Marine snake epibiosis: a review and first report of decapods associated with Pelamis platurus.

Under circumstances in which area for settlement is limited, the colonization of living substrata may become a highly valuable strategy for survival of marine invertebrates. This phenomenon, termed epibiosis, results in spatially close associations between two or more living organisms. Pelamis platurus, the yellow-bellied sea snake, is the only exclusively pelagic marine snake and its propensity for foraging along ocean slicks facilitates its colonization by pelagic epibionts. Herein, we report epibionts associated with P. platurus inhabiting the waters off the northwestern Pacific coast of Costa Rica. These associations include the first records of decapod epibionts from any marine snake. Decapod epibionts were found on 18.9% of P. platurus, and size of snake (total length) had a significant positive effect on the frequency and intensity of epibiosis. We discuss the spatial and ecological mechanisms that facilitate these interactions, as well as the suite of factors that either promote or deter epibiosis and ultimately dictate the frequency and intensity of these interactions. Finally, we provide a review of marine snake epibiosis. The intention of this review is to (1) provide contemporary researchers with a single, accessible reference to all known reports of epibionts associated with marine snakes and (2) discuss what is currently known with respect to diversity of epibionts from marine snakes.

Need for measles revaccination in adolescents: correlation with birth date prior to 1972.

Measles hemagglutination inhibition (HI) antibody titers of less than 1:4 were significantly (P less than 0.05) more prevalent among subjects born from 1962 through 1971 and vaccinated with a single dose of live measles virus vaccine at 12 months of age (14.5%) than among subjects born during the same years but vaccinated at 13 months or older (2.3%). For subjects born in 1972 through 1976, however, this difference was not statistically significant; titers of less than 1:4 occurred in 6.2% of those vaccinated at 12 months, compared to 0% in those vaccinated at 13 months or older. A decline in maternally derived measles HI antibody may be related to the increased rate of HI antibody titers of 1:4 or greater following vaccination of more recently born subjects. Following revaccination of subjects whose measles HI antibody titers were less than 1:4, measles HI titers were lower than would be expected after successful primary vaccination. Nevertheless, measles HI antibody persisted at a level of 1:4 or more until the latest titer measurement of this study (one to two years after revaccination) in 87.5% of those whose initial vaccination had been at 11 or 12 months of age. No adverse reactions to revaccination occurred. Revaccination programs should be considered for adolescents and young adults born before 1972 who received live measles virus vaccine at or before 12 months. Children born from 1972 through 1976 who were vaccinated at 12 months or later are not in need of revaccination.

An inherited defect of neutrophil mobility in Shwachman syndrome.

Selected immunologic functions were assessed in 14 patients with the Shwachman syndrome. Nine patients were neutropenic and four had low levels of IgA or of IgM. Neutrophil mobility was significantly defective in the group of patients as a whole (in 12 it was below the lower limit of normal) and in their parents. No other consistent abnormality in immunity was found. These results suggest that the defective neutrophil mobility is a feature of Shwachman syndrome which may contribute to the vulnerability of these patients to frequent infections. The defect appears to be a primary genetic one, inherited as an autosomal recessive characteristic consistent with the assumed inheritance of Shwachman syndrome.