Agroenvironmental determinants associated with the presence of antimicrobial-resistant Escherichia coli in beach waters in Quebec, Canada

Exposure to microorganisms resistant to antimicrobials may constitute a health risk to human populations. It is believed that one route of exposure occurs when people engage in recreational activities in water contaminated with these microorganisms. The main objective of this study was to explore population-level and environmental determinants specifically associated with the presence of antimicrobial resistant (AMR) generic Escherichia coli isolated from recreational waters sampled from beaches located in southern Quebec, Canada. Water samples originated from the Quebec provincial beach surveillance program for the summers of 2004 and 2005. This study focused on three classes of determinants, namely: agricultural, population-level and beach characteristics for a total of 19 specific factors. The study was designed as a retrospective observational analysis and factors were assessed using logistic regression methods. From the multivariable analysis, the data suggested that the percentage of land used for spreading liquid manure was a significant factor associated with the presence of AMR E. coli (OR=27.73). Conceptually, broad factors potentially influencing the presence of AMR bacteria in water must be assessed specifically in addition to factors associated with general microbial contamination. Presence of AMR E. coli in recreational waters from beaches in southern Quebec may represent a risk for people engaging in water activities and this study provides preliminary evidence that agricultural practices, specifically spreading liquid manure in agricultural lands nearby beaches, may be linked to the contamination of these waters by AMR E. coli.     

高粱抗蚜基因的遗传分析和SSR标记定位

高粱蚜是高粱生产中的一种毁灭性害虫,利用植物的固有抗性是防治害虫的最有效途径。经多年杂交选育获得1个对高粱蚜免疫的高粱品种“河农16”,用其作亲本与感蚜品系“千三”进行杂交,对亲本、F1、F2抗蚜性鉴定表明,“河农16”和F1对蚜虫表现高抗,F2抗感分离符合3∶1,该抗蚜性受一对基因控制,表现出显性遗传。用已定位到连锁群上的微卫星标记和分离群体分析法,对抗蚜基因进行了连锁分析,发现1个与抗蚜基因连锁的微卫星标记(SSR标记),与抗蚜基因的遗传距离为8.7 cM。该标记位于第9连锁群上,因而将该基因初步定位于第9连锁群。     

玉簪抗旱性隶属函数及主成分分析

为利用我国丰富的玉簪属(Hosta)种质资源,给园林绿化提供优良抗旱的玉簪属植物品种,应用隶属函数及主成分分析法对5个优良玉簪品种的抗旱性进行了评价.结果表明:7个存在一定相关关系的抗旱指标通过隶属函数结合主成分分析归纳成伤害程度因子、抗旱能力因子、水分状况因子3个主成分;5个玉簪属植物种质资源的抗旱性顺序由强到弱依次为:金冠玉簪>白花玉簪>花叶玉簪>紫萼玉簪>绿叶玉簪;综合聚类分析,金冠玉簪、白花玉簪抗旱性较强,可供将来在缺水地区生产实践中参考使用,以解决园林建设和水资源有限两者之间的矛盾.     

Insulin dysregulation

Abnormalities of insulin metabolism include hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance, and these problems are collectively referred to as insulin dysregulation in this review. Insulin dysregulation is a key component of equine metabolic syndrome: a collection of endocrine and metabolic abnormalities associated with the development of laminitis in horses, ponies and donkeys. Insulin dysregulation can also accompany prematurity and systemic illness in foals. Causes of insulin resistance are discussed, including pathological conditions of obesity, systemic inflammation and pituitary pars intermedia dysfunction, as well as the physiological responses to stress and pregnancy. Most of the discussion of insulin dysregulation to date has focused on insulin resistance, but there is increasing interest in hyperinsulinaemia itself and insulin responses to feeding. An oral sugar test or in‐feed oral glucose tolerance test can be performed to assess insulin responses to dietary carbohydrates, and these tests are now recommended for use in clinical practice. Incretin hormones are likely to play an important role in postprandial hyperinsulinaemia and are the subject of current research. Insulin resistance exacerbates hyperinsulinaemia, and insulin sensitivity can be measured by performing a combined glucose‐insulin test or i.v. insulin tolerance test. In both of these tests, exogenous insulin is administered and the rate of glucose uptake into tissues measured. Diagnosis and management of hyperinsulinaemia is recommended to reduce the risk of laminitis. The term insulin dysregulation is introduced here to refer collectively to excessive insulin responses to sugars, fasting hyperinsulinaemia and insulin resistance, which are all components of equine metabolic syndrome.     

夏、冬两季猪源葡萄球菌耐药情况比较

本研究旨在比较夏、冬两季某规模化养猪场猪源葡萄球菌的耐药情况。分别在夏、冬两季对猪场同一猪采集其直肠肛拭子样和鼻腔鼻拭子样,采用微量肉汤稀释法对分离出的葡萄球菌进行临床9种常用抗菌药物的药敏试验。结果显示,夏季鼻腔分离的葡萄球菌对阿米卡星、氟苯尼考、氧氟沙星、苯唑西林和克林霉素5种抗菌药物的耐药率均高于冬季分离的鼻腔菌。夏季直肠分离的葡萄球菌对阿莫西林/克拉维酸、苯唑西林、庆大霉素、氧氟沙星、四环素、克林霉素和利福平7种抗菌药物的耐药率低于冬季分离的直肠菌。且夏、冬两季鼻腔分离的葡萄球菌多药耐药种数在0~9耐均有分布,夏、冬两季直肠分离的葡萄球菌多药耐药种数在1~9均耐有分布。冬季鼻腔分离的葡萄球菌6耐的多药百分率显著高于夏季分离菌的多药百分率（P＜0.05）,冬季直肠分离的葡萄球菌8耐的多药百分率显著高于夏季分离菌的多药百分率（P＜0.05）。结果表明,夏、冬两季猪不同部位分离的葡萄球菌对大多数被检抗菌药物的耐药率情况不同,其耐药率与养殖场季节性用药呈现相关性。     

6种热带亚热带豆科牧草抗寒性及营养品质比较

为了筛选华南地区适宜的优质冬季青饲料草种,本研究比较了旋扭山绿豆(Desmodium intortum)、大叶山蚂蟥(Desmodium laxiflorum)、异果山绿豆(Desmodium heterocarpum)、显脉山绿豆(Desmodium reticulatum)、糙毛假地豆(Desmodium heterocarpum var.strigosum)和柱花草(Stylosanthes guianensis)6种热带亚热带豆科牧草在广州越冬期的抗寒性及营养品质。结果表明,除柱花草外,其它5种豆科牧草均能保持青绿越冬,其中旋扭山绿豆和大叶山蚂蟥的叶绿素含量均显著高于其它牧草(P0.05)。旋扭山绿豆的净光合速率最高(P0.05),其次是大叶山蚂蟥(P0.05),因此这两种牧草具有相对较强的抗寒性;与其它牧草相比,旋扭山绿豆在冬季能保持较高的粗蛋白含量(15.99%~20.26%)(P0.05)以及较低的洗涤纤维(NDF 27.92%~30.89%、ADF 23.96%~27.06%)和缩合单宁含量(6.05~11.95mg·g~(-1))(P0.05),因而具有较高的营养价值。因此,旋扭山绿豆可以作为华南地区冬季豆科青饲料的潜在优选草种。     

三种化学物质诱导白三叶草叶斑病抗性的研究

为了探明硅酸钾、硅酸钠、水杨酸对白三叶草(Trifolium repens)抗叶斑病的诱导效果,采用离体、活体试验及生物化学方法测定了3种化学物质对白三叶草叶斑病的室内抑菌活性、诱导抗病效果、防御酶活性及田间诱导防病效果。结果表明:浓度为25μg·mL~(-1)时3种化学物质的抑菌率较低,最高仅为4.59%,但诱导抗病效果较高,均在45.00%以上;叶片中多酚氧化酶(PPO),过氧化物酶(POD),苯丙氨酸解氨酶(PAL)活性均有明显增加,除硅酸钾、硅酸钠诱导处理的PPO在第3d达到峰值外,其他化学物质诱导处理的酶活性均在第5d达到最大值;田间处理7d后3种化学物质诱导防病效果均达到了72.00%以上;处理14d后有所降低,最低为23.08%。综上所述,浓度为25μg·mL~(-1)的3种化学物质能够激发白三叶草叶片中与抗病性相关的PPO,POD和PAL活性,对白三叶草抗叶斑病均有较好的诱导防病作用。     

Antimicrobial Resistance Genes in Pigeons from Public Parks in Costa Rica

Antimicrobial resistance is known to be an emerging problem, but the extent of the issue remains incomplete. The aim of this study was to determine the presence or absence of nine resistance genes (bla_TEM, catI, mecA, qnrS, sulI, sulII, tet(A), tet(Q), vanA) in the faeces of 141 pigeons from four urban parks in Alajuela, Guadalupe, Tres Ríos and San José in Costa Rica. The genes were identified by real‐time PCR directly from enema samples. About 30% of the samples were positive for genes catI and sulI; between 13% and 17% were positive for qnrS, sulII, tet(A) and tet(Q); and 4% were positive for bla_TEM. The mecA and vanA genes were not detected. The average of antimicrobial resistance genes detected per pigeon was 2. Eight different patterns of resistance were identified, without differences in the sampling areas, being the most common pattern 2 (sulII positive samples). During rainy season, the genes more frequently found were sulI and tet(A). In conclusion, the urban inhabiting pigeons tested are currently carrying antimicrobial resistance genes, potentially acting as reservoirs of resistant bacteria and vectors to humans. To the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study carried out on direct detection of resistance genes in the digestive metagenomes of pigeons.     

Methods to determine resistance to anthelmintics when continuing larval development occurs

The in vivo faecal egg count reduction test (FECRT) is the most commonly used test to detect anthelmintic resistance (AR) in gastrointestinal nematodes (GIN) of ruminants in pasture based systems. However, there are several variations on the method, some more appropriate than others in specific circumstances. While in some cases labour and time can be saved by just collecting post-drench faecal worm egg counts (FEC) of treatment groups with controls, or pre- and post-drench FEC of a treatment group with no controls, there are circumstances when pre- and post-drench FEC of an untreated control group as well as from the treatment groups are necessary. Computer simulation techniques were used to determine the most appropriate of several methods for calculating AR when there is continuing larval development during the testing period, as often occurs when anthelmintic treatments against genera of GIN with high biotic potential or high re-infection rates, such as Haemonchus contortus of sheep and Cooperia punctata of cattle, are less than 100% efficacious. Three field FECRT experimental designs were investigated: (I) post-drench FEC of treatment and controls groups, (II) pre- and post-drench FEC of a treatment group only and (III) pre- and post-drench FEC of treatment and control groups.To investigate the performance of methods of indicating AR for each of these designs, simulated animal FEC were generated from negative binominal distributions with subsequent sampling from the binomial distributions to account for drench effect, with varying parameters for worm burden, larval development and drench resistance. Calculations of percent reductions and confidence limits were based on those of the Standing Committee for Agriculture (SCA) guidelines. For the two field methods with pre-drench FEC, confidence limits were also determined from cumulative inverse Beta distributions of FEC, for eggs per gram (epg) and the number of eggs counted at detection levels of 50 and 25. Two rules for determining AR: (1) %reduction (%R) < 95% and lower confidence limit <90%; and (2) upper confidence limit <95%, were also assessed. For each combination of worm burden, larval development and drench resistance parameters, 1000 simulations were run to determine the number of times the theoretical percent reduction fell within the estimated confidence limits and the number of times resistance would have been declared.When continuing larval development occurs during the testing period of the FECRT, the simulations showed AR should be calculated from pre- and post-drench worm egg counts of an untreated control group as well as from the treatment group. If the widely used resistance rule 1 is used to assess resistance, rule 2 should also be applied, especially when %R is in the range 90 to 95% and resistance is suspected.     

植物生长延缓剂在草坪上的应用

综述了植物生长延缓剂的分类以及对草坪草生长发育、抗逆性及草坪杂草的影响.总结得出,植物生长延缓剂可有效降低草坪草的植株高度,促进分蘖,增加绿度,提高草坪草的抗逆性,但对根系生长的影响和杂草的控制尚存在争议.