Bacterial cellulose graft versus fat graft in closure of tympanic membrane perforation.

OBJECT: To compare between results of bacterial cellulose graft myringoplasty and fat graft myingoplasty in patients had mild or moderate size safe perforation. METHODS: 120 patients undergoing myringoplasty due to mild or moderate size perforation were divided into 3 groups: group I: 40 patients undergoing myringoplasty with use of bacterial cellulose graft, group II: 40 patients undergoing myringoplasty with use of fat graft, group III: 40 patients undergoing usual myringoplasty with use of temporalis fascia graft (control group). RESULTS: Healing in 20 patients with small perforation and 17 patients with moderate perforation in Group I, Healing in 15 patients with small perforation and 10 patients with moderate perforation in Group II, Healing in 18 patients with small perforation and 12 patients with moderate perforation in Group III. CONCLUSION: Bacterial cellulose graft myringoplasty would be a good, simple, rapid and safe surgery that could be done under local anesthesia in outpatient clinic with shorter time of surgery than fat graft myringoplasty and temporalis fascia graft myringoplasty, with better hearing and healing. SUMMARY AT GLANCE: 120 patients undergoing myringoplasty were divided into 3 groups to compare between results of bacterial cellulose graft myringoplasty, fat graft myringoplasty and temporalis fascia graft myringoplasty.

Genetic diversity of Diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) unravels phylogeographic structure and invasion history of eastern African populations.

The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri Kuwayama) is a key pest of Citrus sp. worldwide, as it acts as a vector for Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacterial pathogen that causes citrus Huanglongbing. Diaphorina citri has been reported in Kenya, Tanzania, and more recently in Ethiopia. This study assessed the genetic diversity and phylogeographic structure of the pest to gain insights into the potential sources of its introduction into Africa. Population structure and differentiation of D. citri populations from China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and the USA were assessed using 10 microsatellite loci. Additionally, five new complete mitogenomes of D. citri collected in China, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, and the USA were analyzed in the context of publicly available sequences. Genotype data grouped the D. citri populations from Kenya and Tanzania in one cluster, and those from Ethiopia formed a separate cluster. The two genetic clusters inferred from genotype data were congruent with mitochondrial sequence data. The mitogenomes from Kenya/Tanzania/China had 99.0% similarity, and the Ethiopia/USA had 99.9% similarity. In conclusion, D. citri populations in eastern Africa have different sources, as the Kenyan and Tanzanian populations probably originated from southeastern Asia, while the Ethiopian population most probably originated from the Americas.

Distribution of Candidatus Liberibacter species in Eastern Africa, and the First Report of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus in Kenya.

Huanglongbing (HLB) is a serious disease of Citrus sp. worldwide. In Africa and the Mascarene Islands, a similar disease is known as African citrus greening (ACG) and is associated with the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter africanus (Laf). In recent years, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (Las) associated with the severe HLB has been reported in Ethiopia. Thus, we aimed to identify the Liberibacter species affecting citrus, the associated vectors in Eastern Africa and their ecological distribution. We assessed the presence of generic Liberibacter in symptomatic leaf samples by quantitative PCR. Subsequently, we sequenced the 50 S ribosomal protein L10 (rplJ) gene region in samples positive for Liberibacters and identified the species by comparison with public sequence data using phylogenetic reconstruction and genetic distances. We detected generic Liberibacter in 26%, 21% and 66% of plants tested from Uganda, Ethiopia and Kenya, respectively. The rplJ sequences revealed the most prevalent Liberibacters in Uganda and Ethiopia were LafCl (22%) and Las (17%), respectively. We detected Las in Kenya for the first time from three sites in the coastal region. Finally, we modelled the potential habitat suitability of Las in Eastern Africa using MaxEnt. The projection showed large areas of suitability for the pathogen in the three countries surveyed. Moreover, the potential distribution in Eastern Africa covered important citrus-producing parts of Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, and included regions where the disease has not been reported. These findings will guide in the development of an integrated pest management strategy to ACG/HLB management in Africa.