scholarly journals Co-evolution of Leptospira and Tenrecidae (Afrotheria) on Madagascar

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yann Gomard ◽  
Steven Michael Goodman ◽  
Voahangy Soarimalala ◽  
Magali Turpin ◽  
Guenaelle Lenclume ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
One Health ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Pathogenic Leptospira ◽  
Mammal Fauna ◽  
High Infection ◽  
The World ◽  
Infected Urine ◽  
Animal Reservoirs

Leptospirosis is one of the most prevalent bacterial zoonoses in the world. The disease is caused by pathogenic Leptospira that are maintained in the kidney lumen of infected animals, mostly mammals, acting as reservoirs and contaminating the environment via infected urine. The investigation of leptospirosis through a One Health framework has been stimulated by notable genetic diversity of pathogenic Leptospira together with a high infection prevalence in certain animal reservoirs. Extensive sampling and associated microbiological and molecular studies of Madagascar's native mammal fauna have revealed a diversity of pathogenic Leptospira with high levels of host-specificity. Native rodents, tenrecids, and bats shelter a number of distinct lineages and species of Leptospira, some of which have also been detected in acute human cases. Specifically, L. mayottensis, first discovered in humans on Mayotte, an island neighboring Madagascar, was subsequently identified in a few species of Malagasy tenrecids, an endemic family. Distinct L. mayottensis lineages were identified in shrew tenrecs (Microgale cowani and Nesogale dobsoni) on Madagascar, and later in spiny tenrecs (Tenrec ecaudatus) on Mayotte. These findings suggest that L. mayottensis (i) has experienced co-evolutionary processes during the radiation of tenrecids on Madagascar, and (ii) has recently emerged in human populations on Mayotte following the introduction of T. ecaudatus from Madagascar. Hitherto, L. mayottensis has not been detected in spiny tenrecs on Madagascar. In the present study, we broaden the investigation of Malagasy tenrecids and describe the presence of L. mayottensis in Malagasy populations of T. ecaudatus, as well as in M. thomasi. These results confirm the hypothesis that L. mayottensis was introduced to Mayotte, presumably via T. ecaudatus, and provide additional data on the co-evolution of Leptospira and Tenrecidae.

scholarly journals Tracking animal reservoirs of pathogenic Leptospira: the right test for the right claim.

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yann Gomard ◽  
Koussay Mohamed Dellagi ◽  
Steven Goodman ◽  
Patrick Mavingui ◽  
Pablo Tortosa
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Infection ◽  
One Health ◽  
Molecular Detection ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Pathogenic Leptospira ◽  
Human Leptospirosis ◽  
Previous Infection ◽  
Serological Data ◽  
The Right ◽  
Animal Reservoirs

Leptospirosis, caused by a pathogenic Leptospira bacteria, is the most prevalent zoonosis worldwide and in this context has been extensively investigated through a One Health framework. Diagnosis of human leptospirosis includes molecular and serological tools, with serological Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT) still being considered as a gold standard. Mammals considered as biological reservoirs include species or populations that are able to maintain chronic infection and shed the bacteria via their urine in the environment. Leptospira bacteria are often investigated using the same diagnosis tool, serological MAT. However, MAT testing of putative animal reservoirs can lead to mis-interpretations as it can signal previous infection and not necessarily bring in robust information regarding the capacity of such sero-positive animals to maintain chronic infection. We use previously published data and present new results on introduced and endemic small mammals to show that MAT should not be used for the identification of reservoirs. By contrast, serological data are informative on the level of exposure of animals occupying a specific environment. Finally, we present a sequential methodology to investigate human leptospirosis in a One Health framework that associates molecular detection in humans and animals, together with MAT of human samples using Leptospira isolates obtained from reservoir animals occurring in the same environment.

scholarly journals A Large-Scale COVID-19 Twitter Chatter Dataset for Open Scientific Research—An International Collaboration

Epidemiologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 315-324
Author(s):  
Juan M. Banda ◽  
Ramya Tekumalla ◽  
Guanyu Wang ◽  
Jingyuan Yu ◽  
Tuo Liu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Additional Data ◽  
Open Data ◽  
Data Sources ◽  
Research Projects ◽  
Research Groups ◽  
The World ◽  
Data Source

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread worldwide, an unprecedented amount of open data is being generated for medical, genetics, and epidemiological research. The unparalleled rate at which many research groups around the world are releasing data and publications on the ongoing pandemic is allowing other scientists to learn from local experiences and data generated on the front lines of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, there is a need to integrate additional data sources that map and measure the role of social dynamics of such a unique worldwide event in biomedical, biological, and epidemiological analyses. For this purpose, we present a large-scale curated dataset of over 1.12 billion tweets, growing daily, related to COVID-19 chatter generated from 1 January 2020 to 27 June 2021 at the time of writing. This data source provides a freely available additional data source for researchers worldwide to conduct a wide and diverse number of research projects, such as epidemiological analyses, emotional and mental responses to social distancing measures, the identification of sources of misinformation, stratified measurement of sentiment towards the pandemic in near real time, among many others.

scholarly journals Traditional uses, phytochemistry, pharmacology and toxicity of Arisaema (Areaceae): a review

2021 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Heena Ali ◽  
Ubaid Yaqoob
Keyword(s):  
Skin Irritation ◽  
Clinical Applications ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Main Body ◽  
Anticancer Activities ◽  
Medicinal Uses ◽  
The World ◽  
Different Types ◽  
Tropical Areas ◽  
Medicinal Properties

Abstract Background The genus Arisaema (Areaceae), popularly known as cobra lilies and jack in pulpit is mainly found in temperate to tropical areas of all continents except South America, Europe and Australia and contain about more than 250 species. Arisaema genus is being used by the different folks of human populations for medicinal as well as food purposes. Arisaema plants are used for the treatment of different types of diseases. There have been several attempts to highlight different aspects of genus Arisaema by describing it in terms of phytochemistry and medicinal uses. The present study is, however, an attempt to put together all the former data available related to the phytochemistry and medicinal uses of genus Arisaema. Main body The phytochemicals of the plant include alkaloids, phenols, terpenes, flavonoids, lectins, saponins, glycosides, triterpenoids, stigmasterols, n-alkanes, n-alkanols sitosterols, campesterol, oxalates, coumarins, tannins etc. Moreover, the properties such as antioxidant, antifungal, antibacterial, insecticidal, antimicrobial, cytotoxic, nematocidal, antiallergic antitumour and anticancer activities are also shown by the plants belonging to genus Arisaema. Arisaema plants have been traditionally used to treat various ailments such as resolving phlegm, dampness, and to treat asthma, bronchitis, cold, cough, and laryngitis etc. It has been found that there are several species which are toxic by nature. The development of clinical applications of arisaematis rhizomes had been seriously constrained due to its toxic properties like, mouth and lingua pain, even respiration slowing and suffocation, mucous membrane and skin irritation etc. and this toxicity of arisaematis rhizomes is due to raphide components. Conclusions The collection of data available on the phytochemistry of genus Arisaema is not sufficient as further work is required to do on phytochemical and medicinal basis. The data available on phytochemistry and medicinal properties of the plants belonging to genus Arisaema throws light on various species of Arisaema which are medicinally important and have been exploited to treat different types of diseases in the world.

scholarly journals The weirdest people in the world?

2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (2-3) ◽  
pp. 61-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph Henrich ◽  
Steven J. Heine ◽  
Ara Norenzayan
Keyword(s):  
Visual Perception ◽  
Young Children ◽  
Moral Reasoning ◽  
Spatial Reasoning ◽  
A Priori ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Behavioral Sciences ◽  
The World ◽  
And Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Phenomenon

AbstractBehavioral scientists routinely publish broad claims about human psychology and behavior in the world's top journals based on samples drawn entirely from Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies. Researchers – often implicitly – assume that either there is little variation across human populations, or that these “standard subjects” are as representative of the species as any other population. Are these assumptions justified? Here, our review of the comparative database from across the behavioral sciences suggests both that there is substantial variability in experimental results across populations and that WEIRD subjects are particularly unusual compared with the rest of the species – frequent outliers. The domains reviewed include visual perception, fairness, cooperation, spatial reasoning, categorization and inferential induction, moral reasoning, reasoning styles, self-concepts and related motivations, and the heritability of IQ. The findings suggest that members of WEIRD societies, including young children, are among the least representative populations one could find for generalizing about humans. Many of these findings involve domains that are associated with fundamental aspects of psychology, motivation, and behavior – hence, there are no obviousa priorigrounds for claiming that a particular behavioral phenomenon is universal based on sampling from a single subpopulation. Overall, these empirical patterns suggests that we need to be less cavalier in addressing questions ofhumannature on the basis of data drawn from this particularly thin, and rather unusual, slice of humanity. We close by proposing ways to structurally re-organize the behavioral sciences to best tackle these challenges.

scholarly journals Systematic Review of Hepatitis E Virus in Brazil: A One-Health Approach of the Human-Animal-Environment Triad

Animals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2290
Author(s):  
Danny Franciele da Silva Dias Moraes ◽  
João R. Mesquita ◽  
Valéria Dutra ◽  
Maria São José Nascimento
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
One Health ◽  
Hepatitis E ◽  
Published Data ◽  
Surveillance Systems ◽  
Industrialized Countries ◽  
Genotype 3 ◽  
The World ◽  
Waterborne Transmission ◽  
Sanitary Conditions

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world with diverse socioeconomic and sanitary conditions, also being the fourth largest pig producer in the world. The aim of the present systematic review was to collect and summarize all HEV published data from Brazil (from 1995 to October 2020) performed in humans, animals, and the environment, in a One Health perspective. A total of 2173 papers were retrieved from five search databases (LILACs, Mendeley, PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Science) resulting in 71 eligible papers after application of exclusion/inclusion criteria. Data shows that HEV genotype 3 (HEV-3) was the only retrieved genotype in humans, animals, and environment in Brazil. The South region showed the highest human seroprevalence and also the highest pig density and industry, suggesting a zoonotic link. HEV-1 and 2 were not detected in Brazil, despite the low sanitary conditions of some regions. From the present review we infer that HEV epidemiology in Brazil is similar to that of industrialized countries (only HEV-3, swine reservoirs, no waterborne transmission, no association with low sanitary conditions). Hence, we alert for the implementation of HEV surveillance systems in swine and for the consideration of HEV in the diagnostic routine of acute and chronic hepatitis in humans.

Shelter Characteristics, Infection Prevention Practices, and Universal Testing for SARS-CoV-2 at Homeless Shelters in 7 US Urban Areas

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e6
Author(s):  
Julie L. Self ◽  
Martha P. Montgomery ◽  
Karrie-Ann Toews ◽  
Elizabeth A. Samuels ◽  
Elizabeth Imbert ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Urban Areas ◽  
Infection Prevention ◽  
The United States ◽  
Homeless Shelters ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Universal Testing ◽  
Modifiable Factors ◽  
High Infection ◽  
Sleeping Arrangements ◽  
Risk Ratios

Objectives. To examine shelter characteristics and infection prevention practices in relation to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection point prevalence during universal testing at homeless shelters in the United States. Methods. SARS-CoV-2 testing was offered to clients and staff at homeless shelters, irrespective of symptoms. Site assessments were conducted from March 30 to June 1, 2020, to collect information on shelter characteristics and infection prevention practices. We assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence and shelter characteristics, including 20 infection prevention practices by using crude risk ratios (RRs) and exact unconditional 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Results. Site assessments and SARS-CoV-2 testing results were reported for 63 homeless shelters in 7 US urban areas. Median infection prevalence was 2.9% (range = 0%–71.4%). Shelters implementing head-to-toe sleeping and excluding symptomatic staff from working were less likely to have high infection prevalence (RR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.3, 0.8; and RR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.4, 0.6; respectively); shelters with medical services available were less likely to have very high infection prevalence (RR = 0.5; 95% CI = 0.2, 1.0). Conclusions. Sleeping arrangements and staffing policies are modifiable factors that might be associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection prevalence in homeless shelters. Shelters should follow recommended practices to reduce the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print March 18, 2021: e1–e6. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306198 )

Trends in phytoplankton communities within large marine ecosystems diverge from the global ocean

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-12
Author(s):  
Kevin D. Friedland ◽  
John R. Moisan ◽  
Aurore A. Maureaud ◽  
Damian C. Brady ◽  
Andrew J. Davies ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Chlorophyll Concentration ◽  
World Ocean ◽  
Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Global Ocean ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Large Marine Ecosystems ◽  
Phytoplankton Communities ◽  
The World

Large marine ecosystems (LMEs) are highly productive regions of the world ocean under anthropogenic pressures; we analyzed trends in sea surface temperature (SST), cloud fraction (CF), and chlorophyll concentration (CHL) over the period 1998–2019. Trends in these parameters within LMEs diverged from the world ocean. SST and CF inside LMEs increased at greater rates inside LMEs, whereas CHL decreased at a greater rates. CHL declined in 86% of all LMEs and of those trends, 70% were statistically significant. Complementary analyses suggest phytoplankton functional types within LMEs have also diverged from those characteristic of the world ocean, most notably, the contribution of diatoms and dinoflagellates, which have declined within LMEs. LMEs appear to be warming rapidly and receiving less solar radiation than the world ocean, which may be contributing to changes at the base of the food chain. Despite increased fishing effort, fishery yields in LMEs have not increased, pointing to limitations related to productivity. These changes raise concerns over the stability of these ecosystems and their continued ability to support services to human populations.

Heterogeneous model of schistosomiasis transmission and long-term control: the combined influence of spatial variation and age-dependent factors on optimal allocation of drug therapy

Parasitology ◽  
2004 ◽  
Vol 130 (1) ◽  
pp. 49-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. GURARIE ◽  
C. H. KING
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Optimal Allocation ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
Infection Prevalence ◽  
Snail Population ◽  
Extended Model ◽  
Heterogeneous Model ◽  
Age Dependent

Prior field studies and modelling analyses have individually highlighted the importance of age-specific and spatial heterogeneities on the risk for schistosomiasis in human populations. As long-term, large-scale drug treatment programs for schistosomiasis are initiated in subSaharan Africa and elsewhere, optimal strategies for timing and distribution of therapy have yet to be fully defined on the working, district-level scale, where strong heterogeneities are often observed among sublocations. Based on transmission estimates from recent field studies, we develop an extended model of heterogeneous schistosome transmission for distributed human and snail population clusters and age-dependent behaviour, based on a ‘mean worm burden+snail infection prevalence’ formulation. We analyse its equilibria and basic reproduction patterns and their dependence on the underlying transmission parameters. Our model allows the exploration of chemotherapy-based control strategies targeted at high-risk behavioural groups and localities, and the approach to an optimal design in terms of cost. Efficacy of the approach is demonstrated for a model environment having linked, but spatially-distributed, populations and transmission sites.

River Turtle Exploitation: Past and Present

2004 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don Moll ◽  
Edward O. Moll
Keyword(s):  
Ancient Egypt ◽  
Central American ◽  
Modern World ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
South American ◽  
American River ◽  
The World ◽  
Nesting Sites ◽  
Old World Tropics ◽  
River Turtles

Turtles and their eggs have long served as an important source of food for humans—almost certainly since very early in the evolution of the hominid lineage, and surely for at least the last 20,000 years (Nicholls, 1977). Evidence in the form of shells and skeletal material (some showing burn marks as evidence of cooking) in the middens of Paleolithic aboriginal cultures, and from eyewitness accounts of explorer-naturalists in more recent times is available from numerous locations around the world (e.g., Bates, 1863; St. Cricq, 1874; Goode, 1967; Rhodin, 1992, 1995; Pritchard, 1994; Lee, 1996; Stiner et al., 1999). Skeletal evidence of river turtles, in particular from such locations as Mohenjodaro and Harappa in the Indus Valley (e.g., Indian narrow-headed softshells and river terrapins), Mayapan, and many other Mesoamerican Mayan sites (e.g., Central American river turtles), and Naga ed-Der of Upper Ancient Egypt (e.g., Nile softshell) suggest that river turtles have helped to support the rise of the world's great civilizations as well (de Treville, 1975; Nath, 1959 in Groombridge & Wright, 1982; Das, 1991; Lee, 1996). Their role continues and, in fact, has expanded as human populations have burgeoned and spread throughout the modern world. River turtles have always been too convenient and succulent a source of protein to ignore. Often large, fecund, and easily collected with simple techniques and equipment, especially in communal nesters which may concentrate at nesting sites in helpless thousands (at least formerly), river turtles are ideal prey. Much of the harvesting has been, and continues to be, conducted in relative obscurity in many parts of the world. Occasionally, however, the sheer magnitude of the resource and its slaughter has attracted the attention of literate observers, such as the early explorer-naturalists of the New and Old World tropics. Their accounts have given us some idea of the former truly spectacular abundance of some riverine species, and the equally spectacular levels of consistent exploitation which have brought them to their modern, much-diminished condition. Summaries of the exploitation of the two best documented examples of destruction of formerly abundant riverine species, the Asian river terrapin, and the giant South American river turtle, are provided under their appropriate geographic sections below.

8. What have volcanoes done for us?

2020 ◽  
pp. 113-127
Author(s):  
Michael J. Branney ◽  
Jan Zalasiewicz
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Composition ◽  
Volcanic Hazards ◽  
Human Populations ◽  
The World

‘What have volcanoes done for us?’ outlines how humans have benefited from volcanoes. Volcanism has helped make the planet as it is today, by contributing to the chemical composition of the atmosphere and oceans. Volcanoes provide rich, fertile environments for wildlife and agriculture. Ultimately, volcanoes have been essential for the evolution of the biosphere, the emergence of humanity and human civilization, and for the flowering of culture. However, volcanoes across the world are increasingly being exploited for tourism, quarrying, deforestation, and urbanization. They also pose a hazard, one that increases as burgeoning human populations encroach ever closer. The chapter then looks at methods of monitoring and mitigating volcanic hazards.

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