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Lapid R, Motro Y, Craddock H, Khalfin B, King R, Bar-Gal GK, Moran-Gilad J. Fecal microbiota of the synanthropic golden jackal (Canis aureus). Anim Microbiome 2023; 5:37. [PMID: 37542305 PMCID: PMC10403885 DOI: 10.1186/s42523-023-00259-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/26/2023] [Indexed: 08/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The golden jackal (Canis aureus), is a medium canid carnivore widespread throughout the Mediterranean region and expanding into Europe. This species thrives near human settlements and is implicated in zoonoses such as rabies. This study explores for the first time, the golden jackal fecal microbiota. We analyzed 111 fecal samples of wild golden jackals using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing the connection of the microbiome to animal characteristics, burden of pathogens and geographic and climate characteristics. We further compared the fecal microbiota of the golden jackal to the black-backed jackal and domestic dog. We found that the golden jackal fecal microbiota is dominated by the phyla Bacteroidota, Fusobacteriota and Firmicutes. The golden jackal fecal microbiota was associated with different variables, including geographic region, age-class, exposure to rabies oral vaccine, fecal parasites and toxoplasmosis. A remarkable variation in the relative abundance of different taxa was also found associated with different variables, such as age-class. Linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) analysis found abundance of specific taxons in each region, Megasphaera genus in group 1, Megamonas genus in group 2 and Bacteroides coprocola species in group 3. We also found a different composition between the fecal microbiota of the golden jackal, blacked-backed jackal and the domestic dog. Furthermore, LEfSe analysis found abundance of Fusobacterium and Bacteroides genera in the golden jackal, Clostridia class in blacked-backed jackal and Megamonas genus in domestic dog. The golden jackal fecal microbiota is influenced by multiple factors including host traits and pathogen burden. The characterization of the microbiota of this thriving species may aid in mapping its spread and proximity to human settlements. Moreover, understanding the jackal microbiota could inform the study of potential animal and human health risks and inform control measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roi Lapid
- The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O.B. 12, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yair Motro
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Hillary Craddock
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Boris Khalfin
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Roni King
- Science and Conservation Division, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, 3 Am Ve'Olamo St., 95463, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, P.O.B. 12, 7610001, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Jacob Moran-Gilad
- Department of Health Policy and Management, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 8410501, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
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Lublin A, Thie N, Shkoda I, Simanov L, Bar-Gal GK, Farnoushi Y, King R, Getz WM, Kamath PL, Bowie RCK, Nathan R. First detection of avian influenza subtype H4N6 in Israel in a wild mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Transbound Emerg Dis 2022; 69:e3316-e3326. [PMID: 35687561 DOI: 10.1111/tbed.14610] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2022] [Revised: 05/08/2022] [Accepted: 05/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Avian influenza viruses (AIV) are a worldwide threat to animal and human health. As wild waterfowl circulate and spread these viruses around the world, investigations of AIV prevalence in wild populations are critical for understanding pathogen transmission, as well as predicting disease outbreaks in domestic animals and humans. Surveillance efforts in this study have isolated H4N6 for the first time in Israel from a faecal sample of a wild mallard (Anas platyrhynchos). Phylogenetic analyses of the HA and NA genes revealed that this strain is closely related to isolates from Europe and Asia. This Eurasian origin, together with Israel serving as an important migratory bottleneck of the mid Palearctic-African flyway, suggests a potential introduction of this strain by migratory birds. Additional phylogenetic analysis of the isolate's internal genes (PB1, PB2, PA, NP, M and NS) revealed high levels of phylogenetic relatedness with other AIV subtypes, indicating previous reassortment events. High reassortment rates are characteristic for H4N6 viruses, which, together with this subtype's ability to infect pigs and adaptability to the human receptor binding domain, raises the concern that it would potentially become zoonotic in the future. These results emphasize the importance of continuous AIV monitoring in migratory birds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Avishai Lublin
- Division of Avian Diseases, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel
| | - Nikki Thie
- Movement Ecology Lab, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Irina Shkoda
- Division of Avian Diseases, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel
| | - Luba Simanov
- Division of Avian Diseases, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yigal Farnoushi
- Division of Avian Diseases, Kimron Veterinary Institute, Bet Dagan, Israel
| | - Roni King
- Israel Nature and Parks Authority (INPA), Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Wayne M Getz
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy & Management, University of California, Berkeley, California.,School of Mathematical Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
| | - Pauline L Kamath
- School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, Maine
| | - Rauri C K Bowie
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, California.,Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, California
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Lab, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel
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Tal S, Bar-Gal GK, Arlt SP. Evaluation of short-term safety of ultrasound-guided foetal fluid sampling in the dog (Canis lupus familiaris). Vet Rec 2021; 188:e31. [PMID: 33835567 DOI: 10.1002/vetr.31] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2019] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 11/06/2020] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND In humans, analysis of amniotic fluid is widely used for diagnostic and prognostic purposes. Amniocentesis has scarcely been used in veterinary medicine to date, despite a tremendous potential for clinical and research applications in dogs. Our study aimed to establish a safe method for foetal fluid sampling in female dogs. METHODS Two transabdominal ultrasound-guided methods were assessed: the "free hand" and the needle-guided bracket sampling. In addition, through a subsequent routinely scheduled ovariohysterectomy, fluid was directly collected. Samples from 98 conceptuses were collected at day 46.7 ± 7.5 of pregnancy. RESULTS The amount of fluid retrieved varied between 0.5 and 5.0 ml per collection. Macroscopic examination of the uterus and conceptuses identified 53% of the puncture sites. Neither fluid leakage nor foetal injury was detected, and six hematomas (5.8%) were visible. Ultrasound-guided foetal fluid collection was found to be potentially safe, and it can be performed by using either transabdominal method. CONCLUSION Foetal fluid collection is possible with relative ease and low short-term risk, and may open paths for diagnostic, therapeutic and research purposes in dogs. The procedure can provide new insights into prenatal clinical medicine, including diagnostics of foetal deaths, early identification of heritable diseases and so on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Smadar Tal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Sebastian Patrick Arlt
- Clinic for Animal Reproduction, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Shaffer LG, Ramirez CJ, Phelps P, Aviram M, Walczak M, Bar-Gal GK, Ballif BC. An International Genetic Survey of Breed-Specific Diseases in Working Dogs from the United States, Israel, and Poland. Cytogenet Genome Res 2018; 153:198-204. [PMID: 29421799 DOI: 10.1159/000486774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Genetic diseases occur in breeds used for law enforcement. As important team members, dogs are expected to operate at peak performance for several years and are significant investments for both the initial purchase and extensive, specialized training. Previous studies have not focused on causes for retirement or euthanasia as genetic (inherited) versus acquired (environmental). We performed direct mutational analysis for breed-specific conditions on samples from 304 dogs including 267 law enforcement (122 US, 87 Israeli, and 58 Polish) and 37 search and rescue dogs. Genetic testing identified 29% (n = 89) of the dogs tested to be carriers of a genetic mutation and 6% (n = 19) to be at risk for a debilitating inherited condition that may eventually impair the dog's ability to work. At-risk dogs included Labrador Retrievers (n = 4) with exercise-induced collapse, Bloodhounds (n = 2) with degenerative myelopathy (DM), and German Shepherd dogs with DM (n = 12) or leukocyte adhesion deficiency, type III (n = 1). A substantial number of working dogs were shown to be at risk for genetic conditions that may shorten the dog's career. The loss of dogs, due to early retirement or euthanasia, as a result of preventable genetic conditions has an emotional cost to handlers and financial cost to service organizations that can be avoided with genetic screening prior to breeding, buying, or training.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa G Shaffer
- Paw Print Genetics, Genetic Veterinary Sciences, Inc., Spokane, WA, USA
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Schaefer RJ, Schubert M, Bailey E, Bannasch DL, Barrey E, Bar-Gal GK, Brem G, Brooks SA, Distl O, Fries R, Finno CJ, Gerber V, Haase B, Jagannathan V, Kalbfleisch T, Leeb T, Lindgren G, Lopes MS, Mach N, da Câmara Machado A, MacLeod JN, McCoy A, Metzger J, Penedo C, Polani S, Rieder S, Tammen I, Tetens J, Thaller G, Verini-Supplizi A, Wade CM, Wallner B, Orlando L, Mickelson JR, McCue ME. Developing a 670k genotyping array to tag ~2M SNPs across 24 horse breeds. BMC Genomics 2017; 18:565. [PMID: 28750625 PMCID: PMC5530493 DOI: 10.1186/s12864-017-3943-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 07/13/2017] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Background To date, genome-scale analyses in the domestic horse have been limited by suboptimal single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) density and uneven genomic coverage of the current SNP genotyping arrays. The recent availability of whole genome sequences has created the opportunity to develop a next generation, high-density equine SNP array. Results Using whole genome sequence from 153 individuals representing 24 distinct breeds collated by the equine genomics community, we cataloged over 23 million de novo discovered genetic variants. Leveraging genotype data from individuals with both whole genome sequence, and genotypes from lower-density, legacy SNP arrays, a subset of ~5 million high-quality, high-density array candidate SNPs were selected based on breed representation and uniform spacing across the genome. Considering probe design recommendations from a commercial vendor (Affymetrix, now Thermo Fisher Scientific) a set of ~2 million SNPs were selected for a next-generation high-density SNP chip (MNEc2M). Genotype data were generated using the MNEc2M array from a cohort of 332 horses from 20 breeds and a lower-density array, consisting of ~670 thousand SNPs (MNEc670k), was designed for genotype imputation. Conclusions Here, we document the steps taken to design both the MNEc2M and MNEc670k arrays, report genomic and technical properties of these genotyping platforms, and demonstrate the imputation capabilities of these tools for the domestic horse. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12864-017-3943-8) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Schaefer
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Mikkel Schubert
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Ernest Bailey
- Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Danika L Bannasch
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Eric Barrey
- Unité de Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative- UMR1313, INRA, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Gottfried Brem
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Samantha A Brooks
- Department of Animal Science, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA
| | - Ottmar Distl
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
| | - Ruedi Fries
- Lehrstuhl für Tierzucht der Technischen Universität München, Liesel-Beckmann-Strasse 1, 85354, Freising, Germany
| | - Carrie J Finno
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Vinzenz Gerber
- Swiss Institute of Equine Medicine, Department of Clinical Veterinary Medicine, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Bern, and Agroscope, Länggassstrasse 124, 3001, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Bianca Haase
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Regimental Drive, B19-301 RMC Gunn, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | | | - Ted Kalbfleisch
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, School of Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, 40202, USA
| | - Tosso Leeb
- Institute of Genetics, University of Bern, 3001, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Gabriella Lindgren
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Maria Susana Lopes
- Biotechnology Centre of Azores, University of Azores, Angra do heroísmo, Portugal
| | - Núria Mach
- Unité de Génétique Animale et Biologie Intégrative- UMR1313, INRA, Université Paris-Saclay, AgroParisTech, 78350, Jouy-en-Josas, France
| | | | - James N MacLeod
- Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, Department of Veterinary Science, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Annette McCoy
- Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, IL, 61802, USA
| | - Julia Metzger
- Institute for Animal Breeding and Genetics, University of Veterinary Medicine, Hannover, Germany
| | - Cecilia Penedo
- Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Sagi Polani
- The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University, 76100, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Stefan Rieder
- Agroscope, Swiss National Stud Farm, 1580, Avenches, Switzerland
| | - Imke Tammen
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Regimental Drive, B19-301 RMC Gunn, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Jens Tetens
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Strasse 6, 24098, Kiel, Germany.,Department of Animal Sciences, Functional Breeding Group, Georg-August University Göttingen, Burckhardtweg 2, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Georg Thaller
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Christian-Albrechts-University Kiel, Hermann-Rodewald-Strasse 6, 24098, Kiel, Germany
| | - Andrea Verini-Supplizi
- Department of Veterinary Medicine - Sport Horse Research Centre, University of Perugia, Perugia, Italy
| | - Claire M Wade
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Sydney, Regimental Drive, B19-301 RMC Gunn, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Barbara Wallner
- Institute of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark.,Laboratoire d'Anthropobiologie Moléculaire et d'Imagerie de Synthèse, CNRS UMR 5288, Université de Toulouse, Université Paul Sabatier, 31000, Toulouse, France
| | - James R Mickelson
- Department of Veterinary and Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA
| | - Molly E McCue
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN, USA.
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Faerman M, Bar-Gal GK, Boaretto E, Boeskorov GG, Dokuchaev NE, Ermakov OA, Golenishchev FN, Gubin SV, Mintz E, Simonov E, Surin VL, Titov SV, Zanina OG, Formozov NA. DNA analysis of a 30,000-year-old Urocitellus glacialis from northeastern Siberia reveals phylogenetic relationships between ancient and present-day arctic ground squirrels. Sci Rep 2017; 7:42639. [PMID: 28205612 PMCID: PMC5311991 DOI: 10.1038/srep42639] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/17/2016] [Accepted: 01/13/2017] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
In contrast to the abundant fossil record of arctic ground squirrels, Urocitellus parryii, from eastern Beringia, only a limited number of fossils is known from its western part. In 1946, unnamed GULAG prisoners discovered a nest with three mummified carcasses of arctic ground squirrels in the permafrost sediments of the El’ga river, Yakutia, Russia, that were later attributed to a new species, Citellus (Urocitellus) glacialis Vinogr. To verify this assignment and to explore phylogenetic relationships between ancient and present-day arctic ground squirrels, we performed 14C dating and ancient DNA analyses of one of the El’ga mummies and four contemporaneous fossils from Duvanny Yar, northeastern Yakutia. Phylogenetic reconstructions, based on complete cytochrome b gene sequences of five Late Pleistocene arctic ground squirrels and those of modern U. parryii from 21 locations across western Beringia, provided no support for earlier proposals that ancient arctic ground squirrels from Siberia constitute a distinct species. In fact, we observed genetic continuity of the glacialis mitochondrial DNA lineage in modern U. parryii of the Kamchatka peninsula. When viewed in a broader geographic perspective, our findings provide new insights into the genetic history of U. parryii in Late Pleistocene Beringia.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Faerman
- Laboratory of Bioanthropology and Ancient DNA, Faculty of Dental Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food &Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Elisabetta Boaretto
- D-REAMS Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scientific Archaeology Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Gennady G Boeskorov
- Diamond and Precious Metals Geology Institute of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk 677007, Russian Federation
| | - Nikolai E Dokuchaev
- Institute of Biological Problems of the North, Far-East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Magadan 685000, Russian Federation
| | - Oleg A Ermakov
- Department of Zoology and Ecology, Penza State University, Penza 440026, Russian Federation
| | - Fedor N Golenishchev
- Laboratory of Theriology, Zoological Institute, Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint Petersburg 199034, Russian Federation
| | - Stanislav V Gubin
- Soil Cryology Laboratory, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russian Federation
| | - Eugenia Mintz
- D-REAMS Radiocarbon Laboratory, Scientific Archaeology Unit, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Evgeniy Simonov
- Papanin Institute for Biology of Inland Water, Russian Academy of Sciences, Borok 152742, Russian Federation.,Institute of Systematics and Ecology of Animals, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630091, Russian Federation.,Tomsk State University, Tomsk 634050, Russian Federation
| | - Vadim L Surin
- National Research Center for Hematology, Russian Ministry of Health, Moscow 125167, Russian Federation
| | - Sergei V Titov
- Department of Zoology and Ecology, Penza State University, Penza 440026, Russian Federation
| | - Oksana G Zanina
- Soil Cryology Laboratory, Institute of Physicochemical and Biological Problems in Soil Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, Pushchino 142290, Russian Federation
| | - Nikolai A Formozov
- Department of Vertebral Zoology, Faculty of Biology, Lomonosov Moscow State University, Moscow 119991, Russian Federation
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Ruiz-Rodriguez CT, Brandt JR, Oliverio R, Ishida Y, Guedj N, Garrett EF, Kahila Bar-Gal G, Nikolaidis N, Cardoso FC, Roca AL. Polymorphisms of the Toll-Like Receptor 2 of Goats (Capra hircus) may be Associated with Somatic Cell Count in Milk. Anim Biotechnol 2016; 28:112-119. [PMID: 27791476 DOI: 10.1080/10495398.2016.1232267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) plays an important role in recognition by the innate immune system of Gram-positive bacteria. As Gram-positive bacteria cause mastitis, we examined variations in the region of the TLR2 gene that codes for the extracellular domain. Samples of forty goats from a single dairy herd were collected, half with low SCC (≤200,000 cells/mL), and half with higher SCC. Two synonymous single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified: 840G > A and 1083A > G. One nonsynonymous SNP 739G > A was identified. This coded for valine or isoleucine, which have similar physiochemical properties, and was not in a region coding for a known functional domain. Surprisingly, the least square mean SCC of the heterozygous goats (146,220) was significantly lower than the SCC of homozygous GG goats (537,700; p = 0.004), although these two groups were similar in days in milk (p = 0.984), and there was no significant difference by breed (p = 0.941). Because factors other than mastitis can affect SCC and our sample sizes were limited, additional studies are needed to corroborate an association between TLR2 genotype and SCC or mastitis in goats.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jessica R Brandt
- a Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois , USA
| | - Ryan Oliverio
- b Department of Biological Science, Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies , California State University , Fullerton , California , USA.,c Center for Computational and Applied Mathematics, California State University , Fullerton , California , USA
| | - Yasuko Ishida
- a Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois , USA
| | - Noa Guedj
- d Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot , Israel
| | - Edgar F Garrett
- e Department of Veterinary Clinical Medicine , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois , USA
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- d Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem , Rehovot , Israel
| | - Nikolas Nikolaidis
- b Department of Biological Science, Center for Applied Biotechnology Studies , California State University , Fullerton , California , USA.,c Center for Computational and Applied Mathematics, California State University , Fullerton , California , USA
| | - Felipe C Cardoso
- a Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois , USA
| | - Alfred L Roca
- a Department of Animal Sciences , University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois , USA.,f Carl R. Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign , Urbana , Illinois , USA
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Goodman I, Shahar N, Bar-Gal GK, Saltz D, Bar-David S. Evaluation of noninvasive genetic methods for Nubian ibex. CONSERV GENET RESOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s12686-016-0642-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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9
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Hadas L, Hermon D, Bar-Gal GK. Before they are gone - improving gazelle protection using wildlife forensic genetics. Forensic Sci Int Genet 2016; 24:51-54. [PMID: 27294679 DOI: 10.1016/j.fsigen.2016.05.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/24/2016] [Revised: 05/04/2016] [Accepted: 05/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Throughout their habitats gazelles (genus Gazella) face immediate threats due to anthropogenic effects and natural environmental changes. Excessive poaching plays a major role in their populations decline. Three unique populations of gazelles currently live in Israel: mountain gazelle (Gazella gazella), Dorcas gazelle (Gazella Dorcas) and acacia gazelle (Gazella arabica acacia). Ongoing habitat degradation and constant pressure from illegal hunting has caused a continuous decrease in the last 10 years, stressing the need for drastic measures to prevent species extinction. Wildlife forensic science assists enforcement agencies in the escalating arms race against poachers. Wildlife forensic genetic tests being implemented in our laboratory offer both species and individual identification, which rely on two mitochondrial genes (12S rRNA and 16S rRNA) and nine nuclear Short Tandem Repeats (STR), respectively. The current study, presents a poaching case in which mitochondrial DNA-based species identification revealed the presence of mountain gazelle DNA on the seized items. Subsequently, STR markers linked the suspect to more than one gazelle, increasing the severity of the criminal charges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia Hadas
- The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 76100 Rehovot, Israel
| | - Dalia Hermon
- DNA and Forensic Biology Laboratory, Division of Identification and Forensic Science (DIFS), Israel Police, National H.Q., Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 76100 Rehovot, Israel.
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Feldman M, Hershkovitz I, Sklan EH, Kahila Bar-Gal G, Pap I, Szikossy I, Rosin-Arbesfeld R. Detection of a Tumor Suppressor Gene Variant Predisposing to Colorectal Cancer in an 18th Century Hungarian Mummy. PLoS One 2016; 11:e0147217. [PMID: 26863316 PMCID: PMC4749341 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0147217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2015] [Accepted: 12/30/2015] [Indexed: 01/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Mutations of the Adenomatous polyposis coli (APC) gene are common and strongly associated with the development of colorectal adenomas and carcinomas. While extensively studied in modern populations, reports on visceral tumors in ancient populations are scarce. To the best of our knowledge, genetic characterization of mutations associated with colorectal cancer in ancient specimens has not yet been described. In this study we have sequenced hotspots for mutations in the APC gene isolated from 18th century naturally preserved human Hungarian mummies. While wild type APC sequences were found in two mummies, we discovered the E1317Q missense mutation, known to be a colorectal cancer predisposing mutation, in a large intestine tissue of an 18th century mummy. Our data suggests that this genetic predisposition to cancer already existed in the pre-industrialization era. This study calls for similar investigations of ancient specimens from different periods and geographical locations to be conducted and shared for the purpose of obtaining a larger scale analysis that will shed light on past cancer epidemiology and on cancer evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michal Feldman
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail:
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Ella H. Sklan
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Ildikó Szikossy
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Rina Rosin-Arbesfeld
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Immunology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
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Der Sarkissian C, Ermini L, Schubert M, Yang MA, Librado P, Fumagalli M, Jónsson H, Bar-Gal GK, Albrechtsen A, Vieira FG, Petersen B, Ginolhac A, Seguin-Orlando A, Magnussen K, Fages A, Gamba C, Lorente-Galdos B, Polani S, Steiner C, Neuditschko M, Jagannathan V, Feh C, Greenblatt CL, Ludwig A, Abramson NI, Zimmermann W, Schafberg R, Tikhonov A, Sicheritz-Ponten T, Willerslev E, Marques-Bonet T, Ryder OA, McCue M, Rieder S, Leeb T, Slatkin M, Orlando L. Evolutionary Genomics and Conservation of the Endangered Przewalski's Horse. Curr Biol 2015; 25:2577-83. [PMID: 26412128 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2015.08.032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 129] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/07/2015] [Revised: 07/06/2015] [Accepted: 08/14/2015] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Przewalski's horses (PHs, Equus ferus ssp. przewalskii) were discovered in the Asian steppes in the 1870s and represent the last remaining true wild horses. PHs became extinct in the wild in the 1960s but survived in captivity, thanks to major conservation efforts. The current population is still endangered, with just 2,109 individuals, one-quarter of which are in Chinese and Mongolian reintroduction reserves [1]. These horses descend from a founding population of 12 wild-caught PHs and possibly up to four domesticated individuals [2-4]. With a stocky build, an erect mane, and stripped and short legs, they are phenotypically and behaviorally distinct from domesticated horses (DHs, Equus caballus). Here, we sequenced the complete genomes of 11 PHs, representing all founding lineages, and five historical specimens dated to 1878-1929 CE, including the Holotype. These were compared to the hitherto-most-extensive genome dataset characterized for horses, comprising 21 new genomes. We found that loci showing the most genetic differentiation with DHs were enriched in genes involved in metabolism, cardiac disorders, muscle contraction, reproduction, behavior, and signaling pathways. We also show that DH and PH populations split ∼45,000 years ago and have remained connected by gene-flow thereafter. Finally, we monitor the genomic impact of ∼110 years of captivity, revealing reduced heterozygosity, increased inbreeding, and variable introgression of domestic alleles, ranging from non-detectable to as much as 31.1%. This, together with the identification of ancestry informative markers and corrections to the International Studbook, establishes a framework for evaluating the persistence of genetic variation in future reintroduced populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Clio Der Sarkissian
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Luca Ermini
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Mikkel Schubert
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Melinda A Yang
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3140, USA
| | - Pablo Librado
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Matteo Fumagalli
- Department of Genetics, Evolution and Environment, UCL Genetics Institute, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
| | - Hákon Jónsson
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Anders Albrechtsen
- Department of Biology, The Bioinformatics Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 2200N, Denmark
| | - Filipe G Vieira
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Bent Petersen
- Department of Systems Biology, Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | - Aurélien Ginolhac
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Andaine Seguin-Orlando
- National High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1353K, Denmark
| | - Kim Magnussen
- National High-Throughput DNA Sequencing Centre, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1353K, Denmark
| | - Antoine Fages
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Cristina Gamba
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Belen Lorente-Galdos
- ICREA at the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-University Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Sagi Polani
- The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Cynthia Steiner
- San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | | | | | - Claudia Feh
- Station Biologique de la Tour du Valat, Arles 13200, France
| | - Charles L Greenblatt
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, The Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem 91120, Israel
| | - Arne Ludwig
- Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin 10315, Germany
| | - Natalia I Abramson
- Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg 199034, Russia
| | | | - Renate Schafberg
- Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Museum of Domesticated Animals "Julius Kühn", Halle 06108, Germany
| | - Alexei Tikhonov
- Zoological Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Saint-Petersburg 199034, Russia; Institute of Applied Ecology of the North, North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk 677980, Russia
| | - Thomas Sicheritz-Ponten
- Department of Systems Biology, Center for Biological Sequence Analysis, Technical University of Denmark, Lyngby 2800, Denmark
| | - Eske Willerslev
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- ICREA at the Institut de Biologia Evolutiva (CSIC-University Pompeu Fabra), Barcelona 08003, Spain; Centro Nacional de Analisis Genomico (CNAG-CRG), Barcelona 08023, Spain
| | - Oliver A Ryder
- San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Molly McCue
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Stefan Rieder
- Agroscope, Swiss National Stud Farm, Avenches 1580, Switzerland
| | - Tosso Leeb
- Institute of Genetics, University of Bern, Bern 3001, Switzerland
| | - Montgomery Slatkin
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, Berkeley, CA 94720-3140, USA
| | - Ludovic Orlando
- Centre for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen 1350K, Denmark; Université de Toulouse, University Paul Sabatier (UPS), Laboratoire AMIS, CNRS UMR 5288, 37 Allées Jules Guesde, 31000 Toulouse, France.
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12
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Hadas L, Hermon D, Boldo A, Arieli G, Gafny R, King R, Bar-Gal GK. Wild gazelles of the southern Levant: genetic profiling defines new conservation priorities. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0116401. [PMID: 25760948 PMCID: PMC4356595 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0116401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 12/09/2014] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
The mountain gazelle (Gazella gazelle), Dorcas gazelle (Gazella Dorcas) and acacia gazelle (Gazella arabica acacia) were historically abundant in the southern Levant, and more specifically in Israel. Anthropogenic and natural changes have caused a rapid decline in gazelle populations, raising concerns about their conservation status and future survival. The genetic profile of 111 wild gazelles from Israel was determined based on three regions of mitochondrial DNA (control region, Cytochrome b and 12S ribosomal RNA) and nine nuclear microsatellite markers. Genetic analysis of the mountain gazelle population, the largest known population of this rare species, revealed adequate diversity levels and gene flow between subpopulations. Nevertheless, ongoing habitat degradation and other human effects, such as poaching, suggest the need for drastic measures to prevent species extinction. Dorcas gazelles in Israel displayed inbreeding within subpopulations while still maintaining considerable genetic diversity overall. This stable population, represented by a distinctive genetic profile, is fragmented and isolated from its relatives in neighboring localities. Based on the genetic profile of a newly sampled subpopulation in Israel, we provide an alternative hypothesis for the historic dispersal of Dorcas gazelle, from the Southern Levant to northern Africa. The small acacia gazelle population was closest to gazelles from the Farasan Islands of Saudi Arabia, based on mitochondrial markers. The two populations did not share haplotypes, suggesting that these two populations may be the last remnant wild gazelles of this species worldwide. Only a dozen acacia gazelles survive in Israel, and urgent steps are needed to ensure the survival of this genetically distinctive lineage. The genetic assessments of our study recognize new conservation priorities for each gazelle species in the Southern Levant.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lia Hadas
- The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Dalia Hermon
- DNA and Forensic Biology Laboratory, Division of Identification and Forensic Science, Israel Police, National Headquarters, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Amizor Boldo
- Supervision and Enforcement Division, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gal Arieli
- Supervision and Enforcement Division, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Ron Gafny
- DNA and Forensic Biology Laboratory, Division of Identification and Forensic Science, Israel Police, National Headquarters, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Roni King
- Science and Conservation Division, Israel Nature and Parks Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
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13
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Xue HR, Yamaguchi N, Driscoll CA, Han Y, Bar-Gal GK, Zhuang Y, Mazak JH, Macdonald DW, O'Brien SJ, Luo SJ. Genetic ancestry of the extinct Javan and Bali tigers. J Hered 2015; 106:247-57. [PMID: 25754539 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esv002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2014] [Accepted: 01/26/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Bali (Panthera tigris balica) and Javan (P. t. sondaica) tigers are recognized as distinct tiger subspecies that went extinct in the 1940s and 1980s, respectively. Yet their genetic ancestry and taxonomic status remain controversial. Following ancient DNA procedures, we generated concatenated 1750bp mtDNA sequences from 23 museum samples including 11 voucher specimens from Java and Bali and compared these to diagnostic mtDNA sequences from 122 specimens of living tiger subspecies and the extinct Caspian tiger. The results revealed a close genetic affinity of the 3 groups from the Sunda Islands (Bali, Javan, and Sumatran tigers P. t. sumatrae). Bali and Javan mtDNA haplotypes differ from Sumatran haplotypes by 1-2 nucleotides, and the 3 island populations define a monophyletic assemblage distinctive and equidistant from other mainland subspecies. Despite this close phylogenetic relationship, no mtDNA haplotype was shared between Sumatran and Javan/Bali tigers, indicating little or no matrilineal gene flow among the islands after they were colonized. The close phylogenetic relationship among Sunda tiger subspecies suggests either recent colonization across the islands, or else a once continuous tiger population that had subsequently isolated into different island subspecies. This supports the hypothesis that the Sumatran tiger is the closest living relative to the extinct Javan and Bali tigers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hao-Ran Xue
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Nobuyuki Yamaguchi
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Carlos A Driscoll
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Yu Han
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Yan Zhuang
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Ji H Mazak
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - David W Macdonald
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Stephen J O'Brien
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Shu-Jin Luo
- From the College of Life Sciences, Peking-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China (Xue, Han, Zhuang, and Luo); the Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney, Abingdon OX13 5QL, UK (Yamaguchi, Driscoll, and Macdonald); the School of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing 100875, China (Han); the Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel (Bar-Gal); the Shanghai Science and Technology Museum, Shanghai 200127, China (Mazak); the Theodosius Dobzhansky Center for Genome Bioinformatics, St. Petersburg State University, St Petersburg 199004, Russia (O'Brien); and the Oceanographic Center, Nova Southeastern University, Ft Lauderdale, FL 33004, USA (O'Brien). Nobuyuki Yamaguchi is now at Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Qatar, PO Box 2713, Doha, Qatar. Carlos A. Driscoll is now at WWF-India at Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehadun, Uttarakhand 248001, India.
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Lee OYC, Wu HHT, Besra GS, Rothschild BM, Spigelman M, Hershkovitz I, Bar-Gal GK, Donoghue HD, Minnikin DE. Lipid biomarkers provide evolutionary signposts for the oldest known cases of tuberculosis. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2015; 95 Suppl 1:S127-32. [PMID: 25797611 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2015.02.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Studies on the evolution of tuberculosis, and the influence of this disease on human and animal development and interaction, require the accumulation of indisputable biomarker evidence. Ideally, the determination of full genomes would provide all the necessary information, but for very old specimens DNA preservation may be compromised and only limited DNA amplification may be a possibility. Mycobacterium tuberculosis is characterised by the presence of unusual cell envelope lipids, with specific biomarker potential. Lipid biomarker recognition has been decisive in pinpointing the oldest known cases of human and animal tuberculosis; the former are a woman and child from a pre-pottery settlement at Atlit-Yam, Israel (∼9,000 ka) and the latter is an extinct Bison antiquus from Natural Trap Cave, Wyoming (∼17,000 ka). Including some new data, it is demonstrated how analysis of a combination of mycolic, mycocerosic and mycolipenic acid and phthiocerol biomarkers provide incontrovertible evidence for tuberculosis in these landmark specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oona Y-C Lee
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Houdini H T Wu
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Gurdyal S Besra
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
| | - Bruce M Rothschild
- Biodiversity Institute and Departments of Anthropology and Geology, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045, USA.
| | - Mark Spigelman
- Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases and Ancient DNA, Hadassah Medical School, Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel.
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Helen D Donoghue
- Centres for Clinical Microbiology and the History of Medicine, University College London, UK.
| | - David E Minnikin
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, UK.
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Spigelman M, Donoghue HD, Abdeen Z, Ereqat S, Sarie I, Greenblatt CL, Pap I, Szikossy I, Hershkovitz I, Bar-Gal GK, Matheson C. Evolutionary changes in the genome of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the human genome from 9000 years BP until modern times. Tuberculosis (Edinb) 2015; 95 Suppl 1:S145-9. [PMID: 25771203 DOI: 10.1016/j.tube.2015.02.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The demonstration of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA in ancient skeletons gives researchers an insight into its evolution. Findings of the last two decades sketched the biological relationships between the various species of tubercle bacilli, the time scale involved, their possible origin and dispersal. This paper includes the available evidence and on-going research. In the submerged Eastern Mediterranean Neolithic village of Atlit Yam (9000 BP), a human lineage of M. tuberculosis, defined by the TbD1 deletion in its genome, was demonstrated. An infected infant at the site provides an example of active tuberculosis in a human with a naïve immune system. Over 4000 years later tuberculosis was found in Jericho. Urbanization increases population density encouraging M. tuberculosis/human co-evolution. As susceptible humans die of tuberculosis, survivors develop genetic resistance to disease. Thus in 18th century Hungarian mummies from Vác, 65% were positive for tuberculosis yet a 95-year-old woman had clearly survived a childhood Ghon lesion. Whole genome studies are in progress, to detect changes over the millennia both in bacterial virulence and also host susceptibility/resistance genes that determine the NRAMP protein and Killer Cell Immunoglobulin-like Receptors (KIRs). This paper surveys present evidence and includes initial findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark Spigelman
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK; Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel; Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious & Tropical Diseases and Ancient DNA, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Helen D Donoghue
- Centre for Clinical Microbiology, Division of Infection & Immunity, University College London, London, UK; Centre for the History of Medicine, Division of Biosciences, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Ziad Abdeen
- Al-Quds Nutrition and Health Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Abu-Deis, P.O. Box 201760, West Bank, Palestine.
| | - Suheir Ereqat
- Al-Quds Nutrition and Health Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Abu-Deis, P.O. Box 201760, West Bank, Palestine.
| | - Issa Sarie
- Al-Quds Nutrition and Health Research Institute, Faculty of Medicine, Al-Quds University, Abu-Deis, P.O. Box 201760, West Bank, Palestine.
| | - Charles L Greenblatt
- Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious & Tropical Diseases and Ancient DNA, Hadassah Medical School, The Hebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel.
| | - Ildikó Pap
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary.
| | - Ildikó Szikossy
- Department of Anthropology, Hungarian Natural History Museum, Budapest, Hungary
| | - Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel.
| | - Carney Matheson
- Paleo-DNA Laboratory, Departments of Anthropology and Biology, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.
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Hershkovitz I, Spigelman M, Sarig R, Lim DS, Lee IS, Oh CS, May H, Boaretto E, Kim YS, Lee SD, Peled N, Kim MJ, Toledano T, Bar-Gal GK, Shin DH. A possible case of cherubism in a 17th-century Korean mummy. PLoS One 2014; 9:e102441. [PMID: 25093864 PMCID: PMC4122385 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2013] [Accepted: 05/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Cherubism is a benign fibro-osseous disease of childhood limited specifically to the maxilla and mandible. The progressive replacement of the jaw bones with expansile multilocular cystic lesions causes eventual prominence of the lower face, and hence the classic “cherubic” phenotype reflecting variable extents of jaw hypertrophy. Histologically, this condition has been characterized as replacement of the normal bone matrix with multicystic pockets of fibrous stroma and osteoclastic giant cells. Because of radiographic features common to both, primarily the presence of multiloculated lucencies with heterogeneous “ground-glass” sclerosis on CT imaging, cherubism was long mistaken for a craniofacial subtype of fibrous dysplasia. In 1999, however, the distinct genetic basis for cherubism was mapped to chromosome 4p16.3 and the SH-3 binding protein SH3BP2. But while there are already three suspected cases of fibrous dysplasia amongst archaeological populations, no definitive cases of cherubism have yet been reported in historical populations. In the current study we describe micro- and macro-structural changes in the face of a 17th century Joseon Dynasty Korean mummy which may coincide with the clinic-pathologic and radiologic features of cherubism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
- * E-mail: (IH); (DHS)
| | - Mark Spigelman
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Rachel Sarig
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Do-Sun Lim
- Department of Dental Hygiene, Eulji University, Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - In Sun Lee
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Chang Seok Oh
- Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Hila May
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Elisabetta Boaretto
- D-REAMS Radiocarbon Dating Laboratory, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Yi-Suk Kim
- Department of Anatomy, Ewha Womans University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Soong Deok Lee
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Department of Forensic Science, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
| | - Nathan Peled
- Department of Radiology, Carmel Medical Center, Haifa, Israel
| | - Myeung Ju Kim
- Department of Anatomy, Dankook University College of Medicine, Yongin-si, Gyeonggi-do, Korea
| | - Talya Toledano
- Department of Radiology, Maimonides Medical Center, Brooklyn, New York, United States of America
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Department of Virology, Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Dong Hoon Shin
- Department of Anatomy, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- Institute of Forensic Medicine, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
- * E-mail: (IH); (DHS)
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Valinsky L, Ettinger G, Bar-Gal GK, Orshan L. Molecular identification of bloodmeals from sand flies and mosquitoes collected in Israel. J Med Entomol 2014; 51:678-685. [PMID: 24897862 DOI: 10.1603/me13125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
In Israel, sand flies are the vectors of Leishmania Ross and mosquitoes are the vectors of West Nile Virus. In the Judean Desert and Tiberias, the sand fly Phlebotomus sergenti Parrot is the vector of Leishmania tropica (Wright) and the rock hyrax (Procavia capensis Pallas) is considered the main reservoir animal. The main vectors of West Nile Virus are Culex pipiens L. and Culex perexiguus Theobald. Bloodmeals of engorged field-caught female sand flies and mosquitoes are an important source for defining host preferences. Recent progress in DNA molecular techniques has enabled the accurate identification of blood sources within the arthropod gut. In this study, we applied molecular approach for species-specific identification based on polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequence analysis of polymorphic regions along two mitochondrial genes, 12S and 16S rRNA. The research was carried out on 261 engorged female sand flies collected in the Judean Desert and Tiberias and 50 engorged female mosquitoes collected in Tel-Aviv and Arava. Species identification of bloodmeals was successful in 92% of the samples. Rock hyrax was the most abundant host in bloodmeals of P. sergenti, while human blood was found in only seven (3%) females. L. tropica DNA was detected in three P. sergenti females from Tiberias that contained rock hyrax blood. Avian sequences were detected in 67% (10 of 15) of the identified bloodmeals from Cx. perexiguus and in 10% (3 of 29) of the identified meals from Cx. pipiens. Human sequences were found in 14% of the identified bloodmeals from Cx. pipiens. The successful analysis of the majority of the bloodmeals performed on wild sand flies and mosquitoes suggests that bloodmeal identification can be applied as one of the routine procedures in vector surveillance programs.
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Ereqat S, Bar-Gal GK, Nasereddin A, Azmi K, Eshtaieh I, Greenblatt CL, Abdeen Z. Simultaneous detection of Mycobacterium bovis and M. tuberculosis in an apparently immunocompetent patient [Correspondence]. Int J Tuberc Lung Dis 2013; 17:1242-3. [DOI: 10.5588/ijtld.13.0127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Lichter-Peled A, Polani S, Stanyon R, Rocchi M, Kahila Bar-Gal G. Role of KCNQ2 and KCNQ3 genes in juvenile idiopathic epilepsy in Arabian foals. Vet J 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tvjl.2012.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
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Cohen TM, Narkiss T, Dolev A, Ben-Ari Y, Kronfeld-Schor N, Guter A, Saltz D, Bar-Gal GK. Genetic diversity of the Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra) population in Israel. J Hered 2012; 104:192-201. [PMID: 23225879 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/ess094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The Israeli population of Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) marks the Palearctic southern boundary of the species' distribution in the Levant. During the 20th century, the otter population in Israel experienced a dramatic decline due to anthropogenic habitat alterations. Currently, the otter population in Israel is estimated at about 100 individuals and defined as "Critically Endangered". The aim of this research was to characterize the Israeli otter population in order to determine its genetic diversity and fragmentation state for conservation purposes. Monitoring spraint sites during 2000-2011 along active and historic otter distribution regions indicate both stable and unstable otter subpopulations, mainly along the Jordan River. Four otter subpopulations, representing 57 individuals, were characterized by 12 microsatellites, previously used to characterize the European otter populations. The genetic results indicated three subpopulations correlating with three geographical regions: the Hula Valley, Sea of Galilee, and the Harod Valley. A moderate genetic diversity (F (st) = 0.087-0.123) was found among the subpopulations, suggesting sporadic interactions between individuals from distinct geographical locations along the Jordan Rift Valley. The Israeli otter population was found to be very small, demographically remote and genetically distinct, harboring unique alleles absent from the studied European populations. Therefore, immediate conservation actions are recommended to prevent the deterioration of the isolated, unique, and critically endangered otter population in Israel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tali Magory Cohen
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Robert H. Smith Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Environment, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
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21
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Kahila Bar-Gal G, Kim MJ, Klein A, Shin DH, Oh CS, Kim JW, Kim TH, Kim SB, Grant PR, Pappo O, Spigelman M, Shouval D. Tracing hepatitis B virus to the 16th century in a Korean mummy. Hepatology 2012; 56:1671-80. [PMID: 22610996 DOI: 10.1002/hep.25852] [Citation(s) in RCA: 105] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2012] [Accepted: 05/14/2012] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
UNLABELLED A rare find of a mummified child from the 16th century AD, in Korea, with relatively preserved organs, enabled a search for ancient hepatitis B virus (aHBV) DNA sequences from laparoscopic-derived liver biopsies. Analysis of the complete aHBV genome (3,215 base pairs) revealed a unique HBV genotype C2 (HBV/C2) sequence commonly spread in Southeast Asia, which probably represents an HBV that infected the Joseon Dynasty population in Korea. Comparison of the aHBV sequences with contemporary HBV/C2 DNA sequences revealed distinctive differences along four open reading frames. Genetic diversity between contemporary and recovered aHBV/C2 DNA may be the result of immunologic, environmental, and/or pharmacologic pressures. The calculated time of most recent common ancestor suggests that the Korean HBV sequence origin dates back at least 3,000 years and possibly as long as 100,000 years. This isolate most likely represents the earliest human HBV sequence that colonized Southeast Asia by human migration. CONCLUSION This study describes the complete sequence of the oldest HBV isolate and the most ancient full viral genome known so far.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- The Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
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22
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Ereqat S, Nasereddin A, Azmi K, Abdeen Z, Greenblatt CL, Spigelman M, Rastogi N, Bar-Gal GK. Genetic characterization of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in the West Bank, Palestinian Territories. BMC Res Notes 2012; 5:270. [PMID: 22676404 PMCID: PMC3441885 DOI: 10.1186/1756-0500-5-270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2012] [Accepted: 05/30/2012] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The World Health Organization (WHO) declared human tuberculosis (TB) a global health emergency and launched the “Global Plan to Stop Tuberculosis” which aims to save a million lives by 2015. Global control of TB is increasingly dependent on rapid and accurate genetic typing of species of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis (MTB) complex including M. tuberculosis. The aim of this study was to identify and genetically characterize the MTB isolates circulating in the West Bank, Palestinian Territories. Genotyping of the MTB isolates from patients with pulmonary TB was carried out using two molecular genetic techniques, spoligotyping and mycobacterial interspersed repetitive units-variable number of tandem repeat (MIRU-VNTR) supported by analysis of the MTB specific deletion 1 (TbD1). Findings A total of 17 MTB patterns were obtained from the 31 clinical isolates analyzed by spoligotyping; corresponding to 2 orphans and 15 shared-types (SITs). Fourteen SITs matched a preexisting shared-type in the SITVIT2 database, whereas a single shared-type SIT3348 was newly created. The most common spoligotyping profile was SIT53 (T1 variant), identified in 35.5 % of the TB cases studied. Genetic characterization of 22 clinical isolates via the 15 loci MIRU-VNTR typing distinguished 19 patterns. The 15-loci MIT144 and MIT145 were newly created within this study. Both methods determined the present of M. bovis strains among the isolates. Conclusions Significant diversity among the MTB isolates circulating in the West Bank was identified with SIT53-T1 genotype being the most frequent strain. Our results are used as reference database of the strains circulating in our region and may facilitate the implementation of an efficient TB control program.
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Affiliation(s)
- Suheir Ereqat
- Al-Quds Nutrition and Health Research Institute, Al-Quds University, Abu-Deis, Palestine.
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23
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Talmi-Frank D, Kedem-Vaanunu N, King R, Bar-Gal GK, Edery N, Jaffe CL, Baneth G. Leishmania tropica infection in golden jackals and red foxes, Israel. Emerg Infect Dis 2011; 16:1973-5. [PMID: 21122235 PMCID: PMC3294571 DOI: 10.3201/eid1612.100953] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
During a survey of wild canids, internal transcribed spacer 1 real-time PCR and high-resolution melt analysis identified Leishmania tropica in samples from jackals and foxes. Infection was most prevalent in ear and spleen samples. Jackals and foxes may play a role in the spread of zoonotic L. tropica.
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24
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Polani S, Roca AL, Rosensteel BB, Kolokotronis SO, Bar-Gal GK. Evolutionary dynamics of endogenous feline leukemia virus proliferation among species of the domestic cat lineage. Virology 2010; 405:397-407. [DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2010.06.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2010] [Revised: 04/22/2010] [Accepted: 06/03/2010] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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25
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Hershkovitz I, Donoghue HD, Minnikin DE, Besra GS, Lee OYC, Gernaey AM, Galili E, Eshed V, Greenblatt CL, Lemma E, Bar-Gal GK, Spigelman M. Detection and molecular characterization of 9,000-year-old Mycobacterium tuberculosis from a Neolithic settlement in the Eastern Mediterranean. PLoS One 2008; 3:e3426. [PMID: 18923677 PMCID: PMC2565837 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0003426] [Citation(s) in RCA: 268] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2008] [Accepted: 09/15/2008] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Mycobacterium tuberculosis is the principal etiologic agent of human tuberculosis. It has no environmental reservoir and is believed to have co-evolved with its host over millennia. This is supported by skeletal evidence of the disease in early humans, and inferred from M. tuberculosis genomic analysis. Direct examination of ancient human remains for M. tuberculosis biomarkers should aid our understanding of the nature of prehistoric tuberculosis and the host/pathogen relationship. Methodology/Principal Findings We used conventional PCR to examine bone samples with typical tuberculosis lesions from a woman and infant, who were buried together in the now submerged site of Atlit-Yam in the Eastern Mediterranean, dating from 9250-8160 years ago. Rigorous precautions were taken to prevent contamination, and independent centers were used to confirm authenticity of findings. DNA from five M tuberculosis genetic loci was detected and had characteristics consistent with extant genetic lineages. High performance liquid chromatography was used as an independent method of verification and it directly detected mycolic acid lipid biomarkers, specific for the M. tuberculosis complex. Conclusions/Significance Human tuberculosis was confirmed by morphological and molecular methods in a population living in one of the first villages with evidence of agriculture and animal domestication. The widespread use of animals was not a source of infection but may have supported a denser human population that facilitated transmission of the tubercle bacillus. The similarity of the M. tuberculosis genetic signature with those of today gives support to the theory of a long-term co-existence of host and pathogen.
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Affiliation(s)
- Israel Hershkovitz
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Helen D. Donoghue
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- * E-mail:
| | - David E. Minnikin
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Gurdyal S. Besra
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Oona Y-C. Lee
- School of Biosciences, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham, United Kingdom
| | - Angela M. Gernaey
- Biosciences Research Institute, University of Salford, Salford, United Kingdom
| | - Ehud Galili
- Marine Archaeology Branch, Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Vered Eshed
- Department of Anatomy and Anthropology, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel-Aviv University, Tel-Aviv, Israel
| | - Charles L. Greenblatt
- Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Eshetu Lemma
- Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Gila Kahila Bar-Gal
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
| | - Mark Spigelman
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- Kuvin Center for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hebrew University-Hadassah Medical School, Jerusalem, Israel
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Halperin T, Vennema H, Koopmans M, Kahila Bar-Gal G, Kayouf R, Sela T, Ambar R, Klement E. No association between histo-blood group antigens and susceptibility to clinical infections with genogroup II norovirus. J Infect Dis 2008; 197:63-5. [PMID: 18171286 DOI: 10.1086/524145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Noroviruses (NoVs) are a leading cause of viral gastroenteritis in humans. In the present study, the association between NoV susceptibility and the ABO histo-blood group was studied during 2 outbreaks of acute gastroenteritis in military units in Israel caused by genogroup II (GII) NoVs. The findings demonstrate that, unlike for genogroup I of NoV, there is no association between the ABO histo-blood group and clinical infection with GII NoVs. This is the largest study to test the association between NoVs, proven clinical infection with GII, and the ABO histo-blood group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tamar Halperin
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, Faculty of Agricultural, Food, and Environmental Sciences, The Hebrew University, Rehovot, Israel
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27
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Donoghue HD, Spigelman M, Greenblatt CL, Lev-Maor G, Bar-Gal GK, Matheson C, Vernon K, Nerlich AG, Zink AR. Tuberculosis: from prehistory to Robert Koch, as revealed by ancient DNA. Lancet Infect Dis 2004; 4:584-92. [PMID: 15336226 DOI: 10.1016/s1473-3099(04)01133-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 135] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
During the past 10 years palaeomicrobiology, a new scientific discipline, has developed. The study of ancient pathogens by direct detection of their DNA has answered several historical questions and shown changes to pathogens over time. However, ancient DNA (aDNA) continues to be controversial and great care is needed to provide valid data. Here we review the most successful application of the technology, which is the study of tuberculosis. This has provided direct support for the current theory of Mycobacterium tuberculosis evolution, and suggests areas of investigation for the interaction of M tuberculosis with its host.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen D Donoghue
- Centre for Infectious Diseases and International Health, University College London, London, UK
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28
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Roca AL, Bar-Gal GK, Eizirik E, Helgen KM, Maria R, Springer MS, O'Brien SJ, Murphy WJ. Mesozoic origin for West Indian insectivores. Nature 2004; 429:649-51. [PMID: 15190349 DOI: 10.1038/nature02597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2003] [Accepted: 04/19/2004] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The highly endangered solenodons, endemic to Cuba (Solenodon cubanus) and Hispaniola (S. paradoxus), comprise the only two surviving species of West Indian insectivores. Combined gene sequences (13.9 kilobases) from S. paradoxus established that solenodons diverged from other eulipotyphlan insectivores 76 million years ago in the Cretaceous period, which is consistent with vicariance, though also compatible with dispersal. A sequence of 1.6 kilobases of mitochondrial DNA from S. cubanus indicated a deep divergence of 25 million years versus the congeneric S. paradoxus, which is consistent with vicariant origins as tectonic forces separated Cuba and Hispaniola. Efforts to prevent extinction of the two surviving solenodon species would conserve an entire lineage as old or older than many mammalian orders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alfred L Roca
- Laboratory of Genomic Diversity, Basic Research Program, SAIC-Frederick, National Cancer Institute, Frederick, Maryland 21702, USA.
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29
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Pearks Wilkerson AJ, Teeling EC, Troyer JL, Bar-Gal GK, Roelke M, Marker L, Pecon-Slattery J, O'Brien SJ. Coronavirus outbreak in cheetahs: lessons for SARS. Curr Biol 2004; 14:R227-8. [PMID: 15043830 PMCID: PMC7126726 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2004.02.051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
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30
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Greenblatt CL, Schnur LF, Bar-Gal GK, Ermolaev H, Peleg N, Barrett MP. Polymorphism among alleles of the 6-phosphogluconate dehydrogenase gene from Leishmania major and Leishmania tropica. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2002; 125:185-8. [PMID: 12467985 DOI: 10.1016/s0166-6851(02)00213-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Charles L Greenblatt
- Department of Parasitology, Kuvin Centre for the Study of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine, Ein-Karem, Jerusalem 91120, Israel.
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31
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Rothschild BM, Martin LD, Lev G, Bercovier H, Bar-Gal GK, Greenblatt C, Donoghue H, Spigelman M, Brittain D. Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex DNA from an extinct bison dated 17,000 years before the present. Clin Infect Dis 2001; 33:305-11. [PMID: 11438894 DOI: 10.1086/321886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/09/2000] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Abstract
In order to assess the presence of tuberculosis in Pleistocene bison and the origin of tuberculosis in North America, 2 separate DNA extractions were performed by 2 separate laboratories on samples from the metacarpal of an extinct long-horned bison that was radiocarbon dated at 17,870+/-230 years before present and that had pathological changes suggestive of tuberculosis. Polymerase chain reaction amplification isolated fragments of tuberculosis DNA, which were sequenced, and on which spoligotyping was also performed to help determine its relationship to the various members of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. Extensive precautions against contamination with modern M. tuberculosis complex DNA were employed, including analysis of paleontologic and modern specimens in 2 geographically separate laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- B M Rothschild
- Arthritis Center of Northeast Ohio, 5500 Market St., Youngstown, OH 44512, USA.
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