Outbreaks of crown rot in Fragaria x ananassa caused by Neopestalotiopsis mesopotamica in Ecuador

Strawberry crown rot is one of the most important diseases in Ecuador, with an incidence of up to 70% in the field. In the world, the strawberry crown rot is caused by different etiological agents, which makes efficient control of the disease difficult. In this study, 12 samples of strawberry plants were collected, at different stages of disease development, to determine the causative agent in Ecuador. The fungal isolates, consistent with the isolation, were identified and characterized using molecular and morphological approaches, and finally, Koch's postulate was carried out. Based on the form of growth, mycelial color, conidial morphology, and molecular characteristics (sequencing of the ITS and EF-1α region), the pathogen associated with the symptoms showed 99% similarity with the species Neopestalotiopsis mesopotamica. The result of Koch's postulates showed symptoms similar to those observed in field plants, in addition, the same inoculated isolate was recovered from artificially inoculated tissues. This is the first report of this fungus causing strawberry crown rot in Ecuador and in the world.

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Cutaneous manifestations in children with the new coronavirus infection COVID-19

RUDN Journal of Medicine ◽

10.22363/2313-0245-2021-25-1-16-24 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 25 (1) ◽

pp. 16-24

Author(s):

O. B. Tamrazova ◽

A. S. Stadnikova ◽

E. V. Rudikova

Keyword(s):

Literature Review ◽

Viral Infection ◽

Causative Agent ◽

The Novel ◽

Cutaneous Manifestations ◽

Skin Manifestations ◽

The World ◽

Coronavirus Infection ◽

Novel Coronavirus

In late 2019, a new viral infection appeared in China, which spread around the world, causing a pandemic. The causative agent of the new coronavirus infection COVID-19 is the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The review presents modern data on the epidemiology, pathogenesis and course of the novel coronavirus infection COVID-19 in children. Chinese, American and European scientists have described a variety of cutaneous manifestations in children with COVID-19. The article provides a literature review of the cutaneous manifestations of COVID-19 coronavirus infection in children. During our own observation of 301 patients with coronavirus infection COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 at the Bashlyaevs Children Hospital in Moscow from May 17 to November 16, 2020, it was revealed that 39 (13 %) patients had skin manifestations. The article presents a classification of skin manifestations characteristic of COVID-19. A brief description of each group is given.

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Phenotypic and Molecular Characteristics of the MDR Efflux Pump Gene-Carrying Stenotrophomonas maltophilia Strains Isolated in Warsaw, Poland

Biology ◽

10.3390/biology11010105 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

pp. 105

Author(s):

Olga M. Zając ◽

Stefan Tyski ◽

Agnieszka E. Laudy

Keyword(s):

Molecular Typing ◽

Stenotrophomonas Maltophilia ◽

Efflux Pump ◽

Pulsed Field Gel Electrophoresis ◽

Molecular Characteristics ◽

The World ◽

Genes Encoding ◽

Resistance Nodulation Division ◽

Sequence Types

An increase of nosocomial infections caused by Stenotrophomonas maltophilia strains has recently been observed all over the world. The isolation of these bacteria from the blood is of particular concern. In this study we performed the phenotypic and genotypic characterization of 94 S. maltophilia isolates, including isolates from patients hospitalized in a tertiary Warsaw hospital (n = 79) and from outpatients (n = 15). All isolates were found to be susceptible to trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole and minocycline, while 44/94 isolates demonstrated a reduction in susceptibility to levofloxacin. A large genetic variation was observed among the isolates tested by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. A clonal relationship with 100% similarity was observed between isolates within two sub-pulsotypes: the first included nine bloodstream isolates and the second involved six. Multilocus sequence typing showed two new sequence types (ST498 and ST499) deposited in public databases for molecular typing. Moreover, the presence of genes encoding ten different efflux pumps from the resistance-nodulation-division family and the ATP-binding cassette family was shown in the majority of the 94 isolates. The obtained knowledge about the prevalence of efflux pump genes in clinical S. maltophilia strains makes it possible to predict the scale of the risk of resistance emergence in strains as a result of gene overexpression.

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Isolation and Identification of Fungal Isolates caused Otomycosis from some Hospitals and Clinics in Mosul with Determination of Their Virulence Factors

Al-Qadisiyah Journal Of Pure Science ◽

10.29350/qjps.2021.26.4.1413 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

Author(s):

Nabeel Al-Sharrad ◽

Muhammad A. Al-Kataan ◽

Maha A. Al-Rejaboo

Keyword(s):

Fungal Infection ◽

Virulence Factors ◽

Biofilm Formation ◽

Fungal Pathogens ◽

Candida Parapsilosis ◽

Isolation And Identification ◽

Fungal Isolates ◽

Biofilm Production ◽

Etiological Agents

Otomycosis is a fungal infection that frequently involves the external auditory canal. In this study, we aimed to isolation and identification the fungal isolates as etiological agents of otomycosis from some hospitals and clinics in Mosul with determination of their virulence factors of fungal etiological agents. Positive fungal infection was found in (43) samples (71.6%). The most common fungal pathogens were Candida and Aspergillus species, with Candida parapsilosis being the predominant isolates in (11) samples (16.6%). Otomycosis was more common in Female in (26) samples (43.3%).Otomycosis was the highest prevalence aged group 15-40 years (19) samples (31.3%). The present study of virulence factors revealed that the highest biofilm formation isolates were C. parapsilosis is (10) isolates which were distributed between (2) strong and (8) weak biofilm formation.Where C.trpicales, was recorded as least isolates for biofilm production.

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Transformative tools for tackling tuberculosis

Journal of Experimental Medicine ◽

10.1084/jem.20151468 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 212 (11) ◽

pp. 1759-1769 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Jennifer L. Gardiner ◽

Christopher L. Karp

Keyword(s):

Mycobacterium Tuberculosis ◽

Host Response ◽

Control Strategies ◽

Disease Development ◽

Diagnostic Biomarkers ◽

Human Host ◽

Current State ◽

Highly Sensitive ◽

The World ◽

Total Body

The world is in need of more effective approaches to controlling tuberculosis. The development of improved control strategies has been hampered by deficiencies in the tools available for detecting Mycobacterium tuberculosis and defining the dynamic consequences of the interaction of M. tuberculosis with its human host. Key needs include a highly sensitive, specific nonsputum diagnostic; biomarkers predictive of responses to therapy; correlates of risk for disease development; and host response–independent markers of M. tuberculosis infection. Tools able to sensitively detect and quantify total body M. tuberculosis burden might well be transformative across many needed use cases. Here, we review the current state of the field, paying particular attention to needed changes in experimental paradigms that would facilitate the discovery, validation, and development of such tools.

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Machine learning versus logistic regression methods for 2-year mortality prognostication in a small, heterogeneous glioma database

10.1101/472555 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Sandip S Panesar ◽

Rhett N D’Souza ◽

Fang-Cheng Yeh ◽

Juan C Fernandez-Miranda

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Logistic Regression ◽

Machine Learning Techniques ◽

World Health ◽

Support Vector ◽

Molecular Characteristics ◽

Regression Methods ◽

Learning Techniques ◽

The World ◽

Health Organization

AbstractBackgroundMachine learning (ML) is the application of specialized algorithms to datasets for trend delineation, categorization or prediction. ML techniques have been traditionally applied to large, highly-dimensional databases. Gliomas are a heterogeneous group of primary brain tumors, traditionally graded using histopathological features. Recently the World Health Organization proposed a novel grading system for gliomas incorporating molecular characteristics. We aimed to study whether ML could achieve accurate prognostication of 2-year mortality in a small, highly-dimensional database of glioma patients.MethodsWe applied three machine learning techniques: artificial neural networks (ANN), decision trees (DT), support vector machine (SVM), and classical logistic regression (LR) to a dataset consisting of 76 glioma patients of all grades. We compared the effect of applying the algorithms to the raw database, versus a database where only statistically significant features were included into the algorithmic inputs (feature selection).ResultsRaw input consisted of 21 variables, and achieved performance of (accuracy/AUC): 70.7%/0.70 for ANN, 68%/0.72 for SVM, 66.7%/0.64 for LR and 65%/0.70 for DT. Feature selected input consisted of 14 variables and achieved performance of 73.4%/0.75 for ANN, 73.3%/0.74 for SVM, 69.3%/0.73 for LR and 65.2%/0.63 for DT.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that these techniques can also be applied to small, yet highly-dimensional datasets. Our ML techniques achieved reasonable performance compared to similar studies in the literature. Though local databases may be small versus larger cancer repositories, we demonstrate that ML techniques can still be applied to their analysis, though traditional statistical methods are of similar benefit.

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Identification of DNA Unique to the Tomato Fusarium Wilt and Crown Rot Pathogens

10.32747/1995.7571359.bard ◽

1995 ◽

Author(s):

Harold Corby Kistler ◽

Talma Katan

Keyword(s):

Evolutionary Relationship ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Diagnostic Methods ◽

Crown Rot ◽

Molecular Diagnostic ◽

Disease Development ◽

Optimal Temperature ◽

Formae Speciales ◽

Soil Borne Pathogens ◽

Different Strains

Wilt and crown rot are two important diseases of tomato caused by different strains ("formae speciales") of the fungus, Fusarium oxysporum. While both pathogens are members of the same fungal species, each differs genetically and resistance to the diseases is controlled by different genes in the plant. Additionally, the formae speciales differ in their ecology (e.g. optimal temperature of disease development) and epidemiology. Nevertheless, the distinction between these diseases based on symptoms alone may be unclear due to overlapping symptomatology. We have found in our research that the ambiguity of the pathogens is further confounded because strains causing tomato wilt or crown rot each may belong to several genetically and phylogenetically distinct lineages of F. oxysporum. Furthermore, individual lineages of the pathogen causing wilt or crown rot may themselves be very closely related. The diseases share the characteristic that the pathogen's inoculum may be aerially dispersed. This work has revealed a complex evolutionary relationship among lineages of the pathogens that makes development of molecular diagnostic methods more difficult than originally anticipated. However, the degree of diversity found in these soil-borne pathogens has allowed study of their population genetics and patterns of dispersal in agricultural settings.

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Protein-synthesizing function of the liver of cows at experimental fasciolosis

Ukrainian Journal of Veterinary and Agricultural Sciences ◽

10.32718/ujvas4-1.03 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 12-15

Author(s):

D. V. Frejuk ◽

V. V. Stybel

Keyword(s):

Functional State ◽

Causative Agent ◽

Total Protein ◽

The Body ◽

Control Group ◽

Blood Proteins ◽

Functional Connection ◽

Animal Blood ◽

The World ◽

Experimental Group

Cattle fasciolosis is quite widespread in the world, including in Ukraine. Animal blood proteins, being in close functional connection with proteins of various tissues, reflect the changes that occur in the tissues and organs of the body during disorders of their metabolic processes caused by pathological factors. The aim of the study was to investigate the level of total protein and its fractions in the blood of cows in experimental fasciolosis. 12 cows of 4–5 years of age, black-spotted breed, were selected for experiment, out of which 2 groups were formed, six animals in each. Animals in the control group were clinically healthy. Animals of the experimental group were experimentally infected with adolescents. During the research, the rules of compulsory experiments were followed - selection and keeping of analogue animals in groups. The cows' diet was balanced in terms of nutrients and minerals. In the study of protein-sensitizing function of the liver of cows, it was found that during fasciolosis invasion, the content of total protein decreased by 13.8 %. These changes were due to a decrease in albumin and an increase in globulins. Thus, in fasciological invasion of cows, the level of albumin in the serum decreased by 24.4 %, and the level of globulins increased by 7.9 %. The value of the albumin / globulin ratio in the blood of infested cows with the causative agent of fasciolosis is quite indicative. It was found that the albumin-globulin ratio in the blood of cows of the experimental group was probably lower compared to the control group of animals. This value of the coefficient, of course, indicates the suppression of protein-synthesizing function of the liver in these periods of research. In the future it is planned to investigate the functional state of the liver of cows with experimental fasciolosis.

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Potential Application of Bionanoparticles to Treat Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus-2 Infection

Frontiers in Nanotechnology ◽

10.3389/fnano.2021.813847 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Sujit K. Debnath ◽

Rohit Srivastava

Keyword(s):

Comparative Analysis ◽

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome ◽

Potential Application ◽

Vital Role ◽

Effective Management ◽

New Era ◽

The World ◽

Effective Delivery ◽

Etiological Agents ◽

Nanoparticulate Systems

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a contagious virus that spreads exponentially across the world, resulting in serious viral pneumonia. Several companies and researchers have put their tremendous effort into developing novel vaccines or drugs for the complete eradication of COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2. Bionanotechnology plays a vital role in designing functionalized biocompatible nanoparticulate systems with higher antiviral capabilities. Thus, several nanocarriers have been explored in designing and delivering drugs and vaccines. This problem can be overcome with the intervention of biomaterials or bionanoparticles. The present review describes the comparative analysis of SARS infection and its associated etiological agents. This review also highlighted some nanoparticles that have been explored in the treatment of COVID-19. However, these carriers elicit several problems once they come in contact with biological systems. Often, the body’s immune system treats these nanocarriers as foreign particles and antigens. In contrast, some bionanoparticles are highlighted here with their potential application in SARS-CoV-2. However, bionanoparticles have demonstrated some drawbacks discussed here with the possible outcomes. The scope of bioinspired nanoparticles is also discussed in detail to explore the new era of research. It is highly essential for the effective delivery of these nanoparticles to the target site. For effective management of SARS-CoV-2, different delivery patterns are also discussed here.

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Morphological and Molecular Characteristics of Fungal Species Associated with Crown Rot of Strawberry in South Korea

10.21203/rs.3.rs-713894/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Oliul Hassan ◽

Taehyun Chang

Keyword(s):

South Korea ◽

Root Rot ◽

Species Complex ◽

Sequence Data ◽

Morphological Characteristics ◽

Fungal Species ◽

Crown Rot ◽

Molecular Characteristics ◽

Pathogenicity Test ◽

Crown And Root Rot

Abstract Crown and root rot is the most important and destructive strawberry diseases in Korea as it causessubstantial economic loss. In August 2020, a severe outbreak of crown and root rot on strawberries (Fragaria×ananassa Duch.) was observed in the greenhouse at Sangju, South Korea. Infected plantlets displayed browning rot within the crown and root, stunted growth, and poor rooting. Thirty fungal isolates were procured from the affected plantlet. Isolates were identified based on morphological characteristics and pathogenicity test as well as sequence data obtained from internal transcribed spacer, large subunit ribosomal ribonucleic acid, translation elongation factor,and RNA polymerase Ⅱ-second largest subunit. Results showed that thecrown and root rot of strawberry in Korea was caused by three distinct fungal species:Fusarium oxysporum species complex, F. solani species complex, andPlectosphaerella cucumerina. To the best of our knowledge,F. solani species complex andP. cucumerinaare reported for the first time as the causal agents of the crown and root rot of strawberryin South Korea.Pathogenicity tests confirmed that these isolates are pathogenic to strawberry.Understanding the composition and biology of the pathogen population will be helpful toprovide effectivecontrol strategies for the disease.

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Notable Variants of SARS-CoV-2

European Journal of Medical and Health Sciences ◽

10.24018/ejmed.2021.3.2.742 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 3 (2) ◽

pp. 44-47

Author(s):

Hassan Naji

Keyword(s):

Respiratory Distress ◽

Causative Agent ◽

Close Relative ◽

The World

The current coronavirus pandemic has brought many deaths and affected economies around the world. The causative agent of COVID-19 is identified as SARS-CoV-2, a close relative to SARS-CoV that caused an outbreak of severe acute respiratory distress in 2002-2003. During the course of the pandemic, there has been many reports of mutations that occurred to SARS-CoV-2 with several lineages that has been identified around the globe. In this paper, a summary of the notable variants of SARS-CoV-2 is discussed.

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