TEMPORAL DYNAMICS, ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE AND PHYLOGENETIC RELATIONSHIPS OF BACTERIAL TAXA IN IRRIGATION WATER SOURCES AND RELEVANCE TO FOOD SAFETY

As climate change continues to stress freshwater resources, we have a pressing need to identify alternative (nontraditional) sources of microbially safe water for irrigation of fresh produce. Unfortunately, open water sources are often contaminated with many known human pathogens such as E. coli, Salmonella and Listeria and unknown/understudied pathogens such as Aeromonas that are associated with foodborne outbreaks. To facilitate the adoption of microbiologically safe irrigation water sources, a comprehensive study on the prevalence and virulence potential of human pathogens and their transferability to fruit and fresh produce vegetables was conducted. The effect of irrigation water types on crop surface microbial community structure, presence of virulence factors and antimicrobial resistance were investigated to evaluate the potential of transfer of pathogenic and antimicrobial resistant bacteria in humans. Initially, the prevalence of indicator bacteria was determined using culture methods and then microbiological water quality profiles (MWQP) was created to identify water sources that complied with the U.S Food Safety Modernization Act water standards. Next, using culture and molecular methods, investigation of the antimicrobial resistance profile of one known foodborne pathogen Escherichia coli retrieved over a two-year period was done. E. coli resistance against widely prescribed antibiotics, extended spectrum β-lactams, was determined phenotypically and genetically. The diversity, distribution and potential for pathogenesis of one understudied pathogen, Aeromonas, prevalent in a variety of typical or potential irrigation water sources and collected over a one-year period was investigated. The study revealed spatial and temporal patterns in species richness, evenness, virulence gene carriage and attachment behaviors on both biotic and abiotic surfaces, of this bacterial taxon. Finally, the effect of using highly treated reclaimed water and pond water on lettuce surface microbiomes was investigated. The study provided an integrated assessment of the shifts in microbial community that result from using different irrigation water sources for irrigation of lettuce. Understanding the ecology of lettuce associated microbiota can be useful to infer risks of transfer and establishment potential of possible pathogenic strains from irrigation water sources to minimally processed raw consumed fresh produce crops

Parents’ Perception Towards Online Education

Due to COVID-19 pandemic educational institutions of Bangladesh was forced to shut down and had no option but to operate online education for the continuation of education by maintaining social distancing. As an important stakeholder of children’s education, parents played an influential role for supporting students’ online education during the crisis moment. However, despite numerous benefits of online education for the continuation of learning it is comparatively newer concept for many of the parents in Bangladesh. This study was an attempt to explore parents’ perception of online education through different factors. A total of 350 parents were asked regarding the online education and its usefulness in the context of global crisis by using a survey. A descriptive statistic is used to analyze the responses of the parents and the results indicated that parents were overall satisfied with the introduction and application of online education during the pandemic. However, parents claimed lack of digital devices and ability to use technology, poor or unstable internet connection, physical absence of teacher/instructor, lack of assessment and poor self-regulation are the barriers of online education. Moreover, parents considered that traditional learning is preferable to online learning

Parents’ Perception Towards Online Education

Due to COVID-19 pandemic educational institutions of Bangladesh was forced to shut down and had no option but to operate online education for the continuation of education by maintaining social distancing. As an important stakeholder of children’s education, parents played an influential role for supporting students’ online education during the crisis moment. However, despite numerous benefits of online education for the continuation of learning it is comparatively newer concept for many of the parents in Bangladesh. This study was an attempt to explore parents’ perception of online education through different factors. A total of 350 parents were asked regarding the online education and its usefulness in the context of global crisis by using a survey. A descriptive statistic is used to analyze the responses of the parents and the results indicated that parents were overall satisfied with the introduction and application of online education during the pandemic. However, parents claimed lack of digital devices and ability to use technology, poor or unstable internet connection, physical absence of teacher/instructor, lack of assessment and poor self-regulation are the barriers of online education. Moreover, parents considered that traditional learning is preferable to online learning

Differential methylation analysis in neuropathologically confirmed dementia with Lewy bodies.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a common form of dementia in the elderly population. We performed genome-wide DNA methylation mapping of cerebellar tissue from pathologically confirmed DLB cases and controls to study the epigenetic profile of this understudied disease. After quality control filtering, 728,197 CpG-sites in 278 cases and 172 controls were available for the analysis. We undertook an epigenome-wide association study, which found a differential methylation signature in DLB cases. Our analysis identified seven differentially methylated probes and three regions associated with DLB. The most significant CpGs were located in ARSB (cg16086807), LINC00173 (cg18800161), and MGRN1 (cg16250093). Functional enrichment evaluations found widespread epigenetic dysregulation in genes associated with neuron-to-neuron synapse, postsynaptic specialization, postsynaptic density, and CTCF-mediated synaptic plasticity. In conclusion, our study highlights the potential importance of epigenetic alterations in the pathogenesis of DLB and provides insights into the modified genes, regions and pathways that may guide therapeutic developments

Longitudinal Assessment of the Dynamics of Escherichia coli, Total Coliforms, Enterococcus spp., and Aeromonas spp. in Alternative Irrigation Water Sources: a CONSERVE Study.

As climate change continues to stress freshwater resources, we have a pressing need to identify alternative (nontraditional) sources of microbially safe water for irrigation of fresh produce. This study is part of the center CONSERVE, which aims to facilitate the adoption of adequate agricultural water sources. A 26-month longitudinal study was conducted at 11 sites to assess the prevalence of bacteria indicating water quality, fecal contamination, and crop contamination risk (Escherichia coli, total coliforms [TC], Enterococcus, and Aeromonas). Sites included nontidal freshwater rivers/creeks (NF), a tidal brackish river (TB), irrigation ponds (PW), and reclaimed water sites (RW). Water samples were filtered for bacterial quantification. E. coli, TC, enterococci (∼86%, 98%, and 90% positive, respectively; n = 333), and Aeromonas (∼98% positive; n = 133) were widespread in water samples tested. Highest E. coli counts were in rivers, TC counts in TB, and enterococci in rivers and ponds (P < 0.001 in all cases) compared to other water types. Aeromonas counts were consistent across sites. Seasonal dynamics were detected in NF and PW samples only. E. coli counts were higher in the vegetable crop-growing (May-October) than nongrowing (November-April) season in all water types (P < 0.05). Only one RW and both PW sites met the U.S. Food Safety Modernization Act water standards. However, implementation of recommended mitigation measures of allowing time for microbial die-off between irrigation and harvest would bring all other sites into compliance within 2 days. This study provides comprehensive microbial data on alternative irrigation water and serves as an important resource for food safety planning and policy setting.IMPORTANCE Increasing demands for fresh fruit and vegetables, a variable climate affecting agricultural water availability, and microbial food safety goals are pressing the need to identify new, safe, alternative sources of irrigation water. Our study generated microbial data collected over a 2-year period from potential sources of irrigation (rivers, ponds, and reclaimed water sites). Pond water was found to comply with Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) microbial standards for irrigation of fruit and vegetables. Bacterial counts in reclaimed water, a resource that is not universally allowed on fresh produce in the United States, generally met microbial standards or needed minimal mitigation. We detected the most seasonality and the highest microbial loads in river water, which emerged as the water type that would require the most mitigation to be compliant with established FSMA standards. This data set represents one of the most comprehensive, longitudinal analyses of alternative irrigation water sources in the United States

Enteric Viruses and Pepper Mild Mottle Virus Show Significant Correlation in Select Mid-Atlantic Agricultural Waters

Enteric viruses (EVs) are the largest contributors to foodborne illnesses and outbreaks globally. Their ability to persist in the environment, coupled with the challenges experienced in environmental monitoring, creates a critical aperture through which agricultural crops may become contaminated. This study involved a 17-month investigation of select human EVs and viral indicators in nontraditional irrigation water sources (surface and reclaimed waters) in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Real-time quantitative PCR was used for detection of Aichi virus, hepatitis A virus, and norovirus genotypes I and II (GI and GII, respectively). Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV), a common viral indicator of human fecal contamination, was also evaluated, along with atmospheric (air and water temperature, cloud cover, and precipitation 24 h, 7 days, and 14 days prior to sample collection) and physicochemical (dissolved oxygen, pH, salinity, and turbidity) data, to determine whether there were any associations between EVs and measured parameters. EVs were detected more frequently in reclaimed waters (32% [n = 22]) than in surface waters (4% [n = 49]), similar to PMMoV detection frequency in surface (33% [n = 42]) and reclaimed (67% [n = 21]) waters. Our data show a significant correlation between EV and PMMoV (R2 = 0.628, P < 0.05) detection levels in reclaimed water samples but not in surface water samples (R2 = 0.476, P = 0.78). Water salinity significantly affected the detection of both EVs and PMMoV (P < 0.05), as demonstrated by logistic regression analyses. These results provide relevant insights into the extent and degree of association between human (pathogenic) EVs and water quality data in Mid-Atlantic surface and reclaimed waters, as potential sources for agricultural irrigation. IMPORTANCE Microbiological analysis of agricultural waters is fundamental to ensure microbial food safety. The highly variable nature of nontraditional sources of irrigation water makes them particularly difficult to test for the presence of viruses. Multiple characteristics influence viral persistence in a water source, as well as affecting the recovery and detection methods that are employed. Testing for a suite of viruses in water samples is often too costly and labor-intensive, making identification of suitable indicators for viral pathogen contamination necessary. The results from this study address two critical data gaps, namely, EV prevalence in surface and reclaimed waters of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and subsequent evaluation of physicochemical and atmospheric parameters used to inform the potential for the use of indicators of viral contamination