Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Muhammed F. Haq, Heba Alhmidi, Sarah N. Redmond, Jennifer L. Cadnum, Sandra Y. Silva, Brigid M. Wilson, Curtis J. Donskey
Summary: In a randomized trial, patients wearing slippers when out of bed transferred bacteriophage MS2 from hospital room floors to patients and surfaces significantly less often than controls not provided with slippers. Wearing slippers could provide a simple means to reduce the risk of acquiring healthcare-associated pathogens from contaminated floors.
INFECTION CONTROL AND HOSPITAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Biology
Melissa Collier, Gregory F. Albery, Grant C. McDonald, Shweta Bansal
Summary: Pathogen traits play a crucial role in the persistence of pathogens in a population, and their evolution is influenced by the interaction with host behavior. In this study, we analyzed contact networks of various animal groups and found that the network structure varies according to contact type, especially in fluid-exchange transmission networks. Simulation analysis revealed that pathogens transmitted through fluid-exchange contact types require specific traits for successful proliferation. These findings were supported by a review of known traits of pathogens that transmit in humans. Our study highlights the importance of contact network structure in driving the evolution of pathogen traits and provides essential context for understanding pathogen evolution and ecology.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY B-BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Alexander T. Grimaudo, Joseph R. Hoyt, Steffany A. Yamada, Carl J. Herzog, Alyssa B. Bennett, Kate E. Langwig
Summary: Emerging infectious diseases have caused severe declines in diverse taxa populations, but in some cases host populations stabilize after initial declines. The role of host traits and environmental conditions in driving population persistence following disease outbreaks is complex and requires further research into host-pathogen interactions in varied environments.
Article
Parasitology
Katsuhisa Takumi, Tim R. Hofmeester, Hein Sprong
Summary: The study compared the contributions of red deer, fallow deer, roe deer, and wild boar to Anaplasma phagocytophilum infections in Ixodes ricinus nymphs, finding that red and fallow deer have a higher impact on the risk of contracting anaplasmosis in the Netherlands. The mechanisms behind this association need to be further explored in future studies.
PARASITES & VECTORS
(2021)
Review
Ecology
Laura A. Brannelly, Hamish I. McCallum, Laura F. Grogan, Cheryl J. Briggs, Maria P. Ribas, Matthijs Hollanders, Thais Sasso, Mariel Familiar Lopez, David A. Newell, Auston M. Kilpatrick
Summary: The study examined mechanisms enabling host persistence and the impact on conservation management strategies. The majority of species' mechanisms for persistence remain unidentified, highlighting the importance of understanding mechanisms of host persistence.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
B. J. Sewall, G. G. Turner, M. R. Scafini, M. F. Gagnon, J. S. Johnson, M. K. Keel, E. Anis, T. M. Lilley, J. P. White, C. L. Hauer, B. E. Overton
Summary: This study proposes a strategy to manage white-nose syndrome (WNS) by delaying the environmental transmission of the fungal pathogen Pseudogymnoascus destructans (Pd) during early winter to benefit bats. The results of a captive experiment and a field trial show that the application of Polyethylene Glycol 8000 (PEG) to bat roost substrates effectively blocks the transmission of Pd, leading to a decline in Pd load and infection extent in bats. This study demonstrates the potential of environmental control strategies for managing environmentally persistent pathogens.
ANIMAL CONSERVATION
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Celio Junior da Costa Fernandes, Kellen Cristina da Cruz Rodrigues, Diego Gomes de Melo, Thais Dantis Pereira de Campos, Raphael dos Santos Canciglieri, Fernando Moreira Simabuco, Adelino Sanchez Ramos da Silva, Dennys Esper Cintra, Eduardo Rochete Ropelle, Jose Rodrigo Pauli, Leandro Pereira de Moura
Summary: Obesity can lead to systemic inflammation and increased infiltration of pro-inflammatory macrophages in white adipose tissue (WAT), while decreasing anti-inflammatory macrophages. This study investigated the effects of strength training on macrophage polarization in WAT of obese mice. Results showed that both 7-day and 15-day strength training regimens improved insulin sensitivity by increasing AKT phosphorylation. Furthermore, 15 days of strength exercise reduced the M1/M2 ratio of macrophages in WAT.
Article
Microbiology
Christopher McCrory, Jiyoti Verma, Timothy M. Tucey, Rachael Turner, Harshini Weerasinghe, Traude H. Beilharz, Ana Traven
Summary: This study reveals that crotonate, a short-chain fatty acid, can change the cell morphology and immune interactions of Candida albicans. Crotonate reduces invasive hyphal morphogenesis of C. albicans within macrophages and suppresses the transcription of hyphae-induced genes through increasing histone crotonylation. It suggests that diverse acylations of histones enable C. albicans to respond to environmental signals and regulate its cell morphology and host-pathogen interactions.
Article
Ophthalmology
W. John Armitage, Helen L. Winton, Mark N. A. Jones, Lewis Downward, Julie M. Crewe, Chris A. Rogers, Derek M. Tole, Andrew D. Dick
Summary: HLA class II matching does not reduce the risk of allograft rejection in high-risk penetrating keratoplasty. Younger recipient age, presence of multiple preoperative risk factors, and cataract surgery after PK significantly increase the risk of rejection.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF OPHTHALMOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Parasitology
Kirill E. Nikolaev, Ivan A. Levakin, Kirill Galaktionov
Summary: This study in a littoral site at the White Sea evaluated the dynamics of infection of two digenean species in second intermediate hosts (mussels Mytilus edulis), showing that mussel infection occurred from May to mid-September, with peak intensity for approximately a month when water temperature was optimal for cercarial emergence. The findings suggest that climate warming at high latitudes may prolong the period when water temperatures are optimal for cercariae emergence, intensifying digenean transmission in coastal ecosystems.
JOURNAL OF HELMINTHOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Junyan Duan, Mykhaylo M. Malakhov, Jordan J. Pellett, Ishan S. Phadke, Jackson Barber, Julie C. Blackwood
Summary: The movement of bats between populations significantly influences the success of white-nose syndrome control strategies, particularly the effectiveness of vaccination. Successful control depends on the relative contributions of bat-to-bat and environment-to-bat contact to pathogen transmission, as well as the impact of transmission route on the efficacy of interpopulation exchange for control.
NATURAL RESOURCE MODELING
(2021)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Kelly E. Lutsch, Ashley G. McDonald, Kyle T. Gabriel, Christopher T. Cornelison
Summary: White-nose syndrome (WNS) is a rapidly spreading disease among North American bats caused by a fungus. The social behavior of bats and the presence of suitable environments in underground hibernacula contribute to the spread of the fungal pathogen, which may be further exacerbated by human activities. Bats in regions lacking natural caves have been observed using roadway-associated structures as roosting sites. Further investigation is needed to understand the potential transmission of the pathogen in these structures, in order to manage the disease and prevent further decline of bat populations.
JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE DISEASES
(2022)
