MaB-flocs for a more sustainable wastewater treatment

Conventional wastewater treatment with activated sludge has a large carbon footprint, high aeration rates are combined with CO2 emission from bacteria. By using micro-algal bacterial flocs (MaB-flocs), CO2 could be captured within the biomass and oxygen could be produced in situ. In order to maximize this photosynthetic aeration and CO2 mitigation, we investigated whether inorganic carbon could alter the algae/bacteria ratio while keeping a good removal performance and settleability of the MaB-flocs. Therefore, three illuminated sequencing batch reactors with MaB-flocs were fed with synthetic wastewater enriched with 84.2, 42.1 and 0 mg L-1 C-KHCO3 supplemented with 0, 42.1, 84.2 mg L-1 C-sucrose, respectively, representing the inorganic carbon source compared to an organic carbon source. Bicarbonate significantly increased the chlorophyll a concentration of the MaB-flocs, but only poor settling flocs could be obtained causing a high turbidity of the effluent. Moreover, significant lower nitrogen removal efficiencies were measured feeding bicarbonate compared to sucrose and the pH increased (9.5). Sucrose benefited a good reactor performance and showed a good settleability of MaB-flocs. Despite the lower chlorophyll a concentration of the biomass and the lower in situ oxygen concentration, average soluble COD removal efficiencies of 95 % were achieved with sucrose. Furthermore sucrose was successful in containing the optimal pH at 7. This study shows the importance of the carbon source for a good reactor performance. As a consequence, the inorganic/organic carbon ratio of the wastewater should be taken into account when algal bacterial reactors are used for wastewater treatment

Test-retest reliability of questionnaires regarding attitudes and beliefs toward noise, hearing loss and hearing protector devices in young adults

Context: Young people expose themselves to high noise levels during leisure activities, and might thus be at risk of acquiring hearing-related problems. Therefore, information regarding risk-taking behavior is necessary to prevent future hearing problems and to optimize future preventive campaigns. Aim: This study evaluated the test–retest reliability of the Youth Attitude to Noise Scale (YANS) and beliefs about hearing protection and hearing loss (BAHPHL) instrument. Settings and Design: Forty-three young adults between 18 and 29 years filled in a questionnaire at two test moments. Materials and Methods: The YANS and BAHPHL instrument were used to evaluate the attitudes toward noise, hearing loss, and hearing protection. Each participant completed the retest within 21–55 days after the first administration of the questionnaire. Results: Paired Student’s t-tests showed no significant differences in mean scores between test and retest for both the entire YANS and BAHPHL instrument as well as their factors. Furthermore, a good agreement between test and retest scores was seen by Bland–Altman analyses. Intraclass correlation coefficients were above 0.70 for the entire YANS and the factor related to youth culture as well as for the entire BAHPHL and all the factors of the BAHPHL instrument, except for the factor related to the severity of the consequences of hearing loss. Conclusion: Reliable test–retest measurements of the YANS and BAHPHL instrument can be performed. Hence, these questionnaires can be used in longitudinal studies to explore young adults’ changes in attitudes toward noise, hearing loss, and hearing protection, with or without an educational intervention

Boosaardige catarraal koorts: een wolf in schaapskleren

During recent years an increasing number of outbreaks of Malignant Catharral Fever (MCF) in cattle has been reported in several European countries. The clinical picutre also seems to be changing: the disease used to be characterized by a low morbidity and a high mortality, but large outbreaks with high morbidity and high mortality have recently been reported in several European countries, including Belgium and the Netherlands. This evolution implies that MCF becomes increasingly an economically important disease. In this article an overview is presented on the current knowledge on MCF with emphasis on epidemiology, diagnosis and preventive measures. Due to the high seroprevalence in adult sheep and the absence of protective vaccines for cattle, the conclusion of this review is that at this moment prevention of MCF in cattle mainly depends on the stringent avoidance of all contacts between sheep and cattle

Chytridiomycosis related mortality in a midwife toad (Alytes obstetricans) in Belgium

Chytridiomycosis, caused by the fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis, contributes to amphibian declines worldwide. Recently, the fungus has shown to be widely distributed in Belgium and the Netherlands, although no clinical cases of the disease have been diagnosed yet. This case report describes the first case of mortality due to chytridiomycosis in Belgium in a wild population of midwife toads (Alytes obstetricans). The presence of clinical chytridiomycosis, combined with the relatively high prevalence of the fungus in Belgium, emphasizes the urgent need for a thorough study on the impact of infection on the native amphibian populations in Belgium

Impact of diversity of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae strains on lung lesions in slaughter pigs

The importance of diversity of Mycoplasma hyopneumoniae (M. hyopneumoniae) strains is not yet fully known. This study investigated the genetic diversity of M. hyopneumoniae strains in ten pig herds, and assessed associations between the presence of different strains of M. hyopneumoniae and lung lesions at slaughter. Within each herd, three batches of slaughter pigs were investigated. At slaughter, from each batch, 20 post mortem bronchoalveolar lavage fluid samples were collected for multiple locus variable-number tandem repeat analysis (MLVA), and lung lesions (Mycoplasma-like lesions, fissures) were examined. Multivariable analyses including potential risk factors for respiratory disease were performed to assess associations between the number of different strains per batch (three categories: one strain, two-six strains, >= seven strains), and the lung lesions as outcome variables. In total, 135 different M. hyopneumoniae strains were found. The mean (min.-max.) number of different strains per batch were 7 (1-13). Batches with two-six strains or more than six strains had more severe Mycoplasma-like lesions (P = 0.064 and P = 0.012, respectively), a higher prevalence of pneumonia [odds ratio (OR): 1.30, P = 0.33 and OR: 2.08, P = 0.012, respectively], and fissures (OR = 1.35, P = 0.094 and OR = 1.70, P = 0.007, respectively) compared to batches with only one strain. In conclusion, many different M. hyopneumoniae strains were found, and batches of slaughter pigs with different M. hyopneumoniae strains had a higher prevalence and severity of Mycoplasma-like lung lesions at slaughter, implying that reducing the number of different strains may lead to less lung lesions at slaughter and better respiratory health of the pigs

Transitional cell carcinoma of suspected ureteral origin, with intra-abdominal and distant metastases in two horses

The present paper describes two cases of suspected urothelial carcinomas with local lymphatic metastases, and distant metastases in the lungs. In one case, liver metastases were also present. Both cases are documented with an extensive clinical report, using bloodwork, rectal examination, ultrasonography, cytology of abdominal fluid and, in one case, also urine analysis, radiography and transrectal biopsy to come to a diagnosis of abdominal malignancy. Subsequently, the post-mortem exam, histopathology and immunohistochemistry are described and illustrated