Identifying Currents in the Gene Pool for Bacterial Populations Using an Integrative Approach

The evolution of bacterial populations has recently become considerably better understood due to large-scale sequencing of population samples. It has become clear that DNA sequences from a multitude of genes, as well as a broad sample coverage of a target population, are needed to obtain a relatively unbiased view of its genetic structure and the patterns of ancestry connected to the strains. However, the traditional statistical methods for evolutionary inference, such as phylogenetic analysis, are associated with several difficulties under such an extensive sampling scenario, in particular when a considerable amount of recombination is anticipated to have taken place. To meet the needs of large-scale analyses of population structure for bacteria, we introduce here several statistical tools for the detection and representation of recombination between populations. Also, we introduce a model-based description of the shape of a population in sequence space, in terms of its molecular variability and affinity towards other populations. Extensive real data from the genus Neisseria are utilized to demonstrate the potential of an approach where these population genetic tools are combined with an phylogenetic analysis. The statistical tools introduced here are freely available in BAPS 5.2 software, which can be downloaded from http://web.abo.fi/fak/mnf/mate/jc/software/baps.html

Desmiti inserzionali prossimali del legamento sospensore del nodello: risultati ottenuti trattando 24 cavalli con le onde d'urto

In questi ultimi anni le onde d’urto hanno trovato un crescente impiego sia nel campo della medicina umana che veterinaria, infatti sono state efficacemente impiegate per risolvere sia problemi di calcolosi, che patologie muscolo-scheletriche nell’uomo e nel cavallo (Fusetti, 1998). Questa nuova tecnica è molto interessante, in quanto non è invasiva e non lascia segni permanenti sul paziente, inoltre consente un rapido recupero funzionale, inducendo un effetto antinfiammatorio ed antidolorifico. Attualmente le onde d’urto, nel cavallo, sono fruttuosamente impiegate per la terapia di varie patologie ossee e tendinee, non migliorate dopo i trattamenti tradizionali, ma dalle esperienze maturate è importante sottolineare che le onde d’urto danno una buona percentuale di efficacia terapeutica soprattutto per la cura delle desmiti inserzionali prossimali del legamento sospensore del nodello (Boening, 2001). Per questo motivo nel presente lavoro è stato valutato l’impiego delle onde d’urto su 24 cavalli, appartenenti a categorie diverse (purosangue inglese, trottatore, sella), affetti da lesioni prossimali del legamento sospensore del nodello dell’arto anteriore e posteriore. I risultati conseguiti ci consentono di affermare che questa tecnica innovativa è soddisfacente, perché abbina l’efficacia dell’intervento terapeutico agli effetti collaterali ridotti con un minimo disagio per l’animale

Equine sarcoid associated with cutaneous habronemosis

Equine sarcoids are benign fibroblastic skin tumors affecting equids worldwide. Infection with bovine papillomavirus types 1 and 2 has been implicated as a major fact in the disease development; however, the cellular mechanisms underlying fibroblast transformation are still largely unknown. In the present study, a diagnosis of sarcoid was histologically assessed along with eosinophilic dermatitis. The sarcoid lesion expressed the viral oncoproteins E5 and E2, suggesting a causative role of the virus and its replication. Ribosomal DNA of the nematode Habronema muscae was also revealed in the lesion. This is the first report to describe and discuss an association of cutaneous habronemosis with equine sarcoid