Search Results (7,687)

Tick-borne diseases (TBD) pose a significant threat to both animal and public health, particularly in tropical regions. In the Colombian Caribbean region, there is limited knowledge of the epidemiology of TBD in domestic animals and their vectors. In this study, conducted in northern Colombia from 2021 to 2022, we analyzed the molecular diversity of Anaplasmataceae in a total of 1156 ticks and blood samples collected from their infested hosts: 56 cattle and 17 equids (horses and mules). Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays were performed, using primers to amplify the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene for tick identification and bacterial 16S and 23S rRNA to detect Anaplasmataceae. The amplified products were sequenced and analyzed for molecular characterization of species. Four tick species were identified: Dermacentor nitens (55.6%), Rhipicephalus microplus (43.0%), Rhipicephalus sanguineus sensu lato (0.7%), and Amblyomma patinoi (0.7%). Overall, 9.4% of the pooled tick samples were identified as R. microplus, and 64.4% of the blood samples tested positive for Anaplasmataceae. Molecular analyses identified Anaplasma marginale in cattle and several species in ticks, including an Anaplasma sp. closely related to A. platys-like, Ehrlichia ruminantium, and E. muris and Ehrlichia variants closely related to Candidatus E. rustica, E. canis, and E. minasensis. The results indicate high infection rates and the circulation of both well-known and potentially novel Anaplasmataceae species, suggesting complex transmission dynamics among ticks and hosts. Full article

In recent decades, the Mediterranean Sea has been experiencing faunal changes associated with the impact of biological invasions resulting from the influx of invasive alien species (IAS). During the CNR-ISMAR Carg0222 oceanographic cruise, Mimosina affinis, a benthic foraminifera species of Indo-Pacific origin previously reported in more eastern sectors of the Mediterranean, was detected in the Tyrrhenian Sea, at the seafloor off the Italian coast. The study of benthic foraminiferal assemblages, conducted along with sedimentological analysis of seafloor deposits, allowed to reconstruct the distribution of Mimosina affinis in the investigated area and define its relationship with seabed characteristics. The species is commonly found in samples collected at a water depth not shallower than nine metres, showing a preference for silty fine sand sediments. The abundance of the species, in terms of relative abundance, is higher in biocoenoses than in thanatocoenoses, suggesting that the species is established and actively spreading in the studied area. Full article

Epiphytic corticolous lichens are vital components of forest ecosystems, yet their species composition and distribution patterns along altitudinal gradients in the Populus tremula forests of Barluk Mountain National Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, China, remain understudied. This study analyzes the diversity and distribution of epiphytic corticolous lichens in these forests along an altitudinal gradient. Field research was conducted at six sites (940–1450 m) from June to July 2023–2024, with samples collected from 576 quadrats on 48 Populus tremula trees. Lichen identification involved morphological, anatomical, and chemical analyses. Data on cover and frequency were analyzed to calculate importance values (IV), diversity indices, and floristic similarity (Sørensen’s index). NMDS and TWINSPAN were used to explore distribution patterns along the altitude gradient. In total, 28 epiphytic lichen species were identified, with diversity indices peaking at 1040 m. Dominant species exhibited significant variations in IV across altitudes (P < 0.05), and NMDS/TWINSPAN revealed distinct community clustering associated with elevation. Sørensen’s index indicated a low similarity (<30%) between the highest and lowest altitude sites. This study provides a baseline for biodiversity conservation and forest management in arid and semi-arid land mountain ecosystems. Full article

In recent years, extreme climate events such as high temperatures and droughts have become increasingly frequent and intense, posing significant threats to the carbon sink stability of C₃, C₄, and CAM plants. As a result, identifying photosynthetic strategies that balance adaptability with resilience has emerged as a critical focus in carbon sink research. C₂ photosynthesis offers a promising solution by recycling photorespiratory CO₂ through the glycine shuttle between mesophyll cells (MCs) and bundle sheath cells (BSCs), thereby optimizing carbon concentration and recovery without additional ATP expenditure, thus minimizing carbon loss. This review provides a comprehensive analysis of the diversity, distribution, evolutionary status, and regulatory mechanisms of C₂ photosynthesis, emphasizing its physiological and ecological resilience in carbon sequestration. In comparison to C₃ and C₄ pathways, C₂ photosynthesis demonstrates distinct carbon sink resilience, positioning it as a vital strategy for addressing both current and future global climate challenges. The review also highlights existing gaps in C₂ research, particularly in species identification, molecular mechanisms, and ecological studies, and recommends prioritizing these areas to fully harness its potential for enhancing climate resilience. Full article

Patulin is a mycotoxin produced mainly by Penicillium expansum on apples. P. expansum is a fruit pathogen that can cause apple soft rot. However, much is unknown about the characteristics of P. expansum and influence of major environmental parameters on its patulin production and growth on apple puree agar media (APAM). In this study, we evaluated the influence of pH, temperature, and relative humidity (RH) on patulin production by P. expansum OM1 and its growth (colony diameter and mycelial dry weight) on APAM after isolation and identification of the patulin-producing fungal strain from an apple. The fungal isolate produced the largest quantity of patulin on APAM under 15 °C, pH 4.0, and RH 98%, while it had the highest growth rates on the same media under 25 °C, pH 4.0–6.0, and RH 98%. Our data demonstrated that three important physicochemical factors (pH, temperature, and RH) substantially influenced the patulin production by the fungal species and its growth on APAM. Moreover, our results revealed that patulin was not detected on APAM at 5 °C after 7 days of incubation and that a trace amount of patulin was produced by the fungal strain along with its slow growth on the same media at 5 °C after 14 days. It suggests that patulin contamination by P. expansum on apples could be controlled during postharvest storage below 5 °C. These findings could provide fundamental knowledge for development of efficient strategies to prevent the occurrence of apples contaminated with patulin produced by P. expansum on them during postharvest storage. Full article

Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a globally important aquaculture species. However, intensive farming conditions increase the risk of bacterial diseases. Despite the fact that a considerable number of transcriptomic studies have examined host responses to single bacterial infections, comparative analyses conducted within a unified experimental framework remain scarce, limiting the understanding of pathogen-specific defence mechanisms. In this study, tilapia were experimentally infected with Streptococcus agalactiae, Escherichia coli, or Vibrio harveyi via thoracic injection. Head kidney tissues were collected at 48 h post-infection for RNA sequencing. The identification of differentially expressed genes (DEGs) was conducted utilising the edgeR, and the assessment of functional enrichment was facilitated through the implementation of Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analysis. A comparative analysis was conducted between the bacterial infection groups and the control group. The results of this analysis revealed the identification of 2930, 3328, and 4850 DEGs were identified in the S. agalactiae, E. coli, and V. harveyi infection groups, respectively. Integrated transcriptomic analysis, combining KEGG enrichment and expression profiling of key genes, revealed distinct response patterns across pathogens. The S. agalactiae infection predominantly activated innate immune signaling pathways, including Toll-like receptor, NOD-like receptor, cytokine–cytokine receptor interaction, and NF-κB pathways. In contrast, E. coli infection induced extensive metabolic reprogramming, notably in purine and pyrimidine metabolism, carbon metabolism, and amino acid biosynthesis. Meanwhile, an infection caused by V. harveyi resulted in mucosal and lysosomal defence responses, as evidenced by an increase in lysosome, phagosome, extracellular matrix–receptor interaction, and cell adhesion molecule pathways. Collectively, this study suggests that the head kidney of Nile tilapia employs pathogen-specific defence strategies rather than a uniform antibacterial response, providing one of the first transcriptomic comparisons of distinct bacterial infections in this species. These findings provide fundamental data and theoretical insights for elucidating immune mechanisms in teleost fish and for developing targeted prevention and control strategies in aquaculture. Full article

Bats (Chiroptera) represent nearly one-fifth of all mammalian species and play vital ecological roles as pollinators, pest controllers, and reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens. Accurate identification of bat species is essential for biodiversity monitoring, conservation, and disease surveillance. Traditional methods based on morphology or acoustic calls are often limited by overlapping features, while DNA barcoding using the cytochrome oxidase I (COI) gene can be hindered by sequence variability. In this study, we developed a simple, single-step PCR assay targeting a short, variable region of the mitochondrial 12S rRNA gene. Alignment of sequences from 232 bat species allowed the design of a single primer pair producing a 203–224 bp amplicon that successfully distinguished all species analyzed. The assay achieved 100% amplification success across 241 bat samples, with 97.2% concordance between molecular and morphological identification. Two samples showed sequence divergence suggestive of an undescribed species. Overall, ten bat species from six genera were identified, with Eptesicus fuscus being the most frequent. This assay offers a practical and robust approach for bat identification, supporting biodiversity assessment and pathogen surveillance in ecological and public health research. Full article

The new species Euphorbia peruviandina (Euphorbiaceae) is described and illustrated with photos and line drawings. It belongs to subgenus Chamaesyce section Anisophyllum and is restricted to the puna vegetation of central and southern Peru at elevations of 3300 to 4200 m. It is proposed to be endangered following IUCN criteria. A comparison is made with two other Andean species of the section, E. jamesonii of Ecuador and E. orbiculata of Colombia and Venezuela. For all three taxa, type specimens are cited, and morphological descriptions, habitat information, exsiccate, and synonymy are given. An identification key to these taxa is provided. Euphorbia melanocarpa is proposed to be a synonym of E. jamesonii, and E. meridensis is treated as a synonym of E. orbiculata. Full article

Accurate species identification in blackberries (Rubus spp.) is difficult because of morphological similarity and frequent hybridization. We studied 56 wild accessions from the Sirius Federal Territory (Russia), representing coastal and foothill ecosystems of the Black Sea region. Multilocus DNA barcoding with the plastid rbcL gene and nuclear ITS1 and ITS2 regions revealed signals of hybridization and hidden diversity. The rbcL marker showed low variation, grouping most accessions into two clusters with several singletons, which limited its use for distinguishing species. In contrast, ITS1 and ITS2 showed higher variation, forming six clusters and eight singletons, and allowed for clear separation of taxa such as Rubus caesius L., R. irritans Focke, and R. amabilis Focke. Accession 3 carried a raspberry (closely to R. corchorifolius L.fil) plastid haplotype, pointing to a hybrid origin. We also found groups of nearby plants with identical mutations, which likely reflect clonal spread with fixed somatic changes or the persistence of recent hybrid lineages. At the same time, accessions collected up to 140 km apart did not form separate clusters, showing weak geographic structuring along the coast. The results demonstrate that multilocus barcoding can reveal not only species boundaries but also evolutionary processes among Rubus such as hybridization, clonal propagation, and early stages of speciation. Full article

Background: Nosocomial infections represent a significant clinical burden due to high morbidity, mortality and healthcare costs. Invasive fungal infections, particularly those caused by Candida species, are of growing concern due to increasing antifungal resistance, which limits therapeutic options and worsens patient outcomes. This study aimed to characterize the prevalence, species distribution, antifungal susceptibility profiles, and molecular mechanisms of resistance in clinical Candida isolates from hospitalized patients. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 55 hospitalized patients, yielding 60 isolates from blood, secretions, fluids, and catheter tips. Species identification was performed using chromogenic media and confirmed by MALDI-TOF MS. Antifungal susceptibility testing followed CLSI M27-A4 broth microdilution guidelines for amphotericin B, fluconazole and 5-flucytosine. Gene expression of ERG2, ERG11 and MDR1 was evaluated by RT-qPCR after exposure to subinhibitory antifungal concentrations using the 2^−∆∆Ct method. Results:Candida albicans was the most frequent species, followed by Nakaseomyces glabratus, C. tropicalis and C. parapsilosis. Resistance varied among species, with elevated rates for fluconazole. ERG2 was notably overexpressed in amphotericin B-resistant isolates, while ERG11 and MDR1 showed species-dependent variation. Conclusions: Resistance mechanisms in Candida are species-specific and drug-dependent. Accurate species identification and understanding their molecular profiles are essential to guide targeted antifungal therapy and improve clinical outcomes. Full article

Slime moulds (Eumycetozoa) are closely associated with forest structure, moisture and the availability of microhabitats, which together make them promising candidates for bioindication. This study synthesised an integrated, georeferenced resource from Central and Eastern Europe to assess how forest habitat, management intensity, and elevation structure assemblages, and to identify indicator taxa suited to monitoring. Analyses in R (RStudio, version 4.5.2) combined effort-controlled diversity comparisons, models of record intensity, habitat-stratified elevation responses, constrained ordination, and indicator testing at species and higher ranks. The resulting corpus encompassed 624 species from 16 countries and eight consolidated forest habitat classes, enabling quantification of joint assemblage responses to habitat, management intensity, and elevation under effort-controlled sampling, and facilitating the identification of indicator sets that are robust to uneven sampling. At the order and genus levels, Physarales, Trichiales, and Stemonitidales, together with genera such as Trichia, Meriderma, and Polyschismium, exhibited the clearest and most transferable indicator behaviour, while species including Trichia varia, Fuligo septica, and Meriderma carestiae emerged as promising candidates for fine-grained bioindication along habitat and elevation gradients. Habitat exerted clearer contrasts than management; elevation effects were strongly habitat specific, and a compact set of taxa showed stable, interpretable indicator behaviour across gradients. These indicator assemblages, together with an appraisal of cross-country generalisation, provide an operational basis for elevation-aware, habitat-structured bioindication with slime moulds in European forests. Taken together, these results indicate that slime mould assemblages have the potential to complement existing forest bioindication systems, both by tracking broad forest habitat types along management and elevation gradients and by providing indirect information on less conspicuous attributes such as stand naturalness and the availability of dead wood, although such applications remain at a proof-of-concept stage and will require further targeted evaluation before operational deployment. Full article

Climate change significantly impacts the survival and distribution of alpine vegetation on the Tibetan Plateau. Endangered Rhodiola species, represented by Rhodiola crenulata (Hook. f. & Thomson) H. Ohba and Rhodiola tangutica (Maxim.) S.H. Fu. are highly sensitive to climate change. Modeling their adaptive distribution and identifying ecological corridors are crucial for developing conservation strategies. Using the biomod2 platform and the MCR model, this study projects the potential geographical distribution of the two Rhodiola species under current and future climate scenarios and further identifies key ecological corridors. The results indicate that under current climate conditions, Rhodiola crenulata is mainly distributed in the southern part of the Tibetan Plateau, while Rhodiola tangutica is primarily concentrated in the northeastern region. Temperature, precipitation, and elevation are identified as key environmental drivers influencing their distribution. Under future climate scenarios, the total adaptive area of Rhodiola crenulata is projected to expand. The most significant expansion, reaching 22%, is projected under the SSP585 scenario in the 2090s. In contrast, the total adaptive area of Rhodiola tangutica is expected to contract, with a reduction of 2.99% under the SSP585 scenario in the 2070s. Based on the migration trends of the two species, ecological corridors suitable for development, such as primary corridors and secondary corridors, were established to support species migration and biodiversity conservation. By integrating species distribution models with the MCR model, this study provides a scientific basis for the conservation of endangered Rhodiola species under climate change. Full article

Sansevieria, a perennial herb known for its ornamental and medicinal value, has many varieties due to its leaf size and stripe color. However, it is very difficult to distinguish them during the seedling stage. In this study, we conducted chloroplast genome sequencing analysis on 10 cultivars of Sansevieria trifasciata. The chloroplast genomes exhibited a typical quadripartite circular structure (154.2–158.7 kb), encoding 113 functional genes with highly conserved gene order. Phylogenetic analysis supported the evolutionary linkage between Sansevieria and Dracaena. Dynamic inverted repeats (IR) boundary expansions/contractions, particularly species-specific patterns in ndhF and rps19 gene distributions across IR junctions, indicating its adaptive divergence. We also discovered the trnT-psbD marker, which is a deletion marker developed from hypervariable regions and can effectively distinguish closely related species. This work provides critical molecular tools and theoretical foundations for germplasm identification, phylogenetic reconstruction, and chloroplast genome evolution in Sansevieria, and also promotes taxonomic revisions in Asparagaceae. Full article

Abiotic stresses such as drought and heat severely constrain the growth and productivity of Solanaceae crops, including potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.), yet the conserved regulatory mechanisms underlying their stress adaptation remain incompletely understood. Here, we performed an integrative meta-analysis of publicly available transcriptomic datasets, complemented by comparative and evolutionary analyses across the Solanum genus. Functional annotation revealed coordinated transcriptional reprogramming characterized by induction of protective processes, including molecular chaperone activity, oxidative stress responses, and immune signaling, accompanied by repression of photosynthetic and primary metabolic pathways, reflecting energy reallocation under stress conditions. Promoter motif and transcription factor enrichment analyses implicated the bZIP, bHLH, DOF, and BBR/BPC families as central regulators of drought- and heat-induced transcriptional programs. Orthogroup inference and $K_a/K_s$ analysis across representative Solanum species demonstrated a predominance of purifying selection, indicating evolutionary conservation of regulatory network architecture. Integration of motif occurrence, co-expression profiles, and protein–protein interaction data enabled reconstruction of regulatory networks and identification of conserved hub transcription factors coordinating stress responses. Comparative analysis revealed distinct but conserved transcriptional signatures for heat and drought shared between potato and tomato, indicative of conserved abiotic stress strategies across Solanaceae. Full article

A major goal of fecal pollution monitoring in the environment is to identify point sources of fecal contamination that may pose potential health risks due to animal- and human-specific pathogens. Ideal source tracking markers should have high host specificity and can be employed for the unambiguous identification of the host/fecal point sources. Conserved signature proteins (CSPs) are a class of unique, phylogenetically coherent indicators that are specific to a given taxon (e.g., genus or species). In this study, we report the identification and characterization of a new CSP, whose gene (designated as CSP-DV) is present in a single copy, and for whom homologs showing a high degree of sequence similarity are found only in genomes of Phocaeicola dorei and Phocaeicola vulgatus, two commensal species commonly found in the human gut and feces. We developed a qPCR method targeting this CSP gene to explore its usefulness as a human source tracking marker. We confirmed that the CSP-DV marker showed an absolute human sensitivity (100%) but some cross-reactivities in chicken, cats, dogs, rabbits, and rodents. In recreational water, the CSP-DV marker gene levels were well correlated with those of HF183, a well-validated human marker that predominantly targets the 16S rRNA gene of P. dorei, suggesting that it can be a new potential source tracking tool for human fecal contamination in specific environmental waters. In summary, our CSP-DV marker targets Phocaeicola clade-specific microbes and can provide an additional approach independent of the 16S rRNA gene to detect human sources of fecal pollution. Full article