scholarly journals Do These Crayfish Make Me Look Fat? Body Condition Correlates To Prey Abundance In Three Hellbender (Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis) Populations

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kirsten Hecht ◽  
Max Nickerson ◽  
Michael Freake ◽  
Phil Colclough ◽  
Katie Stofer
Keyword(s):  
Body Condition ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Physiographic Regions ◽  
Salamander Species

AbstractIn ecological studies body condition is often measured as an indicator of animal health or well-being. The Hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is a threatened salamander species found throughout the montane regions of the eastern United States. Although few young individuals have historically been found in the wild, recent studies in Blue Ridge Physiographic Regions have uncovered larvae in several streams. In Little River, Tennessee, differences in the crayfish population, the principal component of the adult Hellbender diet, was hypothesized as a potential reason for the large number of immature individuals, and lack of large adults. To investigate this hypothesis, we compared body condition of Hellbenders in three streams with different crayfish relative frequencies. Body condition of Hellbenders was positively correlated with crayfish relative frequencies, with Hellbenders in the stream with the highest crayfish relative frequency exhibiting the highest expected mass per total length.

Landuse and Water Quality Threats to Current and Historical Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis Streams Across Multiple Ecoregions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.G. Da Silva Neto ◽  
Lori A. Williams ◽  
Charles R. Lawson ◽  
John D. Groves ◽  
T. D. BYL ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Water Quality ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Specific Conductivity ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Eastern United States ◽  
Population Declines ◽  
Watershed Development ◽  
Cryptobranchus Alleganiensis ◽  
Salamander Species ◽  
Aquatic Contaminants

Abstract The hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis) is a large, long-lived, and fully aquatic salamander species endemic to streams and rivers across 15 states in the Midwest and Eastern United States. Hellbender populations have experienced drastic declines due to habitat degradation, accelerated sedimentation, aquatic contaminants, and infectious diseases. Although declining water quality is often suggested as a major contributing factor to hellbender population declines, few studies have evaluated the presence of aquatic contaminants at sites with current and historical C. alleganiensis populations. We used a novel passive sampling technique to assess the presence and concentration of two herbicides (glyphosate and atrazine) in the water and analyzed heavy metal (cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg), and lead (Pb)) concentrations in stream sediment samples at 30 sites across a watershed development gradient throughout the C. alleganiensis range in Tennessee (TN) and North Carolina (NC). Our results indicated the presence of atrazine in 23% of our sites. All 30 sites contained Cd and Pb, and 26 sites contained Hg. Levels of glyphosate were too low to detect using our methods. Although percent watershed development was not significantly different among ecoregions, Blue Ridge watersheds were overall less developed than watersheds in the Ridge and Valley and Interior Plateau ecoregions. The model with greatest support suggested that percent watershed development and specific conductivity were negatively correlated with hellbender population status. Because this research focused on assessing the prevalence of commonly encountered aquatic contaminants, our results and study design are broadly applicable to C. alleganiensis populations across the species range.

Customer-Related Social Stressors

2015 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 165-181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Dudenhöffer ◽  
Christian Dormann
Keyword(s):  
Service Providers ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Emotional Dissonance ◽  
Social Stressors ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Confirmatory Factor Analyses ◽  
Confirmatory Factor ◽  
Service Jobs ◽  
Single Data

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to replicate the dimensions of the customer-related social stressors (CSS) concept across service jobs, to investigate their consequences for service providers’ well-being, and to examine emotional dissonance as mediator. Data of 20 studies comprising of different service jobs (N = 4,199) were integrated into a single data set and meta-analyzed. Confirmatory factor analyses and explorative principal component analysis confirmed four CSS scales: disproportionate expectations, verbal aggression, ambiguous expectations, disliked customers. These CSS scales were associated with burnout and job satisfaction. Most of the effects were partially mediated by emotional dissonance. Further analyses revealed that differences among jobs exist with regard to the factor solution. However, associations between CSS and outcomes are mainly invariant across service jobs.

scholarly journals Tick Importin-α Is Implicated in the Interactome and Regulome of the Cofactor Subolesin

Pathogens ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 457
Author(s):  
Sara Artigas-Jerónimo ◽  
Margarita Villar ◽  
Alejandro Cabezas-Cruz ◽  
Grégory Caignard ◽  
Damien Vitour ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rational Design ◽  
Fat Body ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Direct Interaction ◽  
Vaccine Antigen ◽  
Tick Feeding ◽  
Interacting Protein ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Importin Α

Ticks and tick-borne diseases (TBDs) represent a burden for human and animal health worldwide. Currently, vaccines constitute the safest and most effective approach to control ticks and TBDs. Subolesin (SUB) has been identified as a vaccine antigen for the control of tick infestations and pathogen infection and transmission. The characterization of the molecular function of SUB and the identification of tick proteins interacting with SUB may provide the basis for the discovery of novel antigens and for the rational design of novel anti-tick vaccines. In the present study, we used the yeast two-hybrid system (Y2H) as an unbiased approach to identify tick SUB-interacting proteins in an Ixodes ricinus cDNA library, and studied the possible role of SUB as a chromatin remodeler through direct interaction with histones. The Y2H screening identified Importin-α as a potential SUB-interacting protein, which was confirmed in vitro in a protein pull-down assay. The sub gene expression levels in tick midgut and fat body were significantly higher in unfed than fed female ticks, however, the importin-α expression levels did not vary between unfed and fed ticks but tended to be higher in the ovary when compared to those in other organs. The effect of importin-α RNAi was characterized in I. ricinus under artificial feeding conditions. Both sub and importin-α gene knockdown was observed in all tick tissues and, while tick weight was significantly lower in sub RNAi-treated ticks than in controls, importin-α RNAi did not affect tick feeding or oviposition, suggesting that SUB is able to exert its function in the absence of Importin-α. Furthermore, SUB was shown to physically interact with histone 4, which was corroborated by protein pull-down and western blot analysis. These results confirm that by interacting with numerous tick proteins, SUB is a key cofactor of the tick interactome and regulome. Further studies are needed to elucidate the nature of the SUB-Importin-α interaction and the biological processes and functional implications that this interaction may have.

scholarly journals Feeding sites promoting wildlife-related tourism might highly expose the endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti) to parasite transmission

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eve Afonso ◽  
Rong Fu ◽  
Amaël Dupaix ◽  
Anne-Claude Goydadin ◽  
ZhongHua Yu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Disease Transmission ◽  
High Throughput Sequencing ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Buffer Zone ◽  
Transmission Risk ◽  
Parasite Transmission ◽  
Rhinopithecus Bieti ◽  
Domesticated Animals ◽  
Feeding Sites ◽  
In The Wild

AbstractAn increasing number of studies have found that the implementation of feeding sites for wildlife-related tourism can affect animal health, behaviour and reproduction. Feeding sites can favour high densities, home range overlap, greater sedentary behaviour and increased interspecific contacts, all of which might promote parasite transmission. In the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey (Rhinopithecus bieti), human interventions via provisioning monkeys at specific feeding sites have led to the sub-structuring of a group into genetically differentiated sub-groups. The fed subgroup is located near human hamlets and interacts with domesticated animals. Using high-throughput sequencing, we investigated Entamoeba species diversity in a local host assemblage strongly influenced by provisioning for wildlife-related tourism. We identified 13 Entamoeba species or lineages in faeces of Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, humans and domesticated animals (including pigs, cattle, and domestic chicken). In Yunnan snub-nosed monkeys, Entamoeba prevalence and OTU richness were higher in the fed than in the wild subgroup. Entamoeba polecki was found in monkeys, pigs and humans, suggesting that this parasite might circulates between the wild and domestic components of this local social–ecological system. The highest proportion of faeces positive for Entamoeba in monkeys geographically coincided with the presence of livestock and humans. These elements suggest that feeding sites might indirectly play a role on parasite transmission in the Yunnan snub-nosed monkey. The implementation of such sites should carefully consider the risk of creating hotspots of disease transmission, which should be prevented by maintaining a buffer zone between monkeys and livestock/humans. Regular screenings for pathogens in fed subgroup are necessary to monitor transmission risk in order to balance the economic development of human communities dependent on wildlife-related tourism, and the conservation of the endangered Yunnan snub-nosed monkey.

Note on the regulation of veterinary medical devices in the EU: A review of the current situation and its impact on animal health and safety

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-43
Author(s):  
H Potockova ◽  
P Kusnierik ◽  
J Dohnal
Keyword(s):  
Veterinary Medicine ◽  
Medical Devices ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Current Situation ◽  
Safety And Efficacy ◽  
Safety Risks ◽  
Health And Safety Risks ◽  
The Eu

Medical devices form a large heterogeneous group of products ranging from simple tools to medical testing and implants, the safety and efficacy of which are strictly regulated in all developed countries. Thanks to the health and cost benefits, medical devices have also found their way into veterinary medicine but, surprisingly, the regulation of these products is far less complex or, in some cases, missing altogether. Given the complexity and potential hazards of certain veterinary devices, the current state of affairs may lead to health and safety risks, both for animals and personnel involved. This review is the first to systematically map the current situation in the EU, revealing health and safety risks in practice for both animals and personnel involved and discussing them in a broader context. Only six out of the EU's 28 member states (Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Hungary, and Slovakia) were found to have at least a degree of regulation of veterinary devices. As a result, a single product may be regulated as a veterinary medicinal product, a veterinary medical device or not be regulated at all, depending on the particular EU member state in question. As things stand, veterinary medicine makes use of all kinds of medical devices, including human products, regardless of their regulatory status and (pre-market) control. However, the use of such devices may influence the health and well-being of animals. Several measures are therefore suggested to attain the required levels of safety and efficacy surveillance for veterinary medical devices without creating excessive administration.

scholarly journals (A287) Animal Health in Disasters: Why does it Matter?

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S1) ◽  
pp. s96-s96
Author(s):  
P. Hollier
Keyword(s):  
Developing Country ◽  
Vulnerable Populations ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Humanitarian Assistance ◽  
Development Programs ◽  
Economic Stability ◽  
Animal Agriculture ◽  
Response And Recovery

Animal production is an important component to economic stability and food security in developing country. Economic development programs have targeted agriculture in developing country as a means of decreasing poverty and empowering vulnerable populations throughout much of the developing world. Disasters due to natural and man-made hazards that impact animal agriculture have a disproportionate impact on the rural poor and vulnerable populations affecting the economic well being and health of the greater population. Protection of livelihoods dependent on animal agriculture is important to consider in community resilience and humanitarian assistance activities that range from capacity building through response and recovery. In order to meet the challenges of the next generation of global health threats, policy, research, and practice must adopt a new cross-cutting approach that targets the human-animal-ecologic interface taking into account political, socioeconomic, and cultural factors.

scholarly journals Environmental Enrichment of Nonhuman Primates, Dogs and Rabbits Used in Toxicology Studies

2003 ◽  
Vol 31 (1_suppl) ◽  
pp. 132-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathryn A.L. Bayne
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Enrichment ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Laboratory Animals ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Regulatory Requirements ◽  
Scientific Enterprise ◽  
Confounding Variables ◽  
The Subject ◽  
Animal Care

The increasing emphasis on the provision of environmental enrichment to laboratory animals, vis-à-vis the USDA Animal Welfare Regulations, the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (NRC 1996), and a potential forthcoming policy from the USDA on the subject, can be difficult to accommodate in a toxicology research environment. A summary will be provided of current requirements and recommendations. Then, strategies for meeting regulatory requirements will be described for non-rodent animals used in toxicology research. These strategies will address methods of both social enrichment, such as pair or group housing, as well as non-social enrichment, such as cage furniture, food enrichments, and toys. In addition, the value of positive interactions with staff (e.g., through training paradigms or socialization programs) will also be discussed. Apparent in the discussion of these strategies will be an overarching recognition of the necessity to avoid introducing confounding variables into the research project and to avoid compromising animal health. The roles of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) and the attending veterinarian in helping scientists balance animal well-being, the scientific enterprise and the regulatory environment will be described.

Assisted colonisation trial of the eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) to a fox-free island

2017 ◽  
Vol 44 (7) ◽  
pp. 484 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebecca Groenewegen ◽  
Dan Harley ◽  
Richard Hill ◽  
Graeme Coulson
Keyword(s):  
Habitat Use ◽  
Body Condition ◽  
Red Fox ◽  
Suitable Habitat ◽  
Viable Option ◽  
Predator Exclusion ◽  
In The Wild ◽  
Radio Transmitters ◽  
Release Group ◽  
Small Sites

Context Assisted colonisation has the potential to protect species from intractable threats within their historical ranges. The Australian mainland subspecies of the eastern barred bandicoot (Perameles gunnii) is extinct in the wild, with surviving populations restricted to small sites protected by predator–barrier fences. PVA modelling shows that a self-sustaining bandicoot population would require an area free of the introduced red fox (Vulpes vulpes) of at least 2500ha. French Island is outside the historic range of the species, but is fox-free and contains around 9000ha of potentially suitable habitat. Aims This study will assess the suitability of French Island as a potential site for a self-sustaining eastern barred bandicoot population by conducting a 1-year assisted colonisation trial to assess habitat use, body condition and survival. Methods Between July and September 2012, 18 adult bandicoots were released. We radio-tracked bandicoots using intraperitoneal radio-transmitters for up to 122 days and trapped fortnightly. Key results The release group met the three measures of success: (1) appropriate habitat use; (2) recovery of post-release bodyweight; and (3) founder survival exceeding 100 days. Habitat use and body condition throughout the trial reflected that of mainland populations, and seven bandicoots survived longer than 100 days. Mortality was greatest in the first month, with veterinary investigations confirming two deaths due to cat predation, two deaths from toxoplasmosis and one unknown cause of death. Bandicoots that survived longer than 100 days occupied higher, drier ground than those that did not. Toxoplasmosis cases were associated with lower topographic position on the site. Conclusions Our results suggest that French Island provides suitable habitat for the establishment of a population of eastern barred bandicoots. On French Island, toxoplasmosis was identified as an important source of mortality in addition to cat predation, and warrants further investigation. Implications Given the costs and challenges of predator control and the maintenance of predator exclusion fences, assisted colonisation to one or more fox-free islands remains the most viable option to establish self-sustaining bandicoot populations. Our results highlight the value in conducting trial releases ahead of major translocations.

scholarly journals A socio-economic approach to One Health policy research in southern Africa

2012 ◽  
Vol 79 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kim A. Kayunze ◽  
Angwara D. Kiwara ◽  
Eligius Lyamuya ◽  
Dominic M. Kambarage ◽  
Jonathan Rushton ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Infectious Disease ◽  
Health Policy ◽  
Infectious Diseases ◽  
Burden Of Disease ◽  
One Health ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Policy Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Cultural Economic ◽  
Emerging Zoonoses

One-health approaches have started being applied to health systems in some countries in controlling infectious diseases in order to reduce the burden of disease in humans, livestock and wild animals collaboratively. However, one wonders whether the problem of lingering and emerging zoonoses is more affected by health policies, low application of one-health approaches, or other factors. As part of efforts to answer this question, the Southern African Centre for Infectious Disease Surveillance (SACIDS) smart partnership of human health, animal health and socio-economic experts published, in April 2011, a conceptual framework to support One Health research for policy on emerging zoonoses. The main objective of this paper was to identify which factors really affect the burden of disease and how the burden could affect socio-economic well-being. Amongst other issues, the review of literature shows that the occurrence of infectious diseases in humans and animals is driven by many factors, the most important ones being the causative agents (viruses, bacteria, parasites, etc.) and the mediator conditions (social, cultural, economic or climatic) which facilitate the infection to occur and hold. Literature also shows that in many countries there is little collaboration between medical and veterinary services despite the shared underlying science and the increasing infectious disease threat. In view of these findings, a research to inform health policy must walk on two legs: a natural sciences leg and a social sciences one.

scholarly journals One Health, Fermented Foods, and Gut Microbiota

Foods ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Victoria Bell ◽  
Jorge Ferrão ◽  
Lígia Pimentel ◽  
Manuela Pintado ◽  
Tito Fernandes
Keyword(s):  
Lactic Acid ◽  
Gut Microbiota ◽  
One Health ◽  
Inflammatory Diseases ◽  
Animal Health ◽  
Saturated Fat ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Fermented Foods ◽  
Being There ◽  
The Impact

Changes in present-day society such as diets with more sugar, salt, and saturated fat, bad habits and unhealthy lifestyles contribute to the likelihood of the involvement of the microbiota in inflammatory diseases, which contribute to global epidemics of obesity, depression, and mental health concerns. The microbiota is presently one of the hottest areas of scientific and medical research, and exerts a marked influence on the host during homeostasis and disease. Fermented foods and beverages are generally defined as products made by microbial organisms and enzymatic conversions of major and minor food components. Further to the commonly-recognized effects of nutrition on the digestive health (e.g., dysbiosis) and well-being, there is now strong evidence for the impact of fermented foods and beverages (e.g., yoghurt, pickles, bread, kefir, beers, wines, mead), produced or preserved by the action of microorganisms, on general health, namely their significance on the gut microbiota balance and brain functionality. Fermented products require microorganisms, i.e., Saccharomyces yeasts and lactic acid bacteria, yielding alcohol and lactic acid. Ingestion of vibrant probiotics, especially those contained in fermented foods, is found to cause significant positive improvements in balancing intestinal permeability and barrier function. Our guts control and deal with every aspect of our health. How we digest our food and even the food sensitivities we have is linked with our mood, behavior, energy, weight, food cravings, hormone balance, immunity, and overall wellness. We highlight some impacts in this domain and debate calls for the convergence of interdisciplinary research fields from the United Nations’ initiative. Worldwide human and animal medicine are practiced separately; veterinary science and animal health are generally neither considered nor inserted within national or international Health discussions. The absence of a clear definition and subsequent vision for the future of One Health may act as a barrier to transdisciplinary collaboration. The point of this mini review is to highlight the role of fermented foods and beverages on gut microbiota and debate if the need for confluence of transdisciplinary fields of One Health is feasible and achievable, since they are managed by separate sectors with limited communication.

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