Analysis of Insect Cuticular Compounds by Non-lethal Solid Phase Micro Extraction with Styrene-Divinylbenzene Copolymers

Insect cuticular hydrocarbons including relatively non-volatile chemicals play important roles in cuticle protection and chemical communication. The conventional procedures for extracting cuticular compounds from insects require toxic solvents, or non-destructive techniques that do not allow storage of subsequent samples, such as the use of SPME fibers. In this study, we describe and tested a non-lethal process for extracting cuticular hydrocarbons with styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers, and illustrate the method with two species of bees and one species of beetle. The results demonstrate that these compounds can be efficiently trapped by ChromosorbA (R) (SUPELCO) and that this method can be used as an alternative to existing methods.

Guatteria (Annonaceae) da Floresta Atlântica brasileira

Guatteria Ruiz et Pav. é o maior gênero de Annonaceae, com 307 espécies de distribuição neotropical. Caracteres reprodutivos constantes e vegetativos variáveis dificultam a caracterização das espécies. Como resultado do presente estudo são reconhecidas 15 espécies do gênero na Floresta Atlântica, Guatteria australis, G. campestris, G. candolleana, G. emarginata, G. ferruginea, G. latifolia, G. macropus, G. oligocarpa, G. pogonopus, G. pohliana, G. sellowiana, G. schomburgkiana, G. stenocarpa, G. tomentosa e G. villosissima. Oito nomes são sinonimizados e dois lectótipos são indicados. Chave, descrições, comentários taxonômicos, informações sobre fenologia, distribuição geográfica, hábitats de ocorrência, status de conservação e ilustrações são apresentados.

Indicadores químicos e biológicos na avaliação da qualidade do sedimento do Canal do Porto de Santos (SP, Brasil)

O Porto de Santos, inaugurado oficialmente em fevereiro de 1892, é o principal porto brasileiro e o maior da América Latina, responsável por cerca de um quarto da movimentação da balança comercial do país e mais de 60 milhões de toneladas de cargas diversas. Impactos na área decorrem da grande quantidade de embarcações e necessidade de dragagens periódicas, além da existência de uma extensa ocupação desordenada de suas margens e da presença de um complexo de indústrias e usinas na região. A qualidade do sedimento do Canal do Porto foi avaliada por meio de testes de toxicidade (agudo e crônico), de análises químicas (metais e hidrocarbonetos) e da estrutura da comunidade bentônica. O sedimento foi coletado em agosto de 2012 com pegador de fundo de 0,05m2 (3 réplicas para bentos) ao longo do Canal. Foram determinados 10 pontos de coleta para as análises químicas e de toxicidade, sendo 3 pontos para a análise da macrofauna bentônica (início, meio e fim do Canal). A distância entre o primeiro e o último ponto foi de 16 km. A avaliação conjunta dos resultados indicou um impacto maior na região mais interna do Canal. Na parte mais próxima ao complexo industrial de Cubatão foram observadas as maiores concentrações de metais e hidrocarbonetos, associadas a baixos valores de diversidade e riqueza, além de uma alta densidade do gastrópodo Heleobia australis. No centro do Canal do Porto, houve uma maior contribuição de indicadores de esgoto, presença de hidrocarbonetos e metais em concentrações relativamente altas, valores extremamente baixos de densidade, diversidade e riqueza da macrofauna bentônica, menor sobrevivência do anfípodo Tiburonella viscana (toxicidade aguda) e baixa taxa de eclosão de ovos do copépodo Nitokra sp (toxicidade crônica). Esse ponto encontra-se próximo a uma grande quantidade de habitações precárias, cujo esgoto é lançado diretamente no Canal.

Phytostabilisation : use of wetland plants to treat mine tailings

Mine tailings can be rich in sulphide minerals and may form acid mine drainage (AMD) through reaction with atmospheric oxygen and water. AMD contains elevated levels of metals and arsenic (As) that could be harmful to animals and plants. An oxygen-consuming layer of organic material and plants on top of water-covered tailings would probably reduce oxygen penetration into the tailings and thus reduce the formation of AMD. However, wetland plants have the ability to release oxygen through the roots and could thereby increase the solubility of metals and As. These elements are released into the drainage water, taken up and accumulated in the plant roots, or translocated to the shoots. The aim was to examine the effects of plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings by answering following questions: A) Is plant establishment on water-covered mine tailings possible? B) What are the metal and As uptake and translocation properties of these plants? C) How do plants affect metal and As release from mine tailings, and which are the mechanisms involved? Carex rostrata Stokes, Eriophorum angustifolium Honck., E. scheuchzeri Hoppe, Phragmites australis (Cav.) Steud., Salix phylicifolia L. and S. borealis Fr. were used as test plants. Influences of plants on the release of As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Zn and in some cases Fe in the drainage water, and plant element uptake were studied in greenhouse experiments and in the field. The results obtained demonstrate that plant establishment are possible on water-covered unweathered mine tailings, and a suitable amendment was found to be sewage sludge. On acidic, weathered tailings, a pH increasing substance such as ashes should be added to improve plant establishment. The metal and As concentrations of the plant tissue were found to be generally higher in roots than in shoots. The uptake was dependent on the metal and As concentrations of the tailings and the release of organic acids from plant roots may have influenced the uptake. The metal release from tailings into the drainage water caused by E. angustifolium was found to depend greatly on the age and chemical properties of the tailings. However, no effects of E. angustifolium on As release was found. Water from old sulphide-, metal- and As-rich tailings with low buffering capacity were positively affected by E. angustifolium by causing higher pH and lower metal concentrations. In tailings with relatively low sulphide, metal and As contents combined with a low buffering capacity, plants had the opposite impact, i.e. a reduction in pH and elevated metal levels of the drainage water. The total release of metal and As from the tailings, i.e. drainage water together with the contents in shoots and roots, was found to be similar for C. rostrata, E. angustifolium and P. australis, except for Fe and As, where the release was highest for P. australis. The differences in metal and As release from mine tailings were mainly found to be due to the release of O2 from the roots, which changes the redox potential. Release of organic acids from the roots slightly decreased the pH, although did not have any particular influence on the release of metal and As. In conclusion, as shown here, phytostabilisation may be a successful technique for remediation of mine tailings with high element and sulphide levels, and low buffering capacity.

Assessment of exposure to Leptospira serovars in veterinary staff and dog owners in contact with infected dogs

OBJECTIVE: To assess patterns of seroreactivity to Leptospira serovars in veterinary professional staff and dog owners exposed to dogs with acute leptospirosis and to contrast these patterns in people with those observed in dogs. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION: Human subjects consisted of 91 people (50 veterinarians, 19 technical staff, 9 administrative personnel, and 13 dog owners) exposed to dogs with leptospirosis. Canine subjects consisted of 52 dogs with naturally occurring leptospirosis admitted to the University of Bern Vetsuisse Faculty Small Animal Clinic in 2007 and 2008. PROCEDURES: People were tested for seroreactivity to regionally prevalent Leptospira serovars by use of a complement fixation test. A questionnaire designed to identify risk factors associated with seropositivity was used to collect demographic information from each study participant. Dogs were tested for seroreactivity to Leptospira serovars by use of a microscopic agglutination test. RESULTS: On the basis of microscopic agglutination test results, infected dogs were seropositive for antibodies against Leptospira serovars as follows (in descending order): Bratislava (43/52 [83%]), Australis (43/52 [83%]), Grippotyphosa (18/52 [35%]), Pomona (12/52 [23%]), Autumnalis (6/52 [12%]), Icterohemorrhagiae (4/52 [8%]), Tarassovi (2/52 [4%]), and Canicola (1/52 [2%]). All 91 people were seronegative for antibodies against Leptospira serovars. Therefore, statistical evaluation of risk factors and comparison of patterns of seroreactivity to Leptospira serovars between human and canine subjects were limited to theoretical risks. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Seroreactivity to Leptospira serovars among veterinary staff adhering to standard hygiene protocols and pet owners exposed to dogs with acute leptospirosis was uncommon.

Seroprevalence of Leptospira spp. in clinically healthy horses in Switzerland

A retrospective, cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the leptospiral seroprevalence in clinically healthy horses in Switzerland. A representative sample of 615 horse sera was examined by microscopic agglutination test for the presence of antibodies against 15 Leptospira spp. serovars. In total, 58.5 % (n = 360) of the horses were positive for one or more of the antigens analysed, with 20.3 % of them showing titres >= 400. The most prevalent serovar was Pyrogenes (22.6 %), followed by serovars Canicola (22.1 %) and Australis (19.2 %). Older horses, mares, ponies and animals spending increased time on pasture exhibited significantly higher prevalence rates (p < 0.05). Moreover, the prevalence was higher in summer and autumn (p = 0.003). The high seroprevalence in healthy horses indicates that they are often exposed to or infected with Leptospira spp. without developing signs of disease. Therefore, other laboratory and clinical data should always be taken into consideration when interpreting serological test results for Leptospira spp.

Male Dominance in the New Zealand Longfin Eel Population of a New Zealand River: Probable Causes and Implications for Management

The endemic New Zealand longfin eel Anguilla dieffenbachi (hereafter, longfin eel), is overfished, and in southern South Island, New Zealand, rivers have recently become predominated by males. This study examined length and age at sexual differentiation in male eels in the Aparima River catchment (area, 1,375 km(2); mean flow, 20 m(3.)s(-1)) and the sex ratio and distribution of eels throughout the catchment. Longfin eels differentiated into males mostly at lengths from 300 to 460 mm and ages from 10 to 25+ years. Females were rare: Of 738 eels examined for sexual differentiation, 466 were males and 5 were females, and a few others, not examined, were large enough to be female. These counts suggest a male : female ratio among differentiated longfin eels of 68:1. Of 31 differentiated shortfin eels A. australis, less common in the Aparima River, 26 were females. Male longfin eels were distributed throughout the main stern and tributaries; undifferentiated eels were more prevalent in lower and middle reaches and in the main stem than in upper reaches and tributaries. In other studies, male longfin eels predominated commercial catches in the Aparima and four other southernmost rivers, by 2.4:1 to 13.6:1 males to females. The Aparima River had the most skewed sex ratio. Longfin eel catches from the Aparima River will become more male predominated because few sublegal-size females were present. The length-frequency distributions of eels in the present samples and in the commercial catches were truncated just above minimum legal size (about 460 mm), showing that few females escape the fishery. Historically, females predominated these rivers. The recent change in sex ratio is attributable partly to selective harvest of females, and partly to changes in the structure of the population from fishing, such that differentiation into males has been favored. Longevity, delayed sexual maturity, semel-parity, and endemism with restricted range make the longfin eel particularly vulnerable to overfishing.

Increasing incidence of canine leptospirosis in Switzerland.

A marked increase in canine leptospirosis was observed in Switzerland over 10 years with a peak incidence of 28.1 diagnosed cases/100,000 dogs/year in the most affected canton. With 95% affected dogs living at altitudes <800 m, the disease presented a seasonal pattern associated with temperature (r2 0.73) and rainfall (r2 0.39), >90% cases being diagnosed between May and October. The increasing yearly incidence however was only weakly correlated with climatic data including number of summer (r2 0.25) or rainy days (r2 0.38). Serovars Australis and Bratislava showed the highest seropositivity rates with 70.5% and 69.1%, respectively. Main clinical manifestations included renal (99.6%), pulmonary (76.7%), hepatic (26.0%), and hemorrhagic syndromes (18.2%), leading to a high mortality rate (43.3%). Similar to the human disease, liver involvement had the strongest association with negative outcome (OR 16.3). Based on these data, canine leptospirosis presents similar features and severity as the human infection for which it therefore can be considered a model. Its re-emergence in a temperate country with very high incidence rates in canines should thus be viewed as a warning and emphasize the need for increased awareness in other species.

Prevalence of antileptospiral serum antibodies in dogs in Ireland.

A total of 474 serum samples from client owned Irish dogs were tested for the presence of antibodies to serovars Canicola, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Bratislava, Autumnalis, Pomona, Altodouro, Grippotyphosa, Mozdok, Hardjobovis and Ballum. Six per cent of dogs presented to veterinary practitioners for problems unrelated to leptospirosis showed evidence of prior exposure to leptospiral serovars belonging to the serogropus Ballum, Australis, Pomona and Sejroe. One unvaccinated dog suspected to have leptospirosis showed seroconversion to serogroup Icterohaemorrhagiae. Based on these results the authors conclude that canine exposure to serogroup Ballum should be monitored because dogs may serve as sentinels for this serovar in the environment. Vaccination with multivalent vaccines containing serovar Bratislava in addition to serogroups Icterohaemorrhagiae and Canicola is advisable.

The Cenomanian/Turronian Boundary Event at ODP Hole 103-641A

Drilling at ODP Site 641 (on the western margin of Galicia Bank, off northwestern Spain) revealed a thin, but pronounced, interval of black shale and gray-green claystone. Our high-resolution study combines the sedimentology, micropaleontology (palynomorphs and others), organic and inorganic geochemistry, and isotopic values of this layer to demonstrate the distinct nature of the sediment and prove that the sequence represents the local sedimentary expression of the global Cenomanian/Turonian Oceanic Anoxic Event (OAE) of Schlanger and Jenkyns (1976), Arthur and Schlanger (1979), and Jenkyns (1980), also called the Cenomanian/Turonian Boundary Event (CTBE). The most striking evidence is that the strong positive d13C excursion characterizing the CTBE sequences in shallow areas can be traced into a pronounced deep-sea expression, thus providing a good stratigraphic marker for the CTBE in various paleosettings. The isotopic excursion at Site 641 coincides with an extremely enriched trace metal content, with values that were previously unknown for the Cretaceous Atlantic. Similar to other CTBE occurrences, the organic carbon content is high (up to 11%) and the organic matter is of dominantly marine origin (kerogen type II). The bulk mineralogy of the CTBE sediments does not differ significantly from the general trend of Cretaceous North Atlantic sediments (dominance of smectite and zeolite with minor amounts of illite and scattered palygorskite, kaolinite, and chlorite); thus, no evidence for either increased volcanic activity nor a drastic climatic change in the borderlands was found. Results from Site 641 are compared with the CTBE section found at Site 398, DSDP Leg 47B (Vigo Seamount at the southern end of the Galicia Bank).