Worldwide Traceability of Antibiotic Residues from Livestock in Wastewater and Soil: A Systematic Review

The use of antibiotics in animal production are widely used for disease treatment, health protection, and as growth promoters. Common antibiotics used in veterinary medicine are excreted and eliminated through the sewage system, contaminating water and soil with negative effects on agricultural activities. This systematic review focuses on the trend of research works on antibiotic residues, evaluating antibiotics used in livestock production and their excretion in animal products and in environmental matrices such as water and soil. Our database was composed of 165 articles, reporting the concentration of antibiotic residues found in the environment, livestock (cow, sheep, pig, horse, chicken, rabbit, goat), aquatic and terrestrial animal tissues, animal products (milk and eggs), wastewater, and soil. The documents were obtained from Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Europe, and Oceania. A descriptive analysis of antibiotic residues found worldwide was analyzed according to each of the variables used such as antibiotic family, name, concentration (% and mg/kg or ppm), and country and continent where the residue was found. The descriptive analysis was carried out using the “describe” function of psych package and pirate plots were drawn. According to our study, the main antibiotics used worldwide in animal production are sulfonamides, tetracyclines, quinolones, penicillin, and cephalosporins. At present, despite the trends of increased regulations on the use of antibiotics worldwide, antibiotics are still utilized in food animal production, and are present in water and soil, then, there is still the misuse of antibiotics in many countries. We need to become aware that antibiotic contamination is a global problem, and we are challenged to reduce and improve their use.

Range Sizes of the World’s Mammals, Birds, and Amphibians from the Mid-Holocene to the Industrial Period

Anthropogenic land use and climate change in the Industrial age have had substantial impacts on the geographic ranges of the world’s terrestrial animal species. How do these impacts compare against those in the millennia preceding the Industrial era? Here, we combine reconstructions of global climate and land use from 6000 BCE to 1850 CE with empirical data on the spatial distributions and habitat requirements of 16,919 mammal, bird, and amphibian species to estimate changes in their range sizes through time. We find that land use had only a small, yet almost entirely negative impact during most of the study period, whilst natural climatic variability led to some range expansions and contractions; but, overall it had a small impact on the majority of species. Our results provide a baseline for comparison with studies of range changes during the Industrial period, demonstrating that contemporary rates of range loss exceed the magnitude of range changes seen over many thousands of years prior to the Industrial period by an alarming extent.

Senescence as a trade-off between successful land colonisation and longevity: critical review and analysis of a hypothesis

Background Most common terrestrial animal clades exhibit senescence, suggesting strong adaptive value of this trait. However, there is little support for senescence correlated with specific adaptations. Nevertheless, insects, mammals, and birds, which are the most common terrestrial animal clades that show symptoms of senescence, evolved from clades that predominantly did not show symptoms of senescence. Thus, we aimed to examine senescence in the context of the ecology and life histories of the main clades of animals, including humans, and to formulate hypotheses to explain the causes and origin of senescence in the major clades of terrestrial animals. Methodology We reviewed literature from 1950 to 2020 concerning life expectancy, the existence of senescence, and the adaptive characteristics of the major groups of animals. We then proposed a relationship between senescence and environmental factors, considering the biology of these groups of animals. We constructed a model showing the phylogenetic relationships between animal clades in the context of the major stages of evolution, distinguishing between senescent and biologically ‘immortal’ clades of animals. Finally, we synthesised current data on senescence with the most important concepts and theories explaining the origin and mechanisms of senescence. Although this categorisation into different senescent phenotypes may be simplistic, we used this to propose a framework for understanding senescence. Results We found that terrestrial mammals, insects, and birds show senescence, even though they likely evolved from non-senescent ancestors. Moreover, secondarily aquatic animals show lower rate of senescence than their terrestrial counterparts. Based on the possible life histories of these groups and the analysis of the most important factors affecting the transition from a non-senescent to senescent phenotype, we conclude that aging has evolved, not as a direct effect, but as a correlated response of selection on developmental strategies, and that this occurred separately within each clade. Adoption of specific life history strategies could thus have far-reaching effects in terms of senescence and lifespan. Conclusions Our analysis strongly suggests that senescence may have emerged as a side effect of the evolution of adaptive features that allowed the colonisation of land. Senescence in mammals may be a compromise between land colonisation and longevity. This hypothesis, is supported by palaeobiological and ecological evidence. We hope that the development of new research methodologies and the availability of more data could be used to test this hypothesis and shed greater light on the evolution of senescence.

Mesozoic origin and ‘out-of-India’ radiation of ricefishes (Adrianichthyidae)

The Indian subcontinent has an origin geologically different from Eurasia, but many terrestrial animal and plant species on it have congeneric or sister species in other parts of Asia, especially in the Southeast. This faunal and floral similarity between India and Southeast Asia is explained by either of the two biogeographic scenarios, ‘into-India’ or ‘out-of-India’. Phylogenies based on complete mitochondrial genomes and five nuclear genes were undertaken for ricefishes (Adrianichthyidae) to examine which of these two biogeographic scenarios fits better. We found that Oryzias setnai , the only adrianichthyid distributed in and endemic to the Western Ghats, a mountain range running parallel to the western coast of the Indian subcontinent, is sister to all other adrianichthyids from eastern India and Southeast–East Asia. Divergence time estimates and ancestral area reconstructions reveal that this western Indian species diverged in the late Mesozoic during the northward drift of the Indian subcontinent. These findings indicate that adrianichthyids dispersed eastward ‘out-of-India’ after the collision of the Indian subcontinent with Eurasia, and subsequently diversified in Southeast–East Asia. A review of geographic distributions of ‘out-of-India’ taxa reveals that they may have largely fuelled or modified the biodiversity of Eurasia.

Clinical Manifestation and Management of Terrestrial Animal Bites

Background: Terrestrial animal bites wounds are injuries caused by terrestrial animals' mouths and teeth. Aerobic and nonaerobic bacteria cause 30–60% of the secondary bacterial infections due to animal bites. Rabies is an infectious disease and it is the most dangerous viral infection caused by animal bites. Also, venomous animal bites can be fatal and cause death if not treated well. Purpose: To identify the clinical manifestation, first aid, and management of terrestrial animal bites to reduce morbidity and mortality. Review: Wounds and crush injuries caused by animal bites are prone to infection. Aerobic bacteria, such as Pasteurella multocida, Staphylococcus spp. (including methicillin–resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)), Capnocytophaga canimorsus, and Bartonella henselae, and anaerobic bacteria, such as Porphyromonas spp. are commonly found pathogens in animal bite wounds. Rabies, the most dangerous viral infection, occurs in wounds infected by the rabies virus. The virus enters the nerve tissue, multiplies, and spreads to the central nervous system. This can cause disability, and it is life-threatening. In snakebites, management of basic life support, transportation to the hospital, clinical assessment, and immediate resuscitation are the most important procedures. Conclusion: Animal bite wounds are injuries caused by animals' mouths and teeth. Dogs, cats, and snakes are terrestrial animals that most likely attack humans. Proper diagnosis, first aid, and comprehensive management are needed to reduce morbidity and mortality.

Sustainable plant-based diets promote rainbow trout gut microbiota richness and do not alter resistance to bacterial infection

Background Farmed fish food with reduced fish-derived products are gaining growing interest due to the ecological impact of fish-derived protein utilization and the necessity to increase aquaculture sustainability. Although different terrestrial plant proteins could replace fishmeal proteins, their use is associated with adverse effects. Here, we investigated how diets composed of terrestrial vegetal sources supplemented with proteins originating from insect, yeast or terrestrial animal by-products affect rainbow trout (Onchorynchus mykiss) gut microbiota composition, growth performance and resistance to bacterial infection by the fish pathogen Flavobacterium psychrophilum responsible for frequent outbreaks in aquaculture settings. Results We showed that the tested regimes significantly increased gut bacterial richness compared to full vegetal or commercial-like diets, and that vegetal diet supplemented with insect and yeast proteins improves growth performance compared to full vegetal diet without altering rainbow trout susceptibility to F. psychrophilum infection. Conclusion Our results demonstrate that the use of insect and yeast protein complements to vegetal fish feeds maintain microbiota functions, growth performance and fish health, therefore identifying promising alternative diets to improve aquaculture’s sustainability.

Increasing the Awareness of Animal Welfare Science in Marine Mammal Conservation: Addressing Language, Translation and Reception Issues

Integrating welfare principles into conservation strategy is an emerging synthesis that encourages consideration of individual animals’ quality of life in research, policies and law. However, these principles have gained limited traction in marine compared to terrestrial animal conservation. This manuscript investigates several factors that may be contributing to this disparity. In order to gauge current understanding of animal welfare science principles by marine mammal researchers and other stakeholders, a “Welfare in the Wild” workshop was convened at the 32nd European Cetacean Society conference (La Spezia, Italy, April 2018). The workshop was attended by 30 participants who completed pre- and post-workshop surveys on animal welfare principles. The survey results highlight a range of different views about exactly what animal welfare science is and how it can be applied to marine mammals. Specifically, participants’ definitions appeared to vary depending on the type of employment or research they engaged in, indicating a need for an interdisciplinary common language. Secondly, we analysed the peer-reviewed literature in order to ascertain where marine mammal publications exploring welfare were being published. From 1950 to July 2020, a total of 299 articles featured both marine mammal taxa (one or more) and the word welfare in the title, abstract or keywords. This represents just 0.96% of the total peer-reviewed published papers on marine mammal taxa (n = 31,221) during the same period. When examining articles published within “Welfare and Ethics” (n = 6133) and “Aquatic-focused” (n = 139,352) journals, just 1.2% (n = 71) and 0.04% (n = 57) of articles, respectively, featured the word welfare when examining marine mammals. With the aim of exploring how explicitly including welfare evaluations in marine mammal research and management can benefit conservation outcomes, we framed our workshop and quantitative literature review findings to provide practical solutions to the language, translation and reception issues of this burgeoning cross-disciplinary collaboration.

RESEARCH INTO THE ROLE OF BIVALVE MOLLUSKS IN THE PREVALENCE OF TRICHINELLA IN MARINE BIOCENOSES

Trichinosis is a dangerous anthropozoonotic disease caused by a nematode of the genus Trichinella. Being polyhostal, Trichinella is recorded in more than 150 species of animals, including marine mammals. While the circulation mechanism in terrestrial animal species is well-studied and has a logical explanation, the ways of infection of marine mammals remain unexplored in many respects up to the present. Among marine mammals, trichinosis is most common in walruses with the prevalence of 1.5% (Bukina L.A., 2015). The main sources of trichinosis infection for benthophagous walruses are probably their most important prey items, amphipods and bivalve mollusks. The purpose of the present paper was to study the role of bivalves in the transmission of infective material to a potential host. In the experimental infection, decapsulated trichinella larvae isolated from the muscle tissue of cage-kept arctic foxes were used. Trichinella larvae were isolated by the method of trichinelloscopy and digestion of muscle tissue in artificial gastric juice. It was found that the filter feeding structure of mussels does not let trichinella pass into the intestine. However, larvae trapped in the mantle cavity are filtered out and removed as pseudofaeces through the excurrent siphon to the environment. At the same time, they remain viable for 113 hours. The most invasive and viable were trichinella isolated from pseudofaeces and wash off from the mantle cavity (mantle complex) within 30 to 70 hours. The bio-assays performed on white outbred mice were positive. Therefore, mussels can be direct or indirect sources of the invasion. Taking into account that walruses can eat more than 3,000 mollusks in one feeding, the probability of infection increases significantly.

A plant by any other name: . . . Foundations for materialist sociological plant studies

Despite the fact that plants make up 80% of biomass on Earth, sociology rarely examines human–plant relationships. Human societies are inherently dependent on plants, most obviously as the basis of food supply, ecosystems, atmospheric and climate regulation, and water cycles, as well as for sources of oxygen, medicine, fuel, and fibre. Society, or terrestrial animal life for that matter, could not exist without plants. Based on this recognition, here we lay the foundations for sociological plant studies, a field that studies the dialectical relationship between human societies and plants. We ground this foundation in a realist-materialist perspective that recognises the ontological independence of plants and does not reduce them to human social constructions. We show how considering plants can help us to understand the emergence of civilisations, state formation, and mechanisation of production at the macro-level, and how human–plant interactions shape everyday life at a more micro-level. We present our formulation of sociological plant studies as a starting point for future research.