Interactive effects of multiscale diversification practices on farmland bird stress.

Farmland diversification practices (i.e., methods used to produce food sustainably by enhancing biodiversity in cropping systems) are sometimes considered beneficial to both agriculture and biodiversity, but most studies of these practices rely on species richness, diversity, or abundance as a proxy for habitat quality. Biodiversity assessments may miss early clues that populations are imperiled when species presence does not imply persistence. Physiological stress indicators may help identify low-quality habitats before population declines occur. We explored how avian stress indicators respond to on-farm management practices and surrounding seminatural area (1-km radius) across 21 California strawberry farms. We examined whether commonly used biodiversity metrics correlate with stress responses in wild birds. We used ∼1000 blood and feather samples and body mass and wing chord measurements, mostly from passerines, to test the effects of diversification practices on four physiological stress indicators: heterophil to lymphocyte ratios (H:L), body condition, hematocrit values, and feather growth rates of individual birds. We then tested the relationship between physiological stress indicators and species richness, abundance, occurrence, and diversity derived from 285 bird point count surveys. After accounting for other biological drivers, landscape context mediated the effect of local farm management on H:L and body condition. Local diversification practices were associated with reduced individual stress in intensive agricultural landscapes but increased it in landscapes surrounded by relatively more seminatural area. Feathers grew more slowly in landscapes dominated by strawberry production, suggesting that nutritional condition was lower here than in landscapes with more crop types and seminatural areas. We found scant evidence that species richness, abundance, occurrence, or diversity metrics were correlated with the individual's physiological stress, suggesting that reliance on these metrics may obscure the impacts of management on species persistence. Our findings underscore the importance of considering landscape context when designing local management strategies to promote wildlife conservation.

Algunas veces se considera a las prácticas de diversificación agrícola (es decir, los métodos usados para producir alimentos de manera sustentable mediante el enriquecimiento de la biodiversidad en los sistemas de cultivo) como benéficas para la agricultura y la biodiversidad, pero la mayoría de los estudios sobre estas prácticas dependen de la riqueza, abundancia o diversidad de especies como indicadores de la calidad del hábitat. Las valoraciones de la biodiversidad pueden ignorar las señales tempranas de una población en peligro cuando la presencia de la especie no implica persistencia. Los indicadores de estrés fisiológico pueden auxiliar en la identificación de hábitats de baja calidad antes de que ocurra la declinación poblacional. Analizamos las respuestas de los indicadores de estrés en aves al manejo en las granjas y áreas seminaturales circundantes (1 km de radio) de 21 cultivos de fresas en California. Evaluamos si las medidas comunes de biodiversidad se correlacionan con las respuestas al estrés de las aves silvestres. Usamos aproximadamente mil muestras de sangre y plumas y medidas de masa corporal y cuerda alar, la mayoría de paseriformes, para analizar los efectos de las prácticas de diversificación sobre cuatro indicadores de estrés fisiológico: la relación heterófilos/linfocitos (H:L), condición corporal; valores hematocritos; y la tasa de crecimiento de las plumas en aves individuales. Después probamos la relación entre los indicadores de estrés fisiológicos y la riqueza, abundancia, presencia y diversidad de especies tomadas de 285 conteos por puntos de aves. Después de considerar otros factores biológicos, el contexto del paisaje medió el efecto de la gestión de las granjas locales sobre la H:L y la condición corporal. Las prácticas locales de diversificación estuvieron asociadas con una reducción en el estrés individual en los paisajes con agricultura intensiva; sin embargo, el estrés aumentó en los paisajes rodeados por áreas relativamente más seminaturales. Encontramos poca evidencia que respalde que las medidas de riqueza, abundancia, presencia y diversidad de especies estuvieran correlacionadas con el estrés fisiológico de los individuos, lo que sugiere que depender de estas medidas puede nublar el impacto de la gestión sobre la persistencia de las especies. Nuestros descubrimientos apuntalan lo importante que es considerar el contexto del paisaje cuando se diseñan las estrategias de gestión local para promover la conservación de la fauna.

Improvement of the enrichment used in the EMJH medium (Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris) for the cultivation of Leptospira spp.

Changes were made to the original formulation of the EMJH medium (Ellinghausen-McCullough-Johnson-Harris) enrichment and some aspects such as growth time of Leptospira and utilization in the microscopic agglutination test (MAT) were evaluated and compared to the original enrichment and to a commercially available enrichment (DIFCO™). Leptospira samples (24 antigens) that make up our panel of antigens used in MAT were used, among them, reference and autochthonous strains isolated in Brazil. The samples were grown individually in the EMJH medium under the three previously mentioned conditions (adapted enrichment, original enrichment and commercial enrichment). In addition, 89 blood serums from domestic and wild animals were analyzed by MAT using the antigens grown in these media. All samples tested grew efficiently with the adapted enrichment, and the MAT results were satisfactory. Therefore, other laboratories could also benefit from the use of this adapted enrichment when culturing the Leptospira strains applied in their MAT panels.

[From surveillance to action: Modifying therapeutic behaviours in gonococcal infections]. / De la vigilancia a la acción: modificando conductas terapéuticas en la infección gonocócica.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate improvements in the prescriptions for gonococcal infection after developing a specific public health intervention. Furthermore, to ascertain the proportion of cases diagnosed by culture and current antimicrobial resistance. LOCATION: Galicia, Spain. DESIGN: Before-after study of adherence to the recommended treatment for gonococcal infection (ceftriaxone + azithromycin) after a Public Health intervention. PARTICIPANTS: All Primary Care physicians who had identified and treated a case of gonococcal infection. STUDY PERIOD: Preintervention (2012-13) and postintervention (2014-17). INTERVENTIONS: Access to the recommended treatment (ceftriaxone and azithromycin) was provided in Primary Care and all the information was disseminated to Primary Care physicians and microbiologists through the publication Venres Epidemiolóxico. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: The study variables were year, prescribed treatment, performing of culture, antibiotic susceptibility testing. The percentages for each of them were calculated. RESULTS: The recommended treatment was used in 3% in 2012-2013, and after the interventions it increased to a mean of 58%. The frequency of culture remained relatively constant after the interventions. Sensitivity to other antibiotics improved as their use decreased. CONCLUSIONS: The interventions carried out implied an improvement in the adherence to the recommended treatment for gonococcal infection in Galicia.

[Effects of the culture medium and the methodology applied on the biofilm formation of 2diarrheagenic Escherichia coli strains]. / Efectos del medio de cultivo y de la metodología aplicada sobre la formación de biopelículas de 2cepas de Escherichia coli diarreagénicas.

The ability to form biofilms of pathogenic microorganisms in a wide variety of environments, surfaces and conditions constitute an important risk, both for the food industry and for public health. The aim of this work was to evaluate and to compare the effects of the methodology applied and the culture medium used on the ability of a non-O157 verotoxigenic Escherichia coli strain and an enteropathogenic strain to form biofilm on polystyrene surface. Two methodological variants were tested in static culture and culture mediums with different composition were used. The results showed that both strains were able to form a greater biofilm under culture in LB supplemented with glucose, with medium replacement at 24h and the quantification of the biofilm carried out at 48h of incubation. These conditions could be used in future studies on biofilm formation.

Infección por citomegalovirus humano en neonatos de un hospital público de Mérida, Yucatán.

INTRODUCTION: Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is recognized as the most common cause of congenital viral infection, which can occur as a result of primary infection, reinfection or infection reactivation in the pregnant woman and be the cause of delay in neuronal development and sensorineural hearing loss in the neonate. OBJECTIVE: To identify CMVH infection in newborns by real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and cell culture. METHOD: Observational, cross-sectional, retrospective study with oral swab samples from 362 neonates born within a 10-month period in a public hospital of Mérida, Yucatán. RT-PCR was carried out for the detection of HCMV. Fibroblast primary cell culture was obtained from human foreskin tissue to isolate the virus. Only positive cases were followed. RESULTS: A prevalence of HCMV infection of 0.86 % was found by RT-PCR. No virus was isolated with cell culture. In the follow-up visits, sensory health and neurodevelopment were adequate. CONCLUSION: The prevalence of HCMV infection is similar to that of worldwide reports, and only was detected by RT-PCR. Asymptomatic infection detected 12-14 h after birth had no long-term health consequences.

INTRODUCCIÓN: El citomegalovirus humano es reconocido como la causa más común de infección viral congénita, la cual puede darse como resultado de infección primaria, reinfección o reactivación en la mujer embarazada; además, puede ocasionar retraso en el desarrollo neuronal y pérdida auditiva sensoneural en el neonato. OBJETIVO: Identificar la infección por citomegalovirus humano en neonatos por PCR en tiempo real (PCR-TR) y cultivo celular. MÉTODO: Estudio observacional, longitudinal y retrospectivo con muestras de hisopado oral provenientes de 362 neonatos nacidos en un periodo de 10 meses en un hospital público de Mérida, Yucatán. Se realizó PCR-TR para la detección de citomegalovirus humano. Se obtuvo cultivo celular primario de fibroblastos a partir de tejido de prepucio humano para recuperar el virus. Se siguieron solo los casos positivos. RESULTADOS: Se encontró 0.86 % de infección por citomegalovirus humano por PCR-TR. No se recuperó el virus en cultivo. En las visitas de seguimiento, la salud sensorial y el neurodesarrollo fueron adecuados. CONCLUSIÓN: La prevalencia de infección por citomegalovirus humano en neonatos fue similar a la de reportes mundiales y solo pudo evidenciarse por PCR. La infección asintomática detectada entre las 12 a 24 horas del nacimiento no tuvo consecuencias a largo plazo.

[Production of infectious units of Isaria fumosorosea (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) from different indigenous isolates of northeastern Mexico using 3 propagation strategies]. / Producción de unidades infectivas de Isaria fumosorosea (Hypocreales: Cordycipitaceae) a partir de aislados nativos del noreste de México mediante 3 estrategias de propagación.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the production of blastospores and conidia of different native isolates and a strain of Isaria fumosorosea using different propagation techniques. Two liquid culture media of casamino acids and peptone as nitrogen sources and glucose as carbon source for both media cultures were respectively used in the production of blastospores, while for the production of conidia, the fungi were grown in potato dextrose agar; from these cultures, solutions of conidia to a concentration of 1×106 per milliliter were prepared to inoculate flasks with Sabouraud dextrose broth for the liquid phase of the biphasic culture, also known as preculture. Subsequently, rice grain bags were inoculated with the preculture and the conidia solutions, which were incubated for 14 days for solid fermentation and biphasic culture, respectively. The HIB-23 isolate recorded a concentration of 4.90×108 blastospores/ml in the casamino acid medium, while a concentration of 2.15×108 blastospores/ml was obtained in the peptone collagen medium. For the Pfr-612 strain, the conidia production in solid-state fermentation was 1.58×109 conidia/g, and for HIB-30 in the biphasic culture of 9.00×106 conidia/g. Solid-state fermentation proved to be the most effective method with an average of 1.09×109 conidia/g, whereas the biphasic culture was the least effective method with 2.76×106 conidia/g; no significant difference was reported for the submerged production media.

Cytotoxicity of solutions recommended for the storage of avulsed teeth in cultures with periodontal ligament cells. / Citotoxicidad de soluciones recomendadas para el almacenamiento de dientes avulsionados en cultivo con células del ligamento periodontal.

Introduction: The medium for avulsed teeth storage until their reimplantation is key to the preservation of human periodontal ligament fibroblasts (HPLF). Objective: Our purpose was to compare the cytotoxic effect of milk and isotonic solution, used for the storage of avulsed teeth, on the preservation of HPLF. Method: A subculture of periodontal ligament fibroblasts was carried out with a density of 1:2 (3 ×105 cells/mL) and was incubated for 48 hours. The cells were divided in two groups, which were placed either in milk or isotonic solution for 24 hours at 5% CO2, 37 ºC and 95% humidity. The number of viable cells was determined with a colorimetric fast assay by the reduction of MTT and mitochondrial activity. Data were processed with the Shapiro-Wilk normality test, Student's t-test and paired Student's t-test (with significance set at 0.05). Results: The cells exposed to milk for 24 hours showed statistically significant cytotoxicity at concentrations of 0.09, 0.39, 0.78, 1.56, 3.125, 6.25 and 50%. HPLFs exposed to isotonic solution showed no significant reduction in the number of cells at concentrations of 25 and 50%. Conclusion: Isotonic solution appears to be better for HPLF 24-hour storage in comparison with whole milk.

Introducción: El medio de almacenamiento de los dientes avulsionados hasta su reimplante es vital para conservar los fibroblastos del ligamento periodontal humano (HPLF). Objetivo: Comparar el efecto citotóxico para conservar los HPLF de la leche y la solución isotónica para almacenamiento de dientes avulsionados. Método: Se realizó subcultivo de fibroblastos del ligamento periodontal con una densidad de 1:2 (3 × 105 células/mL), que fueron incubados por 48 horas. Se integraron dos grupos de células, que se colocaron en leche y solución isotónica durante 24 horas a 5 % de CO2, a 37°C y 95 % de humedad. El número de células viables fue determinado por colorimetría rápida por reducción de MTT y actividad mitocondrial. Los datos fueron sometidos a pruebas de normalidad de Shapiro-Wilk, t de Student y t de Student pareada (significación de 0.05). Resultados: Las células expuestas a la leche por 24 horas mostraron citotoxicidad estadísticamente significativa a concentraciones de 0.09, 0.39, 0.78, 1.56, 3.125, 6.25 y 50 %. Los HPLF expuestos a solución isotónica no mostraron reducción significativa del número de células a concentraciones de 25 y 50 %. Conclusión: La solución isotónica parece mejor para el almacenamiento de HPLF en 24 horas, comparada con la leche entera.

Improved detection of Burkholderia pseudomallei from non-blood clinical specimens using enrichment culture and PCR: narrowing diagnostic gap in resource-constrained settings.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the diagnostic utility of enrichment culture and PCR for improved case detection rates of non-bacteraemic form of melioidosis in limited resource settings. METHODS: Clinical specimens (n = 525) obtained from patients presenting at a tertiary care hospital of South India with clinical symptoms suggestive of community-acquired pneumonia, lower respiratory tract infections, superficial or internal abscesses, chronic skin ulcers and bone or joint infections were tested for the presence of Burkholderia pseudomallei using conventional culture (CC), enrichment culture (EC) and PCR. Sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values of CC and PCR were initially deduced using EC as the gold standard method. Further, diagnostic accuracies of all the three methods were analysed using Bayesian latent class modelling (BLCM). RESULTS: Detection rates of B. pseudomallei using CC, EC and PCR were 3.8%, 5.3% and 6%, respectively. Diagnostic sensitivities and specificities of CC and PCR were 71.4, 98.4% and 100 and 99.4%, respectively in comparison with EC as the gold standard test. With Bayesian latent class modelling, EC and PCR demonstrated sensitivities of 98.7 and 99.3%, respectively, while CC showed a sensitivity of 70.3% for detection of B. pseudomallei. An increase of 1.6% (95% CI: 1.08-4.32%) in the case detection rate of melioidosis was observed in the study population when EC and/or PCR were used in adjunct to the conventional culture technique. CONCLUSIONS: Our study findings underscore the diagnostic superiority of enrichment culture and/or PCR over conventional microbiological culture for improved case detection of melioidosis from non-blood clinical specimens.

[Environmental microbiological control]. / Control microbiológico ambiental.

The environmental microbiological control is necessary to prevent infections associated with certain procedures that are performed at the hospital. In this review the procedures for control of water and dialysis fluids, and air in operating rooms and immunocompromised units are addressed. The dialysis quality management guidelines define the highest levels of chemical, microbiological and endotoxin in purified water and dialysis fluids based on the recommendations of scientific societies. The microbiological control of water and dialysis fluids should include detection of microorganisms and endotoxin levels. Regarding the microbiological air sampling of operating rooms and immunocompromised units the types of clean rooms in which is recommended to perform microbiological air monitoring; the sample collection methods; culture media; incubation conditions; the most common microorganisms, and permissible levels depending on the type of surgery are described.

Effect of different polyphenol sources on the efficiency of ellagic acid release by Aspergillus niger.

Fungal hydrolysis of ellagitannins produces hexahydroxydiphenic acid, which is considered an intermediate molecule in ellagic acid release. Ellagic acid has important and desirable beneficial health properties. The aim of this work was to identify the effect of different sources of ellagitannins on the efficiency of ellagic acid release by Aspergillus niger. Three strains of A. niger (GH1, PSH and HT4) were assessed for ellagic acid release from different polyphenol sources: cranberry, creosote bush, and pomegranate used as substrate. Polyurethane foam was used as support for solid-state culture in column reactors. Ellagitannase activity was measured for each of the treatments. Ellagic acid was quantified by high performance liquid chromatography. When pomegranate polyphenols were used, a maximum value of ellagic acid (350.21 mg/g) was reached with A. niger HT4 in solid-state culture. The highest amount of ellagitannase (5176.81 U/l) was obtained at 8h of culture when cranberry polyphenols and strain A. niger PSH were used. Results demonstrated the effect of different polyphenol sources and A. niger strains on ellagic acid release. It was observed that the best source for releasing ellagic acid was pomegranate polyphenols and A. niger HT4 strain, which has the ability to degrade these compounds for obtaining a potent bioactive molecule such as ellagic acid.

[Presence of Legionella spp. in household drinking water reservoirs in Resistencia, Chaco, Argentina. Preliminary report]. / Presencia de Legionella spp. en depósitos domiciliarios de agua potable en Resistencia, Chaco, Argentina. Informe preliminar.

Legionella spp. is an environmental bacterium that can survive in a wide range of physicochemical conditions and may colonize distribution systems of drinking water and storage tanks. Legionella pneumophila is the major waterborne pathogen that can cause 90% of Legionnaires' disease cases. The aim of this study was to detect the presence of Legionella spp. in household drinking water tanks in the city of Resistencia, Chaco. The detection of Legionella in water samples was performed by culture methods as set out in ISO 11731:1998. Thirty two water samples were analyzed and Legionella spp. was recovered in 12 (37.5%) of them. The monitoring of this microorganism in drinking water is the first step towards addressing the control of its spread to susceptible hosts.

Positive predictive value of the immunoassay for Clostridium difficile toxin A and B detection at a private hospital. / Valor predictivo positivo de la prueba de inmunoanálisis para detección de toxina A y B de Clostridium difficile en un hospital privado.

INTRODUCTION: Clostridium difficile (C. difficile) is a Gram-positive bacillus that is a common cause of diarrhea in the hospital environment, with a documented incidence of up to 10%. There are different methods to detect it, but a widely used test in our environment is the immunoassay for toxins A and B. AIMS: The aim of our study was to 1) estimate the positive predictive value of the immunoassay for the detection of the C. difficile toxins A and B, 2) to establish the incidence of C. difficile-associated diarrhea in the hospital, and 3) to know the most common associated factors. METHODS: A diagnostic test accuracy study was conducted within the time frame of January 2010 to August 2013 at the Hospital Christus Muguerza® Alta Especialidad on patients with symptoms suggestive of C. difficile-associated diarrhea that had a positive immunoassay test and confirmation of C. difficile through colon biopsy and stool culture. RESULTS: The immunoassay for toxins A and B was performed in 360 patients. Fifty-five of the cases had positive results, 35 of which showed the presence of C. difficile. Incidence was 10.2% and the positive predictive value of the test for C. difficile toxins A and B was 0.64 (95% CI, 0.51-0.76). Previous antibiotic therapy (n=29) and proton pump inhibitor use (n=19) were the most common associated factors. CONCLUSIONS: C. difficile incidence in our environment is similar to that found in the literature reviewed, but the positive predictive value of the test for toxin A and B detection was low.

The diagnostic accuracy of three rapid diagnostic tests for typhoid fever at Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Chittagong, Bangladesh.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the diagnostic accuracy of three rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for typhoid fever in febrile hospitalised patients in Bangladesh. METHODS: Febrile adults and children admitted to Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh, were investigated with Bact/Alert(®) blood cultures and real-time PCR to detect Salmonella enterica Typhi and Paratyphi A and assays for Rickettsia, leptospirosis and dengue fever. Acute serum samples were examined with the LifeAssay (LA) Test-it™ Typhoid IgM lateral flow assay detecting IgM antibodies against S. Typhi O antigen, CTKBiotech Onsite Typhoid IgG/IgM Combo Rapid-test cassette lateral flow assay detecting IgG and IgM antibodies against S. Typhi O and H antigens and SD Bioline line assay for IgG and IgM antibodies against S. Typhi proteins. RESULTS: In 300 malaria smear-negative febrile patients [median (IQR) age of 13.5 (5-31) years], 34 (11.3%) had confirmed typhoid fever: 19 positive by blood culture for S. Typhi (three blood PCR positive) and 15 blood culture negative but PCR positive for S. Typhi in blood. The respective sensitivity and specificity of the three RDTs in patients using a composite reference standard of blood culture and/or PCR-confirmed typhoid fever were 59% and 61% for LifeAssay, 59% and 74% for the CTK IgM and/or IgG, and 24% and 96% for the SD Bioline RDT IgM and/or IgG. The LifeAssay RDT had a sensitivity of 63% and a specificity of 91% when modified with a positive cut-off of ≥2+ and analysed using a Bayesian latent class model. CONCLUSIONS: These typhoid RDTs demonstrated moderate diagnostic accuracies, and better tests are needed.

Population structure of humpback whales in the western and central South Pacific Ocean as determined by vocal exchange among populations.

For cetaceans, population structure is traditionally determined by molecular genetics or photographically identified individuals. Acoustic data, however, has provided information on movement and population structure with less effort and cost than traditional methods in an array of taxa. Male humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) produce a continually evolving vocal sexual display, or song, that is similar among all males in a population. The rapid cultural transmission (the transfer of information or behavior between conspecifics through social learning) of different versions of this display between distinct but interconnected populations in the western and central South Pacific region presents a unique way to investigate population structure based on the movement dynamics of a song (acoustic) display. Using 11 years of data, we investigated an acoustically based population structure for the region by comparing stereotyped song sequences among populations and years. We used the Levenshtein distance technique to group previously defined populations into (vocally based) clusters based on the overall similarity of their song display in space and time. We identified the following distinct vocal clusters: western cluster, 1 population off eastern Australia; central cluster, populations around New Caledonia, Tonga, and American Samoa; and eastern region, either a single cluster or 2 clusters, one around the Cook Islands and the other off French Polynesia. These results are consistent with the hypothesis that each breeding aggregation represents a distinct population (each occupied a single, terminal node) in a metapopulation, similar to the current understanding of population structure based on genetic and photo-identification studies. However, the central vocal cluster had higher levels of song-sharing among populations than the other clusters, indicating that levels of vocal connectivity varied within the region. Our results demonstrate the utility and value of using culturally transmitted vocal patterns as a way of defining connectivity to infer population structure. We suggest vocal patterns be incorporated by the International Whaling Commission in conjunction with traditional methods in the assessment of structure.

Estructura Poblacional de las Yubartas en el Centro y Occidente del Sur del Océano Pacífico, Determinada por el Intercambio Vocal entre las Poblaciones Resumen La estructura poblacional de los cetáceos se determina tradicionalmente por medio de genética molecular o individuos identificados fotográficamente. Sin embargo, los datos acústicos han proporcionado información sobre el movimiento y la estructura poblacional de una variedad de taxones con menos esfuerzo y menos costo que los métodos tradicionales. Las yubartas macho (Megaptera novaeangliae) producen una demostración vocal sexual, o canto, en continua evolución que es similar entre todos los machos en una población. La transmisión cultural rápida (la transferencia de información o comportamientos entre co-específicos por medio del aprendizaje social) de diferentes versiones de esta demostración entre poblaciones distintas pero interconectadas en el centro y occidente en la región del sur del Pacífico presenta una manera única para investigar la estructura poblacional con base en las dinámicas de movimiento de la demostración del canto (acústico). Al usar once años de datos, con base en la acústica investigamos a una estructura poblacional de la región al comparar secuencias estereotipadas de cantos entre las poblaciones y los años. Usamos la técnica de la distancia Levenshtein para agrupar poblaciones previamente definidas en grupos (con base vocal) basados en la similitud general de su canto en el espacio y el tiempo. Identificamos a los siguientes grupos vocales perceptibles: grupo occidental, una población al este de Australia; grupo central, poblaciones alrededor de Nueva Caledonia, Tonga y Samoa Americana; y región oriental, ya sea un grupo único o dos grupos, uno alrededor de las Islas Cook y el otro cerca de la Polinesia Francesa. Estos resultados son consistentes con la hipótesis de que cada conjunto reproductivo representa a una población distinta (cada una ocupó un nodo terminal único) en una meta-población, similar al entendimiento actual de la estructura poblacional con base en los estudios genéticos y de foto-identificación. Sin embargo, el grupo vocal central tuvo niveles más altos de cantos compartidos entre las poblaciones que en los otros grupos, lo que indica que los niveles de conectividad vocal variaron dentro de la región. Nuestros resultados demuestran la utilidad y el valor de usar patrones vocales transmitidos culturalmente como una forma de definir la conectividad para inferir la estructura poblacional. Sugerimos que los patrones vocales sean incorporados por la Comisión Internacional de Caza de Ballenas en conjunto con los métodos tradicionales de evaluación de la estructura.

The role of agri-environment schemes in conservation and environmental management.

Over half of the European landscape is under agricultural management and has been for millennia. Many species and ecosystems of conservation concern in Europe depend on agricultural management and are showing ongoing declines. Agri-environment schemes (AES) are designed partly to address this. They are a major source of nature conservation funding within the European Union (EU) and the highest conservation expenditure in Europe. We reviewed the structure of current AES across Europe. Since a 2003 review questioned the overall effectiveness of AES for biodiversity, there has been a plethora of case studies and meta-analyses examining their effectiveness. Most syntheses demonstrate general increases in farmland biodiversity in response to AES, with the size of the effect depending on the structure and management of the surrounding landscape. This is important in the light of successive EU enlargement and ongoing reforms of AES. We examined the change in effect size over time by merging the data sets of 3 recent meta-analyses and found that schemes implemented after revision of the EU's agri-environmental programs in 2007 were not more effective than schemes implemented before revision. Furthermore, schemes aimed at areas out of production (such as field margins and hedgerows) are more effective at enhancing species richness than those aimed at productive areas (such as arable crops or grasslands). Outstanding research questions include whether AES enhance ecosystem services, whether they are more effective in agriculturally marginal areas than in intensively farmed areas, whether they are more or less cost-effective for farmland biodiversity than protected areas, and how much their effectiveness is influenced by farmer training and advice? The general lesson from the European experience is that AES can be effective for conserving wildlife on farmland, but they are expensive and need to be carefully designed and targeted.

El Papel de los Esquemas Agro-Ambientales en la Conservación y el Manejo Ambiental Batáry et al. Resumen Más de la mitad de las tierras europeas está bajo manejo agrícola y así ha sido durante milenios. Muchas especies y ecosistemas de interés de conservación en Europa dependen del manejo agrícola y están mostrando una declinación continua. Los esquemas agro-ambientales (EAA) están diseñados en parte para encarar esto. Los esquemas son una gran fuente de financiamiento para la conservación dentro de la Unión Europea (UE) y el mayor gasto de conservación en Europa. Revisamos la estructura de los EAA actuales a lo largo del continente. Desde que en 2003 una revisión cuestionó la efectividad general de los EAA para la biodiversidad, ha habido una plétora de estudios de caso y meta-análisis que examinan su efectividad. La mayoría de las síntesis demuestran un incremento general en la biodiversidad de las tierras de cultivo en respuesta a los EAA, con la magnitud del efecto dependiente de la estructura y el manejo del terreno circundante. Esto es importante a la luz del crecimiento sucesivo de la UE y las continuas reformas a los EAA. Examinamos el cambio en la magnitud del efecto a través del tiempo al fusionar los conjuntos de datos de tres meta-análisis recientes y encontramos que los esquemas implementados después de la revisión de los programas agro-ambientales de la UE en 2007 no fueron más efectivos que los esquemas implementados antes de la revisión. Además, los esquemas enfocados en las áreas fuera de producción (como los márgenes de campo y los setos vivos) son más efectivos en el mejoramiento de la riqueza de especies que aquellos enfocados en las áreas productivas (como los cultivos arables y los pastizales). Las preguntas sobresalientes de la investigación incluyen si los EAA mejoran los servicios ambientales, si son más efectivos en las áreas agrícolas marginales que en las áreas de cultivo intensivo, si son más o menos rentables para la biodiversidad de las tierras de cultivo que las áreas protegidas, y en cuánto influye sobre su efectividad los consejos y el entrenamiento dado a los granjeros. La lección general de la experiencia europea es que los EAA pueden ser efectivos para la conservación de la vida silvestre en las tierras de cultivo, pero son caros y necesitan ser diseñados y enfocados cuidadosamente.

[Efficiency of bacteriological culture and the immunofluorescent assay to detect Campylobacter fetus in bovine genital fluids]. / Eficiencia del cultivo bacteriológico y de la inmunofluorescencia en la detección de Campylobacter fetus en fluidos genitales bovinos.

Bovine genital campylobacteriosis is a reproductive disease that affects cattle production. It is caused by Campylobacter fetus subspecies, C. fetus fetus (Cff) and C. fetus venerealis (Cfv). The aim of this study was to identify the presence of C. fetus in genital fluids by bacteriological culture and direct immunofluorescence (DIF) and to compare the results. Two groups of 6 heifers and 5 bulls, one infected with Cff (Cff group) and the other with Cfv (Cfv group) were formed. Two heifers and 2 bulls, all of them uninfected, made up the control group. Samples of cervicovaginal mucus and preputial fluid were processed by culture and DIF. In the Cff group, 100% of the heifers and 80% of the bulls were infected, while in the Cfv group, 50% of the heifers and 60% of the bulls were infected. The degree of agreement (Kappa values) from benchmarking diagnostic techniques were 0.57 for heifers in the Cff group and 0.52 for heifers in the Cfv group, whereas the values for bulls were 0.17 and 0.27, respectively. Heifers yielded more positive results in the DIF assay than in the culture, exhibiting 5.6% increase in the Cff group and 7.4% in the Cfv group. The lowest percentage of positive results for DIF in bulls, 40% less for the Cff group and 5.2% for the Cfv group, could be due to improper sampling. Kappa values showed moderate agreement for the heifers and low for the bulls.

Control of agitation and aeration rates in the production of surfactin in foam overflowing fed-batch culture with industrial fermentation.

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens fmb50 produces a high yield of surfactin, a lipopeptide-type biosurfactant that has been widely studied and has potential applications in many fields. A foam overflowing culture has been successfully used in the combined production-enrichment fermentation of surfactin. In this study, the agitation and aeration rates were found to have relationships with foam formation and surfactin enrichment. A maximum surfactin concentration of 4.7g/l of foam was obtained after 21h of culture with an agitation rate of 150rpm and an aeration rate of 1vvm in fed-batch culture. By controlling the foam overflow rate (fout) of a fed-batch culture, surfactin concentration in the foam was continuously maintained above 4g/l.

A framework for assessing supply-side wildlife conservation.

Market-based, supply-side interventions such as domestication, cultivation, and wildlife farming have been proposed as legal substitutes for wild-collected plants and animals in the marketplace. Based on the literature, we devised a list of the conditions under which supply-side interventions may yield positive conservation outcomes. We applied it to the trade of the orchid Rhynchostylis gigantea, a protected ornamental plant. We conducted a survey of R. gigantea at Jatujak Market in Bangkok, Thailand. Farmed (legal) and wild (illegal, protected) specimens of R. gigantea were sold side-by-side at market. These results suggest farmed specimens are not being substituted for wild plants in the marketplace. For any given set of physical plant characteristics (size, condition, flowers), the origin of the plants (wild vs. farmed) did not affect price. For all price classes, farmed plants were of superior quality to wild-collected plants on the basis of most physical variables. These results suggest wild and farmed specimens represent parallel markets and may not be substitutable goods. Our results with R. gigantea highlight a range of explanations for why supply-side interventions may lack effectiveness, for example, consumer preferences for wild-collected products and low financial incentives for farming. Our results suggest that market-based conservation strategies may not be effective by themselves and may be best utilized as supplements to regulation and education. This approach represents a broad, multidisciplinary evaluation of supply-side interventions that can be applied to other plant and animal species.

Using changes in agricultural utility to quantify future climate-induced risk to conservation.

Much of the biodiversity-related climate change impacts research has focused on the direct effects to species and ecosystems. Far less attention has been paid to the potential ecological consequences of human efforts to address the effects of climate change, which may equal or exceed the direct effects of climate change on biodiversity. One of the most significant human responses is likely to be mediated through changes in the agricultural utility of land. As farmers adapt their practices to changing climates, they may increase pressure on some areas that are important to conserve (conservation lands) whereas lessening it on others. We quantified how the agricultural utility of South African conservation lands may be altered by climate change. We assumed that the probability of an area being farmed is linked to the economic benefits of doing so, using land productivity values to represent production benefit and topographic ruggedness as a proxy for costs associated with mechanical workability. We computed current and future values of maize and wheat production in key conservation lands using the DSSAT4.5 model and 36 crop-climate response scenarios. Most conservation lands had, and were predicted to continue to have, low agricultural utility because of their location in rugged terrain. However, several areas were predicted to maintain or gain high agricultural utility and may therefore be at risk of near-term or future conversion to cropland. Conversely, some areas were predicted to decrease in agricultural utility and may therefore prove easier to protect from conversion. Our study provides an approximate but readily transferable method for incorporating potential human responses to climate change into conservation planning.

Unintended cultivation, shifting baselines, and conflict between objectives for fisheries and conservation.

The effects of fisheries on marine ecosystems, and their capacity to drive shifts in ecosystem states, have been widely documented. Less well appreciated is that some commercially valuable species respond positively to fishing-induced ecosystem change and can become important fisheries resources in modified ecosystems. Thus, the ecological effects of one fishery can unintentionally increase the abundance and productivity of other fished species (i.e., cultivate). We reviewed examples of this effect in the peer-reviewed literature. We found 2 underlying ecosystem drivers of the effect: trophic release of prey species when predators are overfished and habitat change. Key ecological, social, and economic conditions required for one fishery to unintentionally cultivate another include strong top-down control of prey by predators, the value of the new fishery, and the capacity of fishers to adapt to a new fishery. These unintended cultivation effects imply strong trade-offs between short-term fishery success and conservation efforts to restore ecosystems toward baseline conditions because goals for fisheries and conservation may be incompatible. Conflicts are likely to be exacerbated if fisheries baselines shift relative to conservation baselines and there is investment in the new fishery. However, in the long-term, restoration toward ecosystem baselines may often benefit both fishery and conservation goals. Unintended cultivation can be identified and predicted using a combination of time-series data, dietary studies, models of food webs, and socioeconomic data. Identifying unintended cultivation is necessary for management to set compatible goals for fisheries and conservation.