Adults in Northwest China experienced the largest outbreak of Japanese encephalitis in history 10 years after the Japanese encephalitis vaccine was included in the national immunization program: A retrospective epidemiological study.

Mainland China included Japanese encephalitis (JE) vaccine in the national immunization program in 2008 to control the JE epidemic. However, Gansu province in Western China experienced the largest JE outbreak since 1958 in 2018. We conducted a retrospective epidemiological study to explore the causes of this outbreak. We found that adults aged ≥20 years (especially those in rural areas) were the main JE cases in Gansu Province, with a significant increase in the JE incidence in older adults aged ≥60 years in 2017 and 2018. In addition, JE outbreaks in Gansu Province were mainly located in the southeastern region, while the temperature and precipitation in Gansu Province were gradually increasing in recent years, which made the JE epidemic areas in Gansu Province gradually spread to the western of Gansu Province. We also found that adults aged ≥20 years in Gansu Province had lower JE antibody positivity than children and infants, and the antibody positivity rate decreased with age. In the summer of 2017 and 2018, the density of mosquitoes (mainly the Culex tritaeniorhynchus) in Gansu Province was significantly higher than in other years, and the genotype of JEV was mainly Genotype-G1. Therefore, in the future JE control in Gansu Province, we need to strengthen JE vaccination for adults. Moreover, strengthening mosquito surveillance can provide early warning of JE outbreaks and the spread of epidemic areas in Gansu Province. At the same time, strengthening JE antibody surveillance is also necessary for JE control.

Effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on the diversity and activity of soil microorganism of alpine meadow ecosystem in Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.

The effects of enhanced UV-B radiation on abundance, community composition and the total microbial activity of soil bacteria in alpine meadow ecosystem of Qinghai-Tibet Plateau were investigated. Traditional counting and 16S rRNA gene sequencing were used to investigate the culturable bacteria and their composition in soil, meanwhile the total microbial activity was measured by microcalorimetry. The population of soil culturable bacteria was slightly reduced with the enhanced UV-B radiation in both of the two depths, 2.46 × 10(6) CFU/g in upper layer (0-10 cm), 1.44 × 10(6) CFU/g in under layer (10-20 cm), comparing with the control (2.94 × 10(6) CFU/g in upper layer, 1.65 × 10(6) CFU/g in under layer), although the difference was not statistically significant (P > 0.05). However, the bacteria diversity decreased obviously due to enhanced UV-B, the number of species for upper layer was decreased from 20 to 13, and from 16 to 13 for the lower layer. The distribution of species was also quite different between the two layers. Another obvious decrease induced by enhanced UV-B radiation was in the total soil microbial activities, which was represented by the microbial growth rate constant (k) in this study. The results indicated that the culturable bacteria community composition and the total activity of soil microbes have been considerably changed by the enhanced UV-B radiation.

Long-term effects of fertilizer on soil enzymatic activity of wheat field soil in Loess Plateau, China.

The effects of long-term (29 years) fertilization on local agro-ecosystems in the Loess Plateau of northwest China, containing a single or combinations of inorganic (Nitrogen, N; Phosphate, P) and organic (Mature, M Straw, S) fertilizer, including N, NP, SNP, M, MNP, and a control. The soil enzymes, including dehydrogenase, urease, alkaline phosphatase, invertase and glomalin, were investigated in three physiological stages (Jointing, Dough, and Maturity) of wheat growth at three depths of the soil profile (0-15, 16-30, 31-45 cm). We found that the application of farmyard manure and straw produced the highest values of soil enzymatic activity, especially a balanced applied treatment of MNP. Enzymatic activity was lowest in the control. Values were generally highest at dough, followed by the jointing and maturity stages, and declined with soil profile depth. The activities of the enzymes investigated here are significantly correlated with each other and are correlated with soil nutrients, in particular with soil organic carbon. Our results suggest that a balanced application of fertilizer nutrients and organic manure (especially those containing P) has positive effects on multiple soil chemical parameters, which in turn enhances enzyme activity. We emphasize the role of organic manure in maintaining soil organic matter and promoting biological activity, as its application can result in a substantial increase in agricultural production and can be sustainable for many years.

Metagenomic sequencing reveals viral abundance and diversity in mosquitoes from the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region, China.

BACKGROUND: Mosquitoes host and transmit numerous arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) that cause disease in both humans and animals. Effective surveillance of virome profiles in mosquitoes is vital to the prevention and control of mosquito-borne diseases in northwestern China, where epidemics occur frequently. METHODS: Mosquitoes were collected in the Shaanxi-Gansu-Ningxia region (Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province, and Ningxia Hui Autonomous Region) of China from June to August 2019. Morphological methods were used for taxonomic identification of mosquito species. High-throughput sequencing and metagenomic analysis were used to characterize mosquito viromes. RESULTS: A total of 22,959 mosquitoes were collected, including Culex pipiens (45.7%), Culex tritaeniorhynchus (40.6%), Anopheles sinensis (8.4%), Aedes (5.2%), and Armigeres subalbatus (0.1%). In total, 3,014,183 (0.95% of clean reads) viral sequences were identified and assigned to 116 viral species (including pathogens such as Japanese encephalitis virus and Getah virus) in 31 viral families, including Flaviviridae, Togaviridae, Phasmaviridae, Phenuiviridae, and some unclassified viruses. Mosquitoes collected in July (86 species in 26 families) showed greater viral diversity than those from June and August. Culex pipiens (69 species in 25 families) and Culex tritaeniorhynchus (73 species in 24 families) carried more viral species than Anopheles sinensis (50 species in 19 families) or Aedes (38 species in 20 families) mosquitoes. CONCLUSION: Viral diversity and abundance were affected by mosquito species and collection time. The present study elucidates the virome compositions of various mosquito species in northwestern China, improving the understanding of virus transmission dynamics for comparison with those of disease outbreaks.

[Effects of exotic Larix kaempferi on forest soil quality and bacterial diversity].

The study on the soil quality and bacterial diversity under 8-30 years old exotic Larix kaempferi, native Pinus tabulaeformis, and secondary deciduous broadleaf forest stands in Xiaolong-shan Mountains of Gansu, Northwest China showed that the soil pH under different forest stands had no distinct variation, but soil moisture content was increased with increasing age of forest stands. Soil organic matter and nitrogen contents were the highest under secondary deciduous forest, followed by under L. kaermpferi, and P. tabulaeformis. However, the soils under different ages of forest stands had no obvious variations in their organic matter and nitrogen contents, suggesting that tree species was the main factor affecting soil quality. Compared with P. tabulaeformis, exotic L. kaempferi could significantly increase soil organic matter and nitrogen contents. PCR-DGGE banding patterns suggested that the soil under secondary deciduous broadleaf forest had the highest bacterial diversity, followed by under L. kaempferi, and P. tabulaeformis. The sequenced DGGE bands were classified into three bacterial groups, i. e., Proteobacteria, Cytophaga - Flavobacterium - Bacteroides, and high G + C content gram-positive type, among which, Proteobacteria occurred most frequently. Further detailed analyses suggested that the soil bacterial compositions under exotic Larix stands were more similar to each other than those under pine and secondary deciduous broadleaf forests. It was concluded that exotic L. kaempferi induced the changes of microbial diversity in the forest soils of this region.

Hymenobacter psychrotolerans sp. nov., isolated from the Qinghai--Tibet Plateau permafrost region.

A psychrotolerant bacterium, designated strain Tibet-IIU11T, was isolated from the Qinghai--Tibet Plateau permafrost region, China. A taxonomic study was conducted using a polyphasic approach, with determination of physiological and biochemical properties and phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA gene sequences. The novel isolate was found to belong to the genus Hymenobacter and was distinct from the recognized species of this genus. The major fatty acids were iso-C15 : 0 (24.5 %), summed feature 3 (C16 : 1omega7c and/or iso C15 : 0 2-OH; 20.0 %), summed feature 4 (iso-C17 : 1 I and/or anteiso-C17 : 1 B; 14.0 %), C16 : 1omega5c (12.7 %) and anteiso-C15 : 0 (8.4 %). Phosphatidylethanolamine and an unknown aminophospholipid were predominant in the polar lipid profile. The quinone system consisted exclusively of menaquinone MK-7 and sym-homospermidine was the major polyamine present. These chemotaxonomic traits are in good agreement with the characteristics of the genus Hymenobacter. The assignment of the novel isolate to this genus was further supported by a DNA G+C content of 60 mol%. On the basis of the polyphasic evidence presented in this study, it is proposed that strain Tibet-IIU11T (=DSM 18569T=CGMCC 1.6365T) represents a novel species, Hymenobacter psychrotolerans sp. nov.

Phylogenetic diversity of bacteria isolates from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau permafrost region.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau in east Asia is a unique and important permafrost environment. However, its microbiology remains largely unexplored to date. In this study, sediment samples were collected from the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau permafrost region, bacteria isolation procedures were performed 8 times, and the samples incubated at 4 degrees C for nearly 3 months. The number of colony forming units (cfu) ranged from 0 to 10(7)/(g dry soil). The quantity of culturable bacteria grew exponentially within the first few weeks, and then slowed gradually to a plateau. Phylogenetic analyses indicated that all the isolates fell into 6 categories: high G+C Gram-positive bacteria, low G+C Gram-positive bacteria, alpha-Proteobacteria, beta-Proteobacteria, gamma-Proteobacteria, and Cytophaga-Flavobacterium-Bacteroides group bacteria. The isolates belong to 19 genera, but the genera Arthrobacter and Pseudomonas were predominant. With the increase in incubation time, the isolated populations changed in terms of both species and their respective quantities. Of the 33 analyzed isolates, 9 isolates related to 8 genera might be new taxa. These results suggest that the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau permafrost region is a specific ecologic niche that accommodates an original microbial assemblage.

Diversity and distribution of alkaliphilic psychrotolerant bacteria in the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau permafrost region.

The Qinghai-Tibet Plateau represents a unique permafrost environment, being a result of high elevation caused by land uplift. And the urgency was that plateau permafrost was degrading rapidly under the current predicted climatic warming scenarios. Hence, the permafrost there was sampled to recover alkaliphilic bacteria populations. The viable bacteria on modified PYGV agar were varied between 10(2) and 10(5 )CFU/g of dry soil. Forty-eight strains were gained from 18 samples. Through amplified ribosomal DNA restriction analysis (ARDRA) and phylogenetic analyses, these isolates fell into three categories: high G + C gram positive bacteria (82.3%), low G + C gram positive bacteria (7.2%), and gram negative alpha-proteobacteria (10.5%). The strains could grow at pH values ranging from 6.5 to 10.5 with optimum pH in the range of 9-9.5. Their growth temperatures were below 37 degrees C and the optima ranging from 10 to 15 degrees C. All strains grew well when NaCl concentration was below 15%. These results indicate that there are populations of nonhalophilic alkaliphilic psychrotolerant bacteria within the permafrost of the Qinhai-Tibet plateau. The abilities of many of the strains to produce extracellular protease, amylase and cellulase suggest that they might be of potential value for biotechnological exploitation.