Review of the cultivation program within the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts

The cultivation efforts within the National Alliance for Advanced Biofuels and Bioproducts (NAABB)were developed to provide four major goals for the consortium, which included biomass production for downstream experimentation, development of new assessment tools for cultivation, development of new cultivation reactor technologies, and development of methods for robust cultivation. The NAABB consortium test beds produced over 1500 kg of biomass for downstream processing. The biomass production included a number of model production strains, but also took into production some of the more promising strains found through the prospecting efforts of the consortium. Cultivation efforts at large scale are intensive and costly, therefore the consortium developed tools and models to assess the productivity of strains under various environmental conditions, at lab scale, and validated these against scaled outdoor production systems. Two new pond-based bioreactor designs were tested for their ability to minimize energy consumption while maintaining, and even exceeding, the productivity of algae cultivation compared to traditional systems. Also, molecular markers were developed for quality control and to facilitate detection of bacterial communities associated with cultivated algal species, including the Chlorella spp. pathogen, Vampirovibrio chlorellavorus,which was identified in at least two test site locations in Arizona and New Mexico. Finally, the consortium worked on understanding methods to utilize compromised municipal waste water streams for cultivation. This review provides an overview of the cultivation methods and tools developed by the NAABB consortium to produce algae biomass, in robust low energy systems, for biofuel production

The Epidemiology and Clinical Spectrum of Melioidosis: 540 Cases from the 20 Year Darwin Prospective Study

Melioidosis is an occupationally and recreationally acquired infection important in Southeast Asia and northern Australia. Recently cases have been reported from more diverse locations globally. The responsible bacterium, Burkholderia pseudomallei, is considered a potential biothreat agent. Risk factors predisposing to melioidosis are well recognised, most notably diabetes. The Darwin prospective melioidosis study has identified 540 cases of melioidosis over 20 years and analysis of the epidemiology and clinical findings provides important new insights into this disease. Risk factors identified in addition to diabetes, hazardous alcohol use and chronic renal disease include chronic lung disease, malignancies, rheumatic heart disease, cardiac failure and age ≥50 years. Half of patients presented with pneumonia and septic shock was common (21%). The decrease in mortality from 30% in the first 5 years of the study to 9% in the last five years is attributed to earlier diagnosis and improvements in intensive care management. Of the 77 fatal cases (14%), all had known risk factors for melioidosis. This supports the most important conclusion of the study, which is that melioidosis is very unlikely to kill a healthy person, provided the infection is diagnosed early and resources are available to provide appropriate antibiotics and critical care where required

Challenges in Utilizing Water Resources in Lower Reaches of Kanakarayanaru of Northern Sri Lanka for Efficient and Equitable Water Allocation

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Exposure to Burkholderia pseudomallei induces cell-mediated immunity in healthy individuals

Melioidosis is an emerging tropical infection caused by the intracellular bacterium Burkholderia pseudomallei, and is associated with high mortality rates. Previous studies investigating the prevalence of melioidosis have based conclusions on serological evidence. However, cell-mediated immunity is more relevant for protection against an intracellular pathogen such as B. pseudomallei. This is the first demonstration that exposure to B. pseudomallei may lead to the formation of specific antibodies and the development of cell-mediated immunity in a healthy individual

Detection of Coxiella burnetii DNA in wildlife and ticks in Northern Queensland, Australia

Wild animals and the tick species that feed on them form the natural transmission cycle and reservoir of Coxiella burnetii. The objective of this study was to determine whether C. burnetii was present in the blood of host animals and their ticks in northern Queensland, Australia. Three genomic targets were detected using real-time PCR assays-the Coxiella-specific outer membrane protein coding gene (Com1), the multicopy insertion element (IS1111), and the isocitrate dehydrogenase gene (Icd). Quantification of the single-copy targets identified a range of 1.48x10¹ to 4.10x10³ C. burnetii genome equivalents per microliter in the ticks tested. The detection of Coxiella based on the presence of the genomic targets indicated the occurrence of C. burnetii in both the ticks and whole blood of a variety of native Australian marsupials and confirms these animals are capable of acting as reservoirs of Q fever in northern Queensland

Aquifer monitoring and community engagement in groundwater management for water security in northern Sri Lanka

A paper presented on 16 December 2022 during a Technical Session relating to the sub-theme 'Water Management, Cooperation and Partnership'. Groundwater (GW) in monsoonal rain-dependent Northern Sri Lanka is stressed. Seasonal shortage and saline intrusion are serious issues in seven islands off Jaffna. Aquifer monitoring with well owners involved was done in Karainagar Island. Deteriorating water quality in recent times led to drinking water being transported from the mainland. Thirty-six multi-purpose wells were sampled weekly during wet and monthly during dry seasons. Results from the water year November 2020 to October 2021 are presented. Water levels (WL), Electrical Conductivity (EC), and pH were measured. Water from most wells was then unsuitable for consumption. pH value of all wells was within the recommended range (6.5-8.5). Few wells were significant outliers. Several owners were competent in aquifer monitoring, aware of the vulnerability of water supply, the importance of rainwater infiltration and the need to stop deepening wells, a rising trend in the mainland. New knowledge of local water dynamics, citizen engagement, and involvement of government agencies would enhance the community's quality of life, lowering the possibility of further out-migration of people

A role for an animal model in determining the immune mechanisms involved in the pathogenesis of rheumatic heart disease

Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) is an autoimmune disease mediated by group A streptococcal (GAS) infection. To study the immune mechanisms underlying RHD, a robust animal model with immunopathology similar to that seen in humans is essential. A Lewis rat model of autoimmune valvulitis has been shown to have potential in investigating the immunopathogenesis of RHD.\ud \ud In our studies, rats immunized with M protein C-region peptides developed cardiac lesions reflective of those seen in RHD patients, including mononuclear cell infiltration, granuloma formation and valvulitis. Furthermore, mononuclear cells sensitized to cardiac myosin extracted from rat heart lesions were shown to be cross-reactive with streptococcal M protein. These data add further support for using the Lewis rat model for investigating the cell-mediated responses involved in RHD and for testing the safety of GAS peptide-based vaccine candidates

Challenges in Utilizing Water Resources in Lower Reaches of Kanakarayanaru of Northern Sri Lanka for Efficient and Equitable Water Allocation

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An alternative technique for the induction of autoimmune valvulitis in a rat model of rheumatic heart disease

We currently use a rat model in our investigations into human rheumatic heart disease (RHD). This model traditionally involves footpad immunization with antigen emulsified in complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Trials to find an alternative adjuvant to CFA which produced a Th1 type response in the rats resulting in carditis were unsuccessful. However, hock immunization was found to produce the desired valvular pathology without the adverse inflammatory side-effects associated with CFA. We therefore consider the hock an ideal site for immunization, particularly when using CFA

Clinical presentation of melioidosis in Queensland, Australia

A retrospective study was performed on culture-positive patients (n = 57) with melioidosis presenting to the Townsville Hospital to define the epidemiology of the disease in Queensland, Australia. Mortality was 25% (n = 14) with a 9% (n = 5) relapse rate. At presentation, primary organs involved included the lungs (58%; n = 33), genitourinary system (11%; n = 6), skin and soft tissue (9%; n = 5), bone and joints (4%; n = 2), central nervous system (4%; n = 2), mycotic aneurysm (2%; n = 1) and peritonitis (2%; n = 1). No focus of infection could be identified in 12% of cases (n = 7). There was no significant difference in the clinical presentation of\ud melioidosis in Queensland compared with the Northern Territory. Regional trends in the clinical presentation of melioidosis in Australia compared with Southeast Asia\ud were confirmed. Risk factors for disease included diabetes (42%), excess alcohol consumption (42%), chronic lung disease (26%), immunosuppressive drug use (12%), renal disease (11%), malignancy (7%) and autoimmune disease (5%). No risk factors were identifiable in 18% of cases. The presence of multiple risk factors for melioidosis was not significantly associated with increased mortality \ud (P > 0.05)