Actinotignum schaalii: Relation to Concomitants and Connection to Patients’ Conditions in Polymicrobial Biofilms of Urinary Tract Catheters and Urines

Actinotignum schaalii is an emerging, opportunistic pathogen and its connection to non-infectious diseases and conditions, such as prostate or bladder cancer, or chronic inflammation has been proposed. Here, we analyzed 297 urine, ureteral and urinary catheter samples from 128 patients by Polymerase Chain Reaction followed by Denaturing Gradient Gel Electrophoresis and Sequencing (PCR-DGGE-S), and culture, and 29 of these samples also by 16S rRNA Illumina sequencing, to establish A. schaalii’s prevalence in urinary tract-related samples, its relation to other bacteria, and its potential association with patients’ conditions and samples’ characteristics. A. schaalii-positive samples were significantly more diverse than A. schaalii negative and between-group diversity was higher than intra-group. Propionimicrobium lymphophilum, Fusobacterium nucleatum, Veillonella sp., Morganella sp., and Aerococcus sp. were significantly more often present in A. schaalii-positive samples; thus, we suggest these species are A. schaaliiʼs concomitants, while Enterobacter and Staphylococcaceae were more often identified in A. schaalii-negative samples; therefore, we propose A. schaalii and these species are mutually exclusive. Additionally, a significantly higher A. schaalii prevalence in patients with ureter stricture associated hydronephrosis (p = 0.020) was noted. We suggest that A. schaalii could be an early polybacterial biofilm colonizer, together with concomitant species, known for pro-inflammatory features.

Reproduction and pathogenicity of Helicotylenchus multicinctus, Meloidogyne incognita and Pratylenchus coffeae, and their interaction with Radopholus similis on Musa

The reproduction and pathogenicity of Helicotylenchus multicinctus, Meloidogyne incognita and Pratylenchus coffeae was studied on Musa AAA cv. Grande Naine pot plants and microplot plants. First, separate experiments using different inoculation numbers (between 218 and 4144) and different exposure times (between 8 and 22 weeks) were executed in pots for each nematode species. Helicotylenchus multicinctus suppressed root growth by 13%, comparing inoculated with uninoculated plants. In contrast, M. incognita stimulated root growth by 6.7%, while P. coffeae had no effect on root growth. The interaction between R. similis and each of these three nematode species was investigated in a concomitancy experiment in pots. Plants without concomitant species yielded the highest R. similis population densities but did not differ from plants previously inoculated with H. multicinctus and P. coffeae. Meloidogyne incognita was the only concomitant species that reduced R. similis population densities. Inoculation with R. similis affected the recovered numbers of P. coffeae albeit with large variability. In the microplot experiment, all four nematode species except H. multicinctus reduced the bunch weight of bananas, compared to uninoculated plants. Pratylenchus coffeae and R. similis increased root damage by 129 and 262%, respectively, while only the latter species suppressed root weight with 66%.

An inventory of riverine biodiversity in monsoonal Asia: present status and conservation challenges

There are few parts of the planet where human impacts on riverine biodiversity are more apparent than in monsoonal Asia. Flow regulation, drainage-basin degradation and conversion of riverine wetlands to agriculture have been occurring for centuries, while pollution and over-harvesting have become important in recent decades. Concomitant species loss appears both ongoing and rampant. Uncertainty over rates of loss is imposed by the fact that the extremely rich biodiversity of Asian rivers has not been inventoried adequately. It is nevertheless evident that some taxa are gravely threatened. Specialist riverine birds have declined, turtles are highly endangered, and over-harvesting has severely impacted fishes - an effect that is exacerbated by pollution and flow regulation. A particular conflict that constrains biodiversity conservation is the tendency for dam construction, which damages river ecosystems, to produce tangible benefits for humans through hydropower generation and relief from floods and droughts. Resolution of such conflicts requires changes in perception: for instance, realistic economic valuations of the ecosystem goods and services provided by rivers, and promotion of flagship species as conservation icons to increase citizen awareness. Translation of awareness and knowledge to action, however, remains the essential prerequisite for societal commitment to the conservation of freshwater ecosystems.

Easily and Noneasily Ionizable Element Matrix Effects in Inductively Coupled Plasma Optical Spectrometry

Changes in analyte emission intensities occur when either easily or non-easily ionizable elements are present as concomitant species at a concentration of 0.05 M. The direction (enhancement or depression of emission signals) and magnitude of the matrix effect are strongly dependent on radial and vertical location in the plasma. At some heights in the ICP, matrix-induced depressions of the emission intensity in the center are equal to enhancements off-center. As a result, no change in the line-of-sight emission intensity is observed. Initial fluorescence measurements suggest that the number of analyte ions in the normal analytical zone decreases in the presence of each of the concomitant species studied. However, it appears that the presence of concomitant species enhances the fraction of ions that are excited and that therefore emit light. The presence of Na and K resulted in larger enhancements in the fraction of ions excited than did the presence of Fe, Ni, or Ba.