Natural exposure of bats in Grenada to rabies virus

Introduction: Grenada is a rabies endemic country, where terrestrial rabies is maintained in the small Indian mongoose (Herpestes auropunctatus). The role of bats in the epidemiology of rabies in Grenada is unknown. A 1974 report described one rabies virus positive Jamaican fruit bat (Artibeus jamaicensis), and a high seroprevalence in this species. In the current study, the natural exposure to rabies virus in Grenadian bats was re-evaluated. It is postulated that bats serve as a natural rabies reservoir, probably circulating a bat-specific rabies virus variant. Material and methods: Bats were trapped in 2015 in all six parishes of Grenada using mist- and hand nets. For the detection of rabies virus in brain tissue, the direct fluorescent antibody test (dFAT) and the reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were used. Serum neutralizing antibodies were determined using the fluorescent antibody virus neutralization test (FAVN). Results and discussion: Brain tissue and sera from 111 insectivorous and frugivorous bats belonging to four species were tested (52 Artibeus jamaicensis, two Artibeus lituratus, 33 Glossophaga longirostris, 24 Molossus molossus). Rabies virus antigen and genomic RNA were not detected in brain tissues. Rabies virus neutralizing antibodies were detected in the sera of eight A. jamaicensis in four of the six parishes. Bats in Grenada continue to show natural exposure to rabies virus. As rabies virus was not isolated in this study, serology alone is not sufficient to determine the strain of rabies virus circulating in A. jamaicensis bats in Grenada. Conclusion: Artibeus jamaicensis appears to play a role as a reservoir bat species, which is of public health concern in Grenada. Dispersion of bats to neighboring islands is possible and serological bat surveys should be initiated in these neighboring states, especially in those areas that are free of rabies in terrestrial mammals

Dispersal history of a globally introduced carnivore, the small Indian mongoose Urva auropunctata, with an emphasis on the Caribbean region

International audienceThe small Indian mongoose has been introduced into several important hotspots of biodiversity and is considered the wild carnivore with the greatest negative impact on autochthonous ecosystems. Understanding the introduction and dispersal history of the species is crucial in any effort to conserve global biodiversity. We investigated the genetic structure and diversity of the small Indian mongoose, with a focus on the Caribbean region, using genetic data from 496 individuals. We performed molecular genetic analyses using two mitochondrial and eleven newly designed microsatellite markers. We compared our results with historical records and scenarios inferred from the literature. Consistent with historical records, molecular results suggest multiple introduction events into Jamaica from India, as well as the subsequent introduction of the species from Jamaica into Grenada and Puerto Rico. Our results also suggest new scenarios for other introduced populations. For instance, the introduction history of the species into Guadeloupe may be more complex than previously thought, sharing a common origin with the populations of Jamaica, Trinidad and Guyana. In addition, microsatellite data reveal a strong structuration of the populations within the West Indian islands, including nearby islands within the Guadeloupean archipelago, highlighting the lack of dispersal events between islands after the initial introductions. Conversely, the absence of structure inside each island indicates the high dispersal ability of the small Indian mongoose within these islands. These results and the newly developed microsatellite markers represent valuable tools to identify the origin of potential new introductions

Age-Dependent Control of Collagen-Dependent Platelet Responses by Thrombospondin-1—Comparative Analysis of Platelets from Neonates, Children, Adolescents, and Adults

Platelet function is developmentally regulated. Healthy neonates do not spontaneously bleed, but their platelets are hypo-reactive to several agonists. The mechanisms underlying immature platelet function in neonates are incompletely understood. This critical issue remains challenging for the establishment of age-specific reference ranges. In this study, we evaluated platelet reactivity of five pediatric age categories, ranging from healthy full-term neonates up to adolescents (11–18 years) in comparison to healthy adults (>18 years) by flow cytometry. We confirmed that platelet hypo-reactivity detected by fibrinogen binding, P-selectin, and CD63 surface expression was most pronounced in neonates compared to other pediatric age groups. However, maturation of platelet responsiveness varied with age, agonist, and activation marker. In contrast to TRAP and ADP, collagen-induced platelet activation was nearly absent in neonates. Granule secretion markedly remained impaired at least up to 10 years of age compared to adults. We show for the first time that neonatal platelets are deficient in thrombospondin-1, and exogenous platelet-derived thrombospondin-1 allows platelet responsiveness to collagen. Platelets from all pediatric age groups normally responded to the C-terminal thrombospondin-1 peptide RFYVVMWK. Thus, thrombospondin-1 deficiency of neonatal platelets might contribute to the relatively impaired response to collagen, and platelet-derived thrombospondin-1 may control distinct collagen-induced platelet responses

Articles Risk factors for recurrent venous thromboembolism in the European collaborative paediatric database on cerebral venous thrombosis: a multicentre cohort study

Summary Background The relative importance of previous diagnosis and hereditary prothrombotic risk factors for cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT) in children in determining risk of a second cerebral or systemic venous thrombosis (VT), compared with other clinical, neuroimaging, and treatment variables, is unknown

Le naturalisme en Autriche

La présence d’éléments naturalistes dans la littérature autrichienne est peu connue. En l’analysant dans des œuvres parues entre les années 1880 et les années 1970, d’Anzengruber à Innerhofer, ce volume permet de découvrir l’héritage naturaliste de Schnitzler, les réactions de Kraus, mais aussi la découverte de quelques oubliés de l’histoire littéraire et d’une terre fertile en productions naturalistes, la Moravie

Distribution of rabies cases in Grenada in period 1 (Apr 11–Mar 12), period 2 (Apr 12–Mar 13) and period 3 (Apr 13–Mar 14).

<p>Distribution of rabies cases in Grenada in period 1 (Apr 11–Mar 12), period 2 (Apr 12–Mar 13) and period 3 (Apr 13–Mar 14).</p

Number and distribution of mongooses trapped per parish in Grenada between Apr 2011 and Mar 2013.

<p>The proportions of seropositive mongooses are indicated, with the area of the circle proportional to the total number of animals trapped in each parish. Only one seropositive mongoose was caught during April 2011 and March 2012, in the parish of St Patrick.</p

Molecular clock model output.

<p>* years since most recent strains (2013),</p>++<p>AICM is an analogue of Akaike's information criterion estimated through Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation using the method-of-moments estimator <a href="http://www.plosntds.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pntd.0003251#pntd.0003251-Baele1" target="_blank">[33]</a>. Lower values indicate better model fit.</p><p>Molecular clock model output.</p

Rabies virus positive animals from Grenada from April 2011 to March 2014.

<p>n/a not available.</p><p>Rabies virus positive animals from Grenada from April 2011 to March 2014.</p