A Case of Multiple Brain Tuberculomas in the Subarachnoid Cisterns: Recognition of Radiological Characteristics Regarding the Development of Paradoxical Response during Antituberculosis Treatment.

Brain tuberculoma and its occurrence within the subarachnoid cisterns is rare in Japan. Serological and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) examinations and imaging findings lack specificity; thus, preoperative diagnosis is often challenging. This report presents the case of a 70-year-old woman admitted to our hospital with a one-month history of low-grade fever and altered mental status. Based on the CSF analysis and her history of latent tuberculosis infection seven years ago, she was strongly suspected of suffering from tuberculous meningitis (TBM). Consequently, the patient was enrolled in a clinical trial for antituberculosis treatment (ATT). CSF soluble interleukin-2 receptor level decreased from 2,926 U/mL on day 1 to 225 U/mL 42 days after initiating ATT. Her condition improved after five weeks; however, contrast-enhanced T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) revealed multiple enhanced lesions within the basal subarachnoid cisterns 25 days after admission. As the number and size of these lesions increased, a biopsy confirmed brain tuberculoma diagnosis, and the treatment was continued. In conclusion, when intracisternal scattered mass lesions are identified during TBM treatment, we should consider the possibility of tuberculoma developments arising from a paradoxical response (PR) during the treatment. Serial MRIs are crucial in monitoring PR development in cisternal tuberculomas, an extension of severe TBM. Finally, a PR can be effectively managed by continuing ATT with adjunctive corticosteroids.

Draft genome sequence of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis isolated from a wild rat in Japan.

We report a draft genome sequence of Yersinia pseudotuberculosis isolated from the spleen of a wild rat from Mikura-shima Island, Japan. The bacterium was identified as serotype O:4b using PCR-based O-genotyping. These genomic data provide insights into the pathogenic potential of this strain in spontaneous outbreaks among wild animals.

Economic costs of invasive non-native species in urban areas: An underexplored financial drain.

Urbanization is an important driver of global change associated with a set of environmental modifications that affect the introduction and distribution of invasive non-native species (species with populations transported by humans beyond their natural biogeographic range that established and are spreading in their introduced range; hereafter, invasive species). These species are recognized as a cause of large ecological and economic losses. Nevertheless, the economic impacts of these species in urban areas are still poorly understood. Here we present a synthesis of the reported economic costs of invasive species in urban areas using the global InvaCost database, and demonstrate that costs are likely underestimated. Sixty-one invasive species have been reported to cause a cumulative cost of US$ 326.7 billion in urban areas between 1965 and 2021 globally (average annual cost of US$ 5.7 billion). Class Insecta was responsible for >99 % of reported costs (US$ 324.4 billion), followed by Aves (US$ 1.4 billion), and Magnoliopsida (US$ 494 million). The reported costs were highly uneven with the sum of the five costliest species representing 80 % of reported costs. Most reported costs were a result of damage (77.3 %), principally impacting public and social welfare (77.9 %) and authorities-stakeholders (20.7 %), and were almost entirely in terrestrial environments (99.9 %). We found costs reported for 24 countries. Yet, there are 73 additional countries with no reported costs, but with occurrences of invasive species that have reported costs in other countries. Although covering a relatively small area of the Earth's surface, urban areas represent about 15 % of the total reported costs attributed to invasive species. These results highlight the conservative nature of the estimates and impacts, revealing important biases present in the evaluation and publication of reported data on costs. We emphasize the urgent need for more focused assessments of invasive species' economic impacts in urban areas.

Economic costs of protecting islands from invasive alien species.

Biological invasions represent a key threat to insular systems and have pronounced impacts across environments and economies. The ecological impacts have received substantial focus, but the socioeconomic impacts are poorly synthesized across spatial and temporal scales. We used the InvaCost database, the most comprehensive assessment of published economic costs of invasive species, to assess economic impacts on islands worldwide. We analyzed socioeconomic costs across differing expenditure types and examined temporal trends across islands that differ in their political geography-island nation states, overseas territories, and islands of continental countries. Over US$36 billion in total costs (including damages and management) has occurred on islands from 1965 to 2020 due to invasive species' impacts. Nation states incurred the greatest total and management costs, and islands of continental countries incurred costs of similar magnitude, both far higher than those in overseas territories. Damage-loss costs were significantly lower, but with qualitatively similar patterns across differing political geographies. The predominance of management spending differs from the pattern found for most countries examined and suggests important knowledge gaps in the extent of many damage-related socioeconomic impacts. Nation states spent the greatest proportion of their gross domestic products countering these costs, at least 1 order of magnitude higher than other locations. Most costs were borne by authorities and stakeholders, demonstrating the key role of governmental and nongovernmental bodies in addressing island invasions. Temporal trends revealed cost increases across all island types, potentially reflecting efforts to tackle invasive species at larger, more socially complex scales. Nevertheless, the already high total economic costs of island invasions substantiate the role of biosecurity in reducing and preventing invasive species arrivals to reduce strains on limited financial resources and avoid threats to sustainable development goals.

Costos económicos de proteger a las islas de las especies invasoras Resumen Las invasiones biológicas representan una amenaza importante para los sistemas insulares, además de tener impactos pronunciados en el ambiente y en la economía. Los impactos ecológicos han recibido atención sustancial, mientras que los impactos socioeconómicos se encuentran pobremente sintetizados en las escalas temporales y espaciales. Usamos la base de datos InvaCost, el análisis más completo de los costos económicos de las especies invasoras, para evaluar los impactos económicos sobre las islas a nivel mundial. Analizamos los costos socioeconómicos en varios tipos de gastos y examinamos las tendencias temporales en las islas que difieren en su geografía política - islas estado-nación, territorios ultramarinos e islas de países continentales. En las islas han ocurrido gastos de más de $36 mil millones de dólares entre 1965 y 2020 debido a los impactos de las especies invasoras. Las islas estado-nación produjeron los mayores costos de manejo y el mayor total, mientras que las islas de los países continentales produjeron costos de una magnitud similar, ambas con gastos mucho más elevados que los de los territorios ultramarinos. Los costos de las pérdidas por daños fueron significativamente más bajas, aunque con patrones cualitativamente similares entre las diferentes geografías políticas. El predominio del gasto en el manejo difiere del patrón hallado en la mayoría de los países analizados y sugiere que hay vacíos importantes en el conocimiento del alcance de muchos de los impactos socioeconómicos relacionados con los daños. Las islas estado-nación gastaron la mayor proporción de su producto interno bruto en contrarrestar estos costos, al menos una orden de magnitud mayor que las otras localidades. La mayoría de los costos fueron asumidos por las autoridades y los accionistas, lo que demuestra el papel clave que tienen los organismos gubernamentales y no gubernamentales en cómo se atienden las invasiones insulares. Las tendencias temporales revelaron incrementos en el costo en todos los tipos de islas, lo que potencialmente refleja los esfuerzos por combatir a las especies invasoras a escalas más grandes y socialmente más complejas. Aun así, el elevado costo económico total de las invasiones insulares fundamenta la función que tiene la bioseguridad en la reducción y prevención de la llegada de especies invasoras para reducir presiones sobre los recursos financieros limitados y evitar amenazas para las metas de desarrollo sustentable.

Importance of Host Abundance and Microhabitat in Tick Abundance.

To reduce the risk of zoonoses, it is necessary to understand the infection process, including the ecology of animals and vectors (i.e., the 'One Health' approach). In temperate climates, ticks are the major vectors of zoonoses, so factors determining their abundance, such as host mammal abundance and microhabitat conditions, should be clarified. Sika deer (Cervus nippon) are a major tick host and are rapidly expanding their distribution in Japan. We established 12 plots along a gradient of sika deer abundance in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. We monitored the occurrence of mammal species with camera traps and sampled questing ticks on a monthly basis by flagging along three transects (center of a trail, forest edge, and forest interior) at each site from April to November 2018. The camera traps recorded 12 mammal species, predominantly sika deer. Five Haemaphysalis species and three Ixodes species were sampled. The numbers of ticks sampled were explained by the photographic frequency of sika deer, and partly by that of other mammal species, depending on tick species and their developmental stages. The numbers of sampled adult and nymphal ticks were the highest at the forest edge, where vegetation cover was greatest. Thus, vegetation management in tick habitats and the control of sika deer populations may reduce tick abundance.

Role of landscape context in Toxoplasma gondii infection of invasive definitive and intermediate hosts on a World Heritage Island.

Free-ranging cats are invasive species threatening biodiversity worldwide. They may also impose an environmental risk to humans and livestock through the transmission of zoonotic diseases. We investigated antibody levels against Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging cats and black rats (definitive and representative intermediate hosts) by ELISA and determined their relationships with landscape environmental factors on Tokunoshima Island, Japan, the Natural World Heritage site. We found a higher seroprevalence (>70%) in both cats and black rats in landscapes where the cattle barn density was high. This was consistent with higher density of rats revealed in our trapping survey. The spatial scale of landscape factors affecting infection was broader in cats (1 km buffer radius) than in black rats (100 m buffer radius). Both cats and rats showed an increasing trend in optical density (OD) values with increasing body weight and landscape cattle barn density, suggesting that the antibody concentration increases as the chance of exposure to T. gondii in the environment increases. Thus, management actions to stop humans from feeding cats and to control rat populations without using cats are both necessary to reduce the human health risk as well as to conserve endangered species on the island.

Non-English languages enrich scientific knowledge: The example of economic costs of biological invasions.

We contend that the exclusive focus on the English language in scientific research might hinder effective communication between scientists and practitioners or policy makers whose mother tongue is non-English. This barrier in scientific knowledge and data transfer likely leads to significant knowledge gaps and may create biases when providing global patterns in many fields of science. To demonstrate this, we compiled data on the global economic costs of invasive alien species reported in 15 non-English languages. We compared it with equivalent data from English documents (i.e., the InvaCost database, the most up-to-date repository of invasion costs globally). The comparison of both databases (~7500 entries in total) revealed that non-English sources: (i) capture a greater amount of data than English sources alone (2500 vs. 2396 cost entries respectively); (ii) add 249 invasive species and 15 countries to those reported by English literature, and (iii) increase the global cost estimate of invasions by 16.6% (i.e., US$ 214 billion added to 1.288 trillion estimated from the English database). Additionally, 2712 cost entries - not directly comparable to the English database - were directly obtained from practitioners, revealing the value of communication between scientists and practitioners. Moreover, we demonstrated how gaps caused by overlooking non-English data resulted in significant biases in the distribution of costs across space, taxonomic groups, types of cost, and impacted sectors. Specifically, costs from Europe, at the local scale, and particularly pertaining to management, were largely under-represented in the English database. Thus, combining scientific data from English and non-English sources proves fundamental and enhances data completeness. Considering non-English sources helps alleviate biases in understanding invasion costs at a global scale. Finally, it also holds strong potential for improving management performance, coordination among experts (scientists and practitioners), and collaborative actions across countries. Note: non-English versions of the abstract and figures are provided in Appendix S5 in 12 languages.

Prevalence of serum antibodies to Toxoplasma gondii in free-ranging cats on Tokunoshima Island, Japan.

The prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii infection in free-ranging cats on Tokunoshima Island was assessed by testing 125 serum samples using anti-T. gondii IgG indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The overall seropositivity rate was 47.2% (59/125). Seropositivity rates in cats with body weight >2.0 kg (57.4%) were significantly higher than in those with body weight ≤2.0 kg (12.5%, P<0.01). Analysis of the number of seropositive cats by settlement revealed the presence of possibly-infected cats in 17 of 23 settlements, indicating the widespread prevalence of T. gondii on the island. This is the first study to show the seroprevalence of T. gondii in free-ranging cats on Tokunoshima Island. The information revealed in this paper will help to prevent the transmission of T. gondii among cats and also in both wild and domestic animals and humans on the island.

Predation on endangered species by human-subsidized domestic cats on Tokunoshima Island.

It is important to unravel how invasive species impact native ecosystems in order to control them effectively. The presence of abundant exotic prey promotes population growth of invasive predators, thereby enhancing the predation pressure on native prey (hyper-predation). Not only the exotic prey but also feeding by humans is likely to cause "hyper-predation". However, the contribution of artificial resources to this was underestimated in previous studies. Here, we combined fecal and stable isotope analyses to reveal short- and long-term food habits of free-ranging cats on Tokunoshima Island. Although 20.1% of the feral cat feces contained evidence of forest-living species, stable isotope analysis suggested that the cats were mostly dependent on artificial resources. In addition, a general linear model analysis showed that their diet was strongly correlated with landscape variables. These results indicate that the invasive free-ranging cats are aided by anthropogenic feeding, and they move from the human habituated area to natural areas with high biodiversity. These findings suggest the possibility of human feeding indirectly accelerates the effect of cat predation, and call for a further study on their demography. Cat management mainly involves trapping, but our findings show that educating local residents to stop feeding free-ranging cats and keeping pet cats indoors are also important.

Impact of temperature decline from the previous day as a trigger of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage: case-crossover study of prefectural stroke database.

OBJECTIVE: Several environmental factors have been reported to correlate with incidence of spontaneous subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). However, because of different patient selection and study designs among these studies, meteorological factors that trigger the incidence of SAH in a short hazard period remain unknown. Among meteorological factors, daily temperature changes may disrupt and violate homeostasis and predispose to cerebrovascular circulatory disturbances and strokes. The authors aimed to investigate whether a decline in the temperature from the highest of the previous day to the lowest of the event day (temperature decline from the previous day [TDP]) triggers SAH in the prefecture-wide stroke database. METHODS: All 28 participating institutions with primary or comprehensive stroke centers located throughout Kochi Prefecture, Japan, were included in the study. Data collected between January 2012 and December 2016 were analyzed, and 715 consecutive SAH patients with a defined date of onset were enrolled. Meteorological data in this period were obtained from the Kochi Local Meteorological Observatory. A case-crossover study was performed to investigate association of TDP and other environmental factors with onset of SAH. RESULTS: The increasing TDP in 1°C on the day of the SAH event was associated with an increased incidence of SAH (OR 1.041, 95% CI 1.007-1.077) after adjustment for other environmental factors. According to the stratified analysis, a significant association between TDP and SAH was observed in women, patients < 65 years old, and patients with weekday onset. Among these factors, increasing TDP had a great impact on SAH onset in patients < 65 years old (p = 0.028, Mann-Whitney U-test). CONCLUSIONS: TDP, temperature decline from the highest of the previous day to the lowest of the day, was correlated with the incidence of spontaneous SAH, particularly in younger patients < 65 years old.

Ecological Character Displacement in Non-Congeneric Frogs.

Character displacement is phenotypic divergence driven by competition (ecological character displacement) or reproductive interference (reproductive character displacement). Although previous studies have examined these phenomena separately, recent evidence suggests that reproductive interference can drive both reproductive and ecological character displacement, in that certain traits are related to both competition and reproduction. Thus, to evaluate the effect of competition, the effect of reproductive interference must be excluded. Here, we analysed ecological character displacement between non-congeneric frogs, which show little reproductive interference. Odorrana amamiensis inhabits the Amami and Tokunoshima Islands, Japan, whereas its non-congeneric competitor Babina subaspera inhabits the Amami Island. We tested three of the Schluter (2000) criteria for ecological character displacement: phenotypic changes in O. amamiensis between the two islands, phenotypic change related to prey preference, prey availability between the two islands. We demonstrated that the three criteria in Schluter (2000) were likely to be satisfied, indicating the occurrence of ecological character displacement in non-congeners without reproductive interference. Thus, we conclude that competition is potentially the main driver of this phenotypic divergence, and that non-congeners may be a suitable model for evaluating ecological character displacement in a variety of organisms, as the influence of reproductive interference can be excluded.

Evaluating the "recovery level" of endangered species without prior information before alien invasion.

For maintaining social and financial support for eradication programs of invasive species, quantitative assessment of recovery of native species or ecosystems is important because it provides a measurable parameter of success. However, setting a concrete goal for recovery is often difficult owing to lack of information prior to the introduction of invaders. Here, we present a novel approach to evaluate the achievement level of invasive predator management based on the carrying capacity of endangered species estimated using long-term monitoring data. In Amami-Oshima Island, Japan, where the eradication project of introduced small Indian mongoose is ongoing since 2000, we surveyed the population densities of four endangered species threatened by the mongoose (Amami rabbit, the Otton frog, Amami tip-nosed frog, and Amami Ishikawa's frog) at four time points ranging from 2003 to 2011. We estimated the carrying capacities of these species using the logistic growth model combined with the effects of mongoose predation and environmental heterogeneity. All species showed clear tendencies toward increasing their density in line with decreased mongoose density, and they exhibited density-dependent population growth. The estimated carrying capacities of three endangered species had small confidence intervals enough to measure recovery levels by the mongoose management. The population density of each endangered species has recovered to the level of the carrying capacity at about 20-40% of all sites, whereas no individuals were observed at more than 25% of all sites. We propose that the present approach involving appropriate monitoring data of native organism populations will be widely applicable to various eradication projects and provide unambiguous goals for management of invasive species.