Vegetation and the importance of insecticide-treated target siting for control of Glossina fuscipes fuscipes

Control of tsetse flies using insecticide-treated targets is often hampered by vegetation re-growth and encroachment which obscures a target and renders it less effective. Potentially this is of particular concern for the newly developed small targets (0.25 high × 0.5 m wide) which show promise for cost-efficient control of Palpalis group tsetse flies. Consequently the performance of a small target was investigated for Glossina fuscipes fuscipes in Kenya, when the target was obscured following the placement of vegetation to simulate various degrees of natural bush encroachment. Catches decreased significantly only when the target was obscured by more than 80%. Even if a small target is underneath a very low overhanging bush (0.5 m above ground), the numbers of G. f. fuscipes decreased by only about 30% compared to a target in the open. We show that the efficiency of the small targets, even in small (1 m diameter) clearings, is largely uncompromised by vegetation re-growth because G. f. fuscipes readily enter between and under vegetation. The essential characteristic is that there should be some openings between vegetation. This implies that for this important vector of HAT, and possibly other Palpalis group flies, a smaller initial clearance zone around targets can be made and longer interval between site maintenance visits is possible both of which will result in cost savings for large scale operations. We also investigated and discuss other site features e.g. large solid objects and position in relation to the water's edge in terms of the efficacy of the small targets

Neonatal meningitis associated with osteomyelitis and epidural empyema.

Neonatal meningitis is a serious disease with significant mortality and morbidity. Its signs and symptoms are subtle, non-specific, atypical or absent. Cephalohaematoma is frequent in newborns and complications are uncommon, including local infection after haematogenous spread in the setting of bacteraemia or meningitis with a possibility of osteomyelitis, epidural abscess and subdural empyema. We report the case of a late preterm newborn, with an unremarkable pregnancy, born by vacuum-assisted vaginal delivery that presented in the fifth day of life with irritability, fever and grunting. Cerebrospinal fluid and blood cultures were positive for Escherichia coli. The patient had neurological deterioration despite adequate antibiotic therapy and brain MRI showed a right parietal epidural empyema, subcutaneous abscess, osteomyelitis and supratentorial hydrocephalus. The culture of the cephalohaematoma's abscess material was positive for E coli. Antibiotic therapy was continued for 8 weeks. The child, now 2 years old, has spastic tetraparesis with global development delay

Towards an optimal design of target for tsetse control: comparisons of novel targets for the control of palpalis group tsetse in West Africa

Background: Tsetse flies of the Palpalis group are the main vectors of sleeping sickness in Africa. Insecticide impregnated targets are one of the most effective tools for control. However, the cost of these devices still represents a constraint to their wider use. The objective was therefore to improve the cost effectiveness of currently used devices. Methodology/Principal Findings: Experiments were performed on three tsetse species, namely Glossina palpalis gambiensis and G. tachinoides in Burkina Faso and G. p. palpalis in Côte d'Ivoire. The 1×1 m2 black blue black target commonly used in W. Africa was used as the standard, and effects of changes in target size, shape, and the use of netting instead of black cloth were measured. Regarding overall target shape, we observed that horizontal targets (i.e. wider than they were high) killed 1.6-5x more G. p. gambiensis and G. tachinoides than vertical ones (i.e. higher than they were wide) (P<0.001). For the three tsetse species including G. p. palpalis, catches were highly correlated with the size of the target. However, beyond the size of 0.75 m, there was no increase in catches. Replacing the black cloth of the target by netting was the most cost efficient for all three species. Conclusion/Significance: Reducing the size of the current 1*1 m black-blue-black target to horizontal designs of around 50 cm and replacing black cloth by netting will improve cost effectiveness six-fold for both G. p. gambiensis and G. tachinoides. Studying the visual responses of tsetse to different designs of target has allowed us to design more cost-effective devices for the effective control of sleeping sickness and animal trypanosomiasis in Africa

Multiplicação in vitro de abacaxi ornamental (Ananas comosus).

O abacaxi ornamental Ananas comosus é uma espécie vegetal pertencente à família Bromeliaceae, de grande interesse para paisagistas e floricultores, a utilização da cultura de tecidos proporciona a obtenção de milhares de mudas a partir de uma gema em um pequeno espaço e em um intervalo de tempo relativamente curto.Titulo: Multiplicação [i.e. e enraizamento] in vitro de abacaxi ornamental (Ananas comosus)

Habitat Factors Affecting Trap Success of Swamp Rabbits in Southeastern Arkansas During a Flooding Event

Swamp rabbits (Sylvilagus aquaticus) are found in bottomland hardwood ecosystems that have canopy gaps dispersed throughout. During annual flooding of these ecosystems, swamp rabbits often are displaced to adjacent uplands or higher ground within the bottomlands. Trapping of swamp rabbits is reported to be best during times of flooding. We examined habitat characteristics at trap sites to identify the best suits of habitat characters to target when trapping for swamp rabbits during flooding conditions. We conducted trapping for swamp rabbits during a flooding event from 2 January 2007 to 3 February 2007. A total of 511 trap nights yielded 16 swamp rabbit captures, or an overall capture rate of 3.1%. We reduced the habitat data set using principal component analysis and identified habitat characteristics most important to trapping success using stepwise discriminant function analysis. Variables important for successful trapping of swamp rabbits were canopy cover, percent ground cover of leaves, distance to trees (i.e., tree density), number and stage of decomposition of stumps, diameter at breast height of trees, and distance to temporary water sources. Because some states list swamp rabbits as a species of concern, knowledge of habitat variables most often selected by swamp rabbits during a flooding event may assist with trapping for future studies concerning the species