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Overweight and obesity are closely linked to gut dysbiosis/dysmetabolism and disrupted De‐Ritis ratio [aspartate aminotransferase (AST)/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) ratio], which may contribute to chronic noncommunicable diseases onset. Concurrently, extensive research explores nutraceuticals, and health‐enhancing supplements, for disease prevention or treatment. Thus, sedentary overweight volunteers were double‐blind randomized into two groups: Novel Nutraceutical_(S) (without silymarin) and Novel Nutraceutical (with silymarin). Experimental formulations were orally administered twice daily over 180 consecutive days. We evaluated fecal gut microbiota, based on partial 16S rRNA sequences, biochemistry and endocrine markers, steatosis biomarker (AST/ALT ratio), and anthropometric parameters. Post‐supplementation, only the Novel Nutraceutical group reduced Clostridium clostridioforme (Firmicutes), Firmicutes/Bacteroidetes ratio (F/B ratio), and De‐Ritis ratio, while elevating Bacteroides caccae and Bacteroides uniformis (Bacteroidetes) in Brazilian sedentary overweight volunteers after 180 days. In summary, the results presented here allow us to suggest the gut microbiota as the action mechanism of the Novel Nutraceutical promoting metabolic hepatic recovery in obesity/overweight non‐drug interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many empirical studies on large municipalities, ranging from thousands to millions of inhabitants, have helped shape the knowledge of sustainability management in developed countries. However, issues and approaches specific to micro‐municipalities with fewer than 1,000 inhabitants have been relatively less covered. In this context, this study presents an empirical content analysis of sustainability‐related instruments used in the 487 smallest municipalities of Quebec. A total of 1,962 instrumental documents were identified, and their characteristics (e.g., accountability‐based vs. informative‐based approach) and scope (e.g., land‐use planning and pollution reduction) were assessed. The results are threefold. First, informative‐based instruments (e.g., flyers and project presentations) are generally preferred to those with accountability mechanisms (e.g., policies and plans). Second, 90% of the municipalities address sustainability issues, but in pieces and parsimoniously rather than comprehensively; hence, initiatives vary significantly from one municipality to another. Third, because of their mandatory nature, initiatives such as sorted waste collection and pro‐environmental zoning are common among municipalities. In contrast, non‐mandatory services such as transportation planning have only a few adopters. These findings have policy implications for urban sustainability management in micro‐municipal organizations. Key messages: A broader approach, beyond dedicated policy or action plans, is needed to research small municipalities' approaches to sustainability.Micro‐municipalities tend to adopt a parsimonious approach to sustainability issues, rather than addressing them comprehensively.Unlike large municipalities, whose challenges are similar to one another, small municipalities' sustainability initiatives differ widely because of their unique circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate and compare the proportion of AMR Escherichia coli (E. coli) between urban (Dompe in the Western province) and rural (Dambana in the Sabaragamuwa province) areas in Sri Lanka. The overall hypothesis of the study is that there is a difference in the proportion of AMR E. coli between the urban and the rural areas. Faecal samples were collected from healthy humans (n = 109), dairy animals (n = 103), poultry (n = 35), wild mammals (n = 81), wild birds (n = 76), soil (n = 80) and water (n = 80) from both areas. A total of 908 E. coli isolates were tested for susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials. Overall, E. coli isolated from urban area was significantly more likely to be resistant than those isolated from rural area. The human domain of the area had a significantly higher prevalence of AMR E. coli, but it was not significantly different in urban (98%) and rural (97%) areas. AMR E. coli isolated from dairy animals, wild animals and water was significantly higher in the urban area compared with the rural area. There was no significant difference in the proportion of multidrug resistance (MDR) E. coli isolated from humans, wild animals and water between the two study sites. Resistant isolates found from water and wild animals suggest contamination of the environment. A multi‐sectorial One Health approach is urgently needed to control the spread of AMR and prevent the occurrences of AMR in Sri Lanka. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We report the development of a software program, called MagMet‐F, that automates the processing and quantification of 1D 1H NMR of human fecal extracts. To optimize the program, we identified 82 potential fecal metabolites using 1D 1H NMR of six human fecal extracts using manual profiling and a literature review of known fecal metabolites. We acquired pure versions of those metabolites and then acquired their 1D 1H NMR spectra at 700 MHz to generate a fecal metabolite spectral library for MagMet‐F. The fitting of these metabolites by MagMet‐F was iteratively optimized to replicate manual profiling. We validated MagMet‐F's automated profiling using a test set of six fecal extracts. It correctly identified 80% of the compounds and quantified those within <20% of the values determined by manual profiling using Chenomx. We also compared MagMet‐F's profiling performance to two other open‐access NMR profiling tools, Bayesil and Batman. MagMet‐F outperformed both. Bayesil repeatedly overestimated metabolite concentrations by 10% to 40% while Batman was unable to properly quantify any compounds and took 10–20× longer. We have implemented MagMet‐F as a freely accessible web server to enable automated, fast and convenient 1D 1H NMR spectral profiling of fecal samples. MagMet‐F is available at https://www.magmet.ca. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Helicobacter pylori is a bacterium that infects 70%–80% of the population in Colombia, causing chronic gastritis in all those infected and gastric cancer in 1%–2% of those infected. In Colombia, some studies have identified the presence of vacA and cagA genes in environmental samples such as treated, surface, and wastewater, but they have not been evaluated in the Bogotá River. For this, the aim of this study was to identify the virulence genotypes of H. pylori present in samples from the Bogotá River and domestic wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs). Materials and Methods: A total of 75 water samples (51 from the Bogotá River and 24 from wastewater treatment plants) were collected. The presence of H. pylori DNA and its virulence genotypes was determined by polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The presence of H. pylori DNA was demonstrated in 44% (33/75) of the samples, obtaining 63.6% (21/33) from the Bogotá River and 36.4% (12/33) from the WWTPs. The most prevalent H. pylori genotype was cagA (‐) and vacAm1/s1/i1 being the most virulent of the vacA gene. Conclusions: This is the first study in Colombia that determines the cagA and vacA genotypes in surface water and WWTPs, indicating the circulation of virulent genotypes in the population. The presence of this pathogen in the waters can be represent a risk to the health of the surrounding population since these waters are reused by the communities for different purposes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Groundwater is a valuable source of drinking water worldwide, recognized as an improved drinking water source. However, on‐site sanitation systems may put groundwater at risk of fecal contamination. In the present study, two approaches were used to ascertain the sources of fecal contamination in groundwater used by communities of the Vhembe District Municipality. Overall, 87.5% of boreholes (n = 70) in the wet and 72.5% in the dry season were contaminated with Escherichia coli, and septic tank (n = 18) wastewaters displayed up to 104 cfu/mL E. coli. Host‐specific Bacteroidales quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) assays established the presence of human (BacHum and HF183) and animal (Cytb, BacCan, and Pig‐2Bac) genetic markers in groundwater from 15.7% of boreholes (wet) and 10% of boreholes (dry). No strong associations were founded between culturable E. coli counts and the presence/absence of marker genes for all the markers except for Cytb marker, which showed a weak significant correlation (r = 0.217; p = <0.01) between E. coli and the Cytb marker under dry seasonal conditions. Human markers and Cytb were present in the household septic tank wastewater samples. Significant differences in marker genes distribution in wastewater were observed using the Chi‐squared test: HF183 (p = <0.001) and BacHum (p = <0.001). Overall, no association was recorded between markers in groundwater and in wastewater for 18 households' septic tanks. A combined culturable E. coli and host‐specific Bacteroidales qPCR assays remain an appropriate approach for the identification of fecal contamination of groundwater. Practitioner Points: Households primarily used private boreholes for drinking water, as a primary source.Most households used on‐site sanitation systems, including ventilated improved pit latrines and flush toilets connected to septic tanks.Escherichia coli was detected in groundwater, and the sources of fecal contamination were humans and animals (pigs, dogs, and chickens).The presence of human and animal markers in groundwater suggests that humans and animals are liable for fecal contamination.Fecal contamination in drinking water sources poses a significant concern due to pathogenic microorganisms posing potential human health risks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The advantages of metalenses to enable miniaturized systems have been well established, especially in the visible and infrared wavelength regimes. The ultraviolet (UV) presents a final frontier because feature size scales as the wavelength, so realizing a large size metalens with a high numerical aperture (NA) in the UV is a major challenge. Here, a single‐layer, thin‐film (450 nm) hybrid metalens with an NA of 0.9 and a diameter of 6.2 mm is presented. By combining a Fresnel lens and optimised binary gratings, the well‐known shadowing effect of Fresnel lenses at high NA is avoided while being able to realize a large area lens. It is demonstrated that the combination of high NA and large area affords efficient detection of tryptophan‐like fluorescence, which is a well‐studied proxy for water contamination with faecal coliforms. The detection of tryptophan at levels better than 1 ppb, which corresponds to the low‐risk category for drinking water according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is shown. It is also confirmed that the hybrid metalens fluorescence collection efficiency is 3.5 times higher than a high NA plano‐convex lens used in state‐of‐the‐art fluorometers, which demonstrates that the versatile metalens approach opens up new opportunities in the UV. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The copper (Cu) biotic ligand model (BLM) has been used for ecological risk assessment by taking into account the bioavailability of Cu in freshwater. The Cu BLM requires data for many water chemistry variables, such as pH, major cations, and dissolved organic carbon, which can be difficult to obtain from water quality monitoring programs. To develop an optimized predicted no‐effect concentration (PNEC) estimation model based on an available monitoring dataset, we proposed an initial model that considers all BLM variables, a second model that requires variables excluding alkalinity, and a third model using electrical conductivity as a surrogate for the major cations and alkalinity. Furthermore, deep neural network (DNN) models have been used to predict the nonlinear relationships between the PNEC (outcome variable) and the required input variables (explanatory variables). The predictive capacity of DNN models was compared with the results of other existing PNEC estimation tools using a look‐up table and multiple linear and multivariate polynomial regression methods. Three DNN models, using different input variables, provided better predictions of the Cu PNECs compared with the existing tools for the following four test datasets: Korean, United States, Swedish, and Belgian freshwaters. Consequently, it is expected that Cu BLM–based risk assessment can be applied to various monitoring datasets, and that the most applicable model among the three different types of DNN models could be selected according to data availability for a given monitoring database. Environ Toxicol Chem 2023;42:2271–2283. © 2023 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Background: The low FODMAP diet (LFD) leads to clinical response in 50%–80% of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). It is unclear why only some patients respond. Aims: To determine if differences in baseline faecal microbiota or faecal and urine metabolite profiles may separate clinical responders to the diet from non‐responders allowing predictive algorithms to be proposed. Methods: We recruited adults fulfilling Rome III criteria for IBS to a blinded randomised controlled trial. Patients were randomised to sham diet with a placebo supplement (control) or LFD supplemented with either placebo (LFD) or 1.8 g/d B‐galactooligosaccharide (LFD/B‐GOS), for 4 weeks. Clinical response was defined as adequate symptom relief at 4 weeks after the intervention (global symptom question). Differences between responders and non‐responders in faecal microbiota (FISH, 16S rRNA sequencing) and faecal (gas–liquid chromatography, gas‐chromatography mass‐spectrometry) and urine (1H NMR) metabolites were analysed. Results: At 4 weeks, clinical response differed across the 3groups with adequate symptom relief of 30% (7/23) in controls, 50% (11/22) in the LFD group and 67% (16/24) in the LFD/B‐GOS group (p = 0.048). In the control and the LFD/B‐GOS groups, microbiota and metabolites did not separate responders from non‐responders. In the LFD group, higher baseline faecal propionate (sensitivity 91%, specificity 89%) and cyclohexanecarboxylic acid esters (sensitivity 80%, specificity 78%), and urine metabolite profile (Q2 0.296 vs. randomised −0.175) predicted clinical response. Conclusions: Baseline faecal and urine metabolites may predict response to the LFD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Although ileal faecal diversion is commonly used in clinical settings, complications accompany it. Elucidating the intestinal changes caused by ileal faecal diversion will help resolve postoperative complications and elucidate the pathogenic mechanisms of associated intestinal disorders, such as Crohn's disease (CD). Therefore, our study aimed to provide new insights into the effects of ileal faecal diversion on the intestine and the potential mechanisms. Methods: Single‐cell RNA sequencing was performed on proximal functional and paired distal defunctioned intestinal mucosae from three patients with ileal faecal diversion. We also performed in vitro cellular and animal experiments, tissue staining and analysed public datasets to validate our findings. Results: We found that the epithelium in the defunctioned intestine tended to be immature, with defective mechanical and mucous barriers. However, the innate immune barrier in the defunctioned intestine was enhanced. Focusing on the changes in goblet cells, we demonstrated that mechanical stimulation promotes the differentiation and maturation of goblet cells through the TRPA1‐ERK pathway, indicating that the absence of mechanical stimulation may be the main cause of defects in the goblet cells of the defunctioned intestine. Furthermore, we found obvious fibrosis with a pro‐fibrotic microenvironment in the defunctioned intestine and identified that monocytes may be important targets for faecal diversion to alleviate CD. Conclusions: This study revealed the different transcription landscapes of various cell subsets and the potential underlying mechanisms within the defunctioned intestine, when compared to the functional intestine, based on the background of ileal faecal diversion. These findings provide novel insights for understanding the physiological and pathological roles of the faecal stream in the intestine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge of trophic interaction is necessary to understand the dynamics of ecosystems and develop ecosystem‐based management. The key data to measure these interactions should come from large‐scale diet analyses with good taxonomic resolution. To that end, molecular methods that analyze prey DNA from guts and feces provide high‐resolution dietary taxonomic data. However, molecular diet analysis may also produce unreliable results if the samples are contaminated by external sources of DNA. Employing the freshwater European whitefish (Coregonus lavaretus) as a tracer for sample contamination, we studied the possible route of whitefish in beaked redfish (Sebastes mentella) guts sampled in the Barents Sea. We used whitefish‐specific COI primers for diagnostic analysis, and fish‐specific 12S and metazoa‐specific COI primers for metabarcoding analyses of intestine and stomach contents of fish samples that were either not cleaned, water cleaned, or bleach cleaned after being in contact with whitefish. Both the diagnostic and COI metabarcoding revealed clear positive effects of cleaning samples as whitefish were detected in significantly higher numbers of uncleaned samples compared to water or bleach‐cleaned samples. Stomachs were more susceptible to contamination than intestines and bleach cleaning reduced the frequency of whitefish contamination. Also, the metabarcoding approach detected significantly more reads of whitefish in the stomach than in intestine samples. The diagnostic analysis and COI metabarcoding detected contaminants in a higher and comparable number of gut samples than the 12S‐based approach. Our study underlines thus the importance of surface decontamination of aquatic samples to obtain reliable diet information from molecular data. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Escherichia coli is a harmful pathogenic bacterial species causing serious intestinal sickness in humans. This bacterium has been linked to contaminated epidemics that have led to significant mortality and morbidity across the world. E. coli, like most other waterborne infections, is tricky to discover effectively in the water supply. Therefore, there is a demand for advanced E. coli detection methods that can sensitively and rapidly detect these pathogens. This review reveals several approaches used for the detection of E. coli bacteria using conventional methods such as multiple tube fermentation and membrane filtration techniques. The emerging approaches give quite accurate and speedy identification despite the necessity for culturing; nevertheless, they lack precision and necessitate extra lab testing. Because analytical techniques such as GC‐DMS lack specificity, the invention of a sensing device that is simple to use, compact, extremely sensitive, and specific has proven essential in identifying incredibly low concentrations of harmful E. coli in drinking water. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil is a part of the habitat environment of terrestrial or semi‐terrestrial mammals, which contains a wide variety of microbes. Although the soil microbiome of the host habitat is considered to be a potentially important influence factor on the mammalian gut microbiome and health, few data are currently available to explore the relationship between gut and host habitat soil microbiome in wild primates. Here, marked divergence of the bacterial microbiome in composition and structure between Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) guts and its habitat soil were detected. In addition, we found that most of the core genera abundance and ASVs in the Tibetan macaques' gut bacterial microbiome could be detected in the corresponding soil samples, but with low abundance. However, the core abundant genera abundant in soil are almost undetectable in the gut of Tibetan macaques. Although there are some ASVs shared by gut and soil bacterial microbiome, the abundant shared ASVs in the guts of Tibetan macaques were rare bacterial taxa in the corresponding soil samples. Notably, all the ASVs shared by guts and soil were present in the soil at relatively low abundance, whereas they were affiliated with diverse bacterial taxa. By linking the bacterial microbiome between Tibetan macaques' gut and its habitat soil, our findings suggest that the predominant bacterial groups from the soil were not likely to colonize the Tibetan macaques' gut, whereas the low‐abundance but diverse soil bacteria could be selected by the gut. Whether these rare and low‐abundant bacteria are permanent residents of the soil or a source of fecal contamination remains to be determined in future study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUD: Astragali Radix (AR) and Codonopsis Radix (CR) are widely used as the tonic herbal medicine with efficacy of tonifying qi in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), which showed significant antifatigue activities. In this study, AR and CR were combined, with Jujubae Fructus (JF) further added to improve the taste, to afford the ACJ extracts in the ratio of 2:1:2. RESULTS: The results showed that ACJ water extract exhibited antifatigue effect by the weight‐loaded exhaustive swimming test in mice. The untargeted fecal metabolomic approach and 16S rRNA gene sequencing analysis showed that ACJ could improve exercise performance by regulating changes of gut metabolites and microbiota to alleviate fatigue. Four pathways were determined as the key pathways relating with its antifatigue effect, which included sphingolipid metabolism, glycerophospholipid metabolism, valine, leucine and isoleucine biosynthesis and d‐arginine and d‐ornithine metabolism. Correlation analysis showed the complex association among bacteria, metabolites and phenotypes. CONCLUSION: In conclusion, this study revealed new perspectives to study the antifatigue mechanism of ACJ extracts from the gut microbiota, which provided the basis for further functional food development. © 2022 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cryptosporidium spp. and Giardia spp. cause gastrointestinal diseases of zoonotic origin as well transmitted from person to person, being various reported outbreaks associated with water. The infecting (oo)cyst forms of these parasites are highly resistant to water treatments such as chlorine disinfection and fast filtration. The objective of this study was to assess the microbial risk of infection and symptomatic illness by the ingestion of Giardia spp. and Cryptosporidium spp. in water for human consumption in Colombia, based on the results of water quality surveillance. The detection method was according to the USEPA method 1623. Concentration data of the different points of distribution were grouped according to the pathogen and type of treatment (no treatment; chlorine treatment; chlorine treatment + coagulant). Annual microbial risks of infection and symptomatic diseases were estimated using the quantitative microbial risk assessment approach that included parasite concentrations, the dose–response model, the ingestion rates of water by children and adults, and the morbidity rate of the diseases. The mean annual microbial risk of infection for Giardia spp. was 29.8% for treated water and 50.4% for untreated water, while being 6.0% and 17.7%, respectively, for Cryptosporidium spp. Microbial risk of symptomatic illness for Giardia spp, was 8.2% for treated water and 13.9% for untreated water, while being 3.6% and 10.6%, respectively, for Cryptosporidium spp. The estimated annual microbial risks of infection exceeded the acceptable value of 10−4 (0.01%) recommended by USEPA. Results obtained in this study suggest the need to reduce the microbial risk of infection to protozoan parasites by improving the water treatment, by adopting better handling practices for livestock manure and treatment processes of human feces. Practitioner Points: The presence of Cryptosporidium spp was identified in 28 (6.2%) samples and Giardia spp in 29 (6.4%) in water for human consumption in Colombia.The mean annual risk of symptomatic illness due to infection by Giardia spp or Cryptosporidium spp ranges from 33.6%, for treated water, to 58.1%, for untreated water.Annual risks ingestion of protozoa studying in water for human exceed of 10‐4 (0.01%) recommended by USEPA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

How intensely animals use habitat features depends on their functional properties (i.e., how the feature influences fitness) and the spatial and temporal scale considered. For herbivores, habitat use is expected to reflect the competing risks of starvation, predation, and thermal stress, but the relative influence of each functional property is expected to vary in space and time. We examined how a dietary and habitat specialist, the pygmy rabbit (Brachylagus idahoensis), used these functional properties of its sagebrush habitat—food quality, security, and thermal refuge—at two hierarchical spatial scales (microsite and patch) across two seasons (winter and summer). At the microsite and patch scales, we determined which plant functional traits predicted the number of bites (i.e., foraging) by pygmy rabbits and the number of their fecal pellets (i.e., general habitat use). Pygmy rabbits used microsites and patches more intensely that had higher crude protein and aerial concealment cover and were closer to burrows. Food quality was more influential when rabbits used microsites within patches. Security was more influential in winter than summer, and more at Cedar Gulch than Camas. However, the influence of functional properties depended on phytochemical and structural properties of sagebrush and was not spatiotemporally consistent. These results show function‐dependent habitat use that varied according to specific activities by a central‐place browsing herbivore. Making spatially explicit predictions of the relative value of habitat features that influence different types of habitat use (i.e., foraging, hiding, and thermoregulating) will improve how we predict patterns of habitat use by herbivores and how we monitor and manage functional traits within habitats for wildlife. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ever‐increasing need for access to safe water has meant that alternative water sources and innovative water reclamation approaches are often required to meet the global water demand. As a result, many wastewater treatment facilities have faced regulatory pressure to seek alternative disinfection methods that ensure public health safety, while adhering to regulations that set limits on carcinogenic disinfection by‐products (DBPs). Peracetic acid (PAA) is an emerging wastewater disinfectant in the United States that has been widely used in other industries such as food sanitization and does not produce carcinogenic DBPs. However, several factors such as transport, storage, and physical and chemical effects have stymied its widespread use in wastewater markets. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the antimicrobial efficacy of an on‐site generated PAA compared against a commercially available PAA. Antimicrobial efficacy was assessed using standard fecal contamination indicators (i.e., total coliforms and Escherichia coli) in six urban wastewater treatment facilities ranging in size and treatment processes. Overall, few statistical differences were found between the antimicrobial efficacies of on‐site generated PAA and commercially available PAA; however, before becoming more widely utilized, the on‐site PAA should be tested against emerging fecal contamination indicators (e.g., human norovirus and enterovirus) and be assessed in terms of economic and sustainability impacts. Practitioner Points: Alternative Ct approaches should be considered when using disinfectants like PAA.On‐site generated PAA can achieve the same level of disinfection as commercial PAA.On‐site generation of PAA may help further its use as a wastewater disinfectant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) has become an emerging threat worldwide, and developing countries such as Bangladesh are considered to be at greater risk of disseminating the resistant bacteria between human–animal interfaces. Objectives: The present study was carried out to determine the prevalence and AMR profile of Escherichia coli isolated from broiler chickens, the environment, and farmworkers. This study also aimed to identify the risk factors associated with multidrug‐resistant (MDR) E. coli infection in broiler chickens. In addition, the presence of carbapenem resistance gene (NDM‐1) was assessed. Methods: A total of 114 E. coli isolates, recovered from 150 samples (cloacal swabs = 50, farm sewage = 50, and hand washed water of farmworkers = 50) collected from 50 broiler farms, were identified by biochemical examination and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assay. Antimicrobial susceptibility test was performed for 10 antibiotics by disk diffusion test. Carbapenem resistance gene (NDM‐1) was detected by PCR. Risk factors were identified through multivariable logistic regression. Results: The highest prevalence of E. coli was recorded in broiler chickens (86%) and the lowest in farmworkers (66%). For MDR E. coli infection, 'winter season', 'absence of specific shoes for staff', and 'use of antibiotics without veterinarian's prescription' were the significant risk factors. High resistance of the E. coli isolates was observed against levofloxacin (81.6%), doxycycline (78.1%), cefotaxime (78.1%), and ciprofloxacin (70.2%). About 76% of the isolates demonstrated MDR. None of the isolates were positive for the NDM‐1 gene. Conclusions: The high level and similar pattern of antibiotic resistance in E. coli isolates from broiler chickens, farmworkers, and sewage in poultry farms indicates a good possibility of spreading the antibiotic‐resistant E. coli in such settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Parasite selection pressures have driven the evolution of numerous behavioral defenses in host species, but recent studies revealed individual variation in their expression. As little is known about the factors causing heterogeneity among individuals in infection‐avoidance behaviors, we investigated in woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha poeppigii) the influence of several environmental and individual characteristics on the tendency to avoid food contaminated by soil and by their own and conspecifics' feces. Materials and methods: We conducted feeding tests on 40 semi‐free ranging individuals rescued from the pet trade. Using generalized linear mixed models, we investigated the effect of season, sex, age, dominance rank, and exposure to non‐natural living conditions on feeding decisions. Results: Woolly monkeys did not avoid soil‐contaminated food and equally avoided food contaminated by their own and conspecifics' feces. Individuals varied greatly in their level of fecal avoidance. Only females exhibited strong avoidance of fecally contaminated food, but adapted their behavior to food availability, highlighting the trade‐off between nutritional intake and parasite avoidance. Additionally, low‐ranking females, less competitive over food resources, exhibited lower avoidance than dominant ones. Juveniles were more cautious than adults, possibly to compensate for a higher parasite susceptibility. Finally, we reported an unknown effect of exposure to non‐natural living conditions on behavioral defenses, as animals kept as household pets for an extended period apparently lost their ability to avoid fecally contaminated food. Conclusion: We argue that striving to understand variation in infection‐avoidance behaviors in natural populations is crucial to predict disease spread and inform conservation policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed to investigate the diet of African manatees in Cameroon to better inform conservation decisions within protected areas. A large knowledge gap on diet and seasonal changes in forage availability limits the ability to develop informed local management plans for the African manatee in much of its range. This research took place in the Sanaga River Watershed, which includes two protected areas in the Littoral Region of Cameroon: the Douala-Edea National Park and the Lake Ossa Wildlife Reserve. We analyzed 113 manatee fecal samples and surveyed shoreline emergent and submerged vegetation within the Sanaga River Watershed. We used microhistological analyses to determine the relative contribution of each plant species to African manatee diets and compared across locations and across seasons (wet vs. dry season). We found that the shoreline vegetation is diverse with over 160 plant species, unevenly distributed across space and season, and dominated by emergent vegetation mostly represented by the antelope grass (Echinochloa pyramidalis). We recorded a total of 36 plant species from fecal samples with a spatial and temporal distribution mostly reflecting that of the corresponding shoreline vegetation. African manatees appear to be primarily opportunistically feeding on available vegetation across the seasons and habitat. This work documents the current, but changing, state of plant availability in the Sanaga River Watershed and reports the African manatee diet in Cameroon for the first time. This information can play a critical role in successfully managing the species and these protected areas. If we wish to protect the African manatee and the aquatic ecosystems within the Sanaga River Watershed, we must understand how forage availability changes over time, especially as its waters become nutrient enriched, eutrophic, and exposed to invasive species of plants in a changing world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: Faecal contamination from dairy farm effluent is a major risk to water quality in New Zealand. In this experiment we have tested the efficacy of Kombucha SCOBY (symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast), to reduce the concentration of Escherichia coli in dairy shed effluent (DSE). RESULTS: Kombucha SCOBY was highly effective in lowering the number of E. coli colony forming units (CFUs) to levels that were undetectable. The decrease in CFUs occurred rapidly within 48 h of Kombucha SCOBY being inoculated to the effluent matrix and was accompanied by a corresponding decline in pH. CONCLUSION: We conclude that Kombucha SCOBY was effective in reducing the abundance of E. coli in DSE due to its effect on solution pH. Further work is required to assess the practicality of treating DSE with Kombucha SCOBY within a farm environment where effluent management and climatic complexities are important. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to determine physiochemical and bacteriological properties of seawater and sediments from the coast of Tunisia during six successive months. The conductivity was measured using previously calibrated Hach Conductivity meter. Total suspended solid was determined using Whatman GF/C glass fiber filter (Sigma Aldrich), and the turbidity was assessed using a spectrophotometer (UV/Vis). The pH was measured using pH electrodes. Other physiochemical parameters were determined using Pastel UV multiparameter water analyzer (Secomam, aqualabo). Bacterial analysis was displayed by membrane filtration method, and isolates were identified to the species level by Api strips. Susceptibility to antibiotics was determined by disk diffusion methods. Total suspended solid, turbidity, adsorbable organic halogen, chemical oxygen demand, and biochemical oxygen demand were higher than accepted norms in Tunisia. Enterococcusfaecalis was detected in all the sites indicating a human fecal contamination, and all the isolates were highly resistant to rifampicin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillin, and azithromycin. The situation in Mahdia coast is alarming particularly with the isolation of multidrug resistance strains. It is recommended that the local government provide restrict policies for the treatment and the assessment of municipal wastewater before its discharge into sea. Practitioner points: Coastal Surveillance and Water Quality monitoring in the Rejiche Sea – Tunisia is crucial.Enterococcusfaecalis was detected in sea water and sediment samples in the coast of Rejiche.Isolated strains were highly resistant to rifampicin, gentamicin, chloramphenicol, ampicillinandazithromycin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Methods used to derive water quality regulations for persistent, bioaccumulative, and toxic substances (PBTs) in the United States have evolved substantially over the past 50 yr, leveraging current understandings and assumptions about the nature and magnitude of partitioning and accumulation of substances in water, sediments, and organisms. In the United States and across the world, environmental regulations continue to evolve into more refined water quality criteria protective of aquatic life and human health. The present review provides historical context on the establishment of aquatic life and human health water quality criteria in the United States by compiling information from regulatory agencies and peer‐reviewed literature on methods used to characterize and quantify bioaccumulation of substances in aquatic organisms and humans. Primary data needs and assumptions for various methods, as well as their application in setting criteria by the US Environmental Protection Agency over the past half century, are highlighted. Our review offers an important retrospective on the data and methods used to derive water quality criteria for PBTs and provides commentary on the future of US criteria development. Environ Toxicol Chem 2021;40:2394–2405. © 2021 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, the Water Quality Analysis Simulation Program (WASP7) was used to evaluate the transmission of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) contamination in a water–sediment system and its flux into cultivated soils. The agricultural areas adjacent to the Wu River in Taiwan were taken as the study area, as these soils were heavily polluted with Cr(VI) concentrations of 2173–3271 μg/kg. The rates of accumulation of Cr(VI) are affected by the distance from the source of contamination and the size and type of cultivated areas. The highest concentrations of Cr(VI) (4.27 mg/kg) were detected in soil from Changhua city and correlated with the greater risk of gastric cancer in residents. Specifically, the risk of gastric cancer due to Cr(VI) contamination of agricultural soil was 3×10‐7‐15.2×10‐6 in Taichung city (upstream) and 1.3×10‐6– 76.3×10‐6 in Changhua county (downstream). The values of statistical life‐years (VSLYs) were US$6.2–10 million for rice, US$42–60 million for corn, and US$360–580 million for other vegetables, respectively, each year. It is critical that techniques other than source reduction are used to reduce human exposure to Cr(VI), such as chemical oxidation or ion‐exchange treatment to remove Cr(VI) from factory wastewaters, prior to their discharge into rivers. Practitioner points: This study evaluated the transmission of hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) contamination in a water–sediment–soil system.Maximum concentrations of Cr(VI) most rapidly accumulated in the smallest cultivated areas.The highest concentrations of Cr(VI) (3.3 mg/kg) were correlated with the greater risk of gastric cancer.Young children had a threefold greater risk of gastric cancer than adults.Techniques other than source reduction are prior to their discharge into rivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parasite and pathogen incidence and prevalence is driven by both periodic variation in environmental conditions and host characteristics. Given the increasing risk of zoonotic transmission to humans, and the close phylogenetic relationship between humans and non‐human primates, understanding this variation in parasite dynamics is becoming essential for epidemiologists and conservationists alike. The extreme seasonal temperatures coupled with declining annual rainfall and severe periodic drought of the semi‐arid Karoo poses distinct challenges to both hosts and pathogens and serves as a window into how animals confront climate change‐induced environmental changes. Here we quantified annual variation in gastrointestinal parasite prevalence, intensity and richness in three troops of wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus) and determined what climatic variables were driving these changes. Further, we assessed whether there is long‐term temporal dependence in intra‐individual faecal egg counts. We found variation in the prevalence of five genera of helminths identified in the study population, but little variation in parasite richness across the year. Such variation was driven primarily by precipitation and maximum daily temperature. Finally, we found structure in faecal egg counts, suggesting that contrary to previous findings, egg shedding of Trichostrongylus sp. and ?Protospirura sp. are not stochastic processes and may serve as an indicator of individual levels of infection in our population. Combined, these results provide the first report of seasonal effects in gastrointestinal parasites of vervet monkeys living in an extreme environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While researchers have acknowledged the potential role of environmental scientists, engineers, and industrial hygienists during this pandemic, the role of the water utility professional is often overlooked. The wastewater sector is critical to public health protection and employs collection and treatment system workers who perform tasks with high potential for exposures to biological agents. While various technical guidances and reports have initially provided direction to the water sector, the rapidly growing body of research publications necessitates the constant review of these papers and data synthesis. This paper presents the latest findings and highlights their implications from a water and wastewater utility operation and management perspective. Practitioner points: Extrapolation from SARS‐CoV‐1 and MERS‐CoV, as well as other surrogates, has helped predicting SARS‐CoV‐2 behavior and risk management.Data from treated wastewater effluent suggest that current processes are sufficient for SARS‐CoV‐2 control.Scientific evidence supports the possibility of fecal–oral transmission for SARS‐CoV‐2.Limited evidence supports the potential survival of infective SARS‐CoV‐2 on surfaces and in aerosols and the efficacy of control measures at reducing transmission.Protective practices and PPE can protect workers from SARS‐CoV‐2 and other pathogens found in wastewater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND: A combination of high‐pressure processing (HPP) and antimicrobials is a well‐known approach for enhancing the microbiological safety of foods. However, few studies have applied multiple antimicrobials simultaneously with HPP, which could be an additional hurdle for microbial inactivation. The present study applied a full factorial design to investigate the impact of HPP (225–325 MPa; 10–20 min), allyl isothiocyanate (AITC) (0.3–0.9 g kg–1) and trans‐cinnamaldehyde (tCinn) (1.0–2.0 g kg–1) on the inactivation of Shiga toxin‐producing Escherichia coli (STEC) O157:H7 and uropathogenic E. coli (UPEC) in ground chicken meat. RESULTS: The regulatory requirement of 5‐log reduction was achieved at 305 MPa, 18 min, 0.8 g kg–1 AITC and 1.7 g kg–1 tCinn for STEC O157:H7 and at 293 MPa, 16 min, 0.6 g kg–1 AITC and 1.6 g kg–1 tCinn for UPEC, as specified by response surface analysis and verified via experiments. The surviving population was eliminated by post‐treatment storage of 9 days at 10 °C. The developed linear regression models showed r2 > 0.9 for the E. coli inactivation. The developed dimensionless non‐linear regression models covered a factorial range slightly wider than the original experimental limit, with probability Pr > F (< 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Simultaneous use of AITC and tCinn reduced not only the necessary concentration of each compound, but also the intensity of high‐pressure treatments, at the same time achieving a similar level of microbial inactivation. STEC O157:H7 was found to be more resistant than UPEC to the HPP‐AITC‐tCinn stress. The developed models may be applied in commercial application to enhance the microbiological safety of ground chicken meat. Published 2020. This article is a U.S. Government work and is in the public domain in the USA. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The monitoring of water quality, especially of karst springs, requires methods for rapidly estimating and quantifying parameters that indicate contamination. In the last few years, fluorescence‐based measurements of tryptophan and humic acid have become a promising tool to assess water quality in near real‐time. In this study, we conducted comparative tracer tests in a karst experimental site to investigate the transport properties and behavior of tryptophan and humic acid in a natural karst aquifer. These two tracers were compared with the conservative tracer uranine. Fluorescence measurements were conducted with an online field fluorometer and in the laboratory. The obtained breakthrough curves (BTCs) and the modeling results demonstrate that (1) the online field fluorometer is suitable for real‐time fluorescence measurements of all three tracers; (2) the transport parameters obtained for uranine, tryptophan, and humic acid are comparable in the fast flow areas of the karst system; (3) the transport velocities of humic acid are slower and the resulting residence times are accordingly higher, compared to uranine and tryptophan, in the slower and longer flow paths; (4) the obtained BTCs reveal additional information about the investigated karst system. As a conclusion, the experiments show that the transport properties of tryptophan are similar to those of uranine while humic acid is partly transported slower and with retardation. These findings allow a better and quantitative interpretation of the results when these substances are used as natural fecal and contamination indicators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transmission of schistosomiasis, a human parasitic disease, is intrinsically linked to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) facilities and/or their use. The mainstay of control is population‐based chemotherapy. Globally, each year, 240 million people are estimated to require this preventative treatment. However, for long‐term, sustainable control of this disease, supplementary WASH improvements are required to prevent (re)infection of humans (provision of safe water) and transmission from humans to the environment (improved sanitation). While there is established methodology for monitoring transmission in human populations, presently methods for monitoring the impact of WASH interventions, in particular sanitation, on environmental transmission are lacking. Development of such becomes paramount as integrated control programs combine drug treatments with enhanced WASH facilities and behavior change interventions, with uptake likely correlated to a reduction in fecal matter, and schistosome eggs, in the environment but any impact on infection levels in humans taking longer to become apparent. This article reports and critiques the methods currently used to monitor schistosomiasis in freshwater and soil environments and explores how environmental DNA could be used to better understand and monitor environmental contamination in relation to sanitation. Stronger evidence is required to understand how different sanitation interventions serve to limit the environmental transmission of the parasite and their relative effectiveness in preventing disease. This article is categorized under:Engineering Water > Methods [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) is an unusual ABC transporter. It acts as an anion‐selective channel that drives osmotic fluid transport across many epithelia. In the gut, CFTR is crucial for maintaining fluid and acid‐base homeostasis, and its activity is tightly controlled by multiple neuro‐endocrine factors. However, microbial toxins can disrupt this intricate control mechanism and trigger protracted activation of CFTR. This results in the massive faecal water loss, metabolic acidosis and dehydration that characterize secretory diarrhoeas, a major cause of malnutrition and death of children under 5 years of age. Compounds that inhibit CFTR could improve emergency treatment of diarrhoeal disease. Drawing on recent structural and functional insight, we discuss how existing CFTR inhibitors function at the molecular and cellular level. We compare their mechanisms of action to those of inhibitors of related ABC transporters, revealing some unexpected features of drug action on CFTR. Although challenges remain, especially relating to the practical effectiveness of currently available CFTR inhibitors, we discuss how recent technological advances might help develop therapies to better address this important global health need. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Sand of sea harbour bacteria that may cause enteric and other infections in humans, and are controlled by regulatory measures. Data on fungi in sea sand are scarce. Thus, an international group of mycologists was formed to explore fungal flora in sand of various waterbodies. Objectives: The aim was to explore fungal sand contamination in beaches of the Israeli Mediterranean Sea Coast, regarding possible impact on human health in three aspects: (a) faecal contamination, as judged by presence of the human enteric fungi; (b) contamination by fungi, causing dermal infections; (c) and the presence of moulds, causing respiratory allergies and pose a risk for infection in immunocompromised individuals. Methods: The study included sand screen of six urban beaches from north to south of the Israeli Mediterranean Coast. Sand samples were extracted by water, and the water wash was cultured and quantitated. The fungi were identified phenotypically, by MALDI‐TOF MS system and ITS sequencing. Results: The screen revealed that about 80% of the isolates were moulds and about 20% yeasts. The mould species included opportunistic pathogens and potential allergens: Aspergillus fumigatus, Fusarium and Mucorales species. Yeast isolates included Candida, Cryptococcus and Rhodotorula species. Conclusions: (a) Fungi are contaminating Israeli Mediterranean sand beaches; (b) the contaminating fungi include various yeast and mould species; (c) some of the yeasts and mould species found in sand are known opportunistic pathogens, or respiratory allergens; (d) the data could serve as basis for initiating regulatory measures to control fungal contamination of sand for the benefit of public health. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: The anaerobic gut fungi (AGF, Neocallimastigomycota) reside in the alimentary tracts of herbivores where they play a central role in the breakdown of plant material. Here, we report on the development of the hypervariable domains D1/D2 of the large ribosomal subunit (D1/D2 LSU) as a barcoding marker for the AGF. We generated a reference D1/D2 LSU database for all cultured AGF genera, as well as the majority of candidate genera encountered in prior internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1)‐based surveys. Subsequently, a D1/D2 LSU‐based diversity survey using long read PacBio SMRT sequencing was conducted on faecal samples from 21 wild and domesticated herbivores. Twenty‐eight genera and candidate genera were identified, including multiple novel lineages that were predominantly, but not exclusively, identified in wild herbivores. Association between certain AGF genera and animal lifestyles, or animal host family was observed. Finally, to address the current paucity of AGF isolates, concurrent isolation efforts utilizing multiple approaches to maximize recovery yielded 216 isolates belonging to 12 different genera, several of which have no prior cultured‐representatives. Our results establish the utility of D1/D2 LSU and PacBio sequencing for AGF diversity surveys, the culturability of multiple AGF taxa, and demonstrate that wild herbivores represent a yet‐untapped reservoir of AGF diversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic circuits have many applications, from guiding living therapeutics to ordering process in a bioreactor, but to be useful they have to be genetically stable and not hinder the host. Encoding circuits in the genome reduces burden, but this decreases performance and can interfere with native transcription. We have designed genomic landing pads in Escherichia coli at high‐expression sites, flanked by ultrastrong double terminators. DNA payloads >8 kb are targeted to the landing pads using phage integrases. One landing pad is dedicated to carrying a sensor array, and two are used to carry genetic circuits. NOT/NOR gates based on repressors are optimized for the genome and characterized in the landing pads. These data are used, in conjunction with design automation software (Cello 2.0), to design circuits that perform quantitatively as predicted. These circuits require fourfold less RNA polymerase than when carried on a plasmid and are stable for weeks in a recA+ strain without selection. This approach enables the design of synthetic regulatory networks to guide cells in environments or for applications where plasmid use is infeasible. Synopsis: Ultra‐stable genetic circuits with customizable designs are encoded in the Escherichia coli genome by integrating genetic circuit design automation (Cello) with three highly insulated genetic landing pads on the high expression location of the genome. A library of seventeen ultra‐strong double terminators is developed to insulate three landing pads from in and outgoing transcription readthrough.Three insulated genome "landing pads" are constructed in the Escherichia coli genome where expression level is high.Six orthogonal genetic gates are optimized for the expression in the genome.A new NOR gate architecture is devised to enable sophisticated genetic circuits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fractional advection–dispersion equations (FADEs) have been widely used in hydrological research to simulate the anomalous solute transport in surface and subsurface water. However, a large gap still exists between real‐world application (i.e., being a prediction tool) and theoretical FADEs. To better understand this disparity, the FADEs are firstly reviewed from the perspective of fractional‐in‐time and fractional‐in‐space, as well as the anomalous characteristics described by those functions. Then, challenges for the application of FADEs are summarized, including the theoretical gap of FADEs that needs multidisciplinary efforts to fill, extensive requirements for computation techniques and mathematical knowledge to apply the FADEs, the poor predictability for most parameters in the FADEs, and the limitations for collecting geologic information of flow fields. Then, some suggestions are given for future work, such as developing excellent code sets and mature simulation software with a friendly interface. This kind of work would alleviate the computation workload of hydrologists, especially those without coding expertise. Summarizing and determining the value ranges of the important parameters are needed (e.g., the order of the fractional derivative), through the extensive field, laboratory, and numerical experiments rather than blindly using their mathematical ranges. It is also needed to perform global sensitivity analysis for the FADEs. Meanwhile, comprehensive comparison work is necessary for suggesting a model suitable for a specific problem. Last but not least, further research is clearly needed to establish a link between nonlocal parameters and the heterogeneity property to develop more efficient fractional order partial differential equations. This article is categorized under:Science of Water > MethodsScience of Water > Water Quality [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lactobacillus plantarum TWK10 (LP10) is a probiotic known to improve endurance exercise performance. Here, we analyze the proteomics and metagenomic changes in a LP10 supplemented mouse model. Male ICR mice were divided into two groups (n = 8) to receive by oral gavage either vehicle or of LP10 for 6 weeks. Proteins changes by LP10 treatment were subjected to the Ingenuity Pathway Analysis (IPA) to provide corroborative evidence for differential regulation of molecular and cellular functions affecting metabolic processes. Fecal samples were obtained from each mouse, and the microbial community profile analyzed by pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA genes. Of the 880 identified proteins, 25 proteins were significantly downregulated and 44 proteins were significantly upregulated in the LP10 treated compared to vehicle group. LP10 supplementation shift in the gut microbiota to butyrate‐producing members and provided from lipid oxidation since peroxisomal fatty acid oxidation in liver. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the efficacy of a commercially available in‐water amphotericin B treatment for Macrorhabdus ornithogaster. Design Clinical treatment trial. Methods: Faecal shedding of 16 naturally infected budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) was monitored while they were being treated using in‐water amphotericin B, as per the manufacturer's instructions, for 10 days. Any birds that remained positive after 10 days received a further 10 day course of treatment. All birds were rechecked 16 days after the end of the second treatment period. Results: At the conclusion of treatment, 11 birds had stopped shedding M. ornithogaster, and 5 birds were still shedding. Sixteen days after the conclusion of the second treatment period, four birds that were negative after 10 days of treatment were shedding again, and two of the birds that were treated for 20 days were shedding. In addition, one bird from each treatment group died after treatment and before follow‐up testing. Conclusion: These findings represent a 36% treatment failure, suggesting that treatment with the commercially available, water‐soluble amphotericin B has inconsistent efficacy against M. ornithogaster in some budgerigars in Australia and is not effective for eliminating it from budgerigar aviaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investigating the drivers of diet quality is a key issue in wildlife ecology and conservation. Fecal near infrared reflectance spectroscopy (f‐NIRS) is widely used to assess dietary quality since it allows for noninvasive, rapid, and low‐cost analysis of nutrients. Samples for f‐NIRS can be collected and analyzed with or without knowledge of animal identities. While anonymous sampling allows to reduce the costs of individual identification, as it neither requires physical captures nor DNA genotyping, it neglects the potential effects of individual variation. As a consequence, regression models fitted to investigate the drivers of dietary quality may suffer severe issues of pseudoreplication. I investigated the relationship between crude protein and ecological predictors at different time periods to assess the level of individual heterogeneity in diet quality of 22 marked chamois Rupicapra rupicapra monitored over 2 years. Models with and without individual grouping effect were fitted to simulate identifiable and anonymous fecal sampling, and model estimates were compared to evaluate the consequences of anonymizing data collection and analysis. The variance explained by the individual random effect and the value of diet repeatability varied with seasons and peaked in winter. Despite the occurrence of individual variation in dietary quality, ecological parameter estimates under identifiable or anonymous sampling were consistently similar. This study suggests that anonymous fecal sampling may provide robust estimates of the relationship between dietary quality and ecological correlates. However, since the level of individual heterogeneity in dietary quality may vary with species‐ or study‐specific features, inconsequential pseudoreplication should not be assumed in other taxa. When individual differences are known to be inconsequential, anonymous sampling allows to optimize the trade‐off between sampling intensity and representativeness. When pseudoreplication is consequential, however, no conclusive remedy exists to effectively resolve nonindependence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Gastrointestinal microbiota can be influenced by several factors, including diet and systemic inflammation, and in turn could act as a modulator of the allergic response. Fecal microbiota of horses with asthma has not been described. Hypothesis/Objectives: Analyze the bacterial fecal microbiota of horses with and without asthma under different environment and diet conditions, during both remission and exacerbation. Methods: Prospective observational study. Feces from 6 asthmatic and 6 healthy horses were collected under 3 different conditions: on pasture, housed indoors receiving good quality hay ("good hay"), and housed indoors receiving poor quality hay ("dusty hay"). Sequencing was performed using an Illumina MiSeq platform and data were processed using the software mothur v.1.41.3 and LEfSe. Results: In horses with asthma, low‐abundance bacteria were more affected by changes in environment and diet (ie, when horses were experiencing an exacerbation), as shown by changes in membership and results from the LEfSe analysis. There was a significant increase in the relative abundance of Fibrobacter in healthy horses eating hay, a change that was not observed in horses with asthma. Conclusions and Clinical Importance: The intestinal microbiota of horses with asthma does not adapt in the same way to changes in diet and environment compared to the microbiota of healthy horses. Mechanisms explaining how airway obstruction and inflammation could influence the intestinal microbiota and how in turn this microbiota could modulate systemic inflammation in asthmatic horses deserves further investigation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Balantidium coli is a common parasite of pig and wild boars (Sus scrofa) which can infect humans and several species of mammals. This study aimed to determine the genotype of Balantidium isolated from Eurasian wild boars in Bushehr province, Southwestern Iran. Twenty‐five faecal samples, originating from 25 wild boars captivated in our previous study, were processed. DNA was extracted from the faecal samples and PCR‐amplified, targeting an ITS1–5.8s‐rRNA–ITS2 region of Balantidium genome. PCR product was purified from the gel, and sequenced. BLAST analysis was performed in order to compare our isolates with other previously reported ones. A phylogenetic tree was constructed, using MegaX software, to find out the phylogenetic diversity of the isolates. With PCR it was possible to detect Balantidium DNA in the faecal samples of 13 out of 25 (52%) of the wild boars. BLAST analysis of seven isolates revealed that the isolates belong to the newly introduced genus Neobalantidium coli. Sequences of three isolates were deposited in the GenBank. Moreover, molecular analysis revealed six areas of nucleotide differences within the isolates and nine areas of difference between the sequences obtained in this study and those available in the GenBank. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the sequences of isolates of this study have up to 2.2% dissimilarity from those published in the GenBank. The findings of this study, for the first time, revealed that some of the isolates of Balantidium originating from wild boars in Southwestern Iran belonged to the N. coli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last few decades, urban environments have been regarded as alternative habitats for wildlife. Given the continuous anthropogenic disturbance, however, it remains largely unknown whether urban environments are truly beneficial to some animals or whether the animals are merely just surviving. Glucocorticoids, which play an important role in coping with environmental challenges, are often measured as primary biomarkers of physiological stress. Chronic secretions of these hormones can have deleterious effects on animal health. Some urban stressors are constantly present and may increase the risk of chronic stress. In this study, we compared fecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) levels to evaluate stress levels between an urban and rural population of Eurasian red squirrels Sciurus vulgaris. We hypothesized that if squirrels suffer from greater stress in urban environments, their FCM levels would be significantly higher than that of rural squirrels. Our results showed that FCM levels were not significantly different between the urban and rural squirrel populations, and urban squirrels did not weigh less than rural squirrels. We conclude that the urban squirrels were not subjected to greater stress than their rural counterparts. Urban environments may be preferable for red squirrels, possibly because of release from predators and increased food availability through artificial feeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

I Fics i : Okay - I think you should immediately have an appointment at a venereal clinic..... one moment....right: Dr. Clappi in the Department of Urology at the Estepona Medical Center could see you at 9.00 tomorrow. I Molly i : Yes, I read this when the I NCIC i made the service available, but how can a computer know about me like a doctor who has been my physician since I was born? I Fics i : Well Molly, I am confident that they will and, if nothing else works, the I NCIC i can always pull out the power plug, re-boot while holding the AI-reset button, and instruct you to go back to visiting your local health centre, while all the quality control tests needed to ensure perfect performance of I FICS i are carried out. 3 SP ‡ sp Dr. Fics: fourth-generation interactive clinical server or I FICS i , evolved from the pioneering Dr. Siri von App, the third generation, humanised smart database interrogation device ( I HSDID i ). [Extracted from the article]

Pinpointing water pollution sources using host‐specific gastrointestinal microbes, known as microbial source tracking (MST), have significant benefits for countries with water quality management issues related to pollution. A recently discovered bacteriophage, crAssphage, shows promise as a human‐specific MST marker. However, loss of genetic materials during the recovery and the detection processes could alter the ability to measure virus quantities in a water sample. This study determined the crAssphage recovery efficiencies in water sources, including seawater, freshwater, and influent and effluent from a wastewater treatment plant, by spiking natural crAssphage concentrates prior to DNA extraction and quantitative PCR analysis. The results showed that river and seawater with no or low crAssphage background experienced no recovery loss. Evaluating recovery efficiencies in samples with high crAssphage backgrounds posed a challenge due to the inability to prepare high crAssphage titers. This study highlights the importance of intra‐laboratory assessment of recovery efficiency in environmental samples for retrieving absolute crAssphage quantification with correction of bias among water samples and increase in data accuracy. Practitioner points: In laboratory assessment of recovery efficiency is crucial for bias correction and data accuracy for absolute crAssphage quantification in water samples.No loss in crAssphage recovery was observed in river and seawater that contained no or low crAssphage backgrounds.Inability to prepare high crAssphage spike concentrations remains the major limitation for evaluating recovery in samples with high crAssphage backgrounds.The results underline the importance of evaluating method recovery in real environmental samples that reflect actual matrix effect.Absolute crAssphage quantification, as human‐specific pollution marker, could be used for prioritizing water quality restoration and area‐based management plan. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Five new dicarbohydrazones 3 a‐e were prepared from condensation of 9,10‐dihydro‐9,10‐ethanoanthracene‐11,12‐dicarbohydrazide (2) with various aryl/heteroaryl aldehydes. A DFT method has been employed to predict the geometry, bond lengths, and bond angles as well as other global chemical reactivity of the prepared dicarbohydrazones. In addition, the docking study of these synthesized dicarbohydrazones was applied against negative Escherichia coli bacterial strain by Schrödinger suite program using the XP glide dock protocol. Furthermore, the antibacterial activity of these dicarbohydrazones indicated that compound 3 b and 3 e exhibited the higher inhibition against E. coli with a percentage of 100% and 95.45%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Coastal megacities deposit significant amounts of carbon (C), nitrogen (N), and pollutants into surrounding waters. In urbanized estuaries, these inputs, including wastewater discharge and surface runoff, can affect biogeochemical cycles, microbial production, and greenhouse gas (GHG) efflux. To better understand estuarine GHG production and its connection to anthropogenic drivers, we quantified carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH4) surface‐water concentrations and efflux in combination with a suite of biogeochemical parameters, including anthropogenic indicators, in the Hudson River Estuary (HRE) and adjacent waters surrounding New York, NY, over a 2‐yr period. The HRE was a source of both CO2 (33 ± 3 mmol CO2 m−2 d−1) and CH4 (177 ± 22 μmol CH4 m−2 d−1) under all measured conditions. Surface‐water salinity, oxygen saturation, fecal indicator bacteria, nitrate concentrations, and temperature best explained the variance in CO2 and CH4 concentrations in multiple regression analyses, producing robust predictive power for both GHGs. Our multifaceted data set demonstrated that CH4 and CO2 surface concentrations are explained in part by enterococci concentrations, a widely used wastewater biological indicator, explicitly linking wastewater inputs to GHG surface concentrations in the HRE. The greatest CO2 and CH4 surface‐water concentrations were found in urban tributaries and embayments, primary wastewater delivery areas throughout the HRE. Estuarine tributaries and embayments have historically received less research attention than midchannel sites, but since these shallow sites may contribute to increased GHG efflux in anthropogenically impacted estuaries, further study is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Faecal contamination is one of the major factors affecting biological water quality. In this study, we investigated microbial taxonomic diversity of faecally polluted lotic ecosystems in Norway. These ecosystems comprise tributaries of drinking water reservoirs with moderate and high faecal contamination levels, an urban creek exposed to extremely high faecal pollution and a rural creek that was the least faecally polluted. The faecal water contamination had both anthropogenic and zoogenic origins identified through quantitative microbial source tracking applying host‐specific Bacteroidales 16S rRNA genetic markers. The microbial community composition revealed that Proteobacteria and Bacteroidetes (70–90% relative abundance) were the most dominant bacterial phyla, followed by Firmicutes, especially in waters exposed to anthropogenic faecal contamination. The core archaeal community consisted of Parvarchaeota (mainly in the tributaries of drinking water reservoirs) and Crenarchaeota (in the rural creek). The aquatic microbial diversity was substantially reduced in water with severe faecal contamination. In addition, the community compositions diverge between waters with dominant anthropogenic or zoogenic pollution origins. These findings present novel interpretations of the effect of anthropo‐zoogenic faecal water contamination on microbial diversity in lotic ecosystems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depletion of groundwater resources and continued decline in overall groundwater quality is a cause of concern because large human population around the world uses groundwater as a source of drinking water. This paper presents a comprehensive review of studies published in the year 2018 that documented issues of groundwater pollution, sources, and distribution reported from across the world due to anthropogenic, hydroclimatogical, and natural processes. Groundwater pollution due to organic contaminants focuses particularly on pesticides, herbicides, and contaminants of emerging concern. Pollution due to inorganic pollutants such as arsenic and other heavy metals is also reviewed with particular emphasis on regions that have reported a significantly higher incidence of these pollutants in groundwater. A compilation of various studies is also included in the review paper that showed increased incidences of waterborne illnesses due to fecal and microbial contamination due to poor sanitary practices. Reviews of groundwater contaminants such as fluoride and nitrate are included to provide readers a holistic understanding of groundwater pollution problem around the world. Practitioner points: Groundwater pollution issues during 2018 are reviewed and documented.Occurrence of organic and inorganic pollutants in groundwater is reported.Groundwater pollution vulnerability remains a critical issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Competition for food resources can be a primary mechanism for displacement of native species by introduced species. Investigation of dietary partitioning between potential competitors and spatiotemporal variability in food resources can reveal contested food items and intensity of competition. Introduced eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) have been implicated as competitors with western gray squirrels (S. griseus) and Douglas' squirrels (Tamiasciurus douglasii), but little is known about interactions among these species. We collected foraging observations and fecal pellets of sympatric gray and Douglas' squirrels trapped and radio‐tracked in western Washington, USA, from 2007 to 2012. We compared food resources consumed across species, seasons, and years to evaluate dietary overlap and the potential for competitive interactions. All squirrel species ate hypogeous fungi throughout all seasons; spores of several genera were present in 272 of 275 fecal samples and observed in all months. Rhizopogon, Geopora, and Melanogaster spp. occurred in most fecal pellets for all squirrels, but the diet of the Douglas' squirrels had slightly lower richness of hypogeous fungi than gray squirrels. Although foraging observations suggest that eastern and western gray squirrels shared important dietary items such as acorns, strong differences in consumption of seeds of a common conifer may facilitate their coexistence. Our results suggest that dietary overlap among arboreal squirrels could lead to competitive interactions during periods of food scarcity, but subtle differences may be sufficient to permit long‐term coexistence. Tree squirrels in Washington would likely benefit from forest management practices that promote or sustain robust crops of hypogeous fungi. © 2019 The Wildlife Society. Native and introduced tree squirrels frequently ate hypogeous fungi in all seasons but differed in their consumption of conifer seeds. Tree squirrels in Washington would likely benefit from forest management practices that promote or sustain robust crops of hypogeous fungi. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Fish are a highly perishable commodity, and unhygienic fresh fish supply chains have been documented over the past two decades in sub‐Saharan Africa. Fishers spend long hours on boats with no provision of sanitary facilities, and even after landing, they are often in environments without sanitary facilities. The purpose of the present study was to explore the impacts of water, sanitation and hygiene practices in an artisanal fishery on food safety by analysing water samples in close contact with fresh fish at various checkpoints from capture to sale at the local market along the shores of Lake Malawi (Malawi). The four checkpoints included (a) fishing boats at the fishing ground before fishing commenced (n = 85); (b) in the same boats at the landing site before offloading fresh fish (n = 85); (c) with fresh fish transporters at the landing site (n = 71); and (d) among vendors at the market (n = 63). Escherichia coli was found in a high percentage of samples at each of the four checkpoints during the dry, wet and cold seasons. The highest risk for contamination (represented by E. coli concentrations) was the transition from transport to vendor, regardless of the season during which the samples were taken. The product value chain demands food safety. The results of the present study have potential applications in informing future interventions to develop behavioural change strategies regarding handwashing and toileting practices, norms unique for highly mobile fishing communities through the integration of hardware and software solutions and using better‐quality water to store fish on the boat, in transport and at the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

1 Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Parma, Parma, Italy; 2 Food and Feed Chemi... Ivermectin is an effective and safe broad-spectrum anthelmintic drug widely used in veterinary medicine belonging to the macrocyclic lactone family. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to adapt the HPLC-DAD extraction and purification method to the mass-spectrometry analysis to evaluate ivermectin residues in feed and environmental samples. The extracts obtained with the original extraction and purification method were useful also for the LC/MS/MS analysis after the substitution of the mobile phase, used also to resume the dry shot. [Extracted from the article]

Abstract: The monitoring of fecal contamination (human and animal) is an incessant challenge. In this approach, microbiological methods play an important role, though with substantial limitations. Organic compounds, such as sterols, are often used to trace fecal contamination. Although the fecal sterols profiles of some animals are already known, capybara, a typical mammal from South America, is a significant contributor to aquatic fecal contamination because of its water dependence; and still there is no one way, scientifically speaking, to trace its fecal contribution. The aim of the present study was to provide a tool to measure the temporal fecal contribution of capybara in aquatic systems. We examined the sterol content of capybara feces and compared with another species (sheep, cow, horse, pig, hen, duck, cat, dog, opossum, and human). From numerical relationships among fecal sterols, 6 ratios were delineated and tested to assess their potential to identify the capybara feces contribution in contaminated environments. Statistical analysis showed that 3 ratios were able to differentiate capybara feces from other sources. Such ratios were applied in samples of a sediment core from an urban area in south Brazil with a large capybara population. The temporal trend showed a significant contribution of capybara feces in the last 100 yr. Environ Toxicol Chem 2018;37:353–361. © 2017 SETAC [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]