Search

Aedes koreicus is an invasive mosquito species which has been introduced into several European countries. Compared to other invasive Aedes mosquitoes, little is known of its biology and ecology. To determine Ae. koreicus’ vectorial capacity, it is essential to establish its feeding patterns and level of anthropophagy. We report on the blood-feeding patterns of Ae. koreicus, examining the blood meal origin of engorged females and evaluating the influence of different biotic and abiotic factors on feeding behavior. Mosquitoes were collected in 23 sites in northern Italy by manual aspiration and BG-sentinel traps; host availability was estimated by survey. The source of blood meals was identified using a nested PCR and by targeting and sequencing the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene. In total, 352 Ae. koreicus engorged females were collected between 2013 and 2020 and host blood meals were determined from 299 blood-fed mosquitoes (84.9%). Eleven host species were identified, with the highest prevalences being observed among roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) (N = 189, 63.2%) and humans (N = 46, 15.4%). Blood meals were mostly taken from roe deer in forested sites and from humans in urban areas, suggesting that this species can feed on different hosts according to local abundance. Two blood meals were identified from avian hosts and one from lizard. Ae. koreicus’ mammalophilic feeding pattern suggests that it may be a potential vector of pathogens establishing transmission cycles among mammals, whereas its role as a bridge vector between mammals and birds could be negligible.

Resumen Un canino, macho, Caniche Miniatura de 18 meses de edad, concurrió a consulta neurológica por presentar convulsiones, depresión del sensorio, problemas en la marcha y posible ceguera. Al examen clínico reveló adelgazamiento, bradisfigmia, ataxia además de un estado de estupor con poca respuesta a estímulos. Al examen neurológico presentó atrofia muscular generalizada, dismetría en miembros torácicos y marcha en círculos pequeños, propiocepción negativa en miembros pélvicos, reflejos espinales con signos de Neurona Motora Superior (NMS) en los cuatro miembros, y dolor de cuello. A la evaluación de los nervios craneanos se observó respuesta de amenaza negativa en ambos ojos, el resto de los pares craneanos no mostraron alteraciones. La radiografía de tórax y de columna cervical y la ecografía abdominal no mostraron ninguna alteración. De acuerdo a los signos neurológicos y a la reseña del paciente se realizó el diagnóstico presuntivo de Meningoencefalitis granulomatosa (MEG), confirmada luego por anatomía patológica. Summary A male, canine, miniature Poodle, 18-month-old, attends to neurological consultation as a result of seizures, depression state, gait problems, and possible blindness. Clinical examination revealed thinning, slow pulse, ataxia in addition to a state of stupor with little response to stimuli. The neurological examination showed generalized muscle atrophy, dysmetria in the thoracic limbs, walk in closed circles, negative proprioception in pelvic limbs, spinal reflexes with signs of Upper Motor Neuron (UMN) in the four limbs, and neck pain. Negative threat response was observed in both eyes, while the rest of the cranial nerves showed no alterations. Toracic and cervical spine x - ray and abdominal ultrasonography showed no alterations. According to the neurological signs and the patient's report, the presumptive diagnosis of granulomatous meningoencephalitis (GME) was performed. This was confirmed later through pathological anatomy.

The objective of this study was to assess the effect of the probiotic Lactobacillus murinus native strain (LbP2) on general clinical parameters of dogs with distemper-associated diarrhea. Two groups of dogs over 60 d of age with distemper and diarrhea were used in the study, which was done at the Animal Hospital of the Veterinary Faculty of the University of Uruguay, Montevideo, Uruguay. The dogs were treated orally each day for 5 d with the probiotic or with a placebo (vehicle without bacteria). Clinical parameters were assessed and scored according to a system specially designed for this study. Blood parameters were also measured. Administration of the probiotic significantly improved the clinical score of the patients, whereas administration of the placebo did not. Stool output, fecal consistency, mental status, and appetite all improved in the probiotic-treated dogs. These results support previous findings of beneficial effects with the probiotic L. murinus LbP2 in dogs. Thus, combined with other therapeutic measures, probiotic treatment appears to be promising for the management of canine distemper-associated diarrhea.

Resumen Se realizó un estudio retrospectivo de los pacientes felinos que concurrieron a la consulta neurológica en el Hospital de Pequeños Animales de la Facultad de Veterinaria (UdelaR) entre enero de 2009 a diciembre de 2014. Fueron analizadas un total de 53 fichas clínicas y se recolectaron datos que permitieron realizar una clasificación por sexo, raza, edad, causa etiológica y localización de la lesión. Los resultados obtenidos nos demostraron que los pacientes felinos que concurren a nuestra consulta neurológica son, en su mayoría machos (64,2%), cruza (86,7%), de categoría adulto, de 13 meses a 7 años de edad (39,6%), el motivo de su consulta es traumática (35,9%) y la localización de la lesión es en la médula espinal (51%). Al no existir reportes sobre epidemiología en neurología felina en nuestro país, consideramos de utilidad todas aquellas investigaciones que puedan colaborar en la práctica de la clínica diaria Summary We performed a retrospective study in the felines patients that attended to neurology clinic of Veterinary College UdelaR between January 2009 and December 2014. We studied a total of 53 clinical records and we grouped the cases according to sex, breed, age, etiological cause and lesion localization The results obtained show that most of our patients are males (64,2%), mixed breed (86,7%), adult category, from 13 months to 7 years old (39,6%), trauma was the most common reason for consultation (35,9%) and the lesion localization was in the spinal cord (51%). As there are no reports on feline neurological epidemiology in our country, we consider useful all researches that can contribute in the daily clinical practice

Resumen Las enfermedades inflamatorias idiopáticas del sistema nervioso central de los caninos son enfermedades bastante frecuentes en la clínica neurológica de dichas especies. Dentro de este grupo de enfermedades se han descrito la meningoencefalomielitis granulomatosa, la leucoencefalitis necrotizante y la meningoencefalitis necrotizante del Pug. En el presente trabajo se describe el caso en un canino de raza Pug, macho de 15 meses de edad, que consultó por depresión, convulsiones y ataxia en los cuatro miembros. Dado la mala evolución del caso, por los signos clínicos y la raza se realizó un diagnóstico presuntivo de meningoencefalitis necrotizante del Pug. Debido a la gravedad del cuadro y a la pobre respuesta a la terapéutica instaurada se practicó la eutanasia por razones humanitarias. Realizados los estudios anatomo-patológicos estos confirmaron el diagnóstico, siendo el primer reporte documentado de la enfermedad en Uruguay. Summary Granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis, necrotizing meningoencephalitis of Pug dog and necrotizing leukoencephalitis are common idiopatic inflammatory conditions of the canine central nervous system. In the present work we described the clinical report of a Pug dog 15 month old consulted for depression, seizures and ataxia of the four limbs. A presumptive diagnosis of necrotizing meningoencephalitis, was done. Due to the poor response to steroid therapy and the worsening of the clinical condition, the dog was euthanized. The pathology studies confirmed the diagnosis of necrotizing meningoencephalitis of Pug dog. This is the first report of the disease in Uruguay.

Resumen La información epidemiológica es una herramienta orientadora de gran importancia al momento de establecer un diagnóstico clínico. En nuestro país son escasos los trabajos que describen la epidemiología de las enfermedades neurológicas, por lo cual nuevos aportes en el tema son relevantes, en especial si, a través de los mismos, se logra establecer la existencia de factores de riesgo asociados a algunas patologías. El objetivo del presente trabajo fue determinar la casuística de las enfermedades que afectan el sistema nervioso central en caninos de raza que asistieron a la policlínica de neurología de la Facultad de Veterinaria en el período comprendido entre enero de 2009 y junio de 2013 y determinar el efecto de la raza, sexo y edad en la ocurrencia de dichas enfermedades. Para ello, se realizó un estudio retrospectivo de 211 casos y 461 controles seleccionados al azar. Los casos se agruparon según sexo, edad y raza. Se evaluaron las variables de forma individual mediante Test exacto de Fisher y luego, se realizó análisis de regresión logística, para determinar el odds ratio, empleando un nivel de significación p1,5 y < 7 y ≥ 7 años de 2,56 y 2,78 respectivamente. Ninguna raza actuó como factor predisponente. No existió predisposición de sexo, edad y raza para el resto de las enfermedades neurológicas. Summary Epidemiological data is very important when establishing clinical diagnosis. In Uruguay there are few studies that describe the epidemiology of neurological diseases, which make new contributions in the topic relevant, especially if it helps to establish risk factors associated to some diseases. The aim of this study was to determine the incidence of central nervous system diseases in purebred dogs which attended to neurology clinic of Faculty of Veterinary between January 2009 and June 2013 and to determinate the effect of breed, sex and age on the occurrence of these diseases. A retrospective study of 211 cases and 461 controls randomized were performed. The cases were grouped according to sex, age and breed. Logistic regression analysis was performed with p

HarvAssist: a webGIS in support of grape harvesting HarvAssist is a website, created at the Edmund Mach – IASMA Foundation in collaboration with Cavit s.c., which aims to assist the winemakers in choosing the best time for grape harvest. The portal, developed only using open source software, is based on a geospatial database and it presents a simple web interface for managing and displaying the data. Finally a webGIS application allows to view the vineyards on maps, to retrieve the main chemical-analytical data and to receive projections of the ideal time for the harvest.

Mosquitoes represent a considerable nuisance and are actual/potential vectors of human diseases in Europe. Costly and labour-intensive entomological monitoring is needed to correct planning of interventions aimed at reducing nuisance and the risk of pathogen transmission. The widespread availability of mobile phones and of massive Internet connections opens the way to the contribution of citizen in complementing entomological monitoring. ZanzaMapp is the first mobile &ldquo, mosquito&rdquo, application for smartphones specifically designed to assess citizens&rsquo, perception of mosquito abundance and nuisance in Italy. Differently from other applications targeting mosquitoes, ZanzaMapp prioritizes the number of records over their scientific authentication by requesting users to answer four simple questions on perceived mosquito presence/abundance/nuisance and geo-localizing the records. The paper analyses 36,867 ZanzaMapp records sent by 13,669 devices from 2016 to 2018 and discusses the results with reference to either citizens&rsquo, exploitation and appreciation of the app and to the consistency of the results obtained with the known biology of main mosquito species in Italy. In addition, we provide a first small-scale validation of ZanzaMapp data as predictors of Aedes albopictus biting females and examples of spatial analyses and maps which could be exploited by public institutions and administrations involved in mosquito and mosquito-borne pathogen monitoring and control.

The assessment of species diversity in relatively large areas has always been a challenging task for ecologists, mainly because of the intrinsic difficulty to judge the completeness of species lists and to undertake sufficient and appropriate sampling. Since the variability of remotely sensed signal is expected to be related to landscape diversity, it could be used as a good proxy of diversity at species level. It has been demonstrated that the relation between species and landscape diversity measured from remotely sensed data or land use maps varies with scale. However, Free and Open Source tools (allowing an access to the source code) for assessing landscape diversity at different spatial scales are still lacking today. In this paper, we aim at: i) providing a theoretical background of the mostly used diversity indices stemmed from information theory that are commonly applied to quantify landscape diversity from remotely sensed data and ii) proposing a free and robust Open Source tool ( r.diversity ) with its source code for calculating diversity indices (and allowing an easy potential implementation of new metrics by multiple contributors globally) at different spatial scales from remotely-sensed imagery or land use maps, running under the widely used Open Source program GRASS GIS. r.diversity can be a valuable tool for calculating landscape diversity in an Open Source space given the availability of multiple indices at multiple spatial scales with the possibility to create new indices directly reusing the code. We expect that the subject of this paper will stimulate discussions on the opportunities offered by Free and Open Source Software to calculate landscape diversity indices.