Sentinel surveillance of imported dengue via travellers to Europe 2012 to 2014: TropNet data from the DengueTools Research Initiative.

We describe the epidemiological pattern and genetic characteristics of 242 acute dengue infections imported to Europe by returning travellers from 2012 to 2014. The overall geographical pattern of imported dengue (South-east Asia > Americas > western Pacific region > Africa) remained stable compared with 1999 to 2010. We isolated the majority of dengue virus genotypes and epidemic lineages causing outbreaks and epidemics in Asia, America and Africa during the study period. Travellers acted as sentinels for four unusual dengue outbreaks (Madeira, 2012-13; Luanda, 2013; Dar es Salaam, 2014; Tokyo, 2014). We were able to characterise dengue viruses imported from regions where currently no virological surveillance data are available. Up to 36% of travellers infected with dengue while travelling returned during the acute phase of the infection (up to 7 days after symptom onset) or became symptomatic after returning to Europe, and 58% of the patients with acute dengue infection were viraemic when seeking medical care. Epidemiological and virological data from dengue-infected international travellers can add an important layer to global surveillance efforts. A considerable number of dengue-infected travellers are viraemic after arrival back home, which poses a risk for dengue introduction and autochthonous transmission in European regions where suitable mosquito vectors are prevalent

Film tourism as an innovative direction of world and Ukrainian tourism development

The article studies the features of film tourism as an innovative form of cultural and educational tourism. The relationship between the development of the global film industry and this type of tourism is analysed. The different types of impact of film tourism on tourist destinations and countries in general are characterised. The methodology is based on general scientific and special research methods, including: analysis, synthesis, generalisation, retrospective analysis and geographical research methods. Scientific novelty is a comprehensive study of film tourism as an innovative direction of development of world tourism and its impact on various aspects of life in the settlements where it has developed. The authors of the article present their vision of the impact of film tourism on the surrounding anthropogenic and natural environment. The peculiarities of the development of film tourism in Ukraine are examined. Conclusions. Film tourism is an innovative and promising area of global tourism development. It has a strong base for development in many countries of the world, both natural and artificially created, and its undoubted advantage is that the list of film attractions and destinations is expanding with every successful film premiere. Cinema tourism can be attractive to different age groups of tourists, but they are all united by a generally high level of education, relatively high incomes and a penchant for cultural leisure. The development of film tourism has a positive impact on both tourist destinations and countries

Identifying migration routes and non-breeding staging sites of adult males of the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola

Birds that are long-distance migrants partition their annual cycle among a number of locations over a large spatial range. The conservation of these species is particularly complex because it requires atten-tion to a number of different and distant habitats based on knowledge of migratory phenology, routes and staging areas. In the case of the globally threatened Aquatic Warbler Acrocephalus paludicola, a habitat specialist that breeds in Europe and spends the boreal winter in sub-Saharan Africa, non-breeding staging areas were widely unknown until recently. We applied light-level geolocators to adult male Aquatic Warblers at breeding sites in Belarus and Ukraine. Data from eight retrieved geolocators confirmed a south-west and then westward migration route through Europe via the northern Mediterranean with staging sites on the Iberian Peninsula and occasionally France and north-west Africa. In sub-Saharan Africa, final staging areas were in Mali, either in the Inner Niger Delta or at (presumably) small water bodies in the desert, with one bird most likely staying in the north of Ivory Coast south of the previously assumed range. The birds probably stayed in the final staging areas for most of the non-breeding season, but the logger on only one bird provided data throughout the entire migration cycle. Pre-nuptial migration of the latter was by a more easterly route than the southward migration. Our study suggests that conservation strategies for Aquatic Warbler north of the Sahara should include consideration of unknown staging sites in the northern Mediterranean as well as on the Iberian Peninsula and in north-west Africa. South of the Sahara, our study demonstrates the impor-tance of the Sahel for the conservation of the Aquatic Warbler, including both the major floodplains of the Niger River and small Sahelian wetlands that are under pressure from human development

Reduction of the Breeding Population of the Rook, Corvus frugilegus (Aves, Corvidae), in Ukraine: the Example of the Eastern Part of the Kyiv Region

Since the 1980s, a significant decline in the number of breeding populations of the Rook, Corvus frugilegus Linnaeus, 1758, has been observed in many European countries. In Ukraine, this trend has been observed since the late 1990s. In 2021, the conservation status of the Rook in Europe was significantly upgraded — from “LC” (Least Concern) to “VU” (Vulnerable). The analysis of the material of surveys in 1983–1985 and 2021 on the territory of 1850 km² in Kyiv Region showed that during the 35 years, there was a catastrophic decrease in the number of nesting birds, it decreased almost 12 times, from 11,480 pairs in the 1980s to 961 pairs in 2021. In addition, the spatial structure of the distribution of colonies in relation to large arable agricultural land has changed. We suggest that the main reason for these changes is the widespread use of seed treatments with the active ingredient imidacloprid. The use of treated grains for food by birds leads to their death. Since 2018, the countries of the European Union countries have banned the use of insecticides containing imidacloprid on open land

Stability of gametocyte-specific Pfs25-mRNA in dried blood spots on filter paper subjected to different storage conditions

Background: Real-time quantitative nucleic acid sequence-based amplification (QT-NASBA) is a sensitive method for detection of sub-microscopic gametocytaemia by measuring gametocyte-specific mRNA. Performing analysis on fresh whole blood samples is often not feasible in remote and resource-poor areas. Convenient methods for sample storage and transport are urgently needed. Methods: Real-time QT-NASBA was performed on whole blood spiked with a dilution series of purified in-vitro cultivated gametocytes. The blood was either freshly processed or spotted on filter papers. Gametocyte detection sensitivity for QT-NASBA was determined and controlled by microscopy. Dried blood spot (DBS) samples were subjected to five different storage conditions and the loss of sensitivity over time was investigated. A formula to approximate the loss of Pfs25-mRNA due to different storage conditions and time was developed. Results: Pfs25-mRNA was measured in time to positivity (TTP) and correlated well with the microscopic counts and the theoretical concentrations of the dilution series. TTP results constantly indicated higher amounts of RNA in filter paper samples extracted after 24 hours than in immediately extracted fresh blood. Among investigated storage conditions freezing at -20 degrees C performed best with 98.7% of the Pfs25-mRNA still detectable at day 28 compared to fresh blood samples. After 92 days, the RNA detection rate was only slightly decreased to 92.9%. Samples stored at 37 degrees C showed most decay with only 64.5% of Pfs25-mRNA detectable after one month. The calculated theoretical detection limit for 24 h-old DBS filter paper samples was 0.0095 (95% CI: 0.0025 to 0.0380) per mu l. Conclusions: The results suggest that the application of DBS filter papers for quantification of Plasmodium falciparum gametocytes with real-time QT-NASBA is practical and recommendable. This method proved sensitive enough for detection of sub-microscopic densities even after prolonged storage. Decay rates can be predicted for different storage conditions as well as durations

Low but contrasting neutral genetic differentiation shaped by winter temperature in European great tits

Gene flow is usually thought to reduce genetic divergence and impede local adaptation by homogenising gene pools between populations. However, evidence for local adaptation and phenotypic differentiation in highly mobile species, experiencing high levels of gene flow, is emerging. Assessing population genetic structure at different spatial scales is thus a crucial step towards understanding mechanisms underlying intraspecific differentiation and diversification. Here, we studied the population genetic structure of a highly mobile species – the great tit Parus major – at different spatial scales. We analysed 884 individuals from 30 sites across Europe including 10 close-by sites (< 50 km), using 22 microsatellite markers. Overall we found a low but significant genetic differentiation among sites (FST = 0.008). Genetic differentiation was higher, and genetic diversity lower, in south-western Europe. These regional differences were statistically best explained by winter temperature. Overall, our results suggest that great tits form a single patchy metapopulation across Europe, in which genetic differentiation is independent of geographical distance and gene flow may be regulated by environmental factors via movements related to winter severity. This might have important implications for the evolutionary trajectories of sub-populations, especially in the context of climate change, and calls for future investigations of local differences in costs and benefits of philopatry at large scales