Mongooses (\u3ci\u3eUrva auropunctata\u3c/i\u3e) as reservoir hosts of leptospira species in the United States Virgin Islands, 2019–2020

During 2019–2020, the Virgin Islands Department of Health investigated potential animal reservoirs of Leptospira spp., the bacteria that cause leptospirosis. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated Leptospira spp. exposure and carriage in the small Indian mongoose (Urva auropunctata, syn: Herpestes auropunctatus), an invasive animal species. This study was conducted across the three main islands of the U.S. Virgin Islands (USVI), which are St. Croix, St. Thomas, and St. John. We used the microscopic agglutination test (MAT), fluorescent antibody test (FAT), real-time polymerase chain reaction (lipl32 rt-PCR), and bacterial culture to evaluate serum and kidney specimens and compared the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of these laboratory meth-ods. Mongooses (n = 274) were live-trapped at 31 field sites in ten regions across USVI and humanely euthanized for Leptospira spp. testing. Bacterial isolates were sequenced and evaluated for species and phylogenetic analysis using the ppk gene. Anti-Leptospira spp. antibodies were detected in 34% (87/256) of mongooses. Reactions were observed with the following serogroups: Sejroe, Icterohaemorrhagiae, Pyrogenes, Mini, Cynopteri, Australis, Hebdomadis, Autumnalis, Mankarso, Pomona, and Ballum. Of the kidney specimens exam-ined, 5.8% (16/270) were FAT-positive, 10% (27/274) were culture-positive, and 12.4% (34/ 274) were positive by rt-PCR. Of the Leptospira spp. isolated from mongooses, 25 were L. borgpetersenii, one was L. interrogans, and one was L. kirschneri. Positive predictive values of FAT and rt-PCR testing for predicting successful isolation of Leptospira by culture were 88% and 65%, respectively. The isolation and identification of Leptospira spp. in mongooses highlights the potential role of mongooses as a wildlife reservoir of leptospirosis; mongooses could be a source of Leptospira spp. infections for other wildlife, domestic animals, and humans

Literature Review on Issues of Work Life Balance, Workplace Culture and Maternity/Childcare Issues

peer-reviewedThis report is a literature review of work-life balance, workplace culture and maternity/childcare issues. It draws on national and international research, policy and legislation, and looks particularly at the role each of these factors play in the decision-making strategies of those facing a crisis pregnanc

‘What's coming up in the exam?’ A survey of teachers and the delivery of a gender-balanced curriculum

This articles reports on the findings of a study carried out in 2003-2004 which examined gender perspectives in the delivery and assessment of junior cycle history. The study was a collaborative effort between the School of Education and Lifelong Learning, University College Dublin, and the Centre for Gender and Women’s Studies, Trinity College Dublin. Commissioned by the Gender Equality Unit of the Department of Education and Science, the principal aim of the study was to examine how men and women are represented in the junior cycle history syllabus. The principal focus of this article is to report on a key aspect of the overall research study*/namely, the gendered nature of examination questions at junior cycle history and teachers’ beliefs in relation to gender equality in the classroom. Central to the study was a survey of the views of practising (n/249) and trainee history teachers (n/46). Key findings included the under-representation of females in the historical narrative and in the state examinations in junior cycle history and the frustration of a significant number of teachers at the lack of gender balance in available teaching materials