Fascioliasis due to Fasciola hepatica (Linnaeus, 1758) is an endemic disease on the Northern Bolivian Altipiano, where human prevalences and intensities arc the highest known, sheep and cattle are the main reservoir hosts, and pigs and donkeys the secondary ones. Investigations were carried out to study the viability of metacercariae experimentally obtained from eggs shed by naturally infected Altiplanic sheep, cattle, pigs and donkeys. A total of 157 Wistar rats were infected with doses of 5, 10, 20 and 150 metacercariae. Metacercariae aged for different number of weeks were used to analyse the influence of age on their viability. The number of worms successfully developed in each rat was established by dissection. Results obtained show that metacercarial infectivity is dependent upon storage time, being lower when metacercariae arc older. The maximum longevity is 31 weeks using doses of 20 metacercariae per rat and 48 weeks with 150 metacercariae per rat, although in the latter case only a very low percentage of worms is recovered. Age-related infectivity of metacercariae from Altiplanic F. hepatica does not significantly differ from that of the liver fluke in lowlands of other countries. Concerning the influence of the isolate according to host species, results indicate that metacercarial viabilities of pig and donkey isolates are similar to the viabilities of metacercariae of sheep and cattle isolates. Thus, pig and donkey have a high transmission potential capacity concerning this aspect. This fact is of great importance for the control of human and animal fascioliasis in this highly endemic zone.
The creation of improved areas is one way of increasing the productivity of livestock on Cantabrian heathland (NW Spain), a habitat that is frequently located in less favourable mountainous areas where the development of sustainable husbandry is limited. The effect of this on the biodiversity of heathland is unclear and likely to depend on several factors, such as the grazing regime. In order to clarify this situation, the effects of type of vegetation, species of grazer and grazing regime on the composition of the ground-dwelling arthropod fauna of partially improved heathland were determined. The effects of grazing by cattle or sheep and two grazing regimes (cattle or sheep, or both of them together with goats) were studied in eight plots (two replicates per treatment). Each plot included two types of vegetation, gorse (Ulex gallii)-dominated shrubland and improved grassland (Lolium perenne-Trifolium repens). Arthropods were surveyed using pitfall traps. Overall, the composition of the arthropod fauna did not differ between plots grazed by different species of grazer or using different grazing regimes but was significantly associated with the type of vegetation. Most of the opilionids and several carabids clearly preferred shrubland, while lycosids and various carabids were mainly associated with grassland. While the species of grazer affected the faunal composition of grassland, grazing regime was more important in shrubland. Arthropod responses to the grazing treatments were determined by the grazing behaviour of the large herbivores and the habitat requirements of each arthropod taxon. The great structural heterogeneity of the vegetation and the more microhabitats in shrubland grazed by mixed flocks was mainly a result of the goats preferring to browse on the woody vegetation in these areas. The grazing by either sheep or cattle had less of an affect on the fauna of shrubland than grassland. and Rocío ROSA GARCÍA, Urcesino GARCÍA, Koldo OSORO, Rafael CELAYA.
Tapiserie. Figurální scéna v krajině před branami Tróje. Obraz zobrazuje v jednom výjevu dvě scény příběhu. Uprostřed dominuje dvojice žen, jedna z nich, Polyxena, drží v ruce květinový věnec, u její nohy sedí pes. Druhá žena drží v pravé ruce vázu, na hlavě nese koš s květinami. Před nimi oltář s hořícím ohněm, žena s věncem, dvojice chlapců s obětními berany a vavřínovým věncem na hlavě, na zemi velká nádoba na vodu. V průhledu Achilleův sarkofág, na který se sklání obětovaná Polyxena a dvě ženy. Po levici ženy s věncem v ruce dvě sedící ženské postavy u jejich nohou na zemi květinový koš. Za oběma ženami ve druhém plánu kruhový oltář, u něho klečí Achilles, je raněný šípem do nohy, za ním běží Paris s lukem v ruce a voják se štítem a mečem. V pozadí muž, ruce naznačují gesto zármutku, skupina postav s obětními dary (nádoby, koše s plody a květinami, dobytek) a architektura města., Blažková 1974#, č.k. 22; Reyničs, Laveissičre 2005#, 178-180., and Výjev spojuje časově mnohovrstevný děj příběhu podle líčení několika antických autorů (Ovidius, Hyginus, Euripides, Apolodorus). Achilles se neozbrojen dostavil do Apollónova chrámu, kde měl potvrdit smlouvu o svém sňatku s Priamovou dcerou Polyxenou. Byl však zrazen a zabit Paridem šípem do jediného zranitelného místa na svém těle, do paty. Poté byla Polyxena obětována na jeho hrobě. Podle kartonu Isaaca Moillona bylo vytkáno několik edic série, ve kterých se obraz poněkud odlišuje v počtu zobrazených figur.