Revealing sources of CH4 in a boreal upland forest

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Seroprevalence and risk factors of infections with Neospora caninum and Toxoplasma gondii in hunting dogs from Campania region, southern Italy

Hunting dogs have probably a higher level of exposure to Neospora caninum Dubey, Carpenter, Speer, Topper et Uggla, 1988 and Toxoplasma gondii Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908 than other canine populations for their different lifestyle. The aim of our survey was to determine the seroprevalence of N. caninum and T. gondii in hunting dogs from southern Italy and assess risk factors related to these protozoan infections. Blood samples were collected from 398 hunting dogs (19 different breeds, aged from 5 month to 14 years). The sera were screened by indirect fluorescence antibody test; a titre ≥ 50 was considered positive. Antibodies to N. caninum and T. gondii were detected in 59 (15%) dogs with titres from 50 to 3 200 and in 94 (24%) dogs with titres from 50 to 1 600, respectively, with co-infection in 25 (6%) dogs. Statistical difference (p ≤ 0.05) was found only for infection with T. gondii between two age groups: ≥ 2-4 years (16%) and ≥ 4-7 years (33%); other observed characteristics were without statistical significance. Our results suggest that the hunting dogs could play an important role in the transmission cycle of N. caninum between wild animals and livestock. This is the first detection of antibodies to T. gondii in hunting dogs in Italy

Seroprevalence of antibodies of Neospora spp. and Toxoplasma gondii in horses from southern Italy

The consumption of horse meat has been epidemiologically linked to clinical toxoplasmosis in humans and neosporosis that may cause clinical illness in horses. Here we determined seroprevalence of antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii Nicolle et Manceaux, 1908 and species of Neospora Dubey, Carpenter, Speer, Topper et Uggla, 1988 in horses from Italy. Blood samples were collected from 643 apparently healthy horses from 60 farms of 51 municipalities in southern Italy. The presence of antibodies against T. gondii and Neospora spp. were detected by indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT); a titre = 50 was considered positive. The same sera were also tested for antibodies against Neospora spp. by a competitive-inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (cELISA); samples with = 30% inhibition were considered positive. Antibodies against T. gondii and Neospora spp. were detected in 19 (3.0%) and 15 (2.3%) horses by IFAT, respectively, without statistical difference between gender, age and breeds (p-value = 0.05). Antibodies against species of Neospora were detected in 70 (10.9%) horses by cELISA with statistical difference in gender (6.0-18.5%, p-value = 0.05) and breeds (0-19.4%, p-value = 0.05). Although T. gondii infection rates were low, the risk of human infection should not be dismissed, particularly in Italy where consumption of raw or undercooked horse meat has a long tradition

Revealing sources of biological methane production in boreal upland forests

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Short-term flooding increases CH4 and N2O emissions from trees in a riparian forest soil-stem continuum

Funding Information: This study was supported by the Ministry of Education and Science of Estonia (SF0180127s08 grant), the Estonian Research Council (IUT2-16, PRG-352, and MOBERC20), the Czech Science Foundation (17-18112Y), the Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports of Czech Republic within the National Sustainability Program I (NPU I), grant number LO1415, the EU through the European Regional Development Fund (ENVIRON and EcolChange Centres of Excellence, Estonia, and MOBTP101 returning researcher grant by the Mobilitas Pluss programme) and the European Social Fund (Doctoral School of Earth Sciences and Ecology).Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Seasonal dynamics of stem N2O exchange follow the physiological activity of boreal trees

The role of trees in the nitrous oxide (N2O) balance of boreal forests has been neglected despite evidence suggesting their substantial contribution. We measured seasonal changes in N2O fluxes from soil and stems of boreal trees in Finland, showing clear seasonality in stem N2O flux following tree physiological activity, particularly processes of CO2 uptake and release. Stem N2O emissions peak during the vegetation season, decrease rapidly in October, and remain low but significant to the annual totals during winter dormancy. Trees growing on dry soils even turn to consumption of N2O from the atmosphere during dormancy, thereby reducing their overall N2O emissions. At an annual scale, pine, spruce and birch are net N2O sources, with spruce being the strongest emitter. Boreal trees thus markedly contribute to the seasonal dynamics of ecosystem N2O exchange, and their species-specific contribution should be included into forest emission inventories.Peer reviewe

Soil-tree-atmosphere CH4 flux dynamics of boreal birch and spruce trees during spring leaf-out

Peer reviewe

risk factors involved in transmission of toxoplasma gondii and neospora caninum infection in rabbit farms in northern italy

[b]Introduction and objective.[/b] In Italy, rabbits are frequently reared for meat production. The aim of the study was to find the seroprevalence of [i]T. gondii[/i] and [i]N. caninum[/i] parasites, and risk factors of infection in rabbit farms. [b]Material and methods[/b]. Blood samples from 260 apparently healthy breeding rabbits were collected on 13 commercial farms in Northern Italy. Rabbits were divided into categories according to age, number of births, breed, province and size of farm. Samples were tested for antibodies to [i]T. gondii[/i] and [i]N. caninum[/i] using the indirect fluorescence antibody test (IFAT); samples with a titre ≥ 50 were considered positive. [b]Results.[/b] Antibodies to T. gondii and N. caninum were found in 38 (14.6 %) and 3 (1.2 %) rabbits, respectively. A statistically significant difference (p-value ≤ 0.05) was found only in [i]T. gondii [/i]prevalence among different rabbit breeds and provinces. Conclusion. Rabbits from Northern Italy are at risk of [i]T. gondi[/i]i and [i]N. caninum[/i] infection; however, it is lower compared to seroprevalence noted in other animal species or in humans

Are methanogens involved in methane emissions in boreal upland forest?

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Methane emissions from the forest floor and woody plants in a boreal upland forest

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