The Ecuadorian Artisanal Fishery for Large Pelagics: Species Composition and Spatio-Temporal Dynamics.

The artisanal fisheries of Ecuador operate within one of the most dynamic and productive marine ecosystems of the world. This study investigates the catch composition of the Ecuadorian artisanal fishery for large pelagic fishes, including aspects of its spatio-temporal dynamics. The analyses of this study are based on the most extensive dataset available to date for this fishery: a total of 106,963 trip-landing inspection records collected at its five principal ports during 2008 ‒ 2012. Ecuadorian artisanal fisheries remove a substantial amount of biomass from the upper trophic-level predatory fish community of the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. It is estimated that at least 135 thousand metric tons (mt) (about 15.5 million fish) were landed in the five principal ports during the study period. The great novelty of Ecuadorian artisanal fisheries is the "oceanic-artisanal" fleet component, which consists of mother-ship (nodriza) boats with their towed fiber-glass skiffs (fibras) operating with pelagic longlines. This fleet has fully expanded into oceanic waters as far offshore as 100°W, west of the Galapagos Archipelago. It is estimated that nodriza operations produce as much as 80% of the total catches of the artisanal fishery. The remainder is produced by independent fibras operating in inshore waters with pelagic longlines and/or surface gillnets. A multivariate regression tree analysis was used to investigate spatio-environmental effects on the nodriza fleet (n = 6,821 trips). The catch species composition of the nodriza fleet is strongly influenced by the northwesterly circulation of the Humboldt Current along the coast of Peru and its associated cold waters masses. The target species and longline gear-type used by nodrizas change seasonally with the incursion of cool waters (< 25°C) from the south and offshore. During this season, dolphinfish (Coryphaena hippurus) dominates the catches. However, in warmer waters, the fishery changes to tuna-billfish-shark longline gear and the catch composition becomes much more diverse.

[Mortality caused by bacteremia Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. extended-spectrum beta-lactamase- producers: a retrospective cohort from a hospital in Lima, Peru]. / Mortalidad por bacteriemia causada por Escherichia coli y Klebsiella spp. productoras de beta lactamasas de espectro extendido: cohorte retrospectiva en un hospital de Lima, Perú.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the factors associated to mortality caused by bacteremia due to Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. producers of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a retrospective cohort study, including 85 patients older than 16 and diagnosed with bacteremia by Escherichia coli or Klebsiella spp., hospitalized between 2006 and 2008 in Cayetano Heredia National Hospital. Cohorts were classified according to the ESBL production following blood culture results. Factors associated to gross and attributable mortality were evaluated using the Poisson regression in a multivariate model, through which adjusted relative risks (ARRs) were obtained. Mortality curves were also built. RESULTS: 35.3% of bacteremia cases were caused by ESBL-producing strains. The analysis of gross mortality showed a higher mortality rate in the group with ESBL producing strains (63.3%), ARR being 1.5 (CI 95%: 1.02-2.3). In the case of the attributable mortality, the proportion was also higher (63.3%), ARR being 1.9 (CI 95%: 1.2-2.9). The use of a central venous catheter was another factor associated to both gross mortality (ARR= 2.4; CI 95%: 1.2-4.8) and attributable mortality (ARR= 3.8; CI 95%: 1.6-8.8). CONCLUSIONS: The production of ESBL is an independent risk factor for bacteremia mortality caused by E. coli and Klebsiella spp. Its presence should be evaluated following diagnosis consideration and initial therapy elaboration, which could in turn decrease the mortality by this cause.

Mortalidad por bacteriemia causada por Escherichia coli y Klebsiella spp. productoras de beta lactamasas de espectro extendido: cohorte retrospectiva en un hospital de Lima, Perú / Mortality caused by bacteremia Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. extended-spectrum beta-lactamase- producers: a retrospective cohort from a hospital in Lima, Peru

Objetivos. Evaluar los factores asociados a la mortalidad causada por bacteriemias por Escherichia coli y Klebsiella spp. productoras de beta lactamasas de espectro extendido (BLEE). Materiales y Métodos. Se realizó un estudio de cohortes retrospectivo, que incluyó 85 pacientes mayores de 16 años con diagnóstico de bacteriemia por Escherichia coli o Klebsiella spp. hospitalizados entre 2006 y 2008 en el Hospital Nacional Cayetano Heredia. Las cohortes se clasificaron de acuerdo a la producción de BLEE según los resultados de los hemocultivos. Se evaluaron los factores asociados a la mortalidad cruda y atribuible empleando regresión de Poisson en un modelo multivariado, con lo que se obtuvo riesgos relativos ajustados (RRa). Además, se construyeron curvas de mortalidad. Resultados. Se encontró que el 35,3% de las bacteriemias fueron debidas a cepas productoras de BLEE. El análisis de la mortalidad cruda mostró una mayor mortalidad en el grupo de cepas productoras de BLEE (63,3%). El RRa fue de 1,5 (IC95%: 1,02-2,3). En el caso de mortalidad atribuible, la proporción también fue mayor (63,3%), el RRa fue de 1,9 (IC95%: 1,2-2,9). El uso de catéter venoso central fue otro factor asociado tanto a la mortalidad cruda (RRa= 2,4; IC95%: 1,2- 4,8) como a la mortalidad atribuible (RRa= 3,8; IC95%: 1,6-8,8). Conclusiones. La producción de BLEE es un factor de riesgo independiente para mortalidad por bacteriemia causada por E. coli y Klebsiella spp. Su presencia debe evaluarse tras la sospecha diagnóstica y la elaboración de la terapéutica inicial, lo que podría disminuir la mortalidad por esta causa.

Objectives. To evaluate the factors associated to mortality caused by bacteremia due to Escherichia coli and Klebsiella spp. producers of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL). Materials and methods. We performed a retrospective cohort study, including 85 patients older than 16 and diagnosed with bacteremia by Escherichia coli or Klebsiella spp., hospitalized between 2006 and 2008 in Cayetano Heredia National Hospital. Cohorts were classified according to the ESBL production following blood culture results. Factors associated to gross and attributable mortality were evaluated using the Poisson regression in a multivariate model, through which adjusted relative risks (ARRs) were obtained. Mortality curves were also built. Results. 35.3% of bacteremia cases were caused by ESBL-producing strains. The analysis of gross mortality showed a higher mortality rate in the group with ESBL producing strains (63.3%), ARR being 1.5 (CI 95%: 1.02-2.3). In the case of the attributable mortality, the proportion was also higher (63.3%), ARR being 1.9 (CI 95%: 1.2-2.9). The use of a central venous catheter was another factor associated to both gross mortality (ARR= 2.4; CI 95%: 1.2-4.8) and attributable mortality (ARR= 3.8; CI 95%: 1.6-8.8). Conclusions. The production of ESBL is an independent risk factor for bacteremia mortality caused by E. coli and Klebsiella spp. Its presence should be evaluated following diagnosis consideration and initial therapy elaboration, which could in turn decrease the mortality by this cause.

Demographic processes underlying subtle patterns of population structure in the scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini.

Genetic diversity (θ), effective population size (N(e)), and contemporary levels of gene flow are important parameters to estimate for species of conservation concern, such as the globally endangered scalloped hammerhead shark, Sphyrna lewini. Therefore, we have reconstructed the demographic history of S. lewini across its Eastern Pacific (EP) range by applying classical and coalescent population genetic methods to a combination of 15 microsatellite loci and mtDNA control region sequences. In addition to significant population genetic structure and isolation-by-distance among seven coastal sites between central Mexico and Ecuador, the analyses revealed that all populations have experienced a bottleneck and that all current values of θ are at least an order of magnitude smaller than ancestral θ, indicating large decreases in N(e) (θ = 4N(e)µ), where µ is the mutation rate. Application of the isolation-with-migration (IM) model showed modest but significant genetic connectivity between most sampled sites (point estimates of Nm = 0.1-16.7), with divergence times (t) among all populations significantly greater than zero. Using a conservative (i.e., slow) fossil-based taxon-specific phylogenetic calibration for mtDNA mutation rates, posterior probability distributions (PPDs) for the onset of the decline in N(e) predate modern fishing in this region. The cause of decline over the last several thousand years is unknown but is highly atypical as a post-glacial demographic history. Regardless of the cause, our data and analyses suggest that S. lewini was far more abundant throughout the EP in the past than at present.