Granulomatous hepatitis due to Bartonella henselae infection in an immunocompetent patient

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p><it>Bartonella henselae </it>(<it>B. henselae</it>) is considered a rare cause of granulomatous hepatitis. Due to the fastidious growth characteristics of the bacteria, the limited sensitivity of histopathological stains, and the non-specific histological findings on liver biopsy, the diagnosis of hepatic bartonellosis can be difficult to establish. Furthermore, the optimal treatment of established hepatic bartonellosis remains controversial.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>We present a case of hepatic bartonellosis in an immunocompetent woman who presented with right upper quadrant pain and a five cm right hepatic lobe mass on CT scan. The patient underwent a right hepatic lobectomy. Surgical pathology revealed florid necrotizing granulomatous hepatitis, favoring an infectious etiology. Despite extensive histological and serological evaluation a definitive diagnosis was not established initially. Thirteen months after initial presentation, hepatic bartonellosis was diagnosed by PCR studies from surgically excised liver tissue. Interestingly, the hepatic granulomas persisted and <it>Bartonella henselae </it>was isolated from the patient's enriched blood culture after several courses of antibiotic therapy.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The diagnosis of hepatic bartonellosis is exceedingly difficult to establish and requires a high degree of clinical suspicion. Recently developed, PCR-based approaches may be required in select patients to make the diagnosis. The optimal antimicrobial therapy for hepatic bartonellosis has not been established, and close follow-up is needed to ensure successful eradication of the infection.</p

Genomics-assisted breeding in four major pulse crops of developing countries: present status and prospects

The global population is continuously increasing and is expected to reach nine billion by 2050. This huge population pressure will lead to severe shortage of food, natural resources and arable land. Such an alarming situation is most likely to arise in developing countries due to increase in the proportion of people suffering from protein and micronutrient malnutrition. Pulses being a primary and affordable source of proteins and minerals play a key role in alleviating the protein calorie malnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies and other undernourishment-related issues. Additionally, pulses are a vital source of livelihood generation for millions of resource-poor farmers practising agriculture in the semi-arid and sub-tropical regions. Limited success achieved through conventional breeding so far in most of the pulse crops will not be enough to feed the ever increasing population. In this context, genomics-assisted breeding (GAB) holds promise in enhancing the genetic gains. Though pulses have long been considered as orphan crops, recent advances in the area of pulse genomics are noteworthy, e.g. discovery of genome-wide genetic markers, high-throughput genotyping and sequencing platforms, high-density genetic linkage/QTL maps and, more importantly, the availability of whole-genome sequence. With genome sequence in hand, there is a great scope to apply genome-wide methods for trait mapping using association studies and to choose desirable genotypes via genomic selection. It is anticipated that GAB will speed up the progress of genetic improvement of pulses, leading to the rapid development of cultivars with higher yield, enhanced stress tolerance and wider adaptability

From Mendel’s discovery on pea to today’s plant genetics and breeding

In 2015, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the presentation of the seminal work of Gregor Johann Mendel. While Darwin’s theory of evolution was based on differential survival and differential reproductive success, Mendel’s theory of heredity relies on equality and stability throughout all stages of the life cycle. Darwin’s concepts were continuous variation and “soft” heredity; Mendel espoused discontinuous variation and “hard” heredity. Thus, the combination of Mendelian genetics with Darwin’s theory of natural selection was the process that resulted in the modern synthesis of evolutionary biology. Although biology, genetics, and genomics have been revolutionized in recent years, modern genetics will forever rely on simple principles founded on pea breeding using seven single gene characters. Purposeful use of mutants to study gene function is one of the essential tools of modern genetics. Today, over 100 plant species genomes have been sequenced. Mapping populations and their use in segregation of molecular markers and marker–trait association to map and isolate genes, were developed on the basis of Mendel's work. Genome-wide or genomic selection is a recent approach for the development of improved breeding lines. The analysis of complex traits has been enhanced by high-throughput phenotyping and developments in statistical and modeling methods for the analysis of phenotypic data. Introgression of novel alleles from landraces and wild relatives widens genetic diversity and improves traits; transgenic methodologies allow for the introduction of novel genes from diverse sources, and gene editing approaches offer possibilities to manipulate gene in a precise manner

Chickpea Genomics

As precise phenotyping is essential and the cost of generating phenotyping data at every generation is very expensive, recent advances in genomics technologies and the availability of a wide range of genotyping platforms have made the cost of genotyping much less expensive compared with phenotyping. The recent developments in sequencing technologies have manifold increased the repertoire of various types of markers that are available in chickpea including SSRs, SNPs, DArTs, hundreds of thousands transcript reads and BAC-end sequences saturated genetic maps, QTL maps as well as physical maps, and the sequencing of both kabuli and desi type has greatly helped in using marker-assisted technologies to be applied in plant breeding. Germplasm resequencing for identification of genome-wide SNPs and their subsequent utilization in genomic selection has the potential to break the yield barrier being experienced in chickpea and many other crops. Genomic-assisted breeding for marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) for introgressing QTL region, marker-assisted recurrent selection, gene pyramiding, marker-assisted selection (MAS), and genomic selection can now be taken up in chickpea. The conventional plant breeding should take these tools to make greater genetic gains, increase selection potential, and have faster breeding cycles so that the genetic improvement gains are increased in chickpea

Chickpea Genomics

As precise phenotyping is essential and the cost of generating phenotyping data at every generation is very expensive, recent advances in genomics technologies and the availability of a wide range of genotyping platforms have made the cost of genotyping much less expensive compared with phenotyping. The recent developments in sequencing technologies have manifold increased the repertoire of various types of markers that are available in chickpea including SSRs, SNPs, DArTs, hundreds of thousands transcript reads and BAC-end sequences saturated genetic maps, QTL maps as well as physical maps, and the sequencing of both kabuli and desi type has greatly helped in using marker-assisted technologies to be applied in plant breeding. Germplasm resequencing for identification of genome-wide SNPs and their subsequent utilization in genomic selection has the potential to break the yield barrier being experienced in chickpea and many other crops. Genomic-assisted breeding for marker-assisted backcrossing (MABC) for introgressing QTL region, marker-assisted recurrent selection, gene pyramiding, marker-assisted selection (MAS), and genomic selection can now be taken up in chickpea. The conventional plant breeding should take these tools to make greater genetic gains, increase selection potential, and have faster breeding cycles so that the genetic improvement gains are increased in chickpea