Identification of an Emergent and Atypical Pseudomonas viridiflava Lineage Causing Bacteriosis in Plants of Agronomic Importance in a Spanish Region

Pseudomonas strains with an atypical LOPAT profile (where LOPAT is a series of determinative tests: L, levan production; O, oxidase production; P, pectinolitic activity; A, arginine dihydrolase production; and T, tobacco hypersensibility) can be regarded as emergent pathogens in the Principality of Asturias (Spain), where they have been causing, since 1999, severe damage in at least three taxonomically unrelated orchard plants of agronomic importance: common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa). These strains are mainly differentiated by production of yellowish mucoid material in hypersucrose medium, used for the levan test, and by a variable pectinolytic activity on different potato varieties. The atypical organisms were identified as Pseudomonas viridiflava based on their 16S rRNA sequences. Among them a certain intraspecies genetic heterogeneity was detected by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) typing. To differentiate between isolates of P. viridiflava and Pseudomonas syringae pathovars, a 16S ribosomal DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism method employing the restriction endonucleases SacI and HinfI was developed. This could be used as a means of reliable species determination after the usual phenotypical characterization, which includes the LOPAT tests

Identification of an Emergent and Atypical Pseudomonas viridiflava Lineage Causing Bacteriosis in Plants of Agronomic Importance in a Spanish Region

Pseudomonas strains with an atypical LOPAT profile (where LOPAT is a series of determinative tests: L, levan production; O, oxidase production; P, pectinolitic activity; A, arginine dihydrolase production; and T, tobacco hypersensibility) can be regarded as emergent pathogens in the Principality of Asturias (Spain), where they have been causing, since 1999, severe damage in at least three taxonomically unrelated orchard plants of agronomic importance: common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), kiwifruit (Actinidia deliciosa), and lettuce (Lactuca sativa). These strains are mainly differentiated by production of yellowish mucoid material in hypersucrose medium, used for the levan test, and by a variable pectinolytic activity on different potato varieties. The atypical organisms were identified as Pseudomonas viridiflava based on their 16S rRNA sequences. Among them a certain intraspecies genetic heterogeneity was detected by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) typing. To differentiate between isolates of P. viridiflava and Pseudomonas syringae pathovars, a 16S ribosomal DNA restriction fragment length polymorphism method employing the restriction endonucleases SacI and HinfI was developed. This could be used as a means of reliable species determination after the usual phenotypical characterization, which includes the LOPAT tests

Las malas hierbas contribuyen a la supervivencia de algunas bacterias fitopatógenas

En Asturias es muy frecuente que las malas hierbas acompañen a nuestros cultivos, por lo que, para controlarlas, es imprescindible realizar labores de escarda. En el Laboratorio de Fitopatología del SERIDA se encontraron bacterias patógenas de la judía en algunas malas hierbas, que constituyen una fuente de inóculo y un reservorio que permite sobrevivir a la bacteria cuando no hay cultivo

Cholecystokinin in the central nervous system of the sea lamprey Petromyzon marinus: precursor identification and neuroanatomical relationships with other neuronal signalling systems

Cholecystokinin (CCK) is a neuropeptide that modulates processes such as digestion, satiety, and anxiety. CCK-type peptides have been characterized in jawed vertebrates and invertebrates, but little is known about CCK-type signalling in the most ancient group of vertebrates, the agnathans. Here, we have cloned and sequenced a cDNA encoding a sea lamprey (Petromyzon marinus L.) CCK-type precursor (PmCCK), which contains a CCK-type octapeptide sequence (PmCCK-8) that is highly similar to gnathostome CCKs. Using mRNA in situ hybridization, the distribution of PmCCK-expressing neurons was mapped in the CNS of P. marinus. This revealed PmCCK-expressing neurons in the hypothalamus, posterior tubercle, prethalamus, nucleus of the medial longitudinal fasciculus, midbrain tegmentum, isthmus, rhombencephalic reticular formation, and the putative nucleus of the solitary tract. Some PmCCK-expressing neuronal populations were only observed in adults, revealing important differences with larvae. We generated an antiserum to PmCCK-8 to enable immunohistochemical analysis of CCK expression, which revealed that GABA or glutamate, but not serotonin, tyrosine hydroxylase or neuropeptide Y, is co-expressed in some PmCCK-8-immunoreactive (ir) neurons. Importantly, this is the first demonstration of co-localization of GABA and CCK in neurons of a non-mammalian vertebrate. We also characterized extensive cholecystokinergic fibre systems of the CNS, including innervation of habenular subnuclei. A conspicuous PmCCK-8-ir tract ascending in the lateral rhombencephalon selectively innervates a glutamatergic population in the dorsal isthmic grey. Interestingly, this tract is reminiscent of the secondary gustatory/visceral tract of teleosts. In conclusion, this study provides important new information on the evolution of the cholecystokinergic system in vertebrates.</p

Surgical site infection after gastrointestinal surgery in high-income, middle-income, and low-income countries: a prospective, international, multicentre cohort study

Background: Surgical site infection (SSI) is one of the most common infections associated with health care, but its importance as a global health priority is not fully understood. We quantified the burden of SSI after gastrointestinal surgery in countries in all parts of the world. Methods: This international, prospective, multicentre cohort study included consecutive patients undergoing elective or emergency gastrointestinal resection within 2-week time periods at any health-care facility in any country. Countries with participating centres were stratified into high-income, middle-income, and low-income groups according to the UN's Human Development Index (HDI). Data variables from the GlobalSurg 1 study and other studies that have been found to affect the likelihood of SSI were entered into risk adjustment models. The primary outcome measure was the 30-day SSI incidence (defined by US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention criteria for superficial and deep incisional SSI). Relationships with explanatory variables were examined using Bayesian multilevel logistic regression models. This trial is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02662231. Findings: Between Jan 4, 2016, and July 31, 2016, 13 265 records were submitted for analysis. 12 539 patients from 343 hospitals in 66 countries were included. 7339 (58·5%) patient were from high-HDI countries (193 hospitals in 30 countries), 3918 (31·2%) patients were from middle-HDI countries (82 hospitals in 18 countries), and 1282 (10·2%) patients were from low-HDI countries (68 hospitals in 18 countries). In total, 1538 (12·3%) patients had SSI within 30 days of surgery. The incidence of SSI varied between countries with high (691 [9·4%] of 7339 patients), middle (549 [14·0%] of 3918 patients), and low (298 [23·2%] of 1282) HDI (p < 0·001). The highest SSI incidence in each HDI group was after dirty surgery (102 [17·8%] of 574 patients in high-HDI countries; 74 [31·4%] of 236 patients in middle-HDI countries; 72 [39·8%] of 181 patients in low-HDI countries). Following risk factor adjustment, patients in low-HDI countries were at greatest risk of SSI (adjusted odds ratio 1·60, 95% credible interval 1·05–2·37; p=0·030). 132 (21·6%) of 610 patients with an SSI and a microbiology culture result had an infection that was resistant to the prophylactic antibiotic used. Resistant infections were detected in 49 (16·6%) of 295 patients in high-HDI countries, in 37 (19·8%) of 187 patients in middle-HDI countries, and in 46 (35·9%) of 128 patients in low-HDI countries (p < 0·001). Interpretation: Countries with a low HDI carry a disproportionately greater burden of SSI than countries with a middle or high HDI and might have higher rates of antibiotic resistance. In view of WHO recommendations on SSI prevention that highlight the absence of high-quality interventional research, urgent, pragmatic, randomised trials based in LMICs are needed to assess measures aiming to reduce this preventable complication

Laparoscopy in management of appendicitis in high-, middle-, and low-income countries: a multicenter, prospective, cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Appendicitis is the most common abdominal surgical emergency worldwide. Differences between high- and low-income settings in the availability of laparoscopic appendectomy, alternative management choices, and outcomes are poorly described. The aim was to identify variation in surgical management and outcomes of appendicitis within low-, middle-, and high-Human Development Index (HDI) countries worldwide. METHODS: This is a multicenter, international prospective cohort study. Consecutive sampling of patients undergoing emergency appendectomy over 6 months was conducted. Follow-up lasted 30 days. RESULTS: 4546 patients from 52 countries underwent appendectomy (2499 high-, 1540 middle-, and 507 low-HDI groups). Surgical site infection (SSI) rates were higher in low-HDI (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.33-4.99, p = 0.005) but not middle-HDI countries (OR 1.38, 95% CI 0.76-2.52, p = 0.291), compared with high-HDI countries after adjustment. A laparoscopic approach was common in high-HDI countries (1693/2499, 67.7%), but infrequent in low-HDI (41/507, 8.1%) and middle-HDI (132/1540, 8.6%) groups. After accounting for case-mix, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.55, 95% CI 0.42-0.71, p < 0.001) and SSIs (OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.33, p < 0.001). In propensity-score matched groups within low-/middle-HDI countries, laparoscopy was still associated with fewer overall complications (OR 0.23 95% CI 0.11-0.44) and SSI (OR 0.21 95% CI 0.09-0.45). CONCLUSION: A laparoscopic approach is associated with better outcomes and availability appears to differ by country HDI. Despite the profound clinical, operational, and financial barriers to its widespread introduction, laparoscopy could significantly improve outcomes for patients in low-resource environments. TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT02179112