Whole genome sequence of first Candida auris strain, isolated in Russia

Candida auris is an emergent yeast pathogen, easily transmissible between patients and with high percent of multidrug resistant strains. Here we present a draft genome sequence of the first known Russian strain of C. auris, isolated from a case of candidemia. The strain clustered within South Asian C. auris clade and seemingly represented an independent event of dissemination from the original species range. Observed fluconazole resistance was probably due to F105L and K143R mutations in ERG11.

Brome mosaic virus Infection of Rice Results in Decreased Accumulation of RNA1

Brome mosaic virus (BMV) (the Russian strain) infects monocot plants and has been studied extensively in barley and wheat. Here, we report BMV can systemically infect rice (Oryza sativa var. japonica), including cultivars in which the genomes have been determined. The BMV capsid protein can be found throughout the inoculated plants. However, infection in rice exhibits delayed symptom expression or no symptoms when compared with wheat (Triticum aestivum). The sequences of BMV RNAs isolated from rice did not reveal any nucleotide changes in RNA1 or RNA2, while RNA3 had only one synonymous nucleotide change from the inoculum sequence. Preparations of purified BMV virions contained RNA1 at a significantly reduced level relative to the other two RNAs. Analysis of BMV RNA replication in rice revealed that minus-strand RNA1 was replicated at a reduced rate when compared with RNA2. Thus, rice appears to either inhibit RNA1 replication or lacks a sufficient amount of a factor needed to support efficient RNA1 replication.

NL-3 K Strain Is a Stable and Naturally Occurring Interspecific Recombinant Derived from Bean common mosaic necrosis virus and Bean common mosaic virus

A strain of Bean common mosaic necrosis virus (BCMNV) from Idaho was identified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay using monoclonal antibodies and determined to be similar to the NL-3 D strain (of Drifjhout) by reaction of differential bean cultivars. However, this BCMNV strain (designated NL-3 K) caused earlier and more severe symptoms on bean plants representing host groups 0, 4, and 5. The nucleotide sequence encoding the predicted polyprotein of NL-3 K was 9,893 nucleotides (nt) in length, yielding a peptide with a molecular size of 362.1 kDa compared with a 9,626-nt, 350.9-kDa polyprotein for NL-3 D. Sequence analysis of the putative P1 protein suggests that the NL-3 K strain is a recombinant between NL-3 D and the Russian strain (RU1) of Bean common mosaic virus. The P1 protein of NL-3 K consisted of 415 amino acids compared with 317 for NL-3 D. The first 114 predicted amino acids of the NL-3 K P1 region were 98% identical with RU1. The remaining 301 amino acids of the protein shared only 34% identity with RU1 but were 98% identical with NL-3 D. Primers were designed that flanked the recombination point in the P1 coding sequence of NL-3 K. An amplicon of the expected size was produced by reverse-transcriptase polymerase chain reaction of total nucleic acid extracts of bean plants inoculated with NL-3 K, but not from those with NL-3 D or RU1. The increased symptom severity on selected common bean lines induced by NL-3 K suggests that the P1 gene may play a significant role in pathogenicity and virulence.

Immunoelectron microscopic localization of 22 KDA protein antigen in the surface layer of Mycobacterium bovis BCG strains

Recently a paracrystalline surface layer (the S-layer) was observed as the outermost layer of the cell wall of Mycobacterium bovis strains. This crystalline protein layer was found in the Glaxo BCG strains, one Russian strain and three Finnish strains isolated from the patients with BCG complications.In the thin sectioned and freeze-etched cells the periodic structure was seen in the outermost layer of the cel wall. The sectioned cells (Fig. 1) were bound together by the layer, which was electron dense (S-layer). In the metal shadowed cells, however, the periodicity was clearly seen (Fig. 2). The linear (oblique) arrangement of the subunits in the S-layer was observed and the distance between the rows of the subunits was measured to be about 5.5 nm.Cryosections, monoclonal antibody M. bovis 4C3/17 antibody (AGEN Bicmedical Limited, Queensland, Australia) and both 5 nm and 10 nm Auroprobe protein A (Janssen, Belgium) were used to study, whether the 22kDa protein (MPB70) could form the S-layer of M. bovis strains studied.