Conifer bark beetles are well known to be associated with fungal complexes, which consist of pathogenic ophiostomatoid fungi as well as obligate saprotroph species. However, there is little information on fungi associated with Ips acuminatus in central and eastern Europe. The aim of the study was to investigate the composition of the fungal communities associated with the pine engraver beetle, I. acuminatus, in the forest-steppe zone in Ukraine and to evaluate the pathogenicity of six associated ophiostomatoid species by inoculating three-year-old Scots pine seedlings with these fungi. In total, 384 adult beetles were collected from under the bark of declining and dead Scots pine trees at two different sites. Fungal culturing from 192 beetles resulted in 447 cultures and direct sequencing of ITS rRNA from 192 beetles in 496 high-quality sequences. Identification of the above revealed that the overall fungal community was composed of 60 species. Among these, the most common were Entomocorticium sp. (24.5%), Diplodia pinea (24.0%), Ophiostoma ips (16.7%), Sydowia polyspora (15.1%), Graphilbum cf rectangulosporium (15.1%), Ophiostoma minus (13.8%) and Cladosporium pini-ponderosae (13.0%). Pathogenicity tests were done using six species of ophiostomatoid fungi, which were inoculated into Scots pine seedlings. All ophiostomatoid fungi tested successfully infected seedlings of Scots pine with varying degrees of virulence. Ophiostoma minus was the only fungus that caused dieback in inoculated seedlings. It is concluded that I. acuminatus vectors a species-rich fungal community including pathogens such as D. pinea and O. minus. The fungal community reported in the present study is different from that reported in other regions of Europe. Pathogenicity tests showed that O. minus was the most virulent causing dieback in seedlings of Scots pine, while other fungi tested appeared to be only slightly pathogenic or completely non-pathogenic., Kateryna Davydenko, Rimvydas Vasaitis, Audrius Menkis., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Based on previously published data, the Czech Republic is regarded an endemic country of the onchocercid nematodes Dirofilaria immitis (Leidy, 1856) and Dirofilaria repens Railliet et Henry, 1911. Nevertheless, while cases of D. repens are commonly reported from dogs in South Moravia, no recent records of D. immitis are available. Therefore, the present study was performed to clarify the occurrence of both species of Dirofilaria Railliet et Henry, 1910. Blood samples of 551 dogs sampled during 2015 and 2016 were analysed microscopically for presence of microfilariae and blood sera were examined by IDEXX SNAP® 4Dx® test (IDEXX, USA). DNA from blood of microscopically positive dogs was extracted and PCR protocol amplifying fragment of cytochrome c oxidase I (COI) gene was performed; PCR products were then sequenced. All dogs from the Bohemian part of the Czech Republic were negative. The prevalence of D. repens in the Moravian region was 5.7 % (27/476). BLAST analyses of obtained sequences confirmed the presence of D. repens (99-100% identical to KX265049). All sampled animals showed a negative result for D. immitis antigen in IDEXX SNAP® 4Dx® test. Our study confirmed the previously reported occurrence of D. repens in South Moravia and revealed its spreading from the epicentre to the north and west. PCR with subsequent sequencing together with negative results for D. immitis antigen in IDEXX SNAP® 4Dx® test revealed only D. repens infection. A previously published autochthonous infection of dogs with D. immitis in South Moravia was not confirmed.
Coccidiosis is a parasitic disease caused by protists (apicomplexans) of the genus Eimeria Schneider, 1875 and is considered to be the most important disease faced by rabbit breeders due to its high morbidity. In the present study, the antioxidant status and changes in apoptosis and in the expression of some genes were quantified in rabbits' ilea following infection with Eimeria intestinalis Cheissin, 1948. Rabbits, orally infected with 1 × 105 sporulated oocysts of E. intestinalis, started to shed oocysts in their faeces on 8 days post infection (dpi) and reached maximum excretion on 10 dpi, with approximately 5 million oocysts. This was accompanied by a significant decrease in the live body weight of infected rabbits. Also, malondialdehyde and nitric oxide were significantly increased while catalase and glutathione were significantly decreased in the ileum tissues of the infected rabbits. In addition, a significant increase was observed in the percentages of apoptotic cells in the ilea of the infected rabbits. Furthermore, interleukin-1β and interleukin-2 mRNA levels were significantly down-regulated and mRNA levels of interleukin-6, interferon gamma and inducible nitric oxide synthase were significantly up-regulated, while those of C-reactive protein remained unchanged. We conclude that infection with E. intestinalis induces oxidative stress, a significant increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells and a diverse and robust Th1 and Th1-related cytokine response in the ileum tissues., Heba M. Abdel-Haleem, Shawky M. Aboelhadid, Thabet Sakran, Gamal El-Shahawy, Huda El-Fayoumi, Saleh Al-Quraishy, Abdel-Azeem S. Abdel-Baki., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Objectives. The present study aimed to investi-gate the generational and gender differences in narcissism score, and value orientation among Slovakian generations Y and Z.Sample and settings. The sample of the research consisted of 955 participants, 192 men and 763 women. Generation Y consisted of 501 respon-dents and generation Z consisted of 454 respon-dents. The 16-Item Narcissistic Personality In-ventory and Portrait Values Questionnaire were administered.Hypotheses. The score of narcissism is higher in generation Z compared to generation Y and there are no differences in the value preference between these generations. There is a positive relationship between the narcissism score and individualistic values and negative relationship between narcissism score and collectivist va-lues.Statistical analyses. Descriptive statistics: per-centage, averages and standard deviations. In-ferential statistics: ANOVA, Pearson corelation analysis, Z-test for independent samples, mul-tiple linear regression. The obtained data were analyzed by SPSS.Results. The results revealed higher narcissi-sm scores among generation Y in comparison to generation Z, with men having a higher rate of narcissism. The results indicated differen-ces between the generations and gender in the preference for the values of power, hedonism, stimulation, benevolence, universalism and se-curity. The data supported significant positive relationship between narcissism and individu-alistic values; negative relationship between narcissism and collectivist values, regardless of gender and generation. The preference for indi-vidualistic values was predicted by the narcissi-sm and generation; within collectivism, only the narcissism proved to be a significant predictor.Limitations. The limitations result from data collection, research design, the nature of the re-search group and the methods used. The results are valid for the researched group only. and Ciele. Cieľom štúdie bolo skúmať generačné a rodové rozdiely v miere narcizmu a hodnoto-vej orientácie príslušníkov generácie Y a Z na Slovensku.Súbor a metóda. Výskumný súbor tvorilo 955 respondentov, pozostávajúci zo 192 mužov a 763 žien. Generáciu Y reprezentovalo 501 res-pondentov, generáciu Z reprezentovalo 454 res-pondentov. U respondentov bol administrovaný 16-položkový Inventár narcistickej osobnosti a Schwartzov dotazník hodnotových portrétov.Hypotézy. Miera narcizmu je vyššia u generácie Z v porovnaní s generáciou Y. Neexistujú roz-diely v preferencii hodnôt medzi príslušníkmi generácií Y a Z. Existuje pozitívny vzťah medzi mierou narcizmu a preferenciou individualistic-ky zameraných hodnôt; a negatívny vzťah k pre-ferencii kolektivisticky zameraných hodnôt.Štatistická analýza. Deskriptívna analýza: per-centá, priemery, smerodajné odchýlky. Inferenč-ná analýza: ANOVA, Pearsonova korelačná ana-lýza, Z-test pre 2 nezávislé výbery, viacnásobná regresná analýza. Získané dáta boli analyzované štatistickým programom SPSS.Výsledky. Výsledky ukázali vyššiu mieru nar-cizmu u generácie Y v porovnaní s generáciou Z, pričom vyššiu mieru narcizmu dosiahli muži. Výsledky poukázali na štatisticky signifikantné generačné a rodové rozdiely v preferencii hod-nôt moc, hedonizmus, stimulácia, benevolencia, univerzalizmus a bezpečie. Výskum potvrdil vý-znamný pozitívny vzťah medzi narcizmom a pre-ferenciou individualistických hodnôt; negatívny vzťah medzi narcizmom a preferenciou kolekti-vistických hodnôt bez ohľadu na rod a generač-nú príslušnosť. Preferenciu individualistických hodnôt predikovala miera narcizmu a generačná príslušnosť, u kolektivizmu sa ako signifikantný prediktor ukázala len miera narcizmu.Obmedzenia. Obmedzenia vyplývajú zo zberu dát, designu výskumu, charakteru výskumného súboru a použitých metód. Výsledky platia iba pre skúmaný výskumný súbor.
In in vivo cardiovascular or toxicological studies involving rat models, changes in selected electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters are monitored after various interventions to assess the origin and development of heart rhythm disorders. Each ECG parameter has diagnostic significance; as such, commonly evaluated ECG parameters, including heart rate, PR interval, P wave duration, P wave amplitude, QRS complex, QT and QTc interval duration, R wave and T wave amplitude, of rats under various types of general anesthesia were the focus of this study. Studies that performed in vivo cardiovascular or toxicological experiments in rats were retrieved from a search of the Web of Science database for articles published mainly between 2000 and 2021. In total, the search retrieved 123 articles. ECG parameters that were reported as baseline or control values were summarized and averages with ranges were calculated. It is important to be cautious when interpreting results and, in discussions addressing the mechanisms underlying a given type of arrhythmia, acknowledge that initial ECG parameters may already be affected to some extent by the general anesthesia as well as by sex and the time of day the experiments were performed. and autoři: Pavol Svorc, Pavol Svorc Jr
The utility of inter simple sequence repeat-PCR (ISSR-PCR) assay in the genetic characterisation and elucidation of the phylogenetic relationship of different microsporidian isolates infecting tropical tasar silkworm, Antheraea mylitta Drury, is demonstrated. A total of 22 different microsporidians collected from the diseased tasar silkworms from Jharkhand state of India were analysed using morphological characters and ISSR-PCR. Observations spores under phase contrast microscope revealed oval to elongate in shape with length ranging from 3.8 μm to 5.1 μm and width from 2.6 μm to 3.3 μm. All the microsporidian isolates except MIJ-1gC showed gonadal infection and transovarial transmission in infected tasar silkworms. Fourteen out of 20 ISSR primers tested generated reproducible profiles and yielded a total of 281 fragments, of which 273 were polymorphic (97%). The degree of banding pattern was used to evaluate genetic distances and for phylogenetic analysis. The results demonstrated that ISSR analysis may be a useful and efficient tool for taxonomical grouping and phylogenetic classification of different microsporidians in general., Wazid Hassan, B. Surendra Nath., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Black rats (Rattus rattus) are native to the Indian subcontinent but have now colonized most continents and islands following human movements and international trade. They are involved in the circulation and transmission to humans of many zoonotic agents as well as in massive damage to food stocks and native biodiversity in the regions they have settled. This study investigates the genetic diversity and possible origins of black rats from Benin, West Africa. We sequenced the complete mitochondrial cytochrome b gene in 90 individuals from nine localities in Benin. These sequences were subsequently compared to 390 other cytochrome b haplotypes from individuals from various European, Asian, American and African localities. Nucleotide polymorphism analysis, haplotype network and maximum likelihood phylogenetic tree reconstructions showed low mitochondrial diversity in black rats from Benin. Our results also suggest at least two distinct introduction events: one introduction probably occurred during the spice trade (15th-17th century) through the Indies Road connecting Europe to Asia. Other introduction events could have occurred more recently following the intensification of globalized trade from the eighteenth century, and onwards.
The aim of the present study was to estimate the genetic diversity of the cestode Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863 in Poland based on sequence analysis of the mitochondrial genes of worms isolated from red foxes, Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus). Overall, 83 adults of E. multilocularis from the same number of foxes in different parts of Poland were used for analysis. Sequences of the three mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b (cob), NADH dehydrogenase subunit 2 (nad2) and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 (cox1), were analysed. Seventy-four individual biological samples were successfully sequenced. Combined sequence analysis of these three genes exhibited fifteen Polish haplotypes (EmPL1-EmPL15). Most isolates (n = 29; 39%) were classified to the EmPL1 haplotype, which occurred mainly in the east, north and centre of Poland. Haplotype EmPL4 (n = 14; 19%) and other haplotypes appeared predominantly in the south and west area. Fourteen haplotypes were grouped in the European clade. One Polish haplotype (EmPL9) (n = 7, 10%) was assigned to the Asian clade with haplotypes from Japan and Kazakhstan. This haplotype was found only in northeast Poland and this is the westernmost report of haplotype of E. multilocularis belonging to the Asian clade in Europe. The investigation demonstrated that populations of E. multilocularis in Poland (and probably also in eastern Europe) included not only different European haplotypes but also those of the Asian origin., Jacek Karamon, Krzysztof Stojecki, Małgorzata Samorek-Pieróg, Ewa Bilska-Zajac, Mirosław Rózycki, Ewa Chmurzyńska, Jacek Sroka, Jolanta Zdybel, Tomasz Cencek., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Two species of the genus Gryllus occur in Europe: G. campestris and G. bimaculatus. The first is widely distributed in the north-western Palaearctic, while the second, G. bimaculatus, occurs predominantly in the Mediterranean area. There is a visible pattern in the distribution of G. campestris, the insect being rare and threatened in the western part of its range, whereas it is still abundant in the east. Despite the fact that this species is commonly used in laboratory experiments, its natural populations are poorly characterised. In the present study, we analysed cricket populations from the lower Oder and Vistula River valleys in Poland. Based on the phylogeny of the mtDNA cytochrome b fragment, we found that 17% of the individuals studied had a G. bimaculatus-like mtDNA haplotype. Analyses of 11 autosomal microsatellite loci failed to reveal any clear genetic differentiation between individuals assigned to these two clades. This suggests, along with the spatial distribution of G. bimaculatus-like haplotypes, successful interbreeding of G. bimaculatus with native populations of G. campestris. However, both the nuclear data and additional analyses of two X-chromosome-linked microsatellite loci revealed incomplete introgression. Human-mediated introgression seems to be the most plausible explanation of the observed genotypic pattern such that caution needs to be taken in conservation efforts carried out in the western part of the species' range., Hanna Panagiotopoulou, Mateusz Baca, Katarzyna Baca, Paweł Sienkiewicz, Piotr Ślipiński, Michał Żmihorski., and Obsahuje bibliografii