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Introduction: Though eukaryotic glycoproteins have been studied since their discovery in the 1930s, the first bacterial glycoprotein was not identified until the 1970s. As a result, their role in bacterial pathogenesis is still not well understood and they remain an understudied component of bacterial virulence. In recent years, mass spectrometry has emerged as a leading technology for the study of bacterial glycoproteins, largely due to its sensitivity and versatility.Areas covered: Identification and comprehensive characterization of bacterial glycoproteins usually requires multiple complementary mass spectrometry approaches, including intact protein analysis, top-down analysis, and bottom-up methods used in combination with specialized liquid chromatography. This review provides an overview of liquid chromatography separation technologies, as well as current and emerging mass spectrometry approaches used specifically for bacterial glycoprotein identification and characterization.Expert commentary: Bacterial glycoproteins may have significant clinical utility as a result of their unique structures and exposure on the surface of the cells. Better understanding of these glycoconjugates is an essential first step towards that goal. These often unique structures, and by extension the key enzymes involved in their synthesis, represent promising targets for novel antimicrobials, while unique carbohydrate structures may be used as antigens in vaccines or as biomarkers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aeromonas dhakensis was first isolated from children with diarrhea in Dhaka, Bangladesh and described in 2002. In the past decade, increasing evidence indicate this species is widely distributed in the environment and can cause a variety of infections both in human and animals, especially in coastal areas. A. dhakensis is often misidentified as A. hydrophila, A. veronii, or A. caviae by commercial phenotypic tests in the clinical laboratory. Correct identification relies on molecular methods. Increasingly used matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) may be able to identify Aeromonas specie rapidly and accurately. A. dhakensis has shown its potent virulence in different animal models and clinical infections. Although several virulence factors had been reported, no single mechanism is conclusive. Characteristically A. dhakensis is the principal species causing soft tissue infection and bacteremia, especially among patients with liver cirrhosis or malignancy. Of note, A. dhakensis bacteremia is more lethal than bacteremia due to other Aeromonas species. The role of this species in gastroenteritis remains controversial. Third generation cephalosporins and carbapenems should be used cautiously in the treatment of severe A. dhakensis infection due to the presence of AmpC ββ-lactamase and metallo-β-lactamase genes, and optimal regimens may be cefepime or fluoroquinolones. Studies of bacterial virulence factors and associated host responses may provide the chance to understand the heterogeneous virulence between species. The hypothesis A. dhakensis with varied geographic prevalence and enhanced virulence that compared to other Aeromonas species warrants more investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper shows the combined use of remotely sensed data and hydraulic geometry methods as an alternative to rainfall-runoff models. Hydraulic geometric data and boolean images of water sheets obtained from satellite images after storm events were integrated in a Geographical Information System. Channel cross-sections were extracted from a high resolution Digital Terrain Model (DTM) and superimposed on the image cover to estimate the peak flow using HEC-RAS. The proposed methodology has been tested in ephemeral channels (ramblas) on the coastal zone in south-eastern Spain. These fluvial systems constitute an important natural hazard due to their high discharges and sediment loads. In particular, different areas affected by floods during the period 1997 to 2009 were delimited through HEC-GeoRAs from hydraulic geometry data and Landsat images of these floods (Landsat-TM5 and Landsat-ETM+7). Such an approach has been validated against rainfall-surface runoff models (SCS Dimensionless Unit Hydrograph, SCSD, Témez gamma HU Tγ and the Modified Rational method, MRM) comparing their results with flood hydrographs of the Automatic Hydrologic Information System (AHIS) in several ephemeral channels in the Murcia Region. The results obtained from the method providing a better fit were used to calculate different hydraulic geometry parameters, especially in residual flood areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]