Nuevos registros de Holochilus chacarius (Rodentia, Cricetidae) en la cuenca del río Carcarañá (Santa Fé, Argentina) y consideraciones biogeográficas

The collection and analysis of pellets is an adequate method in the study of small prey, because it allows the study of large areas, generates a large number and variety of individuals per lot. The order Strigiformes has the largest number of studies on the diet of birds of prey worldwide, highlighting those referring to Tyto furcata with a large number of contributions on the analysis of its regurgitates. The study of the regurgitations of this species has helped to make new interpretations about the distribution, taxonomy, and conservation of many species of rodents. Here, the presence of Holochilus chacarius is described in the south of the province of Santa Fe from the collection and analysis of pellets of the Barn Owl (Tyto furcata). These records expand the distribution of H. chacarius in the province and contribute to updating the existing distribution maps.La recolección y análisis de egagrópilas resulta un método adecuado en el estudio de presas pequeñas, debido a que permite el estudio de áreas extensas, genera gran cantidad y variedad de individuos por lote. El orden Strigiformes cuenta con el mayor número de estudios de dieta de aves rapaces a nivel mundial, destacándose los referidos a Tyto furcata con gran cantidad de contribuciones sobre el análisis de sus regurgitados. El estudio de las regurgitaciones de esta especie ha ayudado a realizar nuevas interpretaciones sobre la distribución, taxonomía y conservación de muchas especies de roedores. Aquí, se describe la presencia de Holochilus chacarius en el sur de la provincia de Santa Fe a partir de la recolección y análisis de egagrópilas de la lechuza del campanario (Tyto furcata). Estos registros amplían la distribución de H. chacarius en la provincia y contribuyen a actualizar los mapas de distribución existentes

New occurrence records of <i>Chaetophractus villosus</i> in the Carcarañá River basin, southern Santa Fe province, Argentina

En el presente trabajo se reportan 50 nuevos registros de Chaetophractus villosus para el sur de la provincia de Santa Fe (Argentina) y se los relaciona con algunas variables ambientales. La zona de estudio está ubicada en la cuenca del río Carcarañá, dentro de la región pampeana, uno de los ecosistemas naturales más modificados del mundo. Chaetophractus villosus, vulgarmente conocido como peludo, fue registrado en dos de las cuatro unidades ambientales muestreadas; 42 evidencias se encontraron en las tierras de cultivo y ocho en el bosque xerófilo. Existieron diferencias significativas en la cantidad de evidencias encontradas en la comparación entre estaciones del año y ambiente. La abundancia relativa entre los ambientes fue casi idéntica (tierras de cultivo: 0,17 rastros/km; bosque xerófilo: 0,16 rastros/km). Sin embargo, se pudo establecer un uso diferencial de los ambientes, encontrando registros del peludo en los bosques xerófilos sólo durante las estaciones otoño e invierno, lo que denota una importancia de las áreas forestadas como refugio cuando los campos agrícolas no tienen alta cobertura de vegetaciónWe report 50 new records of Chaetophractus villosus for southern Santa Fe Province (Argentina) and discuss their relationship with environmental variables. The study area is located in the Carcarañá River basin within the Pampean ecoregion, one of the most modified natural ecosystems in the world. The large hairy armadillo was recorded in two of the four environmental units sampled, with 42 records found in cropland and eight in dry woodland. The number of evidences varied between environments and seasons. The relative abundance was nearly identical in different environments (farmland: 0.17 tracks/km; dry woodland: 0.16 tracks/km). There was, however, a differential use of the environments. Records in the dry forests were limited to autumn and winter, which suggests that forested areas are important refuges for large hairy armadillos when farmlands lack high vegetation cover.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Presencia de Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Hydrochoeridae, Rodentia, Mammalia) en la cuenca del río Carcarañá, Santa Fe, Argentina: Comentarios acerca de su conservación y biogeografía en Argentina

Capybara (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) is the world largest rodent and a typical mammal of the phytogeographical provinces of Pampa and Espinal, inhabiting the eastern sector of the same. These regions have been categorized by the World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) as "critical/ endangered threatened" and are assigned the highest priority level of conservation as a result of habitat destruction, overexploitation, pollution and introduction of exotic species. The capybara has a marked preference for environments with permanent water where the marsh vegetation provides food and shelter. Thus, both water bodies as associated vegetation is critical to the prevalence of populations of capybaras in a given environment. In Santa Fe province, records are not very abundant, registering until now about 33 points based on collected and observed specimens, most located in the center and north of the province. The aim of this contribution is to present new records of capybara in Carcarañá river basin (south of Santa Fe province), and its association with some climatic-environmental variables, and evaluate the distribution of this species. Finally, we discussed the possible expansion or migration of this species to the west of Santa Fe and Buenos Aires provinces.El carpincho (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) es el roedor actual más grande del mundo y uno de los mamíferos típico de las Provincias Fitogeográficas Pampeana y del Espinal, habitando todo el sector Este de las mismas. Estas regiones han sido categorizadas por la World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) como áreas "en peligro crítico/ amenazada", y se les asigna el nivel de máxima prioridad de conservación como consecuencia de la destrucción de hábitat, la sobreexplotación, la contaminación y la introducción de especies exóticas. El carpincho presenta una preferencia marcada por los ambientes con abundancia de cuerpos de agua donde la vegetación palustre le proporciona alimento y refugio. De esta forma, tanto los cuerpos de agua como la vegetación asociada es determinante para la prevalescencia de poblaciones de carpinchos en un ambiente determinado. Para la provincia de Santa Fe los registros no son muy abundantes, registrándose hasta la actualidad unos 33 puntos de colecta/observación, la gran mayoría ubicados en el centro y norte de la provincia. El objetivo de la presente contribución es presentar nuevos registros de presencia de Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris en la cuenca del río Carcarañá (sur de la provincia de Santa Fe), y su asociación con algunas variables climático-ambientales y evaluar la distribución de esta especie. Finalmente, se discute la posible expansión o migración de este especie hacia el oeste de esta provincia y de la provincia de Buenos Aires

New occurrence records of <i>Chaetophractus villosus</i> in the Carcarañá River basin, southern Santa Fe province, Argentina

En el presente trabajo se reportan 50 nuevos registros de Chaetophractus villosus para el sur de la provincia de Santa Fe (Argentina) y se los relaciona con algunas variables ambientales. La zona de estudio está ubicada en la cuenca del río Carcarañá, dentro de la región pampeana, uno de los ecosistemas naturales más modificados del mundo. Chaetophractus villosus, vulgarmente conocido como peludo, fue registrado en dos de las cuatro unidades ambientales muestreadas; 42 evidencias se encontraron en las tierras de cultivo y ocho en el bosque xerófilo. Existieron diferencias significativas en la cantidad de evidencias encontradas en la comparación entre estaciones del año y ambiente. La abundancia relativa entre los ambientes fue casi idéntica (tierras de cultivo: 0,17 rastros/km; bosque xerófilo: 0,16 rastros/km). Sin embargo, se pudo establecer un uso diferencial de los ambientes, encontrando registros del peludo en los bosques xerófilos sólo durante las estaciones otoño e invierno, lo que denota una importancia de las áreas forestadas como refugio cuando los campos agrícolas no tienen alta cobertura de vegetaciónWe report 50 new records of Chaetophractus villosus for southern Santa Fe Province (Argentina) and discuss their relationship with environmental variables. The study area is located in the Carcarañá River basin within the Pampean ecoregion, one of the most modified natural ecosystems in the world. The large hairy armadillo was recorded in two of the four environmental units sampled, with 42 records found in cropland and eight in dry woodland. The number of evidences varied between environments and seasons. The relative abundance was nearly identical in different environments (farmland: 0.17 tracks/km; dry woodland: 0.16 tracks/km). There was, however, a differential use of the environments. Records in the dry forests were limited to autumn and winter, which suggests that forested areas are important refuges for large hairy armadillos when farmlands lack high vegetation cover.Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Muse

Presencia de Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris (Hydrochoeridae, Rodentia, Mammalia) en la cuenca del río Carcarañá, Santa Fe, Argentina: Comentarios acerca de su conservación y biogeografía en Argentina

El carpincho (Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) es el roedor actual más grande del mundo y uno de los mamíferos típico de las Provincias Fitogeográficas Pampeana y del Espinal, habitando todo el sector Este de las mismas. Estas regiones han sido categorizadas por la World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) como áreas "en peligro crítico/ amenazada", y se les asigna el nivel de máxima prioridad de conservación como consecuencia de la destrucción de hábitat, la sobreexplotación, la contaminación y la introducción de especies exóticas. El carpincho presenta una preferencia marcada por los ambientes con abundancia de cuerpos de agua donde la vegetación palustre le proporciona alimento y refugio. De esta forma, tanto los cuerpos de agua como la vegetación asociada es determinante para la prevalescencia de poblaciones de carpinchos en un ambiente determinado. Para la provincia de Santa Fe los registros no son muy abundantes, registrándose hasta la actualidad unos 33 puntos de colecta/observación, la gran mayoría ubicados en el centro y norte de la provincia. El objetivo de la presente contribución es presentar nuevos registros de presencia de Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris en la cuenca del río Carcarañá (sur de la provincia de Santa Fe), y su asociación con algunas variables climático-ambientales y evaluar la distribución de esta especie. Finalmente, se discute la posible expansión o migración de este especie hacia el oeste de esta provincia y de la provincia de Buenos Aires

Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

The genetic make-up of an individual contributes to the susceptibility and response to viral infection. Although environmental, clinical and social factors have a role in the chance of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the severity of COVID-191,2, host genetics may also be important. Identifying host-specific genetic factors may reveal biological mechanisms of therapeutic relevance and clarify causal relationships of modifiable environmental risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and outcomes. We formed a global network of researchers to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Here we describe the results of three genome-wide association meta-analyses that consist of up to 49,562 patients with COVID-19 from 46 studies across 19 countries. We report 13 genome-wide significant loci that are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe manifestations of COVID-19. Several of these loci correspond to previously documented associations to lung or autoimmune and inflammatory diseases3–7. They also represent potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection. Mendelian randomization analyses support a causal role for smoking and body-mass index for severe COVID-19 although not for type II diabetes. The identification of novel host genetic factors associated with COVID-19 was made possible by the community of human genetics researchers coming together to prioritize the sharing of data, results, resources and analytical frameworks. This working model of international collaboration underscores what is possible for future genetic discoveries in emerging pandemics, or indeed for any complex human disease

Genomewide Association Study of Severe Covid-19 with Respiratory Failure.

BACKGROUND: There is considerable variation in disease behavior among patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19). Genomewide association analysis may allow for the identification of potential genetic factors involved in the development of Covid-19. METHODS: We conducted a genomewide association study involving 1980 patients with Covid-19 and severe disease (defined as respiratory failure) at seven hospitals in the Italian and Spanish epicenters of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in Europe. After quality control and the exclusion of population outliers, 835 patients and 1255 control participants from Italy and 775 patients and 950 control participants from Spain were included in the final analysis. In total, we analyzed 8,582,968 single-nucleotide polymorphisms and conducted a meta-analysis of the two case-control panels. RESULTS: We detected cross-replicating associations with rs11385942 at locus 3p21.31 and with rs657152 at locus 9q34.2, which were significant at the genomewide level (P<5×10-8) in the meta-analysis of the two case-control panels (odds ratio, 1.77; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.48 to 2.11; P = 1.15×10-10; and odds ratio, 1.32; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.47; P = 4.95×10-8, respectively). At locus 3p21.31, the association signal spanned the genes SLC6A20, LZTFL1, CCR9, FYCO1, CXCR6 and XCR1. The association signal at locus 9q34.2 coincided with the ABO blood group locus; in this cohort, a blood-group-specific analysis showed a higher risk in blood group A than in other blood groups (odds ratio, 1.45; 95% CI, 1.20 to 1.75; P = 1.48×10-4) and a protective effect in blood group O as compared with other blood groups (odds ratio, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.79; P = 1.06×10-5). CONCLUSIONS: We identified a 3p21.31 gene cluster as a genetic susceptibility locus in patients with Covid-19 with respiratory failure and confirmed a potential involvement of the ABO blood-group system. (Funded by Stein Erik Hagen and others.)

Detailed stratified GWAS analysis for severe COVID-19 in four European populations

Given the highly variable clinical phenotype of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), a deeper analysis of the host genetic contribution to severe COVID-19 is important to improve our understanding of underlying disease mechanisms. Here, we describe an extended GWAS meta-analysis of a well-characterized cohort of 3255 COVID-19 patients with respiratory failure and 12 488 population controls from Italy, Spain, Norway and Germany/Austria, including stratified analyses based on age, sex and disease severity, as well as targeted analyses of chromosome Y haplotypes, the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region and the SARS-CoV-2 peptidome. By inversion imputation, we traced a reported association at 17q21.31 to a ~ 0.9-Mb inversion polymorphism that creates two highly differentiated haplotypes and characterized the potential effects of the inversion in detail. Our data, together with the 5th release of summary statistics from the COVID-19 Host Genetics Initiative including non-Caucasian individuals, also identified a new locus at 19q13.33, including NAPSA, a gene which is expressed primarily in alveolar cells responsible for gas exchange in the lung

Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

The genetic make-up of an individual contributes to the susceptibility and response to viral infection. Although environmental, clinical and social factors have a role in the chance of exposure to SARS-CoV-2 and the severity of COVID-191,2, host genetics may also be important. Identifying host-specific genetic factors may reveal biological mechanisms of therapeutic relevance and clarify causal relationships of modifiable environmental risk factors for SARS-CoV-2 infection and outcomes. We formed a global network of researchers to investigate the role of human genetics in SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 severity. Here we describe the results of three genome-wide association meta-analyses that consist of up to 49,562 patients with COVID-19 from 46 studies across 19 countries. We report 13 genome-wide significant loci that are associated with SARS-CoV-2 infection or severe manifestations of COVID-19. Several of these loci correspond to previously documented associations to lung or autoimmune and inflammatory diseases3,4,5,6,7. They also represent potentially actionable mechanisms in response to infection. Mendelian randomization analyses support a causal role for smoking and body-mass index for severe COVID-19 although not for type II diabetes. The identification of novel host genetic factors associated with COVID-19 was made possible by the community of human genetics researchers coming together to prioritize the sharing of data, results, resources and analytical frameworks. This working model of international collaboration underscores what is possible for future genetic discoveries in emerging pandemics, or indeed for any complex human disease