scholarly journals Spatial and temporal distribution patterns of tick-borne diseases (Tick-borne Encephalitis and Lyme Borreliosis) in Germany

PeerJ ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. e12422
Author(s):  
Sarah Cunze ◽  
Gustav Glock ◽  
Sven Klimpel

Background In the face of ongoing climate warming, vector-borne diseases are expected to increase in Europe, including tick-borne diseases (TBD). The most abundant tick-borne diseases in Germany are Tick-Borne Encephalitis (TBE) and Lyme Borreliosis (LB), with Ixodes ricinus as the main vector. Methods In this study, we display and compare the spatial and temporal patterns of reported cases of human TBE and LB in relation to some associated factors. The comparison may help with the interpretation of observed spatial and temporal patterns. Results The spatial patterns of reported TBE cases show a clear and consistent pattern over the years, with many cases in the south and only few and isolated cases in the north of Germany. The identification of spatial patterns of LB disease cases is more difficult due to the different reporting practices in the individual federal states. Temporal patterns strongly fluctuate between years, and are relatively synchronized between both diseases, suggesting common driving factors. Based on our results we found no evidence that weather conditions affect the prevalence of both diseases. Both diseases show a gender bias with LB bing more commonly diagnosed in females, contrary to TBE being more commonly diagnosed in males. Conclusion For a further investigation of of the underlying driving factors and their interrelations, longer time series as well as standardised reporting and surveillance system would be required.

Radiocarbon ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 295-308 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stuart Pearson ◽  
Ewan Lawson ◽  
Lesley Head ◽  
Lynne McCarthy ◽  
John Dodson

The spatial and temporal distribution of 145 radiocarbon dates on 66 Australian stick-nest rat middens (Muridae: Leporillusspp.) range from modern to 10,900 ± 90 BP. As in American packrat middens, age frequency follows a logarithmic decay, both continentally and at major sites. This is probably a result of natural decay processes. Unlike American middens of similar age, relatively few range changes in plant distribution have been detected in Australia. The distribution of14C ages and the associated midden materials provide important paleoenvironmental information from the arid interior of Australia. The middens record subtle changes in vegetation and dramatic changes in the fauna unlike those interpreted from sites on the coastal rim or the southeastern periphery of the arid zone.


2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Seongwoo Park ◽  
Hae-Sung Nam ◽  
Baeg-Ju Na

Severe fever with thrombocytopenia syndrome (SFTS) is a new infectious disease with a high mortality rate and increased incidence in Republic of Korea since the first case was reported in 2013. The average mortality rate varies by region and year but remains high in Asia. This study aimed to evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns of SFTS cases reported to the national Disease Control and Prevention Agency (KDCA). We analysed the spatial and temporal distribution of SFTS and observed changes in areas vulnerable to the disease. We analysed data concerning 1086 confirmed SFTS patients from 2013 to 2019 categorized according to the 247 district level administrative units. To better understand the epidemiology of SFTS, we carried out spatiotemporal analyses on a yearly basis and also calculated and mapped spatial clusters of domestic SFTS by global (regional) and local Moran’s indices. To observe the annual changes in SFTS incidence rate, scan statistics for each city and district were calculated. The incidence rate showed significant clustering in specific regions, which reoccurred annually in some regions. In Republic of Korea, SFTS clusters have been expanding into the southern regions, with annual clusters concentrated between May and October. This pattern allows prediction of SFTS occurrences through spatiotemporal analysis, which makes it possible to guide measures of disease prevention.


Genes ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 27
Author(s):  
Marianna Paľová ◽  
Dajana Ručová ◽  
Michal Goga ◽  
Vladislav Kolarčik

Somatic polyploidy or endopolyploidy is common in the plant kingdom; it ensures growth and allows adaptation to the environment. It is present in the majority of plant groups, including mosses. Endopolyploidy had only been previously studied in about 65 moss species, which represents less than 1% of known mosses. We analyzed 11 selected moss species to determine the spatial and temporal distribution of endopolyploidy using flow cytometry to identify patterns in ploidy levels among gametophytes and sporophytes. All of the studied mosses possessed cells with various ploidy levels in gametophytes, and four of six species investigated in sporophytic stage had endopolyploid sporophytes. The proportion of endopolyploid cells varied among organs, parts of gametophytes and sporophytes, and ontogenetic stages. Higher ploidy levels were seen in basal parts of gametophytes and sporophytes than in apical parts. Slight changes in ploidy levels were observed during ontogenesis in cultivated mosses; the youngest (apical) parts of thalli tend to have lower levels of endopolyploidy. Differences between parts of cauloid and phylloids of Plagiomnium ellipticum and Polytrichum formosum were also documented; proximal parts had higher levels of endopolyploidy than distal parts. Endopolyploidy is spatially and temporally differentiated in the gametophytes of endopolyploid mosses and follows a pattern similar to that seen in angiosperms.


Author(s):  
Monica Turner ◽  
William Romme ◽  
Daniel Tinker

Our studies following the 1988 Yellowstone fires demonstrated that succession was surprisingly more variable in space and time than even current theory would have suggested, and that initial spatial patterns of disturbance may persist to produce long­lasting changes in vegetation. Our focus now is on explaining the spatial and temporal patterns of succession and understanding how these patterns influence ecosystem function. The most interesting new questions revolve around the degree to which the spatial variation in postfire vegetation -- in particular, the six orders of magnitude variation in pine sapling density, ranging from 0 to greater than 500,000 saplings/ha --controls the spatial variability in ecosystem processes across the landscape.


2006 ◽  
Vol 57 (1) ◽  
pp. 61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan C. Marshall ◽  
Fran Sheldon ◽  
Martin Thoms ◽  
Satish Choy

Waterholes within the dryland Cooper Creek, Lake Eyre Basin, Australia, are connected only during floods and are typically isolated for long periods. Spatial changes in the macroinvertebrate assemblages of 15 of these waterholes belonging to four regions were explored and these changes were related to environmental aspects of the waterholes measured at four spatial scales: floodplain, waterhole, within waterhole and sample habitat. To explore temporal patterns, one region was sampled on four occasions differing in time since connection. Spatial patterns were characterised by ‘differentiation by distance’ whereby samples collected closer to each other in the landscape were more similar in assemblage composition than those collected further apart. Thus, there were significant differences between the assemblages of the four regions. Although there was a correlation between macroinvertebrate spatial patterns and a combination of local habitat, geomorphology and water chemistry attributes, it appears unlikely that these variables were responsible for the faunal differentiation by distance. Temporal variability was larger than spatial variability and temporal assemblage patterns were best explained by the ‘connectivity potential’ of waterholes, reflecting the position of individual waterholes within the broader channel network and long-term connectivity relationships, rather than the actual time since hydrological connection.


2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (Supplement_6) ◽  
pp. S499-S509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samuel Kim ◽  
Kang Sung Lee ◽  
Gi Deok Pak ◽  
Jean-Louis Excler ◽  
Sushant Sahastrabuddhe ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Analyses of the global spatial and temporal distribution of enteric fever outbreaks worldwide are important factors to consider in estimating the disease burden of enteric fever disease burden. Methods We conducted a global literature review of enteric fever outbreak data by systematically using multiple databases from 1 January 1990 to 31 December 2018 and classified them by time, place, diagnostic methods, and drug susceptibility, to illustrate outbreak characteristics including spatial and temporal patterns. Results There were 180 940 cases in 303 identified outbreaks caused by infection with Salmonella enterica serovar Typhi (S. Typhi) and Salmonella enterica serovar Paratyphi A or B (S. Paratyphi). The size of outbreak ranged from 1 to 42 564. Fifty-one percent of outbreaks occurred in Asia, 15% in Africa, 14% in Oceania, and the rest in other regions. Forty-six percent of outbreaks specified confirmation by blood culture, and 82 outbreaks reported drug susceptibility, of which 54% had multidrug-resistant pathogens. Paratyphoid outbreaks were less common compared to typhoid (22 vs 281) and more prevalent in Asia than Africa. Risk factors were multifactorial, with contaminated water being the main factor. Conclusions Enteric fever outbreak burden remains high in endemic low- and middle-income countries and, despite its limitations, outbreak data provide valuable contemporary evidence in prioritizing resources, public health policies, and actions. This review highlights geographical locations where urgent attention is needed for enteric fever control and calls for global action to prevent and contain outbreaks.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2 ◽  
Author(s):  
Juan José Ibáñez Martí ◽  
Asunción Saldaña ◽  
Dilier Olivera

The concept of diversity has been widely used in ecological studies, although mainly for the biotic component (biodiversity). Regrettably, the effects of abiotic structures (e.g. soils) on the biotic components of ecosystems, landscapes and biomes are still a matter of discussion. We examined the similarity and differences in spatial and temporal patterns between biodiversity and pedodiversity. This comparative study was possible because of the increased availability of digital data on soils and other natural resources at various scales for pedodiversity analysis using the same theoretical concepts and tools applied by ecologists for biodiversity analyses. Remarkably, the spatial patterns of pedogeographic units detected by pedologists are similar to those reported by biologists for a plethora of ecosystems.


2002 ◽  
Vol 53 (1) ◽  
pp. 77 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. B. Potgieter ◽  
G. L. Hammer ◽  
D. Butler

Spatial and temporal variability in wheat production in Australia is dominated by rainfall occurrence. The length of historical production records is inadequate, however, to analyse spatial and temporal patterns conclusively. In this study we used modelling and simulation to identify key spatial patterns in Australian wheat yield, identify groups of years in the historical record in which spatial patterns were similar, and examine association of those wheat yield year groups with indicators of the El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO). A simple stress index model was trained on 19 years of Australian Bureau of Statistics shire yield data (1975–93). The model was then used to simulate shire yield from 1901 to 1999 for all wheat-producing shires. Principal components analysis was used to determine the dominating spatial relationships in wheat yield among shires. Six major components of spatial variability were found. Five of these represented near spatially independent zones across the Australian wheatbelt that demonstrated coherent temporal (annual) variability in wheat yield. A second orthogonal component was required to explain the temporal variation in New South Wales. The principal component scores were used to identify high- and low-yielding years in each zone. Year type groupings identified in this way were tested for association with indicators of ENSO. Significant associations were found for all zones in the Australian wheatbelt. Associations were as strong or stronger when ENSO indicators preceding the wheat season (April–May phases of the Southern Oscillation Index) were used rather than indicators based on classification during the wheat season. Although this association suggests an obvious role for seasonal climate forecasting in national wheat crop forecasting, the discriminatory power of the ENSO indicators, although significant, was not strong. By examining the historical years forming the wheat yield analog sets within each zone, it may be possible to identify novel climate system or ocean–atmosphere features that may be causal and, hence, most useful in improving seasonal forecasting schemes.


2010 ◽  
Vol 19 (8) ◽  
pp. 1059 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yonghe Wang ◽  
Kerry R. Anderson

We used the K-function and kernel estimation methods to evaluate the spatial and temporal patterns of ignition locations of lightning- and human-caused forest fires in Alberta, Canada. Although both of these fire types have spatial patterns of cluster distribution, quantitative measures for evaluating the patterns in the province are lacking. Our results revealed annual differences in the spatial patterns between the two fire types, whereby fires caused by humans tended to be more clustered and had more complex spatial patterns than those caused by lightning. Spatial interactions of cluster and inhibition existed between the two fire types. Human-caused fires in the period 2003–07 were highly concentrated in the southern parts of the province, indicating the existence of an interaction between space and time. Kernel analysis confirmed the observation that in northern Alberta, lightning-caused fires were more likely to occur than human-caused fires; the opposite was true in southern Alberta. This study provided useful spatial information that is not obvious or cannot be inferred from visual examination of raw data. Such quantitative knowledge could lead to the development of fire-response and fire-suppression strategies appropriate to specific regions within the province.


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