Update on Managing the Risks of Exposure to Lentiviral and Retroviral Vectors.

OBJECTIVE: This paper aims to review the risks associated with using lentiviral and retroviral vectors in research and clinical settings and to propose an update to an effective treatment plan. METHODS: Risks of exposure were evaluated based on vector design, safety features, viral tropism, transgene, and means and modes of transmission. These risks were weighed against the potential risks and benefits of current HIV medications. RESULTS: We recommend the following post-exposure prophylactic treatment for significant lentiviral vector exposures: 1) dolutegravir 50 mg. taken once a day for 7 days; and 2) tenofovir disoproxil fumarate 300 mg. taken once a day for 7 days (28 days of both medications for replication-competent vectors). CONCLUSIONS: Due to the highly efficient delivery of transgenes by modern lentiviral and retroviral vectors, post-exposure prophylaxis is indicated to prevent vector integration and oncogenic risks.

Increase in temperature facilitates Campylobacter jejuni biofilm formation under both aerobic and microaerobic incubation.

The formation of Campylobacter jeuni biofilms on processing surfaces is a significant concern in poultry processing, contributing to food safety risks. This study focused on assessing the biofilm forming capabilities of 12 field isolates of C. jejuni of different aerotolerance categories on stainless steel surfaces, a prevalent material in poultry processing environments. Working cultures of each isolate were prepared to approximately 6 log CFU/mL and incubated on stainless steel coupons under microaerobic or aerobic conditions at room temperature or 42°C for 72 h. Biofilm attached cells were enumerated using direct plating and biofilm density was measured using a crystal violet assay by measuring the optical density (OD600) a. Data analysis was conducted using the PROC GLIMMIX procedure in SAS 9.4 with a significance level of 0.05. The study revealed a notable interaction between aerotolerance categories and temperature (P < 0.039) impacting the number of biofilms attached C. jejuni cells on stainless steel coupons. All isolates had significantly higher counts when incubated at 42°C compared to room temperature, regardless of oxygen level (P < 0.001). Furthermore, stronger biofilm density was observed at 42°C compared to room temperature, regardless of oxygen level. These findings underscore the influence of temperature on the biofilm forming ability of C. jejuni. The ability of these field isolates to form biofilms under various environmental conditions suggests a heightened potential for surface colonization and increased infection risk in poultry processing facilities.

A Global Systematic Literature Review of Ecosystem Services in Reef Environments.

Ecosystem services (ES) embrace contributions of nature to human livelihood and well-being. Reef environments provide a range of ES with direct and indirect contributions to people. However, the health of reef environments is declining globally due to local and large-scale threats, affecting ES delivery in different ways. Mapping scientific knowledge and identifying research gaps on reefs' ES is critical to guide their management and conservation. We conducted a systematic assessment of peer-reviewed articles published between 2007 and 2022 to build an overview of ES research on reef environments. We analyzed the geographical distribution, reef types, approaches used to assess ES, and the potential drivers of change in ES delivery reported across these studies. Based on 115 articles, our results revealed that coral and oyster reefs are the most studied reef ecosystems. Cultural ES (e.g., subcategories recreation and tourism) was the most studied ES in high-income countries, while regulating and maintenance ES (e.g., subcategory life cycle maintenance) prevailed in low and middle-income countries. Research efforts on reef ES are biased toward the Global North, mainly North America and Oceania. Studies predominantly used observational approaches to assess ES, with a marked increase in the number of studies using statistical modeling during 2021 and 2022. The scale of studies was mostly local and regional, and the studies addressed mainly one or two subcategories of reefs' ES. Overexploitation, reef degradation, and pollution were the most commonly cited drivers affecting the delivery of provisioning, regulating and maintenance, and cultural ES. With increasing threats to reef environments, the growing demand for assessing the contributions to humans provided by reefs will benefit the projections on how these ES will be impacted by anthropogenic pressures. The incorporation of multiple and synergistic ecosystem mechanisms is paramount to providing a comprehensive ES assessment, and improving the understanding of functions, services, and benefits.

Aerotolerance and Multi-Locus Sequence Typing of Campylobacter jejuni Isolated from Commercial Broiler Processing Plants.

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the leading causes of acute diarrhea in the United States. Despite being a microaerophilic pathogen, C. jejuni continues to endure within the domain of food production, especially in poultry processing. Recent research on aerotolerance indicates that close monitoring of this pathogen is necessary. A total of 40 C. jejuni isolates previously obtained from commercial broiler processing plants were analyzed for aerotolerance and genetic diversity. In addition, the effect of aerotolerance and storage time (days) on the survival of C. jejuni on broiler drumsticks at refrigeration (4 °C) and freezing conditions (-20 °C) was also evaluated. Out of 40 isolates, 25 (62.5%) were aero-sensitive (AS), 10 (25%) were intermediately aerotolerant (IAT), and 5 (12.5%) were hyper aerotolerant (HAT). The isolates belonged to four clonal complexes (CCs) and six sequence types, with the majority of isolates assigned to the CC-353 clonal complex. C. jejuni counts were reduced by 0.40 log CFU/g after 7 days at 4 °C and by 1.50 log CFU/g after 14 days at -20 °C, respectively, irrespective of aerotolerance (p < 0.001). At both refrigeration (p < 0.013) and freezing (p < 0.001), HAT showed greater reductions as compared to AS and IAT. These findings suggest that both refrigeration and freezing reduce C. jejuni counts.

Role and Value of the Corporate Medical Director.

ABSTRACT: The role of the Corporate Medical Director (CMD) has received increased attention during the COVID-19 pandemic and has continued to evolve. This updated guidance addresses the role and value of the CMD in: health policy, strategy, and leadership; fostering a culture of health and well-being; supporting worker health and productivity/performance; addressing mental health; collaborating on employer benefits design; developing programs for global health, travel medicine, and remote/extreme environments; overseeing on- and near-site clinics; incorporating digital technology, artificial intelligence, and telehealth in health programs; supporting critical incident preparedness and business continuity planning; addressing workplace hazards; and overseeing periodic executive health examinations.

Plastic pollution on the world's coral reefs.

Coral reefs are losing the capacity to sustain their biological functions1. In addition to other well-known stressors, such as climatic change and overfishing1, plastic pollution is an emerging threat to coral reefs, spreading throughout reef food webs2, and increasing disease transmission and structural damage to reef organisms3. Although recognized as a global concern4, the distribution and quantity of plastics trapped in the world's coral reefs remains uncertain3. Here we survey 84 shallow and deep coral ecosystems at 25 locations across the Pacific, Atlantic and Indian ocean basins for anthropogenic macrodebris (pollution by human-generated objects larger than 5 centimetres, including plastics), performing 1,231 transects. Our results show anthropogenic debris in 77 out of the 84 reefs surveyed, including in some of Earth's most remote and near-pristine reefs, such as in uninhabited central Pacific atolls. Macroplastics represent 88% of the anthropogenic debris, and, like other debris types, peak in deeper reefs (mesophotic zones at 30-150 metres depth), with fishing activities as the main source of plastics in most areas. These findings contrast with the global pattern observed in other nearshore marine ecosystems, where macroplastic densities decrease with depth and are dominated by consumer items5. As the world moves towards a global treaty to tackle plastic pollution6, understanding its distribution and drivers provides key information to help to design the strategies needed to address this ubiquitous threat.

Salmonella Biofilm Formation under Fluidic Shear Stress on Different Surface Materials.

This study characterized biofilm formation of various Salmonella strains on common processing plant surface materials (stainless steel, concrete, rubber, polyethylene) under static and fluidic shear stress conditions. Surface-coupons were immersed in well-plates containing 1 mL of Salmonella (6 log CFU/mL) and incubated aerobically for 48 h at 37 °C in static or shear stress conditions. Biofilm density was determined using crystal violet assay, and biofilm cells were enumerated by plating on tryptic soy agar plates. Biofilms were visualized using scanning electron microscopy. Data were analyzed by SAS 9.4 at a significance level of 0.05. A surface-incubation condition interaction was observed for biofilm density (p < 0.001). On stainless steel, the OD600 was higher under shear stress than static incubation; whereas, on polyethylene, the OD600 was higher under static condition. Enumeration revealed surface-incubation condition (p = 0.024) and surface-strain (p < 0.001) interactions. Among all surface-incubation condition combinations, the biofilm cells were highest on polyethylene under fluidic shear stress (6.4 log/coupon; p < 0.001). Biofilms of S. Kentucky on polyethylene had the highest number of cells (7.80 log/coupon) compared to all other strain-surface combinations (p < 0.001). Electron microscopy revealed morphological and extracellular matrix differences between surfaces. Results indicate that Salmonella biofilm formation is influenced by serotype, surface, and fluidic shear stress.

Terelabrus toretore sp. nov. (Perciformes: Labridae), a New Species of Striped Hogfish from Tahiti, with Range Extensions for Two Congeners.

A new labrid fish, Terelabrus toretore sp. nov., the fifth species within the genus, is herein described from two specimens collected at a depth of 140 m from a mesophotic coral ecosystem in Tahiti, French Polynesia. Terelabrus toretore sp. nov. is characterized by having 43-44 scaled rows in longitudinal series; 42 pored lateral-line scales; 5+10 gill rakers; 10 scale rows below the lateral line; 8 posterior branches on the main supratemporal sensory canal; a relatively long snout (snout length 9.6-9.7% SL), and a coloration consisting of a yellow caudal fin and a wide, red, mid-lateral stripe with no blotching, the space above which is white anteriorly, becoming predominantly yellow from beneath the dorsal fin to the caudal peduncle. In addition to describing this new species, we document the first record of Terelabrus rubrovittatus from the Republic of Marshall Islands, and the first record of Terelabrus zonalis from Australia, along with the first description of its coloration. We present a molecular phylogeny of the genus based upon mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) DNA sequences.

Habitat use of five sympatric predatory reef fishes at a remote island in the south-western Atlantic.

Density-dependent mechanisms and habitat use are important drivers of marine spatial distribution in complex ecosystems such as coral or rocky reefs. In the last decade, a few studies have assessed habitat use by reef fishes in nearshore and coastal environments along the Brazilian coast. Serranidae (groupers and sea basses) are regarded as excellent models for understanding habitat use patterns due to their diversity, long lifespan, wide distribution, morphological and functional diversity, and behavioural complexity. Their trophic position in the food web, from meso- to top-predators, grants them critical roles as top-down population controllers. Herein, we present the first assessment of habitat use by five sympatric Serranidae in a Brazilian oceanic island, Trindade. The model species selected for this assessment were the coney (Cephalopholis fulva), the rock hind (Epinephelus adscensionis), the greater soapfish (Rypticus saponaceus), the Creole-fish (Paranthias furcifer) and the hybrid between C. fulva and P. furcifer. Our findings revealed that the species showed specific associations with topographic characteristics related to shelter from predation, reproduction and feeding. Habitat use in Trindade was similar to that observed in nearshore coastal environments (where the hybrid is absent). The present work contributes to the knowledge of habitat use and niche partitioning among key species, which is a valuable tool to subsidize effective conservation initiatives such as designing marine protected areas focusing on the behaviour and habitat use of key ecological players.

Assembly rules of coral reef fish communities along the depth gradient.

Coral reefs are home to some of the most studied ecological assemblages on the planet. However, differences in large-scale assembly rules have never been studied using empirical quantitative data stratified along the depth gradient of reefs. Consequently, little is known about the small- and regional-scale effects of depth on coral reef assemblages. Using a large dataset of underwater surveys, we observed that the influence of classic biogeographic drivers on the species richness of coral reef fishes changes significantly with depth, shaping distinct assemblages governed by different rules in mesophotic coral ecosystems. We show that a general pattern of decreased taxonomic and functional richness of reef fish assemblages with depth results from convergent filtering of species composition and trophic strategies on deeper reefs across ocean basins and that at smaller scales deep-reef communities are less influenced by regional factors than shallower reefs.

The InSight HP3 Penetrator (Mole) on Mars: Soil Properties Derived from the Penetration Attempts and Related Activities.

The NASA InSight Lander on Mars includes the Heat Flow and Physical Properties Package HP3 to measure the surface heat flow of the planet. The package uses temperature sensors that would have been brought to the target depth of 3-5 m by a small penetrator, nicknamed the mole. The mole requiring friction on its hull to balance remaining recoil from its hammer mechanism did not penetrate to the targeted depth. Instead, by precessing about a point midway along its hull, it carved a 7 cm deep and 5-6 cm wide pit and reached a depth of initially 31 cm. The root cause of the failure - as was determined through an extensive, almost two years long campaign - was a lack of friction in an unexpectedly thick cohesive duricrust. During the campaign - described in detail in this paper - the mole penetrated further aided by friction applied using the scoop at the end of the robotic Instrument Deployment Arm and by direct support by the latter. The mole tip finally reached a depth of about 37 cm, bringing the mole back-end 1-2 cm below the surface. It reversed its downward motion twice during attempts to provide friction through pressure on the regolith instead of directly with the scoop to the mole hull. The penetration record of the mole was used to infer mechanical soil parameters such as the penetration resistance of the duricrust of 0.3-0.7 MPa and a penetration resistance of a deeper layer ( > 30 cm depth) of 4.9 ± 0.4 MPa . Using the mole's thermal sensors, thermal conductivity and diffusivity were measured. Applying cone penetration theory, the resistance of the duricrust was used to estimate a cohesion of the latter of 2-15 kPa depending on the internal friction angle of the duricrust. Pushing the scoop with its blade into the surface and chopping off a piece of duricrust provided another estimate of the cohesion of 5.8 kPa. The hammerings of the mole were recorded by the seismometer SEIS and the signals were used to derive P-wave and S-wave velocities representative of the topmost tens of cm of the regolith. Together with the density provided by a thermal conductivity and diffusivity measurement using the mole's thermal sensors, the elastic moduli were calculated from the seismic velocities. Using empirical correlations from terrestrial soil studies between the shear modulus and cohesion, the previous cohesion estimates were found to be consistent with the elastic moduli. The combined data were used to derive a model of the regolith that has an about 20 cm thick duricrust underneath a 1 cm thick unconsolidated layer of sand mixed with dust and above another 10 cm of unconsolidated sand. Underneath the latter, a layer more resistant to penetration and possibly containing debris from a small impact crater is inferred. The thermal conductivity increases from 14 mW/m K to 34 mW/m K through the 1 cm sand/dust layer, keeps the latter value in the duricrust and the sand layer underneath and then increases to 64 mW/m K in the sand/gravel layer below. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s11214-022-00941-z.

Roles of Aerotolerance, Biofilm Formation, and Viable but Non-Culturable State in the Survival of Campylobacter jejuni in Poultry Processing Environments.

Campylobacter jejuni is one of the most common causes of foodborne human gastroenteritis in the developed world. This bacterium colonizes in the ceca of chickens, spreads throughout the poultry production chain, and contaminates poultry products. Despite numerous on farm intervention strategies and developments in post-harvest antimicrobial treatments, C. jejuni is frequently detected on broiler meat products. This indicates that C. jejuni is evolving over time to overcome the stresses/interventions that are present throughout poultry production and processing. The development of aerotolerance has been reported to be a major survival strategy used by C. jejuni in high oxygen environments. Recent studies have indicated that C. jejuni can enter a viable but non-culturable (VBNC) state or develop biofilm in response to environmental stressors such as refrigeration and freezing stress and aerobic stress. This review provides an overview of different stressors that C. jejuni are exposed to throughout the poultry production chain and the genotypic and phenotypic survival mechanisms, with special attention to aerotolerance, biofilm formation, and development of the VBNC state.

The Prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on Broiler Meat at Different Stages of Commercial Poultry Processing.

In poultry processing, Salmonella and Campylobacter contaminations are major food safety concerns. Peracetic acid (PAA) is an antimicrobial commonly used in commercial poultry processing to reduce pathogen prevalence so as to meet the USDA-FSIS performance standards. The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on broiler meat in various steps of commercial poultry processing in plants that use PAA. Post-pick, pre-chill, post-chill, and drumstick chicken samples were collected from three processing plants and mechanically deboned meat (MDM) was collected from two of the three plants. Each plant was sampled thrice, and 10 samples were collected from each processing step during each visit. Among the 420 samples, 79 were contaminated with Salmonella and 155 were contaminated with Campylobacter. Salmonella and Campylobacter contamination on the post-pick samples averaged 32.2%. Significant reductions in Salmonella and Campylobacter were observed in pre-chill to post-chill samples, where the prevalence was reduced from 34% and 64.4% to nondetectable limits and 1.1%, respectively (p < 0.001). Salmonella and Campylobacter remained undetectable on the drumstick samples in all three processing plants. However, the prevalence of Salmonella and Campylobacter on MDM was similar to the post-pick prevalence, which suggests substantial cross-contamination from post-chill to MDM.

Spoilage Bacteria Counts on Broiler Meat at Different Stages of Commercial Poultry Processing Plants That Use Peracetic Acid.

In poultry processing, spoilage microbes are persistent microorganisms, which affect the quality of broiler meat. Peracetic acid (PAA) is the most common antimicrobial used by commercial processing plants, which can reduce the prevalence of these microbes. The goal of this study was to determine the concentrations of aerobic bacteria, coliforms, lactic acid bacteria, and Pseudomonas on broiler meat in processing plants that use peracetic acid in various concentrations as the primary antimicrobial. Samples were collected from three processing plants at five processing steps: post-pick (defeathering), pre-chill, post-chill, mechanically deboned meat (MDM), and drumsticks. Samples were rinsed in buffered peptone water for bacteria isolation. Over six log CFU/sample of aerobic plate counts (APC), lactic acid bacteria, and coliforms were detected on post-pick samples. All spoilage bacteria were reduced to nondetectable levels on post-chill samples (p < 0.001). However, the presence of all bacteria on mechanically deboned meat (MDM) samples indicated varying degrees of cross contamination from post-chill and MDM samples. These results suggest PAA effectively reduces spoilage microbes in chilling applications irrespective of differences in PAA concentrations. However, due to the levels of spoilage microbes detected in MDM, it may be worth investigating the potential interventions for this stage of processing.

Niche availability and habitat affinities of the red porgy Pagrus pagrus (Linnaeus, 1758): An important ecological player on the world's largest rhodolith beds.

The red porgy (Pagrus pagrus) is a carnivore bottom dweller sparid, inhabiting flat sandy bottoms, rhodolith and seagrass beds of the Mediterranean Sea, the Western Atlantic (from Florida to Argentina) and the Eastern Atlantic (from Britain to Gabon). Along its native range, the red porgy is highly targeted by commercial and artisanal fisheries. In the past 40 years, the population decline of the species has been widely reported. In many locations, such as the Brazilian coast, stocks have collapsed. The central portion of the Brazilian coast harbours the largest rhodolith beds in the world and the highest levels of nektonic and benthic biodiversity. Along the rhodolith megahabitat, P. pagrus density is disproportionately higher (by 480%) than that of conspicuous benthic fishes inhabiting the same environment. Despite the ecological and economic importance of such an important species along its native range, little is known regarding its habitat use, niche availability and population responses to global warming. Here we present habitat affinities based on data sampled using baited remote stereo-video systems, and modelled niche availability and global warming populational responses. Our findings reveal that the red porgy is a species highly associated with rhodolith beds along the central portion of the Brazilian coast. The presence of a disproportional density and biomass of the red porgy, compared to other marine fish species, indicates that the species plays a key ecological role as a carnivore, mesoconsumer and prey/predator tolerant species, maintaining essential ecological functions in the habitat. In a global warming scenario, the model predicted populational niche shifts poleward and a severe niche erosion at lower latitudes as expected. Conservation initiatives (implementation of Maine Protected Areas, trawling exclusion zones, mining exclusion zones, fisheries management policies) are urgent to secure future stocks of the red porgy and also preserve the fragile rhodolith beds they inhabit.

Limited human access is linked to higher effectiveness in a marine sanctuary.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are a widely used tool for coral reefs conservation, but massive tourism activities inside MPAs worldwide can challenge their effectiveness. This study investigated the role of different levels of protection strictness (no-entry, low and high tourism-allowed zones) set for a marine sanctuary in shaping benthic cover and reef fish community structure in the richest and largest coral reef system of the Southwestern Atlantic. Reef fish community structure and benthic cover differed between protection levels. No-entry zones showed significant higher coral coverage and biomass of piscivores and herbivores than tourism-allowed zones. Highest differences were found between no-entry and high tourism intensity zones. Despite the fact that protection from fishing by itself can ensure conservation benefits, we show here that the establishment of no-entry zones improve MPAs effectiveness.

Disturbance and distribution gradients influence resource availability and feeding behaviours in corallivore fishes following a warm-water anomaly.

Understanding interactions between spatial gradients in disturbances, species distributions and species' resilience mechanisms is critical to identifying processes that mediate environmental change. On coral reefs, a global expansion of coral bleaching is likely to drive spatiotemporal pulses in resource quality for obligate coral associates. Using technical diving and statistical modelling we evaluated how depth gradients in coral distribution, coral bleaching, and competitor density interact with the quality, preference and use of coral resources by corallivore fishes immediately following a warm-water anomaly. Bleaching responses varied among coral genera and depths but attenuated substantially between 3 and 47 m for key prey genera (Acropora and Pocillopora). While total coral cover declined with depth, the cover of pigmented corals increased slightly. The abundances of three focal obligate-corallivore butterflyfish species also decreased with depth and were not related to spatial patterns in coral bleaching. Overall, all species selectively foraged on pigmented corals. However, the most abundant species avoided feeding on bleached corals more successfully in deeper waters, where bleaching prevalence and conspecific densities were lower. These results suggest that, as coral bleaching increases, energy trade-offs related to distributions and resource acquisition will vary with depth for some coral-associated species.

Prevalence and Molecular Characteristics of Avian Pathogenic Escherichia coli in "No Antibiotics Ever" Broiler Farms.

Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli (APEC) causes significant economic and welfare concerns to the broiler industry. For several decades, prophylactic supplementation of antimicrobial growth promoters was the primary method to control APEC; however, the recent shift to no antibiotics ever (NAE) production has increased colibacillosis incidence. The objectives of this study were to determine the influence of season, flock age, and sample type on the prevalence and virulence of E. coli and to identify the serogroups and antimicrobial susceptibility of virulent and nonvirulent E. coli in NAE broiler farms. Litter, feces, cloacal swabs, and tracheal swabs were collected from 4 NAE farms during spring and summer seasons, and E. coli was isolated and confirmed by PCR. Confirmed E. coli isolates were tested for 5 APEC-virulence-associated genes (VAGs) using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Further, E. coli isolates with all five VAGs (100 isolates) and E. coli isolates without any VAGs (87 isolates) were screened against 11 antimicrobials through Kirby-Bauer disk diffusion assay, and their serogroups were tested using PCR. Data were analyzed using the GLIMMIX procedure of SAS 9.4, and statistical significance was determined at a P value of ≤0.05. Overall, the prevalence of E. coli was not affected by season, flock age, or sample type. However, the prevalence of all tested VAGs decreased from spring to summer (P ≤ 0.002). The frequency of resistance was highest for tetracycline, and serogroups O8 (31%) and O78 (11%) were most frequent in virulent E. coli. In conclusion, there is a high prevalence of virulent E. coli in NAE farms, especially in the spring season. IMPORTANCE Avian pathogenic Escherichia coli causes one of the most detrimental bacterial diseases to the United States poultry industry, colibacillosis. Colibacillosis leads to decreased performance, early mortality, and subsequent production loss. Previously, colibacillosis was largely mitigated by the use of antimicrobial growth promoters. Due to concerns about antimicrobial resistance, the use of these promoters has been largely removed from the broiler industry. With recent shifts in the poultry industry to NAE broiler production, there is an increase in bacterial disease and mortality. We do not know how this shift to NAE affects APEC prevalence within broiler farms. Therefore, in the current study, we attempted to assess the prevalence and virulence of E. coli within an antibiotic-free broiler environment, assessed antimicrobial susceptibility, and identified the serogroups of virulent and nonvirulent E. coli.