Coral Communities, in Contrast to Fish Communities, Maintain a High Assembly Similarity along the Large Latitudinal Gradient along the Saudi Red Sea Coast

The Saudi Arabian Red Sea coast is characterized by a strong environmental gradient from north (28.5°N) to south (16.5°N) with challenging conditions for coral growth particularly in the south (high temperature and nutrient input). We investigated whether assemblies of reef-building corals and the distribution of functional groups follow a latitudinal pattern in the Red Sea, and whether these changes affect the assembly structure of coral associated organisms (e.g. fishes). Functional groups were defined based on life-history traits and functional role. 13 reefs along the north-south gradient, including 5 potentially polluted reefs were investigated. Results showed a substantially weaker latitudinal shift in the assembly structure of coral communities than of fishes communities and of other benthic reef taxa. Competitive fast growing branching and tabular species (mainly Acropora), as well as rather stresstolerant slow growing bulky species (e.g. Porites, Goniastrea, Favites, Favia) were fairly evenly distributed along the north-south axis despite strong changes of environmental conditions. This seems on the one hand attributable to the high species richness within a given functional group (functional redundancy) and on the other hand to a high acclimatization / adaptation potential of some Red Sea coral species. The prime ecosystem service of the coral community, the provision of a habitat complex, is thereby maintained throughout the gradient. In contrast to the coral community, the assembly of the fish community shifts along the environmental gradient with higher abundances of small wrasses and butterfly fishes in the north, and overall higher abundance of fishes including large fishes in the south. This shift seems linked to higher food availability in the south. Altered assembly structures of coral communities were found in reefs close to a source of pollution with either an increased relative abundance of stresstolerant species or a general decrease of coral abundance, latter case accompanied by a substantial reduction in fish abundance

Haplosyllis (Annelida: Syllidae) from Saudi Arabian Red Sea, with the description of a new endosymbiotic species and a dichotomous key for the Indo-Pacific species

Este artículo contiene 7 páginas, 3 figuras.Knowledge of the Haplosyllis species in the Saudi Arabian Red Sea is rather limited, since the so-called cosmopolitan Haplosyllis spongicola and Haplosyllis djiboutiensis apparently present all along the region are the only reported species. However, both are revealed to be species-complexes, the former mostly composed of European species and the later distributed in the Indo-Pacific area. Recently, several new species have been described following more comprehensive taxonomic studies in the respective areas. Haplosyllis leylae sp. nov. can be framed within the Bdjiboutiensis^ complex. The new species, which is herein fully described and illustrated, can be clearly distinguished by the combined presence of numerous small dorsal granules, the low number of articles on each dorsal cirrus, and the chaetal morphology. A dichotomous key of the Indo-Pacific species of Haplosyllis and new information on Haplosyllis eldagainoae are also included.This paper has been partially supported by the projects CTM2014-57949-R funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness, and the projects CTM2010- 22218 and CTM2013-43287-P funded by the Spanish State Research Plan, and the Consolidated Research Group of Marine Benthic Ecology of the Generalitat de Catalunya (2014SGR120).Peer reviewe

Morphology of the complete larval stages of Portunus segnis (Forskål, 1775) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Portunidae) from the Gulf of Aqaba, Saudi Arabia

Al-Aidaroos, Ali M., Kumar, A. A. J., Al-Haj, Ahmed E., Al-Sofyani, Abdulmohsin, Crosby, Michael P., El-Sherbiny, Mohsen M. (2019): Morphology of the complete larval stages of Portunus segnis (Forskål, 1775) (Crustacea: Brachyura: Portunidae) from the Gulf of Aqaba, Saudi Arabia. Zootaxa 4638 (2): 199-218, DOI: https://doi.org/10.11646/zootaxa.4638.2.

Complete larval development of the Brachyuran crab

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P1265 Candida blood stream infection in paediatric haematology oncology patients at a Saudi Arabian hospital and research centre

Background: Candida blood stream infections are the second most frequent isolates from blood cultures in hospital with large populations of immunocompromised patients.Objectives: To study the trend of candida blood stream infection at KFSH&RC in the haematology oncology patients and to evaluate the risk factors, the response to antifungal therapy and the outcome of candidaemia in this patient population. Method: Retrospective chart review utilising the microbiology & Infection Control Data-Bases from Jan 1996 till Dec 2004.Results: Total of 229 patients with positive blood for Candida spp. Seventy paediatric patients with haematology oncology disorders (30.5%), 57% are males and the majority in the age group 2−5 years (38.6%). Forty percent of candidaemia occur in patients with diagnosis of ALL which constitute the majority of our patients. Forty eight percent during induction phase of chemotherapy, the majority (68.6%) were neutropenic. Other risk factors like TPN recorded in 25.7% of the patients and 38.6% of them on greater than equal 3 antibiotics. 85% had central venous lines, which were removed in 80%. Dissemination of fungal infection occur in 38.6% of the patients and the mortality because of candidaemia alone is 2.9% and due to candidaemia and other causes is 8.6%.Conclusion: Candida is not uncommon blood stream isolates in our patient population and Candida albicans is the common Candida species isolated, followed by C. tropicalis in paediatric patients with haematology oncology disorders. Previous hospitalisation is a risk factor for candidamia. Presence of CVL and prolonged use of broad spectrum antibiotics are major risk factor for candidaemia

Calcinea of the Red Sea: providing a DNA barcode inventory with description of four new species

The Red Sea is a biodiversity hotspot with a considerable percentage of endemic species for many marine animals. Little is known about the diversity and distribution of calcareous sponges (Porifera, Class Calcarea) in this marginal sea. Here we analysed calcareous sponges of the subclass Calcinea that were collected between 2009 and 2013 at 20 localities in the Red Sea, ranging from the Gulf of Aqaba in the north to the Farasan Islands in the south, to document the species of this region. For this, we applied an integrative approach: We defined OTUs based on the analyses of a recently suggested standard DNA marker, the LSU C-region. The analysis was complemented with a second marker, the internal transcribed spacer, for selected specimens. Ten OTUs were identified. Specimens of each OTU were morphologically examined with spicule preparations and histological sections. Accordingly, our ten OTUs represent ten species, which cover taxonomically a broad range of the subclass. By combining molecular and morphological data, we describe four new species from the Red Sea: Soleneiscus hamatus sp. nov., Ernstia arabica sp. nov., Clathrina rotundata sp. nov., and Clathrina rowi sp. nov. One additional small specimen was closely related to “Clathrina” adusta, but due to the small size it could not be properly analysed morphologically. By providing the DNA sequences for the morphologically documented specimens in the Sponge Barcoding Database (www.spongebarcoding.org) we facilitate future DNA-assisted species identification of Red Sea Calcinea, even for small or incomplete samples, which would be insufficient for morphological identification. Application of DNA barcode methods in the subclass will help to further investigate the distribution of Calcinea in the Red Sea and adjacent regions

Biochemical evaluation with symptoms of gastrointestinal tract manifestations – A systemic review

Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding (UGIB) is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Gastrointestinal tract diseases lead to several reasons, the biochemical test playing an important role to predict the intestinal disease. The drug manifestations specifically, Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) bacteria Helicobacter pylori infection, alcohol abuse, smoking, obesity, anxiety, and depression identified as risk factors. This review aimed to assess major causes of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. All relevant English-language articles addressing the epidemiology, severity, frequency, risk factors, medications, and incidence of upper gastrointestinal bleeding were included in the study. Two researchers screened and reviewed relevant full-text papers for inclusion using the exclusion and inclusion criteria and 22 articles were included. One investigator extracted data about study sample size, patients' age, risk factors, causes, presentation, comorbidities, drug intake and addiction in patients with upper GI bleeding. Another investigator independently reviewed data accuracy. UGIB was found to be more common between the fifth and eighth decades of life, and it is extremely rare between the ages of 16 and 80. Upper gastrointestinal bleeding is most commonly caused by non-variceal bleeding, with duodenal ulcers, a subtype of peptic ulcer, being the most common cause. The main risk factors were NSAID use and Helicobacter pylori infection. The most common symptoms were hematemesis, melena, and, less frequently, stomach discomfort. The main risk factors of UGIT bleeding were the use of NSAID and Helicobacter pylori infection. Health education about NSAID side effects and proper use and application of proper screening tool for at-risk patients may aid in the prevention of UGIB and reduce the burden of this health problem