A Large‐scale,Rapid Public Health Response to Rabies in an Organ Recipient and the Previously Undiagnosed Organ Donor

This article describes and contrasts the public health response to two human rabies cases: one organ recipient diagnosed within days of symptom onset and the transplant donor who was diagnosed 18 months post‐symptom onset. In response to an organ‐transplant‐related rabies case diagnosed in 2013, organ donor and recipient investigations were conducted by multiple public health agencies. Persons with potential exposure to infectious patient materials were assessed for rabies virus exposure. An exposure investigation was conducted to determine the source of the organ donor's infection. Over 100 persons from more than 20 agencies spent over 2700 h conducting contact investigations in healthcare, military and community settings. The 564 persons assessed include 417 healthcare workers [5.8% recommended for post‐exposure prophylaxis (PEP)], 96 community contacts (15.6% recommended for PEP), 30 autopsy personnel (50% recommended for PEP), and 21 other persons (4.8% recommended for PEP). Donor contacts represented 188 assessed with 20.2% recommended for PEP, compared with 5.6% of 306 recipient contacts recommended for PEP. Human rabies cases result in substantial use of public health and medical resources, especially when diagnosis is delayed. Although rare, clinicians should consider rabies in cases of encephalitis of unexplained aetiology, particularly for cases that may result in organ donation.     

Feeding Electivity Indices in Surgeonfish (Acanthuridae) of The Florida Keys

Three species of surgeonfish Acanthurus coeruleus (blue tang) (Block and Schneider), A. bahianus (ocean surgeonfish) (Castelnau), and A. chirurgus (doctorfish) (Block) were captured in the waters of the Florida Keys (24°03N, 81°40W). In total, 39 of these fish were captured between March and December of 1999. Items found in the stomachs of these fish were identified and analyzed for percent occurrence. These values were compared to percent occurrence values of the same items from random bottom transects taken at the point of capture to quantify any forage selectivity or avoidance behavior of these fish. A. bahianus selected for sand and chlorophytes and avoided phaeophytes. A. chirurgus also showed selection for sand and chlorophytes, while 58% of those sampled selected for phaeophytes and 42% avoided them. A. coeruleus avoided sand and selected for rhodophytes and chlorophytes. Phaeophytes were also selected for in 80% of A. coeruleus sampled. Understanding food preferences of free-ranging Florida surgeonfish may provide insight to improve nutritional management of captive herbivorous reef fish.     

Numerical modeling and design of inflatable structures—application to open-ocean-aquaculture cages

Numerical simulation and design of an inflatable open-ocean-aquaculture cage is presented using nonlinear finite element analysis of membrane structures. Numerical instability caused by the tension-only membrane has been removed by adding an artificial shell with small stiffness. The material properties of a fabric material are obtained from tensile tests in both hoop and longitudinal directions, assuming the material is anisotropic. Wrinkling, defined as an onset of compressive stress, is monitored as design criteria. The finite element model is validated using a modified beam theory for the inflatable structure by comparing the maximum deflection and stress. Good agreement is observed between the numerical and theoretical results. A full-scale cage model is created using membrane, shell, and string elements to test the stiffness and integrity of the system. The feasibility study indicates that the inflated structure has sufficient stiffness to be used as the structural support within a fish cage. Based on the parameter study, several designs are suggested.     

The slow rise of technology: Computer vision techniques in fish population connectivity

1. Technological advancements in data collection and analysis are producing a new generation of ecological data. Among these, computer vision (CV) has received increased attention for its robust capabilities for rapidly processing large volumes of digital imagery.
2. In marine ecosystems, the study of fish connectivity provides fundamental information for assessing fisheries stocks, designing and implementing protected areas and understanding the impact of habitat loss. While the field of fish connectivity has benefited from technological advancements, the extent to which novel techniques, such as CV, have been utilized has not been assessed. To inform future directions and developments, this study reviewed the current use of CV in fish connectivity research, quantified how the implementation of such technology in fish connectivity research compared with other areas of marine research and described how this field could benefit from CV.
3. The review found that the use of remote camera systems in fish connectivity research is increasing, but the implementation of automated analysis of digital imagery has been slow. Successful implementation and expansion of CV frameworks in aquaculture and coral reef ecology suggest that CV techniques could greatly benefit fish connectivity research.
4. A case study of potential use of CV in fish connectivity research, scaling up optimal foraging models to predict marine population connectivity, highlights how beneficial it could be.
5. The capacity for CV techniques to be adopted alongside traditional approaches, the unparalleled speed, accuracy and reliability of these approaches and the benefits of being able to study ecosystems along multiple spatial–temporal scales, all make CV a valuable tool for assessing connectivity. Ultimately, these technologies can assist data-driven decisions that directly influence the health and productivity of marine ecosystems.

     

Effects of oxygen supersaturation and temperature on juvenile greenlip, Haliotis laevigata Donovan, and blacklip, Haliotis rubra Leach, abalone

Growth and survival of juvenile greenlip (39.03 (SD 3.80) mm (n=524)) and blacklip (31.92 (SD 4.19) mm (n=531) abalone were investigated at high dissolved oxygen levels (95–120% saturation) between 17 and 19°C. Abalone were fed the same artificial diet and each species was contained in groups of approximately 30 individuals within triplicate tanks for each of six treatments and were exposed to flow through water adjusted to give experimental conditions for up to 75 days. Blacklip abalone held at 16.9°C and 97% oxygen saturation grew in shell length significantly faster than all other treatments of blacklip abalone held at 19°C, and significantly faster than blacklip abalone maintained at 111% oxygen saturation and 17.5°C. Both temperature and oxygen saturation significantly affected the survival of this species. Blacklip abalone held at 19°C had significantly lower survival for both 96% oxygen saturation and 120% oxygen saturation, compared with blacklip abalone maintained at either 110% oxygen saturation and 19°C, or for any 17°C treatment. No significant differences were noted for greenlip abalone within the range tested in terms of growth rate, food consumption rate or survival, indicating that greenlip abalone tolerated these conditions better than did blacklip abalone.     

Factors (type,colour, density,and shape) determining the removal of marine plastic debris by seabirds from the South Pacific Ocean: Is there a pattern?

1. While floating near the sea surface plastic debris interacts with a number of external factors, including many different organisms. Seabirds have the most extensive documented history of interactions with plastics, through ingestion, entanglement, and nest construction.
2. In the present study, eight seabird species from the South Pacific Ocean were used as a proxy to determine potential patterns of removal of marine plastic debris, and three hypotheses were tested in relation to their feeding habits and nesting areas.
3. Plastics from abiotic compartments (Chilean continental coast, South Pacific Gyre, and Rapa Nui beaches) and biotic compartments (surface-feeding seabirds, diving seabirds, and nesting areas) were compared, according to their type, colour, shape, and density.
4. Continental beaches had a relatively wide range of colours and shapes, with many non-buoyant plastics. Samples from the South Pacific Gyre (SPG) and Rapa Nui (Easter Island) beaches comprised mainly hard, rounded, buoyant, and white/grey plastics.
5. These results indicate that the composition of floating plastics from terrestrial sources changes during transport with oceanic currents, reducing the proportion of prey-like plastics present in the subtropical gyres.
6. The stomach contents of surface-feeding and diving seabirds were dominated by hard, white/grey, and round plastic items, similar to plastics from the SPG, suggesting non-selective (accidental or secondary) ingestion.
7. Nesting areas had a more variable composition of brightly coloured plastics, suggesting a pattern of selective removal of plastics by seabirds, probably from oceanic sources.
8. The present study reveals extensive interactions of seabirds with plastics on a broader scale, which is highly relevant given that the impacts of plastics on seabirds are increasing worldwide, compromising their efficient conservation.

     

Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of the Bifurcaria bifurcata Epiphytic Bacteria

Surface-associated marine bacteria are an interesting source of new secondary metabolites. The aim of this study was the isolation and identification of epiphytic bacteria from the marine brown alga, Bifurcaria bifurcata, and the evaluation of the antioxidant and antimicrobial activity of bacteria extracts. The identification of epiphytic bacteria was determined by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Bacteria extracts were obtained with methanol and dichloromethane (1:1) extraction. The antioxidant activity of extracts was performed by quantification of total phenolic content (TPC), 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Antimicrobial activities were evaluated against Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella enteritidis, Staphylococcus aureus, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Candida albicans. A total of 39 Bifurcaria bifurcata-associated bacteria were isolated and 33 were identified as Vibrio sp. (48.72%), Alteromonas sp. (12.82%), Shewanella sp. (12.26%), Serratia sp. (2.56%), Citricoccus sp. (2.56%), Cellulophaga sp. (2.56%), Ruegeria sp. (2.56%) and Staphylococcus sp. (2.56%). Six (15.38%) of the 39 bacteria Bifurcaria bifurcata-associated bacteria presented less than a 90% Basic Local Alignment Search Tool (BLAST) match, and some of those could be new. The highest antioxidant activity and antimicrobial activity (against B. subtilis) was exhibited by strain 16 (Shewanella sp.). Several strains also presented high antimicrobial activity against S. aureus, mainly belonging to Alteromonas sp. and Vibrio sp. There were no positive results against fungi and Gram-negative bacteria. Bifurcaria bifurcata epiphytic bacteria were revealed to be excellent sources of natural antioxidant and antimicrobial compounds.     

Marine Sponge Derived Natural Products between 2001 and 2010: Trends and Opportunities for Discovery of Bioactives

Marine sponges belonging to the phylum Porifera (Metazoa), evolutionarily the oldest animals are the single best source of marine natural products. The present review presents a comprehensive overview of the source, taxonomy, country of origin or geographical position, chemical class, and biological activity of sponge-derived new natural products discovered between 2001 and 2010. The data has been analyzed with a view to gaining an outlook on the future trends and opportunities in the search for new compounds and their sources from marine sponges.