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Abstract: Pineapple is the second most important tropical fruit in international trade and Mexico ranks ninth in world production. Pink disease is asymptomatic in the field and is characterized by the production of dark discoloration (amber-reddish brown) and its initial effects are not recognized until the fruits are cored and canned. Hence pink disease is considered a major problem in the pineapple canning industry. Four hundred and eighty isolates of pineapple were tested for antagonistic activity vs. Tatumella, causal agent of pink disease, and strain UAPS07070 was selected for further assays. Population dynamics were explored in co-inoculation in vitro and in planta with strain UAPS07070 and T. ptyseos UAPS07007. The population of UAPS07007, the producer strain of the disease severely declined in comparison with the controls. This work contributes to the knowledge of the ecology of pink disease in pineapple, as well as to the comprehension of the interactions between microorganisms colonizing the habitat of the plant. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Acinetobacter calcoaceticus-baumannii complex isolates have been frequently associated with hospital and community infections, with A. baumannii being the most common. Other Acinetobacter spp. not belonging to this complex also cause infections in hospital settings, and the incidence has increased over the past few years. Some species of the Acinetobacter genus possess a great diversity of antibiotic resistance mechanisms, such as efflux pumps, porins, and resistance genes that can be acquired and disseminated by mobilizable genetic elements. By means of whole-genome sequencing, we describe in the clinical Acinetobacter haemolyticus strain AN54 different mechanisms of resistance that involve bla OXA-265 , bla NDM-1 , aphA6 , aac(6')-Ig , and a resistance-nodulation-cell division-type efflux pump. This strain carries six plasmids, of which the plasmid pAhaeAN54e contains bla that have been reported in Mexico and other countries. The presence of these kinds of plasmids in an opportunistic pathogen such as NDM-1 in a Tn125-like transposon that is truncated at the 3' end. This strain also has an insertion sequence IS 91 and seven genes encoding hypothetical proteins. The pAhaeAN54e plasmid is nontypable and different from other plasmids carrying bla NDM-1 that have been reported in Mexico and other countries. The presence of these kinds of plasmids in an opportunistic pathogen such as A. haemolyticus highlights the role that these plasmids play in the dissemination of antibiotic resistance genes, especially against carbapenems, in Mexican hospitals.

Plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) increase plant growth and crop productivity. The inoculation of plants with a bacterial mixture (consortium) apparently provides greater benefits to plant growth than inoculation with a single bacterial strain. In the present work, a bacterial consortium was formulated containing four compatible and desiccation-tolerant strains with potential as PGPR. The formulation had one moderately (Pseudomonas putida KT2440) and three highly desiccation-tolerant (Sphingomonas sp. OF178, Azospirillum brasilense Sp7 and Acinetobacter sp. EMM02) strains. The four bacterial strains were able to adhere to seeds and colonize the rhizosphere of plants when applied in both mono-inoculation and multi-inoculation treatments, showing that they can also coexist without antagonistic effects in association with plants. The effects of the bacterial consortium on the growth of blue maize were evaluated. Seeds inoculated with either individual bacterial strains or the bacterial consortium were subjected to two experimental conditions before sowing: normal hydration or desiccation. In general, inoculation with the bacterial consortium increased the shoot and root dry weight, plant height and plant diameter compared to the non-inoculated control or mono-inoculation treatments. The bacterial consortium formulated in this work had greater benefits for blue maize plants even when the inoculated seeds underwent desiccation stress before germination, making this formulation attractive for future field applications.

Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) is a rare neoplasm of the lymphatic system, in which inflammation and allelic variants in cytokines have been proposed as etiological factors. Epstein-Barr virus infection is often associated as a risk factor in HL and since cytokines are involved in the humoral response to viral infection. Our aim was to study the association between single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in the tumor necrosis factor (TNF) gene (- 376G> A, - 238G> A and 581G> A) in a sample of Mexican patients (56 cases) and their susceptibility to develop HL, comparing these SNPs among healthy individuals (127 controls). Frequencies for TNF - 238G> A and TNF 581G> A showed no significant differences between cases and controls. However, the proportion of cases with the GA genotype of - 376 SNP showed a significant difference as compared to controls, odds ratio = 4.41 (95% confidence interval: 1.21-16.6), p = 0.02. We found that in this group of patients from Mexico the SNP - 376G> A in TNF shows an association with higher risk for HL.