Geographical information software and shopper card data, aided in the discovery of a Salmonella Enteritidis outbreak associated with Turkish pine nuts.

In 2011, from August to November, the Monroe County Department of Public Health (MCDPH) investigated 47 salmonellosis cases. Geographical information software (GIS) was used to map the address locations of these cases. The resulting GIS analysis and culture information indicated that there were two distinct clusters of Salmonella that were geographically different. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) testing was run at the New York State Department of Health Wadsworth Laboratory and identified S. Enteritidis (23 cases) and S. Typhimurium (10 cases). The epidemiological investigation identified Turkish pine nuts as the link between ill S. Enteritidis cases. Pine nut samples sent for laboratory testing were a PFGE match to human isolates with S. Enteritidis. A national recall of Turkish pine nuts ensued. A multistate outbreak was identified as a result of the initial investigation of MCDPH, in which 43 people were infected with the outbreak strain from five states. GIS software and shopper card data provided important tools in the epidemiological investigation.

Soybean Cyst Nematode, Heterodera glycines, Populations Adapting to Resistant Soybean Cultivars in Kentucky.

Soybean cyst nematode (SCN), Heterodera glycines, is the most limiting biotic factor of soybean (Glycine max) production in Kentucky (KY). Unpublished results of a survey of commercial soybean fields in KY in the late 1980s indicated that H. glycines (HG) type 0 (race 3) was the most common HG type in the state. HG type 0 populations cannot reproduce (female index [FI] <10% compared with reproduction on a standard susceptible cultivar) on PI88788, which is the basis of H. glycines resistance in >90% of the soybean cultivars grown in the United States. Recent reports from Illinois (4), Missouri (3), and North Carolina (2) indicate that most populations of H. glycines in those states are now able to reproduce on resistant soybean cultivars derived from PI88788. Because cultivars derived from PI88788 are grown almost exclusively in KY to manage H. glycines, a limited survey was needed to update information on H. glycines populations. Most soybean fields in KY are grown in a 1-year rotation with corn (Zea mays), a nonhost crop for H. glycines. Therefore, the survey targeted fields that had most recently been in corn. Otherwise, fields were arbitrarily selected for sampling. Composite samples were collected in the fall of 2006 or the spring of 2007 and consisted of 20 soil cores (10 to 15 cm deep × 2.5 cm in diameter) collected following a zigzag pattern. Samples were mixed and stored at 4°C until processing. H. glycines cysts were extracted from soil by a sucrose centrifugation and flotation technique (1). Eggs were liberated by crushing cysts caught on a sieve (250-µm-diameter pores) with a rubber stopper. Liberated eggs were then collected, stained with acid fuchsin, and counted. Up to three samples from each county surveyed were sent to the University of Missouri Nematology Laboratory, Columbia, MO for HG type testing (3). A total of 139 samples, representing 19 major soybean-production counties in KY, were analyzed for H. glycines levels. H. glycines eggs were recovered from 106 (76%) samples and 16 (84%) counties. SCN population densities ranged from 38 to 4,275 eggs per 250 cm3 of soil. HG type tests were conducted on 20 populations from eight counties. HG types 1.2.5.7 (race 2) and 2.5.7 (race 1 or 5) were identified, with HG type 2.5.7 (race 1) being the most common (60% of populations screened). No HG type 0 populations were detected. All populations tested had a FI ≥10% on three of nine indicator lines (PI88788, PI209322, and PI548316). FIs on these indicators ranged from 15 to 80, 11 to 81, and 23 to 88%, respectively. Sixty percent of populations tested had FIs ≥30% on PI88788. Of the populations screened, 25 and 35% had FIs ≥10% on PI548402 (Peking) and Pickett, respectively. All populations tested had FIs = 0 on PI437654. Survey results indicate that cultivars deriving their H. glycines resistance from PI88788 may have reduced effectiveness in suppressing current H. glycines populations in KY. Consequently, producers may need to grow soybean cultivars derived from non-PI88788 resistance sources to successfully manage H. glycines in the future. References: (1) D. E. Hershman et al. Plant Dis. 74:761, 1990. (2) S. R. Koenning. Plant Dis. 88:942, 2004. (3) M. G. Mitchum et al. Plant Dis. 91:1473, 2007. (4) T. L. Niblack et al. Online publication. doi:10.1094/PHP-2008-0118-01-RS. Plant Health Progress, 2008.

Two chicken erythrocyte band 3 mRNAs are generated by alternative transcriptional initiation and differential RNA splicing.

The erythrocyte anion transport protein (band 3) mediates two distinct cellular functions: it provides plasma membrane attachment sites for the erythroid cytoskeletal network, and it also functions as the anion transporter between the erythrocyte cytoplasm and extracellular milieu. We previously showed that two chicken band 3 polypeptides are encoded by two different mRNAs with different translation initiation sites. Here we show that these two band 3 mRNAs are transcribed from two separate promoters within a single gene. In addition, the two pre-mRNAs are differentially spliced, leading to fusion with coding exons used in common in the two mRNAs. The chicken erythrocyte band 3 gene is therefore the first example of a gene that has two promoters within a single locus which function equally efficiently in one cell type at the same developmental stage.

Repeated hospitalizations and self-rated health among the elderly: a multivariate failure time analysis.

The purpose of this study was to determine to what extent a single measure, self-rated health (SRH), independently predicts long-term hospitalizations due to all causes and to cardiovascular diseases by using both the standard Cox proportional hazards model and a more robust events model. The study cohort consisted of 2,812 elderly subjects residing in New Haven, Connecticut, who were followed from 1982 to 1996 as part of the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly. After adjustment for baseline risk factors, using the Cox model, a favorable SRH was associated with a significantly lowered risk for a first hospitalization for all causes (risk ratio (RR) = 0.850, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.774, 0.934) and congestive heart failure (RR = 0.599, 95% CI: 0.426, 0.841) but not for myocardial infarction (RR = 0.882, 95% CI: 0.565, 1.379). With the adjusted robust events model, a positive SRH was associated with a decreased risk in both a first (RR = 0.813, 95% CI: 0.744, 0.889) and a second (RR = 0.870, 95% CI: 0.782, 0.968) hospitalization for any cause. These results indicate that a single measurement of SRH predicts long-term patterns of hospitalization, especially for heart failure, among older adults.

Biorationals fromNicotiana protect cucumbers againstColletotrichum lagenarium (Pass.) ell. & halst disease development.

Trichome exudate compounds isolated from leaves ofNicotiana tabacum, N. glutinosa (accessions 24 and 24a), and 21 otherNicotiana species were evaluated for biorational activity againstC. lagenarium, the anthracnose pathogen of cucumber. Exudate compounds tested were the cembrane diterpenes α- and ß-4,8,13-duvatriene-1,3-diols (DVT diols); the labdane diterpenes (13-E)-labda-13-ene-8α,15-diol (labdenediol) and (13-R)-labda-14-ene-8α, 13-diol (sclareol); extracts fromN. gossei; and various sugar ester isolates. In dose-response experiments test compounds were applied to a water agar surface that was then inoculated with a conidial suspension. Low levels of most test compounds reduced or completely inhibited germination ofC. lagenarium conidia. IC50 values, concentrations (micrograms per square centimeter) at which conidium germination was reduced 50%, were 6.3 for DVT diols, 19.3 for sclareol, 1.0 for labdenediol, 2.8 for a mixture of sclareol and labdenediol, 1.2 for anN. gossei sucrose ester and 4.1 for theN. gossei crude extract. Higher levels of DVT diols and the sclareol-labdenediol mixture were required to reduce lesion size and number on inoculated cucumber leaves. At the highest concentration tested, 100 µg/cm(2), the DVT diols and sclareol-labdenediol mixtures protected cucumbers against lesion development by 93 and 98%, respectively. Sugar ester mixtures from 20Nicotiana species and three different sugar ester fractions fromN. bideglovii had in vitro antifungal activity at a concentration of 48 µg/cm(2). Sugar esters from nine of the species includingN. acuminata, N. attenuata, N. clevelandii, N. maritima, N. miersii, N. noctiflora, N. occidentalis, N. rustica, and fractions 10, 12, and 13 fromN. bideglovii completely inhibitedC. lagenarium conidium from germinating. Sugar ester mixtures from only four species,N. plumbaginifolia, N. bonariensis, N. simulans, andN. palmerii, had no significant effect onC. lagenarium conidium germination. These results suggest the potential ofNicotiana exudates as biorationals in reducing disease development.

Leaf surface chemicals fromNicotiana affecting germination ofPeronospora tabacina (adam) sporangia.

A bioassay was used to evaluate the effects of cuticular leaf components, isolated fromN. tabacum, N. glutinosa (accessions 24 and 24a), and 23other Nicotiana species, on germinationof P. tabacina (blue mold). The leaf surface compounds includedα- andß-4,8,13,-duvatriene-l,3-diols (DVT-diols), (13-E)-labda-13-ene-8α-,15-diol (labdenediol), (12-Z)-labda-12,14-diene-8α-ol (cis-abienol), (13-R)-labda-8,14-diene-13-ol (manool), 2-hydroxymanool, a mixture of (13-R)-labda-14-ene-8α,13-diol (sclareol), and (13-S)-labda-14-ene-8α,13-diol (episclareol), and various glucose and/or sucrose ester isolates. The above in acetone were applied onto leaf disks of the blue moldsusceptibleN. tabacum cv. TI 1406, which was then inoculated with blue mold sporangia. Estimated IC50 values (inhibitory concentration) were 3.0µg/cm(2) forα-DVT-diol, 2.9µ/cm(2) forß-DVT-diol, 0.4µg/cm(2) for labdenediol and 4.7µg/cm(2) for the sclareol mixture. Manool, 2-hydroxymanool, andcis-abienol at application rates up to 30µg/cm(2) had little or no effect on sporangium germination. Glucose and/or sucrose ester isolates from the cuticular leaf extracts of 23Nicotiana species and three different fractions fromN. bigelovii were also evaluated for antimicrobial activity at a concentration of 30µg/cm(2). Germination was inhibited by >20% when exposed to sugar esters isolated fromN. acuminata, N. benthamiana, N. attenuata, N. clevelandii, andN. miersii, and accessions 10 and 12 ofN. bigelovii. These results imply that a number of compounds may influence resistance to blue mold in tobacco.