Search

Acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) is a severe lung condition with high mortality and various causes, including lung infection. No specific treatment is currently available and more research aimed at better understanding the pathophysiology of ARDS is needed. Most lung-on-chip models that aim at mimicking the air-blood barrier are designed with a horizontal barrier through which immune cells can migrate vertically, making it challenging to visualize and investigate their migration. In addition, these models often lack a barrier of natural protein-derived extracellular matrix (ECM) suitable for live cell imaging to investigate ECM-dependent migration of immune cells as seen in ARDS. This study reports a novel inflammation-on-chip model with live cell imaging of immune cell extravasation and migration during lung inflammation. The three-channel perfusable inflammation-on-chip system mimics the lung endothelial barrier, the ECM environment and the (inflamed) lung epithelial barrier. A chemotactic gradient was established across the ECM hydrogel, leading to the migration of immune cells through the endothelial barrier. We found that immune cell extravasation depends on the presence of an endothelial barrier, on the ECM density and stiffness, and on the flow profile. In particular, bidirectional flow, broadly used in association with rocking platforms, was found to importantly delay extravasation of immune cells in contrast to unidirectional flow. Extravasation was increased in the presence of lung epithelial tissue. This model is currently used to study inflammation-induced immune cell migration but can be used to study infection-induced immune cell migration under different conditions, such as ECM composition, density and stiffness, type of infectious agents used, and the presence of organ-specific cell types.

Collecting blood-fed mosquitoes to monitor pathogen presence or to gather information on the host blood meal is often challenging. Fermenting molasses can be used to produce carbon dioxide to attract host-seeking mosquitoes, however, earlier work indicated that it may also attract blood-fed mosquitoes in the field. In the current study, these field results were validated in an experimental setting using a large cage setup with Anopheles coluzzii (Diptera, Culicidae). Blood-fed mosquitoes were indeed attracted to fermenting molasses with the highest attraction at 72 hours post feeding, which was used for subsequent experiments. Next, it was tested if fermentation of molasses is required for attraction, and whether it acts as an oviposition attractant, increases egg laying, or increases mosquito survival. The compounds that could be responsible for attraction were identified by combined electrophysiology and chemical analyses and formulated into a synthetic blend. Fermenting molasses attracted blood-fed mosquitoes in the large cage study, while fermenting sugar and non-fermenting molasses did not. The fecundity of blood-fed mosquitoes increased after feeding on fermenting molasses, however, compounds emanating from molasses did not trigger oviposition. The synthetic blend attracted blood-fed mosquitoes and may be used to determine mosquito host selection and for xenomonitoring, as ‘flying syringes’ to detect non-vector borne pathogens.

The diagnosis of eimeriosis in calves mainly relies on the presence of diarrhoea and the excretion of Eimeria oocysts in the faeces. Restraining the animals to collect rectal samples for diagnostic purposes is stressful and time-consuming. The aim of this study was to evaluate a method for the quantification of oocysts in environmental barn straw samples. To investigate the recovery rate of the method, straw and Eimeria negative faeces were spiked with Eimeria oocysts in plastic bags and mixed with water and 0.05% Tween 20 (v/v); the liquids were filtered twice through sieves (mesh size 300 and 52 μm), centrifuged and the number of oocysts in the sediment determined using a McMaster counting chamber. A recovery rate of 52.4% (95% confidence interval: 48.2–56.5%) was obtained. In the following, field straw (n = 156) and individual faecal samples (n = 195, also analysed by McMaster counting chambers) were collected on four different farms. Eimeria oocysts were present on all farms in faecal (84/195, 43.1%) and straw samples (119/156, 76.3%). In 37 (23.7%) straw samples, sporulated oocysts were observed, with a sporulation rate ranging from 0 to 40%. Despite high variability between farms and examination days, mean numbers of oocysts in the straw positively correlated with mean numbers of oocysts excreted in the faeces (ρSpearman = 0.60). The examination of environmental straw samples may represent an easy-to-perform, non-invasive, inexpensive preliminary diagnostic approach for surveillance of eimeriosis at group level, having the potential to assess the infection pressure.

The human skin bacteria play an important role in the production of volatiles that attract mosquitoes. Using some of the most abundant human skin bacterial species, we created in vitro community models to assess whether increased microbial biodiversity could reduce human attractiveness to females of the dengue fever mosquito Aedes aegypti and whether co-culturing bacterial commensals affects overall attraction. More complex bacterial models were less attractive to female mosquitoes than the simplest models. For instance, the triple bacterial community model was approximately three times less attractive than Staphylococcus epidermidis alone. Our data show, for instance, that an in vitro community model mimicking the skin composition of a highly attractive individual to the anthropophilic Anopheles gambiae was also more attractive to anthropophilic Ae. aegypti than a community model mimicking the skin composition of a poorly attractive individual to An. gambiae. In line with these results, volatile analyses of the blends emitted by the different in vitro community models showed that the more complex models had lower emission overall. Effects on mosquito responses differed sharply when the different bacteria species were sharing the same resources used for growth, showing that either competition or commensalism may influence their relative growth, and that this consequently can influence mosquito responses. We conclude that studies on mosquito responses to skin volatiles need to take the microbial community into account., Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 11, ISSN:2296-701X

As the share of battery-electric vehicles (BEVs) in car fleets increases, more and more car holders will need to charge their electric vehicles at public facilities. Designing public charging infrastructure so as to make it attractive to current and future BEV holders thus becomes essential. We implemented a choice experiment with a large sample of current BEV (N = 950) and non-BEV (N = 1,881) holders to examine the relevance of several design features that are widely presumed to be important in this regard: waiting (queueing) time, charging time, price, energy source, and amenities. Mean queueing time turns out to be most relevant, and car holders are also willing to pay for limiting or avoiding (uncertain) queueing times. The main implications for commercial and public charging infrastructure providers are that they should seek to provide fast charging, real-time observability of charger occupancy, and the opportunity to reserve chargers., Transportation Research Part D, 116

Intestinal helminth management in horses has both clinical and epidemiologic relevance, in additional association with anthelmintic resistance. The Swiss Army employs military owned riding horses and privately owned pack horses, which are brought together for service periods up to 12 weeks. We compared husbandry conditions and intestinal helminth management of both groups via questionnaire and analysed faecal samples of 53 riding horses and 130 pack horses using combined sedimentation/flotation, the McMaster method and larval cultures. Riding horses only had cyathostomin infections (prevalence: 60,4 %), while pack horses harboured cyathostomins (71,5 %), Parascaris sp. (6,9 %) and Strongylus vulgaris (1,5 %). Regression models combining faecal sample results with questionnaire data unveiled correlations of husbandry practices with parasite frequencies identifying risk and protective factors. Pasture management, hygiene and deworming practices were highly variable for pack horses, while for riding horses there was an overall concept. This included a selective deworming strategy with faecal egg counts (FECs) of strongyles prior to deworming, applying a threshold of 200 eggs per gram of faeces (epg). Anthelmintic treatments based on FECs, weekly faeces removal on pastures (pastures), the use of macrocyclic lactones and deworming horses regularly were identified as protective factors regarding the 200 epg threshold for strongyle eggs. Accordingly, the mean epg for strongyle eggs between the groups (111 and 539 in riding and pack horses, respectively) was significantly different (p0,001). Overall, intestinal helminth management in pack -horses showed room for improvement regarding pasture hygiene, the used anthelmintics and the frequency of deworming, from which all Swiss Army horses would benefit, as they share pastures during their -service, therefore entailing the risk of parasite transmission.Das Management intestinaler Helminthen bei Pferden hat sowohl klinische als auch epidemiologische Relevanz, ebenso im Zusammenhang mit Anthelminthika-­Resistenz. Die Schweizer Armee setzt Armee-eigene Reitpferde und privat gehaltene Trainpferde ein, welche für Diensteinsätze von bis zu 12 Wochen zusammengebracht werden. Wir haben die Haltungsbedingungen und das intestinale Helminthen-Management beider Gruppen mittels Fragebogen verglichen und haben Kotproben von 53 Reitpferden und 130 Tragpferden mittels kombiniertem Sedimentations-/Flotationsverfahren, McMaster Methode und Larvenkulturen analysiert. Die Reitpferde zeigten lediglich Befall mit kleinen Strongyliden (Prävalenz: 60,4 %), während die Trag­pferde kleine Strongyliden (71,5 %), Parascaris sp. (6,9 %) und Strongylus vulgaris (1,5 %) beherbergten. Regres­sionsmodelle, in welchen Kotproben-Befunde mit den Fragebogendaten kombiniert wurden, zeigten Zusammenhänge zwischen Haltungspraktiken und der Häufigkeit bestimmter Parasiten und führten zur ­Iden­tifizierung von Risiko- und Schutzfaktoren. Weidemanagement, Hygiene und Entwurmungspraktiken variierten stark für die Tragpferde, während für die Reitpferde ein einheitliches Konzept vorhanden war. Dieses beinhaltete eine selektive Entwurmungsstra­tegie mit quantitativen Kotuntersuchungen auf Strongy­liden vor Entwurmung (Schwellenwert von 200 Eiern pro Gramm Kot, EpG). Entwurmungen basierend auf quantitativen Kotuntersuchungen, die wöchentliche Beseitigung von Kot auf der Weide, die Verabreichung von makrozyklischen Laktonen und eine regelmässige Entwurmung der ­Pferde erwiesen sich als Schutzfaktoren bezüglich des Schwellenwertes von 200 EpG für Strongyliden. Dementsprechend waren die durchschnittlichen Strongyliden-Eizahlen zwischen den zwei Gruppen (111 bei den Reitpferden und 539 bei den Tragpferden) signifikant unterschiedlich (p0,001). Insgesamt wies das Endoparasitenmanagement bei den Tragpferden Verbesserungspotential auf bezüglich Weidehygiene, verwendeten Anthelminthika und Entwurmungsfrequenz. Hiervon würden alle Armeepferde profitieren, da sie während ihres Dienstes die Weiden teilen und somit das Risiko einer Parasiten-Übertragung besteht.La gestion des helminthes intestinaux chez les chevaux présente une importance clinique et épidémiologique, en association avec la résistance aux anthelminthiques. L’armée suisse emploie des chevaux de selle militaires et des chevaux de bât privés qui sont réunis pour des périodes de service allant jusqu’à 12 semaines. Nous avons comparé la détention animale et la gestion des helminthes intestinaux des deux groupes par le biais d’un questionnaire et analysé les échantillons fécaux de 53 chevaux de selle et 130 chevaux de bât en utilisant la sédimentation/flottation combinée, la méthode McMaster et les cultures larvaires. Les chevaux de selle ne présentaient que des infections à cyathostomes (prévalence: 60,4 %), tandis que les chevaux de bât hébergeaient des cyathostomes (71,5 %), Parascaris sp. (6,9 %) et Strongylus vulgaris (1,5 %). Des modèles de régression combinant les résultats des échantillons fécaux et les données du questionnaire ont révélé des corrélations entre les pratiques de détention animale et la fréquence des parasites, identifiant les facteurs de risque et de protection. La gestion des pâturages, l’hygiène et les pratiques en matière de vermifugation étaient très variables pour les chevaux de bât, tandis que pour les chevaux de selle, il existait un concept unitaire. Ceci comprenait stratégie de vermifugation sélective avec comptage des œufs fécaux (CEF) de strongles avant la vermifugation, en appliquant un seuil de 200 œufs par gramme de fèces (opg). Les traitements anthelminthiques basés sur les CEF, l’enlèvement hebdomadaire des crottins sur le pâturage, l’utilisation de lactones macrocycliques et la vermifugation régulière des chevaux ont été identifiés comme des facteurs de protection concernant le seuil de 200 opg pour les œufs de strongles. En conséquence, l’iog moyen pour les œufs de strongles entre les groupes (111 et 539 chez les chevaux de selle et de bât, respectivement) était significativement différent (p0,001). Globalement, la gestion des helminthes intestinaux chez les chevaux de bât a montré qu’il est possible d’améliorer l’hygiène des pâturages, le choix des anthelminthiques et la fréquence des vermifuges, ce dont tous les chevaux de l’armée suisse bénéficieraient, car ils partagent les pâturages pendant leur service, ce qui entraîne un risque de transmission des parasites.La gestione degli elminti intestinali nei cavalli ha una rilevanza sia clinica che epidemiologica, in associazione alla resistenza agli antielmintici. L’esercito svizzero impiega cavalli da equitazione di proprietà dell’esercito e cavalli da soma di proprietà privata, che vengono riuniti per periodi di servizio fino a 12 settimane. Abbiamo confrontato le condizioni d'allevamento e la gestione degli elminti intestinali di entrambi i gruppi tramite un questionario e abbiamo analizzato campioni fecali di 53 cavalli da equitazione e 130 cavalli da soma utilizzando la sedimentazione/flottazione combinata, il ­metodo McMaster e le colture larvali. I cavalli da equitazione avevano solo infezioni da cyathostomi (prevalenza: 60,4 %), mentre i cavalli da soma ospitavano cyathostomi (71,5 %), Parascaris sp. (6,9 %) e Strongylus vulgaris (1,5 %). I modelli di regressione che combinano i risultati dei campioni fecali con i dati del questionario hanno rivelato correlazioni tra le pratiche di allevamento animale e la frequenza dei parassiti, identificando fattori di rischio e di protezione. La gestione del pascolo, l’igiene e le pratiche di sverminazione sono risultate molto variabili tra i cavalli da soma, mentre per i cavalli da equitazione vi è stato un approccio più uniforme. Questo includeva una strategia di sverminazione selettiva con conta delle uova fecali (CEF) degli strongili prima della sverminazione, applicando una soglia di 200 uova per grammo di feci (upg). I trattamenti antielmintici basati sulle CEF, la rimozione settimanale delle feci sul pascolo, l’uso di lattoni macrociclici e la sverminazione regolare dei cavalli sono stati identificati come fattori protettivi rispetto alla soglia di 200 upg per le uova di strongili. Di conseguenza, l’upg medio per le uova di strongili tra i gruppi (111 e 539 nei cavalli da equitazione e da soma, rispettivamente) era significativamente diverso (p0,001). Nel complesso, lo studio ha mostrato che la gestione degli elminti intestinali nei cavalli da soma ha un potenziale di miglioramento per quanto riguarda l’igiene del pascolo, gli antielmintici utilizzati e la frequenza della sverminazione, di cui beneficerebbero tutti i cavalli dell’esercito svizzero, in quanto condividono i pascoli durante il loro servizio, comportando quindi il rischio di trasmissione dei parassiti.

Culicoides biting midges unexpectedly arose in Europe as highly efficient vectors of bluetongue virus in the epidemics that started in the Netherlands in 2006. They are known vectors of other orbiviruses, such as African horse sickness (AHSV) and epizootic haemorrhagic disease viruses (EHDV), which are not endemic to Europe. We investigated whether Culicoides occurring in Switzerland at two altitudes (Swiss Plateau, 650 meters above sea level [masl]; and pre-alpine, 2,130 masl) can act as vectors for AHSV and EHDV (two strains each). Biting midges were collected from farms, allowed to feed on virus-spiked blood meals through an artificial membrane in the laboratory and incubated for eight days under two temperature regimes (22 ± 6 °C or 26 ± 6 °C) reflecting a summer day or a hot spell on the Swiss Plateau. Vector competence was assessed from head homogenates by RT-qPCR and virus isolation. Overall, over 15,000 biting midges were exposed to any one of the four viruses. Fully disseminated infections were identified for all four virus strains in 14 individuals (6 C. obsoletus, 8 C. scoticus, as identified by MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry), all originating from the Swiss Plateau, by RT-qPCR. Viable virus could be isolated from 8 of these specimens. Dissemination rates ranged from 1-5%. No viral dissemination was observed in biting midges from the high altitude, predominantly belonging to the species C. grisescens, which were only investigated at the high temperature regime. However, a multivariable logistic regression model revealed no statistical difference in the dissemination rates based on the origin of midges (altitude), virus strain or temperature regime. Thus, AHDV and EHDV transmission is feasible on the Swiss Plateau but unlikely in the pre-alpine area by considering vector abundance. Ways of potential virus introduction include illegal animal movement but also long-distance wind-dispersal of infectious Culicoides.Die Gnitzen der Gattung Culicoides traten in Europa unerwartet als hocheffiziente Überträger des Blauzungenkrankheitsvirus auf in der Epidemie, die 2006 in den Niederlanden begann. Sie sind auch Überträger anderer Orbiviren, wie z. B. der Erreger der Afrikanischen Pferdepest (AHSV) und der Epizootischen Hämorrhagischen Krankheit (EHDV), die in Europa nicht endemisch sind. Wir untersuchten, ob Culicoides, die in der Schweiz in zwei Höhenlagen vorkommen (Schweizer Mittelland, 650 m ü. M.; Voralpen, 2 130 m ü. M.), als Vektoren für AHSV und EHDV (jeweils zwei Stämme) fungieren können. Die Gnitzen wurden auf landwirtschaftlichen Betrieben gesammelt, im Labor durch eine künstliche Membran mit virusversetztem Blutmahl gefüttert und acht Tage lang bei zwei Temperaturregimes (22 ± 6 °C oder 26 ± 6 °C) inkubiert, welche einen Sommertag oder eine Hitzeperiode im Schweizer Mittelland widerspiegeln. Die Vektorkompetenz wurde durch RT-qPCR und Virusisolierung aus homogenisierten Gnitzen-Köpfen bestimmt. Insgesamt wurden über 15,000 Gnitzen einem der vier Viren ausgesetzt. Bei 14 Individuen (6 C. obsoletus, 8 C. scoticus, identifiziert durch MALDI-TOF-Massenspektrometrie), die alle aus dem Schweizer Mittelland stammten, wurden für alle vier Virusstämme vollständig disseminierte Infektionen festgestellt durch RT-qPCR. Lebensfähige Viren konnten aus 8 dieser Insekten isoliert werden. Die Disseminationsraten reichten von 1–5%. Bei den Gnitzen aus der höheren Lage, die überwiegend zur Art C. grisescens gehören und nur mit dem hohen Temperaturregime untersucht wurden, wurde keine Virusinfektion festgestellt. Ein multivariables logistisches Regressionsmodell ergab jedoch keinen statistischen Unterschied in den Infektionsraten in Abhängigkeit von der Herkunft der Gnitzen (Höhe), dem Virusstamm oder dem Temperaturregime. Somit ist eine Übertragung von AHDV und EHDV im Schweizer Mittelland möglich, im Voralpengebiet jedoch unwahrscheinlich, wenn man die Häufigkeit der Vektoren mitberücksichtigt. Mögliche Wege der Viruseinschleppung sind illegale Tierverbringungen, aber auch die Windverbreitung infektiöser Culicoides über weite Distanzen.Les moucherons culicoïdes sont apparus de manière inattendue en Europe en tant que vecteurs très efficaces du virus de la fièvre catarrhale du mouton lors des épidémies qui ont commencé aux Pays-Bas en 2006. Ils sont des vecteurs connus d’autres orbivirus, tels que la peste équine (AHSV) et la maladie à virus hémorragique épizootique (EHDV), qui ne sont pas endémiques en Europe. Nous avons cherché à savoir si les culicoïdes présents en Suisse à deux altitudes (Plateau suisse, 650 mètres au-dessus du niveau de la mer et Préalpes, 2130 mètres au-dessus du niveau de la mer) peuvent agir comme vecteurs pour l’AHSV et l’EHDV (deux souches chacune). Des moucherons piqueurs ont été collectés dans des élevages, laissés se nourrir de repas de sang contaminé par le virus à travers une membrane artificielle en laboratoire et incubés pendant huit jours sous deux régimes de température (22 ± 6 °C ou 26 ± 6 °C) reflétant une journée d’été ou une vague de chaleur sur le plateau suisse. La compétence vectorielle a été évaluée à partir d’homogénats de tête par RT-qPCR et isolement du virus. Dans l’ensemble, plus de 15 000 moucherons piqueurs ont été exposés à l’un des quatre virus. Des infections entièrement disséminées ont été identifiées pour les quatre souches virales chez 14 individus (6 C. obsoletus, 8 C. scoticus, identifiés par spectrométrie de masse MALDI-TOF), tous originaires du plateau suisse, par RT-qPCR. Le virus viable a pu être isolé à partir de 8 de ces échantillons. Les taux de diffusion allaient de 1 à 5 %. Aucune dissémination virale n’a été observée chez les moucherons piqueurs de haute altitude, appartenant majoritairement à l’espèce C. grisescens, qui n’ont été étudiées qu’au régime de haute température. Cependant, un modèle de régression logistique multivariable n’a révélé aucune différence statistique dans les taux de dissémination en fonction de l’origine des moucherons (altitude), de la souche virale ou du régime de température. Ainsi, la transmission de l’AHDV et de l’EHDV est possible sur le plateau suisse mais peu probable dans la zone préalpine en considérant l’abondance des vecteurs. Les voies d’introduction potentielle du virus comprennent les déplacements illégaux d’animaux, mais aussi la dispersion par le vent sur de longues distances de culicoïdes infectieux.I moscerini Culicoides sono apparsi improvvisamente in Europa come vettori altamente efficienti del virus della malattia della lingua blu nelle epidemie cominciate nel 2006 nei Paesi Bassi. Essi sono vettori ben conosciuti di altri orbivirus come il virus della peste equina (AHSV) e il virus della malattia emorragica epizootica (EHDV) che non sono endemici in Europa. Lo scopo di questo studio era di esaminare se i Culicoides presenti in Svizzera a due altitudini (Altopiano svizzero, 650 metri s.l.m. e regione delle Prealpi, 2130 metri s.l.m.) possono agire in quanto vettori per il AHSV e il EHDV (2 ceppi ciascuno). I moscerini sono stati raccolti in fattorie, nutriti in laboratorio con pasti di sangue contaminato dal virus attraverso una membrana artificiale e incubati per otto giorni a due differenti condizioni di temperatura (22 ± 6 °C oppure 26 ± 6 °C) che riproducevano un giorno estivo o un periodo di grande caldo sull’Altopiano svizzero. La competenza del vettore è stata determinata dagli omogenati delle teste di moscerino con la RT- qPCR e con l’isolamento del virus. In generale, più di 15 000 moscerini sono stati esposti a uno qualsiasi dei quattro virus. Sono state identificate delle infezioni completamente diffuse per tutti e quattro i ceppi virali mediante RT-qPCR in 14 esemplari (6 C. obsoletus, 8 C. scoticus, identificati dalla spettrometria di massa MALDI-TOF), tutti provenienti dall’Altopiano svizzero. Si sono isolati virus vitali da 8 di questi insetti. I tassi di diffusione si situavano tra 1–5 %. Nessuna infezione virale è stata osservata nei moscerini ad alta quota, che appartengono prevalentemente alla specie C. grisescens, e che sono stati studiati solo in condizioni di alta temperatura. Tuttavia, il modello di regressione logistica multivariabile non ha rilevato nessuna differenza statistica dei tassi di diffusione sulla base dell’origine dei moscerini (altitudine), ceppo del virus o condizioni di temperatura. Quindi la trasmissione del AHDV e del EHDV è possibile nell’Altipiano svizzero ma improbabile nella regione delle Prealpi a causa della frequenza dei vettori. Le vie per un’introduzione potenziale del virus includono i movimenti illegali di animali e la dispersione eolica su grandi distanze dei Culicoides infetti.

Cloud Radio Access Networks (Cloud-RANs) have recently emerged as a promising architecture to meet the increasing demands and expectations of future wireless networks. Such an architecture can enable dynamic and flexible network operations to address significant challenges, such as higher mobile traffic volumes and increasing network operation costs. However, the implementation of compute-intensive signal processing Network Functions (NFs) on the General Purpose Processors (General Purpose Processor) that are typically found in data centers could lead to performance complications, such as in the case of overloaded servers. There is therefore a need for methods that ensure the availability and continuity of critical wireless network functionality in such circumstances. Motivated by the goal of providing highly available and fault-tolerant functionality in Cloud-RAN-based networks, this paper proposes the design, specification, and implementation of live migration of containerized Baseband Units (BBUs) in two wireless network settings, namely Long Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) and Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. Driven by the requirements and critical challenges of live migration, the approach shows that in the case of LoRaWAN networks, the migration of BBUs is currently possible with relatively low downtimes to support network continuity. The analysis and comparison of the performance of functional splits and cell configurations in both networks were performed in terms of fronthaul throughput requirements. The results obtained from such an analysis can be used by both service providers and network operators in the deployment and optimization of Cloud-RANs services, in order to ensure network reliability and continuity in cloud environments.

The skin microbiota plays an essential role in the protection against pathogens. It is our skin microbiota that makes us smell different from each other, rendering us more or less attractive to mosquitoes. Mosquitoes exploit skin bacterial odours to locate their hosts and are vectors of pathogens that can cause severe diseases such as malaria and dengue fever. A novel solution for long-lasting protection against insect vectors of disease could be attained by manipulating the bacterial commensals on human skin. The current options for protection against biting insects usually require topical application of repellents that evaporate within hours. We discuss possible routes for the use of commensal bacteria to create a microbial-based repellent.

Summary paragraphSexual reproduction ofToxoplasma gondii, which is restricted to the small intestine of felids, is sparsely documented, due to ethical concerns surrounding the use of cats as model organisms. Chromatin modifiers dictate the developmental fate of the parasite during its multistage life cycle, but their targeting to stage-specific cistromes is poorly described1. In this study, we found that transcription factors AP2XII-1 and AP2XI-2, expressed in tachyzoite stage that causes acute toxoplasmosis, can silence genes necessary for merozoites, a developmental stage critical for sexual commitment and transmission to the next host, including humans. Their conditional and simultaneous depletion leads to a drastic change in the transcriptional program, promoting a complete transition from tachyzoites to merozoites. Pre-gametes producedin vitrounder these conditions are characterized by specific protein markers and undergo typical asexual endopolygenic division cycles. In tachyzoites, AP2XII-1 and AP2XI-2 bind DNA as heterodimers at merozoite promoters and recruit the epigenitors MORC and HDAC31, which in turn restrict the accessibility of chromatin to the transcriptional machinery. Thus, the commitment to merogony stems from a profound epigenetic rewiring orchestrated by AP2XII-1 and AP2XI-2. This effectivein vitroculture of merozoites paves the way to exploreToxoplasmasexual reproduction without the need to infect kittens and has potential for the development of therapeutics to block parasite transmission.

Alveolar (AE) and cystic echinococcosis (CE) are severe parasitic zoonoses caused by the larval stages of Echinococcus multilocularis and E. granulosus sensu lato, respectively. A panel of 7 monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) was selected against major diagnostic epitopes of both species. The binding capacity of the mAbs to Echinococcus spp. excretory/secretory products (ESP) was analyzed by sandwich-ELISA, where mAb Em2G11 and mAb EmG3 detected in vitro extravesicular ESP of both E. multilocularis and E. granulosus s.s. These findings were subsequently confirmed by the detection of circulating ESP in a subset of serum samples from infected hosts including humans. Extracellular vesicles (EVs) were purified, and the binding to mAbs was analyzed by sandwich-ELISA. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) was used to confirm the binding of mAb EmG3 to EVs from intravesicular fluid of Echinococcus spp. vesicles. The specificity of the mAbs in ELISA corresponded to the immunohistochemical staining (IHC-S) patterns performed on human AE and CE liver sections. Antigenic small particles designated as ‘‘spems’’ for E. multilocularis and ‘‘spegs’’ for E. granulosus s.l. were stained by the mAb EmG3IgM, mAb EmG3IgG1, mAb AgB, and mAb 2B2, while mAb Em2G11 reacted with spems and mAb Eg2 with spegs only. The laminated layer (LL) of both species was strongly visualized by using mAb EmG3IgM, mAb EmG3IgG1, mAb AgB, and mAb 2B2. The LL was specifically stained by mAb Em2G11 in E. multilocularis and by mAb Eg2 in E. granulosus s.l. In the germinal layer (GL), including the protoscoleces, a wide staining pattern with all structures of both species was observed with mAb EmG3IgG1, mAb EmG3IgM, mAb AgB, mAb 2B2, and mAb Em18. In the GL and protoscoleces, the mAb Eg2 displayed a strong E. granulosus s.l. specific binding, while mAb Em2G11 exhibited a weak granular E. multilocularis specific reaction. The most notable staining pattern in IHC-S was found with mAb Em18, which solely bound to the GL and protoscoleces of Echinococcus species and potentially to primary cells. To conclude, mAbs represent valuable tools for the visualization of major antigens in the most important Echinococcus species, as well as providing insights into parasite-host interactions and pathogenesis.

Semantic segmentation has made significant progress in recent years thanks to deep neural networks, but the common objective of generating a single segmentation output that accurately matches the image's content may not be suitable for safety-critical domains such as medical diagnostics and autonomous driving. Instead, multiple possible correct segmentation maps may be required to reflect the true distribution of annotation maps. In this context, stochastic semantic segmentation methods must learn to predict conditional distributions of labels given the image, but this is challenging due to the typically multimodal distributions, high-dimensional output spaces, and limited annotation data. To address these challenges, we propose a conditional categorical diffusion model (CCDM) for semantic segmentation based on Denoising Diffusion Probabilistic Models. Our model is conditioned to the input image, enabling it to generate multiple segmentation label maps that account for the aleatoric uncertainty arising from divergent ground truth annotations. Our experimental results show that CCDM achieves state-of-the-art performance on LIDC, a stochastic semantic segmentation dataset, and outperforms established baselines on the classical segmentation dataset Cityscapes.

Anthelmintic resistance (AR) has thus far only rarely been reported for intestinal helminths of dogs and cats, in contrast to parasites of livestock and horses. We highlight possible reasons for this striking and important discrepancy, including ecological, biological and genetic factors and/or intervention regimens of key intestinal helminths concerning both host groups. In view of the current knowledge related to the genetics, mechanisms and principles of AR development, we point at issues which in our view contribute to a comparatively lower risk of AR development in intestinal helminths of dogs and cats. Finally, we specify research needs and provide recommendations by which, based on the available information about AR in ruminant and equine helminths, the development of AR in dog and cat helminths may best be documented, prevented or at least postponed., Graphical abstract Image 1, Highlights • Identifying causes of differences in anthelmintic resistance between livestock and dogs & cats. • Discussion of roles of AR mechanisms, genetics and husbandry in delayed AR evolution in dogs & cats. • Research needs for improved tools to monitor AR development in dogs & cats.