West Nile Virus and High Death Rate in American Crows

We document effects of West Nile virus (WNV) on American Crows. More than two thirds of our crows died of WNV infection, peaking when the proportion of infected mosquitoes at roosts was greatest. WNV antibody prevalence in crows was low. Local ecologic effects can be dramatic as WNV inhabits new areas

ACTIVITIES OF A MIGRANT MERLIN DURING AN ISLAND STOPOVER

Volume: 23Start Page: 49End Page: 5

Group-wise sufficient dimension reduction with principal fitted components

Sufficient dimension reduction methodologies in regressions of Y on a p-variate X aim at obtaining a reduction R(X) ∈ Rᵈ, d ≤ p, that retains all the regression information of Y in X. When the predictors fall naturally into a number of known groups or domains, it has been established that exploiting the grouping information often leads to more effective sufficient dimension reduction of the predictors. In this article, we consider group-wise sufficient dimension reduction based on principal fitted components, when the grouping information is unknown. Principal fitted components methodology is coupled with an agglomerative clustering procedure to identify a suitable grouping structure. Simulations and real data analysis demonstrate that the group-wise principal fitted components sufficient dimension reduction is superior to the standard principal fitted components and to general sufficient dimension reduction methods.Kofi P. Adragni, Elias Al-Najjar, Sean Martin, Sai K. Popuri, Andrew M. Rai

Presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in avian faecal samples from an English urban environment

Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis have been described as protozoan emerging human parasites that can severely affect immunocompromised patients worldwide for which an early stage diagnosis is critical for appropriate prognosis. These cryptosporidia species can also affect immunocompetent individuals and have recently been related to serious outbreaks in the United Kingdom (UK). Zoonotic transmission has been suggested for these two human-pathogenic species; however, there is little understanding of the presence and distribution of these emerging pathogens in urban areas despite exponential urban expansion. As a result, we have performed a pilot project to explore the presence and circulation of Cryptosporidium spp. in avian faecal samples collected from an urban area highly frequented in Leicester city centre (UK). Thus, 54 stool samples were collected from New Walk (LE1 6TE), a Georgian pedestrian promenade which contains green areas a museum and different public and private houses, between December 2016 to January 2017. A veterinarian identified the avian species as: 21 waterfowl, 16 pigeon, 6 songbird, 1 fruit eater and 10 uncertain due to diarrhoea. Preliminary screening of the samples was performed with Kinyoun's acid-fast staining; observation of a minimum of three oocysts per sample was used as a diagnostic tool to identify animals that could play a role in the environmental distribution of these parasites. Structures related to Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in three samples (5.5%), from different avian species (songbird, pigeon and uncertain), which may indicate that these parasites could interact with different avian species. Thus, potential interventions to protect human health, if they were required, should consider a range of avian species, although previous identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts found in these samples to species level is necessary to identify if the presence of these parasites in New Walk could represent a risk for the Leicester community and visitors. A deeper understanding of the presence and distribution of human-related Cryptosporidium spp. in the UK urban environment is required to identify risks points that should be regularly and appropriately decontaminated to minimise outbreaks

Presence of Cryptosporidium spp. in avian faecal samples from an English urban environment

Cryptosporidium parvum and C. hominis have been described as protozoan emerging human parasites that can severely affect immunocompromised patients worldwide for which an early stage diagnosis is critical for appropriate prognosis. These cryptosporidia species can also affect immunocompetent individuals and have recently been related to serious outbreaks in the United Kingdom (UK). Zoonotic transmission has been suggested for these two human-pathogenic species; however, there is little understanding of the presence and distribution of these emerging pathogens in urban areas despite exponential urban expansion. As a result, we have performed a pilot project to explore the presence and circulation of Cryptosporidium spp. in avian faecal samples collected from an urban area highly frequented in Leicester city centre (UK). Thus, 54 stool samples were collected from New Walk (LE1 6TE), a Georgian pedestrian promenade which contains green areas a museum and different public and private houses, between December 2016 to January 2017. A veterinarian identified the avian species as: 21 waterfowl, 16 pigeon, 6 songbird, 1 fruit eater and 10 uncertain due to diarrhoea. Preliminary screening of the samples was performed with Kinyoun's acid-fast staining; observation of a minimum of three oocysts per sample was used as a diagnostic tool to identify animals that could play a role in the environmental distribution of these parasites. Structures related to Cryptosporidium spp. were detected in three samples (5.5%), from different avian species (songbird, pigeon and uncertain), which may indicate that these parasites could interact with different avian species. Thus, potential interventions to protect human health, if they were required, should consider a range of avian species, although previous identification of Cryptosporidium oocysts found in these samples to species level is necessary to identify if the presence of these parasites in New Walk could represent a risk for the Leicester community and visitors. A deeper understanding of the presence and distribution of human-related Cryptosporidium spp. in the UK urban environment is required to identify risks points that should be regularly and appropriately decontaminated to minimise outbreaks

OBSERVATIONS OF A RADIO-TAGGED GOLDEN EAGLE TERMINATING FALL MIGRATION

Volume: 21Start Page: 68End Page: 7

Data from: A generalist brood parasite modifies use of a host in response to reproductive success

Avian obligate brood parasites, which rely solely on hosts to raise their young, should choose the highest quality hosts to maximize reproductive output. Brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) are extreme host generalists, yet female cowbirds could use information based on past reproductive outcomes to make egg-laying decisions thus minimizing fitness costs associated with parasitizing low-quality hosts. We use a long-term (21 years) nest-box study of a single host, the prothonotary warbler (Protonotaria citrea), to show that local cowbird reproductive success, but not host reproductive success, was positively correlated with the probability of parasitism the following year. Experimental manipulations of cowbird success corroborated that female cowbirds make future decisions about which hosts to use based on information pertaining to past cowbird success, both within and between years. The within-year pattern, in particular, points to local cowbird females selecting hosts based on past reproductive outcomes. This, coupled with high site fidelity of female cowbirds between years, points to information use, rather than cowbird natal returns alone, increasing parasitism rates on highly productive sites between years