Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii in Endangered Wild Felines (Felis silvestris and Lynx pardinus) in Spain

The wildcat (Felis silvestris) and the Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) are important species in Spain, considered as near-threatened and endangered, respectively. Both can be infected by Toxoplasma gondii, a parasite that can cause morbidity and mortality in transplacentally-infected or immunocompromised mammals. The data on the prevalence of this parasite in wild populations of these species in Spain are outdated. The objective of this study was to update information and evaluate the role of these felines in parasite epidemiology and the potential impact of the parasite on their conservation. Blood and fecal samples were collected from captured animals, as well as the tongue, diaphragm, and spleen, from animals killed in road accidents in central Spain. An indirect fluorescent antibody test (IFAT) was used to detect parasite antibodies in serum, microscopy and molecular analysis were used to detect oocysts in feces, and molecular analysis was used to determine the existence of tissue cysts. Seroprevalence was 85% in wildcats and 45% in lynx, and parasite DNA was detected in the feces of one wildcat and in tissue samples from 10 wildcats and 11 Iberian lynxes. These results highlight the epidemiological importance and high risk of T. gondii infection in animals and humans in the studied areas. Considering feline susceptibility to infection, monitoring programs are needed to assess the health status of wild felines.This research was partially funded by Alfonso X el Sabio Foundation, project number 1.010.119 and Health Research Fund, Instituto de Salud Carlos III, Ministry of Science and Innovation, project FIS AESI PI21CIII/00031.S

Comparative Genomic Analysis of Human Fungal Pathogens Causing Paracoccidioidomycosis

Paracoccidioides is a fungal pathogen and the cause of paracoccidioidomycosis, a health-threatening human systemic mycosis endemic to Latin America. Infection by Paracoccidioides, a dimorphic fungus in the order Onygenales, is coupled with a thermally regulated transition from a soil-dwelling filamentous form to a yeast-like pathogenic form. To better understand the genetic basis of growth and pathogenicity in Paracoccidioides, we sequenced the genomes of two strains of Paracoccidioides brasiliensis (Pb03 and Pb18) and one strain of Paracoccidioides lutzii (Pb01). These genomes range in size from 29.1 Mb to 32.9 Mb and encode 7,610 to 8,130 genes. To enable genetic studies, we mapped 94% of the P. brasiliensis Pb18 assembly onto five chromosomes. We characterized gene family content across Onygenales and related fungi, and within Paracoccidioides we found expansions of the fungal-specific kinase family FunK1. Additionally, the Onygenales have lost many genes involved in carbohydrate metabolism and fewer genes involved in protein metabolism, resulting in a higher ratio of proteases to carbohydrate active enzymes in the Onygenales than their relatives. To determine if gene content correlated with growth on different substrates, we screened the non-pathogenic onygenale Uncinocarpus reesii, which has orthologs for 91% of Paracoccidioides metabolic genes, for growth on 190 carbon sources. U. reesii showed growth on a limited range of carbohydrates, primarily basic plant sugars and cell wall components; this suggests that Onygenales, including dimorphic fungi, can degrade cellulosic plant material in the soil. In addition, U. reesii grew on gelatin and a wide range of dipeptides and amino acids, indicating a preference for proteinaceous growth substrates over carbohydrates, which may enable these fungi to also degrade animal biomass. These capabilities for degrading plant and animal substrates suggest a duality in lifestyle that could enable pathogenic species of Onygenales to transfer from soil to animal hosts.National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (U.S.)National Institutes of Health. Department of Health and Human Services (contract HHSN266200400001C)National Institutes of Health. Department of Health and Human Services(contract HHSN2722009000018C)Brazil. National Council for Scientific and Technological Developmen

Clonal chromosomal mosaicism and loss of chromosome Y in elderly men increase vulnerability for SARS-CoV-2

The pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19) had an estimated overall case fatality ratio of 1.38% (pre-vaccination), being 53% higher in males and increasing exponentially with age. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, we found 133 cases (1.42%) with detectable clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations (mCA) and 226 males (5.08%) with acquired loss of chromosome Y (LOY). Individuals with clonal mosaic events (mCA and/or LOY) showed a 54% increase in the risk of COVID-19 lethality. LOY is associated with transcriptomic biomarkers of immune dysfunction, pro-coagulation activity and cardiovascular risk. Interferon-induced genes involved in the initial immune response to SARS-CoV-2 are also down-regulated in LOY. Thus, mCA and LOY underlie at least part of the sex-biased severity and mortality of COVID-19 in aging patients. Given its potential therapeutic and prognostic relevance, evaluation of clonal mosaicism should be implemented as biomarker of COVID-19 severity in elderly people. Among 9578 individuals diagnosed with COVID-19 in the SCOURGE study, individuals with clonal mosaic events (clonal mosaicism for chromosome alterations and/or loss of chromosome Y) showed an increased risk of COVID-19 lethality

The effects of the combination of salinity and excess boron on the water relations of tolerant tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) cv. Poncho Negro, in relation to aquaporin functionality

As elevated levels of boron (B) are accompanied by conditions of excessive salinity with drastic consequences for crops, it is crucial to find a crop that is tolerant to these conditions. In this work, the interaction between salinity and excess B with respect to aquaporin-mediated changes by blockade of mercury and water relations were studied as well as the osmotic adjustment of the plants. The treatments, for tomato �Poncho Negro� cultivated hydroponically in a controlled environment chamber, were control (75 and 150 mM) NaCl and/or 5 mg L�1 or 20 mg L�1 B. Hydraulic conductance (L0) of detached exuding root systems exhibits large variations in response to abiotic stimuli. No additive (synergic) effects of B and salinity were observed. Under salinity, the plants increased their turgor, compensating for the decrease in the leaf water potential through the reduction in the leaf osmotic potential by the accumulation of soluble sugars and proline. The involvement of Hg2+-insensitive aquaporins or the osmotic gradient as the main force for water flow through the apoplastic pathway must be contemplated. Finally, all the data reveal the tomato cv. Poncho Negro to be a germplasm of agronomic interest and a good alternative for cultivation areas with high content of salts and the excess B of the soil and irrigation water.En muchas ocasiones niveles elevados de boro (B) van acompañados de condiciones de excesiva salinidad, cuyas consecuencias pueden ser drásticas para los cultivos, por lo que es fundamental encontrar variedades que puedan tolerar estas condiciones. En este trabajo, se estudió cómo la interacción entre la salinidad y el exceso de B afecta a la actividad de las acuaporinas y a las relaciones hídricas, así como al ajuste osmótico de las plantas. Se cultivó en hidroponía tomate cv Poncho Negro en una cámara de crecimiento con ambiente controlado con los tratamientos control, NaCl (75 y 150 mM) y/o B (5 ó 20 mg L�1). No se observó ningún efecto aditivo (sinergia) del exceso de B y la salinidad. Las plantas aumentaron su turgencia en condiciones salinas, compensando así la disminución del potencial hídrico foliar, a través de la reducción de su potencial osmótico por la acumulación de azúcares solubles y prolina. La participación de acuaporinas insensibles al Hg+2 o del gradiente osmótico, como la principal fuerza impulsora del flujo del agua, a través de la vía apoplástica, deben ser contemplados. Finalmente, todos los datos revelan que el tomate cv. Poncho Negro puede ser un germoplasma de interés agronómico y una buena alternativa para cultivar en condiciones de alto contenido de sales y exceso de B del suelo y del agua de riego

Casos clínicos virtuales para el aprendizaje de las Enfermedades Parasitarias en Veterinaria

Depto. de Sanidad AnimalFac. de VeterinariaFALSEUCMsubmitte

First description of naturally acquired Tritrichomonas foetus infection in a Persian cattery in Spain

Tritrichomonas foetus has been identified as the causative agent of feline intestinal trichomonosis, characterized by clinical signs of chronic large bowel diarrhoea. This disease has been reported in cats from the USA, Europe and Australia. However, its epidemiology is still unclear. The aim of the present study was to describe T. foetus infection in a Persian cattery in Spain. T. foetus infection was sequentially diagnosed in 20 cats by direct faecal smear examined under the microscope, specific culture (In Pouch TF medium) and PCR. A standard coprological sedimentation method was also performed in order to screen for other intestinal parasites in all the cats included. In addition, sera were tested for IgG antibodies against Leishmania infantum, Toxoplasma gondii, and for the detection of feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) and feline leukaemia virus (FeLV). Five out of 20 cats were positive for T. foetus (25%), two of them by microscopy, culture and PCR and three by culture and PCR. No association was found between T. foetus infection and age or sex. L. infantum and T. gondii seroprevalence rates were 15% and 10%, respectively. The prevalence of FeLV p27 antigen and of FIV antibodies in the study population was zero. Cystoisospora spp. oocysts were detected in one cat. These preliminary results show that the transmission of T. foetus infection in cluster conditions may occur between asymptomatic cats and young or immunocompromised animalsDepto. de Sanidad AnimalFac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu

LEISHMANIA INFANTUM INFECTION in BENNETT'S WALLABIES (MACROPUS RUFOGRISEUS RUFOGRISEUS) in A Spanish WILDLIFE PARK

Although dogs are the main reservoir for human Leishmania infantum infection, the disease has also been reported in other domestic and wild mammals. In 2011, a fatal case of naturally acquired leishmaniosis was described for the first time in a Bennett's wallaby (Macropus rufogriseus rufogriseus) kept in a wildlife park in Madrid (Spain). This study was designed to assess the infection status of twelve Bennett's wallabies in the same park one year after this incident. Phlebotomus perniciosus, the main vector of L. infantum in Spain, was screened for using sticky and Centers for Disease Control miniature light traps. L. infantum infection was confirmed by molecular diagnosis in four animals, but only one wallaby returned a positive serology result. The presence of the sand fly vector was also confirmed in this habitat. These results suggest that the first case of L. infantum in a wallaby in this park was not an isolated incident and stress the need for further work to determine the role of this parasite in the morbidity and mortality of these macropods. Madrid was recently the scene of an outbreak of human cutaneous and visceral leishmaniosis. Epidemiological studies have so far revealed the widespread presence of L. infantum infection in animals other than the dog. Our ongoing work suggests a risk of L. infantum infection not only among captive animals in Madrid, but also among threatened species or even species that are already extinct in the wild.Depto. de Medicina y Cirugía AnimalFac. de VeterinariaTRUEpu

Videoparasite: teaching video library

Depto. de Sanidad AnimalFac. de VeterinariaFALSEsubmitte