Development of Highly Efficient Universal Primers and Their Application in Investigating the Prevalence and Genetic Diversity of in Wild Hares and Rabbits.

Despite its ubiquitous infectivity to mammals with strong host specificity, our current knowledge about has originated from studies of merely 4% of extant mammalian species. Further studies of epidemiology across a broader range of animal species require the use of assays with high sensitivity and specificity. To this end, we have developed multiple universal primers targeting different genetic loci with high amplification efficiency.

Retracing the evolution of species, with a focus on the human pathogen .

SUMMARYEvery human being is presumed to be infected by the fungus at least once in his or her lifetime. This fungus belongs to a large group of species that appear to exclusively infect mammals, with being the only one known to cause disease in humans. The mystery of origin and speciation is just beginning to unravel.

A Novel Immunodeficiency Identified in a Subset of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels with and Pneumonia.

Pet dogs are a valuable natural animal model for studying relationships between primary immunodeficiencies and susceptibility to and other opportunistic respiratory pathogens. Certain breeds, such as the Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, are over-represented for pneumonia (PCP), suggesting the presence of a primary immunodeficiency in the breed. Here, we report the discovery of a nonsense variant in three Cavalier King Charles Spaniel dogs with either PCP (n = 2) or refractory pneumonia (n = 1).

Caspase-1 activates gasdermin A in non-mammals.

Gasdermins oligomerize to form pores in the cell membrane, causing regulated lytic cell death called pyroptosis. Mammals encode five gasdermins that can trigger pyroptosis: GSDMA, B, C, D, and E. Caspase and granzyme proteases cleave the linker regions of and activate GSDMB, C, D, and E, but no endogenous activation pathways are yet known for GSDMA.

Regional centromere configuration in the fungal pathogens of the genus.

Centromeres are constricted chromosomal regions that are essential for cell division. In eukaryotes, centromeres display a remarkable architectural and genetic diversity. The basis of centromere-accelerated evolution remains elusive.

A Metabolomic Signature of Ischemic Stroke Showing Acute Oxidative and Energetic Stress.

Metabolomics is a powerful data-driven tool for in-depth biological phenotyping that could help identify the specific metabolic profile of cryptogenic strokes, for which no precise cause has been identified. We performed a targeted quantitative metabolomics study in West African patients who had recently suffered an ischemic stroke, which was either cryptogenic ( = 40) or had a clearly identified cause ( = 39), compared to a healthy control group ( = 40). Four hundred fifty-six metabolites were accurately measured.

Caspase-1 activates gasdermin A in non-mammals.

Gasdermins oligomerize to form pores in the cell membrane, causing regulated lytic cell death called pyroptosis. Mammals encode five gasdermins that can trigger pyroptosis: GSDMA, B, C, D, and E. Caspase and granzyme proteases cleave the linker regions of and activate GSDMB, C, D, and E, but no endogenous activation pathways are yet known for GSDMA.

The Host Adapted Fungal Pathogens of Genus Utilize Genic Regional Centromeres.

Centromeres are genomic regions that coordinate accurate chromosomal segregation during mitosis and meiosis. Yet, despite their essential function, centromeres evolve rapidly across eukaryotes. Centromeres are often the sites of chromosomal breaks which contribute to genome shuffling and promote speciation by inhibiting gene flow.

spp. in Pigs: A Longitudinal Quantitative Study and Co-Infection Assessment in Austrian Farms.

While has been recognized as both a ubiquitous commensal fungus in immunocompetent mammalian hosts and a major opportunistic pathogen in humans responsible for severe pneumonias in immunocompromised patients, in pigs its epidemiology and association with pulmonary diseases have been rarely reported. Nevertheless, the fungus can be quite abundant in porcine populations with up to 51% of prevalence reported so far. The current study was undertaken to longitudinally quantify f.

Clinical management and disease-modifying treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in African hospital centers: the TROPALS study.

To assess the availability of health workers and medications for clinical management of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in African hospital centers. Availability and affordability analyses of disease-modifying treatments were performed. : A multicenter observational study involving African hospitals was conducted.

Genetic and Epidemiologic Analyses of an Outbreak of Pneumocystis jirovecii Pneumonia Among Kidney Transplant Recipients in the United States.

Background: Pneumocystis jirovecii is an opportunistic fungus that causes Pneumocystis pneumonia (PCP) in immunocompromised hosts. Over an 11-month period, we observed a rise in cases of PCP among kidney-transplant recipients (KTR), prompting an outbreak investigation.

Methods: Clinical and epidemiologic data were collected for KTR diagnosed with PCP between July 2019 and May 2020.

Tolosa-Hunt Syndrome: A Painful Ophthalmoplegia.

Tolosa-Hunt syndrome is a painful ophthalmoplegia characterized by recurrent unilateral orbital pain, ipsilateral oculomotor paralysis, and a rapid response to steroids. Our report describes a 37-year-old young woman who presented with right ptosis, ipsilateral ophthalmoplegia, and painful headache with no other neurological deficits in which all biological and neuroimaging investigations were normal. Complete recovery within one week of corticosteroid therapy was observed.

Humans Are Selectively Exposed to Pneumocystis jirovecii.

Environmental exposure has a significant impact on human health. While some airborne fungi can cause life-threatening infections, the impact of environment on fungal spore dispersal and transmission is poorly understood. The democratization of shotgun metagenomics allows us to explore important questions about fungal propagation.

Diversity and Complexity of the Large Surface Protein Family in the Compacted Genomes of Multiple Species.

, a major opportunistic pathogen in patients with a broad range of immunodeficiencies, contains abundant surface proteins encoded by a multicopy gene family, termed the major surface glycoprotein (Msg) gene superfamily. This superfamily has been identified in all species characterized to date, highlighting its important role in biology. In this report, through a comprehensive and in-depth characterization of 459 genes from 7 species, we demonstrate, for the first time, the phylogeny and evolution of conserved domains in Msg proteins and provide a detailed description of the classification, unique characteristics, and phylogenetic relatedness of five Msg families.

MUC1 mediates Pneumocystis murina binding to airway epithelial cells.

Previous studies have shown that Pneumocystis binds to pneumocytes, but the proteins responsible for binding have not been well defined. Mucins are the major glycoproteins present in mucus, which serves as the first line of defence during airway infection. MUC1 is the best characterised membrane-tethered mucin and is expressed on the surface of most airway epithelial cells.

FGMP: assessing fungal genome completeness.

Background: Inexpensive high-throughput DNA sequencing has democratized access to genetic information for most organisms so that research utilizing a genome or transcriptome of an organism is not limited to model systems. However, the quality of the assemblies of sampled genomes can vary greatly which hampers utility for comparisons and meaningful interpretation. The uncertainty of the completeness of a given genome sequence can limit feasibility of asserting patterns of high rates of gene loss reported in many lineages.

Identification of the OXA-48 Carbapenemase Family by Use of Tryptic Peptides and Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry.

Phenotypic detection of the OXA-48-type class D β-lactamases in is challenging. We describe a rapid (less than 90 min) assay for the identification of OXA-48 family carbapenemases in subcultured bacterial isolates based on a genoproteomic approach. Following trypsin digestion to ascertain theoretical core peptides common to the OXA-48 family, liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) data-dependent acquisition was used to identify candidate peptide markers.

Neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders (NMO-SD) in a Sub-Saharan Africa country: A preliminary study of sixteen Senegalese cases.

Background: Neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is an autoimmune disease of the central nervous system. In Sub-Saharan Africa, publications are rare and deal with isolated cases. Our goal was to analyze the characteristics of NMO spectrum disorders in a Senegalese cohort compiled in Dakar.

Genomics and evolution of Pneumocystis species.

The genus Pneumocystis comprises highly diversified fungal species that cause severe pneumonia in individuals with a deficient immune system. These fungi infect exclusively mammals and present a strict host species specificity. These species have co-diverged with their hosts for long periods of time (> 100 MYA).

A Molecular Window into the Biology and Epidemiology of Pneumocystis spp.

, a unique atypical fungus with an elusive lifestyle, has had an important medical history. It came to prominence as an opportunistic pathogen that not only can cause life-threatening pneumonia in patients with HIV infection and other immunodeficiencies but also can colonize the lungs of healthy individuals from a very early age. The genus includes a group of closely related but heterogeneous organisms that have a worldwide distribution, have been detected in multiple mammalian species, are highly host species specific, inhabit the lungs almost exclusively, and have never convincingly been cultured , making a fascinating but difficult-to-study organism.