Information about large mammals in Turkey usually does not go further than species lists or annual counts of particular species such as the wild goat. Camera trapping is a very useful technique to overcome this deficiency by gathering information about species presence, numbers, habitat use and behavior. Hence, a one year long camera trap study was conducted to demonstrate the diversity, activity, distribution patterns, habitat preferences and interspecific interactions of medium and large mammals in a 148 km2 large pine woodland near Ankara. Brown bear (Ursus arctos), wolf (Canis lupus), Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx), golden jackal (Canis aureus), jungle cat (Felis chaus), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), Eurasian badger (Meles meles), stone marten (Martes foina), red deer (Cervus elaphus), wild boar (Sus scrofa), brown hare (Lepus europaeus), Caucasian squirrel (Sciurus anomalus) and southern white-breasted hedgehog (Erinaceus concolor) were the 13 mammal species captured during the study. Spatial segregation was observed among canid species indicating intraguild competition and competitive exclusion. Prey-predator interactions were documented at both spatial and temporal scales between wolves, deer and wild boars. Red deer showed seasonal and sex differences in activity patterns that appeared to be influenced by wolf predation risk. The presence of two felids unknown to the local people were revealed by camera trapping, showing the utility of this technique for such secretive and rare species. However, the low encounter rates for particular species such as lynx, brown bear and jungle cat indicated the importance of the length of study. Based on various evidence, resident adult population sizes were estimated for wolf (2-5), Eurasian lynx (2-4), brown bear (0-2) and jungle cat (2-3). The study showed that lynx can exist in high densities in a relatively small area when prey species are abundant. This study area hosted a rich mammal fauna in spite of human activities such as livestock grazing, logging and hunting. A relatively intact ecosystem, high altitudinal and habitat diversity, and a positive attitude of local people are believed to be the reasons of this observed high diversity.

Human-coyote conflict has intensified in Nova Scotia, following a fatal attack in Cape Breton Highlands National Park of Canada (CBHNPC) in October, 2009. This conflict has impacted people and coyotes across the province, and raised numerous questions about how humans and coyotes relate to one another and what steps we might take to avert future conflict. From 2011-2012, I used scat, remote camera, and snow tracking surveys to assess the degree of spatial overlap between human and coyote activity in CBHNPC. I found a negative correlation between hiker/biker and coyote activity in the summer and fall [r=-.830, n=14, p<.01]. In the winter, I found no correlation between human and coyote activity [r=.006, n=10], and a negative correlation between coyote and domestic dog activity [r=-.612, n=10, p<.05]. I discuss the implications of these research findings and the application of noninvasive survey methods in this, and potentially other, human-wildlife conflicts.

Forty-four wolves in 3 boreal forest sites in Ontario were monitored via GPS radiotelemetry during 2010 and 2011 to examine spatial responses to variation in prey density. Home ranges were defined using a Brownian bridge utilization distribution, and a resource utilization function was calculated for each pack in winter and summer, based on habitat, topography, and prey density. Wolf territories were smaller where moose density was higher. Third order selection (within home range) varied by pack and season. Wolves generally selected for sloping areas, areas near water, and stands with deciduous or regenerating forest, but selected against areas with dense conifer cover. Roads were most important in summer, especially in those territories with large road networks. Habitat use in a mild winter was similar to habitat use in summer. Variable resource selection among packs emphasizes the adaptable, generalist nature of wolves even in the relatively homogenous the boreal shield. / National Science and Engineering Research Council, Ontario Graduate Scholarships, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources - Wildlife Research and Development Section, Center for Northern Forest Ecosystem Research, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Canadian Forest Service, Forest Ecosystem Science Cooperative

In der vorliegenden Arbeit wurden 2460 Viertelgemelksproben aus 16 hessischen Milcherzeugerbetrieben untersucht. 115 S. canis-Isolate konnten gefunden und auf ihre morphologischen, biochemischen und bei molekularbiologischen Eigenschaften untersucht werden. Die Isolate stammten von Viertelgemelksproben bzw. Tankproben, die zu einem oder mehreren Zeitpunkten in den Betrieben genommen wurden. Die Untersuchung der biochemischen Eigenschaften erbrachte 24 verschiedene Reaktionsmuster. Der Vergleich dieser 24 Biotypen mit einem S. canis-Referenzstamm mittels tDNA-PCR und 16S-RNA-PCR ergab eine völlige Übereinstimmung (100%) und damit eine sichere Spezies-Identifizierung. Zur Aufklärung epidemiologischer Zusammenhänge und zur Intra-Spezies-Identifizierung wurde von allen 115 Isolaten mittels PFGE nach Makrorestriktionsverdau mit SmaI ein DNA-Fingerprint erstellt. Dabei ergaben sich 21 verschiedene Restriktionsmuster. Von den 21 nach Makrorestriktion mit Sma I und anschließender PFGE unterscheidbaren Restriktionsmustern wurde je ein Isolat zur Bestimmung der Differenzierungsfähigkeit der Restriktionsenzyme Cla I und Apa I sowie der RAPD-PCR weitergehend untersucht. Für die Beurteilung epidemiologischer Zusammenhänge bei S. canis erwies sich die PFGE nach Makrorestriktion mittels Sma I als die differenzierteste Variante. Die mittels PFGE nach Makrorestriktionsverdau mit Sma I durchgeführten Untersuchungen der 115 Isolate zeigten, dass zu einem Probennahme-Termin gewonnene Isolate identisch waren; vom gleichen Betrieb zu unterschiedlichen Zeiten entnommene Proben zeigten z.T. deutliche Unterschiede, und bei Isolaten von verschiedenen Betrieben konnten keine Verwandtschaftsbeziehungen nachgewiesen werden. Aufgrund dieser genotypischen Eigenschaften der Kulturen konnte gezeigt werden, dass es sich bei durch S. canis verursachte Mastitiden um ein infektiöses Bestandsproblem handelt, bei dem der Erreger von Viertel zu Viertel und von Kuh zu Kuh übertragen wird.

The abundance and population density of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) were studied during two winters 2011/2012 and 2012/2013 in the in Beskydy and Kysuce protected landscape areas in the West Carpathians in the Czech-Slovak borderline. A combination of camera trapping, photographic capture-mark-recapture (CMR) and simultaneously conducted snow tracking revealed 11 independent lynx in both seasons in the total area of 1500 km2 and overall population density of 0.7 lynx/100 km2. High population turnover of 54.5% was documented between the two winters, indicating a strong anthropogenic pressure at the edge of the West Carpathian population. The main prey of Eurasian lynx in winter was a roe deer (81%) and red deer (16%). The occurrence of wolves (Canis lupus) was considered to be sporadic and probably limited to only a few individuals. The nearest reproductive packs were documented at a distance of 10--50 km from the Czech border in the Slovak Carpathians.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-20T13:32:46Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 tese_paula_telmo.pdf: 809734 bytes, checksum: c94f446bc6a605fddb45c97bbeedb7ec (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013-04-09 / The toxocariasis is a widespread zoonosis worldwide, thus becoming an important public health problem. The diversity of clinical conditions associated with the different sites (liver, lungs, brain, eyes, lymph nodes, etc.) of the Toxocara canis larvae in the human body, hamper the diagnosis of this disease. In this context, immunological methods for detecting anti-T. canis serum antibodies were developed. Currently, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) associated with the excretorysecretory antigens of T. canis larvae (TES), and sera previously adsorved with somatic antigen of Ascaris spp. has been used as a standard method for testing of IgG anti-T. canis serum antibodies. The antigen TES is obtained from T. canis larvae cultivation and demand four months of expensive and laborious work. Given the above, recombinant antigens are being tested, aiming at improving the immunodiagnosis of human toxocariasis. The objective of this work was to produce recombinant excretion/secretion 30kDa T. canis larval antigen (TES30) in two heterologous protein expression systems, and evaluate them in the immunodiagnosis of human toxocariasis. The recombinants proteins rTES30E and rTES30P, respectively, produced in Escherichia coli and Pichia pastoris, were characterized by un indirect ELISA to detect anti-T. canis IgG in experimentally infected mice serum, which showed 100% effectiveness compared to native TES. For detecting anti-T. canis IgG antibodies in human sera, the rTES30E showed sensitivity and specificity (95% CI) of 95.8% and 82.6%, while rTES30P showed 95.4% and 92.8%, respectively, in comparison to native TES. Thus, we conclude that both recombinants proteins have antigenic potential, becoming an alternative to the use of native TES in immunodiagnosis of human toxocariasis. / A toxocaríase humana é uma zoonose difundida em todo o mundo, constituindo-se em um importante problema de saúde coletiva, porém é negligenciada. A diversidade de quadros clínicos associada aos diferentes sítios (fígado, pulmões, cérebro, olhos, gânglios linfáticos, etc.) em que as larvas de Toxocara canis podem se alojar no organismo humano, dificulta o diagnóstico desta parasitose. Neste contexto, métodos imunológicos para a detecção de anticorpos anti-T. canis foram desenvolvidos. Atualmente, o ensaio imunoenzimático (ELISA) associado ao antígeno de excreção e secreção de T. canis (TES), com adsorção prévia de soros com antígeno somático de Ascaris spp., tem sido utilizado como método padrão para pesquisa de anticorpos IgG séricos anti-T. canis. O antígeno TES é obtido a partir do cultivo de larvas de T. canis e demanda, aproximadamente, quatro meses de trabalho dispendioso e fastidioso. Diante do exposto, antígenos recombinantes estão sendo testados, visando o aperfeiçoamento do imunodiagnóstico da toxocaríase humana. Assim, o objetivo deste trabalho foi produzir o antígeno de excreção/secreção de 30kDa de T. canis (TES30) em dois sistemas heterólogos de expressão protéica, e avaliá-los no imunodiagnóstico da toxocaríase humana. As proteínas recombinantes rTES30E e rTES30P produzidas em Escherichia coli e Pichia pastoris, respectivamente, foram caracterizadas através de ELISA-IgG com soros de camundongos infectados experimentalmente, demonstrando 100% de eficácia em comparação ao TES nativo. Na análise dos soros humanos, com ELISA-IgG a rTES30E apresentou sensibilidade e especificidade (IC 95%) de 95,8% e 82,6%, enquanto a rTES30P apresentou 95,4% e 92.8%, respectivamente, em comparação ao TES nativo. Assim, conclui-se que ambas as proteínas recombinantes apresentam potencial antigênico, constituindo-se em uma alternativa ao uso do TES nativo no imunodiagnóstico da toxocaríase humana.

Living elasmobranchs occupy every major aquatic ecosystem throughout the world (Compagno 2003; Compagno et al. 2005). Sensory ecology can be a good determinant in comprehending the processes occurring between an organism and its natural environment (Weissburg and Browman 2005). By utilizing ecophysiological tools, insight into the adaptive responses of the sensory systems to their ever-changing ecological niche can help explain behavioral and life history characteristics (Hueter 1991; Litherland 2009). Aquatic animals show structural and physiological adaptations in their visual sense specific to the ecological requirements of their habitat (Hart et al. 2004), implying that vision is an important modality. The visual system of the smooth dogfish (Mustelus canis, family Triakidae) was examined using corneal electrophysiological methods to determine the visual spectral range, irradiance sensitivity, and speed of vision (flicker fusion frequency, FFF). The smooth dogfish, a shallow water bottom feeder inhabiting inshore waters along the eastern United States, was found to be extremely sensitive to dim light (-3.1- 0.1 log light intensity), and have a slow FFF (13 Hz), thus being well adapted to the scotopic conditions of the turbid coastal inshore waters. This prompted a second set of experiments focusing on the chromatic adaptations of the photoreceptor cells and retina function following light adaptation. Light adaptation increased the photopic threshold by 2.0 log light units of intensity (LLI). However, the temporal resolution was not dramatically increased (to 17 Hz), indicating that the retinal integration time is very slow for this species under all circumstances. The spectral sensitivity peak for M. canis (470 nm) was found to be significantly blue-shifted in comparison to other members of the Triakidae family (Crescitelli et al. 1995; Sillman et al. 1996). Smooth dogfish appear to forgo high spatial and temporal resolution for the enhancement of photon capture. The sandbar shark inhabits the same inshore estuaries during the summer months but has a visual system with a higher temporal resolution (FFF, 54 Hz) and a brighter photopic threshold (1.2 LLI-50% max) (Litherland 2009). Furthermore, other elasmobranch or telelost species inhabiting similar photic environments also exhibit faster temporal resolution; little skate (FFF, 30 Hz), weakfish (FFF, 40 Hz), red drum (FFF, 50 Hz), spotted sea trout (FFF, 60 Hz), and Atlantic croaker (FFF, 58 Hz) (Horodysky et al. 2008; McComb et al. 2010). Coastal seas tend to contain more dissolved organics and particulates than the clear oceanic waters of the epipelagic and pelagic zones (McFarland 1986), therefore the retina of smooth dogfish has adapted to be extremely sensitive to dim light, has a long integration time, a low flicker fusion frequency and temporal resolution, and retinal cells that are able to adjust to changing light conditions. All of these factors contribute to the visual system to provide optimal visual ability to enable smooth dogfish to accurately exploit its surroundings.

No description available.

No description available.

Dermatófitos são denominados os fungos filamentosos queratinofílicos e queratinolíticos responsáveis pela dermatofitose, uma importante zoonose de ocorrência mundial. Gatos são considerados hospedeiros naturais e potenciais carreadores de fungos dermatofíticos, especialmente Microsporum canis, principal agente da dermatofitose em pequenos animais e que frequentemente acomete humanos. A prevalência dos dermatófitos em gatos sem dermatopatias apresenta variações regionais atribuídas aos aspectos climáticos e às características associadas a cada população. Neste contexto, o objetivo do presente estudo foi estimar a frequência de dermatófitos isolados de gatos que não apresentavam sinais clínicos de dermatopatias na região metropolitana de Florianópolis - SC, entre julho de 2015 e outubro de 2016. Características como sexo, idade, comprimento do pelame, sorologia para FIV e FeLV, acesso à rua e contato com outros gatos foram avaliadas em associação ao isolamento de dermatófitos. Amostras do pelame de 198 gatos foram obtidas através da técnica de MacKenzie que consiste na escovação vigorosa dos pelos, por todo corpo do animal, utilizando escova dental estéril. Cento e dez amostras (55,6%) foram colhidas em clínicas veterinárias e 88 (44,4%) em domicílios com numerosos gatos (11 em média). O cultivo micológico foi realizado em Sabouraud Agar Cloranfenicol-Ciclo-hexamida (SCC) e a incubação realizada a 25-27°C, durante 21-28 dias. O diagnóstico foi baseado nas características macro e micromorfológicas do dermatófito isolado. A frequência de dermatófitos correspondeu a 3,0% (6/198), onde apenas o gênero Microsporum foi observado com predomínio de M. canis (66,7%; 4/6), seguido de M. gypseum (33,3%; 2/6). Fungos saprotróficos foram observados em 94,4% das culturas e 5,6% das amostras não tiveram crescimento fúngico. A maior parte dos isolados ocorreu de gatos adultos (66,7%; 4/6), fêmeas (83,3%; 5/6) e de pelame longo (5,4%; 3/55), em comparação às amostras de pelame curto (2,1%; 3/143). Uma parcela dos gatos (30,0%; 59/198) havia sido testada para FIV/FeLV e destes, 27,0% (16/59) eram positivos: 22,0% para FeLV e 5,0% para FIV. Microsporum gypseum foi isolado de um gato FeLV positivo. Dermatófitos foram isolados de gatos em contato com outros gatos (5/165). No entanto, gatos provenientes de domicílios com alta densidade populacional não apresentaram cultura positiva para dermatófitos, fato atribuído à intensa contaminação por espécies saprotróficas. Na ausência de sinais clínicos, há o desafio de detectar fungos dermatofíticos nas criações, o que ressalta a necessidade de controle entre os felinos. O cultivo micológico é um método eficaz, econômico e deve ser indicado pelos médicos veterinários que atuam na clínica médica, tanto no âmbito doméstico, como em abrigos para prevenção e controle da infecção em animais e humanos. / Dermatophytes are the filamentous fungi keratinophilic and keratinolytic responsible for dermatophytosis, an important worldwide zoonosis. Cats are considered natural hosts and potential carriers of dermatophytes especially Microsporum canis, the main agent of dermatophytosis in small animals and frequently affects humans. The prevalence of dermatophytes in cats without dermatopathies presents regional variations attributed to the climatic aspects and the characteristics associated with each population. In this context, the aim of this study was to estimate the frequency of dermatophytes isolated from cats that had no clinical signs of dermatopathies in the Metropolitan Area of Florianópolis - SC between July 2015 and October 2016. Sex, age, length of hair, serology for FIV and FeLV, outdoors access and contact with other cats were evaluated in association with the isolation of dermatophytes. Hair samples of 198 cats were obtained through the MacKenzie brush technique consisting of vigorous brushing of the hairs, throughout the animal's body, using a sterile toothbrush. One hundred and ten samples (55.6%) were collected in veterinary clinics and 88 (44.4%) in multiple household cats (average 11). Mycological culture was performed onto Sabouraud Agar Chloramphenicol- Cyclohexamide (SCC), and incubated at 25-27°C for 21-28 days. The diagnosis was based on the macro and micromorphological characteristics of the isolated dermatophyte. The frequency of dermatophytes corresponded to 3.0% (6/198). Only the genus Microsporum was observed with predominance of M. canis (66.7%; 4/6), followed by M. gypseum (33.3%; 2/6). Saprotrophic fungi were observed in 94.4% of the cultures and 5.6% of the samples did not occurred fungal growth. Most of the isolates occurred in adult (66.7%; 4/6), female (83.3%; 5/6) and long hair cats (5.4%; 3/55) compared to the short hair (2.1%). Part of this cats (30.0%, 59/198) had been tested for FIV / FeLV and, among them, 27.0% were positive (22.0% FeLV and 5.0% FIV). Microsporum gypseum was isolated from one FeLV positive cat. Dermatophytes were isolated from cats in contact with other cats (5/165). However, multiple household cats had no positive cultures and this outcome can be associated to high contamination by saprotrophic fungi. In the absence of clinical signs, the challenge of detecting dermatophytic fungi in the creations, which highlights the needs of control among the felines. Mycological cultivation is an effective, economical method and should be indicated by veterinarians working in the medical clinic, both at home and in shelters for the prevention and control of animal and human infection.