Use of monthly collected milk yields for the detection of the emergence of the 2007 French BTV epizootic

Two culicoides-borne diseases, Bluetongue (BTV) and Schmallenberg, have emerged in the European cattle population since 2006. Other diseases transmitted by these vectors could emerge. This justifies the development of syndromic surveillance programs whereby one or several indicators would be routinely monitored for the early detection of emerging diseases. The aim of this study was to evaluate milk yield from milk recording in dairy cattle as an indicator to be included in an emerging disease surveillance system. It was hypothesized that emergences would result in episodes of low milk production clustered in space and time. The 2007 BTV epizootic in France was used as a case study. Because it had already emerged in neighbouring countries, the disease emergence was expected and notification was mandatory. Herd-test-day milk productions were predicted for the entire country for 2006 and 2007 from herd historical data using linear mixed models. The differences between observed and predicted milk productions were averaged per week and per municipality and used as input for a space-time prospective scan statistic. Log likelihood ratios (LLR) associated with clusters were used to define alarms. The threshold chosen was a trade-off between detection timeliness and the number of false alarms per week. The first four BTV notifications occurred on the 12th (two notifications), 13th and 27th of July 2007. The 12th of July was considered to be the date of emergence. Alarms occurring before the 1st of March 2007 were considered to be false alarms. Using an LLR of 50, there were an average of 1.7 false alarms per week and the BTV emergence was detected seven weeks after emergence. Using an LLR of 100, there were an average of 0.8 false alarms per week and the BTV emergence was detected 9 weeks after emergence. Detection may have been delayed because of a discontinuation of milk recording between mid-July and mid-August. The first cluster with an LLR > 100 located in the emergence area was further investigated. A difference between observed and predicted production of >1 kg/cow/day was observed around the time of emergence. However, a difference of equal magnitude was observed during the year preceding the outbreak. Milk production predicted from herd history alone did not allow the detection of the 2007 BTV emergence in France. Further research should be conducted on improving the prediction of test-day milk yield and on combining it with other indicators based on routinely collected data.     

Effects of predation and intraspecific interactions on habitat use and foraging by brown trout in artificial streams

Abstract— We studied habitat use, foraging rates and behavior of 10 cm and 12 cm long brown trout, Salmo trutta , at two densities, 1.5 and 3.0 fish. m⁻², in artificial streams that contained either the amphipod, Gammarus pulex , alone or G. pulex together with the piscivore, northern pike, Esox lucius. Gammarus were stocked in and largely restricted to the pools at a density of 128 Gammurus. m⁻² . pool⁻¹ Large trout (12 cm) used pools more and riffles less when small trout (10 cm) were present than when small trout were absent. Small trout consumed fewer Gammarus when together with large trout than when alone, but showed no difference in habitat use in the presence and abscnce of large trout. Habitat use and number of Gammarus consumed per trout were not affected by trout density for either size-class when alone. For both size-classes of trout, use of pools and foraging rates were higher in the absence than in the presence of pike, and pike primarily resided in the pools. The number of aggressive interactions by both size-classes of trout decreased when pike was present. Our results indicate that for habitats that differ in food resources and predation risk, size structure may affect habitat use and foraging by brown trout.     

Evaluating the role of ecosystem services in participatory land use planning: proposing a balanced score card

The application of the ecosystem services (ES) concept in land use planning has great potential to enhance the awareness of planning actors on their interactions. At the same time it can contribute to improve the linkage between the role of land use patterns and the understanding of land system functioning and its contribution to human well-being. The concept should be developed in a way that can be applicable in socio-ecological systems where nature and society are capable of enhancing their roles mutually. The objective of this paper is to suggest a standardized scheme and generalizable criteria to assess how successful the application of the ES concept contributed to facilitate participatory planning. We consider three potential advantages and three critical aspects for how to improve the applicability and relevance of the ES concept in planning. Hereon based, we present a balanced score card tool for which we broke down to advantages and risks into concrete questions. We illustrate the application of this approach with two case studies, representatives of two major governance schemes in relation to land use planning. We demonstrate that the balanced score card approach helps to reveal potential imbalances regarding the consideration of different ES groups. It supports testing the potential of the ES concept to enhance or not interactions of local and regional actors. We conclude that the framework should be reconsidered after a set of case studies to be developed into a monitoring tool for supporting planning practices.     

Antinociceptive and selected physiological effects of morphine and xylazine on tiletamine‐zolazepam anesthesia in llamas

ObjectiveEvaluate antinociception, anesthesia, and recovery in llamas given tiletamine-zolazepam (TZ) with either morphine, xylazine, morphine and xylazine, or saline.Study designRandomized crossover experimental study.AnimalsSix healthy, adult intact male llamas.MethodsLlamas were given each of four treatments intramuscularly with a 1-week washout: TZ (2 mg kg^?1) combined with either morphine (0.5 mg kg^?1; M), xylazine (0.15 mg kg^?1; X), morphine (0.5 mg kg^?1) and xylazine (0.15mg kg^?1) (MX), or saline (C). Llamas breathed room air during the experiment. Characteristics of anesthesia, recovery, and selected cardiopulmonary variables were recorded. Antinociception was assessed by clamping a claw at 5-minute intervals. Data were analyzed using a mixed-model anova and Tukey-Kramer test, and are expressed as least squares mean ± SEM. Significance was set at p < 0.05.ResultsNo llama in the control group demonstrated antinociception. Antinociception was longest with treatment MX, followed by treatments X and M, respectively. Heart rates in llamas given treatments X and MX were significantly lower than with other treatments. The respiratory rate in llamas given treatment C was greater (p < 0.05) than for all other treatments, however, the respiratory rate was not significantly different among treatments X, M and MX. The PaO₂ for llamas given MX remained <60 mmHg throughout the 20 minute period of blood gas analysis. Mean arterial blood pressure in llamas in treatment MX was less than for treatments M or C.Conclusion and clinical relevanceThe combination of morphine (0.5 mg kg^?1) and xylazine (0.15 mg kg^?1) increased the duration of antinociception compared with xylazine alone, in TZ-anesthetized llamas. Treatments X, M and MX were associated with hypoxemia (PaO₂ < 60 mmHg).     

Metabolomic Tools for Secondary Metabolite Discovery from Marine Microbial Symbionts

Marine invertebrate-associated symbiotic bacteria produce a plethora of novel secondary metabolites which may be structurally unique with interesting pharmacological properties. Selection of strains usually relies on literature searching, genetic screening and bioactivity results, often without considering the chemical novelty and abundance of secondary metabolites being produced by the microorganism until the time-consuming bioassay-guided isolation stages. To fast track the selection process, metabolomic tools were used to aid strain selection by investigating differences in the chemical profiles of 77 bacterial extracts isolated from cold water marine invertebrates from Orkney, Scotland using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) and nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. Following mass spectrometric analysis and dereplication using an Excel macro developed in-house, principal component analysis (PCA) was employed to differentiate the bacterial strains based on their chemical profiles. NMR ¹H and correlation spectroscopy (COSY) were also employed to obtain a chemical fingerprint of each bacterial strain and to confirm the presence of functional groups and spin systems. These results were then combined with taxonomic identification and bioassay screening data to identify three bacterial strains, namely Bacillus sp. 4117, Rhodococcus sp. ZS402 and Vibrio splendidus strain LGP32, to prioritize for scale-up based on their chemically interesting secondary metabolomes, established through dereplication and interesting bioactivities, determined from bioassay screening.     

Clinicopathologic features of suspected brevetoxicosis in double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) along the Florida Gulf Coast.

Outbreaks of morbidity and mortality in double-crested cormorants (Phalacrocorax auritus) along Florida's Gulf Coast have occurred sporadically for at least 30 yr. During these outbreaks, the Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife, located on Sanibel Island in Florida, has admitted a substantial number of cormorants with consistent presentation of primarily neurologic clinical signs. In order to investigate the association of these outbreaks in cormorants with exposure to brevetoxin, we compared the timing of admittance of cormorants with outbreak-specific clinical signs to blooms of the brevetoxin-producing marine algae, Karenia brevis (formerly Gymnodinium breve), around Sanibel Island from 1995 through 1999. The clinic admitted 360 out of 613 cormorants with the common clinical sign of severe cerebellar ataxia in six outbreaks occurring during this period. The ataxia was characterized by a broad-based stance, truncal incoordination, hypermetric gait, and intention tremors of the head. The histopathologic findings in 10 cormorants euthanized in 1997 were mild and nonspecific. An immunohistochemical staining technique for the detection of brevetoxin in cormorants documented the uptake of brevetoxin in tissues from four cormorants admitted during an outbreak in 1997, but a modified technique used on samples from 11 cormorants admitted during a K. brevis bloom in 2000 produced indeterminate results. Admittance of cormorants with outbreak-specific clinical signs was positively correlated (P < 0.05) with concurrent concentrations of K. brevis in local water. The cross-correlation coefficient was also significant when increased K. brevis levels preceded cormorant admittances by 2, 4, 6, and 8 wk. This delay in time between K. brevis blooms and cormorant admittance and our clinical finding of neurologic abnormalities in cormorants without overt histopathologic features suggest an association between K. brevis blooms and local cormorant morbidity.     

Antigenic diversity in the major merozoite antigens ofTheileria parasites

Tropical Animal Health and Production -