scholarly journals Non-pest household arthropods as a reservoir of human opportunistic pathogens

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Federica Boiocchi ◽  
Romaine Derelle ◽  
Matthew Davies ◽  
Luisa Orsini ◽  
Anthony Hilton
Keyword(s):  
Community Diversity ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Arthropod Community ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
West Midlands ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
First Time ◽  
Microbiota Diversity

Arthropods are recognised as potential mechanical and biological vectors for infectious diseases in outdoor environments. However, a comprehensive understanding of the indoor arthropod community diversity and of the role that their associated microbiota may have as disease vectors is largely unexplored. Here, we study the arthropod community and the associated microbiota diversity of twenty indoor environments, sampled over a period of twelve months from urban and suburban households by citizen scientists in the West Midlands (UK). We compare the arthropods diversity between environments and over the sampling months. We characterize the exogenous (exoskeleton) and endogenous (gut) bacterial communities associated with all specimens of arthropods actively captured using both a traditional culture-based and an unbiased metabarcoding approach. For the first time, we describe the exogenous and endogenous microbiota composition and diversity of 14 arthropod families found in indoor environments. We find that both the exogenous and the endogenous microbiota are potential carriers of human opportunistic pathogens, with potential implications for public health. We discover that many bacteria families are shared across the exogenous microbiota of arthropods, likely influenced by the bacteria present in the environment. Conversely, the endogenous microbiota composition is unique to the arthropod families, and likely genetically determined. We show that the metabarcoding unbiased approach is a superior tool to characterize the microbiota associated with each arthropod family. This study provides new insights into bacterial carriage in household arthropods as potential reservoirs of infectious disease.

scholarly journals Reflecting on Impacts of COVID19 on Sustainable Buildings and Cities

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Jorge Gonzalez ◽  
Moncef Krarti
Keyword(s):  
Global Perspective ◽  
Editorial Note ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Professional Lives ◽  
Complex Situation ◽  
Energy Demands ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
First Time

Abstract The pandemics of COVID19 has disrupted all aspects of our lives in many ways since it was first detected in the early part of the year 2020; personal and professional lives were impacts, work places, learning environments, businesses, commerce, and industry. This complex situation that places buildings at the center of the human activity raises many questions about our state of knowledge and technology to face these extraordinary challenges presented by a global pandemics. To reflect on these complex questions and with the intention of forging a forward agenda for our scientific and engineering community, a group of colleagues organized an initial open conversation at the ASME 2020 Energy Sustainability Conference, held virtually for first time, this past month of June 2020 to reflect on specific and broad topics that included: a) impacts of COVID19 in mechanical systems for indoor environments, b) the role of COVID19 in outdoor environments, c) how CVOID19 has impacted energy demands in buildings with a global perspective, and d) what maybe the role of COVID19 in social equity. Short summaries of these reflections are given in this Editorial Note.

scholarly journals Heterozygous Trees Rebound the Fastest after Felling by Beavers to Positively Affect Arthropod Community Diversity

Forests ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
pp. 694
Author(s):  
Faith M. Walker ◽  
Rachel Durben ◽  
Stephen M. Shuster ◽  
Richard L. Lindroth ◽  
Thomas G. Whitham
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Castor Canadensis ◽  
High Stress ◽  
Underlying Mechanism ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Community Diversity ◽  
Population Substructure ◽  
Individual Plant ◽  
Arthropod Community

Although genetic diversity within stands of trees is known to have community-level consequences, whether such effects are present at an even finer genetic scale is unknown. We examined the hypothesis that genetic variability (heterozygosity) within an individual plant would affect its dependent community, which adds a new dimension to the importance of genetic diversity. Our study contrasted foliar arthropod community diversity and microsatellite marker-derived measures of genetic diversity of cottonwood (Populus fremontii) trees that had been felled by beavers (Castor canadensis) and were resprouting, relative to adjacent standing, unfelled trees. Three patterns emerged: 1. Productivity (specific leaf area), phytochemical defenses (salicortin), and arthropod community richness, abundance, and diversity were positively correlated with the heterozygosity of individual felled trees, but not with that of unfelled trees; 2. These relationships were not explained by population substructure, genetic relatedness of the trees, or hybridization; 3. The underlying mechanism appears to be that beaver herbivory stimulates increased productivity (i.e., 2× increase from the most homozygous to the most heterozygous tree) that is the greatest in more heterozygous trees. Salicortin defenses in twigs were also expressed at higher concentrations in more heterozygous trees (i.e., 3× increase from the most homozygous to the most heterozygous tree), which suggests that this compound may dissuade further herbivory by beavers, as has been found for other mammalian herbivores. We suggest that high stress to trees as a consequence of felling reveals a heterozygosity–productivity linkage, which in turn is attractive to arthropods. Although experiments are required to demonstrate causality, these results link the genetic diversity of individual trees to community diversity, supporting the hypothesis that interactions among foundation species (beavers and trees) have community-level effects, and underscores the importance of genetic diversity for biodiversity, conservation, and restoration.

scholarly journals Donor-intrinsic variables determine mobilization efficiency: analyses from a cohort of sixty twice-mobilized stem cell donors

2020 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Soo-Zin Kim-Wanner ◽  
Seo-Youn Lee ◽  
Erhard Seifried ◽  
Halvard Bonig
Keyword(s):  
Stem Cell ◽  
Time Lag ◽  
Graft Function ◽  
Anecdotal Evidence ◽  
Cell Compartment ◽  
Small Minority ◽  
Stem Cell Compartment ◽  
Poor Graft Function ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
First Time

Abstract Background Healthy volunteer registry donors have become the backbone of stem cell transplantation programs. While most registrants will never become actual donors, a small minority are called upon twice, most commonly for the same patient because of poor graft function. Anecdotal evidence provides no hard reasons to disallow second-time mobilized apheresis, but few centers have treated enough two-time donors for definitive conclusions. Moreover, for reasons unknown, the efficiency of G-CSF varies greatly between donations. Methods Comparison of outcomes of first vs. second donations can formally confirm G-CSF responsiveness as intrinsically, likely genetically, determined. In our database, we identified 60 donors (1.3%) who received two cycles of G-CSF 24 days to 4 years apart and systematically compared mobilization outcomes. Results First and second mobilization and collection proceeded without severe or unusual adverse effects. First-time mobilization efficiency was highly predictive of second-time mobilization. Neither mobilization efficiency nor time lag between donations affected the similarity of first- and second-time mobilization outcomes. Conclusions With the caveat that only donors with an unremarkable first donation were cleared for a second, our data indicate that a second donation is feasible, equally tolerable as a first donation, and efficient. Moreover, the data strongly support the notion of donor-intrinsic variables dictating mobilization response and argue against relevant damage to the stem cell compartment during mobilization with rhG-CSF.

The Effects of Increasing Intake of Intact Wheat Fibre or Wheat Bran on Gut Microbiota Diversity: a Systematic Review

2020 ◽  
Vol 79 (OCE2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Angie Jefferson ◽  
Katie Adolphus
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
Wheat Bran ◽  
Bacterial Species ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Inclusion Criteria ◽  
Breakfast Cereal ◽  
High Fibre ◽  
Microbiota Diversity ◽  
Gut Microbiota Composition

AbstractThe influence on health of the human gut microbiota is increasingly recognised, however wheat fibre, consumed frequently in Western diets has traditionally been considered inert with regard to gut microbiota composition and metabolic activity. We undertook a systematic review (PRISMA methodology) of human intervention studies examining the effects of intact cereal fibres on gut microbiota composition among healthy adults.(1) Studies published in the past 20 years were identified on PubMed and Cochrane electronic databases. Inclusion criteria were: healthy adult participants, at least one intact cereal fibre (or its sub-fraction) and measurement of faecal microbiota related outcomes. Out of forty studies meeting inclusion criteria, seventeen manipulated wheat fibre/bran or its key constituent arabinoxylans (AXOS), and ten used a whole diet approach with predominantly wheat fibre. Results from these twenty seven wheat fibre papers are presented here. Eight studies provided wheat bran/fibre (ranging from 5.7g-21g/day wheat fibre or 13g-28g/day wheat bran). Three reported significant effects on gut microbiota abundance and/or diversity (both at phyla and species level) and one showed no effect. Six reported significant increases in fermentation metabolites and one reported no significant change. Ten studies manipulated whole day fibre intake (predominantly wheat but also permitting some oats, rye and rice). Wholegrain intake ranged from 80g-150 g per day and fibre from 13.7g–40 g per day. Six found significant increases in bacterial diversity and/or abundance and five showed significant increases in fermentation metabolites. Two identified that response to high fibre intervention is dependent on baseline gut microbiota richness - those with limited richness exhibiting greater microbiota change over time in response to fibre increase. Two reported no significant effects. Nine studies utilised manipulation of AXOS (2.2g–18.8 g per day) with five demonstrating significant increases in target bacterial species and six significant increases in fermentation metabolites. One reported no significant effect to faecal metabolites. This review supports a role for the wheat fibre found in everyday foods (such as bran breakfast cereal of high fibre breads) promoting both microbiota diversity and abundance. While the healthy microbiome is yet to be defined, consumption of a single daily serving of wheat bran fibre appears sufficient to effect gut microbiota fermentation (with demonstrable effects arising from as low as 6g/day), and promote species diversity, with potential benefit to health.However exploration of stability over longer time frames (> 12 weeks) is now required.

scholarly journals Burkholderia species in human infections in Mexico: Identification of B. cepacia, B. contaminans, B. multivorans, B. vietnamiensis,B. pseudomallei and a new Burkholderia species

2021 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. e0009541
Author(s):  
Georgina Meza-Radilla ◽  
Violeta Larios-Serrato ◽  
Rigoberto Hernández-Castro ◽  
J. Antonio Ibarra ◽  
Paulina Estrada-de los Santos
Keyword(s):  
Sensu Stricto ◽  
Clinical Settings ◽  
Correct Identification ◽  
Opportunistic Pathogens ◽  
Burkholderia Species ◽  
Medical Centers ◽  
Accurate Treatment ◽  
Immunosuppressed Patients ◽  
Human Infections ◽  
First Time

Background Burkholderia sensu stricto is comprised mainly of opportunistic pathogens. This group is widely distributed in the environment but is especially important in clinical settings. In Mexico, few species have been correctly identified among patients, most often B. cepacia is described. Methodology/Principal findings In this study, approximately 90 strains identified as B. cepacia with the VITEK2 system were isolated from two medical centers in Mexico City and analyzed by MLSA, BOX-PCR and genome analysis. The initial identification of B. cepacia was confirmed for many strains, but B. contaminans, B. multivorans and B. vietnamiensis were also identified among clinical strains for the first time in hospitals in Mexico. Additionally, the presence of B. pseudomallei was confirmed, and a novel species within the B. cepacia complex was documented. Several strains misidentified as B. cepacia actually belong to the genera Pseudomonas, Stenotrophomonas and Providencia. Conclusions/Significance The presence of different Burkholderia species in Mexico was confirmed. Correct identification of Burkholderia species is important to provide accurate treatment for immunosuppressed patients.

scholarly journals Augmenting ViSP’s 3D Model-Based Tracker with RGB-D SLAM for 3D Pose Estimation in Indoor Environments

2016 ◽  
Vol XLI-B1 ◽  
pp. 925-932
Author(s):  
J. Li-Chee-Ming ◽  
C. Armenakis
Keyword(s):  
Pose Estimation ◽  
Visual Servoing ◽  
3D Model ◽  
Field Of View ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
Camera Motion ◽  
3D Pose Estimation ◽  
Building Models ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
Model Features

This paper presents a novel application of the Visual Servoing Platform’s (ViSP) for pose estimation in indoor and GPS-denied outdoor environments. Our proposed solution integrates the trajectory solution from RGBD-SLAM into ViSP’s pose estimation process. Li-Chee-Ming and Armenakis (2015) explored the application of ViSP in mapping large outdoor environments, and tracking larger objects (i.e., building models). Their experiments revealed that tracking was often lost due to a lack of model features in the camera’s field of view, and also because of rapid camera motion. Further, the pose estimate was often biased due to incorrect feature matches. This work proposes a solution to improve ViSP’s pose estimation performance, aiming specifically to reduce the frequency of tracking losses and reduce the biases present in the pose estimate. This paper explores the integration of ViSP with RGB-D SLAM. We discuss the performance of the combined tracker in mapping indoor environments and tracking 3D wireframe indoor building models, and present preliminary results from our experiments.

scholarly journals Correcting the Error in Measuring Radiation Received by a Person: Introducing Cylindrical Radiometers

Sensors ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 19 (23) ◽  
pp. 5085 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brown
Keyword(s):  
Vertical Cylinder ◽  
Spherical Shape ◽  
Indoor Environments ◽  
New Instrument ◽  
Human Energy ◽  
Integral Radiation ◽  
Outdoor Environments ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Radiant Temperature ◽  
New Instruments

Most human energy budget models consider a person to be approximately cylindrical in shape when estimating or measuring the amount of radiation that they receive in a given environment. Yet, the most commonly used instrument for measuring the amount of radiation received by a person is the globe thermometer. The spherical shape of this instrument was designed to be used indoors where radiation is received approximately equally from all directions. But in outdoor environments, radiation can be strongly directional, making the sphere an inappropriate shape. The international standard for measuring radiation received by a person, the Integral Radiation Measurement (IRM) method, yields a measure of the Mean Radiant Temperature (Tmrt). This method uses radiometers oriented in the four cardinal directions, plus up and down. However, this setup essentially estimates the amount of energy received by a square peg, not a cylinder. This paper identifies the errors introduced by both the sphere and the peg, and introduces a set of two new instrument that can be used to directly measure the amount of radiation received by a vertical cylinder in outdoor environments. The Cylindrical Pyranometer measures the amount of solar radiation received by a vertical cylinder, and the Cylindrical Pyrgeometer measures the amount of terrestrial radiation received. While the globe thermometer is still valid for use in indoor environments, these two new instruments should become the standard for measuring radiation received by people in outdoor environments.

scholarly journals Individual Patterns of Complexity in Cystic Fibrosis Lung Microbiota, Including Predator Bacteria, over a 1-Year Period

mBio ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan de Dios Caballero ◽  
Rafael Vida ◽  
Marta Cobo ◽  
Luis Máiz ◽  
Lucrecia Suárez ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Computational Model ◽  
Clinical Status ◽  
Sampling Bias ◽  
Microbiota Composition ◽  
Lung Microbiome ◽  
Sequential Samples ◽  
Colonization Patterns ◽  
First Time ◽  
Respiratory Microbiome

ABSTRACT Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung microbiota composition has recently been redefined by the application of next-generation sequencing (NGS) tools, identifying, among others, previously undescribed anaerobic and uncultivable bacteria. In the present study, we monitored the fluctuations of this ecosystem in 15 CF patients during a 1-year follow-up period, describing for the first time, as far as we know, the presence of predator bacteria in the CF lung microbiome. In addition, a new computational model was developed to ascertain the hypothetical ecological repercussions of a prey-predator interaction in CF lung microbial communities. Fifteen adult CF patients, stratified according to their pulmonary function into mild (n = 5), moderate (n = 9), and severe (n = 1) disease, were recruited at the CF unit of the Ramón y Cajal University Hospital (Madrid, Spain). Each patient contributed three or four induced sputum samples during a 1-year follow-up period. Lung microbiota composition was determined by both cultivation and NGS techniques and was compared with the patients’ clinical variables. Results revealed a particular microbiota composition for each patient that was maintained during the study period, although some fluctuations were detected without any clinical correlation. For the first time, Bdellovibrio and Vampirovibrio predator bacteria were shown in CF lung microbiota and reduced-genome bacterial parasites of the phylum Parcubacteria were also consistently detected. The newly designed computational model allows us to hypothesize that inoculation of predators into the pulmonary microbiome might contribute to the control of chronic colonization by CF pathogens in early colonization stages. IMPORTANCE The application of NGS to sequential samples of CF patients demonstrated the complexity of the organisms present in the lung (156 species) and the constancy of basic individual colonization patterns, although some differences between samples from the same patient were observed, probably related to sampling bias. Bdellovibrio and Vampirovibrio predator bacteria were found for the first time by NGS as part of the CF lung microbiota, although their ecological significance needs to be clarified. The newly designed computational model allows us to hypothesize that inoculation of predators into the lung microbiome can eradicate CF pathogens in early stages of the process. Our data strongly suggest that lower respiratory microbiome fluctuations are not necessarily related to the patient’s clinical status. IMPORTANCE The application of NGS to sequential samples of CF patients demonstrated the complexity of the organisms present in the lung (156 species) and the constancy of basic individual colonization patterns, although some differences between samples from the same patient were observed, probably related to sampling bias. Bdellovibrio and Vampirovibrio predator bacteria were found for the first time by NGS as part of the CF lung microbiota, although their ecological significance needs to be clarified. The newly designed computational model allows us to hypothesize that inoculation of predators into the lung microbiome can eradicate CF pathogens in early stages of the process. Our data strongly suggest that lower respiratory microbiome fluctuations are not necessarily related to the patient’s clinical status.

scholarly journals Molecular Genetics and Interferon Signature in the Italian Aicardi Goutières Syndrome Cohort: Report of 12 New Cases and Literature Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 750 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jessica Garau ◽  
Vanessa Cavallera ◽  
Marialuisa Valente ◽  
Davide Tonduti ◽  
Daisy Sproviero ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Interferon Signaling ◽  
Cerebral Calcification ◽  
Interferon Signature ◽  
Interferon Stimulated Genes ◽  
Functional Investigation ◽  
Genetically Determined ◽  
Next Generation Sequencing Ngs ◽  
First Time ◽  
Generation Sequencing ◽  
Italian Cohort

Aicardi-Goutières syndrome (AGS) is a genetically determined early onset encephalopathy characterized by cerebral calcification, leukodystrophy, and increased expression of interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs). Up to now, seven genes (TREX1, RNASEH2B, RNASEH2C, RNASEH2A, ADAR1, SAMHD1, IFIH1) have been associated with an AGS phenotype. Next Generation Sequencing (NGS) analysis was performed on 51 AGS patients and interferon signature (IS) was investigated in 18 AGS patients and 31 healthy controls. NGS identified mutations in 48 of 51 subjects, with three patients demonstrating a typical AGS phenotype but not carrying mutations in known AGS-related genes. Five mutations, in RNASEH2B, SAMHD1 and IFIH1 gene, were not previously reported. Eleven patients were positive and seven negatives for the upregulation of interferon signaling (IS > 2.216). This work presents, for the first time, the genetic data of an Italian cohort of AGS patients, with a higher percentage of mutations in RNASEH2B and a lower frequency of mutations in TREX1 than those seen in international series. RNASEH2B mutated patients showed a prevalence of negative IS consistent with data reported in the literature. We also identified five novel pathogenic mutations that warrant further functional investigation. Exome/genome sequencing will be performed in future studies in patients without a mutation in AGS-related genes.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document