Isolation of Salmonella spp. and bacteriophage active against Salmonella spp. from commercial swine

Abstract Bactenophage are viruses that prey on bacteria and may be a poten tial strategy to reduce foodborne pathogemc bactena in the gastromtestlnal tract of food ammals Phages are fa1rly common m the gastrointestinal m1crob1al ecosystem of mammals, but the incidence is unknown. If phage are to be an intervention strategy, we must understand the1r role in the m1crobial ecology of the gut From a regulatory perspective, knowmg mc1dence of phage 1s cruc1al Therefore the current study was designed to determine the incidence of phage active against Salmonella spp 1n the feces of commercial finishmg swine m the Umted States Fecal samples (n=60) were collected from each of s1x commerc1al swme fimshmg operations Samples were collected from 10 randomly selected pens throughout each operation Total number of fecal samples collected m th1s study was n=360 Salmonella spp were found 1n 6 6% of the fecal samples Salmonella spp. were ISOlated from only 2 farms and the serotypes represented were Schwarzengrund, Anatum, Ohio and Heidelberg Bacteriophages were isolated from fecal sample through 2 parallel methods, 1) in1tlal enrichment m Salmonella Typh1munum, or 2) 1n1t1al ennchment 1n E. colt B (a stram very sensitive to phages), followed by direct spot-testing against Salmonella Typhimurium Bactenophages active against Salmonella Typhimunum were Isolated from 1 1% (4/360) of the individual fecal samples when initially enriched m Salmonella Typhimurium, but E coli S-killing phages were 1solated from 43.8% (158/360) of the fecal samples but only 2 of these Isolates were capable of k1ll1ng Salmonella Typhimunum. Our results mdicate that bactenophage capable of killing Salmonella Typh1murium are fairly w1despread across commercial swine production facilities but may be present at relatively low populat1ons These results md1cate that phage (predator) populations may vary along w1th Salmonella (prey) populations and that phage could potentially be used as a food safety pathogen reduction strateg

Higher harmonic anisotropic flow measurements of charged particles in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV

We report on the first measurement of the triangular $v_3$, quadrangular $v_4$, and pentagonal $v_5$ charged particle flow in Pb-Pb collisions at 2.76 TeV measured with the ALICE detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider. We show that the triangular flow can be described in terms of the initial spatial anisotropy and its fluctuations, which provides strong constraints on its origin. In the most central events, where the elliptic flow $v_2$ and $v_3$ have similar magnitude, a double peaked structure in the two-particle azimuthal correlations is observed, which is often interpreted as a Mach cone response to fast partons. We show that this structure can be naturally explained from the measured anisotropic flow Fourier coefficients.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figures, published version, figures at http://aliceinfo.cern.ch/ArtSubmission/node/387

Pseudorapidity dependence of the anisotropic flow of charged particles in Pb–Pb collisions at sNN=2.76 TeV

Peer reviewe

Controversy and consensus on the management of elevated sperm DNA fragmentation in male infertility: A global survey, current guidelines, and expert recommendations

Purpose Sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) has been associated with male infertility and poor outcomes of assisted reproductive technology (ART). The purpose of this study was to investigate global practices related to the management of elevated SDF in infertile men, summarize the relevant professional society recommendations, and provide expert recommendations for managing this condition. Materials and Methods An online global survey on clinical practices related to SDF was disseminated to reproductive clinicians, according to the CHERRIES checklist criteria. Management protocols for various conditions associated with SDF were captured and compared to the relevant recommendations in professional society guidelines and the appropriate available evidence. Expert recommendations and consensus on the management of infertile men with elevated SDF were then formulated and adapted using the Delphi method. Results A total of 436 experts from 55 different countries submitted responses. As an initial approach, 79.1% of reproductive experts recommend lifestyle modifications for infertile men with elevated SDF, and 76.9% prescribe empiric antioxidants. Regarding antioxidant duration, 39.3% recommend 4–6 months and 38.1% recommend 3 months. For men with unexplained or idiopathic infertility, and couples experiencing recurrent miscarriages associated with elevated SDF, most respondents refer to ART 6 months after failure of conservative and empiric medical management. Infertile men with clinical varicocele, normal conventional semen parameters, and elevated SDF are offered varicocele repair immediately after diagnosis by 31.4%, and after failure of antioxidants and conservative measures by 40.9%. Sperm selection techniques and testicular sperm extraction are also management options for couples undergoing ART. For most questions, heterogenous practices were demonstrated. Conclusions This paper presents the results of a large global survey on the management of infertile men with elevated SDF and reveals a lack of consensus among clinicians. Furthermore, it demonstrates the scarcity of professional society guidelines in this regard and attempts to highlight the relevant evidence. Expert recommendations are proposed to help guide clinicians

Scritti in onore di Sebastiano Brusco

In questa raccolta di saggi si ripercorrono, con il contributo di alcuni autori che ne hanno rivisitato il percorso intellettuale, le tappe fondamentali dell'attività di ricerca di Sebastiano Brusco