scholarly journals Metal worker’s lung: spatial association with Mycobacterium avium

Thorax ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 73 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillip L James ◽  
Julie Cannon ◽  
Christopher M Barber ◽  
Laura Crawford ◽  
Heather Hughes ◽  
...  

BackgroundOutbreaks of hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP) are not uncommon in workplaces where metal working fluid (MWF) is used to facilitate metal turning. Inhalation of microbe-contaminated MWF has been assumed to be the cause, but previous investigations have failed to establish a spatial relationship between a contaminated source and an outbreak.ObjectivesAfter an outbreak of five cases of HP in a UK factory, we carried out blinded, molecular-based microbiological investigation of MWF samples in order to identify potential links between specific microbial taxa and machines in the outbreak zone.MethodsCustom-quantitative PCR assays, microscopy and phylogenetic analyses were performed on blinded MWF samples to quantify microbial burden and identify potential aetiological agents of HP in metal workers.Measurements and main resultsMWF from machines fed by a central sump, but not those with an isolated supply, was contaminated by mycobacteria. The factory sump and a single linked machine at the centre of the outbreak zone, known to be the workstation of the index cases, had very high levels of detectable organisms. Phylogenetic placement of mycobacterial taxonomic marker genes generated from these samples indicated that the contaminating organisms were closely related to Mycobacterium avium.ConclusionsWe describe, for the first time, a close spatial relationship between the abundance of a mycobacterium-like organism, most probably M. avium, and a localised outbreak of MWF-associated HP. The further development of sequence-based analytic techniques should assist in the prevention of this important occupational disease.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Kniha ◽  
Vit Dvorak ◽  
Markus Milchram ◽  
Adelheid Obwaller ◽  
Martina Köhsler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Phlebotomine sand flies are the principal vectors of Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Sand fly findings in Central Europe are scarce and in Austria, to date only Phlebotomus mascittii has been recorded. In 2018 and 2019, entomological surveys were conducted in Austria with the aim to further clarify sand fly distribution and species composition. Results In 2019, a Ph. simici specimen was trapped in Austria for the first time. Analyses of two commonly used marker genes, COI and cyt b, revealed high sequence identity with Ph. simici specimens from North Macedonia and Greece. Phylogenetic analyses showed high intraspecific distances within Ph. simici, thereby dividing this species into three lineages, from Europe, Turkey and Israel, respectively. Low interspecific distances between Ph. simici, Ph. brevis and a yet unidentified Adlerius sp. from Turkey and Armenia highlights that molecular identification can be challenging within the Adlerius complex, even when applying standard marker genes. Conclusion This study provides the first finding of Ph. simici in Austria and the northernmost record so far. Moreover, it reveals valuable insights into the phylogenetic relationships of species within the Adlerius subgenus. Ph. simici is a suspected vector of Leishmania infantum and therefore of medical and veterinary importance. Potential sand fly expansion in Central Europe due to climatic change and the increasing import of Leishmania-infected dogs from endemic areas, urge the need for further studies on sand fly distribution in Austria and Central Europe in general.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Kniha ◽  
Vit Dvorak ◽  
Markus Milchram ◽  
Adelheid Obwaller ◽  
Martina Köhsler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Phlebotomine sand flies are the principal vectors of Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Sand fly findings in Central Europe are scarce and in Austria, to date only Phlebotomus mascittii has been recorded. In 2018 and 2019, entomological surveys were conducted in Austria with the aim to further clarify sand fly distribution and species composition.Results: In 2019, a Ph. simici specimen was trapped in Austria for the first time. Analyses of two commonly used marker genes, coxI and cytb, revealed high sequence identity with Ph. simici specimens from North Macedonia and Greece. Phylogenetic analyses showed high intraspecific distances within Ph. simici, thereby dividing this species into three lineages, from Europe, Turkey and Israel, respectively. Low interspecific distances between Ph. simici, Ph. brevis and a yet unidentified Adlerius sp. from Turkey and Armenia highlights that molecular identification can be challenging within the Adlerius complex, even when applying standard marker genes.Conclusion: This study provides the first finding of Ph. simici in Austria and the northernmost record so far. Moreover, it reveals valuable insights into the phylogenetic relationships of species within the Adlerius subgenus. Ph. simici is a suspected vector of Leishmania infantum and therefore of medical and veterinary importance. Potential sand fly expansion in Central Europe due to climatic change and the increasing import of Leishmania-infected dogs from endemic areas, urge the need for further studies on sand fly distribution in Austria and Central Europe in general.


2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edwin Kniha ◽  
Vít Dvořák ◽  
Markus Milchram ◽  
Adelheid G. Obwaller ◽  
Martina Köhsler ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Phlebotomine sand flies are the principal vectors of Leishmania spp. (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae). Information on sand flies in Central Europe is scarce and, to date, in Austria, only Phlebotomus mascittii has been recorded. In 2018 and 2019, entomological surveys were conducted in Austria with the aim to further clarify sand fly distribution and species composition. Results In 2019, a Ph. simici specimen was trapped in Austria for the first time. Analyses of two commonly used marker genes, cytochrome c oxidase I (coxI) and cytochrome b (cytb), revealed high sequence identity with Ph. simici specimens from North Macedonia and Greece. Phylogenetic analyses showed high intraspecific distances within Ph. simici, thereby dividing this species into three lineages: one each from Europe, Turkey and Israel. Low interspecific distances between Ph. simici, Ph. brevis and an as yet unidentified Adlerius sp. from Turkey and Armenia highlight how challenging molecular identification within the Adlerius complex can be, even when standard marker genes are applied. Conclusion To our knowledge, this study reports the first finding of Ph. simici in Austria, representing the northernmost recording of this species to date. Moreover, it reveals valuable insights into the phylogenetic relationships among species within the subgenus Adlerius. Phlebotomus simici is a suspected vector of L. infantum and therefore of medical and veterinary importance. Potential sand fly expansion in Central Europe due to climatic change and the increasing import of Leishmania-infected dogs from endemic areas support the need for further studies on sand fly distribution in Austria and Central Europe in general. Graphic abstract


Author(s):  
Ruth V.W. Dimlich

Mast cells in the dura mater of the rat may play a role in cerebral pathologies including neurogenic inflammation (vasodilation; plasma extravasation) and headache pain . As has been suggested for other tissues, dural mast cells may exhibit a close spatial relationship to nerves. There has been no detailed ultrastructural description of mast cells in this tissue; therefore, the goals of this study were to provide this analysis and to determine the spatial relationship of mast cells to nerves and other components of the dura mater in the rat.Four adult anesthetized male Wistar rats (290-400 g) were fixed by perfusion through the heart with 2% glutaraldehyde and 2.8% paraformaldehyde in a potassium phosphate buffer (pH 7.4) for 30 min. The head of each rat was removed and stored in fixative for a minimum of 24 h at which time the dural coverings were removed and dissected into samples that included the middle meningeal vasculature. Samples were routinely processed and flat embedded in LX 112. Thick (1 um) sections from a minimum of 3 blocks per rat were stained with toluidine blue (0.5% aqueous).


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 478
Author(s):  
Xue-Wei Wang ◽  
Tom W. May ◽  
Shi-Liang Liu ◽  
Li-Wei Zhou

Hyphodontia sensu lato, belonging to Hymenochaetales, accommodates corticioid wood-inhabiting basidiomycetous fungi with resupinate basidiocarps and diverse hymenophoral characters. Species diversity of Hyphodontia sensu lato has been extensively explored worldwide, but in previous studies the six accepted genera in Hyphodontia sensu lato, viz. Fasciodontia, Hastodontia, Hyphodontia, Kneiffiella, Lyomyces and Xylodon were not all strongly supported from a phylogenetic perspective. Moreover, the relationships among these six genera in Hyphodontia sensu lato and other lineages within Hymenochaetales are not clear. In this study, we performed comprehensive phylogenetic analyses on the basis of multiple loci. For the first time, the independence of each of the six genera receives strong phylogenetic support. The six genera are separated in four clades within Hymenochaetales: Fasciodontia, Lyomyces and Xylodon are accepted as members of a previously known family Schizoporaceae, Kneiffiella and Hyphodontia are, respectively, placed in two monotypic families, viz. a previous name Chaetoporellaceae and a newly introduced name Hyphodontiaceae, and Hastodontia is considered to be a genus with an uncertain taxonomic position at the family rank within Hymenochaetales. The three families emerged between 61.51 and 195.87 million years ago. Compared to other families in the Hymenochaetales, these ages are more or less similar to those of Coltriciaceae, Hymenochaetaceae and Oxyporaceae, but much older than those of the two families Neoantrodiellaceae and Nigrofomitaceae. In regard to species, two, one, three and 10 species are newly described from Hyphodontia, Kneiffiella, Lyomyces and Xylodon, respectively. The taxonomic status of additional 30 species names from these four genera is briefly discussed; an epitype is designated for X. australis. The resupinate habit and poroid hymenophoral configuration were evaluated as the ancestral state of basidiocarps within Hymenochaetales. The resupinate habit mainly remains, while the hymenophoral configuration mainly evolves to the grandinioid-odontioid state and also back to the poroid state at the family level. Generally, a taxonomic framework for Hymenochaetales with an emphasis on members belonging to Hyphodontia sensu lato is constructed, and trait evolution of basidiocarps within Hymenochaetales is revealed accordingly.


Phytotaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 239 (1) ◽  
pp. 17
Author(s):  
Larissa Bernardino Moro ◽  
Gregorio Delgado ◽  
Iracema Helena SCHOENLEIN-CRUSIUS

Clathrosporium retortum sp. nov., collected on submerged mixed leaf litter samples at Ilha do Cardoso State Park, São Paulo state, Brazil, is described based on morphological and molecular data. The fungus is characterized by forming whitish, dense, subglobose to irregular propagules, hyaline to subhyaline when young, subhyaline to dark brown at maturity, that are formed by densely interwoven conidial filaments with each conidial cell repeatedly branching bilaterally or occasionally unilaterally. Phylogenetic analyses using partial LSU nrDNA sequence data suggest that C. retortum belongs in the Sordariomycetes (Ascomycota) where it forms a well-supported clade with Clohesia corticola in the Sordariomycetidae, but its ordinal or familial placement remains unresolved. Its phylogenetic placement confirms the polyphyletic nature of aeroaquatic fungi like Clathrosporium, as it was distantly related to one available sequence in GenBank named as C. intricatum, the type species, which is phylogenetically related to the Helotiales (Leotiomycetes). However, due to lack of authenticity of the identity of this sequence with the type specimen of C. intricatum, a broad concept of Clathrosporium is tentatively adopted here to accommodate the present fungus instead of introducing a new genus. Beverwykella clathrata, Helicoön septatissimum and Peyronelina glomerulata are recorded for the first time from Brazil. Cancellidium applanatum and Candelabrum brocchiatum are new records for the state of São Paulo.


2019 ◽  
Vol 42 (2) ◽  
pp. 189-194
Author(s):  
Furkan Alaraji ◽  
Hussam Muhsen ◽  
Abdullah O. Alhatami ◽  
Yahia Ismail Khudhair

Abstract For the first time in Iraq, we identified in March, 2018 the presence of a highly virulent avian influenza virus (AIV), H5N1 (Clade 2.3.2.1c), causing highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) in poultry farms, Iraq,. The identification of the virus was done using a rapid serological test, a real time-qPCR, and glycoprotein gene sequencing. Using sequencing and phylogenetic analyses, the clade 2.3.2.1c virus was recorded to be clustered, with high similarity to Asian and West African AIV, HPAI H5N1 from Ivory Coast identified in 2015. According to our knowledge, there was no previous detection of the clade 2.3.2.1c made in Iraq. Our results provide evidence that high risk of HPAI H5 outbreaks might be present in Iraq, and this needs to lead to high quality surveillance targeting of wild and domestic birds for early diagnosis of HPAI. The current work provides feasible and accurate approaches for understanding the evolution of HPAI H5 virus in different countries around the world.


Author(s):  
Alexander Sukhodolov ◽  
Tuvd Dorj ◽  
Yuriy Kuzmin ◽  
Mikhail Rachkov

For the first time in Russian historiography, the article draws attention to the connection of the War of Khalkhin Gol in 1939 and the conclusion of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact of 1939. For a long time, historical science considered these two major events in the history of the USSR and history of the world individually, without their historic relationship. The authors made an attempt to provide evidence of this relationship, showing the role that surrounding and defeating the Japanese army at Khalkhin Gol in August 1939 and signing in Moscow of the German-Soviet Nonaggression Pact played in the history of the world. The study analyzes the foreign policy of the USSR in Europe, the reasons for the failure in the conclusion of the Anglo-Franco-Soviet military union in 1939 and the circumstances of the Pact. It shows the interrelation between the defeat of the Japanese troops at Khalkhin Gol and the need for the Soviet-German treaty. The authors describe the historic consequences of the conclusion of the pact for the further development of the Japanese-German relations and the course of the Second World War. They also present the characteristics of the views of these historical events in the Russian historiography.


PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. e0254194
Author(s):  
Hong-Tae Park ◽  
Woo Bin Park ◽  
Suji Kim ◽  
Jong-Sung Lim ◽  
Gyoungju Nah ◽  
...  

Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis (MAP) is a causative agent of Johne’s disease, which is a chronic and debilitating disease in ruminants. MAP is also considered to be a possible cause of Crohn’s disease in humans. However, few studies have focused on the interactions between MAP and human macrophages to elucidate the pathogenesis of Crohn’s disease. We sought to determine the initial responses of human THP-1 cells against MAP infection using single-cell RNA-seq analysis. Clustering analysis showed that THP-1 cells were divided into seven different clusters in response to phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) treatment. The characteristics of each cluster were investigated by identifying cluster-specific marker genes. From the results, we found that classically differentiated cells express CD14, CD36, and TLR2, and that this cell type showed the most active responses against MAP infection. The responses included the expression of proinflammatory cytokines and chemokines such as CCL4, CCL3, IL1B, IL8, and CCL20. In addition, the Mreg cell type, a novel cell type differentiated from THP-1 cells, was discovered. Thus, it is suggested that different cell types arise even when the same cell line is treated under the same conditions. Overall, analyzing gene expression patterns via scRNA-seq classification allows a more detailed observation of the response to infection by each cell type.


Author(s):  
Оlena Moskalenko-Vysotska

The purpose of the article is to examine in detail the features of the historical fate of K. S. Stanislavsky's doctrine of the supertask, which is considered the cornerstone of his system, and to find out the reasons for the tendentiously limited interpretation of the term “supertask” in the research literature of the second half of the last century, which still remains unconsidered. The methodology of the research is the general logical method of cognition, which involves an analysis of the features of the historical era of the emergence of the doctrine of the super-task and specific measures for its dissemination among art workers. This method makes it possible to determine the causes of deformation of the defining term of the system of K. Stanislavsky. The method of comparison is also used as a cognitive operation, which makes it possible to clearly understand the primary content of the concept of "super task" and its differences from the interpretations of many other researchers of the theoretical heritage of K. S. Stanislavsky – those authors whose interpretation is based on the judgment about the similarity or difference of objects. Scientific novelty. An attempt is made to look at the fate of the Stanislavsky system as a whole and the doctrine of the super-task, in particular, from the standpoint of historical truth, in contrast to the standpoint of myth-making, which was characteristic of researchers of the Soviet era. The novelty also lies in the fact that for the first time in the theory of acting, an attempt was made to compare the true meaning put by the author of the system into the very term of the supertask itself, with the way it was interpreted by theoretical thought in the Soviet period in accordance with the ideological needs of the then society. Conclusions. As a result of a comparative analysis of the texts of K. Stanislavsky, dedicated to the disclosure of the content of the doctrine of the super-task with the formulations that tried to reveal its content in the period after the death of the author of the system, it becomes obvious that the true meaning of the doctrine has suffered a rather significant semantic deformation. This actualizes the need for a detailed and in-depth study of all the materials of his heritage, which are related to the disclosure of the content of the doctrine of the supertask, which will contribute to the further development of the system at the present stage.


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