Physiological traits and relative abundance of species as explanatory variables of co-occurrence pattern of cultivable bacteria associated with chia seeds

Deciphering the rules defining microbial community assemblage is envisioned as a promising strategy to improve predictions of pathogens colonization and proliferation in food. Despite the increasing number of studies reporting microbial co-occurrence patterns, only a few attempts were made to challenge them in experimental or theoretical frameworks. Here, we tested the hypothesis that observed variations in co-occurrence patterns can be explained by taxonomy, relative abundance and physiological traits of microbial species. PCR amplicon sequencing of taxonomic markers was first conducted to assess distribution and co-occurrence patterns of bacterial and fungal species found in 25 chia (Salvia hispanica L.) samples originating from eight different sources. The use of nutrient-rich and oligotrophic media enabled isolation of 71 strains encompassing 16 bacterial species, of which five corresponded to phylotypes represented in the molecular survey. Tolerance to different growth inhibitors and antibiotics was tested to assess physiological traits of these isolates. Divergence of physiological traits and relative abundance of each pair of species explained 69% of the co-occurrence profile displayed by cultivable bacterial phylotypes in chia. Validation of this ecological network conceptualization approach to more food products is required to integrate microbial species co-occurrence patterns in predictive microbiology.The accepted manuscript in pdf format is listed with the files at the bottom of this page. The presentation of the authors' names and (or) special characters in the title of the manuscript may differ slightly between what is listed on this page and what is listed in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript; that in the pdf file of the accepted manuscript is what was submitted by the author

Hydatid Cyst Surgeries in Patients Referred to Hospitals in East Azerbaijan Province during 2009-2011

Background: Hydatidosis, as the most important zoonotic parasitic disease in Iran, has posed many health and economic losses. This study was conducted to investigate the demographic characteristics of hydatid cyst surgeries in hospitals of East Azerbaijan Province, Northwest of Iran. Methods: Demographic characteristics of all patients with hydatid cyst surgery in hospitals of the province, during 2009-2011 were gathered including age, gen-der, occupation, number and location of the cyst, clinical symptoms, place of residence and history of contact with dog. They were extracted from reports of health center and were analyzed using STATA 11 software. Results: Out of 52 hydatid cyst surgeries, 27 cases were females. Mean age of patients was 38.3 yr. Liver was reported as the most involved organ. The most clinical symptoms were abdominal and liver pain. Housewives comprised the most victims of the disease. Forty seven percent of patients had one cyst and 59% had the history of contact with dog. The majority of the patients were liv-ing in rural areas. Conclusion: Due to the high costs of diagnosis and treatment of hydatidosis, collecting data on the prevalence and transmission of the disease as well as on vulnerable groups seems to be essential as the first step in controlling and pre-venting the disease