Anthelmintic resistance--looking to the future: a UK perspective

The full extent of anthelmintic resistance in nematodes of farm animals is not known. Resistance can be detected with a faecal egg count reduction test and two in vitro tests, the egg hatch and larval development tests. The sensitivity of these two in vitro tests can be increased by using discriminating doses rather than calculating LD50 values. Only benzimidazole resistance can be detected with PCR based tests because the molecular mechanisms of resistance to levamisole and the macrocyclic lactones remain unknown. Resistance detection is important because it enables the appropriate management strategies to be put in place. The development of resistance is delayed by keeping sufficient parasites in refugia (not exposed to anthelmintic), but the necessary management details have not yet been validated in the field. It is probably too late to use combination products to delay the development of resistance, except in cattle but quarantining animals to prevent introduction of resistant helminths onto a farm is important. Dilution of resistant worms with susceptible ones is only at the preliminary research stage and the application of non-chemical methods of control to delay resistance is not yet a practical option. Extensive research is required to manage resistance, especially in the control of resistance in Fasciola hepatica.     

Helminth control used by trainers of thoroughbreds in England

A telephone survey was conducted of the methods used to control parasitic worms at 106 thoroughbred training yards. Most of the horses were allowed access to grass and were therefore at risk of infection. The control methods relied primarily on the use of anthelmintics and appeared reasonably successful because only 44 per cent of trainers reported observing clinical signs of nematode infections. They dosed their horses frequently, 40 per cent treating every four to six weeks and 25 per cent treating every seven to eight weeks. New arrivals on yards were usually treated with anthelmintic but the strategies used would be unlikely to prevent the introduction of anthelmintic-resistant nematodes on most yards or to deal with encysted cyathostomes. Trainers were responsible for the design of most control schemes, and only 42 per cent of them based their choice of anthelmintic on veterinary advice.     

A spatial assessment of the risk to a mobile marine mammal from bycatch

• 1. Several species of marine mammals are at risk of extinction from being captured as bycatch in commercial fisheries. Various approaches have been developed and implemented to address this bycatch problem, including devices and gear changes, time and area closures and fisheries moratoria. Most of these solutions are difficult to implement effectively, especially for artisanal fisheries in developing countries and remote regions.
• 2. Re‐zoning of the Great Barrier Reef World Heritage Area (GBRWHA) in 2004 closed 33% of the region to extractive activities, including commercial fishing. However, the impact of re‐zoning and the associated industry restructuring on a threatened marine mammal, the dugong (Dugong dugon), is difficult to quantify. Accurate information on dugong bycatch in commercial nets is unavailable because of the large geographic extent of the GBRWHA, the remoteness of the region adjacent to the Cape York Peninsula where most dugongs occur and the artisanal nature of the fishery.
• 3. In the face of this uncertainty, a spatial risk‐assessment approach was used to evaluate the re‐zoning and associated industry restructuring for their ability to reduce the risk of dugong bycatch from commercial fisheries netting.
• 4. The new zoning arrangements appreciably reduced the risk of dugong bycatch by reducing the total area where commercial netting is permitted. Netting is currently not permitted in 67% of dugong habitats of high conservation value, a 56% improvement over the former arrangements. Re‐zoning and industry restructuring also contributed to a 22% decline in the spatial extent of conducted netting.
• 5. Spatial risk assessment approaches that evaluate the risk of mobile marine mammals from bycatch are applicable to other situations where there is limited information on the location and intensity of bycatch, including remote regions and developing countries where resources are limited.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

An Analysis of the Put-and-Take Trout Fishery at Toft Newton Reservoir

The operation of a put-and-take trout fishery at Toft Newton reservoir is analysed from detailed studies of the 1978 and 1979 seasons. Toft Newton is only a small reservoir but the large number of anglers that utilize the fishery mean that the stocking rates per hectare of water have to be very high. As a result of these high densities and a short average residence time in the reservoir, rainbow trout which were the predominantly stocked species do not grow after release. Brown trout, however, which were stocked at lower densities do grow after release. The success rate of the 8–9% of anglers not returning their catch data was examined using a postal survey. Partial correlation analysis indicated that the numbers of fish in the reservoir, the number of anglers fishing and the number of hours of sunshine significantly affected the catch rate. A regression between catch rate and number of fish in the reservoir only explained 35% of the variability but the addition of the other two factors did not significantly improve the accuracy of the model. The market area of the fishery was studied from the register of anglers. Most anglers attending Toft Newton travel a considerable distance to the fishery, the peak number driving from 98–129 km (61–80 miles) round trip. The present and future management policy of the fishery is discussed in the light of this analysis and many of the recommendations may also apply to other small put-and-take trout fisheries.     

Retinal stem cells in the adult mammalian eye

The mature mammalian retina is thought to lack regenerative capacity. Here, we report the identification of a stem cell in the adult mouse eye, which represents a possible substrate for retinal regeneration. Single pigmented ciliary margin cells clonally proliferate in vitro to form sphere colonies of cells that can differentiate into retinal-specific cell types, including rod photoreceptors, bipolar neurons, and Müller glia. Adult retinal stem cells are localized to the pigmented ciliary margin and not to the central and peripheral retinal pigmented epithelium, indicating that these cells may be homologous to those found in the eye germinal zone of other nonmammalian vertebrates.