Publications

4501

In Iran, polyphasic studies of unicellular cyanobacteria are still scarce, with more emphasis being placed on filamentous cyanobacteria in paddy fields and fresh water regions. In an effort to increase the knowledge of the diversity of unicellular cyanobacteria from paddy fields in Iran, we have isolated and characterized a new unicellular cyanobacterium strain. The strain was studied using a polyphasic approach based on morphological, ecological and phylogenetic analyses of the 16S–23S ITS rRNA gene region. Complementarily, we have searched for the presence of cyanotoxin genes and analysed the pigment content of the strain. Results showed that the strain was morphologically indistinguishable from the genus Chroococcus , but phylogenetic analyses based on the Bayesian inference and maximum-likelihood methods placed the strain in a separated monophyletic and highly supported (0.99/98, posterior probability/maximum-likelihood) genus-level cluster, distant from Chroococcus sensu stricto and with Chalicogloea cavernicola as sister taxa. The calculated p-distance for the 16S rRNA gene also reinforced the presence of a new genus, by showing 92 % similarity to C. cavernicola . The D1–D1′, Box-B and V3 ITS secondary structures showed the uniqueness of this strain, as it shared no similar pattern with closest genera within the Chroococcales. For all these reasons, and in accordance with the International Code of Nomenclature for Algae, Fungi and Plants, we here proposed the description of a new genus with the name Alborzia gen. nov. along with the description of a new species, Alborzia kermanshahica sp. nov. (holotype: CCC1399-a; reference strains CCC1399-b; MCC 4116).

Abstract 'Ca. Phytoplasma pini' is a member of phytoplasma 16S rRNA gene RFLP group XXI, subgroup XXI-A. It has been identified in a number of European countries, including Germany, Poland, Lithuania, Spain, Czech Republic and Croatia. Outside of Europe it has been identified in China and Mozambique. A related strain has also been identified in Maryland, USA. In the USA, favourable climatic conditions and wide availability of potential host plants of the phytoplasma, suggest that the potential for spread of 'Ca. Phytoplasma pini' could be significant. Host plants include Pinus sylvestris, P. halepensis, P. mugo, P. banksiana, P. nigra, P. tabuliformis, Abies procera and Tsuga canadensis. Symptoms include the formation of ball-like growths containing dwarfed needles, yellowed or reddish needles and the loss of needles. It is transmitted by insect vectors that are currently unknown.

Abstract The reference strain of 'Ca. Phytoplasma trifolii' is the causative agent of clover proliferation (CP) disease of alsike clover (Trifolium hybridum). The CP disease was first reported in Canada in the early 1960s when the aetiological agent was mistakenly presumed to be a yellows-type virus (Chiykowski, 1965). Subsequent investigations revealed that the disease was associated with infection by a mycoplasma-like organism (Chen and Hiruki, 1975>; Hiruki and Chen, 1984), now termed phytoplasma, strain CPR (Hiruki and Wang, 2004). Later, phytoplasmas of the same lineage (subgroup 16SrVI-A) were found in the USA, Mexico, and many countries in Europe and Asia, causing diseases in diverse leguminous and vegetable crops, responsible for significant yield losses and quality reductions. Phytoplasmas of the same lineage also caused disease in elm trees in the USA. Phytoplasmas of closely-related lineages (various subgroups of group 16SrVI) also have wide distributions around the world.

Abstract Elm yellows develops in sporadic epidemics after introduction of 'Ca. Phytoplasma ulmi' to areas where vectors are abundant.

Abstract.We tried to determine the epidemiology and species of human dirofilariasis observed at two tertiary care hospitals in Kerala. We searched the hospital database to identify cases of dirofilariosis from January 2005 to March 2020. Along with human isolates, one dog Dirofilaria isolate was also subjected to PCR and sequencing of pan filarial primers cytochrome oxidase subunits 1 and 12S rDNA. We documented 78 cases of human dirofilariosis. The orbit, eyelid, and conjunctiva were the most commonly affected sites. Molecular characterization identified one dog and five human isolates as Candidatus Dirofilaria Hongkongensis. A rare case of subconjunctival infestation by B. malayi was also documented. Human dirofilariosis is a public health problem in the state of Kerala in India, and it is mostly caused by Candidatus Dirofilaria Hongkongensis. We propose that all diroifilaria isolates are subjected to sequencing for identification.

Abstract Phytoplasmas are wall-less, phloem-limited unculturable bacteria that are naturally spread by sap-sucking insects. 'Candidatus Phytoplasma australiense', subgroup 16SrXII-B, is associated with a wide range of diseases in Australia and New Zealand. Important commercial crop hosts of 'Ca. Phytoplasma australiense' include grapevine, papaya and strawberry. This phytoplasma is associated with rapid death of its papaya and cabbage tree hosts. In New Zealand, the insect vectors have been confirmed to be the endemic Cixiid planthoppers, Zeoliarus atkinsoni and Z. oppositus, while in Australia no vector has yet been determined, although the leafhopper, Orosius argentatus, has been implicated. Long distance spread of the phytoplasma is possible through infected vegetative propagating material. 'Ca. Phytoplasma australiense' is on the A1 list of regulated organisms for Canada and Bahrain, and is listed as a quarantine pest for the USA.

Abstract Phytoplasmas are cell-wall-less plant pathogenic bacteria of the class Mollicutes, which inhabit the phloem sieve tubes of plants and have been associated with several hundred diseases affecting economically important crops. Over the past few decades 'Candidatus Phytoplasma solani', belonging to the 16SrXII-A ribosomal subgroup, has been found to cause a range of plant diseases in different agro-ecosystems in many countries in Europe and the eastern Mediterranean area and a number of others all over the world. It is thought likely that it has always been present, at least in its European range, but has only been noticed in recent years. Diseases caused include bois noir in grapevines, stolbur in tomatoes, potatoes and other wild and cultivated plants, maize redness, lavender decline, and yellowing, reddening, decline, dwarfism, leaf malformation and degeneration diseases of other plants. 'Ca. P. solani' is usually transmitted from plant to plant by the polyphagous insect vector Hyalesthes obsoletus (Cixiidae) which, although it can complete its life cycle on only a small number of plant species, feeds on a much wider range. Recent studies have demonstrated the presence of additional insect vectors of this phytoplasma in Europe, such as Reptalus panzeri in Serbia, possibly R. quinquecostatus in Serbia and France, and Anaceratagallia ribauti in Austria. This scenario highlights the extreme complexity of the ecology of both 'Ca. Phytoplasma solani' and its insect vectors, underlying the difficulty in studying the epidemiology of diseases associated with this pathogen and in developing efficient control strategies. 'Ca. Phytoplasma solani' is also transmitted by parasitic plants and by grafting and vegetative propagation of infected host plants; it can be spread when host plants are transported by people. In the European Union it is listed as a harmful organism necessitating restrictions on the import of plants in the family Solanaceae.

Abstract Phytoplasmas are wall-less parasitic bacteria living exclusively in plant phloem as consequence of transmission by sap-sucking insect vectors (Lee et al., 2000); they have been associated with several hundred plant diseases. 'Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium' (CaPphoe), subgroup 16SrIX-B, is the aetiological agent of almond witches'-broom (AlmWB), a severe disease affecting almond, peach and nectarine trees in Lebanon and Iran. The first epidemics of AlmWB occurred in almond trees in Lebanon in the early 1990s and in Iran in 1995. In Lebanon, the disease rapidly spread from coastal to high mountainous areas, killing almost 150,000 trees over a period of 15 years. CaPphoe was first added to the EPPO Alert List in 2001 and removed from the list in 2006. The more recent rapid spread of CaPphoe in peach and nectarine orchards and in other plant hosts, along with the identification of efficient insect vectors, increased the alarm about the risk it poses for stone fruit production in the Middle East and in all the countries of the Mediterranean basin. Thus it was re-inserted in the EPPO Alert List in 2015.

Abstract Sponges underpin the productivity of coral reefs, yet few of their microbial symbionts have been functionally characterised. Here we present an analysis of ~1200 metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) spanning seven sponge species and 25 microbial phyla. Compared to MAGs derived from reef seawater, sponge-associated MAGs were enriched in glycosyl hydrolases targeting components of sponge tissue, coral mucus and macroalgae, revealing a critical role for sponge symbionts in cycling reef organic matter. Further, visualisation of the distribution of these genes amongst symbiont taxa uncovered functional guilds for reef organic matter degradation. Genes for the utilisation of sialic acids and glycosaminoglycans present in sponge tissue were found in specific microbial lineages that also encoded genes for attachment to sponge-derived fibronectins and cadherins, suggesting these lineages can utilise specific structural elements of sponge tissue. Further, genes encoding CRISPR and restriction-modification systems used in defence against mobile genetic elements were enriched in sponge symbionts, along with eukaryote-like gene motifs thought to be involved in maintaining host association. Finally, we provide evidence that many of these sponge-enriched genes are laterally transferred between microbial taxa, suggesting they confer a selective advantage within the sponge niche and therefore play a critical role in host ecology and evolution.

Abstract Phytoplasmas are wall-less parasitic bacteria living exclusively in plant phloem as consequence of transmission by sap-sucking insect vectors (Lee et al., 2000); they have been associated with several hundred plant diseases. 'Candidatus Phytoplasma phoenicium' (CaPphoe), subgroup 16SrIX-B, is the aetiological agent of almond witches'-broom (AlmWB), a severe disease affecting almond, peach and nectarine trees in Lebanon and Iran. The first epidemics of AlmWB occurred in almond trees in Lebanon in the early 1990s and in Iran in 1995. In Lebanon, the disease rapidly spread from coastal to high mountainous areas, killing almost 150,000 trees over a period of 15 years. CaPphoe was first added to the EPPO Alert List in 2001 and removed from the list in 2006. The more recent rapid spread of CaPphoe in peach and nectarine orchards and in other plant hosts, along with the identification of efficient insect vectors, increased the alarm about the risk it poses for stone fruit production in the Middle East and in all the countries of the Mediterranean basin. Thus it was re-inserted in the EPPO Alert List in 2015.