Corrigendum: Regional and Microenvironmental Scale Characterization of the Zostera muelleri Seagrass Microbiome

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2019.01011.]

Elective Cancer Surgery in COVID-19-Free Surgical Pathways During the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic: An International, Multicenter, Comparative Cohort Study.

PURPOSE: As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19-free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19-free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS: Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19-free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19-free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score-matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19-free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION: Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19-free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Elective cancer surgery in COVID-19-free surgical pathways during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic: An international, multicenter, comparative cohort study

PURPOSE As cancer surgery restarts after the first COVID-19 wave, health care providers urgently require data to determine where elective surgery is best performed. This study aimed to determine whether COVID-19–free surgical pathways were associated with lower postoperative pulmonary complication rates compared with hospitals with no defined pathway. PATIENTS AND METHODS This international, multicenter cohort study included patients who underwent elective surgery for 10 solid cancer types without preoperative suspicion of SARS-CoV-2. Participating hospitals included patients from local emergence of SARS-CoV-2 until April 19, 2020. At the time of surgery, hospitals were defined as having a COVID-19–free surgical pathway (complete segregation of the operating theater, critical care, and inpatient ward areas) or no defined pathway (incomplete or no segregation, areas shared with patients with COVID-19). The primary outcome was 30-day postoperative pulmonary complications (pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, unexpected ventilation). RESULTS Of 9,171 patients from 447 hospitals in 55 countries, 2,481 were operated on in COVID-19–free surgical pathways. Patients who underwent surgery within COVID-19–free surgical pathways were younger with fewer comorbidities than those in hospitals with no defined pathway but with similar proportions of major surgery. After adjustment, pulmonary complication rates were lower with COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.2% v 4.9%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 0.62; 95% CI, 0.44 to 0.86). This was consistent in sensitivity analyses for low-risk patients (American Society of Anesthesiologists grade 1/2), propensity score–matched models, and patients with negative SARS-CoV-2 preoperative tests. The postoperative SARS-CoV-2 infection rate was also lower in COVID-19–free surgical pathways (2.1% v 3.6%; aOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.36 to 0.76). CONCLUSION Within available resources, dedicated COVID-19–free surgical pathways should be established to provide safe elective cancer surgery during current and before future SARS-CoV-2 outbreaks

Outcomes from elective colorectal cancer surgery during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

This study aimed to describe the change in surgical practice and the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on mortality after surgical resection of colorectal cancer during the initial phases of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic

Seagrass leaf reddening alters the microbiome of Zostera muelleri

Seagrasses host an extremely diverse microbiome that plays fundamental roles in seagrass health and productivity but may be sensitive to shifts in host physiology. Here, we observed a leaf reddening phenomenon in Zostera muelleri and characterized bacterial assemblages associated with green and reddened leaves to determine whether this change in leaf pigmentation stimulates shifts in the seagrass microbiome. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we observed that the microbiome associated with 4 different leaf pigmentation categories (i.e. green, white, purple and black) differed significantly, with substantial changes in microbiome composition when the tissue is whitened (non-pigmented). Actinobacteria, Rhodobacteraceae, Erythrobacter, Sulfitobacter and Granulosicoccus were enriched in black and/or purple tissues and discriminated these microbiomes from those associated with green leaves. Contrastingly, all ‘discriminatory’ zero-radius operational taxonomic units (zOTUs) were depleted within the communities associated with white samples. While 40% of the abundant zOTUs identified were exclusively associated with a single pigmentation category, only 3% were shared across all categories, indicating partitioning of the phyllosphere microbiome. However, a significant proportion of the ‘normal’ (green) leaf core microbiome was also retained in the core communities associated with black (70%) and purple (70%) tissues. Contrastingly, no core zOTUs were maintained in the white tissues. These results indicate that environmentally driven physiological shifts in seagrasses, such as leaf reddening expressed in response to high irradiance, can impact the seagrass leaf microbiome, resulting in significant shifts in the microbiome of reddened leaves with the most extreme expression (in white tissue of reddened leaves).</jats:p

Shifts in the seagrass leaf microbiome associated with wasting disease in Zostera muelleri

Seagrass wasting disease (SWD), an infection believed to be caused by Labyrinthula zosterae, has been linked to seagrass declines in several places around the world. However, there is uncertainty about the mechanisms of disease and the potential involvement of opportunistic colonising microorganisms. Using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing, we compared the microbiome of SWD lesions in leaves of Zostera muelleri with communities in adjacent asymptomatic tissues and healthy leaves. The microbiome of healthy leaf tissues was dominated by Pseudomonas and Burkholderia, whereas the most predominant taxa within adjacent tissues were Pseudomonas and Rubidimonas. Members of the Saprospiraceae, potential macroalgal pathogens, were over-represented within SWD lesions. These pronounced changes in microbiome structure were also apparent when we examined the core microbiome of different tissue types. Although the core microbiome associated with healthy leaves included three operational taxonomic units (OTUs) classified as Burkholderia, Cryomorphaceae and the SAR11 clade, a single core OTU from the Arenicella was found within adjacent tissues. Burkholderia are diazotrophic microorganisms and may play an important role in seagrass nitrogen acquisition. In contrast, some members of the Arenicella have been implicated in necrotic disease in other benthic animals. Moreover, microbiome structure was maintained across sites within healthy tissues, but not within SWD lesions or the tissues immediately adjacent to lesions. Predicted functional profiles revealed increased photoautotrophic functions in SWD tissues relative to healthy leaves, but no increase in pathogenicity or virulence. Notably, we demonstrated the presence of L. zosterae in SWD lesions by polymerase chain reaction, but only in one of the two sampled locations, which indicates that other microbiological factors may be involved in the initiation or development of SWD-like symptoms. This study suggests that the dynamics of the seagrass microbiome should be considered within the diagnosis and management of SWD

Pathways for Understanding Blue Carbon Microbiomes with Amplicon Sequencing

The capacity of Blue Carbon Ecosystems to act as carbon sinks is strongly influenced by the metabolism of soil-associated microbes, which ultimately determine how much carbon is accumulated or returned to the atmosphere. The rapid evolution of sequencing technologies has facilitated the generation of tremendous amounts of data on what taxa comprise belowground microbial assemblages, largely available as isolated datasets, offering an opportunity for synthesis research that informs progress on understanding Blue Carbon microbiomes. We identified questions that can be addressed with a synthesis approach, including the high variability across datasets, space, and time due to differing sampling techniques, ecosystem or vegetation specificity, and the relationship between microbiome community and edaphic properties, particularly soil carbon. To address these questions, we collated 34 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing datasets, including bulk soil or rhizosphere from seagrass, mangroves, and saltmarshes within publicly available repositories. We identified technical and theoretical challenges that precluded a synthesis of multiple studies with currently available data, and opportunities for addressing the knowledge gaps within Blue Carbon microbial ecology going forward. Here, we provide a standardisation toolbox that supports enacting tasks for the acquisition, management, and integration of Blue Carbon-associated sequencing data and metadata to potentially elucidate novel mechanisms behind Blue Carbon dynamics.</jats:p