Adolescent vulnerability to cardiovascular consequences of chronic social stress: Immediate and long-term effects of social isolation during adolescence

It has been demonstrated that disruption of social bonds and perceived isolation (loneliness) are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Adolescence is proposed as a period of vulnerability to stress. Nevertheless, the impact of chronic social stress during this ontogenic period in cardiovascular function is poorly understood. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare the impact in cardiovascular function of social isolation for 3 weeks in adolescent and adult male rats. Also, the long-term effects of social isolation during adolescence were investigated longitudinally. Social isolation reduced body weight in adolescent, but not in adult animals. Disruption of social bonds during adolescence increased arterial pressure without affecting heart rate and pulse pressure (PP). Nevertheless, social isolation in adulthood reduced systolic arterial pressure and increased diastolic arterial pressure, which in turn decreased PP without affecting mean arterial pressure. Cardiovascular changes in adolescents, but not adults, were followed by facilitation of both baroreflex sensitivity and vascular reactivity to the vasodilator agent acetylcholine. Vascular responsiveness to either the vasodilator agent sodium nitroprusside or the vasoconstrictor agent phenylephrine was not affected by social isolation. Except for the changes in body weight and baroreflex sensitivity, all alterations evoked by social isolation during adolescence were reversed in adulthood after moving animals from isolated to collective housing. These findings suggest a vulnerability of adolescents to the effects of chronic social isolation in cardiovascular function. However, results indicate minimal cardiovascular consequences in adulthood of disruption of social bonds during adolescence. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Develop Neurobiol, 2015.

Isolation and molecular characterization of Brazilian turkey reovirus from immunosuppressed young poults

In this study, we investigated turkey reovirus (TReoV) in tissue samples from young birds, aged 15 days. RT-PCR for TReoV detected 3.3 % positive samples and TReoV was successfully isolated in Vero cells. Histological analysis of positive bursa of Fabricius (BF) revealed atrophied follicles and lymphocyte depletion. The number of CD8+, CD4+ and IgM+ cells was lower in infected BF. Phylogenetic analysis based on S3 gene showed that the Brazilian TReoV isolates clustered in a single group with 98-100 % similarity to TReoV strains circulating in the United States. This is the first indication that TReoV infection may be a contributing factor to immunosuppression in young birds.

Isolation and molecular identification of Fusobacterium nucleatum from Nigerian patients with oro-facial infections.

Fusobacterium nucleatum is one of the most common anaerobic bacteria present in the oral cavity and is often isolated from infections involving other body sites. To characterise F. nucleatum strains from patients attending a teaching hospital in Nigeria in order to provide information on the methods for accurate identification of anaerobes in clinical specimen. Fusobacterium nucleatum specie from 50 patients presenting with oro-facial infections were studied by culture on Fusobacterium selective agar and fastidious anaerobe agar. The isolates were characterised based on colonial morphology, microscopy, lipase production, susceptibility to kanamycin and colistin and resistance to vancomycin. Biochemical tests were performed using a commercial test kit. The identity of the isolates was confirmed based on molecular characterization performed using polymerase chain reaction (PCR) analysis. Forty-eight (96%) F. nucleatum isolates were obtained from the 50 patients by culture and all the isolates were identified by colonial appearance and microscopy based on their unique spindle shape with tapered ends. Only 26 (54.2%) of the 48 isolates were identified by commercial API 20A test kit while PCR confirmed the identity of all the isolates. Anaerobes are involved in human infections and their study is quite cumbersome due to tedious nature and high cost of the techniques involved. Cultural method is reliable in the isolation and identification of F. nucleatum species. PCR is a rapid and simple method that can complement the phenotypic identification of anaerobes and would assist in their full identification.

Diversificação de anuros no Chaco Sul-Americano

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Comparison of Brucella agar, CITA and Farrel media for selective isolation of Brucella abortus from semen of bovine bulls

Brucellosis remains as a public health concern worldwide. In domestic animals, the disease is characterized by reproductive disorders in male and female. Besides extensive use of serological tests and recent development of molecular biology techniques, microbiological culture of Brucella species is yet considered a “gold standard” method for diagnosis. Here, semen of 335 bovine bulls was subjected simultaneously to microbiological culture in Brucella agar, Farrell media, and CITA media to evaluate comparatively the best selective media for isolation of Brucella sp. Among all 335 samples, B. abortus B19 strain was isolated from semen of five (1.49%) bulls using the three selective media. However, Farrell media was considered the best selective media for microbiological diagnosis, because of allowed isolation of B. abortus B19 strain from bull semen without bacterial commensal or fungal contamination of plates.

Variação bioacústica das vocalizações do complexo Taraba major (Vieillot, 1816) (Aves: Passeriformes: Thamnophilidae)

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Genetic isolation and morphological divergence of Black Sea bottlenose dolphins

The Black Sea is a semi-enclosed body of water that differs from the adjacent Mediterranean Sea in terms of its biodiversity, oceanographical and ecological characteristics. There is growing international concern about pollution in the Black Sea and other anthropogenic threats to its fauna. The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is one of three species of cetaceans living in the Azov-Black Sea basin. Despite considerable research on bottlenose dolphins elsewhere, the extent of human impacts on the Black Sea populations is unknown. Previous attempts to award special conservation status to Black Sea cetaceans have failed specifically because policy makers have viewed their ecological and evolutionary uniqueness as equivocal. This study assessed divergence between Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean bottlenose dolphins for 26 cranial measurements (n = 75 adult bottlenose dolphin skulls) and mitochondrial DNA (n = 99 individuals). Black Sea bottlenose dolphins are smaller than those in the Mediterranean, and possess a uniquely shaped skull. As in a previous study, we found the Black Sea population to be genetically distinct, with relatively low levels of mtDNA diversity. Population genetic models suggest that Black Sea bottlenose dolphins have so little gene flow with the Mediterranean due to historical isolation that they should be managed separately.

Geographic Variation in Sea Otters, Enhydra lutris

Univariate and multivariate analyses of 20 skull characters of 304 adult sea otters from throughout the geographic range strongly suggest that three subspecies should be recognized. The nominate form, Enhydra lutris lutris, occurs from the Kuril Islands north to the Commander Islands in the western Pacific Ocean. Individuals of E. l. lutris are characterized by large size and wide skulls with short nasal bones. E. 1. nereis is found along the California coast and off San Nicolas Island, where the species recently has been reintroduced from coastal California. Specimens of E. 1. nereis have narrow skulls with a long rostrum and small teeth, and usually lack the characteristic notch in the postorbital region found in most specimens of the other two subspecies. A new subspecies described by Don E. Wilson in this report, occurs throughout the Aleutian Islands and southward in the eastern Pacific to Washington. Specimens of the new subspecies are intermediate in size in most, but not all, characters and have longer mandibles than either of the other two subspecies

Seasonal Variation in Reception of Fin Whale Calls at Five Geographic Areas in the North Pacific

In late August 1991 scientists at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Marine Mammal Laboratory (NMML) and Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) began a pilot study to investigate the capability of hydrophones from the US. Navy’s fixed array system to detect large whales in the North Pacific by passive reception of their calls. PMEL had previously established a direct data link from five bottom-mounted arrays of the Navy SOSUS (Sound Surveillance System), via the Naval Oceanographic Processing Facility (NOPF) at Whidbey Island, Washington, to study low-level seafloor seismicity (Fox et al. 1994). PMEL subsequently provided NMML tapes of SOSUS hydrophone data from which whale calls were analyzed. As in an analogous study conducted in the North Atlantic (Nishimura and Conlon 1994, Clark 1995, Mellinger and Clark 1995), calls attributable to whales were received at each SOSUS site at rates that varied seasonally (Anonymous 1996).

Landscape-Genetic Analysis of Population Structure in the Texas Gray Fox Oral Rabies Vaccination Zone

In west-central Texas, USA, abatement efforts for the gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) rabies epizootic illustrate the difficulties inherent in large-scale management of wildlife disease. The rabies epizootic has been managed through a cooperative oral rabies vaccination program (ORV) since 1996. Millions of edible baits containing a rabies vaccine have been distributed annually in a 16-km to 24-km zone around the perimeter of the epizootic, which encompasses a geographic area >4 x 105 km2. The ORV program successfully halted expansion of the epizootic into metropolitan areas but has not achieved the ultimate goal of eradication. Rabies activity in gray fox continues to occur periodically outside the ORV zone, preventing ORV zone contraction and dissipation of the epizootic. We employed a landscape-genetic approach to assess gray fox population structure and dispersal in the affected area, with the aim of assisting rabies management efforts. No unique genetic clusters or population boundaries were detected. Instead, foxes were weakly structured over the entire region in an isolation by distance pattern. Local subpopulations appeared to be genetically non-independent over distances >30 km, implying that long-distance movements or dispersal may have been common in the region. We concluded that gray foxes in west-central Texas have a high potential for long-distance rabies virus trafficking. Thus, a 16-km to 24-km ORV zone may be too narrow to contain the fox rabies epizootic. Continued expansion of the ORV zone, although costly, may be critical to the long-term goal of eliminating the Texas fox rabies virus variant from the United States.

Landscape Genetics of Raccoons (Procyon lotor) Associated with Ridges and Valleys of Pennsylvania: Implications for Oral Rabies Vaccination Programs

Raccoons are the reservoir for the raccoon rabies virus variant in the United States. To combat this threat, oral rabies vaccination (ORV) programs are conducted in many eastern states. To aid in these efforts, the genetic structure of raccoons (Procyon lotor) was assessed in southwestern Pennsylvania to determine if select geographic features (i.e., ridges and valleys) serve as corridors or hindrances to raccoon gene flow (e.g., movement) and, therefore, rabies virus trafficking in this physiographic region. Raccoon DNA samples (n = 185) were collected from one ridge site and two adjacent valleys in southwestern Pennsylvania (Westmoreland, Cambria, Fayette, and Somerset counties). Raccoon genetic structure within and among these study sites was characterized at nine microsatellite loci. Results indicated that there was little population subdivision among any sites sampled. Furthermore, analyses using a model-based clustering approach indicated one essentially panmictic population was present among all the raccoons sampled over a reasonably broad geographic area (e.g., sites up to 36 km apart). However, a signature of isolation by distance was detected, suggesting that widths of ORV zones are critical for success. Combined, these data indicate that geographic features within this landscape influence raccoon gene flow only to a limited extent, suggesting that ridges of this physiographic system will not provide substantial long-term natural barriers to rabies virus trafficking. These results may be of value for future ORV efforts in Pennsylvania and other eastern states with similar landscapes.

Spatial analysis of egg distribution and geographic changes in the spawning habitat of the Brazilian sardine Sardinella brasiliensis

This paper establishes the spawning habitat of the Brazilian sardine Sardinella brasiliensis and investigates the spatial variability of egg density and its relation with oceanographic conditions in the shelf of the south-east Brazil Bight (SBB). The spawning habitats of S. brasiliensis have been defined in terms of spatial models of egg density, temperature-salinity plots, quotient (Q) analysis and remote sensing data. Quotient curves (Q(C)) were constructed using the geographic distribution of egg density, temperature and salinity from samples collected during nine survey cruises between 1976 and 1993. The interannual sea surface temperature (SST) variability was determined using principal component analysis on the SST anomalies (SSTA) estimated from remote sensing data over the period between 1985 and 2007. The spatial pattern of egg occurrences in the SBB indicated that the largest concentration occurred between Paranagua and Sao Sebastiao. Spawning habitat expanded and contracted during the years, fluctuating around Paranagua. In January 1978 and January 1993, eggs were found nearly everywhere along the inner shelf of the SBB, while in January 1988 and 1991 spawning had contracted to their southernmost position. The SSTA maps for the spawning periods showed that in the case of habitat expansion (1993 only) anomalies over the SBB were zero or slightly negative, whereas for the contraction period anomalies were all positive. Sardinella brasiliensis is capable of exploring suitable spawning sites provided by the entrainment of the colder and less-saline South Atlantic Central Water onto the shelf by means of both coastal wind-driven (to the north-east of the SBB) and meander-induced (to the south-west of the SBB) upwelling.

Sex-pairing pheromones and reproductive isolation in three sympatric Cornitermes species (Isoptera, Termitidae, Syntermitinae)

The species-specificity of pairing has been studied in three sympatric Neotropical termites: Cornitermes bequaerti, Cornitermes cumulans and Cornitermes silvestrii (Termitidae, Syntermitinae). Bioassays showed that sex attraction was highly species-specific between C. bequaerti and C cumulans but not between C. cumulans and C. silvestrii. The sex-pairing pheromone of the three species is secreted by the tergal glands of female alates. It consists of a common compound (3Z,6Z,8E)-dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol. In C. bequaerti, this polyunsaturated alcohol is the only compound of the sex-pairing pheromone, whereas it is associated with the oxygenated sesquiterpene (E)-nerolidol in C. cumulans, and with (E)-nerolidol and (Z)-dodec-3-en-1-ol in C silvestrii. (3Z,6Z,8E)-Dodeca-3,6,8-trien-1-ol is responsible for sexual attraction, whereas (E)-nerolidol, which is inactive in eliciting attraction of male alates, is responsible for the species-specificity of the attraction. This is the first time that a multicomponent sex-pairing pheromone has been identified in termites. The role of (Z)-dodec-3-en-1-ol present on the surface of the tergal glands of the female alates of C. silvestrii could not be definitively determined, but it is suggested that this compound could be involved in the species-specificity of sex attraction with other sympatric species of Cornitermes. Our study shows that the reproductive isolation in termites is due to a succession of factors, as the chronology of dispersal flights, the species-specificity of sex-pairing pheromones and the species-specific recognition. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

TAXONOMY OF THE SOUTH AMERICAN DWARF BOAS OF THE GENUS TROPIDOPHIS BIBRON, 1840, WITH THE DESCRIPTION OF TWO NEW SPECIES FROM THE ATLANTIC FOREST (SERPENTES: TROPIDOPHIIDAE)

A taxonomic study on the South American dwarf boas of the genus Tropidophis revealed the existence of two new species in the Atlantic Forest bionic. As a result, we recognize five mainland species, three in the Atlantic Forest and two in northwestern South America. Based on general distribution and morphological orientation, the type locality of T. paucisquamis is restricted to Estacao Biologica de Boraceia (EBB), municipality of Salesopolis, state of Sao Paulo, Brazil; furthermore, a lectotype for T. taczanowskyi is designated. We provide data on the hemipenial morphology of two South American Tropidophis, showing that the quadrifurcate condition described for West Indian taxa also occurs in mainland congeners. The distributions of the three Atlantic Forest species are congruent with patterns of diversification of other vertebrate taxa associated with cold climates prevalent at high elevations. Refugial isolation and riverine barriers may account for such speciation events.

Prevalence, geographic and seasonal distribution of protozoan and myxozoan parasites of jau (Zungaro jahu)

Adriano E.A., Ceccarelli P.S., Silva M.R.M. & Maia A.A. M. 2012. [Prevalence, geographic and seasonal distribution of protozoan and myxozoan parasites of jau (Zungaro jahu) in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil.] Prevalencia, distribuicao geografica e sazonal de protozoarios e mixozoarios parasitos de jau (Zungaro jahu) no Pantanal Matogrossense. Pesquisa Veterinaria Brasileira 32(12):1341-1344. Departamento de Ciencias Basicas, Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos, Universidade de Sao Paulo, Av. Duque de Caxias Norte 225, Pirassununga, SP 13635-900, Brazil. E-mail: antomaia@usp.br In a study carried out in the Pantanal of Mato Grosso, Brazil, the prevalence, geographic and seasonal distribution of protozoan and myxozoan parasites of Zungaro jahu was evaluated. The fish were captured in the southern region of Pantanal Mato-grossense (Aquidauana, Miranda and Paraguay rivers) in 2001, 2002 and 2003, in the central region (Pantanal National Park - PARNA Pantanal) in 2003, 2004, 2005 and 2008, and in the northern region (Cuiaba and Manso rivers, in the municipality of Nobres) in 2003, 2004 and 2005. Trichodina sp. was identified parasitized skin and gills of jau in the three regions studied. Epistylis sp. parasitized skin and Cryptobia sp. the gills and were restricted to the Central region, whilst Ichthyophthirius multifiliis parasitized skin in the three regions studied. The occurrence of myxozoans was also observed: Myxobolus cordeiroi parasitized several organs and Henneguya sp. parasitized the gills of jau in the three regions studied.