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Simple Summary: Microsporidia are obligatory intracellular fungi that cause infection in a broad variety of eukaryotes. However, there are few epidemiological studies on microsporidia in red pandas in China. Therefore, we conducted an epidemiological survey of microsporidia in red pandas from six zoos in Sichuan Province, China. In 198 fecal samples, Enterocytozoon bieneusi was detected in 24 samples (12.1%), while Encephalitozoon spp. was detected in 8 fecal samples (4.0%). Further analysis revealed the presence of genotypes of E. bieneusi with zoonotic concerns. Interestingly, we also observed that the infection rate of microsporidia was higher in semi-free red pandas with more frequent contact with other animals or humans. This is the first report on the occurrence and genotypes of E. bieneusi and Encephalitozoon spp. in red pandas in Sichuan Province, China, contributing to our understanding of the worldwide distribution and genetic diversity of this pathogen. Enterocytozoon bieneusi and Encephalitozoon spp. are microsporidian pathogens with zoonotic potential that pose significant public health concerns. To ascertain the occurrence and genotypes of E. bieneusi and Encephalitozoon spp., we used nested PCR to amplify the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) gene and DNA sequencing to analyze 198 fecal samples from red pandas from 6 zoos in China. The total rate of microsporidial infection was 15.7% (31/198), with 12.1% (24/198), 1.0% (2/198), 2.0% (4/198) and 1.0% (2/198) for infection rate of E. bieneusi, Encephalitozoon cuniculi, Encephalitozoon intestinalis and Encephalitozoon hellem, respectively. One red panda was detected positive for a mixed infection (E. bieneusi and E. intestinalis). Red pandas living in semi-free conditions are more likely to be infected with microsporidia (χ2 = 6.212, df = 1, p < 0.05). Three known (SC02, D, and PL2) and one novel (SCR1) genotypes of E. bieneusi were found. Three genotypes of E. bieneusi (SC02, D, SCR1) were grouped into group 1 with public health importance, while genotype PL2 formed a separate clade associated with group 2. These findings suggest that red pandas may serve as a host reservoir for zoonotic microsporidia, potentially allowing transmission from red pandas to humans and other animals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Redclaw crayfish (Cherax quadricarinatus) was introduced to China many years ago. In recent years, a breeding boom for C. quadricarinatus has been set off in China due to a breakthrough in key technology of seedling breeding. The size and growth rate of C. quadricarinatus vary greatly between female and male individuals, usually the size and growth rate of male individuals are bigger than that of female individuals. There is usually a certain linkage relationship between the sex traits of crustaceans and their own nutrition. In order to explore the linkage relationship between the sex traits of C. quadricarinatus and its nutritional components, this study measured and analyzed the muscle nutritional components of female and male individuals. The results showed that the meat yield rate of male individuals was significantly higher than that of females (p < 0.05), and the crude fat content was significantly lower than that for females (p < 0.05). The ratios of essential amino acids to total amino acids for females and males were 39.61% and 38.49%, respectively. The ratios of essential amino acids to non-essential amino acids were 79.69% and 75.66%, respectively, which far exceed FAO/WHO standards and both belong to high-quality protein. The total amount of flavor amino acids of male individuals was significantly higher than that of female individuals (p < 0.05). The total amount of polyunsaturated fatty acids and the polyunsaturated fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid of males are both significantly higher than that of females (p < 0.05). Studies have shown that there are certain differences in nutrition between male and female individuals. Compared with female individuals, the meat yield rate, crude protein content, and edible value of the muscles of male individuals is higher. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Giant pandas are key protected animals in China. Baylisascaris schroederi, a parasitic nematode, is one of the main health risks threatening them. We used four anthelmintics—pyrantel pamoate (PYR), mebendazole (MBZ), albendazole (ABZ), and ivermectin (IVM)—on 22 enrolled giant pandas. The fecal egg count reduction (FECR) proportions were calculated using both the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Bayesian mathematical model and the arithmetic mean based on fecal egg count data. Anthelmintic resistance (AR) was assessed based on the criteria recommended by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP). We found that the nematode was suspected to be resistant to PYR. The number of eggs per gram in the feces of giant panda enrolled in the present study was increased near the end of the experiment. Baylisascaris schroederi is one of the main health risks threatening both wild and captive giant pandas. The administration of anthelmintics is a common method to effectively control B. schroederi infection, but there is a notable risk of anthelmintic resistance (AR) after long-term, constant use of anthelmintics. Four anthelmintics—pyrantel pamoate (PYR), mebendazole (MBZ), albendazole (ABZ), and ivermectin (IVM)—were each administered separately at intervals of 2 months to 22 enrolled giant pandas. The fecal egg count reduction (FECR) proportions were calculated by both the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) Bayesian mathematical model and the arithmetic mean. AR was assessed based on the criteria recommended by the World Association for the Advancement of Veterinary Parasitology (WAAVP). The estimated prevalence of B. schroederi infection was 34.1%. After treatment with PYR, MBZ, ABZ, and IVM, it was determined that MBZ, ABZ, and IVM were efficacious against B. schroederi, while nematodes were suspected to be resistant to PYR according to the fecal egg count reduction (FECR) proportions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: Giant pandas are considered a national treasure in China. Understanding the changes in immunity and energy metabolism of giant pandas with age might help develop more scientific guidelines for managing the health of giant pandas. Here, 48 giant pandas were collected, and their transcriptome was analyzed. The results showed that the immune system and energy metabolism of giant pandas changed significantly with age. A low reproductive rate coupled with human activities has endangered the giant panda, a species endemic to southwest China. Although giant pandas feed almost exclusively on bamboo, they retain carnivorous traits and suffer from carnivorous diseases. Additionally, their immune system is susceptible to aging, resulting in a reduced ability to respond to diseases. This study aimed to determine the genes and pathways expressed differentially with age in blood tissues. The differentially expressed genes in different age groups of giant pandas were identified by RNA-seq. The elderly giant pandas had many differentially expressed genes compared with the young group (3 years old), including 548 upregulated genes and 401 downregulated genes. Further, functional enrichment revealed that innate immune upregulation and adaptive immune downregulation were observed in the elderly giant pandas compared with the young giant pandas. Meanwhile, the immune genes in the elderly giant pandas changed considerably, including genes involved in innate immunity and adaptive immunity such as PLSCR1, CLEC7A, CCL5, CCR9, and EPAS1. Time series analysis found that giant pandas store glycogen by prioritizing fat metabolism at age 11, verifying changes in the immune system. The results reported in this study will provide a foundation for further research on disease prevention and the energy metabolism of giant pandas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Linear engineering across cold regions has a negative effect on the stability of underlying permafrost. The permafrost degradation affected by engineering activities would induce ground thaw settlement; hence, the feedback from ground alternation would damage the engineering structure conversely, which is detrimental to both engineering safety and the surrounding environment there, especially differential thaw settlement in patchy permafrost. To detect the engineering influence of gas pipeline on permafrost environment, a series of field monitoring was conducted and a numerical model considering the phase changing was introduced to simulate the thermal dynamic of underlying frozen soil and estimate the effect of several countermeasures chosen to alleviate the thermal disturbance from the pipeline. The results show that frozen soil was unstable and easy to degrade because of thermal disturbance from the pipeline—the active layer thickness is 1.5~2.0 m while the maximum thawing depth under the pipe goes over 7.0 m. Both cooling gas temperature and applying insulation layer would alleviate the permafrost degradation, but in different degrees of effect. The former did not have a significant alleviation for permafrost degrading, especially in the short term, while the latter was more effective during the whole life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A catastrophic loess flow slide was triggered by the 2013 Minxian–Zhangxian earthquake in Yongguang village, Minxian County, Gansu Province, China. The landslide destroyed eight houses and killed 12 persons. The landslide involved the failure of 14.0 × 104 m3 of loess deposits from the source area. The displaced materials traveled 1000 m with an elevation descent of 180 m, covering an area of 4.2 × 104 m2. A numerical model (DAN3D) is used to simulate the post-failure behavior of the landslide based on a detailed field investigation. A combination of the frictional model and Voellmy model provides the best performance in simulating the landslide using trial and error. The simulation results indicate that the landslide lasted approximately 120 s and had an average velocity of 8.3 m/s. The final runout distance and deposit distribution are in a good agreement with the actual situation, indicating the accuracy of the simulated results. Therefore, it is expected that the models and parameters could improve the precision of hazard zonation for areas with geological, topographical, and climatic features similar to the Yongguang landslide area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil and plant samples are collected from three rainfall-driven supratidal wetlands in Duliujian River Estuary (DRE) and Yongdingxin River Estuary (YRE) of Tianjin, China. Trace metal concentrations (As, Cr, Cu, Ni, Pb, Sr, and Zn) and other soil properties are measured. Results show that rainfall-driven waterlogging has no significant effects on trace metals distribution. However, supratidal wetlands in DRE have higher Ni and Zn, but lower Cr, Pb, and Sr than in YRE. Regardless of initial metal levels in soils, Suaeda salsa in sandy soil has a high bioconcentration factor and translocated more trace metals to the upper parts of plant. The results also show that high salinity in soil is disadvantageous for enrichment and translocation of trace metals in plants. Similarly, soil fertility has diluent effects on trace metal concentrations in plants. Multivariate analysis indicates that Cr, Pb, and Sr might originate from oil pollution and industrial wastewater. However, Zn most probably originates from aquaculture wastewater. Likewise, As and Ni have common sources, which probably originate from parent rocks and atmospheric deposition. Although the ecological risk index for all trace metals are slight, moderate As pollution is found in all habitats according to the sediment quality guideline of China. In addition, enrichment factors of Cr, Pb, and Zn are found to be >1, suggesting slightly polluted for those metals in supratidal regions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nanofiltration (NF) membrane configuration for fluoride and arsenic removal from groundwater has a key role in controlling operation performances and membrane fouling. Some bench-scale contrast experiments using commercial NF membranes were done to obtain the optimum arrangement performances. The NF membrane arrays included one-stage, two-stage, and three-stage systems. The NF membrane surface was negatively charged above its isoelectric point (approximately at pH 5.9–6.4). Accordingly, the raw groundwater was initially adjusted to a neutral or alkaline pH to enhance the effect of electrical charge repulsion and improve the ion removal efficiencies by NF. The encouraging results indicated that a membrane in a parallel-linear arrangement with staging 2:1 was the preferable arrangement to remove fluoride and arsenic from low-salinity groundwater in rural areas of China. With this optimal arrangement, the NF system obtained fluoride and arsenic removal efficiencies of 70˜73% and 92˜94% respectively, a preferable permeate flux of 73.37 L h−1m2and acceptable water flux recovery rate of 65% at 16°C. This optimal arrangement can further limit the potential membrane fouling by lowering the interstage Reynolds number. Moreover, the water product cost was lowest by the NF system with this optimal arrangement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Serum samples from 92 giant pandas in three captive facilities were tested for antibodies against five viruses of carnivores. Antibody titers against canine distemper virus (CDV) in two facilities in which giant pandas were vaccinated were variable. The canine adenovirus (CAV-1) and canine parvovirus (CPV) titers in vaccinated group were both positive, but titers were not high and varied among individual except one vaccinated panda had extremely high CAV-1 titer, indicating infection with the field virus following vaccination. Our results suggest that the vaccines used for these giant pandas do not elicit consistent antibody titers. Antibody titers against CDV, CPV and CAV-1 in unvaccinated giant pandas were highly variable, especially CPV titer. Almost half of sera were CPV antibody positive, and CPV titers were high enough to suggest infection with the virus. Canine coronavirus (CCV) and canine parainfluenza virus (CPIV) titers were not detected in all serum samples. The results of this study emphasize the need for research on infectious diseases of giant pandas and development of suitable vaccines for the species. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Replacement of plant communities altered diversity and structure of rhizosphere soil bacteria in similar habitats of Yellow River Delta. • Metabolic function of soil bacteria remains unchanged with replacement of plant communities in similar habitats. • Bacteria tend to make full use of limited resources by increasing niches rather than increasing the intensity of metabolic activities. Convergent evolution in plants has important roles in understanding the coexistence of species and the construction of communities in the same habitat. However, evidence that determines whether this phenomenon also occurs in soil bacteria is lacking. In this study, the communities of Suaeda salsa , Phragmites australis , and Tamarix chinensis on the same succession sequence in the supratidal habitat of the Yellow River Delta are taken as research objects. 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing technology was used to test the diversity, structure, and function of rhizosphere soil bacteria. Result shows that the diversity of bacteria increases in the order of S. salsa < P. australis < T. chinensis. This finding may be related to the improvements of litter inputs, root exudates, and the change of soil physicochemical properties with the replacement of plant communities. At the phylum level, four out of eight bacterial phyla, mainly explained by pH (58.6 %), organic matter (57.7 %), moisture content (57.6 %), total carbon (40.8 %), and available potassium (39.5 %) of soils, changed significantly with the replacement of plant communities (p < 0.05). At the genus level, the dominant bacteria in different communities were clearly distinguished, but their metabolic function remains unchanged, indicating that convergent evolution also exists in the bacterial world. In summary, bacteria tend to make full use of limited resources by increasing niches rather than increasing the intensity of metabolic activities in similar habitats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Fifty-seven fecal samples were collected from giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) in the China Conservation and Research Centre for the Giant Panda (CCRCGP) in Sichuan and examined for Cryptosporidium oocysts by Sheather's sugar flotation technique. An 18-year-old male giant panda was Cryptosporidium positive, with oocysts of an average size of 4.60×3.99μm (n=50). The isolate was genetically analyzed using the partial 18S rRNA, 70kDa heat shock protein (HSP70), Cryptosporidium oocyst wall protein (COWP) and actin genes. Multi-locus genetic characterization indicated that the present isolate was different from known Cryptosporidium species and genotypes. The closest relative was the Cryptosporidium bear genotype, with 11, 10, and 6 nucleotide differences in the 18S rRNA, HSP70, and actin genes, respectively. Significant differences were also observed in the COWP gene compared to Cryptosporidium mongoose genotype. The homology to the bear genotype at the 18S rRNA locus was 98.6%, which is comparable to that between Cryptosporidium parvum and Cryptosporidium hominis (99.2%), or between Cryptosporidium muris and Cryptosporidium andersoni (99.4%). Therefore, the Cryptosporidium in giant pandas in this study is considered as a new genotype: the Cryptosporidium giant panda genotype. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

• Reported miRNA profiles of giant panda's heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney. • Differential expression analysis identified tissue-specific DEmiRs of five tissues. • Identified tissue-specific enrichment GO terms and KEGG pathways. • Providing unique genetic resources for giant panda. microRNA (miRNA) is a small endogenous noncoding RNA molecule that plays multiple roles in regulating most biological processes. However, for China's national treasure giant panda, a world-famous rare and protected species, reports of its miRNA have been found only in blood and breast milk. To explore the miRNA expression differences between different giant panda tissues, here, we generated the miRNA profiles of five tissues (heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney) from four giant pandas with Illumina Hiseq 2500 platform, and filtered the differentially expressed miRNAs (DEmiRs) in each tissue, predicted the target genes of miRNA from each tissue based on the DEmiRs. Then, the GO and KEGG enrichment analysis were conducted using the target genes predicted from DEmiRs in each tissue. The RNA-seq generated an average of 0.718 GB base per sample. A total of 1,256 known miRNAs and 12 novel miRNAs were identified, and there were 215, 131, 185, 83, and 126 tissue-specific DEmiRs filtered in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney, respectively, including miR-1b-5p, miR-122-5p, miR-143, miR-126-5p, and miR-10b-5p, respectively. The predicted target genes, including MYL2, LRP5, MIF, CFD, and PEBP1 in the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney, respectively, were closely associated with tissue-specific biological functions. The enrichment analysis results of target genes showed tissue-specific characteristics, such as the significantly enriched GO terms extracellular matrix in the heart and insulin-like growth factor binding in the liver. The miRNA profiles of the heart, liver, spleen, lung, and kidney of giant panda have been reported in this study, it reveals the miRNA expression differences between different tissues of the giant panda, and provides valuable genetic resources for the further related molecular genetic research of the rare and protected species giant panda and other mammals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To validate, update, and extend the role of RNF213 p.R4810K (G>A) for predicting the phenotype of moyamoya disease (MMD) patients and explore the different effects on pediatric and adult groups., Methods: A total of 2,877 patients conducted from 2004 to 2018 were included. Review Manage 5.3 and SPSS 20.0 were applied to complete all statistical analyses. Information on age at onset, sex, initial symptom, family history and complications were obtained via retrospective chart review. Angiographic records were evaluated., Results: In China, geographic proximity to Korea or Japan may affect the carrying rate of RNF213 p.R4810K. The proportion of patients with the following characteristics was significantly higher (P <0.017) in the GA than in the GG group: female, age at onset < 18 years, infarct after transient ischemic attack, family history of MMD, and posterior cerebral artery involvement. For pediatric patients, GA showed more cerebral hemorrhage (CH) (odds ratios (ORs) [95% confidence intervals (CIs)] = 3.99 (1.61-9.88), P = 0.003), more patients were in the Suzuki early and intermediate stage (P = 0.001; P = 0.001, respectively), while for the adult group, GA indicated more female (OR [95% CIs] = 1.43 [1.15-1.79], P = 0.001), fewer patients with diabetes (0.58 [0.38-0.86], P = 0.007) and intermediate Suzuki stage (P = 3.70 × 10 -4 )., Conclusions: The incidence and carrying rates of RNF213 p.R4810K in various regions for Chinese MMD patients were obviously different. RNF213 p.R4810K has different predictive effects on phenotypes of pediatric and adult patients., Competing Interests: Declaration of Competing Interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objectives: This retrospective study was conducted to analyze the associations between ring finger protein 213 p.R4810K variant, clinical features and long-term outcomes in patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) after encephaloduroarteriosynangiosis treatment., Materials and Methods: A total of 2,545 patients with MMD in China were included in this study (median of follow-up duration: 32.00 months). Multiple Cox regression models were used to assess the associations between p.R4810K variant, clinical features and long-term outcomes., Results: For all patients, in multivariate Cox analysis, no association was observed between p.R4810K and long-term outcomes. Pediatric onset (HR, 0.38; 95%CI, 0.25-0.59) and headache (HR, 0.26; 95%CI, 0.08-0.83) were inversely and hypertension (HR, 1.43 95%CI, 1.06-1.94), diabetes (HR, 1.55; 95%CI, 1.00-2.40), bilateral lesions (HR, 2.73; 95%CI, 1.12-6.65) and posterior cerebral artery involvement (HR, 1.44; 95%CI, 1.08-1.90) were positively associated with follow-up stroke (all P < 0.05). Pediatric onset (HR, 0.46; 95%CI, 0.26-0.82) was inversely and hyperlipidemia (HR, 1.83; 95%CI, 1.23-2.73), smoking (HR, 1.86; 95%CI, 1.13-3.07), high Suzuki angiographic stage (HR, 1.71, 95%CI, 1.09-2.70), poor admission neurologic status (HR, 8.93; 95%CI, 6.49-12.29) and follow-up stroke (HR, 8.31; 95%CI, 6.01-11.49) were positively associated with poor neurologic outcome at the last follow-up visit (all P < 0.05). The factors were not consistent in the different groups of age at onset., Conclusions: In our study, p.R4810K may play no role in long-term outcomes in Chinese MMD. Clinical features including age at onset, initial symptoms, risk factors of stroke, imaging, poor admission neurologic status were associated with poor outcomes in MMD after EDAS., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors have no competing interests to declare., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Objective: Precise genetic analyses were conducted with ring finger protein 213 ( RNF213 ) in relation to a particular clinical phenotype in Chinese patients with moyamoya disease (MMD) to determine whether heterozygosity is responsible for the early-onset and severe form of this disease., Methods: A case-control study for RNF213 p.R4810K involving 1,385 Chinese patients with MMD and 2,903 normal control participants was performed. Correlation analyses between genotype and phenotype or different clinical features were also statistically explored., Results: An obvious trend was observed: the carrying rate of RNF213 p.R4810K gradually decreased when moving from coastal cities in northeast, north, and east China to southern cities or inland areas. Higher frequencies of p.R4810K were observed in patients with MMD compared with control participants (odds ratio, 48.1; 95% confidence interval, 29.1-79.6; p = 1.6 × 10 -141 ). In addition, the onset age of all patients with the GA and AA genotypes were lower than with the GG genotype, and the median onset age was 40.0, 36.0, and 11.5 years with GG, GA, and AA, respectively, thereby confirming that those with GA or AA could acquire MMD during early life stages. Patients with MMD with the GA genotype were more susceptible to posterior cerebral artery (PCA) involvement compared to those with the GG genotype (38.4% vs 23.3%, p = 8.3 × 10 -7 )., Conclusions: Strong evidence suggests that the carrying rate of RNF213 p.R4810K is closely related MMD risk in China and has given rise to an earlier onset age and more severe PCA involvement., (Copyright © 2020 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the American Academy of Neurology.)

Water-salt stress and nutrient limitation may affect leaf economic spectrum of halophytes and confuse our understanding on plant physiological principles in a changing world. In this study, three halophytic plant communities of Phragmites australis, Suaeda salsa, and Tamarix chinensis, were selected in two sites (sites 1 and 2) on the west coast of Bohai Sea. The net photosynthetic rate (Pn), transpiration rate (Tr), stomatal conductance (Gs), leaf vapor pressure deficit (VPDleaf) and their influencing factors were studied to test the possible carbon assimilation strategies of the halophytes. P. australis had higher Pn, Tr, and Gs than S. salsa and T. chinensis in both sites. Similar trends were found for leaf P and photosynthetic N and P efficiency (PNUE and PPUE, respectively) in one or both sites. By contrast, the leaf dry mass per area (LMA) increased in the order of P. australis < S. salsa < T. chinensis in both sites. For identical species in different sites, Pn, leaf P, and PNUE were lower but Tr, VPDleaf, leaf N, leaf N:P, and PPUE were higher in site 1 than in site 2 for one or more halophytes. Although soil physicochemical properties in different sites explained several variations among the halophytes, two-way ANOVA indicated that the species can explain most of the leaf traits compared with the site. LMA also had significant nonlinear relationships with Pn, Tr, Gs, and VPDleaf. PNUE and PPUE showed positive correlation with Pn in both sites, but they decreased in the power-law function with increasing LMA. Overall, the redundancy analysis showed that the gas exchange capacity of the halophytic plant communities was significantly affected by PPUE (60.0% of explanation), PNUE (57.1%), LMA (35.0%), leaf P (22.0%), and soil N (15.8%)., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Escherichia coli (E. coli) is considered as a common opportunistic pathogen, which causes seriously intestinal infections to giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) and other animals. The aim of this investigation was to characterize the antimicrobial resistance and integron gene cassettes in E. coli isolated from the faeces of giant pandas in China. A total of 89 E. coli were isolated, after diagnosis of isolates and genomes were extracted. All the isolates were screened for the presence of related drug-resistance genes and integron gene cassettes through the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) and sequencing. In addition, antimicrobial resistance testing was performed according to the standard disk diffusion method (CLSI 2013). The results demonstrated that all the isolates were multi-drug resistance (MDR). High resistance proportions of the E. coli isolates were to streptomycin (93%), cefazolin (90%), amikacin (75%), tetracycline (65%), ampicillin (62%), cefotaxime and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (54%, each). With respect to the various resistance genes; bla CTX-M , sul1, ant (3')-Ia, tetA, qnrB, tetE, floR, aac (6')-Ib, sul2, rmtA, cmlA, rmtB and tetC were identified with the respective frequencies of 44%, 45%, 38%, 37%, 35%, 27%, 26%, 20%, 18%, 15%, 10%, 7% and 4%. None of the isolates was positive for qnrA and cfr genes. Moreover, a further investigation of integron revealed that the emergence of class 1 and 2 integrons were in 47% and 8% isolates, respectively. While class 3 integron was not screened. Six types of containing in class 1 integron specific gene cassettes (dfrA12-orfF-aadA2, dfrA17-aadA5, aadA1, aadA5, dfrA1 and dfrA7) were identified. However, only one gene cassette (dfrA1-sat2-aadA1) was detected in class 2 integron. These finding emphasize that a high level of E. coli isolates harbored antibiotics resistance and integron gene cassettes, which may bring so many potential threats to the health of giant pandas., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Conservation breeding programmes have become an increasingly important tool to save endangered species, yet despite the allocation of significant resources, efforts to create self-sustaining populations have met with limited success. The iconic giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) embodies the struggles associated with ex situ species conservation. Here we show that behavioural mate preferences in giant pandas predict reproductive outcomes. Giant pandas paired with preferred partners have significantly higher copulation and birth rates. Reproductive rates increase further when both partners show mutual preference for one another. If managers were to incorporate mate preferences more fully into breeding management, the production of giant panda offspring for China's reintroduction programme might be greatly expedited. When extended to the increasing numbers of species dependent on ex situ conservation breeding to avoid extinction, our findings highlight that mate preference and other aspects of informed behavioural management could make the difference between success and failure of these programmes.

The captive genetic management of threatened species strives to preserve genetic diversity and avoid inbreeding to ensure populations remain available, healthy, and viable for future reintroduction. Determining and responding to the genetic status of captive populations is therefore paramount to these programs. Here, we genotyped 19 microsatellite loci for 240 captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) (∼64% of the captive population) from four breeding centers, Wolong (WL), Chengdu (CD), Louguantai (LGT), and Beijing (BJ), and analyzed 655 bp of mitochondrial DNA control region sequence for 220 of these animals. High levels of genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding were estimated in the breeding centers, indicating that the captive population is genetically healthy and deliberate further genetic input from wild animals is unnecessary. However, the LGT population faces a higher risk of inbreeding, and significant genetic structure was detected among breeding centers, with LGT-CD and WL-BJ clustering separately. Based on these findings, we highlight that: 1) the LGT population should be managed as an independent captive population to resemble the genetic distinctness of their Qinling Mountain origins; 2) exchange between CD and WL should be encouraged because of similar wild founder sources; 3) the selection of captive individuals for reintroduction should consider their geographic origin, genetic background, and genetic contribution to wild populations; and 4) combining our molecular genetic data with existing pedigree data will better guide giant panda breeding and further reduce inbreeding into the future., (© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Molecular Biology and Evolution. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

We confirmed infection with influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 in giant pandas in China during 2009 by using virus isolation and serologic analysis methods. This finding extends the host range of influenza viruses and indicates a need for increased surveillance for and control of influenza viruses among giant pandas.

Using next-generation sequencing technology alone, we have successfully generated and assembled a draft sequence of the giant panda genome. The assembled contigs (2.25 gigabases (Gb)) cover approximately 94% of the whole genome, and the remaining gaps (0.05 Gb) seem to contain carnivore-specific repeats and tandem repeats. Comparisons with the dog and human showed that the panda genome has a lower divergence rate. The assessment of panda genes potentially underlying some of its unique traits indicated that its bamboo diet might be more dependent on its gut microbiome than its own genetic composition. We also identified more than 2.7 million heterozygous single nucleotide polymorphisms in the diploid genome. Our data and analyses provide a foundation for promoting mammalian genetic research, and demonstrate the feasibility for using next-generation sequencing technologies for accurate, cost-effective and rapid de novo assembly of large eukaryotic genomes.