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The richness, phylogeny and composition of archaeal community associated with the roots of common reed ( Phragmites australis) growing in the Beijing Cuihu Wetland, China was investigated using a 16S rDNA library. In total, 235 individual sequences were collected, and a phylogenetic analysis revealed that 69.4 and 11.5 % of clones were affiliated with the Euryarchaeota and the Crenarchaeota, respectively. In Euryarchaeota, the archaeal community was dominated by species in following genera: Methanobacterium in the order Methanobacteriales (60.7 %); Methanoregula and Methanospirillum in the order Methanomicrobiales (20.2 %), and Methanomethylovorans, Methanosarcina and Methanosaeta in the order Methanosarcinales (17.2 %). Of 27 sequences assigned to uncultured Crenarchaeota, 22 were grouped into Group 1.3, and five grouped into Group 1.1b. Hence, the archaeal communities associated with reed roots are largely involved in methane production, and, to a lesser extent, in ammonia oxidization. Quantification of the archaeal amoA gene indicated that ammonia oxidizing archaea were more numerous in the rhizosphere soil than in the root tissue or surrounding water. A total of 19.1 % of the sequences were unclassified, suggesting that many unidentified archaea are probably involved in the reed wetland ecosystem. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Neospora caninum is an important cause of abortion in cattle worldwide, but the isolation of a viable parasite from an abortus is difficult, and viable N. caninum has not been isolated from any host in China. In the present study, peripheral blood samples were collected from a jugular vein of an adult dairy cow that had aborted; the cow was seropositive to N. caninum antibodies by ELISA. White blood cells were separated and seeded onto Vero cell monolayer cultures for parasite isolation. Tachyzoites were first observed in cell culture on day 84 after initial inoculation. The parasite was confirmed to be N. caninum by gene sequencing and immunofluorescence, and by bioassays in BALB/c mice. The new N. caninum isolate (NC-Bj) has a unique pattern on microsatellite Cont-14. To our knowledge, this is the first successful isolation of N. caninum in China from any host. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Cats are essential in the epidemiology of Toxoplasma gondii because they are the only hosts that can excrete the environmentally resistant oocysts in nature. This study was aimed to determine the seropositivity, distribution of genotypes and mouse virulence of T. gondii from stray cats in Beijing, China. A total of 64 serum samples, 23 feces and tissue samples were collected from stray cats in Beijing. Antibodies to T. gondii were assayed by the modified agglutination test (MAT). 57.8% (37/64) of these stray cats had titers of 1:20 or higher and were considered positive with infection. T. gondii oocysts were not found in feces of the 23 cats. Tissues of 23 cats were bioassayed in mice and 11 T. gondii isolates were obtained. The genotype of these isolates were identified by 11 PCR-RFLP markers, including SAG1, (3′+5′)SAG2, alt.SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, GRA6, c22-8, c29-2, L358, PK1, and an apicoplast marker, Apico. Only one genotype was identified. This genotype, designated as ToxoDB genotype #9, was previously reported in cats, pigs and human from Guangdong and Gansu provinces in China and animals from a few other countries. To determine mouse virulence of this lineage of parasites, one isolate was randomly selected and inoculated into BABL/c mice, the result showed that it is intermediately virulent to mice. These results indicated that an atypical, intermediately virulent T. gondii lineage is widespread in China. The high seropositivity of T. gondii in stray cats posts potential risk of transmission of the parasite to human population in the region. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]