The influence of habitat structure on genetic differentiation in red fox populations in north-eastern Poland

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has the widest global distribution among terrestrial carnivore species, occupying most of the Northern Hemisphere in its native range. Because it carries diseases that can be transmitted to humans and domestic animals, it is important to gather information about their movements and dispersal in their natural habitat but it is difficult to do so at a broad scale with trapping and telemetry. In this study, we have described the genetic diversity and structure of red fox populations in six areas of north-eastern Poland, based on samples collected from 2002–2003. We tested 22 microsatellite loci isolated from the dog and the red fox genome to select a panel of nine polymorphic loci suitable for this study. Genetic differentiation between the six studied populations was low to moderate and analysis in Structure revealed a panmictic population in the region. Spatial autocorrelation among all individuals showed a pattern of decreasing relatedness with increasing distance and this was not significantly negative until 93 km, indicating a pattern of isolation-by-distance over a large area. However, there was no correlation between genetic distance and either Euclidean distance or least-cost path distance at the population level. There was a significant relationship between genetic distance and the proportion of large forests and water along the Euclidean distances. These types of habitats may influence dispersal paths taken by red foxes, which is useful information in terms of wildlife disease management

Transport cząstek pochodzenia mikrobiologicznego w drobnej i grubej frakcji aerozolu w budynkach biurowych

In old and modern interiors, particular attention is focused on the air quality as one of major determinants of the well-being of occupants. Exposure to microbiological contaminants in such close indoor space may be associated with the occurrence of various adverse health outcomes in the exposed individuals. Because the size of inhaled particles determines their place of deposition in the human airways and the associated adverse health outcomes, a detailed characteristic of airborne microbial components carried on fine dust particles in office buildings is needed. The aim of this study was to determine the concentrations of endotoxins, (1-3)-β-D-glucans and culturable microorganisms in coarse, fine and aerosol fractions collected in two office buildings in Warsaw. The concentrations of particulate aerosol were measured using Sioutas impactors in PM1, PM2.5, and PM2.5-10. Kinetic-QCL LAL and Glucatell assays were used to detect endotoxin and (1-3)-β-D-glucan concentrations, respectively. The bioaerosol samples were taken using six-stage Andersen impactor as coarse (> 7-2.1µm) and fine ( 7-2,1 μm) i drobnej (< 2,1 μm). Średnie stężenia aerozolu ziarnistego, endotoksyn i β-D-glukanów w wszystkich badanych biurach wynosiły odpowiednio: w PM1 – 6 μg/m3, 4 JE/m3 i 5 ng/m3; w PM2.5 – 11 μg/m3, 6 JE/m3 i 10 ng/m3 i w PM10-2.5 – 3.5 μg/m33, 2 JE/m3 i 2.5 ng/m3. Stężenia endotoksyn i β-D-glukanów w PM2.5 były znacznie wyższe niż w PM10-2.5 (odpowiednio p < 0.01 i p < 0.001) i stanowiły 71% i 84% frakcji PM10. W badanych pomieszczeniach, bakterie występowały głównie w drobnej frakcji aerozolu (3.9·102 JTK/m3, p < 0.01), podczas gdy grzyby izolowano najczęściej z frakcji gruboziarnistej aerozolu (5.6·101 JTK/m3). Stwierdzono pozytywną korelację pomiędzy stężeniami endotoksyn a stężeniami pyłu PM1 (r = 0.61, p < 0.05) i PM2.5 (r = 0.76, p < 0.05), jak również Gram-ujemnymi pałeczkami (r = 0.75, p < 0.05). Stężenia β-D-glucans wykazały korelację z PM2.5 (r = 0.54, p < 0.05) oraz grzybami w drobnej frakcji (r = 0.59, p < 0.05). Niniejsze badania wykazały, że głównym nośnikiem endotoksyn i (1-3)-β-Dglukanów w pomieszczeniach biurowych były drobne frakcje aerozolu ziarnistego. Cząstki te mogą przenikać do dolnych dróg oddechowych powodując niekorzystne skutki zdrowotne u narażonych osób. Stwierdzono, że głównym źródłem endotoksyn były Gram-ujemne pałeczniki. Źródłami (1-3)-β-D-glukanów były głównie fragmenty strzępek grzybni (lub spor) o aerodynamicznych średnicach <2,1 μm. Odnotowane stężenia endotoksyn i mikroorganizmów w biurach mieściły się w zakresie normalnie obserwowanym w tego typu obiektach. Niemniej jednak sugerowane jest stałe monitorowanie stanu higienicznego tych pomieszczeń, w tym regularne czyszczenie i wymienianie filtrów powietrza w instalacji klimatyzacyjnej

Preventive vaccinations in Poland

Najskuteczniejszą metodą profilaktyki w zwalczaniu chorób zakaźnych są szczepienia ochronne. Szczepienia dają możliwość kontrolowania rozwoju chorób, a w wielu przypadkach pozwalają je całkowicie wyeliminować. W artykule przybliżono czytelnikowi wiedzę z zakresu historii szczepień, rodzajów odporności organizmu oraz typów szczepionek. Przeanalizowano ponadto uregulowania prawne z zakresu szczepień obowiązkowych i zalecanych w Polsce.Vaccinations are the most effective prophylactic method in control of infectious diseases. Vaccination allows both the supervision of infectious diseases’ dissemination and, in many cases, their eradication. This paper introduces the reader to the knowledge of the history of vaccination, types of immunity and vaccines. The legal regulations concerning mandatory and recommended vaccinations in Poland were also analyzed

Enteropathogenic viruses in occupational environment of wastewater treatment plants

Ścieki trafiające do oczyszczalni mogą zwierać chorobotwórcze wirusy, w związku z czym pracownicy tych zakładów stanowią grupę zawodową narażoną na kontakt z tymi szkodliwymi czynnikami biologicznymi w trakcie wykonywania czynności zawodowych. Źródłami tych patoge nów może być zarówno bioaerozol, emitowany w trakcie procesów technologicznych, jak i ścieki, osady ściekowe czy zanieczyszczone powierzchnie. Narażenie na patogenne szczepy wirusów może stać się przyczyną różnych chorób i dolegliwości zdrowotnych, które obejmują zarówno infekcje jelitowe, jak i pozajelitowe. Głównymi elementami prewencji zagrożeń zawodowych w tej grupie pracowników powinny być rzetelna ocena ryzyka oraz stosowanie odpowiednich środków profilaktycznych.Wastewater is a potential source of pathogenic viruses. Hence, wastewater treatment plants’ workers may be exposed to these harmful biological agents during their occupational activities. The sources of these pathogens may be bioaerosols, emitted during technological processes, as well as sewage, sewage sludge or contaminated industrial surfaces. Exposure to viral pathogens may cause various diseases and adverse health effects including both intestinal and parenteral infections. Therefore, a reliable risk assessment and an appropriate containment measures are considered key factors in the prevention of occupational hazards among this group of workers

Distribution of Selected Drug-resistant Enterococcus Species in Meat Plants in Poland

This study aimed to assess the prevalence of enterococci (including vancomycin-resistant, VRE) strains in meat plants and evaluate their biofilm-forming potential. In two Polish meat plants, 75 samples of raw pork meat, swabs from work surfaces (floors, tables, machine parts and tools) and employees’ hands were collected. The analyses indicated that enterococci were present in more than 72% of the tested samples. In addition, VRE isolates were found in more than 25% of the tested samples (especially in cutting and processing rooms). VRE strains of Enterococcus faecium and E. faecalis were resistant to penicillin, ampicillin, erythromycin, and rifampicin. Moreover, 77% of E. faecium and 43% of E. faecalis isolates showed biofilm-forming ability. The observed high biofilm-forming potential among the analyzed VRE strains indicates that these agents may play an essential role in spreading drug resistance in the food chain through contaminated surfaces, meat, and workers’ hands

Airborne peptidoglycans as a supporting indicator of bacterial contamination in a metal processing plant

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess exposure to airborne endotoxins and peptidoglycans (PGs) as well as possibility of using PGs as a surrogate measure of bacterial exposure in workplaces in a metal processing plant. Material and Methods: Personal dosimetry (N = 11) was used to obtain data on concentrations of viable bacteria, total number of bioaerosol particles, endotoxins and peptidoglycans. To investigate the size distributions of aerosol particles responsible for transport of endotoxins and PGs, air samples (N = 5) were additionally collected using the 8-stage cascade impactor. Endotoxins and PGs were assayed with the Limulus amebocyte lysate (LAL) test and a kinetic version of the silkworm larvae plasma (SLP) test, respectively. Results: Median concentrations of airborne PGs (14.6 ng/m3), endotoxins (0.2 ng/m3), viable bacteria (1.16×103 CFU/m3) and the total number of bioaerosol particles (1.81×106 cells/m3) were determined. Qualitative analysis revealed presence of 19 bacterial species belonging to 14 genera. The calculations showed strong, significant correlations (p < 0.05) between endotoxins, viable bacteria (r = 0.75) and the total number of bioaerosol particle concentrations (r = 0.76) as well as between PGs and the total number of bioaerosol particle concentrations (r = 0.72). Size distribution analysis showed that the highest concentrations of bacterial aerosols occurred in the range of 2.1–3.3 μm. In the case of endotoxins, an increase of concentrations in 2 ranges of aerodynamic diameters: 1.1–3.3 μm and 5.8–9 μm was shown. For PGs there was a visible gradual increase of their concentrations in the range 2.1–9 μm. Conclusions: Peptidoglycans can be treated as a supporting indicator of bacterial contamination in metal processing plants, particularly when an assessment of an immunotoxic potential of microbiological hazards needs to be performed. However, to be extrapolated to other occupational and non-occupational environments, the obtained results require a further verification

Exposure of ventilation system cleaning workers to harmful microbiological agents

Background: Regular inspection of the cleanliness of the ventilation systems, as well as their periodic cleaning and disinfection, if necessary, are the main factors of the proper maintenance of each system. Performing maintenance operations on the ventilation system, workers are exposed to risk associated with the exposure to harmful biological agents. The aim of this study was to assess the employees' exposure to bioaerosols during maintenance work on ventilation systems. Material and Methods: Bioaerosol measurements were carried out using a button sampler. The microbial particles were collected on gelatin filters. Settled-dust samples from the inner surface of the air ducts and filter-mat samples were selected for the microbiological analysis. In the collected air, dust and filter samples the concentration of bacteria and fungi were determined. Results: Bacteria and fungi concentrations ranged between 3.6×102-2.2×104 CFU/m3 and 4.7×102-4.5×103 CFU/m3 at workplaces where the operations connected with mechanical ventilation cleaning were performed and 2.2×104-1.2×105 CFU/m3 and 9.8×101-2.5×102 CFU/m3 at workplaces where filter exchange was performed, respectively. The qualitative analysis of microorganisms isolated from the air in all studied workplaces revealed that the most prevalent bacteria belonged to Bacillus genus. The average concentrations of bacteria and fungi in filter-mat samples were 3.3×103 CFU/cm2 and 1.4×104 CFU/cm2, respectively. In settled-dust samples, average concentrations were 591 CFU/100 cm2 and 52 CFU/100 cm2, for bacteria and fungi respectively. Conclusions: Workers cleaning ventilation systems are exposed to harmful biological agents classified into risk groups, 1 and 2, according to their level of the risk of infection. The research conducted in the workplace can be the basis of risk assessment related to exposure to harmful biological agents during maintenance work in ventilation. Med Pr 2013;64(5):613–62