Substantial overlap between symptomatic and asymptomatic genitourinary microbiota states

BACKGROUND: The lack of a definition of urinary microbiome health convolutes diagnosis of urinary tract infections (UTIs), especially when non-traditional uropathogens or paucity of bacteria are recovered from symptomatic patients in routine standard-of-care urine tests. Here, we used shotgun metagenomic sequencing to characterize the microbial composition of asymptomatic volunteers in a set of 30 longitudinally collected urine specimens. Using permutation tests, we established a range of asymptomatic microbiota states, and use these to contextualize the microbiota of 122 urine specimens collected from patients with suspected UTIs diagnostically categorized by standard-of-care urinalysis within that range. Finally, we used a standard-of-care culture protocol to evaluate the efficiency of culture-based recovery of the urinary microbiota. RESULTS: The majority of genitourinary microbiota in individals suspected to have UTI overlapped with the spectrum of asymptomatic microbiota states. Longitudinal characterization of the genitourinary microbiome in urine specimens collected from asymptomatic volunteers revealed fluctuations of microbial functions and taxonomy over time. White blood cell counts from urinalysis suggested that urine specimens categorized as \u27insignificant\u27, \u27contaminated\u27, or \u27no-growth\u27 by conventional culture methods frequently showed signs of urinary tract inflammation, but this inflammation is not associated with genitourinary microbiota dysbiosis. Comparison of directly sequenced urine specimens with standard-of-care culturing confirmed that culture-based diagnosis biases genitourinary microbiota recovery towards the traditional uropathogens Escherichia coli and Klebsiella pneumoniae. CONCLUSION: Here, we utilize shotgun metagenomic sequencing to establish a baseline of asymptomatic genitourinary microbiota states. Using this baseline we establish substantial overlap between symptomatic and asymptomatic genitourinary microbiota states. Our results establish that bacterial presence alone does not explain the onset of clinical symptoms. Video Abstract

Incidence, causes and correlates of maternal near‐miss morbidity: a multi‐centre cross‐sectional study

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/1/bjo15578-sup-0009-ICMJES9.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/2/bjo15578-sup-0008-ICMJES8.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/3/bjo15578-sup-0002-ICMJES2.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/4/bjo15578-sup-0003-ICMJES3.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/5/bjo15578_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/6/bjo15578-sup-0004-ICMJES4.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/7/bjo15578-sup-0005-ICMJES5.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/8/bjo15578.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/9/bjo15578-sup-0007-ICMJES7.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/10/bjo15578-sup-0006-ICMJES6.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/149236/11/bjo15578-sup-0001-ICMJES1.pd

Bulk genetic characterization of Ghanaian maize landraces using microsatellite markers

Maize (Zea mays L) was first introduced into Ghana over five centuries ago and remains the most important cereal staple, grown in all agro-ecologies across the country. Yield from farmers’ fields are low, which is attributed in part to farmer’s preferences and/or reliance on local landraces for cultivation. Efforts are underway to improve some of these landraces for improved productivity. Seeds of maize landraces cultivated in all agro-ecologies were col¬lected for genetic characterization using a bulked fingerprinting technique and 20 SSR markers. In all, 20 popula¬tions of 15 plants each from Ghana and 4 control populations from Latin America were characterized. The cluster analysis grouped the 20 landraces into two major groups corresponding to the vegetation/climatic conditions of the north and south of the country. Genotypes from Ashanti, which is centrally located, fell into both major clus¬ters, which suggest its importance in maize seed distribution in Ghana and also the diverse climate/vegetation. A Structure analyses grouped the genotypes into two major clusters similar to the UPGMA cluster, and populations were not fully distinct according to F statistics. The results suggest that breeders should make performance data available to seed dealers for better productivity

Serological evidence of influenza a viruses in frugivorous bats from Africa

Bats are likely natural hosts for a range of zoonotic viruses such as Marburg, Ebola, Rabies, as well as for various Corona- and Paramyxoviruses. In 2009/10, researchers discovered RNA of two novel influenza virus subtypes - H17N10 and H18N11 - in Central and South American fruit bats. The identification of bats as possible additional reservoir for influenza A viruses raises questions about the role of this mammalian taxon in influenza A virus ecology and possible public health relevance. As molecular testing can be limited by a short time window in which the virus is present, serological testing provides information about past infections and virus spread in populations after the virus has been cleared. This study aimed at screening available sera from 100 free-ranging, frugivorous bats (Eidolon helvum) sampled in 2009/10 in Ghana, for the presence of antibodies against the complete panel of influenza A haemagglutinin (HA) types ranging from H1 to H18 by means of a protein microarray platform. This technique enables simultaneous serological testing against multiple recombinant HA-types in 5μl of serum. Preliminary results indicate serological evidence against avian influenza subtype H9 in about 30% of the animals screened, with low-level cross-reactivity to phylogenetically closely related subtypes H8 and H12. To our knowledge, this is the first report of serological evidence of influenza A viruses other than H17 and H18 in bats. As avian influenza subtype H9 is associated with human infections, the implications of our findings from

Distant Relatives of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus and Close Relatives of Human Coronavirus 229E in Bats, Ghana

Hipposideros spp. bats harbor a coronavirus that shares common ancestry with human viruses

Henipavirus RNA in African Bats

BACKGROUND: Henipaviruses (Hendra and Nipah virus) are highly pathogenic members of the family Paramyxoviridae. Fruit-eating bats of the Pteropus genus have been suggested as their natural reservoir. Human Henipavirus infections have been reported in a region extending from Australia via Malaysia into Bangladesh, compatible with the geographic range of Pteropus. These bats do not occur in continental Africa, but a whole range of other fruit bats is encountered. One of the most abundant is Eidolon helvum, the African Straw-coloured fruit bat. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Feces from E. helvum roosting in an urban setting in Kumasi/Ghana were tested for Henipavirus RNA. Sequences of three novel viruses in phylogenetic relationship to known Henipaviruses were detected. Virus RNA concentrations in feces were low. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The finding of novel putative Henipaviruses outside Australia and Asia contributes a significant extension of the region of potential endemicity of one of the most pathogenic virus genera known in humans

Evidence for Novel Hepaciviruses in Rodents

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is among the most relevant causes of liver cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. Research is complicated by a lack of accessible small animal models. The systematic investigation of viruses of small mammals could guide efforts to establish such models, while providing insight into viral evolutionary biology. We have assembled the so-far largest collection of small-mammal samples from around the world, qualified to be screened for bloodborne viruses, including sera and organs from 4,770 roden