Salmonella serotypes in wild boars (Sus scrofa) hunted in northern Italy

Background

Salmonella species (spp.) are zoonotic enteric bacteria able to infect humans, livestock and wildlife.However, little is known about the prevalence and the presence of the different serovars in wildlife. Considering the wide distribution of wild boars and the feeding behaviour (omnivorous scavengers), wild boars may be a good indicator for environmental presence of Salmonella spp. The aims of this study were to determine the presence of Salmonella spp. in hunted wild boars and to determine the serotype the isolated strains.

Findings

Over three hunting seasons, the intestinal contents of 1,313 boars hunted in northern Italy were sampled and cultured. Salmonella spp. were isolated from 326 boars (24.82%). Thirty different serovars belonging to three different S. enterica spp. were found. Twenty-one serovars of S. enterica subsp. Enterica were found including the human pathogens S. Typhimurium and S. Enteritidis. In addition, nine serovars belonging to S.enterica subsp. diarizonae and S. enterica subsp. houtenae were detected.

Conclusions

Considering the widespread occurrence of wild boars in Europe, the epidemiological role of this species in relation to salmonellosis might be relevant and should be further investigated. Wild boars may act as healthy carriers of a wide range of Salmonella serotypes.     

Roraimine: a bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid from Cissampelos sympodialis roots

The roots of Cissampelos sympodialis yielded Roraimine (1), a novel bisbenzylisoquinoline alkaloid and liriodenine (2), a known oxoaporphine alkaloid.     

Mating systems in tropical forages: <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stylosanthes capitata</Emphasis> Vog. and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Stylosanthes guianensis</Emphasis> (Aubl.) Sw.

Stylosanthes capitata and S. guianensis are important forage legumes for tropical areas. The only available estimates of S. capitata and S. guianensis outcrossing rates were based on morphological markers, and the genus is considered as being mainly self-pollinated. Here we describe an estimation of the outcrossing rate in S. capitata and S. guianensis using microsatellite markers. The outcrossing rates were estimated in S. capitata and S. guianensis open-pollinated populations of 20 progenies consisting of ten individuals each. The multi locus outcrossing rate for S. capitata was estimated using 10 polymorphic loci, whereas five microsatellites were used for S. guianensis. The multi locus outcrossing rates for S. capitata and S. guianensis were 31 and 26%, respectively, suggesting a mixed mating system with predominance of autogamy. Comparison of single locus and multi locus estimates of outcrossing rates indicated that little inbreeding other than selfing occurred. The estimated Wright’s fixation index of the parental generation was lower than expected based on the multi locus outcrossing rate, possibly resulting from the use of some heterozygous breeding genotypes for the study. The data on the outcrossing rate described here are potentially useful for breeding programs and for maintenance of germplasm collections of these Stylosanthes species.     

IgG isotype profile is correlated with cardiomegaly in Beagle dogs infected with distinct Trypanosoma cruzi strains

A systematic study following infection by various strains of the protozoan parasite, Trypanosoma cruzi, and the simultaneous monitoring of the humoral immune response together with the elicited cellular response, could add greatly to our understanding of differences between strains of this important human pathogen. In that sense, acute and chronic infections with distinct T. cruzi strains (Y, Berenice-78 and ABC) in Beagle dogs were studied through a longitudinal evaluation of immunoglobulin G (IgG), IgG1 and IgG2 isotypes (by ELISA and flow cytometry (FC)), as well as measurements of peripheral blood mononuclear cell (PBMC) proliferation over a 100-week period, and their correlation with cardiomegaly. Our results show that infected animals presenting cardiomegaly showed lower or absent levels of IgG1 during the chronic phase of the infection, when compared to those that did not show an increase in heart weight. In that manner, our results suggest that IgG1 could be used as a marker for cardiac pathogenicity in Chagas disease.     

Variability in the response toPseudomonas solanacearum of transgenic lines of potato carrying a cecropin gene analogue

Summary Transgenic potato plants of cv. Désirée carrying an antibacterial gene, coding for a cecropin lytic peptide analogue, were inoculated with a virulent strain ofPseudomonas solanacearum under controlled conditions. The disease index scored during three repeated infection trials indicated an increased variability in plant response among the transgenic lines which gave either a more susceptible or a more resistant response to the pathogen when compared with untransformed Désirée. Immunity toP. solanacearum was not observed, but it was possible to select a group of transgenic lines that showed resistance levels and disease development curves comparable to the field resistant cv. Cruza 148.     

Isolation and identification of Salmonella spp. from red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and badgers (Meles meles) in northern Italy

Background

Salmonella spp. have been isolated from a wide range of wild animals. Opportunistic wild carnivores such as red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) and badgers (Meles meles) may act as environmental indicators or as potential sources of salmonellosis in humans. The present study characterizes Salmonella spp. isolated from the intestinal contents of hunted or dead red foxes (n = 509) and badgers (n = 17) in northern Italy.

Findings

Thirty-one strains of Salmonella belonging to 3 Salmonella enterica subspecies were isolated. Fourteen different serovars of S. enterica subsp. enterica were identified, among which were serovars often associated with human illness.

Conclusions

Wild opportunistic predators can influence the probability of infection of both domestic animals and humans through active shedding of the pathogen to the environment. The epidemiological role of wild carnivores in the spread of salmonellosis needs to be further studied.     

Chemical constituents from Tillandsia recurvata

The CHCl3 extract of Tillandsia recurvata yielded 5,3'-dihydroxy-6,7,8,4'-tetramethoxyflavanone (1), 1,3-di-O-cinnamoyl-glycerol (2) and ethyl ester of caffeic acid. Their structures were elucidated by means of spectroscopic methods such as mass spectroscopy and 1 and 2D-NMR.     

Genetic diversity of immature Kemp's ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) sea turtles from the northern Gulf of Mexico

1. The Kemp’s ridley (Lepidochelys kempii) is the world’s most endangered sea turtle species. Predominately nesting at only one beach in Mexico, this species declined to an estimated 300 females in the mid-1980s. Conservation efforts in the United States and Mexico, including a head start programme in southern Texas in which hatchlings were reared in captivity for several months before being released into the wild, resulted in the recovery of this species.
2. Although genetic data have previously been used to assess the success of the head start programme and dispersal of individual adults, data on immature turtles sampled at foraging areas and adult females sampled at the main nesting beach in Mexico are lacking. Genetic characterization of immature individuals is important for understanding recruitment, survival, and population demography, while genetic data on individuals from Mexico are essential for understanding dispersal and overall genetic diversity in this species.
3. To address these gaps, mitochondrial DNA data were collected from 106 immature individuals sampled at four different foraging sites in the northern Gulf of Mexico and from 18 nesting females at the primary nesting beach in Mexico.
4. Two previously unknown mitochondrial DNA haplotypes were discovered among the immature individuals.
5. Except for these two new haplotypes, the genetic diversity of immature individuals in the northern Gulf of Mexico closely corresponds to that of adults sampled in Mexico, which suggests that much of the diversity within the nesting population can be found among immature animals dispersing to foraging grounds, including locations in the northern Gulf of Mexico.
6. Continued monitoring of the genetic variation of different life stages of this species across its distribution range will help assess the success of conservation programmes by ensuring the maintenance of genetic diversity and representation of this diversity across the species’ distribution range.

     

Conformation of the Z19 prolamin by FTIR, NMR, and SAXS

The alpha zein, the maize storage prolamin, is a mixture of several homologous polypeptides that shows two bands in SDS-PAGE, called Z19 and Z22. The conformation studies carried out by several authors in this mixture are conflicting. To elucidate these inconsistencies, we analyzed the conformation of the Z19 fraction, extracted from BR451 maize variety by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance, and small-angle X-ray scattering. The infrared results show that Z19 has 46% of alpha helix and 22% of beta sheet. The fast N-H to N-D exchange measured by (1)H NMR spectroscopy showed that Z19 is not a compact structure. The scattering measurements indicated an extended structure with 12 by 130 A. With these data, we have modeled the Z19 structure as a hairpin, composed of helical, sheet, turns, and secondary structures, folded back on itself.