Genetic characterization of Toxoplasma gondii isolates from pigs intended for human consumption in Brazil

AbstractThis study genetically Toxoplasma gondii isolates obtained from pigs intended for human consumption in northeastern Brazil; multilocus PCR-RFLP and sequencing techniques were utilized. Bioassays were conducted using the brain and tongue of 20 pig heads purchased at butcher shops in the city of Ilheus, Bahia, Brazil. Overall, 11 T. gondii isolates designated TgPgBr06-16 were identified. Application of multilocus PCR-RFLP with seven molecular markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB, C22-8, PK1 and Apico) identified six different genotypes. Isolates TgPgBr 06, 08, 11, 12, 14 and 15 were indistinguishable by this technique, forming a single genotype; the remaining isolates were characterized as distinct genotypes. However, when five genetic markers (SAG1, SAG2, SAG3, BTUB and c22-8) were employed in multilocus PCR-sequencing, all eleven strains of T. gondii were shown to be different. All isolates differed from Type I, II and III clonal genotypes using both genotyping techniques. These results demonstrate that the multilocus PCR-RFLP assay underestimated the true diversity of the T. gondii population in this study. Thus, DNA sequencing is the preferred technique to infer the genetic diversity and population structure of T. gondii strains from Brazil. Moreover, it is necessary to develop new molecular markers to group and characterize atypical T. gondii isolates from South America

Pulgas-de-Água (Daphnia spp.)

Daphnia spp. (pulgas-de-água) - Os organismos do género Daphnia são micro-crustáceos planctónicos de água doce pertencentes à ordem Cladocera (classe Branchiopoda), que ocorrem em ecossistemas lênticos. Devem o nome de “pulga-de-água” aos movimentos natatórios irregulares, análogos aos saltos das pulgas “verdadeiras”.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Prediction of the potential distribution of Drosophila suzukii on Madeira Island using the maximum entropy modeling.

ABSTRACT: Drosophila suzukii is one of the main pests that attack soft-skinned fruits and cause significant economic damage worldwide. Madeira Island (Portugal) is already affected by this pest. The present work aimed to investigate the potential distribution of D. suzukii on Madeira Island to better understand the limits of its geographical distribution on the island using the Maximum Entropy modeling (MaxEnt). The resultant model provided by MaxEnt was rated as regular discrimination with the area under the curve (AUC, 0.7–0.8). Upon scrutinizing the environmental variables with the greatest impact on the distribution of D. suzukii, altitude emerged as the dominant contributor, with the highest percentage (71.2%). Additionally, elevations ranging from 0 to 500 m were identified as appropriate for the species distribution. With the results of the model, it becomes possible to understand/predict which locations will be most suitable for the establishment of the analyzed pest and could be further applied not only for D. suzukii but also for other species that hold the potential for substantial economic losses in this insular region.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Description Of The Hemipenial Morphology Of Tupinambis Quadrilineatus Manzani And Abe, 1997 (squamata, Teiidae) And New Records From Piauí, Brazil

Few data are available on the morphology of the hemipenis of teiid lizards, especially those of the recentlydefined genus Tupinambis, a widely-distributed group of large-bodied lizards. This study provides an illustrated description of the hemipenis of Tupinambis quadrilineatus, which is similar to that of other representatives of the Tupinambinae subfamily. New records of the species from the state of Piauí, in northeastern Brazil, are also presented. © Marcélia Basto da Silva et al.3616172Avila-Pires, T.C.S., (1995) Lizards of Brazilian Amazonia (Reptilia: Squamata), p. 706. , Zoologische VerhandelingenBarreto, L., Arzabe, C., Lima, Y.C.C., Herpetofauna da região de Balsas (2007) Cerrado Norte do Brasil, pp. 221-229. , In: Barreto L (Ed), USEB, PelotasBöhme, W., Zur Genitalmorphologie der Sauria: Funktionelle und stammesgeschichtliche Aspekte (1988) Bonner Zoologische Monographien, 27, pp. 1-176Colli, G.R., Péres Jr., A.K., Cunha, H.J., A new species of Tupinambis (Squamata: Teiidae) from Central Brazil, with an analysis of morphological and genetic variation in the genus (1998) Herpetologica, 54 (4), pp. 477-492Cope, E.D., On the hemipenes of the Sauria (1896) Proceedings of the Academy of Natural Sciences of Philadelphia, 48, pp. 461-467Costa, H.C., São Pedro, V.A., Péres, A.K., Feio, N.R., Reptilia, Squamata, Teiidae, Tupinambis longilineus: Distribution extension (2008) Check List, 4, pp. 267-268Dal Vechio, F., Recoder, R., Rodrigues, M.T., Zaher, H., The herpetofauna of the Estação Ecológica de Uruçuí-Una, state of Piauí, Brazil (2013) Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, 53 (16), pp. 225-243. , doi: 10.1590/S0031-10492013001600001Dowling, H.G., Duellman, W.E., (1978) Systematic Herpetology: A Synopsis of Families and Higher Categories, p. 118. , HISS Publications, New YorkFerreira, L.V., Pereira, J.L.G., Avila-Pires, T.C.S., Chaves, P.P., Cunha, D.A., Furtado, C.S., Primeira ocorrência de Tupinambis quadrilineatus Manzani, Abe, 1997 (Squamata: Teiidae) no bioma Amazônia (2009) Boletim do Museu Paraense Emílio Goeldi Ciências Naturais, 4 (3), pp. 355-361Fitzgerald, L.A., Cook, J.A., Aquino, A.J., Molecular phylogenetics and conservation of Tupinambis (Sauria: Teiidae) (1999) Copeia, pp. 894-905. , doi: 10.2307/1447965Guimarães, T.C.S., Figueiredo, G.B., Salmito, W.E., Geographic distribution: Tupinambis quadrilineatus (2007) Herpetological Review, 38 (3), pp. 353-354Harvey, M.B., Ugueto, G.N., Gutberlet, R.L., Review of Teiid Morphology with a Revised Taxonomy and Phylogeny of the Teiidae (Lepidosauria: Squamata) (2012) Zootaxa, pp. 1-156. , http://zoobank.org/References/457C2AD0-E5CF-4A41-B6CB-11722700BC5FLangstroth, R.P., Adiciones probables y confirmadas para la saurofauna boliviana (2005) Kempffiana, 1 (1), pp. 101-128Levington, A.E., McDiarmid, R., Moody, S., Nickerson, M., Rosado, J., Sokol, O., Voris, H., Museum acronyms (1980) Second edition, Herpetological Review, 11, pp. 93-102Lima, A.C., Pimenta, F.E., Reptilia, Squamata, Teiidae, Tupinambis longilineus: Distribution extension (2008) Check List, 4, pp. 240-243Manzani, P.R., Abe, A., A new species of Tupinambis Daudin, 1802 (Squamata: Teiidae) from Brazil (1997) Boletim do Museu Nacional, Nova Série, Zoologia, 382, pp. 1-10Manzani, P.R., Abe, A., Sobre dois novos métodos de preparação de hemipênis de serpentes (1988) Memórias do Instituto Butantan, 50 (1), pp. 15-20Manzani, P.R., Abe, A.S., A new species of Tupinambis Daudin, 1803 from southeastern Brazil (Squamata, Teiidae) (2002) Arquivos do Museu Nacional, Rio de Janeiro, 60, pp. 295-302Mesquita, D.O., Colli, G.R., França, F.G.R., Vitt, L.J., Ecology of a Cerrado lizard assemblage in the Jalapão region of Brazil (2006) Copeia 2006, (3), pp. 460-471. , doi: 10.1643/0045-8511(2006)2006[460:EOACLA]2.0.CO;2Moreira, L.A., Fenolio, D.B., Silva, H.L.R., Silva Jr., N.J., A preliminary list of the Herpetofauna from termite mounds of the cerrado in the Upper Tocantins river valley (2009) Papéis Avulsos de Zoologia, 49 (15), pp. 183-189. , http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?pid=S0031-10492009001500001&script=sci_arttextMyers, C.H., Williams, E.E., McDiarmid, R.W., A new anoline lizard (Phenacosaurus) from the highland of Cerro de la Neblina, Southern Venezuela (1993) American Museum Novitates 3070, pp. 1-15Pesantes, O.S., A method for preparing the hemipenis of preserved snakes (1994) Journal of Herpetology, 28, pp. 93-95. , doi: 10.2307/1564686Recoder, R., Nogueira, C., Composição e diversidade de répteis na região sul do Parque Nacional Grande Sertão Veredas, Brasil Central (2007) Biota Neotropica, 7 (3), pp. 267-278. , doi: 10.1590/S1676-06032007000300029Recoder, R.S., Junior, M.T., Camacho, A., Nunes, P.M.S., Mott, T., Valdujo, P.H., Ghellere, J.M., Rodrigues, M.T., Répteis da Estação Ecológica Serra Geral do Tocantins, Brasil Central (2011) Biota Neotropica, 11 (1), pp. 263-282. , doi: 10.1590/S1676-06032011000100026Savage, J.M., On terminology for the description of the hemipenis of squamate reptiles (1997) Herpetological Journal, 7, pp. 23-25. , doi: 10.1590/S1984-46702011000400005Silva Jr., N.J., Silva, H.L.R., Rodrigues, M.T., Valle, N.C.U., Costa, M.C., Castro, S.P., Linder, E.T., Sites Jr., J.W., A fauna de vertebrados do vale do alto rio Tocantins em áreas de usinas hidrelétricas (2005) Estudos, 32, pp. 57-101Silveira, A.L., Reptilia, Squamata, Teiidae, Tupinambis quadrilineatus: Distribution extension and geographic distribution map (2009) Check List, 5 (3), pp. 442-445Taylor, J.F., Genus Tupinambis, Tegus (2003) Reptilia, 27, pp. 43-49Vitt, L.J., Cadwell, J.P., Colli, G.R., Garda, A.A., Mesquita, D.O., França, F.G.R., Shepard, D.B., Silva, V.N., Uma atualização do guia fotográfico dos répteis e anfíbios da região do Jalapão no Cerrado brasileiro (2005) Special Publications in Herpetology, San Noble Oklahoma Museum of Nature History, 2, pp. 1-24Werneck, F.P., Colli, G.R., The lizard assemblage from seasonally dry tropical forest enclaves in the Cerrado biome, Brazil, and its association with the pleistocenic arc (2006) Journal of Biogeography, 33, pp. 1983-1992. , doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2699.2006.01553.xZaher, H., Prudente, A.L.C., Hemipenis of Siphlophis (Serpentes, Xenodontinae) and Techniques of Hemipenial Preparation in Snakes: A Response to Dowling (2003) Herpetological Review, 34, pp. 302-30

An ‛Aukward' Tale: A Genetic Approach to Discover the Whereabouts of the Last Great Auks.

One hundred and seventy-three years ago, the last two Great Auks, Pinguinusimpennis, ever reliably seen were killed. Their internal organs can be found in the collections of the Natural History Museum of Denmark, but the location of their skins has remained a mystery. In 1999, Great Auk expert Errol Fuller proposed a list of five potential candidate skins in museums around the world. Here we take a palaeogenomic approach to test which-if any-of Fuller's candidate skins likely belong to either of the two birds. Using mitochondrial genomes from the five candidate birds (housed in museums in Bremen, Brussels, Kiel, Los Angeles, and Oldenburg) and the organs of the last two known individuals, we partially solve the mystery that has been on Great Auk scholars' minds for generations and make new suggestions as to the whereabouts of the still-missing skin from these two birds

The karyotype of Nothoscordum arenarium Herter (Gilliesioideae, Alliaceae): A populational and cytomolecular analysis

The genus Nothoscordum Kunth comprises approximately 20 species native to South America. Karyologically, the genus is remarkable for its large chromosomes and Robertsonian translocations. Variation in chromosome number has been recorded in a few polyploid species and it is unknown among diploids. This study presents the chromosome number and morphology of 53 individuals of seven populations of N. arenarium Herter (2n = 10). In addition, karyotype analyses after C-banding, staining with CMA and DAPI, and in situ hybridization with 5S and 45S rDNA probes were performed in six individuals from one population. All individuals exhibited 2n = 10 (6M + 4A), except for one tetraploid (2n = 20, 12M + 8A) and one triploid (2n = 15, 9M + 6A) plant. C-banding revealed the presence of CMA+ /DAPI - heterochromatin in the short arm and in the proximal region of the long arm of all acrocentric chromosomes. The 45S rDNA sites co-localized with the CMA + regions of the acrocentrics short arms, while the 5S rDNA probe only hybridized with the subterminal region of a pair of metacentric chromosomes. A change in the pattern of CMA bands and rDNA sites was observed in only one individual bearing a reciprocal translocation involving the long arm of a metacentric and the long arm of an acrocentric chromosome. These data suggest that, despite isolated cases of polyploidy and translocation, the karyotype of N. arenarium is very stable and the karyotypic instability described for other species may be associated with their polyploid condition