Xylella fastidiosa subspecies and sequence types detected in Philaenus spumarius and in infected plants in France share the same locations

In Europe, the meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius is the main known vector of the quarantine bacterium Xylella fastidiosa. So far detection and identification of X. fastidiosa has more often been performed from plant matrices than insects, mainly using a real-time PCR and multilocus sequence typing (MLST) approach. Detection of X. fastidiosa in its insect vectors would enhance knowledge of the epidemiologic situation in France, specifically in the already infected Corsica and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (PACA) regions. The aim of this study was to validate a methodological approach to detect X. fastidiosa in P. spumarius, analysed individually or in groups of 10, using real-time PCR and MLST, and to apply the approach to more than 4,000 individuals collected between 2015 and 2019 from infected areas. The corresponding results expanded our knowledge of the epidemiology of X. fastidiosa in France: (a) X. fastidiosa subsp. multiplex including the sequence types ST6 and ST7 were identified in the insect vector; (b) the rate of positive insects per infected area was as high as 33.3% in Corsica or 50% in the PACA region; (c) positive adults were found during winter; and (d) the bacterial load in P. spumarius (droplet digital PCR) usually ranged from 10³ to 10⁴ cells per insect, but could be as high as 10⁵ or 10⁶ cells per insect for some individuals (13%). The subspecies and sequence types detected in P. spumarius corresponded to the situation officially reported for plants in the same areas.     

Treatment of Mycotic Rhinitis With Itraconazole in Three Horses

Itraconazole, a third-generation azole, was evaluated for treatment of resistant nasal mycotic infections in horses. Two horses with Aspergillus spp nasal granulomas and 1 horse with Conidiobolus coronatus nasal infection were treated with itraconazole (3 mg/kg PO bid). One of the horses with nasal aspergillosis was also treated by surgical resection of the nasal septum. The treatment time for the horses ranged from 3 to 4.5 months. No adverse effects were noted in any of the horses during the treatment period. Peak and trough serum itraconazole concentrations were < 0.5 μg/mL in all 3 horses. Itraconazole (3 mg/kg PO bid) appears to be effective in the treatment of nasal Aspergillus spp infections in horses because the fungal infection was eliminated in both horses. One horse still had excessive nasal sounds during exercise and was retired from training, whereas the other horse returned to normal. The nasal C. coronatus infection appeared resistant to itraconazole treatment in the affected horse because the granulomas were still present after 4.5 months of treatment.     

Multiscale sources of variation in ecological variables: modeling spatial dispersion,elaborating sampling designs

Detection of structured spatial variation and identification of spatial scales are important aspects of ecological studies. Spatial structures can correspond to physical features of the environment or to intrinsic characteristics of ecological processes and phenomena. Spatial variability has been approached through several techniques such as classical analysis of variance, or the calculation of fractal dimensions, correlograms or variograms. Under certain assumptions, these techniques are all closely related to one another and represent equivalent tools to characterize spatial structures.Our perception of ecological variables and processes depends on the scale at which variables are measured. We propose simple nested sampling designs enabling the detection of a wide range of spatial structures that show the relationships among nested spatial scales. When it is known that the phenomenon under study is structured as a nested series of spatial scales, this provides useful information to estimate suitable sampling intervals, which are essential to establish the relationships between spatial patterns and ecological phenomena. The use of nested sampling designs helps in choosing the most suitable solutions to reduce the amount of random variation resulting from a survey. These designs are obtained by increasing the sampling intensity to detect a wider spectrum of frequencies, or by revisiting the sampling technique to select more representative sampling units.     

Investigation of the effects of hyperthyroidism on renal function in the cat.

This study evaluated the effects of thyroxine on renal function in the cat. Baseline serum thyroxine (T4) concentrations, clinicopathologic data (complete blood count [CBC], serum chemistry panel, urinalysis), and nuclear medicine determinations of glomerular filtration rate (GFR), effective renal plasma flow (ERPF), and effective renal blood flow (ERBF) were measured in 10 normal adult cats. Cats were then injected with thyroxine (T4) (50 micrograms/kg SQ) daily for 30 d to induce hyperthyroidism. Clinicopathologic and nuclear medicine studies were repeated at 30 d. Cats injected with thyroxine had significant increases in T4, GFR, and ERBF and significant declines in serum creatinine and blood urea nitrogen (BUN) values. Administration of high doses of exogenous thyroxine to cats results in significant stimulation of renal function.