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The raccoon (Procyon lotor) carnivore native to North America is a fast spreading, invasive species in the Europe now. The data on the occurrence of Cryptosporidium spp. and microsporidia in raccoons is limited to North America’s territory and is totally lacking in the case of their introduction to Europe. Therefore, the objective of this study was to investigate the occurrence of microparasites in the introduced raccoons. The results suggest a possible role of raccoons in the contamination of the environment, including urban areas, with pathogens of zoonotic significance.

The use of antibiotics in animal husbandry contributes to the world wide problem of increasing antibiotic resistance in animal and human pathogens. Intensive animal production is considered an important source of antibiotic resistance genes released to the environment, while the contribution of smaller farms remains to be evaluated. This study shows that antibiotic resistance genes may be a stable part of the intestinal metagenome of cattle even if antibiotics are not used for growth stimulation, and that smaller dairy farms may also contribute to environmental pollution with antibiotic resistance genes.

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs) mediate synaptic plasticity, and their dysfunction is implicated in multiple brain disorders. Here, we identify the molecular basis of the use-dependent and voltage-independent inhibitory effect of neurosteroids on NMDAR responses. The site of action is located at the extracellular vestibule of the receptor’s ion channel pore and is accessible after receptor activation...

Cellular motility is essential for microscopic parasites, it is used to reach the host, migrate through tissues, or evade host immune reactions. Many cells employ an evolutionary conserved motor protein– actin, to crawl or glide along a substrate. We describe the peculiar movement of Sphaerospora molnari, a myxozoan parasite with proliferating blood stages in its host, common carp.

The peptide LL‐37, a component of the human innate immune system, represents a promising drug candidate. In particular, the development of low‐cost production platform technology is a critical bottleneck in its use in medicine. In the present study, a viable approach for the LL‐37 production in transgenic barley is developed.

A putative operon encoding the biosynthetic pathway for the cytotoxic cyanobacterial lipopeptides puwainphycins was identified in Cylindrospermum alatosporum. Bioinformatics analysis enabled sequential prediction of puwainaphycin biosynthesis. Published results provide the first insight into the biosynthesis of frequently occurring b-amino fatty acid lipopeptides in cyanobacteria, which may facilitate analytical assessment and development of monitoring tools for cytotoxic cyanobacterial lipopeptides.

Using a porcine model, we describe Melanoma-Associated CD4+CD8hi T-lymphocytes (MATL) in peripheral blood that increase during melanoma regression. Analysis of sorted cells from regressing pigs revealed a unique MATL subpopulation with mono-specific T-cell receptor that was further analyzed by sequencing. These results indicate that pigs regressing melanomas possess a characteristic population of recirculating T-cells playing a role in tumor control and regression.

Swim bladder inflammation (SBI) is an important disease of common carp fingerlings in Central Europe, its etiology beingascribed to multicellular proliferative stages of the myxozoan parasite. Due to the presence of emerging numbers of proliferative myxozoan blood stages at different carp culture sites in recent years we analysed cases of SBI, for the first time, using molecular diagnostics, to identify the myxozoan parasites present in diseased swim bladders.

We have performed a broad study investigating cyanotoxin potential of 311 non-planktic nostocacean representatives combining molecular and chemical analyses. Out of these, a single strain Nostoc sp. Treb K1/5, was identified as a new microcystin producer. Our findings indicate rare occurrence of the common cyanotoxins in non-planktic nostocaceae...

Mimicry complexes typically consist of multiple species that deter predators using similar anti-predatory signals. Here, we report a new multi-order mimicry complex that includes at least 140 different putative mimics from four arthropod orders including ants, wasps, bugs, tree hoppers and spiders. All members of this mimicry complex were similarly effective at deterring predators - even mildly defended mimics were rarely eaten by a community of invertebrate and vertebrate predators both in the wild and during staged trials.

The complete nucleotide sequences of RNA1 and RNA2 of the Holandsky cerveny strain of currant latent virus (CuLV) were determined using next-generation sequencing. A sequencing library was prepared using a KAPA DNA Library Preparation Kit and processed using a HiSeq2500 system (Illumina) by SEQme.eu (Dobris, Czech Republic). Phylogenetic analysis confirms that CuLV is a new distinct member of the genus Cheravirus.

Group A Rotaviruses (RVA) are the leading cause of acute gastroenteritis in children. We investigated genotypes of RVA isolated from 225 stool specimens collected from Czech patients. The most abundant genotypes were G1P[8] (42.7%), G3P[8] (11.1%), G9P[8] (9.8%), G2P[4] (4.4%), G4P[8] (1.3%), G12P[8] (1.3%), and, surprisingly, G8P[8] (9.3%). This is the first time that bovine–human DS-1-like G8P[8] strains were detected at a high rate in human patients in Central Europe. Whether the emergence of this unusual genotype reflects the establishment of a new RVA strain in the population requires the continuous monitoring of rotavirus epidemiology.

Plant-soil feedback (PSF) represents an important process affecting natural plant communities. While many previous studies demonstrated the variation in the intensity of PSF between species, the mechanisms driving these differences are still largely unexplored. The aim of the study was to explore the importance of species traits and species phylogenetic relationships on the intensity of plant-soil feedback. The results supported our expectation that plant-soil feedback may be affected by species phylogenetic relationships. In addition, we have shown that also plant traits and the effect of the conditioning plant on soil chemistry may be useful factors allowing us to predict the intensity of…