The effects of cold shock on freshwater fish larvae and early-stage juveniles: implications for river management.

Temperature is essential to the maintenance of optimal physiological functioning in aquatic organisms. Fish can manage natural fluctuations in temperature; however, in freshwater ecosystems acute and rapid temperature changes can originate from sources such as large dams and industrial effluents. These rapid temperature changes may induce several physiological and behavioural responses that can result in lethal and sub-lethal consequences. The present study assessed immediate sub-lethal and short-term (10 days) lethal responses of three species of Australian freshwater fish larvae and early-stage juveniles to a range of different 'field-relevant' cold shocks (-4, -6, -8 and -10°C). Murray cod (Maccullochella peelii), silver perch (Bidyanus bidyanus) and golden perch (Macquaria ambigua) were tested at two age groups to elucidate the interaction between ontogeny and sensitivity to cold shock. Cold shock caused mortality and reductions in swimming ability (time to exhaustion and lines crossed) in all species of fish at both age groups. Sensitivity was correlated to the magnitude of cold shock; a 10°C drop in temperature caused the highest mortalities. Ontogeny interacted with the severity of cold shock; the younger fish experienced higher mortalities and greater impairment to swimming ability. This study demonstrates the potential lethal and sub-lethal impacts of cold shock on freshwater fish at a critical life-history stage. Understanding the impacts of cold shock will aid management of freshwater ecosystems for the benefit of fish populations, with the current study identifying critical life stages to be considered in remediation and guiding thresholds necessary to reduce the impact of cold shock on native fish populations

Erratum to: The effects of cold shock on freshwater fish larvae and early-stage juveniles: implications for river management.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coaa092.]

Multi-decadal trends in large-bodied fish populations in the New South Wales Murray-Darling Basin, Australia

Context: Native fish populations in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin (MDB) have experienced severe declines since European settlement. Information on their status is needed to guide management and recovery. Aims: To quantify trends in MDB fish populations in New South Wales (NSW) from 1994 to 2022. Methods: Relative abundance, biomass, and size structure were examined using generalised additive mixed models at NSW MDB and river catchment (valley) scales for five native species (Murray cod, Maccullochella peelii, golden perch, Macquaria ambigua, silver perch, Bidyanus bidyanus, Macquarie perch, Macquaria australasica, freshwater catfish, Tandanus tandanus) and one alien species (common carp, Cyprinus carpio). Key results: There was strong inter-annual variation in relative abundance, biomass and population structure for all species. At the Basin scale, relative abundance of Murray cod, golden perch and common carp increased across the time series, with no clear trends for silver perch, Macquarie perch or freshwater catfish. Patterns in relative abundance, biomass, and population structure were variable among valleys for most species. Conclusions and implications: Although native fish populations in the MDB remain degraded and face escalating threats, recent increases in the abundance of some native species are an encouraging sign that integrated restoration efforts can improve the outlook for native fish

Use of Oral Cholera Vaccines in an Outbreak in Vietnam: A Case Control Study

Simple measures such as adequate sanitation and clean water stops the spread of cholera; however, in areas where these are not available, cholera spreads quickly and may lead to death in a few hours if treatment is not initiated immediately. The use of life-saving rehydration therapy is the mainstay in cholera control, however, the rapidity of the disease and the limited access to appropriate healthcare units in far-flung areas together result in an unacceptable number of deaths. The WHO has recommended the use of oral cholera vaccines as a preventive measure against cholera outbreaks since 2001, but this was recently updated so that vaccine use may also be considered once a cholera outbreak has begun. The findings from this study suggest that reactive use of killed oral cholera vaccines provides protection against the disease and may be a potential tool in times of outbreaks. Further studies must be conducted to confirm these findings

A randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the bivalent killed, whole-cell, oral Cholera vaccine in adults and children in a Cholera endemic area in Kolkata, India

OBJECTIVES: An effective vaccine against cholera has been used for public health purposes in Vietnam since the 1990s. This vaccine was reformulated to meet WHO requirements. We assessed the safety and immunogenicity of the reformulated bivalent (Vibrio cholerae 01 and 0139) killed whole cell oral vaccine in a cholera endemic area in Kolkata, India. DESIGN: Double-blind, randomized, placebo controlled trial SETTING: The trial was conducted in the clinical trial ward of the Infectious Diseases Hospital in Kolkata, India. PARTICIPANTS: The participants were 101 healthy adults (males and non-pregnant females) aged 18–40 years and 100 healthy children (males and non-pregnant females) aged 1–17 years. INTERVENTIONS: Participants were randomized to receive either the bivalent killed whole cell oral cholera vaccine or placebo (killed oral Escherichia coli K12). OUTCOME MEASURES: For safety: proportion of subjects with adverse events during the duration of study participation. For immunogenicity: Proportion of subjects who had a ≥4-fold rise in serum vibriocidal antibody titers 14 days after the second dose of vaccine or placebo. RESULTS: Adverse reactions were observed with similar frequency among vaccine and placebo recipients in both age groups. Among adults 4% of vaccine and 8% of placebo recipients and among children 4% of vaccine and 2% of placebo recipients had at least one adverse event within 28 days of the first dose of the vaccine. Following immunization, 53% of adult and 80% of children vaccinees showed a ≥4 fold rise in serum V. cholerae O1 vibriocidal antibody titers. A less pronounced response to V. cholerae O139 vibriocidal antibody titers post-immunization was noted among vaccinees. CONCLUSIONS: We found the vaccine to be safe and immunogenic in a cholera-endemic area in India.Dilip Mahalanabis, Anna Lena Lopez, Dipika Sur, Jacqueline Deen, Byomkesh Manna, Suman Kanungo, Lorenz von Seidlein, Rodney Carbis, Seung Hyun Han, Seong Hye Shin, Stephen Attridge, Raman Rao, Jan Holmgren, John Clemens and Sujit K. Bhattachary

Recent insights into targeting the IL-6 cytokine family in inflammatory diseases and cancer

The IL-6 family of cytokines consists of IL-6, IL-11, IL-27, IL-31, oncostatin M (OSM), leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF), cardiotrophin 1 (CT-1) and cardiotrophin-like cytokine factor 1 (CLCF1). Membership of this cytokine family is defined by usage of common β-receptor signalling subunits, which activate various intracellular signalling pathways. Each IL-6 family member elicits responses essential to the physiological control of immune homeostasis, haematopoiesis, inflammation, development and metabolism. Accordingly, distortion of these cytokine activities often promotes chronic disease and cancer; the pathological importance of this is exemplified by the successful treatment of certain autoimmune conditions with drugs that target the IL-6 pathway. Here, we discuss the emerging roles for IL-6 family members in infection, chronic inflammation, autoimmunity and cancer and review therapeutic strategies designed to manipulate these cytokines in disease

The effect of varied dam release mechanisms and storage volume on downstream river thermal regimes

© 2020 Elsevier GmbH Temperature plays an essential role in the ecology and biology of aquatic ecosystems. The use of dams to store and subsequently re-regulate river flows can have a negative impact on the natural thermal regime of rivers, causing thermal pollution of downstream river ecosystems. Autonomous thermal loggers were used to measure temperature changes downstream of a large dam on the Macquarie River, in Australia's Murray-Darling Basin to quantify the effect of release mechanisms and dam storage volume on the downstream thermal regime. The magnitude of thermal pollution in the downstream river was affected by different release mechanisms, including bottom-level outlet releases, a thermal curtain (which draws water from above the hypolimnion), and spill-way release. Dam storage volume was linked to the magnitude of thermal pollution downstream; high storage volumes were related to severe thermal suppressions, with an approximate 10 °C difference occurring when water originated from high and low storage volumes. Downstream temperatures were 8 ̶ 10 °C higher when surface releases were used via a thermal curtain and the spillway to mitigate cold water pollution that frequently occurs in the river. Demonstrating the effectiveness of engineering and operational strategies used to mitigate cold water pollution highlight their potential contribution to fish conservation, threatened species recovery and environmental remediation of aquatic ecosystems