TEMPORAL AND SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF POACEAE POLLEN IN AREAS OF SOUTHERN UNITED KINGDOM, SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

Overall, longer Poaceae pollen seasons coincided with earlier pollen season start dates. Winter rainfall noticeably affects the intensity of Poaceae pollen seasons in Mediterranean areas, but this was not as important in Worcester. Weekly data from Worcester followed a similar pattern to that of Badajoz and Évora but at a distance of more than 1500 km and 4-5 weeks later

A multihost bacterial pathogen overcomes continuous population bottlenecks to adapt to new host species

While many bacterial pathogens are restricted to single host species, some have the capacity to undergo host switches, leading to the emergence of new clones that are a threat to human and animal health. However, the bacterial traits that underpin a multihost ecology are not well understood. Following transmission to a new host, bacterial populations are influenced by powerful forces such as genetic drift that reduce the fixation rate of beneficial mutations, limiting the capacity for host adaptation. Here, we implement a novel experimental model of bacterial host switching to investigate the ability of the multihost pathogen Staphylococcus aureus to adapt to new species under continuous population bottlenecks. We demonstrate that beneficial mutations accumulated during infection can overcome genetic drift and sweep through the population, leading to host adaptation. Our findings highlight the remarkable capacity of some bacteria to adapt to distinct host niches in the face of powerful antagonistic population forces.status: publishe

Relación entre la variación horaria de la concentración de polen de Púmtago y la meteorología

XV lnternational A.P.L.E. Symposium of Palynolog

Comparison of fungal spores concentrations measured with wideband integrated bioaerosol sensor and Hirst methodology

The aim of this work was to provide both a comparison of traditional and novel methodologies for airborne spores detection (i.e. the Hirst Burkard trap and WIBS-4) and the first quantitative study of airborne fungal concentrations in Payerne (Western Switzerland) as well as their relation to meteorological parameters. From the traditional method -Hirst trap and microscope analysis-, sixty-three propagule types (spores, sporangia and hyphae) were identified and the average spore concentrations measured over the full period amounted to 4145 ± 263.0 spores/m3. Maximum values were reached on July 19th and on August 6th. Twenty-six spore types reached average levels above 10 spores/m3. Airborne fungal propagules in Payerne showed a clear seasonal pattern, increasing from low values in early spring to maxima in summer. Daily average concentrations above 5000 spores/m3 were almost constant in summer from mid-June onwards. Weather parameters showed a relevant role for determining the observed spore concentrations. Coniferous forest, dominant in the surroundings, may be a relevant source for airborne fungal propagules as their distribution and predominant wind directions are consistent with the origin. The comparison between the two methodologies used in this campaign showed remarkably consistent patterns throughout the campaign. A correlation coefficient of 0.9 (CI 0.76–0.96) was seen between the two over the time period for daily resolutions (Hirst trap and WIBS-4). This apparent co-linearity was seen to fall away once increased resolution was employed. However at higher resolutions upon removal of Cladosporium species from the total fungal concentrations (Hirst trap), an increased correlation coefficient was again noted between the two instruments (R = 0.81 with confidence intervals of 0.74 and 0.86)

Phage inducible islands in the gram-positive cocci

The SaPIs are a cohesive subfamily of extremely common phage-inducible chromosomal islands (PICIs) that reside quiescently at specific att sites in the staphylococcal chromosome and are induced by helper phages to excise and replicate. They are usually packaged in small capsids composed of phage virion proteins, giving rise to very high transfer frequencies, which they enhance by interfering with helper phage reproduction. As the SaPIs represent a highly successful biological strategy, with many natural Staphylococcus aureus strains containing two or more, we assumed that similar elements would be widespread in the Gram-positive cocci. On the basis of resemblance to the paradigmatic SaPI genome, we have readily identified large cohesive families of similar elements in the lactococci and pneumococci/streptococci plus a few such elements in Enterococcus faecalis. Based on extensive ortholog analyses, we found that the PICI elements in the four different genera all represent distinct but parallel lineages, suggesting that they represent convergent evolution towards a highly successful lifestyle. We have characterized in depth the enterococcal element, EfCIV583, and have shown that it very closely resembles the SaPIs in functionality as well as in genome organization, setting the stage for expansion of the study of elements of this type. In summary, our findings greatly broaden the PICI family to include elements from at least three genera of cocci

Efectos del entrenamiento en la habilidad para repetir sprints (RSA) en arbitros de baloncesto

La mayor parte de los estudios en baloncesto se han centrado en el estudio de los jugadores existiendo pocos que se hayan centrado en el estudio de los árbitros de baloncesto. La habilidad para repetir sprints (RSA) es uno de los componentes claves en el rendimiento físico en baloncesto. Por ello, el objetivo de este estudio es analizar la RSA y los valores cineantropométricos en árbitros de baloncesto después de un periodo de entrenamientode 5 semanas. 24 árbitros fueron analizados, divididos en Grupo Control (GC) y Grupo Experimental (GE). Se les realizó una determinación cineantropométrica (Talla, Peso, % Graso y IMC) y un test de RSA de 7x20 m. en dos ocasiones, antes y después de estas semanas de entrenamiento (PRE y POST). Encontramos pequeñas diferencias en el peso en ambos gruposentre el PRE y POST así como diferencias en el % graso, donde ambos disminuyeron, 2.5% el GC y 5.29% el GE. Las mejoras en el RSA fueron evidentes, siendo 0.67% para el GC y 5.10% para el GE. En conclusión, después de un entrenamiento específico, las mejoras en RSA en árbitros de baloncesto claramente mejorarán su condición física así como sus valorescineantropométricos

An ex vivocystic fibrosis model recapitulates key clinical aspects of chronic Staphylococcus aureus infection

Staphylococcus aureus is one of the most prevalent organisms isolated from the airways of people with cystic fibrosis (CF), predominantly early in life. Yet its role in the pathology of lung disease is poorly understood. Clinical studies are limited in scope by age and health of participants and in vitro studies are not always able to accurately recapitulate chronic disease characteristics such as the development of small colony variants. Further, animal models also do not fully represent features of clinical disease: in particular, mice are not readily colonized by S. aureus and when infection is established it leads to the formation of abscesses, a phenomenon almost never observed in the human CF lung. Here, we present details of the development of an existing ex vivo pig lung model of CF infection to investigate the growth of S. aureus. We show that S. aureus is able to establish infection and demonstrates clinically significant characteristics including small colony variant phenotype, increased antibiotic tolerance and preferential localisation in mucus. Tissue invasion and the formation of abscesses were not observed, in line with clinical data