A ubiquitous mobile genetic element changes the antagonistic weaponry of a human gut symbiont.

DNA transfer is ubiquitous in the human gut microbiota, especially among species of the order Bacteroidales. In silico analyses have revealed hundreds of mobile genetic elements shared between these species, yet little is known about the phenotypes they encode, their effects on fitness, or pleiotropic consequences for the recipient's genome. In this work, we show that acquisition of a ubiquitous integrative conjugative element (ICE) encoding a type VI secretion system (T6SS) shuts down the native T6SS of .

Comprehensive analyses of a large human gut Bacteroidales culture collection reveal species- and strain-level diversity and evolution.

Species of the Bacteroidales order are among the most abundant and stable bacterial members of the human gut microbiome, with diverse impacts on human health. We cultured and sequenced the genomes of 408 Bacteroidales isolates from healthy human donors representing nine genera and 35 species and performed comparative genomic, gene-specific, metabolomic, and horizontal gene transfer analyses. Families, genera, and species could be grouped based on many distinctive features.

Development and validation of a machine learning model for clinical wellness visit classification in cats and dogs.

Introduction: Early disease detection in veterinary care relies on identifying subclinical abnormalities in asymptomatic animals during wellness visits. This study introduces a model designed to distinguish between wellness and other types of veterinary visits.

Objectives: The purpose of this study is to validate the use of a visit classification model compared to manual classification of veterinary visits by three board-certified veterinarians.

Distant relatives of a eukaryotic cell-specific toxin family evolved a complement-like mechanism to kill bacteria.

Cholesterol-dependent cytolysins (CDCs) comprise a large family of pore-forming toxins produced by Gram-positive bacteria, which are used to attack eukaryotic cells. Here, we functionally characterize a family of 2-component CDC-like (CDCL) toxins produced by the Gram-negative Bacteroidota that form pores by a mechanism only described for the mammalian complement membrane attack complex (MAC). We further show that the Bacteroides CDCLs are not eukaryotic cell toxins like the CDCs, but instead bind to and are proteolytically activated on the surface of closely related species, resulting in pore formation and cell death.

A pervasive large conjugative plasmid mediates multispecies biofilm formation in the intestinal microbiota increasing resilience to perturbations.

Although horizontal gene transfer is pervasive in the intestinal microbiota, we understand only superficially the roles of most exchanged genes and how the mobile repertoire affects community dynamics. Similarly, little is known about the mechanisms underlying the ability of a community to recover after a perturbation. Here, we identified and functionally characterized a large conjugative plasmid that is one of the most frequently transferred elements among Bacteroidales species and is ubiquitous in diverse human populations.

Comprehensive analyses of a large human gut Bacteroidales culture collection reveal species and strain level diversity and evolution.

Species of the Bacteroidales order are among the most abundant and stable bacterial members of the human gut microbiome with diverse impacts on human health. While Bacteroidales strains and species are genomically and functionally diverse, order-wide comparative analyses are lacking. We cultured and sequenced the genomes of 408 Bacteroidales isolates from healthy human donors representing nine genera and 35 species and performed comparative genomic, gene-specific, mobile gene, and metabolomic analyses.

Inflammation and bacteriophages affect DNA inversion states and functionality of the gut microbiota.

Reversible genomic DNA inversions control the expression of numerous gut bacterial molecules, but how this impacts disease remains uncertain. By analyzing metagenomic samples from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) cohorts, we identified multiple invertible regions where a particular orientation correlated with disease. These include the promoter of polysaccharide A (PSA) of Bacteroides fragilis, which induces regulatory T cells (Tregs) and ameliorates experimental colitis.

Novel renal injury markers in dogs with ehrlichiosis.

Canine monocytic ehrlichiosis (CME) has been observed to impact renal function. Currently, the recognition of acute kidney injury is through the nonspecific biomarker serum creatinine (sCr). Novel markers of renal injury such as urinary clusterin (uClust) and urinary cystatin B (uCysB) may increase our understanding of the relationship between ehrlichiosis and renal cellular injury.

A ubiquitous mobile genetic element disarms a bacterial antagonist of the gut microbiota.

DNA transfer is ubiquitous in the gut microbiota, especially among species of Bacteroidales. analyses have revealed hundreds of mobile genetic elements shared between these species, yet little is known about the phenotypes they encode, their effects on fitness, or pleiotropic consequences for the recipient's genome. Here, we show that acquisition of a ubiquitous integrative and conjugative element encoding an antagonistic system shuts down the native contact-dependent antagonistic system of .

British Columbia Dentists' Perceptions and Practices Regarding HPV Vaccinations: A Cross-sectional Study.

Introduction: Human papillomavirus (HPV), as the most common form of sexually transmitted infection, has been implicated in almost one-third of oropharyngeal cancers. One way to prevent HPV infections is through vaccination. This study aimed to investigate whether dentists in British Columbia (BC) were willing to discuss, refer and administer the vaccine in a dental practice setting.

Adult chicken hens (Gallus gallus) have measurable circulating plasma symmetric dimethylarginine via liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Objective: To investigate whether chickens (Gallus gallus) have measurable plasma symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) and to establish the diagnostic utility of the commercially available immunoassay (IA) for measurement of SDMA.

Animals: 245 chicken hens.

Methods: Blood samples were assessed for renal-focused biochemistry analytes.

Evaluation of renal values during treatment for heartworm disease in 27 client-owned dogs.

Background: Canine heartworm disease (CHD) caused by Dirofilaria immitis remains a common preventable disease with increasing incidence in some parts of the USA. The treatment guidelines of the American Heartworm Society (AHS) currently recommend monthly macrocyclic lactone administration, 28 days of doxycycline given orally every 12 h and three injections of melarsomine dihydrochloride (1 injection on day 2 of treatment followed 30 days later by 2 injections 24 h apart). Minocycline has also been utilized when doxycycline is unavailable.

Analysis of Effector and Immunity Proteins of the GA2 Type VI Secretion Systems of Gut Bacteroidales.

Three distinct genetic architectures (GAs) of Type VI secretion systems (T6SSs) have been described in gut Bacteroidales species, each with unique genes and characteristics. Unlike the GA3 T6SSs, potent antagonism has not yet been demonstrated for the GA1 or GA2 T6SSs. We previously showed that the GA2 T6SS loci are contained on integrative and conjugative elements and that there are five subtypes.

The association between symmetric dimethylarginine concentrations and various neoplasms in dogs and cats.

Following the introduction of the symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) immunoassay, cases were reported where the SDMA concentration was markedly increased above the reference interval (RI) with neither concurrent increases in serum creatinine (Cr) concentrations nor clinical signs of kidney disease. Many of these animals were also concurrently diagnosed with cancer, most commonly lymphoma. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the association of increased SDMA in dogs and cats with lymphoma and other cancers as compared with age- and breed-matched non-tumour controls.

Evaluation of renal injury and function biomarkers, including symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), in the rat passive Heymann nephritis (PHN) model.

Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is a serum biomarker of excretory renal function which consistently correlates with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) across multiple species including rats, dogs, and humans. In human and veterinary clinical settings SDMA demonstrates enhanced sensitivity for detection of declining renal function as compared to other serum biomarkers, but application in preclinical study designs thus far has been limited. The purpose of this study was to determine the performance of serum SDMA in a rat passive Heyman nephritis model of glomerulopathy.

Evaluation of Renal Biomarkers, Including Symmetric Dimethylarginine, following Gentamicin-Induced Proximal Tubular Injury in the Rat.

Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is an excretory renal function biomarker shown to correlate well with glomerular filtration rate in dogs, cats, humans, and rats. The objectives of this study were to determine utility of serum SDMA as a renal biomarker in a rat model of gentamicin-induced renal injury and to provide validation of a commercially available SDMA immunoassay for rat serum. Rats were randomly assigned to one of three dose levels of gentamicin (20, 50, or 100 mg/kg) or a vehicle control group and dosed once daily by subcutaneous injection for either four or ten days.

METHOD COMPARISON FOR MEASUREMENT OF SYMMETRIC DIMETHYLARGININE IN TIGERS ().

Renal disease is well documented in nondomestic felids and is monitored and diagnosed by serum concentration of blood urea nitrogen, creatinine, and phosphorous. Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) has proven to be an earlier and more sensitive biomarker for the assessment of glomerular filtration rate. Although SDMA is commonly measured in nondomestic felids, information concerning the validity of the assay is lacking.

Symmetrical Dimethylarginine as a Diagnostic Parameter in Hermann's Tortoises ().

Background: Despite improvements in habitational conditions, kidney disease is relatively common in tortoises.

Objectives: Purpose of this study was the establishment of Symmetrical dimethylarginine (SDMA) reference values for clinically healthy Hermann's Tortoises.

Animals: Clinically healthy Hermann's Tortoises ( = 131) were included in the period from October 2017 to September 2019.

A Combination of Structural, Genetic, Phenotypic and Enzymatic Analyses Reveals the Importance of a Predicted Fucosyltransferase to Protein -Glycosylation in the Bacteroidetes.

Diverse members of the Bacteroidetes phylum have general protein -glycosylation systems that are essential for processes such as host colonization and pathogenesis. Here, we analyzed the function of a putative fucosyltransferase (FucT) family that is widely encoded in Bacteroidetes protein -glycosylation genetic loci. We studied the FucT orthologs of three Bacteroidetes species-, , and .

Symmetric dimethylarginine concentrations in healthy neonatal foals and mares.

Background: Symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) is a renal biomarker correlated with glomerular filtration rate (GFR).

Objectives: Describe changes in SDMA in clinically healthy foals and their mares during the first month postfoaling.

Animals: Convenience sampling of healthy periparturient Thoroughbred mares and their full-term foals from a population of client-owned horses.

Bacteroidetocins Target the Essential Outer Membrane Protein BamA of Symbionts and Pathogens.

Bacteroidetocins are a family of antibacterial peptide toxins that are produced by and target members of the phylum . To date, 19 bacteroidetocins have been identified, and four have been tested and shown to kill diverse species (M. J.

Serum Symmetric Dimethylarginine Concentration in Greyhound Pups and Adults.

Greyhounds have developed numerous physiologic and hematologic adaptations specific to the breed. Adult Greyhounds have significantly higher serum creatinine (sCr) concentrations than non-Greyhound dogs; this is primarily attributed to their large muscle mass. Adult Greyhounds also have significantly higher symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) concentrations than non-Greyhound dogs.

Mobile Type VI secretion system loci of the gut Bacteroidales display extensive intra-ecosystem transfer, multi-species spread and geographical clustering.

The human gut microbiota is a dense microbial ecosystem with extensive opportunities for bacterial contact-dependent processes such as conjugation and Type VI secretion system (T6SS)-dependent antagonism. In the gut Bacteroidales, two distinct genetic architectures of T6SS loci, GA1 and GA2, are contained on Integrative and Conjugative Elements (ICE). Despite intense interest in the T6SSs of the gut Bacteroidales, there is only a superficial understanding of their evolutionary patterns, and of their dissemination among Bacteroidales species in human gut communities.

A 3-year retrospective analysis of canine intestinal parasites: fecal testing positivity by age, U.S. geographical region and reason for veterinary visit.

Background: Canine life stage is a key factor in parasite prevalence as clinical signs associated with parasitism are more common in pups. In adult dogs, health status and geographical region may also play a role in parasite prevalence. The purpose of this study was to evaluate fecal test results using zinc sulfate flotation by centrifugation combined with fecal antigen testing for hookworms (Ancylostoma spp.