Populations of inshore serranids across the Canarian Archipelago: Relationships with human pressure and implications for conservation

We investigated spatio-temporal variability in the abundances and biomasses of four species of inshore serranids (the dusky grouper Ephinephelus marginatus, the island grouper Mycteroperca fusca, the painted comber Serranus scriba, and the blacktail comber S. atricauda) throughout the Canarian Archipelago (central-east Atlantic Ocean) with underwater visual transects. By means of a multiscaled sampling design spanning three orders of magnitude of spatial variability (from 10 s of meters among replicated 100 m² transects to 100 s of kilometres among islands) and four sampling periods, we related differences in the distributions of serranids to differences in the degree of human pressure, such as fishing intensity and human population. Differences in human pressure among islands provide the most parsimonious explanation for many of the consistent inter-island differences in the abundance and biomass of the analyzed species. Larger-bodied serranids (E. marginatus and M. fusca) are more vulnerable than the smaller species (S. scriba and S. atricauda). In fact, the larger, more vulnerable species have been almost completely extirpated from the most intensely fished islands. Our results show that the larger groupers have been overexploited throughout the Canary Islands, and highlight the urgent need for stringent management measures and better control of littoral reef fish resources.     

Worldwide genotyping of castor bean germplasm (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Ricinus communis</Emphasis> L.) using AFLPs and SSRs

Worldwide genetic diversity in 200 individuals comprising 41 castor bean accessions was assessed using amplified fragment polymorphisms (AFLPs) and simple sequence repeats (SSRs). We found that, despite surveying five continents and 35 countries, genetic diversity in castor bean germplasm is relatively low (overall H _e = 0.126 for AFLPs and 0.188 for SSRs) compared to estimates of genetic diversity in other plant species. Our data also show no geographic structuring of genotypes across continents or countries within continents. An assessment of the congruence between AFLP and SSRs indicates a low correlation (R ² = 0.19) between the two data sets, but each marker class nonetheless shows similar patterns of low-genetic diversity and a lack of geographic structure. Our data do suggest that SSRs yield a higher percentage of polymorphic loci, higher heterozyosity and a greater range of genetic distances, and are therefore more informative than are AFLPs on a locus-by-locus basis. Based on comparisons with numerous other plant species, we suggest that the lower genetic variation in this worldwide collection may be due to one or more factors including: sampling strategies that have not captured the full extent of genetic variation in the species; artifactual variation due to long-term germplasm storage and seed regeneration; or intense selection followed by domestic cultivation of a limited number of castor bean genotypes, which are widely propagated for their horticultural and agro-economic value.     

Epidemiological description of the sea lice (Caligus rogercresseyi) situation in southern Chile in August 2007

Salmon sea lice represent one of the most important threats to salmon farming throughout the world. Results of private monitoring efforts have shown an increase in the number of positive cages and cage-level abundance of sea lice in southern Chile since 2004. As a consequence, the Chilean Fisheries Service implemented an Official Surveillance Program in the main salmon production area of southern Chile to assess the situation of sea lice in fish farms. Results showed that the prevalence of sea lice in the fish farms was 53.4%, ranging from 3.5% in Puerto Aysén to 100% in the Seno de Reloncaví zone. The average sea lice abundance was 11.8 per fish (Geometrical mean (GM)=8.61, 95% CI (2.1-6.9)). The highest levels were found in Seno de Reloncaví (GM=24.99, 95% CI (15.9-39.2)), Hornopirén (GM=14.7, 95% CI (10.4-20.8)) and Chiloé norte (GM=9.75, 95% CI (1-1.9)), and the lowest loads were observed in Puerto Aysén (GM=1.35, 95%CI (1-1.9)) and Puerto Cisnes (GM=1.67, 95%CI (1.1-2.6)). Salmo salar and Oncorhynchus mykiss had the highest abundance levels (GM=6.93, 95% CI (5.7-8.5), and (GM=5.55, 95% CI (3.6-8.5), respectively). O. kisutch showed lower levels (GM=1.34, 95% CI (1-1.7)), apparently being more resistant to infestation. Sea lice in farmed salmon are widely distributed in different zones of southern Chile, and are becoming a serious threat to this industry. Prevalence and abundance levels were found to be generally high, decreasing in southern zones.     

Isolation and characterization of immortalized porcine aortic endothelial cell lines

Primary porcine endothelial cells have a limited life span in culture. After four to five passages, they tend to de-differentiate and eventually reach senescence. The aim of this work was to establish immortalized porcine aortic endothelial cell lines (AOCs) to facilitate in vitro studies of different pathological process involving the endothelium. Primary porcine aortic endothelial cells (PAECs) were transfected with a plasmid containing the SV40 genome and selected on the basis of morphological and phenotypical features. Flow cytometry analysis demonstrated uptake of acetylated low density lipoproteins (Ac-LDL) and constitutive expression of SLA class I, CD29, CD31, CD41/61, CD80/86, CD46, SWC3, and LAMP-1 antigens by all analyzed lines and showed little differences to primary cells. The functional similarity between primary and immortalized endothelial cells was demonstrated in a cytotoxicity assay using a human natural killer cell line (NKL) as effector. The AOCs cell lines should be valuable tools for in vitro study of the human immune response against pig endothelial cells. In addition, they would be very useful to gain insight in the pathogenesis of some viral haemorrhagic diseases of pig such as African swine fever (ASF) or classical swine fever (CSF).     

Can place names be used as indicators of landscape changes? Application to the Doñana Natural Park (Spain)

This work broaches the possibility of using place names as indicators of original landscapes that have been much transformed. The reconstruction of landscape elements from place names is commonly disputed because such daring notion is impossible to demonstrate. The present case avoids this by making a preliminary study of changes in the landscape using conventional methods. With the knowledge gained from objective and reliable sources, the possibility is analyzed of whether place names are a reflection of landscape changes taking place over a considerable period of time (the last few centuries). It is concluded that, for the present case study, in natural areas with a high rate of change of land use (Doñana Natural Park), place names indicate not only changes in the landscape, but also how such changes are perceived. In the study area, this is especially clear regarding the fens.     

Fatal intraoperative pulmonary fat embolism during cemented total hip arthroplasty in a dog

A 3-year-old, German shepherd dog died suddenly during cemented total hip arthroplasty. Gross necropsy findings included severe pulmonary edema and congestion as well as congestion of the liver and kidneys. Acute pulmonary embolism was suspected as the cause of death. Microscopic examination of hematoxylin and eosin-stained, formalin-fixed, and oil red O-stained frozen tissue sections confirmed the presence of large numbers of fat globules in blood vessels in the lungs, liver, and kidneys. Fat embolism during total hip arthroplasty is a common surgical complication in humans, but it is uncommon in veterinary cases and is rarely a cause of death.     

Septicaemia secondary to infection by Corynebacterium macginleyi in an Indian python (Python molurus)

A seven-year-old female Indian python (Python molurus) weighing about 35kg was euthanased after several clinical episodes of stomatitis, pneumonia, ophthalmitis and dystocia over a period of four years. The animal had been maintained in a terrarium in a circus truck at an adequate temperature. During shows, however, the snake was considered to be exposed to stressful conditions for several hours at a time at low temperatures and with noise and bright lights. A post-mortem examination indicated ulcerative stomatitis, osteomyelitis, severe pneumonia and numerous granulomata and multifocal necrosis in stomach and spleen. Corynebacterium macginleyi was isolated in pure culture from the ulcerative stomatitis, and mixed with Stenotrophomonas maltophilia from the lungs and spleen. The findings indicated that the snake had died from a septicaemic process caused by C. macginleyi, probably originating from the stomatitis. The role of S. maltophilia as a secondary agent is discussed. The stress of the circus show and poor husbandry may have predisposed the animal to infection and septicaemia. This is the first report of C. macginleyi causing disease in a snake.     

Phylogeny, diversity, and species delimitation in some species of the Xiphinema americanum-group complex (Nematoda: Longidoridae), as inferred from nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequences and morphology

During nematode surveys in southern Spain and Italy 14 populations of Xiphinema species tentatively identified as Xiphinema americanum-group were detected. Morphological and morphometrical studies identified three new species and six known Xiphinema americanum-group species, viz.: Xiphinema parabrevicolle n. sp., Xiphinema parapachydermum n. sp., Xiphinema paratenuicutis n. sp., Xiphinema duriense, Xiphinema incertum, Xiphinema opisthohysterum, Xiphinema pachtaicum, Xiphinema rivesi, and Xiphinema santos. The Xiphinema americanum-group is the most difficult Xiphinema species group for diagnosis since the morphology is very conservative and morphometric characters often overlap. This group includes vectors of several important plant pathogenic viruses that cause significant damage to a wide range of agricultural crops. Molecular characterisation of these species using D2-D3 expansion regions of 28S rRNA, 18S rRNA, ITS1-rRNA and the protein-coding mitochondrial gene, cytochrome oxidase c subunit 1 was carried out and maximum likelihood and Bayesian inference analysis were used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among these species and with other Xiphinema americanum-group species.     

Comparative performance of tests using cytosolic or outer membrane antigens of Brucella for the serodiagnosis of canine brucellosis

Although some ELISA tests using cytoplasmic or outer membrane antigens of Brucella have been developed to improve the diagnosis of canine brucellosis, the performance of these assays has not been compared. In the present study three ELISA tests using lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-free cytoplasmic proteins (CPs) of Brucella abortus, the lumazine synthase (LS) of Brucella spp. or a hot-saline (HS) extract of Brucella canis containing outer membrane antigens were used to test sera from dogs with suspected or confirmed brucellosis (n=36) and from dogs with pathological conditions other than brucellosis (n=212). In the first group the proportion of positive results was 92, 92 and 81% for the ELISAs with HS, CP and LS, respectively, and 94% of the samples were positive by at least one ELISA test. Three dogs that were negative by agglutination (2ME-RSAT) had a positive result by at least one ELISA, and this discrepancy was attributed to the lower analytical sensitivity of agglutination tests. This hypothesis was confirmed by a serological follow-up of seven dogs recently infected with B. canis in three of which the illness was diagnosed earlier by one or more ELISA tests than by 2ME-RSAT. Among dogs having pathological conditions other than brucellosis, specificities were 94.3, 96.7 and 96.7% for the ELISAs with HS, CP and LS, respectively. This study shows that HS-ELISA and CP-ELISA are highly specific and sensitive for the diagnosis of canine brucellosis and can detect the infection by B. canis shortly after the exposure to the pathogen.