Dangerous Pathogens Research Articles

METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING THE PATHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF DISEASES AND FOREST PESTS ON THE SANITARY CONDITION OF FORESTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF FORESTRY BLANCHES OF THE CENTRAL INTERREGIONAL FORESTRY AND HUNTING MENEGMENT AND NATURE PROTECTION RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF THE POLISSKY NATURE RESERVE

METHODOLOGY FOR ASSESSING THE PATHOLOGICAL IMPACT OF DISEASES AND FOREST PESTS ON THE SANITARY CONDITION OF FORESTS IN THE CONDITIONS OF FORESTRY BLANCHES OF THE CENTRAL INTERREGIONAL FORESTRY AND HUNTING MENEGMENT AND NATURE PROTECTION RESEARCH DEPARTMENT OF THE POLISSKY NATURE RESERVE

Bioaerosol and fine dust protection with quaternary trimethyl chitosan integration in polypropylene filters

Fine dust and bioaerosols are significant public health concerns, showing the importance of protective measures. In this study, natural-based trimethyl chitosan, permanently burdened with a positive charge, was successfully distributed on the surface of melt-blown polypropylene sheets through a metal rod coating process. This surface modification was confirmed through scanning electron microscopy and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, indicating the surface adsorption of trimethyl chitosan without chemical bonding. Modifying polypropylene mask filters yielded a positive surface zeta potential for 10–20 g/m2 coat weight, increasing the filtration efficiency to 55–94 % in a standard particle filtration test using paraffin oil as a liquid aerosol. The filtration efficiency remained higher than conventional non-treated mask filters even after the humidification of sheets. In addition, the filtration test against fine dust particles, such as titanium dioxide, was performed with trimethyl chitosan-modified mask filters that captured up to 100–800 µg/m3 titanium oxide particle concentrations, showing better filtration than conventional mask filters in high fine dust events. Trimethyl chitosan-modified mask filters also exhibited potent inhibition, bactericidal, and antiviral effects against HCoV-OC43, reducing the virus infection rate by 93.69 %. Thus, trimethyl chitosan could be applied to several existing filter membranes to protect against particulate matter and dangerous airborne pathogens.

Pathogen-driven nucleotide overload triggers mitochondria-centered cell death in phagocytes.

Staphylococcus aureus is a dangerous pathogen that evolved refined immuno-evasive strategies to antagonize host immune responses. This involves the biogenesis of death-effector deoxyribonucleosides, which kill infectious foci-penetrating macrophages. However, the exact mechanisms whereby staphylococcal death-effector deoxyribonucleosides and coupled imbalances of intracellular deoxyribonucleotide species provoke immune cell death remain elusive. Here, we report that S. aureus systematically promotes an overload of deoxyribonucleotides to trigger mitochondrial rupture in macrophages, a fatal event that induces assembly of the caspase-9-processing apoptosome and subsequent activation of the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis. Remarkably, genetic disruption of this cascade not only helps macrophages coping with death-effector deoxyribonucleoside-mediated cytotoxicity but also enhances their infiltration into abscesses thereby ameliorating pathogen control and infectious disease outcomes in laboratory animals. Combined with the discovery of protective alleles in human CASP9, these data highlight the role of mitochondria-centered apoptosis during S. aureus infection and suggest that gene polymorphisms may shape human susceptibility toward a predominant pathogen.

Antimicrobial Effects of Plant-Based Supplements on Gut Microbial Diversity in Small Ruminants.

Every year in the United States, approximately 48 million people are affected by bacterial illnesses that are transmitted through food, leading to 3000 fatalities. These illnesses typically stem from food animals and their by-products, which may harbor dangerous pathogens like Salmonella enterica, Listeria monocytogenes, enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli O157:H7, and Campylobacter jejuni. Factors that contribute to contamination include manure used as a soil amendment, exposure to polluted irrigation water, and contact with animals. To improve food safety, researchers are studying pre-slaughter intervention methods to eliminate bacterial contamination in live animals. While small ruminants are vital to global agriculture and income generation for small farms, traditional feeding practices involve supplements and antibiotics to boost performance, which contributes to antibiotic resistance. Hence, researchers are looking for friendly bacterial strains that enhance both animal and human health without impacting livestock productivity. The global trend is to minimize the use of antibiotics as feed supplements, with many countries prohibiting or limiting their use. The aim of this review is to provide a comprehensive insight on the antioxidant capabilities, therapeutic attributes, and applications of bioactive compounds derived from sweet potato tops (SPTs), rice bran (RB) and radish tops (RTs). This overview provides an insight on plant parts that are abundant in antioxidant and prebiotic effects and could be used as value-added products in animal feed and pharmaceutical applications. This review was based on previous findings that supplementation of basal diets with natural supplements represents a multifaceted intervention that will become highly important over time. By remarkably reducing the burden of foodborne pathogens, they apply to multiple species, are cheap, do not require withdrawal periods, and can be applied at any time in food animal production.

Drain biofilm microbiota inside a cheese processing facility: Comparison of Listeria positive and Listeria negative drains

Listeria monocytogenes was identified as one of the most dangerous food-borne pathogens of the 21st century, not only due to its high mortality rate but also because of its ability to establish itself as a part of drain biofilms and persist there over long periods of time. The insides of twelve drains in a cheese processing facility were swabbed over a period of five months. Bacterial DNA was isolated and quantified to ascertain the presence and abundance of the biofilm. Presence of Listeria spp. prs gene was found in four of the twelve drains, with one drain testing positive for the prs gene presence on three different occasions. 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing was conducted on the isolated DNA from two Listeria positive and two Listeria negative drains. The microbial community composition was evaluated. Most notably genera Streptococci and unclassified Lactobacillales were significantly different in abundance in the Listeria negative drains. Genera Flavobacterium and unclassified Xanthomonadaceae were found to be significantly more different in abundance in the LisTeria positive drains. The latter two genera were not previously associated with Listeria spp. or reported to be widespread in food processing environments (FPE), however, they help to illustrate the higher diversity that was seen in Listeria positive drains. This study suggests that even though the alpha diversity is not sigN ificantly different, there are differences between the drain biofilm composition between Listeria positive and Listeria negative drains, which can be further researched to ascertain how these organisms affect the presence of Listeria spp. inside drain biofilms.

Insecticidal Property of Plumeria obtusa L. (Apocynaceae) Leaf Extracts Against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

Mosquitoes are one of the most lethal animals in the world and transmit many dangerous human pathogens, causing millions of deaths each year. Aedes aegypti is generally known to be a vector of dengue, chikungunya and zika. Mosquito control is a major challenge nowadays when they became resistant against commonly available insecticides. To reduce this, it is important to look for alternative that are easily biodegradable. One such alternative could be bioactive products from phytochemicals by systematically exploring the global floral biodiversity. Therefore the present study was to evaluate the ovipositional deterrent activity of the ethanol, hexane leaf extracts of Plumeria obtusa against Aedes aegypti and also observe various types of sensilla located on the antennae, maxillary palp, tarsi and ovipositor of the Ae. aegypti using scanning electron microscope. The effect of ethanol and hexane leaf extracts of P. obtusa on oviposition of Ae. aegypti was determined under two sets of conditions (Choice and no choice oviposition assay). Among the total number of eggs laid 33.83% (ethanol), 38.15(hexane) was present in control medium when placed along with ovitraps with 0.1, 0.3, 0.7, 0.010 and 0.013% ethanol and hexane leaf extracts of P. obtusa in which appeared 27.88, 23.27, 11.79, 9.371 and 0.038 % (ethanol), 26.09, 18.14, 13.19, 4.357 and 0.042% (hexane) of eggs respectively. This was also indicated by ODI values (9.649, 18.48, 48.30, 82.86 and 99.77) (ethanol) and (18.76, 35.53, 48.59, 79.50 and 99.77) (hexane) (choice oviposition assay). Percent oviposition in 0.1, 0.3, 0.7, 0.010 and 0.013 % ethanol and hexane of leaf extracts of P. obtusa was 43.11, 28.77, 19.51, 3.875 and 0.090% (ethanol), 36.36, 26.21, 18.03, 8.888 and 0.181% (hexane) which were less compared to their control counterparts 56.88, 71.22, 80.48, 96.12 and 99.90 (ethanol), 63.63, 73.78 , 81.96 , 91.11 and 99.81 (hexane) respectively (no choice oviposition assay). The findings also revealed that both extracts (ethanol, hexane) showed promising ovipositional deterrent activity against adult Ae. aegypti.

Why does Listeria monocytogenes survive in food and food-production environments?

Listeria monocytogenes is one of the most dangerous food-borne pathogens and is responsible for human listeriosis, a severe disease with a high mortality rate, especially among the elderly, pregnant women and newborns. Therefore, this bacterium has an important impact on food safety and public health. It is able to survive and even grow in a temperature range from -0.4°C to 45°C, a broad pH range from 4.6 to 9.5 and at a relatively low water activity (aW < 0.90), and tolerates salt content up to 20%. It is also resistant to ultraviolet light, biocides and heavy metals and forms biofilm structures on a variety of surfaces in food-production environments. These features make it difficult to remove and allow it to persist for a long time, increasing the risk of contamination of food-production facilities and ultimately of food. In the present review, the key mechanisms of the pathogen's survival and stress adaptation have been presented. This information may grant better understanding of bacterial adaptation to food environmental conditions.

Milk Quality Prediction Using Machine Learning

Milk is the main dietary supply for every individual. High-quality milk shouldn't contain any adulterants. Dairy products are sold everywhere in society. Yet, the local milk vendors use a wide range of adulterants in their products, permanently altering the evaporated. Using milk that has gone bad can have serious health consequences. On October 18 of this year, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), the nation's top food safety authority, released the final result of the National Milk Safety and Quality Survey (NMSQS) and declared the milk readily available in India to be "mostly safe." According to an FSSAI survey, 68.4% of the milk in India is tainted. The quality of milk cannot be checked by any equipment or special system. Milk that has not been pasteurized has not been treated to get rid of harmful bacteria. Infected raw milk may contain Salmonella, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella, and other dangerous pathogens. These microorganisms pose a major risk to your family's health. Manually analyzing the various milk constituents can be very challenging when determining the quality of the milk. Analyzing and discovering with the aid of machine learning can help with this endeavor. Here a machine learning-based milk quality prediction system is developed. The proposed technology has shown 99.99% classification accuracy.

Knitted Structures Made of Antibacterial Fibers Intended for Protective Gloves

At a time of growing epidemic hazards caused by a very rapid evolution of dangerous pathogens, there is a pressing demand for bioactive textiles. Therefore, the development of high-quality knitted structures that could be used as bioactive protective materials has become a priority. This publication describes the fabrication of functional knitted structures from previously prepared antibacterial cellulose fibers containing nanosilica with immobilized silver nanoparticles. The structural and physical parameters of knitted fabrics made from them were studied with a view to their potential application in bioactive protective gloves. Tests of the basic structural and physical parameters of the knitted fabrics did not show that the nanomodifier applied in fibers significantly impacts the physical properties of the resulting fabrics. Moreover, water vapor permeability, cut resistance, and pH test results relevant to the functional and protective properties of interest and to user comfort showed that the obtained fabrics can be used in the production of bioactive protective gloves.

PspA-mediated aggregation protects Streptococcus pneumoniae against desiccation on fomites.

Spn is a dangerous human pathogen capable of causing pneumonia and invasive disease. The virulence factor PspA has been studied for nearly four decades with well-established roles in pneumococcal evasion of C-reactive protein and neutralization of lactoferricin. Herein, we show that mammalian (m)GAPDH in mucosal secretions promotes aggregation of pneumococci in a PspA-dependent fashion, whereas lactoferrin counters this effect. PspA-mediated GAPDH-dependent bacterial aggregation protected Spn in nasal lavage elutes and grown in vitro from desiccation on fomites. Furthermore, surviving pneumococci within these aggregates retained their ability to colonize naïve hosts after desiccation. We report that Spn binds to and forms protein complexes on its surface composed of PspA, mGAPDH, and lactoferrin. Changes in the levels of these proteins therefore most likely have critical implications on Spn colonization, survival on fomites, and transmission.

Importance of Genetic-Fitness Correlations for the Conservation of Amphibians.

Endangered animals suffer from isolation of their habitats. Isolation leads to a reduction in population size as well as a decrease in genetic diversity and a concomitant increase in the risk of extinction. Amphibians are the most endangered vertebrate class. Besides habitat loss, fragmentation and isolation, amphibians are threatened by emerging diseases e.g., chytrid fungus or Ranavirus. By employing experiments, researchers investigate whether changes in genetic diversity within or among isolated populations affect amphibian fitness. While genetic diversity estimates are based on molecular markers, typically microsatellites, fitness is mostly measured as tadpole performance in rearing experiments often under varying environmental conditions. Tadpole performances (e.g., body mass, growth rate and survival) have been found to be negatively affected by low genetic diversity, as several studies have found a positive association between genetic diversity and these fitness traits. Moreover, infection with pathogens also seems to be more likely in individuals or populations with lower genetic diversity. Overall, these genetic-fitness correlations seem to be more pronounced or detectable in smaller, declining populations but not in larger populations. Genomic studies, which sample a larger fraction of the genome, are still scarce in the conservation genetic literature on amphibians. These are likely to increase in upcoming years and may reveal adaptive variants that protect against dangerous pathogens or environmental changes. Altogether, genetic-fitness correlation studies should be a priority in order to develop effective management plans for the genetic rescue of isolated, imperilled amphibian populations.

Efficacy and design requirements of UV light cabinets for disinfection of exchangeable non-sterilizable "dental objects".

Non-sterilizable items such as prosthodontics items constitute a high risk of transmitting dangerous pathogens, including Coronavirus, between patients and healthcare personnel. Although UV rays are recognized for their germicidal efficacy, large and expensive UV devices previously hindered their adoption in dental offices. During the COVID-19 pandemic, small UV devices became available for domestic use, albeit with varying designs and effectiveness. Our study assesses the disinfection capacity of a UV light cabinet for four dental materials and discusses crucial design features for effective performance. Specimens of each material (silicone impressions, stone cast, acrylic denture base, andindelible pencils) were contaminated with Escherichia coli Bl21, and randomly divided into three study groups: UV device (UVG), impressions disinfection solution (SG), and control (CG). The experiment was repeated thrice, and disinfection efficacy assessed by colony forming units (CFU) count. A 2.5-min UV exposure achieved full disinfection for all materials. Significantly different results were found between groups (p < 0.05, one-way ANOVA, Tukey HSD), except for indelible pencils, where UVG and SG were bothhighly effective. UV cabinets surpass SG's disinfection efficacy. Compact UV devices can offer affordable, portable, and efficient disinfection for non-sterilizable dental objects, with careful consideration of wavelength, exposure, intensity, and safety.

Plant-Derived Vesicles: A New Era for Anti-Cancer Drug Delivery and Cancer Treatment.

Lipid-structured vesicles have been applied for drug delivery system for over 50 years. Based on their origin, lipid-structured vesicles are divided into two main categories, namely synthetic lipid vesicles (SLNVEs) and vesicles of mammalian origin (MDVEs). Although SLNVEs can stably transport anti-cancer drugs, their biocompatibility is poor and degradation of exogenous substances is a potential risk. Unlike SLNVEs, MDVEs have excellent biocompatibility but are limited by a lack of stability and a risk of contamination by dangerous pathogens from donor cells. Since the first discovery of plant-derived vesicles (PDVEs) in carrot cell supernatants in 1967, emerging evidence has shown that PDVEs integrate the advantages of both SLNVEs and MDVEs. Notably, 55 years of dedicated research has indicated that PDVEs are an ideal candidate vesicle for drug preparation, transport, and disease treatment. The current review systematically focuses on the role of PDVEs in cancer therapy and in particular compares the properties of PDVEs with those of conventional lipid vesicles, summarizes the preparation methods and quality control of PDVEs, and discusses the application of PDVEs in delivering anti-cancer drugs and their underlying molecular mechanisms for cancer therapy. Finally, the challenges and future perspectives of PDVEs for the development of novel therapeutic strategies against cancer are discussed.

Biological Properties and Antibiotic Resistance of &lt;i&gt;Klebsiella pneumoniae&lt;/i&gt; and Its Role in the Etiological Structure of Community-Acquired Pneumonia Pathogens

Background. In a novel coronavirus pandemic, the most common complications of viral pneumonia are secondary infections of bacterial and fungal etiology. At the same time, the spread of multidrug-resistant bacteria remains a global threat to public health. One of such microorganisms of the Enterobacteriaceae family is Klebsiella pneumoniae, which belongs to dangerous resistant pathogens of the ESKAPE group.The aim of the study was the comparative analysis of the biological properties of classical and hypermucoid strains of K.pneumoniae isolated from patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP): characterization of their sensitivity to antibacterial drugs, Klebsiella bacteriophage, and a disinfectant (polyhexamethylene guanidine hydrochloride), as well as assessment of the strains’ virulence in the model of experimental infection in white mice.Material and methods. 56 strains of Klebsiella isolated in diagnostic quantities from patients’ sputum samples were studied. Species identification of cultures was carried out using bacteriological and mass spectrometric methods. The sensitivity of bacteria to antibiotics, bacteriophage, and the disinfectant was determined in accordance with regulatory documents.Results. In the course of the study, 243 gram-negative cultures were isolated, of which 30% were bacteria of the genus Klebsiella spp. An analysis of their species composition showed that K.pneumoniae occupied a dominant place in the structure. Based on colony morphology, Burri-Gins smear staining, and a positive string test, 14 strains with a hypermucoid phenotype were identified. These strains differed from the classic K.pneumoniae strain by the presence of a thicker capsule in smears, virulence in white mice (DCL≤103 mc), and increased resistance to commercial Klebsiella bacteriophage. At the same time, they were characterized by a wider spectrum of sensitivity to antibiotics. There were no significant differences in sensitivity to the disinfectant in strains of both morphotypes.Conclusion. The results obtained demonstrated the important role of K.pneumoniae in the etiological structure of CAP pathogens.

Inhibition of the Growth of Botrytis cinerea by Penicillium chrysogenum VKM F-4876D Combined with Fludioxonil-, Difenoconazole-, or Tebuconazole-Based Fungicides

Botrytis cinerea, causing grey mold, is a dangerous plant pathogen able to infect agricultural crops during the whole production cycle, including storage and transportation. A wide set of pathogenicity factors, high ecological plasticity, and universality of propagation and spreading of this fungus significantly complicate the control of this pathogen. A rapid increase in pathogen tolerance to fungicides dictates the necessity of developing antiresistant protection strategies, which include the use of biopreparations based on antagonistic microorganisms or their metabolites. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of a dry biomass of P. chrysogenum VKM F-4876D (DMP), both individually and in combination with tebuconazole-, fludioxonil-, or difenoconazole-containing compounds recommended to control grey mold, in relation to B. cinerea isolated from grape samples. A water suspension of DMP was added to the PDA medium at a concentration of 1.0, 2.5, 5.0, 7.5, and 10.0 g/L. The pathogen growth inhibition was evaluated after 3, 7, and 14 days of cultivation; fungal cultures grown on DMP-free medium were used as a control. The resulting effective DMP concentration was 2.5 g/L. The effective concentrations of fungicides included in the study were determined to be 0.5 mg/L (tebuconazole), 0.1 g/L (difenoconazole), and 0.04 mg/L (fludioxonil). Combining DMP (2.5 g/L) with tebuconazole, difenoconazole, or fludioxonil (all taken at the effective concentrations) resulted in pathogen growth inhibition after 7 days of incubation by 86.5, 85.6, and 84.6%, respectively. Among all studied variants, the DMP (2.5 g/L) + difenoconazole (1.0 mg/L) combination provided the most efficient control of B. cinerea development under in vitro conditions: even after 14 days of incubation, the pathogen growth suppression remained at the level of 51.3%, whereas the DMP combination with tebuconazole or fludioxonil provided only 28.5 and 37.4%, respectively. The obtained results show good prospects for the efficient control of grey mold development, together with the reduction of pesticide loads on agrobiocoenoses and the prevention of the emergence of new resistant forms of plant pathogens.

Microbiota and the plant immune system work together to defend against pathogens.

Plants are exposed to a myriad of microorganisms, which can range from helpful bacteria to deadly disease-causing pathogens. The ability of plants to distinguish between helpful bacteria and dangerous pathogens allows them to continuously survive under challenging environments. The investigation of the modulation of plant immunity by beneficial microbes is critical to understand how they impact plant growth improvement and defense against invasive pathogens. Beneficial bacterial populations can produce significant impact on plant immune responses, including regulation of immune receptors activity, MITOGEN-ACTIVATED PROTEIN KINASE (MAPK) activation, transcription factors, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) signaling. To establish themselves, beneficial bacterial populations likely reduce plant immunity. These bacteria help plants to recover from various stresses and resume a regular growth pattern after they have been established. Contrarily, pathogens prevent their colonization by releasing toxins into plant cells, which have the ability to control the local microbiota via as-yet-unidentified processes. Intense competition among microbial communities has been found to be advantageous for plant development, nutrient requirements, and activation of immune signaling. Therefore, to protect themselves from pathogens, plants may rely on the beneficial microbiota in their environment and intercommunity competition amongst microbial communities.

Hierarchical machine learning model predicts antimicrobial peptide activity against Staphylococcus aureus.

Introduction: Staphylococcus aureus is a dangerous pathogen which causes a vast selection of infections. Antimicrobial peptides have been demonstrated as a new hope for developing antibiotic agents against multi-drug-resistant bacteria such as S. aureus. Yet, most studies on developing classification tools for antimicrobial peptide activities do not focus on any specific species, and therefore, their applications are limited. Methods: Here, by using an up-to-date dataset, we have developed a hierarchical machine learning model for classifying peptides with antimicrobial activity against S. aureus. The first-level model classifies peptides into AMPs and non-AMPs. The second-level model classifies AMPs into those active against S. aureus and those not active against this species. Results: Results from both classifiers demonstrate the effectiveness of the hierarchical approach. A comprehensive set of physicochemical and linguistic-based features has been used, and after feature selection steps, only some physicochemical properties were selected. The final model showed the F1-score of 0.80, recall of 0.86, balanced accuracy of 0.80, and specificity of 0.73 on the test set. Discussion: The susceptibility to a single AMP is highly varied among different target species. Therefore, it cannot be concluded that AMP candidates suggested by AMP/non-AMP classifiers are able to show suitable activity against a specific species. Here, we addressed this issue by creating a hierarchical machine learning model which can be used in practical applications for extracting potential antimicrobial peptides against S. aureus from peptide libraries.

A Review Articles: Pantoea agglomerans in UTI- It is Bacteria Caused Urinary Tract Infection and Genomic Analysis related with Bacterial Resistance

Pantoea Spp. is a plant bacteria that has been identified as an emerging pathogen in humans related with outbreaks and many clinical infections. It is referred to as a "mystery bacterium of evil and good" since it may cause both bad and good. With the proposed investigation, the researchers hope to uncover a significant risk component that is connected with reoccurring urinary tract infections (UTI). They also hope to identify bacterial reasons and antibiotic susceptibility profiles that can be used to lower the threat of reinfection and prevent complications associated with recurrent UTI. In the existence of risk variables, the likelihood of developing a UTI increases; also, a correct susceptibility pattern increases the likelihood of achieving therapeutic effectiveness and preventing illness complications. Because of its capacity to infect immunocompromised persons and produce severe illness as a consequence of its multi - drug resistance, Pantoeasppregard is considered to be a dangerous opportunistic pathogen. In this paper we are going to focus on related bacteria, pathogenicity, resistance genes, classification.

Study to determine the factors related to patient and surgical procedures influencing the rate of postoperative surgical wound infections

Wound infections continue to be a substantial contributor to postoperative morbidity, responsible for around one-fourth of all nosocomial infections. The human bacteria from the endogenous organ microflora and the extrinsic environment continue to have a role in the development of wound infections. The development of postoperative wound infection has been linked to several different perioperative variables that have been studied in detail. Numerous studies have shown that several surgical procedures are more susceptible to postoperative infection complications because of individual risk factors. The majority of patient- and procedure-related variables have been identified to influence the likelihood of surgical site infections in univariate or multivariate analysis. Preexisting infection, older age, and other dangerous pathogens, smoking, and diabetes is also possible patient-related variables. Procedure-related variables include the length of the surgery, the quality of preoperative skin preparation and poor surgical skill. The goal of this study was to recognize the incidence of postoperative surgical wound infections, which is influenced by patient and surgical technique parameters.

Belarusian Oak Forests Afflicted with Armillaria Root Rot during Their Mass Desiccation

During the period of the oak forests’ mass desiccation, Armillaria root rot became widespread, exacerbating the state of depression. The infection of stands by white sapwood rot caused by fungi of the genus Armillaria was more often detected in Bug-Polesia and Berezina-Pre-Polesia forest growth areas. The incidence of the disease in the oak forests of Belarus increases with the raising of the stands age and the decrease in their density. More often, the affliction with Armillaria root rot occurs in floodplain oak forests, as well as in the dry lands forest types with the most fertile soils. The oak’s proportion in the stand’s composition does not significantly affect the occurrence of the infection. Under the conditions of massive weakening of the Belarussian oak forests, facultative parasites from the Armillaria genus can occur as dangerous secondary pathogens that accelerate the death of weakened oak trees. Their pathogenicity persists in the north of the republic, where the negative role of other pathological factors in oak forests decreases. After the end of the depression period, the transition of Armillaria from a parasitic to a predominantly saprotrophic strategy was recorded. The affliction of oak forests by Armillaria root rot can act as one of the oak formation’s condition indicators, marking the depression phase in oak stands. Therefore, the spread of foci of Armillaria root rot should be monitored while conducting forest pathology surveys and monitoring the condition of oak forests.