The Hologenome of Haliclona fulva (Porifera, Demospongiae) Reveals an Abundant and Diverse Viral Community

Viruses are among the most abundant biological entities in the ocean, largely responsible of modulating nutrients fluxes and influencing microbial composition and functioning. In marine invertebrate holobionts like sponges and their associated microbiomes, little is known about virome composition. Here, we characterized the Haliclona fulva hologenome, an encrusting low-microbial abundance sponge found across the Western Mediterranean Sea (35–40 m of depth) producer of a large metabolic repertoire of bioactive compounds and harboring a distinct and stable associated microbiome. Assembled contigs from shotgun metagenome sequences obtained from H. fulva specimens were comprehensively analyzed regarding taxonomic and functional content revealing its remarkable and abundant viral community dominated by single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) virus. Viral families consistently detected in contigs are Circoviridae, Phycodnaviridae, Poxviridae, Herelleviridae, Mimiviridae, Microviridae, and notably the first reported encounter of Nanoviridae and Genomoviridae in Porifera, expanding their known host range. The relative abundance of inferred bacteriophages/prophages was low, suggesting that the prokaryotic community in this sponge has a limited host range and susceptibility. H. fulva showed a distinct viral composition supporting the general proposition of specific and coevolving viromes in marine holobionts.

Prevalece of Hepatitis A Virus in Libian Children

Hepatitis A virus (HAV) is the most hepatotropic. This virus is responsible for the most forms of acute and benign hepatitis although fulminant hepatic failure can occur in 1% more often in adults. It is a member of Picornaviridae famil, it is a heat stable and has limited host range. The incidence of infection by Hepatitis A virus shows regional variation being highest in developing countries. Determination of age specific Hepatitis A virus (HAV) seroprevalence and the associated risk factors would help better plan for national preventive strategies including vaccination. We carried out a cross-sectional study on 315 children from Tripoli and Gharian cities in Libya during the years 2018-2020. The age range of the patients was 1-18 years and were from different socioeconomic status (SES) families.....attending teaching hospitals casualty seeking medical help and checkup. The indicators of SES included employment status, residence, number of family members, source of drinking water and social status. Serum samples were collected and investigated for HAV antibodies. The data were statistically analyzed. HAV antibodies were positive in 113 patients (36%) Males were 161(53%) while Females were 154 (49%). HAV antibodies was significantly higher among children of low SES,60 % by the age of 18 years compared to children of high SES, 35% by the same age. Crowded household and parental education were significantly associated with high seropositivity and seronegativity respectively. There is significant rate of seronegativity amongst the studied population especially those from richer backgrounds making them more susceptible to severe infection in future with concomitant complications. We propose that revision of national vaccination program should be considered to include Hepatitis A vaccination

Bipolaris victoriae (Victoria blight of oats).

A disease almost unknown prior to 1944 (Romanko, 1957), Bipolaris victoriae is a potentially destructive disease of oats (it reduced the Iowa oat crop by 32% in 1947) (Anon, 1965) that currently has a limited host range and geographical spread. It has been reported from several continents and associated with several crops, however its status as a pathogen on crops could be questioned in all cases with the exception of oats, timothy grass and switch grass. It is seedborne and thus any trade in seed both for cultivation or for livestock feed is a potential means of spread. The virulence of the fungus is due to the production of a peptide often called a host-specific toxin 'victorin'. The disease has generally been controlled through the use of genetically resistant lines but the resistance gene which confers resistance to victorin actually causes plants to become susceptible to crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata (Lorang et al., 2007).

A hSCARB2-transgenic mouse model for Coxsackievirus A16 pathogenesis

Background Coxsackievirus A16 (CA16) is one of the neurotropic pathogen that has been associated with severe neurological forms of hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), but its pathogenesis is not yet clear. The limited host range of CA16 make the establishment of a suitable animal model that can recapitulate the neurological pathology observed in human HFMD more difficult. Because the human scavenger receptor class B, member 2 (hSCARB2) is a cellular receptor for CA16, we used transgenic mice bearing human SCARB2 and nasally infected them with CA16 to study the pathogenicity of the virus. Methods Coxsackievirus A16 was administered by intranasal instillation to groups of hSCARB2 transgenic mice and clinical signs were observed. Sampled at different time-points to document and characterize the mode of viral dissemination, pathological change and immune response of CA16 infection. Results Weight loss and virus replication in lung and brain were observed in hSCARB2 mice infected with CA16, indicating that these animals could model the neural infection process. Viral antigens were observed in the alveolar epithelia and brainstem cells. The typical histopathology was interstitial pneumonia with infiltration of significant lymphocytes into the alveolar interstitial in lung and diffuse punctate hemorrhages in the capillaries of the brainstem. In addition, we detected the expression levels of inflammatory cytokines and detected high levels of interleukin IL-1β, IL-6, IL-18, and IFN-γ in nasal mucosa, lungs and brain tissues. Conclusions The hSCARB2-transgenic mice can be productively infected with CA16 via respiratory route and exhibited a clear tropism to lung and brain tissues, which can serve as a model to investigate the pathogenesis of CA16 associated respiratory and neurological disease.

Bipolaris victoriae (Victoria blight of oats).

A disease almost unknown prior to 1944 (Romanko, 1957), Bipolaris victoriae is a potentially destructive disease of oats (it reduced the Iowa oat crop by 32% in 1947) (Anon, 1965) that currently has a limited host range and geographical spread. It has been reported from several continents and associated with several crops, however its status as a pathogen on crops could be questioned in all cases with the exception of oats, timothy grass and switch grass. It is seedborne and thus any trade in seed both for cultivation or for livestock feed is a potential means of spread. The virulence of the fungus is due to the production of a peptide often called a host-specific toxin 'victorin'. The disease has generally been controlled through the use of genetically resistant lines but the resistance gene which confers resistance to victorin actually causes plants to become susceptible to crown rust, caused by Puccinia coronata (Lorang et al., 2007).

Limited host range in the idiobiont parasitoid Phymasticus coffea, a prospective biological control agent of the coffee pest Hypothenemus hampei in Hawaii

Phymastichus coffea LaSalle (Hymenoptera:Eulophidae) is an adult endoparasitoid of the coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari) (Coleoptera:Curculionidae:Scolytinae), which has been introduced in many coffee producing countries as a biological control agent. To determine the effectiveness of P. coffea against H. hampei and environmental safety for release in Hawaii, we investigated the host selection and parasitism response of adult females to 43 different species of Coleoptera, including 23 Scolytinae (six Hypothenemus species and 17 others), and four additional Curculionidae. Non-target testing included Hawaiian endemic, exotic and beneficial coleopteran species. Using a no-choice laboratory bioassay, we demonstrated that P. coffea was only able to parasitize the target host H. hampei and four other adventive species of Hypothenemus: H. obscurus, H. seriatus, H. birmanus and H. crudiae. Hypothenemus hampei had the highest parasitism rate and shortest parasitoid development time of the five parasitized Hypothenemus spp. Parasitism and parasitoid emergence decreased with decreasing phylogenetic relatedness of the Hypothenemus spp. to H. hampei, and the most distantly related species, H. eruditus, was not parasitized. These results suggest that the risk of harmful non-target impacts is low because there are no native species of Hypothenemus in Hawaii, and P. coffea could be safely introduced for classical biological control of H. hampei in Hawaii.

Bacteriophage therapy against Pseudomonas aeruginosa biofilms: a review

Multi-Drug Resistant (MDR) Pseudomonas aeruginosa is one of the most important bacterial pathogens that causes infection with a high mortality rate due to resistance to different antibiotics. This bacterium prompts extensive tissue damage with varying factors of virulence, and its biofilm production causes chronic and antibiotic-resistant infections. Therefore, due to the non-applicability of antibiotics for the destruction of P. aeruginosa biofilm, alternative approaches have been considered by researchers, and phage therapy is one of these new therapeutic solutions. Bacteriophages can be used to eradicate P. aeruginosa biofilm by destroying the extracellular matrix, increasing the permeability of antibiotics into the inner layer of biofilm, and inhibiting its formation by stopping the quorum-sensing activity. Furthermore, the combined use of bacteriophages and other compounds with anti-biofilm properties such as nanoparticles, enzymes, and natural products can be of more interest because they invade the biofilm by various mechanisms and can be more effective than the one used alone. On the other hand, the use of bacteriophages for biofilm destruction has some limitations such as limited host range, high-density biofilm, sub-populate phage resistance in biofilm, and inhibition of phage infection via quorum sensing in biofilm. Therefore, in this review, we specifically discuss the use of phage therapy for inhibition of P. aeruginosa biofilm in clinical and in vitro studies to identify different aspects of this treatment for broader use.

Brazilian Peppertree Thrips Pseudophilothrips ichini (Hood) (Insecta: Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)

The Brazilian peppertree thrips, Pseudophilothrips ichini (Hood) (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae), is an insect native to Brazil (Figure 1). This species has been studied for the last 20+ years as a potential biological control agent of Brazilian peppertree, Schinus terebinthifolia Raddi (Sapindales: Anacardiaceae), in Florida (Cuda et al. 2008; Cuda et al. 2008; Manrique at al. 2014; Wheeler et al. 2016a, b). Host specificity experiments demonstrated that Pseudophilothrips ichini has a limited host range (Cuda et al. 2008; Cuda et al. 2009; Wheeler et al. 2017) and can cause a severe reduction of Brazilian peppertree biomass (Manrique at al. 2014).https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in1270

Host Range of the Mikrocytid Parasite Paramikrocytos canceri in Decapod Crustaceans

Mikrocytids are a widespread but rather neglected group of parasites of aquatic invertebrates. One such parasite is Paramikrocytos canceri—discovered to infect the antennal gland of the juvenile edible crab, Cancer pagurus, taken from several intertidal sites across the United Kingdom. To determine if this parasite is also present in other species of decapod crustaceans, we surveyed crabs (n = 330) across two contrasting sites in Pembrokeshire (UK). Using a histopathological approach, P. canceri infection was confirmed in variable numbers of edible crabs from both survey sites, 7–44%. No measurable signs of infection were encountered in four other co-located species, including European shore crabs (Carcinus maenas), Montagu’s crabs (Xantho hydrophilus), velvet swimming crabs (Necora puber) and broad-clawed porcelain crabs (Porcellana platycheles). These data imply that P. canceri has a more limited host range than suggested by molecular diagnosis alone.

Comparison of Pathogenicity and Transmissibility of Influenza B and D Viruses in Pigs

Influenza viruses are important pathogens causing respiratory disease in humans and animals. In contrast to influenza A virus (IAV) that can infect a wide range of animal species, other influenza viruses, including influenza B virus (IBV), influenza C virus (ICV), and influenza D virus (IDV) have a limited host range. Swine can be infected with all four different genera of influenza viruses. IAV infection of pigs causes the well-known swine influenza that poses significant threats to human and animal health. However, influenza virus infection of pigs with IBV, ICV, and IDV are not well-characterized. Herein, we compared pathogenicity of IBV and IDV using intratracheal and intranasal infection of pigs, which are IAV seropositive, and commingled naïve pigs with the infected animals to determine their transmissibility. Both viruses caused fever and some lung lesions, replicated in the lungs of infected pigs, but only IDV transmitted to the contact animals. Although IBV and IDV displayed differing levels of replication in the respiratory tract of infected pigs, no significant differences in pathogenicity of both viruses were observed. These results indicate that both IBV and IDV can replicate, and are pathogenic in pigs.