Wine grape berries (
Vitis
spp.) harbor a wide variety of yeasts and filamentous fungi that impact grapevine health and the winemaking process. Identification of these fungi could be important for ...controlling and improving wine production. The use of high-throughput sequencing (HTS) strategies has enabled identification and quantification of bacterial and fungal species in vineyards. The aims of this study were to identify mycobiota from Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel (
V. vinifera
), Carlos and Noble muscadines (
V. rotundifolia
), Cynthiana (
V. aestivalis
), and Vignoles hybrid (cross of different
Vitis
spp.) grapes, and investigate the effect of grape variety, location, and year on grape fungal communities. Grape berries were collected in 2016 and 2017 from four vineyards located in Arkansas. The HTS of the Internal Transcribed Spacer 1 region was used to identify grape indigenous epiphytic and endophytic fungal communities. The predominant genera identified on the Arkansas wine grapes were
Uwebraunia
,
Zymoseptoria
,
Papiliotrema
,
Meyerozyma
,
Filobasidium
, and
Curvibasidium
. Overall, the data suggested that grape fungal community distribution and relative abundance were influenced by grape variety, year, and location, but each was influenced to a different extent. Not only were grape mycobiota influenced by year, variety, and location but also it appeared that communities from the previous year impacted microbial communities the following year. For example, an increase of the mycoparasite
Ampelomyces quisqualis
was noticed in 2017 on grapes that carried the causal agent of powdery mildew,
Erysiphe necator
, in 2016, thus, amplifying the importance of vineyard microbiota knowledge for disease management and winemaking.
With the recent advancement of next-generation sequencing methods, there has been an increase in studies on identification of vineyard microbiota, winery-associated microbiota, and microbiota in wine ...fermentation. However, there have been few studies investigating the fungal microbiota of table grapes which present distinct spoilage and food safety challenges. The aims of this study were to identify and compare the impact of year, variety, and vineyard location on grape, leaf, and soil fungal communities of two varieties of table grapes, Faith and Gratitude, grown in two open-air vineyards and one high tunnel vineyard. The grape, leaf, and soil mycobiota were analyzed using high throughput amplicon sequencing of the ITS region. The sampling year and location of table grapes had an impact on grape, leaf, and soil mycobiota. Fungal diversity of grape, leaf, and soil was greater in 2017 than in 2016. Grape and leaf samples presented strong similarities in fungal communities with abundance of
Sporidiobolaceae
and
Filobasidium
in two vineyards and
Cladosporium
in another one. The high tunnel structure had distinct grape and leaf fungal communities compared to the two other vineyard locations.
Mortierella
was the predominant genus (27%) in soil samples for the three locations; however, genera of lower abundance varied between locations. These results provide extensive description of fungal communities in less-studied table grape vineyards and high tunnels, providing useful insight of potential threats and preventive strategies to help improve the production and marketability of table grapes.
Megaplasmids in Campylobacter spp. likely play important roles in antibiotic resistance, virulence, and horizontal gene transfer. In this study, megaplasmids pCJDM202 (119 kb) and pCJDM67L (116 kb) ...from C. jejuni strains WP2-202 and OD2-67, respectively, were sequenced and characterized. These megaplasmids contained genes for tetracycline resistance tet(O), the Type IV secretion system, conjugative transfer and the Type VI secretion system (T6SS). The T6SS genes in Campylobacter plasmids encoded genes and proteins that were similar to those identified in Campylobacter chromosomal DNA. When the megaplasmid pCJDM202 from C. jejuni WP2-202 was transferred via conjugation to C. jejuni NCTC11168 Nal
, transconconjugants acquired tetracycline resistance and enhanced cytotoxicity towards red blood cells. A T6SS mutant of strain WP2-202 was generated and designated Δhcp3; the mutant was significantly impaired in its ability to lyse red blood cells and survive in defibrinated blood. The cytotoxicity of Campylobacter strains towards the human embryonic kidney cell line HEK 293 was not impacted by the T6SS. In summary, the T6SS encoded by Campylobacter megaplasmids mediates lysis of RBCs and likely contributes to survival on retail meats where blood cells are abundant.
Tart cherries have been reported to exert potential health benefits attributed to their specific and abundant polyphenol content. However, there is a need to study the impact and fate of tart ...cherries polyphenols in the gut microbiota. Here, tart cherries, pure polyphenols (and apricots) were submitted to in vitro bacterial fermentation assays and assessed through 16S rRNA gene sequence sequencing and metabolomics. A short-term (5 days, 8 oz. daily) human dietary intervention study was also conducted for microbiota analyses.
Tart cherry concentrate juices were found to contain expected abundances of anthocyanins (cyanidin-glycosylrutinoside) and flavonoids (quercetin-rutinoside) and high amounts of chlorogenic and neochlorogenic acids. Targeted metabolomics confirmed that gut microbes were able to degrade those polyphenols mainly to 4-hydroxyphenylpropionic acids and to lower amounts of epicatechin and 4-hydroxybenzoic acids. Tart cherries were found to induce a large increase of Bacteroides in vitro, likely due to the input of polysaccharides, but prebiotic effect was also suggested by Bifidobacterium increase from chlorogenic acid. In the human study, two distinct and inverse responses to tart cherry consumption were associated with initial levels of Bacteroides. High-Bacteroides individuals responded with a decrease in Bacteroides and Bifidobacterium, and an increase of Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcus and Collinsella. Low-Bacteroides individuals responded with an increase in Bacteroides or Prevotella and Bifidobacterium, and a decrease of Lachnospiraceae, Ruminococcus and Collinsella. These data confirm that gut microbiota metabolism, in particular the potential existence of different metabotypes, needs to be considered in studies attempting to link tart cherries consumption and health.
The human gut microbiota is considered as a crucial mediator between diet and gut homeostasis and body weight. The unique polyphenolic profile of sorghum bran may promote gastrointestinal health by ...modulating the microbiota. This study evaluated gut microbiota and modulation of short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) by sorghum bran polyphenols in in vitro batch fermentation derived from normal weight (NW,
= 11) and overweight/obese (OO,
= 11) subjects' fecal samples. Six separate treatments were applied on each batch fermentation: negative control (NC), fructooligosaccharides (FOS), black sorghum bran extract (BSE), sumac sorghum bran extract (SSE), FOS + BSE, or FOS + SSE; and samples were collected before and after 24 h. No significant differences in total and individual SCFA production were observed between NW and OO subjects. Differential responses to treatment according to weight class were observed in both phyla and genera. Sorghum bran polyphenols worked with FOS to enhance
and
, and independently stimulated
and
(
< 0.05). Our results indicate that sorghum bran polyphenols have differential effects on gut health and may positively impact gut ecology, with responses varying depending on weight class.
During January 28-May 5, 2019, a meningitis outbreak caused by Neisseria meningitidis serogroup C (NmC) occurred in Burkina Faso. Demographic and laboratory data for meningitis cases were collected ...through national case-based surveillance. Cerebrospinal fluid was collected and tested by culture and real-time PCR. Among 301 suspected cases reported in 6 districts, N. meningitidis was the primary pathogen detected; 103 cases were serogroup C and 13 were serogroup X. Whole-genome sequencing revealed that 18 cerebrospinal fluid specimens tested positive for NmC sequence type (ST) 10217 within clonal complex 10217, an ST responsible for large epidemics in Niger and Nigeria. Expansion of NmC ST10217 into Burkina Faso, continued NmC outbreaks in the meningitis belt of Africa since 2019, and ongoing circulation of N. meningitidis serogroup X in the region underscore the urgent need to use multivalent conjugate vaccines in regional mass vaccination campaigns to reduce further spread of those serogroups.
Aerotolerance in the microaerophilic species
was previously reported and could increase bacterial survival and transmission in foods during stressful processing and storage conditions. In this study, ...167
isolates (76
and 91
) were screened for aerotolerance; these strains were previously isolated from retail chicken meat, chicken livers, chicken gizzards, turkey, pork, and beef liver samples. Bacterial cultures were incubated aerobically in Mueller Hinton broth with agitation and viable cell counts were taken at 0, 6, 12, and 24 h. Approximately 47% of the screened
isolates were aerotolerant (viable after a 12-h aerobic incubation period), whereas 24% were hyper-aerotolerant (viable after a 24-h aerobic incubation). A greater prevalence of aerotolerant strains (80%) was found among
isolates as compared to
isolates (6%). Differences in the oxidative stress response related genes were detected among
and
isolates when comparative genomics was used to analyze 17 Whole Genome Sequenced (WGS) strains from our laboratory. Genes encoding putative transcriptional regulator proteins and a catalase-like heme binding protein were found in
genomes, but were absent in the genomes of
. PCR screening showed the presence of a catalase-like protein gene in 75% (68/91) of
strains, which was absent in all tested
strains. While about 79% (30/38) of the hyper-aerotolerant
strains harbored the catalase-like protein gene, the gene was also present in a number of the aerosensitive strains. The Catalase like protein gene was found to be expressed in both aerobic and microaerobic conditions with a 2-fold higher gene expression detected in aerobic conditions for an aerosensitive strain. However, the exact function of the gene remains unclear and awaits further investigation. In conclusion, aerotolerant
strains (especially
) are prevalent in various retail meats. Further studies are needed to investigate whether the genes encoding catalase-like heme binding protein and putative transcriptional regulators in
strains are involved in stress response.
Cranberries have long been purported to provide protection against urinary tract infections. There is a line of evidence suggesting that causal pathogens might be seeded from the bacteria reservoirs ...in the intestinal and vaginal tracts. We tested the hypothesis whether cranberry intake would reshape bacteria taxa in the gut, as well as the vaginal ecosystem. A total of 25 postmenopausal women were enrolled into a randomized, double‐blind, placebo‐controlled study. Stool samples and vaginal swabs were collected at baseline and after 15 days of consumption of placebo or cranberry beverages, microbiota analyses were performed by Illumina Miseq sequencing following a double‐index 16S rRNA gene amplicon. All baseline stool samples generally fell in the Bacteroides enterotype. Significant increases of Prevotella (P = 0.04), Clostridium XIVa members (P = 0.04), Eggerthella (P = 0.03), and Bifidobacterium (P = 0.02) were shown following the cranberry juice intervention; this indicates modulation of the gut microbiota by cranberry components. Baseline vaginal microbiotas fell in three distinct patterns—Lactobacillus dominant, diversified microbiome, and Streptococcus dysbiosis. Compared with the placebo, the cranberry intervention significantly reduced the abundance of pathogenic Streptococcus (P = 0.04) in the dysbiosis group and increased commensal bacteria Anaerococcus, Finegoldia, Actinomyces, and Corynebacterium in the diversified microbiome and dysbiosis groups. Overall, these data suggest that cranberry consumption may improve vaginal microbiota composition in individuals with dysbiosis. Gut‐borne taxa stimulation by the combination of cranberry oligosaccharides and polyphenols present in the cranberry product potentially mediates these beneficial properties.
The vaginal microbiota of post‐menopausal women can be significantly modulated by regular cranberry juice consumption (and to some extent by a polyphenol‐free placebo). Modulation may be through direct or indirect (gut microbiota) effects. The most consistent and significant modulation was a significant improvement of baseline Streptococcus dysbisosis.
We report the complete genome sequences of multidrug-resistant
and
isolated from retail turkey and pork, respectively. The chromosomes of these two isolates contained type VI secretion system genes. ...The two isolates also harbored large plasmids with antimicrobial resistance genes possibly contributing to their multidrug resistance.
Complete genome sequences of
strains WA333, YF2105, BG2108, MG1116, and BP3183 and
strain IF1100 isolated from retail chicken liver showed the presence of 1,841,551-, 1,687,232-, 1,695,638-, ...1,665,146-, 1,695,360-, and 1,744,171-bp circular chromosomes, respectively. These isolates also contained plasmids ranging in size from 5,209 to 55,122 bp.
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