Cryptoccoccal meningitis in post-covid 19 patient in the city of manaus: Case report

Cryptococcosis is a cosmopolitan and opportunistic mycosis, caused mainly by the etiological agent Cryptococcus neoformans, through the inhalation of fungal structures, especially in bird feces. The aim of this study was to report a reported case of cryptococcal meningitis in an immunosuppressed patient due to previous COVID-19 infection in the city of Manaus-AM, as well as to implement health education actions to prevent cryptococcosis in the region of the disease. Information about the case was obtained through access to the database of the Information System for Notifiable Diseases (SINAN), made available by the Center for Control of Zoonoses Dr. Carlos Durand (CCZ), an agency belonging to the Municipal Health Department of Manaus (SEMSA). The case patient, male, presented symptoms such as headache, fever, vomiting, seizures, neck stiffness, petechiae and hemorrhagic suffusions, hearing loss and signs of Kernig and Brudzinski. In a zoosanitary visit to the site of the injury, the presence of pigeon excreta on the walls of the residence was found, and cleaning was carried out without the use of personal protective equipment (PPE’s). The contact with the residents evidenced the lack of information about the zoonosis addressed, including the risk of transmission of cryptococcosis by pigeons, facts that make necessary more sanitary actions on zoonoses among the population of Manaus.

The pattern of germination of teak mistletoe seeds in relation with parasitism

The objectives of this research are to test the initial viability and germination pattern of teak mistletoe seeds, namely Dendrophthoe pentandra and Macrosolen tetragonus in associated with parasitism. Research results showed that the pattern of D. pentandra germination was different from that of M. tetragonus. The germination process of D. pentandra showed incomplete development of germination morphology, marked by an absence of development or growth of hypocotyl and cotyledon. Parasitism was more dominant in D. pentandra, supported by the fact that the sum of mean germination day (RH) in the stem of teak seedling was faster (17.54±2.77 days), as compared with that of M. tetragonus (35.13±1.76 days), although mortality of M. tetragonus seedlings was very low (±3%), whereas that of D. pentandra was fairly high (±34%). It was related to the life cycle of M. tetragonus, which was longer than that of D. pentandra. In the attachment of seeds in the standing tree stems, it was proven that the germination percentage (%K) of D. pentandra (38.5%) was higher than that of M. tetragonus (11.1%). Seed germination of D. pentandra from bird feces also showed that %K (46.4%) was higher than seed attachment in tree stem, including M. tetragonus. It was supposed that there was a correlation between the easiness of germination and parasitism character in teak mistletoes. It was considered that parasitism of D. pentandra was more prominent than that of M. tetragonus in a teak host.

Gut Microbiota Structure of Dead Migratory Birds in Dali Nouer Lake, Chifeng City, China, based on Bacterial 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing

21 In August 2018, hundreds of migratory birds died in the area of Dali Nouer Lake, Chifeng City, 22 China. We collected the remains of dead birds along with water and aquatic plants from the birds’ 23 environment. The bacterial communities of all samples were profiled by high-throughput 24 sequencing of the V3–V4 hypervariable region of the 16S rRNA amplicon. At the genus level, 25 Bacteroides, Clostridium, Plesiomonas, Vibrio, Fusobacterium, and Aeromonas were the 26 dominant genera in dead birds, the lake water, and aquatic plants in 2018. However, the relative 27 abundances of these bacterial genera were significantly reduced compared with the levels obtained 28 from healthy migratory bird feces, lake water, and aquatic plants from the same place and time 29 period in 2019. Combined with environmental factors such as the changes in salt content and pH, 30 the invasion and reproduction of those pathogens may have promoted the decline and death of the 31 birds. 32 33

The effectiveness of eyespots and masquerade in protecting artificial prey across ontogenetic and seasonal shifts

When constraints on antipredator coloration shift over the course of development, it can be advantageous for animals to adopt different color strategies for each life stage. Many caterpillars in the genus Papilio exhibit unique ontogenetic color sequences: e.g., early instars that masquerade as bird feces, with later instars possessing eyespots. I hypothesize that larvae abandon feces masquerade in lieu of eyespots due to ontogenetic changes in signaler size. This ontogenetic pattern also occurs within broader seasonal shifts in background color and predator activity. I conducted predation experiments with artificial prey to determine how potential signaling constraints (specifically size and season) shape predation risk, and consequently the expression of ontogenetic color change in Papilio larvae. Seasonally, both predation and background greenness declined significantly from July to September, though there was little evidence that these patterns impacted the effectiveness of either color strategy. Caterpillar size and color strongly affected the attack rate of avian predators: attacks increased with prey size regardless of color, and eyespotted prey were attacked more than masquerading prey overall. These results may reflect a key size-mediated tradeoff between conspicuousness and intimidation in eyespotted prey, and raise questions about how interwoven aspects of behavior and signal environment might maintain the prevalence of large, eyespotted larvae in nature.

Lack of Evidence That Bird Feeders Are a Source of Salmonellosis during Winter in Poland

Bird feeders are known to be a transfer site for many important bird pathogens, such as zoonotic Salmonella spp., known to be widespread among wild birds in Poland. The aim of the study was to investigate (1) whether feeders can be a source of Salmonella spp., (2) whether the risk is the same for feeders located in cities and rural areas and (3) whether there is a different level of contamination with Salmonella spp. between old and new feeders. Data were collected in the period 12 January–28 February 2018 in four cities in Poland and nearby rural areas. In total, 204 feeders were sampled. The samples from feeders were taken after a 2-week period of feeding birds. Material for analysis consisted of the remains of food and feces. We did not find the presence of Salmonella spp. in any of the tested samples collected from bird feeders. Therefore, the estimated value of the 95% confidence interval for the binary data was 0.000–0.018. Reasons for the isolation of Salmonella spp. from feeders not being successful lie in the low intensity of bacterial shedding by infected wild birds and low survival of bacteria in the environment in bird feces—which are still not well studied.

Sveite from the Northeastern San Joaquin Valley, California

ABSTRACT Sveite [KAl7(NO3)4(OH)16Cl2·8H2O] first described from Venezuela and material recently collected from northern California have similar X-ray diffraction patterns and chemical compositions. The main difference in the chemical composition is the absence of significant chlorine and sulfate in the sveite from California. The changes observed by X-ray diffraction upon hydration and the SEM images of the crystals suggest a layered atomic structure. Water-extractable NO3 in the Venezuelan sveite sample is isotopically enriched in δ15N and δ18O and likely was affected by the microbial process of denitrification. In contrast, the extractable nitrate from the California sveite is less isotopically enriched than the Venezuelan mineral and there is only modest evidence that denitrification had affected its isotopic composition. Overall, the nitrate in the California sveite is isotopically similar to nitrate present in acidic soils overlying the mineral occurrence, suggesting a general biogenic source of uric acid from bird feces for the mineral-bound nitrogen.

Correction to: Performance comparison of different microbial DNA extraction methods on bird feces

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.

Characterization and Genomic Analysis of PALS2, a Novel Staphylococcus Jumbo Bacteriophage

Staphylococcus aureus is an important human pathogen that can be frequently encountered in clinical and food-processing surroundings. Among the various countermeasures, bacteriophages have been considered to be promising alternatives to antibiotics. In this study, the bacteriophage PALS2 was isolated from bird feces, and the genomic and biological characteristics of this phage were investigated. PALS2 was determined to belong to the Myoviridae family and exhibited extended host inhibition that persisted for up to 24 h with repeated bursts of 12 plaque-forming units/cell. The complete genome of PALS2 measured 268,746 base pairs (bp), indicating that PALS2 could be classified as a jumbo phage. The PALS2 genome contained 279 ORFs and 1 tRNA covering asparagine, and the majority of predicted PALS2 genes encoded hypothetical proteins. Additional genes involved in DNA replication and repair, nucleotide metabolism, and genes encoding multisubunit RNA polymerase were identified in the PALS2 genome, which is a common feature of typical jumbo phages. Comparative genomic analysis indicated that PALS2 is a phiKZ-related virus and is more similar to typical jumbo phages than to staphylococcal phages. Additionally, the effective antimicrobial activities of phage PALS2 suggest its possible use as a biocontrol agent in various clinical and food processing environments.