Biosecurity adoption in Québec dairy farms: results from a risk assessment questionnaire analyzed using conventional and unsupervised artificial intelligence methods.

This study documents the current state of biosecurity on dairy farms in Québec following the implementation of a mandatory biosecurity risk evaluation that was part of the proAction® accreditation program developed by Dairy Farmers of Canada. Using a cross-sectional design, 3,825 risk assessment questionnaires completed between 2018 and 2021 were extracted from Vigil-Vet database, which is a software utilized by veterinarians for conducting the proAction® risk assessment. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the practices adopted by dairy producers. Additionally, multiple correspondence analysis was used to explore the association between the diseases of most concern and the adoption of biosecurity practices. Moreover, we used a hierarchical cluster analysis on principal components to identify distinct patterns of biosecurity practices among dairy producers. This analysis enabled the identification of typologies or clusters of farms based on the specific biosecurity practices they currently employ. The results of the descriptive statistics indicated that mastitis was the disease of most concern for most dairy farmers (40%). Moreover, given that only 10% of the 2,237 dairy farmers who acquired animals adhered to quarantine practices, there seems to be a need for improved implementation of biosecurity measures aimed at restricting the introduction of diseases when introducing new animals. Conversely, cleaning stalls and health equipment were adequately addressed by 95% and 86% of dairy producers, respectively. The multiple correspondence analysis indicated no significant association between the disease of most concern and the farm's biosecurity profile, except for respondents who identified digital dermatitis as their disease of most concern. Through the hierarchical cluster analysis, 3 clusters were identified among 3,581 farms: (1) Cluster 1 included farms with good management of sick animals; (2) Cluster 2 included farms with good management of young animals; and (3) Cluster 3 included farms with poor management of sick animals and young animals. Our study makes an important contribution by providing valuable insights into the biosecurity practices currently adopted on Québec dairy farms. It establishes a baseline for assessing progress in biosecurity practices adoption and serves as a reference point for future evaluations. In addition, these findings play a key role in monitoring the effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving biosecurity on dairy farms. By making use of this knowledge, stakeholders can make informed decisions that prioritize animal health, increase productivity, and ensure sustainability of the dairy industry.

Endemic human blastomycosis in Quebec, Canada, 1988-2011.

Blastomycosis is a systemic fungal infection found in various parts of the world. A review of literature for Quebec, Canada revealed only few case reports with the most recent one dating back to 1993. However, whether Quebec represents an important endemic region for blastomycosis in North America is unknown. In this work we reviewed 158 cases of human blastomycosis documented in Quebec during 1988-2011 using microbiological records available from the provincial public health laboratory. The estimated annual incidence of blastomycosis in the province is was ~0·133 cases per 100 000 individuals with the highest rates of 0·79 and 0·46 cases per 100 000 recorded in South-eastern and South-western Quebec. Moreover, the annual incidence rate significantly increased over the past 20 years. This study for the first time establishes Quebec as an important endemic region for Blastomyces dermatitidis.

Isolation and characterization of APLP2 encoding a homologue of the Alzheimer's associated amyloid beta protein precursor.

Familial Alzheimer's disease (FAD) is a genetically heterogeneous disorder that includes a rare early-onset form linked to mutations in the amyloid b protein precursor (APP) gene. Clues to the function of APP derive from the recent finding that it is a member of a highly conserved protein family that includes the mammalian amyloid precursor-like protein (APLP1) gene which maps to the same general region of human chromosome 19 linked to late-onset FAD. Here we report the isolation of the human APLP2 gene. We show that APLP2 is a close relative of APP and exhibits a very similar pattern of expression in the brain and throughout the body. Like APP, APLP2 contains a cytoplasmic domain predicted to couple with the GTP-binding protein G(o) indicating that it may be an additional cell surface activator of this G protein.

[Infants and toddlers behavioral and functional disorders: characteristics, mother-child interactions, alliance and outcome after a brief parents-child psychotherapy. A pilot study]. / Troubles du comportement et troubles fonctionnels du nourrisson : caractéristiques, interactions mère-enfant, alliance et évolution après une psychothérapie brève parent-enfant. Étude pilote.

OBJECTIVES: Functional and behavioral disorders are the most frequent reasons for consultation in infant psychiatry, but there are still few studies about the efficacy of parents-child psychotherapies. Functional disorders appear to be easier to treat than behavioral disorders. The aim of this study was: (1) to assess outcome after a brief psychotherapy in a population of 49 infants aged 3 to 30 months, presenting functional or behavioral disorders; (2) to compare characteristics before therapy and outcomes for children with functional disorders and with behavioral disorders, to have a better understanding of the worse outcome of children with behavioral disorders. METHODS: Two assessments were performed, one before treatment and the second a month after the end of the therapy including the infant's symptoms (Symptom Check-list), parents' anxious and depressive symptoms (Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale) and mother-infant interactions (Crittenden Experimental Index of adult-infant relationship). The therapeutic alliance was assessed by the therapist and the parents after the first consultation (Working Alliance Inventory). RESULTS: The assessments after therapy show complete or partial improvement in the child's symptoms, in the mother's anxious and depressive symptoms and in the father's anxious symptoms. During interaction, the mothers become more sensible, the number of controlling and of unresponsive mothers decrease, while the children become more cooperative and less passive. Initial characteristics and outcome are however different according to the type of the child's disorder. The children with behavioral disorders are older and present an association of several symptoms. The disorder onset is later. Their mothers are, before therapy, more anxious and depressive. The therapeutic alliance is weaker. After therapy, despite the fact that their mothers' affective state and that interactive behavior improves, the mothers are more anxious and less sensible, while the children no longer differ from the group without behavioral disorder from the point of view of opposition (assessed during mother-child interaction). CONCLUSION: Although this study is limited by the lack of a control group and the sample size, it underlines some particularities of infants and toddlers presenting behavioral disorders and the difficulties involved in their treatment. One can wonder if these characteristics are specific of the behavioral disorders or if they are the result of an older dysfunction, complicated by the developmental evolution of the child and the duration of the difficulties. The small number of cases, among the children with behavioral disorders, presenting a preexistent functional disorder, the absence of difference in the duration of the disorders, and the different disorder's onset plead in favor of the first hypothesis. The behavioral disorders often associate child psychopathology, dysfunctional parents-child-relationships and environmental factors difficult to modify with a brief therapy focused on the relationship. It would appear necessary to develop specific treatments for this population.

Bayesian estimation of the diagnostic accuracy of a multiplex real-time PCR assay and bacteriological culture for 4 common bovine intramammary pathogens.

Bacteriological culture (BC) is the traditional method for intramammary infection diagnosis but lacks sensitivity and is time consuming. Multiplex real-time PCR (mr-PCR) enables testing the presence of several bacteria and reduces diagnosis time. Our objective was to estimate bacterial species-specific sensitivity (Se) and specificity of both BC and mr-PCR tests for detecting bacteria in milk samples from clinical mastitis cases and from apparently normal quarters, using a Bayesian latent class model. Milk samples from 1,014 clinical mastitis cases and 1,495 samples from apparently normal quarters were analyzed by BC and mr-PCR. Two positive culture definitions were used: ≥1 cfu/0.01 mL and ≥10 cfu/0.01 mL of the specified bacteria. The mr-PCR was designed to simultaneously detect Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus uberis, Escherichia coli, and Streptococcus agalactiae. The priors used in our Bayesian model were weakly informative, with BC priors using the best available error data. Results were compared with those obtained using uniform priors for mr-PCR to test robustness. Weak and uniform priors gave about the same posterior distributions except for Strep. uberis from normal quarters and Strep. agalactiae. Multiplex real-time PCR Se on milk from clinical mastitis were lower than mr-PCR Se on milk from normal quarters. Multiplex real-time PCR Se was higher than BC on milk from normal quarters. Multiplex real-time PCR Se was generally lower than BC on milk from clinical mastitis and it varied by clinical severity. The estimate specificities of detection for all pathogens were ≥99%, regardless of sample type. The effect of milk sample preservation before testing was evaluated and may have been a factor that affected our observed results. A significant association was observed between sample age and mr-PCR results leading to reduced detection of E. coli and Strep. agalactiae in nonclinical samples. Differences in sample age between conduct of BC and of mr-PCR did not concur with any apparent differences between Se estimates of the 2 tests. Further work should be done to extend these results to other PCR-based tests for detecting bacterial species in milk samples, for which presented results could be used as prior parameter distributions. Limits of sample handling and storage and the potential existence of substances in clinical case samples that may interfere with PCR reactions also are worth further investigation.

Effect of nonclinical Staphylococcus aureus or coagulase-negative staphylococci intramammary infection during the first month of lactation on somatic cell count and milk yield in heifers.

Coagulase-negative staphylococci (CNS) are the most prevalent cause of intramammary infections in heifers around calving, but Staphylococcus aureus should not be ignored because it is also prevalent, contagious, and more likely to persist into lactation. The objective of this study was to determine the effect of a subclinical infection caused by S. aureus or CNS diagnosed during the first month of lactation in heifers on SCC, milk production, and culling risk during the entire first lactation. Data were obtained from a cohort of 50 farms following a mastitis monitoring and control program and subscribing to the animal health record system (DS@HR) through the ambulatory clinic of the Faculté de médecine vétérinaire of the Université de Montréal (St-Hyacinthe, Québec, Canada). This program included routinely collecting a composite milk sample at each farm visit from all recently freshened heifers. A total of 2,273 Holstein heifers were examined. Among the 1,691 heifers meeting the full selection criteria, 90 (5%) were diagnosed with S. aureus, 168 (10%) were diagnosed with CNS, and 153 (9%) were negative (no pathogen isolated). Test-day natural logarithm somatic cell count (lnSCC) was modeled in a repeated measures linear regression model with herd as random effect. The model-adjusted mean lnSCC in S. aureus and CNS groups were significantly higher than in the culture-negative group from 40 to 300 d in milk. At the test-day level, lnSCC in S. aureus and CNS groups were on average 1.2 and 0.6 higher, respectively, than the culture-negative group. A similar model for milk yield showed that mean milk yield was not statistically different between culture groups from 40 to 300 d in milk. The presence of a S. aureus or CNS intramammary infections in the first month of lactation in heifers correlates with future increased SCC over the entire first lactation.

Rapid induction of Alzheimer A beta amyloid formation by zinc.

A beta 1-40, a major component of Alzheimer's disease cerebral amyloid, is present in the cerebrospinal fluid and remains relatively soluble at high concentrations (less than or equal to 3.7 mM). Thus, physiological factors which induce A beta amyloid formation could provide clues to the pathogenesis of the disease. It has been shown that human A beta specifically and saturably binds zinc. Here, concentrations of zinc above 300 nM rapidly destabilized human A beta 1-40 solutions, inducing tinctorial amyloid formation. However, rat A beta 1-40 binds zinc less avidly and is immune to these effects, perhaps explaining the scarcity with which these animals form cerebral A beta amyloid. These data suggest a role for cerebral zinc metabolism in the neuropathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease.

Predictors of outcome in infant and toddlers functional or behavioral disorders after a brief parent-infant psychotherapy.

The efficacy of parent-child psychotherapies is widely recognized today. There are, however, less data on predictive factors for outcome in infants and toddlers and their parents. The aim of this study was to highlight predictive factors for outcome after a brief psychotherapy in a population of 49 infants and toddlers aged 3-30 months presenting functional or behavioral disorders. Two assessments were performed, the first before treatment and the second a month after the end of the therapy. These assessments included an evaluation of the child's symptoms, and of depressive or anxiety symptoms in the parents. The assessments after therapy show complete or partial improvement in the child's symptoms for nearly three quarters, and a decrease in the number of anxious and depressive mothers, and also in the number of depressive fathers. Three independent factors appear as predictive of unfavorable outcome for the child: frequency and intensity of behavioral problems and fears, and the absence of the father at more than two-thirds of consultations. The outcome for the mother is associated solely with her anxiety score at the start of the therapy. This study underlines the particular difficulties involved in the treatment of infants and toddlers presenting behavioral disturbances and emotional difficulties, and the value of involving the father in treatment.

[Psychosocial distress and communication about cancer in ill partners and their spouses]. / Détresse psychosociale et communication à propos du cancer chez le partenaire malade et son conjoint.

INTRODUCTION: Each cancer can have a psychological impact not only on the patient himself/herself, but also on his/her spouse. OBJECTIVE: Our study concerned 30 couples encompassing a member treated for a cancer, non related to gender. It was aimed at determining the links between the levels of psychosocial distress measured in both members of each couple, patients' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, as well as communication skills about cancer in both members of the couples. METHODS: Psychosocial distress and communication about cancer were measured by the general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the openness to discuss cancer in the nuclear family (ODCF), with an additional version adapted for the spouse on the occasion of this study. RESULTS: A positive correlation was found between the respective scores of the two members of the couples, for the GHQ-28 (r=0.53; p=0.005) as well as for the ODCF (r=0.44; p=0.024). GHQ-28 scores were not associated with the sociodemographic characteristics of the patients, nor with the stage of cancer, the number of months elapsed since the diagnosis of cancer, or the ODCF personal or spouse's score. On the other hand, when the communication within each couple was classified into concordant (insufficient or, on the contrary, open for both members) or discordant (insufficient for one of the two members and open for the other), and after controlling for gender, higher levels of psychosocial distress were found in patients (p=0.038) as well in spouses (p=0.052) belonging to discordant compared with concordant couples. CONCLUSION: These results suggest an effect of contamination or a mutual reinforcement of the distress of each member of such couples, as well as the presence of relatively similar styles of communication in the two partners of each couple. They also underline the possible adaptive function of a restricted style of communication about cancer, if such a restriction is shared by both the members of the couple, and incites particular attention to be paid to couples where one of the partners, but not the other, adopt an open style of communication about cancer.

Clinical diagnoses in young offspring from eastern Québec multigenerational families densely affected by schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

OBJECTIVE: The follow-up since 1989 of a large sample of multigenerational families of eastern Québec that are densely affected by schizophrenia (SZ) or bipolar disorder (BP) has permitted to look at the rates of DSM diagnoses in the young offspring of a SZ parent (HRSZ) and of a BP parent (HRBP) who had an extremely loaded family history. METHOD: The sample (average age of 17.5, SD 4.5) consisted of 54 high-risk offspring (HR) having one parent affected by a DSM-IV SZ or BP. The parents descended from 21 multigenerational families that constitute a quasi-total sample of such kindred in eastern Québec. The HRs were administered a lifetime best estimate DSM-IV diagnosis. RESULTS: We observed that the rates, the diversity of diagnoses, the high comorbidity, the severity and the age of onset of the clinical diagnoses tended to be similar with those already reported in the offspring of affected parents with a low familial loading. Although the sample size was small, HRSZ and HRBP also tended to show similarities in their clinical status. CONCLUSION: Overall, taking into account methodological limitations, the observation early in life of some shared characteristics among HRSZ and HRBP in terms of non-psychotic diagnosis may be congruent with the accumulating evidence that several phenotypic features are shared in adulthood by the two major psychoses.

Kinetics of plasma apolipoprotein C-III as a determinant of diet-induced changes in plasma triglyceride levels.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effect of a high monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) diet and of a control low-fat diet consumed under ad libitum conditions on plasma apolipoprotein (apo) C-III metabolism. DESIGN: Randomized, two-arm parallel dietary trial. SETTING: Diets were prepared and consumed at the metabolic kitchen of the Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, and laboratory analyses were performed at the Institute of Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods at Laval University. SUBJECTS AND INTERVENTIONS: Eighteen men were randomly assigned to either the high MUFA diet or the low-fat control diet, which they consumed for 6-7 weeks. Before and after the dietary intervention, subjects received a primed-constant infusion of [5,5,5-D(3)]-L-leucine for 12 h under constant feeding conditions for the determination of plasma apoC-III kinetics. RESULTS: The high-MUFA diet and the low-fat control diet had no significant impact on plasma apoC-III production rate (PR) or fractional catabolic rate. However, diet-induced variations in plasma apoCIII PR predicted the reduction in plasma triglycerides and apoC-III levels (r=0.85, P<0.01 and r=0.73, P<0.05, respectively) in the high MUFA group only. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the hypotriglyceridemic effect of a high-MUFA diet may be attributable in part to a reduced hepatic production of apoC-III. SPONSORSHIP: This study was supported in part by an operating grant from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), and the Canada Research Chair in Nutrition and Cardiovascular Health (B Lamarche).

[Influence of the communication about one parent's cancer on children's suffering]. / Influence de la communication à propos du cancer d'un parent sur la souffrance des enfants.

INTRODUCTION: Factors contributing to children's distress when a parent is affected with a cancer are still insufficiently known. This study aimed at searching for associations between psychosocial distress in children living with a parent suffering from cancer, the severity of parental cancer, the levels of psychosocial distress in both parents and the openness to discuss cancer in the family. METHODS: Thirty families encompassing a parent treated for cancer and 54 children aged four to 16 were examined. Each parent's psychosocial distress was assessed by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and the distress of the children living within the family by the Child Behavior Check List (CBCL) filled out by both parents. Each parent's communication ability about cancer was assessed by the Openness to Discuss Cancer in the nuclear Family questionnaire (ODCF). RESULTS: No association was found between children's distress and objective cancer characteristics. Higher externalized disorders scores at CBCL (aggression) were found when the ill parent was the mother (P=0.018). After controlling for cancer parent's gender, CBCL total score and internalized disorders (anxiety, depression) score were higher in families characterized by an "open" style of communication, defined on the parental couple as a whole (respectively p=0.007 and 0.024), such an effect being present only when the ill parent was the mother (interaction effect: p<0.001). CONCLUSION: These results underline the importance of family characteristics for understanding the suffering observed in children living with a parent affected with a cancer in comparison with objective cancer characteristics.

[Miliary cerebral carcinomatosis secondary to EGFR mutation-positive lung adenocarcinoma]. / Miliaire cérébrale carcinomateuse secondaire a un adénocarcinome pulmonaire muté EGFR.

INTRODUCTION: Miliary brain metastases are a rare form of brain metastatic lesions. CASE REPORT: We report the case of a 58-year-old patient with lung adenocarcinoma and an EGFR mutation, who had metastatic lesions in the bones, pleura and pericardia at the time of diagnosis. The patient was treated with tyrosine kinase inhibitor. A few months later, he presented with progressive neuropsychiatric symptoms, which were attributed to miliary brain metastases based on the radiological pattern (micronodules, some of which were calcified) and the elimination of alternative possible diagnoses. Despite tumour stability in the thorax and metastatic sites other than the brain, his neurological condition deteriorated, even after cerebral radiotherapy, leading to his death eight months after the diagnosis of lung cancer. CONCLUSION: Miliary brain metastases are a rare form of brain metastases with unusual clinical presentation. The diagnosis is based on the radiological pattern of cerebral miliary dissemination, with sometimes calcified tumor nodules. Despite its rarity, several cases have been reported in lung adenocarcinoma in the presence of EGFR mutations.

Assessment of the efficacy of tilmicosin phosphate to eliminate Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae from carrier pigs.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of in-feed medication with tilmicosin phosphate in order to eliminate or reduce the carriage of Actinobacillus pleuropneumoniae in the tonsils of carrier pigs. Two groups of 6 carrier animals received either a non-medicated feed (control group) or feed medicated with 400 ppm of tilmicosin phosphate (treated group) for 30 d. Three sentinel pigs were then introduced in each group and left for 29 d. The presence of A. pleuropneumoniae in tonsils was monitored using several techniques, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR). At the end of the treatment all of the control animals, but only 1 treated pig, were positive by PCR from tonsillar surface material. However, at necropsy, all control and most treated animals, as well as 1 sentinel animal, in both groups were positive by PCR from whole tonsils. In conclusion, under the experimental conditions, in-feed treatment with 400 ppm of tilmicosin phosphate significantly reduced the presence of A. pleuropneumoniae on the surface of tonsils but was unable to completely eliminate the organism from deeper tonsillar tissues and to prevent bacterial shedding by carrier animals.

Effect of CI-988 on cholecystokinin tetrapeptide-induced panic symptoms in healthy volunteers.

A randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind, three-way crossover design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of single oral 100 mg doses of CI-988, a cholecystokinin B (CCKB) antagonist, in attenuating panic symptoms induced by intravenous injection of cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide (CCK-4). Thirty healthy men received the following treatments on three separate occasions: placebo capsules/placebo, placebo capsules/CCK-4, or CI-988 capsules/CCK-4. There was no marked difference in the number, time to onset, or duration of panic symptoms between CI-988/CCK-4 and placebo/CCK-4. There was, however, a 14% difference in sum intensity scores between these treatments that was statistically significant (p = 0.039). The symptoms most affected by CI-988 were cold chills/hot flushes, chest pain/discomfort, and anxiety/fear/apprehension. Panic attack frequency also decreased following CI-988 treatment (8/30 vs. 16/30; p = 0.035). This decrease, amid otherwise modest effects, could be explained by a preferential effect of CI-988 on the subjective experience of anxiety/fear/apprehension. Possible reasons for the relatively modest effects of CI-988 on CCK-4-induced panic symptoms are discussed.

Expression of Neisseria gonorrhoeae cell division genes ftsZ, ftsE and minD is influenced by environmental conditions.

The activity of the promoter regions of the cell division genes ftsZ, ftsE, minC, minD and minE from Neisseria gonorrhoeae (Ng) was studied under different environmental conditions using lacZ translational fusions. The promoters of the minNg genes have not been previously determined and we identified promoter regions upstream of each gene (minCp, minDp and minEp). We determined that minDp had the strongest activity. Expression of the promoter regions of ftSZ(Ng) and ftsE(Ng), which we had previously identified, as well as minD(Ng), were then studied under conditions reflecting the environment of the genitourinary tract. These conditions included anaerobiosis, presence of isoleucine or urea (3 mM and 400 mM, respectively) and acidity of pH 6. Both beta-galactosidase expression and northern blot analysis indicated that all three genes were upregulated under anaerobiosis. The addition of isoleucine as well as media at pH 6 did not have any significant effects on the promoter activity of these genes while the presence of urea significantly decreased ftsZ(Ng) promoter activity. The expression of the minD(Ng) promoter region was analyzed during different growth phases and shown to follow the growth behavior of the culture. By contrast, the ftSZ(Ng) promoter activity continued to rise after the onset of the stationary phase. When gonococcal ftsZ promoter 1, (Pz1) was altered by site-directed mutagenesis, a significant decrease in the expression of ftsZ(Ng) was observed under both aerobic and anaerobic conditions. These data infer that gonococci regulate their cell division in response to different environments.

Effects of flumazenil on cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide-induced panic symptoms in healthy volunteers.

The neuropeptide cholecystokinin-tetrapeptide (CCK-4) has potent anxiogenic action in human and animal subjects. On the basis of prior work which demonstrated that benzodiazepine (BZD) receptor agonists antagonized CCK-induced excitation of rat hippocampal neurons we studied whether BZD receptors mediated the anxiogenic effect of CCK-4. To examine this possibility we determined whether the BZD receptor antagonist flumazenil could antagonize the effects of CCK-4 (50 micrograms) in healthy volunteers. Thirty subjects (10 females; 20 males) were pretreated with flumazenil (2 mg in saline) or placebo (0.9% NaCl in water) 15 min prior to CCK-4 challenge in a randomized double-blind crossover design. Flumazenil had no impact on the behavioral and cardiovascular effects of CCK-4, suggesting that BZD receptors do not mediate the anxiogenic action of CCK-4. The influence of GABA and non-GABA-related mechanisms on response to CCK-4 remains to be considered.

Potential for employing the distribution of anomalous non-methylene-interrupted dienoic fatty acids in several marine invertebrates as part of food web studies.

A group of homologous, nonmethylene-interrupted dienoic fatty acids (NMID) recently reported in oysters has been found in several other shellfish species and also in other marine phyla. The distribution of most other "normal" fatty acids among several species of shellfish is basically similar but mantle lipids from two other molluscan species, both squid, differ radically. The squid mantle fatty acids do not include NMID, suggesting that in molluscs NMID may accumula-e primarily in filter-feeders or herbovores. The distribution of these anomalous fatty acid components in higher species suggests that they reflect invertebrates in the diet and are biochemically inert.

Localization of a marine source of odd chain-length fatty acids. I. The amphipod Pontoporeia femorata (Kröyer).

The amphipod Pontoporeia femorata (Kröyer) contains approximately equal amounts of odd chain length and even chain length fatty acids. Mature males of this species are released into the waters of Jeddore Harbour during winter months as the result of a regular reproductive cycle and become food for smelt Osmerus mordax moving into the harbor in preparation for spring spawning runs, thus accounting for the previously reported unusual fatty acid composition of these smelt. The exceptionally high levels of odd chain length fatty acids in P. femorata occur at all stages of maturity in both sexes of the animal and are found in P. femorata in other locations.