Baseline Mapping of Phragmites australis (Common Reed) In Three Coastal Mississippi Estuarine Basins

Over the last two decades, the northern Gulf of Mexico has undergone tremendous growth and development that has resulted in extensive and ongoing habitat modification. We had the opportunity to survey the main channels and bayous of three coastal estuarine basins for the presence and coverage of the invasive Phragmites australis (common reed). The occurrence and area of P. australis was highly variable among the lower Pascagoula River, Back Bay of Biloxi, and St. Louis Bay basins, with the largest amount of coverage (0.489 km(2)) found within the lower Pascagoula River basin and the smallest in Back Bay of Biloxi (0.0056 km(2)). Monospecific-stand coverage (47.2%) dominated both mixed-tree (27.2%) and mixed-marsh (26.6%) coverages in the lower Pascagoula River basin, whereas in the Back Bay of Biloxi, mixed-marsh coverage (71.4%) was greater than monospecific-stand (25.0%) and mixed-tree (3.6%) coverages. The only portion of St, Louis Bay containing P. australis (0.069 km(2)) was near the mouth of the Jourdan River, with monospecific-stand (62.3%) dominating the mixed-marsh (36.2%) and mixed-tree (1.5%) coverages. Although we were not able to survey all possible areas of each estuarine basin, the information gained in this study provides baseline data on the occurrence of this invasive species in the three main Mississippi coastal basins. Future monitoring of the spread of common reed, especially in the light of continued coastal development, is necessary if resource managers are to make informed decisions about which management action (water diversions and restoration scenarios) might positively influence this highly invasive native species

Utilization of direct smears of thyroid fine‐needle aspirates for ancillary molecular testing: A comparison of two proprietary testing platforms

Background Ancillary molecular testing has been recommended for thyroid fine‐needle aspirates (FNA) with indeterminate cytologic diagnoses. Rosetta Genomics and Interpace Diagnostics have developed assays that can utilize direct smears as the testing substrate. Methods A retrospective study of indeterminate thyroid FNAs with known histologic follow‐up was performed. One Diff‐Quik‐stained smear and one Papanicolaou‐stained smear with similar cellularity (at least 60‐100 lesional cells) from each case were sent to Rosetta and Interpace, respectively, for analysis. The results were directly compared and correlated with the final histopathology. Neither company was aware of the follow‐up histologic findings in these cases. Results A total of 10 thyroid FNAs were identified from our 2015 files. The cytologic diagnoses included follicular lesion of undetermined significance (FLUS, n = 5), follicular neoplasm/suspicious for follicular neoplasm (FN/SFN, n = 4), and suspicious for malignancy (SM, n = 1). Of the seven cases with benign histology, six smears were classified as benign by the RosettaGX microRNA classifier, and one case was designated as suspicious. Five cases were negative by both ThyGenX oncogene panel and ThyraMIR microRNA classifier. One case was negative by ThyGenX and positive on follow‐up ThyraMIR, and one case was positive for KRAS mutation and positive on ThyraMIR. Both the RosettaGX and ThyGenX/ThyraMIR tests demonstrated positive results for the three histologically malignant cases. Conclusion This study demonstrates that two molecular testing platforms performed equally well using our stained direct smears. Both molecular tests revealed a 100% negative predictive rate. RosettaGX showed a 75% positive predictive value in comparison to 60% for ThyGenX/ThyraMIR

Environmental inactivation and irrigation-mediated regrowth of Escherichia coli O157:H7 on romaine lettuce when inoculated in a fecal slurry matrix

Field trials were conducted in July–August and October 2012 to quantify the inactivation rate of Escherichia coli O157:H7 when mixed with fecal slurry and applied to romaine lettuce leaves. Lettuce was grown under commercial conditions in Salinas Valley, California. One-half milliliter of rabbit, chicken, or pig fecal slurry, containing an average of 4.05 × 107 CFU E. coli O157:H7 (C0), was inoculated onto the upper (adaxial) surface of a lower leaf on 288 heads of lettuce per trial immediately following a 2.5 h irrigation event. To estimate the bacterial inactivation rate as a function of time, fecal matrix, irrigation and seasonal climate effects, sets of lettuce heads (n = 28) were sampled each day over 10 days and the concentration of E. coli O157:H7 (Ct) determined. E. coli O157:H7 was detected on 100% of heads during the 10-day duration, with concentrations ranging from ≤340 MPN/head (∼5-log reduction) to >3.45 × 1012 MPN/head (∼5-log growth). Relative to C0, on day 10 (Ct = 12) we observed an overall 2.6-log and 3.2-log mean reduction of E. coli O157:H7 in July and October, respectively. However, we observed relative maximum concentrations due to bacterial growth on day 6 (maximum Ct = 8) apparently stimulated by foliar irrigation on day 5. From this maximum there was a mean 5.3-log and 5.1-log reduction by day 10 (Ct = 12) for the July and October trials, respectively. This study provides insight into the inactivation and growth kinetics of E. coli O157:H7 on romaine lettuce leaves under natural field conditions. This study provides evidence that harvesting within 24 h post irrigation has the potential to increase the concentration of E. coli O157:H7 contamination, if present on heads of romaine lettuce; foliar irrigation can temporarily stimulate substantial regrowth of E. coli O157:H7

Framework for a Community Health Observing System for the Gulf of Mexico Region: Preparing for Future Disasters

© Copyright © 2020 Sandifer, Knapp, Lichtveld, Manley, Abramson, Caffey, Cochran, Collier, Ebi, Engel, Farrington, Finucane, Hale, Halpern, Harville, Hart, Hswen, Kirkpatrick, McEwen, Morris, Orbach, Palinkas, Partyka, Porter, Prather, Rowles, Scott, Seeman, Solo-Gabriele, Svendsen, Tincher, Trtanj, Walker, Yehuda, Yip, Yoskowitz and Singer. The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region is prone to disasters, including recurrent oil spills, hurricanes, floods, industrial accidents, harmful algal blooms, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. The GoM and other regions of the U.S. lack sufficient baseline health information to identify, attribute, mitigate, and facilitate prevention of major health effects of disasters. Developing capacity to assess adverse human health consequences of future disasters requires establishment of a comprehensive, sustained community health observing system, similar to the extensive and well-established environmental observing systems. We propose a system that combines six levels of health data domains, beginning with three existing, national surveys and studies plus three new nested, longitudinal cohort studies. The latter are the unique and most important parts of the system and are focused on the coastal regions of the five GoM States. A statistically representative sample of participants is proposed for the new cohort studies, stratified to ensure proportional inclusion of urban and rural populations and with additional recruitment as necessary to enroll participants from particularly vulnerable or under-represented groups. Secondary data sources such as syndromic surveillance systems, electronic health records, national community surveys, environmental exposure databases, social media, and remote sensing will inform and augment the collection of primary data. Primary data sources will include participant-provided information via questionnaires, clinical measures of mental and physical health, acquisition of biological specimens, and wearable health monitoring devices. A suite of biomarkers may be derived from biological specimens for use in health assessments, including calculation of allostatic load, a measure of cumulative stress. The framework also addresses data management and sharing, participant retention, and system governance. The observing system is designed to continue indefinitely to ensure that essential pre-, during-, and post-disaster health data are collected and maintained. It could also provide a model/vehicle for effective health observation related to infectious disease pandemics such as COVID-19. To our knowledge, there is no comprehensive, disaster-focused health observing system such as the one proposed here currently in existence or planned elsewhere. Significant strengths of the GoM Community Health Observing System (CHOS) are its longitudinal cohorts and ability to adapt rapidly as needs arise and new technologies develop

Framework for a Community Health Observing System for the Gulf of Mexico Region: Preparing for Future Disasters

© Copyright © 2020 Sandifer, Knapp, Lichtveld, Manley, Abramson, Caffey, Cochran, Collier, Ebi, Engel, Farrington, Finucane, Hale, Halpern, Harville, Hart, Hswen, Kirkpatrick, McEwen, Morris, Orbach, Palinkas, Partyka, Porter, Prather, Rowles, Scott, Seeman, Solo-Gabriele, Svendsen, Tincher, Trtanj, Walker, Yehuda, Yip, Yoskowitz and Singer. The Gulf of Mexico (GoM) region is prone to disasters, including recurrent oil spills, hurricanes, floods, industrial accidents, harmful algal blooms, and the current COVID-19 pandemic. The GoM and other regions of the U.S. lack sufficient baseline health information to identify, attribute, mitigate, and facilitate prevention of major health effects of disasters. Developing capacity to assess adverse human health consequences of future disasters requires establishment of a comprehensive, sustained community health observing system, similar to the extensive and well-established environmental observing systems. We propose a system that combines six levels of health data domains, beginning with three existing, national surveys and studies plus three new nested, longitudinal cohort studies. The latter are the unique and most important parts of the system and are focused on the coastal regions of the five GoM States. A statistically representative sample of participants is proposed for the new cohort studies, stratified to ensure proportional inclusion of urban and rural populations and with additional recruitment as necessary to enroll participants from particularly vulnerable or under-represented groups. Secondary data sources such as syndromic surveillance systems, electronic health records, national community surveys, environmental exposure databases, social media, and remote sensing will inform and augment the collection of primary data. Primary data sources will include participant-provided information via questionnaires, clinical measures of mental and physical health, acquisition of biological specimens, and wearable health monitoring devices. A suite of biomarkers may be derived from biological specimens for use in health assessments, including calculation of allostatic load, a measure of cumulative stress. The framework also addresses data management and sharing, participant retention, and system governance. The observing system is designed to continue indefinitely to ensure that essential pre-, during-, and post-disaster health data are collected and maintained. It could also provide a model/vehicle for effective health observation related to infectious disease pandemics such as COVID-19. To our knowledge, there is no comprehensive, disaster-focused health observing system such as the one proposed here currently in existence or planned elsewhere. Significant strengths of the GoM Community Health Observing System (CHOS) are its longitudinal cohorts and ability to adapt rapidly as needs arise and new technologies develop

Habitat Quality and Salt-Marsh Species Assemblages along an Anthropogenic Estuarine Landscape

We evaluated habitat conditions available to infauna and epifauna across a gradient of shoreline development within the Pascagoula River estuary, Missisippi, to determine whether habitat characteristics and biotic responses were influenced by the degree of surrounding alteration. Three zones were defined: (H) severe alteration, (M) intermediate alteration, and (L) natural conditions starting about 5 km upstream. Eleven water-quality and habitat variables were quantified for infaunal and epifaunal nekton as indicators of habitat quality adjacent to both restricted and hardened shore and unrestricted or marsh-edge shore within each impact zone. Epifaunal nekton richness (S) was consistently greater at unrestricted shore types than restricted ones, highest in zone M and lowest in zone H, whereas infaunal S did not vary among impact zones or between shore types. Cluster analysis showed epifaunal nekton assemblages from unrestricted shores in zones M and L were most similar to each other, whereas restricted shore infaunal assemblages from zones H and M linked at similar to 70%. SIMPER analysis indicated infaunal composition was not dissimilar among zones or between shore types. In contrast, epifaunal nekton assemblages were dissimilar from one another because of the presence and density of Corophium louisianum and Hargeria rapax, two major fish prey items. Our data suggest the relative quality of marsh-edge habitat depends upon the surrounding landscape and that the simple presence of marsh habitat is not enough to ensure a high level of ecosystem health. Rather, it is the spatial arrangement of the marsh that markedly affects the system\u27s health. It is apparent that even the smallest patch of marsh habitat supported a larger diversity of fauna than nearby restricted habitats, suggesting that it matters where a salt-marsh habitat patch (including restoration sites) is located along the landscape because it will influence habitat quality and connectivity and thus the composition of infauna and epifauna nekton assemblages

Spatiotemporal Variability in Microbial Quality of Western US Agricultural Water Supplies: A Multistate Study

In 2011, the US Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, which tasks the US Food and Drug Administration to establish microbiological standards for agricultural water. However, little data are available for the microbiological quality of surface water irrigation supplies. During the 2015 irrigation season, we conducted a baseline study on the microbial water quality of large irrigation districts in California ( = 2) and Washington ( 4). Monthly samples ( 517) were analyzed for bacterial indicators (fecal coliforms, enterococci, and ) and pathogens ( spp., O157, and non-O157 Shiga toxin-producing [STEC]). Although there was a high degree of variability (μ ± SD = 59.13 ± 106.0), only 11% of samples (56/517) exceeded 126 colony-forming units (CFU) 100 mL, and only six samples exceeded 410 CFU 100 mL. Two volumes of water were collected for pathogen analysis (1 L and 10 L); prevalence of in 10-L samples (68149) was nearly double of that found in 1-L samples (132/517). We found STEC during ∼9% of sampling events (58/517); serotypes O26 and O45 were the most common at 31 and 26%, respectively. Pathogens were not associated with exceedance of the regulatory threshold, yet the odds of detecting increased approximately threefold (odds ration [O.R.] = 3.14, 0.0001) for every log increase in turbidity. Microbiological outcomes were highly district-specific, suggesting drivers of water quality vary across spatiotemporal scales. The true risk of contamination of produce from irrigation water supplies remains unknown, along with the optimal monitoring strategy to improve food safety

Integrating \u3ci\u3eIn Situ\u3c/i\u3e Quantitative Geographic Information Tools and Size-Specific, Laboratory-Based Growth Zones In a Dynamic River-Mouth Estuary

The ultimate determination of coastal habitat suitability requires the integration of both dynamic (i.e. water mass characteristics) and stationary (structural) habitats. An approach using real‐time streamed data collection, remote sensing, and GIS modelling to compare and contrast seasonal and spatial patterns in these habitat components of the eastern and western distributaries of the lower Pascagoula River estuary is described. Structural and dynamic habitat characteristics are described using GIS and integrated with published growth data on juvenile mullet (Mugil spp.) and spot (Leiostomus xanthurus) to reveal zones of accelerated growth. Both mullet and spot had their greatest growth when water temperature and salinity (dynamic habitat) were physiologically optimal. The lack of spatial difference in the dynamic habitat between distributaries resulted in no growth zone differences for both species. The integration of the growth zones with the structural habitat component showed that the west distributary, with its greater availability and reduced fragmentation of main channel marsh edge, should provide a greater area of essential fish habitat than the east distributary for juvenile spot, a marsh‐edge associate. Because juvenile mullet are less associated with structural wetland habitat, growth zones and the stationary (structural) habitat were not integrated. The approach of integrating real‐time geo‐referenced water quality data with regional fish growth‐rate data is an important step towards a quantitative understanding of the hierarchical nature and inherent variability of dynamic coastal environments. The use of this holistic approach should lead to more effective management of estuarine systems, especially in regard to potential impacts within the estuary\u27s watershed and to its coupling with offshore environments

An Insight Into Surface Topographical Parameters and Bacterial Adhesion: a Case Study of Listeria monocytogenes Scott a Attachment On 304 Stainless Steel

AbstractBacterial attachment on surfaces is an important biological and industrial concern. Many parameters affect cell attachment behavior, including surface roughness and other topographical features. An understanding of these relationships is critical in the light of recent outbreaks caused by foodborne bacteria. Postharvest packing lines have been identified as a potential source of cross-contamination with pathogens, which can cause subsequent foodborne illness. The objective of this article is to evaluate the influence of surface topographical features on bacterial attachment at various processing temperatures to determine the extent of bacterial colonization. Type 304 stainless steel surfaces and pathogenic Listeria monocytogenes Scott A were used for a detailed investigation. Two commonly used surface types, extruded and ground, were evaluated to determine differences in bacterial attachment on the same type of material. Fifteen surface topography parameters at three processing temperatures were studied to evaluate possible correlations with microbial attachment on these surfaces. Scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, and confocal microscopy were used for both qualitative and quantitative analyses of surfaces. An analysis of variance and multivariate regression analysis were used to predict the attachment behavior of L. monocytogenes Scott A on stainless steel surfaces. Surface isotropy, average surface roughness, surface spacing, and processing temperatures were strongly correlated with bacterial attachment on 304 stainless steel material.Highlight