Ticks (Ixodoidea) on migrating birds in Cyprus, fall 1967 and spring 1968, and epidemiological considerations

1974 ◽  
Vol 64 (1) ◽  
pp. 97-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Makram N. Kaiser ◽  
Harry Hoogstraal ◽  
George E. Watson
Keyword(s):  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Q Fever ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Boutonneuse Fever ◽  
Ixodes Frontalis ◽  
Haemaphysalis Concinna ◽  
Migrating Birds

AbstractMore or less cursory examination of migrating birds in Cyprus revealed 115 of 2580 southward (fall) migrants and 177 of 22015 northward (spring) migrants to be infested by 167 and 797 ticks, respectively. Most ticks on fall migrants were Hyalomma marginatum marginatum Koch; others were Ixodes frontalis (Panz.), I. ricinus (L.), Haemaphysalis concinna Koch, and H. punctata C. & F., all representative of the Eurasian fauna. Most ticks on spring migrants were H. m. rufipes Koch; others were Amblyomma lepidum Dön., A. nuttalli Dön., and A. variegatum (F.), representative of sub-Saharan Africa, and Argas streptopelia Kaiser, Hoogst. & Horner, Ixodes eldaricus Dzhaparidze, and I. redikorzevi Olen. which probably attached to the hosts in the eastern Mediterranean area. In Africa and Eurasia, 16 arboviruses have been recorded from eight of these tick species, and also the agents of boutonneuse fever, Siberian tick typhus, Q fever, and tularaemia. The epidemiological potential of migrating birds is enhanced by the multiplicity of pathogens that may infect them and the biological diversity of ticks that may infest them. The remarkably wide distribution of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever virus in Africa and Eurasia is likely to be due to intercontinental carriage of the virus and ticks by migrating birds.

scholarly journals Staklene bočice oblika datulja sa zadarskog prostora

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivo Fadić ◽  
Anamarija Eterović Borzić
Keyword(s):  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Wide Distribution ◽  
Date Fruit ◽  
Glass Bottles ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Area

The paper studies six small relief glass bottles in the shape of date fruit, unearthed in grave contexts in the broader Zadar area. They are part of a larger group of anthropomorphic, zoomorphic and phytomorphic glass artefacts produced in the course of the 1st and 2nd centuries. These are artefacts blown in two-part moulds with a subsequently worked neck and rim, and a body covered with wavy folds imitating the skin of ripe dates. Depending on whether the ribbing was more stylised or more realistic, such artefacts are classified into two variants: hyperrealistic and stylised specimens. The realistic appearance of many small bottles in the shape of date fruit, which is partly due to their ornamental relief style, and also partly their colour, which is mostly yellowish, brown, brown-red or amber, has led certain authors to the conclusion that real fruit was used for the production of the moulds. Their popularity, or rather the popularity of their content, is confirmed by their wide distribution across the area of the Empire, including the Zadar region. Given that the majority of specimens have been found in the Eastern Mediterranean, this area has been determined as the site of their production. Although statistics can be a misleading criterion for determining the location of workshops, in this instance it is confirmed not only by the widespread production of glass artefacts by means of mould-blowing in the Eastern Mediterranean area, but also by the popularity of dates in this region, as confirmed by numerous antique sources.

scholarly journals Sex and age-specific differences in wing pointedness and wing length in blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla migrating through the southern Baltic coast

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Ożarowska ◽  
Grzegorz Zaniewicz ◽  
Włodzimierz Meissner
Keyword(s):  
Wing Length ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Migration Route ◽  
Sylvia Atricapilla ◽  
Climatic Effects ◽  
Migration Distance ◽  
Baltic Coast ◽  
Southern Baltic ◽  
Sub Saharan ◽  
Migrating Birds

Abstract The blackcap Sylvia atricapilla shows a complex migratory pattern and is a suitable species for the studies of morphological migratory syndrome, including adaptations of wing shape to different migratory performance. Obligate migrants of this species that breed in northern, central, and Eastern Europe differ by migration distance and some cover shorter distance to the wintering grounds in the southern part of Europe/North Africa or the British Isles, although others migrate to sub-Saharan Africa. Based on ˃40 years of ringing data on blackcaps captured during autumn migration in the Southern Baltic region, we studied age- and sex-related correlations in wing pointedness and wing length of obligate blackcap migrants to understand the differences in migratory behavior of this species. Even though the recoveries of blackcaps were scarce, we reported some evidence that individuals which differ in migration distance differed also in wing length. We found that wing pointedness significantly increased with an increasing wing length of migrating birds, and adults had longer and more pointed wings than juvenile birds. This indicates stronger antipredator adaptation in juvenile blackcaps than selection on flight efficiency, which is particularly important during migration. Moreover, we documented more pronounced differences in wing length between adult and juvenile males and females. Such differences in wing length may enhance a faster speed of adult male blackcaps along the spring migration route and may be adaptive when taking into account climatic effects, which favor earlier arrival from migration to the breeding grounds.

scholarly journals Knowledge, attitudes and practices towards spotted fever group rickettsioses and Q fever in Laikipia and Maasai Mara, Kenya

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
David Ndeereh ◽  
Gerald Muchemi ◽  
Andrew Thaiyah
Keyword(s):  
Q Fever ◽  
Spotted Fever ◽  
Medical Personnel ◽  
Raw Milk ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Spotted Fever Group ◽  
Health Providers ◽  
Attitudes And Practices ◽  
Local Residents ◽  
Sub Saharan

Many factors contribute to misdiagnosis and underreporting of infectious zoonotic diseases in most sub-Saharan Africa including limited diagnostic capacity and poor knowledge. We assessed the knowledge, practices and attitudes towards spotted fever group rickettsioses (SFGR) and Q fever amongst local residents in Laikipia and Maasai Mara in Kenya. A semistructured questionnaire was administered to a total of 101 respondents including 51 pastoralists, 17 human health providers, 28 wildlife sector personnel and 5 veterinarians. The pastoralists expressed no knowledge about SFGR and Q fever. About 26.7% of the wildlife sector personnel in Laikipia expressed some knowledge about SFGR and none in Maasai Mara. None of these respondents had knowledge about Q fever. About 45.5 and 33.3% of the health providers in Laikipia and Maasai Mara respectively expressed knowledge about SFGR and 9.1% in Laikipia expressed good knowledge on Q fever and none in Maasai Mara. The diseases are not considered amongst potential causes of febrile illnesses in most medical facilities except in one facility in Laikipia. Majority of pastoralists practiced at least one predisposing activity for transmission of the diseases including consumption of raw milk, attending to parturition and sharing living accommodations with livestock. Education efforts to update knowledge on medical personnel and One-Health collaborations should be undertaken for more effective mitigation of zoonotic disease threats. The local communities should be sensitized through a multidisciplinary approach to avoid practices that can predispose them to the diseases.

scholarly journals Rheological profiles in the Central- Eastern Mediterranean

1997 ◽  
Vol 40 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Viti ◽  
D. Albarello ◽  
E. Mantovani
Keyword(s):  
Heat Flow ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Western Turkey ◽  
Geological Time Scale ◽  
Total Strength ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Wet Rocks

Seismological investigations have provided an estimate of the gross structnral features of the crust/upper mantle system in the Mediterranean area. However, this information is only representative of the short-term me- chanical behaviour of rocks and cannot help us to understand slow deformations and related tectonic processes on the geological time scale. In this work strength envelopes for several major structural provinces of the Mediterranean area have been tentatively derived from seismological stratification and heat flow data, on the assumption of constant and uniforrn strain rate (10-16 S-1), wet rocks and conductive geotherm. It is also shown how the uncertainties in the reconstruction of thermal profiles can influence the main rheological prop- erties of the lithosphere, as thickness and total strength. The thickest (50-70 km) and strongest mechanical lithospheres correspond to the coldest zones (with heat flow lower than or equal to 50 mW m-2), i.e., the Io- nian and Levantine mesozoic basins, the Adriatic and Eurasian foreland zones and NW Greece. Heat flows larger than 65 mW m-2, generally observed in extensional zones (Tyrrhenian, Sicily Channel, Northern Aegean, Macedonia and Western Turkey), are mostly related to mechanical lithospheres thinner than 20 km. The characteristics of strength envelopes, and in particular the presence of soft layers in the crust, suggest a reasonable interpretation of some large-scale features which characterize the tectonic evolution of the Central- Eastem Mediterranean.

scholarly journals Ceramic finds from the Byzantine fort of Gradina on the island of Žirje

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ana Karađole ◽  
Igor Borzić
Keyword(s):  
Iron Age ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
The Other ◽  
Late Antique ◽  
North African ◽  
The North ◽  
Other Hand ◽  
Main Production ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Area

Repeated excavations of the area of the early Byzantine fort on Žirje, an island in the Šibenik archipelago, resulted in recovery of a substantial amount of movable finds, predominantly pottery. Most finds date to the period of Justinian's reconquista in the mid-6th century when the fort was used, but there are also some artifacts of earlier or later dating (Iron Age, Hellenistic and early Imperial periods; medieval and postmedieval periods) whose presence is explained by continuous strategic importance of the fort position. Late antique material has been analyzed comprehensively in terms of typology. Dating and provenance contexts of the finds have also been determined. Presence of pottery from the main production centers that supplied the eastern Adriatic at the time has been attested. This refers in particular to the north African and Aegean-eastern Mediterranean area providing fine tableware and kitchen pottery, lamps and various forms of amphorae. On the other hand, participation of local workshops in supply of the Byzantine soldiers stationed in Gradina probably relates to prevailing forms of kitchenware.

Allium kyrenium (Amaryllidaceae), a new species from Northern Cyprus

Phytotaxa ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 213 (3) ◽  
pp. 282 ◽  
Author(s):  
GIANPIETRO GIUSSO DEL GALDO ◽  
CRISTIAN BRULLO ◽  
Salvatore Brullo ◽  
CRISTINA SALMERI
Keyword(s):  
New Species ◽  
Somatic Chromosome ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Diploid Species ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Somatic Chromosome Number ◽  
Northern Cyprus ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean Area ◽  
A New Species

Allium kyrenium, a new species of Allium sect. Codonoprasum, is described and illustrated from northern Cyprus. It is a very circumscribed geophyte growing on the calcareous cliffs of the Kyrenia range. This diploid species, with a somatic chromosome number 2n = 16, shows close morphological relationships with A. stamineum, a species complex distributed in the eastern Mediterranean area. Its morphology, karyology, leaf anatomy, ecology, conservation status and taxonomical relationships with the allied species belonging to the A. stamineum group are examined.

scholarly journals Linking biodiversity, diet and health in policy and practice

2006 ◽  
Vol 65 (2) ◽  
pp. 182-189 ◽  
Author(s):  
Timothy Johns ◽  
Pablo B. Eyzaguirre
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Biological Diversity ◽  
Dietary Diversity ◽  
Plant Genetic Resources ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Dietary Guidelines ◽  
Sub Saharan Africa ◽  
Wild Plants ◽  
Convention On Biological Diversity ◽  
Adequate Food

Simplification of human diets associated with increased accessibility of inexpensive agricultural commodities and erosion of agrobiodiversity leads to nutrient deficiencies and excess energy consumption. Non-communicable diseases are growing causes of death and disability worldwide. Successful food systems in transition effectively draw on locally-available foods, food variety and traditional food cultures. In practice this process involves empirical research, public policy, promotion and applied action in support of multi-sectoral, community-based strategies linking rural producers and urban consumers, subsistence and market economies, and traditional and modern food systems. Implementation of the International Plant Genetic Resources Institute's Global Nutrition Strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa offers a useful case study. Relevant policy platforms, in which biodiversity conservation and nutrition are and should be linked, include the Millennium Development Goals, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment, Convention on Biological Diversity, Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health, Food-Based Dietary Guidelines, Right to Adequate Food and UN Human Rights Commission's Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The largely unexplored health benefits of cultivated and wild plants include micronutrient intake and functions related to energy density, glycaemic control, oxidative stress and immuno-stimulation. Research on the properties of neglected and underutilized species and local varieties deserves higher priority. In tests of the hypothesis that biodiversity is essential for dietary diversity and health, quantitative indicators of dietary and biological diversity can be combined with nutrition and health outcomes at the population level. That traditional systems once lost are hard to recreate underlines the imperative for timely documentation, compilation and dissemination of eroding knowledge of biodiversity and the use of food culture for promoting positive behaviours.

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