"Virus Identification for Monkeypox in Human Seminal Fluid Samples: A Systematic Review"

Public health officials around the world are extremely concerned about the global outbreak of monkeypox (MPX), which has been claimed to have originated in Africa. As a result, studies into the origins and reasons behind the outbreak’s rapid spread have been sped up. The goal of the current investigation is to determine whether the monkeypox virus (MPXV) is present in seminal fluid samples from MPX cases that have been verified. Up until 6 January 2023, PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and ScienceDirect databases were used to conduct a thorough evaluation of the literature. The search technique returned a total of 308 items. Fourteen studies reporting the presence of MPXV in the seminal fluid of MPX-confirmed cases were included after the duplicates (n = 158) and searches by title, abstract, and full text were eliminated. In 84 out of the 643 confirmed MPX cases (13.06% or n = 643), MPXV was discovered in seminal fluid. Reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to identify MPXV, and samples taken from skin lesions (96.27%), pharynx or oropharynx (30.48%), and blood all had higher positivity rates than other samples (12.44%). Additionally, 99.85% of respondents were male with a mean age of 36, 98.45% engaged in MSM (men who have sex with men) sexual conduct, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) accounted for 56.9% of all STD cases. This study offers proof that MPXV can be found in the seminal fluid of MPX sufferers. Our data imply that MPXV transmission is a possibility in these samples and that MSM are more vulnerable to it. The creation of hygienic standards is essential for the early identification of MPX cases

Epidemiological Situation of Monkeypox Transmission by Possible Sexual Contact: A Systematic Review

Monkeypox (MPX), a zoonotic infection caused by the monkeypox virus (MPXV), has re-emerged worldwide with numerous confirmed cases with person-to-person transmission through close contacts, including in sexual networks. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the epidemiological situation of monkeypox transmission by possible sexual contact. A systematic literature review was conducted using PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Embase databases until 18 August 2022. The key search terms used were “monkeypox”, “sexual contact”, “sexual intercourse” and “sexual transmission”. A total of 1291 articles were retrieved using the search strategy. After eliminating duplicates (n = 738) and examining by title, abstract, and full text, 28 studies reporting case reports of monkeypox with a detailed description of clinical features, sexually transmitted diseases, method of diagnosis, location and course of skin lesions, and treatment were included. A total of 4222 confirmed cases of monkeypox have been reported, of which 3876 monkeypox cases are the result of transmission by sexual contact distributed in twelve countries: 4152 cases were male with a mean age of 36 years. All confirmed cases of monkeypox were diagnosed by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The most frequent clinical manifestations were fever, lymphadenopathy, headache, malaise, and painful perianal and genital lesions. The most frequent locations of the lesions were perianal, genital, oral, trunk, upper and lower extremities. Patients were in good clinical condition, with treatment based on analgesics and antipyretics to relieve some symptoms of monkeypox. A high proportion of STIs and frequent anogenital symptoms were found, suggesting transmissibility through local inoculation during close skin-to-skin or mucosal contact during sexual activity. The highest risk of monkeypox transmission occurs in men who have sex with men, and MPXV DNA could be recovered in seminal fluid. It is essential to establish health policies for the early detection and management of patients with monkeypox

Myliobatis freminvillii, bullnose eagle ray

The Bullnose Eagle Ray (Myliobatis freminvillii) is a medium-sized (to 106 cm disc width) demersal coastal eagle ray that occurs in the Northwest, Western Central, and Southwest Atlantic Oceans from Massachussetts, USA to the Texas coast of the Gulf of Mexico and from Venezuela to Buenos Aires, Argentina and inhabits continental shelves from the surface to a depth of 122 m. Its is captured by artisanal longlines, gillnets, beach seines and also in industrial shrimp trawls. In the Northwest Atlantic, population trend data are available from a deep-water trawl survey in the northern Gulf of Mexico that reveal steep increases in abundance over 2002-2013. There are no known threats in the Northwest and Western Central Atlantic, but in the Southwest Atlantic artisanal fisheries are intense. Further, there are largely unmanaged commercial trawl and longline fisheries in this area. This inshore eagle ray is exposed to intense and often unmanaged fishing pressure throughout the Southwest Atlantic portion of its range, and it has no refuge at depth. Due to the level of exploitation by widespread artisanal fisheries which lack adequate management, it is suspected that this species has undergone a population reduction of >80% over the past three generation lengths (44 years) in the Atlantic South American part of its range, but is stable in the Northwest and Western Central Atlantic. Overall, based on its range, with almost all threats found in the Southwest Atlantic, and the suspected low productivity of the species, the Bullnose Eagle Ray is suspected to have undergone a population reduction of 30-49% in the past three generation lengths (44 years) due to levels of exploitation, and it is assessed as Vulnerable A2bd.Fil: Carlson, J.. National Marine Fisheries Service; Estados UnidosFil: Charvet, P.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Avalos, C.. Fundacion Mundo Azul; GuatemalaFil: Blanco Parra, M. P.. Universidad de Quintana Roo; MéxicoFil: Briones Bell lloch, A.. Direccion de Regulaciones Pesqueras y Ciencias; CubaFil: Cardeñosa, D.. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Chiaramonte, Gustavo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia". Estación Hidrobiológica de Puerto Quequén (sede Quequén); ArgentinaFil: Cuevas, J.M.. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados UnidosFil: Derrick, D.. University Fraser Simon; CanadáFil: Espinoza, E.. Direccion Parque Nacional Galapagos; EcuadorFil: Mejía Falla, P. A.. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados UnidosFil: Morales Saldaña, J. M.. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; PanamáFil: Motta, F.. Universidade Federal de Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Naranjo Elizondo, B.. Universidad de Costa Rica; Costa RicaFil: Pacoureau, N.. University Fraser Simon; CanadáFil: Paesch, L.. Dirección Nacional de Recursos Acuáticos; UruguayFil: Perez Jiménez, J. C.. El Colegio de la Frontera del Sur; MéxicoFil: Rincon, G.. Universidade Federal Do Maranhao.; BrasilFil: Schneider, E. V. C.. Cape Eleuthera Institute; BahamasFil: Simpson, N. J.. Salvageblue; San Vicente y las GranadinasFil: Talwar, B. S.. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Pollom, R.. University Fraser Simon; Canad

Myliobatis goodei, southern eagle ray

The Southern Eagle Ray (Myliobatis goodei) is a medium-sized (to at least 115 cm DW) coastal eagle ray that occurs in the Western Central and Southwest Atlantic Oceans from South Carolina and Florida, USA and Quintana Roo, Mexico to San Jorge Gulf, Santa Cruz, Argentina. It inhabits continental shelves from inshore to depths of 181 m. It is captured using artisanal longlines, gillnets, beach seines, and in industrial shrimp trawls. This species is inferred to be stable or increasing in the Western Central Atlantic, based on its similarity to the Bullnose Eagle Ray (Myliobatis freminvillei). In the Southwest Atlantic artisanal fisheries are intense, further there are largely unmanaged commercial trawl and longline fisheries in many areas. In Brazil, landings of eagle rays have been reduced by 60% over 2000?2012 in Santa Catarina State, and a reduction of 91% in Rio Grande do Sul since the 1980s. This inshore eagle ray has no refuge at depth and is exposed to intense and often unmanaged fishing pressure throughout the Atlantic South American portion of its range and there it is suspected that this species has undergone a population reduction of >80% over the past three generation lengths (44 years), but is stable in the Western Central Atlantic. Overall, based its range with the almost all threats found in the Southwest Atlantic, the suspected low productivity of the species, this species is suspected to have undergone a population reduction of 30 49% in three generation lengths (44 years) due to levels of exploitation, and it is assessed as Vulnerable A2d.Fil: Carlson, J.. National Marine Fisheries Service; Estados UnidosFil: Charvet, P.. Universidade Federal do Paraná; BrasilFil: Avalos Castillo, C.. Fundación Mundo Azul; GuatemalaFil: Blanco Parra, M. P.. Universidad de Quintana Roo; MéxicoFil: Briones Bell lloch, A.. Dirección de Regulaciones Pesqueras y Ciencias; CubaFil: Cardeñosa, D.. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Chiaramonte, Gustavo Enrique. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Parque Centenario. Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales "Bernardino Rivadavia". Estación Hidrobiológica de Puerto Quequén (sede Quequén); ArgentinaFil: Cuevas, J.M.. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados UnidosFil: Derrick, D.. University Fraser Simon; CanadáFil: Espinoza, E.. Galapagos National Park Directorate; EcuadorFil: Mejía Falla, P. A.. Wildlife Conservation Society; Estados UnidosFil: Morales Saldaña, J. M.. Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute; PanamáFil: Motta, F.. Universidade Federal Do Sao Paulo; BrasilFil: Naranjo Elizondo, B.. Universidad de Costa Rica; Costa RicaFil: Pacoureau, N.. University Fraser Simon; CanadáFil: Paesch, L.. Direccion Nacional de Recursos Acuaticos ; UruguayFil: Pérez Jiménez, J. C.. El Colegio de la Frontera del Sur; MéxicoFil: Rincon, G.. Universidade Federal Do Maranhao.; BrasilFil: Schneider, E. V. C.. Cape Eleuthera Institute; BahamasFil: Simpson, N. J.. Salvageblue; San Vicente y las GranadinasFil: Talwar, B. S.. Florida International University; Estados UnidosFil: Pollom, R.. University Fraser Simon; Canad

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

Purpose: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. Methods: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015. Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years, 65 to 80 years, and = 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. Results: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 = 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients =80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%, 65 years; 20.5%, 65-79 years; 31.3%, =80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%, <65 years;30.1%, 65-79 years;34.7%, =80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%, =80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age = 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI = 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88), and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared, the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Conclusion: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age = 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI), and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group

Bats in the anthropogenic matrix: Challenges and opportunities for the conservation of chiroptera and their ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes

Intensification in land-use and farming practices has had largely negative effects on bats, leading to population declines and concomitant losses of ecosystem services. Current trends in land-use change suggest that agricultural areas will further expand, while production systems may either experience further intensification (particularly in developing nations) or become more environmentally friendly (especially in Europe). In this chapter, we review the existing literature on how agricultural management affects the bat assemblages and the behavior of individual bat species, as well as the literature on provision of ecosystem services by bats (pest insect suppression and pollination) in agricultural systems. Bats show highly variable responses to habitat conversion, with no significant change in species richness or measures of activity or abundance. In contrast, intensification within agricultural systems (i.e., increased agrochemical inputs, reduction of natural structuring elements such as hedges, woods, and marshes) had more consistently negative effects on abundance and species richness. Agroforestry systems appear to mitigate negative consequences of habitat conversion and intensification, often having higher abundances and activity levels than natural areas. Across biomes, bats play key roles in limiting populations of arthropods by consuming various agricultural pests. In tropical areas, bats are key pollinators of several commercial fruit species. However, these substantial benefits may go unrecognized by farmers, who sometimes associate bats with ecosystem disservices such as crop raiding. Given the importance of bats for global food production, future agricultural management should focus on “wildlife-friendly” farming practices that allow more bats to exploit and persist in the anthropogenic matrix so as to enhance provision of ecosystem services. Pressing research topics include (1) a better understanding of how local-level versus landscape-level management practices interact to structure bat assemblages, (2) the effects of new pesticide classes and GM crops on bat populations, and (3) how increased documentation and valuation of the ecosystem services provided by bats could improve attitudes of producers toward their conservation

A historical overview of the classification, evolution, and dispersion of Leishmania parasites and sandflies

Background The aim of this study is to describe the major evolutionary historical events among Leishmania, sandflies, and the associated animal reservoirs in detail, in accordance with the geographical evolution of the Earth, which has not been previously discussed on a large scale. Methodology and Principal Findings Leishmania and sandfly classification has always been a controversial matter, and the increasing number of species currently described further complicates this issue. Despite several hypotheses on the origin, evolution, and distribution of Leishmania and sandflies in the Old and New World, no consistent agreement exists regarding dissemination of the actors that play roles in leishmaniasis. For this purpose, we present here three centuries of research on sandflies and Leishmania descriptions, as well as a complete description of Leishmania and sandfly fossils and the emergence date of each Leishmania and sandfly group during different geographical periods, from 550 million years ago until now. We discuss critically the different approaches that were used for Leishmana and sandfly classification and their synonymies, proposing an updated classification for each species of Leishmania and sandfly. We update information on the current distribution and dispersion of different species of Leishmania (53), sandflies (more than 800 at genus or subgenus level), and animal reservoirs in each of the following geographical ecozones: Palearctic, Nearctic, Neotropic, Afrotropical, Oriental, Malagasy, and Australian. We propose an updated list of the potential and proven sandfly vectors for each Leishmania species in the Old and New World. Finally, we address a classical question about digenetic Leishmania evolution: which was the first host, a vertebrate or an invertebrate? Conclusions and Significance We propose an updated view of events that have played important roles in the geographical dispersion of sandflies, in relation to both the Leishmania species they transmit and the animal reservoirs of the parasites

Role of age and comorbidities in mortality of patients with infective endocarditis

[Purpose]: The aim of this study was to analyse the characteristics of patients with IE in three groups of age and to assess the ability of age and the Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI) to predict mortality. [Methods]: Prospective cohort study of all patients with IE included in the GAMES Spanish database between 2008 and 2015.Patients were stratified into three age groups:<65 years,65 to 80 years,and ≥ 80 years.The area under the receiver-operating characteristic (AUROC) curve was calculated to quantify the diagnostic accuracy of the CCI to predict mortality risk. [Results]: A total of 3120 patients with IE (1327 < 65 years;1291 65-80 years;502 ≥ 80 years) were enrolled.Fever and heart failure were the most common presentations of IE, with no differences among age groups.Patients ≥80 years who underwent surgery were significantly lower compared with other age groups (14.3%,65 years; 20.5%,65-79 years; 31.3%,≥80 years). In-hospital mortality was lower in the <65-year group (20.3%,<65 years;30.1%,65-79 years;34.7%,≥80 years;p < 0.001) as well as 1-year mortality (3.2%, <65 years; 5.5%, 65-80 years;7.6%,≥80 years; p = 0.003).Independent predictors of mortality were age ≥ 80 years (hazard ratio [HR]:2.78;95% confidence interval [CI]:2.32–3.34), CCI ≥ 3 (HR:1.62; 95% CI:1.39–1.88),and non-performed surgery (HR:1.64;95% CI:11.16–1.58).When the three age groups were compared,the AUROC curve for CCI was significantly larger for patients aged <65 years(p < 0.001) for both in-hospital and 1-year mortality. [Conclusion]: There were no differences in the clinical presentation of IE between the groups. Age ≥ 80 years, high comorbidity (measured by CCI),and non-performance of surgery were independent predictors of mortality in patients with IE.CCI could help to identify those patients with IE and surgical indication who present a lower risk of in-hospital and 1-year mortality after surgery, especially in the <65-year group