Time series DNA barcoding provides insight into factors influencing wood-boring and bark-feeding insect communities in Scots pine, Sitka spruce, and Noble fir stands

Bark-feeding and wood-boring insect pests can have significant negative impacts on conifers and wood production. The damage they cause is expected to increase in the future due to climate change and the growth of international trade. This study employed DNA barcoding of beetle juveniles (Coleoptera) sampled from standing trap trees and cut log piles at regular intervals over a 2-yr period to monitor the beetle community dynamics and associated environmental factors. Tree species was found to have a major influence on beetle communities, most strikingly at the start of early decay stages. Lower species diversity was reported from standing trap tree samples compared to log pile samples, likely due to higher residual defences in dying and recently dead trees. While the species identified from standing trap trees are more likely to be a threat to the forestry sector, the species found in the log piles are more likely to be beneficial due to their high abundance and their ability to compete with pests for breeding substrate. The analysis of beetles collected inside trees revealed additional information on ontogenetic niches and host preferences beyond that acquired solely from flight interception trap data. Our results offer insights on community composition and dynamics of bark-feeding and wood-boring insect species in Welsh conifer forests and provide resources for monitoring and management of potential pest species.

Whole-genome sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of rabies viruses from Jordan

Human fatalities caused by rabies are rarely reported in Jordan; however, domestic animals are more likely to fall victim to rabies compared to wild animals, at least this is the case in Jordan due to the presence of canine rabies. In this study, twelve brain samples from domestic and wild animals suspected of being infected with rabies virus from different regions of Jordan were collected during 2019. Seven of them tested positive using the fluorescent antibody test and real-time SYBR RT-PCR assay. Five specimens were from stray dogs and two from foxes. The whole genome sequences were obtained from the positive samples. Sequence analysis showed that one dog virus from Al Quwaysimah city located in Amman governorate, was closely related to an Israeli strain belonging to a Cosmopolitan ME1a clade. The genomes of the remaining six viruses (four from dogs and two from foxes) collected from different areas of Jordan were genetically-related to each other and clustered together with sequences from Iran and Turkey; all belong to Cosmopolitan ME2 clade. These sequences were analyzed with six other Jordanian rabies virus nucleoprotein (N) gene sequences available in the public database, five of them belong to ME1a clade and one belongs to ME1b clade. Rabies virus whole genome data is scarce across the Middle East. This study provides a better understanding of the molecular epidemiology of rabies virus in the region.

In this study, we performed whole genome sequencing (WGS) for rabies virus (RABV) isolates from seven samples, five of which were of stray dogs, and the other two were from foxes. Specimens were collected from animals across Jordan, including Balqa, Amman, Irbid, Tafilah, and Madaba governorates. Six out of the seven isolates were belonging to the Cosmopolitan ME2 clade, which related to the Iranian and Turkish sequences. This is not the case previously, where the majority of the Jordanian isolates belong to Cosmopolitan ME1a clade and closely related to the sequences from Israel. This shift might be due to the applied regulations across borders between Jordan and Israel. Besides the growth in travel and trade movement between Jordan and Turkey, where the latter is a border country with Iran. These collected data, where such studies are not common in the Middle East countries, will enhance our understanding of the RABV evolution and epidemiology in the region for rapid and effective response for rabies virus outbreaks.