Distribution and genetic diversity of Dothistroma septosporum in Pinus brutia forests of south-western Turkey

Dothistroma needle blight (DNB) is a serious disease of the Pinaceae, mainly Pinus species, caused by the fungi Dothistroma septosporum and D. pini. Both species are regarded as invasive forest pathogens worldwide, with rising incidence in central and northern Europe over the last three decades. In this work, 29 sites were investigated between 2013 and 2015 in south-western Turkey. Morphological examination of needles confirmed DNB infection (i.e., Dothistroma conidiospores observed) at 18 sites, and a total of 108 Dothistroma sp. isolates were obtained from 11 of the sites. Host age seemed to be an important factor in both occurrence and severity of DNB in Pinus brutia forests. Continuous rainy days, especially in December, may increase severity of disease; however, extreme rain events may reduce available conidiospores on plant tissues or in the air. Species-specific mating type primers showed that all isolates were D. septosporum; D. pini was not detected. The mating type ratio was close to 1:1, indicating sexual recombination was occurring. Eleven microsatellite markers revealed 59 unique multilocus haplotypes (MLHs) among the 73 isolates originating from different conidiomata. The majority of MLHs were represented by a single isolate (n = 52) and only one MLH was shared between two localities. Analyses showed high genetic diversity, isolation-by-distance, and clear population clusters. These findings suggest that D. septosporum is well established in south-western Turkey and is probably not a recent introduction.     

Effects of DDT on labellar receptors in two DDT-resistant and two DDT-susceptible strains of house flies

Electrophysiological responses of labellar hairs of resistant and susceptible strains of the house fly were recorded at times following treatment of the hairs with DDT. Under the influence of DDT, the receptors of a hair discharged groups of impulses in high-frequency trains instead of the usual regular volley. The effect was observed to gradually spread to nontreated hairs. Among four strains chosen for gradation from high resistance to high susceptibility, in general the relative effectiveness of DDT corresponded to overall resistance as indicated by LD₅₀ data. The highly resistant strain showed essentially no effects, and the other strains showed effects with some degree of recovery. Results for the highly susceptible strain were anomalous in not differing significantly from those of the moderately resistant strai. Unexpectedly small effects in the highly susceptible strain point to a strain characteristic not necessarily correlated with LD₅₀ data.     

Impacts of mercury on benthic invertebrate populations and communities within the aquatic ecosystem of Clear Lake,California

Benthic invertebrates from Clear Lake, site of an inactive mercury (Hg) mine, were analyzed for population and community level parameters in response to a significant point source of sediment-associated Hg. Using multiple regression, at least one taxon (Placobdella leeches) showed a significant decline and another taxon (Procladius midges) showed a significant increase in response to increasing sediment Hg. Responses of invertebrates to sediment Hg levels are complex, likely due to partial confounding between sediment Hg (especially methyl Hg), grain size and depth. Stepwise multiple regression analyses indicate that individual taxa often responded significantly to several environmental factors.Chironomus populations declined with increasing grain size, depth and total Hg;Procladius declined with increasing depth, but increased with increasing sediment grain size and Hg levels;Chaoborus declined with increasing depth; oligochaetes increased with increasing TOC; andPlacobdella leeches declined with both increasing depth and sediment Hg levels. Additional multi-variate routines were used to demonstrate more complex relationships than are typically elucidated by standard multiple regression statistics. The complex results presented here may indicate that there are significant population effects above some threshold of sediment Hg concentrations. Community level parameters (diversity and evenness) declined with increasing sediment Hg levels, but with considerable variation at low Hg levels. Simple regression yielded a negative relationship between diversity and evenness versus sediment total Hg that was nearly significant, and one with sediment methyl Hg that was not close to significance. Multiple regression indicated that depth was more important than sediment Hg in describing the variation in diversity.     

Brachyspira and its role in avian intestinal spirochaetosis

The fastidious, anaerobic spirochaete Brachyspira is capable of causing enteric disease in avian, porcine and human hosts, amongst others, with a potential for zoonotic transmission. Avian intestinal spirochaetosis (AIS), the resulting disease from colonisation of the caeca and colon of poultry by Brachyspira leads to production losses, with an estimated annual cost of circa £18 million to the commercial layer industry in the United Kingdom. Of seven known and several proposed species of Brachyspira, three are currently considered pathogenic to poultry; B. alvinipulli, B. intermedia and B. pilosicoli. Currently, AIS is primarily prevented by strict biosecurity controls and is treated using antimicrobials, including tiamulin. Other treatment strategies have been explored, including vaccination and probiotics, but such developments have been hindered by a limited understanding of the pathobiology of Brachyspira. A lack of knowledge of the metabolic capabilities and little genomic information for Brachyspira has resulted in a limited understanding of the pathobiology. In addition to an emergence of antibiotic resistance amongst Brachyspira, bans on the prophylactic use of antimicrobials in livestock are driving an urgent requirement for alternative treatment strategies for Brachyspira-related diseases, such as AIS. Advances in the molecular biology and genomics of Brachyspira heralds the potential for the development of tools for genetic manipulation to gain an improved understanding of the pathogenesis of Brachyspira.     

Characterization of d-Glucose Transport across Equine Jejunal Brush Border Membrane Using the Pig as an Efficient Model of Jejunal Glucose Uptake

To test the hypotheses that glucose transport capacity across the brush border membrane (BBM) of the large colon is lower than that of the small intestine in equids, and that small intestinal transport capacity in equids is lower than suids. d-glucose transport capacity (V_max) and affinity (K_M) across the BBM of the distal jejunum (DJ) and proximal large colon (PLC) of the pony and pig were measured. Mucosa was collected from the DJ and PLC of ponies (n = 4) and pigs (n = 3), flash-frozen in liquid nitrogen, and stored at −80°C. Jejunal and colonic BBM vesicles were manufactured, and d-glucose transport was determined. There was no detectable active uptake of glucose in the equine PLC. Compared with the pig DJ, d-glucose transport capacity was lower (2595 ± 331 vs. 655 ± 286 ρmol·mg protein⁻¹·s⁻¹, respectively, P < .01) and transport affinity tended to be lower (0.09 ± 0.07 vs. 0.27 ± 0.06 mM, respectively, P = .11) in the pony DJ. Compared with the pig DJ, d-glucose transport capacity (2,595 ± 331 vs. 571 ± 331 ρmol·mg protein⁻¹·s⁻¹, respectively, P < .001) and transport affinity (0.09 ± 0.07 vs. 0.54 ± 0.07 mM, respectively, P < .001) in the pig PLC were lower. Results show there is negligible d-glucose uptake across pony PLC, and capacity for d-glucose absorption across DJ BBM is fourfold lower in the pony compared with the pig. Results further exemplify, at a physiological level, the limited capacity of the equid small intestine to transport glucose relative to an omnivorous mammal, and the likely evolutionary adaptation of equids to low dietary levels of nonstructural carbohydrates.