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Commensal bacteria generate immensely diverse active metabolites to maintain gut homeostasis, however their fundamental role in establishing an immunotolerogenic microenvironment in the intestinal tract remains obscure. Here, we demonstrate that an understudied murine commensal bacterium, Dubosiella newyorkensis , and its human homologue Clostridium innocuum , have a probiotic immunomodulatory effect on dextran sulfate sodium-induced colitis using conventional, antibiotic-treated and germ-free mouse models. We identify an important role for the D. newyorkensis in rebalancing Treg/Th17 responses and ameliorating mucosal barrier injury by producing short-chain fatty acids, especially propionate and L-Lysine (Lys). We further show that Lys induces the immune tolerance ability of dendritic cells (DCs) by enhancing Trp catabolism towards the kynurenine (Kyn) pathway through activation of the metabolic enzyme indoleamine-2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1) in an aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR)-dependent manner. This study identifies a previously unrecognized metabolic communication by which Lys-producing commensal bacteria exert their immunoregulatory capacity to establish a Treg-mediated immunosuppressive microenvironment by activating AhR-IDO1-Kyn metabolic circuitry in DCs. This metabolic circuit represents a potential therapeutic target for the treatment of inflammatory bowel diseases. Here, Zhang et al . identify a metabolic axis by which Lys-producing commensal bacterium Dubosiella newyorkensis mediates a Treg-mediated immunosuppressive microenvironment by activating AhR-IDO1-Kyn metabolic circuitry in dendritic cells.

EHDV is the causative agent of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD), a viral illness with significant implications for animal welfare, society, and the economy. There are reports of EHDV-1, -6, -7, and -10 serotypes isolated from China, but no reports of EHDV-5 strains have been documented. Here, we report the isolation and identification of four serotypes of EHDV (EHDV-1, -5, -6, and -7) from three Culicoides species ( C. tainanus , C. oxystoma , and C. jacobsoni ) collected in Yunnan, China. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the four strains of EHDV are most closely related to the Australian and Japanese strains. Sero-epidemiological survey results showed that in the border areas of China, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, the rate of EHDV antibody positivity ranged from 29.22% to 58.86%, and seven serotypes of EHDVs circulating among cattle in these regions presented diverse prevalence rates and spatial distributions. This finding indicates that EHDV not only circulates among natural vectors but also infects local domestic cattle in these areas and that the EHDVs prevalent in the Asia-Pacific region may share a common gene pool.

This study aims to reveal the control mechanism of key geometric parameters (flange thickness and flange edge thickness) of H-shaped cross-section on the bending performance of UHPC piles. Through conducting bending tests, combined with digital image correlation (DIC) technology and finite element simulation, the mechanical behavior was studied, and based on the principal strain field obtained from DIC, a strain field concentration index was proposed. The results show that: as the load ratio increases, the strain field concentration and the peak value of the mid-span principal strain continuously increase, and the crack evolution changes from dispersed development to localized control; near the limit state, the strain field concentration can reach approximately 0.28, and the peak value of the principal strain increases in an increasing trend, approximately 20% or more. Under the specific conditions of this test, in terms of ductility and energy absorption, when the flange thickness is constant, increasing the flange thickness of the web increases the energy absorption of the component by approximately 6% to 10%, while the ductility coefficient decreases by approximately 9% to 15%; when the web thickness is constant, increasing the flange thickness reduces the ductility coefficient by approximately 21% to 25%, and the energy absorption decreases by approximately 27% to 29%. The strain field concentration can effectively reflect the evolution process of the localization of bending cracks in H-shaped UHPC piles and can be used for quantitative analysis of their ductility degradation and energy absorption characteristics. It should be clarified that this study does not claim to isolate the effect of a single parameter.

The Getah virus (GETV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen that infects diverse hosts, including pigs, horses, and humans, which can cause swine reproductive disorders such as abortion and stillbirth, posing a potential threat to animal and public health. Therefore, there is an urgent need for efficient and accurate serological diagnostic methods for surveillance and control of GETV. However, commercial diagnostic kits for swine GETV infection remain unavailable. In this study, we developed a novel enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on a GETV-specific epitope peptide (E2EP3) for serological detection. The N-terminally biotinylated E2EP3 peptide was synthesized, and the reaction conditions were systematically optimized, resulting in a cut-off value of 0.363. The assay exhibited no cross-reactivity with Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV), porcine circovirus type 2 (PCV2), porcine circovirus type 3 (PCV3), pseudorabies virus (PRV), or classical swine fever virus (CSFV). It demonstrated good reproducibility and high sensitivity, detecting GETV-positive serum diluted up to 1:640. The overall agreement rate reached 95%, consistent with a conventional recombinant GETV E2 protein-based ELISA. Benefiting from the biotin-streptavidin system, this assay achieved strong signal amplification and low background. Moreover, the procedure is simple, cost-effective, and stable, making it suitable for GETV large-scale serological surveillance and vaccine evaluation.

plays a crucial role as an insect vector in the field of veterinary medicine. The transmission of significant viruses such as bluetongue virus (BTV) and African horse sickness virus (AHSV) by this insect poses a substantial threat, leading to the development of severe diseases in domestic animals. This study aimed to explore the species, identify their blood-meal sources, and assess the presence of BTV and AHSV carried by in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province. The aim was to gain insights into the potential vectors of these two viruses and elucidate their potential roles in the transmission of pathogens. The midges were collected from cattle ( ), pig ( ), and goat ( ) pens in Yuanyang County, Yunnan Province in June 2020. Initial identification of midges was conducted through morphological characteristics, followed by molecular identification using the cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. The determination of blood-meal sources was accomplished using specific primers targeting the cytochrome (Cyt ) gene from potential hosts. BTV and AHSV RNA were identified in pools through the application of reverse transcriptase PCR and quantitative real-time PCR. Nucleotide homology and phylogenetic analysis were performed using MegAlign (DNAStar) and Mega 6.0 software. A total of 6,300 , consisting of , and , were collected from cattle, pigs, and goat pens. The engorgement rates for these species were 30.2%, 54.6%, 75%, and 66.7%, respectively. In the cattle pen, the prevailing species is (100%). In the pig pen, dominates (70%), with following at 30%. In the goat pen, holds the majority (45.45%), trailed by (25%), (20.45%), and (9.09%). These species were identified as feeding on cattle, pigs, goats, chickens ( ), and humans ( ). The positivity rates for BTV were 20.00% and 11.54% in blood-fed specimens of and , respectively. Conversely, the positivity rates for BTV in non-blood-fed specimens were 0.00% and 6.67% for and , respectively. BTV was not detected in and . The specimens (YY86) from that tested positive for BTV had the closest genetic relationship to YTS-4 isolated from Mangshi, Yunnan Province in 1996. All test results for the nucleic acid of AHSV were negative. The study reveals variations in the species distribution, community composition, blood sucking rate, and blood-feeding sources of across different habitats. Notably, and emerge as potential vectors for the transmission of BTV in local animals. Accordingly, this investigation provides crucial insights that can serve as a valuable reference for the prevention and control of BTV in local animals, particularly from the perspective of vector management.

The gut microbiota plays a crucial role in maintaining intestinal stem cell (ISC) homeostasis and epithelial barrier integrity. Here, we report that Blautia coccoides ( B. coccoides ) is significantly reduced in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients and dextran sulfate sodium (DSS)-induced colitis mice. Through an integrated approach combining RNA sequencing, metabolomic profiling, and ISC lineage tracing across multiple mucosal injury models, we demonstrate that B. coccoides colonization enhances β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) production in intestinal epithelial cells (IECs), which activates HOPX⁺ reserve ISCs and promotes regeneration of the LGR5⁺ ISC pool, thereby accelerating epithelial repair. We further show that B. coccoides -derived indole-3-lactic acid (ILA), a tryptophan (Trp) metabolite, is converted into indole-3-propionic acid (IPA) by commensal bacteria such as P. russellii or C. sporogenes , stimulating IEC BHB synthesis. Using an engineered Escherichia coli strain expressing BC-derived phenyllactate dehydrogenase ( fldH ), we establish that both dietary Trp and bacterial fldH activity are essential for ILA/IPA generation and subsequent mucosal healing. Our findings reveal a microbiota-metabolite-ISC regulatory axis critical for epithelial regeneration and propose novel metabolite-based therapeutic strategies for IBD and other intestinal disorders associated with barrier dysfunction. Here, Zhang et al . show that the gut bacterium Blautia coccoides promotes intestinal repair by activating regenerative stem cells through indole lactic acid, providing a potential therapeutic avenue for inflammatory bowel disease.

In this study, the two-dimensional aligned steel fiber-reinforced micro-expansive concrete (2D) was prepared, aiming to address the inherent vulnerabilities of concrete, such as early-age shrinkage cracking and low tensile ductility. For this purpose, the steel fibers and expansive agent were utilized. Furthermore, the planar rotating magnetic field was used to randomly distribute the steel fibers in a two-dimensional plane. In order to verify its superior mechanical and shrinkage properties, the compressive, fracture and drying shrinkage tests were carried out. The results demonstrate that the 2D alignment method enhances the fiber utilization efficiency. Compared with fiber-free groups, the compressive strength and fracture parameters of specimens incorporating steel fibers were improved. Furthermore, compared with randomly distributed steel fiber-reinforced micro-expansive concrete (RD), the 2D alignment method made the cubic compressive strength and fracture energy improve 8–14.2% and 19.4–110%, respectively. Additionally, the advantage of the fiber 2D alignment method was also reflected in the inhibition of drying shrinkage. Compared with normal concrete, the 180-day shrinkage strain of the 2D1.2 group was reduced to 200 με (only 19.5% of that of normal concrete, or 30.6% of that of micro-expansive concrete). Mechanistically, these superior performances are fundamentally governed by a coupling effect: chemical shrinkage compensation and physical alignment constraint.

The gut microbiota sustains intestinal homeostasis, yet how microbial metabolites direct epithelial repair remains unclear. Here we identify indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), a tryptophan-derived bacterial metabolite, as a key regulator of mucosal healing. IPA activates PPARα in intestinal epithelial cells, enhancing transcription of the ketogenic enzyme HMGCS2 and boosting β‑hydroxybutyrate (BHB) production. BHB in turn stimulates LGR5⁺ intestinal stem cells, accelerating epithelial regeneration. Using germ-free models and the IPA‑producer Peptostreptococcus russellii , we show that dietary tryptophan and specific commensals sustain luminal IPA levels, which are critical for recovery in colitis. Restoration of IPA or BHB attenuates inflammation and barrier defects, outlining a microbiota‑metabolite‑stem cell axis that could be therapeutically targeted in inflammatory bowel disease and other barrier disorders. Here, Zhang et al. demonstrate that the microbial metabolite indole-3-propionic acid stimulates production of β-hydroxybutyrate in intestinal cells, in turn activating regenerative stem cells to promote mucosal healing in colitis.

Ankylosing spondylitis (AS), a chronic autoimmune disease, has been linked to the gut bacteriome. To investigate the characteristics of the gut virome in AS, we profiled the gut viral community of 193 AS patients and 59 healthy subjects based on a metagenome-wide analysis of fecal metagenomes from two publicly available datasets. AS patients revealed a significant decrease in gut viral richness and a considerable alteration of the overall viral structure. At the family level, AS patients had an increased abundance of and and a decreased abundance of and . We identified 1,004 differentially abundant viral operational taxonomic units (vOTUs) between patients and controls, including a higher proportion of AS-enriched viruses and control-enriched viruses. Moreover, the AS-enriched vOTUs were more likely to infect bacteria such as , , and , whereas the control-enriched vOTUs were more likely to be , , , , and bacteriophages. Additionally, some viral functional orthologs differed significantly in frequency between the AS-enriched and control-enriched vOTUs, suggesting the functional role of these AS-associated viruses. Moreover, we trained classification models based on gut viral signatures to discriminate AS patients from healthy controls, with an optimal area under the receiver operator characteristic curve (AUC) up to 0.936, suggesting the clinical potential of the gut virome for diagnosing AS. This work provides novel insight into the AS gut virome, and the findings may guide future mechanistic and therapeutic studies for other autoimmune diseases.

Banna virus (BAV), a potential pathogen that may cause human encephalitis, is the prototype species of genus within the family , and has been isolated from a variety of blood-sucking insects and mammals in Asia. , , and were collected overnight in Yunnan, China, during 2016-2023 using light traps. Virus was isolated from these collected blood-sucking insects and grown using (C6/36) cells. Preliminary identification of the virus was performed by agarose gel electrophoresis (AGE). The full genome sequences of the BAVs were determined by full-length amplification of cDNAs (FLAC) and sequenced using next-generation sequencing. In this study, 13 strains BAV were isolated from , and . Their viral genome consisted of 12 segments of double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), and with three distinct distribution patterns. Sequence analysis showed that Seg-5 of four strains (SJ_M46, SJ_M49, JC_M19-13 and JC_C24-13) has 435 bases nucleotide sequence insertions in their ORF compared to other BAVs, resulting in the length of Seg-5 up to 2128 nt. There are 34 bases sequence deletion in Seg-9 of 3 strains (WS_T06, MS_M166 and MS_M140). Comparison of the coding sequences of VP1, VP2, VP5, VP9 and VP12 of the 13 BAV strains, the results show that VP1, VP2 and VP12 are characterised by high levels of sequence conservation, while VP9 is highly variable, under great pressure to adapt and may be correlated with serotype. While also variable, VP5 appears to be under less adaptive pressure than VP9. Additionally, phylogenetic analysis indicates that the 13 BAV strains locate in the same evolutionary cluster as BAVs isolated from various blood-sucking insects, and are clustered according to geographical distribution. The data obtained herein would be beneficial for the surveillance of evolutionary characteristics of BAV in China and neighboring countries as well as extend the knowledge about its genomic diversity and geographic distribution.