Cabbage (Brassica oleracea L.) is a cool-season crop of the Brassicaceae family. In late autumn 2022, irregularly shaped yellow to translucent spots, which later turned brown to black, were observed on savoy cabbage ‘Famosa F1’ in commercial fields in the Apulia region, Southern Italy. Lesions, primarily on outer leaves, resulted in yellowing and wilting. Disease severity in affected fields reached approximately 70%, and prevalence was estimated between 70% and 80%. Ten symptomatic cabbage plants were collected, and small pieces of tissue from the margin of lesions were disinfected with 1% hypochlorite solution for 1 min, soaked in 70% ethanol for 30 s, and rinsed twice with sterile distilled water. These samples were placed on potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium supplemented with 0.5 g/L streptomycin sulfate and incubated at 25 ± 1°C in the dark. After five days, purified cultures morphologically resembling Fusarium were obtained through hyphal tip culture on PDA. The mycelium was white to pale yellow, composed of septate hyphae, and colonized the entire Petri dish (90 mm diam) within one week. A total of 100 conidia were examined, including macroconidia (measuring: 40 (32-49) × 5.5 (3.7-6.9) μm), which were slender, falcate, hyaline, with 2-5 septa dividing the conidia into 3-6 cells, and microconidia, which were smaller (measuring 13 (7.5-20.0) × 4.4 (2.6-6.4) μm), with one or two cells, ellipsoidal to reniform, and borne on short undifferentiated monophialides. Genomic DNA was extracted according to De Miccolis Angelini et al. (2010), and multi-locus sequence analysis was performed. The internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region, fragments of the β-tubulin (TUB), translation elongation factor 1-alpha (TEF 1-α), and RNA-binding protein 2 (RPB2) genes were amplified by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and Sanger-sequenced using primers ITS5/ITS4 (McBreen et al. 2003; White et al. 1990), Bt2b/T1 (Glass et al. 1995; O'Donnell et al. 1998a), EF-1/EF-2 (O'Donnell et al. 1998b), and RPB2-5F/RPB2-7CR (Liu et al. 1999), respectively. Sequences were deposited in GenBank with accession numbers PV606470.1 for ITS, PV612384.1 for TUB, PV612385.1 for TEF 1-α, and PV954741.1 for RPB2. When searched in the non-redundant GenBank and Fusarium MLST (www.fusarium.org) databases, the highest sequence similarity (≥99.29%) was reached with the ITS region (GU170651.1), TUB (MW534050), TEF 1-α (MW620166.1), and RPB2(MW474690.1) genes of Neocosmospora falciformis. Phylogenetic analysis of concatenated TEF1-α and RPB2 nucleotide sequences confirmed the identification of the isolates. Pathogenicity test was carried out in a greenhouse (25 ± 1°C; 12 h photoperiod) by inoculating leaves of ninety healthy plants of B. oleracea L. var. botrytis, var. italica, and var. sabauda with mycelium plugs (5 mm diam) excised from the actively growing margin of 10-day-old PDA cultures of the two isolates. For inoculation, a single plug was placed onto the adaxial surface of the third and or fourth true leaf of each plant. Fifteen days after inoculation, necrotic spots similar to those observed in the field samples were detected. The fungus was reisolated from infected tissues of inoculated plants and exhibited the same morphological and molecular characteristics as the original isolates, thereby fulfilling Koch's postulates. Pathogenicity tests were repeated to confirm the reproducibility. This study represents the first report of N. falciformis on B. oleracea in Italy.

Clinically present mycobacterium tuberculosis RNA polymerase subunit RpoB K446 mutation confers broad-spectrum antibiotics resistance via pupylation.

The widespread use of antibiotics has raised concerns about their residues in dairy products, meat, fish, and poultry, which can pose risks to human health and lead to substantial economic losses. Therefore, the rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective detection of low concentrations of various antibiotics in food samples is critical. This work reports on the fabrication of MXene fibers by coating commercial nylon yarns with Ti3C2, Ti3C1.75N0.25, and Ti3C1.5N0.5 MXenes and their use as electrodes in an impedimetric electronic tongue (e-tongue). The MXene-modified fiber-based e-tongue was employed in the detection of trace amounts of cloxacillin benzathine, tetracycline hydrochloride, and streptomycin sulfate. By treating the collected electrical resistance data, the system could differentiate the antibiotics and detect their presence in real milk samples at concentrations as low as 10 nM. The use of low-cost MXene-modified nylon fibers as electrodes, which can be fabricated through rapid and straightforward methods, enhances the scalability and practicability of the e-tongue system. This approach represents a promising and robust alternative for the sensitive detection of diverse antibiotic residues in food matrices.

The synergistic integration of high-performance electrochemiluminescence (ECL) emitters and sensing strategies is crucial for the development of ultrasensitive detection platforms. In this study, a competitive aptasensor based on a zirconium-copper (Zr-Cu) crystal framework self-enhanced ECL emitter was constructed for the precise analysis of streptomycin (STR). The ECL performance was optimized through the synergistic interplay of bimetallic sites within the crystal framework. The ECL enhancement was attributed to a synergistic mechanism: an efficient intraunit charge transfer (IUCT) from the electron-donating Cu-ligand unit to the electron-accepting Zr-oxo cluster, coupled with the rigid framework of Zr-nodes that minimized nonradiative energy loss. Furthermore, the introduction of europium-doped cerium dioxide (CeO2-Eu) as an enhancer, featuring multivalent reversible redox ion pairs (Ce4+/3+-Eu3+/2+), provided an additional amplification pathway for the ECL emission. A competitive aptasensor constructed based on the synergistic effect enabled the highly sensitive detection of STR, with a linear range of 0.001-150 nM and a limit of detection as low as 0.42 pM. This research contributed a novel strategy for designing efficient ECL materials.

Salmonella is known to cause intestinal infections in humans, which can result in symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, and, in severe cases, sepsis and death. Isolates of Salmonella from specific populations and regions exhibit varying patterns of antibiotic resistance and genetic characteristics. This study aims to evaluate the diversity of 32 strains of Salmonella isolated from fecal samples of diarrhea patients in Chifeng City, China, between 2021 and 2023, through antibiotic resistance and genomic analysis. Microbroth dilution and whole genome sequencing were employed to investigate antibiotic resistance, multilocus sequence typing, phylogenetic relationship, virulence genes, antibiotic resistance genes, and mobile genetic elements. The antibiotic resistance tests showed 93.75% of Salmonella isolates were resistant to ampicillin, followed by streptomycin (STR) (87.50%) and tetracycline (TET) (56.25%). A total of 32 Salmonella strains were classified into 6 ST types. Virulence gene profiles revealed a relatively high prevalence of the type III secretion system gene cluster. The adhesion-related genes fim, Bcf, and Agf/Csg were prominently represented across all isolates. The antibiotic resistance gene profile showed that the aminoglycoside resistance gene aac(6')-Iaa (100.00%), sulfanilamide resistance gene sul (81.25%), β-lactam resistance gene blaTEM-1B (75.00%), and TET resistance gene tet (56.25%) were more commonly found. Plasmid replicons IncFII(S), IncFIB(S), IncQ1, and IncX1 were frequently identified in these isolates, serving as primary sources of horizontally acquired foreign genes. The most common phage types were Salmon_118970_sal3 (78.13%) and Phage_Gifsy_2 (59.38%). The most frequently observed insertion sequences were IS285 (56.25%) and ISEc39 (56.25%) from the IS256 family. The results indicate a correlation between the resistance phenotype of Salmonella and its genomic characteristics. These findings provide valuable references for the prevention and control of Salmonella, as well as for clinical treatment.

This clinical case report documented the laboratory diagnosis of infectious bursal disease and colibacillosis in a flock of 4,000, 3-week-old isa brown chickens in Jos, Nigeria. The diagnosis was established based on a combination of clinical history, gross and histopathologic findings, serologic analysis, bacterial culture and identification, and molecular detection of Infectious Bursal Disease Virus (IBDV) from affected bursal tissues. Key gross and histopathologic lesions observed included enlargement of the bursa of Fabricius, ecchymotic and suffusive haemorrhages in the thigh and pectoral muscles, along with oedema, necrosis, and lymphoid depletion in the bursal lymphoid tissues. Serologic testing demonstrated low antibody titres against IBDV, indicating a poor immune response in the affected birds. PCR detection confirmed the presence of a 743bp fragment of the VP2 gene of IBDV. Based on these findings, the outbreak was confirmed as Infectious Bursal Disease (Gumboro) complicated by concurrent colibacillosis. The remaining birds were treated with V-ox® (Ceva, India), a virucide formulation administered at a dose of 1g/L of drinking water, alongside an oral Pen-Provit WSP® (Penicillin G-procaine+streptomycin sulphate + vitamins + folic acid + Ca d-pantothenate +nicotinic acid) (KEPRO, Kuipersweg, The Netherlands) preparation at 1g/L of drinking water for 10 consecutive days. Following treatment, a total of 1,848 birds survived. The outcomes highlighted the importance of a comprehensive diagnostic approach, combining clinical history, postmortem examination, microbial culture and susceptibility testing, serologic evaluation, and molecular diagnostics, for the reliable identification and effective management of concurrent infectious bursal disease and colibacillosis outbreaks in poultry production systems.

Aloe vera is a perennial evergreen herb belonging to Liliaceae Aloe, which is widely used in beauty, food, healthcare, and medicine (Kumar et al. 2019) and extensively cultivated worldwide due to its enormous commercial value. However, a stem rot disease severely restricts the development of A.vera cultivation in China (Ji et al. 2007). In 2023, the average disease incidence of A.vera Mill. with basal stem rot in Dajie Town, Daming County, Handan City, Hebei Province, was 20％. The disease initially appeared as translucent, water-soaked patches on the epidermis of basal stems. These lesions progressed from light brown to dark brown, with vascular bundles turning brown. Internal tissues softened into a soggy decay and emitted a foul odor. Nine diseased plants showing representative symptoms were collected from three greenhouses. The pathogen was isolated from diseased stems using a tissue separation method. The stem tissues were surface sterilized with 75% ethanol for 30 s, then rinsed three times with sterile distilled water, dried, transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) supplemented with 100 μg/ml of streptomycin sulfate, and incubated at 25℃ for 2 days. A total of six isolates with similar morphology on PDA were consistently isolated, and purified by single-spore isolation (Qiu et al. 2011). Colonies showed round, flat surfaces, white downy or powdery mycelium, clear on the reverse side. Hyphae were hyaline, septate and branched microscopically. Arthrospores were hyaline, cylindrical or oval-shaped, ranging in size from 2.5 to 7.2 μm × 0.1 to 6.2 μm (n=50). These morphological features matched those of Geotrichum candidum (Kai et al. 2021). To further confirm the identification, the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and translation elongation factor 1 -alpha (TEF1-α) regions were amplified and sequenced from two randomly selected isolates (BAI, BAI2) using the primers ITS1/ITS4 (White et al. 1990), EF1-1018/EF1-1620R (Stielow et al. 2015). BLAST analysis revealed that the ITS sequences (PV018630, PV168341) had 100% identity to that of G. candidum and TEF1-α sequences (PV469904, PV469905) had 100% and 99% identity to that of G. candidum. A neighbor-joining phylogenetic tree based on ITS and TEF1-α indicated that BAI and BAI2 clustered with G. candidum (Saitou and Nei, 1987). BAI and BAI2 were deposited in the Life Sciences Experimental and Practical Training Center. For pathogenicity testing, healthy 1.5-year-old A.vera Mill. plants were surface disinfected with 75% ethanol, and then two 2-mm-depth wounds were punctured on each basal stem using a sterilized toothpick. Ten plants were inoculated with 10 μl of a conidial suspension (5 × 10 5 conidia per ml) obtained from 7-day-old PDA cultures and eluted with sterile distilled water (Ding et al. 2015). Ten control plants were inoculated with 10 μl of sterile distilled water. All plants were incubated at 25℃ under a 12/12-h light/dark cycle. After 10 days, all plants inoculated with BAI and BAI2 developed basal stem rot symptoms that were similar to those observed in the greenhouses. While control plants remained healthy, G. candidum was reisolated from the inoculated stems and confirmed by morphological and molecular analysis, fulfilling Koch’s postulates. Tests were repeated with consistent results. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of G. candidum causing basal stem rot on A. vera in China. These findings will aid the cultivation of this economically important crop by enabling early diagnosis and targeted control strategies.

Amikacin liposomal inhalation suspension (ALIS) and injectable streptomycin (SM) are aminoglycosides used in addition to guideline-based therapy (GBT) in patients with Mycobacterium avium complex lung disease (MAC-LD). However, no studies have compared the efficacy of ALIS and injectable SM in patients with refractory MAC-LD. The current study aimed to retrospectively compare the sputum culture conversion rates and the treatment continuation probability of ALIS and injectable SM in patients with refractory MAC-LD. This study included patients with refractory MAC-LD who were diagnosed with MAC-LD at the Department of Respiratory Medicine at Toho University Medical Center Sakura Hospital from April 2010 to May 2023, and who could not achieve negative sputum culture conversion after GBT for at least 6 months resulting in new treatment with ALIS or injectable SM. The medical records of the patients were retrospectively reviewed. Then, the sputum culture conversion rates up to 6 months and the treatment continuation probability up to 6 months between patients receiving ALIS and those receiving injectable SM were compared. Twenty-three patients with MAC-LD were eligible for present study. Eleven patients were treated with ALIS and 12 with injectable SM. Four (36%) patients treated with ALIS and 2 (17%) with injectable SM achieved negative sputum culture conversion, but there was no statistically significant difference between 2 groups (P = .37). The continuation probability up to 6 months of the patients treated with ALIS was significantly higher than that of patients treated with injectable SM (two-tailed log-rank test hazard ratio: 0.058, 95% confidence interval: 0.018–0.185, P = .0001). The most common cause of injectable SM discontinuation was hospital visit difficulty. ALIS and injectable SM had similar sputum culture conversion rates. However, the former had a higher continuation probability than the latter.

Achnatherum inebrians, a toxic perennial bunchgrass native to northwestern China, establishes a mutualistic symbiotic relationship with two distinct endophyte species, Epichloë gansuensis and Epichloë inebrians. These endophytes produce ergot alkaloids that accumulate in plant tissues and are responsible for frequent poisoning incidents in grazing livestock. The bioaccumulation of these compounds poses significant agricultural risks, necessitating the development of targeted control strategies. Research investigations require the isolation of these fungi from plant material. The current isolation method is internationally accepted but results in a low endophyte isolation frequency. The conventional protocol involved sequentially treating seeds with 75% ethanol (30 s) followed by 10% sodium hypochlorite (1 min), with 5 consecutive sterile-water rinses performed after each sterilization step. The sterilized seeds were dried on autoclaved filter paper and transferred to potato dextrose agar (PDA) supplemented with antibiotics (50 mg/L benzylpenicillin potassium and 50 mg/L streptomycin sulphate). Following a certain period of time, actively growing mycelia were aseptically selected from the colony periphery for sequential subculturing. Any microbiological contamination was removed as soon as it was detected throughout the experimental process. The methodological enhancements involved two modifications: (1) implementation of a 10 min 50% sulphuric acid pretreatment for seed coat prior to sterilization, and (2) formulation optimization of PDA through supplementation with 0.1% (w/v) yeast extract and 5% (v/v) aqueous foliage extract from A. inebrians. These improvements significantly increased the isolation success rate from 4% to 18% while accelerating fungal growth by 10-20%. The optimized methodology discussed in this study significantly enhanced the isolation frequency of endophytes from A. inebrians, thereby allowing more effective research studies to be conducted. This method establishes a referenceable technical pathway for the isolation of endophytes from grasses, enhances the practical application potential and advances the technological innovation process in endophyte symbiosis research.

Integrative machine learning approaches with genomic data for predicting antitubercular drug resistance: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

The work created sensors based on a molecularly imprinted polymer (MIP) with the imprints of streptomycin sulfate (Strep). Its detection limit was 5.8 10-6 g/L. The obtained sensors have high selectivity to streptomycin sulfate in multicomponent mixtures. Sensors modified by MIP were tested in the determination of the antibiotic in milk. The results of determining streptomycin sulfate in liquids using an amperometric sensor and the HPLC method were compared.

Soybean (Glycine max L.) is widely cultivated in northeastern Italy, especially in Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Veneto. Since 2013, during early seedling development, necrotic lesions have appeared on upper leaves, spreading downward and causing up to 25% defoliation in the field. Purplish discoloration was observed on petioles, stems, and pods. Seeds showed pale to dark purple blotches on the seed coat, from small spots to full coverage. These symptoms are typical of Cercospora leaf blight (CLB) and Purple Seed Stain (PSS). In 2018-2019, symptomatic tissues were analyzed. Small fragments of infected stems and pods from five different fields (ten plants/site), were surface-sterilized in 1% sodium hypochlorite for 10 min, rinsed with sterile distilled water, and plated onto Potato Dextrose Agar (BD Difco™) with streptomycin sulphate (300 mg/L). Plates were incubated in the dark at 25°C for 7 days. Seeds were disinfected similarly, but for 1 minute. Single-spore cultures produced deep purple mycelium on the lower surface and grey on the upper. Stromata were absent or poorly developed. Conidiophores were straight, pale to dark brown, 120–180 × 3.0–5.5 µm; conidia were solitary, hyaline, slightly curved, and measured 40–250 × 2.5–4.5 µm (n=25). Eight representative isolates from Friuli-Venezia Giulia, three from pods (CREA-CI24, CREA-CI25, CREA-CI26) and five from seeds (C-N7, C-170-1, C-203-4, C-203-5, C-212), underwent multilocus molecular analysis (Groenewald et al., 2012). DNA was extracted and internal transcribed spacer region (ITS), calmodulin (CAL), and histone H3 (HIS3) were amplified (White et al., 1990; Carbone and Kohn, 1999; Crous et al., 2004) and Sanger sequenced. Sequences were deposited in GenBank (ITS: MK989496–98, PX092092–96; CAL: MK991296–98, PX091946–50; HIS3: MK991293–95, PX091951–55). MegaBLAST analysis showed 99% to 100% identity with reference sequences of C. cf. flagellaris (ITS: JX143614, CAL: JX142867, HIS3: JX142621). Phylogenetic analysis using concatenated sequences and 63 references confirmed clustering within C. cf. flagellaris. Pathogenicity tests (Cai & Schneider, 2005) were conducted with strains CI24, CI25, and CI26, in triplicate. Sterile soybean leaves on living plants were sprayed with conidial suspension (10⁴ conidia/mL) and incubated at 25°C under moist conditions. After 8–10 days, necrosis and blight symptoms developed as in the field. No symptoms were seen in controls. Reisolation from symptomatic inoculated leaves confirmed C. cf. flagellaris as the causal agent, based on morphology and ITS sequences. The symptoms observed in this study align with Cercospora-related diseases (CLB and PSS). Previously attributed to C. kikuchii, recent studies (Soares et al., 2015; Albu et al., 2016) showed that C. cf. flagellaris and C. cf. sigesbeckia are also involved. Fernandes et al. (2025) reported that C. cf. flagellaris causes milder symptoms on young soybean leaves than other Cercospora spp., consistent with our observations. To our knowledge, this is the first report of C. cf. flagellaris on soybean in Italy. Soybean covers about 300,000 ha in the country, mainly in northeastern valleys, and is a key food and feed crop. This finding expands known Cercospora diversity associated with CLB and PSS in Italy and highlights the need for further studies on pathogen distribution, epidemiology, cultivar susceptibility, and management strategies to sustain soybean production.

Abstract The corrosion inhibition capability of the near-expiry date drug streptomycin (STN) was tested as a green inhibitor for controlling the corrosion of mild steel (MS) in sulfamic acid (NH 2 SO 3 H). Experiments were performed using electrochemical techniques such as potentiodynamic polarization (PDP) and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS). Kinetic and thermodynamic parameters were evaluated to predict the mode of adsorption of STN on the Mild steel surface. Adhesion of the STN was confirmed by surface morphology studies using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). Density functional theory was adopted to determine various quantum chemical descriptors. Streptomycin was found to be efficient while bringing down the corrosion rate. It acted as a mixed-type inhibitor, underwent physical adsorption, and followed the Langmuir adsorption isotherm. At 303 K and 0.05 g l −1 STN concentration, the maximum inhibition efficiency was found to be 60%. The quantum calculations and the results of the electrochemical studies correlated well with one another. Unused near-expiry date drugs have emerged as environmentally conscious and efficient green inhibitors.

Background: Shigella spp. are critical pathogens causing diarrheal diseases. This study analyzed the epidemiological characteristics, antimicrobial resistance profiles, virulence factor profiles, and molecular patterns of Shigella isolates in Pudong New Area, Shanghai, from 2013 to 2024. Materials and Methods: Antimicrobial susceptibility of Shigella isolates was determined using the broth microdilution method. All molecular characterization analyses were based on whole-genome next-generation sequencing of Shigella strains. Results: A total of 55 Shigella spp. isolates were obtained from 17,670 enrolled diarrheal cases between 2013 and 2024, including 47 S. sonnei and 8 S. flexneri isolates. Resistance rates to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim (SXT), streptomycin (STR), nalidixic acid (NAL), ampicillin (AMP), and tetracycline (TET) all exceeded 90.00%. The resistance rate to azithromycin (AZI) increased from 12.50% to 60.00% with a fluctuating upward trend from 2013 to 2019; 97.87% of S. sonnei and 100.00% of S. flexneri isolates were multidrug-resistant. These isolates harbored multiple resistance genes and virulence factors. S. sonnei was dominated by ST152, while S. flexneri was predominantly ST245. These isolates were phylogenetically close to domestic (Beijing) and international (USA) strains of the same sequence typing collected at different time points, suggesting a common origin and stable transmission characteristics. Conclusion: From 2013 to 2024, the prevalent Shigella species in Pudong were S. sonnei and S. flexneri. Shigella isolates exhibited high resistance rates, and the situation of multidrug resistance was severe. Therefore, strengthening antimicrobial resistance monitoring and controlling regional transmission are of great significance. Meanwhile, genomic surveillance of Shigella ST152/ST245 is recommended for Pudong’s enteric pathogen control programs.

The Chinese medicinal herb "Taoerqi" is scientifically classified as Sinopodophyllum hexandrum (Royle) Ying (formerly Podophyllum hexandrum), belonging to the family Berberidaceae (Liu et al. 2021), possesses effective anti-cancer functions (Liu et al. 2015). In December 2024, during cultivation of S. hexandrum in a 100 m² greenhouse at Lanzhou (36°10'N, 103°72'E), approximately 10% of plants exhibited severe disease symptoms. Initially, the leaves exhibited chlorosis and irregular dark brown necrotic lesions, accompanied by stems constriction. Subsequently, the roots exhibited brown discoloration and rot. In severe cases, the entire plant wilted and died. To isolate the pathogen, symptomatic root tissues were excised from five plants, surface-disinfected in sequence with 1% NaClO (sodium hypochlorite) for 1 min and 75% ethanol for 30 s, then rinsed three times with sterile water and placed onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) medium, supplemented with streptomycin sulfate (50 µg/mL) to inhibit bacteria growth. After a 7-day incubation at 25°C in the dark, a consistent fungal isolate was obtained from the diseased tissues by single-spore isolation. Colonies on PDA produced abundant aerial mycelia that were initially white, gradually turning pinkish to violaceous. Conidiophores were sparsely branched, mostly terminating with verticillate phialides. Microconidia were oval or ellipsoidal, measuring 2.9 to 14.9 × 1.3 to 3.4 μm (n = 50). Macroconidia were slender, relatively straight to moderately curved, and falcate, measuring 33.6 to 59.1 × 2.3 to 4.7 μm, with 3 to 5 septa (n = 50). Based on these morphological characteristics, the strain was tentatively identified as Fusarium verticillioides (Gerlach et al. 1982). The translation elongation factor 1-alpha gene (tef1)(O’Donnell et al. 1998), the internal transcribed spacer (ITS), the RNA polymerase II largest subunit (rpb1), and the RNA polymerase II second largest subunit (rpb2) regions of the isolate were sequenced (O’Donnell et al. 2022). The obtained sequences were deposited in GenBank (PV593989, PQ812600, PV593987, PV593988). BLAST analysis revealed that the TEF-1α, ITS, RPB1 and RPB2 regions showed 100% identity (925/925 bp, 533/533 bp, 1,794/1,794 bp, and 944/944 bp, respectively) with F. verticillioides. A multi-locus phylogenetic tree constructed using maximum likelihood in MEGA X (Hall 2013) placed TEQ-LZ in a clade with F. verticillioides. Pathogenicity assays were conducted by soil drenching with 5 mL of conidial suspension (10⁶ conidia/mL) around the roots of six healthy potted seedlings (3 months old) with intact root systems (Zhou et al. 2024), while the control group was treated with sterilized water. The plants were then placed in the greenhouse at 15°C for incubation. After 15 days, typical symptoms identical to those initially observed appeared on the leaves, stems, and roots of all inoculated plants. Approximately 28% of the plants ultimately succumbed to the disease, while the control group remained healthy. Morphological examination and sequence analysis confirmed that the re-isolated fungus was identical to isolate TEQ-LZ, fulfilling Koch’s postulates. This entire experiment was repeated three times with similar results. This is the first report of S. hexandrum stem blight caused by F. verticillioides in China. This finding is crucial for the conservation of S. hexandrum germplasm resources, and advancing research on the disease mechanism.

Simple SummarySlaughterhouses offer a valuable opportunity to detect hidden animal diseases that may not be observed during life. In this study, we examined fully condemned pig carcasses with spinal abscesses and identified Trueperella pyogenes as a key pathogen. By analyzing samples collected postmortem, we uncovered high levels of antibiotic resistance and evidence of potential virulence, providing critical insights into both animal health and food safety. This research demonstrates how slaughterhouse monitoring can support the early detection of emerging pathogens, track antimicrobial resistance, and guide farm-level interventions. It highlights the epidemiological value of routine meat inspection data for improving animal production systems and protecting public health.Slaughterhouses serve as critical surveillance hubs for identifying subclinical and economically important diseases in food-producing animals. Trueperella (Arcanobacterium) pyogenes, an opportunistic pathogen commonly found on the mucous membranes of livestock, is associated with mastitis, abortion, and suppurative infections such as abscesses. In this study, we investigated 30 pig carcasses fully condemned due to vertebral osteomyelitis (VO) at two slaughterhouses in Gwangju, Republic of Korea, between November 2023 and May 2024. From abscess lesions, 11 T. pyogenes strains were isolated and characterized morphologically, biochemically, and genetically. The hemolytic exotoxin pyolysin (plo gene), a major virulence factor, was detected in five isolates (45.46%). Phylogenetic analysis of partial 16S rDNA sequences confirmed close clustering with known T. pyogenes reference strains. All 11 isolates exhibited multidrug resistance, showing resistance to 8–14 antimicrobial agents per strain. Complete resistance (11/11, 100%) was observed against amikacin (AMI), nalidixic acid (NAL), chloramphenicol (CHL), florfenicol (FFN), and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (SXT). High resistance rates were also detected for erythromycin (ERY) and clindamycin (CLI) (10/11, 90.9%), ceftazidime (TAZ), ceftriaxone (AXO), ciprofloxacin (CIP) (7/11, 63.6%), and tetracycline (TET) and streptomycin (STR) (5/11, 45.5%), while gentamicin (GEN) resistance was found in three isolates (27.3%). In contrast, none of the isolates showed resistance to ampicillin, cefoxitin, or cefotaxime. These findings underscore the epidemiological value of abattoir-based monitoring in detecting emerging pathogens and tracking antimicrobial resistance. The results provide important baseline data to inform disease control strategies, guide antimicrobial stewardship, and support One Health approaches, including the development of preventive measures such as vaccines.

Plants of high THC-containing Cannabis sativa L. (cannabis) grown outdoors in south-central British Columbia showing symptoms of stunted growth, yellowing, and leaf curl were sampled during April–August, 2023. Root and crown tissues from three genotypes were surface-sterilized and plated onto potato dextrose agar (PDA) containing 130 mg L−1 streptomycin sulphate. Emerging colonies were identified using morphological criteria and PCR of the ITS1–ITS4 region of ribosomal DNA. Leaf tissues were tested for beet curly top virus and hop latent viroid using pathogen-specific PCR primers. The genera and species recovered from affected root and crown tissues (in decreasing order) were Globisporangium sylvaticum, Fusarium commune, F. equiseti, F. sporotrichioides and F. acuminatum. In leaf tissues of one genotype (‘Grandaddy Bruce’), the presence of hop latent viroid was confirmed. A mixture of mycelium and spores of the fungal and oomycete isolates was used to inoculate stem cuttings, rooted cuttings and hydroponically grown plants of cannabis genotype ‘Powdered Donuts’. Disease incidence and severity were rated after 3–4 weeks, depending on the tissues used. In all experiments, isolates of G. sylvaticum and F. commune were the most pathogenic, followed by F. acuminatum and F. sporotrichioides. There was minimal disease development following F. equiseti inoculation. Symptoms of stunting, root browning and decay were observed with F. commune, G. sylvaticum, F. acuminatum and F. sporotrichioides, all of which are reported for the first time as root pathogens affecting C. sativa in Canada. Combined inoculation of G. sylvaticum with F. commune produced more severe root symptoms than either pathogen alone.

Responses of viral communities in aerobic biofilms under antibiotic stress.

Evaluation of five colorimetric methods for rapid detection of multidrug-resistant Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates.

Bacterial blight, caused by Xanthomonas citri pv. punicae (Xcp), severely impacts the global pomegranate industry, with alarming yield losses up to 80%. This pathogen becomes a glitch in the pomegranate industry, leading to reduced commercial pockets globally, especially in Pakistan. The objective of this study was to conduct biochemical characterisation and in vitro evaluation of copper compounds and antibiotics against Xcp, for optimal fruit quality and yield. The pathogen was isolated from infected tissues of the pomegranate, and various biochemical tests were performed to identify the bacteria. Pathogenicity was confirmed using the pin-prick and infiltration method on cv. Golden. The in vitro efficacy of antibiotics and copper compounds was assessed using the disk diffusion method against Xcp. The pathogen was aseptically cultured via the streak plate method, and disks impregnated with different chemical concentrations were placed on solidified media. A control disk was treated with sterile water containing 1% v/v surfactant. Plates were incubated at 28 ± 2°C for 48 and 72h to observe bacterial growth inhibition. Biochemical analysis showed positive results for the oxidase test, catalase test, KOH solubility test, gelatin liquefaction, and starch hydrolysis test, while Gram staining was negative. Antibacterial efficacy was determined by measuring inhibition zones after 48 and 72h of incubation. The highest inhibition zones, measuring 29.55mm and 37.73mm at 48 and 72h, respectively, were recorded with 550µg/ml oxytetracycline hydrochloride, followed by streptomycin sulfate (550µg/ml) with zones of 29.12mm and 32.42mm. In contrast, copper-based compounds, particularly copper sulfate (2000µg/ml), exhibited the lowest inhibition, with zones of 8.85mm and 8.86mm at the respective time intervals. A comparative analysis demonstrated that antibiotics showed outstanding and prodigious results compared to copper compounds. The results of this experiment demonstrate the effectiveness of oxytetracycline hydrochloride and streptomycin sulfate in inhibiting the radial growth of Xcp under controlled conditions. Furthermore, changes in dosage/concentration, time of application, and field application method may help researchers with field-oriented results in the future.