Project description:An adult female osprey (Pandion haliaetus) was found weak and unable to fly in Auburn, Alabama in August 2019. The bird was captured and submitted to the Southeastern Raptor Center of the Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine for evaluation. On presentation, the bird was thin with a body condition score of approximately 1.5 out of 5. The bird died during the examination and was submitted for necropsy. At the necropsy, there was a severe loss of muscle mass over the body, and the keel was prominent. The liver and spleen were moderately enlarged with pale tan to red foci randomly scattered throughout the parenchyma. A histopathologic observation revealed multifocal to coalescing areas of necrosis and hemorrhage with intralesional protozoans in the liver, spleen, lungs, kidney, sciatic nerve, esophagus, cerebrum, heart, and proventriculus. Immunohistochemistry using anti-Toxoplasma gondii-specific antibodies showed a strong positive labeling of the parasite. Semi-nested PCR, specific for the B1 gene of T. gondii, successfully identified T. gondii. This is the first confirmed case of T. gondii infection in an osprey.
Project description:Stenotrophomonas maltophilia is an emerging opportunistic multidrug-resistant pathogen frequently co-isolated with other relevant nosocomial pathogens in respiratory tract infections. S. maltophilia uses the endogenous DSF quorum sensing (QS) system to regulate virulence processes but can also respond to exogenous AHL signals produced by neighboring bacteria. A whole-transcriptome sequencing analysis was performed for S. maltophilia strain K279a in the exponential and stationary phases and in exponential cultures after a treatment with exogenous DSF or AHLs. Among the common top upregulated genes, the putative TetR-like regulator Smlt2053 was selected for functional characterization. This regulator was found to sense long-chain fatty acids, including the QS signal DSF, and activate a β-oxidation catabolic pathway.
