Investigations associated with the 2020/21 highly pathogenic avian influenza epizootic in wild birds in Great Britain.

This focus article has been prepared by Paul Duff, Paul Holmes, James Aegerter, Cat Man, Ed Fullick, Scott Reid, Fabian Lean, Alex Núñez, Rowena Hansen, Joanna Tye, Lévon Stephan and Ian Brown of the APHA and Caroline Robinson of SRUC.

Differential diagnosis of negated avian notifiable disease cases in Great Britain.

This focus article has been prepared by David Welchman, veterinary lead of the APHA Avian Expert Group, Rowena Hansen, veterinary lead for avian virology at APHA Weybridge, and Alex Schock, team leader of the diagnostic and consultant avian pathology services at APHA Lasswade.

Frugivory and seed dispersal of Solanum granuloso-leprosum Dunal (Solanaceae) by birds in deciduous seasonal forest / Frugivoria e dispersão de sementes em Solanum granuloso-leprosum Dunal (Solanaceae) por aves em Floresta Estacional Decidual

Abstract The goal of this study was to identify which bird species consume Solanum granuloso-leprosum fruits and disperse its seeds. 60 hours of focal observations were carried out between April and May 2006 on the edge of a deciduous forest fragment in the Uruguay River region, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Ten species were observed in total removing 443 fruits. Saltator similis removed 61.8% of the fruits, followed by Tangara sayaca (17.1%), Pipraeidea bonariensis (11.7%), and T. preciosa (6.8%), while the remaining six species accounted for only 2.5% of the fruits removed. Most fruit removal occurred early in the day or mid-afternoon. The most common feeding behaviors were picking (60.7%), followed by stalling (23%) and hovering (16%). Birds flew more than 10 m from the fruit plant in 62% of the removal events. All bird species observed here may be considered potential dispersers of S. granuloso-leprosum, as they moved the seeds away from the mother plant where strong competition and predation are likely to occur. Results also suggest that S. granuloso-leprosum may be useful in ecological restoration programs.

Resumo O objetivo deste estudo foi identificar quais as espécies de aves consomem frutos de Solanum granuloso-leposum e dispersam suas sementes. Para tanto, 60 horas de observações focais foram realizadas entre abril e maio de 2006 na borda de um fragmento de floresta decídua na região do rio Uruguai, Rio Grande do Sul, Brasil. Dez espécies foram observadas removendo 443 frutos. Saltator similis removeu 61,8% dos frutos, seguido de Tangara sayaca (17,1%), Pipraeidea bonariensis (11,7%), e T. preciosa (6,8%), enquanto as restantes seis espécies representaram apenas 2,5% dos frutos removidos. A maioria das remoções dos frutos ocorreram no início do dia ou meio da tarde. Os comportamentos alimentares mais comuns foram picking (60,7%), seguido por stalling (23%) e hovering (16%). As aves voaram mais de 10 m da planta de onde removeram frutos em 62% dos eventos de remoção. Todas as espécies de aves observadas aqui podem ser consideradas potenciais dispersores de S. granuloso-leprosum, moveram sementes para longe da planta-mãe, onde a concorrência e a predação são mais susceptíveis de ocorrer. Os resultados também sugerem que S. granuloso-leprosum pode ser útil em programas de restauração ecológica.

Two new species and new records of chiggers (Acari: Leeuwenhoekiidae, Trombiculidae) from birds in Vietnam.

A total of 12 chigger species (Acariformes: Trombiculidae) occurred on 7 bird species in Vietnam. Two new species, namely Neoschoengastia vietnamensis sp. nov. and Hypogastia stekolnikovi sp. nov. are described, figured and compared with similar species placed in relevant genera using differential diagnoses of related species. Figures and diagnosis of Leptotrombidium taiyuanense Tian and Wen, 1984 are added. Odontacarus audy (Radford, 1946), Leptotrombidium allosetum Wang, Liao and Lin, 1981, L. taiyuanense, Leptotrombidium hanseni Traub and Lakshana, 1966, Leptotrombidium kunshui Wen and Xiang, 1984, Leptotrombidium paradux Vercammen-Grandjean and Langston, 1976, Leptotrombidium turdicola Vercammen-Grandjean and Langston, 1976, Neotrombicula elegans Schluger, 1966 and Neoschoengastia longitar-salis Schluger and Belskaya, 1966 were recorded in Vietnam for the first time.

Frugivory and seed dispersal of Solanum granuloso-leprosum Dunal (Solanaceae) by birds in deciduous seasonal forest.

The goal of this study was to identify which bird species consume Solanum granuloso-leprosum fruits and disperse its seeds. 60 hours of focal observations were carried out between April and May 2006 on the edge of a deciduous forest fragment in the Uruguay River region, Rio Grande do Sul state, Brazil. Ten species were observed in total removing 443 fruits. Saltator similis removed 61.8% of the fruits, followed by Tangara sayaca (17.1%), Pipraeidea bonariensis (11.7%), and T. preciosa (6.8%), while the remaining six species accounted for only 2.5% of the fruits removed. Most fruit removal occurred early in the day or mid-afternoon. The most common feeding behaviors were picking (60.7%), followed by stalling (23%) and hovering (16%). Birds flew more than 10 m from the fruit plant in 62% of the removal events. All bird species observed here may be considered potential dispersers of S. granuloso-leprosum, as they moved the seeds away from the mother plant where strong competition and predation are likely to occur. Results also suggest that S. granuloso-leprosum may be useful in ecological restoration programs.

Determinants of public phobia about infectious diseases in South Korea: effect of health communication and gender difference.

This study investigated the individual and social determinants of the public's phobia of infectious diseases in South Korea, where collective action was recently fueled by the public phobia over mad cow disease (bovine spongiform encephalopathy [BSE]). Gender-specific multivariate regression was used to compare the public perception of BSE and highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI). The analysis results differentiated between the determinants of the phobia for the 2 diseases, BSE and HPAI (N = 1002). As with HIV/AIDS and leprosy, the public fear of HPAI was expressed as a disease phobia that seeks to ensure the social exclusion of infection sources, whereas the fear of BSE was influenced by social and communication factors. Therefore, BSE, unlike previous HPAI, can be rapidly amplified amid the growing distrust in health communication, in which case the social determinants of disease phobia are associated with communicator trust, social values, and political attitude toward diseases rather than disease perception.

Occurrence of yeasts in faecal samples from Antarctic and South American seabirds.

During an expedition to the Southern Argentinean town of Ushuaia, the Antarctic Peninsula, Antarctic Islands and the Falkland Islands, we collected 94 faecal specimens from wild birds to screen for yeast within the different bird species. The yeast species were identified by morphological features and commercial characterisation kits. From 54% of the specimens, we isolated 122 strains representing 29 yeast species. Debaryomyces hansenii, Candida lambica and Candida krusei were the most frequently isolated species. We found a plethora of yeasts in birds living in proximity to humans, whereas birds living in more remote areas were colonised with a lower number of fungal species.

[Infamous rooms or: the dead birds of Lyon. The accomodation of sick men about the year 1800, befor the establishment of a pavilion system]. / Infame Räume oder: Die toten Vögel von Lyon. Zur Unterbringung erkrankter Menschen um 1800 vor der Etablierung des Pavillonsystems.

The contribution follows an architectural perspective on the history of hospitals that are conceptualised as locations of Christian charity. It goes into the German, Italian, and especially into the French developments, and it identifies three types of hospitals in 18th century: That of Christian charity, the military lazaretto, and the new prototypes of modem clinics. Furthermore three technical types are identified, according to the ventilation of the ,machines a guérir' (Tenon): the partial system, the central system, and the technical system.

Mechanisms of immunosuppression.

Immunosuppresive disease is a major economic concern in domestic poultry production. Although many immunosuppressive agents have been described, mechanisms of how infectious and noninfectious agents compromise the immune system are poorly understood in avian species. Two categories, generalized and antigen-specific immunosuppression have been described in mammals. Generalized immunosuppression produces overall reduced responsiveness and increased susceptibility to a wide variety of infectious and neoplastic diseases. The best characterized immunosuppressive mechanisms are described in HIV-1 infections that lead to acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) in humans. In contrast, the antigen-specific suppression observed in human leprosy illustrates how an infecting agent selectively suppresses host responses against itself favoring bacterial spread. Both diseases have well-defined clinical staging classifications that correlate with specific immunological defects. An approach to studying immunosuppressive mechanisms in the avian suggests the need for relating pathogenesis with tests of immune responsiveness using a series of increasingly more specific immunological assays to pinpoint defects.