Increasing Incidence of Geomyces destructans Fungus in Bats from the Czech Republic and Slovakia

BACKGROUND: White-nose syndrome is a disease of hibernating insectivorous bats associated with the fungus Geomyces destructans. It first appeared in North America in 2006, where over a million bats died since then. In Europe, G. destructans was first identified in France in 2009. Its distribution, infection dynamics, and effects on hibernating bats in Europe are largely unknown. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: We screened hibernacula in the Czech Republic and Slovakia for the presence of the fungus during the winter seasons of 2008/2009 and 2009/2010. In winter 2009/2010, we found infected bats in 76 out of 98 surveyed sites, in which the majority had been previously negative. A photographic record of over 6000 hibernating bats, taken since 1994, revealed bats with fungal growths since 1995; however, the incidence of such bats increased in Myotis myotis from 2% in 2007 to 14% by 2010. Microscopic, cultivation and molecular genetic evaluations confirmed the identity of the recently sampled fungus as G. destructans, and demonstrated its continuous distribution in the studied area. At the end of the hibernation season we recorded pathologic changes in the skin of the affected bats, from which the fungus was isolated. We registered no mass mortality caused by the fungus, and the recorded population decline in the last two years of the most affected species, M. myotis, is within the population trend prediction interval. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: G. destructans was found to be widespread in the Czech Republic and Slovakia, with an epizootic incidence in bats during the most recent years. Further development of the situation urgently requires a detailed pan-European monitoring scheme

Evidence for 'critical slowing down' in seagrass:a stress gradient experiment at the southern limit of its range

The theory of critical slowing down, i.e. the increasing recovery times of complex systems close to tipping points, has been proposed as an early warning signal for collapse. Empirical evidence for the reality of such warning signals is still rare in ecology. We studied this on Zostera noltii intertidal seagrass meadows at their southern range limit, the Banc d'Arguin, Mauritania. We analyse the environmental covariates of recovery rates using structural equation modelling (SEM), based on an experiment in which we assessed whether recovery after disturbances (i.e. seagrass & infauna removal) depends on stress intensity (increasing with elevation) and disturbance patch size (1 m(2) vs. 9 m(2)). The SEM analyses revealed that higher biofilm density and sediment accretion best explained seagrass recovery rates. Experimental disturbances were followed by slow rates of recovery, regrowth occurring mainly in the coolest months of the year. Macrofauna recolonisation lagged behind seagrass recovery. Overall, the recovery rate was six times slower in the high intertidal zone than in the low zone. The large disturbances in the low zone recovered faster than the small ones in the high zone. This provides empirical evidence for critical slowing down with increasing desiccation stress in an intertidal seagrass system

Comparison of PCR-based DNA markers for using different Lr19 and Lr24 leaf rust resistance wheat sources

Both resistance genes Lr19 and Lr24 originate from Agropyron elongatum . The gene Lr24 is derived from two different translocations: 1BS/3Ag (‘Amigo’) or 3DS/3Ag (‘Agent’). The use of molecular markers makes selection easier during the breeding process as well as in the selection of the parents. In this study, two markers were used to identify the gene Lr19 (GbF/R 130 , SCS265 512 ) and four different markers (J9/1-2 310 , SC-H5 700 , SCS1302 613 and SCS1326 607 ) were available to search for the gene Lr24 . The GbF/ R130 marker for gene Lr19 worked well, but the SCAR marker SCS265 512 proved to be easier to use in MAS. SCAR markers SCS1302 613 and SCS1326 607 proved to be highly reliable and effective for gene Lr24 not only in Agent-derived sources but also in ‘Amigo’ derivatives. The STS marker J9/1-2 310 and the SCAR marker SC-H5 700 required several modifications and were effective only in ‘Agent’ offsprings

Identification of the Lr34/Yr18 rust resistance gene region in a Hungarian wheat breeding programme

The presence and frequency of the resistance gene complex Lr34/Yr18 was investigated in the wheat breeding programme of the Agricultural Research Institute, Martonvásár, Hungary. A total of 226 wheat cultivars and advanced lines from Hungary and other countries were tested with an STS marker, csLV34 , to understand the distribution of the Lr34/Yr18 resistance gene complex. A 150-bp PCR fragment was amplified in 64 wheat cultivars and lines with the resistance genes Lr34/Yr18 , while a 229-bp fragment was detected in 162 genotypes without Lr34/Yr18 . The genotypes with Lr34/Yr18 accounted for 28.3% of the wheat cultivars and advanced lines tested. Among the 128 varieties and breeding lines of Martonvásár origin tested, 34 carried the Lr34/Yr18 genes, with a frequency of 26.6%. The frequency of these genes was 30.6% in genotypes of other origin. The STS marker csLV34 could be used as an effective tool for the marker-assisted selection of Lr34/Yr18 genes in breeding wheat cultivars with durable rust resistance

Are barriers in accessing health services in the Roma population associated with worse health status among Roma?

The health of Roma has been found to be poorer than that of the majority population. The aim of this study was to explore the differences between Roma and non-Roma regarding perceived barriers in accessing health services. Furthermore, we aimed to assess the association between self-rated health status and Roma ethnicity and explore to what degree barriers in accessing health services explain this association. We used data from the cross-sectional HepaMeta study conducted in 2011 in Slovakia. The final sample comprised 452 Roma (mean age 34.7; 35.2 % men) and 403 (mean age 33.5; 45.9 % men) non-Roma respondents. Roma ethnicity was found to be significantly associated with poorer self-rated health status. A considerable part of this association can be explained by barriers in accessing health services as perceived by Roma. Worse health in Roma is partially mediated by worse access to health services, apart from a large educational gap between Roma living in settlements and the majority population. Interventions should focus not only on health literacy among Roma but also on the health care system and health care professionals