Persistence and viable but non-culturable state induced by streptomycin in Erwinia amylovora

Persister cell and viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state of bacteria are survival strategies against antibiotics and various environmental stresses, respectively, but they tend to be ignored in agriculture fields, even though bacteria can regain their abilities to survive and produce disease once those stresses disappear. This study was carried out to determine whether persister cell and VBNC state in Erwinia amylovora are present after exposures to streptomycin, the length of their persistence, and the steps needed to decrease the inoculum. Persister cells were observed using biphasic killed growth curve for 4–8 h when the late stationary phase cells of E. amylovora were cultured in liquid medium containing streptomycin. This state was maintained for up to 12 h based on the colony forming units (CFUs) of the colonies that grew on the mannitol glutamate yeast extract (MGY) medium after streptomycin was removed. The CFUs on the MGY medium were lower than the total count determined using the LIVE/DEAD Kit, suggesting that persister cells and VBNC state might co-exist for up to 12 h after exposure to streptomycin. However, after 12 h, E. amylovora cells did not continue to grow on the medium for 9 days, suggesting that they entered a VBNC state at that time and remained in a persistent state. In addition, based on the Redox Sensor Green staining method, the presence of both states was confirmed for up to 12 h, and only then did the VBNC state became apparent. Furthermore, persister cells were observed for up to 24 h, and damaged cells reduced when E. amylovora cells were culture in distilled water with streptomycin, indicating that the uptake of lower nutrients in E. amylovora led to prolonged persister cells and VBNC state, which are more likely to survive after streptomycin treatments. The addition of sucrose and oxytetracycline to distilled water containing streptomycin reduced persister cells than other sources did. Thus, to inhibit the spread of fire blight, management techniques must consider the hazards of using streptomycin treatments that induce dormancy, such as persister cells and VBNC state, beyond the development of resistant strain

Characterization of the Lytic Bacteriophage phiEaP-8 Effective against Both Erwinia amylovora and Erwinia pyrifoliae Causing Severe Diseases in Apple and Pear

Bacteriophages, bacteria-infecting viruses, have been recently reconsidered as a biological control tool for preventing bacterial pathogens. Erwinia amylovora and E. pyrifoliae cause fire blight and black shoot blight disease in apple and pear, respectively. In this study, the bacteriophage phiEaP-8 was isolated from apple orchard soil and could efficiently and specifically kill both E amylovora and E. pyrifoliae. This bacteriophage belongs to the Podoviridae family. Whole genome analysis revealed that phiEaP-8 carries a 75,929 bp genomic DNA with 78 coding sequences and 5 tRNA genes. Genome comparison showed that phiEaP-8 has only 85% identity to known bacteriophages at the DNA level. PhiEaP-8 retained lytic activity up to 50 degrees C, within a pH range from 5 to 10, and under 365 nm UV light. Based on these characteristics, the bacteriophage phiEaP-8 is novel and carries potential to control both E. amylovora and E. pyrifoliae in apple and pear

Epidural anesthesia for cesarean section in a patient with Marfan syndrome and dural ectasia -A case report-

Pregnancy is considered a period of high risk for cardiovascular complications in patients with Marfan syndrome. Therefore the choice of anesthetic technique for delivery should be focused on minimizing hemodynamic fluctuations, and preferably provide adequate post-operative pain control. For this purpose, neuraxial blocks, such as spinal or epidural anesthesia, may be deemed a safe option. However, dural ectasia is present in 63-92% of patients with Marfan syndrome, and the increased amount of cerebrospinal fluid volume is thought to be one of main reasons for spinal anesthesia failure. We report herein the peri-operative management of a patient with Marfan syndrome and dural ectasia for cesarean section using epidural anesthesia

Associations of Anti-Aquaporin 5 Autoantibodies with Serologic and Histopathological Features of Sjogren's Syndrome

Biomarkers to stratify the complex and heterogeneous phenotypes of Sjogren's syndrome (SS) are needed. We aimed to validate the prevalence of anti-aquaporin 5 (AQP5) IgG in a non-Korean cohort and to optimize the method to screen the anti-AQP5 IgG. The study cohort included 111 primary SS and 43 non-SS Sjogren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance (SICCA) controls that were obtained from the Sjogren's International Collaborative Clinical Alliance registry, in addition to 35 systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and 35 rheumatoid arthritis (RA) phenotypes. Anti-AQP5 IgG was screened by cell-based immunofluorescence cytochemistry (CB-IFC) assay in the absence or presence of epitope peptides, as well as by ELISA using the epitope peptides as coated antigens. Anti-AQP5 IgG specific to an E1 epitope was best at discriminating between SS and non-SS, and the two different methods (CB-IFC and ELISA) presented comparable performance in diagnostic accuracy (0.690 vs. 0.707). Notably, the SLE and RA groups had substantially lower levels of anti-AQP5 IgG than the SS group. In addition, the presence of anti-AQP5_E1 IgG was associated with serologic and histopathological features of SS. In conclusion, a similar prevalence of anti-AQP5 IgG was confirmed in a non-Korean cohort. Screening anti-AQP5 autoantibodies may help to form subgroups of SS for targeted therapy.Y

Bronchus-Associated Lymphoid Tissue (BALT) Lymphoma of the Lung Showing Mosaic Pattern of Inhomogeneous Attenuation on Thin-section CT: A Case Report

The authors present a case of histologically proven bronchus-associated lymphoid tissue (BALT) lymphoma of the lung in a patient with primary Sjögren's syndrome that manifested on thin-section CT scan as a mosaic pattern of inhomogeneous attenuation due to mixed small airway and infiltrative abnormalitie