Project description:In this report, we have developed a rapid oligonucleotide microarray detection technique to identify the most common ten Legionella spp.. The sensitivity of the detection was at 1.0 ng with genomic DNA or 13 CFU/100 mL with Legionella cultures. The microarray detected seven air conditioner-condensed water samples with 100% accuracy, validating the technique as a promising method for applications in basic microbiology, clinical diagnosis, food safety, and epidemiological surveillance. The phylogenetic study based on the ITS has also revealed interestingly that the non-pathogenic L. fairfieldensis is the closest to L. pneumophila than the nine other pathogenic Legionella spp..
Project description:Epidemiologic information is key when interpreting whole genome sequence data – lessons learned from the genomic analysis of the largest German Legionella pneumophila outbreak (Warstein, 2013)
Project description:The outbreak-causing monkeypox virus of 2022 (2022 MPXV) is classified as a clade IIb strain and phylogenetically distinct from prior endemic MPXV strains (clades I or IIa), suggesting that its virological properties may also differ. Here, we used human keratinocytes and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived colon organoids to examine the efficiency of viral growth in these cells and the MPXV infection-mediated host responses. MPXV replication was much more productive in keratinocytes than in colon organoids. We observed that MPXV infections, regardless of strain, caused cellular dysfunction and mitochondrial damage in keratinocytes. Notably, a significant increase in the expression of hypoxia-related genes was observed specifically in 2022 MPXV-infected keratinocytes. Our comparison of virological features between 2022 MPXV and prior endemic MPXV strains revealed signaling pathways potentially involved with the cellular damages caused by MPXV infections and highlights host vulnerabilities that could be utilized as protective therapeutic strategies against human mpox in the future.
