High genetic variation and recombination events in the vicinity of non-autonomous transposable elements from ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus'

Two miniature inverted-repeat transposable elements(MITEs), MCLas-A and MCLas-B, were recently identified from ‘Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' known to be associated with citrus Huanglongbing(HLB, yellow shoot disease). MCLas-A was suggested as an active MITE because of its mobility. The immediate upstream gene of the two MITEs was predicted to be a putative transposase. The goal of this study is to analyze the sequence variation in the upstream putative transposase of MITEs and explore the possible correlation between sequence variation of transposase gene and MITE activity. PCR and sequence analysis showed that 12 sequence types were found in six major amplicon types from 43 representative ‘Ca. L. asiaticus' isolates from China, the United States and Brazil. Out of the 12 sequence types, three(T4, T5-2, T6) were reported for the first time. Recombination events were found in the two unique sequence types(T5-2 and T6) which were detected in all Brazilian isolates. Notably, no sequence variation or recombination events were detected in the upstream putative transposase gene of MCLas-A, suggesting the conservation of the transposase gene might be closely related with the MITE activity. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated two well supported clades including five subclades were identified, clearly reflecting the geographical origins of isolates, especially that of Ruili isolates, S?o Paulo isolates and a few Florida isolates.     

Comparison of Acetylcholinesterase Characteristics Between Resistant and Susceptible Strains of Helicoverpa armigera （Hubner）

The sensitivity of a susceptible and two resistant strains of cotton bollworm, Helicoverpa armigera, to phoxim, malathion and methomyl was determined by a topical application of bioassay method. YG strain, collected from field of Yanggu, Shandong Province of China, possessed 7-, 13- and 20-fold of resistance to the above three antiacetylcholinesterases based on the comparison of LD50 values with a laboratory susceptible strain. There were not significant difference of the specific activity and the Vmax value among the three strains. But the affinity of AChE tO acetylthiocholine （ATCh）, in YG strain was the lowest among the three strains tested. A cDNA encoding partial AChE gene was cloned from the three strains by RT-PCR and there was one nucleotide acid difference between YG strain and other two strains which resulted in no amino acid mutation. This partial AChE gene was used as a probe to perform Southern blot. The results indicated that there was no gene amplification in resistant cotton bollworm. Altered AChE with a decreased sensitivity to inhibitors appeared to be one of important resistance mechanisms in cotton bollworm against OP and carbamate compounds.     

Screening of Fungus Antagonists against Six Main Disease Pathogens in Crops

28 soil samples were collected from the rhizosphere of 16 plant species in six different distriers in Hunan. As a result of isolation and purification, 122 fungus strains were obtained of which the antagonistic activity was tested against six fungus pathogens in tmaato, cotton, cucumber, chilli, rice and rape, and 17 strains were found antagonistic to one or more pathogenic fungi.     

Prevalence and characteristics of extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli from bovine mastitis cases in China

The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence and characterization of extended-spectrum β-lactamase(ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli isolated from bovine mastitis cases in China. Chrom ID ESBL agar was used to confirm ESBL-producing E. coli. PCR and DNA sequencing were employed to characterize the genotype of ESBL-producers. Antimicrobial susceptibility was measured by disc diffusion. Overall, 73 of 318 E. coli isolates(22.96%) were identified as ESBL-producers. Of these ESBL-producing E. coli, the prevalence of blaCTX-M and bla_(TEM-1) was 97.26 and 71.23%, respectively. The predominant CTX-M-type ESBL was CTX-M-15(65.75%), followed by CTX-M-14(10.96%), CTX-M-55(9.59%), CTX-M-64(5.48%), CTX-M-65(4.11%) and CTX-M-3(1.37%). This study is the first report of CTX-M-64 and CTX-M-65 in E. coli isolated from bovine mastitis. Furthermore, 72 ESBL-producing E. coli isolates(98.63%) were found to be multidrug-resistance. This study noted high prevalence and rates of antimicrobial resistance of ESBL-producing E. coli isolates from bovine mastitis cases in China.     

GyrA and ParC Gene Mutation of Clinically Isolated Fluoroquinolones-resistant Strain of Salmonella

Nine strains resistant to five fluoroquinolones (Ciprofloxacin, Ofloxacin, Enrofloxacin, Danofloxacin, Sarafloxacin) were isolated from clinical samples and extracted the chromosomal DNA of these strains. Designed primers to amplify the Quinolone-resistance-determining region (QRDR) of gyrA and parC, then the PCR products were sequenced and analyzed. In comparision with NCTC5776, a single mutation was found at base 371 in gyrA of strain 38 which changed from C to T, and a single mutation was found at base 350 in gyrA of strain 60 which changed from A to C. No mutation was found in gyrA of the rest. The mutation of strain 38 led to an amino acid substitution of Arg99Cys and the mutation of 60 led to an amino acid substitution of Met 92 Leu. No mutation was found in parC QRDR of all the isolates. These results indicats that the DNA gyrase will be the primary target to salmonella of fluoroquinolone.     

Characterization of Citrus tristeza virus Isolates by Indicators and Molecular Biology Methods

Citrus tristeza virus （CTV） exists in citrus as a large number of distinct strains differing in biological characters. The control strategies such as mild strains cross protection （MSCP） require a clear understanding of the characterization of CTV. For better understanding of the structure of CTV population and the relationship between molecular and biological characterization, 72 CTV samples collected from five provinces in China were studied, using biological indexing, p25/Hinf I restriction fragment length polymorphism （RFLP）, multiple molecular markers, and bidirectional RT-PCR assay. The mixture of severe stem pitting isolates was found to be dominant in the field. CTV isolates with p25/Hinf Ⅰ RFLP group 3 and p23/BD-PCR group Ⅰ, Ⅲ were the main cause of epidemics, and most CTV isolates were found to be the mixture of T30 and VT genotypes. More accurate identification of strain mixtures in the field and better understanding of the biological traits of the isolates may be achieved by applying the three molecular detection methods simultaneously.     

Mycoparasitism of Gliocladium isolates in China Mycoparasitism of Gliocladium isolates in China

During an investigation of mycoparasitic fungi on sclerotia of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in China, Gliocladium species was consistently encountered and isolated from natural soils collected over the country. Colonization frequencies on sclerotia of S. sclerotiorum by the fungi ranged from 40% to 100% when the sclerotia were introduced into soils and coincubated at 22-24 ℃ for 4 weeks. Identification showed that G. roseum, G. virens and G. catenulatum were the dominant species amon…     

Prevalence of Streptococcus suis Isolated from Clinically Healthy Sows in China

Streptococcus suis is an important pathogen in pigs. Transmission of this pathogen is generally believed to occur between healthy carrier sows and their offspring, so the carrier status of S. suis in healthy sows is important for the control of S. suis infections in pigs, especially in suckling and growing pigs. In this study, the prevalence of S. suis isolated from clinically healthy sows in China was studied for the first time. A total of 1 043 tonsil samples were collected from clinically healthy sows from 10 regions in China from 2005 to 2007. Among the 421 S. suis isolates, 31 strains were identified as capsular type 2. The results showed that S. suis was widespread in swine herds in China with the carrier rates in different herds ranging from 19.5 to 93.9%. Overall, 40.4 and 3.0% of clinically healthy sows harbored S. suis and capsular type 2 in their palatine tonsils, respectively. Statistically significant differences of carrier rates of S. suis and capsular type 2 between the different farms were observed, which was independent of herd sizes and geographic distributions of different herds.     

An Evaluation of the Introduction of Modified Cropping Practices in Yunnan Province, China, Using Surveys of Farmers＇ Households

Problems associated with land degradation are serious in China. Sloping land in South China has experienced a decline in crop productivity by 30-60% due to soil erosion and it has been predicted that most topsoil will be lost within the next 100 years if current erosion rates continue. Considering these situations, an agro-environmental research and development project （Sustainable Highland Agriculture in South-East Asia- SHASEA） was conducted in a catchment in Yunnan Province, China, to address the objectives of increasing crop productivity in sustainable and environmentally-friendly ways. A range of cropping practices was developed and implemented in a rural upland catchment （Wang Jia）. At the end of the project, farmers were surveyed to evaluate project effectiveness. All farmers from Wang Jia Catchment, who were involved in project implementation, were surveyed. A sample of farmers working in an adjacent catchment （not associated with the project） was surveyed for comparative purposes. Farmers had different perceptions of the cropping practices employed. Contour cultivation was preferred and likely to be adopted. Others practices such as straw mulching and intercropping were seen as less appropriate and unlikely to be adopted. Polythene mulch was recognized as effective, but likely to be adopted only if financial returns were favourable. The availability of relevant information had an important impact on the extent of technology testing by farmers and their willingness to adopt the practices in the future.     

鸡卡氏杆菌的分子鉴定及其16S rRNA基因序列分析(英文)

Two strains of Gallibacterium, isolated from one laying hen flock in Zhengzhou City of Henan Province, were identified by the morphological observation, genus-specific PCR, and analysis of 16S rRNA gene, which was used to generate the phylogenetic tree, with the 21 members of the 12 genera belonging to Pasteurellaceae to analyze the homology. Two strains were named Yu-ZZ-HL-I-SLG and Yu-ZZ-HL-II-GZ. The comparative result of the 16S rDNA sequence shows that the 2 isolated strains are identical in sequence; the highest identity (99.9%) was observed between the isolated strain and one of the strains of Gallibacterium anatis (AF228002), the homologies between the isolated strain and 3 strains of gallibacterium accessed in NCBI (AF228016, Gallibacterium genomosp.1, AF228017, Gallibacterium genomosp.2, AF228018, Gallibacterium genomosp.1) were above 97.1%, higher than that of the isolated strain and the other strains of the other 11 genera which were between 90.7%-93.2%. It can be seen from the phylogenetic tree that the 2 isolated strains and the other 4 strain of gallibacterium fell into the same branch, furthermore the 2 isolated strains and the strain of Gallibacterium anatis locate in an internal branch, indicating that the 2 isolated strains belong to Gallibacterium anatis.     

ISSR Marker and ITS Sequence Study of Melampsora Larici-populina

To compare the differences in intertranslation space of ribosomal DNA （ITS） of Melampsora larici-populina, between the isolates from China and isolates from other countries, this study investigated ITS sequences and ITS polygenetic tree based on 11 isolates that were collected from 5 races in different parts of China. The results indicated that there was no difference among the ITS sequences of 11 isolates from China. The ITS sequence of isolates from China was more homogeneous with that of isolates from Britain compared with France, Germany, and Canada. Intersimple sequence repeat （ISSR） markers were also used to study the genetic division of Melampsora larici-populina, and the results showed that the 11 tested isolates could be divided into Western population and Northern population. Genetic diversity index of race C2 was significantly different from that of races C4, C3, and C1, and no significant differences were observed among the other races. Pathogenicity division of races must not harmonize with their genetic division, except race C2. The ITS region is conservative, and ITS sequence is not fit for studying the differences that existed among the races. ISSR marker can be used for intraspecies population study, and Melampsora larici-populina in China can be divided into two populations.     

Phytophthora sojae Races in Northeast of China and Virulence Evaluation of the Isolates

42 isolates of P. sojae were obtained from diseased soybean plants in 9 counties of Heilongjiang Province and 1 county of Jilin Province in Northeast of China. 11 isolates were classified into 3 races ;the rest that could not be classified due to intermediate reactions were classified into 12 virulence types, suggesting virulence diversity of P. sojae in China. Isolates represented race 1,3 and 8. Race 1 was the most prevalent one.and races 3 and 8 were the first report in China. Our results suggest P. sojae is aboriginal in China.     

Molecular Typing of Aeromonas hydrophila Isolated from Common Carp in Northeast China

A total of 59 isolates of Aeromonas hydrophila were collected from common carp suffering from freshwater fish hemorrhage disease in 13 fishing grounds in the northeast China, and their phenotypic and genetic characteristics were investigated. All of the isolates were identified as A. hydrophila by traditional biochemical method and yielded a 686-bp DNA fragment of the 16S rDNA gene in the PCR experiments. Collected strains were also evaluated for their susceptibility to 17 different antibiotics. The isolates showed an even trend of the resistance and sensitivity to drugs, highly sensitive to antibiotics, such as Levofloxacin, PolymyxinB, Ofloxacin and resistant to antibiotics, such as Bristopen, Lincomycin, Ampicillin, Teicoplanin. Evaluation of genetic diversity was performed on all isolates by molecular typing with enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC-PCR) method. The results showed that three different types, i.e. type Ⅰ, Ⅱ, and type Ⅲ, were found in 59 isolates and type III accounted for a large proportion of 54.84%. There was no dominant difference between the tendency of the isolates of Heilongjiang Province and Jilin Province in these three types, which showed Ⅲ>Ⅰ>Ⅱ, while the isolates of Liaoning Province showed Ⅲ>Ⅱ>Ⅰ. The percentage of different types in different provinces varied in each other; however, they didn’t show any obvious regional or cluster-specific branches. In conclusion, the ability to distinguish Aeromonas hydrophila strains from diseased common carp with ERIC-PCR would be useful for epidemiological investigation and population genetic analysis of this pathogen in China.     

Assessment of the Genetic Relationship and Diversity of Mango and Its Relatives by cplSSR Marker

Chloroplast inter-simple sequence repeat markers in mango were developed and used to analyze the genetic relationship and diversity of mango and its relatives. Thirty-six mango cultivars （Mangifera indica L.） and its relative species collected from the fruit germplasm collection in the Guangxi Academy of Agricultural Sciences, China, were examined by ISSR-PCR with chloroplast DNA （cpDNA）. Eight better primers for chloroplast DNA that provided reproducible, polymorphic DNA amplification patterns were screened from 50 ISSR primers and used for UPGMA analysis. According to the band patterns with 8 primers for chloroplast DNA, all cultivars tested were distinguished from each other and these showed ample genetic diversity; the average percentage of polymorphism was 77.2%. The 36 samples could be clustered into four groups by UPGMA analysis at the coefficient 0.74. The results indicated that the cplSSR marker was a new powerful tool for the identification of mango cultivars or its relative species, and their genetic relationship analysis and diversity evaluation.     

Evaluation of the Pathotypes of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae and Preliminary Analysis of the Resistant Reactions of Main Japonica Rice in the Yunnan Plateau, China

The pathogenicity of 36 isolates of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae （Xoo）, which were collected from japonica rice varieties in the Yunnan Plateau, China, was evaluated. It was evaluated on 29 rice varieties including a set of seven varieties to identify pathogenicity, i.e., Haonuoyang, TN1, Kogyoku, Zhenzhu＇ai, IR26, Nanjing 33, and Kinmaze, which may be considered as a set of differential varieties for Xoo races from Yunnan japonica rice. The efficiency of the seven varieties was further confirmed. The results showed reversible and specific interactions between isolates and varieties. The isolates were classified into nine pathotypes from pathotyp Ⅰ to Ⅸ according to their pathogenic reactions on the seven rice varieties. The pathotype V was the epidemic, whereas pathogen Ⅶ was the most pathogenic. Most japonica varieties grown in the Yunnan Plateau were susceptible to Xoo. The rice lines IRBB21 （Xa-21）, Zhachanglong （Xa-22,, Xa- 24,）, and IR1545-339 （xa-5）, which were resistant to all the isolates tested, can be used as donors of resistant genes for bacterial blight in japonica rice breeding in the Yunnan Plateau.     

Comparative Research on Serogroups Distribution and Antimicrobial Resistance of Escherichia coli Isolates from Poultry in Different Areas of China

A total of 241 Escherichia coli （E. coli） isolates from 349 avian samples （292 from cloacae, 29 from feed and water, 28 from dust and padding） were collected from Northeast, South, North, and Central China in recent years. The percentage of isolation was 69.1%. There are 67 serogroups each with 1-2 isolates distributed in different regions, and some of these regions had the preponderant serogroups. Antimicrobial-resistance （AR） of E. coli was so severe that the majority were multi-AR. Fifty percent strains were resistant to 10-19 antimicrobial drugs. Overall, the isolates represented resistance to nalidixic acid （88.1%）, tetracycline （85.7%）, sulfamethoxazole （81.0%）, trimethoprim-sulfamethpxazole （77.1%）, ampicillin （76.2%）, amoxilline （74.3%）, streplomycin （66.2%）, fluoroquinolones （57.1-66.7%）, chloramphenicol （52.9%）, gentamicin （39.0%）, and kanamycin （36.2%）. The isolates were sensitive to cefalexin, amoxilline-clavulanic acid, amikacin, and florfenicol with an AR rate of 0-19,5% only, The results showed that the AR was more severe in chicken farms in which the antibiotics were used broadly and repeatedly. This study indicated the AR characterization of E, coli in different areas of China. It will be a foundation for studying AR mechanism and regulating the usage of antimicrobial in the poultry industry.     

Species of Ice Nucleation Active Bacteria on the Apricot and the Relationship Between Their Activity and Flower Frost

During 1996- 1997, sixty samples were collected from apricot in Hebei Province, from which nineteen ice nucleation active bacterial strains were isolated. Nine stains were identified as Pseudomonas syringae pv. syringae by bacteriological determination, while the others were Erwinia uredovora. Assay of ice nucleation activity (INA) showed the activity of the Pseudomonas strains was higher than that of the Erwinia.According to the number of bacterial cells required to produce one ice nucleus active at - 3℃, four stains was classified as strong ones, three as medium-strong, the remainder as weak. In general, the INA of these strains were regarded as medium-strong. Under stress of Iow temperatures, treatment of INA bacteria can greatly raised relative electric conductivity of petals and permeability of cell membrane. The treated petals showed symptoms of serious frost at - 3 - - 4℃ and had supercooling points of 2 - 3℃ higher than controls. Our results demon strated that INA bacteria are one major factor to incite frost damage to apricot flowers. We may reduce frost injury to apricot during flowering phage through control of INA bacteria.     

Use of random amplified polymorphic DNA （RAPD） analysis to detect jujube witches＇ broom phytoplasmas

Jujube witches＇ broom is a devastating disease of Ziziphusjujube that occurs in various jujube regions of China. Nucleic acid extracted from midribs of samples collected from three jujube varieties （＂Suanzao＂, ＂Lajiaozao＂ and ＂Langzao＂） from symptomatic and asymptomatic shoots were tested by random amplified polymorphic DNA analyses. Using 13 different 10 and 11-bp random primers the amplification of jujube DNA was achieved from all the samples; AMI4 primer provided amplification of specific DNA fragments of about 400 bp, only from samples collected from symptomatic plants. No genetic variations in these varieties were identified using the other 11 arbitrary primers; only with primer AL07 it was possible to differentiate ＂Langzao＂ from the other two varieties tested. All the experiments were repeated 2 times and the results were consistent. Compared with PCR analyses with phytoplasma-specific primers, RAPD techniques resulted to be an alternative rapid and sensitive method for detecting jujube phytoplasmas presence in different jujube varieties.     

A joint use of emergy evaluation,carbon footprint and economic analysis for sustainability assessment of grain system in China during 2000–2015

The rapid growth of grain yield in China accelerates a discussion on whether the grain system in China is sustainable. To answer the question, a comprehensive assessment from economic and environmental points is necessary. This study jointly used economic analysis(ECA), emergy evaluation(EME) and carbon footprint(CF) to analyze the environmental and economic sustainability of the grain production system in China based on the national statistical data during 2000–2015. Results showed that the costs of maize, wheat, rice and soybean had increased by 252-346% from 2000 to 2015, causing the lower profit of grain system in recent years. The situation resulted in a serious problem on economic sustainability of grain system in China. Meanwhile, the emergy sustainability index(ESI) of maize, wheat, rice and soybean systems were increasing during 2000–2015, and the CF on unit yield of the crops had been reduced by 10-30% in the study period. The results reflected the improved environmental sustainability of grain system in China during 2000–2015. Nevertheless, the emergy flow of industrial inputs for the crops were increased by 4-22% in the study period, and the CF from the inputs presented a growth rate of 16-23% as well during the same period. The results implied that the grain system in China was relying more on fossil-based inputs. Finally, according to the key points of cost, emergy and CF, we suggest that improving labor efficiency, advanced agricultural practices and optimizing cropping pattern will be effective ways to further improve the economic and environmental sustainability of grain system in China.     

Identification and Detection of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in Infected and Subclinically Infected Pigs by Multiplex PCR Based on the Genes ApxIVA and OmlA

PCRs based on different genes of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae have been developed for detecting and identifying A. pleuropneumoniae. Some of them could amplify positive fragments from the phylogenetically closely related species bacteria. To improve veracity and specificity of PCR, a species-specific multiplex PCR assay was developed to identify and detect A. pleuropneumoniae, based on the 3＇-terminus of the species-specific apxlVA gene and the already existing species-specific primers in the omlA gene. Both 346-bp and 950-bp fragments could be simultaneously amplified from all A. pleuropneumoniae reference strains and isolates, and the species specificity of the assay was evaluated with a collection of ten strains representing eight different species bacteria including species normally found in the respiratory tracts of swine. All of these strains turned out negative in the multiplex PCR. All sequences of products of multiplex PCR randomly sampled were also correct. The sensitivity of the multiplex PCR was determined to be 10 pg of A. pleuropneumoniae DNA. The multiplex PCR and bacterial isolation were compared to determine their sensitivities by using experimentally infected pigs and clinical disease pigs. The multiplex PCR was more sensitive than bacterial isolation. The multiplex PCR was also evaluated on mixed bacterial cultures from clinical healthy pigs. 26/100 （26%） of the subclinically infected pigs were detected from clinical healthy pigs. The results indicate that the multiplex PCR assay is a sensitive, highly specific, and effective diagnostic tool for identification and detection of A. pleuropneumoniae.