Fusarium spp. an emerging fungal threat to leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) eggs and neonates

IntroductionFungal diseases are a rising health problem globally, in humans, nonhuman animals, and plants. Emerging fungal diseases have been associated with mass mortality events. A recent example of fungal disease pathogenicity is sea turtle egg fusariosis (STEF). The pathogenicity of STEF has been linked to fungi within the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC). This complex is composed of over 45 phylogenetically identifiable species commonly found in the environment. Species within the FSSC lineage have been isolated from the nests of multiple sea turtle species and are linked to decreased hatching success in all 7 of the extant sea turtle species. Fungi within this lineage are also known to cause cutaneous and subcutaneous infections. These fungi are not only a threat to sea turtles but also to other animals, including humans, that use coastal waters and beaches inhabited by Fusarium spp. The presence of Fusarium spp., in the context of sea turtle health, has not been investigated on southeastern Florida beaches which are fundamentally important for at least three sea turtle species that nest there in large numbers.MethodsWe performed a retrospective assessment of necropsy reports from dead captive leatherback neonates from 2010 to 2022 to assess the most common microscopic diagnoses and the presence of skin lesions associated with mycotic dermatitis. Additionally, live captive leatherbacks and dead-in-nest samples from the 2022 hatching season were used to assess the presence and effect of mycotic dermatitis in Juno Beach and Boca Raton, Florida, USA. This was accomplished by observing gross lesions, fungal cultures, and blood values.ResultsThe retrospective analysis of dead captive neonates revealed that the diagnosis of mycotic dermatitis on histopathology has significantly increased since 2010. The assessment of gross skin lesions associated with mycotic dermatitis in dead and live captive leatherback neonates also revealed a similar increase. Investigations in live captive leatherbacks revealed fungal cultures positive for Fusarium spp. and significant differences in blood values at emergence between healthy turtles and those that later developed mycotic dermatitis.DiscussionPositive dead-in-nest culture results suggest that Fusarium spp. are likely present in leatherback sea turtle nests in Boca Raton and Juno Beach, Florida, USA. Additionally, the occurrence of mycotic dermatitis in dead and live captive leatherback neonates suggests that the presence of Fusarium spp. in the nest likely affects leatherback neonates even after emergence

3D visualization processes for recreating and studying organismal form

The study of biological form is a vital goal of evolutionary biology and functional morphology. We review an emerging set of methods that allow scientists to create and study accurate 3D models of living organisms and animate those models for biomechanical and fluid dynamic analyses. The methods for creating such models include 3D photogrammetry, laser and CT-scanning, and 3D software. New multi-camera devices can be used to create accurate 3D models of living animals in the wild and captivity. New websites and virtual reality/augmented reality devices now enable the visualization and sharing of these data. We provide examples of these approaches for animals ranging from large whales to lizards and show applications for several areas: Natural history collections; body condition/scaling, bioinspired robotics, computational fluids dynamics (CFD), machine learning, and education. We provide two data sets to demonstrate the efficacy of CFD and machine learning approaches and conclude with a prospectus

Identification of a practical and reliable method for the evaluation of litter moisture in turkey production

1. An experiment was conducted to compare 5 different methods for the evaluation of litter moisture. 2. For litter collection and assessment, 55 farms were selected, one shed from each farm was inspected and 9 points were identified within each shed. 3. For each device, used for the evaluation of litter moisture, mean and standard deviation of wetness measures per collection point were assessed. 4. The reliability and overall consistency between the 5 instruments used to measure wetness were high (α = 0.72). 5. Measurement of three out of the 9 collection points were sufficient to provide a reliable assessment of litter moisture throughout the shed. 6. Based on the direct correlation between litter moisture and footpad lesions, litter moisture measurement can be used as a resource based on-farm animal welfare indicator. 7. Among the 5 methods analysed, visual scoring is the most simple and practical, and therefore the best candidate to be used on-farm for animal welfare assessment

Abstracts from the 20th International Symposium on Signal Transduction at the Blood-Brain Barriers

https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138963/1/12987_2017_Article_71.pd

Fusarium spp. an emerging fungal threat to leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) eggs and neonates

Introduction Fungal diseases are a rising health problem globally, in humans, nonhuman animals, and plants. Emerging fungal diseases have been associated with mass mortality events. A recent example of fungal disease pathogenicity is sea turtle egg fusariosis (STEF). The pathogenicity of STEF has been linked to fungi within the Fusarium solani species complex (FSSC). This complex is composed of over 45 phylogenetically identifiable species commonly found in the environment. Species within the FSSC lineage have been isolated from the nests of multiple sea turtle species and are linked to decreased hatching success in all 7 of the extant sea turtle species. Fungi within this lineage are also known to cause cutaneous and subcutaneous infections. These fungi are not only a threat to sea turtles but also to other animals, including humans, that use coastal waters and beaches inhabited by Fusarium spp. The presence of Fusarium spp., in the context of sea turtle health, has not been investigated on southeastern Florida beaches which are fundamentally important for at least three sea turtle species that nest there in large numbers. Methods We performed a retrospective assessment of necropsy reports from dead captive leatherback neonates from 2010 to 2022 to assess the most common microscopic diagnoses and the presence of skin lesions associated with mycotic dermatitis. Additionally, live captive leatherbacks and dead-in-nest samples from the 2022 hatching season were used to assess the presence and effect of mycotic dermatitis in Juno Beach and Boca Raton, Florida, USA. This was accomplished by observing gross lesions, fungal cultures, and blood values. Results The retrospective analysis of dead captive neonates revealed that the diagnosis of mycotic dermatitis on histopathology has significantly increased since 2010. The assessment of gross skin lesions associated with mycotic dermatitis in dead and live captive leatherback neonates also revealed a similar increase. Investigations in live captive leatherbacks revealed fungal cultures positive for Fusarium spp. and significant differences in blood values at emergence between healthy turtles and those that later developed mycotic dermatitis. Discussion Positive dead-in-nest culture results suggest that Fusarium spp. are likely present in leatherback sea turtle nests in Boca Raton and Juno Beach, Florida, USA. Additionally, the occurrence of mycotic dermatitis in dead and live captive leatherback neonates suggests that the presence of Fusarium spp. in the nest likely affects leatherback neonates even after emergence

Alteration in the voltage dependence of NMDA receptor channels in rat dorsal horn neurones following peripheral inflammation

It has been proposed that the activation of NMDA receptors and upregulation of protein kinase C (PKC) underlie the exaggerated and persistent pain experienced in the inflammatory state. However, there is no direct evidence to show that inflammation alters the function of NMDA receptors.We examined the voltage-dependent properties of NMDA receptor channels in rat dorsal horn neurones that receive sensory inputs from an inflamed hindpaw.Peripheral inflammation was induced by injections of complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA). Membrane currents were measured using the perforated patch-clamp technique.After CFA treatment, the current–voltage relationship of NMDA receptor channels was shifted in the hyperpolarized direction. This resulted in enhanced NMDA responses at negative potentials.The change was mediated by PKC because the voltage shift was blocked by the selective PKC inhibitors chelerythrine and bisindolylmaleimide I.Furthermore, the Mg2+ blockade of NMDA receptors was reduced. This reduction could account for the shift in the voltage dependence of NMDA receptor channels.These results indicate that NMDA receptor channel characteristics in the dorsal horn are altered by inflammation, and that the changes observed could contribute to the hyperalgesia and allodynia associated with tissue injury

Chronic stress decreases the expression of sympathetic markers in the pineal gland and increases plasma melatonin concentration in rats.

Chronic stress affects brain areas involved in learning and emotional responses. Although most studies have concentrated on the effect of stress on limbic-related brain structures, in this study we investigated whether chronic stress might induce impairments in diencephalic structures associated with limbic components of the stress response. Specifically, we analyzed the effect of chronic immobilization stress on the expression of sympathetic markers in the rat epithalamic pineal gland by immunohistochemistry and western blot, whereas the plasma melatonin concentration was determined by radioimmunoassay. We found that chronic stress decreased the expression of three sympathetic markers in the pineal gland, tyrosine hydroxylase, the p75 neurotrophin receptor and alpha-tubulin, while the same treatment did not affect the expression of the non-specific sympathetic markers Erk1 and Erk2, and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase. Furthermore, these results were correlated with a significant increase in plasma melatonin concentration in stressed rats when compared with control animals. Our findings indicate that stress may impair pineal sympathetic inputs, leading to an abnormal melatonin release that may contribute to environmental maladaptation. In addition, we propose that the pineal gland is a target of glucocorticoid damage during stress