Feline acne and results of treatment with mupirocin in an open clinical trial: 25 cases (1994–96)

Clinical and diagnostic parameters, and response to topical mupirocin in 25 cats with feline acne are described. The chin was the most common area affected, but the lower lip, upper lip and the commissure of the lips also frequently had lesions. The most common clinical sign was the presence of crusts, followed by comedones, erythema, alopecia, pruritus and nodules/fistulas. Deep skin scrapings for ectoparasites, cytological examination of superficial skin scrapings, and fungal cultures from the chin were performed on all cats. Dermatophytes were cultured from two cats and Malassezia pachydermatis was cultured ( n  = 2), seen on cytology smears ( n  = 1), or noted on histopathology ( n  = 1). Skin biopsies were obtained from three of the cats and most commonly showed dilatation of sebaceous gland ducts, neutrophilic or pyogranulomatous infiltration of the sebaceous glands, and pyogranulomatous inflammation of the dermis.
All cats were treated with topical 2% mupirocin ointment twice daily for 3 weeks as the sole treatment. Treatment response was excellent in 15 cats and good in nine cats. One cat had a contact reaction to the mupirocin, necessitating stopping treatment. The response to treatment of the six cats with dermatophyte or years involvement was good ( n  = 3) or excellent ( n  = 3).     

Rapport General

Sans résumé     

Recurrent selection of tropical tree crops

The recurrent selection schemes recommended by CIRAD for 6 tropical tree crops are presented and compared. Breeding programmes are carried out under cooperation between CIRAD and its partners in regions where the crops are grown. The crops are cacao, coffee, rubber tree, oil palm, coconut and eucalyptus. After a short look at the background, the reasons behind the options chosen are given and the main characteristics of the schemes are described and illustrated. The state of progress and some major results are discussed. Over and above the differences linked to plant biology, the genetic diversity available and the type of varietal output, common characteristics are emphasized. The time taken for each generation means simplifying the intercrossing phases between successive breeding cycles, and thus, the parents tested are heterozygous: whenever possible, a clonal varietal output is an additional source of progress. The use of biotechnologies to study diversity is a valuable asset, and their application for early selection (QTL) is also promising. The preponderance of combining ability coexists with marked heterosis, which poses the problem of the latter's origin. As a result, all of the schemes described, but one, are reciprocal recurrent selection schemes. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Determining the distributions of soil carbon and nitrogen in particle size fractions using near-infrared reflectance spectrum of bulk soil samples

This study aimed at assessing the potential of near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy (NIRS) for determining the distribution of soil organic matter (SOM) in particle size fractions, which has rarely been attempted. This was done on sandy soils from Burkina Faso (three sites) and Congo-Brazzaville (one site). Over the total sample set, NIRS accurately predicted carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) concentrations (g kg^?1 fraction) in the fraction <20 μm. When considering Burkina Faso only, predictions were improved in general; those of C and N amounts (g kg^?1 soil) became accurate for the fraction <20 μm but not for the coarser fractions, probably due to heterogeneous SOM repartition. However, most SOM being <20 μm in general, NIRS could be considered promising for determining SOM size distribution.     

Optogenetic control of cardiac function

The cardiac pacemaker controls the rhythmicity of heart contractions and can be substituted by a battery-operated device as a last resort. We created a genetically encoded, optically controlled pacemaker by expressing halorhodopsin and channelrhodopsin in zebrafish cardiomyocytes. Using patterned illumination in a selective plane illumination microscope, we located the pacemaker and simulated tachycardia, bradycardia, atrioventricular blocks, and cardiac arrest. The pacemaker converges to the sinoatrial region during development and comprises fewer than a dozen cells by the time the heart loops. Perturbation of the activity of these cells was entirely reversible, demonstrating the resilience of the endogenous pacemaker. Our studies combine optogenetics and light-sheet microscopy to reveal the emergence of organ function during development.     

No organ left behind: tales of gut development and evolution

The function of an organ is dependent on its cellular constituents as well as on their assembly into a cohesive unit. The developing gut faces unique challenges as one of the longest and largest organs in the body and also because it is constantly interfacing with external factors through the diet. Its location deep within the body has until recently hampered investigation into its formation. The patterning of the gut along its longitudinal, dorsoventral, left-right, and radial axes is one of the fascinating issues that pertain to the development, function, and homeostasis of this understudied organ.     

Congruence between riverine fish species richness and endemism at the biogeographical scale: the role of history

• 1. This study aims to illustrate, on a European scale, how the congruence between riverine fish species richness and endemism is strongly related to biogeographical history.
• 2. A positive curvilinear relationship between species richness and endemism was found for Ponto‐Caspian Europe and peri‐Mediterranea, both spared by the last glacial maximum.
• 3. These results have important implications for European riverine fish biodiversity conservation, notably with regard to peri‐Mediterranea, which is expected to suffer from major climatic changes during the 21st century.

Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Living at the edge: biogeographic patterns of habitat segregation conform to speciation by niche expansion in Anopheles gambiae

Background

Ongoing lineage splitting within the African malaria mosquito Anopheles gambiae is compatible with ecological speciation, the evolution of reproductive isolation by divergent natural selection acting on two populations exploiting alternative resources. Divergence between two molecular forms (M and S) identified by fixed differences in rDNA, and characterized by marked, although incomplete, reproductive isolation is occurring in West and Central Africa. To elucidate the role that ecology and geography play in speciation, we carried out a countrywide analysis of An. gambiae M and S habitat requirements, and that of their chromosomal variants, across Burkina Faso.

Results

Maps of relative abundance by geostatistical interpolators produced a distinct pattern of distribution: the M-form dominated in the northernmost arid zones, the S-form in the more humid southern regions. Maps of habitat suitability, quantified by Ecological Niche Factor Analysis based on 15 eco-geographical variables revealed less contrast among forms. M was peculiar as it occurred proportionally more in habitat of marginal quality. Measures of ecological niche breadth and overlap confirmed the mismatch between the fundamental and realized patterns of habitat occupation: forms segregated more than expected from the extent of divergence of their environmental envelope – a signature of niche expansion. Classification of chromosomal arm 2R karyotypes by multilocus genetic clustering identified two clusters loosely corresponding to molecular forms, with 'mismatches' representing admixed individuals due to shared ancestral polymorphism and/or residual hybridization. In multivariate ordination space, these karyotypes plotted in habitat of more marginal quality compared to non-admixed, 'typical', karyotypes. The distribution of 'typical' karyotypes along the main eco-climatic gradient followed a consistent pattern within and between forms, indicating an adaptive role of inversions at this geographical scale.

Conclusion

Ecological segregation between M and S is consistent with niche expansion into marginal habitats by chromosomal inversion variants during early lineage divergence; presumably, this process is promoted by inter-karyotype competition in the higher-quality core habitat. We propose that the appearance of favourable allelic combinations in other regions of suppressed recombination (e.g. pericentromeric portions defining speciation islands in An. gambiae) fosters development of reproductive isolation to protect linkage between separate chromosomal regions.