet cultivated watermelon Citrullus lan...

Mapping of Yr62 and a small effect QTL for high-temperature adult-plant resistance to stripe rust in spring wheat PI 192252

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Stripe rust, caused by Puccinia striiformis f. sp. tritici (Pst), is a devastating disease of wheat worldwide. Spring wheat germplasm PI 192252 showed a high level of high-temperature adult-plant (HTAP) resistance to stripe rust in germplasm evaluation over eight years in the State of Washington. ...

Tuber resistance and slow rotting characteristics of potato clones associated with the Solanaceae Coordinated Agricultural Project to the US-24 clonal lineage of Phytophthora infestans

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Late blight, caused by Phytophthora infestans, is a devastating disease on potato worldwide and new lineages of the pathogen continue to develop in the U.S. Breeding for resistance is important for economic and environmental purposes. The Solanaceae Coordinated Agricultural Project (SolCAP) focuses ...

Bionomics of Asian citrus psyllid associated with orange jasmine hedges in Florida, with special reference to biological control by Tamarixia radiata

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is an important invasive citrus pest because it vectors a bacterium responsible for a devastating disease of citrus known as huanglongbing. Orange jasmine (Murraya paniculata) is a favored alternate ACP host plant and is widely grown as an ornamental plant in urban ar...

Use of Multiple Sequencing Technologies To Produce a High-Quality Genome of the Fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Causative Agent of Bat White-Nose Syndrome

PubMed Central

Sebra, Robert; Lorch, Jeffrey M.; Chen, Cynthia; Wu, Cheng-Cang; Bok, Jin Woo; Keller, Nancy P.; Blehert, David S.; Lindner, Daniel L.

2016-01-01

White-nose syndrome has recently emerged as one of the most devastating wildlife diseases recorded, causing widespread mortality in numerous bat species throughout eastern North America. Here, we present an improved reference genome of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans for use in comparative genomic studies. PMID:27365344

Deletion of v-chiA from a baculovirus reduces horizontal transmission in the field

Treesearch

Vincent D' Amico; James Slavicek; John D. Podgwaite; Ralph Webb; Roger Fuester; Randall A. Peiffer

2013-01-01

Nucleopolyhedroviruses (NPVs) can initiate devastating disease outbreaks in populations of defoliating Lepidoptera, a fact that has been exploited for the purposes of biological control of some pest insects. A key part of the horizontal transmission process of NPVs is the degradation of the larval integument by virus-coded proteins called chitinases, such as V-CHIA...

Developing hazelnuts (Corylus spp.) with durable resistance to eastern filbert blight caused by Anisogramma anomala

Treesearch

Thomas J. Molnar; John Capik; Clayton W. Leadbetter; Ning Zhang; Guohong Cai; Bradley I. Hillman

2012-01-01

Eastern filbert blight (EFB) is a devastating fungal disease of European hazelnut, Corylus avellana L., and is considered to be the primary reason hazelnuts have not been developed as a commercial crop in the eastern United States. The pathogen, Anisogramma anomala, is native to a wide area east of the Rocky Mountains, where it...

Correlation of electronic monitoring and stylet pathways elucidate the role of sclerenchymatous ring as a barrier to phloem feeding on citrus leaves by Asian citrus psyllid

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Asian citrus psyllid (ACP, Diaphorina. citri) feeding behaviors play a significant role in the transmission of the phloem-limited Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) bacterium that causes the economically devastating citrus greening disease. Recent studies have shown a fibrous ring of thick-wal...

De novo assembly and phasing of dikaryotic genomes from two isolates of Puccini coronata f. sp. avenae, the causal agent of oat crown rust

Treesearch

Marisa E. Miller; Ying Zhang; Vahid Omidvar; Jana Sperschneider; Benjamin Schwessinger; Castle Raley; Jonathan M. Palmer; Diana Garnica; Narayana Upadhyaya; John Rathjen; Jennifer M. Taylor; Robert F. Park; Peter N. Dodds; Cory D. Hirsch; Shahryar F. Kianian; Melania Figueroa

2018-01-01

Oat crown rust, caused by the fungus Pucinnia coronata f. sp. avenae, is a devastating disease that impacts worldwide oat production. For much of its life cycle, P. coronata f. sp. avenae is dikaryotic, with two separate haploid nuclei that may vary in virulence genotype, highlighting...

Use of multiple sequencing technologies to produce a high-quality genome of the fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the causative agent of bat white-nose syndrome

Treesearch

Kevin P. Drees; Jonathan M. Palmer; Robert Sebra; Jeffrey M. Lorch; Cynthia Chen; Cheng-Cang Wu; Jin Woo Bok; Nancy P. Keller; David S. Blehert; Christina A. Cuomo; Daniel L. Lindner; Jeffrey T. Foster

2016-01-01

White-nose syndrome has recently emerged as one of the most devastating wildlife diseases recorded, causing widespread mortality in numerous bat species throughout eastern North America. Here, we present an improved reference genome of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans for use in comparative genomic studies.

Unraveling the Mysteries of Progeria | Center for Cancer Research

Cancer.gov

Hutchinson-Gilford progeria syndrome is a rare and devastating genetic disorder in which patients appear normal at birth, but by 12 to 18 months display signs of premature aging such as hair loss, slowed growth, weakening of bone and joint integrity, and cardiovascular disease. Because no treatments currently exist, most patients with progeria die in their mid-teens from heart

Stem rust resistance in 1BL.1RS and 2RL.2BS double wheat-rye translocation lines

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

The wheat stem rust pathogen, Puccinia graminis f. sp. tritici, is a significant and devastating disease of wheat crops worldwide. Wheat has many wild relatives in which to source new resistance genes, including the cereal crop of rye in the tertiary genepool. The aim of this study was to assess the...

Teaching Conflict Management Skills in Schools: Prerequisite for Peace and Achievement of Millennium Development Goals in Kenya

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Dawo, Jane Irene A.; Wagah, Mical Ongachi

2011-01-01

The Kenyan society is experiencing a lot of conflicts, some with devastating effects such as deaths, starvation, disease and destruction. These normally arise out of difference between people. Secondary schools being part of the society have not been left out of this challenge as evidenced by mass media reports on strikes, demonstrations and…

Differential Control Efficacies of Vitamin Treatments against Bacterial Wilt and Grey Mould Diseases in Tomato Plants

PubMed Central

Hong, Jeum Kyu; Kim, Hyeon Ji; Jung, Heesoo; Yang, Hye Ji; Kim, Do Hoon; Sung, Chang Hyun; Park, Chang-Jin; Chang, Seog Won

2016-01-01

Bacterial wilt and grey mould in tomato plants are economically destructive bacterial and fungal diseases caused by Ralstonia solanacearum and Botrytis cinerea, respectively. Various approaches including chemical and biological controls have been attempted to arrest the tomato diseases so far. In this study, in vitro growths of bacterial R. solanacearum and fungal B. cinerea were evaluated using four different vitamins including thiamine (vitamin B1), niacin (vitamin B3), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and menadione (vitamin K3). In planta efficacies of the four vitamin treatments on tomato protection against both diseases were also demonstrated. All four vitamins showed different in vitro antibacterial activities against R. solanacearum in dose-dependent manners. However, treatment with 2 mM thiamine was only effective in reducing bacterial wilt of detached tomato leaves without phytotoxicity under lower disease pressure (106 colony-forming unit [cfu]/ml). Treatment with the vitamins also differentially reduced in vitro conidial germination and mycelial growth of B. cinerea. The four vitamins slightly reduced the conidial germination, and thiamine, pyridoxine and menadione inhibited the mycelial growth of B. cinerea. Menadione began to drastically suppress the conidial germination and mycelial growth by 5 and 0.5 mM, respectively. Grey mould symptoms on the inoculated tomato leaves were significantly reduced by pyridoxine and menadione pretreatments one day prior to the fungal challenge inoculation. These findings suggest that disease-specific vitamin treatment will be integrated for eco-friendly management of tomato bacterial wilt and grey mould. PMID:27721697

Differential Control Efficacies of Vitamin Treatments against Bacterial Wilt and Grey Mould Diseases in Tomato Plants.

PubMed

Hong, Jeum Kyu; Kim, Hyeon Ji; Jung, Heesoo; Yang, Hye Ji; Kim, Do Hoon; Sung, Chang Hyun; Park, Chang-Jin; Chang, Seog Won

2016-10-01

Bacterial wilt and grey mould in tomato plants are economically destructive bacterial and fungal diseases caused by Ralstonia solanacearum and Botrytis cinerea , respectively. Various approaches including chemical and biological controls have been attempted to arrest the tomato diseases so far. In this study, in vitro growths of bacterial R. solanacearum and fungal B. cinerea were evaluated using four different vitamins including thiamine (vitamin B1), niacin (vitamin B3), pyridoxine (vitamin B6), and menadione (vitamin K3). In planta efficacies of the four vitamin treatments on tomato protection against both diseases were also demonstrated. All four vitamins showed different in vitro antibacterial activities against R. solanacearum in dose-dependent manners. However, treatment with 2 mM thiamine was only effective in reducing bacterial wilt of detached tomato leaves without phytotoxicity under lower disease pressure (10 6 colony-forming unit [cfu]/ml). Treatment with the vitamins also differentially reduced in vitro conidial germination and mycelial growth of B. cinerea . The four vitamins slightly reduced the conidial germination, and thiamine, pyridoxine and menadione inhibited the mycelial growth of B. cinerea . Menadione began to drastically suppress the conidial germination and mycelial growth by 5 and 0.5 mM, respectively. Grey mould symptoms on the inoculated tomato leaves were significantly reduced by pyridoxine and menadione pretreatments one day prior to the fungal challenge inoculation. These findings suggest that disease-specific vitamin treatment will be integrated for eco-friendly management of tomato bacterial wilt and grey mould.

Effect of Economic Assets on Sexual Risk-Taking Intentions Among Orphaned Adolescents in Uganda

PubMed Central

Han, Chang-Keun; Neilands, Torsten B.; Ismayilova, Leyla; Sperber, Elizabeth

2010-01-01

Objectives. We examined the effect of economic assets on sexual risk-taking intentions among school-going AIDS-orphaned adolescents in rural Uganda. Methods. AIDS-orphaned adolescents from 15 comparable schools were randomly assigned to control (n = 133) or treatment (n = 127) conditions. Treatment participants received child savings accounts, workshops, and mentorship. This economic intervention was in addition to the traditional care and support services for school-going orphaned adolescents (counseling and school supplies) provided to both treatment and control groups. Adolescents in the treatment condition were compared with adolescents in the control condition at baseline and at 10 months after the intervention. Results. After control for sociodemographic factors, child-caregiver/parental communication, and peer pressure, adolescents in the economic intervention group reported a significant reduction in sexual risk-taking intentions compared with adolescents in the control condition. Conclusions. The findings indicate that in Uganda, a country devastated by poverty and disease (including HIV/AIDS), having access to economic assets plays an important role in influencing adolescents' sexual risk-taking intentions. These findings have implications for the care and support of orphaned adolescents, especially in poor African countries devastated by poverty and sexually transmitted diseases. PMID:20075323

75 FR 33317 - Antibacterial Resistance and Diagnostic Device and Drug Development Research for Bacterial...

Federal Register 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014

2010-06-11

... Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) regarding... Diseases Society of America, regarding scientific issues in antibacterial drug resistance and product... discussion of the scale of the current bacterial resistance problem, (2) current understanding of the science...

Defining the Core Citrus Leaf- and Root-Associated Microbiota: Factors Associated with Community Structure and Implications for Managing Huanglongbing (Citrus Greening) Disease.

PubMed

Blaustein, Ryan A; Lorca, Graciela L; Meyer, Julie L; Gonzalez, Claudio F; Teplitski, Max

2017-06-01

Stable associations between plants and microbes are critical to promoting host health and productivity. The objective of this work was to test the hypothesis that restructuring of the core microbiota may be associated with the progression of huanglongbing (HLB), the devastating citrus disease caused by Liberibacter asiaticus , Liberibacter americanus , and Liberibacter africanus The microbial communities of leaves ( n = 94) and roots ( n = 79) from citrus trees that varied by HLB symptom severity, cultivar, location, and season/time were characterized with Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA genes. The taxonomically rich communities contained abundant core members (i.e., detected in at least 95% of the respective leaf or root samples), some overrepresented site-specific members, and a diverse community of low-abundance variable taxa. The composition and diversity of the leaf and root microbiota were strongly associated with HLB symptom severity and location; there was also an association with host cultivar. The relative abundance of Liberibacter spp. among leaf microbiota positively correlated with HLB symptom severity and negatively correlated with alpha diversity, suggesting that community diversity decreases as symptoms progress. Network analysis of the microbial community time series identified a mutually exclusive relationship between Liberibacter spp. and members of the Burkholderiaceae , Micromonosporaceae , and Xanthomonadaceae This work confirmed several previously described plant disease-associated bacteria, as well as identified new potential implications for biological control. Our findings advance the understanding of (i) plant microbiota selection across multiple variables and (ii) changes in (core) community structure that may be a precondition to disease establishment and/or may be associated with symptom progression. IMPORTANCE This study provides a comprehensive overview of the core microbial community within the microbiomes of plant hosts that vary in extent of disease symptom progression. With 16S Illumina sequencing analyses, we not only confirmed previously described bacterial associations with plant health (e.g., potentially beneficial bacteria) but also identified new associations and potential interactions between certain bacteria and an economically important phytopathogen. The importance of core taxa within broader plant-associated microbial communities is discussed. Copyright © 2017 American Society for Microbiology.

A perspective on targeting non-structural proteins to combat neglected tropical diseases: Dengue, West Nile and Chikungunya viruses.

PubMed

Bhakat, Soumendranath; Karubiu, Wilson; Jayaprakash, Venkatesan; Soliman, Mahmoud E S

2014-11-24

Neglected tropical diseases are major causes of fatality in poverty stricken regions across Africa, Asia and some part of America. The combined potential health risk associated with arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses); Dengue virus (DENV), West Nile Virus (WNV) and Chikungunya Virus (CHIKV) is immense. These arboviruses are either emerging or re-emerging in many regions with recent documented outbreaks in the United States. Despite several recent evidences of emergence, currently there are no approved drugs or vaccines available to counter these diseases. Non-structural proteins encoded by these RNA viruses are essential for their replication and maturation and thus may offer ideal targets for developing antiviral drugs. In recent years, several protease inhibitors have been sourced from plant extract, synthesis, computer aided drug design and high throughput screening as well as through drug reposition based approaches to target the non-structural proteins. The protease inhibitors have shown different levels of inhibition and may thus provide template to develop selective and potent drugs against these devastating arboviruses. This review seeks to shed light on the design and development of antiviral drugs against DENV, WNV and CHIKV to date. To the best of our knowledge, this review provides the first comprehensive update on the development of protease inhibitors targeting non-structural proteins of three most devastating arboviruses, DENV, WNV and CHIKV. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

Impulsive and Compulsive Behaviours in Parkinson's disease

PubMed Central

Averbeck, BB; O’Sullivan, SS; Djamshidian, A

2014-01-01

Impulsive compulsive behaviours (ICBs) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) are a common and devastating side effect of dopamine replacement therapy. In this review we describe the phenomenology, prevalence and risk factors of these patients. Results of behavioural studies assessing the neuropsychological profile emphasize that the ICBs, which are behavioural addictions, are not hedonically motivated. Rather, other factors such as the inability to cope with uncertainty may be triggering ICBs. New insights from functional imaging studies, strengthening the incentive salience hypothesis are discussed and therapeutic guidelines for the management of ICBs in PD are given. PMID:24313567

Cuticles of European and American lobsters harbor diverse bacterial species and differ in disease susceptibility

PubMed Central

Whitten, Miranda M A; Davies, Charlotte E; Kim, Anita; Tlusty, Michael; Wootton, Emma C; Chistoserdov, Andrei; Rowley, Andrew F

2014-01-01

Diseases of lobster shells have a significant impact on fishing industries but the risk of disease transmission between different lobster species has yet to be properly investigated. This study compared bacterial biofilm communities from American (Homarus americanus) and European lobsters (H. gammarus), to assess both healthy cuticle and diseased cuticle during lesion formation. Culture-independent molecular techniques revealed diversity in the bacterial communities of cuticle biofilms both within and between the two lobster species, and identified three bacterial genera associated with shell lesions plus two putative beneficial bacterial species (detected exclusively in healthy cuticle or healing damaged cuticle). In an experimental aquarium shared between American and European lobsters, heterospecific transmission of potentially pathogenic bacteria appeared to be very limited; however, the claws of European lobsters were more likely to develop lesions when reared in the presence of American lobsters. Aquarium biofilms were also examined but revealed no candidate pathogens for environmental transmission. Aquimarina sp. ‘homaria’ (a potential pathogen associated with a severe epizootic form of shell disease) was detected at a much higher prevalence among American than European lobsters, but its presence correlated more with exacerbation of existing lesions rather than with lesion initiation. PMID:24817518

Satellite techniques yield insight into devastating rainfall from Hurricane Mitch

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Ferraro, R.; Vicente, G.; Ba, M.; Gruber, A.; Scofield, R.; Li, Q.; Weldon, R.

Hurricane Mitch may prove to be one of the most devastating tropical cyclones to affect the western hemisphere. Heavy rains over Central America from October 28, 1998, to November 1, 1998, caused widespread flooding and mud slides in Nicaragua and Honduras resulting in thousands of deaths and missing persons. News reports indicated entire towns being swept away, destruction of national economies and infrastructure, and widespread disease in the aftermath of the storm, which some estimates suggested dropped as much as 1300 mm of rain.However, in view of the widespread damage it is difficult to determine the actual amounts and distribution of rainfall. More accurate means of determining the rainfall associated with Mitch are vital for diagnosing and understanding the evolution of this disaster and for developing new mitigation strategies for future tropical cyclones. Satellite data may prove to be a reliable resource for accurate rainfall analysis and have yielded apparently reliable figures for Hurricane Mitch.

Lead Exposure in the Special Operations Shooter How to Prevent Cognitive Decline and Permanent Disability.

PubMed

Brandon, Jonathan W; Solarczyk, Justin K; Durrani, Timur S

Lead toxicity is an important environmental disease and its effects on the human body can be devastating. Unique exposures to Special Operations Forces personnel may include use of firing ranges, use of automotive fuels, production of ammunition, and bodily retention of bullets. Toxicity may degrade physical and psychological fitness, and cause long-term negative health outcomes. Specific effects on fine motor movements, reaction times, and global function could negatively affect shooting skills and decision-making. Biologic monitoring and chelation treatment are poor solutions for protecting this population. Through primary prevention, Special Operations Forces personnel can be protected, in any environment, from the devastating effects of lead exposure. This article offers tools to physicians, environmental service officers, and Special Operations Medics for primary prevention of lead poisoning in the conventional and the austere or forward deployed environments. 2018.

Cytokines in the central nervous system: regulatory roles in neuronal function, cell death and repair.

PubMed

Sei, Y; Vitković, L; Yokoyama, M M

1995-01-01

Recent evidence suggests that neurons and glia can synthesize and secrete cytokines, which play critical roles in maintaining homeostasis in the central nervous system (CNS) by mediating the interaction between cells via autocrine or paracrine mechanisms. Circulating cytokines and soluble receptors also regulate neuronal function via endocrine mechanisms. Disturbance of the cytokine-mediated interaction between cells may lead to neuronal dysfunction and/or cell death and contribute to the pathogenesis of the CNS diseases (e.g., ischemia, Alzheimer's disease and HIV encephalopathy). Defining the molecular pathways of cytokine dysregulation and neurotoxicity may help to elucidate potential therapeutic interventions for many devastating CNS diseases.

Microbiota in anorexia nervosa: The triangle between bacterial species, metabolites and psychological tests

PubMed Central

Borgo, Francesca; Riva, Alessandra; Benetti, Alberto; Casiraghi, Maria Cristina; Bertelli, Sara; Garbossa, Stefania; Anselmetti, Simona; Scarone, Silvio; Pontiroli, Antonio E.; Morace, Giulia

2017-01-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disease with devastating physical consequences, with a pathophysiological mechanism still to be elucidated. Metagenomic studies on anorexia nervosa have revealed profound gut microbiome perturbations as a possible environmental factor involved in the disease. In this study we performed a comprehensive analysis integrating data on gut microbiota with clinical, anthropometric and psychological traits to gain new insight in the pathophysiology of AN. Fifteen AN women were compared with fifteen age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched healthy controls. AN diet was characterized by a significant lower energy intake, but macronutrient analysis highlighted a restriction only in fats and carbohydrates consumption. Next generation sequencing showed that AN intestinal microbiota was significantly affected at every taxonomic level, showing a significant increase of Enterobacteriaceae, and of the archeon Methanobrevibacter smithii compared with healthy controls. On the contrary, the genera Roseburia, Ruminococcus and Clostridium, were depleted, in line with the observed reduction in AN of total short chain fatty acids, butyrate, and propionate. Butyrate concentrations inversely correlated with anxiety levels, whereas propionate directly correlated with insulin levels and with the relative abundance of Roseburia inulinivorans, a known propionate producer. BMI represented the best predictive value for gut dysbiosis and metabolic alterations, showing a negative correlation with Bacteroides uniformis (microbiota), with alanine aminotransferase (liver function), and with psychopathological scores (obsession-compulsion, anxiety, and depression), and a positive correlation with white blood cells count. In conclusion, our findings corroborate the hypothesis that the gut dysbiosis could take part in the AN neurobiology, in particular in sustaining the persistence of alterations that eventually result in relapses after renourishment and psychological therapy, but causality still needs to be proven. PMID:28636668

Microbiota in anorexia nervosa: The triangle between bacterial species, metabolites and psychological tests.

PubMed

Borgo, Francesca; Riva, Alessandra; Benetti, Alberto; Casiraghi, Maria Cristina; Bertelli, Sara; Garbossa, Stefania; Anselmetti, Simona; Scarone, Silvio; Pontiroli, Antonio E; Morace, Giulia; Borghi, Elisa

2017-01-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a psychiatric disease with devastating physical consequences, with a pathophysiological mechanism still to be elucidated. Metagenomic studies on anorexia nervosa have revealed profound gut microbiome perturbations as a possible environmental factor involved in the disease. In this study we performed a comprehensive analysis integrating data on gut microbiota with clinical, anthropometric and psychological traits to gain new insight in the pathophysiology of AN. Fifteen AN women were compared with fifteen age-, sex- and ethnicity-matched healthy controls. AN diet was characterized by a significant lower energy intake, but macronutrient analysis highlighted a restriction only in fats and carbohydrates consumption. Next generation sequencing showed that AN intestinal microbiota was significantly affected at every taxonomic level, showing a significant increase of Enterobacteriaceae, and of the archeon Methanobrevibacter smithii compared with healthy controls. On the contrary, the genera Roseburia, Ruminococcus and Clostridium, were depleted, in line with the observed reduction in AN of total short chain fatty acids, butyrate, and propionate. Butyrate concentrations inversely correlated with anxiety levels, whereas propionate directly correlated with insulin levels and with the relative abundance of Roseburia inulinivorans, a known propionate producer. BMI represented the best predictive value for gut dysbiosis and metabolic alterations, showing a negative correlation with Bacteroides uniformis (microbiota), with alanine aminotransferase (liver function), and with psychopathological scores (obsession-compulsion, anxiety, and depression), and a positive correlation with white blood cells count. In conclusion, our findings corroborate the hypothesis that the gut dysbiosis could take part in the AN neurobiology, in particular in sustaining the persistence of alterations that eventually result in relapses after renourishment and psychological therapy, but causality still needs to be proven.

Biological effects of paenilamicin, a secondary metabolite antibiotic produced by the honey bee pathogenic bacterium Paenibacillus larvae.

PubMed

Garcia-Gonzalez, Eva; Müller, Sebastian; Hertlein, Gillian; Heid, Nina; Süssmuth, Roderich D; Genersch, Elke

2014-10-01

Paenibacillus larvae is the etiological agent of American Foulbrood (AFB) a world-wide distributed devastating disease of the honey bee brood. Previous comparative genome analysis and more recently, the elucidation of the bacterial genome, provided evidence that this bacterium harbors putative functional nonribosomal peptide synthetases (NRPSs) and polyketide synthases (PKSs) and therefore, might produce nonribosomal peptides (NRPs) and polyketides (PKs). Such biosynthesis products have been shown to display a wide-range of biological activities such as antibacterial, antifungal or cytotoxic activity. Herein we present an in silico analysis of the first NRPS/PKS hybrid of P. larvae and we show the involvement of this cluster in the production of a compound named paenilamicin (Pam). For the characterization of its in vitro and in vivo bioactivity, a knock-out mutant strain lacking the production of Pam was constructed and subsequently compared to wild-type species. This led to the identification of Pam by mass spectrometry. Purified Pam-fractions showed not only antibacterial but also antifungal and cytotoxic activities. The latter suggested a direct effect of Pam on honey bee larval death which could, however, not be corroborated in laboratory infection assays. Bee larvae infected with the non-producing Pam strain showed no decrease in larval mortality, but a delay in the onset of larval death. We propose that Pam, although not essential for larval mortality, is a virulence factor of P. larvae influencing the time course of disease. These findings are not only of significance in elucidating and understanding host-pathogen interactions but also within the context of the quest for new compounds with antibiotic activity for drug development. © 2014 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Fungal-bacterial interactions and their relevance to oral health: linking the clinic and the bench

PubMed Central

Diaz, Patricia I.; Strausbaugh, Linda D.; Dongari-Bagtzoglou, Anna

2014-01-01

High throughput sequencing has accelerated knowledge on the oral microbiome. While the bacterial component of oral communities has been extensively characterized, the role of the fungal microbiota in the oral cavity is largely unknown. Interactions among fungi and bacteria are likely to influence oral health as exemplified by the synergistic relationship between Candida albicans and oral streptococci. In this perspective, we discuss the current state of the field of fungal-bacterial interactions in the context of the oral cavity. We highlight the need to conduct longitudinal clinical studies to simultaneously characterize the bacterial and fungal components of the human oral microbiome in health and during disease progression. Such studies need to be coupled with investigations using disease-relevant models to mechanistically test the associations observed in humans and eventually identify fungal-bacterial interactions that could serve as preventive or therapeutic targets for oral diseases. PMID:25120959

Fungal-bacterial interactions and their relevance to oral health: linking the clinic and the bench.

PubMed

Diaz, Patricia I; Strausbaugh, Linda D; Dongari-Bagtzoglou, Anna

2014-01-01

High throughput sequencing has accelerated knowledge on the oral microbiome. While the bacterial component of oral communities has been extensively characterized, the role of the fungal microbiota in the oral cavity is largely unknown. Interactions among fungi and bacteria are likely to influence oral health as exemplified by the synergistic relationship between Candida albicans and oral streptococci. In this perspective, we discuss the current state of the field of fungal-bacterial interactions in the context of the oral cavity. We highlight the need to conduct longitudinal clinical studies to simultaneously characterize the bacterial and fungal components of the human oral microbiome in health and during disease progression. Such studies need to be coupled with investigations using disease-relevant models to mechanistically test the associations observed in humans and eventually identify fungal-bacterial interactions that could serve as preventive or therapeutic targets for oral diseases.

Bacterial Urease and its Role in Long-Lasting Human Diseases

PubMed Central

Konieczna, Iwona; Żarnowiec, Paulina; Kwinkowski, Marek; Kolesińska, Beata; Frączyk, Justyna; Kamiński, Zbigniew; Kaca, Wiesław

2012-01-01

Urease is a virulence factor found in various pathogenic bacteria. It is essential in colonization of a host organism and in maintenance of bacterial cells in tissues. Due to its enzymatic activity, urease has a toxic effect on human cells. The presence of ureolytic activity is an important marker of a number of bacterial infections. Urease is also an immunogenic protein and is recognized by antibodies present in human sera. The presence of such antibodies is connected with progress of several long-lasting diseases, like rheumatoid arthritis, atherosclerosis or urinary tract infections. In bacterial ureases, motives with a sequence and/or structure similar to human proteins may occur. This phenomenon, known as molecular mimicry, leads to the appearance of autoantibodies, which take part in host molecules destruction. Detection of antibodies-binding motives (epitopes) in bacterial proteins is a complex process. However, organic chemistry tools, such as synthetic peptide libraries, are helpful in both, epitope mapping as well as in serologic investigations. In this review, we present a synthetic report on a molecular organization of bacterial ureases - genetic as well as structural. We characterize methods used in detecting urease and ureolytic activity, including techniques applied in disease diagnostic processes and in chemical synthesis of urease epitopes. The review also provides a summary of knowledge about a toxic effect of bacterial ureases on human body and about occurrence of anti-urease antibodies in long-lasting diseases. PMID:23305365

What are the effects of proton pump inhibitors on the small intestine?

PubMed Central

Fujimori, Shunji

2015-01-01

Generally, proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) have great benefit for patients with acid related disease with less frequently occurring side effects. According to a recent report, PPIs provoke dysbiosis of the small intestinal bacterial flora, exacerbating nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced small intestinal injury. Several meta-analyses and systematic reviews have reported that patients treated with PPIs, as well as post-gastrectomy patients, have a higher frequency of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) compared to patients who lack the aforementioned conditions. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence that these conditions induce Clostridium difficile infection. At this time, PPI-induced dysbiosis is considered a type of SIBO. It now seems likely that intestinal bacterial flora influence many diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune diseases. When attempting to control intestinal bacterial flora with probiotics, prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation, etc., the influence of acid suppression therapy, especially PPIs, should not be overlooked. PMID:26078557

What are the effects of proton pump inhibitors on the small intestine?

PubMed

Fujimori, Shunji

2015-06-14

Generally, proton-pump inhibitors (PPIs) have great benefit for patients with acid related disease with less frequently occurring side effects. According to a recent report, PPIs provoke dysbiosis of the small intestinal bacterial flora, exacerbating nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug-induced small intestinal injury. Several meta-analyses and systematic reviews have reported that patients treated with PPIs, as well as post-gastrectomy patients, have a higher frequency of small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) compared to patients who lack the aforementioned conditions. Furthermore, there is insufficient evidence that these conditions induce Clostridium difficile infection. At this time, PPI-induced dysbiosis is considered a type of SIBO. It now seems likely that intestinal bacterial flora influence many diseases, such as inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes mellitus, obesity, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and autoimmune diseases. When attempting to control intestinal bacterial flora with probiotics, prebiotics, and fecal microbiota transplantation, etc., the influence of acid suppression therapy, especially PPIs, should not be overlooked.

Sensitive molecular diagnostic assays to mitigate the risks of asymptomatic bacterial diseases of plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Our highly concentrated monoculture makes crops vulnerable to pests and diseases. An increase in emerging non-indigenous bacterial diseases pose a real threat to US agriculture. The USA has 100,000 miles of shoreline and 6,000 miles of border, making possible easy introduction of crop pests and di...

Development of practical diagnostic methods for monitoring rice bacterial panicle blight disease and evaluation of rice germplasm for resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A study was initiated to understand Burkholderia glumae, the major causal agent for bacterial panicle blight disease of rice; to develop practical diagnostic methods for monitoring the disease; and to evaluate rice germplasm for resistance. Burkholderia glumae was frequently isolated from infected p...

Development of practical diagnostic methods for monitoring rice bacterial panicle blight disease and evaluation of rice germplasm for resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

A study was initiated to understand Burkholderia glumae (major causal agent for bacterial panicle blight disease of rice) to develop practical diagnostic methods for monitoring the disease; and to evaluate rice germplasm for resistance. B. glumae was frequently isolated from symptomatic panicles on...

The feline skin microbiota: The bacteria inhabiting the skin of healthy and allergic cats

PubMed Central

Diesel, Alison; Patterson, Adam P.; Meason-Smith, Courtney; Johnson, Timothy J.; Mansell, Joanne; Suchodolski, Jan S.; Rodrigues Hoffmann, Aline

2017-01-01

Background The skin is inhabited by a multitude of microorganisms. An imbalance of these microorganisms is associated with disease, however, the causal relationship between skin microbiota and disease remains unknown. To describe the cutaneous bacterial microbiota of cats and determine whether bacterial dysbiosis occurs on the skin of allergic cats, the skin surfaces on various regions of 11 healthy cats and 10 allergic cats were sampled. Methodology/Principal findings Genomic DNA was extracted from skin swabs and sequenced using primers that target the V4 region of the bacterial 16S rRNA. The bacterial sequences from healthy cats revealed that there are differences in species diversity and richness between body sites and different epithelial surfaces. Bacterial communities preferred body site niches in the healthy cats, however, the bacterial communities on allergic cat skin tended to be more unique to the individual cat. Overall, the number of bacterial species was not significantly different between the two health status groups, however, the abundances of these bacterial species were different between healthy and allergic skin. Staphylococcus, in addition to other taxa, was more abundant on allergic skin. Conclusions/Significance This study reveals that there are more bacterial species inhabiting the skin of cats than previously thought and provide some evidence of an association between dysbiosis and skin disease. PMID:28575016

Vector-Borne Bacterial Plant Pathogens: Interactions with Hemipteran Insects and Plants

PubMed Central

Perilla-Henao, Laura M.; Casteel, Clare L.

2016-01-01

Hemipteran insects are devastating pests of crops due to their wide host range, rapid reproduction, and ability to transmit numerous plant-infecting pathogens as vectors. While the field of plant–virus–vector interactions has flourished in recent years, plant–bacteria–vector interactions remain poorly understood. Leafhoppers and psyllids are by far the most important vectors of bacterial pathogens, yet there are still significant gaps in our understanding of their feeding behavior, salivary secretions, and plant responses as compared to important viral vectors, such as whiteflies and aphids. Even with an incomplete understanding of plant–bacteria–vector interactions, some common themes have emerged: (1) all known vector-borne bacteria share the ability to propagate in the plant and insect host; (2) particular hemipteran families appear to be incapable of transmitting vector-borne bacteria; (3) all known vector-borne bacteria have highly reduced genomes and coding capacity, resulting in host-dependence; and (4) vector-borne bacteria encode proteins that are essential for colonization of specific hosts, though only a few types of proteins have been investigated. Here, we review the current knowledge on important vector-borne bacterial pathogens, including Xylella fastidiosa, Spiroplasma spp., Liberibacter spp., and ‘Candidatus Phytoplasma spp.’. We then highlight recent approaches used in the study of vector-borne bacteria. Finally, we discuss the application of this knowledge for control and future directions that will need to be addressed in the field of vector–plant–bacteria interactions. PMID:27555855

Revised Phylogeny and Novel Horizontally Acquired Virulence Determinants of the Model Soft Rot Phytopathogen Pectobacterium wasabiae SCC3193

PubMed Central

Koskinen, Patrik; Nokso-Koivisto, Jussi; Pasanen, Miia; Broberg, Martin; Plyusnin, Ilja; Törönen, Petri; Holm, Liisa; Pirhonen, Minna; Palva, E. Tapio

2012-01-01

Soft rot disease is economically one of the most devastating bacterial diseases affecting plants worldwide. In this study, we present novel insights into the phylogeny and virulence of the soft rot model Pectobacterium sp. SCC3193, which was isolated from a diseased potato stem in Finland in the early 1980s. Genomic approaches, including proteome and genome comparisons of all sequenced soft rot bacteria, revealed that SCC3193, previously included in the species Pectobacterium carotovorum, can now be more accurately classified as Pectobacterium wasabiae. Together with the recently revised phylogeny of a few P. carotovorum strains and an increasing number of studies on P. wasabiae, our work indicates that P. wasabiae has been unnoticed but present in potato fields worldwide. A combination of genomic approaches and in planta experiments identified features that separate SCC3193 and other P. wasabiae strains from the rest of soft rot bacteria, such as the absence of a type III secretion system that contributes to virulence of other soft rot species. Experimentally established virulence determinants include the putative transcriptional regulator SirB, two partially redundant type VI secretion systems and two horizontally acquired clusters (Vic1 and Vic2), which contain predicted virulence genes. Genome comparison also revealed other interesting traits that may be related to life in planta or other specific environmental conditions. These traits include a predicted benzoic acid/salicylic acid carboxyl methyltransferase of eukaryotic origin. The novelties found in this work indicate that soft rot bacteria have a reservoir of unknown traits that may be utilized in the poorly understood latent stage in planta. The genomic approaches and the comparison of the model strain SCC3193 to other sequenced Pectobacterium strains, including the type strain of P. wasabiae, provides a solid basis for further investigation of the virulence, distribution and phylogeny of soft rot bacteria and, potentially, other bacteria as well. PMID:23133391

Field Management of Chemical Casualties Handbook, Second Edition

DTIC Science & Technology

2000-07-01

Treatment of disease: none, other than supportive care. Tularemia Tularemia is a zoonotic , bacterial disease with a variety of clinical...chloramphenicol are other alternatives. All are effective if used early in the course of disease. Anthrax Anthrax is an acute bacterial zoonotic disease...animals (cattle, sheep , goats) and ticks. Spread by airborne dissemination of infected excreta and also by direct contact with infected animal products

Update on bacterial meningitis: epidemiology, trials and genetic association studies.

PubMed

Kasanmoentalib, E Soemirien; Brouwer, Matthijs C; van de Beek, Diederik

2013-06-01

Bacterial meningitis is a life-threatening disease that continues to inflict a heavy toll. We reviewed recent advances in vaccination, randomized studies on treatment, and genetic association studies in bacterial meningitis. The incidence of bacterial meningitis has decreased after implementation of vaccines, and further implementation of existing conjugate vaccines particularly in low-income countries is expected to reduce the global disease burden. Several randomized studies have been performed recently in this field. Clinical studies showed that short duration (5 days) of antibiotic treatment is as effective as longer duration treatment in low-income countries, and that dexamethasone decreases death and neurological sequelae in high-income countries. Ongoing trials will further define the role of paracetamol, glycerol and hypothermia in bacterial meningitis. Genetic association studies identified pathophysiological mechanisms that could be counteracted in experimental meningitis, providing promising leads for future treatments. Conjugate vaccines have reduced the burden of bacterial meningitis in high-income countries, but implementation of available vaccines in low-income countries is necessary to reduce disease burden worldwide. Adjunctive dexamethasone therapy has beneficial effects in patients with bacterial meningitis but only in high-income countries. Genetic association studies may reveal targets for new treatment strategies.

Bioorganic Fertilizer Enhances Soil Suppressive Capacity against Bacterial Wilt of Tomato

PubMed Central

Liu, Shuangri; Chai, Rushan; Huang, Weiqing; Liu, Xingxing; Tang, Caixian; Zhang, Yongsong

2015-01-01

Tomato bacterial wilt caused by Ralstonia solanacearum is one of the most destructive soil-borne diseases. Many strategies have been taken to improve soil suppressiveness against this destructive disease, but limited success has been achieved. In this study, a novel bioorganic fertilizer revealed a higher suppressive ability against bacterial wilt compared with several soil management methods in the field over four growing seasons from March 2011 to July 2013. The application of the bioorganic fertilizer significantly (P<0.05) reduced disease incidence of tomato and increased fruit yields in four independent trials. The association among the level of disease incidence, soil physicochemical and biological properties was investigated. The soil treated with the bioorganic fertilizer increased soil pH value, electric conductivity, organic carbon, NH4 +-N, NO3 --N and available K content, microbial activities and microbial biomass carbon content, which were positively related with soil suppressiveness. Bacterial and actinomycete populations assessed using classical plate counts were highest, whereas R. solanacearum and fungal populations were lowest in soil applied with the bioorganic fertilizer. Microbial community diversity and richness were assessed using denaturing gel gradient electrophoresis profile analysis. The soil treated with the bioorganic fertilizer exhibited higher bacterial community diversity but lower fungal community diversity. Redundancy analysis showed that bacterial community diversity and richness negatively related with bacterial wilt suppressiveness, while fungal community richness positively correlated with R. solanacearum population. We concluded that the alteration of soil physicochemical and biological properties in soil treated with the bioorganic fertilizer induced the soil suppressiveness against tomato bacterial wilt. PMID:25830639

Population dynamics of bacteria associated with different strains of the pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus after inoculation in maritime pine (Pinus pinaster).

PubMed

Roriz, Mariana; Santos, Carla; Vasconcelos, Marta W

2011-08-01

For a long time it was thought that Bursaphelenchus xylophilus was the only agent of the pine wilt disease. Recently, it was discovered that there are bacteria associated with the nematodes that contribute to the pathogenesis of this disease, mainly through the release of toxins that promote the death of the pines. Among the species most commonly found, are bacteria belonging to the Bacillus, Pantoea, Pseudomonas and Xanthomonas genera. The main objective of this work was to study the effect of inoculation of maritime pine (Pinus pinaster) with four different nematode isolates, in the bacterial population of nematodes and trees, at different stages of disease progression. The monitoring of progression of disease symptoms was also recorded. Also, the identification of bacteria isolated from the xylem of trees and the surface of nematodes was performed by classical identification methods, by the API20E identification system and by sequencing of bacterial DNA. The results showed that for the symptoms progression, the most striking difference was observed for the pines inoculated with the avirulent isolate, C14-5, which led to a slower and less severe aggravation of symptoms than in pines inoculated with the virulent isolates. In general, it was found that bacterial population, inside the tree, increased with disease progression. A superior bacterial quantity was isolated from pines inoculated with the nematode isolates HF and 20, and, comparatively, few bacteria were isolated from pines inoculated with the avirulent isolate. The identification system API20E was insufficient in the identification of bacterial species; Enterobacter cloacae species was identified in 79% of the isolated bacterial colonies and seven of these colonies could not be identified by this method. Molecular identification methods, through bacterial DNA sequencing, allowed a more reliable identification: eleven different bacterial species within the Bacillus, Citrobacter, Enterobacter, Escherichia, Klebsiella, Paenibacillus, Pantoea and Terribacillus genera were identified. General bacterial diversity increased with the progression of the disease. Bacillus spp. were predominant at the earlier stage of disease progression and Klebsiella oxytoca at the later stages. Furthermore, bacterial species isolated from the surface of nematodes were similar to those isolated from the xylem of pines. In the present work new bacterial species were identified which have never been reported before in this type of study and may be associated with their geographical origin (Portugal). P. pinaster, the pine species used in this study, was different from those commonly grown in Japan and China. Furthermore, it was the first time that bacteria were isolated and identified from an avirulent pine wood nematode isolate. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

This tree is not big enough for the both of us: symptoms of Phytophthora ramorum on California bay laurel are lower when insect herbivores are abundant

Treesearch

Kerry E. Wininger; Nathan Rank

2017-01-01

Leaves of California bay laurel (Umbellularia californica) are considered the primary natural source of inoculum for the devastating forest disease sudden oak death (Phytophthora ramorum), and yet this plant and the insects associated with its leaves remain understudied. This is unfortunate due to the role herbivorous...

Draft Genome Sequence of White Spot Syndrome Virus Isolated from Cultured Litopenaeus vannamei in Mexico

PubMed Central

Rodriguez-Anaya, Libia Zulema; Gonzalez-Galaviz, Jose Reyes; Casillas-Hernandez, Ramón; Lares-Villa, Fernando; Estrada, Karel

2016-01-01

The first genome sequence of a Mexican white spot syndrome virus is presented here. White spot syndrome is a shrimp pandemic virus that has devastated production in Mexico for more than 10 years. The availability of this genome will greatly aid epidemiological studies worldwide, contributing to the molecular diagnostic and disease prevention in shrimp farming. PMID:26966222

CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Gene Editing in Rice (Oryza sativa L. japonica cv. Katy) for Stable Resistance against Blast Fungus (Magnaporthe oryzae)

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Rice blast is a recurring and devastating disease in the USA and worldwide. In the USA, the blast-resistance (R) genes found in a tropical japonica cultivar, Katy, reduce blast damages from 1990 to present. The cultivar is still used as a principal donor of blast R genes in developing numerous elit...

De novo assembly and phasing of dikaryotic genomes from two isolates of Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae, the causal agent of oat crown rust

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Oat crown rust, caused by the fungus Puccinia coronata f. sp. avenae (Pca), is a devastating disease that impacts worldwide oat production. For much of its life cycle Pca is dikaryotic with two separate haploid nuclei that may vary in virulence genotypes, which highlights the importance of understan...

Use of Multiple Sequencing Technologies To Produce a High-Quality Genome of the Fungus Pseudogymnoascus destructans, the Causative Agent of Bat White-Nose Syndrome.

PubMed

Drees, Kevin P; Palmer, Jonathan M; Sebra, Robert; Lorch, Jeffrey M; Chen, Cynthia; Wu, Cheng-Cang; Bok, Jin Woo; Keller, Nancy P; Blehert, David S; Cuomo, Christina A; Lindner, Daniel L; Foster, Jeffrey T

2016-06-30

White-nose syndrome has recently emerged as one of the most devastating wildlife diseases recorded, causing widespread mortality in numerous bat species throughout eastern North America. Here, we present an improved reference genome of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans for use in comparative genomic studies. Copyright © 2016 Drees et al.

Disease-specific Alterations in the Enteric Virome in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

PubMed Central

Norman, Jason M.; Handley, Scott A.; Baldridge, Megan T.; Droit, Lindsay; Liu, Catherine Y.; Keller, Brian C.; Kambal, Amal; Monaco, Cynthia L.; Zhao, Guoyan; Fleshner, Phillip; Stappenbeck, Thaddeus S.; McGovern, Dermot P.B.; Keshavarzian, Ali; Mutlu, Ece A.; Sauk, Jenny; Gevers, Dirk; Xavier, Ramnik J.; Wang, David; Parkes, Miles; Virgin, Herbert W.

2015-01-01

SUMMARY Decreases in the diversity of enteric bacterial populations are observed in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC). Less is known about the virome in these diseases. We show that the enteric virome is abnormal in CD and UC patients. In-depth analysis of preparations enriched for free virions in the intestine revealed that CD and UC were associated with a significant expansion of Caudovirales bacteriophages. The viromes of CD and UC patients were disease- and cohort-specific. Importantly, it did not appear that expansion and diversification of the enteric virome was secondary to changes in bacterial populations. These data support a model in which changes in the virome may contribute to intestinal inflammation and bacterial dysbiosis. We conclude that the virome is a candidate for contributing to, or being a biomarker for, human inflammatory bowel disease and speculate that the enteric virome may play a role in other diseases. PMID:25619688

Community-acquired bacterial meningitis.

PubMed

Costerus, Joost M; Brouwer, Matthijs C; Bijlsma, Merijn W; van de Beek, Diederik

2017-02-01

Bacterial meningitis is a medical emergency and is associated with a high disease burden. We reviewed recent progress in the management of patients with community-acquired bacterial meningitis. The worldwide burden of disease of bacterial meningitis remains high, despite the decreasing incidence following introduction of routine vaccination campaigns. Delay in diagnosis and treatment remain major concerns in the management of acute bacterial meningitis. European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases guidelines strive for a door-to-antibiotic-time less than 1 h. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) has emerged as an important diagnostic tool to identify the causative organism. Point-of-care tests using fast multiplex PCR have been developed, but additional value has not been proven. Although anecdotal observations advocate pressure-based management, a randomized controlled trial will need to be performed first to determine efficacy and safety of such an aggressive treatment approach. Adjunctive dexamethasone remains the only adjunctive therapy with proven efficacy. The incidence of bacterial meningitis has been decreasing after the implementation of effective vaccines. Treatment should be administered as soon as possible and time to treatment should not exceed 1 h.

Rapid, portable, multiplexed detection of bacterial pathogens directly from clinical sample matrices

DOE PAGES

Phaneuf, Christopher R.; Mangadu, Betty Lou Bosano; Piccini, Matthew E.; ...

2016-09-23

Enteric and diarrheal diseases are a major cause of childhood illness and death in countries with developing economies. Each year, more than half of a million children under the age of five die from these diseases. We have developed a portable, microfluidic platform capable of simultaneous, multiplexed detection of several of the bacterial pathogens that cause these diseases. Furthermore, this platform can perform fast, sensitive immunoassays directly from relevant, complex clinical matrices such as stool without extensive sample cleanup or preparation. Using only 1 µL of sample per assay, we demonstrate simultaneous multiplexed detection of four bacterial pathogens implicated inmore » diarrheal and enteric diseases in less than 20 min.« less

Rapid, portable, multiplexed detection of bacterial pathogens directly from clinical sample matrices

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Phaneuf, Christopher R.; Mangadu, Betty Lou Bosano; Piccini, Matthew E.

Enteric and diarrheal diseases are a major cause of childhood illness and death in countries with developing economies. Each year, more than half of a million children under the age of five die from these diseases. We have developed a portable, microfluidic platform capable of simultaneous, multiplexed detection of several of the bacterial pathogens that cause these diseases. Furthermore, this platform can perform fast, sensitive immunoassays directly from relevant, complex clinical matrices such as stool without extensive sample cleanup or preparation. Using only 1 µL of sample per assay, we demonstrate simultaneous multiplexed detection of four bacterial pathogens implicated inmore » diarrheal and enteric diseases in less than 20 min.« less

Use of Pneumococcal Disease Epidemiology to Set Policy and Prevent Disease during 20 Years of the Emerging Infections Program.

PubMed

Moore, Matthew R; Whitney, Cynthia G

2015-09-01

Two decades ago, the Emerging Infections Program of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention implemented what seemed like a simple yet novel idea: a population- and laboratory-based surveillance system designed to identify and characterize invasive bacterial infections, including those caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae. This system, known as Active Bacterial Core surveillance, has since served as a flexible platform for following trends in invasive pneumococcal disease and studying vaccination as the most effective method for prevention. We report the contributions of Active Bacterial Core surveillance to every pneumococcal vaccine policy decision in the United States during the past 20 years.

Primary immunodeficiencies predisposed to Epstein-Barr virus-driven haematological diseases.

PubMed

Parvaneh, Nima; Filipovich, Alexandra H; Borkhardt, Arndt

2013-09-01

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a ubiquitous human herpesvirus, maintains lifelong subclinical persistent infections in humans. In the circulation, EBV primarily infects the B cells, and protective immunity is mediated by EBV-specific cytotoxic T cells (CTLs) and natural killer (NK) cells. However, EBV has been linked to several devastating diseases, such as haemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis (HLH) and lymphoproliferative diseases in the immunocompromised host. Some types of primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are characterized by the development of EBV-associated complications as their predominant clinical feature. The study of such genetic diseases presents an ideal opportunity for a better understanding of the biology of the immune responses against EBV. Here, we summarize the range of PIDs that are predisposed to EBV-associated haematological diseases, describing their clinical picture and pathogenetic mechanisms. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Software support for Huntingtons disease research.

PubMed Central

Conneally, P. M.; Gersting, J. M.; Gray, J. M.; Beidleman, K.; Wexler, N. S.; Smith, C. L.

1991-01-01

Huntingtons disease (HD) is a hereditary disorder involving the central nervous system. Its effects are devastating, to the affected person as well as his family. The Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics at Indiana University (IU) plays an integral part in Huntingtons research by providing computerized repositories of HD family information for researchers and families. The National Huntingtons Disease Research Roster, founded in 1979 at IU, and the Huntingtons Disease in Venezuela Project database contain information that has proven to be invaluable in the worldwide field of HD research. This paper addresses the types of information stored in each database, the pedigree database program (MEGADATS) used to manage the data, and significant findings that have resulted from access to the data. PMID:1839672

Kinetoplastids: related protozoan pathogens, different diseases

PubMed Central

Stuart, Ken; Brun, Reto; Croft, Simon; Fairlamb, Alan; Gürtler, Ricardo E.; McKerrow, Jim; Reed, Steve; Tarleton, Rick

2008-01-01

Kinetoplastids are a group of flagellated protozoans that include the species Trypanosoma and Leishmania, which are human pathogens with devastating health and economic effects. The sequencing of the genomes of some of these species has highlighted their genetic relatedness and underlined differences in the diseases that they cause. As we discuss in this Review, steady progress using a combination of molecular, genetic, immunologic, and clinical approaches has substantially increased understanding of these pathogens and important aspects of the diseases that they cause. Consequently, the paths for developing additional measures to control these “neglected diseases” are becoming increasingly clear, and we believe that the opportunities for developing the drugs, diagnostics, vaccines, and other tools necessary to expand the armamentarium to combat these diseases have never been better. PMID:18382742

Gut microbiome composition is associated with cardiac disease in zoo-housed western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla).

PubMed

Krynak, Katherine L; Burke, David J; Martin, Ryan A; Dennis, Patricia M

2017-08-15

Cardiac disease is a leading cause of mortality in zoo-housed western lowland gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). The gut microbiome is associated with cardiac disease in humans and similarly the gut microbiome may be associated with cardiac diseases in close relatives of humans, such as gorillas. We assessed the relationship between cardiac disease and gut bacterial composition in eight zoo-housed male western lowland gorillas (N = 4 with and N = 4 without cardiac disease) utilizing 16S rRNA gene analysis on the Illumina MiSeq sequencing platform. We found bacterial composition differences between gorillas with and without cardiac disease. Bacterial operational taxonomic units from phyla Bacteroidetes, Spirochaetes, Proteobacteria and Firmicutes were significant indicators of cardiac disease. Our results suggest that further investigations between diet and cardiac disease could improve the management and health of zoo-housed populations of this endangered species. © FEMS 2017. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Expression levels of antimicrobial peptide tachyplesin I in transgenic Ornithogalum lines affect the resistance to Pectobacterium infection.

PubMed

Lipsky, Alexander; Joshi, Janak Raj; Carmi, Nir; Yedidia, Iris

2016-11-20

The genus Ornithogalum includes several ornamental species that suffer substantial losses from bacterial soft rot caused by Pectobacteria. The absence of effective control measures for use against soft rot bacteria led to the initiation of a project in which a small antimicrobial peptide from an Asian horseshoe crab, tachyplesin (tpnI), was introduced into two commercial cultivars: O. dubium and O. thyrsoides. Disease severity and bacterial colonization were examined in transgenic lines expressing this peptide. Disease resistance was evaluated in six lines of each species by measuring bacterial proliferation in the plant tissue. Three transgenic lines of each species were subjected to further analysis in which the expression level of the transgene was evaluated using RT-PCR and qRT-PCR. The development of disease symptoms and bacterial colonization of the plant tissue were also examined using GFP-expressing strain of P. carotovorum subsp. brasiliense Pcb3. Confocal-microscopy imaging revealed significantly reduced quantities of bacterial cells in the transgenic plant lines that had been challenged with the bacterium. The results clearly demonstrate that tpnI expression reduces bacterial proliferation, colonization and disease symptom (reduced by 95-100%) in the transgenic plant tissues. The quantity of tpnI transcripts, as measured by qRT-PCR, was negatively correlated with the protection afforded to the plants, as measured by the reduced severity of disease symptoms in the tissue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cuticles of European and American lobsters harbor diverse bacterial species and differ in disease susceptibility.

PubMed

Whitten, Miranda M A; Davies, Charlotte E; Kim, Anita; Tlusty, Michael; Wootton, Emma C; Chistoserdov, Andrei; Rowley, Andrew F

2014-06-01

Diseases of lobster shells have a significant impact on fishing industries but the risk of disease transmission between different lobster species has yet to be properly investigated. This study compared bacterial biofilm communities from American (Homarus americanus) and European lobsters (H. gammarus), to assess both healthy cuticle and diseased cuticle during lesion formation. Culture-independent molecular techniques revealed diversity in the bacterial communities of cuticle biofilms both within and between the two lobster species, and identified three bacterial genera associated with shell lesions plus two putative beneficial bacterial species (detected exclusively in healthy cuticle or healing damaged cuticle). In an experimental aquarium shared between American and European lobsters, heterospecific transmission of potentially pathogenic bacteria appeared to be very limited; however, the claws of European lobsters were more likely to develop lesions when reared in the presence of American lobsters. Aquarium biofilms were also examined but revealed no candidate pathogens for environmental transmission. Aquimarina sp. 'homaria' (a potential pathogen associated with a severe epizootic form of shell disease) was detected at a much higher prevalence among American than European lobsters, but its presence correlated more with exacerbation of existing lesions rather than with lesion initiation. © 2014 The Authors. MicrobiologyOpen published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Agreement between microscopic examination and bacterial culture of bile samples for detection of bactibilia in dogs and cats with hepatobiliary disease.

PubMed

Pashmakova, Medora B; Piccione, Julie; Bishop, Micah A; Nelson, Whitney R; Lawhon, Sara D

2017-05-01

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the agreement between results of microscopic examination and bacterial culture of bile samples from dogs and cats with hepatobiliary disease for detection of bactibilia. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. ANIMALS 31 dogs and 21 cats with hepatobiliary disease for which subsequent microscopic examination and bacterial culture of bile samples was performed from 2004 through 2014. PROCEDURES Electronic medical records of included dogs and cats were reviewed to extract data regarding diagnosis, antimicrobials administered, and results of microscopic examination and bacterial culture of bile samples. Agreement between these 2 diagnostic tests was assessed by calculation of the Cohen κ value. RESULTS 17 (33%) dogs and cats had bactibilia identified by microscopic examination of bile samples, and 11 (21%) had bactibilia identified via bacterial culture. Agreement between these 2 tests was substantial (percentage agreement [positive and negative results], 85%; κ = 0.62; 95% confidence interval, 0.38 to 0.89) and improved to almost perfect when calculated for only animals that received no antimicrobials within 24 hours prior to sample collection (percentage agreement, 94%; κ = 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.61 to 1.00). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicated that agreement between microscopic examination and bacterial culture of bile samples for detection of bactibilia is optimized when dogs and cats are not receiving antimicrobials at the time of sample collection. Concurrent bacterial culture and microscopic examination of bile samples are recommended for all cats and dogs evaluated for hepatobiliary disease.

The relationship between stress and Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Justice, Nicholas J

2018-02-01

Stress is critically involved in the development and progression of disease. From the stress of undergoing treatments to facing your own mortality, the physiological processes that stress drives have a serious detrimental effect on the ability to heal, cope and maintain a positive quality of life. This is becoming increasingly clear in the case of neurodegenerative diseases. Neurodegenerative diseases involve the devastating loss of cognitive and motor function which is stressful in itself, but can also disrupt neural circuits that mediate stress responses. Disrupting these circuits produces aberrant emotional and aggressive behavior that causes long-term care to be especially difficult. In addition, added stress drives progression of the disease and can exacerbate symptoms. In this review, I describe how neural and endocrine pathways activated by stress interact with ongoing neurodegenerative disease from both a clinical and experimental perspective.

Rare ocular manifestations in an 11-year-old girl with incomplete Kawasaki disease: A case report.

PubMed

Gao, Yunxia; Zhang, Yifan; Lu, Fang; Wang, Xiaoyue; Zhang, Ming

2018-06-01

Kawasaki disease is a necrotizing vasculitis featuring fever, erythema, conjunctivitis, and lymphadenopathy. Ocular manifestations in Kawasaki disease are commonly limited to anterior segment, posterior segment lesions are rarely reported. We report a unique case of ocular manifestations in an 11-year-old girl with incomplete Kawasaki disease. An 11-year-old Asian girl presented with severe enophthalmos, retinitis, retinal detachment, and choroidal detachment secondary to an unexplained fever for 10 days. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first documented case of incomplete Kawasaki disease with severe posterior segment lesions. The local use of dexamethasone in the eye was effective in our patient. Surgical intervention might not be necessary even though the initial symptoms could be devastating. The eye should be monitoring the eye routinely in patients with Kawasaki disease.

Seasonal dynamics of bacterial meningitis: a time-series analysis.

PubMed

Paireau, Juliette; Chen, Angelica; Broutin, Helene; Grenfell, Bryan; Basta, Nicole E

2016-06-01

Bacterial meningitis, which is caused mainly by Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, inflicts a substantial burden of disease worldwide. Yet, the temporal dynamics of this disease are poorly characterised and many questions remain about the ecology of the disease. We aimed to comprehensively assess seasonal trends in bacterial meningitis on a global scale. We developed the first bacterial meningitis global database by compiling monthly incidence data as reported by country-level surveillance systems. Using country-level wavelet analysis, we identified whether a 12 month periodic component (annual seasonality) was detected in time-series that had at least 5 years of data with at least 40 cases reported per year. We estimated the mean timing of disease activity by computing the centre of gravity of the distribution of cases and investigated whether synchrony exists between the three pathogens responsible for most cases of bacterial meningitis. We used country-level data from 66 countries, including from 47 countries outside the meningitis belt in sub-Saharan Africa. A persistent seasonality was detected in 49 (96%) of the 51 time-series from 38 countries eligible for inclusion in the wavelet analyses. The mean timing of disease activity had a latitudinal trend, with bacterial meningitis seasons peaking during the winter months in countries in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The three pathogens shared similar seasonality, but time-shifts differed slightly by country. Our findings provide key insight into the seasonal dynamics of bacterial meningitis and add to knowledge about the global epidemiology of meningitis and the host, environment, and pathogen characteristics driving these patterns. Comprehensive understanding of global seasonal trends in meningitis could be used to design more effective prevention and control strategies. Princeton University Health Grand Challenge, US National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIH Fogarty International Center Research and Policy for Infectious Disease Dynamics programme (RAPIDD), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Copyright © 2016 Paireau et al. Open Access article distributed under the terms of CC BY NC-ND. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Seasonal dynamics of bacterial meningitis: a time-series analysis

PubMed Central

Paireau, Juliette; Chen, Angelica; Broutin, Helene; Grenfell, Bryan; Basta, Nicole E

2017-01-01

Summary Background Bacterial meningitis, which is caused mainly by Neisseria meningitidis, Haemophilus influenzae, and Streptococcus pneumoniae, inflicts a substantial burden of disease worldwide. Yet, the temporal dynamics of this disease are poorly characterised and many questions remain about the ecology of the disease. We aimed to comprehensively assess seasonal trends in bacterial meningitis on a global scale. Methods We developed the first bacterial meningitis global database by compiling monthly incidence data as reported by country-level surveillance systems. Using country-level wavelet analysis, we identified whether a 12 month periodic component (annual seasonality) was detected in time-series that had at least 5 years of data with at least 40 cases reported per year. We estimated the mean timing of disease activity by computing the centre of gravity of the distribution of cases and investigated whether synchrony exists between the three pathogens responsible for most cases of bacterial meningitis. Findings We used country-level data from 66 countries, including from 47 countries outside the meningitis belt in sub-Saharan Africa. A persistent seasonality was detected in 49 (96%) of the 51 time-series from 38 countries eligible for inclusion in the wavelet analyses. The mean timing of disease activity had a latitudinal trend, with bacterial meningitis seasons peaking during the winter months in countries in both the northern and southern hemispheres. The three pathogens shared similar seasonality, but time-shifts differed slightly by country. Interpretation Our findings provide key insight into the seasonal dynamics of bacterial meningitis and add to knowledge about the global epidemiology of meningitis and the host, environment, and pathogen characteristics driving these patterns. Comprehensive understanding of global seasonal trends in meningitis could be used to design more effective prevention and control strategies. Funding Princeton University Health Grand Challenge, US National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIH Fogarty International Center Research and Policy for Infectious Disease Dynamics programme (RAPIDD), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. PMID:27198841

Intestinal REG3 Lectins Protect Against Alcoholic Steatohepatitis by Reducing Mucosa-Associated Microbiota and Preventing Bacterial Translocation

PubMed Central

Wang, Lirui; Fouts, Derrick E.; Stärkel, Peter; Hartmann, Phillipp; Chen, Peng; Llorente, Cristina; DePew, Jessica; Moncera, Kelvin; Ho, Samuel B.; Brenner, David A.; Hooper, Lora V.; Schnabl, Bernd

2016-01-01

Summary Approximately half of all deaths from liver cirrhosis, the 10th leading cause of mortality in the United States, are related to alcohol use. Chronic alcohol consumption is accompanied by intestinal dysbiosis and bacterial overgrowth, yet little is known about the factors that alter the microbial composition or their contribution to liver disease. We previously associated chronic alcohol consumption with lower intestinal levels of the antimicrobial-regenerating islet-derived (REG)-3 lectins. Here, we demonstrate that intestinal deficiency in REG3B or REG3G increases numbers of mucosa-associated bacteria and enhances bacterial translocation to the mesenteric lymph nodes and liver, promoting the progression of ethanol-induced fatty liver disease toward steatohepatitis. Overexpression of Reg3g in intestinal epithelial cells restricts bacterial colonization of mucosal surfaces, reduces bacterial translocation, and protects mice from alcohol-induced steatohepatitis. Thus, alcohol appears to impair control of the mucosa-associated microbiota, and subsequent breach of the mucosal barrier facilitates progression of alcoholic liver disease. PMID:26867181

Towards revealing the structure of bacterial inclusion bodies

PubMed Central

2009-01-01

Protein aggregation is a widely observed phenomenon in human diseases, biopharmaceutical production, and biological research. Protein aggregates are generally classified as highly ordered, such as amyloid fibrils, or amorphous, such as bacterial inclusion bodies. Amyloid fibrils are elongated filaments with diameters of 6–12 nm, they are comprised of residue-specific cross-β structure, and display characteristic properties, such as binding with amyloid-specific dyes. Amyloid fibrils are associated with dozens of human pathological conditions, including Alzheimer disease and prion diseases. Distinguished from amyloid fibrils, bacterial inclusion bodies display apparent amorphous morphology. Inclusion bodies are formed during high-level recombinant protein production, and formation of inclusion bodies is a major concern in biotechnology. Despite of the distinctive morphological difference, bacterial inclusion bodies have been found to have some amyloid-like properties, suggesting that they might contain structures similar to amyloid-like fibrils. Recent structural data further support this hypothesis, and this review summarizes the latest progress towards revealing the structural details of bacterial inclusion bodies. PMID:19806034

Towards revealing the structure of bacterial inclusion bodies.

PubMed

Wang, Lei

2009-01-01

Protein aggregation is a widely observed phenomenon in human diseases, biopharmaceutical production, and biological research. Protein aggregates are generally classified as highly ordered, such as amyloid fibrils, or amorphous, such as bacterial inclusion bodies. Amyloid fibrils are elongated filaments with diameters of 6-12 nm, they are comprised of residue-specific cross-beta structure, and display characteristic properties, such as binding with amyloid-specific dyes. Amyloid fibrils are associated with dozens of human pathological conditions, including Alzheimer disease and prion diseases. Distinguished from amyloid fibrils, bacterial inclusion bodies display apparent amorphous morphology. Inclusion bodies are formed during high-level recombinant protein production, and formation of inclusion bodies is a major concern in biotechnology. Despite of the distinctive morphological difference, bacterial inclusion bodies have been found to have some amyloid-like properties, suggesting that they might contain structures similar to amyloid-like fibrils. Recent structural data further support this hypothesis, and this review summarizes the latest progress towards revealing the structural details of bacterial inclusion bodies.

Perspectives on the Transition From Bacterial Phytopathogen Genomics Studies to Applications Enhancing Disease Management: From Promise to Practice.

PubMed

Sundin, George W; Wang, Nian; Charkowski, Amy O; Castiblanco, Luisa F; Jia, Hongge; Zhao, Youfu

2016-10-01

The advent of genomics has advanced science into a new era, providing a plethora of "toys" for researchers in many related and disparate fields. Genomics has also spawned many new fields, including proteomics and metabolomics, furthering our ability to gain a more comprehensive view of individual organisms and of interacting organisms. Genomic information of both bacterial pathogens and their hosts has provided the critical starting point in understanding the molecular bases of how pathogens disrupt host cells to cause disease. In addition, knowledge of the complete genome sequence of the pathogen provides a potentially broad slate of targets for the development of novel virulence inhibitors that are desperately needed for disease management. Regarding plant bacterial pathogens and disease management, the potential for utilizing genomics resources in the development of durable resistance is enhanced because of developing technologies that enable targeted modification of the host. Here, we summarize the role of genomics studies in furthering efforts to manage bacterial plant diseases and highlight novel genomics-enabled strategies heading down this path.

Lesion bacterial communities in American lobsters with diet-induced shell disease.

PubMed

Quinn, Robert A; Metzler, Anita; Tlusty, Michael; Smolowitz, Roxanna M; Leberg, Paul; Chistoserdov, Andrei Y

2012-04-26

In southern New England, USA, shell disease affects the profitability of the American lobster Homarus americanus fishery. In laboratory trials using juvenile lobsters, exclusive feeding of herring Clupea harengus induces shell disease typified initially by small melanized spots that progress into distinct lesions. Amongst a cohabitated, but segregated, cohort of 11 juvenile lobsters fed exclusively herring, bacterial communities colonizing spots and lesions were investigated by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of 16S rDNA amplified using 1 group-specific and 2 universal primer sets. The Bacteroidetes and Proteobacteria predominated in both spots and lesions and included members of the orders Flavobacteriales (Bacteriodetes), Rhodobacterales, Rhodospirillales and Rhizobiales (Alphaproteobacteria), Xanthomonadales (Gammaproteobacteria) and unclassified Gammaproteobacteria. Bacterial communities in spot lesions displayed more diversity than communities with larger (older) lesions, indicating that the lesion communities stabilize over time. At least 8 bacterial types persisted as lesions developed from spots. Aquimarina 'homaria', a species commonly cultured from lesions present on wild lobsters with epizootic shell disease, was found ubiquitously in spots and lesions, as was the 'Candidatus Kopriimonas aquarianus', implicating putative roles of these species in diet-induced shell disease of captive lobsters.

A role for bacterial urease in gut dysbiosis and Crohn’s disease

PubMed Central

Ni, Josephine; Shen, Ting-Chin David; Chen, Eric Z.; Bittinger, Kyle; Bailey, Aubrey; Roggiani, Manuela; Sirota-Madi, Alexandra; Friedman, Elliot S.; Chau, Lillian; Lin, Andrew; Nissim, Ilana; Scott, Justin; Lauder, Abigail; Hoffmann, Christian; Rivas, Gloriany; Albenberg, Lindsey; Baldassano, Robert N.; Braun, Jonathan; Xavier, Ramnik J.; Clish, Clary B.; Yudkoff, Marc; Li, Hongzhe; Goulian, Mark; Bushman, Frederic D.; Lewis, James D.; Wu, Gary D.

2018-01-01

Gut dysbiosis during inflammatory bowel disease involves alterations in the gut microbiota associated with inflammation of the host gut. We used a combination of shotgun metagenomic sequencing and metabolomics to analyze fecal samples from pediatric patients with Crohn’s disease and found an association between disease severity, gut dysbiosis, and bacterial production of free amino acids. Nitrogen flux studies using 15N in mice showed that activity of bacterial urease, an enzyme that releases ammonia by hydrolysis of host urea, led to the transfer of murine host-derived nitrogen to the gutmicrobiota where it was used for amino acid synthesis. Inoculation of a conventional murine host (pretreated with antibiotics and polyethylene glycol) with commensal Escherichia coli engineered to express urease led to dysbiosis of the gut microbiota, resulting in a predominance of Proteobacteria species. This was associated with a worsening of immune-mediated colitis in these animals. A potential role for altered urease expression and nitrogen flux in the development of gut dysbiosis suggests that bacterial urease may be a potential therapeutic target for inflammatory bowel diseases. PMID:29141885

Probing amyloid protein aggregation with optical superresolution methods: from the test tube to models of disease

PubMed Central

Kaminski, Clemens F.; Kaminski Schierle, Gabriele S.

2016-01-01

Abstract. The misfolding and self-assembly of intrinsically disordered proteins into insoluble amyloid structures are central to many neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Optical imaging of this self-assembly process in vitro and in cells is revolutionizing our understanding of the molecular mechanisms behind these devastating conditions. In contrast to conventional biophysical methods, optical imaging and, in particular, optical superresolution imaging, permits the dynamic investigation of the molecular self-assembly process in vitro and in cells, at molecular-level resolution. In this article, current state-of-the-art imaging methods are reviewed and discussed in the context of research into neurodegeneration. PMID:27413767

Did Zika Virus Mutate to Cause Severe Outbreaks?

PubMed

Rossi, Shannan L; Ebel, Gregory D; Shan, Chao; Shi, Pei-Yong; Vasilakis, Nikos

2018-06-11

Zika virus (ZIKV) has challenged the assumed knowledge regarding the pathobiology of flaviviruses. Despite causing sporadic and mild disease in the 50 years since its discovery, Zika virus has now caused multiple outbreaks in dozens of countries worldwide. Moreover, the disease severity in recent outbreaks, with neurological disease in adult and devastating congenital malformations in fetuses, was not previously seen. One hypothesis is that the virus has acquired mutations that have increased its virulence. Indeed, mutations in other arboviruses, such as West Nile virus (WNV), chikungunya virus (CHIKV), and Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), have enhanced outbreaks. This possibility, as well as alternative hypotheses, are explored here. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

A universal vaccine for serogroup B meningococcus.

PubMed

Giuliani, Marzia M; Adu-Bobie, Jeannette; Comanducci, Maurizio; Aricò, Beatrice; Savino, Silvana; Santini, Laura; Brunelli, Brunella; Bambini, Stefania; Biolchi, Alessia; Capecchi, Barbara; Cartocci, Elena; Ciucchi, Laura; Di Marcello, Federica; Ferlicca, Francesca; Galli, Barbara; Luzzi, Enrico; Masignani, Vega; Serruto, Davide; Veggi, Daniele; Contorni, Mario; Morandi, Maurizio; Bartalesi, Alessandro; Cinotti, Vanda; Mannucci, Donatella; Titta, Francesca; Ovidi, Elisa; Welsch, Jo Anne; Granoff, Dan; Rappuoli, Rino; Pizza, Mariagrazia

2006-07-18

Meningitis and sepsis caused by serogroup B meningococcus are two severe diseases that still cause significant mortality. To date there is no universal vaccine that prevents these diseases. In this work, five antigens discovered by reverse vaccinology were expressed in a form suitable for large-scale manufacturing and formulated with adjuvants suitable for human use. The vaccine adjuvanted by aluminum hydroxide induced bactericidal antibodies in mice against 78% of a panel of 85 meningococcal strains representative of the global population diversity. The strain coverage could be increased to 90% and above by the addition of CpG oligonucleotides or by using MF59 as adjuvant. The vaccine has the potential to conquer one of the most devastating diseases of childhood.

Yellow fever: a reemerging threat.

PubMed

Gardner, Christina L; Ryman, Kate D

2010-03-01

Yellow fever (YF) is a viral disease, endemic to tropical regions of Africa and the Americas, which principally affects humans and nonhuman primates and is transmitted via the bite of infected mosquitoes. Yellow fever virus (YFV) can cause devastating epidemics of potentially fatal, hemorrhagic disease. Despite mass vaccination campaigns to prevent and control these outbreaks, the risk of major YF epidemics, especially in densely populated, poor urban settings, both in Africa and South America, has greatly increased. Consequently, YF is considered an emerging, or reemerging disease of considerable importance. This article comprehensively reviews the history, microbiology, epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of YFV, as well as the vaccines produced to combat YF. 2010 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Integration of selective breeding and vaccination to improve disease resistance in aquaculture: Application to control bacterial cold water disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) is a frequent cause of elevated mortality in rainbow trout and the development of effective control strategies is a priority within the U.S. A goal of the NCCCWA breeding program is to produce germplasm with superior growth and survival following exposure to infe...

Evidence of major genes for resistance to bacterial cold-water disease in rainbow trout using mixed inheritance multiple-threshold models and Bayesian segregation analysis

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

PURPOSE: Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) causes significant economic loss in salmonid aquaculture, and in 2005, a rainbow trout breeding program was initiated at the NCCCWA to select for increased disease survival. The main objectives of this study were to determine the mode of inheritance of di...

Inducible CYP2J2 and Its Product 11,12-EET Promotes Bacterial Phagocytosis: A Role for CYP2J2 Deficiency in the Pathogenesis of Crohn’s Disease?

PubMed Central

Bystrom, Jonas; Thomson, Scott J.; Johansson, Jörgen; Edin, Matthew L.; Zeldin, Darryl C.; Gilroy, Derek W.; Smith, Andrew M.; Bishop-Bailey, David

2013-01-01

The epoxygenase CYP2J2 has an emerging role in inflammation and vascular biology. The role of CYP2J2 in phagocytosis is not known and its regulation in human inflammatory diseases is poorly understood. Here we investigated the role of CYP2J2 in bacterial phagocytosis and its expression in monocytes from healthy controls and Crohns disease patients. CYP2J2 is anti-inflammatory in human peripheral blood monocytes. Bacterial LPS induced CYP2J2 mRNA and protein. The CYP2J2 arachidonic acid products 11,12-EET and 14,15-EET inhibited LPS induced TNFα release. THP-1 monocytes were transformed into macrophages by 48h incubation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Epoxygenase inhibition using a non-selective inhibitor SKF525A or a selective CYP2J2 inhibitor Compound 4, inhibited E. coli particle phagocytosis, which could be specifically reversed by 11,12-EET. Moreover, epoxygenase inhibition reduced the expression of phagocytosis receptors CD11b and CD68. CD11b also mediates L. monocytogenes phagocytosis. Similar, to E. coli bioparticle phagocytosis, epoxygenase inhibition also reduced intracellular levels of L. monocytogenes, which could be reversed by co-incubation with 11,12-EET. Disrupted bacterial clearance is a hallmark of Crohn’s disease. Unlike macrophages from control donors, macrophages from Crohn’s disease patients showed no induction of CYP2J2 in response to E. coli. These results demonstrate that CYP2J2 mediates bacterial phagocytosis in macrophages, and implicates a defect in the CYP2J2 pathway may regulate bacterial clearance in Crohn’s disease. PMID:24058654

Inducible CYP2J2 and its product 11,12-EET promotes bacterial phagocytosis: a role for CYP2J2 deficiency in the pathogenesis of Crohn's disease?

PubMed

Bystrom, Jonas; Thomson, Scott J; Johansson, Jörgen; Edin, Matthew L; Zeldin, Darryl C; Gilroy, Derek W; Smith, Andrew M; Bishop-Bailey, David

2013-01-01

The epoxygenase CYP2J2 has an emerging role in inflammation and vascular biology. The role of CYP2J2 in phagocytosis is not known and its regulation in human inflammatory diseases is poorly understood. Here we investigated the role of CYP2J2 in bacterial phagocytosis and its expression in monocytes from healthy controls and Crohns disease patients. CYP2J2 is anti-inflammatory in human peripheral blood monocytes. Bacterial LPS induced CYP2J2 mRNA and protein. The CYP2J2 arachidonic acid products 11,12-EET and 14,15-EET inhibited LPS induced TNFα release. THP-1 monocytes were transformed into macrophages by 48h incubation with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Epoxygenase inhibition using a non-selective inhibitor SKF525A or a selective CYP2J2 inhibitor Compound 4, inhibited E. coli particle phagocytosis, which could be specifically reversed by 11,12-EET. Moreover, epoxygenase inhibition reduced the expression of phagocytosis receptors CD11b and CD68. CD11b also mediates L. monocytogenes phagocytosis. Similar, to E. coli bioparticle phagocytosis, epoxygenase inhibition also reduced intracellular levels of L. monocytogenes, which could be reversed by co-incubation with 11,12-EET. Disrupted bacterial clearance is a hallmark of Crohn's disease. Unlike macrophages from control donors, macrophages from Crohn's disease patients showed no induction of CYP2J2 in response to E. coli. These results demonstrate that CYP2J2 mediates bacterial phagocytosis in macrophages, and implicates a defect in the CYP2J2 pathway may regulate bacterial clearance in Crohn's disease.

Whole-Genome Sequencing and Concordance Between Antimicrobial Susceptibility Genotypes and Phenotypes of Bacterial Isolates Associated with Bovine Respiratory Disease.

PubMed

Owen, Joseph R; Noyes, Noelle; Young, Amy E; Prince, Daniel J; Blanchard, Patricia C; Lehenbauer, Terry W; Aly, Sharif S; Davis, Jessica H; O'Rourke, Sean M; Abdo, Zaid; Belk, Keith; Miller, Michael R; Morley, Paul; Van Eenennaam, Alison L

2017-09-07

Extended laboratory culture and antimicrobial susceptibility testing timelines hinder rapid species identification and susceptibility profiling of bacterial pathogens associated with bovine respiratory disease, the most prevalent cause of cattle mortality in the United States. Whole-genome sequencing offers a culture-independent alternative to current bacterial identification methods, but requires a library of bacterial reference genomes for comparison. To contribute new bacterial genome assemblies and evaluate genetic diversity and variation in antimicrobial resistance genotypes, whole-genome sequencing was performed on bovine respiratory disease-associated bacterial isolates ( Histophilus somni , Mycoplasma bovis , Mannheimia haemolytica , and Pasteurella multocida ) from dairy and beef cattle. One hundred genomically distinct assemblies were added to the NCBI database, doubling the available genomic sequences for these four species. Computer-based methods identified 11 predicted antimicrobial resistance genes in three species, with none being detected in M. bovis While computer-based analysis can identify antibiotic resistance genes within whole-genome sequences (genotype), it may not predict the actual antimicrobial resistance observed in a living organism (phenotype). Antimicrobial susceptibility testing on 64 H. somni , M. haemolytica , and P. multocida isolates had an overall concordance rate between genotype and phenotypic resistance to the associated class of antimicrobials of 72.7% ( P < 0.001), showing substantial discordance. Concordance rates varied greatly among different antimicrobial, antibiotic resistance gene, and bacterial species combinations. This suggests that antimicrobial susceptibility phenotypes are needed to complement genomically predicted antibiotic resistance gene genotypes to better understand how the presence of antibiotic resistance genes within a given bacterial species could potentially impact optimal bovine respiratory disease treatment and morbidity/mortality outcomes. Copyright © 2017 Owen et al.

[Progress in researches on pathogens, epidemiology and integrated control of diseases on Salvia miltiorrhiza in China].

PubMed

Wang, Tie-Lin; Guan, Wei; Sun, Kai; Wang, Sheng; Chi, Xiu-Lian; Guo, Lan-Ping

2018-06-01

Danshen (Salvia miltiorrhiza) is a perennial herbal plant as a bulk commodity of traditional Chinese medicinal material. With the growing market demand, the planting scale of Danshen has been fast enlarged. The occurance of diseases on Danshen has become as a major threaten of its production. Root diseases are most devastated on Danshen. Rootrot is the most important disease, and Fusarium wilt comes second. Leaf spot occurs most on aerial part of Danshen. In the Danshen industry, the chemical control is most commonly used, with biological agents as supplements. This review summarized the symptom, pathogen, epidemiology, and control method of 7 diseases on Danshen (rootrot, Fusarium wilt, southern blight, root knot nematode, leaf spot, leaf red and virus diseases), providing guidelines for disease diagnostics, pathogen isolation and identification, proper pesticide application and integrated control. Copyright© by the Chinese Pharmaceutical Association.

New discoveries in the pathogenesis and classification of vitiligo.

PubMed

Rodrigues, Michelle; Ezzedine, Khaled; Hamzavi, Iltefat; Pandya, Amit G; Harris, John E

2017-07-01

Vitiligo is a common autoimmune disease that progressively destroys melanocytes in the skin, resulting in the appearance of patchy depigmentation. This disfiguring condition frequently affects the face and other visible areas of the body, which can be psychologically devastating. The onset of vitiligo often occurs in younger individuals and progresses for life, resulting in a heavy burden of disease and decreased quality of life. Presentation patterns of vitiligo vary, and recognition of these patterns provides both diagnostic and prognostic clues. Recent insights into disease pathogenesis offer a better understanding of the natural history of the disease, its associations, and potential for future treatments. The first article in this continuing medical education series outlines typical and atypical presentations of vitiligo, how they reflect disease activity, prognosis, and response to treatment. Finally, we discuss disease associations, risk factors, and our current understanding of disease pathogenesis. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. All rights reserved.

Pharmacologic management of Alzheimer disease.

PubMed

Downey, Deborah

2008-02-01

Although the diagnosis of AD can be devastating, treatment options exist that can slow the disease's progression and allow patients to continue performing ADLs, thereby improving the quality of life for both patient and caregiver. Research is ongoing, and it is estimated by the Alzheimer's Association that finding a treatment that could delay onset by only 5 years could reduce the number of individuals with AD by nearly 50% over the next 50 years (Alzheimer's Association, 2007). Although pharmacotherapy is not yet a cure, it does remain an important part of a total approach to caring for patients and families affected by AD.

Gene drive systems for insect disease vectors.

PubMed

Sinkins, Steven P; Gould, Fred

2006-06-01

The elegant mechanisms by which naturally occurring selfish genetic elements, such as transposable elements, meiotic drive genes, homing endonuclease genes and Wolbachia, spread at the expense of their hosts provide some of the most fascinating and remarkable subjects in evolutionary genetics. These elements also have enormous untapped potential to be used in the control of some of the world's most devastating diseases. Effective gene drive systems for spreading genes that can block the transmission of insect-borne pathogens are much needed. Here we explore the potential of natural gene drive systems and discuss the artificial constructs that could be envisaged for this purpose.

Penile prosthetic surgery for the management of Peyronie’s disease

PubMed Central

Raheem, Omer A.

2017-01-01

With the increased prevalence of Peyronie’s disease (PD) among men, there is also an up-rise of associated erectile dysfunction (ED) which can be devastating psychologically and sexually to most men. A wide range of therapies including medical and surgical procedures are available to satisfactorily address this condition. However when ED coexists, the gold standard treatment is penile prosthetic prosthesis (PP) with or without additional straightening procedures. We herein systematically review the contemporary literature addressing the role of the PP in the management of PD with concomitant ED with particular emphasis on patient’s satisfaction, outcomes and safety. PMID:29238661

Biomarkers and Targeted Therapy in Pancreatic Cancer.

PubMed

Karandish, Fataneh; Mallik, Sanku

2016-01-01

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) constitutes 90% of pancreatic cancers. PDAC is a complex and devastating disease with only 1%-3% survival rate in five years after the second stage. Treatment of PDAC is complicated due to the tumor microenvironment, changing cell behaviors to the mesenchymal type, altered drug delivery, and drug resistance. Considering that pancreatic cancer shows early invasion and metastasis, critical research is needed to explore different aspects of the disease, such as elaboration of biomarkers, specific signaling pathways, and gene aberration. In this review, we highlight the biomarkers, the fundamental signaling pathways, and their importance in targeted drug delivery for pancreatic cancers.

21 CFR 522.820 - Erythromycin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2011 CFR

2011-04-01

...) Indications for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (tonsillitis... for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (rhinitis, bronchitis... disease (shipping fever complex and bacterial pneumonia) associated with Pasteurella multocida susceptible...

21 CFR 522.820 - Erythromycin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2010 CFR

2010-04-01

...) Indications for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (tonsillitis... for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (rhinitis, bronchitis... disease (shipping fever complex and bacterial pneumonia) associated with Pasteurella multocida susceptible...

21 CFR 522.820 - Erythromycin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2012 CFR

2012-04-01

...) Indications for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (tonsillitis... for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (rhinitis, bronchitis... disease (shipping fever complex and bacterial pneumonia) associated with Pasteurella multocida susceptible...

21 CFR 522.820 - Erythromycin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2014 CFR

2014-04-01

...) Indications for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (tonsillitis... for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (rhinitis, bronchitis... disease (shipping fever complex and bacterial pneumonia) associated with Pasteurella multocida susceptible...

21 CFR 522.820 - Erythromycin.

Code of Federal Regulations, 2013 CFR

2013-04-01

...) Indications for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (tonsillitis... for use. For the treatment of bacterial pneumonia, upper respiratory infections (rhinitis, bronchitis... disease (shipping fever complex and bacterial pneumonia) associated with Pasteurella multocida susceptible...

Mapping of QTL for bacterial cold water disease resistance in rainbow trout

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bacterial cold water disease (BCWD) causes significant economic loss in salmonids aquaculture. We previously detected genetic variation in survival following challenge with Flavobacterium psychrophilum (Fp), the causative agent of BCWD in rainbow trout, and a family-based selection program to impro...

Bacterial Leaf Spot of Parsley: Characterization of a New Disease

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Since 2002, a severe leaf spot disease on parsley has occurred throughout central coastal California and particularly in Monterey County. Two different bacterial pathogens (Pseudomonas syringae pv. apii, and P. syringae pv. coriandricola) have been associated these outbreaks on parsley. Our research...

The disease complex of the gypsy moth. II. Aerobic bacterial pathogens

Treesearch

J.D. Podgwaite; R.W. Campbell

1972-01-01

Eighty-six pathogenic aerobic bacterial isolates from diseased gypsy moth larvae collected in both sparse and dense populations were characterized and identified as members of the families Bacillaceae, Enterobacteriaceae, Lactobacillaceae, Pseudomonadaceae, and Achromobacteraceae. The commonest pathogens were Streptococcus faecalis, Bacillus cereus, Bacillus...

Rust disease of eucalypts, caused by Puccinia psidii, did not originate via host jump from guava in Brazil

Treesearch

Rodrigo N. Graca; Amy L. Ross-Davis; Ned B. Klopfenstein; Mee-Sook Kim; Tobin L. Peever; Phil G. Cannon; Cristina P. Aun; Eduardo G. Mizubuti; Acelino C. Alfenas

2013-01-01

The rust fungus, Puccinia psidii, is a devastating pathogen of introduced eucalypts (Eucalyptus spp.) in Brazil where it was first observed in 1912. This pathogen is hypothesized to be endemic to South and Central America and to have first infected eucalypts via a host jump from native guava (Psidium guajava). Ten microsatellite markers were used to genotype 148 P....

Therapy for Duchenne muscular dystrophy: renewed optimism from genetic approaches.

PubMed

Fairclough, Rebecca J; Wood, Matthew J; Davies, Kay E

2013-06-01

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is a devastating progressive disease for which there is currently no effective treatment except palliative therapy. There are several promising genetic approaches, including viral delivery of the missing dystrophin gene, read-through of translation stop codons, exon skipping to restore the reading frame and increased expression of the compensatory utrophin gene. The lessons learned from these approaches will be applicable to many other disorders.

A genotype-by-sequencing-single nucleotide polymorphism based linkage map and quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum race 2 identified in Citrullus lanatus var. citroides

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Fusarium wilt, a fungal disease caused by Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. niveum (Fon), devastates watermelon crop production worldwide. Several races, which are differentiated by host range, of the pathogen exist. Resistance to Fon race 2, a particularly virulent strain prevalent in the United States, do...

Comparison of traditional and molecular methods for detection of Renibacterium salmoninarum

USGS Publications Warehouse

Pascho, R.J.; Elliott, D.G.; Chase, D.M.; Cunningham, C.O.

2002-01-01

Bacterial kidney disease (BKD) caused by Renibacterium salmoninarum occurs in most parts of the world where wild or cultured salmonid fishes are present. Several extensive reviews have been written on the pathogen and the disease (Fryer and Sanders, 1981; Austin and Austin, 1987; Elliott et al., 1989; Evelyn, 1993; Evenden et al., 1993; Fryer and Lannan, 1993). Bacterial kidney disease can cause serious mortality in juvenile salmonids in both fresh water and seawater, and also in prespawning adults. Although the chronic nature of the disease has hindered accurate estimates of fish losses, particularly in feral fish populations, BKD is one the most important bacterial diseases affecting cultured salmonids, with reported losses as high as 80% in stocks of Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) and 40% in stocks of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) (Evenden et al., 1993).

A Nonluminescent and Highly Virulent Vibrio harveyi Strain Is Associated with “Bacterial White Tail Disease” of Litopenaeus vannamei Shrimp

PubMed Central

Zhou, Junfang; Fang, Wenhong; Yang, Xianle; Zhou, Shuai; Hu, Linlin; Li, Xincang; Qi, Xinyong; Su, Hang; Xie, Layue

2012-01-01

Recurrent outbreaks of a disease in pond-cultured juvenile and subadult Litopenaeus vannamei shrimp in several districts in China remain an important problem in recent years. The disease was characterized by “white tail” and generally accompanied by mass mortalities. Based on data from the microscopical analyses, PCR detection and 16S rRNA sequencing, a new Vibrio harveyi strain (designated as strain HLB0905) was identified as the etiologic pathogen. The bacterial isolation and challenge tests demonstrated that the HLB0905 strain was nonluminescent but highly virulent. It could cause mass mortality in affected shrimp during a short time period with a low dose of infection. Meanwhile, the histopathological and electron microscopical analysis both showed that the HLB0905 strain could cause severe fiber cell damages and striated muscle necrosis by accumulating in the tail muscle of L. vannamei shrimp, which led the affected shrimp to exhibit white or opaque lesions in the tail. The typical sign was closely similar to that caused by infectious myonecrosis (IMN), white tail disease (WTD) or penaeid white tail disease (PWTD). To differentiate from such diseases as with a sign of “white tail” but of non-bacterial origin, the present disease was named as “bacterial white tail disease (BWTD)”. Present study revealed that, just like IMN and WTD, BWTD could also cause mass mortalities in pond-cultured shrimp. These results suggested that some bacterial strains are changing themselves from secondary to primary pathogens by enhancing their virulence in current shrimp aquaculture system. PMID:22383954

Streptococcal pharyngitis and rheumatic heart disease: the superantigen hypothesis revisited.

PubMed

Hurst, Jacklyn R; Kasper, Katherine J; Sule, Akshay N; McCormick, John K

2018-07-01

Streptococcus pyogenes is a human-specific and globally prominent bacterial pathogen that despite causing numerous human infections, this bacterium is normally found in an asymptomatic carrier state. This review provides an overview of both bacterial and human factors that likely play an important role in nasopharyngeal colonization and pharyngitis, as well as the development of acute rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Here we highlight a recently described role for bacterial superantigens in promoting acute nasopharyngeal infection, and discuss how these immune system activating toxins could be crucial to initiate the autoimmune process in rheumatic heart disease. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Emerging infectious diseases with cutaneous manifestations: Viral and bacterial infections.

PubMed

Nawas, Zeena Y; Tong, Yun; Kollipara, Ramya; Peranteau, Andrew J; Woc-Colburn, Laila; Yan, Albert C; Lupi, Omar; Tyring, Stephen K

2016-07-01

Given increased international travel, immigration, and climate change, bacterial and viral infections that were once unrecognized or uncommon are being seen more frequently in the Western Hemisphere. A delay in diagnosis and treatment of these diseases can lead to significant patient morbidity and mortality. However, the diagnosis and management of these infections is fraught with a lack of consistency because there is a dearth of dermatology literature on the cutaneous manifestations of these infections. We review the epidemiology, cutaneous manifestations, diagnosis, and management of these emerging bacterial and viral diseases. Copyright © 2016 American Academy of Dermatology, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Expansion of syndromic vaccine preventable disease surveillance to include bacterial meningitis and Japanese encephalitis: evaluation of adapting polio and measles laboratory networks in Bangladesh, China and India, 2007-2008.

PubMed

Cavallaro, Kathleen F; Sandhu, Hardeep S; Hyde, Terri B; Johnson, Barbara W; Fischer, Marc; Mayer, Leonard W; Clark, Thomas A; Pallansch, Mark A; Yin, Zundong; Zuo, Shuyan; Hadler, Stephen C; Diorditsa, Serguey; Hasan, A S M Mainul; Bose, Anindya S; Dietz, Vance

2015-02-25

Surveillance for acute flaccid paralysis with laboratory confirmation has been a key strategy in the global polio eradication initiative, and the laboratory platform established for polio testing has been expanded in many countries to include surveillance for cases of febrile rash illness to identify measles and rubella cases. Vaccine-preventable disease surveillance is essential to detect outbreaks, define disease burden, guide vaccination strategies and assess immunization impact. Vaccines now exist to prevent Japanese encephalitis (JE) and some etiologies of bacterial meningitis. We evaluated the feasibility of expanding polio-measles surveillance and laboratory networks to detect bacterial meningitis and JE, using surveillance for acute meningitis-encephalitis syndrome in Bangladesh and China and acute encephalitis syndrome in India. We developed nine syndromic surveillance performance indicators based on international surveillance guidelines and calculated scores using supervisory visit reports, annual reports, and case-based surveillance data. Scores, variable by country and targeted disease, were highest for the presence of national guidelines, sustainability, training, availability of JE laboratory resources, and effectiveness of using polio-measles networks for JE surveillance. Scores for effectiveness of building on polio-measles networks for bacterial meningitis surveillance and specimen referral were the lowest, because of differences in specimens and techniques. Polio-measles surveillance and laboratory networks provided useful infrastructure for establishing syndromic surveillance and building capacity for JE diagnosis, but were less applicable for bacterial meningitis. Laboratory-supported surveillance for vaccine-preventable bacterial diseases will require substantial technical and financial support to enhance local diagnostic capacity. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Surgical treatment of neurologic complications of bacterial meningitis in children in Kosovo.

PubMed

Namani, Sadie A; Koci, Remzie A; Kuchar, Ernest; Dedushi, Kreshnike H

2012-04-01

Neurologic complications of bacterial meningitis can occur any time during the course of the disease and some of them need neurosurgical aproach. to determine the incidence of neurologic complications of bacterial meningitis in children requring neurosurgical treatment. a total of 277 children were followed and treated for bacterial meningitis at the Clinic of Infectious Diseases in Prishtina. The authors have analyzed cases who developed acute neurologic complications and treatment procedures. of the 277 children treated for bacterial meningitis, due to the suspicion for neurologic complications, 109 children underwent a head computerized tomography scan. About 47 cases (43%) had evident structural abnormalities while only 15/277 cases (5%) required neurosurgical treatment; 9/38 cases with subdural collections, 5 cases with hydrocephalus and 1 case of spinal abscess. Neurosurgical intervention were not common in pediatric bacterial meningitis cases (5%) but were highly significant in cases complicated with acute neurologic complications (32%).

Th2 Allergic Immune Response to Inhaled Fungal Antigens is Modulated By TLR-4-Independent Bacterial Products

PubMed Central

Allard, Jenna B.; Rinaldi, Lisa; Wargo, Matt; Allen, Gilman; Akira, Shizuo; Uematsu, Satoshi; Poynter, Matthew E.; Hogan, Deborah A.; Rincon, Mercedes; Whittaker, Laurie A.

2009-01-01

SUMMARY Allergic airway disease is characterized by eosinophilic inflammation, mucus hypersecretion and increased airway resistance. Fungal antigens are ubiquitous within the environment and are well know triggers of allergic disease. Bacterial products are also frequently encountered within the environment and may alter the immune response to certain antigens. The consequence of simultaneous exposure to bacterial and fungal products on the lung adaptive immune response has not been explored. Here we show that oropharyngeal aspiration of fungal lysates (Candida albicans, Aspergillus fumigatus) promotes airway eosinophilia, secretion of Th2 cytokines and mucus cell metaplasia. In contrast, oropharyngeal exposure to bacterial lysates (Pseudomonas aeruginosa) promotes airway inflammation characterized by neutrophils, Th1 cytokine secretion and no mucus production. More importantly, administration of bacterial lysates together with fungal lysates deviates the adaptive immune response to a Th1 type associated with neutrophilia and diminished mucus production. The immunomodulatory effect that bacterial lysates have on the response to fungi is TLR4-independent but MyD88 dependent. Thus, different types of microbial products within the airway can alter the host's adaptive immune response, and potentially impact the development of allergic airway disease to environmental fungal antigens. PMID:19224641

Seroprevalence of viral and bacterial diseases among the bovines in Himachal Pradesh, India

PubMed Central

Katoch, Shailja; Dohru, Shweta; Sharma, Mandeep; Vashist, Vikram; Chahota, Rajesh; Dhar, Prasenjit; Thakur, Aneesh; Verma, Subhash

2017-01-01

Aim: The study was designed to measure the seroprevalence of viral and bacterial diseases: Infectious bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine viral diarrhea, bovine leukemia, bovine parainfluenza, bovine respiratory syncytial disease, brucellosis, and paratuberculosis among bovine of Himachal Pradesh during the year 2013-2015. Materials and Methods: The serum samples were collected from seven districts of state, namely, Bilaspur, Kangra, Kinnaur, Lahul and Spiti, Mandi, Sirmour, and Solan. The samples were screened using indirect ELISA kits to measure the seroprevalence of viral and bacterial diseases. Results: The overall seroprevalence of infectious bovine rhinotracheitis was 24.24%, bovine viral diarrhea 1.52%, bovine leukemia 9.09%, bovine parainfluenza 57.58%, bovine respiratory syncytial disease 50%, brucellosis 19.69%, and paratuberculosis 9.09% in Himachal Pradesh. The seroprevalence of bovine rhinotracheitis, bovine leukemia, bovine parainfluenza, bovine respiratory syncytial disease, and paratuberculosis in the state varied significantly (p<0.01) while was insignificant for bovine viral diarrhea and brucellosis (p>0.01). Multiple seropositivity has been observed in this study. Bovine parainfluenza virus 3 was observed commonly in mixed infection with almost all viruses and bacteria under study. Conclusion: The viral and bacterial diseases are prevalent in the seven districts of Himachal Pradesh investigated in the study. Therefore, appropriate management practices and routine vaccination programs should be adopted to reduce the prevalence of these diseases. PMID:29391682

Genetics and breeding of bacterial leaf spot resistance

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bacterial leaf spot (BLS) caused by the pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. vitians (Xcv) is a globally important disease of whole head and baby leaf lettuce that reduces crop yield and quality. Host resistance is the most feasible method to reduce disease losses. Screening Lactuca accessions has id...

Distinguishing the Signals of Gingivitis and Periodontitis in Supragingival Plaque: a Cross-Sectional Cohort Study in Malawi.

PubMed

Shaw, Liam; Harjunmaa, Ulla; Doyle, Ronan; Mulewa, Simeon; Charlie, Davie; Maleta, Ken; Callard, Robin; Walker, A Sarah; Balloux, Francois; Ashorn, Per; Klein, Nigel

2016-10-01

Periodontal disease ranges from gingival inflammation (gingivitis) to the inflammation and loss of tooth-supporting tissues (periodontitis). Previous research has focused mainly on subgingival plaque, but supragingival plaque composition is also known to be associated with disease. Quantitative modeling of bacterial abundances across the natural range of periodontal severities can distinguish which features of disease are associated with particular changes in composition. We assessed a cross-sectional cohort of 962 Malawian women for periodontal disease and used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (V5 to V7 region) to characterize the bacterial compositions of supragingival plaque samples. Associations between bacterial relative abundances and gingivitis/periodontitis were investigated by using negative binomial models, adjusting for epidemiological factors. We also examined bacterial cooccurrence networks to assess community structure. The main differences in supragingival plaque compositions were associated more with gingivitis than periodontitis, including higher bacterial diversity and a greater abundance of particular species. However, even after controlling for gingivitis, the presence of subgingival periodontitis was associated with an altered supragingival plaque. A small number of species were associated with periodontitis but not gingivitis, including members of Prevotella, Treponema, and Selenomonas, supporting a more complex disease model than a linear progression following gingivitis. Cooccurrence networks of periodontitis-associated taxa clustered according to periodontitis across all gingivitis severities. Species including Filifactor alocis and Fusobacterium nucleatum were central to this network, which supports their role in the coaggregation of periodontal biofilms during disease progression. Our findings confirm that periodontitis cannot be considered simply an advanced stage of gingivitis even when only considering supragingival plaque. Periodontal disease is a major public health problem associated with oral bacteria. While earlier studies focused on a small number of periodontal pathogens, it is now accepted that the whole bacterial community may be important. However, previous high-throughput marker gene sequencing studies of supragingival plaque have largely focused on high-income populations with good oral hygiene without including a range of periodontal disease severities. Our study includes a large number of low-income participants with poor oral hygiene and a wide range of severities, and we were therefore able to quantitatively model bacterial abundances as functions of both gingivitis and periodontitis. A signal associated with periodontitis remains after controlling for gingivitis severity, which supports the concept that, even when only considering supragingival plaque, periodontitis is not simply an advanced stage of gingivitis. This suggests the future possibility of diagnosing periodontitis based on bacterial occurrences in supragingival plaque. Copyright © 2016 Shaw et al.

Distinguishing the Signals of Gingivitis and Periodontitis in Supragingival Plaque: a Cross-Sectional Cohort Study in Malawi

PubMed Central

Harjunmaa, Ulla; Doyle, Ronan; Mulewa, Simeon; Charlie, Davie; Maleta, Ken; Callard, Robin; Walker, A. Sarah; Balloux, Francois; Ashorn, Per; Klein, Nigel

2016-01-01

ABSTRACT Periodontal disease ranges from gingival inflammation (gingivitis) to the inflammation and loss of tooth-supporting tissues (periodontitis). Previous research has focused mainly on subgingival plaque, but supragingival plaque composition is also known to be associated with disease. Quantitative modeling of bacterial abundances across the natural range of periodontal severities can distinguish which features of disease are associated with particular changes in composition. We assessed a cross-sectional cohort of 962 Malawian women for periodontal disease and used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing (V5 to V7 region) to characterize the bacterial compositions of supragingival plaque samples. Associations between bacterial relative abundances and gingivitis/periodontitis were investigated by using negative binomial models, adjusting for epidemiological factors. We also examined bacterial cooccurrence networks to assess community structure. The main differences in supragingival plaque compositions were associated more with gingivitis than periodontitis, including higher bacterial diversity and a greater abundance of particular species. However, even after controlling for gingivitis, the presence of subgingival periodontitis was associated with an altered supragingival plaque. A small number of species were associated with periodontitis but not gingivitis, including members of Prevotella, Treponema, and Selenomonas, supporting a more complex disease model than a linear progression following gingivitis. Cooccurrence networks of periodontitis-associated taxa clustered according to periodontitis across all gingivitis severities. Species including Filifactor alocis and Fusobacterium nucleatum were central to this network, which supports their role in the coaggregation of periodontal biofilms during disease progression. Our findings confirm that periodontitis cannot be considered simply an advanced stage of gingivitis even when only considering supragingival plaque. IMPORTANCE Periodontal disease is a major public health problem associated with oral bacteria. While earlier studies focused on a small number of periodontal pathogens, it is now accepted that the whole bacterial community may be important. However, previous high-throughput marker gene sequencing studies of supragingival plaque have largely focused on high-income populations with good oral hygiene without including a range of periodontal disease severities. Our study includes a large number of low-income participants with poor oral hygiene and a wide range of severities, and we were therefore able to quantitatively model bacterial abundances as functions of both gingivitis and periodontitis. A signal associated with periodontitis remains after controlling for gingivitis severity, which supports the concept that, even when only considering supragingival plaque, periodontitis is not simply an advanced stage of gingivitis. This suggests the future possibility of diagnosing periodontitis based on bacterial occurrences in supragingival plaque. PMID:27520811

Germplasm Evaluation for Resistance and Monitoring Bacterial Panicle Blight Disease of Rice in Arkansas, 2016

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Bacterial panicle blight (BPB), caused by a bacterial pathogen, mainly Burkholderia glumae, has posed a higher level of threat to rice production worldwide in recent years. Here we report the response of over 300 entries evaluated by artificially inoculating with a bacterial suspension under field c...

Bacterial reproductive pathogens of cats and dogs.

PubMed

Graham, Elizabeth M; Taylor, David J

2012-05-01

With the notable exception of Brucella canis, exogenous bacterial pathogens are uncommon causes of reproductive disease in cats and dogs. Most bacterial reproductive infections are endogenous, and predisposing factors for infection are important. This article reviews the etiology, pathogenesis, clinical presentation, diagnosis, treatment, and public health significance of bacterial reproductive pathogens in cats and dogs.

Comparison of Asian porcine high fever disease isolates of porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus to United States isolates for their ability to cause disease and secondary bacterial infection in swine

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Epidemiologic data from Asian outbreaks of highly-pathogenic (HP) porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) suggest that disease severity was associated with both the virulence of the PRRSV isolates and secondary bacterial infections. Previous reports have indicated that U.S. isola...

Virulence Factors of Erwinia amylovora: A Review.

PubMed

Piqué, Núria; Miñana-Galbis, David; Merino, Susana; Tomás, Juan M

2015-06-05

Erwinia amylovora, a Gram negative bacteria of the Enterobacteriaceae family, is the causal agent of fire blight, a devastating plant disease affecting a wide range of host species within Rosaceae and a major global threat to commercial apple and pear production. Among the limited number of control options currently available, prophylactic application of antibiotics during the bloom period appears the most effective. Pathogen cells enter plants through the nectarthodes of flowers and other natural openings, such as wounds, and are capable of rapid movement within plants and the establishment of systemic infections. Many virulence determinants of E. amylovora have been characterized, including the Type III secretion system (T3SS), the exopolysaccharide (EPS) amylovoran, biofilm formation, and motility. To successfully establish an infection, E. amylovora uses a complex regulatory network to sense the relevant environmental signals and coordinate the expression of early and late stage virulence factors involving two component signal transduction systems, bis-(3'-5')-cyclic di-GMP (c-di-GMP) and quorum sensing. The LPS biosynthetic gene cluster is one of the relatively few genetic differences observed between Rubus- and Spiraeoideae-infecting genotypes of E. amylovora. Other differential factors, such as the presence and composition of an integrative conjugative element associated with the Hrp T3SS (hrp genes encoding the T3SS apparatus), have been recently described. In the present review, we present the recent findings on virulence factors research, focusing on their role in bacterial pathogenesis and indicating other virulence factors that deserve future research to characterize them.

Discovery of Plant Phenolic Compounds That Act as Type III Secretion System Inhibitors or Inducers of the Fire Blight Pathogen, Erwinia amylovora

PubMed Central

Khokhani, Devanshi; Zhang, Chengfang; Li, Yan; Wang, Qi; Zeng, Quan; Yamazaki, Akihiro; Hutchins, William; Zhou, Shan-Shan

2013-01-01

Erwinia amylovora causes a devastating disease called fire blight in rosaceous plants. The type III secretion system (T3SS) is one of the important virulence factors utilized by E. amylovora in order to successfully infect its hosts. By using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter construct combined with a high-throughput flow cytometry assay, a library of phenolic compounds and their derivatives was studied for their ability to alter the expression of the T3SS. Based on the effectiveness of the compounds on the expression of the T3SS pilus, the T3SS inhibitors 4-methoxy-cinnamic acid (TMCA) and benzoic acid (BA) and one T3SS inducer, trans-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethenylsulfonate (EHPES), were chosen for further study. Both the T3SS inhibitors (TMCA and BA) and the T3SS inducer (EHPES) were found to alter the expression of T3SS through the HrpS-HrpL pathway. Additionally, TMCA altered T3SS expression through the rsmBEa-RsmAEa system. Finally, we found that TMCA and BA weakened the hypersensitive response (HR) in tobacco by suppressing the T3SS of E. amylovora. In our study, we identified phenolic compounds that specifically targeted the T3SS. The T3SS inhibitor may offer an alternative approach to antimicrobial therapy by targeting virulence factors of bacterial pathogens. PMID:23770912

Plague in Guinea pigs and its prevention by subunit vaccines.

PubMed

Quenee, Lauriane E; Ciletti, Nancy; Berube, Bryan; Krausz, Thomas; Elli, Derek; Hermanas, Timothy; Schneewind, Olaf

2011-04-01

Human pneumonic plague is a devastating and transmissible disease for which a Food and Drug Administration-approved vaccine is not available. Suitable animal models may be adopted as a surrogate for human plague to fulfill regulatory requirements for vaccine efficacy testing. To develop an alternative to pneumonic plague in nonhuman primates, we explored guinea pigs as a model system. On intranasal instillation of a fully virulent strain, Yersinia pestis CO92, guinea pigs developed lethal lung infections with hemorrhagic necrosis, massive bacterial replication in the respiratory system, and blood-borne dissemination to other organ systems. Expression of the Y. pestis F1 capsule was not required for the development of pulmonary infection; however, the capsule seemed to be important for the establishment of bubonic plague. The mean lethal dose (MLD) for pneumonic plague in guinea pigs was estimated to be 1000 colony-forming units. Immunization of guinea pigs with the recombinant forms of LcrV, a protein that resides at the tip of Yersinia type III secretion needles, or F1 capsule generated robust humoral immune responses. Whereas LcrV immunization resulted in partial protection against pneumonic plague challenge with 250 MLD Y. pestis CO92, immunization with recombinant F1 did not. rV10, a vaccine variant lacking LcrV residues 271-300, elicited protection against pneumonic plague, which seemed to be based on conformational antibodies directed against LcrV. Copyright © 2011 American Society for Investigative Pathology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The Effect of Citrus Essential Oils and Their Constituents on Growth of Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri.

PubMed

Mirzaei-Najafgholi, Hossein; Tarighi, Saeed; Golmohammadi, Morteza; Taheri, Parissa

2017-04-14

Citrus bacterial canker (CBC) caused by Xanthomonas citri subsp. citri ( Xcc ), is the most devastating of the citrus diseases worldwide. During our study, we found that Essential oils (EOs) of some citrus cultivars are effective on Xcc . Therefore, it prompted us to determine the plant metabolites responsible for the antibacterial properties. We obtained EOs from some locally cultivated citrus by using a Clevenger apparatus and their major constituents were identified by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The effect of Citrus aurantium , C. aurantifolia , Fortunella sp. EOs and their major constituents were evaluated against Xcc -KVXCC1 using a disk diffusion assay. Minimal inhibitory and bactericidal concentration of the EOs and their constituents were determined using the broth microdilution method. C. aurantium , C. aurantifolia Eos, and their major constituents including citral, linalool, citronellal, geraniol, α-terpineol, and linalyl acetate indicated antibacterial effects against Xcc . The C. aurantifolia EO and citral showed the highest antibacterial activity among the tested EOs and constituents with inhibition zones of 15 ± 0.33 mm and 16.67 ± 0.88 mm, respectively. Synergistic effects of the constituents were observed between α-terpineol-citral, citral-citronellal, citral-geraniol, and citronellal-geraniol by using a microdilution checkerboard assay. Transmission electron microscopy revealed that exposure of Xcc cells to citral caused cell wall damage and altered cytoplasmic density. We introduced C. aurantifolia and C. aurantium EOs, and their constituents citral, α-terpineol, citronellal, geraniol, and linalool as possible control agents for CBC.

Discovery of plant phenolic compounds that act as type III secretion system inhibitors or inducers of the fire blight pathogen, Erwinia amylovora.

PubMed

Khokhani, Devanshi; Zhang, Chengfang; Li, Yan; Wang, Qi; Zeng, Quan; Yamazaki, Akihiro; Hutchins, William; Zhou, Shan-Shan; Chen, Xin; Yang, Ching-Hong

2013-09-01

Erwinia amylovora causes a devastating disease called fire blight in rosaceous plants. The type III secretion system (T3SS) is one of the important virulence factors utilized by E. amylovora in order to successfully infect its hosts. By using a green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter construct combined with a high-throughput flow cytometry assay, a library of phenolic compounds and their derivatives was studied for their ability to alter the expression of the T3SS. Based on the effectiveness of the compounds on the expression of the T3SS pilus, the T3SS inhibitors 4-methoxy-cinnamic acid (TMCA) and benzoic acid (BA) and one T3SS inducer, trans-2-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-ethenylsulfonate (EHPES), were chosen for further study. Both the T3SS inhibitors (TMCA and BA) and the T3SS inducer (EHPES) were found to alter the expression of T3SS through the HrpS-HrpL pathway. Additionally, TMCA altered T3SS expression through the rsmBEa-RsmAEa system. Finally, we found that TMCA and BA weakened the hypersensitive response (HR) in tobacco by suppressing the T3SS of E. amylovora. In our study, we identified phenolic compounds that specifically targeted the T3SS. The T3SS inhibitor may offer an alternative approach to antimicrobial therapy by targeting virulence factors of bacterial pathogens.

Evaluation of the Spatiotemporal Dynamics of Oxytetracycline and Its Control Effect Against Citrus Huanglongbing via Trunk Injection.

PubMed

Hu, Jiahuai; Wang, Nian

2016-12-01

Citrus huanglongbing (HLB) or greening is a devastating bacterial disease that has destroyed millions of trees and is associated with phloem-residing 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (Las) in Florida. In this study, we evaluated the spatiotemporal dynamics of oxytetracycline in planta and its control effect against HLB via trunk injection. Las-infected 'Hamlin' sweet orange trees on 'Swingle' citrumelo rootstock at the early stage of decline were treated with oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC) using trunk injection with varying number of injection ports. Spatiotemporal distribution of OTC and dynamics of Las populations were monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography method and qPCR assay, respectively. Uniform distribution of OTC throughout tree canopies and root system was achieved 2 days postinjection. High levels of OTC (>850 µg/kg) were maintained in leaf and root for at least 1 month and moderate OTC (>500 µg/kg) persisted for more than 9 months. Reduction of Las populations in root system and leaves of OTC-treated trees were over 95% and 99% (i.e., 1.76 and 2.19 log reduction) between 2 and 28 days postinjection. Conditions of trees receiving OTC treatment were improved, fruit yield was increased, and juice acidity was lowered than water-injected control even though their differences were not statistically significant during the test period. Our study demonstrated that trunk injection of OTC could be used as an effective measure for integrated management of citrus HLB.

Global Transport Networks and Infectious Disease Spread

PubMed Central

Tatem, A.J.; Rogers, D.J.; Hay, S.I.

2011-01-01

Air, sea and land transport networks continue to expand in reach, speed of travel and volume of passengers and goods carried. Pathogens and their vectors can now move further, faster and in greater numbers than ever before. Three important consequences of global transport network expansion are infectious disease pandemics, vector invasion events and vector-borne pathogen importation. This review briefly examines some of the important historical examples of these disease and vector movements, such as the global influenza pandemics, the devastating Anopheles gambiae invasion of Brazil and the recent increases in imported Plasmodium falciparum malaria cases. We then outline potential approaches for future studies of disease movement, focussing on vector invasion and vector-borne disease importation. Such approaches allow us to explore the potential implications of international air travel, shipping routes and other methods of transport on global pathogen and vector traffic. PMID:16647974

Impact of Haemophilus influenzae type b conjugate vaccine on bacterial meningitis in the Dominican Republic.

PubMed

Lee, Ellen H; Corcino, Miriam; Moore, Arelis; Garib, Zacarias; Peña, Chabela; Sánchez, Jacqueline; Fernández, Josefina; Feris-Iglesias, Jesús M; Flannery, Brendan

2008-09-01

Widespread use of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) vaccines has dramatically reduced the burden of Hib disease throughout the Americas. Few studies have evaluated the impact of Hib vaccination on non-culture-confirmed disease. This study analyzed trends in probable bacterial meningitis before and after the introduction of Hib vaccine in the Dominican Republic and estimated vaccine effectiveness against Hib meningitis. Meningitis cases among children < 5 years of age were identified from admission records of the main pediatric hospital in Santo Domingo during 1998-2004. Laboratory criteria were used to classify meningitis cases with probable bacterial etiology; confirmed cases had positive bacterial culture or antigen detection in cerebrospinal fluid. Cumulative incidence rates of confirmed and probable bacterial meningitis were calculated for children living in the National District. Confirmed cases of Hib meningitis were enrolled in a case-control study with age- and neighborhood-matched control children to calculate vaccine effectiveness. Before vaccine introduction, annual rates of meningitis with probable bacterial etiology were 49 cases per 100 000 children < 5 years old; Hib accounted for 60% of confirmed bacterial cases. During 2002-2004, after vaccine introduction, annual rates of probable bacterial meningitis were 65% lower at 16 cases per 100 000, and Hib accounted for 26% of confirmed cases. Rates of Hib meningitis and probable bacterial meningitis with no determined etiology declined by 13 and 17 cases per 100 000, respectively. Introduction of Hib vaccine substantially reduced the incidence of confirmed and probable bacterial meningitis in the Dominican Republic. The estimated impact of Hib vaccination was twice as great when non-culture-confirmed disease was included.

The pathogen Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis disturbs the frog skin microbiome during a natural epidemic and experimental infection

PubMed Central

Jani, Andrea J.; Briggs, Cheryl J.

2014-01-01

Symbiotic microbial communities may interact with infectious pathogens sharing a common host. The microbiome may limit pathogen infection or, conversely, an invading pathogen can disturb the microbiome. Documentation of such relationships during naturally occurring disease outbreaks is rare, and identifying causal links from field observations is difficult. This study documented the effects of an amphibian skin pathogen of global conservation concern [the chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd)] on the skin-associated bacterial microbiome of the endangered frog, Rana sierrae, using a combination of population surveys and laboratory experiments. We examined covariation of pathogen infection and bacterial microbiome composition in wild frogs, demonstrating a strong and consistent correlation between Bd infection load and bacterial community composition in multiple R. sierrae populations. Despite the correlation between Bd infection load and bacterial community composition, we observed 100% mortality of postmetamorphic frogs during a Bd epizootic, suggesting that the relationship between Bd and bacterial communities was not linked to variation in resistance to mortal disease and that Bd infection altered bacterial communities. In a controlled experiment, Bd infection significantly altered the R. sierrae microbiome, demonstrating a causal relationship. The response of microbial communities to Bd infection was remarkably consistent: Several bacterial taxa showed the same response to Bd infection across multiple field populations and the laboratory experiment, indicating a somewhat predictable interaction between Bd and the microbiome. The laboratory experiment demonstrates that Bd infection causes changes to amphibian skin bacterial communities, whereas the laboratory and field results together strongly support Bd disturbance as a driver of bacterial community change during natural disease dynamics. PMID:25385615

Future challenges in the elimination of bacterial meningitis.

PubMed

Bottomley, Matthew J; Serruto, Davide; Sáfadi, Marco Aurélio Palazzi; Klugman, Keith P

2012-05-30

Despite the widespread implementation of several effective vaccines over the past few decades, bacterial meningitis caused by Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria meningitidis and Group B Streptococcus (GBS) still results in unacceptably high levels of human mortality and morbidity. A residual disease burden due to bacterial meningitis is also apparent due to a number of persistent or emerging pathogens, including Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Salmonella spp. and Streptococcus suis. Here, we review the current status of bacterial meningitis caused by these pathogens, highlighting how past and present vaccination programs have attempted to counter these pathogens. We discuss how improved pathogen surveillance, implementation of current vaccines, and development of novel vaccines may be expected to further reduce bacterial meningitis and related diseases in the future. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

[Bacterial vaginosis and trichomononiasis. Fundamental world guidelines on management and therapy of the patients].

PubMed

Gomberg, M A

2013-01-01

The vaginal discharge is one of the most frequent symptoms requiring medical advise. Vaginal discharges are mainly associated with three diseases: bacterial vaginosis, trichomononiasis and candidiasis. The review is concerned with up-to-date approaches to the treatment of females with bacterial vaginosis and trichomononiasis, diseases different by the etiology and pathogenesis, but at the same time similar with respect to the treatment. The analysis is in compliance with the principles of the two fundamental world guidelines.

Will vaccination against human papillomavirus prevent eye disease? A review of the evidence.

PubMed

Hughes, D S; Powell, N; Fiander, A N

2008-04-01

The role of human papillomavirus (HPV) infection in eye disease is controversial. However, a recent case illustrates the possible role of HPV in conjunctival squamous carcinoma and the potentially devastating effects of this disease. The development of two vaccines to prevent infection with HPV types most commonly associated with anogenital cancers has led to debate about the pros and cons of a national immunisation programme to prevent cervical cancer. The introduction of such a vaccination programme may have an additional beneficial effect on the occurrence of some head and neck, including ocular, cancers. This review discusses the nature of papillomaviruses, mechanisms of infection and carcinogenesis, the possible role of HPV in eye disease, and finally the likely impact of the new prophylactic vaccines.

GM2 gangliosidosis in Saudi Arabia: multiple mutations and considerations for future carrier screening.

PubMed

Kaya, Namik; Al-Owain, Mohammad; Abudheim, Nada; Al-Zahrani, Jawaher; Colak, Dilek; Al-Sayed, Moeen; Milanlioglu, Aysel; Ozand, Pinar T; Alkuraya, Fowzan S

2011-06-01

The GM2 gangliosidose, Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases, are a class of lysosomal storage diseases in which relentless neurodegeneration results in devastating neurological disability and premature death. Primary prevention is the most effective intervention since no effective therapy is currently available. An extremely successful model for the prevention of GM2 gangliosidosis in the Ashkenazi Jewish community is largely attributable to the very limited number of founder mutations in that population. Consistent with our previous observation of allelic heterogeneity in consanguineous populations, we show here that these diseases are largely caused by private mutations which present a major obstacle in replicating the Ashkenazi success story. Alternative solutions are proposed which can also be implemented for other autosomal recessive diseases in our population. Copyright © 2011 Wiley-Liss, Inc.