First record of Hylaeus (Gnathoprosopis) euxanthus (Hymenoptera: Colletidae) in Chile

A 2009 field survey at Cerro San Cristobal, Santiago, Chile, revealed the presence of Hylaeus (Gnathoprosopis) euxanthus (Cockerell, 1910). Since then, numerous individuals have been observed visiting several plant species around Santiago and Valparaíso. This is the first record of this Australian-native bee in South America

Immune-mediated hookworm clearance and survival of a marine mammal decrease with warmer ocean temperatures

Indexación: Scopus.We appreciate the logistical support of the Chilean Navy, Artisanal fishermen of Quellon (Vessel crews Marimar II and Nautylus V), and the crews of the Chilean Navy lighthouse. We thank Amanda Hooper, Eugene DeRango, Elvira Vergara, Ignacio Silva, Dr. Lorraine Barbosa, Emma Milner, Sian Tarrant, Emily Morris, Suzette Miller, and Piero Becker for dedicated field assistance. We thank Dr. Vanesa Ezenwa for comments and insights in earlier versions of the manuscript. This work was supported by The Rufford Small Grant Foundation (Grant N 18815–1), Morris Animal Foundation (Grant N D16ZO-413), and the Society for Marine Mammalogy Small Grants in aid awards 2015 and 2016.Increases in ocean temperature are associated with changes in the distribution of fish stocks, and the foraging regimes and maternal attendance patterns of marine mammals. However, it is not well understood how these changes affect offspring health and survival. The maternal attendance patterns and immunity of South American fur seals were assessed in a rookery where hookworm disease is the main cause of pup mortality. Pups receiving higher levels of maternal attendance had a positive energy balance and a more reactive immune system. These pups were able to expel hookworms through a specific immune mediated mechanism and survived the infection. Maternal attendance was higher in years with low sea surface temperature, therefore, the mean hookworm burden and mortality increased with sea surface temperature over a 10-year period. We provide a mechanistic explanation regarding how changes in ocean temperature and maternal care affect infectious diseases dynamics in a marine mammal. © Seguel et al.https://elifesciences.org/articles/3843

EVALUACIÓN DE LA VIRULENCIA DE HONGOS ENTOMOPATÓGENOS DEL PULGÓN DEL CIPRÉS, DE DOS REGIONES ECOLÓGICAS DE CHILE. II

El pulgón del ciprés Cinara cupressi, se considera uno de los insectos invasores más dañinos del mundo, ha provocado una gran mortalidad en especies Cupresáceas nativas y exóticas en varios países. En Chile, fue detectado el año 2003 y para el año 2008 esta plaga ya se encontraba distribuida en todo el país, afectando especies cupresáceas forestales exóticas como Cupressus macrocarpa y especies nativas, tales como, Austrocedrus chilensis (Ciprés de la Cordillera) y Fitzroya cupressoides (Alerce), que están categorizadas en el estado de conservación vulnerable y en peligro respectivamente. El área forestal de Chile ha potenciado y privilegiado el uso de controladores biológicos como parte del manejo integrado de plagas. Es por esto que se ha utilizado el parasitoide Pauesia juniperorum. Sin embargo, se han detectado bajos niveles de parasitismo. Se propone el uso de hongos entomopatógenos como alternativa y complemento al control biológico. Se prospectaron hongos entomopatógenos en la Región ecológica mediterránea per-húmeda y en la Región oceánica con influencia mediterránea. Como resultado se han identificado seis géneros de hongos descritos como patógenos de insectos. Sin embargo, bajo condiciones de laboratorio sólo cepas del género Verticillium fueron virulentas, causando sobre el 80% de mortalidad acumulada a los 7 días. No hubo diferencias significativas entre las cepas de Verticillium y un producto químico (pirimicarb) aplicado como control, aunque el hongo fue más lento. Las cepas más virulentas fueron identificadas como Verticillium lecanii, Ve 1 y Ve 2, con un TL50 de: 3.2 y 3.1 días y un DL50: 1.24 y 1.37 conidias mL-1 respectivamente, sugiriendo el uso de estos hongos para controlar C. cupressi en Chile

PROSPECCIÓN DE HONGOS ENTOMOPATÓGENOS DEL PULGÓN DEL CIPRÉS EN DOS REGIONES ECOLÓGICAS DE CHILE. I

El pulgón del ciprés (Cinara cupressi), es una plaga exótica distribuida en todo el territorio continental chileno que ha provocado daños importantes tanto en especies forestales introducidas como nativas. Se han estudiado algunos aspectos de la biología de este pulgón, mediante control biológico y productos químicos, los cuales no presentan actualmente resultados satisfactorios. Durante el tiempo que esta plaga se ha establecido en Chile, no se ha realizado un estudio sistemático de hongos entomopatógenos asociados a este pulgón, aunque se cuenta con antecedentes de un control promisorio en pulgones con estos agentes en otros países. Con el objetivo inicial de aislar en una primera fase del presente estudio hongos patogénicos potenciales para el control biológico de C. cupressi, iniciamos su búsqueda en dos regiones ecológicas del sur de Chile (Región ecológica Mediterránea PerHúmeda y Región ecológica Oceánica con influencia Mediterránea), seleccionándose en cada una de ellas 6 sitios de muestreo donde en cada uno se recolectaron 10 ramas con colonias de pulgones que fueron mantenidas en una cámara bioclimática (20 ± 2 °C, 16:8 h) por 7 días,  para estimular el desarrollo fúngico. Se aislaron integrantes de lo géneros Verticillium, Paecilomyces (ambos con mayor frecuencia de presencia), Fusarium y un entomophthoral en estudio

Direct evidence of milk consumption from ancient human dental calculus.

Milk is a major food of global economic importance, and its consumption is regarded as a classic example of gene-culture evolution. Humans have exploited animal milk as a food resource for at least 8500 years, but the origins, spread, and scale of dairying remain poorly understood. Indirect lines of evidence, such as lipid isotopic ratios of pottery residues, faunal mortality profiles, and lactase persistence allele frequencies, provide a partial picture of this process; however, in order to understand how, where, and when humans consumed milk products, it is necessary to link evidence of consumption directly to individuals and their dairy livestock. Here we report the first direct evidence of milk consumption, the whey protein β-lactoglobulin (BLG), preserved in human dental calculus from the Bronze Age (ca. 3000 BCE) to the present day. Using protein tandem mass spectrometry, we demonstrate that BLG is a species-specific biomarker of dairy consumption, and we identify individuals consuming cattle, sheep, and goat milk products in the archaeological record. We then apply this method to human dental calculus from Greenland's medieval Norse colonies, and report a decline of this biomarker leading up to the abandonment of the Norse Greenland colonies in the 15(th) century CE

Efficacy and safety assessment of different dosage of benznidazol for the treatment of Chagas disease in chronic phase in adults (MULTIBENZ study): Study protocol for a multicenter randomized Phase II non-inferiority clinical trial

Background: Chagas disease (CD) continues to be a neglected infectious disease with one of the largest burdens globally. Despite the modest cure rates in adult chronic patients and its safety profile, benznidazole (BNZ) is still the drug of choice. Its current recommended dose is based on nonrandomized studies, and efficacy and safety of the optimal dose of BNZ have been scarcely analyzed in clinical trials.Methods/design: MULTIBENZ is a phase II, randomized, noninferiority, double-blind, multicenter international clinical trial. A total of 240 patients with Trypanosoma CD in the chronic phase will be recruited in four different countries (Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, and Spain). Patients will be randomized to receive BNZ 150 mg/day for 60 days, 400 mg/day for 15 days, or 300 mg/day for 60 days (comparator arm). The primary outcome is the efficacy of three different BNZ therapeutic schemes in terms of dose and duration. Efficacy will be assessed according to the proportion of patients with sustained parasitic load suppression in peripheral blood measured by polymerase chain reaction. The secondary outcomes are related to pharmacokinetics and drug tolerability. The follow-up will be 12 months from randomization to end of study participation. Recruitment was started in April 2018.Conclusion: This is a clinical trial conducted for the assessment of different dose schemes of BNZ compared with the standard treatment regimen for the treatment of CD in the chronic phase. MULTIBENZ may help to clarify which is the most adequate BNZ regimen in terms of efficacy and safety, predicated on sustained parasitic load suppression in peripheral blood.Fil: Molina Morant, D.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Fernández, M. L.. Dirección Nacional de Instituto de Investigación. Administración Nacional de Laboratorio e Instituto de Salud “Dr. C. G. Malbrán”. Instituto Nacional de Parasitología "Dr. Mario Fatala Chaben”; ArgentinaFil: Bosch Nicolau, P.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Sulleiro, E.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Bangher, M.. Instituto de Cardiologia de Corrientes Juana Francisca Cabral.; ArgentinaFil: Salvador, F.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Sanchez Montalva, A.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; EspañaFil: Ribeiro, A.L.P.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: De Paula, A.M.B.. Universidad Federal de Montes Claros; BrasilFil: Eloi, S.. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais; BrasilFil: Oliveira Correa, Ronaldo. Fundación Oswaldo Cruz; BrasilFil: Villar, J. C.. Instituto de Cardiología; ColombiaFil: Sosa-Estani, Sergio Alejandro. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública. Instituto de Efectividad Clínica y Sanitaria. Centro de Investigaciones en Epidemiología y Salud Pública; ArgentinaFil: Molina, I.. Universidad Autónoma de Barcelona. Hospital Vall D' Hebron; Españ

Infection control, genetic assessment of drug resistance and drug susceptibility testing in the current management of multidrug/extensively-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB) in Europe: A tuberculosis network European Trialsgroup (TBNET) study

Aim Europe has the highest documented caseload and greatest increase in multidrug and extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis (M/XDR-TB) of all World Health Organization (WHO) regions. This survey examines how recommendations for M/XDR-TB management are being implemented. Methods TBNET is a pan-European clinical research collaboration for tuberculosis. An email survey of TBNET members collected data in relation to infection control, access to molecular tests and basic microbiology with drug sensitivity testing. Results 68/105 responses gave valid information and were from countries within the WHO European Region. Inpatient beds matched demand, but single rooms with negative pressure were only available in low incidence countries; ultraviolet decontamination was used in 5 sites, all with >10 patients with M/XDR-TB per year. Molecular tests for mutations associated with rifampicin resistance were widely available (88%), even in lower income and especially in high incidence countries. Molecular tests for other first line and second line drugs were less accessible (76 and 52% respectively). A third of physicians considered that drug susceptibility results were delayed by > 2 months. Conclusion Infection control for inpatients with M/XDR-TB remains a problem in high incidence countries. Rifampicin resistance is readily detected, but tests to plan regimens tailored to the drug susceptibilities of the strain of Mycobacterium tuberculosis are significantly delayed, allowing for further drug resistance to develop

Prey spectrum and predator-prey size relationship of the solitary wasp, Trachypus denticollis, in central Chile (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae)

Neotropical solitary bee-hunting wasps of the genus Trachypus (Hymenoptera: Crabronidae) are ecologically and behaviourally little known. Here, we report information on prey types used by the digger wasp Trachypus denticollis Spinola in central Chile. Female wasps hunted at least 12 species of prey in five families, with Halictidae the most commonly represented. Brood cells are filled with one to eight prey. Cells with greater numbers of prey contained fewer species than expected, suggesting a temporal constancy in individual prey use. A positive linear relationship exists between the number of prey stored in a cell and their total biomass. Larger females tended to collect larger bees than did smaller females; however, because wasp and prey size distributions did not overlap, small wasps may be not constrained to a narrower prey spectrum compared to large ones. We conclude that prey size is an important factor determining prey use in T. denticollis, and these findings match that observed for species of the sister beewolf genus Philanthus and other philanthine wasps

Geophysical characterization of the chilean seismological stations: first results

The Chilean Seismological Network has been rapidly growing in recent years, going from a few dozens stations working before 2010 to nearly a 100 installed all over the territory. Even more, nearly 300 strong-motion stations from the Accelerographic National Network have recently complemented this network, mainly deployed in large cities, at a variety of site conditions. All of these stations are currently providing useful information of Chilean earthquakes and are expected to record moderate-to-large events. However, the lack of appropriate site characterization sets an important limit to its usefulness. In this work, we present the geophysical characterization of 163 stations, the first results of larger effort to complete the characterization at all sites, based on array measurements of microtremors and horizontal-to-vertical spectral ratios. This information will help improve our understanding of the dynamic behavior of soils during earthquakes, providing relevant information for seismic design and seismic codes.National Fund for Scientific and Technological Research (FONDECYT) Project 117043

The changing epidemiology of spinal tuberculosis: the influence of international immigration in Catalonia, 1993-2014

The overall incidence of spinal tuberculosis (TB) appears to be stable or declining in most European countries, but with an increasing proportion of cases in the foreign-born populations. We performed a retrospective observational study (1993-2014), including all cases of spinal TB diagnosed at a Barcelona hospital to assess the epidemiological changes. Fifty-four episodes (48.1% males, median age 52 years) of spinal TB were diagnosed. The percentage of foreign-born residents with spinal TB increased from 14% to 45.2% in the last 10 years (P = 0.017). Positive Mycobacterium tuberculosis testing in vertebral specimens was 88.2% (15/17) for GeneXpert MTB/RIF. Compared with natives, foreign-born patients were younger (P<0.01) and required surgery more often (P = 0.003) because of higher percentages of paravertebral abscess (P = 0.038), cord compression (P = 0.05), and persistent neurological sequelae (P = 0.05). In our setting, one-third of spinal TB cases occurred in non-native residents. Compared with natives, foreign-born patients were younger and had greater severity of the disease. The GeneXpert MTB/RIF test may be of value for diagnosing spinal TB