Piglet nasal microbiota at weaning may influence the development of Glässer's disease during the rearing period

The microbiota, the ensemble of microorganisms on a particular body site, has been extensively studied during the last few years, and demonstrated to influence the development of many diseases. However, these studies focused mainly on the human digestive system, while the populations in the respiratory tract have been poorly assessed, especially in pigs. The nasal mucosa of piglets is colonized by an array of bacteria, many of which are unknown. Among the early colonizers, Haemophilus parasuis also has clinical importance, since it is also the etiological agent of Glässer's disease. This disease produces economical losses in all the countries with pig production, and the factors influencing its development are not totally understood. Hence, the purpose of this work was to characterize the nasal microbiota composition of piglets, and its possible role in Glässer's disease development. Seven farms from Spain (4 with Glässer's disease and 3 control farms without any respiratory disease) and three farms from UK (all control farms) were studied. Ten piglets from each farm were sampled at 3-4 weeks of age before weaning. The total DNA extracted from nasal swabs was used to amplify the 16S RNA gene for sequencing in Illumina MiSeq. Sequencing data was quality filtered and analyzed using QIIME software. The diversity of the nasal microbiota was low in comparison with other body sites, showing a maximum number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per pig of 1,603, clustered in five phyla. Significant differences were found at various taxonomical levels, when the microbiota was compared regarding the farm health status. Healthy status was associated to higher species richness and diversity, and UK farms demonstrated the highest diversity. The composition of the nasal microbiota of healthy piglets was uncovered and different phylotypes were shown to be significantly altered in animals depending on the clinical status of the farm of origin. Several OTUs at genus level were identified over-represented in piglets from control farms, indicating their potential as probiotics. Although we provide relevant data, fully metagenomic approaches could give light on the genes and metabolic pathways involved in the roles of the nasal microbiota to prevent respiratory diseases. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2700-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Piglet nasal microbiota at weaning may influence the development of Glässer's disease during the rearing period

The microbiota, the ensemble of microorganisms on a particular body site, has been extensively studied during the last few years, and demonstrated to influence the development of many diseases. However, these studies focused mainly on the human digestive system, while the populations in the respiratory tract have been poorly assessed, especially in pigs. The nasal mucosa of piglets is colonized by an array of bacteria, many of which are unknown. Among the early colonizers, Haemophilus parasuis also has clinical importance, since it is also the etiological agent of Glässer's disease. This disease produces economical losses in all the countries with pig production, and the factors influencing its development are not totally understood. Hence, the purpose of this work was to characterize the nasal microbiota composition of piglets, and its possible role in Glässer's disease development. Seven farms from Spain (4 with Glässer's disease and 3 control farms without any respiratory disease) and three farms from UK (all control farms) were studied. Ten piglets from each farm were sampled at 3-4 weeks of age before weaning. The total DNA extracted from nasal swabs was used to amplify the 16S RNA gene for sequencing in Illumina MiSeq. Sequencing data was quality filtered and analyzed using QIIME software. The diversity of the nasal microbiota was low in comparison with other body sites, showing a maximum number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per pig of 1,603, clustered in five phyla. Significant differences were found at various taxonomical levels, when the microbiota was compared regarding the farm health status. Healthy status was associated to higher species richness and diversity, and UK farms demonstrated the highest diversity. The composition of the nasal microbiota of healthy piglets was uncovered and different phylotypes were shown to be significantly altered in animals depending on the clinical status of the farm of origin. Several OTUs at genus level were identified over-represented in piglets from control farms, indicating their potential as probiotics. Although we provide relevant data, fully metagenomic approaches could give light on the genes and metabolic pathways involved in the roles of the nasal microbiota to prevent respiratory diseases. The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-016-2700-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users

Piglet nasal microbiota at weaning may influence the development of Glässer’s disease during the rearing period

Background: The microbiota, the ensemble of microorganisms on a particular body site, has been extensively studied during the last few years, and demonstrated to influence the development of many diseases. However, these studies focused mainly on the human digestive system, while the populations in the respiratory tract have been poorly assessed, especially in pigs. The nasal mucosa of piglets is colonized by an array of bacteria, many of which are unknown. Among the early colonizers, Haemophilus parasuis also has clinical importance, since it is also the etiological agent of Glässer’s disease. This disease produces economical losses in all the countries with pig production, and the factors influencing its development are not totally understood. Hence, the purpose of this work was to characterize the nasal microbiota composition of piglets, and its possible role in Glässer’s disease development. Results: Seven farms fromSpain (4 with Glässer’s disease and 3 control farms without any respiratory disease) and three farms from UK (all control farms) were studied. Ten piglets from each farm were sampled at 3–4 weeks of age before weaning. The total DNA extracted from nasal swabs was used to amplify the 16S RNA gene for sequencing in Illumina MiSeq. Sequencing data was quality filtered and analyzed using QIIME software. The diversity of the nasal microbiota was low in comparison with other body sites, showing a maximum number of operational taxonomic units (OTUs) per pig of 1,603, clustered in five phyla. Significant differences were found at various taxonomical levels, when the microbiota was compared regarding the farm health status. Healthy status was associated to higher species richness and diversity, and UK farms demonstrated the highest diversity. Conclusions: The composition of the nasal microbiota of healthy piglets was uncovered and different phylotypes were shown to be significantly altered in animals depending on the clinical status of the farm of origin. Several OTUs at genus level were identified over-represented in piglets from control farms, indicating their potential as probiotics. Although we provide relevant data, fully metagenomic approaches could give light on the genes and metabolic pathways involved in the roles of the nasal microbiota to prevent respiratory diseases.This work was supported by grant AGL2013-45662 from the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain

Point-of-care tests for urinary tract infections : protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy

Funding: DFN is supported by an NES general practice academic fellowship, AAL is supported by an HDR UK clinical postdoctoral fellowship and VHS is supported by an NRS clinical academic fellowship.Introduction Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are the second most common type of infection worldwide, accounting for a large number of primary care consultations and antibiotic prescribing. Current diagnosis is based on an empirical approach, relying on symptoms and occasional use of urine dipsticks. The diagnostic reference standard is still urine culture, although it is not routinely recommended for uncomplicated UTIs in the community, due to time to diagnosis (48 hours). Faster point-of-care tests have been developed, but their diagnostic accuracy has not been compared. Our objective is to systematically review and meta-analyse the diagnostic accuracy of currently available point-of-care tests for UTIs. Methods and analysis Studies evaluating the diagnostic accuracy of point-of-care tests for UTIs will be included. PubMed, Web of Science, Embase and Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews were searched from inception to 1 June 2019. Data extraction and risk-of-bias assessment will be assessed using the Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies tool. Meta-analysis will be performed depending on data availability and heterogeneity. Ethics and dissemination This is a systematic review protocol and therefore formal ethical approval is not required, as no primary, identifiable, personal data will be collected. Patients or the public were not involved in the design of our research. However, the findings from this review will be shared with key stakeholders, including patient groups, clinicians and guideline developers, and will also be presented and national and international conferences.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

Sistemas de control en la provincia de Tierra del Fuego, desafíos emergentes del Covid - 19

A partir del siglo XVI nace de alguna manera la obligación de rendir cuentas, y con ello el concepto de control, que se manifestará a través de diversos procedimientos y actos, que involucran la comparación de la actuación debida. Con el paso del tiempo y la modernización del Estado, los profesionales en Auditoría Gubernamental se percibieron insertos en nuevos escenarios como la digitalización de los procesos. Métodos que se advirtieron acelerados por la situación emergente, generada por la Pandemia mundial COVID -19. A los cuales no quedaron exentos los Organismos de Control Gubernamental, por lo que nos planteamos los nuevos escenarios y desafíos ante la modernización del estado. El presente trabajo plantea un análisis, FODA, de manera de poder identificar frente a que riesgos y potenciales oportunidades nos encontramos ante la digitalización de los procesos y la modernización del Estado en relación con los Organismos de Control. Lo que plantea aspectos como las repercusiones que tendrá la tecnología en la administración pública, el paso de las actuaciones administrativas en formato papel a su transformación o creación en formato digital, a las nuevas modalidades de comunicación, de notificación, de procesos totalmente digitales, planteando su validez y su legitimidad jurídica. Transformación que conduce a una revisión de la normativa existente y brindar un impulso a la despapelización del Estado, el uso de tics y herramientas digitales tendientes al desarrollo de un Estado moderno, eficiente y sustentable. Oportunidades que se encuentran en pleno desarrollo para la provincia de Tierra del Fuego A.eI.A.S. y conllevan grandes desafíos y alertas para el ejercicio de la práctica de Auditora Gubernamental.Eje temático Sector público, E-government y accountability.Instituto de Investigaciones y Estudios Contable

Metagenomic analysis of the evolution of microbial communities in foods subjected to refrigeration and in conditions of absence of cold

La cadena del frío constituye un elemento clave en seguridad alimentaria, pues la mayoría de los microorganismos detienen su crecimiento a bajas temperaturas. Se han desarrollado técnicas, basadas en la secuenciación masiva, que analizan las poblaciones bacterianas de una muestra mediante secuenciación de un fragmento del gen ribosómico 16S, permitiendo la caracterización microbiana de alimentos./nEl objetivo del presente estudio consistió en la identificación y cuantificación de bacterias sobre alimentos refrigerados y sin refrigerar utilizando secuenciación masiva del ADNr16S, para describir el rol del mantenimiento de la cadena del frío sobre la evolución de comunidades microbianas en alimentos./nAsí, se secuenció el ADN extraído de muestras de pollo, espinacas, queso fresco y yogurt, a los 2 y 4 días. Las Unidades de Operación Taxonómica (Operational Taxonomic Units: OTUs) obtenidas se compararon con bases de datos de secuencias de organismos (NCBI). Además, se realizó el cultivo de microorganismos de las muestras en el momento de su compra./nDe forma general se observó un aumento de la cantidad y diversidad de bacterias en las muestras sin refrigerar, confirmando que la cadena del frío retrasa el desarrollo de microorganismos en los alimentos, aumentando la vida útil de los mismos. Además, el estudio demuestra la eficacia de la secuenciación masiva del ADNr16S para estudiar el efecto de la temperatura en el desarrollo de comunidades bacterianas sobre los alimentos.The cold chain is a key element in food safety since most microorganisms stop their growth at low temperatures. Techniques that analyse the bacterial populations of a sample by sequencing a fragment of the 16S ribosomal gene, allowing the microbial characterization of foods have been developed./nThe objective of the present study was to identify and quantify bacteria on refrigerated and uncooled foods using massive sequencing of rDNA16S, to describe the role of maintenance of the cold chain on the evolution of microbial communities in food./nThus, the DNA extracted from the samples was sequenced at 2d and 4d. The OTUs obtained were compared with those of the databases and identified. The culture of microorganisms of the samples was carried out at 0d./nIn general, an increase in the amount and diversity of bacteria was observed in the uncooled samples, confirming that the cold chain delays the development of microorganisms in foods, increasing the shelf life of them. In addition, the study demonstrates the efficacy of the massive sequencing of rDNA16S to study the effect of temperature on the development of bacterial communities on food

Blockchain, criptoactivos e inteligencia artificial (BCIA): desafíos para la contabilidad y la auditoria 4.0 : Proyectando un futuro, hoy

La blockchain ya está aquí y dos de las profesiones que se verán afectadas por su presencia son la contabilidad y la auditoria. La llegada de la blockchain plantea muchos interrogantes a los profesionales de la auditoría y del mundo contable. Aspectos como las repercusiones que tendrá la tecnología blockchain en la profesión, desde cómo contabilizar hasta su repercusión en el control por parte de los auditores de las criptomonedas / criptoactivos son aspectos que todavía están sometidos a estudios y debates. No obstante, la blockchain también supone la aparición de oportunidades que facilitarán y provocarán cambios en el ejercicio de la profesión de auditoría; con la blockchain, de momento, están garantizadas la seguridad y transparencia de las transacciones. Dos de los aspectos que más preocupan al auditor cuando realiza su función. El presente trabajo plantea un análisis, FODA, de manera de poder identificar frente a que riesgos y potenciales oportunidades nos encontramos ante el surgimiento de los activos llamados “criptoactivos”. A su vez se genera un marco comparativo de la normativa de Argentina y España para determinar si existe o no regulación sobre los mismos y como se ve la profesión contable – auditora frente a este escenario. En el artículo se vislumbran las nuevas oportunidades que la blockchain comportará para la profesión auditora y el tratamiento contable que, de acuerdo con la normativa contable de Argentina, España y de los países Europa, y de las directivas comunitarias, tienen que tener las criptomonedas / criptoactivos. Oportunidades que se encuentran en pleno desarrollo y conllevan grandes desafíos y alertas para el ejercicio de la práctica auditora y el mundo contable.Instituto de Investigaciones y Estudios Contable

Comparison of four lung scoring systems for the assessment of the pathological outcomes derived from Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae experimental infections

In this study, four lung lesion scoring methods (Slaughterhouse Pleurisy Evaluation System [SPES], Consolidation Lung Lesion Score [LLS], Image analyses [IA] and Ratio of lung weight/body weight [LW/BW]) were compared for the assessment of the different pathological outcomes derived from an Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae (App) experimental infection model. Moreover, pathological data was coupled with clinical (fever, inappetence and clinical score), production (average daily weigh gain [ADWG]) and diagnostic (PCR, ELISA and bacterial isolation) parameters within the four infection outcomes (peracute, acute, subclinically infected and non-infected). From the 61 inoculated animals, 9 were classified as peracute (presence of severe App-like clinical signs and lesions and sudden death or euthanasia shortly after inoculation), 31 as acutely affected (presence of App-like clinical signs and lesions and survival until the end of the experiment), 12 as subclinically infected (very mild or no clinical signs but App infection confirmed) and 9 as non-infected animals (lack of App-like clinical signs and lack of evidence of App infection). A significant correlation between all lung lesion scoring systems was found with the exception of SPES score versus LW/BW. SPES showed a statistically significant association with all clinical, production and diagnostic (with the exception of PCR detection of App in the tonsil) variables assessed. LLS and IA showed similar statistically significant associations as SPES, with the exception of seroconversion against App at necropsy. In contrast, LW/BW was statistically associated only with App isolation in lungs, presence of App-like lesions and ELISA OD values at necropsy. In conclusion, SPES, LLS and IA are economic, fast and easy-to-perform lung scoring methods that, in combination with different clinical and diagnostic parameters, allow the characterization of different outcomes after App infection

Differential interactions of virulent and non-virulent H. parasuis strains with naïve or swine influenza virus pre-infected dendritic cells

Pigs possess a microbiota in the upper respiratory tract that includes Haemophilus parasuis. Pigs are also considered the reservoir of influenza viruses and infection with this virus commonly results in increased impact of bacterial infections, including those by H. parasuis. However, the mechanisms involved in host innate responses towards H. parasuis and their implications in a co-infection with influenza virus are unknown. Therefore, the ability of a non-virulent H. parasuis serovar 3 (SW114) and a virulent serovar 5 (Nagasaki) strains to interact with porcine bone marrow dendritic cells (poBMDC) and their modulation in a co-infection with swine influenza virus (SwIV) H3N2 was examined. At 1 hour post infection (hpi), SW114 interaction with poBMDC was higher than that of Nagasaki, while at 8 hpi both strains showed similar levels of interaction. The co-infection with H3N2 SwIV and either SW114 or Nagasaki induced higher levels of IL-1β, TNF-α, IL-6, IL-12 and IL-10 compared to mock or H3N2 SwIV infection alone. Moreover, IL-12 and IFN-α secretion differentially increased in cells co-infected with H3N2 SwIV and Nagasaki. These results pave the way for understanding the differences in the interaction of non-virulent and virulent strains of H. parasuis with the swine immune system and their modulation in a viral co-infection

Mortality comparison between the first and second/third waves among 3,795 critical COVID-19 patients with pneumonia admitted to the ICU : A multicentre retrospective cohort study

It is unclear whether the changes in critical care throughout the pandemic have improved the outcomes in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients admitted to the intensive care units (ICUs). We conducted a retrospective cohort study in adults with COVID-19 pneumonia admitted to 73 ICUs from Spain, Andorra and Ireland between February 2020 and March 2021. The first wave corresponded with the period from February 2020 to June 2020, whereas the second/third waves occurred from July 2020 to March 2021. The primary outcome was ICU mortality between study periods. Mortality predictors and differences in mortality between COVID-19 waves were identified using logistic regression. As of March 2021, the participating ICUs had included 3795 COVID-19 pneumonia patients, 2479 (65·3%) and 1316 (34·7%) belonging to the first and second/third waves, respectively. Illness severity scores predicting mortality were lower in the second/third waves compared with the first wave according with the Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation system (median APACHE II score 12 [IQR 9-16] vs 14 [IQR 10-19]) and the organ failure assessment score (median SOFA 4 [3-6] vs 5 [3-7], p <0·001). The need of invasive mechanical ventilation was high (76·1%) during the whole study period. However, a significant increase in the use of high flow nasal cannula (48·7% vs 18·2%, p <0·001) was found in the second/third waves compared with the first surge. Significant changes on treatments prescribed were also observed, highlighting the remarkable increase on the use of corticosteroids to up to 95.9% in the second/third waves. A significant reduction on the use of tocilizumab was found during the study (first wave 28·9% vs second/third waves 6·2%, p <0·001), and a negligible administration of lopinavir/ritonavir, hydroxychloroquine, and interferon during the second/third waves compared with the first wave. Overall ICU mortality was 30·7% (n = 1166), without significant differences between study periods (first wave 31·7% vs second/third waves 28·8%, p = 0·06). No significant differences were found in ICU mortality between waves according to age subsets except for the subgroup of 61-75 years of age, in whom a reduced unadjusted ICU mortality was observed in the second/third waves (first 38·7% vs second/third 34·0%, p = 0·048). Non-survivors were older, with higher severity of the disease, had more comorbidities, and developed more complications. After adjusting for confounding factors through a multivariable analysis, no significant association was found between the COVID-19 waves and mortality (OR 0·81, 95% CI 0·64-1·03; p = 0·09). Ventilator-associated pneumonia rate increased significantly during the second/third waves and it was independently associated with ICU mortality (OR 1·48, 95% CI 1·19-1·85, p <0·001). Nevertheless, a significant reduction both in the ICU and hospital length of stay in survivors was observed during the second/third waves. Despite substantial changes on supportive care and management, we did not find significant improvement on case-fatality rates among critical COVID-19 pneumonia patients. Ricardo Barri Casanovas Foundation (RBCF2020) and SEMICYU