The faeces of the red fox, Vulpes vulpes (Linnaeus), and the domestic cat, Felis catus (Linnaeus), can be responsible for spreading eggs of Echinococcus multilocularis Leuckart, 1863 and oocysts of Toxoplasma gondii (Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908) into the environment. The accidental ingestion of these eggs or oocysts, through consumption of raw fruits or vegetables grown in or in contact with contaminated soil, can lead to alveolar echinococcosis (AE) or toxoplasmosis in humans. The present study provides a quantitative assessment of the faecal deposition by foxes and cats in kitchen gardens where fruits and vegetables are grown and its consequences for zoonosis transmission. The density of definitive host faeces is considered as one of the main factors in infection risk for intermediate hosts. The density of fox and cat faeces, as well as the prevalence of both AE and toxoplasmosis in rodent populations (contaminated by ingestion of eggs or oocysts), were compared within and outside kitchen gardens. Our results showed that the mean density of fox faeces did not significantly differ between kitchen gardens and habitat edges (0.29 ± 0.04 faeces/m2 vs 0.22 ± 0.02 faeces/m2), the latter being known as an area of high fox faeceal densities. The density of cat faeces was significantly higher within the kitchen garden than outside (0.86 ± 0.22 faeces/m2 vs 0.04 ± 0.02 faeces/m2). The sampled kitchen gardens might therefore be considered as possible hotspots for both fox and cat defecation. Of the 130 rodents trapped, 14% were infected by at least one species of fox or cat intestinal parasite. These rodents were significantly more often infected when they were exposed to a kitchen garden. These results suggest that the deposit of fox and cat faeces in kitchen gardens would significantly impact the risk of human exposure to E. multilocularis and T. gondii. and should be prevented using effective means., Matthieu Bastien, Amélie Vaniscotte, Benoit Combes, Gérald Umhang, Estelle Germain, Valentin Gouley, Alice Pierlet, Thomas Quintaine, Marie-Amélie Forin-Wiart, Isabelle Villena, Dominique Aubert, Franck Boué, Marie-Lazarine Poulle., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Heteroptera caught during day and night sampling at a height of 200 m above ground at Cardington, Bedfordshire, UK, during eight summers (1999, 2000, and 2002–2007) were compared to high-altitude catches made over the UK and North Sea from the 1930s to the 1950s. The height of these captures indicates that individuals were engaged in windborne migration over distances of at least several kilometres and probably tens of kilometres. This conclusion is generally supported by what is known of the species’ ecologies, which reflect the view that the level of dispersiveness is associated with the exploitation of temporary habitats or resources. The seasonal timing of the heteropteran migrations is interpreted in terms of the breeding/overwintering cycles of the species concerned., Don R. Reynolds, Bernard S. Nau, Jason W. Chapman., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
This study evaluated the photosynthetic responses of Cucumis sativus leaves acclimated to illumination from three-band white fluorescent lamps with a high red:far-red (R:FR) ratio (R:FR = 10.5) and the photosynthetic responses of leaves acclimated to metal-halide lamps that provided a spectrum similar to that of natural light (R:FR = 1.2) at acclimation photosynthetic photon flux density (PPFD) of 100 to 700 μmol m-2 s-1. The maximum gross photosynthetic rate (PG) of the fluorescent-acclimated leaves was approximately 1.4 times that of the metal-halide-acclimated leaves at all acclimation PPFDs. The ratio of quantum efficiency of photosystem II (ΦPSII) of the fluorescent-acclimated leaves to that of the metal-halide-acclimated leaves tended to increase with increasing acclimation PPFD, whereas the corresponding ratios for the leaf mass per unit area tended to decrease with increasing acclimation PPFD. These results suggest that the greater maximum PG of the fluorescent-acclimated leaves resulted from an interaction between the acclimation light quality and quantity, which was mainly caused by the greater leaf biomass for photosynthesis per area at low acclimation PPFDs and by the higher ΦPSII as a result of changes in characteristics and distribution of chloroplasts, or a combination of these factors at high acclimation PPFDs., T. Shibuya .... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii
Seven polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for the planthopper Hyalesthes obsoletus, vector of stolbur 16SrXII-A phytoplasma. The loci have di- or trinucleotide repeat motifs and are highly variable with 10 to 22 alleles per locus. Observed heterozygosity ranged from 0.278 to 0.950 for the 78 individuals genotyped. One locus is sex-linked. No linkage between loci was found. All loci amplified consistently among phylogeographic as well as host-plant related samples and proved highly informative for population genetic studies. and Miriam IMO, Julia LÜNEBURG, Thomas HANKELN, Alfred SEITZ, Jes JOHANNESEN.
During an ongoing systematic survey on species diversity of myxozoans parasitising allogynogenetic gibel carp Carassius auratus gibelio (Bloch) in China, plasmodia were detected in the fins, lip, jaw, gill chamber, gill arches, operculum and oral cavity of infected fish. Combining the morphological and molecular data, the present species was identified as Myxobolus turpisrotundus Zhang, Wang, Li et Gong, 2010. Histopathological examination revealed that despite infecting different organs, M. turpisrotundus always occurred in dermis, demonstrating its affinity to this tissue. Histopathological effect of M. turpisrotundus on the host is relatively mild except parasites in the gill arches producing compression of the adipose tissue and heavy adductor muscles deformation with lymphohistiocytic infiltrates. In addition, the plasmodia in different sites were with the same complex structure arrangement: cup-like cells with unknown derivation, a thin collagenous fibril layer, areolar connective tissue, basement membrane and host epithelial cell. Ultrastructural analysis showed that the parasite has monosporic pansporoblast and sporogenesis followed the usual pattern of most of the myxosporeans., Qingxiang Guo, Yanhua Zhai, Zemao Gu, Yang Liu., and Obsahuje bibliografii