Epizootiologic Investigations of Selected Abortive Agents in Free-Ranging Alpine Ibex (Capra Ibex Ibex) in Switzerland

In the early 2000s, several colonies of Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) in Switzerland ceased growing or began to decrease. Reproductive problems clue to infections with abortive agents might have negatively affected recruitment. We assessed the presence of selected agents of abortion in Alpine ibex by serologic, molecular, and culture techniques and evaluated whether infection with these agents might have affected population densities. Blood and fecal samples were collected from 651 ibex in 14 colonies throughout the Swiss Alps between 2006 and 2008. All samples were negative for Salmonella. spp., Neospora caninum, and Bovine Herpesvirus-1. Antibodies to Coxiella burnetii, Leptospira spp., Chlamydophila abortus, Toxoplasma gondii, and Bovine Viral Diarrhea virus were detected in at least one ibex. Positive serologic results for Brucella spp. likely were false. Overall, 73 samples (11.2%) were antibody-positive for at least one abortive agent. Prevalence was highest for Leptospira spp. (7.9%, 95% CI=5.0-11.7). The low prevalences and the absence of significant differences between colonies with opposite population trends suggest these pathogens do not play a significant role in the population dynamics of Swiss ibex. Alpine ibex do not seem to be a reservoir for these abortive agents or an important source of infection for domestic livestock in Switzerland. Finally, although interactions on summer pastures occur frequently, spillover from infected livestock to free-ranging ibex apparently is uncommon.

Coprological analyses on apparently healthy Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex) from two Swiss colonies

To provide baseline parasitological data for health surveillance in free-ranging Alpine ibex (Capra ibex ibex), we assessed the endoparasite population and level of parasitism in apparently healthy ibex. Faecal samples from 148 ibex were collected between 2006 and 2008 in two different Swiss ibex colonies. They were analysed by coprology, including combined sedimentation/flotation method, sedimentation method, Baermann funnel technique and Ziehl-Neelsen staining. Gastrointestinal parasites and lungworms were identified in 100% and 81.8% of the examined animals, respectively. Highest prevalences were recorded for gastrointestinal strongylids other than Nematodirus/Marshallagia spp. (100%), Eimeria spp. (100%), Muellerius spp. (79.8%) and Nematodirus/Marshallagia spp. (79.0%). We report for the first time Cryptosporidium sp. in free-ranging Alpine ibex and Cystocaulus spp. in free-ranging ibex from Switzerland. On average, ibex were infected with 3.9 different parasites taxa (range: 1-8). Parasite prevalence and diversity varied significantly between sexes, study sites and seasons. Parasite egg output was low in 95.7% and moderate in 5.3% of the samples. Overall, the results indicate that Alpine ibex are widely infected with endoparasites and suggest that multiple infections are very common in apparently healthy populations. Furthermore, our data underline the potential influence of factors such as sex, study site and season on parasitological findings.

Alejandro Meter y Ariana Huberman (comp.). Memoria y representación: configuraciones culturales y literarias en el imaginario judío latinoamericano. 1 ed. Rosario: Beatriz Viterbo Editora, 2006.

Fil: Niemetz, Diego. Universidad Nacional de Cuyo

MOLINA, HEBE BEATRIZ. 2011. Como crecen los hongos: La novela argentina entre 1838-1872. Buenos Aires: Teseo.

Fil: Sánchez, María Carolina. Universidad Nacional de Tucumán

Las feministas costarricenses apoyamos a Beatriz.

Las organizaciones, colectivos y activistas por los Derechos Humanos en Costa Rica abajo firmantes, emitimos este comunicado como una acción desesperada de lucha por la vida de Beatriz ante la inercia del sistema de justicia salvadoreño. Esta mujer salvadoreña de 22 años, embarazada ya de 23 semanas, necesita urgentemente una interrupción terapéutica del embarazo para salvar su vida. Ella sufre de Lupus Eritematosos Discoidea e insuficiencia renal aguda y su embarazo está exacerbando la enfermedad, poniendo su vida y su salud en grave riesgo. El producto de su embarazo es un feto con anencefalia por lo que aún si fuera posible llevar el embarazo a término, este no es capaz de sobrevivir fuera del útero por más de algunas horas. Sin embargo, la prohibición absoluta del la interrupción del embarazo en El Salvador, incluso cuando la vida de la mujer corre riesgo, repercute en el derecho de Beatriz a salvar su vida y su salud ya que se encuentran ante la advertencia de que cualquier médico que le pudiera practicar la interrupción terapéutica y ella misma se enfrentarán a décadas de prisión.