Bovine Tuberculosis in Doñana Biosphere Reserve: The Role of Wild Ungulates as Disease Reservoirs in the Last Iberian Lynx Strongholds

Doñana National Park (DNP) in southern Spain is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve where commercial hunting and wildlife artificial feeding do not take place and traditional cattle husbandry still exists. Herein, we hypothesized that Mycobacterium bovis infection prevalence in wild ungulates will depend on host ecology and that variation in prevalence will reflect variation in the interaction between hosts and environmental risk factors. Cattle bTB reactor rates increased in DNP despite compulsory testing and culling of infected animals. In this study, 124 European wild boar, 95 red deer, and 97 fallow deer were sampled from April 2006 to April 2007 and analyzed for M. bovis infection. Modelling and GIS were used to identify risk factors and intra and inter-species relationships. Infection with M. bovis was confirmed in 65 (52.4%) wild boar, 26 (27.4%) red deer and 18 (18.5%) fallow deer. In the absence of cattle, wild boar M. bovis prevalence reached 92.3% in the northern third of DNP. Wild boar showed more than twice prevalence than that in deer (p<0.001). Modelling revealed that M. bovis prevalence decreased from North to South in wild boar (p<0.001) and red deer (p<0.01), whereas no spatial pattern was evidenced for fallow deer. Infection risk in wild boar was dependent on wild boar M. bovis prevalence in the buffer area containing interacting individuals (p<0.01). The prevalence recorded in this study is among the highest reported in wildlife. Remarkably, this high prevalence occurs in the absence of wildlife artificial feeding, suggesting that a feeding ban alone would have a limited effect on wildlife M. bovis prevalence. In DNP, M. bovis transmission may occur predominantly at the intra-species level due to ecological, behavioural and epidemiological factors. The results of this study allow inferring conclusions on epidemiological bTB risk factors in Mediterranean habitats that are not managed for hunting purposes. Our results support the need to consider wildlife species for the control of bTB in cattle and strongly suggest that bTB may affect animal welfare and conservation

A genome-wide identification and comparative analysis of the lentil MLO genes

Revista electrónica on linePowdery mildew is a widespread fungal plant disease that can cause significant losses in many crops. Some MLO genes (Mildew resistance locus O) have proved to confer a durable resistance to powdery mildew in several species. Resistance granted by the MLO gene family members has prompted an increasing interest in characterizing these genes and implementing their use in plant breeding. Lentil (Lens culinaris Medik.) is a widely grown food legume almost exclusively consumed as dry seed with an average world production of 4.5 million tons. Powdery mildew causes severe losses on certain lentil cultivars under particular environmental conditions. Data mining of the lentil CDC Redberry draft genome allowed to identify up to 15 gene sequences with homology to known MLO genes, designated as LcMLOs. Further characterization of these gene sequences and their deduced protein sequences demonstrated conformity with key MLO protein characteristics such as the presence of transmembrane and calmodulin binding domains, as well as that of other conserved motifs. Phylogenetic and other comparative analyses revealed that LcMLO1 and LcMLO3 are the most likely gene orthologs related to powdery mildew response in other species, sharing a high similarity with other known resistance genes of dicot species, such as pea PsMLO1 and Medicago truncatula MtMLO1 and MtMLO3. Sets of primers were designed as tools to PCR amplify the genomic sequences of LcMLO1 and LcMLO3, also to screen lentil germplasm in search of resistance mutants. Primers were used to obtain the complete sequences of these two genes in all of the six wild lentil relatives. Respective to each gene, all Lens sequences shared a high similarity. Likewise, we used these primers to screen a working collection of 58 cultivated and 23 wild lentil accessions in search of length polymorphisms present in these two genes. All these data widen the insights on this gene family and can be useful for breeding programs in lentil and close related species.S

Movilidad urbana y pobreza: Aprendizajes de Medellín y Soacha, Colombia

Este libro es un análisis de la experiencia de Medellín, la segunda ciudad de Colombia, en intentar reducir la pobreza e integrar en el tejido urbano barrios marginalizados y estigmatizados durante muchos años por la pobreza y la violencia. En particular, examina el impacto de dos cables aéreos que conectan densos barrios en colinas empinadas con el resto de la ciudad, y un programa de mejoramiento urbano asociado a estos. También contrasta la experiencia exitosa de Medellín con la de Soacha, un municipio adyacente a Bogotá, la capital colombiana, donde se ha propuesto un cable aéreo como medio de conexión de dos barrios en colina con una vía arteria. El contraste entre un municipio bien gestionado y abundante en recursos como Medellín con un municipio denso, homogéneamente pobre e institucionalmente débil como Soacha ofrece aprendizajes muy valiosos para otras ciudades en América Latina y otras regiones del mundo. La mayor parte de los capítulos se apoyan en un proyecto de investigación de dos años coordinado por la Development Planning Unit, University College London (UCL), en asocio con la Universidad Nacional de Colombia (sede Medellín) y la Universidad de los Andes de Bogotá. Además de estudios de caso detallados de Medellín y Soacha, el libro agrupa también casos en América Latina en donde se han construido o se han propuesto cables aéreos en barrios de bajos ingresos, como Caracas y Rio de Janeiro

Urban Mobility and Poverty: Lessons from Medellin and Soacha, Colombia

This book examines the experience of Medellín, Colombia's second largest city, in seeking to reduce poverty and integrate large marginalised areas, marked by years of severe poverty and violence, into the urban fabric. It pays particular attention to the impact of two aerial cable-cars connecting high density hilly neighbourhoods with the rest of the city, and an associated urban upgrading programme. It also contrasts Medellín’s successful experience with that of Soacha, a municipality adjacent to Bogotá, Colombia’s capital city, where an aerial cable-car has been proposed as a means of linking two low-income hilly neighbourhoods with a main arterial road. The contrast between a well-resourced, well-managed municipality like Medellín with a dense and homogenously poor and institutionally weak municipality like Soacha offers valuable lessons to other cities in Latin America and elsewhere. Contributions draw from a two-year research project coordinated by the Development Planning Unit, University College London (UCL), in conjunction with Universidad Nacional de Colombia (Medellín campus) and Universidad de los Andes in Bogotá. In addition to the detailed case studies of Medellín and Soacha, the book also brings together cases in Latin America where aerial cable-cars have either been built or proposed in low-income neighbourhoods, including Caracas and Rio de Janeiro

Characteristics and laboratory findings on admission to the emergency department among 2873 hospitalized patients with COVID-19: the impact of adjusted laboratory tests in multicenter studies. A multicenter study in Spain (BIOCOVID-Spain study).

Identification of predictors for severe disease progression is key for risk stratification in COVID-19 patients. We aimed to describe the main characteristics and identify the early predictors for severe outcomes among hospitalized patients with COVID-19 in Spain. This was an observational, retrospective cohort study (BIOCOVID-Spain study) including COVID-19 patients admitted to 32 Spanish hospitals. Demographics, comorbidities and laboratory tests were collected. Outcome was in-hospital mortality. For analysis, laboratory tests values were previously adjusted to assure the comparability of results among participants. Cox regression was performed to identify predictors. Study population included 2873 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Nine variables were independent predictors for in-hospital mortality, including creatinine (Hazard ratio [HR]:1.327; 95% Confidence Interval [CI]: 1.040-1.695, p = .023), troponin (HR: 2.150; 95% CI: 1.155-4.001; p = .016), platelet count (HR: 0.994; 95% CI: 0.989-0.998; p = .004) and C-reactive protein (HR: 1.037; 95% CI: 1.006-1.068; p = .019). This is the first multicenter study in which an effort was carried out to adjust the results of laboratory tests measured with different methodologies to guarantee their comparability. We reported a comprehensive information about characteristics in a large cohort of hospitalized COVID-19 patients, focusing on the analytical features. Our findings may help to identify patients early at a higher risk for an adverse outcome