Is the Banana Ripe? Andean Bear–Human Conflict in a Protected Area of Colombia

The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus; bear) is endemic to the tropical Andes Mountains of South America. Previous assessments predict that bear populations will decline by \u3e30% in the next 30 years. The species may face the greatest threats within its historical distribution in Colombia where rapid agricultural expansion into natural habitats is increasing human–bear conflicts. Between April 2017 and March 2018, we studied bear feeding behavior on plantain (Musa sapientum) and banana (M. paradisiaca) crops within the Barbas-Bremen protected area in the central mountain range of Colombia to describe the magnitude of crop damage, economic losses, and spatial distribution of feeding sites where human–bear conflicts would most likely occur. We also identified all affected farmers and used structured interviews to determine their attitudes toward the bears and their conservation. We recorded 237 damaged plants and identified 57 bear feeding area locations on 9 farms. Bear damage consisted of bites to the trunk of each plant and consumption of the centers. The damage polygon covered 198 ha, and it was located in the northwestern portion of the protected area. Although we estimated that the magnitude of crop consumption by bears and social and economic dimensions of damage caused by the species in Colombia. Our research also provides insights on how human–bear conflicts may be mitigated in the study area

Genetic studies in sunflower broomrape

Much research has been conducted to identify sources of genetic resistance to sunflower broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) and to study their mode of inheritance. However, studies on the parasite have been scarce. This manuscript reviews three genetic studies in sunflower broomrape. First, the inheritance of the absence of pigmentation in a natural mutant of this species with yellow plant color phenotype was studied. In a first stage, lines from the unpigmented mutant and a normally pigmented population were developed by several generations of self-pollination. Plants of both lines were crossed and the F1, F2, and F3 generations were evaluated. The results indicated that plant pigmentation is controlled by a partially dominant allele at a single locus. Second, the unpigmented mutant was used to evaluate outcrossing potential of the species. Two experiments in which single unpigmented plants were surrounded by normally pigmented plants were conducted under pot and field conditions. The cross-fertilization rate was estimated as the percentage of F1 hybrids in the progenies of unpigmented plants, which averaged 21.5% in the pot and 28.8% in the field experiment. The results indicated that, under the conditions of this study, the species was not strictly self-pollinated. Finally, the inheritance of avirulence was studied in crosses of plants from lines of O. cumana races E and F, developed by several generations of self-pollination. The F1 and F3 generations were evaluated on the differential line P-1380 carrying the race-E resistance gene Or5. The results suggested that race E avirulence and race F virulence on P-1380 are allelic and controlled by a single locus, which confirmed the gene-for-gene theory for the O. cumana-sunflower interaction.The manuscript reviews research partially funded by Fundación Ramón Areces, Madrid. The contribution of Dr. Enrique Quesada Moraga, entomologist from the University of Córdoba, Spain, to taxonomic classification of pollinators is gratefully acknowledged. R. Pineda-Martos was the recipient of a PhD fellowship from the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) (JAEPre_08_00370)Peer Reviewe

Wild felid species richness affected by a corridor in the Lacandona forest, Mexico

Los efectos de la presencia de un corredor en la selva Lacandona, en México, en la riqueza de especies de félidos silvestres Los félidos silvestres se encuentran entre las especies más vulnerables ante la pérdida de hábitat causada por la fragmentación de los ecosistemas. Se analizó el efecto de la presencia de un corredor estructural, definido como una franja de vegetación que conecta dos fragmentos de hábitat, en la riqueza y ocupación de félidos en tres sitios de Marqués de Comillas, en Chiapas: uno comprende dos fragmentos de bosque aislados, otro presenta un corredor estructural y el último se encuentra dentro de la reserva de la biosfera Montes Azules. Se encontraron cuatro especies en el interior de la Reserva, cinco en el corredor estructural y únicamente dos (L. pardalis y H. yagouaroundi) en los fragmentos de bosque aislados. La presencia del corredor no afectó de forma significativa a la ocupación, pero debido a la baja tasa de detección, se necesita seguir investigando para descartar diferencias. Nuestros resultados resaltan la necesidad de manejar la conectividad del hábitat en los bosques remanentes para lograr la conservación de la comunidad de félidos en Marqués de Comillas, en Chiapas, México.Los efectos de la presencia de un corredor en la selva Lacandona, en México, en la riqueza de especies de félidos silvestres Los félidos silvestres se encuentran entre las especies más vulnerables ante la pérdida de hábitat causada por la fragmentación de los ecosistemas. Se analizó el efecto de la presencia de un corredor estructural, definido como una franja de vegetación que conecta dos fragmentos de hábitat, en la riqueza y ocupación de félidos en tres sitios de Marqués de Comillas, en Chiapas: uno comprende dos fragmentos de bosque aislados, otro presenta un corredor estructural y el último se encuentra dentro de la reserva de la biosfera Montes Azules. Se encontraron cuatro especies en el interior de la Reserva, cinco en el corredor estructural y únicamente dos (L. pardalis y H. yagouaroundi) en los fragmentos de bosque aislados. La presencia del corredor no afectó de forma significativa a la ocupación, pero debido a la baja tasa de detección, se necesita seguir investigando para descartar diferencias. Nuestros resultados resaltan la necesidad de manejar la conectividad del hábitat en los bosques remanentes para lograr la conservación de la comunidad de félidos en Marqués de Comillas, en Chiapas, México.Wild felids are one of the most vulnerable species due to habitat loss caused by fragmentation of ecosystems. We analyzed the effect of a structural corridor, defined as a strip of vegetation connecting two habitat patches, on the richness and habitat occupancy of felids on three sites in Marqués de Comillas, Chiapas, one with two isolated forest patches, the second with a structural corridor, and the third inside the Montes Azules Biosphere Reserve. We found only two species (L. pardalis and H. yagouaroundi) in the isolated forest patches, five species in the structural corridor, and four species inside the Reserve. The corridor did not significantly affect occupancy, but due to the low detection rates, further investigation is needed to rule out differences. Our results highlight the need to manage habitat connectivity in the remaining forests in order to preserve the felid community of Marqués de Comillas, Chiapas, México

Isolation and genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii in Spanish sheep flocks

© The Author(s) 2020.[Background]: Toxoplasma gondii is a major cause of abortion in small ruminants and presents a zoonotic risk when undercooked meat containing cysts is consumed. The aim of the present study was to investigate the genetic diversity among the T. gondii strains circulating in ovine livestock in Spain.[Methods]: Selected samples collected from abortion outbreaks due to toxoplasmosis (n = 31) and from chronically infected adult sheep at slaughterhouses (n = 50) in different Spanish regions were bioassayed in mice, aiming at parasite isolation. In addition, all original clinical samples and the resulting isolates were genotyped by multi-nested PCR-RFLP analysis of 11 molecular markers and by PCR-DNA sequencing of portions of the SAG3, GRA6 and GRA7 genes.[Results]: As a result, 30 isolates were obtained from 9 Spanish regions: 10 isolates from abortion-derived samples and 20 isolates from adult myocardial tissues. Overall, 3 genotypes were found: ToxoDB#3 (type II PRU variant) in 90% (27/30) of isolates, ToxoDB#2 (clonal type III) in 6.7% (2/30), and ToxoDB#1 (clonal type II) in 3.3% (1/30). When T. gondii-positive tissue samples (n = 151) were directly subjected to RFLP genotyping, complete restriction profiles were obtained for 33% of samples, and up to 98% of the specimens belonged to the type II PRU variant. A foetal brain showed a clonal type II pattern, and four specimens showed unexpected type I alleles at the SAG3 marker, including two foetal brains that showed I + II alleles as co-infection events. Amplicons of SAG3, GRA6 and GRA7 obtained from isolates and clinical samples were subjected to sequencing, allowing us to confirm RFLP results and to detect different single-nucleotide polymorphisms.[Conclusions]: The present study informed the existence of a predominant type II PRU variant genotype (ToxoDB#3) infecting domestic sheep in Spain, in both abortion cases and chronic infections in adults, coexisting with other clonal (ToxoDB#1 and ToxoDB#2), much less frequent genotypes, as well as polymorphic strains as revealed by clinical sample genotyping. The use of multilocus sequence typing aided in accurately estimating T. gondii intragenotype diversity.This research was supported by projects funded by the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (AGL2016-75935-C2-R) and the Community of Madrid (PLATESA2-CM-P2018/BAA-4370). MF and RC were funded by UCM-Santander/2017 pre-doctoral grants, and PLATESA2 post-doctoral grants, respectively. CG was funded by DGAPA, National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). RC, EC and LO are part of the TOXOSOURCES consortium, supported by funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation programme under grant agreement No. 773830: One Health European Joint Programme.Peer reviewe

Vigilancia epidemiológica de la yersiniosis en España 2005-2014

[ES] La yersiniosis es una enfermedad zoonótica causada por dos especies enteropatógenas de Yersinia. La transmisión al ser humano es por mecanismo fecal-oral o por el consumo de alimentos o agua contaminados. Se han analizado los casos y brotes notificados a la Red Nacional de Vigilancia Epidemiológica (RENAVE) para 2005-2014 y el Conjunto Mínimo de Datos Básicos al Alta Hospitalaria (CMBD-RAE) hasta el año 2013. Se ha realizado un análisis descriptivo de la distribución temporal, geográfica y por sexo y edad, así como de la tasa de hospitalización. Se usó modelo de regresión lineal de joinpoint para valorar la tendencia temporal. En 2005-2014 se notificaron 3.170 casos a la RENAVE de 73 laboratorios de microbiología clínica de 13 comunidades autónomas (CCAA). Se notificaron 5 brotes producidos por Y. enterocolitica, con un total de 65 casos y 3 hospitalizaciones. En el periodo 2005-2013 se registraron en el CMBD-RAE 727 ingresos hospitalarios con diagnóstico principal (76%) o secundario (24%) de yersiniosis. Yersinia enterocolitica causó prácticamente todos los casos. La tendencia temporal es estable con un ligero aumento en los últimos años. No existe un patrón estacional claro. La mayoría de los casos e ingresos se concentraron en la población infantil menor de 5 años de edad. La tasa de hospitalización fue máxima en el grupo de menores de un año y la mediana de la estancia hospitalaria fue de 5 días. La yersiniosis afectó de forma similar a ambos sexos, con un ligero predominio de los casos en varones. [EN] Yersiniosis is a zoonotic disease caused by two different enteropathogenic species of Yersinia. The transmission to the human being is by fecal-oral mechanism or by the consumption of contaminated food or water. The cases and outbreaks notified to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE) for 2005-2014 and the Minimum Basic Data Set at Hospital Discharge (CMBD-RAE) until 2013 were analyzed. A descriptive analysis of the temporal, geographical and sex and age distribution, as well as the hospitalization rate was carried out. Joinpoint linear regression model was used to assess the temporal trend. In 2005-2014, 3,170 cases were reported to the RENAVE by 73 clinical microbiology laboratories of 13 Regions. Five outbreaks caused by Y. enterocolitica were reported, with a total of 65 cases and 3 hospitalizations. In the 2005-2013 period, 727 hospital admissions with primary (76%) or secondary (24%) diagnosis of yersiniosis were recorded in the CMBD-RAE. Yersinia enterocolitica caused almost all the cases. The temporary trend is stable with a slight increase in recent years. There is no clear seasonal pattern. The majority of cases and hospitalizations occurred in the child population under 5 years of age. The hospitalization rate was maximum in the group of children under one year of age and the median hospital stay was 5 days. Yersiniosis affected similarly to both sexes, with a slight predominance of cases in men

Adaptation and Evaluation of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores to Assess Mediterranean Food Environments (NEMS-S-MED)

The Nutrition Environment Measures Surveys are valid and reliable measures of community and consumer food environments. This article describes the adaptation and evaluation of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S) for Mediterranean urban contexts (NEMS-S-MED). Trained raters used the adapted NEMS-S-MED tool to observe and rate food outlets in 21 census tracts and 43 food stores across the city of Madrid, Spain. We evaluated inter-rater and intra-rater reliabilities, construct validity, and the tool’s ability to discriminate between store types and between stores by area-level Socio-Economic Status (SES). Overall, the mean NEMS-S-MED score was 20.7 (SD = 9.8), which ranged from 7 to 43. Most food items displayed substantial or almost perfect inter-rater and intra-rater agreements; the percentage agreement across availability items was almost perfect and kappa statistics were also very high (median κ = 1.00 for inter-rater; κ = 0.92 for intra-rater). Furthermore, the NEMS-S-MED tool was able to discriminate between store types and census tracts of different SES. The adapted NEMS-S-MED instrument is a reliable and valid audit tool to assess the consumer food environment in Mediterranean urban contexts. Well-constructed measurement tools, such as the NEMS-S-MED, may facilitate the development of effective policy interventions to increase healthy food access and affordability.A.M.-G. was funded by a predoctoral fellowship offered to trainee researchers from the University of Alicante (UAFPU2017-047). J.D. was supported by the Alicia Llácer grant for Young Epidemiologists (14th edition) awarded by the Spanish Society of Epidemiology. U.B. was supported by a grant from the Office of the Director of the National Institutes of Health under award number DP5OD26429. This study was funded by the European Research Council under the European Union’s Seventh Framework Program (FP7/2007–2013/ERC Starting Grant Heart Healthy Hoods Agreement no. 623 336893)

Adaptation and evaluation of the nutrition environment measures survey in stores to assess mediterranean food environments (Nems-s-med)

The Nutrition Environment Measures Surveys are valid and reliable measures of community and consumer food environments. This article describes the adaptation and evaluation of the Nutrition Environment Measures Survey in Stores (NEMS-S) for Mediterranean urban contexts (NEMS-S-MED). Trained raters used the adapted NEMS-S-MED tool to observe and rate food outlets in 21 census tracts and 43 food stores across the city of Madrid, Spain. We evaluated inter-rater and intra-rater reliabilities, construct validity, and the tool's ability to discriminate between store types and between stores by area-level Socio-Economic Status (SES). Overall, the mean NEMS-S-MED score was 20.7 (SD = 9.8), which ranged from 7 to 43. Most food items displayed substantial or almost perfect inter-rater and intra-rater agreements; the percentage agreement across availability items was almost perfect and kappa statistics were also very high (median κ = 1.00 for inter-rater; κ = 0.92 for intra-rater). Furthermore, the NEMS-S-MED tool was able to discriminate between store types and census tracts of different SES. The adapted NEMS-S-MED instrument is a reliable and valid audit tool to assess the consumer food environment in Mediterranean urban contexts. Well-constructed measurement tools, such as the NEMS-S-MED, may facilitate the development of effective policy interventions to increase healthy food access and affordability

Vigilancia epidemiológica de brotes de triquinosis en España. Temporadas 2006/07 a 2013/14

[ES] La triquinosis es una enfermedad zoonótica producida por nematodos del género Trichinella, que infecta al ser humano a través del consumo de carne cruda o poco cocinada, principalmente de cerdo o jabalí. En el análisis se utilizaron las siguientes fuentes de información: los brotes y los casos individualizados de triquinosis notificados a la Red Nacional de Vigilancia Epidemiológica (RENAVE) y altas por esta enfermedad del Conjunto Mínimo de Datos Básicos (RAE-CMBD), la superficie destinada a la caza en cada comunidad autónoma de los Anuarios de Estadística Forestal del Ministerio de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación y el número de capturas anuales de jabalí de la Federación Navarra de Caza. Se realizó un análisis descriptivo temporal y espacial de los brotes y casos de triquinosis en las temporadas 1994/95 a 2005/06. Se estudió la asociación entre el número de casos de triquinosis y la superficie de caza y el número de capturas de jabalí con el test de correlación de Spearman. Se declararon 22 brotes de triquinosis, con un total de 837 personas expuestas, 295 casos, 47 hospitalizaciones y una defunción. De los 295 casos, 155 fueron confirmados (53%), 137 fueron casos probables (46%) y 3 sospechosos (1%). De los 22 brotes, en 17 el alimento implicado fue la carne de jabalí. Los brotes se concentraron en provincias interiores y del centro de la Península. Trichinella spiralis sigue siendo el agente más frecuente, seguido de cerca por T. britovi. La enfermedad afectó más a hombres de entre 20 y 60 años, que también sufrieron más hospitalizaciones. En los últimos años se aprecia una disminución en el número de casos y brotes de triquinosis declarados en España. Las medidas de prevención deben incluir el adecuado control sanitario de los productos cárnicos del cerdo y el jabalí y el cocinado eficaz de la carne, que debe alcanzar al menos 65 ºC en el centro de la pieza durante un minuto como mínimo. [EN] Trichinosis is a zoonotic disease caused by nematodes of the genus Trichinella, which infects humans through the consumption of raw or undercooked meat, mainly pork or wild boar. Five different sources of information were used in the analysis. The registry of reported outbreaks, the registry of cases notified to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE), and the cases coded as trichinosis in the National Hospital Discharge Registry (RAE-CMBD), the area destined for hunting in each Autonomous Community of the Forestry Statistics Yearbooks of the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, and the number of annual catches of wild boar of the Navarra Hunting Federation. A temporal and spatial descriptive analysis of the outbreaks and cases of trichinosis was carried out in the seasons 1994/95 to 2005/06. The association between the number of cases of trichinosis and the hunting surface and the number of wild boar captures was studied with the Spearman correlation test. 22 outbreaks of trichinosis were reported, with a total of 837 people e exposed, 295 cases, 47 hospitalizations and 1 death. Of the 295 cases, 155 were confirmed (53%), 137 were probable cases (46%) and 3 possible cases (1%). Of the 22 outbreaks, in 17 the food involved was wild boar meat. The outbreaks were concentrated in the centre of the Peninsula. Trichinella spiralis remains the most frequent agent, followed closely by T. britovi. Men between 20 and 60 years, were more affected and suffered more hospitalizations. In recent years, there has been a decrease in the number of cases and outbreaks of trichinosis notified in Spain. Prevention measures should include adequate sanitary control of pork and wild boar meat products and effective cooking of meat, which must reach at least 5 ºC in the centre of the piece for at least one minute

Lockdown measures and relative changes in the age-specific incidence of SARS-CoV-2 in Spain

During the first months of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic in 2020, Spain implemented an initial lockdown period on March 15 followed by a strengthened lockdown period on March 30 when only essential workers continued to commute to work. However, little is known about the epidemic dynamics in different age groups during these periods. We used the daily number of COVID-19 cases (by date of symptom onset) reported to the National Epidemiological Surveillance Network (RENAVE) among individuals aged 15-19y through 65-69y. For each age group g, we computed the proportion PrE(g) of individuals in age group g among all reported cases aged 15-69y during the pre-lockdown period (March 1-10, 2020) and the corresponding proportion PrL(g) during two lockdown periods (initial: 25 March-3 April; strengthened: 8-17 April, 2020). For each lockdown period, we computed the proportion ratios PR(g)= PrL(g)/PrE(g). For each pair of age groups g1,g, PR(g)>PR(g) implies a relative increase in the incidence of detected SARS-CoV-2 infection in the age group g compared with g for the lockdown period vs. the pre-lockdown period. For the initial lockdown period, the highest PR values were in age groups 50-54y (PR=1.21; 95% CI: 1.12,1.30) and 55-59y (PR=1.19; 1.11,1.27). For the second lockdown period, the highest PR values were in age groups 15-19y (PR=1.26; 0.95,1.68) and 50-54y (PR=1.20; 1.09,1.31). Our results suggest that different outbreak control measures led to different changes in the relative incidence by age group. During the initial lockdown period, when non-essential work was allowed, individuals aged 40-64y, particularly those aged 50-59y, had a higher relative incidence compared with the pre-lockdown period. Younger adults/older adolescents had an increased relative incidence during the later, strengthened lockdown. The role of different age groups during the epidemic should be considered when implementing future mitigation efforts