Field deployment of -infected using uncrewed aerial vehicle.

Over the past 50 years, there has been a marked increase in diseases like dengue fever, chikungunya, and Zika. The World Mosquito Program (WMP) has developed an approach that, instead of attempting to eliminate vector species, introduces into native populations through the release of -infected mosquitoes. Using this approach, a randomized controlled study recently demonstrated a 77% reduction in dengue across a treatment area within Yogyakarta, Indonesia.

Enhancing the scalability of Wolbachia-based vector-borne disease management: time and temperature limits for storage and transport of Wolbachia-infected Aedes aegypti eggs for field releases.

Background: Introgression of the bacterial endosymbiont Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti populations is a biocontrol approach being used to reduce arbovirus transmission. This requires mass release of Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes. While releases have been conducted using a variety of techniques, egg releases, using water-soluble capsules containing mosquito eggs and larval food, offer an attractive method due to its potential to reduce onsite resource requirements.

Trash to Treasure: How Insect Protein and Waste Containers Can Improve the Environmental Footprint of Mosquito Egg Releases.

Release and subsequent establishment of -infected in native mosquito populations has successfully reduced mosquito-borne disease incidence. While this is promising, further development is required to ensure that this method is scalable and sustainable. Egg release is a beneficial technique that requires reduced onsite resources and increases community acceptance; however, its incidental ecological impacts must be considered to ensure sustainability.

Comparative Transcriptomic and Functional Assessments of Linezolid-Responsive Small RNA Genes in Staphylococcus aureus.

contains a repertoire of at least 50 and possibly 500 small RNAs (sRNAs). The functions of most sRNAs are not understood, although some are known to respond to environmental changes, including the presence of antibiotics. Here, in an effort to better understand the roles of sRNAs in the context of antibiotic exposure, we took a clinical methicillin-resistant (MRSA) isolate and separately deleted eight sRNAs that were significantly upregulated in response to the last-line antibiotic linezolid as revealed by transcriptome sequencing (RNA-seq) comparisons.

RNA-seq analysis of virR and revR mutants of Clostridium perfringens.

Background: Clostridium perfringens causes toxin-mediated diseases, including gas gangrene (clostridial myonecrosis) and food poisoning in humans. The production of the toxins implicated in gas gangrene, α-toxin and perfringolysin O, is regulated by the VirSR two-component regulatory system. In addition, RevR, an orphan response regulator, has been shown to affect virulence in the mouse myonecrosis model.

Hyperexpression of α-hemolysin explains enhanced virulence of sequence type 93 community-associated methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.

Background: The community-associated methicillin-resistant S. aureus (CA-MRSA) ST93 clone is becoming dominant in Australia and is clinically highly virulent. In addition, sepsis and skin infection models demonstrate that ST93 CA-MRSA is the most virulent global clone of S.

The use of high-throughput DNA sequencing in the investigation of antigenic variation: application to Neisseria species.

Antigenic variation occurs in a broad range of species. This process resembles gene conversion in that variant DNA is unidirectionally transferred from partial gene copies (or silent loci) into an expression locus. Previous studies of antigenic variation have involved the amplification and sequencing of individual genes from hundreds of colonies.

Attachment and invasion of Neisseria meningitidis to host cells is related to surface hydrophobicity, bacterial cell size and capsule.

We compared exemplar strains from two hypervirulent clonal complexes, strain NMB-CDC from ST-8/11 cc and strain MC58 from ST-32/269 cc, in host cell attachment and invasion. Strain NMB-CDC attached to and invaded host cells at a significantly greater frequency than strain MC58. Type IV pili retained the primary role for initial attachment to host cells for both isolates regardless of pilin class and glycosylation pattern.

Neisserial Correia repeat-enclosed elements do not influence the transcription of pil genes in Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis.

Two human-specific neisserial pathogens, Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Neisseria meningitidis, require the expression of type IV pili (tfp) for initial attachment to the host during infection. However, the mechanisms controlling the assembly and functionality of tfp are poorly understood. It is known that the gonococcal pilE gene, encoding the major subunit, is positively regulated by IHF, a multifunctional DNA binding protein.

ABC transporter Cdr1p contributes more than Cdr2p does to fluconazole efflux in fluconazole-resistant Candida albicans clinical isolates.

Fluconazole (FLC) remains the antifungal drug of choice for non-life-threatening Candida infections, but drug-resistant strains have been isolated during long-term therapy with azoles. Drug efflux, mediated by plasma membrane transporters, is a major resistance mechanism, and clinically significant resistance in Candida albicans is accompanied by increased transcription of the genes CDR1 and CDR2, encoding plasma membrane ABC-type transporters Cdr1p and Cdr2p. The relative importance of each transporter protein for efflux-mediated resistance in C.