Genetic relatedness, virulence, and drug susceptibility of Campylobacter isolated from water and wild birds.

Introduction: This study aimed to identify the characteristics of Campylobacter isolated from wild birds (Black-headed gulls Chroicocephalus ridibundus and Great tits Parus major) and collect surface water samples (from rivers, ponds, ornamental lakes, freshwater beaches). Research material included 33 Campylobacter isolates. All the strains were isolated by different monitoring and surveillance plans. Methods: The prevalence of selected genes (flaA, cadF, iam, cdtB, wlaN, sodB, tet0) encoding virulence factors and resistance among Campylobacter spp. was assessed by the PCR method. The genetic similarities of isolates were determined by Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). The susceptibility of Campylobacter isolates to clinically important antimicrobials: erythromycin, tetracycline, and ciprofloxacin, previously assessed by E-test, was presented in the form of drug susceptibility profiles depending on the origin of the isolates. Results: The cadF, flaA, cdtB, and sodB genes exhibited the highest detection rate. Statistically significant differences between the presence of wlaN virulence genes were noted among different species of the isolates. No genetically identical isolates were found. The most numerous antibiotic susceptibility profile included strains susceptible to all antibiotics studied (profile A-33.3%). The second most common were the tetracycline - and ciprofloxacin-resistant (profile B-27.2%), and tetracycline-resistant profile (C-24.2%) respectively. Discussion: The study revealed the virulent properties of Campylobacter isolated from water samples, and wild birds, and high resistance rates to tetracycline, and fluoroquinolones. The lack of genetic relatedness among strains isolated from water, and birds may indicate other sources of surface water contamination with Campylobacter bacteria than birds. The presence of Campylobacter spp. in wild birds could also have other environmental origins.

Supporting dataset for elemental traits of plant-invertebrate food web components of oilseed rape fields.

This dataset is provided in support of the paper "Edge effect imprint on elemental traits of plant-invertebrate food web components of oilseed rape fields" (Orlowski et al., 2019). Supplementary data are given on the following: (1) the full taxonomic list of invertebrates (n = 12 916) classified into food guilds and functional groups, which were sampled in 34 oilseed rape fields in SW Poland in spring 2015; (2) concentrations of 12 chemical elements measured in invertebrates; (3) the relationships between abundance and percentage (%) in the community of major invertebrate groups, and habitat variables; (4) the statistical tests comparing the concentrations of chemical elements between the different groupings of organisms; (5) the relationships between the elemental traits of oilseed rape plant samples and major functional invertebrate groupings or main taxonomic insect groups, and the habitat variables of oilseed rape fields.

Edge effect imprint on elemental traits of plant-invertebrate food web components of oilseed rape fields.

Of fundamental importance for the functioning of a community is the flow of energy and elements through its components. However, the question of how (if at all) the edge effect of habitats can drive elemental traits of organisms has hitherto been largely neglected issue in ecosystem ecology at the community level. We quantified the abundance of invertebrates and measured the elemental composition (K, Na, Ca, Mg, Cu, Zn, Fe, Mn, As, Cd, Co and Pb) of 15 different organisms within the plant-invertebrate food web (plant - oilseed rape pests/herbivores - pollinators = wild bees - saprovores - predators - parasitoids) sampled in 34 fields of a key bioenergy crop that is an exceptionally strong biodiversity driver, the oilseed rape. Then these were related to the individual field edge habitat features (including typically anthropogenic ones like dirt and tarred roads) measured within a 100 m radius around the invertebrate sampling sites. Our study showed that elemental traits of the plant-invertebrate food web components in oilseed rape crops varied owing to the habitat specificity determined at the relatively small spatial scale of an individual field, and that the elemental traits of these organisms differed from both an inter- and an intra-guild perspective. The major mechanistic explanation for most of these relationships seems to derive from the secondary gut content effect. Determining one single state for the homeostatic/stoichiometric regulation of chemical elements in invertebrates based on the application of whole-body metal concentrations is in principle impossible, because of the unknown noise caused by the inclusion of extracellular portions of metals in the analysis. It is thus imperative to develop consistent principles for assessing elemental traits of organisms that are based on highly sensitive and high-throughput analytical methods for the ionomic profiling of microsamples at the organ, tissue, cellular or even sub-cellular levels.

Effects of chemical elements in the trophic levels of natural salt marshes.

The relationships between the bioaccumulation of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, Cd, and Pb, acidity (pH), salinity (Ec), and organic matter content within trophic levels (water-soil-plants-invertebrates) were studied in saline environments in Poland. Environments included sodium manufactures, wastes utilization areas, dumping grounds, and agriculture cultivation, where disturbed Ca, Mg, and Fe exist and the impact of Cd and Pb is high. We found Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, and Cd accumulation in the leaves of plants and in invertebrates. Our aim was to determine the selectivity exhibited by soil for nutrients and heavy metals and to estimate whether it is important in elucidating how these metals are available for plant/animal uptake in addition to their mobility and stability within soils. We examined four ecological plant groups: trees, shrubs, minor green plants, and water macrophytes. Among invertebrates, we sampled breastplates Malacostraca, small arachnids Arachnida, diplopods Diplopoda, small insects Insecta, and snails Gastropoda. A higher level of chemical elements was found in saline polluted areas (sodium manufactures and anthropogenic sites). Soil acidity and salinity determined the bioaccumulation of free radicals in the trophic levels measured. A pH decrease caused Zn and Cd to increase in sodium manufactures and an increase in Ca, Zn, Cu, Cd, and Pb in the anthropogenic sites. pH increase also caused Na, Mg, and Fe to increase in sodium manufactures and an increase in Na, Fe, Mn, and Co in the anthropogenic sites. There was a significant correlation between these chemical elements and Ec in soils. We found significant relationships between pH and Ec, which were positive in saline areas of sodium manufactures and negative in the anthropogenic and control sites. These dependencies testify that the measurement of the selectivity of cations and their fluctuation in soils provide essential information on the affinity and binding strength in these environments. The chemical elements accumulated in soils and plants; however, further flow is selective and variable. The selectivity exhibited by soil systems for nutrients and heavy metals is important in elucidating how these metals become available for plant/animal uptake and also their mobility and stability in soils.

Variable contribution of functional prey groups in diets reveals inter- and intraspecific differences in faecal concentrations of essential and non-essential elements in three sympatric avian aerial insectivores: a re-assessment of usefulness of bird faeces in metal biomonitoring.

Aerial insectivores through their insect diet can contribute to biotransfer of elements across habitats. We investigate the relationship between dietary composition as expressed by the contributions of six functional invertebrate prey groups (primarily of agriculturally subsidised invertebrates characteristic of agricultural areas in temperate regions of Europe) and concentrations of essential (Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Cu, Zn, Mn, Co) and non-essential (As, Cd, Pb) elements of environmental concern in the faeces of nestlings of three species of avian aerial insectivores - Common Swift Apus apus, Barn Swallow Hirundo rustica and House Martin Delichon urbicum - which breed sympatrically and use apparently similar resources of flying insect prey. There were significant differences between the species for 7 of the 12 elements (Ca, Zn, Cu, Co, As, Pb, Cd); these differences were attributable to the variable dietary composition, even though the concentrations of the elements varied enormously between the faecal samples from the individual species. Partial correlation analysis between the biomass (expressed in mg dry weight) of the six functional prey groups and faecal concentrations of elements showed the highest number of significant relationships for toxic metals (As, Pb and Cd). The results of the General Regression Model explaining faecal element concentrations revealed the different explanatory power of the effects of PCA (of six functional prey groups) dietary scores. A significant fit of GRM was obtained for 7 elements (Na, Mg, Fe, Mn, As, Pb, Cd) for Barn Swallows, 2 elements (Cu, As) for House Martins and 1 element (Mn) for Common Swifts. Overall, the results confirmed our predictions that the biomass of consumed coprophilous taxa and insects from crop habitats was positively correlated with the faecal concentrations of toxic elements. Unexpectedly, however, the faecal samples (primarily those of Common Swifts) that contained many oil-seed rape insect pests had lower Ca, Pb and Cd levels and a higher As level. Our study implies that the cross-boundary transfer of contaminants, primarily non-essential elements, by aerially foraging birds through the considerable accumulation of their faeces has potential consequences for the local biogeochemical cycle and environmental quality.

Blood plasma levels of microelements in patients with history of optic neuritis.

PURPOSE: To determine the concentration of microelements in the blood of patients with a history of retrobulbar optic neuritis (ON). MATERIALS AND METHODS: We examined 36 patients (18-63 years of age) - 11 with demyelinating ON (Group 1) and 25 with isolated ON (Group 2) - all of whom had been treated for retrobulbar ON. The control group comprised 38 healthy volunteers. Using atomic absorption spectroscopy, blood levels of zinc (Zn), iron (Fe), copper (Cu) and cadmium (Cd) were evaluated. RESULTS: Compared with the control group, concentrations of Cd were elevated in Groups 1 and 2 (p = 0.003 and p = 0.003, respectively); Group 1 had higher levels of Cu (p = 0.02). Patients from both groups had significantly lower levels of Fe (p = 0.0003) compared with controls. No difference in the concentration of any of the microelements was found between Groups 1 and 2. CONCLUSION: Disturbances in Cd, Cu and Fe homeostasis may be associated with the inflammatory process of ON.

Essential and nonessential elements in nestling rooks Corvus frugilegus from eastern Poland with a special emphasis on their high cadmium contamination.

Concentration of minerals (sodium, potassium, calcium [Ca], magnesium, iron [Fe], copper, zinc [Zn], manganese [Mn], and cobalt) as well as toxic metals (cadmium [Cd], lead [Pb]) were determined in five tissues (liver, lung, kidney, muscle, and bone) of nestling rooks (Corvus frugilegus; 1 to 13 days old) found dead in seven breeding colonies in eastern Poland. Cd concentration in all analyzed tissues was in the narrow range of 17.0-17.2 mg/kg dry weight (dw) Cd, which in the light of the literature data indicates acute contamination by this toxic metal. Similarly, we found increased levels of Pb, which in all tissues ranged between 5.0 and 6.2 mg/kg dw. Results of multivariate general linear model (GLM) testing of the effect of three variables (tissue type, colony, and nestling age) on tissue concentrations of various metals showed significance for Fe, Cu, Zn, and Mn. Only concentrations of Ca, Fe, and Zn differed significantly between the analyzed tissues. GLM analysis did not show any statistically significant differences in tissue levels of minerals and both toxic metals among examined rookeries, which indicates the widespread presence of nonpoint Cd and Pb pollution linked to agricultural activity and similar levels of these inorganic contaminants on crop fields (feeding grounds) around breeding colonies. We concluded that high levels of both toxic metals, Cd and Pb, probably resulting from the diet of nestling rooks, are based mainly on a diet of ground-dwelling beetles gathered on crop fields.

Ecophysiological determinations of antioxidant enzymes and lipoperoxidation in the blood of White Stork Ciconia ciconia from Poland.

The aim of this study was to investigate the activity of antioxidant enzymes in the blood of White Stork Ciconia ciconia chicks (aged 19-54 days) in Poland in 2006. We took under consideration superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ceruloplasmine (CP), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR) and the content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (malondialdehyde) in polluted (copper manufacture), suburban areas, at the Odra meadows, and at swamps near Baltic Sea in the Pomeranian region. We examined the levels of Na, K, Ca, Mg, Fe, Zn, Cu, Mn, Co, Cd, and Pb and compared ecophysiological determinations for developing storks. Blood samples of wing venous were collected from 91 chicks from 33 nests. The degree of activity of antioxidant enzymes studied has been different in White Stork chicks' blood from Poland regions, as a rule. We have stated a relatively high level of CAT, GPx, SOD, and GR activity and malondialdehyde (MDA) content in chicks from polluted areas. However, relative value for GR in storks from Odra meadows was considerably higher (about 112 nmol NADPH(2)/min ml) than those in chicks from other environments (56-84 nmol on average). Relatively high levels of CAT, CP, and GPx (2.7 mkM/min l, 22.2 mg/l, and 3.8 nmol GSH/min ml, respectively) were also stated in chicks nested in swamps near Baltic Sea. Simultaneously, we have stated differences (p<0.02-p<0.001) in the level of elements (besides Ca) in blood of young storks from the studied areas. We found a high level of toxic metals, e.g. Cd, either from swamps near Baltic Sea (2.7 mg/kg) or from Glogów smelter (2.2mg/kg), whilst Pb concentration was high in chicks from Glogów (7.2 mg/kg). Cd and Pb levels in blood of chicks were different in individuals from each region (p<0.001). Birds from a smelter have the highest level of these elements, whereas the lowest one was stated in chicks from Odra meadows (Cd: 1.45, Pb: 0.84 mg/kg). Thus, Cd could be a useful marker of response for polluted stress. We also observed a relatively high level of Mg in chicks from both Pomeranian (7000 mg/kg) and polluted (about 6000 mg/kg) areas. Potassium, zinc, and cobalt levels were highest in chicks from suburbs (4.65, 10.1, and 2.7 mg/kg, respectively) and polluted regions (3.8, 9.7, and 5.6 mg/kg, respectively), whilst Cu and Mn were highest in those from polluted (10.9 and 47.6 mg/kg, respectively) and Pomeranian regions (11 and 42.2 mg/kg, respectively). Concentrations of Na, K, and Ca in chicks from Glogów smelter (143.2, 3.8, and 115.9 mg/kg, respectively) were often similar to those from Odra meadows (147.8, 3.6, and 112.5 mg/kg, respectively). This was probably due to a similar degree of homeostatic regulations of an organism. The levels of Mg, Fe, Zn, and Cu were often different (p<0.02-p<0.001) in the blood of White Stork chicks from the studied areas. Co, Pb, and Cd levels were higher (p<0.001) in chicks from Glogów smelter than in those from Odra meadows. It is evidence for importance of anthropopression, which influenced the course of biogeochemical processes and the bioaccumulation of toxic metals locally. This takes place also in chicks from swamps near Baltic Sea, in which the level of Cd was high (2.7 mg/kg); so we can state the high intensity of intoxication in this region. We can conclude that the use of hematological research assesses the condition of birds and might give a positive association with miscellaneous environmental loads. The high concentration of toxic heavy metals involved greater intensity of antioxidant enzymes' activity. Environmental intoxication causes an increase of lipoperoxidation intensity in growing chicks and changes the response of their immunological system.

The impact of element-element interactions on antioxidant enzymatic activity in the blood of white stork (Ciconia ciconia) chicks.

The aim of this work was to determine interrelationships among macroelements Na, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe, microelements Zn, Cu, Mn, and Co, and toxic heavy metals Pb and Cd in the blood of white stork Ciconia ciconia, during postnatal development, in different Polish environments, and their impact on the activity of antioxidant enzymes. We considered the content of thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances (TBARSs), i.e., malondialdehyde (MDA), and activity of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), ceruloplasmine (CP), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR). Blood samples were collected from storks developing at Odra meadows (Klopot; southwestern Poland). They were compared with blood of chicks from several suburban sites located 20 km away from Zielona Góra (0.1 million inhabitants; southwestern Poland) and near Glogów, where a copper smelter is situated. We also conducted research in the Pomeranian region (Cecenowo; northern Poland). We collected blood samples via venipuncture of the brachial vein of chicks in 2005-2007. They were retrieved from the nest and placed in individual ventilated cotton sacks. The blood was collected using a 5-ml syringe washed with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). We found significant interactions between macro- and microelements and enzymatic activity and TBARS products. We noticed the predominance of Cd and Pb participation in element-enzyme interactions. Simultaneously, we found interrelationships between cadmium and Na, K, Ca, Mg, and Fe and the activity of antioxidant enzymes SOD, CAT, CP, GR, and TBARS products in the blood of white stork chicks. In the case of lead these relationships were not numerous and they were significant for Ca, Mg, Cu, Mn, and Co. Correlations with enzymes were significant for Pb-CAT and Pb-TBARS. We noted that activities of most enzymes (SOD, CAT, CP, GR) and TBARS products are determined by their interactions with physiological elements Na, Ca, Mg, Fe, and Zn and toxic heavy metals. White stork chicks ranged in age from 17 to 59 days. Concentrations of elements in the blood were age related. Among enzymes, only SOD, CAT, and GPx were age related. Young storks differed in the case of element concentration (except for Ca, Zn, and Cd) and enzymatic activity. We found that significant element-element interaction/enzyme activity predominated in the case of physiological elements and toxic metals, which we explain by the intensive and prevailing access of toxic metals in redox reactions. This causes changes in the priority of these metals, reflected by their influence on the enzymatic activity of antioxidant enzymes. The content of Cd and Pb in blood of young storks from different regions tends to affect the lipid peroxidation process negatively. However, in many cases we observed an increase in enzymatic activity with an increase in heavy metals. This indicates the changes in oxidative stress intensity in chicks in response to environmental differentiation. The increase in lipoperoxidation modifies antioxidant enzyme activity and causes changes in SOD, CAT, CP, GPx, and GR activity in chicks from various regions, principally increases in enzyme activity in chicks from polluted environments and suburbs. We suggest that the source of heavy metals in chicks' blood might be used as a biological test system of adaptation to oxidative stress. We also report that a high level of heavy metals is accompanied by increased lipid peroxidation. Thus young storks are probably significantly susceptible to environmental conditions. They demonstrated initiation of lipoperoxidation and oxidative modification of proteins that coincide with chemical elements, as a possible antioxidant defense system.

[Eating disorders among students of the Medical University in Bydgoszcz]. / Zaburzenia laknienia wsród studentów Akademii Medycznej w Bydgoszczy.

There are many reasons of eating disorders among young people. The goal of our research was to determine factors related with poor nutritional habits in the group of 385 students of various departments of Bydgoszcz Medical Academy. The research was carried on with the help of a questionnaire regarding eating habits (EAT26) and a second questionnaire by Starzynska, implicating the score of daily menu. The Body Mass Index (BMI) was calculated for all of the probed students. Eating disorder predispositions appeared in the group of 48 persons (12.4% of studied population), among them were 32 women and 1 man. An underweight (BMI < 18.5)--13 persons, overweight (25 < BMI < 29.9)--5 persons and BMI within normal limits--30 persons. More than a half of probed students were terrified by the reflection of being overweighted. Some other had like eating attacks and vomitings after eating (14 persons). A valuation of a probed persons diet indicates many nutritional habit faults.