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Streptococcus suis serotype 2 is an important zoonotic pathogen causing severe infections in pigs and humans. The pathogenesis of S. suis 2 infections, however, is still poorly understood. Spx proteins are a group of global regulators involved in stress tolerance and virulence. In this study, we characterized two orthologs of the Spx regulator, SpxA1 and SpxA2 in S. suis 2. Two mutant strains (ΔspxA1 and ΔspxA2) lacking the spx genes were constructed. The ΔspxA1 and ΔspxA2 mutants displayed different phenotypes. ΔspxA1 exhibited impaired growth in the presence of hydrogen peroxide, while ΔspxA2 exhibited impaired growth in the presence of SDS and NaCl. Both mutants were defective in medium lacking newborn bovine serum. Using a murine infection model, we demonstrated that the abilities of the mutant strains to colonize the tissues were significantly reduced compared to that of the wild-type strain. The mutant strains also showed a decreased level of survival in pig blood. Microarray analysis revealed a global regulatory role for SpxA1 and SpxA2. Furthermore, we demonstrated for the first time that Spx is involved in triggering the host inflammatory response. Collectively, our data suggest that SpxA1 and SpxA2 are global regulators that are implicated in stress tolerance and virulence in S. suis 2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Systematically analyze the heavy metal pollution in the sediments of Taihu Lake in the past 20 years. • The Cd accumulation index indicated moderate–heavy pollution and Cd was the main contributor of potential ecological risks. • Pb is the main contributor to the total toxicity of the sediments in Taihu Lake. • Industrial source accounts for 64.9% of the heavy metals in the sediments of Taihu Lake. Heavy metal concentrations in Taihu Lake sediment from studies performed between 2000 and 2018 were analyzed and Monte Carlo uncertainty analysis of heavy metal geo-accumulation, potential ecological risk and toxicity data for Taihu Lake sediment was performed to allow heavy metal pollution of Taihu Lake sediment to be described clearly, objectively, and comprehensively. Five main conclusions were drawn. (1) Most attention should be paid to As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Ni, Pb, and Zn pollution. (2) The geo-accumulation indices showed that Cd is the most important pollutant and that the probabilities of Taihu Lake sediment being moderately polluted, moderately–heavily polluted, and heavily polluted were found to be 53.6%, 34.9%, and 18.7%, respectively. (3) Cd is the main contributor to potential ecological risks and had cumulative low risk, moderate risk, and considerable risk probabilities of 63.0%, 27.0%, and 10.0%, respectively. (4) Toxicity unit evaluation results indicated that Pb is the main contributor of toxicity in Taihu Lake sediment and had cumulative low toxicity, moderate toxicity, and high toxicity probabilities of 53.0%, 36.8%, and 5.6%, respectively. (5) Positive matrix factorization model results indicated that industrial sources are the main suppliers of heavy metals to Taihu Lake sediment, contributing 64.9% of the heavy metals. The summarized results and conclusions will improve local government awareness of heavy metal pollution in Taihu Lake and will aid in the development of appropriate pollution control measures. The results will also provide reference data for future studies of heavy metal pollution in sediment from Taihu Lake and other lakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]