1. Microbiome analysis of groundwaters in the Slovenian Dinaric Karst, a recognized biodiversity hotspotKatarina Bačnik, Denis Kutnjak, Cene Gostinčar, Rok Kostanjšek, Janez Mulec, Monika Novak Babič, Ion Gutiérrez-Aguirre, Nina Gunde-Cimerman, Martina Turk, 2026, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Groundwater is the most important source of drinking water supply, irrigation, and industrial use, as well as a habitat for a diverse range of (micro)organisms. Some of the first studies of underground environments were carried out in the Dinaric Karst region of Slovenia, which harbors one of the highest subterranean biodiversities in the world. Despite their ecological importance, groundwater microbial communities remain underexplored. In this study, we conducted a comprehensive microbiome analysis of karst groundwater, investigating the abundance and diversity of viruses, archaea, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa. We detected a high diversity of both prokaryote- and eukaryote-infecting viruses, indicating the connection of subterranean environments with surface waters. In the archaeal community, seven different phyla were identified, dominated by members of "Candidatus Woesearchaeota" and Nitrososphaerota (syn. Thermoproteota). In the bacterial community of majority of the samples, the Pseudomonadota was the most abundant phylum, followed by Bacteroidota, Actinomycetota, and Verrucomicrobiota. Fungal abundance and diversity differed greatly between cave water samples, with the Ascomycota families Cladosporiaceae, Didymellaceae, Aspergillaceae and saprotrophic Basidiomycota detected in all samples. Besides fungi, microscopic eukaryotic diversity consisted of ciliates, copepods and golden-brown algae present in all samples. Differences in microbial communities between the sampling sites highlight the need for tailored site-specific groundwater conservation and monitoring strategies. Moreover, the identification of microbes associated with anthropogenic activities underscores their potential as source-specific indicators of groundwater pollution. As the first holistic overview of microbial diversity of subterranean water, the study establishes a valuable baseline for future research and conservation of these unique karst ecosystems. Ključne besede: Karst cave water, high-throughput sequencing, viruses, archaea, bacteria, fungi, protozoa Objavljeno v DiRROS: 02.03.2026; Ogledov: 89; Prenosov: 50
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2. Program strokovnih nalog s področja zdravstvenega varstva rastlin : naloge zdravstvenega varstva rastlin po javnem pooblastiluNataša Mehle, Manca Pirc, Špela Alič, Irena Bajde, Aleksander Benčič, Aleš Blatnik, Alexandra Bogožalec Košir, Jakob Brodarič, Veronika Bukvič, Marjana Camloh, Ana Dolinar Češarek, Vesna Dukić, Sara Fišer, Vladimir Grujić, Tjaša Jakomin, Denis Kutnjak, Janja Matičič, Anja Pecman, Špela Prijatelj-Novak, Nina Prezelj, Neža Turnšek, Ana Vučurović, Tanja Dreo, 2026, končno poročilo o rezultatih raziskav Ključne besede: diagnostika, virusi, bakterije, fitoplazme, viroidi, varstvo rastlin Objavljeno v DiRROS: 12.02.2026; Ogledov: 357; Prenosov: 0 |
3. Key insights from nanopore high-throughput sequencing training : 14. 1. 2026, WageningenAnja Pecman, Veronika Bukvič, Ana Vučurović, Denis Kutnjak, Nataša Mehle, 2026, drugo učno gradivo Ključne besede: HTS, workshop, nanopores Objavljeno v DiRROS: 02.02.2026; Ogledov: 125; Prenosov: 42
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4. Wild and globally traded ornamental aquatic plants harbor diverse plant viruses, including notable crop pathogensLana Vogrinec, Katarina Bačnik, Martina Bačič, Nataša Mehle, Aimee R. Fowkes, Živa Lengar, Valerie Harju, Ian Adams, Adrian Fox, Denis Kutnjak, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Background Aquatic plants play key roles in ecosystems, serving as primary producers and providing habitat for other aquatic life. While many are ecologically important, some invasive species, often introduced through the ornamental plant trade, pose threats to various aquatic ecosystems. Although viral infections have been documented to some extent in aquatic crops, the viral diversity in wild and ornamental aquatic plants remains largely unexplored. Investigating the viral communities of aquatic plants is important, as their direct contact with water allows for the potential long-distance transmission of stable viruses released from infected individuals. Invasive aquatic plants exacerbate this issue by introducing novel microbes, including viruses, to new regions, increasing the potential threat to native plant populations. Results Here, we investigated the viral communities of diverse aquatic plants by mining publicly available transcriptome data of 79 wild aquatic species and sequencing the RNA from 14 plant species (some of them of different ornamental varieties), sourced from hobby aquascaping stores. Plant viruses from various families were detected in taxonomically diverse aquatic plants, ranging from algae to angiosperms. Alongside sequences of known crop pathogens, such as turnip yellows virus, cucumber mosaic virus, and lettuce chlorosis virus, we identified contigs of putative novel viral species belonging to several plant-infecting viral families. Most notably, we discovered sequences of known and novel begomoviruses, which may be causing observed ornamental phenotypes in two different aquatic plants. Further, we identified a novel potyvirus that appears to be globally present in multiple ornamental plants from the genus Sagittaria. We detected it in three plants sourced from online stores in Slovenia, as well as six plants intercepted during the import process into the UK. Conclusions Our findings expand on the so far limited knowledge of aquatic plant viruses, revealing known and putative novel plant viral species across diverse aquatic plant taxa. The detection of crop viruses, including regulated pathogens, in ornamental aquatic plants highlights the risks associated with their unregulated global trade. Further research into viruses of aquatic plants may provide insights into their role in ecosystems as well as their potential impact on agriculture. Ključne besede: aquatic plants, macrophytes, viromes, high-throughput sequencing, data mining, virology Objavljeno v DiRROS: 26.11.2025; Ogledov: 753; Prenosov: 157
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5. Viromska analiza RNA virusov v vzorcih Triglavskega ledenika in ledenika pod SkutoKristina Andrejc, Maša Jarčič, Ion Gutiérrez-Aguirre, Denis Kutnjak, Katarina Bačnik, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: V ledenikih se kljub nizkim temperaturam in omejeni količini dosegljive vode ter hranil skriva velika biološka raznolikost. V ledeniških mikrobnih skupnostih prevladujejo bakterije, alge in glive. Znanje o virusih v teh ekstremnih okoljih pa je omejeno, kar smo želeli nasloviti z viromsko analizo slovenskih ledenikov: Triglavskega ledenika in ledenika pod Skuto. Iz koncentriranih vzorcev staljenega ledeniškega ledu smo izolirali ribonukleinske kisline (RNA), jih pomnožili z naključnimi oligonukleotidnimi začetniki in netarčno določili njihova zaporedja s platformo Illumina. S pomočjo bioinformatskih analiz smo v pridobljenih podatkih poiskali virusna zaporedja in jih taksonomsko uvrstili. Odstotki odčitkov, ki so se klasificirali kot virusni, so bili pričakovano nizki. Kljub osredotočenosti na opis raznolikosti RNA virusnih zaporedij, smo v vseh vzorcih slovenskih ledenikov najbolj pogosto zaznali virusne odčitke, ki so pripadali DNA bakteriofagom, klasificiranim v svet Duplodnaviria. Virusna zaporedja odkrita v vzorcih slovenskih ledenikov so večinoma izkazovala nizke identitete z znanimi virusnimi zaporedji iz podatkovnih baz, kar kaže na prisotnost številnih novih virusnih vrst. Daljša sestavljena virusna zaporedja verjetno predstavljajo celotne genome novo odkritih RNA virusov (npr. virusna zaporedja iz skupine toti-podobnih in picorna-podobnih virusov). Za taka zaporedja smo s filogenetskimi analizami pokazali, katerim znanim virusom so najbolj sorodni in kakšne organizme potencialno okužujejo. Raziskava viroma slovenskih ledenikov predstavlja prvi vpogled v prisotnost virusov v teh okoljih pri nas in razkriva, da se v njih skriva velika in neraziskana raznolikost teh bioloških entitet. Ključne besede: virusi, viromska analiza, Triglavski ledenik, ledenik pod Skuto Objavljeno v DiRROS: 18.11.2025; Ogledov: 242; Prenosov: 186
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6. From vineyard to genome : optimized enrichment and sequencing of Flavescence dorée phytoplasma from grapevine samplesZala Kogej Zwitter, Denis Kutnjak, Nataša Mehle, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Phytoplasmas are non-culturable obligate intracellular bacteria that cause considerable economic losses in agriculture. Genome sequencing provides crucial insights into their biology and vector dependence. However, genome studies on phytoplasmas are often hampered by their low abundance in naturally infected plants. Propagation in test plants is usually necessary but time-consuming and resource-intensive, especially for quarantine phytoplasmas such as the phytoplasma causing Flavescence dorée (FD), a serious threat to European viticulture. To overcome these challenges, we aimed to develop a protocol for efficient enrichment of phytoplasma DNA directly from field-collected samples, enabling genome sequencing using both Illumina and Oxford Nanopore Technologies platforms. We evaluated six sample preparation protocols that included stepwise enrichment steps to improve phytoplasma genome coverage and assembly quality. The most effective approach combined differential centrifugation, CTAB extraction and removal of CpG-methylated host DNA and resulted in a notable increase in the relative abundance of phytoplasma reads compared to other protocols. Rarefaction analysis of the dataset generated using this protocol demonstrated that the entire phytoplasma genome was covered by reads in a dataset comprising 3 billion nucleotides. We also evaluated and compared de novo phytoplasma genome assemblies generated from short Illumina reads and long nanopore sequencing reads. While Illumina sequencing yielded more accurate assemblies with longer total lengths, the assemblies derived from nanopore sequencing data contained longer individual contigs. This advantage was reflected in hybrid assemblies that combined both technologies, yielding longer phytoplasma contigs than assemblies from Illumina datasets and lower mismatch rates compared to assemblies from nanopore sequencing datasets. A hybrid de novo assembled genome of the Slovenian FD phytoplasma isolate achieved 96% reference genome coverage, with high contiguity and low error rates. This streamlined and accessible protocol enables high-quality genome sequencing of phytoplasma-infected grapevines without the need for propagation in test plants. This facilitates broader phytoplasma research and can potentially be extended to other naturally infected phytoplasma hosts or organisms infected with other non-culturable microbes. Ključne besede: plant pathogen, nanopore, grapevine, enrichment, HTS, Flavescence dorée, phytoplasma Objavljeno v DiRROS: 08.10.2025; Ogledov: 355; Prenosov: 186
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7. Tomato spotted wilt virus in tomato from Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia: genetic diversity and evolutionDijana Škorić, Jelena Zindović, Dorotea Grbin, Patrik Pul, Vladan Božović, Paolo Margaria, Nataša Mehle, Anja Pecman, Zala Kogej Zwitter, Denis Kutnjak, Ana Vučurović, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Tomato spotted wilt orthotospovirus (TSWV) is a major plant pathogen causing significant economic losses in tomato production worldwide. Understanding its genetic diversity and evolutionary mechanisms is crucial for effective disease management. This study analyzed TSWV isolates from symptomatic tomato plants collected across Croatia, Montenegro and Slovenia between 2020 and 2024. High-throughput sequencing (HTS) was employed to obtain whole-genome sequences, followed by phylogenetic analyses to assess genetic variability and relationships among isolates from these three countries and other isolates of worldwide geographic origin. Phylogenetic analyses placed all studied isolates within the L1-M3-S3 genotype, commonly associated with solanaceous crops in Europe. While Croatian and Slovenian isolates exhibited high genetic similarity, Montenegrin isolates clustered in a distinct subgroup, showing closer relationships to Asian and Mediterranean accessions. Despite the severe disease symptoms observed, no substitutions in the NSm protein associated with resistance-breaking (RB) phenotypes were detected. These findings suggest that additional virome components, environmental factors or so far unknown mechanism(s) may contribute to infection and disease severity in tomato and strongly support the need of continuous surveillance of TSWV genetic diversity in order to inform breeding programs and develop sustainable management strategies to mitigate future outbreaks. Ključne besede: tomato, HTS, phylogeny, TSWV, plant virus Objavljeno v DiRROS: 16.09.2025; Ogledov: 478; Prenosov: 218
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9. Annual (2024) taxonomic update of RNA-directed RNA polymerase-encoding negative-sense RNA viruses (realm Riboviria: kingdom Orthornavirae: phylum Negarnaviricota)Jens H. Kuhn, Scott Adkins, Sergey V. Alkhovsky, Wenxia An, Tatjana Avšič-Županc, María A. Ayllón, Katarina Bačnik, Justin Bahl, Anne Balkema-Buschmann, Matthew J. Ballinger, Ion Gutiérrez-Aguirre, Denis Kutnjak, Nataša Mehle, Anja Pecman, Maja Ravnikar, Ana Vučurović, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: In April 2024, following the annual International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) ratification vote on newly proposed taxa, the phylum Negarnaviricota was expanded by 1 new order, 1 new family, 6 new subfamilies, 34 new genera and 270 new species. One class, two orders and six species were renamed. Seven families and 12 genera were moved; ten species were renamed and moved; and nine species were abolished. This article presents the updated taxonomy of Negarnaviricota as currently accepted by the ICTV, providing an essential annual update on the classification of members of this phylum that deepen understandings of their evolution, and supports critical public health measures for virus identification and tracking. Ključne besede: Aliusviridae, Arenaviridae, articulaviral, Articulavirales, Artoviridae, Aspiviridae, Bornaviridae, bunyaviral, Bunyavirales, Bunyaviricetes, bunyavirus, Crepuscuviridae, Discoviridae, Elliovirales, Filoviridae, Fimoviridae, Goujianvirales, Hantaviridae, Hareavirales, International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV), jingchuviral, Jingchuvirales, Konkoviridae, Lispiviridae, megaclassification, megataxonomy, mononegaviral, Mononegavirales, muviral, Muvirales, Mymonaviridae, Myriaviridae, naedreviral, Naedrevirales, Nairoviridae, Natareviridae, negarnaviricot, Negarnaviricota, Nyamiviridae, Orthomyxoviridae, Orthornavirae, Paramyxoviridae, Peribunyaviridae, Phasmaviridae, Phenuiviridae, Pneumoviridae, Rhabdoviridae, Riboviria, Sunviridae, Tenuivirus, Tosoviridae, Tospoviridae, Tulasviridae, virus classification, virus nomenclature, virus taxonomy, virology Objavljeno v DiRROS: 24.06.2025; Ogledov: 662; Prenosov: 455
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10. Crayfish pet trade as a pathway for the introduction of known and novel virusesKatarina Bačnik, Luka Kranjc, Leticia Botella, Ivana Maguire, Dora Pavić, Jiří Patoka, Paula Dragičević, Martin Blaha, Ana Bielen, Antonín Kouba, Denis Kutnjak, Sandra Hudina, 2025, izvirni znanstveni članek Povzetek: Expanding international pet trade has emerged as one of the main introduction pathways of aquatic invasive species, with ornamental crayfish species commonly available on the EU and global markets. Besides most frequently studied crayfish pathogens, such as Aphanomyces astaci and white spot syndrome virus (WSSV), ornamental crayfish carry associated microbial communities, which may potentially lead to the emergence of known or even novel diseases following intentional or unintentional release of animals into the wild. This is especially problematic in the case of viruses, which represent an important, yet considerably understudied, group of crayfish pathogens. Here we analyzed viromes of hepatopancreas tissue of four crayfish species acquired in the international pet trade in Europe (Procambarus clarkii, Procambarus alleni, Cherax holthuisi, and Cherax quadricarinatus) using a high throughput sequencing based metagenomic approach. Seven different known viruses were identified, which were previously either directly associated with crayfish (WSSV, Cherax quadricarinatus reovirus, chequa iflavirus, athtab bunya-like virus) or with hosts from subphylum Crustacea or invertebrates associated with freshwater environment (Shahe ispoda virus 5, Dicistroviridae sp.). Additional sequences represented 8 potential novel and divergent RNA viruses, most similar to sequences belonging to members of Picornavirales, Elliovirales, Reovirales, Hepelivirales, Tolivirales and Ghabrivirales orders. We discuss our findings in relation to their phylogenetic relationships, geographical origins, and putative pathogenicity implications. The results highlight the need for further research into the risks related to disease emergence associated with the pet trade. Ključne besede: virome, RNA viruses, ornamental crayfish, pet-trade, high throughput sequencing, ecology, molecular biology, pathology, virology, environmental risk assessment Objavljeno v DiRROS: 23.05.2025; Ogledov: 882; Prenosov: 566
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