Expansion of Neisseria meningitidis Serogroup C Clonal Complex 10217 during Meningitis Outbreak, Burkina Faso, 2019.

During January 28-May 5, 2019, a meningitis outbreak caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (NmC) occurred in Burkina Faso. Demographic and laboratory data for meningitis cases were collected through national case-based surveillance. Cerebrospinal fluid was collected and tested by culture and real-time PCR. Among 301 suspected cases reported in 6 districts, N. meningitidis was the primary pathogen detected; 103 cases were serogroup C and 13 were serogroup X. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that 18 cerebrospinal fluid specimens tested positive for NmC sequence type (ST) 10217 within clonal complex 10217, an ST responsible for large epidemics in Niger and Nigeria. Expansion of NmC ST10217 into Burkina Faso, continued NmC outbreaks in the meningitis belt of Africa since 2019, and ongoing circulation of N. meningitidis serogroup X in the region underscore the urgent need to use multivalent conjugate vaccines in regional mass vaccination campaigns to reduce further spread of those serogroups.

Selection of Antibiotics as Prophylaxis for Close Contacts of Patients with Meningococcal Disease in Areas with Ciprofloxacin Resistance - United States, 2024.

Meningococcal disease, caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, is a rare but life-threatening illness that requires prompt antibiotic treatment for patients and antibiotic prophylaxis for their close contacts. Historically, N. meningitidis isolates in the United States have been largely susceptible to the antibiotics recommended for prophylaxis, including ciprofloxacin. Since 2019, however, the number of meningococcal disease cases caused by ciprofloxacin-resistant strains has increased. Antibiotic prophylaxis with ciprofloxacin in areas with ciprofloxacin resistance might result in prophylaxis failure. Health departments should preferentially consider using antibiotics other than ciprofloxacin as prophylaxis for close contacts when both of the following criteria have been met in a local catchment area during a rolling 12-month period: 1) the reporting of two or more invasive meningococcal disease cases caused by ciprofloxacin-resistant strains, and 2) ≥20% of all reported invasive meningococcal disease cases are caused by ciprofloxacin-resistant strains. Other than ciprofloxacin, alternative recommended antibiotic options include rifampin, ceftriaxone, or azithromycin. Ongoing monitoring for antibiotic resistance of meningococcal isolates through surveillance and health care providers' reporting of prophylaxis failures will guide future updates to prophylaxis considerations and recommendations.

Cases of Meningococcal Disease Associated with Travel to Saudi Arabia for Umrah Pilgrimage - United States, United Kingdom, and France, 2024.

Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD), caused by infection with the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis, usually manifests as meningitis or septicemia and can be severe and life-threatening (1). Six serogroups (A, B, C, W, X, and Y) account for most cases (2). N. meningitidis is transmitted person-to-person via respiratory droplets and oropharyngeal secretions. Asymptomatic persons can carry N. meningitidis and transmit the bacteria to others, potentially causing illness among susceptible persons. Outbreaks can occur in conjunction with large gatherings (3,4). Vaccines are available to prevent meningococcal disease. Antibiotic prophylaxis for close contacts of infected persons is critical to preventing secondary cases (2).

Acquisition of Ciprofloxacin Resistance Among an Expanding Clade of ß-Lactamase-Positive, Serogroup Y Neisseria meningitidis in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Penicillin and ciprofloxacin are important for invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) management and prevention. IMD cases caused by penicillin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant Neisseria meningitidis containing a ROB-1 ß-lactamase gene (blaROB-1) and a mutated DNA gyrase gene (gyrA) have been recently reported in the United States. METHODS: We examined 2097 meningococcal genomes collected through US population-based surveillance from January 2011 to February 2020 to identify IMD cases caused by strains with blaROB-1- or gyrA-mediated resistance. Antimicrobial resistance was confirmed phenotypically. The US isolate genomes were compared to non-US isolate genomes containing blaROB-1. Interspecies transfer of ciprofloxacin resistance was assessed by comparing gyrA among Neisseria species. RESULTS: Eleven penicillin- and ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates were identified after December 2018; all were serogroup Y, sequence type 3587, clonal complex (CC) 23, and contained blaROB-1 and a T91I-containing gyrA allele. An additional 22 penicillin-resistant, blaROB-1- containing US isolates with wild-type gyrA were identified from 2013 to 2020. All 33 blaROB-1-containing isolates formed a single clade, along with 12 blaROB-1-containing isolates from 6 other countries. Two-thirds of blaROB-1-containing US isolates were from Hispanic individuals. Twelve additional ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates with gyrA T91 mutations were identified. Ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates belonged to 6 CCs and contained 10 unique gyrA alleles; 7 were similar or identical to alleles from Neisseria lactamica or Neisseria gonorrhoeae. CONCLUSIONS: Recent IMD cases caused by a dual resistant serogroup Y suggest changing antimicrobial resistance patterns in the United States. The emerging dual resistance is due to acquisition of ciprofloxacin resistance by ß-lactamase-containing N. meningitidis. Routine antimicrobial resistance surveillance will effectively monitor resistance changes and spread.

Bacterial responses to background organic pollutants in the northeast subarctic Pacific Ocean.

Thousands of man-made synthetic chemicals are released to oceans and compose the anthropogenic dissolved organic carbon (ADOC). Little is known about the effects of this chronic pollution on marine microbiome activities. In this study, we measured the pollution level at three sites in the Northeast Subarctic Pacific Ocean (NESAP) and investigated how mixtures of three model families of ADOC at different environmentally relevant concentrations affected naturally occurring marine bacterioplankton communities' structure and metabolic functioning. The offshore northernmost site (North) had the lowest concentrations of hydrocarbons, as well as organophosphate ester plasticizers, contrasting with the two other continental shelf sites, the southern coastal site (South) being the most contaminated. At North, ADOC stimulated bacterial growth and promoted an increase in the contribution of some Gammaproteobacteria groups (e.g. Alteromonadales) to the 16 rRNA pool. These groups are described as fast responders after oil spills. In contrast, minor changes in South microbiome activities were observed. Gene expression profiles at Central showed the coexistence of ADOC degradation and stress-response strategies to cope with ADOC toxicities. These results show that marine microbial communities at three distinct domains in NESAP are influenced by background concentrations of ADOC, expanding previous assessments for polar and temperate waters.

Identifying labile DOM components in a coastal ocean through depleted bacterial transcripts and chemical signals.

Understanding which compounds comprising the complex and dynamic marine dissolved organic matter (DOM) pool are important in supporting heterotrophic bacterial production remains a major challenge. We eliminated sources of labile phytoplankton products, advected terrestrial material and photodegradation products to coastal microbial communities by enclosing water samples in situ for 24 h in the dark. Bacterial genes for which expression decreased between the beginning and end of the incubation and chemical formulae that were depleted over this same time frame were used as indicators of bioavailable compounds, an approach that avoids augmenting or modifying the natural DOM pool. Transport- and metabolism-related genes whose relative expression decreased implicated osmolytes, carboxylic acids, fatty acids, sugars and organic sulfur compounds as candidate bioreactive molecules. FT-ICR MS analysis of depleted molecular formulae implicated functional groups ~ 30-40 Da in size cleaved from semi-polar components of DOM as bioreactive components. Both gene expression and FT-ICR MS analyses indicated higher lability of compounds with sulfur and nitrogen heteroatoms. Untargeted methodologies able to integrate biological and chemical perspectives can be effective strategies for characterizing the labile microbial metabolites participating in carbon flux.

Cryptic carbon and sulfur cycling between surface ocean plankton.

About half the carbon fixed by phytoplankton in the ocean is taken up and metabolized by marine bacteria, a transfer that is mediated through the seawater dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool. The chemical complexity of marine DOC, along with a poor understanding of which compounds form the basis of trophic interactions between bacteria and phytoplankton, have impeded efforts to identify key currencies of this carbon cycle link. Here, we used transcriptional patterns in a bacterial-diatom model system based on vitamin B12 auxotrophy as a sensitive assay for metabolite exchange between marine plankton. The most highly up-regulated genes (up to 374-fold) by a marine Roseobacter clade bacterium when cocultured with the diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana were those encoding the transport and catabolism of 2,3-dihydroxypropane-1-sulfonate (DHPS). This compound has no currently recognized role in the marine microbial food web. As the genes for DHPS catabolism have limited distribution among bacterial taxa, T. pseudonana may use this sulfonate for targeted feeding of beneficial associates. Indeed, DHPS was both a major component of the T. pseudonana cytosol and an abundant microbial metabolite in a diatom bloom in the eastern North Pacific Ocean. Moreover, transcript analysis of the North Pacific samples provided evidence of DHPS catabolism by Roseobacter populations. Other such biogeochemically important metabolites may be common in the ocean but difficult to discriminate against the complex chemical background of seawater. Bacterial transformation of this diatom-derived sulfonate represents a previously unidentified and likely sizeable link in both the marine carbon and sulfur cycles.

Recognition cascade and metabolite transfer in a marine bacteria-phytoplankton model system.

The trophic linkage between marine bacteria and phytoplankton in the surface ocean is a key step in the global carbon cycle, with almost half of marine primary production transformed by heterotrophic bacterioplankton within hours to weeks of fixation. Early studies conceptualized this link as the passive addition and removal of organic compounds from a shared seawater reservoir. Here, we analysed transcript and intracellular metabolite patterns in a two-member model system and found that the presence of a heterotrophic bacterium induced a potential recognition cascade in a marine phytoplankton species that parallels better-understood vascular plant response systems. Bacterium Ruegeria pomeroyi DSS-3 triggered differential expression of >80 genes in diatom Thalassiosira pseudonana CCMP1335 that are homologs to those used by plants to recognize external stimuli, including proteins putatively involved in leucine-rich repeat recognition activity, second messenger production and protein kinase cascades. Co-cultured diatoms also downregulated lipid biosynthesis genes and upregulated chitin metabolism genes. From differential expression of bacterial transporter systems, we hypothesize that nine diatom metabolites supported the majority of bacterial growth, among them sulfonates, sugar derivatives and organic nitrogen compounds. Similar recognition responses and metabolic linkages as observed in this model system may influence carbon transformations by ocean plankton.

Microspatial gene expression patterns in the Amazon River Plume.

We investigated expression of genes mediating elemental cycling at the microspatial scale in the ocean's largest river plume using, to our knowledge, the first fully quantitative inventory of genes and transcripts. The bacterial and archaeal communities associated with a phytoplankton bloom in Amazon River Plume waters at the outer continental shelf in June 2010 harbored ∼ 1.0 × 10(13) genes and 4.7 × 10(11) transcripts per liter that mapped to several thousand microbial genomes. Genomes from free-living cells were more abundant than those from particle-associated cells, and they generated more transcripts per liter for carbon fixation, heterotrophy, nitrogen and phosphorus uptake, and iron acquisition, although they had lower expression ratios (transcripts ⋅ gene(-1)) overall. Genomes from particle-associated cells contributed more transcripts for sulfur cycling, aromatic compound degradation, and the synthesis of biologically essential vitamins, with an overall twofold up-regulation of expression compared with free-living cells. Quantitatively, gene regulation differences were more important than genome abundance differences in explaining why microenvironment transcriptomes differed. Taxa contributing genomes to both free-living and particle-associated communities had up to 65% of their expressed genes regulated differently between the two, quantifying the extent of transcriptional plasticity in marine microbes in situ. In response to patchiness in carbon, nutrients, and light at the micrometer scale, Amazon Plume microbes regulated the expression of genes relevant to biogeochemical processes at the ecosystem scale.

Bromodeoxyuridine labelling and fluorescence-activated cell sorting of polyamine-transforming bacterioplankton in coastal seawater.

Polyamines (PAs) are a group of nitrogen-rich dissolved organic nitrogen (DON) compounds that are ubiquitously distributed in marine environments. To identify bacteria that are involved in PA transformations, coastal bacterioplankton microcosms were amended with a single PA model compound, i.e. putrescine (PUT) or spermidine (SPD), or with no addition as controls (CTRs). Bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) was added to all the microcosms to label newly synthesized DNAs. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) analysis indicated significant increases in numbers of total cells and cells with both high and low levels of BrdU incorporation in the PUT and SPD microcosms, but not in the CTRs. 16S rDNA pyrotag sequencing of FACS-sorted cells indicated that PUT- and SPD-transforming bacteria were composed similarly of a diverse group of taxa affiliated with Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Firmicutes and Proteobacteria (especially Roseobacter of its alpha lineage). Broad taxonomic distribution of PA-transforming bacteria was also indicated by the abundance and distribution of PA transporter gene homologues in a survey of sequenced marine bacterial genomes. Our results suggest that PAs may be common DON substrates for marine bacterioplankton, in line with the hypothesis that bacterially mediated PA transformation accounts for an important proportion of marine DON flux.

Diel gene expression profiles of a phosphorus limited mountain lake using metatranscriptomics.

The genetic basis of bacterial functionality in freshwater systems remains largely unexplored despite its relevance in biogeochemical cycles. In this study, we used metatranscriptomic sequencing to analyse day and night gene expression profiles of the bacterial planktonic assemblage from the phosphorus (P) limited Lake Llebreta (1620 m above sea level) in the Limnological Observatory of the Pyrenees (LOOP, Central Pyrenees). The goal of the study was to obtain clues about the ecological strategies of bacteria in a highly oligotrophic environment, particularly those related to processing P and energy capture. An average of 37 871 unique reads were obtained per treatment using 454 pyrosequencing of amplified messenger RNA (mRNA), of which ∼ 37% matched a protein function in BLASTx analysis against the NCBI RefSeq database. In general, an overabundance of transcripts for energy acquisition (e.g. photosynthesis, oxidative phosphorylation, proteorhodopsins and bacteriochlorophyll a) was observed in the day compared with the night. Several different forms of P were metabolized by the community, with the relative abundance of transcripts related to phosphonate and phosphate uptake pointing to a major role of organic P in controlling this ecosystem. Bacteroidetes and Betaproteobacteria were the most actively transcribing phyla in the community, but showed different strategies for supplemental sources of energy: Bacteroidetes appeared to rely on creating H+ gradients across the membrane by using proteorhodopsins during the day and pyrophosphatases at night, whereas Betaproteobacteria appeared to be oxidizing carbon monoxide (CO) that potentially was generated by photooxidation of dissolved organic matter. When these diel freshwater metatranscriptomes were compared with those from two pelagic marine systems, gene expression patterns distinguished freshwater versus marine samples but showed common differences between day and night transcriptomes related to energy production.

Community analysis of high- and low-nucleic acid-containing bacteria in NW Mediterranean coastal waters using 16S rDNA pyrosequencing.

The ecological significance of the marine bacterial populations distinguishable by flow cytometry on the basis of the fluorescence (FL) of their nucleic acid (NA) content and proxies of cell size (such as side scatter, SSC) remains largely unknown. Some studies have suggested that cells with high NA (HNA) content and high SSC (HS) represent the active members of the community, while the low NA (LNA) cells are inactive members of the same phylogenetic groups. But group-specific activity measurements and phylogenetic assignment after cell sorting have suggested this is not be the case, particularly in open-ocean communities. To test the extent to which the different NA subgroups are similar, and consequently the extent to which they likely have similar ecological and biogeochemical roles in the environment, we analysed the phylogenetic composition of three populations after cell sorting [high NA-high SC (HNA-HS), high NA-low SC (HNA-LS), low NA (LNA)] by 454 pyrosequencing in two contrasting periods of the year in NW Mediterranean coastal waters (BBMO, Blanes Bay Microbial Observatory) where these three populations have recurrent seasonal patterns. Statistical analyses showed that summer and winter samples were significantly different and, importantly, the sorted populations within a sample were composed of different taxa. The majority of taxa were associated with one NA fraction only, and the degree of overlap (i.e. OTUs present simultaneously in 2 fractions) between HNA and LNA and between summer and winter communities was very small. Rhodobacterales, SAR116 and Bacteroidetes contributed primarily to the HNA fraction, whereas other groups such as SAR11 and SAR86 contributed largely to the LNA fractions. Gammaproteobacteria other than SAR86 showed less preference for one particular NA fraction. An increase in diversity was observed from the LNA to the HNA-HS fraction for both sample dates. Our results suggest that, in Blanes Bay, flow cytometric signatures of natural communities track their phylogenetic composition.

Bacterial community transcription patterns during a marine phytoplankton bloom.

Bacterioplankton consume a large proportion of photosynthetically fixed carbon in the ocean and control its biogeochemical fate. We used an experimental metatranscriptomics approach to compare bacterial activities that route energy and nutrients during a phytoplankton bloom compared with non-bloom conditions. mRNAs were sequenced from duplicate bloom and control microcosms 1 day after a phytoplankton biomass peak, and transcript copies per litre of seawater were calculated using an internal mRNA standard. Transcriptome analysis revealed a potential novel mechanism for enhanced efficiency during carbon-limited growth, mediated through membrane-bound pyrophosphatases [V-type H(+)-translocating; hppA]; bloom bacterioplankton participated less in this metabolic energy scavenging than non-bloom bacterioplankton, with possible implications for differences in growth yields on organic substrates. Bloom bacterioplankton transcribed more copies of genes predicted to increase cell surface adhesiveness, mediated by changes in bacterial signalling molecules related to biofilm formation and motility; these may be important in microbial aggregate formation. Bloom bacterioplankton also transcribed more copies of genes for organic acid utilization, suggesting an increased importance of this compound class in the bioreactive organic matter released during phytoplankton blooms. Transcription patterns were surprisingly faithful within a taxon regardless of treatment, suggesting that phylogeny broadly predicts the ecological roles of bacterial groups across 'boom' and 'bust' environmental backgrounds.

Bacterial dimethylsulfoniopropionate degradation genes in the oligotrophic north pacific subtropical gyre.

Dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSP) is an organic sulfur compound that is rapidly metabolized by marine bacteria either by cleavage to dimethylsulfide (DMS) or demethylation to 3-methiolpropionate. The abundance and diversity of genes encoding bacterial DMS production (dddP) and demethylation (dmdA) were measured in the North Pacific subtropical gyre (NPSG) between May 2008 and February 2009 at Station ALOHA (22°45'N, 158°00'W) at two depths: 25 m and the deep chlorophyll maximum (DCM; ∼100 m). The highest abundance of dmdA genes was in May 2008 at 25 m, with ∼16.5% of cells harboring a gene in one of the eight subclades surveyed, while the highest abundance of dddP genes was in July 2008 at 25 m, with ∼2% of cells harboring a gene. The dmdA gene pool was consistently dominated by homologs from SAR11 subclades, which was supported by findings in metagenomic data sets derived from Station ALOHA. Expression of the SAR11 dmdA genes was low, with typical transcript:gene ratios between 1:350 and 1:1,400. The abundance of DMSP genes was statistically different between 25 m and the DCM and correlated with a number of environmental variables, including primary production, photosynthetically active radiation, particulate DMSP, and DMS concentrations. At 25 m, dddP abundance was positively correlated with pigments that are diagnostic of diatoms; at the DCM, dmdA abundance was positively correlated with temperature. Based on gene abundance, we hypothesize that SAR11 bacterioplankton dominate DMSP cycling in the oligotrophic NPSG, with lesser but consistent involvement of other members of the bacterioplankton community.

Effects of 'Perinatal Risk Factors Associated with Hearing Loss' on Auditory Outcomes in Cochlear Implant Recipient Children.

Cochlear implantation (CI) is used for rehabilitation of children with bilateral severe to profound permanent childhood hearing loss (PCHL). Recently, treatment of such children has been influenced by diagnostic technological advances. Children with perinatal risk factors associated with PCHL can undergo CI. The primary aim of this study was to determine the effects of 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL' on post-CI auditory outcomes. In this prospective study at a tertiary care centre we evaluated 50 cochlear implanted children from October 2011 to March 2013. The case group consisted of 6 (12%) children who had presence of 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL' and control group consisted of 44 (88%) children without any 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL'. All patients received auditory and speech rehabilitation and we evaluated their auditory perception outcomes by categories of auditory performance (CAP) and meaningful auditory integration scale (MAIS) scores at 1 year post-CI. There were significantly decreased mean MAIS scores (decrease of 8.6%) and mean CAP scores (decrease of 6.7%) in CI recipient children with 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL' as compared to those who were without any 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL' at 1 year after CI. However, in children with 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL', mean CAP & MAIS scores (auditory perception outcomes) were still more than 80% of maximum achievable CAP & MAIS scores. In this study, CI recipient children who were without any 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL' had significantly better mean MAIS & CAP scores (auditory perception outcomes) 1 year post-CI. However, even in children who had 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL', there was substantial improvement in auditory perception outcomes at 1 year post-CI and CI was still helpful in these children. Hence, knowledge of 'perinatal risk factor associated with PCHL' can provide reasonable help in predicting the auditory perception outcome and optimal counselling of families of CI candidates.

Analysis of sulfur-related transcription by Roseobacter communities using a taxon-specific functional gene microarray.

The fraction of dissolved dimethylsulfoniopropionate (DMSPd) converted by marine bacterioplankton into the climate-active gas dimethylsulfide (DMS) varies widely in the ocean, with the factors that determine this value still largely unknown. One current hypothesis is that the ratio of DMS formation: DMSP demethylation is determined by DMSP availability, with 'availability' in both an absolute sense (i.e. concentration in seawater) and in a relative sense (i.e. proportionally to other labile organic S compounds) proposed as the critical factor. We investigated these models during an experimentally induced phytoplankton bloom using a taxon-specific microarray targeting DMSP-related gene transcription in members of the Roseobacter clade, a group hypothesized to play an important role in the surface ocean sulfur cycle and well represented by genome sequences. The array consisted of 1578 probes to 431 genes and was designed to target diverse Roseobacter communities in natural seawater by using hierarchical probe design based on 13 genome sequences. The prevailing pattern of Roseobacter gene transcription showed relative depletion of DMSP-related transcripts during the peak of the bloom, despite increasing absolute concentrations and flux of DMSP-related compounds. DMSPd thus appeared to be assimilated by Roseobacter populations in proportion to its relative abundance in the organic matter pool (the 'relative sense' hypothesis), rather than assimilated in preference to other labile organic sulfur or carbon compounds produced during the bloom. The relative investment of the Roseobacter community in DMSP demethylation was not useful for predicting the formation of DMS, however, suggesting a complex regulatory process that may involve multiple taxa and alternative fates of DMSPd.

Synthesis and evaluation of novel indolylthiadiazinoazetidinones and indolylthiadiazinothiazolidinones as antimicrobial agents.

Some new 5-methoxy/ethoxy-2,3-[2'-(3''-chloro-2''-oxo-4''-substituted-aryl-1''-azetidinyl)-1',3',4'-thiadiazino]indoles 13-20 and 5-methoxy/ethoxy-2,3-[2'-(2''-substituted-aryl-4''-oxo-1'',3''-thiazolidin-3''-yl)-1',3',4'-thiadiazino]indoles 21-28 have been synthesized from 5-methoxy/ethoxy-2,3-[2'-(substituted-benzylidinylimino)-1',3',4'-thiadiazino]indoles 5-12. These newly synthesized compounds were characterized by elemental and spectral analysis. Further, compounds 5-28 of the present series have been screened for their antibacterial and antifungal activities. Both minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC) and inhibition zones were determined in order to monitor the efficacy of the synthesized compounds. Compounds 14 and 16 were found to be the most potent members of the present series, they showed maximal antibacterial and antifungal properties much better than the standard drugs.

Effects of Age at Cochlear Implantation on Auditory Outcomes in Cochlear Implant Recipient Children.

Cochlear implantation (CI) is used for rehabilitation of children with bilateral severe to profound sensorineural hearing loss. Recently, treatment of such children has been influenced by diagnostic technological advances. Infants and toddlers are now increasingly included for CI. The primary aim of this study was to determine the effects of 'age at CI' on CI outcome. The primary aim of this study was to determine the effects of 'age at CI' on CI outcome. In this prospective study at a tertiary care centre, we evaluated 50 cochlear implanted children from October 2011 to March 2013. The case group consists of 15 (30%) children who underwent CI at more than 5 years of age and control group consisted of 35 (70%) children who underwent CI at less than or equal to 5 years age. All patients received auditory and speech rehabilitation and we evaluated their auditory perception outcomes 1 year post CI, the children were assessed by categories of auditory performance (CAP) and meaningful auditory integration scale (MAIS) tests. There were significantly improved mean auditory perception outcomes (increase of 12.29% in CAP, and 14.05% in MAIS scores) at 1 year post CI in CI recipients of age group '5 years or less' in comparison to those who underwent CI at 'more than 5 years of age'. However, children of 'more than 5 years' age at CI, mean CAP and MAIS scores were still more than 80% of maximum achievable CAP and MAIS scores. In this study, CI recipient children who were implanted at less than or equal to 5 years of age were found to have significantly improved auditory perception outcome at 1 year post CI. Hence, it appears preferable to provide CI early. However, even in children who underwent CI at more than 5 years of age, there was substantial improvement in auditory perception outcomes and CI was still helpful in these children. Hence, knowledge of 'age at CI' can provide reasonable help in predicting the auditory perception outcome and optimal counselling of families of CI candidates.

Genome Sequences and Metagenome-Assembled Genome Sequences of Microbial Communities Enriched on Phytoplankton Exometabolites.

We report 11 bacterial draft genome sequences and 38 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) from marine phytoplankton exometabolite enrichments. The genomes and MAGs represent marine bacteria adapted to the metabolite environment of phycospheres, organic matter-rich regions surrounding phytoplankton cells, and are useful for exploring functional and taxonomic attributes of phytoplankton-associated bacterial communities.