Clonal Differences between Non-Typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) Recovered from Children and Animals Living in Close Contact in The Gambia

Salmonellosis is a neglected tropical disease causing serious dysentery and septicaemia particularly in young infants, elderly and immunocompromised individuals such as HIV patients and associated with substantial mortality in developing countries. Salmonellosis also constitutes a major public health problem as it is considered the most widespread bacterial zoonosis of food origin throughout the world. Many epidemiological data exist from developed countries concerning transmission of Non-Typhoidal Salmonella (NTS) but few are available from developing countries. In addition few studies in sub-Saharan Africa have considered the interface between humans and their environment in relation to animals present in the household and food hygiene. This study describes the prevalence of NTS among fourteen Gambian children and 210 domestic animals living in close proximity (household) to the children in a rural setting in The Gambia. We found that the domestic animals living in the same household as patients carried different NTS serovar and genotypes; indicating that zoonotic transmission does not occur in our setting. This study provides baseline data for future studies of transmission of NTS in rural Africa

Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis of Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica in China

The predominant bioserotypes of pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica in China are 2/O: 9 and 3/O: 3; no pathogenic O: 8 strains have been found to date. Multiple-Locus Variable-Number Tandem-Repeat Analysis (MLVA) based on seven loci was able to distinguish 104 genotypes among 218 pathogenic Y. enterocolitica isolates in China and from abroad, showing a high resolution. The major pathogenic serogroups in China, O: 3 and O: 9, were divided into two clusters based on MLVA genotyping. The different distribution of Y. enterocolitica MLVA genotypes maybe due to the recent dissemination of specific clones of 2/O: 9 and 3/O: 3 strains in China. MLVA was a helpful tool for bacterial pathogen surveillance and investigation of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica outbreaks

Trends of the Major Porin Gene (ompF) Evolution: Insight from the Genus Yersinia

OmpF is one of the major general porins of Enterobacteriaceae that belongs to the first line of bacterial defense and interactions with the biotic as well as abiotic environments. Porins are surface exposed and their structures strongly reflect the history of multiple interactions with the environmental challenges. Unfortunately, little is known on diversity of porin genes of Enterobacteriaceae and the genus Yersinia especially. We analyzed the sequences of the ompF gene from 73 Yersinia strains covering 14 known species. The phylogenetic analysis placed most of the Yersinia strains in the same line assigned by 16S rDNA-gyrB tree. Very high congruence in the tree topologies was observed for Y. enterocolitica, Y. kristensenii, Y. ruckeri, indicating that intragenic recombination in these species had no effect on the ompF gene. A significant level of intra- and interspecies recombination was found for Y. aleksiciae, Y. intermedia and Y. mollaretii. Our analysis shows that the ompF gene of Yersinia has evolved with nonrandom mutational rate under purifying selection. However, several surface loops in the OmpF porin contain positively selected sites, which very likely reflect adaptive diversification Yersinia to their ecological niches. To our knowledge, this is a first investigation of diversity of the porin gene covering the whole genus of the family Enterobacteriaceae. This study demonstrates that recombination and positive selection both contribute to evolution of ompF, but the relative contribution of these evolutionary forces are different among Yersinia species

[Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop of the Lower Cretaceous Cephalopod Team (IGCP-Project 362) / Peter F. Rawson and Philip J. Hoedemaeker (editors)]: Report on the 4th international workshop of the Lower Cretaceous Cephalopod Team (IGCP-Project 362)

The Working Group proposes only one modification to its current zonation of the Mediterranean Region, the addition of a cristatum Subzone in the lower part of the inflatum Zone (upper Albian). But in the light of newly published research it highlights levels/areas where further work is required, especially to resolve conflicting zonal schemes. It also proposes a 'Tethyan Province' zonation for the middle Albian. Alternative correlations for the Boreal/Tethyan Valanginian to Barremian stages are tabulated, one based on ammonite evidence alone, the other with additional biostratigraphical data coupled with sequence stratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy

[Proceedings of the 4th International Workshop of the Lower Cretaceous Cephalopod Team (IGCP-Project 362) / Peter F. Rawson and Philip J. Hoedemaeker (editors)]: Report on the 4th international workshop of the Lower Cretaceous Cephalopod Team (IGCP-Project 362)

The Working Group proposes only one modification to its current zonation of the Mediterranean Region, the addition of a cristatum Subzone in the lower part of the inflatum Zone (upper Albian). But in the light of newly published research it highlights levels/areas where further work is required, especially to resolve conflicting zonal schemes. It also proposes a 'Tethyan Province' zonation for the middle Albian. Alternative correlations for the Boreal/Tethyan Valanginian to Barremian stages are tabulated, one based on ammonite evidence alone, the other with additional biostratigraphical data coupled with sequence stratigraphy and magnetostratigraphy

Molecular typing of haemorrhagic septicaemia-associated Pasteurella multocida isolates from Pakistan and Thailand using multilocus sequence typing and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis

A comparative genetic study of 23 field isolates and vaccine strains of Pasteurella multocida associated with haemorrhagic septicaemia cases from Pakistan and Thailand was done using pulsed field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) and multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The MLST sequence type (ST) for all 20 of the 23 isolates tested was 122. The PFGE results showed one band difference between the Pakistani and the Thai isolates. Sequence type 122 is the dominant associated profile with haemorrhagic septicaemia (HS) cases in South Asia. The study supports the concept of using PFGE for short-term epidemiology and MLST for long-term epidemiology.</p