A cross-sectional epidemiological study of domestic animals related to human leptospirosis cases in Nicaragua

Leptospirosis is one of the most extended zoonosis worldwide and humans become infected most commonly through contact with the urine of carrier animals, either directly or via contaminated water or soil. The aim in this study was to analyse the epidemiological behaviour of Leptospira spp., from domestic animals around the sites of human leptospirosis cases in Nicaragua, from 2007 through 2013. We report the results of a cross-sectional epidemiological study with a non-probability sampling of blood (n = 3050) and urine (n = 299) from Domestic Animals (DA) around the sites of human leptospirosis cases in Nicaragua. We analysed data obtained through Microscopic Agglutination Test (MAT), in-vitro culture, real time PCR and sequencing of lfb1 locus. Frequencies of 30.31% (95% CI: 28.66–31.95) and 15.38% (95% CI: 11.12–19.64) were obtained from serological test and from in-vitro culture, respectively. Although similar frequencies from serology test (P = 0.05) were found in DA species, in-vitro culture frequencies were significantly higher from bovine, equine and sheep (P < 0.05) in comparison with swine and canine species. Ten serogroups of pathogenic Leptospira spp. were encountered, with the highest presence of Icterohaemorrhagiae serogroup 34.65% (95% CI: 29.35–39.94). We identified 7 samples homologous to L. interrogans species Pyrogenes serovar and 3 samples as L. noguchii Louisiana or Panama serovars by analysis of lfb1 sequences. We were able to establish a temporal and spatial correlation from DA and cumulative incidence of human cases. Therefore an effective epidemiological surveillance should be implemented with a specific control program toward DA in order to reduce human leptospirosis incidence

Evaluación de Quassia amara como tratamiento contra la varroosis en tres apiarios del municipio de León, Nicaragua.

Se realizó un estudio experimental en tres apiarios con las mismas condiciones físicas y ambientales con el n de evaluar la ecacia del extracto acuoso Quassia amara como tratamiento contra Varroa destructor utilizando para esto cinco grupos de tratamiento - Colmena ST : Sin tratamiento, es el control y cuatro colmenas a las que se les aplicó el extracto de Quassia amara en diferentes concentraciones: Colmena A: solución madre (M) 100% (1 kg materia bruta/10 l de agua); Colmena B: dilución I = Una parte de solución M más 4 partes de agua (20%); Colmena C: dilución II = Una parte de la dilución I más una parte de agua (10%); Colmena D: dilución III = Una parte de dilución II más una parte de agua (5%). Se realizaron seis aplicaciones mediante aspersión con intervalo de cuatro días. Los índices de infestación fueron valorados mediante conteos de la carga parasitaria en abejas adultas de cada colmena y las muestras se recolectaron en los siguientes momentos: Al realizar la primera, tercera y última aplicaciones, y 21 días después de la última. La extensión de invasión en crías se determinó en la primera y última aplicaciones y 21 días después. En total se trabajaron 60 muestras de abejas adultas de 150 a 200 especímenes y 45 fragmentos de panales de cría operculada de 10x10 cm. Se encontró que la dilución I fue la más efectiva sobre el ácaro en abejas adultas, con el mejor resultado a la cuarta semana del inicio de la aplicación (ecacia = 62%) mientras que en crías la más efectiva fue la dilución IV (ecacia = 23,10%). La planta Quassia amara brinda una alternativa prometedora de posible futura integración a las medidas con que los productores enfrentan el problema de la varroosis. La información recopilada contribuirá a la elaboración de un programa de control de esta enfermeda

Climate-induced changes on the hydrology of mediterranean basins - a research concept to reduce uncertainty and quantify risk

The presented project initiative CLIMB ('Climate Induced Changes on the Hydrology of Mediterranean Basins Reducing Uncertainty and Quantifying Risk') has recently signed a Grant Agreement in EC's 7th Framework Program (FP7-ENV.2009.1.1.5.2). In its 4-year design, starting from January 2010, the collaborative project for specific cooperation actions (SICA) dedicated to international partner countries shall analyze ongoing and future climate-induced changes in hydrological budgets and extremes across the Mediterranean and neighboring regions. This is undertaken in study sites located in Sardinia, Northern Italy, Southern France, Tunisia, Turkey, Egypt and the Palestinian-administered area Gaza. The work plan is targeted to selected river or aquifer catchments, where the consortium will employ a combination of novel field monitoring and remote sensing concepts, data assimilation, integrated hydrologic modeling and socioeconomic factor analyses to reduce existing uncertainties in climate change impact analysis. Advanced climate scenario analysis will be employed and available ensembles of regional climate model simulations will be downscaled. This process will provide the drivers for an ensemble of hydro(-geo)logical models with different degrees of complexity in terms of process description and level of integration. The results of hydrological modeling and socio-economic factor analysis will enable the development of a GIS-based Vulnerability and Risk Assessment Tool. This tool will serve as a platform for the dissemination of project results, including communication with and planning for local and regional stakeholders. An important output of the research in the individual study sites will be the development of a set of recommendations for an improved monitoring and modeling strategy for climate change impact assessment. CLIMB is forming a cluster of independent projects with WASSERMed from the Environment and CLICO from Socio-Economic Sciences and Humanities Call of FP7 in 2009 (see Fig. 2). The intention of this clustering is to foster scientific synergy and cooperation between the partner projects to achieve improvements in policy outreach on different spatial scales

Anthropogenic initiation and acceleration of aeolian dune activity within the northern European Sand Belt and societal feedbacks over the last ~ 2500 yrs

In North-Western Europe, Pleistocene sand sheets have been reactivated during phases of Holocene deforestation and agricultural land use. Although there are temporal overlaps between anthropogenic activity and sand sheet reactivation, the root cause and subsequent feedbacks between aeolian activity and societal response remain largely unknown. Here, we seek to establish cause and effect by examining the detailed co-variation in both timing and magnitude of aeolian and anthropogenic activity through the quantification of Holocene dune sediments in combination with archaeological and pollen records. These records indicate a series of complex phases of aeolian activity followed by landscape stabilization, which we attribute primarily to changing patterns of human impact. We find that a steady increase in dune deposition rates in the Medieval Period corresponds to an increase in settlement activity and deforestation (~AD 1000–1500). At their peak, Medieval deposition rates were 3.4 times larger than during the late Pleistocene, the period experiencing the most favourable natural conditions for aeolian sediment transport. Prior to the Medieval Period, relative land-surface stability (represented by a depositional hiatus) persisted from the late Pleistocene until the Roman Iron Age Period (AD 0–400). Deforestation to fuel iron production had minor impact on aeolian activity, as indicated by the lowest recorded deposition rate (0.12 ± 0.02 t/ha/a). Following the Medieval Period peak in deposition rates, aeolian activity diminished rapidly and coincided with the abandonment of nearby human settlement. This sequence of events provides evidence of a direct positive feedback in which Medieval agricultural overexploitation favoured aeolian activity that rendered the landscape practically unworkable for cropping agriculture. Based on our findings and a comprehensive review of Northern European sand belt activity, we interpret a very high sensitivity of aeolian activity to past and present human impact and argue that unsustainable land-use practices have been the cause for widespread settlement abandonment