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Les gavines urbanes i periurbanes de l’àrea metropolitana de Barcelona són portadores de Campylobacter i Salmonella de rellevància en salut pública
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Differentiation of two Bathyplectes species, B. anurus and B. curculionis, parasitoids of the Alfalfa weevil (Hypera postica) in Spain
Get PDFThe alfalfa weevil Hypera postica Gyllenhal (Coleoptera: Curculionidae) is one of the most destructive alfalfa pests in the world, resulting in substantial economic losses. However, the amount of damage can be reduced by larval parasitoids of the genus Bathyplectes Förster (Hymenoptera: Ichneumonidae) as a conservation biological control strategy. Parasitoids are currently identified by morphological body characteristics, cocoon morphology, and/or DNA analysis, but geometric morphometrics (GM) applied to the wing vein arrangement may also reveal differences between specimens. We distinguished 61 B. anurus (Thomson) and 41 B. curculionis (Thomson) specimens, based on the appearance of the cocoon. GM revealed statistically significant differences in wing vein patterns and fore wing shapes between species, but not between sexes within the same species. The 1 M + 1R1 cell, also known as the horsehead cell, was revealed to be an easy and reliable morphological character for species differentiation. Despite the New World literature, this is the first European report providing a visual method to differentiate B. anurus from B. curculionis. This study highlights the importance of precise species identification methods, such as geometric morphometry. It can contribute to a better implementation of biological control strategies against the alfalfa weevil in Spain and other Mediterranean countries.This study was funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, Spanish Government, project AGL2017-84127-R: ‘Arable crop management and landscape interactions for pest control’; and the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovations of the Republic of Serbia [Grant Nos.: 451-03-136/2025-03/ 200124 and 451-03-137/2025-03/ 200124]. A.L.-M. was funded by a pre-doctoral JADE plus grant from the University of Lleida, and now is the recipient of a post-doctoral grant JDC2023-052129-I, funded by MCIU/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and FSE+. RM was funded by a pre-doctoral grant FPI-PRE2018-083602, Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Antimicrobial Efficacy of Nanochitosan and Chitosan Edible Coatings: Application for Enhancing the Safety of Fresh-Cut Nectarines
Get PDFThe growing demand for fresh foods, as well as the rise in ready-to-eat foods,
is leading the food industry to study edible coatings to maintain the quality of fresh-cut
fruit. The objective of this work was, first, to determine the antimicrobial activity of a
commercial anti-browning solution (A), chitosan (CH), and nanochitosan (NCH) both
in vitro and in vivo and, secondly, to assess the effects of those coatings on the quality of
fresh-cut nectarines. Antimicrobial activity was studied against Listeria monocytogenes and
Saccharomyces cerevisiae, which were used as models of a foodborne pathogen and a spoilage
microorganism, respectively. After evaluating their effect against both microorganisms,
including in nectarines (Prunus persica L. cv Nectagala), the fruit was treated with commercial
anti-browning alone (A), anti-browning with chitosan (A + CH), and anti-browning
with nanochitosan (A + NCH). The slices were then sealed in polyethylene plastic trays
and stored at 5 ◦C for 6 days. pH, titratable acidity, soluble solids content, firmness, color,
visual acceptance, and microbiological evolution were assessed. Total color difference
(TCD) results demonstrated higher value in the fresh-cut fruit without coating. The chitosan
coating controlled microbial growth during cold storage without causing significant
alterations to the fruit’s quality, while it had the highest overall visual acceptance of the
final product. Chitosan demonstrated clear advantages as an edible biocoating for fresh-cut
nectarines, whereas nanochitosan did not perform as effectively as expected, indicating the
need for further optimization to realize its potential benefits. The combination of chitosan
and anti-browning agents presents a sustainable method for enhancing the quality and
safety of fresh-cut nectarines, which may contribute to the extension of their shelf lifeThis work was supported by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 (Grant PID-2019-104269RRC31, ALLFRUIT4ALL project), ‘Generalitat de Catalunya’ (CERCA Programme) and ‘Departament de Recerca i Universitats’ (grant 2021 SGR 01477).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Mycorrhizal inoculation and crop rotation as soil sustainable management strategies to reduce fertilizer use and water consumption in horticultural crops
Get PDFCrop rotation enhances agroecosystem sustainability by reducing nutrient loss, improving soil fertility, and decreasing crop evapotranspiration. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) inoculation further supports enhanced nutrient and water uptake by plants, potentially improving water use efficiency and soil health while reducing fertigation needs. However, crop species may respond differently to AMF inoculation under varying fertigation regimes. In this study, the response of four horticultural species to AMF inoculation was investigated under optimal (100 %) and deficit (25 % reduction) water and fertilizer (fertigation) availability. Leek, courgette, white bean, and celery were planted consecutively over the course of two years, with crop production and quality as well as leaf nutrients and soil parameters being measured at the end of each crop cycle. Mycorrhizal inoculation did not improve any agronomic parameter among the crops studied under either fertigation condition.This research was funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Operation 01.02.01 of Technology Transfer of the Catalonian program for rural development 2014-2022 managed by the Departament d’Acció Climàtica, Alimentaciò I Agenda Rural of the Generalitat de Catalunya.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Multi-omics surveillance of antimicrobial resistance in the pig gut microbiome
Get PDFBackground
High-throughput sequencing technologies play an increasingly active role in the surveillance of major global health challenges, such as the emergence of antimicrobial resistance. The post-weaning period is of critical importance for the swine industry and antimicrobials are still required when infection occurs during this period. Here, two sequencing approaches, shotgun metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, have been applied to decipher the effect of different treatments used in post-weaning diarrhea on the transcriptome and resistome of pig gut microbiome. With this objective, a metagenome-assembled genome (MAG) catalogue was generated to use as a reference database for transcript mapping obtained from a total of 140 pig fecal samples in a cross-sectional and longitudinal design to study differential gene expression. The different treatments included antimicrobials trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole, colistin, gentamicin, and amoxicillin, and an oral commercial vaccine, a control with water acidification, and an untreated control. For metatranscriptomics, fecal samples from pigs were selected before weaning, three days and four weeks post-treatment.
Results
The final non-redundant MAGs collection comprised a total of 1396 genomes obtained from single assemblies and co-assemblies per treatment group and sampling time from the metagenomics data. Analysis of antimicrobial resistance genes (ARGs) at this assembly level considerably reduced the total number of ARGs identified in comparison to those found at the reads level. Besides, from the metatranscriptomics data, half of those ARGs were detected transcriptionally active in all treatment groups. Differential gene expression between sampling times after treatment found major number of differential expressed genes (DEGs) against the group treated continuously with amoxicillin, with DEGs being correlated with antimicrobial resistance. Moreover, at three days post-treatment, a high number of significantly downregulated genes was detected in the group treated with gentamicin. At this sampling time, this group showed an altered expression of ribosomal-related genes, demonstrating the rapid effect of gentamicin to inhibit bacterial protein synthesis.
Conclusions
Different antimicrobial treatments can impact differently the transcriptome and resistome of microbial communities, highlighting the relevance of novel sequencing approaches to monitor the resistome and contribute to a more efficient antimicrobial stewardship.This study was funded by the I + D + I National Program RTI2018-095586-B-C22 and the CERCA program. J.G.M. is a PhD student from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, Biotechnology Program, with an IRTA fellowship from the strategic initiative on antimicrobial reduction in animal production and performed part of the analysis at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (NMBU) with an EMBO Scientific Exchange Grant (10385). Y.R.C. is recipient of a Ramon y Cajal postdoctoral fellowship (RYC2019-027244-I) from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Latent Dirichlet Allocation reveals tomato root-associated bacterial interactions responding to hairy root disease
Get PDFHairy root disease (HRD), caused by rhizogenic Agrobacterium strains, is a significant disease threat to modern hydroponic greenhouses, which can result in up to 15% loss in yield. Our prior research has suggested increased alpha diversity after infection in hydroponic tomato root-associated microbiota. However, a more detailed investigation of how root-associated microbial components (MCs; clusters of weighted bacterial features) respond to disease and the underlying mechanisms remains lacking. To address this gap, we applied Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) to analyze MCs from 12 Belgian commercial hydroponic tomato greenhouses. Using high-throughput amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA locus, three locations along each greenhouse irrigation system (beginning, middle, and end) were sampled at 5 time points throughout the 2018 growing season.This work was supported by KU Leuven grant (STG/23/040). Utilized 16S rRNA data in this work from a previous project supported by ERA-Net C-IPM (Coordinated Integrated Pest Management) [IWT.150 537], the Vlaamse Agentschap voor Innoveren en Ondernemen (VLAIO) [HBC.2017.0816], and KU Leuven internal funding (C1-IHO-D6451-C14/19/074). The funding agencies had no role in the design, analysis, or writing of this article.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio
Spermatogenesis advancement in pre-pubertal meagre Argyrosomus regius treated with recombinant gonadotropins
Get PDFΤhe effects of recombinant meagre follicle stimulating hormone (rFsh) and luteinizing hormone (rLh) were evaluated on testicular maturation in pre-pubertal meagre Argyrosomus regius, an upcoming aquaculture species in the Mediterranean region. Fish (body mass 1092.9 ± 178.8 g) received seven weekly injections of meagre rFsh, together with an rLh injection at week 6. One group was further treated with weekly rFsh or rLh until week 11 and was sacrificed at week 12 (rFsh/rLh group, TREATED 12). The second group received further weekly injections of rFsh until week 12 and was then left untreated until week 21 (single rLh group, TREATED 21). Control fish received injections of saline solution. At week 12, the testes of the rFsh/rLh-treated fish (TREATED 12) showed increased gonadosomatic index and seminiferous tubule diameter, reduction of spermatogonial density, increase of post-meiotic spermatocysts and accumulation of luminal spermatozoa. In the single rLh-treated group (TREATED 21), apoptosis increased towards pre-treatment levels, demonstrating that the withdrawal of the Fsh stimulus ceased the process of spermatogenesis. The results demonstrated the effectiveness of rFsh/rLh treatment in stimulating testicular growth, spermiogenesis and spermiation in pre-pubertal meagre.The present work was funded by the project NewTechAqua (European Union´s Programme H2020, GA 862658) awarded to N.D., C.C.M., I.G. and A.C.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Rhythmic biosynthesis of sex pheromone modulates the calling and mating behaviors of Tuta absoluta (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae)
Get PDFTuta absoluta (Meyrick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) is a significant global pest of tomato. Although sex pheromones serve as effective biological control tools, their utilization remains inefficient due to a limited understanding of the circadian rhythms of courtship and mating. This study details a six-step “morning flight–mating” behavioral sequence in T. absoluta: (1) resting, (2) preparation for morning flight, (3) morning flight, (4) courtship, (5) mating, and (6) post-mating cessation. Laboratory observations revealed that their rhythmic behavior occurred between 05:30 and 08:00, with a pronounced peak from 05:30 to 06:30, and high population densities negatively impacted mating success rates. Field experiments corroborated these laboratory observations. Furthermore, the synchronized synthesis and release of major and minor sex pheromone components aligned with the timing of calling and mating behavior. These findings suggest that the “morning flight–mating” rhythm is mediated by the pheromone release cycle. Our results offer a basis for optimizing the timing of pheromone-based control techniques, such as mating disruption and mass trapping, to enhance the efficiency and reduce the cost of pest control.We would like to thank Prof. Nicolas Desneux (France) for comments and linguistic suggestions for improving the original manuscript. This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Project of China (grant no. 2022YFC2601000), the EU-China Horizon Europe ADOPT-IPM project (grant no. 101060430) and the Central Public-Interest Scientific Institution Basal Research Fund (grant no. S2025XM32).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
Is Draeculacephala robinsoni a new threat to European agriculture? A review on the genus Draeculacephala with special focus on their role as vectors of Xylella fastidiosa
Get PDFThe recent introduction in Europe of Draeculacephala robinsoni Hamilton (1967), an alien likely vector of
Xylella fastidiosa (Xf) native to North America, possibly poses a serious threat to European agriculture. Draeculacephala robinsoni role in bacterium spread has never been investigated. However, knowledge produced on other Draeculacephala species as D. minerva, one of the most relevant Xf vector in North America, can help understanding where future research efforts should be addressed, and which are the ecosystems most at risk. The species was first detected in 2021 on grasses in northeastern Spain and southern France. The first record prompted a large-scale survey in areas surrounding the first outbreak, leading to the collection of the sharpshooter on perennial ryegrass, rice, oats, and other Poaceae from Girona (Spain), to Montpellier (France). The aim of this review is to provide an updated picture on the systematics, biology, ecology, ethology, host range, and the possible role of D. robinsoni in the epidemiology of Xf-related diseases across the Mediterranean region leveraging knowledge produced on other Draeculacephala species. Furthermore, latest data on the sharpshooter’s biology, probing behaviour on different plant species, and population dynamics in the infested regions in Europe are reported.Authors would like to acknowledge an EFSA procurement action on research into the biology and transmission capacity of Xf by the sharpshooter D. robinsoni, under Grant Agreement No. GP/EFSA/PLANTS/2023/06 (BIODROB)info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
A case study of an interspecific intestinal microbiota transplant between Atlantic salmon and gilthead seabream
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