Core histone genes of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Giardia intestinalis</Emphasis>: genomic organization,promoter structure,and expression

Background  

Giardia intestinalis is a protist found in freshwaters worldwide, and is the most common cause of parasitic diarrhea in humans. The phylogenetic position of this parasite is still much debated. Histones are small, highly conserved proteins that associate tightly with DNA to form chromatin within the nucleus. There are two classes of core histone genes in higher eukaryotes: DNA replication-independent histones and DNA replication-dependent ones.     

婴幼儿腹泻患者肠道菌群分布特点研究

目的研究不同年龄段腹泻患儿肠道菌群分布特点,探讨不同年龄腹泻患儿肠道菌群与疾病的关联。方法选取9例符合临床诊断标准的0~1岁婴儿腹泻患者和8例符合临床诊断标准的1~3岁幼儿腹泻患者的粪便样本,同时于健康儿童中随机选取6例粪便样本作为对照,提取各组对象粪便总DNA,采用PCR-DGGE进行菌群多样性与差异性分析。结果 0~1岁腹泻患儿肠道菌群与健康对照组相比,肠道菌群构成差异显著,条件致病菌巴黎链球菌数量显著增加。1~3岁腹泻患儿肠道菌群与健康对照组相比,条件致病菌解没食子酸链球菌、屎肠球菌数量显著增加,长双歧杆菌数量下降。结论婴幼儿腹泻患者肠道菌群的构成与健康对照组相比差异显著,该特点可作为婴幼儿腹泻早期诊断的实验依据。     

高原训练中运动员腹泻发生状况及肠道菌群的变化

目的:通过实地调研考察高原训练中运动员腹泻发生率,并采集运动员粪便样品,研究高原训练过程中运动员肠道菌群变化。方法:赴多巴国家高原训练基地调研在训运动员胃肠道反应,统计腹泻发生率及发生的时间特点。分别在运动员进驻高原前和高原训练过程中采集粪便样品,进行粪便常规检测、提取全基因组DNA,质检合格样品采用高通量测序的手段进行微生物多样性分析。结果:1)高原训练期间运动员腹泻发生率为46.7%,所有腹泻案例持续时间均10天,其中74.1%持续时间5天。2)腹泻案例发生主要集中在两个时间段,分别是进入高原后的第1-3天(占总腹泻案例数的35.7%)及进入高原后的第7-10天(占总腹泻案例数的46.4%),至进入高原后的第12天不再有新增腹泻案例出现。3)运动员进驻高原前后微生物多样性无显著差异。4)相较与平原时,运动员肠道菌群拟杆菌门先上升后恢复,厚壁菌门先下降后恢复。结论:1)高原训练中运动员多发腹泻,腹泻案例呈现出两个爆发高峰。2)运动员进驻高原后肠道菌群结构发生改变,表现为拟杆菌门占比上升、厚壁菌门占比下降。随着微生物多样性分析技术的普及,针对性补充有益菌保障运动员平稳度过高原习服期,有助于降低高原训练期间腹泻发生率。     

Molecular characterization of trichomonads from feces of dogs with diarrhea

Trichomonads are occasionally observed in the feces of dogs with diarrhea. On the basis of superficial morphological appearance, these infections have been attributed to opportunistic overgrowth of the commensal, Pentatrichomonas hominis. However, molecular characterization of canine trichomonads has never been reported. This study was performed to determine, by means of rRNA gene sequence analysis, the identity of trichomonads observed in feces from dogs with diarrhea. Total DNA was isolated from fecal samples obtained from a 3-mo-old mixed breed dog and litter of German Shepherd puppies having profuse liquid diarrhea containing numerous trichomonads. Total DNA was subject to PCR amplification of partial 18S rRNA gene or 5.8S, ITS1, ITS2, and partial 18S and 28S rRNA genes using species-specific and universal primers, respectively. Products of 642 and 1864 base-pair length were amplified and cloned. On the basis of rRNA gene sequence, the trichomonads observed in the single dog and the litter of puppies shared 100% identity with Tritrichomonas foetus and P. hominis, respectively. The present study is the first to establish the molecular identity of trichomonads infecting dogs with diarrhea. These studies validate the longstanding assumption that canine trichomoniasis may be attributed to P. hominis. Importantly, these studies additionally recognize that canine trichomoniasis may also be caused by infection with T. foetus.     

从急性腹泻儿童中检出的人博卡病毒2型的研究

为了调查北京地区急性腹泻患儿中人博卡病毒2型（HBoV2）的流行情况并了解这一病毒的基因组特征,本研究收集2010年11月至2011年10月到首都儿科研究所附属儿童医院门诊就诊的急性腹泻患儿的粪便标本553例,采用荧光实时PCR进行HBoV2 DNA的检测。选择2例病毒载量较高的阳性标本进行HBoV2各基因片段的扩增并测序。将所测到的序列进行拼接后得到完整的基因组序列并与GenBank中的相关序列进行比较分析。结果显示,553例粪便标本中共检出HBoV2阳性标本15例,阳性率为2.7%;各年龄组中,3~6月龄患儿中的HBoV2 DNA阳性检出率最高（4.1%）;所检年度中,7月份阳性检出率最高（7.0%）;15例HBoV2检测阳性的患儿年龄均在2岁以下,其中4例患儿同时检出了诺如病毒,3例患儿同时检出了轮状病毒,1例检出了腺病毒。经测序得到两株接近完整的HBoV2基因组序列BJQ19和BJQ390;序列分析表明,这两株序列的同源性为99.2%,与GenBank中的FJ375129同源性最高,分别为99.1%和99.2%,为典型的HBoV2。上述结果表明,北京地区部分儿童的急性腹泻可能与HBoV2感染相关,且HBoV2感染在低年龄组儿童中更为常见。     

Viral metagenomics reveals diverse viruses in the fecal samples of children with diarrhea

Diarrhea is the third leading cause of death in developing countries in children under the age of five. About half a million children die of diarrhea every year, most of which in developing countries. Viruses are the main pathogen of diarrhea. In China, the fecal virome of children with diarrhea has been rarely studied. Using an unbiased viral metagenomics approach, we analyzed the fecal virome in children with diarrhea. Many DNA or RNA viruses associated with diarrhea identified in those fecal samples were mainly from six families of Adenoviridae, Astroviridae, Caliciviridae, Parvoviridae, Picornaviridae, and Reoviridae. Among them, the family of Caliciviridae accounts for the largest proportion of 78.42%, following with Adenoviridae (8.94%) and Picornaviridae (8.36%). In addition to those diarrhea-related viruses that have already been confirmed to cause human diarrhea, the viruses not associated with diarrhea were also identified including anellovirus and picobirnavirus. This study increased our understanding of diarrheic children fecal virome and provided valuable information for the prevention and treatment of viral diarrhea in this area.     

Isolation and characterization ofEscherichia coli O157:H7 strains in China

Five strains ofEscherichia coli O157:H7 were isolated from 486 stool specimens collected in 1986, 1987, and 1988 from patients with diarrhea in Xuzhou City, Jiangsu Province, China; 21 of the specimens were from patients with bloody diarrhea. The biochemical reactions of all five strains were almost identical with those of the well-knownE. coli O157:H7 strain 933. All of the strains were found to carry a 60 Md plasmid and two small plasmids. The plasmid DNA Hind 111 restriction patterns were identical. The strains were lysed byE. coli typing phage E1, E2, and E3, but not by E4 or E5. Data suggested that it might belong to a single phage or plasmid group. All strains produced vero toxin and caused diarrhea and death in infant rabbits and mice.     

Alterations in the Colonic Microbiota in Response to Osmotic Diarrhea

Background & Aims

Diseases of the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract are often accompanied by diarrhea with profound alterations in the GI microbiota termed dysbiosis. Whether dysbiosis is due to the disease itself or to the accompanying diarrhea remains elusive. With this study we characterized the net effects of osmotic diarrhea on the composition of the GI microbiota in the absence of disease.

Methods

We induced osmotic diarrhea in four healthy adults by oral administration of polyethylene glycol 4000 (PEG). Stool as well as mucosa specimens were collected before, during and after diarrhea and 16S rDNA-based microbial community profiling was used to assess the microbial community structure.

Results

Stool and mucosal microbiotas were strikingly different, with Firmicutes dominating the mucosa and Bacteroidetes the stools. Osmotic diarrhea decreased phylotype richness and showed a strong tendency to equalize the otherwise individualized microbiotas on the mucosa. Moreover, diarrhea led to significant relative shifts in the phyla Bacteroidetes and Firmicutes and to a relative increase in the abundance of Proteobacteria on the mucosa, a phenomenon also noted in several inflammatory and diarrheal GI diseases.

Conclusions

Changes in microbial community structure induced by osmotic diarrhea are profound and show similarities to changes observed in other GI diseases including IBD. These effects so must be considered when specimens from diarrheal diseases (i.e. obtained by stratification of samples according to diarrheal status) or conditions wherein bowel preparations like PEG (i.e. specimens obtained during endoscopy) are used.     

Epidemiology of functional diarrhea and comparison with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome: a population-based survey in china

Background

The epidemiology of functional diarrhea and its impacts on Chinese remain unclear, and there are no data on the comparative epidemiology of functional diarrhea and diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D). This study was to explore the epidemiology of functional diarrhea and its impacts, and to identify its distinction from IBS-D.

Methods and Findings

A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 16078 respondents, who were interviewed under a randomized stratified multi-stage sampling design in five cities of China. All respondents completed the modified Rome II questionnaire, and the 36-item Short Form health survey (SF-36) was used for assessing health-related quality of life in 20% of the sample. Overall, 248 respondents (1.54%) had functional diarrhea and 277 (1.72%) had IBS-D. Functional diarrhea was positively associated with increasing age and body mass index (trend test P<0.05). The three most common symptoms for at least 3 weeks in the past months were loose, mushy or watery stools (n = 203, 81.85%), more than three bowel movements a day (n = 100, 40.32%) and having to rush to the toilet to have a bowel movement (n = 72, 29.03%). Meaningful impairment was observed in 5 of the 8 SF-36 domains in respondents with functional diarrhea. The demographics are mostly similar between the respondents with functional diarrhea and IBS-D; however, respondents with IBS-D had more frequent symptoms of diarrhea and even lower scores in SF-36 domains than those with functional diarrhea.

Conclusions

The prevalence of functional diarrhea in China is substantially lower than that in Western countries and relatively higher than that in other Asian countries. It impaired health-related quality of life, and respondents with IBS-D have even worse quality of life. Further population-based studies are needed to investigate the epidemiology of functional diarrhea and the differences between functional diarrhea and IBS-D.     

Real-time PCR for the detection of Cryptosporidium parvum.

Real time, TaqMan PCR assays were developed for the Cp11 and 18S rRNA genes of the protozoan parasite Cryptosporidium parvum. The TaqMan probes were specific for the genus Cryptosporidium, but could not hybridize exclusively with human-infectious C. parvum species and genotypes. In conjunction with development of the TaqMan assays, two commercial kits, the Mo Bio UltraClean Soil DNA kit, and the Qiagen QIAamp DNA Stool kit, were evaluated for DNA extraction from calf diarrhea and manure, and potassium dichromate and formalin preserved human feces. Real-time quantitation was achieved with the diarrhea samples, but nested PCR was necessary to detect C. parvum DNA in manure and human feces. Ileal tissues were obtained from calves at 3, 7, and 14 days post-infection, and DNA extracted and assayed. Nested PCR detected C. parvum DNA in the 7-day post-infection sample, but neither of the other time point samples were positive. These results indicate that real-time quantitation of C. parvum DNA, extracted using the commercial kits, is feasible on diarrheic feces, with large numbers of oocysts and small concentrations of PCR inhibitor(s). For samples with few oocysts and high concentrations of PCR inhibitor(s), such as manure, nested PCR is necessary for detection.