Background To identify blood donors eligible to donate Coronavirus Disease-2019 (COVID-19) Convalescent Plasma (CCP), a large blood center began testing for antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, the etiologic agent of COVID-19. We report the seroprevalence of total immunoglobulin directed against the S1 spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 in US blood donors. Methods Unique non-CCP donor sera from June 1-July 31, 2020 were tested with the Ortho VITROS Anti-SARS-CoV-2 total immunoglobulin assay (positive: signal-to-cutoff (S/C) =>1). Donor age, sex, race/ethnicity, ABO/RhD, education, and experience were compared to June and July 2019. Multivariate regressions were conducted to identify demographics associated with the presence of antibodies and with S/C values. Results Unique donors (n=252,882) showed an overall seroprevalence of 1.83% in June (1.37%) and July (2.26%), with the highest prevalence in northern New Jersey (7.3%). In a subset of donors with demographic information (n=189,565), higher odds of antibody reactivity were associated with non-Hispanic Native American/Alaskan (NH-NAA/A) and Black (NH-B), and Hispanic (H) race/ethnicity, age 18-64, middle school or lesser education, blood Group A, and never or non-recent donor status. In positive donors (n=2,831), antibody signal was associated with male sex, race/ethnicity (NH-NAA/A, NH-B and H) and geographic location. Conclusions Seroprevalence remains low in US blood donors but varies significantly by region. Temporal trends in reactivity may be used to gauge the effectiveness of public health measures. Before generalizing these data from healthy donors to the general population however, rates must be corrected for false positive test results among low prevalence test subjects and adjusted to match the wider demography.

Variability in the response to salinity within Chloris gayana (Rhodes grass) germplasm was evaluated under field conditions, and random amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) markers were used to assess genetic relatedness among cultivars/accessions. RAPD analysis showed a clustering of cultivars of known relatedness: cv. Pioneer and accessions Local and Trancas (derived from an old Pioneer pasture established in saline soil) belonged to the same cluster, Katambora to another and tetraploid Boma and Callide could be further separated, Boma belonging to a fourth, distant cluster. Field experiments were laid out in two types of plots: control [with electrical conductivity of the saturation extract (EC) = 3·64 dS m−1] and saline (EC=13·10 dS m−1) and two experiments were carried out: one to evaluate the effects of salinity on emergence and establishment, and the other, with a uniform number of plants per plot, to evaluate yield under saline conditions. All cultivars/accessions had salinity‐associated decreases in dry‐matter (DM) production during the establishment phase. After this stage, 1‐year DM yield was similar in all cultivars within each salinity level and production in the saline plots was significantly lower than in controls only in cv. Callide and accession Trancas. Second‐year production in the non‐saline plots increased by 30% on average over the previous year, whereas an average 40% reduction was observed in the saline plots. Thus, salinity had a negative effect on Rhodes grass establishment and persistence. The cultivars could not be ranked unequivocally by production under saline conditions, but tetraploids Boma and Callide may be said to be less tolerant than the rest on the basis of an increased proportion of dead leaves and decreased number of stolons observed in the saline plot.

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The Argentinean semiarid Chaco region is climatically suitable for cattle raising and has an average annual rainfall of 550 mm, concentrated from November to February. There, large areas are affected by high salinity; thus, perennial forages suitable for this region must combine adequate salt and drought tolerance. Panicum coloratum is a C4 perennial grass adapted over a wide range of soil and rainfall conditions, and the purpose of this study was to evaluate the response of two cultivars (Klein Verde and Bambatsi) to salinity. Under controlled conditions, 100 and 200 mmol l−1 NaCl delayed germination and significantly reduced germination percentages and seedling survival in both cultivars. However, in the field, factors other than salinity (possibly drought) had a large impact on plant survival. In short‐term experiments under controlled environmental conditions, the vegetative growth of cultivar Klein Verde was less affected by salinity than Bambatsi. The cumulative growth over one year in a saline plot was also higher in cultivar Klein Verde. This cultivar also had higher shoot K+/Na+ ratios under salinity, as a result of higher K+ concentrations, and accumulated more triglycerides in roots. These features have been associated with salt tolerance in other species.

COMUNICACIÓN Uso de bacteriófagos en gallinas de postura infectadas con SUMMARYSalmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis (SE) remains an important enteropathogen in the poultry industry and public health. Due to the limited effectiveness of control measures, lytic bacteriophages have shown a potential use as biocontrollers of SE in birds. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of prophylactic therapy with phages to control intestinal and reproductive tract colonization of SE in laying hens. 22-week old HyLine Brown hens free of Salmonella, were treated with a mixture of three bacteriophages (10 11 PFU/dose/phage) and challenged with 2.4 x 10 8 CFU of SE, 24 hours post phage treatment. On day 10 post challenge, hens were euthanatized, and individual samples of cecum, ovary and oviduct, were analyzed using qualitative and quantitative bacteriology. Eggs laid during the experience were collected and processed to detect SE. The incidence of Salmonella in ceca was similar between positive control and treated groups (96.67%) and cecal bacterial counts did not present significant differences between them (P > 0.05). In reproductive tissues, phagetherapy was able to slightly reduce the SE count in the ovary (P < 0.05), but not in oviducts (P > 0.05). This lytic activity of phages observed in ovaric tissue, encourages further efforts to elucidate the real contribution of bacteriophages as SE biocontrollers in laying hens.Palabras clave: Salmonella, prevención, bacteriófagos, gallinas de postura, aves.