Primary amino acids affect the distribution of methylmercury rather than inorganic mercury among tissues of two farmed-raised fish species

The distributions of primary amino acids, MeHg and IHg in body tissues of two commonly farm-raised fish species (common carp: Cyprinus carpio; grass carp: Ctenopharyngodon idellus) in Guizhou Province, SW China, were investigated to understand the effects of primary amino acids on MeHg and Wig metabolism in farm-raised fish. The primary amino acids were classified into four groups: (1) essential and polar amino acids; (2) essential and non-polar amino acids; (3) non-essential and polar amino acids; and (4) non-essential and non-polar amino acids. For both fish species, groups (1, 2 and 3) were enriched in muscle and kidney, whereas group (4) was enriched in scale. The two fish species showed low MeHg concentrations (grass carp: 0.5-3.9 ng/g; common carp:1.0-7.4 ng/g) and low MeHg proportions (grass carp: 2-45%; common carp: 6-37%) in their tissues, which are mainly due to the simple food web structures and the fast growth of the farm-raised fish. Positive correlations (r = 0.342 to 0.472; p < 0.01; n = 78) were observed between MeHg and several primary amino acids (cysteine, threonine, phenylalanine, leucine, valine, glutamate serine and tyrosine) in fish tissues, which may be driven by the formation of MeHg-Cys complexes within fish body. However, no significant correlations were observed between IHg and any primary amino acids, indicating the metabolic processes of IHg and MeHg are different. This study advances our understanding that cysteine and its related/derived amino acids may be an important driving force for MeHg distribution and translocation in fish. (C) 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Nasal Microenvironments and Interspecific Interactions Influence Nasal Microbiota Complexity and S. aureus Carriage

SummaryThe indigenous microbiota of the nasal cavity plays important roles in human health and disease. Patterns of spatial variation in microbiota composition may help explain Staphylococcus aureus colonization and reveal interspecies and species-host interactions. To assess the biogeography of the nasal microbiota, we sampled healthy subjects, representing both S. aureus carriers and noncarriers at three nasal sites (anterior naris, middle meatus, and sphenoethmoidal recess). Phylogenetic compositional and sparse linear discriminant analyses revealed communities that differed according to site epithelium type and S. aureus culture-based carriage status. Corynebacterium accolens and C. pseudodiphtheriticum were identified as the most important microbial community determinants of S. aureus carriage, and competitive interactions were only evident at sites with ciliated pseudostratified columnar epithelium. In vitro cocultivation experiments provided supporting evidence of interactions among these species. These results highlight spatial variation in nasal microbial communities and differences in community composition between S. aureus carriers and noncarriers