Genetic Differentiation of Five Sea Cucumber Species from the Red Sea, Hurghada, Egypt.

This study aimed to assess the genetic differentiation and relationship among five sea cucumber species from the Red Sea in Egypt, namely Holothuria atra, H. impatiens, H. leucospilota, Actinopyga crassa and A. mauritiana, using Inter Simple Sequence Repeated (ISSR) and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers. A collection of 100 specimens, with 20 individuals per species, was gathered for the analysis. With ten ISSR primers, 135 amplified bands were detected, including 11 distinct species-specific bands, indicating high-level polymorphism among species. Using ten SCoT primers, 151 amplicons were generated, including 30 species-specific bands, with 52% polymorphic bands indicating high-level polymorphism among species. The degree of genetic similarity (GS) among the different genotypes of species was calculated based on ISSR bands analysis, which ranged from 93% between H. atra and H. impatiens to 86% between H. atra and A. crassa. The highest genetic similarity was observed between H. atra and H. impatiens (90%), while the lowest was identified between A. crassa and A. mauritiana (75%) using SCoT bands. Notably, the ISSR and SCoT-based DNA analysis revealed similar genetic relationships between H. atra and H. impatiens compared to other sea cucumber species studied. This study provides new insights into the genetic diversity and relationship among sea cucumber species in the Red Sea, which could have implications for their conservation and management.

Genetic differentiation of five sea cucumber species from the Red Sea, Hurghada, Egypt / Diferenciação genética de cinco espécies de pepino-do-mar do Mar Vermelho, Hurghada, Egito

This study aimed to assess the genetic differentiation and relationship among five sea cucumber species from the Red Sea in Egypt, namely Holothuria atra, H. impatiens, H. leucospilota, Actinopyga crassa and A. mauritiana, using Inter Simple Sequence Repeated (ISSR) and Start Codon Targeted (SCoT) markers. A collection of 100 specimens, with 20 individuals per species, was gathered for the analysis. With ten ISSR primers, 135 amplified bands were detected, including 11 distinct species-specific bands, indicating high-level polymorphism among species. Using ten SCoT primers, 151 amplicons were generated, including 30 species-specific bands, with 52% polymorphic bands indicating high-level polymorphism among species. The degree of genetic similarity (GS) among the different genotypes of species was calculated based on ISSR bands analysis, which ranged from 93% between H. atra and H. impatiens to 86% between H. atra and A. crassa. The highest genetic similarity was observed between H. atra and H. impatiens (90%), while the lowest was identified between A. crassa and A. mauritiana (75%) using SCoT bands. Notably, the ISSR and SCoT-based DNA analysis revealed similar genetic relationships between H. atra and H. impatiens compared to other sea cucumber species studied. This study provides new insights into the genetic diversity and relationship among sea cucumber species in the Red Sea, which could have implications for their conservation and management.

Este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar a diferenciação genética e a relação entre cinco espécies de pepinos-do-mar do Mar Vermelho no Egito, quais sejam, Holothuria atra, Holothuria impatiens, Holothuria leucospilota, Actinopyga crassa e Actinopyga mauritiana, usando marcadores Inter Simple Sequence Repeated (ISSR) e Start Codon Targeted (SCoT). Uma coleção de 100 espécimes, com 20 indivíduos por espécie, foi reunida para análise. Com 10 primers ISSR, 135 bandas amplificadas foram detectadas, incluindo 11 bandas específicas de espécies distintas, indicando polimorfismo de alto nível entre as espécies. Usando 10 primers SCoT, 151 amplicons foram gerados, incluindo 30 bandas específicas da espécie, com 52% de bandas polimórficas indicando polimorfismo de alto nível entre as espécies. O grau de similaridade genética (GS) entre os diferentes genótipos das espécies foi calculado com base na análise das bandas ISSR, que variou de 93% entre H. atra e H. impatiens a 86% entre H. atra e A. crassa. A maior similaridade genética foi observada entre H. atra e H. impatiens (90%), enquanto a menor foi identificada entre A. crassa e A. mauritiana (75%) usando bandas SCoT. Notavelmente, a análise de DNA baseada em ISSR e SCoT revelou relações genéticas semelhantes entre H. atra e H. impatiens em comparação com outras espécies de pepino-do-mar estudadas. Este estudo fornece novas informações sobre a diversidade genética e a relação entre as espécies de pepino-do-mar no Mar Vermelho, o que pode ter implicações para sua conservação e manejo.

Measles: a disease that has to be eradicated [abstract]

The incidence of measles is on the decline but annually it still claims the lives of one million children worldwide. The devastating effects of the disease on the health and nutrition of children in developing countries and its high mortality are well documented. The rapid decay of maternal antibodies in infants in developing countries results in early susceptibility to the disease and hence the general recommendation to vaccinate at the age of nine months. Sustained international efforts have raised global vaccination coverage rates to about 80 percent, at which level it has remained static. Many countries in the western hemisphere have eliminated the disease by adopting aggressive strategies, which include one-off `catch-up' mass campaigns to vaccinate all children aged 1 to 14 years, `mop-up' campaigns targeting children who were missed during the last `catch-up' campaign, efficient routine vaccination services capable of reaching 90 percent of infants, strong surveillance activities, prompt outbreak response, and `follow-up' campaigns every 2 to 4 years which target 1-4-year-old children. This success story, covered with the fact that measles has many biological features favouring eradication, and considering that it is a severe and lethal disease still prevailing in many areas, calls for immediate international adoption of eradicating goals within a specified period of time. (AU)