Wild dogs at stake: deforestation threatens the only Amazon endemic canid, the short-eared dog (Atelocynus microtis)

The persistent high deforestation rate and fragmentation of the Amazon forests are the main threats to their biodiversity. To anticipate and mitigate these threats, it is important to understand and predict how species respond to the rapidly changing landscape. The short-eared dog Atelocynus microtis is the only Amazon-endemic canid and one of the most understudied wild dogs worldwide. We investigated short-eared dog habitat associations on two spatial scales. First, we used the largest record database ever compiled for short-eared dogs in combination with species distribution models to map species habitat suitability, estimate its distribution range and predict shifts in species distribution in response to predicted deforestation across the entire Amazon (regional scale). Second, we used systematic camera trap surveys and occupancy models to investigate how forest cover and forest fragmentation affect the space use of this species in the Southern Brazilian Amazon (local scale). Species distribution models suggested that the short-eared dog potentially occurs over an extensive and continuous area, through most of the Amazon region south of the Amazon River. However, approximately 30% of the short-eared dog's current distribution is expected to be lost or suffer sharp declines in habitat suitability by 2027 (within three generations) due to forest loss. This proportion might reach 40% of the species distribution in unprotected areas and exceed 60% in some interfluves (i.e. portions of land separated by large rivers) of the Amazon basin. Our local-scale analysis indicated that the presence of forest positively affected short-eared dog space use, while the density of forest edges had a negative effect. Beyond shedding light on the ecology of the short-eared dog and refining its distribution range, our results stress that forest loss poses a serious threat to the conservation of the species in a short time frame. Hence, we propose a re-assessment of the short-eared dog's current IUCN Red List status (Near Threatened) based on findings presented here. Our study exemplifies how data can be integrated across sources and modelling procedures to improve our knowledge of relatively understudied species

Are all psittacine birds carriers of Cryptococcus neoformans?

Universidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia Departamento de Clínica VeterináriaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu Departamento de PatologiaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária e Zootecnia Departamento de Clínica VeterináriaUniversidade Estadual Paulista Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu Departamento de Patologi

Mapping resilient landscapes to climate change in a megadiverse country.

The effects of global climate change on biodiversity and ecosystem functioning are unevenly distributed in the geographic space. Identifying sites more suitable to sustain biodiversity in a changing climate is essential to both species conservation and restoration strategies at different scales. Here, we map terrestrial climate‐resilient sites for biodiversity across Brazil to identify sites with greater chances of providing suitable conditions for species to persist under regional climate change. Our mapping combines spatial metrics based on landscape heterogeneity, a proxy for microclimatic variability, and local connectedness, a measure of connectivity between habitats, to determine landscape resilience, assuming that resilience to climate change will be greater the more heterogeneous the characteristics of local habitats are and the more connected they are in the landscape. Our results show that within each biome, medium to high resilient sites are mostly found in the Amazon (40% of the biome) and Pantanal (38%). Low resilience, conversely, is concentrated in the Atlantic Forest (41% of the biome), followed by Cerrado (37%), Pampa (36%), and Caatinga (34%). Landscape resilience information has the potential to be used to effectively guide decision‐making and public policy on strategies for conservation, restoration, and sustainable use practices. Priority for conservation should be on high resilience sites as they have the potential to sustain biodiversity in face of undergoing and future climate change. Other approaches could be used in situations of medium to low resilience also, such as: conservation of current corridors in sites with high local connectedness, but low landscape heterogeneity; restoration of natural vegetation on sites that show high landscape heterogeneity, but low local connectedness; and sustainable practices in areas of low resilience. Our study provides an updated method to pinpoint climate‐resilient sites for biodiversity which was applied to a megadiverse country but is applicable to any ecosystem around the globe

A conscious mouse model of gastric ileus using clinically relevant endpoints

BACKGROUND: Gastric ileus is an unsolved clinical problem and current treatment is limited to supportive measures. Models of ileus using anesthetized animals, muscle strips or isolated smooth muscle cells do not adequately reproduce the clinical situation. Thus, previous studies using these techniques have not led to a clear understanding of the pathophysiology of ileus. The feasibility of using food intake and fecal output as simple, clinically relevant endpoints for monitoring ileus in a conscious mouse model was evaluated by assessing the severity and time course of various insults known to cause ileus. METHODS: Delayed food intake and fecal output associated with ileus was monitored after intraperitoneal injection of endotoxin, laparotomy with bowel manipulation, thermal injury or cerulein induced acute pancreatitis. The correlation of decreased food intake after endotoxin injection with gastric ileus was validated by measuring gastric emptying. The effect of endotoxin on general activity level and feeding behavior was also determined. Small bowel transit was measured using a phenol red marker. RESULTS: Each insult resulted in a transient and comparable decrease in food intake and fecal output consistent with the clinical picture of ileus. The endpoints were highly sensitive to small changes in low doses of endotoxin, the extent of bowel manipulation, and cerulein dose. The delay in food intake directly correlated with delayed gastric emptying. Changes in general activity and feeding behavior were insufficient to explain decreased food intake. Intestinal transit remained unchanged at the times measured. CONCLUSION: Food intake and fecal output are sensitive markers of gastric dysfunction in four experimental models of ileus. In the mouse, delayed gastric emptying appears to be the major cause of the anorexic effect associated with ileus. Gastric dysfunction is more important than small bowel dysfunction in this model. Recovery of stomach function appears to be simultaneous to colonic recovery

Cryptococcus: isolamento ambiental e caracterização bioquímica

Cryptococcosis is an opportunistic fungal infection caused by Cryptococcus yeasts, especially C. neoformans and Cryptococcus gattii. The fungus is found in substrates of animal and vegetable origin, and infection occurs through inhalation and seedlings present in the environment. The present study aimed to investigate the existence of microfocus Cryptococcus sp. from the environmental samples of Araçatuba city, São Paulo, featuring new niches, by decoupling the direct relationship between fungus and host in order to minimize the risk of contamination of man and animals, understanding the ecoepidemiology of Cryptococcus. Fifty samples from hollows and tree trunks were harvested (Cassia sp., Ficus sp., Caesalpinea peltophorides) from ten representatives in the urban perimeter. The samples were immediately sent to the Laboratory of Bacteriology and Mycology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine Araçatuba - Unesp where they were processed and plated on Petri dishes containing agar seed Niger and Sabouraud dextrose agar with chloramphenicol, incubated at 30ºC for a period of no less than 5 days. Afterwards they were subimitted to biochemical tests: urease production, thermotolerance at 37°C and quimiotipagem in CGB agar (L- Canavanine-Glycine-Bromothymol blue). The results showed that 17 (34%) cultures were positive for Cryptococcus, 9 (18%) for Cryptococcus gattii and 8 (16%) for Cryptococcus neoformans. Other yeast correlated as Rhodotorula sp. and Candida sp. were isolated. We conclude that the infectious propagules of Cryptococcus are dispersed in nature and constitute an environmental microfocus, not necessarily being bound to a single host.O gênero Cryptococcus caracteriza-se por ser uma levedura responsável por infecção sistêmica, causada pelas espécies Cryptococcus neoformans e Cryptococcus gattii. O fungo é encontrado em substratos de origem animal e vegetal, e a infecção ocorre com a inalação de basidiósporos ou leveduras desidratadas infectantes presentes no ambiente. O presente trabalho teve por objetivo pesquisar a existência de microfocos de Cryptococcus sp.em amostras ambientais da cidade de Araçatuba, São Paulo, com a finalidade de minimizar os riscos de contaminação do homem e dos animais, buscando o conhecimento da ecoepidemiologia do Cryptococcus. Foram colhidas 50 amostras oriundas de ocos e troncos de árvores (Cassia sp., Ficus sp., Caesalpinea peltophorides) de 10 locais representativos do perímetro urbano, as quais foram encaminhadas ao Laboratório de Bacteriologia e Micologia da Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba-Unesp, onde foram processadas e semeadas em placas de Petri contendo ágar semente de Níger e Sabouraud dextrose com clorafenicol e incubadas à temperatura de 30ºC, por um período não inferior a cinco dias. Posteriormente, foram submetidas às provas bioquímicas: produção de urease, termotolerância a 37ºC e quimiotipagem em ágar CGB (L-canavanina-glicina-azul de bromotimol). A análise dos resultados revelaram que 17 (34%) dos cultivos foram positivos para o gênero Cryptococcus, sendo nove (18%) para Cryptococcus gattii e oito (16%) para Cryptococcus neoformans. Outras leveduras correlacionadas, como Rhodotorula sp. e Candida sp., também foram isoladas. Conclui-se que os basidiósporos de Cryptococcusencontram-se dispersos na natureza, constituindo microfocos ambientais, não vinculados necessariamente a um único hospedeiro.Universidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Departamento Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba - UNESP, Araçatuba, R: Clovis Pestana 793, Dona Amelia, CEP 16050680, SP, BrasilUniversidade Estadual Paulista Júlio de Mesquita Filho, Departamento Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária (FMVA), Faculdade de Medicina Veterinária de Araçatuba - UNESP, Araçatuba, R: Clovis Pestana 793, Dona Amelia, CEP 16050680, SP, Brasi

Environmental isolation, biochemical identification, and antifungal drug susceptibility of Cryptococcus species

Introduction The incidence of opportunistic fungal infections has increased in recent years and is considered an important public health problem. Among systemic and opportunistic mycoses, cryptococcosis is distinguished by its clinical importance due to the increased risk of infection in individuals infected by human immunodeficiency virus. Methods To determine the occurrence of pathogenic Cryptococcus in pigeon excrement in the City of Araraquara, samples were collected from nine environments, including state and municipal schools, abandoned buildings, parks, and a hospital. The isolates were identified using classical tests, and susceptibility testing for the antifungal drugs (fluconazole, itraconazole, voriconazole, and amphotericin B) independently was also performed. After collection, the excrement samples were plated on Niger agar and incubated at room temperature. Results A total of 87 bird dropping samples were collected, and 66.6% were positive for the genus Cryptococcus. The following species were identified: Cryptococcus neoformans (17.2%), Cryptococcus gattii (5.2%), Cryptococcus ater (3.5%), Cryptococcus laurentti (1.7%), and Cryptococcus luteolus (1.7%). A total of 70.7% of the isolates were not identified to the species level and are referred to as Cryptococcus spp. throughout the manuscript. Conclusions Although none of the isolates demonstrated resistance to antifungal drugs, the identification of infested areas, the proper control of birds, and the disinfection of these environments are essential for the epidemiological control of cryptococcosis.Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Ciencias Farmaceuticas Laboratorio de Micologia ClinicaPrefeitura Municipal de Araraquara Departamento do Meio AmbienteUniversidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP) Faculdade de Ciencias Farmaceuticas Laboratorio de Micologia Clinic