Development and validation of an ELISA to detect antibodies to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis in ovine sera

Several enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) have been developed for the detection of antibodies to Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis, the causative agent of caseous lymphadenitis (CLA). However, none are commercially available in the UK. It was therefore necessary to develop a new, economic ELISA for use in a research project studying the epidemiology of CLA in UK sheep. The ELISA with its diagnostic qualities is presented. The ELISA was developed using sonicated C. pseudotuberculosis and optimised to detect total antibody or IgG class antibody in serum. Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curves were obtained and the area under the ROC curve was used to compare the sensitivity and specificity of the two ELISAs. Both versions of the ELISA were evaluated on a panel of 150 positive reference sera and 103 negative reference sera. Using the test at 100% specificity, the sensitivity of detection of total antibody was 71% (95% confidence interval 63-78%), and the 2 sensitivity of detection of IgG antibody to C. pseudotuberculosis was 83% (76-89%), which compares favourably with other reported ELISA tests for CLA in sheep. The sensitivity of the IgG antibody assay may be higher because of the greater affinity of IgG class antibodies compared with the IgM antibodies also detected by the total antibody ELISA. The results of ROC analysis indicated that the IgG isotype ELISA was more accurate than the total antibody ELISA. The efficiency of the test was greatest when serum samples were run in a dilution series than when any single serum dilution was used. The ELISA is considered to be suitable for application in field studies of CLA in UK sheep

Cyclops singularis Einsle (1996) in Oxford, a new British record

The authors report the record of Cyclops singularis collected from Peasemoor Piece, a seasonal pond on the outskirts of Oxford. This preliminary note is to alert others to the possibility that C singularis may occur in collections from seasonal ponds in the UK. The recent record of this species in Belgium (Alekseev et al. 2002) indicates that this species is not restricted to its type locality

Located in between times : Comment on Strathern, Marilyn. 2016. Before and after gender: Sexual mythologies of everyday life

Drawing on the experience of feminist separatists in 1990s London, this is a comment on a recently published book by Marilyn Strathern, Before and After Gender, which was originally written in 1974. The comment argues that there is much to be learned from Strathern's book, and that the addition of ehtnographic material from Europe can enrich the points she made in the book.Non peer reviewe

Crisis within a crisis? : Foreigners in Athens and traces of transnational relations and separations

Analysis of changes in the status of the concept 'migrant' in Athens from the 1990s to the current day. As Greece had no legislation on migration until the 1980s, people from abroad were classified as 'foreigners', which had a very different meaning from today's meaning. The chapter also considers the effects of Greece joining the Schengen zone in terms of its migration policies. Formal abstract: One aspect of the financial and then fiscal crisis in Athens was the simultaneous change in, and increase of, migration to the city. Their sheer numbers seemed to add to a pervasive sense of disproportion affecting the city. Of course, it is not the first time there has been a sudden arrival of large numbers of people from elsewhere in Athens: the 1920s was another notable moment, following the compulsory exchange of populations after the final breakup of the Ottoman Empire. There was also the 1990s, after the end of the Cold War. Both the city’s past and present transnational relations leave their traces in the form that migration takes, and the way it is experienced here. The paper takes a brief look at some of those traces in order to explore how the city has been affected by changes in border regimes, changes in the way different parts of the world are entangled with one another.Non peer reviewe

An adolescent girl with signs and symptoms of anaphylaxis and negative immunologic workup: a case report.

BackgroundThe increasing incidence of allergies and allergic reactions among children and adults has become a major public health concern. The etiology of allergic reactions can often be confirmed based on a detailed history and supportive testing. However, there are cases where the underlying factors are more complex and difficult to identify.Case presentationHere we present the case report of a 14-year-old Caucasian  girl with weight loss and a 3-year history of reported angioedema culminating in five intensive care unit admissions over the course of 2.5 months. Her initial clinical presentation included hypotension, dyspnea, and reported facial edema, but allergy and immunological workup were negative. A psychiatric workup identified an eating disorder with food restriction, comorbid major depression, obsessive compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. A close collaboration between Adolescent Medicine, Allergy and Immunology, and Psychiatry helped disentangle medical from psychiatric problems, including fluoxetine medication effects, as well as develop a treatment plan that was acceptable to the family. The angioedema was ultimately diagnosed as factitious disorder.ConclusionsThis patient's treatment highlights the importance of a multidisciplinary team approach, a multifactorial etiology that needed to be addressed by multiple specialists, and the importance of long-term treatment and support

Geometries

Short contribution on the meaning of geometrical anthropology.Peer reviewe

Spatial and seasonal relationships between Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) and their prey, at multiple scales

Knowing where pinnipeds forage is vital to managing and protecting their populations, and for assessing potential interactions with fisheries. We assessed the spatial relationship between the seasonal distribution of Pacific harbor seals (Phoca vitulina richardii) outfitted with satellite transmitters and the seasonal distributions of potential harbor seal prey species in San Francisco Bay, California. Pearson’s correlation coefficients were calculated between the number of harbor seal locations in an area of the San Francisco Bay and the abundance of specific prey species in the same area. The influence of scale on the analyses was assessed by varying the scale of analysis from 1 to 10 km. There was consistency in the prey species targeted by harbor seals year-round, although there were seasonal differences between the most important prey species. The highest correlations between harbor seals and their prey were found for seasonally abundant benthic species, located within about 10 km of the primary haul-out site. Probable foraging habitat for harbor seals was identified, based on areas with high abundances of prey species that were strongly correlated with harbor seal distribution. With comparable local data inputs, this approach has potential application to pinniped management in other areas, and to decisions about the location of marine reserves designed to protect these species