Host feces, olfactory beacon guiding aggregation of intestinal parasites Gasterophilus pecorum (Diptera: Gasterophilidae).

The aim of this study was to identify the aggregation sites and transmission characteristics of Gasterophilus pecorum, the dominant pathogen of endangered equines in desert steppe. Therefore, we tested with a four-arm olfactometer the olfactory response of the G. pecorum adults to the odors that have a great impact on their life cycle, and also investigated the occurrence sites of the adults in the area where the Przewalski's horse (Equus przewalskii) roam frequently during the peak period of G. pecorum infection. The results of four-directional olfactory test showed that the fresh horse feces had a stronger attraction rate on both male (50.4%) and female flies (38.2%). Stipa caucasica, the only oviposition plant where G. pecorum lay eggs, had a better attraction effect on females than that on males. And the attraction rates of S. caucasica to G. pecorum females in the early growth stage (Stipa I) and mid-growth stage (Stipa II) were 32.8% and 36.8%, respectively. In addition, the two-directional olfactory test showed that the attraction rate of males to fresh horse feces (68.90%) was higher than that to Stipa II (31.10%), and females also showed similar olfactory responses. Moreover, in our field investigation, 68.29% of G. pecorum adults were collected from around the horse feces. The results of laboratory test and field investigation implied that the location mechanism of G. pecorum aggregation for mating is related to the orientation of horse feces. The horse feces and the vicinity are the key contamination areas of G. pecorum, and it is also the areas where horses are seriously infected with G. pecorum. Those fresh feces, which gather abundant information about the host, naturally had the greatest chance of contacting with the host; G. pecorum adults create the opportunity to enter directly into the host's mouth and infect the host by laying eggs on S. caucasica, which is the most favorite plant of the host in this area. These characteristics are one of the main reasons why G. pecorum has become the dominant species under the condition of sparse vegetation in desert steppe.

Interactions between lead(II) ions and dissolved organic matter derived from organic fertilizers incubated in the field.

This work was to study composition characteristics and the subsequent effect on the lead (Pb) binding properties of dissolved organic matter (DOM) derived from seaweed-based (SWOF) and chicken manure organic fertilizers (CMOF) during a one-year field incubation experiment using the excitation-emission matrix-parallel factor (EEM-PARAFAC) and two-dimensional correlation spectroscopy (2DCOS) analysis. Results showed that high aromatic and hydrophobic fluorescent substances were enriched in CMOF-derived DOM and SWOF-derived DOM and enhanced over time. And phenolic groups in the fulvic-like substances for SWOF-derived DOM and carboxyl groups in the humic-like substances for CMOF-derived DOM had the fastest responses over time, respectively. Moreover, both non-fluorescent polysaccharides and fluorescent humic-like substances or fulvic-like substances with aromatic (C=C) groups first participated in the binding process of Pb to SWOF-derived DOM on day 0 and 180 during the lead binding process. In contrast, humic-like substances associated with aromatic (C=C) and phenolic groups gave a faster response to Pb binding on day 360. Regarding CMOF-derived DOM, the fulvic-like substances associated with aromatic (C=C) and carboxylic groups displayed a faster response to Pb ions on day 0. Nonetheless, polysaccharides and humic-like associated with phenolic groups had a faster response on days 180 and 360. It is noteworthy that the polysaccharides, which participated in Pb binding to CMOF-derived DOM, posed a higher risk of Pb in the environment after 360 days. Therefore, these findings gave new insights into the long-term applications of commercial organic fertilizers for the amendment of soil.

Advances in freshwater risk assessment: improved accuracy of dissolved organic matter-metal speciation prediction and rapid biological validation.

Speciation modeling of bioavailability has increasingly been used for environmental risk assessment (ERA). Heavy metal pollution is the most prevalent environmental pollution issue globally, and metal bioavailability is strongly affected by its chemical speciation. Dissolved organic matter (DOM) in freshwater will bind heavy metals thereby reducing bioavailability. While speciation modeling has been shown to be quite effective and is validated for use in ERA, there is an increasing body of literature reporting problems with the accuracy of metal-DOM binding in speciation models. In this study, we address this issue for a regional-scale field area (Lake Tai, with 2,400 km2 surface area and a watershed of 36,000 km2) where speciation models in common use are not highly accurate, and we tested alternative approaches to predict metal-DOM speciation/bioavailability for lead (Pb) in this first trial work. We tested five site-specific approaches to quantify Pb-DOM binding that involve varying assumptions about conditional stability constants, binding capacities, and different components in DOM, and we compare these to what we call a one-size-fits-all approach that is commonly in use. We compare model results to results for bioavailable Pb measured using a whole-cell bioreporter, which has been validated against speciation models and is extremely rapid compared to many biological methods. The results show that all of the site-specific approaches we use provide more accurate estimates of bioavailability than the default model tested, however, the variation of the conditional stability constant on a site-specific basis is the most important consideration. By quantitative metrics, up to an order of magnitude improvement in model accuracy results from modeling active DOM as a single organic ligand type with site-specific variations in Pb-DOM conditional stability constants. Because the biological method is rapid and parameters for site-specific tailoring of the model may be obtained via high-throughput analysis, the approach that we report here in this first regional-scale freshwater demonstration shows excellent potential for practical use in streamlined ERA.

Change of urinary fluoride and bone metabolism indicators in the endemic fluorosis areas of southern China after supplying low fluoride public water.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have evaluated health impacts, especially biomarker changes, following implementation of a new environmental policy. This study examined changes in water fluoride, urinary fluoride (UF), and bone metabolism indicators in children after supplying low fluoride public water in endemic fluorosis areas of Southern China. We also assessed the relationship between UF and serum osteocalcin (BGP), calcitonin (CT), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and bone mineral density to identify the most sensitive bone metabolism indicators related to fluoride exposure. METHODS: Four fluorosis-endemic villages (intervention villages) in Guangdong, China were randomly selected to receive low-fluoride water. One non-endemic fluorosis village with similar socio-economic status, living conditions, and health care access, was selected as the control group. 120 children aged 6-12 years old were randomly chosen from local schools in each village for the study. Water and urinary fluoride content as well as serum BGP, CT, ALP and bone mineral density were measured by the standard methods and compared between the children residing in the intervention villages and the control village. Benchmark dose (BMD) and benchmark dose lower limit (BMDL) were calculated for each bone damage indicator. RESULTS: Our study found that after water source change, fluoride concentrations in drinking water in all intervention villages (A-D) were significantly reduced to 0.11 mg/l, similar to that in the control village (E). Except for Village A where water change has only been taken place for 6 years, urinary fluoride concentrations in children of the intervention villages were lower or comparable to those in the control village after 10 years of supplying new public water. The values of almost all bone indicators in children living in Villages B-D and ALP in Village A were either lower or similar to those in the control village after the intervention. CT and BGP are sensitive bone metabolism indicators related to UF. While assessing the temporal trend of different abnormal bone indicators after the intervention, bone mineral density showed the most stable and the lowest abnormal rates over time. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that supplying low fluoride public water in Southern China is successful as measured by the reduction of fluoride in water and urine, and changes in various bone indicators to normal levels. A comparison of four bone indicators showed CT and BGP to be the most sensitive indicators.

The X-Press Pearl disaster underscores gross neglect in the environmental management of shipping: Review of future data needs.

The X-Press Pearl disaster has the unfortunate hallmarks of other global container ship disasters that are becoming increasingly common and will continue to cause future environmental damage. Port container throughput is ~830 million twenty-foot equivalents (TEUs), projected to grow for the next four decades at minimum, and industry experts predict that ship sizes will continue to grow to 50,000 TEU. Misdeclared content, poor packing, inadequate stowage/lashing, ship-board fires, climate-change-driven intensity of storms, and increasing ship size all ensure increasing environmental damage from container ship maritime disasters. Industry consensus is that the number of containers lost at sea is conspicuously undercounted, and the impact of lost containers is unstudied. This paper reviews specific aspects of the container ship industry that contribute to environmental damage, and then addresses needs for risk, impact assessment and environmental management as pertains to industry operations and container ship disasters such as the X-Press Pearl.

We need to plan streamlined environmental impact assessment for the future X-Press Pearl disasters.

The X-Press Pearl disaster illustrates the urgent needs for streamlined environmental impact assessment to inform decision making. The environmental contamination caused by the disaster is complex, and the biological impact of different environmental stressors, and at different biological scales, needs to be determined. Traditional methods for analyzing complex environmental stressors are often inefficient and do not reflect the biological impact of pollution. The combination of chemical stressors and biological impacts is the key to environmental impact assessment based on integrated monitoring. Whole-cell bioreporters are tools for rapid, efficient and quantitative detection of the bioavailability, stressor effects, and toxicity of pollutants, i.e., spanning a wide range of applications. Here we propose the view that using whole-cell bioreporter technology to streamline short-term environmental impact assessment for maritime disasters such as the X-Press Pearl is more fit-for-purpose/practical than other approaches in use.

Effects of different modifying agents on the preparation and properties of coagulants derived from excess sludge.

The contents and kinds of oxygen-containing functional groups are very significant when preparing cationic hydrochar coagulants via graft copolymerization. Herein, the hydrothermal conditions to produce sludge-based hydrochar (SBC) precursors were optimized by introducing different kinds and amounts of modifying agents (i.e., HCOOH, citric acid (CA), H2SO4, and H2O2), then the surface properties and flocculation performance of derived cationic coagulants (SBC-g-DMC) were studied. Results showed that the utilization of four modifiers raised the acidic groups on the SBC surface; thereinto, the presence of CA could evidently increase the content of phenolic hydroxyl groups. After DMC monomer grafting, the formed coagulants possess positive zeta potentials over a wide pH range (i.e., 3.0 ~ 11.0), showing a typical cationic property. The grafting ratio and efficiency, as well as the cationic degree of coagulants prepared with different SBC precursors follow a descending order of SBCCA-g-DMC > [Formula: see text]-g-DMC > SBCHCOOH-g-DMC > [Formula: see text]-g-DMC; thus, SBCCA-g-DMC coagulant with the best grafting result shows a superior flocculation performance. When a dosage of 4 mg/L was adopted, the average turbidity removal rate of SBCCA-g-DMC could reach up to 94.44%. Meanwhile, due to the possible and robust oxidation with the initiator, H2O2 seems not a perfect modifier for SBC preparation. This study could provide an essential reference for the optimal synthesis of SBC and its based coagulants for organic matter recovery and pollutant removal.

Toxins from harmful algal blooms: How copper and iron render chalkophore a predictor of microcystin production.

Research on harmful algal blooms has focused on macronutrients, yet recent research increasingly indicates that understanding micronutrient roles is also important in the development of effective environmental management interventions. Here, we report results on metallophore production from mesocosms amended with copper and iron (enzymatic co-factors in photosynthetic electron transport) to probe questions of how cyanobacteria navigate the divide between copper nutrition, copper toxicity, and issues with iron bioavailability. These experiments utilized Microcystis, Chlorella and Desmodesmus spp., in mono- and mixed-cultures in lake water from a large, hypereutrophic lake (Taihu, China). To initiate experiments, copper and iron amendments were added to mesocosms containing algae that had been acclimated to achieve a state of copper and iron limitation. Mesocosms were analyzed over time for a range of analytes including algal growth parameters, algal assemblage progression, copper/iron concentrations and biomolecule production of chalkophore, siderophore and total microcystins. Community Trajectory Analysis and other multivariate methods were used for analysis resulting in our findings: 1) Microcystis spp. manage copper/iron requirements though a dynamically phased behavior of chalkophore/siderophore production according to their copper and iron limitation status (chalkophore correlates with Cu concentration, R2 = 0.99, and siderophore correlates with the sum of Cu and Fe concentrations, R2 = 0.98). 2) A strong correlation was observed between the production of chalkophore and the cyanobacterial toxin microcystin (R2 = 0.76)-Chalkophore is a predictor of microcystin production. 3) Based on our results and literature, we posit that Microcystis spp. produces microcystin in response to copper/iron availability to manage photosystem productivity and effect an energy-saving status. Results from this work underscore the importance of micronutrients in influencing harmful algal bloom progression and represents a major advance in understanding the ecological function for the cyanobacterial toxin microcystin as a hallmark of micronutrient limitation stress.

Long-term effects of Ag NPs on denitrification in sediment: Importance of Ag NPs exposure ways in aquatic ecosystems.

The widespread use of silver nanoparticles (Ag NPs) inevitably leads to their increasing release into aquatic systems, with studies indicating that the mode of Ag NPs entry into water significantly affects their toxicity and ecological risks. However, there is a lack of research on the impact of different exposure ways of Ag NPs on functional bacteria in sediment. This study investigates the long-term influence of Ag NPs on denitrification process in sediments by comparing denitrifies responses to single (pulse injection of 10 mg/L) and repetitive (1 mg/L × 10 times) Ag NPs treatments over 60-day incubation. Results showed that a single exposure of 10 mg/L Ag NPs caused an obvious toxicity on activity and abundance of denitrifying bacteria on the first 30 days, reflecting by the decreased NADH amount, ETS activity, NIR and NOS activity, and nirK gene copy number, which resulted in a significant decline of denitrification rate in sediments (from 0.59 to 0.64 to 0.41-0.47 µmol15N L-1 h-1). While inhibition was mitigated with time and denitrification process recovered to the normal at the end of the experiment, the accumulated nitrate generated in the system showed that the recovery of microbial function did not mean the restoration of aquatic ecosystem after pollution. Differently, the repetitive exposure of 1 mg/L Ag NPs exhibited the evident inhibition on metabolism, abundance, and function of denitrifiers on Day 60, due to the accumulated amount of Ag NPs with the increased dosing number, indicating that the accumulated toxicity on functional microorganic community of repetitive exposure in less toxic concentration. Our study highlights the importance of Ag NPs entry pathways into aquatic ecosystem on their ecological risks, which affected dynamic responses of microbial function to Ag NPs.

Pandemic COVID-19 ends but soil pollution increases: Impacts and a new approach for risk assessment.

For three years, a large amount of manufactured pollutants such as plastics, antibiotics and disinfectants has been released into the environment due to COVID-19. The accumulation of these pollutants in the environment has exacerbated the damage to the soil system. However, since the epidemic outbreak, the focus of researchers and public attention has consistently been on human health. It is noteworthy that studies conducted in conjunction with soil pollution and COVID-19 represent only 4 % of all COVID-19 studies. In order to enhance researchers' and the public awareness of the seriousness on the COVID-19 derived soil pollution, we propose the viewpoint that "pandemic COVID-19 ends but soil pollution increases" and recommend a whole-cell biosensor based new method to assess the environmental risk of COVID-19 derived pollutants. This approach is expected to provide a new way for environmental risk assessment of soils affected by contaminants produced from the pandemic.

From speciation to toxicity: Using a "Two-in-One" whole-cell bioreporter approach to assess harmful effects of Cd and Pb.

Due to the sheer number of contaminated sites, bioavailability-based measurement and modeling of toxicity is used to triage response; despite advances, both remain relatively cumbersome. Cadmium (Cd) and lead (Pb) are two of the most toxic and globally prevalent pollutants, disproportionately impacting disadvantaged communities. Here we demonstrate the use of high throughput lights-on bioreporter technology to measure both speciation and toxicity. The organism's response is fit-for-purpose to parameterize the Biotic Ligand Model used in risk assessment of aquatic ecotoxicity and setting environmental Water Quality Criteria. Toxicity endpoints for analogous Cd and Pb models reported in literature average 71st and 44th rank-percentile sensitivity of Genus Mean Acute Values for acute toxicity (i.e., insensitive) in comparison to the bioreporter, the unique dual-mode measurement ability of which can predict toxicity endpoints from below the 5th percentile up to the 50th rank-percentile. These results are extensible to other reporters, paving the way to cost-efficient environmental risk assessment of aquatic ecotoxicity for a wide range of priority toxic pollutants.

Whole-cell biosensors for determination of bioavailable pollutants in soils and sediments: Theory and practice.

The bioavailability of pollutants is a key factor affecting environmental risk. Whole-cell bioreporters are a demonstratedly effective tool for the investigation of pollutant bioavailability in water and soil/sediment. Unlike aqueous samples, transmittance of bioreporter optical signal is reduced in direct-contact assays with soil/sediment, which affects the accuracy of bioreporter-detected pollutant bioavailability. No studies have measured the magnitude and variability of soil/sediment effects on signal in direct-contact assays or how associated uncertainties influence results. In this study, we investigate the optical effects of soil/sediment particles in suspensions on bioreporter signal transmittance and quantify how variable these optical effects are from sample-to-sample. We find that neglecting bioreporter signal diminution by soil/sediment, as many studies do, can lead to order-of-magnitude errors in results, underestimating risk. Correction based on methods in ad hoc use (e.g. comparison to signal from non-inducible reporter or use of reference soil/sediment) are also problematic for some types of experiment, and could lead to errors in excess of 30%. Our findings have a sound basis in theory, and we provide recommendations concerning the most suitable type of approach to use for different experimental settings. Generally, if best accuracy is not needed to quantify bioavailability, for samples that have been ground, sieved, and are of reasonably uniform color, it may be possible to use a single or average correction factor, particularly for experiments performed at a single slurry concentration. For investigations studying bioavailability under varying solid-phase:water ratios (e.g., sorption/desorption), detailed compensation measurements are needed for independent variables, including each specific soil/sediment sample, slurry concentration, and in some cases bioreporter signal intensity. Our measurements and calculations indicate that best results are obtained when working in the region of ballistic photon transmittance. Findings herein will be useful in areas that require information on bioavailability, such as ecotoxicology and environmental risk assessment.

Use of whole-cell bioreporters to assess bioavailability of contaminants in aquatic systems.

Water contamination has become increasingly a critical global environmental issue that threatens human and ecosystems' health. Monitoring and risk assessment of toxic pollutants in water bodies is essential to identifying water pollution treatment needs. Compared with the traditional monitoring approaches, environmental biosensing via whole-cell bioreporters (WCBs) has exhibited excellent capabilities for detecting bioavailability of multiple pollutants by providing a fast, simple, versatile and economical way for environmental risk assessment. The performance of WCBs is determined by its elements of construction, such as host strain, regulatory and reporter genes, as well as experimental conditions. Previously, numerous studies have focused on the design and construction of WCB rather than improving the detection process and commercialization of this technology. For investigators working in the environmental field, WCB can be used to detect pollutants is more important than how they are constructed. This work provides a review of the development of WCBs and a brief introduction to genetic construction strategies and aims to summarize key studies on the application of WCB technology in detection of water contaminants, including organic pollutants and heavy metals. In addition, the current status of commercialization of WCBs is highlighted.

Association between body weight and distal gut microbes in Hainan black goats at weaning age.

Gut microbiota plays a critical role in the healthy growth and development of young animals. However, there are few studies on the gut microbiota of young Hainan black goats. In this study, 12 three-month-old weaned lambs with the same birth date were selected and divided into the high body weight group (HW) and low body weight group (LW). The microbial diversity, composition, and predicted function in the feces of HW and LW groups were analyzed by collecting fecal samples and sequencing the 16S rRNA V3-V4 region. The results indicated that the HW group exhibited higher community diversity compared with the LW group, based on the Shannon index. The core phyla of the HW and LW groups were both Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes. Parabacteroides, UCG-005, and Bacteroides are the core genera of the HW group, and Bacteroides, Escherichia-Shigella, and Akkermansia are the core genera of the LW group. In addition, genera such as Ruminococcus and Anaerotruncus, which were positively correlated with body weight, were enriched in the HW group; those genera, such as Akkermansia and Christensenellaceae, which were negatively correlated with body weight, were enriched in the LW group. Differential analysis of the KEGG pathway showed that Amino Acid Metabolism, Energy Metabolism, Carbohydrate Metabolism, and Nucleotide Metabolism were enriched in the HW group, while Cellular Processes and Signaling, Lipid Metabolism, and Glycan Biosynthesis and Metabolism were enriched in the LW group. The results of this study revealed the gut microbial characteristics of Hainan black goats with different body weights at weaning age and identified the dominant flora that contributed to their growth.

DHA Ameliorates Cognitive Ability, Reduces Amyloid Deposition, and Nerve Fiber Production in Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: The etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD) is very complex. Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) is important in cognitive ability and nervous system development. A limited number of studies have evaluated the efficacy of DHA in the treatment of AD. Introduction: We detected neurofibrillary tangles (NFT) in the hippocampus and cortex of transgenic mice brain through silver glycine staining. We determined the activity of neurons by staining Nissl bodies, used liquid NMR to detect metabolites in the brain, and functional magnetic resonance imaging results to observe the connection signal value between brain regions. Materials and Methods: We fed 3-month-old APP/PS1 double transgenic mice with DHA mixed feeds for 4 months to assess the effects of DHA on cognitive ability in AD mice through the Morris water maze and open field tests. To evaluate its effects with AD pathology, continuous feeding was done until the mice reached 9 months of age. Results: Compared to AD mice, escape latency significantly decreased on the fifth day while swimming speed, target quadrant stay time, and the crossing number of platforms increased by varying degrees after DHA treatment. Brain tissue section staining revealed that DHA significantly reduced Aß and nerve fibers in the brain of AD mice. Conclusion: DHA significantly reduced the deposition of Aß in the brain and inhibited the production of nerve fibers, thereby increasing cognitive abilities in AD mice. In addition, DHA suppressed blood lipid levels, and restored uric acid and urea levels, implying that DHA is a potential therapeutic option for early AD.

The Association between Gut Microbiome Diversity and Composition and Heat Tolerance in Cattle.

Cattle are raised around the world and are frequently exposed to heat stress, whether in tropical countries or in regions with temperate climates. It is universally acknowledged that compared to those in temperate areas, the cattle breeds developed in tropical and subtropical areas have better heat tolerance. However, the underlying mechanism of heat tolerance has not been fully studied, especially from the perspective of intestinal microbiomics. The present study collected fecal samples of cattle from four representative climatic regions of China, namely, the mesotemperate (HLJ), warm temperate (SD), subtropical (HK), and tropical (SS) regions. Then, the feces were analyzed using high-throughput 16S rRNA sequencing. The results showed that with increasing climatic temperature from HLJ to SS, the abundance of Firmicutes increased, accompanied by an increasing Firmicutes to Bacteroidota ratio. Proteobacteria showed a trend of reduction from HLJ to SS. Patescibacteria, Chloroflexi, and Actinobacteriota were particularly highest in SS for adapting to the tropical environment. The microbial phenotype in the tropics was characterized by an increase in Gram-positive bacteria and a decrease in Gram-negative bacteria, aerobic bacteria, and the forming of_biofilms. Consistently, the functional abundances of organismal systems and metabolism were decreased to reduce the material and energy demands in a hot environment. Genetic information processing and information storage and processing may be how gut flora deals with hot conditions. The present study revealed the differences in the structure and function of gut microbes of cattle from mesotemperate to tropical climates and provided an important reference for future research on the mechanism of heat tolerance regulated by the gut microbiota and a potential microbiota-based target to alleviate heat stress.

m6A and miRNA jointly regulate the development of breast muscles in duck embryonic stages.

N6-methyladenosine (m6A) is an abundant internal mRNA modification and plays a crucial regulatory role in animal growth and development. In recent years, m6A modification has been found to play a key role in skeletal muscles. However, whether m6A modification contributes to embryonic breast muscle development of Pekin ducks has not been explored. To explore the role of m6A in embryonic breast muscle development of ducks, we performed m6A sequencing and miRNA sequencing for the breast muscle of duck embryos on the 19th (E19) and 27th (E27) days. A total of 12,717 m6A peaks were identified at E19, representing a total of 7,438 gene transcripts. A total of 14,703 m6A peaks were identified, which overlapped with the transcripts of 7,753 genes at E27. Comparing E19 and E27, we identified 2,347 differential m6A peaks, which overlapped with 1,605 m6A-modified genes (MMGs). Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analyses revealed that MMGs were enriched in multiple muscle- or fat-related pathways, which was also revealed from our analysis of differentially expressed genes (DEGs). Conjoint analysis of m6A-seq and RNA-seq data showed that pathways related to ß-oxidation of fatty acids and skeletal muscle development were significantly enriched, suggesting that m6A modification is involved in the regulation of fat deposition and skeletal muscle development. There were 90 upregulated and 102 downregulated miRNAs identified between the E19 and E27 stages. Through overlapping analysis of genes shared by MMGs and DEGs and the targets of differentially expressed miRNAs (DEMs), we identified six m6A-mRNA-regulated miRNAs. Finally, we found that m6A modification can regulate fat deposition and skeletal muscle development. In conclusion, our results suggest that m6A modification is a key regulator for embryonic breast muscle development and fat deposition of ducks by affecting expressions of mRNAs and miRNAs. This is the first study to comprehensively characterize the m6A patterns in the duck transcriptome. These data provide a solid basis for future work aimed at determining the potential functional roles of m6A modification in adipose deposition and muscle growth.

Microsatellite primers in luohanguo (Siraitia grosvenorii, Cucurbitaceae), an economically important plant species.

PREMISE OF THE STUDY: Microsatellite markers were developed in an economically important plant, Siraitia grosvenorii, to evaluate its genetic diversity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using the combined biotin capture method, 15 microsatellite primer sets were isolated and characterized. All of these markers showed polymorphism, and the number of alleles per locus ranged from two to 12 across 98 individuals from cultivars and a wild population. The observed and expected heterozygosities ranged from 0.000 to 0.905 and from 0.000 to 0.845, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: These markers will facilitate the breeding and further study of the genetic diversity of S. grosvenorii.

Metagenomic Analysis of Fecal Archaea, Bacteria, Eukaryota, and Virus in Przewalski's Horses Following Anthelmintic Treatment.

Intestinal microbiota is involved in immune response and metabolism of the host. The frequent use of anthelmintic compounds for parasite expulsion causes disturbance to the equine intestinal microbiota. However, most studies were on the effects of such treatment on the intestinal bacterial microbes; none is on the entire microbial community including archaea and eukaryotic and viral community in equine animals. This study is the first to explore the differences of the microbial community composition and structure in Przewalski's horses prior to and following anthelmintic treatment, and to determine the corresponding changes of their functional attributes based on metagenomic sequencing. Results showed that in archaea, the methanogen of Euryarchaeota was the dominant phylum. Under this phylum, anthelmintic treatment increased the Methanobrevibacter genus and decreased the Methanocorpusculum genus and two other dominant archaea species, Methanocorpusculum labreanum and Methanocorpusculum bavaricum. In bacteria, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes were the dominant phyla. Anthelmintic treatment increased the genera of Clostridium and Eubacterium and decreased those of Bacteroides and Prevotella and dominant bacteria species. These altered genera were associated with immunity and digestion. In eukaryota, anthelmintic treatment also changed the genera related to digestion and substantially decreased the relative abundances of identified species. In virus, anthelmintic treatment increased the genus of unclassified_d__Viruses and decreased those of unclassified_f__Siphoviridae and unclassified_f__Myoviridae. Most of the identified viral species were classified into phage, which were more sensitive to anthelmintic treatment than other viruses. Furthermore, anthelmintic treatment was found to increase the number of pathogens related to some clinical diseases in horses. The COG and KEGG function analysis showed that the intestinal microbiota of Przewalski's horse mainly participated in the carbohydrate and amino acid metabolism. The anthelmintic treatment did not change their overall function; however, it displaced the population of the functional microbes involved in each function or pathway. These results provide a complete view on the changes caused by anthelmintic treatment in the intestinal microbiota of the Przewalski's horses.

The impact of temperature on the life cycle of Gasterophilus pecorum in northwest China.

BACKGROUND: The departure of the mature larvae of the horse stomach bot fly from the host indicates the beginning of a new infection period. Gasterophilus pecorum is the dominant bot fly species in the desert steppe of the Kalamaili Nature Reserve (KNR) of northwest China as a result of its particular biological characteristics. The population dynamics of G. pecorum were studied to elucidate the population development of this species in the arid desert steppe. METHODS: Larvae in the freshly excreted feces of tracked Przewalski's horses (Equus przewalskii) were collected and recorded. The larval pupation experiments were carried out under natural conditions. RESULTS: There was a positive correlation between the survival rate and the number of larvae expelled (r = 0.630, p < 0.01); the correlation indicated that the species had characteristic peaks of occurrence. The main periods during which mature larvae were expelled in the feces were from early April to early May (peak I) and from mid-August to early September (peak II); the larval population curve showed a sudden increase and gradual decrease at both peaks. Under the higher temperatures of peak II, the adults developing from the larvae had a higher survival rate, higher pupation rate, higher emergence rate and shorter eclosion period than those developing from peak I larvae. Although G. pecorum has only one generation per year, its occurrence peaked twice annually, i.e. the studied population has a bimodal distribution, which doubles parasitic pressure on the local host. This phenomenon is very rarely recorded in studies on insect life history, and especially in those on parasite epidemiology. CONCLUSION: The period during which G. pecorum larvae are naturally expelled from the host exceeds 7 months in KNR, which indicates that there is potentially a long period during which hosts can become infected with this parasite. The phenomenon of two annual peaks of larvae expelled in feces is important as it provides one explanation for the high rate of equine myiasis in KNR.