The application of exopolysaccharides (EPS) can prevent viral disease of fish

In the frame of investigations on the use of exopolysaccharides (EPS) from Arthrospira platensis in carp and koi cultures, two animal experiments were carried out to assess their efficiency as prophylactic and metaphylactic (therapeutic) measures against koi herpesvirus disease (KHVD). In experiment 1, carp were treated with algae biomass (BM) and EPS before and after infection with European lineage koi herpesvirus (KHV-E). In experiment 2, carp were treated with EPS prior and after the infection with Taiwan isolate of KHV (KHV-T), only prior to infection with higher concentration of EPS or only after the infection with KHV-T. No conclusive protection against KHV was observed in experiment 1 in carp treated with BM. In groups where EPS was applied, carp were protected to a certain extent. In experiment 2, carp were protected significantly against a severe KHVD outbreak. In the prophylactic group, which received a double EPS concentration for six weeks, and in the metaphylactic group, KHVD was stopped. Fish developed antibodies against EPS as well as against KHV at day 30 post infection

Strict Biosecurity and Epidemiological Segmentation Enable Partial Culling During a Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza Outbreak

Martin J Oettler,1,* Gerald Stumpf,2,* Katja Schulz,1 Matthias Todte,3 Klim Hüttner,4 Heidemarie Heyne,5 Thomas C Mettenleiter,6 Franz J Conraths,1 Carola Sauter-Louis1 1Institute of Epidemiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493, Germany; 2Veterinary and Food Inspection Office, Güstrow, 18273, Germany; 3Veterinary Practice MMT, Köthen (Anhalt) 06366, Germany; 4Veterinary Epidemiological Service, State Institute for Agriculture, Food Safety and Fisheries Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Rostock, 18059, Germany; 5Animal Health Division, Ministry for Climate Protection, Agriculture, Rural Areas and the Environment of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwerin, 19061, Germany; 6Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493, Germany*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Martin J Oettler, Institute of Epidemiology, Friedrich-Loeffler-Institut, Federal Research Institute for Animal Health, Südufer 10, Greifswald-Insel Riems, 17493, Germany, Email [email protected]: The mandatory procedures to be followed after official confirmation of an outbreak of category A animal infectious diseases, including highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), is laid down in European and national legislation. Typically, an outbreak of HPAI results in the destruction of the entire poultry population on the affected holding.Case Presentation: The presented case reports a deviation from this approach, demonstrating the practicality of partial culling in a highly biosecure, epidemiologically segmented holding. These on-site circumstances together with the specific risk assessment led to the elimination of only the affected unit, thereby inhibiting the further spread of the disease. After the destruction of the respective unit (farm), the other farms were closely monitored and tested continuously negative for HPAI virus (HPAIV) despite intensive systematic sampling. In the end, this procedure saved approximately 138,000 animals, ie 75% of the poultry population of the holding from destruction.Conclusion: This case demonstrates the effectiveness of proper management and high-level biosecurity to avoid excessive destruction of animals in case of an infectious disease outbreak. It might be suitable as a best-practice example in similar situations.Keywords: epidemiology, epidemiological unit, biosafety, infectious animal diseases, poultr

Data from: Determinants of between-year burrow re-occupation in a colony of the European Bee-eater Merops apiaster

Re-occupation of existing nesting burrows in the European bee-eater Merops apiaster has only rarely – and if so mostly anecdotically – been documented in the literature record, although such behavior would substantially save time and energy. In this study, we quantify burrow re-occupation in a German colony over a period of eleven years and identify ecological variables determining reuse probability. Of 179 recorded broods, 54% took place in a reused burrow and the overall probability that one of 75 individually recognized burrows would be reused in a given subsequent year was estimated as 26.4%. This indicates that between-year burrow reuse is a common behavior in the study colony which contrasts with findings from studies in other colonies. Furthermore, burrow re-occupation probability declined highly significantly with increasing age of the breeding wall. Statistical separation of within- and between-burrow effects of the age of the breeding wall revealed that a decline in re-occupation probability with individual burrow age was responsible for this and not a selective disappearance of burrows with high re-occupation probability over time. Limited duty cycles of individual burrows may be caused by accumulating detritus or decreasing stability with increasing burrow age. Alternatively, burrow fidelity may presuppose pair fidelity which may also explain the observed restricted burrow reuse duty cycles. A consequent next step would be to extend our within-colony approach to other colonies and compare the ecological circumstances under which bee-eaters reuse breeding burrows

Northern range shift may be due to increased competition induced by protection of species rather than to climate change alone

International audienceFew long-term, large-scale studies have been conducted about the factors likely to explain changes in species abundance and distribution in winter. Range shifts are generally attributed to the climate change or land use. This study shows that other factors such as species protection and the ensuing increasing numbers of individuals and competition could be involved. It details the progressive conquest of France, the most important European wintering area for great cormorant, in three decades as its legal protection by the EU Birds Directive. It is based on 13 exhaustive national counts. Cormorants first occupied the farthest areas (Atlantic and Mediterranean lagoons, then larger rivers) from the main-core European breeding area, with only progressive occupancy of the northeastern part later. This strategy mainly resulted from competition for optimal available feeding areas. Suboptimal areas (smaller wetlands harboring smaller night roosts, colder northeastern French areas) and progressive fragmentation of large night roosts into smaller, better located ones minimized flight costs. The coldest areas were occupied last, once other areas were saturated. Their occupancy was favored locally by the global climate change, but it played a minor role in these strategies. Both factors induced only a small NNE shift of the weighted centroid range of the wintering population (2.6km/year) which mainly resulted from competition (buffer effect). Only the 2009 cold wave decreased the total number of wintering cormorants at the national scale, once the population had probably reached the carrying capacity of the country, while the previous cold waves had a minor effect. Comparatively, there was a greater SSE range shift of the weighted centroid of the breeding population (4.66km/year). Range shifts of other recently protected species have been attributed to the sole climate change in the literature, but competition due to the saturation of usual wintering or breeding areas should be considered too