Virome of Solenopsis invicta (Hymenoptera: Formicidae): Intercontinental differences in the native and introduced ranges.

A comprehensive survey of 430 Solenopsis invicta nests from 82 different sites in Argentina and the USA was conducted for all currently known viruses infecting, or associated with, the invasive red imported fire ant, S. invicta. Comparisons in viral abundance, diversity, and possible social form preferences were made.

Maternal Undernutrition Exacerbates Effects of Ambient Heat during Pregnancy in Mice.

Background: Undernutrition in females of childbearing age increases risk of fetal growth restriction and poor infant development. A rise in ambient temperature is thought to exacerbate the effects of undernutrition. However, few mechanistic studies exist to examine the interactions between maternal nutritional status and ambient temperature on fetal growth.

Development of a quantitative PCR method to detect the bacterial gall pathogen pv. from loropetalum plant materials.

Bacterial gall caused by Pseudomonas amygdali pv. loropetali (PAL) is a prevalent problem on Loropetalum chinense shrubs in commercial plant nurseries. A method was developed to reliably detect PAL on the surface of loropetalum twigs.

Novel strand-specific qPCR assay elucidates differences in viral replication kinetics between different strains of avian reovirus.

Unlabelled: Avian reovirus (ARVs) is an ubiquitous double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) virus that can infect both wild and domestic birds. Although many avian reovirus strains cause no clinical disease, pathogenic variants have been associated with a variety of clinical symptoms. Despite biocontainment measures and vaccination efforts, there has been an increase in pathogenic field isolates in the past two decades, placing a major burden on poultry producers.

Risk Assessment of Effects of Essential Oils on Honey Bees ( L.).

The toxicity of synthetic pesticides to non-target organisms has prompted a shift towards more environmentally friendly agricultural pest control methods, including the use of essential oils as possible biopesticides. Before these natural chemicals can be widely adopted for protecting food supplies and human health, it is crucial to evaluate their impacts on pollinators, such as honey bees. In this study, we examined the effects of one commercially available essential oil mixture (EcoTec+) and four essential oil components (β-bisabolene, cinnamaldehyde, 1,8-cineole, and eugenol) on honey bee workers using feeding or spray treatment.

Comparison of infestation rates of fall armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) neonates for maize resistance screening.

An economically important global maize pest, fall armyworm (Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith)), feed on all above-ground portions of maize plants, primarily the whorl tissues.

Severity of charcoal rot disease in soybean genotypes inoculated with isolates differs among growth environments.

Charcoal rot of soybean caused by Macrophomina phaseolina (Mp) is a major disease of economic significance around the world. The objective of this test is to evaluate and identify new method(s) that can identify resistant and susceptible genotypes when inoculated with the fungus that causes charcoal rot in non-field environments. Four independent experiments were performed to determine the variability in disease severity when soybean genotypes are inoculated with isolates up to a total of 100 different variants of the charcoal rot fungus in laboratory, greenhouse, and growth chamber tests.

Pyrrocidines A and B demonstrate synergistic inhibition of growth.

-a mycotoxigenic fungus and food safety threat-coinhabits maize kernels with . This protective endophyte produces secondary metabolites of interest, pyrrocidines A and B, which inhibit the growth of and specifically block fumonisin biosynthesis. Previous transcriptomic analyses found (FVEG_00314), a gene adjacent to the fumonisin biosynthetic gene cluster, to be induced over 4,000-fold in response to pyrrocidine challenge.

Immune responses of chickens against recombinant Salmonella enterica serotype Heidelberg FimA and FimW fimbriae and FliD and FlgK flagellar proteins.

Implementation of a vaccination program is one of the most effective means to control infectious diseases during food animal production. Salmonella, a Gram-negative bacterium, is a leading bacterial cause of human foodborne illnesses worldwide. The major source of this microorganism for human infection is from consumption of unsanitary poultry products.

Comparison of direct RNA sequencing of Orthoavulavirus javaense using two different chemistries on the MinION platform.

Rapidly identifying and sequencing viral pathogens in poultry flocks can substantially reduce economic loss especially during disease outbreaks. Current next generation sequencing technologies require multi-step laboratory-intensive workflows to generate sequence data which precludes field adaptation. In this study, we hypothesized that direct RNA sequencing (DRS) using an Oxford Nanopore Technology (ONT) MinION device would enable sequencing of the full-length viral RNA genome of Orthoavulavirus javaense (OAVJ), the causative of Newcastle disease, a major poultry challenge.

Effect of fast and slow-acting bait toxicants on tawny crazy ant (Hymenoptera: Formicidae) foraging and nesting in the field.

Tawny crazy ants (TCAs), Nylanderia fulva (Mayr) are an invasive species that develops extremely large populations that overrun landscapes. Control measures frequently rely on spraying contact insecticides, which often are inadequate. To provide insights for utilizing baits for their control, TCA foraging behavior was examined on liquid ant bait formulations that contained either fast-acting dinotefuran or slow-acting disodium octaborate tetrahydrate (DOT), and the impacts of these baits were assessed.

Electron-Beam-Killed Vaccine Reduced Lameness in Broiler Chickens.

Broiler chicken lameness caused by bacterial chondronecrosis with osteomyelitis (BCO) is presently amongst the most important economic and animal welfare issues faced by the poultry industry, and the estimated economic loss is around USD 150 million. BCO lameness is associated with multiple opportunistic bacterial pathogens inhabiting the respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts. In cases of immune deficiency resulting from stress, injury, or inflammation of the tissue, opportunistic pathogens, mainly spp.

Use of the Puccinia sorghi haustorial transcriptome to identify and characterize AvrRp1-D recognized by the maize Rp1-D resistance protein.

The common rust disease of maize is caused by the obligate biotrophic fungus Puccinia sorghi. The maize Rp1-D allele imparts resistance against the P. sorghi IN2 isolate by initiating a defense response that includes a rapid localized programmed cell death process, the hypersensitive response (HR).

Temperature-dependent predation predicts a more reptilian future.

Vertebrate diversity increases toward the tropics, but the extent to which this pattern varies with thermoregulatory strategy is unknown. A strong divergence, if confirmed, would imply a global restructuring of vertebrate communities with temperature. Here we present evidence for a novel latitudinal and thermal gradient of comparative vertebrate diversity.

Effects of full-fat high-oleic soybean meal in layer diets on performance, egg quality and chemical composition.

The utilization of full-fat high-oleic soybean meal in layer diets could lead to value-added poultry products. To test this idea, 336 hens were randomly assigned to 4 isonitrogenous (18.5% CP) and isocaloric (2,927 kcal/kg) formulated diets and fed the following diets for eight weeks: conventional control solvent-extracted defatted soybean meal (CON); extruded-expelled defatted soybean meal (EENO); full fat normal-oleic soybean meal (FFNO); or full fat high-oleic soybean meal (FFHO).

Susceptibility of pESI positive Salmonella to treatment with biocide chemicals approved for use in poultry meat processing as compared to Salmonella without the pESI plasmid.

Salmonella is a common cause of human foodborne illness, which is frequently associated with consumption of contaminated or undercooked poultry meat. Serotype Infantis is among the most common serotypes isolated from poultry meat products globally. Isolates of serotype Infantis carrying the pESI plasmid, the most dominant strain of Infantis, have been shown to exhibit oxidizer tolerance.

Sublethal effects of a commercial Bt product and Bt cotton flowers on the bollworm (Helicoverpa zea) with impacts to predation from a lady beetle (Hippodamia convergens).

Insecticidal Bacillus thuringiensis Berliner (Bt) toxins produced by transgenic cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) plants have become an essential component of cotton pest management. Bt toxins are the primary management tool in transgenic cotton for lepidopteran pests, the most important of which is the bollworm (Helicoverpa zea Boddie) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) in the United States (U.

Microbiota from human infants consuming secretors or non-secretors mothers' milk impacts the gut and immune system in mice.

Unlabelled: Maternal secretor status is one of the determinants of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) composition, which, in turn, influences the gut microbiota composition of infants. To understand if this change in gut microbiota impacts immune cell composition, intestinal morphology, and gene expression, 21-day-old germ-free C57BL/6 mice were transplanted with fecal microbiota from infants whose mothers were either secretors (SMM) or non-secretors (NSM) or from infants consuming dairy-based formula (MFM). For each group, one set of mice was supplemented with HMOs.

A quantitative survey of the blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) culturable nectar microbiome: variation between cultivars, locations, and farm management approaches.

Microbes in floral nectar can impact both their host plants and floral visitors, yet little is known about the nectar microbiome of most pollinator-dependent crops. In this study, we examined the abundance and composition of the fungi and bacteria inhabiting Vaccinium spp. nectar, as well as nectar volume and sugar concentrations.

Thinking inside the box: Restoring the propolis envelope facilitates honey bee social immunity.

When wild honey bee colonies (Apis mellifera) nest in hollow tree cavities, they coat the rough cavity walls with a continuous layer of propolis, a substance comprised primarily of plant resins. Studies have shown that the resulting "propolis envelope" leads to both individual- and colony-level health benefits. Unfortunately, the smooth wooden boxes most commonly used in beekeeping do little to stimulate propolis collection.

Distribution of Antibiotic Resistance in a Mixed-Use Watershed and the Impact of Wastewater Treatment Plants on Antibiotic Resistance in Surface Water.

The aquatic environment has been recognized as a source of antibiotic resistance (AR) that factors into the One Health approach to combat AR. To provide much needed data on AR in the environment, a comprehensive survey of antibiotic-resistant bacteria (ARB), antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs), and antibiotic residues was conducted in a mixed-use watershed and wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) within the watershed to evaluate these contaminants in surface water. A culture-based approach was used to determine prevalence and diversity of ARB in surface water.

Potential Energy and Environmental Footprint Savings from Reducing Food Loss and Waste in Europe: A Scenario-Based Multiregional Input-Output Analysis.

Food loss and waste (FLW) contribute significantly to the global food system's economic and environmental burdens, including substantial greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, resource depletion, and waste management challenges. In alignment with the European Commission's sustainability objectives and U.N.

Stem borer herbivory dependent on interactions of sugarcane variety, associated traits, and presence of prior borer damage.

Background: Herbivory risk is mediated by plant traits related to nutrition and defense that can vary within a species by genotype and age. Prior herbivore damage accrued by a plant can also interact with these traits to alter future herbivory potential by changing plant quantity or quality. Sugarcane (Saccharum spp.