Serological prevalence of Leptospiral infection in wildlife in Sarawak, Malaysia

Leptospirosis is a zoonotic disease caused by pathogenic leptospiral bacteria, which are transmitted directly or indirectly from animals to humans or animal to animal. The first phase of this proposed study was carried out to determine the extent of exposure to leptospirosis in wild mammals surrounded by human settlements around wildlife or tourism area (Wind Cave, Fairy Cave, Bako National Park and Matang Wildlife Center). This study reports an incident of leptospirosis among primates (three captive and two free ranging), rats, bats, squirrels and mongoose around Kuching, Sarawak area, which has been screened for Leptospirosis. Blood samples were obtained to determine the presence of antibodies through the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) using eighteen serovars of Leptospira commonly found in Malaysia as antigens. It was observed that four out of the five monkeys (80%), rats (9/4) (44%), bats (20/5) (20.8%), squirrels 4/4 (100%) and mongoose (1) (100%) reacted against one or more serovars of Leptospira. In this study antibody of five serovars of Leptospira interrrogans Copenheni, Leptospira interrrogans Lai, Leptospira interrrogans Pomona, Leptospira interrrogans Pyrogenes, Lepto 175* were detected. Serovars Copenhegeni, Lai, Pomona and Pyrogenes were considered pathogenic for different mammals including human beings. No information about serovars lepto 175 and further studies going on. This is providing information on the possible zoonotic importance of mammalian species in maintaining this disease in Sarawak. The transmission of leptospires in rats reported several incidents and between primates, bats, squirrels, mongoose and human is not reported elsewhere but this could create new reservoir and transmission routes and may affect the tourism, conservation effort and public health

FICTION-TSA analysis of the B-cell compartment in myeloma shows no significant expansion of myeloma precursor cells

Faith E. Davies, Andrew C. Rawstron, Guy Pratt, Sheila O'Connor, Lela Su'ut, David Blythe, James Fenton, David Claydon, J. Anthony Child, Andrew S. Jack & Gareth J. Morga

Forest dynamics and tip-up pools drive pulses of high carbon accumulation rates in a tropical peat dome in Borneo (Southeast Asia)

Peatlands of Southeast Asia store large pools of carbon but the mechanisms of peat accumulation in tropical forests remain to be resolved. Patch dynamics and forest disturbance have seldom been considered as drivers that can amplify or dampen rates of peat accumulation. Here we used a modified piston corer, noninvasive geophysical measurements, and geochemical and paleobotanical techniques to establish the effect of tree fall on carbon accumulation rates in a peat swamp forest dominated by Shorea albida in Brunei (Borneo). Carbon initially accumulated in a mangrove forest at over 300 g C m[superscript −2] yr[superscript −1] but declined to less than 50 g C m[superscript −2] yr[superscript −1] with the establishment of a peat swamp forest. A rapid accumulation pulse of 720–960 g C m[superscript −2] yr[superscript −1] occurred around 1080 years ago as a tip-up pool infilled. Tip-up pools are common in the peatlands of northwest Borneo where windthrow and lightning strikes produce tree falls at a rate of 4 trees ha[superscript −1] every decade. A simulation model indicates that tip-up pools, which are formed across the entire forested peat dome, produce local discontinuities in the peat deposit, when peat is removed to create a pool that is rapidly filled with younger material. The resulting discontinuities in peat age at the base and sides of pool deposits obscure linkages between carbon accumulation rates and climate and require new approaches for paleoenvironmental reconstructions. Our results suggest that carbon accumulation in tropical peat swamps may be based on fundamentally different peat-forming processes than those of northern peatlands.Singapore. National Research Foundation (Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 1114155)National Science Foundation (U.S.) (Grant 1114161