Rotavirus detection and isolation from chickens with or without symptoms

Rotaviruses have been identified as one of the main etiological agents of diarrhea and enteritis in mammals, including humans, and in avian species. Few studies have been published about enteric viruses in Brazilian poultry, including those related to rotavirus infection. Such studies demonstrate significant occurrence and the importance of enteric viruses in poultry presenting intestinal problems. Enteric viruses are the primary cause of injuries to the gut, allowing other agents, especially bacteria, to attach, to penetrate, and to replicate in the enteric tissue, leading to further damage. The aim of the present study was to detect rotavirus in the intestinal contents of layers and broilers by polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) and virus isolation in MA-104 cell culture. A total of 45.3% of all samples were positive to rotavirus; rotavirus frequencies were 48.7% in samples from flocks with diarrhea, 46.4% in flocks with delayed growth, and 30% in asymptomatic flocks. It was possible to isolate rotavirus in MA-104 cells from the nine rotavirus-positive randomly chosen samples. These results indicate that rotavirus may have an important role in pathogenesis of enteric disease

Exploring the biology and evolution of Blastocystis and its role in the microbiome

Blastocystis is a microbial eukaryote, considered to be the most prevalent microbe colonizing the human gut, colonising approximately one billion individuals worldwide. Although Blastocystis presence has been linked to intestinal disorders, its pathogenicity still remains controversial due to its high prevalence in asymptomatic carriers. Having 17 genetic subtypes, Blastocystis is extremely diverse and can withstand fluctuations of oxygen in the gut. Blastocystis harbors peculiar mitochondrion-related organelles (MROs), which are considered to be an intermediate form between a typical aerobic mitochondrion and an obligate anaerobic hydrogenosome. Another interesting fact about Blastocystis concerns its mixed genome: 2.5% of the Blastocystis proteins have been laterally acquired from eukaryotes and prokaryotes. These acquired genes are associated with carbohydrate scavenging and metabolism, anaerobic amino acid and nitrogen metabolism, oxygen-stress resistance, and pH homeostasis. In addition, Blastocystis has proteins associated with secretion that are potentially involved in infection, escaping host defense and even affect composition of the prokaryotic microbiome and inflammation of the gut. In this chapter, we will challenge the state-of-the-art on Blastocystis knowledge, and we will present published data that can be used to understand the genomic adaptations of this microbial organism and its role within the microbiome of the hosts

The initial processing of the gas electron diffraction data: An improved method for obtaining intensity curves from diffraction patterns

Vishnevskiy YV. The initial processing of the gas electron diffraction data: An improved method for obtaining intensity curves from diffraction patterns. Journal of Molecular Structure. 2007;833(1-3):30-41