In vivo evolution of a Klebsiella pneumoniae capsule defect with wcaJ mutation promotes complement-mediated opsono-phagocytosis during recurrent infection.

BACKGROUND: Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) bloodstream infections are associated with high mortality. We studied clinical bloodstream KPC-Kp isolates to investigate mechanisms of resistance to complement, a key host defense against bloodstream infection. METHODS: We tested growth of KPC-Kp isolates in human serum. In serial isolates from a single patient, we performed whole genome sequencing and tested for complement resistance and binding by mixing study, direct ELISA, flow cytometry, and electron microscopy. We utilized an isogenic deletion mutant in phagocytosis assays and an acute lung infection model. RESULTS: We found serum resistance in 16 of 59 (27%) KPC-Kp clinical bloodstream isolates. In five genetically-related bloodstream isolates from a single patient, we noted a loss-of-function mutation in the capsule biosynthesis gene, wcaJ. Disruption of wcaJ was associated with decreased polysaccharide capsule, resistance to complement-mediated killing, and surprisingly, increased binding of complement proteins. Furthermore, an isogenic wcaJ deletion mutant exhibited increased opsono-phagocytosis in vitro and impaired in vivo control in the lung after airspace macrophage depletion in mice. CONCLUSIONS: Loss of function in wcaJ led to increased complement resistance, complement binding, and opsono-phagocytosis, which may promote KPC-Kp persistence by enabling co-existence of increased bloodstream fitness and reduced tissue virulence.

RARE NON-SURGICAL RELATED MASSIVE SPONTANEOUS SUPRACHOROIDAL HEMORRHAGE. A CASE REPORT.

AIMS: We present two rare cases of non-surgical-related massive spontaneous suprachoroidal hemorrhage. CASE REPORT: The first case was a 73-year-old male with uncontrolled hypertension, who presented with left vision loss, only able to perceive light, with very high intraocular pressure (IOP) and blood pressure (BP), 68 mmHg and 196/106 mmHg, respectively. Ocular examination showed a limited fundus view, and the B-scan revealed near kissing suprachoroidal hemorrhage. The second case was a 59-year-old male, post valve replacement surgery on life-long warfarin, who presented with hand movement vision and IOP of 47 mmHg. The B-scan showed massive submacular and suprachoroidal hemorrhage with therapeutic range International Normalized Ratio (INR). CONCLUSION: Suprachoroidal hemorrhage is one of the rare complications that can be seen in any ocular surgery. However, spontaneous suprachoroidal hemorrhage is a rarer disease. Most of the reported cases are associated with underlying medical conditions. Thus prevention is crucial. This involves ophthalmologists, physicians and general practitioners in managing this group of patients with associated risk factors, for better recognition of this devastating ocular complication in which early detection may reduce ocular morbidity.

In vivo evolution of a Klebsiella pneumoniae capsule defect promotes complement-mediated opsono-phagocytosis and persistence during recurrent infection.

Klebsiella pneumoniae carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (KPC-Kp) bloodstream infections rarely overwhelm the host but are associated with high mortality. The complement system is a key host defense against bloodstream infection. However, there are varying reports of serum resistance among KPC-Kp isolates. We assessed growth of 59 KPC-Kp clinical isolates in human serum and found increased resistance in 16/59 (27%). We identified five genetically-related bloodstream isolates with varying serum resistance profiles collected from a single patient during an extended hospitalization marked by recurrent KPC-Kp bloodstream infections. We noted a loss-of-function mutation in the capsule biosynthesis gene, wcaJ, that emerged during infection was associated with decreased polysaccharide capsule content, and resistance to complement-mediated killing. Surprisingly, disruption of wcaJ increased deposition of complement proteins on the microbial surface compared to the wild-type strain and led to increased complement-mediated opsono-phagocytosis in human whole blood. Disabling opsono-phagocytosis in the airspaces of mice impaired in vivo control of the wcaJ loss-of-function mutant in an acute lung infection model. These findings describe the rise of a capsular mutation that promotes KPC-Kp persistence within the host by enabling co-existence of increased bloodstream fitness and reduced tissue virulence.

Evaluation of Dynamics, Demography and Estimation of Free-Roaming Dog Population in Herat City, Afghanistan.

FRDs pose a serious challenge in countries where dog-bite-related rabies is endemic. Understanding the size and core demographic characteristics of FRD populations is essential for the planning and implementation of effective dog-population and canine-rabies-control programmes. The photographic sight-resight method was used to estimate the FRD population and evaluate its demographic characteristics in Herat city. A total of 928 free-roaming dogs (FRD) were identified through 3172 sightings, and the total free-roaming population was estimated to amount to 1821 (95% CI: 1565-2077), which led to the estimation of 10 dogs/km2 and the human-to-FRD ratio of 315:1. The male-to-female ratio was 2.85:1. The majority of them were healthy, with an ideal body score. Although the FRD density is considered low, it is still a concern and significant, since the majority of the people are unaware of the importance of canine populations in the transmission of zoonotic diseases such as rabies, and there were no specific measures for managing and controlling FRD populations. The information gained can be useful in animal health planning to design effective dog-population-control programmes, and for the planning of national rabies-prevention programmes.

Meningococcal disease in North America: Updates from the Global Meningococcal Initiative.

This review summarizes the recent Global Meningococcal Initiative (GMI) regional meeting, which explored meningococcal disease in North America. Invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) cases are documented through both passive and active surveillance networks. IMD appears to be decreasing in many areas, such as the Dominican Republic (2016: 18 cases; 2021: 2 cases) and Panama (2008: 1 case/100,000; 2021: <0.1 cases/100,000); however, there is notable regional and temporal variation. Outbreaks persist in at-risk subpopulations, such as people experiencing homelessness in the US and migrants in Mexico. The recent emergence of ß-lactamase-positive and ciprofloxacin-resistant meningococci in the US is a major concern. While vaccination practices vary across North America, vaccine uptake remains relatively high. Monovalent and multivalent conjugate vaccines (which many countries in North America primarily use) can provide herd protection. However, there is no evidence that group B vaccines reduce meningococcal carriage. The coronavirus pandemic illustrates that following public health crises, enhanced surveillance of disease epidemiology and catch-up vaccine schedules is key. Whole genome sequencing is a key epidemiological tool for identifying IMD strain emergence and the evaluation of vaccine strain coverage. The Global Roadmap on Defeating Meningitis by 2030 remains a focus of the GMI.

Genome-Wide Analysis and Molecular Characterization of Orf Virus Strain UPM/HSN-20 Isolated From Goat in Malaysia.

Contagious ecthyma commonly known as Orf is a globally important, highly contagious zoonotic, transboundary disease that affects domestic and wild ruminants. The disease is of great economic significance causing an immense impact on animal health, welfare, productivity, and trade. Detailed analysis of the viral genome is crucial to further elucidate the molecular mechanism of Orf virus (ORFV) pathogenesis. In the present study, a confluent monolayer of lamb testicle cells was infected with the processed scab sample obtained from an infected goat. The presence of the virus was confirmed using polymerase chain reaction and electron microscopy, while its genome was sequenced using next-generation sequencing technology. The genome sequence of Malaysian ORFV strain UPM/HSN-20 was found to contain 132,124 bp with a G + C content of 63.7%. The homology analysis indicates that UPM/HSN-20 has a high level of identity 97.3-99.0% with the other reference ORFV strain. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that ORFV strain UPM/HSN-20 is genetically more closely related to ORFV strain XY and NP from China. The availability of the genome-wide analysis of ORFV UPM/HSN-20 strain from Malaysia will serve as a good platform for further understanding of genetic diversity, ORFV infection, and strategic development for control measures.

Genomic Diversity of Hospital-Acquired Infections Revealed through Prospective Whole-Genome Sequencing-Based Surveillance.

Healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) cause mortality, morbidity, and waste of health care resources. HAIs are also an important driver of antimicrobial resistance, which is increasing around the world. Beginning in November 2016, we instituted an initiative to detect outbreaks of HAIs using prospective whole-genome sequencing-based surveillance of bacterial pathogens collected from hospitalized patients. Here, we describe the diversity of bacteria sampled from hospitalized patients at a single center, as revealed through systematic analysis of bacterial isolate genomes. We sequenced the genomes of 3,004 bacterial isolates from hospitalized patients collected over a 25-month period. We identified bacteria belonging to 97 distinct species, which were distributed among 14 groups of related species. Within these groups, isolates could be distinguished from one another by both average nucleotide identity (ANI) and principal-component analysis of accessory genes (PCA-A). Core genome genetic distances and rates of evolution varied among species, which has practical implications for defining shared ancestry during outbreaks and for our broader understanding of the origins of bacterial strains and species. Finally, antimicrobial resistance genes and putative mobile genetic elements were frequently observed, and our systematic analysis revealed patterns of occurrence across the different species sampled from our hospital. Overall, this study shows how understanding the population structure of diverse pathogens circulating in a single health care setting can improve the discriminatory power of genomic epidemiology studies and can help define the processes leading to strain and species differentiation. IMPORTANCE Hospitalized patients are at increased risk of becoming infected with antibiotic-resistant organisms. We used whole-genome sequencing to survey and compare over 3,000 clinical bacterial isolates collected from hospitalized patients at a large medical center over a 2-year period. We identified nearly 100 different bacterial species, which we divided into 14 different groups of related species. When we examined how genetic relatedness differed between species, we found that different species were likely evolving at different rates within our hospital. This is significant because the identification of bacterial outbreaks in the hospital currently relies on genetic similarity cutoffs, which are often applied uniformly across organisms. Finally, we found that antibiotic resistance genes and mobile genetic elements were abundant and were shared among the bacterial isolates we sampled. Overall, this study provides an in-depth view of the genomic diversity and evolutionary processes of bacteria sampled from hospitalized patients, as well as genetic similarity estimates that can inform hospital outbreak detection and prevention efforts.

Are intravitreal injections essential during the COVID-19 pandemic? Global preferred practice patterns and practical recommendations.

Tertiary outpatient ophthalmology clinics are high-risk environments for COVID-19 transmission, especially retina clinics, where regular follow-up is needed for elderly patients with multiple comorbidities. Intravitreal injection therapy (IVT) for chronic macular diseases, is one of the most common procedures performed, associated with a significant burden of care because of the vigorous treatment regimen associated with multiple investigations. While minimizing the risk of COVID-19 infection transmission is a priority, this must be balanced against the continued provision of sight-saving ophthalmic care to patients at risk of permanent vision loss. This review aims to give evidence-based guidelines on managing IVT during the COVID-19 pandemic in common macular diseases such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic macula edema and retinal vascular disease and to report on how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected IVT practices worldwide.To illustrate some real-world examples, 18 participants in the International Retina Collaborative, from 15 countries and across four continents, were surveyed regarding pre- and during- COVID-19 pandemic IVT practices in tertiary ophthalmic centers. The majority of centers reported a reduction in the number of appointments to reduce the risk of the spread of COVID-19 with varying changes to their IVT regimen to treat various macula diseases. Due to the constantly evolving nature of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the uncertainty about the normal resumption of health services, we suggest that new solutions for eye healthcare provision, like telemedicine, may be adopted in the future when we consider new long-term adaptations required to cope with the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carbapenem-Resistant Acinetobacter baumannii in U.S. Hospitals: Diversification of Circulating Lineages and Antimicrobial Resistance.

Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb) is a major cause of health care-associated infections. CRAb is typically multidrug resistant, and infection is difficult to treat. Despite the urgent threat that CRAb poses, few systematic studies of CRAb clinical and molecular epidemiology have been conducted. The Study Network of Acinetobacter as a Carbapenem-Resistant Pathogen (SNAP) is designed to investigate the clinical characteristics and contemporary population structure of CRAb circulating in U.S. hospital systems using whole-genome sequencing (WGS). Analysis of the initial 120 SNAP patients from four U.S. centers revealed that CRAb remains a significant threat to hospitalized patients, affecting the most vulnerable patients and resulting in 24% all-cause 30-day mortality. The majority of currently circulating isolates belonged to ST2Pas, a part of clonal complex 2 (CC2), which is the dominant drug-resistant lineage in the United States and Europe. We identified three distinct sublineages within CC2, which differed in their antibiotic resistance phenotypes and geographic distribution. Most concerning, colistin resistance (38%) and cefiderocol resistance (10%) were common within CC2 sublineage C (CC2C), where the majority of isolates belonged to ST2Pas/ST281Ox. Additionally, we identified ST499Pas as the most common non-CC2 lineage in our study. Our findings suggest a shift within the CRAb population in the United States during the past 10 years and emphasize the importance of real-time surveillance and molecular epidemiology in studying CRAb dissemination and clinical impact. IMPORTANCE Carbapenem-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii (CRAb) constitutes a major threat to public health. To elucidate the molecular and clinical epidemiology of CRAb in the United States, clinical CRAb isolates were collected along with data on patient characteristics and outcomes, and bacterial isolates underwent whole-genome sequencing and antibiotic susceptibility phenotyping. Key findings included emergence of new sublineages within the globally predominant clonal complex 2 (CC2), increased colistin and cefiderocol resistance within one of the CC2 sublineages, and emergence of ST499Pas as the dominant non-CC2 CRAb lineage in U.S. hospitals.

Convergent Evolution of Antibiotic Tolerance in Patients with Persistent Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Bacteremia.

Severe infections caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are often complicated by persistent bacteremia (PB) despite active antibiotic therapy. Antibiotic resistance rarely contributes to MRSA-PB, suggesting an important role for antibiotic tolerance pathways. To identify bacterial factors associated with PB, we sequenced the whole genomes of 206 MRSA isolates derived from 20 patients with PB and looked for genetic signatures of adaptive within-host evolution. We found that genes involved in the tricarboxylic acid cycle (citZ and odhA) and stringent response (rel) bore repeated, independent, protein-altering mutations across multiple infections, indicative of convergent evolution. Both pathways have been linked previously to antibiotic tolerance. Mutations in citZ were identified most frequently, and further study showed they caused antibiotic tolerance through the loss of citrate synthase activity. Isolates harboring mutant alleles (citZ, odhA, and rel) were sampled at a low frequency from each patient but were detected in 10 (50%) of the patients. These results suggest that subpopulations of antibiotic-tolerant mutants emerge commonly during MRSA-PB. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a leading cause of hospital-acquired infection. In severe cases, bacteria invade the bloodstream and cause bacteremia, a condition associated with high mortality. We analyzed the genomes of serial MRSA isolates derived from patients with bacteremia that persisted through active antibiotic therapy and found a frequent evolution of pathways leading to antibiotic tolerance. Antibiotic tolerance is distinct from antibiotic resistance, and the role of tolerance in clinical failure of antibiotic therapy is defined poorly. Our results show genetic evidence that perturbation of specific metabolic pathways plays an important role in the ability of MRSA to evade antibiotics during severe infection.

Whole-Genome Sequencing Surveillance and Machine Learning of the Electronic Health Record for Enhanced Healthcare Outbreak Detection.

BACKGROUND: Most hospitals use traditional infection prevention (IP) methods for outbreak detection. We developed the Enhanced Detection System for Healthcare-Associated Transmission (EDS-HAT), which combines whole-genome sequencing (WGS) surveillance and machine learning (ML) of the electronic health record (EHR) to identify undetected outbreaks and the responsible transmission routes, respectively. METHODS: We performed WGS surveillance of healthcare-associated bacterial pathogens from November 2016 to November 2018. EHR ML was used to identify the transmission routes for WGS-detected outbreaks, which were investigated by an IP expert. Potential infections prevented were estimated and compared with traditional IP practice during the same period. RESULTS: Of 3165 isolates, there were 2752 unique patient isolates in 99 clusters involving 297 (10.8%) patient isolates identified by WGS; clusters ranged from 2-14 patients. At least 1 transmission route was detected for 65.7% of clusters. During the same time, traditional IP investigation prompted WGS for 15 suspected outbreaks involving 133 patients, for which transmission events were identified for 5 (3.8%). If EDS-HAT had been running in real time, 25-63 transmissions could have been prevented. EDS-HAT was found to be cost-saving and more effective than traditional IP practice, with overall savings of $192 408-$692 532. CONCLUSIONS: EDS-HAT detected multiple outbreaks not identified using traditional IP methods, correctly identified the transmission routes for most outbreaks, and would save the hospital substantial costs. Traditional IP practice misidentified outbreaks for which transmission did not occur. WGS surveillance combined with EHR ML has the potential to save costs and enhance patient safety.

Ultrasound-Assisted Extraction of Carotenoids from Carrot Pomace and Their Optimization through Response Surface Methodology.

Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) was used to extract carotenoids from the carrot pomace. To investigate the effect of independent variables on the UAE, the response surface methodology (RSM) with central-composite design (CCD) was employed. The study was conducted with three independent variables including extraction time (min), temperature (°C), and ethanol concentration (%). The results showed that the optimal conditions for UAE were achieved with an extraction time of 17 min, temperature of 32 °C, and ethanol concentration of 51% of total carotenoids (31.82 ± 0.55); extraction time of 16 min, temperature of 29 °C, and ethanol concentration of 59% for a combination of ß-carotene (14.89 ± 0.40), lutein (5.77 ± 0.19), and lycopene (2.65 ± 0.12). The non-significant (p > 0.05) correlation under optimal extraction conditions between predicted and experimental values suggested that UAE is the more productive process than conventional techniques for the extraction of carotenoids from the carrot pomace.

Immunomodulatory Strategies for Parapoxvirus: Current Status and Future Approaches for the Development of Vaccines against Orf Virus Infection.

Orf virus (ORFV), the prototype species of the parapoxvirus genus, is the causative agent of contagious ecthyma, an extremely devastating skin disease of sheep, goats, and humans that causes enormous economic losses in livestock production. ORFV is known for its ability to repeatedly infect both previously infected and vaccinated sheep due to several immunomodulatory genes encoded by the virus that temporarily suppress host immunity. Therefore, the development of novel, safe and effective vaccines against ORFV infection is an important priority. Although, the commercially licensed live-attenuated vaccines have provided partial protection against ORFV infections, the attenuated viruses have been associated with major safety concerns. In addition to safety issues, the persistent reinfection of vaccinated animals warrants the need to investigate several factors that may affect vaccine efficacy. Perhaps, the reason for the failure of the vaccine is due to the long-term adaptation of the virus in tissue culture. In recent years, the development of vaccines against ORFV infection has achieved great success due to technological advances in recombinant DNA technologies, which have opened a pathway for the development of vaccine candidates that elicit robust immunity. In this review, we present current knowledge on immune responses elicited by ORFV, with particular attention to the effects of the viral immunomodulators on the host immune system. We also discuss the implications of strain variation for the development of rational vaccines. Finally, the review will also aim to demonstrate future strategies for the development of safe and efficient vaccines against ORFV infections.

Advanced-stage Wilms tumor arising in a horseshoe kidney of a 9-year-old child: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Horseshoe kidney (HK) is one of the most common renal fusion abnormalities, with an incidence of 1:400 in the normal population. However, Wilms tumor (WT) arising in an HK is a rare occurrence. We report the case of a 9-year-old boy who presented with an advanced WT in an HK and also highlight the management challenges in a resource-poor setting such as ours. CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 9-year-old Nigerian boy presented to the Pediatrics Outpatient Clinic of the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital (UMTH) with a history of progressive abdominal swelling, weight loss, abdominal pain, and cough. Abdominal examination revealed an irregular, firm, and non-tender mass in the right lumbar region. A computed tomography (CT) scan of the abdomen showed a heterogeneously dense mass that was predominantly to the right side of the abdomen and crossed the midline to the left side, where it continued with the relatively normal renal tissue. Chest CT revealed pulmonary metastases. A diagnosis of WT in an HK was made. The patient had a 6-week course of neoadjuvant chemotherapy, and a right nephrectomy and left partial nephrectomy was performed. The final histologic diagnosis of WT was made. Radiotherapy was intended but was not available in our facility, and the parents could not afford referral to another center. CONCLUSIONS: Children with a clinically suspected HK with WT should undergo a careful imaging evaluation such as CT before any surgical intervention. Neoadjuvant chemotherapy to reduce tumor bulk might be a good treatment method to reduce surgical morbidity and aid in complete excision and potential for preserving renal function.

Ocular leptospirosis in four patients: A diagnostic dilemma.

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease that is caused by the pathogenic spirochetes of the genus Leptospira. The infection occurs worldwide and is particularly more common in the tropics. However, it is becoming a neglected reemerging global health disease due to rapid urbanisation. This disease has a wide range of clinical manifestations from flu-like illness to pneumonia, acute kidney injury, etc. But many uncommon clinical findings are being reported as well. In this paper, we report four patients who presented initially with uveitic features who turned out serologically positive for Leptospira after extensive investigations.

Using Neisseria meningitidis genomic diversity to inform outbreak strain identification.

Meningococcal disease is a life-threatening illness caused by the human-restricted bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. Outbreaks in the USA involve at least two cases in an organization or community caused by the same serogroup within three months. Genome comparisons, including phylogenetic analysis and quantification of genome distances can provide confirmatory evidence of pathogen transmission during an outbreak. Interpreting genome distances depends on understanding their distribution both among isolates from outbreaks and among those not from outbreaks. Here, we identify outbreak strains based on phylogenetic relationships among 141 N. meningitidis isolates collected from 28 outbreaks in the USA during 2010-2017 and 1516 non-outbreak isolates collected through contemporaneous meningococcal surveillance. We show that genome distance thresholds based on the maximum SNPs and allele distances among isolates in the phylogenetically defined outbreak strains are sufficient to separate most pairs of non-outbreak isolates into separate strains. Non-outbreak isolate pairs that could not be distinguished from each other based on genetic distances were concentrated in the clonal complexes CC11, CC103, and CC32. Within each of these clonal complexes, phylodynamic analysis identified a group of isolates with extremely low diversity, collected over several years and multiple states. Clusters of isolates with low genetic diversity could indicate increased pathogen transmission, potentially resulting in local outbreaks or nationwide clonal expansions.

Molecular phylogenetics of a recently isolated goat pox virus from Vietnam.

BACKGROUND: After a decade of silence, an outbreak of the contagious and Asian endemic disease, goat pox re-emerged in North Vietnam affecting more than 1800 heads with a mortality rate of 6.5%. The inevitable impact of goat pox on hide quality, breeding, chevon and milk production has resulted in a significant economic losses to the developing goat industry of Vietnam. In the act of establishing an effective control of this devastating disease, tracing the source of re-emergence via a phylogenetic study was carried out to reveal their genetic relatedness. Either skin scab or papule from the six affected provinces were collected, cultured into Vero cells followed by restricted enzyme digestion of targeted P32 gene DNA encoding. The P32 gene was then cloned and transformed into E.coli competent cells for further sequencing. RESULTS: The isolated sequence is deposited into GenBank under Accession No. MN317561/VNUAGTP1. The phylogenetic tree revealed high similarity of nucleotide and amino acid sequences to references goat pox strains accounting for 99.6 and 99.3, respectively. The Vietnamese strain is clustered together with currently circulating goat pox virus in China, India and Pakistan which suggested the origin of South China. CONCLUSIONS: This Vietnam isolate is clustered together with other Asian goat pox strains indicating the dissemination of a common goat pox virus within this continent.

Efficient and selective catalytic hydroxylation of unsaturated plant oils: a novel method for producing anti-pathogens.

With the increasing demand for antimicrobial agents and the spread of antibiotic resistance in pathogens, the exploitation of plant oils to partly replace antibiotic emerges as an important source of fine chemicals, functional food utility and pharmaceutical industries. This work introduces a novel catalytic method of plant oils hydroxylation by Fe(III) citrate monohydrate (Fe3+-cit.)/Na2S2O8 catalyst. Methyl (9Z,12Z)-octadecadienoate (ML) was selected as an example of vegetable oils hydroxylation to its hydroxy-conjugated derivatives (CHML) in the presence of a new complex of Fe(II)-species. Methyl 9,12-di-hydroxyoctadecanoate 1, methyl-9-hydroxyoctadecanoate 2 and methyl (10E,12E)-octadecanoate 3 mixtures is produced under optimized condition with oxygen balloon. The specific hydroxylation activity was lower in the case of using Na2S2O8 alone as a catalyst. A chemical reaction has shown the main process converted of plantoils hydroxylation and (+ 16 Da) of OH- attached at the methyl linoleate (ML-OH). HPLC and MALDI-ToF-mass spectrometry were employed for determining the obtained products. It was found that adding oxidizing agents (Na2S2O8) to Fe3+ in the MeCN mixture with H2O would generate the new complex of Fe(II)-species, which improves the C-H activation. Hence, the present study demonstrated a new functional method for better usage of vegetable oils.Producing conjugated hydroxy-fatty acids/esters with better antipathogenic properties. CHML used in food industry, It has a potential pathway to food safety and packaging process with good advantages, fundamental to microbial resistance. Lastly, our findings showed that biological monitoring of CHML-minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) inhibited growth of various gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria in vitro study. The produced CHML profiles were comparable to the corresponding to previousstudies and showed improved the inhibition efficiency over the respective kanamycin derivatives.

Transmission Dynamics and Microevolution of Neisseria meningitidis During Carriage and Invasive Disease in High School Students in Georgia and Maryland, 2006-2007.

BACKGROUND: The mechanisms by which Neisseria meningitidis cause persistent human carriage and transition from carriage to invasive disease have not been fully elucidated. METHODS: Georgia and Maryland high school students were sampled for pharyngeal carriage of N. meningitidis during the 2006-2007 school year. A total of 321 isolates from 188 carriers and all 67 invasive disease isolates collected during the same time and from the same geographic region underwent whole-genome sequencing. Core-genome multilocus sequence typing was used to compare allelic profiles, and direct read mapping was used to study strain evolution. RESULTS: Among 188 N. meningitidis culture-positive students, 98 (52.1%) were N. meningitidis culture positive at 2 or 3 samplings. Most students who were positive at >1 sampling (98%) had persistence of a single strain. More than a third of students carried isolates that were highly genetically related to isolates from other students in the same school, and occasional transmission within the same county was also evident. The major pilin subunit gene, pilE, was the most variable gene, and no carrier had identical pilE sequences at different time points. CONCLUSION: We found strong evidence of local meningococcal transmission at both the school and county levels. Allelic variation within genes encoding bacterial surface structures, particularly pilE, was common.

Patterns of ichthyofaunal diversity and distribution across Jebba Hydro-Electric Power (HEP) dam, Jebba, north-central Nigeria.

The ichthyofauna diversity of the Jebba Hydroelectric Power (HEP) Dam, Jebba, North-central Nigeria was studied. Fishes were sampled for 24 months using gill net, hook and line, and cast net. Individuals were identified using morphological and molecular (mitochondrial Cytochrome c Oxidase subunit I) data. A total of 9605 freshwater fishes were recorded during the sampling period. The use of an integrative taxonomic approach enabled the identification of 83 species belonging to 42 genera. Additionally, the study recorded three unidentified species - Ctenopoma sp, Malapterurus sp., and Protopterus sp. Analyses showed that individuals belonging to families Cichlidae and Mochokidae dominated the dam. The diversity analyses revealed relatively high fish diversity during the rainy season at the downstream section of Jebba HEP dam compared to the upstream section. The study, therefore, showed the presence of a diverse fish community comprising high species richness and diversity across the Jebba HEP dam. Finally, we recommend proper biodiversity monitoring and assessment of freshwater fish diversity across Nigeria. In addition, the use of an integrated taxonomic approach is recommended for appropriate species' identification and studies of freshwater fishes from Nigeria.