The prevalence of typhoid in the Papua New Guinea (PNG) highlands region increased rapidly in the mid-1980s, and now remains endemic. In this study ribotyping has been used to examine the number and types of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi strains present during the 1977-1996 period. The ribotyping banding pattern results were based on Cla I and Eco RV digests. The 57 PNG isolates were divided into 11 different ribotypes. Comparison of ribotypes using coefficient of similarity values revealed a diverse group of ribotypes. Several strains appear to be endemic in PNG For instance, ribotypes 1, 2 and 3 were most commonly found among PNG isolates and isolates with these ribotypes have been cultured over a period of at least 11 years (1985-1996). Ribotype 3 was also observed in isolates from Malaysia and Thailand. Also found in PNG were ribotypes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 16 and 17. The ribotyping suggests that serovar Typhi strains present in PNG include unique strains of serovar Typhi and also strains that are common to other countries.
Agriculture is now facing the 'perfect storm' of climate change, increasing costs of fertilizer and rising food demands from a larger and wealthier human population. These factors point to a global food deficit unless the efficiency and resilience of crop production is increased. The intensification of agriculture has focused on improving production under optimized conditions, with significant agronomic inputs. Furthermore, the intensive cultivation of a limited number of crops has drastically narrowed the number of plant species humans rely on. A new agricultural paradigm is required, reducing dependence on high inputs and increasing crop diversity, yield stability and environmental resilience. Genomics offers unprecedented opportunities to increase crop yield, quality and stability of production through advanced breeding strategies, enhancing the resilience of major crops to climate variability, and increasing the productivity and range of minor crops to diversify the food supply. Here we review the state of the art of genomic-assisted breeding for the most important staples that feed the world, and how to use and adapt such genomic tools to accelerate development of both major and minor crops with desired traits that enhance adaptation to, or mitigate the effects of climate change.