Echinococcus infections in the Baltic region

In the Baltic countries, the two zoonotic diseases, alveolar echinococcosis (AE) caused by Echinococcus multilocularis, and cystic echinococcosis (CE) caused by Echinococcus granulosus, are of increasing public health concern. Observations from Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania indicate that the distribution of both parasites is wider in the Baltics than previously expected. In this paper, we review and discuss the available data, regarding both parasitoses in animals and humans, from the Baltic countries and selected adjacent regions. The data are not easily comparable but reveal a worrisome situation as the number of human AE and CE cases is increasing. Despite improvements in diagnostics and treatment, AE has a high morbidity and mortality in the Baltic region. For the control of both zoonoses, monitoring transmission patterns and timely diagnosis in humans as well as the development of local control programs present major challenges. (C) 2015 Published by Elsevier B.V.Peer reviewe

Interleukin-17A Mediates Acquired Immunity to Pneumococcal Colonization

Although anticapsular antibodies confer serotype-specific immunity to pneumococci, children increase their ability to clear colonization before these antibodies appear, suggesting involvement of other mechanisms. We previously reported that intranasal immunization of mice with pneumococci confers CD4+ T cell–dependent, antibody- and serotype-independent protection against colonization. Here we show that this immunity, rather than preventing initiation of carriage, accelerates clearance over several days, accompanied by neutrophilic infiltration of the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Adoptive transfer of immune CD4+ T cells was sufficient to confer immunity to naïve RAG1−/− mice. A critical role of interleukin (IL)-17A was demonstrated: mice lacking interferon-γ or IL-4 were protected, but not mice lacking IL-17A receptor or mice with neutrophil depletion. In vitro expression of IL-17A in response to pneumococci was assayed: lymphoid tissue from vaccinated mice expressed significantly more IL-17A than controls, and IL-17A expression from peripheral blood samples from immunized mice predicted protection in vivo. IL-17A was elicited by pneumococcal stimulation of tonsillar cells of children or adult blood but not cord blood. IL-17A increased pneumococcal killing by human neutrophils both in the absence and in the presence of antibodies and complement. We conclude that IL-17A mediates pneumococcal immunity in mice and probably in humans; its elicitation in vitro could help in the development of candidate pneumococcal vaccines

Italian wolves (Canis lupus italicus Altobello, 1921) and molecular detection of taeniids in the Foreste Casentinesi National Park, Northern Italian Apennines

After centuries of massive decline, the recovery of the wolf (Canis lupus italicus) in Italy is a typical conservation success story. To learn more about the possible role of parasites in the wolves' individual and population health and conservation we used non-invasive molecular approaches on fecal samples to identify individual wolves, pack membership, and the taeniids present, some of which are zoonotic. A total of 130 specimens belonging to 54 wolves from eight packs were collected and examined. Taeniid eggs were isolated using a sieving/flotation technique, and the species level was identified by PCR (gene target: 12S rRNA and nad1). Taeniid prevalence was 40.7% for Taenia hydatigena, 22.2% for T. krabbei, 1.8% for T. polyachanta and 5.5% for Echinococcus granulosus. The prevalence of E. granulosus is discussed. Our results show that the taeniid fauna found in wolves from the Foreste Casentinesi National Park is comparable to that described for other domestic and wild Italian canids and provides insights into the wolves' diet and their relationship with the environment

Coat Polymorphism in Eurasian Lynx: Adaptation to Environment or Phylogeographic Legacy?

We studied the relationship between the variability and contemporary distribution of pelage phenotypes in one of most widely distributed felid species and an array of environmental and demographic conditions. We collected 672 photographic georeferenced records of the Eurasian lynx throughout Eurasia. We assigned each lynx coat to one of five phenotypes. Then we fitted the coat patterns to different environmental and anthropogenic variables, as well as the effective geographic distances from inferred glacial refugia. A majority of lynx were either of the large spotted (41.5%) or unspotted (uniform, 36.2%) phenotype. The remaining patterns (rosettes, small spots and pseudo-rosettes) were represented in 11.0%, 7.4%, and 3.9% of samples, respectively. Although various environmental variables greatly affected lynx distribution and habitat suitability, it was the effect of least-cost distances from locations of the inferred refugia during the Last Glacial Maximum that explained the distribution of lynx coat patterns the best. Whereas the occurrence of lynx phenotypes with large spots was explained by the proximity to refugia located in the Caucasus/Middle East, the uniform phenotype was associated with refugia in the Far East and Central Asia. Despite the widely accepted hypothesis of adaptive functionality of coat patterns in mammals and exceptionally high phenotypic polymorphism in Eurasian lynx, we did not find well-defined signs of habitat matching in the coat pattern of this species. Instead, we showed how the global patterns of morphological variability in this large mammal and its environmental adaptations may have been shaped by past climatic change.publishedVersio

Prerequisites for coexistence: human pressure and refuge habitat availability shape continental‑scale habitat use patterns of a large carnivore

Context Adjustments in habitat use by large carnivores can be a key factor facilitating their coexistence with people in shared landscapes. Landscape composition might be a key factor determining how large carnivores can adapt to occurring alongside humans, yet broad-scale analyses investigating adjustments of habitat use across large gradients of human pressure and landscape composition are lacking. Objectives Here, we investigate adjustments in habitat use by Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in response to varying availability of refuge habitats (i.e., forests and rugged terrain) and human landscape modifcation. Methods Using a large tracking dataset including 434 individuals from seven populations, we assess functional responses in lynx habitat use across two spatial scales, testing for variation by sex, daytime, and season. Results We found that lynx use refuge habitats more intensively with increasing landscape modifcation across spatial scales, selecting forests most strongly in otherwise open landscapes and rugged terrain in mountainous regions. Moreover, higher forest availability enabled lynx to place their home ranges in more human-modifed landscapes. Human pressure and refuge habitat availability also shaped temporal patterns of lynx habitat use, with lynx increasing refuge habitat use and reducing their use of human-modifed areas during periods of high exposure (daytime) or high vulnerability (postnatal period) to human pressure. Conclusions Our fndings suggest a remarkable adaptive capacity of lynx towards human pressure and underline the importance of refuge habitats across scales for enabling coexistence between large carnivores and people. More broadly, we highlight that the composition of landscapes determines how large carnivores can adapt to human pressure and thus play an important role shaping large carnivore habitat use and distributions.publishedVersio

Integrating animal tracking datasets at a continental scale for mapping Eurasian lynx habitat

Aim: The increasing availability of animal tracking datasets collected across many sites provides new opportunities to move beyond local assessments to enable de-tailed and consistent habitat mapping at biogeographical scales. However, integrating wildlife datasets across large areas and study sites is challenging, as species' varying responses to different environmental contexts must be reconciled. Here, we compare approaches for large-area habitat mapping and assess available habitat for a recolo-nizing large carnivore, the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx).Location: Europe.Methods: We use a continental-scale animal tracking database (450 individuals from 14 study sites) to systematically assess modelling approaches, comparing (1) global strategies that pool all data for training versus building local, site-specific models and combining them, (2) different approaches for incorporating regional variation in habi-tat selection and (3) different modelling algorithms, testing nonlinear mixed effects models as well as machine-learning algorithms.Results: Testing models on training sites and simulating model transfers, global and local modelling strategies achieved overall similar predictive performance. Model performance was the highest using flexible machine-learning algorithms and when incorporating variation in habitat selection as a function of environmental variation. Our best-performing model used a weighted combination of local, site-specific habi-tat models. Our habitat maps identified large areas of suitable, but currently unoccu-pied lynx habitat, with many of the most suitable unoccupied areas located in regions that could foster connectivity between currently isolated populations.Main Conclusions: We demonstrate that global and local modelling strategies can achieve robust habitat models at the continental scale and that considering regional variation in habitat selection improves broad-scale habitat mapping. More generally, we highlight the promise of large wildlife tracking databases for large-area habitat mapping. Our maps provide the first high-resolution, yet continental assessment of lynx habitat across Europe, providing a consistent basis for conservation planning for restoring the species within its former range.publishedVersio

Interleukin-17A Mediates Acquired Immunity to Pneumococcal Colonization

Although anticapsular antibodies confer serotype-specific immunity to pneumococci, children increase their ability to clear colonization before these antibodies appear, suggesting involvement of other mechanisms. We previously reported that intranasal immunization of mice with pneumococci confers CD4+ T cell–dependent, antibody- and serotype-independent protection against colonization. Here we show that this immunity, rather than preventing initiation of carriage, accelerates clearance over several days, accompanied by neutrophilic infiltration of the nasopharyngeal mucosa. Adoptive transfer of immune CD4+ T cells was sufficient to confer immunity to naïve RAG1−/− mice. A critical role of interleukin (IL)-17A was demonstrated: mice lacking interferon-γ or IL-4 were protected, but not mice lacking IL-17A receptor or mice with neutrophil depletion. In vitro expression of IL-17A in response to pneumococci was assayed: lymphoid tissue from vaccinated mice expressed significantly more IL-17A than controls, and IL-17A expression from peripheral blood samples from immunized mice predicted protection in vivo. IL-17A was elicited by pneumococcal stimulation of tonsillar cells of children or adult blood but not cord blood. IL-17A increased pneumococcal killing by human neutrophils both in the absence and in the presence of antibodies and complement. We conclude that IL-17A mediates pneumococcal immunity in mice and probably in humans; its elicitation in vitro could help in the development of candidate pneumococcal vaccines

Echinococcus granulosus : epidemiology and state-of-the-art of diagnostics in animals

Diagnosis and detection of Echinococcus granulosus (sensu lato) infection in animals is a prerequisite for epidemiological studies and surveillance of echinococcosis in endemic, re-emergent or emergent transmission zones. Advances in diagnostic approaches for definitive hosts and livestock, however, have not progressed equally over the last 20 years. Development of laboratory based diagnostics for canids using coproantigen ELISA and also coproPCR, have had a huge impact on epidemiological studies and more recently on surveillance during hydatid control programmes. In contrast, diagnosis of cystic echinococcosis (CE) in livestock still relies largely on conventional post-mortem inspection, despite a relatively low diagnostic sensitivity especially in early infections, as current serodiagnostics do not provide a sufficiently specific and sensitive practical pre-mortem alternative. As a result, testing of dog faecal samples by coproantigen ELISA, often combined with mass ultrasound screening programmes for human CE, has been the preferred approach for monitoring and surveillance in resource-poor endemic areas and during control schemes. In this article we review the current options and approaches for diagnosis of E. granulosus infection in definitive and animal intermediate hosts (including applications in non-domesticated species) and make conclusions and recommendations for further improvements in diagnosis for use in epidemiological studies and surveillance schemes

Can environment or allergy explain international variation in prevalence of wheeze in childhood?

Asthma prevalence in children varies substantially around the world, but the contribution of known risk factors to this international variation is uncertain. The International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) Phase Two studied 8–12 year old children in 30 centres worldwide with parent-completed symptom and risk factor questionnaires and aeroallergen skin prick testing. We used multilevel logistic regression modelling to investigate the effect of adjustment for individual and ecological risk factors on the between-centre variation in prevalence of recent wheeze. Adjustment for single individual-level risk factors changed the centre-level variation from a reduction of up to 8.4% (and 8.5% for atopy) to an increase of up to 6.8%. Modelling the 11 most influential environmental factors among all children simultaneously, the centre-level variation changed little overall (2.4% increase). Modelling only factors that decreased the variance, the 6 most influential factors (synthetic and feather quilt, mother’s smoking, heating stoves, dampness and foam pillows) in combination resulted in a 21% reduction in variance. Ecological (centre-level) risk factors generally explained higher proportions of the variation than did individual risk factors. Single environmental factors and aeroallergen sensitisation measured at the individual (child) level did not explain much of the between-centre variation in wheeze prevalence

Helminthfauna of wild felids and canids in Latvia

Anotācija SavvaĜas zīdītāju helmintofaunas pētījumi līdz šim Latvijā ir maz veikti. Šī pētījuma mērėis ir iegūt datus par plēsēju – lūšu, vilku, lapsu un jenotsuĦu helmintofaunu Latvijā, tajos parazitējošo sugu ekstensitāti, parazītu intensitāti un galvenajiem parazītu izplatības ceĜiem Latvijā. Pētījumam izmantoti nomedītie dzīvnieki Latvijas teritorijā. Pavisam izpētīti 123 lūši, 34 vilki, 45 lapsas un 19 jenotsuĦi. Pētījumā konstatēta 31 helmintu suga – piecas trematožu, 12 lenteĦu un 15 nematožu sugas. Lūšos konstatētas 12 sugas, vilkos – 18, lapsās – 21 un jenotsuĦos – 14 sugas. Lūšos biežāk sastopamās helmintu sugas ir lenteĦi Taenia pisiformis (99,2%) un nematodes Toxocara cati (69,9%), Trichinella spp. (41,5%) un Eucoleus aerophilus (30,2%); vilkos – trematode Alaria alata (85,3%), lenteĦi Taenia multiceps (47,1%), T. hydatigena (41,2%) un nematodes Trichinella spp. (69,7%), Pearsonema plica (41,4%) un Uncinaria stenocephala (41,2%); lapsās – trematode A. alata (97,8%), lenteĦi Mesocestoides lineatus (68,9%), Taenia polyacantha (60,0%) un nematodes U.stenocephala (88,9%), P. plica (82,1%), E. aerophilus (81,0%) un Trichinella spp. (54,1%); jenotsuĦos – trematode A. alata (89,5%), lentenis Mesocestoides lineatus (42,1%) un nematode U.stenocephala (94,7%). Plēsēju helmintofauna galvenokārt ir pārstāvēta ar parazītu sugām, kas iegūtas trofiskajā ceĜā. Lapsu helmintofauna ir daudzveidīga (H=1,07) un būtiski atšėiras (p<0,01) no pārējo dzīvnieku helmintofaunas. Statistiski būtiskas atšėirības dzīvnieku helmintofaunā saistībā ar dzīvnieka vecumu un dzimumu ir konstatēta tikai dažām parazītu sugām. Taenia pisiformis intensitāte (p<0,05) un Trichinella spp. ekstensitāte (p<0,01) ir izteiktāka pieaugušajos lūšos; Toxocara cati intensitāte un ekstensitāte – lūšu tēviĦos (p<0,01). Taenia multiceps ekstensitāte ir izteiktāka pieaugušajos vilkos (p<0,05). Uncinaria stenocephala ekstensitāte ir izteiktāka pieaugušajās lapsās (p<0,05), bet intensitāte – pieaugušajos jenotsuĦos (p<0,05). Konstatēta tendence (lai arī statistiski tā nav būtiska), ka parazītu ekstensitāte jaunajos vilkos un jenotsuĦos un parazītu intensitāte jaunajos jenotsuĦos ir lielāka nekā pieaugušajos dzīvniekos. Talsu, Alūksnes, Madonas, Rīgas, Ventspils, Cēsu un Aizkraukles rajonos ir konstatēta izteiktākā parazītu sugu ekstensitāte. No visām plēsējos konstatētajām parazītu sugām desmit helmintu sugām ir epidemioloăiska nozīme.Annotation There is a lack of information on the helminthofauna in mammals in Latvia. The aim of this research is to obtain data on helminthofauna in carnivores – lynxes, wolves, foxes and raccoon dogs in Latvia, the intensity and extensity of parasites and the main mode of transmission of parasitic infections. The carcasses of 123 lynxes, 34 wolves, 45 foxes and 19 racoon dogs hunted in the territory of Latvia were used for this research. 31 species of parasites – 5 trematode, 12 tapeworm and 15 nematode species found in carnivores were examined. 12 species of parasites were found in lynxes, 18 in wolves, 21 in foxes and 14 in raccoon dogs. Taenia pisiformis (99.2%), Toxocara cati (69.9%), Trichinella spp. (41.5%) and Eucoleus aerophilus (30.2%) were the predominant parasites in lynxes, whereas Alaria alata (85.3%), Taenia multiceps (47.1%), T. hydatigena (41.2%), Trichinella spp. (69.7%), Pearsonema plica (41.4%) and Uncinaria stenocephala (41.2%) were predominant in wolves. A. alata (97.8%), Mesocestoides lineatus (68.9%), Taenia polyacantha (60.0%), U.stenocephala (88.9%), P. plica (82.1%), E. aerophilus (81.0%) as well as Trichinella spp. (54.1%) were the main parasites of foxes. In raccoon dogs A.alata (89.5%), M.lineatus (42.1%) and U.stenocephala (94.7%) were found to be predominant parasites. The main route of transmission was found to be through food chains. The helminthofauna of foxes was more diverse (H=1.07) and significantly different (p<0.01) compared to that of other carnivores. Age and gender differences in the helminthofauna of carnivores in Latvia were found to be statistically significant only for a few species of helminths. The intensity of Taenia pisiformis (p<0.05) and extensity of Trichinella spp. (p<0.01) were higher in adult lynxes, whereas the intensity and extensity of Toxocara cati was higher in male lynxes (p<0.01). The extensity of Taenia multiceps was higher in adult wolves (p<0.05). The extensity of Uncinaria stenocephala (p<0.05) was higher in adult foxes, whereas the intensity was higher in adult raccoon dogs (p<0.05). It was discovered that the extensity of parasites in young wolves and raccoon dogs and intensity of parasites in raccoon dogs tended to be higher than in adult animals, although the differences were not found to be statistically significant. Higher extensity of parasites were found in animals from Talsi, Aluksne, Madona, Riga, Ventspils, Cesis and Aizkraukle districts. Ten out of all parasite species found in carnivores had epidemiological significancy