The Exometabolome of Xylella fastidiosa in Contact with Paraburkholderia phytofirmans Supernatant Reveals Changes in Nicotinamide, Amino Acids, Biotin, and Plant Hormones.

Microbial competition within plant tissues affects invading pathogens' fitness. Metabolomics is a great tool for studying their biochemical interactions by identifying accumulated metabolites. Xylella fastidiosa, a Gram-negative bacterium causing Pierce's disease (PD) in grapevines, secretes various virulence factors including cell wall-degrading enzymes, adhesion proteins, and quorum-sensing molecules. These factors, along with outer membrane vesicles, contribute to its pathogenicity. Previous studies demonstrated that co-inoculating X. fastidiosa with the Paraburkholderia phytofirmans strain PsJN suppressed PD symptoms. Here, we further investigated the interaction between the phytopathogen and the endophyte by analyzing the exometabolome of wild-type X. fastidiosa and a diffusible signaling factor (DSF) mutant lacking quorum sensing, cultivated with 20% P. phytofirmans spent media. Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS) and the Method for Metabolite Annotation and Gene Integration (MAGI) were used to detect and map metabolites to genomes, revealing a total of 121 metabolites, of which 25 were further investigated. These metabolites potentially relate to host adaptation, virulence, and pathogenicity. Notably, this study presents the first comprehensive profile of X. fastidiosa in the presence of a P. phytofirmans spent media. The results highlight that P. phytofirmans and the absence of functional quorum sensing affect the ratios of glutamine to glutamate (Gln:Glu) in X. fastidiosa. Additionally, two compounds with plant metabolism and growth properties, 2-aminoisobutyric acid and gibberellic acid, were downregulated when X. fastidiosa interacted with P. phytofirmans. These findings suggest that P. phytofirmans-mediated disease suppression involves modulation of the exometabolome of X. fastidiosa, impacting plant immunity.

Comparative Genomics of Xylella fastidiosa Explores Candidate Host-Specificity Determinants and Expands the Known Repertoire of Mobile Genetic Elements and Immunity Systems.

Xylella fastidiosa causes diseases in many plant species. Originally confined to the Americas, infecting mainly grapevine, citrus, and coffee, X. fastidiosa has spread to several plant species in Europe causing devastating diseases. Many pathogenicity and virulence factors have been identified, which enable the various X. fastidiosa strains to successfully colonize the xylem tissue and cause disease in specific plant hosts, but the mechanisms by which this happens have not been fully elucidated. Here we present thorough comparative analyses of 94 whole-genome sequences of X. fastidiosa strains from diverse plant hosts and geographic regions. Core-genome phylogeny revealed clades with members sharing mostly a geographic region rather than a host plant of origin. Phylogenetic trees for 1605 orthologous CDSs were explored for potential candidates related to host specificity using a score of mapping metrics. However, no candidate host-specificity determinants were strongly supported using this approach. We also show that X. fastidiosa accessory genome is represented by an abundant and heterogeneous mobilome, including a diversity of prophage regions. Our findings provide a better understanding of the diversity of phylogenetically close genomes and expand the knowledge of X. fastidiosa mobile genetic elements and immunity systems.

High-Quality Draft Genome Sequence Resources of Eight Xylella fastidiosa Strains Isolated from Citrus, Coffee, Plum, and Hibiscus in South America.

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca, once confined to South America and infecting mainly citrus and coffee plants, has been found to be associated with other hosts and in other geographic regions. We present high-quality draft genome sequences of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca strains J1a12, B111, U24D, and XRB isolated from citrus plants in Brazil, strain Fb7 isolated from a citrus plant in Argentina and strains 3124, Pr8x, and Hib4 isolated, respectively, from coffee, plum, and hibiscus plants in Brazil. Sequencing was performed using Roche 454-GS FLX, MiSeq-Illumina or Pacific Biosciences platforms. These high-quality genome assemblies will be useful for further studies about the genomic diversity, evolution, and biology of X. fastidiosa.

High-quality draft genome sequence resources of eight Xylella fastidiosa strains isolated from citrus, coffee, plum and hibiscus in South America.

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca , once confined to South America and infecting mainly citrus and coffee plants, has been found to be associated with other hosts and in other geographic regions. We present high-quality draft genome sequences of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca strains J1a12, B111, U24D and XRB isolated from citrus plants in Brazil, strain Fb7 isolated from a citrus plant in Argentina and strains 3124, Pr8x and Hib4 isolated, respectively, from coffee, plum and hibiscus plants in Brazil. Sequencing was performed using Roche 454-GS FLX, MiSeq-Illumina or Pacific Biosciences platforms. These high-quality genome assemblies will be useful for further studies about the genomic diversity, evolution, and biology of X. fastidiosa.

High-quality draft genome sequence resources of eight Xylella fastidiosa strains isolated from citrus, coffee, plum and hibiscus in South America.

Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca , once confined to South America and infecting mainly citrus and coffee plants, has been found to be associated with other hosts and in other geographic regions. We present high-quality draft genome sequences of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca strains J1a12, B111, U24D and XRB isolated from citrus plants in Brazil, strain Fb7 isolated from a citrus plant in Argentina and strains 3124, Pr8x and Hib4 isolated, respectively, from coffee, plum and hibiscus plants in Brazil. Sequencing was performed using Roche 454-GS FLX, MiSeq-Illumina or Pacific Biosciences platforms. These high-quality genome assemblies will be useful for further studies about the genomic diversity, evolution, and biology of X. fastidiosa.

Characterization of mycobacteria and mycobacteriophages isolated from compost at the São Paulo Zoo Park Foundation in Brazil and creation of the new mycobacteriophage Cluster U.

BACKGROUND: A large collection of sequenced mycobacteriophages capable of infecting a single host strain of Mycobacterium smegmatis shows considerable genomic diversity with dozens of distinctive types (clusters) and extensive variation within those sharing evident nucleotide sequence similarity. Here we profiled the mycobacterial components of a large composting system at the São Paulo zoo. RESULTS: We isolated and sequenced eight mycobacteriophages using Mycobacterium smegmatis mc(2)155 as a host. None of these eight phages infected any of mycobacterial strains isolated from the same materials. The phage isolates span considerable genomic diversity, including two phages (Barriga, Nhonho) related to Subcluster A1 phages, two Cluster B phages (Pops, Subcluster B1; Godines, Subcluster B2), three Subcluster F1 phages (Florinda, Girafales, and Quico), and Madruga, a relative of phage Patience with which it constitutes the new Cluster U. Interestingly, the two Subcluster A1 phages and the three Subcluster F1 phages have genomic relationships indicating relatively recent evolution within a geographically isolated niche in the composting system. CONCLUSIONS: We predict that composting systems such as those used to obtain these mycobacteriophages will be a rich source for the isolation of additional phages that will expand our view of bacteriophage diversity and evolution.

Sistema de informação em saúde: novas fichas de clínica médica para o Hospital das Clínicas da UFMG / Health information system: new medical forms for general practice at the Hospital das Clínicas/UFMG

Os autores apresentam o layout das novas fichas de registro de dados da Primeira Consulta e Retorno para a Clínica Médica e discutem as fontes do Sistema de Informação em Saúde para o atendimento ambulatorial do Hospital das Clínicas da UFMG. As fichas contêm campos homogêneos para registro de dados para todas as clínicas básicas e especialidades, possibilitando o fornecimento de informações geradas a partir de uma única base de dados para todos os usuários: da gerência, do ensaio e da pesquisa.

The authors present the layout for the new forms to be filled with data collected from patients attending the Internal Medicine Clinic, during the first and follow-up visits. They also present an evaluation of the Health Information System for the UFMG University Hospital out patient clinics. The forms already implemented, have common fields, for Internal Medicine as well as specialties. Based on the new forms, it will be possible to generate, from an unique database, reporta to all users (researchers, mannagers, faculties, etc).

Perfil da demanda atendida em 1994 no ambulatório de doenças profissionais do hospital das clínicas da universidade federal de Minas Gerais / Pattern of the demand attended in 1994 at the ambulatório de doenças profissionais do hospital das clínicas da universidade federal de Minas Gerais

O Ambulatório de Doenças Profissionais do Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (ADP) desenvolve ações que envolvem prestação de assistência médica, formação de recursos humanos, produção e divulgação de conhecimentos, promoção de atividades de extensão, integração inter-institucional e de vigilância em saúde do trabalhador. Buscando subsídios para o planejamento e avaliação destas ações, o ADP, em conjunto com outras instituições relacionadas à área, modelou um sistema de informação para atendimento ambulatorial em Saúde do Trabalhador, cuja fonte de informação foi a Ficha Resumo de Atendimento Ambulatorial em Saúde do Trabalhador (FIRAAST), preenchida após cada atendimento. A avaliação dos dados da FIRAAST referente às 510 primeiras consultas realizadas em 1994, permitiu traçar o perfil da demanda atendida naquele ano no ADP, quanto a sexo, idade, cor, procedência, escolaridade, renda, tipo de encaminhamento, tempo entre a solicitação e a realização da consulta, trabalho terceirizado, relação e situação atual de trabalho, carteira de trabalho assinada, sindicalização, emissão de CAT, ocupação, ramo de atividade e diagnóstico. Os dados encontrados sugerem que o perfil da demanda reflete mais o padrão de oferta do serviço do que a real necessidade da população trabalhadora.

The Ambulatório de Doenças Profissionais at Hospital das Clínicas at UFMG (ADP) develops actions that include medical assistance, personnel training, knowledge production and spread, extention activity promotion, integration between institutions and surveillance in occupational health. In search of subsidy for planning and assessment of these actions, the ADP together with other related institutions, created a data system for ambulatorial attending in occupacional health whose information sourse is the FIRAAST questionnaire (Ficha Resumo de Atendimento Ambulatorial em Saúde do Trabalhador), filled after each consultation. The assesment of the data obtained from FIRAAST related to the 510 first consultation questionnaires, filled in 1994, allowed the characterization of the demand attended that year at ADP, concerning sex, age, race, origin, school level, income, acess to consultation, time between the request and the consultation execution, hired service from others, current labour relation and situation, labour agreement signature, trade-unionism, legal communication of work accidents, occupation, activity line and diagnosis. The found data suggests that the pattern of the attended demand is far more a reflex of the service offer pattern than of the working population real need.

O uso da variável ocupação em estudos clínicos e epidemiológicos / Use of the variable occupation in clinical and epidemiological studies

Para conhecer como a ocupação é estudada e como é incorporada pelo saber médico buscou-se a identificação, na literatura médica, dos artigos que fazem referência ou têm a ocupação como variável importante. Usou-se a base de dados Medline/CD-ROM de 1994. Os distúrbios mentais e as doenças crônicas, transmissíveis, cardiovasculares, pulmonares e as ocupacionais foram os grupos de doenças selecionados para representar a área médica. A identificação dos artigos feita através das doenças estudadas, num primeiro momento, com os descritores para ocupação e, num segundo, com o descritor para fator de risco. Foram identifica- dos 27.517 artigos, dos quais 1.566 (5,7%) mencionavam a variável ocupação e 303 (1,1%) apresentavam descritor para fator de risco. Destes 1.566 artigos, cerca de 14% descreviam a ocupação estudada e dos 303 identificados pelo fator de risco apenas oito (2,6%) correlacionavam a ocupação como fator de risco.

In an attempt to learn how occupation is studied and incorporated by medical knowledge, a search was conducted for papers which make reference to or use occupation as an important variable. The Medline/CD-ROM 1994 database was used for this search. Mental disturbances, chronic diseases, transmissible, cardiovascular, pulmonary, and work-related illness were the diseases groups chosen to represent the medical field. The identification of references was done by cross-referencing the diseases first with the occupation and then with the risk factor. 27.517 references were identified, of which 1.566 (5,7%) mentioned the variable occupation and 303 (1,1%) the risk factor. Of theses 1.566 references, aproximately 14% described the studied occupation, and the 303 identified by the risk factor, only 8 (2,6%) related occupation as a risk factor.

Guia para revisäo bibliográfica: saúde coletiva / A bibliographic review guide: social medicine

Na fase de revisäo bibliográfica de estudo e pesquisas na área de Saúde Coletiva (SC), aceita-se, geralmente, que o INDEX MEDICUS (IM) seja o instrumento de referência ideal por permitir identificar a maioria das publicações na área. O uso do guia permitirá, na área da SC: 1) definir se o IM é ou näo suficiente; 2) identificar a(s) obra(s) de referência(s) (OR) que completa(m) o IM; 3) por área da SC, qual(is) OR deve(m) ser buscada(s) para obtençäo de uma revisäo bibliográfica mais completa. Foi montado um banco de dados com base nas listagens de periódicos médicos, indexados em 1992: a) pelo INDEX MEDICUS classificados por descritores; b) pelo CURRENT CONTENTS - CLINICAL MEDICINE, agrupados por disciplinas; e com base nos títulos das revistas, onde foram publicados os 6970 trabalhos, cujos resumos compõem os volumes do ano de 1992 da EXCERPTA MEDICA - Secçäo 17 (Saúde Pública, Medicina Social e Epidemiologia). A análise dos dados do banco vai permitir, na SC como um todo, a identificaçäo das revistas indexadas por uma ou, simultaneamente, por duas ou três das OR. Permitirá, ainda, por área da SC, a identificaçäo de qual(is) OR poderá(äo) apontar a maioria dos trabalhos publicados na área, possibilitando um planejamento mais adequado dos levantamentos bibliográficos.