In situ and low-cost monitoring of particles falling from freshwater animals: from microplastics to parasites.

A simple and low-cost method of monitoring and collecting particulate matter detaching from (or interacting with) aquatic animals is described using a novel device based on an airlift pump principle applied to floating cages. The efficiency of the technique in particle collection is demonstrated using polyethylene microspheres interacting with a cyprinid fish (Carassius carassius) and a temporarily parasitic stage (glochidia) of an endangered freshwater mussel (Margaritifera margaritifera) dropping from experimentally infested host fish (Salmo trutta). The technique enables the monitoring of temporal dynamics of particle detachment and their continuous collection both in the laboratory and in situ, allowing the experimental animals to be kept under natural water quality regimes and reducing the need for handling and transport. The technique can improve the representativeness of current experimental methods used in the fields of environmental parasitology, animal feeding ecology and microplastic pathway studies in aquatic environments. In particular, it makes it accessible to study the physiological compatibility of glochidia and their hosts, which is an essential but understudied autecological feature in mussel conservation programs worldwide. Field placement of the technique can also aid in outreach programs with pay-offs in the increase of scientific literacy of citizens concerning neglected issues such as the importance of fish hosts for the conservation of freshwater mussels.

Global public health implications of a mass gathering in Mecca, Saudi Arabia during the midst of an influenza pandemic.

BACKGROUND: Every year millions of pilgrims from around the world gather under extremely crowded conditions in Mecca, Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj. In 2009, the Hajj coincided with influenza season during the midst of an influenza A (H1N1) pandemic. After the Hajj, resource-limited countries with large numbers of traveling pilgrims could be vulnerable, given their limited ability to purchase H1N1 vaccine and capacity to respond to a possible wave of H1N1 introduced via returning pilgrims. METHODS: We studied the worldwide migration of pilgrims traveling to Mecca to perform the Hajj in 2008 using data from the Saudi Ministry of Health and international air traffic departing Saudi Arabia after the 2008 Hajj using worldwide airline ticket sales data. We used gross national income (GNI) per capita as a surrogate marker of a country's ability to mobilize an effective response to H1N1. RESULTS: In 2008, 2.5 million pilgrims from 140 countries performed the Hajj. Pilgrims (1.7 million) were of international (non-Saudi) origin, of which 91.0% traveled to Saudi Arabia via commercial flights. International pilgrims (11.3%) originated from low-income countries, with the greatest numbers traveling from Bangladesh (50,419), Afghanistan (32,621), and Yemen (28,018). CONCLUSIONS: Nearly 200,000 pilgrims that performed the Hajj in 2008 originated from the world's most resource-limited countries, where access to H1N1 vaccine and capacity to detect and respond to H1N1 in returning pilgrims are extremely limited. International efforts may be needed to assist resource-limited countries that are vulnerable to the impact of H1N1 during the 2009 to 2010 influenza season.

La várzea amazónica peruana: algunos fundamentos ecológicos / The Amazonian peruvian varzea: some ecological foundations

Combining research carried out over the years in the lowland jungle area, along with a meticulous study of the literature, the author presents a syntesis of is findings on the ecology of the Amazonian flood plain. The geography, hydrology, physcal and chemical properties of the Amazonian basin waters (includig the phytoplankton, aquatic macrophytes and forest vegetation) are described as well as the fauna.

Conjugando investigaciones propias realizadas durante muchos años en la selva baja peruana con los aportes bibiográficos cuidadosamente seleccionados, el autor presenta una sintesis de sus conocimientos sobre la base ecológica de la llanura de inundaciones amazónicas. Se describe el paisaje geográfico, la hidrología, la física y química del agua (incluyendo e fitoplancton, las macrofitas acuáticas y la vegetacion del bosque y la fauna (peces y adaptaciones relievantes).