Related Host Research Articles

Reads Binning Improves the Assembly of Viral Genome Sequences From Metagenomic Samples.

Metagenomes can be considered as mixtures of viral, bacterial, and other eukaryotic DNA sequences. Mining viral sequences from metagenomes could shed insight into virus–host relationships and expand viral databases. Current alignment-based methods are unsuitable for identifying viral sequences from metagenome sequences because most assembled metagenomic contigs are short and possess few or no predicted genes, and most metagenomic viral genes are dissimilar to known viral genes. In this study, I developed a Markov model-based method, VirMC, to identify viral sequences from metagenomic data. VirMC uses Markov chains to model sequence signatures and construct a scoring model using a likelihood test to distinguish viral and bacterial sequences. Compared with the other two state-of-the-art viral sequence-prediction methods, VirFinder and PPR-Meta, my proposed method outperformed VirFinder and had similar performance with PPR-Meta for short contigs with length less than 400 bp. VirMC outperformed VirFinder and PPR-Meta for identifying viral sequences in contaminated metagenomic samples with eukaryotic sequences. VirMC showed better performance in assembling viral-genome sequences from metagenomic data (based on filtering potential bacterial reads). Applying VirMC to human gut metagenomes from healthy subjects and patients with type-2 diabetes (T2D) revealed that viral contigs could help classify healthy and diseased statuses. This alignment-free method complements gene-based alignment approaches and will significantly improve the precision of viral sequence identification.

The evolution and changing ecology of the African hominid oral microbiome

The oral microbiome plays key roles in human biology, health, and disease, but little is known about the global diversity, variation, or evolution of this microbial community. To better understand the evolution and changing ecology of the human oral microbiome, we analyzed 124 dental biofilm metagenomes from humans, including Neanderthals and Late Pleistocene to present-day modern humans, chimpanzees, and gorillas, as well as New World howler monkeys for comparison. We find that a core microbiome of primarily biofilm structural taxa has been maintained throughout African hominid evolution, and these microbial groups are also shared with howler monkeys, suggesting that they have been important oral members since before the catarrhine-platyrrhine split ca. 40 Mya. However, community structure and individual microbial phylogenies do not closely reflect host relationships, and the dental biofilms of Homo and chimpanzees are distinguished by major taxonomic and functional differences. Reconstructing oral metagenomes from up to 100 thousand years ago, we show that the microbial profiles of both Neanderthals and modern humans are highly similar, sharing functional adaptations in nutrient metabolism. These include an apparent Homo-specific acquisition of salivary amylase-binding capability by oral streptococci, suggesting microbial coadaptation with host diet. We additionally find evidence of shared genetic diversity in the oral bacteria of Neanderthal and Upper Paleolithic modern humans that is not observed in later modern human populations. Differences in the oral microbiomes of African hominids provide insights into human evolution, the ancestral state of the human microbiome, and a temporal framework for understanding microbial health and disease.

Toxicity Assessment of Nano-ZnO Exposure on the Human Intestinal Microbiome, Metabolic Functions, and Resistome Using an In Vitro Colon Simulator.

Nano-ZnO, as a commonly used nanomaterial, has been found in drinking water, food, and medicine; therefore, it poses potential health risks via the digestion system. However, little is known about the toxicity of nano-ZnO on the human intestinal microbiome, which plays critical roles in human health. This study comprehensively investigated the impact of nano-ZnO on the human gut microbiome, metabolic functions, and resistome using an in vitro colon simulator. Nano-ZnO induced concentration-dependent decreases in the production of short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs). Metagenomic analysis revealed that nano-ZnO not only led to dose-dependent shifts in the composition and diversity of the gut microbiota but also changed the key functional pathways of the gut microbiome. Although the diversity of the gut microbiota basically recovered after stopping exposure to nano-ZnO, SCFAs still showed a concentration-dependent decrease. Furthermore, although a medium concentration of nano-ZnO (2.5 mg/L) reduced the abundance of many antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) by inhibiting the growth of related host bacteria, a low concentration of nano-ZnO (0.1 mg/L) greatly enriched the abundance of tetracycline resistance genes. Our findings provide evidence that nano-ZnO can impact the diversity, metabolism, and functional pathways of the human gut microbiome, as well as the gut resistome, highlighting the potential health effects of nanoparticles.

Human Gut Microbiome and Liver Diseases: From Correlation to Causation.

The important role of human gut microbiota in liver diseases has long been recognized as dysbiosis and the translocation of certain microbes from the gut to liver. With the development of high-throughput DNA sequencing, the complexity and integrity of the gut microbiome in the whole spectrum of liver diseases is emerging. Specific patterns of gut microbiota have been identified in liver diseases with different causes, including alcoholic, non-alcoholic, and virus induced liver diseases, or even at different stages, ranging from steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis, to hepatocellular carcinoma. At the same time, the mechanism of how microbiota contributes to liver diseases goes beyond the traditional function of the gut–liver axis which could lead to liver injury and inflammation. With the application of proteomics, metabolomics, and modern molecular technologies, more microbial metabolites and the complicated interaction of microbiota with host immunity come into our understanding in the liver pathogenesis. Germ-free animal models serve as a workhorse to test the function of microbiota and their derivatives in liver disease models. Here, we review the current evidence on the relationship between gut microbiota and liver diseases, and the mechanisms underlying this phenotype. In addition to original liver diseases, gut microbiota might also affect liver injury in systemic disorders involving multiple organs, as in the case of COVID-19 at a severe state. A better understanding of the gut microbial contribution to liver diseases might help us better benefit from this guest–host relationship and pave the way for novel therapies.

Implications of Zoonoses From Hunting and Use of Wildlife in North American Arctic and Boreal Biomes: Pandemic Potential, Monitoring, and Mitigation.

The COVID-19 pandemic has re-focused attention on mechanisms that lead to zoonotic disease spillover and spread. Commercial wildlife trade, and associated markets, are recognized mechanisms for zoonotic disease emergence, resulting in a growing global conversation around reducing human disease risks from spillover associated with hunting, trade, and consumption of wild animals. These discussions are especially relevant to people who rely on harvesting wildlife to meet nutritional, and cultural needs, including those in Arctic and boreal regions. Global policies around wildlife use and trade can impact food sovereignty and security, especially of Indigenous Peoples. We reviewed known zoonotic pathogens and current risks of transmission from wildlife (including fish) to humans in North American Arctic and boreal biomes, and evaluated the epidemic and pandemic potential of these zoonoses. We discuss future concerns, and consider monitoring and mitigation measures in these changing socio-ecological systems. While multiple zoonotic pathogens circulate in these systems, risks to humans are mostly limited to individual illness or local community outbreaks. These regions are relatively remote, subject to very cold temperatures, have relatively low wildlife, domestic animal, and pathogen diversity, and in many cases low density, including of humans. Hence, favorable conditions for emergence of novel diseases or major amplification of a spillover event are currently not present. The greatest risk to northern communities from pathogens of pandemic potential is via introduction with humans visiting from other areas. However, Arctic and boreal ecosystems are undergoing rapid changes through climate warming, habitat encroachment, and development; all of which can change host and pathogen relationships, thereby affecting the probability of the emergence of new (and re-emergence of old) zoonoses. Indigenous leadership and engagement in disease monitoring, prevention and response, is vital from the outset, and would increase the success of such efforts, as well as ensure the protection of Indigenous rights as outlined in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Partnering with northern communities and including Indigenous Knowledge Systems would improve the timeliness, and likelihood, of detecting emerging zoonotic risks, and contextualize risk assessments to the unique human-wildlife relationships present in northern biomes.

Disentangling the effects of host relatedness and elevation on haemosporidian parasite turnover in a clade of songbirds

AbstractThe persistence of a parasite species in an ecological community is determined both by its environmental tolerance and host breadth. The relative contribution of these niche characteristics to parasite community structure is challenging to parse because host persistence is also a consequence of extrinsic environmental factors. We investigated haemosporidian parasites (genera Plasmodium, Leucocytozoon, and Haemoproteus) in a clade of avian hosts in eastern North America. Species in this clade of Catharus thrushes occupy specific elevational bands in a non‐phylogenetically determined manner. This allowed us to tease apart the effects of host relatedness and elevation on parasite community structure, diversity, and infection prevalence. We screened blood and tissue samples from 414 adult birds from four mountain ranges in the Appalachian Highlands for blood parasites using a cytochrome‐b‐nested PCR protocol and identified parasite lineages by sequencing. We found an overall infection prevalence of 88.4% and identified a total of 38 parasite lineages including six novel lineages. Parasite community patterns varied by genus. Host relatedness rather than elevational zone predicted the beta turnover and phylobeta turnover of Leucocytozoon parasites, indicating that closely related rather than geographically proximate host species had more similar parasites. This pattern was not seen in Plasmodium parasites because the diversity of this parasite genus varied considerably in the high elevational zones among mountain ranges, that is, a sky‐island effect. Haemoproteus parasites were rare in this study system. Our study suggests that the mechanisms that underlie community structuring vary between haemosporidian genera due to differences in the degree of host sharing among lineages.

Progression of Body Related Viruses in Human: A Review

Human health has been drastically affected due to the emergence of many new and deadly viral infections and also the older that persists, despite much wonderful progress in the area of Biomedical sciences. Some of the best examples which could be cited here is the newly evolving Corona virus (Covid-19) or the virus of 21st century and other several viruses which have been already evolved disturbing the existence of human kind such as Zika virus, Dengue virus [4]. Chikungunya virus, Influenza A virus, SARS, MERS which are known to be transferred in mankind through many arthropods, some animals and several other methods of communication, for this the better understanding of the host pathogen association and relationship with its environment is necessary for the vector control methods which would be used for the prevention of these arboreal infections and this has been proved to be effective in many aspects of controlling the effect of the virus. The main cause of evolution of such pathogenic viruses can be any among some of these such as changing climatic conditions, poor sanitization, increase in population rapidly, rampant construction, uncooked meats etc., and many new evolving anthropophilic vectors which transfer such diseases in humans. Many recent researches have been reported which have shown the immense effort of Medical sciences and scientist to cure various deadly diseases such as HIV, Hepatitis, Chikungunya etc. and to some extent these viruses have been overcome but the nature of viruses is unpredictable and could re-emerge any time in the history which would hamper the control and preventive measures.

Genomes of Gut Bacteria from Nasonia Wasps Shed Light on Phylosymbiosis and Microbe-Assisted Hybrid Breakdown.

ABSTRACTPhylosymbiosis is a cross-system trend whereby microbial community relationships recapitulate the host phylogeny. In Nasonia parasitoid wasps, phylosymbiosis occurs throughout development, is distinguishable between sexes, and benefits host development and survival. Moreover, the microbiome shifts in hybrids as a rare Proteus bacterium in the microbiome becomes dominant. The larval hybrids then catastrophically succumb to bacterium-assisted lethality and reproductive isolation between the species. Two important questions for understanding phylosymbiosis and bacterium-assisted lethality in hybrids are (i) do the Nasonia bacterial genomes differ from other animal isolates and (ii) are the hybrid bacterial genomes the same as those in the parental species? Here, we report the cultivation, whole-genome sequencing, and comparative analyses of the most abundant gut bacteria in Nasonia larvae, Providencia rettgeri and Proteus mirabilis. Characterization of new isolates shows Proteus mirabilis forms a more robust biofilm than Providencia rettgeri and that, when grown in coculture, Proteus mirabilis significantly outcompetes Providencia rettgeri. Providencia rettgeri genomes from Nasonia are similar to each other and more divergent from pathogenic, human associates. Proteus mirabilis from Nasonia vitripennis, Nasonia giraulti, and their hybrid offspring are nearly identical and relatively distinct from human isolates. These results indicate that members of the larval gut microbiome within Nasonia are most similar to each other, and the strain of the dominant Proteus mirabilis in hybrids is resident in parental species. Holobiont interactions between shared, resident members of the wasp microbiome and the host underpin phylosymbiosis and hybrid breakdown.IMPORTANCE Animal and plant hosts often establish intimate relationships with their microbiomes. In varied environments, closely related host species share more similar microbiomes, a pattern termed phylosymbiosis. When phylosymbiosis is functionally significant and beneficial, microbial transplants between host species and host hybridization can have detrimental consequences on host biology. In the Nasonia parasitoid wasp genus, which contains a phylosymbiotic gut community, both effects occur and provide evidence for selective pressures on the holobiont. Here, we show that bacterial genomes in Nasonia differ from other environments and harbor genes with unique functions that may regulate phylosymbiotic relationships. Furthermore, the bacteria in hybrids are identical to those in parental species, thus supporting a hologenomic tenet that the same members of the microbiome and the host genome impact phylosymbiosis, hybrid breakdown, and speciation.

Host phylogeny and host ecology structure the mammalian gut microbiota at different taxonomic scales

The gut microbiota is critical for host function. Among mammals, host phylogenetic relatedness and diet are strong drivers of gut microbiota structure, but one factor may be more influential than the other. Here, we used 16S rRNA gene sequencing to determine the relative contributions of host phylogeny and host diet in structuring the gut microbiotas of 11 herbivore species from 5 families living sympatrically in southwest Kenya. Herbivore species were classified as grazers, browsers, or mixed-feeders and dietary data (% C4 grasses in diet) were compiled from previously published sources. We found that herbivore gut microbiotas were highly species-specific, and that host taxonomy accounted for more variation in the gut microbiota (30%) than did host dietary guild (10%) or sample month (8%). Overall, similarity in the gut microbiota increased with host phylogenetic relatedness (r = 0.74) across the 11 species of herbivores, but among 7 closely related Bovid species, dietary %C4 grass values more strongly predicted gut microbiota structure (r = 0.64). Additionally, within bovids, host dietary guild explained more of the variation in the gut microbiota (17%) than did host species (12%). Lastly, while we found that the gut microbiotas of herbivores residing in southwest Kenya converge with those of distinct populations of conspecifics from central Kenya, fine-scale differences in the abundances of bacterial amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) between individuals from the two regions were also observed. Overall, our findings suggest that host phylogeny and taxonomy strongly structure the gut microbiota across broad host taxonomic scales, but these gut microbiotas can be further modified by host ecology (i.e., diet, geography), especially among closely related host species.

An integrative approach reveals a new species of flightless leaf beetle (Chrysomelidae: Suinzona) from South Korea

The leaf beetle genus Suinzona, consisting of over 20 species, is mainly known for species from Southwest China, and its closely related genus Potaninia, with only two species, is widely distributed in South China and upper Southeast Asia. Despite recent morphological studies, the status of these taxa has long been controversial. Here, we investigated the taxonomic status and phylogenetic relationships of the genera Suinzona and Potaninia within Chrysomelinae using molecular, morphological and ecological data. Molecular phylogenetic analysis supported that they should be regarded as distinct genera, which is consistent with morphological evidence, e.g., well-developed/reduced hind wings. Based on combined evidence from examination of larval and adult morphology, host plants and mitochondrial genomes, we demonstrate that P. cyrtonoides should be placed in the genus Suinzona and that specimens from South Korea represent a new species. Suinzona borowieci sp. nov., occurring in narrow strips of habitat, shows high levels of genetic divergence and distantly related host plants between populations. The population differentiation seems to be correlated with its non-functional wings causing reduced dispersal ability and genetic isolation. Several populations have declined dramatically over the last few decades due to loss of habitat and thus are in need of protection as conservation units.

Surveying keratose sponges (Porifera, demospongiae, Dictyoceratida) reveals hidden diversity of host specialist barnacles (Crustacea, Cirripedia, Balanidae)

Sponges represent one of the most species-rich hosts for commensal barnacles yet host utilisation and diversity have not been thoroughly examined. This study investigated the diversity and phylogenetic relationships of sponge-inhabiting barnacles within a single, targeted host group, primarily from Western Australian waters. Specimens of the sponge order Dictyoceratida were surveyed and a total of 64 host morphospecies, representing four families, were identified as barnacle hosts during the study. Utilising molecular (COI, 12S) and morphological methods 42 molecular operational taxonomic units (MOTUs) of barnacles, representing Acasta, Archiacasta, Euacasta and Neoacasta were identified. Comparing inter- and intra-MOTU genetic distances showed a barcode gap between 2.5% and 5% for COI, but between 1% and 1.5% in the 12S dataset, thus demonstrating COI as a more reliable barcoding region. These sponge-inhabiting barnacles were demonstrated to show high levels of host specificity with the majority being found in a single sponge species (74%), a single genus (83%) or a single host family (93%). Phylogenetic relationships among the barnacles were reconstructed using mitochondrial (12S, COI) and nuclear (H3, 28S) markers. None of the barnacle genera were recovered as monophyletic. Euacasta was paraphyletic in relation to the remaining Acastinae genera, which were polyphyletic. Six well-supported clades of molecular operational taxonomic units, herein considered to represent species complexes, were recovered, but relationships between them were not well supported. These complexes showed differing patterns of host usage, though most were phylogenetically conserved with sister lineages typically occupying related hosts within the same genus or family of sponge. The results show that host specialists are predominant, and the dynamics of host usage have played a significant role in the evolutionary history of the Acastinae.

Evaluation of bat adenoviruses suggests co-evolution and host roosting behaviour as drivers for diversity.

Adenoviruses (AdVs) are diverse pathogens of humans and animals, with several dozen bat AdVs already identified. Considering that over 100 human AdVs are known, and the huge diversity of bat species, many bat AdVs likely remain undiscovered. To learn more about AdV prevalence, diversity and evolution, we sampled and tested bats in Cameroon using several PCR assays for viral and host DNA. AdV DNA was detected in 14 % of the 671 sampled animals belonging to 37 different bat species. There was a correlation between species roosting in larger groups and AdV DNA detection. The detected AdV DNA belonged to between 28 and 44 different, mostly previously unknown, mastadenovirus species. The novel isolates are phylogenetically diverse and while some cluster with known viruses, others appear to form divergent new clusters. The phylogenetic tree of novel and previously known bat AdVs does not mirror that of the various host species, but does contain structures consistent with a degree of virus–host co-evolution. Given that closely related isolates were found in different host species, it seems likely that at least some bat AdVs have jumped species barriers, probably in the more recent past; however, the tree is also consistent with such events having taken place throughout bat AdV evolution. AdV diversity was highest in bat species roosting in large groups. The study significantly increased the diversity of AdVs known to be harboured by bats, and suggests that host behaviours, such as roosting size, may be what limits some AdVs to one species rather than an inability of AdVs to infect other related hosts.

Behaviour of host compounds 1,2-DAX and 1,2-DAT in the presence of mixed xylene and ethylbenzene guest solvents, and comparisons with their 1,4 host derivatives

trans-N,N′-Bis(9-phenyl-9-xanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,2-diamine (1,2-DAX) and trans-N,N′-bis(9-phenyl-9-thioxanthenyl)cyclohexane-1,2-diamine (1,2-DAT) were recrystallized independently from each of the xylene isomers (o-Xy, m-Xy and p-Xy) and ethylbenzene (EB) to ascertain their host ability for these guest solvents. It was thus shown that both compounds were capable of forming complexes with each guest species. The hosts were then recrystallized from various mixtures of these solvents in order to establish if they possessed any preference for a particular guest species from the series, with the view to possibly offering an alternative separation strategy for such mixtures using host‒guest chemistry principles and 1,2-DAX and/or 1,2-DAT. In so doing, each host compound was revealed to have comparable selectivities, favouring o-Xy and discriminating against p-Xy. This contrasted markedly with earlier findings reported for related host compounds 1,4-DAX and 1,4-DAT, which both preferred p-Xy whilst displaying a bias against o-Xy. We subsequently calculated the void volumes that remained after removal of each of the guest species from the packing calculation and found that the preferred guests always occupied the smallest volumes compared with guests that were less favoured (for complexes of 1,2-DAX, 1,2-DAT, 1,4-DAX and 1,4-DAT). This finding implied that the favoured guest species, here, experienced a tighter packing than any of the other solvents from the series. Additional to this information, data from single crystal diffraction and thermal analyses for each complex are also provided here.

A phylogenetic perspective on parasitoid host ranges with implications for biological control.

Interactions that shape parasitoid host ranges occur within the context of both host and parasitoid phylogenetic history. While host-associated speciation of parasitoids can lead to increased host specificity, it can also lead to a broadening of host range through radiation onto a new group of host species. In both cases, sister-species of parasitoids may have widely divergent host ranges. But how should host range be estimated? Traditional views of host ranges as simple lists of species have given way to analyses that can detect host phylogenetic signal. Host relatedness can also be codified into useful indices that reflect the phylogenetic breadth of host range. All of these considerations have important implications for biological control, particularly in the realm of risk assessment.

Evidence for natural hybridization and novel Wolbachia strain superinfections in the Anopheles gambiae complex from Guinea.

Wolbachia, a widespread bacterium which can influence mosquito-borne pathogen transmission, has recently been detected within Anopheles (An.) species that are malaria vectors in Sub-Saharan Africa. Although studies have reported Wolbachia strains in the An. gambiae complex, apparent low density and prevalence rates require confirmation. In this study, wild Anopheles mosquitoes collected from two regions of Guinea were investigated. In contrast with previous studies, RNA was extracted from adult females (n = 516) to increase the chances for the detection of actively expressed Wolbachia genes, determine Wolbachia prevalence rates and estimate relative strain densities. Molecular confirmation of mosquito species and Wolbachia multilocus sequence typing (MLST) were carried out to analyse phylogenetic relationships of mosquito hosts and newly discovered Wolbachia strains. Strains were detected in An. melas (prevalence rate of 11.6%–16/138) and hybrids between An. melas and An. gambiae sensu stricto (prevalence rate of 40.0%–6/15) from Senguelen in the Maferinyah region. Furthermore, a novel high-density strain, termed wAnsX, was found in an unclassified Anopheles species. The discovery of novel Wolbachia strains (particularly in members, and hybrids, of the An. gambiae complex) provides further candidate strains that could be used for future Wolbachia-based malaria biocontrol strategies.

SpacePHARER: sensitive identification of phages from CRISPR spacers in prokaryotic hosts.

SummarySpacePHARER (CRISPR Spacer Phage–Host Pair Finder) is a sensitive and fast tool for de novo prediction of phage–host relationships via identifying phage genomes that match CRISPR spacers in genomic or metagenomic data. SpacePHARER gains sensitivity by comparing spacers and phages at the protein level, optimizing its scores for matching very short sequences, and combining evidence from multiple matches, while controlling for false positives. We demonstrate SpacePHARER by searching a comprehensive spacer list against all complete phage genomes.Availability and implementationSpacePHARER is available as an open-source (GPLv3), user-friendly command-line software for Linux and macOS: https://github.com/soedinglab/spacepharer.Supplementary information Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.

Ticks of the genus <em>Rhipicephalus Koch</em>, 1844 in Senegal: Review host associations, chorology, and associated human and animal pathogens

Ticks of the genus Rhipicephalus (Acari: Ixodidae) in Senegal were reviewed. The data presented originate from a tick collection maintained at IRD’s Laboratory of Medical Entomology since 1967 and continuously enriched with samples obtained from different vertebrate hosts captured during various projects conducted in Senegal from 1987 to 2007. Fifteen Rhipicephalus tick species were collected and characterized, resulting in 1127 referenced collections. Three species were of the Boophilus subgenus: Rhipicephalus (Bo.) annulatus, Rh. (Bo.) decoloratus and Rh. (Bo.) geigyi. The twelve others were Rh. boueti, Rh. cuspidatus, Rh. evertsi, Rh. guilhoni, Rh. lunulatus, Rh. muhsamae, Rh. sanguineus, Rh. senegalensis, Rh. sulcatus, Rh. tricuspis, Rh. turanicus and Rh. ziemanni. Although there were recent indications that Rh. turanicus should have been considered as part of the Rh. sanguineus s.l. complex, data regarding these two ticks were presented separately. The collection comprised 14,165 tick specimens at different developmental stages. Data concerning their host relationships as well as distribution and seasonal dynamics were also presented. Vertebrate hosts were identified and listed in the different ecological zones of Senegal. The role of the ticks as potential vectors of pathogens has been reviewed. Climate change, causing variations in rainfall and temperature, will impact tick distribution and dynamics. The situation supports the necessity of this inventory of tick populations for (re)emerging tick-borne diseases surveillance and monitoring.

Localization of bacterial communities within gut compartments across Cephalotes turtle ants.

Microbial communities within the animal digestive tract often provide important functions for their hosts. The composition of eukaryotes' gut bacteria can be shaped by host diet, vertical bacterial transmission, and physiological variation within the digestive tract. In several ant taxa, recent findings have demonstrated that nitrogen provisioning by symbiotic bacteria makes up for deficiencies in herbivorous diets. Using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing and qPCR, this study examined bacterial communities at a fine scale across one such animal group, the turtle ant genus Cephalotes We analyzed the composition and colonization density across four portions of the digestive tract to understand how bacterial diversity is structured across gut compartments, potentially allowing for specific metabolic functions of benefit to the host. In addition, we aimed to understand if caste differentiation or host relatedness influences the gut bacterial communities of Cephalotes ants. Microbial communities were found to vary strongly across Cephalotes gut compartments in ways that transcend both caste and host phylogeny. Despite this, caste and host phylogeny still have detectable effects. We demonstrated microbial community divergence across gut compartments, possibly due to the varying function of each gut compartment for digestion.IMPORTANCE Gut compartments play an important role in structuring the microbial community within individual ants. The gut chambers of the turtle ant digestive tract differ remarkably in symbiont abundance and diversity. Furthermore, caste type explains some variation in the microbiome composition. Finally, the evolutionary history of the Cephalotes species structures the microbiome in our study, which elucidates a trend in which related ants maintain related microbiomes, conceivably owing to co-speciation. Amazingly, gut compartment-specific signatures of microbial diversity, relative abundance, composition, and abundance have been conserved over Cephalotes evolutionary history, signifying that this symbiosis has been largely stable for over 50 million years.

Re-Evaluation of the Podosphaera tridactyla Species Complex in Australia.

The Podosphaera tridactyla species complex is highly variable morphologically and causes powdery mildew on a wide range of Prunus species, including stone fruit. A taxonomic revision of the Po. tridactyla species complex in 2020 identified 12 species, seven of which were newly characterised. In order to clarify which species of this complex are present in Australia, next generation sequencing was used to isolate the fungal ITS+28S and host matK chloroplast gene regions from 56 powdery mildew specimens of stone fruit and ornamental Prunus species accessioned as Po. tridactyla or Oidium sp. in Australian reference collections. The specimens were collected in Australia, Switzerland, Italy and Korea and were collected from 1953 to 2018. Host species were confirmed using matK phylogenetic analysis, which identified that four had been misidentified as Prunus but were actually Malus prunifolia. Podosphaera species were identified using ITS+28S phylogenetic analysis, recognising three Podosphaera species on stone fruit and related ornamental Prunus hosts in Australia. These were Po. pannosa, the rose powdery mildew, and two species in the Po. tridactyla species complex: Po. ampla, which was the predominant species, and a previously unidentified species from peach, which we describe here as Po. cunningtonii.

Challenges and Opportunities of Nanotechnological based Approach for the Treatment of Tuberculosis.

Mycobacterium tuberculosis, because of its unique biochemical behavior and a complex host relationship, successfully evades the host immune system. Therefore, chemotherapy appears to be the first-line option for patients with tuberculosis. However, poor patient compliance with anti-tubercular treatment and variability in anti-tubercular drug pharmacokinetics are among the major driving factors for the emergence of drug resistance. The rising cases of extrapulmonary TB, cross-resistance patterns, high prevalence of tuberculosis and HIV co-infections make tuberculosis treatment more complicated than conventional multidrug therapy. Due to their distinct advantages like higher solubility, increased payload, controlled release profiles, tissue-specific accumulation, and lack of toxicity, nanoscale materials have immense potential for drug delivery applications. An appropriate selection of polymer and careful particle engineering further improves therapeutic outcomes with opportunities to overcome conventional anti-tubercular drugs' challenges. The present review introduces the prospect of using nanotechnology in tuberculosis (TB) chemotherapy and provides a comprehensive overview of recent advances in nanocarriers implied for delivering anti-tubercular drugs.