Insights from the genome of the biotrophic fungal plant pathogen Ustilago maydis

Ustilago maydis is a ubiquitous pathogen of maize and a well-established model organism for the study of plant-microbe interactions. This basidiomycete fungus does not use aggressive virulence strategies to kill its host. U. maydis belongs to the group of biotrophic parasites (the smuts) that depend on living tissue for proliferation and development. Here we report the genome sequence for a member of this economically important group of biotrophic fungi. The 20.5-million-base U. maydis genome assembly contains 6,902 predicted protein-encoding genes and lacks pathogenicity signatures found in the genomes of aggressive pathogenic fungi, for example a battery of cell-wall-degrading enzymes. However, we detected unexpected genomic features responsible for the pathogenicity of this organism. Specifically, we found 12 clusters of genes encoding small secreted proteins with unknown function. A significant fraction of these genes exists in small gene families. Expression analysis showed that most of the genes contained in these clusters are regulated together and induced in infected tissue. Deletion of individual clusters altered the virulence of U. maydis in five cases, ranging from a complete lack of symptoms to hypervirulence. Despite years of research into the mechanism of pathogenicity in U. maydis, no 'true' virulence factors had been previously identified. Thus, the discovery of the secreted protein gene clusters and the functional demonstration of their decisive role in the infection process illuminate previously unknown mechanisms of pathogenicity operating in biotrophic fungi. Genomic analysis is, similarly, likely to open up new avenues for the discovery of virulence determinants in other pathogens.     

广西猪瘟病毒的调查研究

１９８６～１９８９年，从广西５个地、市的１０个病猪场猪体中分离到１０个病毒。用猪瘟石门系标准强毒作对照，经病原性、抗原性及血清学试验，培养特性，血细胞吸附及病毒的形态结构观察，证明１０个毒株为猪瘟病毒。它们有共同的抗原性。它们之间的区别只是毒力的强弱不同。从临床症状、病理变化和病程方面看，９个为亚急性猪瘟毒株；一个为慢性或温和性猪瘟毒株。     

蜡状芽孢杆菌对番茄青枯雷尔氏菌致病性的影响

青枯雷尔氏菌（Ralstonia solanacearum）从其致病性上可分为能使植株发病的强致病力菌株和不能使植株发病的弱致病力菌株．利用蜡状芽孢杆菌（Bacillus cereus）与致病性稳定的青枯雷尔氏菌强致病力菌株进行共培养，处理后的青枯雷尔氏菌在TTC平板上表现为弱毒株的菌落特征，出现了致弱现象．经过16S rDNA基因序列测定，证明了用蜡状芽孢杆菌处理前后的菌株为青枯雷尔氏菌，并非是其它的污染菌株，通过回接番茄盆栽苗发现致弱前的青枯雷尔氏菌能有效引起番茄发生青枯病，而致弱后的菌株丧失致病力．不能引起番茄发病，     

Parallel evolution of virulence in pathogenic Escherichia coli

The mechanisms underlying the evolution and emergence of new bacterial pathogens are not well understood. To elucidate the evolution of pathogenic Escherichia coli strains, here we sequenced seven housekeeping genes to build a phylogenetic tree and trace the history of the acquisition of virulence genes. Compatibility analysis indicates that more than 70% of the informative sites agree with a single phylogeny, suggesting that recombination has not completely obscured the remnants of ancestral chromosomes. On the basis of the rate of synonymous substitution for E. coli and Salmonella enterica (4.7 x 10(-9) per site per year), the radiation of clones began about 9 million years ago and the highly virulent pathogen responsible for epidemics of food poisoning, E. coli O157:H7, separated from a common ancestor of E. coli K-12 as long as 4.5 million years ago. Phylogenetic analysis reveals that old lineages of E. coli have acquired the same virulence factors in parallel, including a pathogenicity island involved in intestinal adhesion, a plasmid-borne haemolysin, and phage-encoded Shiga toxins. Such parallel evolution indicates that natural selection has favoured an ordered acquisition of genes and the progressive build-up of molecular mechanisms that increase virulence.     

嗜水气单胞菌毒力与毒力基因分布的相关性

采用PCR扩增的方法对9株鱼源嗜水气单胞菌AEROM ONAS HYDROPHILA中的气溶素基因(AERA)、溶血素基因(HLYA)和丝氨酸蛋白酶基因(AHPA)进行了扩增。结果表明,6/9的A.HYDROPHILA中存在AERA基因,8/9的A.HYDROPHILA中存在HLYA基因,而在7/9的A.HYDROPHILA中检测到AHPA基因。通过比较基因检测的结果与嗜水气单胞菌对鲫鱼的致病性,发现AHPA阴性菌株是无毒株,强毒株都呈AERA HLYA AHPA 基因型。AERA HLYA AHPA 基因型是致病性嗜水气单胞菌主要的基因型。本研究首次发现AHPA阳性的嗜水气单胞菌皆为毒力菌株,并且发现AERA和AHPA基因存在相关性,探讨了嗜水气单胞菌致病性与毒力基因分布的关系。     

两株我国南北松材线虫虫株形态指标与致病力比较

【目的】松材线虫(Bursaphelenchus xylophilus)是世界多国公认的重大外来入侵物种,可引起松树大量死亡。目前,该虫已扩散至我国辽宁省的多个区县,打破了松材线虫最适温度线。通过对不同地理来源的两株松材线虫虫株的比较研究,试图阐释松材线虫向我国北方快速扩散的原因。【方法】通过比较我国南方松材线虫虫株AMA3和北方松材线虫虫株FCBX的形态指标值、不同温度条件下在灰葡萄孢培养基上的繁殖力,进而测定两虫株对黑松的致病力以及在黑松体内的繁殖量差异,解析松材线虫在我国北方地区的适应性。【结果】虫株AMA3和FCBX在形态学特征上无显著差异,均在伞滑刃属线虫测量范围之内;在15~35 ℃范围内,北方虫株FCBX和南方虫株AMA3在灰葡萄孢培养基上,随着温度的升高,繁殖量逐步增加。且FCBX虫株的繁殖数量除在30 ℃条件下稍低外,在其他温度条件下繁殖量均高于AMA3的繁殖数量。在低温(15~20 ℃)条件下,FCBX虫株的繁殖数量远高于AMA3虫株,差异显著;接种AMA3和FCBX后,黑松感病程度具有差异,FCBX相对于AMA3的致病力更强。在接种35 d后,FCBX的对黑松死亡率达到80%,感病指数为85;而AMA3对黑松的死亡率为60%,感病指数为73;接种35 d后,FCBX在黑松体内的繁殖数量大于AMA3虫株,但差异不显著。【结论】与南方虫株AMA3相比,北方虫株FCBX在灰葡萄孢上的繁殖能力、黑松体内的繁殖数量、对黑松的致病力等方面更强。松材线虫已突破最适温度线,在北移过程中经过了低温驯化,在低温条件下具有更强的繁殖能力和对低温的适应性。     

耐碳青霉烯酶肺炎克雷伯菌的分离鉴定及生物学特性分析

以临床尿路感染患者尿液为研究对象,通过分离培养及16s rDNA进行肺炎克雷伯菌的分离鉴定;采用Kirby-Bauer纸片法进行药敏实验,并对分离株进行碳青霉烯酶表型筛选;通过PCR检测常见的碳青霉烯酶耐药基因、荚膜血清型和毒力基因分布情况;对分离的肺炎克雷伯菌株进行了生物被膜形成能力及其对小鼠致病力的分析。本研究从采取的86例尿液标本中分离检出11株耐碳青霉烯酶肺炎克雷伯菌,分离率为12.79%。耐碳青霉烯酶基因PCR检测结果显示,blaNDM、blaVIM、blaIMP和blaKPC基因在分离株中均呈现不同程度的分布。耐药性分析发现11株肺炎克雷伯菌对氨苄西林耐药率为90.91%,对头孢噻肟耐药率为63.64%,对链霉素、庆大霉素、氯霉素和诺氟沙星的耐药率较低。耐碳青霉烯类肺炎克雷伯菌荚膜分型结果显示,分离的11株细菌中10株均为强毒力型菌株（90.9%）,其中K57血清型4株（36.4%）,K1血清型1株（9.1%）,K2血清型1株（9.1%）,K5血清型1株（9.1%）,K20血清型3株（27.3%）,提示该批分离株具有较强的致病力。此外,毒力因子分布结果显示,其毒力因子rmpA（54.5%）、Aerobactin F（54.5%）在菌株中分布较为广泛。生物被膜形成能力检测及小鼠致病性试验结果显示,9株分离株均有较强的生物被膜形成能力,菌株致病力可能与荚膜血清型及生物被膜形成能力相关。综上所述,临床分离的致尿路感染病原肺炎克雷伯菌呈现多重耐药特征,强毒力菌株以K57荚膜型为主,K1、K2均有分布,提示对尿路感染病原应加强耐药监测,合理使用抗菌药物,有效防控多重耐药和强毒力菌株的感染与流行。     

短小芽孢杆菌BA06的比较基因组分析

将短小芽孢杆菌BA06与其他18个短小芽孢杆菌菌株进行全基因组比较,鉴定出BA06基因组中有包括抗性岛、毒力岛、共生岛在内的12个基因组岛或噬菌体序列.基因家族分析鉴定出BA06有3个特异性基因家族,9个基因家族发生扩张,3个基因家族有所收缩.表明BA06在短小芽孢杆菌这一菌种中具有突出的抗药性与运动能力,并具有除皮革脱毛外更多的生物学特性.     

食源性小肠结肠炎耶尔森氏菌生物学特性和分子分型研究进展

小肠结肠炎耶尔森氏菌（Yersinia enterocolitica）是一种重要的嗜冷肠道致病菌,研究表明Y.enterocolitica血清型有60多种,我国致病性菌株生物/血清型以3/O∶3和2/O∶9型为主;另外Y.enterocolitica具有1A、1B、2、3、4、5共6个生物型,除了1A型可能具有潜在致病性外,其他5个已确定具有致病性,且1B为高致病性菌株;主要毒力因子有ail、ystA、ystB、yadA和virF,常用来判断小肠结肠炎耶尔森菌的致病性;Y.enterocolitica对氨苄西林和一代头孢类抗生素天然耐药,对其他抗生素有不同程度耐药性,并且许多菌株具有多重耐药性.常用的分子分型方法有脉冲场凝胶电泳、扩增基因重复序列、多位点序列分型等,其中具有操作简便和多态性高的ERIC-PCR在Y.enterocolitica分型中也将发挥较好作用.     

Large-scale eradication of rabies using recombinant vaccinia-rabies vaccine.

Rabies infection of domestic and wild animals is a serious problem throughout the world. The major disease vector in Europe is the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) and rabies control has focused on vaccinating and/or culling foxes. Culling has not been effective, and the distribution of five vaccine baits is the only appropriate method for the vaccination of wild foxes. Although some European countries have conducted field vaccination campaigns using attenuated rabies virus strains, their use has not been extensively approved because they retain pathogenicity for rodents and can revert to virulence. These strains cannot be used in North America because they are pathogenic for the striped skunk (Mephitis mephitis) and are ineffective in the raccoon (Procyon lotor). We have constructed a recombinant vaccinia virus, VVTGgRAB, expressing the surface glycoprotein (G) of rabies virus (ERA strain). The recombinant was a highly effective vaccine in experimental animals, in captive foxes and in raccoons. We report here the results of a large-scale campaign of fox vaccination in a 2,200 km2 region of southern Belgium, an area in which rabies is prevalent. After distribution, 81% of foxes inspected were positive for tetracycline, a biomarker included in the vaccine bait and, other than one rabid fox detected close to the periphery of the treated area, no case of rabies, either in foxes or in domestic livestock, has been reported in the area.     

Enhanced virulence of influenza A viruses with the haemagglutinin of the 1918 pandemic virus

The 'Spanish' influenza pandemic of 1918-19 was the most devastating outbreak of infectious disease in recorded history. At least 20 million people died from their illness, which was characterized by an unusually severe and rapid clinical course. The complete sequencing of several genes of the 1918 influenza virus has made it possible to study the functions of the proteins encoded by these genes in viruses generated by reverse genetics, a technique that permits the generation of infectious viruses entirely from cloned complementary DNA. Thus, to identify properties of the 1918 pandemic influenza A strain that might be related to its extraordinary virulence, viruses were produced containing the viral haemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of the 1918 strain. The HA of this strain supports the pathogenicity of a mouse-adapted virus in this animal. Here we demonstrate that the HA of the 1918 virus confers enhanced pathogenicity in mice to recent human viruses that are otherwise non-pathogenic in this host. Moreover, these highly virulent recombinant viruses expressing the 1918 viral HA could infect the entire lung and induce high levels of macrophage-derived chemokines and cytokines, which resulted in infiltration of inflammatory cells and severe haemorrhage, hallmarks of the illness produced during the original pandemic.     

Insights on evolution of virulence and resistance from the whole-genome analysis of a predominant methicillin-resistantStaphylococcus aureus clone sequence type 239 in China

Earlier, we reported that ST239 was the 15-year predominant methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus （MRSA） clone in China. In this study, MRSA strain CN79 belonging to ST239 and isolated from blood was used to determine the whole tive genomics analysis was genome sequence. Compara- done between MRSA CN79 and 25 sequenced S. aureus in the NCBI GenBank data- base. A total of 2,734 protein-encoding genes were iden- tified in the MRSA CN79 genome, which carries 11 antibiotic resistance genes and 65 virulence genes. Two prophages phiCN79A and phiNM3-1ike were found on the MRSA CN79 genome. MRSA CN79 carries 30 specific genes that are absent from the 25 sequenced S. aureus genomes. Most of them were prophage-related genes. Several antibiotic resistance genes, such as [3-1actamase and ABC-type multidrug transport system gene, were located on the genomic island vSal3. The antibiotic resis- tance genes, such as tet （M）, ermA1, and blaZ, were also located on different transposons. The virulence genes sea,map, hlb, and sak are located on phiNM3-1ike prophage and the exotoxin genes are carried on the genomic island vSaa. These results suggest that ST239 MRSA strains are widespread owing to horizontal acquisition of the mobile genetic elements harbored antibiotic resistance genes and virulence genes in response to environmental selective pressures, such as antibiotics and the human immune sys- tem during evolution.     

柔嫩艾美耳球虫早熟株选育及相关生物学特性

为了研究柔嫩艾美耳球虫(Eimeria tenella)早熟株与母株之间基本生物学特性的差异,运用Jeffers创立的艾美耳属球虫早熟株选育方法对E.tenella进行了连续26代的早熟选育,并通过对早熟株与母株的孢子化卵囊大小、繁殖能力以及致病性等指标进行测定,分析E.tenella早熟株与母株之间基本生物学特性的差异.经过早熟选育后,其潜在期由母株的141 h缩短至118 h;早熟株的孢子化卵囊大小比母株的明显减小(P<0.05);繁殖能力与母株的相当(P>0.05);在致病性方面,4个剂量组的早熟株平均增重与对照组相比差异不显著(P>0.05),而母株组与对照组相比平均增重显著下降(P<0.05或P<0.01);4个剂量的早熟株组死亡率均为0,而母株组分别为0,25%,25%及31.3%;感染剂量越大,早熟株与母株间病变记分差异越显著.经选育的E.tenella早熟株具有潜在期缩短,致病性较母株弱以及繁殖力与母株相当等特点.     

Infective viruses produced from full-length complementary DNA of swine vesicular disease viruses HK/70 strain

Swine vesicular disease (SVD) is a highly conta- gious viral disease of pigs. Symptoms are clinically indistinguishable from those caused by other vesiculardisease viruses, such as foot and mouth disease (FMD virus, vesicular stomatitis (VS) virus and ves…     

Virulent strains of Toxoplasma gondii comprise a single clonal lineage.

The protozoan Toxoplasma gondii is a prevalent parasite in wild and domestic animals worldwide, being transmitted through the food chain by carnivorous feeding and scavenging. Toxoplasma normally divides asexually to yield a haploid form that can infect virtually any vertebrate but it also has a well defined sexual cycle that occurs exclusively in cats. Toxoplasma has become important as an often fatal opportunistic pathogen in patients with AIDS, although the 15-85% of adult human populations that are chronically infected with T. gondii are typically asymptomatic. Infections in immunocompromised hosts have variable outcomes. For example, only 30 to 50% of AIDS patients that are chronically infected with the parasite develop toxoplasmic encephalitis and only about half of acute maternal infections result in congenital disease of the newborn. T. gondii strains differ in their virulence in animals, but the extent to which different strains are related has not been determined. Here we analyse 28 strains from a variety of hosts on five continents and find that the ten virulent strains have an essentially identical genotype, whereas the nonvirulent strains are moderately polymorphic. These data strongly suggest that virulent strains of T. gondii originated from a single lineage which has remained genetically homogeneous despite being globally widespread, and despite the ability of this organism to reproduce sexually.     

Identification and characterization of E. coli type-1 pilus tip adhesion protein

The type-1 pilus of Escherichia coli is the prototype of this class of hair-like, multimeric adhesive organelles. This pilus mediates adherence to mannose-containing receptors on mucosal epithelia and other cells. The type-1 pilus, in one of several serological variants, is expressed by nearly all E. coli strains, and its promotion of colonization by pathogenic bacteria and the protective effects of purified pilus vaccines suggest that it is important as a bacterial virulence factor. Both the adhesive function and the serological variation of the type-1 pilus have been attributed to the thousand or so pilin protein monomers making up the pilus rods. This idea has been contradicted by our earlier observations on an E. coli strain expressing adhesion-defective pili. More recent genetic evidence also indicates that auxiliary pilus proteins are required for adhesive function. We report here the identification of three previously undetected integral minor proteins on the type-1 pilus, and show that one of them is the receptor-binding adhesin. This protein is antigenically conserved among strains with different pilin serotypes and is located at the pilus tip.     

Determination of the genus-specific antigens in outer membrane proteins from the strains of Leptospira interrogans and Leptospira biflexa with different virulence

Objective:To determine the existence of genus-specific antigens in outer membrane proteins (OMPs) of leptospira with different virulence. Methods: Microscope agglutination test (MAT) was applied to detect the agglutination between commercial rabbit antiserum against leptospiral genus-specific TR/Patoc I antigen and 17 strains of Leptospira interrongans belonging to 15 serogroups and 2 strains of Leptospira biflexa belonging to 2 serogroups.The outer envelopes (OEs) of L.interrogans serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae serovar lai strain lai (56601) with strong virulence and serogroup Pomona serovar pomona strain Luo (56608) with low virulence,and L.biflexa serogroup Semaranga serovar patoc strain Patoc I without virulence were prepared by using the method reported in Auran et al.(1972).OMPs in the OEs were obtained by treatment with sodium deoxycholate. SDS-PAGE and western blot were used for analyzing the features of the OMPs on electrophoretic pattern and the immunoreactivity to the antiserum against TR/Patoc I antigen, respectively. Results:All the tested strains belonging to different leptospiral serogroups agglutinated to the antiserum against leptospiral genus-specific TR/Patoc I antigen with agglutination titers ranging from 1:256-1:512. A similar SDS-PAGE pattern of the OMPs from the three strains of leptospira with different virulence was shown and the molecular weight of a major protein fragment in the OMPs was found to be approximately 60 KDa.A positive protein fragment with approximately 32 KDa confirmed by Western blot,was able to react with the antiserum against leptospiral genus-specific TR/Patoc I antigen, and was found in each the OMPs of the three stains of leptospira.Conclusion: There are genus-specific antigens on the surface of L.interrogans and L.biflexa. The OMP with molecular weight of 32 KDa may be one of the genus-specific protein antigens of leptospira.     

鲟源豚鼠气单胞菌分离与强弱毒株病原生物学比较研究

从患慢性出血败血综合症的杂交鲟和达氏鳇病鱼标本中分离到一株优势菌,优势率80%,经回感和重分离确定为致病菌,并经生理生化和16SrDNA检测为豚鼠气单胞菌,命名为ZZF071029（简称ZF1029）,以豚鼠气单胞菌弱毒株ZF1029和强毒株XL2-T为研究对象,进行了菌落形态学、运动性实验、溶血性实验、小鼠致死试验、角膜毒力实验、药物敏感性实验等病原生物学相关实验。实验结果证明,病原菌运动性、溶血性、小鼠致死力、角膜毒力与菌株毒力和致病力正相关,并与所致杂交鲟和达氏鳇出血败血综合症急、慢性程度和致死率一致。