Effect of transient exposure to carbaryl wettable powder on the gut microbial community of honey bees

Abstract Bees are important pollinators in agriculture. The bee population has recently begun to decline possibly due to pesticides. The bee gut microbiota strongly influences the health of bees. The gut microbiota of bees is composed of distinct members belonging to selective taxa. Chemicals like pesticides can alter the gut microbiota. The present study investigated the effect of carbaryl pesticides on gut microbiota of honey bees, which had come in contact with rapeseed plants (Brassica napus) sprayed with carbaryl wettable powder during the honey bee brood test under semi-field condition. Molecular techniques (conventional and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), clone library method, and DNA sequencing) were employed to analyze changes in the microbial communities between the pesticide-exposed and unexposed bees. Phylogenetic analysis of 16S rRNA genes of the clones from both groups, showed differences in their respective compositions of core and non-core bacteria. Both groups contained carbohydrate-degrading bacteria such as Gilliamella apicola and Lactobacillus. However, the unexposed bees harbored Alphaproteobacteria, which were absent in the exposed bees. Microorganisms found in honey bee guts such as Snodgrassella alvi and L. kullabergensis, however, were observed only in the exposed bees, but not in the unexposed bees. The difference between the two groups was distinctly recognized when copy numbers of 16S rRNA genes were compared by quantitative PCR. Results showed that the average gene copy number for the unexposed bees was higher than that for the exposed bees. This may indicate the toxic effect of pesticides on bees and gut microbiota

Proteomics of Gnathostomiasis: A Way Forward for Diagnosis and Treatment Development

Gnathostoma spinigerum is the most common cause of gnathostomiasis in humans. It has a complex life cycle, which requires two intermediate hosts and a definitive host, and poses a high risk for zoonosis. Definitive prognosis of gnathostomiasis relies mainly on the isolation of advanced-stage larvae (aL3), which is very challenging especially if the aL3 is sequestered in difficult-to-reach organs. There is also a lack of a confirmatory diagnostic test for gnathostomiasis. With the ongoing advancement of proteomics, a potential diagnostic approach is underway using immunoproteomics and immunodiagnostics. In addition to this, the employment of mass spectrometry could further elucidate not only understanding the biology of the parasite but also determining potential targets of prospective drugs and vaccines. This article reports the past, present, and future application of proteomics in the study of gnathostomiasis

Untargeted serum metabolomic profiling for early detection of Schistosoma mekongi infection in mouse model

Mekong schistosomiasis is a parasitic disease caused by blood flukes in the Lao People’s Democratic Republic and in Cambodia. The standard method for diagnosis of schistosomiasis is detection of parasite eggs from patient samples. However, this method is not sufficient to detect asymptomatic patients, low egg numbers, or early infection. Therefore, diagnostic methods with higher sensitivity at the early stage of the disease are needed to fill this gap. The aim of this study was to identify potential biomarkers of early schistosomiasis using an untargeted metabolomics approach. Serum of uninfected and S. mekongi-infected mice was collected at 2, 4, and 8 weeks post-infection. Samples were extracted for metabolites and analyzed with a liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometer. Metabolites were annotated with the MS-DIAL platform and analyzed with Metaboanalyst bioinformatic tools. Multivariate analysis distinguished between metabolites from the different experimental conditions. Biomarker screening was performed using three methods: correlation coefficient analysis; feature important detection with a random forest algorithm; and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis. Three compounds were identified as potential biomarkers at the early stage of the disease: heptadecanoyl ethanolamide; picrotin; and theophylline. The levels of these three compounds changed significantly during early-stage infection, and therefore these molecules may be promising schistosomiasis markers. These findings may help to improve early diagnosis of schistosomiasis, thus reducing the burden on patients and limiting spread of the disease in endemic areas

Carbapenemase-Producing Enterobacteriaceae and Nonfermentative Bacteria, the Philippines, 2013–2016

During 2013–2016, we isolated blaNDM- and blaVIM-harboring Enterobacteriaceae and nonfermentative bacteria from patients in the Philippines. Of 130 carbapenem-resistant isolates tested, 45 were Carba NP–positive; 43 harbored blaNDM, and 2 harbored blaVIM. Multidrug-resistant microbial pathogen surveillance and antimicrobial drug stewardship are needed to prevent further spread of New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase variants