[Dietary diversity, anthropometric status and biochemical profile of centenarians of the Nicoya Peninsula, Costa Rica, and their offspring].

Background And Objective: Social relationships, physical activity and diet have been proposed as responsible for longevity; however, many of these conditions have changed in modern societies. The objective of this study was to identify if the anthropometric status, biochemical profile and diet of Nicoyan centenarians is different from that of their decency and if the quality and diversity of the diet of these Costa Ricans differs from that of adults from urban areas of the same country.

Materials And Methods: Anthropometric, biochemical and dietary assessments were carried out on 120 adults residing in the Nicoya Peninsula, including centenarians, their children and grandchildren.

Microbiome and plant cell transformation trigger insect gall induction in cassava.

Several specialised insects can manipulate normal plant development to induce a highly organised structure known as a gall, which represents one of the most complex interactions between insects and plants. Thus far, the mechanism for insect-induced plant galls has remained elusive. To study the induction mechanism of insect galls, we selected the gall induced by (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) in cassava (Euphorbiaceae: Crantz) as our model.

Review of Major Social Determinants of Health in Schizophrenia-Spectrum Psychotic Disorders: III. Biology.

Background: Social determinants of health (SDoHs) are nonmedical factors that significantly impact health and longevity. We found no published reviews on the biology of SDoHs in schizophrenia-spectrum psychotic disorders (SSPD).

Study Design: We present an overview of pathophysiological mechanisms and neurobiological processes plausibly involved in the effects of major SDoHs on clinical outcomes in SSPD.

The Microbiome and Mental Health Across the Lifespan.

Introduction: The combined genetic material of the microorganisms in the human body, known as the microbiome, is being increasingly recognized as a major determinant of human health and disease. Although located predominantly on mucosal surfaces, these microorganisms have profound effects on brain functioning through the gut-brain axis.

Method: The content of the chapter is based on a study group session at the annual meeting of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP).

Habitat Adaptation Drives Speciation of a Species with Distinct Habitats and Disparate Geographic Origins.

Microbial diversification is driven by geographic and ecological factors, but how the relative importance of these factors varies among species, geographic scales, and habitats remains unclear. , a genus of antibiotic-producing, spore-forming, and widespread bacteria, offers a robust model for identifying the processes underlying population differentiation. We examined the population structure of 37 Streptomyces olivaceus strains isolated from various sources, showing that they diverged into two habitat-associated (free-living and insect-associated) and geographically disparate lineages.

The genomic basis of army ant chemosensory adaptations.

The evolution of mass raiding has allowed army ants to become dominant arthropod predators in the tropics. Although a century of research has led to many discoveries about behavioural, morphological and physiological adaptations in army ants, almost nothing is known about the molecular basis of army ant biology. Here we report the genome of the iconic New World army ant Eciton burchellii, and show that it is unusually compact, with a reduced gene complement relative to other ants.

from Fungus Gardens of Fungus-Growing Ants Produces Antifungals That Inhibit the Specialized Parasite .

Within animal-associated microbiomes, the functional roles of specific microbial taxa are often uncharacterized. Here, we use the fungus-growing ant system, a model for microbial symbiosis, to determine the potential defensive roles of key bacterial taxa present in the ants' fungus gardens. Fungus gardens serve as an external digestive system for the ants, with mutualistic fungi in the genus converting the plant substrate into energy for the ants.

Pollen Produce Antibiotic That Inhibits the Honey Bee Pathogen .

Humans use natural products to treat disease; similarly, some insects use natural products produced by Actinobacteria to combat infectious pathogens. Honey bees, , are ecologically and economically important for their critical role as plant pollinators and are host to diverse and potentially virulent pathogens that threaten hive health. Here, we provide evidence that Actinobacteria that can suppress pathogenic microbes are associated with .

Streptomyces sp. M54: an actinobacteria associated with a neotropical social wasp with high potential for antibiotic production.

Streptomyces symbionts in insects have shown to be a valuable source of new antibiotics. Here, we report the genome sequence and the potential for antibiotic production of "Streptomyces sp. M54", an Actinobacteria associated with the eusocial wasp, Polybia plebeja.

Genotyping and differential bacterial inhibition of in threatened amphibians in Costa Rica.

Amphibians have declined around the world in recent years, in parallel with the emergence of an epidermal disease called chytridiomycosis, caused by the chytrid fungus (). This disease has been associated with mass mortality in amphibians worldwide, including in Costa Rica, and is considered an important contributor to the disappearance of this group of vertebrates. While many species are susceptible to the disease, others show tolerance and manage to survive infection with the pathogen.

Bacteria Contribute to Plant Secondary Compound Degradation in a Generalist Herbivore System.

Herbivores must overcome a variety of plant defenses, including coping with plant secondary compounds (PSCs). To help detoxify these defensive chemicals, several insect herbivores are known to harbor gut microbiota with the metabolic capacity to degrade PSCs. Leaf-cutter ants are generalist herbivores, obtaining sustenance from specialized fungus gardens that act as external digestive systems and which degrade the diverse collection of plants foraged by the ants.

Community richness of amphibian skin bacteria correlates with bioclimate at the global scale.

Animal-associated microbiomes are integral to host health, yet key biotic and abiotic factors that shape host-associated microbial communities at the global scale remain poorly understood. We investigated global patterns in amphibian skin bacterial communities, incorporating samples from 2,349 individuals representing 205 amphibian species across a broad biogeographic range. We analysed how biotic and abiotic factors correlate with skin microbial communities using multiple statistical approaches.

The antimicrobial potential of Streptomyces from insect microbiomes.

Antimicrobial resistance is a global health crisis and few novel antimicrobials have been discovered in recent decades. Natural products, particularly from Streptomyces, are the source of most antimicrobials, yet discovery campaigns focusing on Streptomyces from the soil largely rediscover known compounds. Investigation of understudied and symbiotic sources has seen some success, yet no studies have systematically explored microbiomes for antimicrobials.

Phylogenetic analyses of antibiotic-producing Streptomyces sp. isolates obtained from the stingless-bee Tetragonisca angustula (Apidae: Meliponini).

Many insects have been associated with actinobacteria in protective symbiosis where antimicrobial metabolites inhibit host pathogens. However, the microbiota of neotropical insects such as the stingless-bee Tetragonisca angustula is poorly explored. T.

Population Genomics Insights into Adaptive Evolution and Ecological Differentiation in Streptomycetes.

Deciphering the genomic variation that represents microevolutionary processes toward species divergence is key to understanding microbial speciation, which has long been under debate. Streptomycetes are filamentous bacteria that are ubiquitous in nature and the richest source of antibiotics; however, their speciation processes remain unknown. To tackle this issue, we performed a comprehensive population genomics analysis on residing in different habitats and with a worldwide distribution and identified and characterized the foundational changes within the species.

Assessment of Bacterial Communities Associated With the Skin of Costa Rican Amphibians at La Selva Biological Station.

Amphibian skin is a suitable environment for rich communities of microorganisms, both beneficial and detrimental to the host. The amphibian cutaneous microbiota has been hypothesized to play an important role as symbionts, protecting their hosts against disease. Costa Rica has one of the most diverse assemblages of amphibians in the world and we know very little about the microbiota of these tropical animals.

Characterization of the Skin Microbiota of the Cane Toad in Puerto Rico and Costa Rica.

is a toad native to South America that has been introduced in the Antilles, likely carrying high loads of microorganisms, potentially impacting local community diversity. The amphibian skin is involved in pathogen defense and its microbiota has been relatively well studied, however, research focusing on the cane toad microbiota is lacking. We hypothesize that the skin microbial communities will differ between toads inhabiting different geographical regions in Central America and the Caribbean.

Evidence for Widespread Associations between Neotropical Hymenopteran Insects and Actinobacteria.

The evolutionary success of hymenopteran insects has been associated with complex physiological and behavioral defense mechanisms against pathogens and parasites. Among these strategies are symbiotic associations between Hymenoptera and antibiotic-producing Actinobacteria, which provide protection to insect hosts. Herein, we examine associations between culturable Actinobacteria and 29 species of tropical hymenopteran insects that span five families, including Apidae (bees), Vespidae (wasps), and Formicidae (ants).

Ultrastructural and microbial analyses of cellulose degradation in leaf-cutter ant colonies.

Leaf-cutter ants (Atta and Acromyrmex) use fresh leaves to cultivate a mutualistic fungus (Leucoagaricus gongylophorus) for food in underground gardens. A new ant queen propagates the cultivar by taking a small fragment of fungus from her parent colony on her nuptial flight and uses it to begin her own colony. Recent research has shown that the ants' fungus gardens are colonized by symbiotic bacteria that perform important functions related to nitrogen fixation and have been implicated in contributing to plant biomass degradation.

Selvamicin, an atypical antifungal polyene from two alternative genomic contexts.

The bacteria harbored by fungus-growing ants produce a variety of small molecules that help maintain a complex multilateral symbiosis. In a survey of antifungal compounds from these bacteria, we discovered selvamicin, an unusual antifungal polyene macrolide, in bacterial isolates from two neighboring ant nests. Selvamicin resembles the clinically important antifungals nystatin A and amphotericin B, but it has several distinctive structural features: a noncationic 6-deoxymannose sugar at the canonical glycosylation site and a second sugar, an unusual 4-O-methyldigitoxose, at the opposite end of selvamicin's shortened polyene macrolide.

Cellulose-Enriched Microbial Communities from Leaf-Cutter Ant (Atta colombica) Refuse Dumps Vary in Taxonomic Composition and Degradation Ability.

Deconstruction of the cellulose in plant cell walls is critical for carbon flow through ecosystems and for the production of sustainable cellulosic biofuels. Our understanding of cellulose deconstruction is largely limited to the study of microbes in isolation, but in nature, this process is driven by microbes within complex communities. In Neotropical forests, microbes in leaf-cutter ant refuse dumps are important for carbon turnover.

Population genetic analysis of Streptomyces albidoflavus reveals habitat barriers to homologous recombination in the diversification of streptomycetes.

Examining the population structure and the influence of recombination and ecology on microbial populations makes great sense for understanding microbial evolution and speciation. Streptomycetes are a diverse group of bacteria that are widely distributed in nature and a rich source of useful bioactive compounds; however, they are rarely subjected to population genetic investigations. In this study, we applied a five-gene-based multilocus sequence analysis (MLSA) scheme to 41 strains of Streptomyces albidoflavus derived from diverse sources, mainly insects, sea, and soil.

Uncovering the cultivable microbial diversity of costa rican beetles and its ability to break down plant cell wall components.

Coleopterans are the most diverse insect order described to date. These organisms have acquired an array of survival mechanisms through their evolution, including highly efficient digestive systems. Therefore, the coleopteran intestinal microbiota constitutes an important source of novel plant cell wall-degrading enzymes with potential biotechnological applications.

Interaction between workers during a short time window is required for bacterial symbiont transmission in Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants.

Stable associations between partners over time are critical for the evolution of mutualism. Hosts employ a variety of mechanisms to maintain specificity with bacterial associates. Acromyrmex leaf-cutting ants farm a fungal cultivar as their primary nutrient source.