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Porcine circovirus 3 subclinical infection in wild boar is not associated with systemic lesions
Get PDFPorcine circovirus 3 (PCV3) is known to endemically circulate in domestic pigs, both in intensive and extensive settings.
This virus occasionally causes reproductive and/or postnatal disease, although its full impact is currently undetermined. The
appearance of such diseases is most remarkably correlated with the presence of vascular lesions consisting of periarteritis
in medium and small calibre arteries, which are found in many tissues, but are most consistently and abundantly detected
within the mesenteric arterial plexus. Multiple studies demonstrated PCV3 high prevalence in wild boar (Sus scrofa) as
well, which poses a risk as a potential wildlife reservoir. Nevertheless, no studies have specifically tackled the potential
pathogenic role of PCV3 in wild boar populations. In this study, we evaluated the presence of periarteritis in a large
number of tissues (mostly mesenteric plexus) from wild boar necropsied as part of a disease-monitoring program in
Catalonia (northeastern Spain). The presence of PCV3 genome was evaluated by PCR (in serum samples) and in situ
hybridization (ISH) (in tissues). While PCV3 presence was confirmed in 26 out of 87 (29.89%) serum samples, none of
the tissue samples displayed histopathological lesions compatible with PCV3-associated disease (PCV3-AD). Moreover,
ISH revealed PCV3 genome in lymphoid follicles in 4/6 studied cases (in which lymphoid tissue was available), and
only one animal displayed mild arterial labelling despite absence of histological lesions. The lack of evidence of lesions
associated to PCV3 in wild boar is probably related to ecological and epidemiological factors, which greatly differ from
domesticated populations. Therefore, we hypothesize that the occurrence of PCV3-AD in wild boar is highly unlikely,
with low or negligible impact on its populations.Open Access Funding provided by Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
L’oli d’oliva: més enllà del món dels sofregits
Get PDFDurant la jornada que portava com a títol "Gastronomia 360º: ciència, tradició i futur al plat" es va posar en valor la
transferència de coneixement des de la recerca cap al sector gastronòmic i agroalimentariinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Showcasing the potential of Pulse Spray Drying for infant foods from the food safety perspective
Get PDFThis study evaluated Pediococcus acidilactici ATCC 8042 as a non-pathogenic surrogate for Salmonella to assess the effect of a new Pulse Spray Drying (PSD) technology in infant cereal-based food (CBF) and powdered infant formula (PIF). The pathogen Salmonella enterica serovar Senftenberg ATCC 43845 was used for comparison. Thermal inactivation kinetics were determined for both organisms in CBF and PIF at three aw levels. Subsequently, P. acidilactici was inoculated into both matrices and subjected to PSD at varying outlet temperatures. Microbial inactivation and hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) and acrylamide formation were measured. A statistically significant linear correlation was found between the LogDT values of P. acidilactici and Salmonella across all conditions. The surrogate consistently showed higher thermal resistance, with DT values averaging 4.42 times greater than those of the pathogen. These findings support the use of P. acidilactici ATCC 8042 as a conservative surrogate for Salmonella. PSD achieved microbial reductions of approximately 2–4 log, depending on outlet temperature. Levels of HMF and acrylamide were comparable to those reported in commercial products. These findings underscore PSD’s potential as a safe and effective drying technology for infant foods, offering a valuable tool for food industry aiming to improve microbial safety without compromising product quality.This work was supported by the SAFFI project (Safe Food for Infants in the EU and China), which has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (GA 861917), SEQUSAL (2021 SGR 00468), TECQUAL (2021 SGR 00461) and the CERCA Program from Generalitat de Catalunya. Berta Torrents-Masoliver is recipient of a IRTA Sponsored Fellowship 2022. The authors would like to acknowledge the technical support of Anna Pareras for the analysis of process induced contaminants.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Aptamer-based biosensing platforms for saxitoxin and tetrodotoxin: Advances, challenges, and future perspectives in food safety and environmental monitoring
Get PDFSaxitoxin (STX) and tetrodotoxin (TTX) are among the most potent marine neurotoxins, posing severe risks to public health and the seafood industry. Their high toxicity, structural diversity, and occurrence in complex aquatic and food matrices pose significant challenges for reliable detection and quantification. Conventional instrumental analysis methods offer high sensitivity and specificity but require costly instrumentation, skilled personnel, and time-consuming sample preparation. Immunoassays, while faster, may suffer from limited recognition of toxin congeners. In recent years, aptamers, synthetic single-stranded DNA or RNA sequences have emerged as promising alternatives to antibodies for toxin recognition. Aptamer-based biosensing platforms offer advantages in terms of stability, reproducibility, ease of modification, and scalability. A broad range of detection techniques has been developed, including optical, electrochemical and hybrid systems, often incorporating nanomaterials and signal amplification strategies to achieve ultralow detection limits in food and environmental samples. Yet, the path from promising laboratory prototypes to reliable field tools remains challenging, particularly when matrix effects compromise sensor robustness. This review provides a comprehensive overview of aptamer selection strategies for STX and TTX, recent advances in biosensing technologies, and the performance of various platforms in different matrices. Key challenges, including matrix effects, technological feasibility, and the need for compliance with official regulations, are discussed. Finally, perspectives for developing robust, field-deployable aptasensors are outlined, emphasizing their potential to enable rapid, sensitive, and cost-effective toxin monitoring for food safety and environmental protection.This research was funded by the European Union (Project BlueShellfish, grant no. 101086234, doi: 10.3030/101086234). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Research Executive Agency. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them. The authors also acknowledge the support from CERCA Programme/Generalitat de Catalunya.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Vibrio are a potential source of novel colistin-resistance genes in European coastal environments
Get PDFColistin is a widespread last resort antibiotic for treatment of multidrug-resistant bacteria. The recent worldwide emergence of colistin resistance (Col-R) conferred by mcr-1 in human pathogens has raised concern, but the putative sources and reservoirs of novel mcr genes in the marine environment remain underexplored. We observed a high prevalence of Col-R, particularly in Vibrio isolated from European coastal waters by using the same cohorts of oysters as bioaccumulators in three sites across Europe. The high sequence diversity found in the mcr/eptA gene family was geographically structured, particularly for three novel eptA gene variants, which were restricted to the Mediterranean (France, Spain) and occurred as a dgkA-eptA operon. The RstA/RstB two component system was shown to control both the dgkA-eptA operon and the Col-R phenotype. The analysis of 29 427 Vibrionaceae genomes revealed that this mechanism of intrinsic resistance is prevalent and specific to the Harveyi clade, which includes the human pathogens Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus. The operon conferred colistin-resistance when transferred to sensitive non-Vibrio strains. In general, eptA gene variants are widespread and evolved with the Vibrio lineage. They occur in clade-specific genomic environments, suggesting that eptA expression responds to distinct environmental signals across the Vibrio phylogeny. However, we also identified mobile eptA paralogues that have been recently transferred between and within Vibrio clades. This highlights Vibrio as a potential source of Col-R mechanisms, emphasizing the need for enhanced surveillance to prevent colistin-resistant infections in coastal areas.This research was supported by the ERA-net co-fund Aquatic Pollutants program of the combined European Joint Program Initiatives JPI Oceans, JPI Water and JPI AMR. It has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement no. 869178-AquaticPollutants. This work was carried out within the framework of the “Laboratoire d’Excellence (LabEx)” TULIP (ANR-10-LABX-41), the “Zone Atelier” Camargue Health-Environment (ZACAM) of the Long-Term Socio-Ecological Research network (LTSER-RZA), and the International Research Project EcoHealth4Sea funded by the CNRS.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Influenza a Virus Inhibition: Evaluating Computationally Identified Cyproheptadine Through In Vitro Assessment
Get PDFInfluenza is still a chronic global health threat, inducing a sustained search for effective antiviral therapeutics. Computational methods have played a pivotal role in developing small molecule therapeutics. In this study, we applied a combined in silico and in vitro approach to explore the potential anti-influenza activity of cyproheptadine, a clinically used histamine H1 receptor antagonist. Virtual screening based on the average quasivalence number (AQVN) and electron–ion interaction potential (EIIP) descriptors suggests similarities between cyproheptadine and several established anti-influenza agents. The subsequent ligand-based pharmacophore screening of a focused H1 antagonist library was aligned with the bioinformatics prediction, and further experimental in vitro evaluation of cyproheptadine demonstrated its anti-influenza activity. These findings provide proof of concept for cyproheptadine’s in silico-predicted antiviral potential and underscore the value of integrating computational predictions with experimental validation. The results of the current study provide a preliminary proof of concept for the predicted anti-influenza potential based on computational analysis and emphasize the utility of integrating in silico screening with experimental validation in the early stages of drug repurposing efforts.This research was funded by Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia, grant number 451-03-136/2025-03/200017. M.M. acknowledge the financial support by EU’s NextGeneration EU-MUR PNRR Extended Partnership initiative on Emerging Infectious Diseases PE00000007, INF-ACT.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Phenotypic and whole genome-based characterization of antibiotic resistance of Campylobacter jejuni isolates from chicken livers
Get PDFCampylobacter is the leading cause of foodborne gastroenteritis worldwide with poultry and poultry products being major infection sources. Chicken livers may constitute a risk of infection due to their high Campylobacter prevalence. The growing presence of antibiotic resistant (AR) Campylobacter strains in poultry is a serious concern as they can be transferred to humans causing AR infections. This study assessed the AR prevalence of C. jejuni isolates from chicken livers from northeastern Spain. Using the broth microdilution method and whole-genome sequencing (WGS) with Illumina HiSeq, 39 liver isolates recovered from carcasses at slaughter from different farms were analyzed. Phenotypic AR to at least one out of six antibiotics tested was observed in 32 isolates (82 %). Ciprofloxacin (71.8 %) and tetracycline (64.1 %) were the most common resistances, and ciprofloxacin-tetracycline profile the most frequent (51.3 %). One isolate was multidrug resistant, while seven were susceptible to all tested antibiotics. Nearly all ciprofloxacin-resistant isolates carried the point mutation T86I in the gyrase gene, and most tetracycline-resistant isolates carried the tet(O) gene. All isolates carried genes coding for the CmeABC efflux pump, which may contribute to tetracycline resistance. The ertapenem-resistant isolate carried the blaOXA-185 gene, while almost all carried the blaOXA-61 which has been associated with β-lactam resistance. WGS analysis revealed additional potential resistance determinants, including genes associated with multidrug resistance, which were not detected phenotypically. Altogether, these results highlight the potential risk of chicken livers as a source of AR C. jejuni and underscore the added value of WGS in providing a deeper insight into the genotypic AR potential of these isolates.This study was supported by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (grant No. RTI2018-095081-B-I00) and the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (grant No, PID2021-128079OB-I00). A. M. P. was supported by a pre-doctoral fellowship FPI 2019 from the Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (PRE2019-087435). CERCA Programme from the Generalitat de Catalunya is also acknowledged.
We thank the slaughterhouses including bonÀrea for providing liver samples.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Insect biological control: a global perspective
Get PDFThe intentional use of biological control agents to manage arthropod pests dates back to as early as 304 AD, when Chinese farmers used weaver ants to manage citrus pests. Over time, biological control has evolved into distinct approaches: classical, augmentation, and conservation. Prior to the advent of pesticides, most insect pest management relied on natural and classical biological control. The most common strategy used at first, despite regional variations, was the importation of biological control agents. Nonetheless, due to issues with unintentional non-target impacts, numerous failures in the introduction, and longer periods required for implementation, augmentative and conservation approaches have become more frequently practiced. Additionally, growing demands from the government and the public for more sustainable farming, along with investments from private companies, have sped up the progress and use of augmentative biological control around the world. This extensive use of insect biological control agents and the ongoing development of new insights underscore the need for a thorough and up-to-date global review. We combine expertise from several world regions to address the unique historical, developmental, and regional challenges associated with augmentative insect biological control. From region to region, we observed differences in pest-natural enemy systems, places of implementation (greenhouse vs. field), type and level of investment (public vs. private), history of implementation, awareness of ecologically based strategies, and other factors. There are also many similarities, especially regarding the upcoming challenges in addressing the rising demand from the agricultural sector and climate change. These include producing and assessing the quality of biological control agents, establishing more biological control enterprises, improving the logistics of natural enemy transportation, making more use of native biological control agents in augmentative biological control, optimizing the utilization of mass-reared and resident biological control agents, increasing the application of ecologically based strategies at local and landscape levels, and promoting interdisciplinary collaborations. Taken together, the article offers an examination of the distinctive aspects of augmentative biological control programs and their associated challenges around the world.We wish to thank Dr. Adeney Bueno for the invitation to contribute this review to the journal and the ‘Programa de Apoios FEALQ’ for providing financial support. The co-author Armando Alfaro-Tapia was funded by the ANID postdoctoral grant (FONDECYT) No. 3230599. N. Desneux was supported by the Horizon Europe projects ADOPT-IPM (no. 101060430) and NextGenBioPest (no. 101136611).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Morphology and physiology of apple lenticels and their connection to various physiological and pathological issues
Get PDFLenticel issues in apple include bitter
pit, Lenticel Breakdown, Lenticel Blotch
Pit, Blister Spot, Sunburn, Green Spot,
and moisture-related disorders during
storage. Additionally, the cuticle openings
serves as an entry point for fungi that
may infect and develop in the field or
remain latent until the post-harvest
period. This article describes the various
physiological and pathological lenticel
disorders most frequently encountered
in apple-growing regions, as well as the
factors that contribute to these disorders.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Porcine nasal organoids to model interactions between the swine nasal microbiota and the host
Get PDFBackground
Interactions between the nasal epithelium, commensal nasal microbiota, and respiratory pathogens play a key role in respiratory infections. Currently, there is a lack of experimental models to study such interactions under defined in vitro conditions. Here, we developed a porcine nasal organoid (PNO) system from nasal tissue of pigs as well as from cytological brushes.
Results
PNOs exhibited similar structure and cell types to the nasal mucosa, as evaluated by immunostaining. PNOs were inoculated with porcine commensal strains of Moraxella pluranimalium, Rothia nasimurium, and the pathobiont Glaesserella parasuis for examining host-commensal-pathogen interactions. All strains adhered to the PNOs, although at different levels. M. pluranimalium and G. parasuis strains stimulated the production of proinflammatory cytokines, whereas R. nasimurium induced the production of IFNγ and diminished the proinflammatory effect of the other strains.
Conclusions
Overall, PNOs mimic the in vivo nasal mucosa and can be useful to perform host-microbe interaction studies.This work was supported by funding from MICIU (Spanish Government) projects PID2019-106233RB-I00/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 to VA and FCF and PID2022-138657OB-I00/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033 to VA and MS. LBL is supported by a FPI fellowship (PRE2020-096048/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033) and KK by a Ramón y Cajal contract (RYC2021-033035-I/AEI/https://doi.org/10.13039/501100011033), also from MICIU. Finally, the authors acknowledged the support of Centres de Recerca de Catalunya (CERCA) Program.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio