1,720,981 research outputs found
Helminthofauna Diversity in Synanthropic Rodents of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy): Implications for Public Health and Rodent Control
No full textSynanthropic rodents are species well adapted to coexisting in anthropogenically influenced environments. This coexistence raises concerns about the potential risks of pathogen’s transmission due to their close proximity to human habitats. This study presents an epidemiological survey of the gastrointestinal helminth fauna in synanthropic rodents (Mus musculus, Rattus rattus, and Rattus norvegicus) from the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy), aiming to provide updated data on the endoparasitic populations in these species. A total of 111 rodents, sampled from 2019 to 2021 during pest control programs, were examined for parasitic infections. Helminths were extracted through necropsy and microscopic analysis of gastrointestinal tracts and sediment, with species identification based on morphological characteristics. Overall, 72.1% of the rodents were found to be parasitized, with nematodes being the most prevalent. Syphacia muris, Aspiculuris tetraptera, Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, and Heterakis spumosa were the most frequently identified nematodes. Tapeworms, including Rodentolepis nana and Hymenolepis diminuta, were also detected, albeit in lower frequencies. The trematode Brachylaima recurva was recovered only in one R. rattus. Co-infection was common, particularly among rats, with 51.8% of black rats and 22% of brown rats harboring multiple parasitic species. Mice exhibited lower levels of polyparasitism, with only two individuals showing mixed infections. Interestingly, disparities between the detection of adult helminths and parasitic eggs were noted, especially in cases where no adults were observed, but eggs were found through sediment analysis. These findings suggest that traditional necropsy, especially with poorly preserved carcasses, may underestimate parasite prevalence. This highlights the importance of combining necropsy with microscopic techniques, such as flotation and sedimentation, for a more thorough assessment. Using these methods, nematodes with direct life cycles, such as Syphacia spp., Nippostrongylus brasiliensis, and Heterakis spumosa, have been confirmed as widespread and cosmopolitan among rodent populations. The detection of zoonotic parasites raises concerns about potential transmission to humans, particularly in areas with poor sanitation and high rodent densities. These findings underscore the need for integrated rodent control and environmental sanitation to reduce zoonotic risks
Walking around the African Continent: One Health experiences
Full text linkThe One Health approach integrates human, animal, and environmental health to address several social
issues, including zoonotic diseases. The concept, introduced to the veterinary domain in Italy by Adriano
Mantovani and developed by his students, emphasizes the interconnectedness of species and their shared
environment. The paper traces several research projects performed in Africa that illustrate this approach. In
Somalia, Italian cooperation in Mogadishu led to studies on helminths in stray cats and chickens, revealing
significant zoonotic threats, particularly from Ancylostomatidae species. A 2008 investigation into 1400
land turtles from North Africa uncovered a high prevalence of various Salmonella serotypes and Hyalomma
aegypticum ticks, underscoring the risks of exotic pets. Research in Sahrawi refugee camps revealrd
ultrasonography evidence of echinococcosis in humans and parasitological findings in animals, while a
seropositivity rate of 32% for toxoplasmosis, necessitating further study despite limited funding. A study on
wild ruminants in South African game preserves linked poor body condition scores to high parasite loads,
emphasizing the need for effective management practices to conserve biodiversity and prevent zoonotic
diseases. For the first time, Echinococcus equinus was reported in a white rhinoceros in Kruger National
Park, expanding knowledge on wildlife parasitology. At Songea slaughterhouse in Tanzania, a high
prevalence of fasciolosis in cattle was linked to water sources, revealing significant economic and zoonotic
impacts, furthermore, the laboratory analyses allowed to exclude some important zoonotic diseases in the
slaughtered animals. A study in Limpopo National Park, Mozambique, identified Echinococcus ortleppi in
cattle, highlighting the challenges of disease monitoring in rural areas. The paper underscores the value
of integrating local knowledge and international cooperation in advancing the One Health agenda and
addressing neglected zoonotic diseases in Africa
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
GASTROINTESTINAL PARASITES INFECTING CALVES FROM DIFFERENT FARMING SYSTEMS IN NORTHERN ITALY: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
No full textcollected from calves on nine farms with different
production systems (milk or beef) located in the provinces of bologna and Cremona. whenever possible,
samples were obtained from all calves present in each barn. A check list about management and biosecurity
data was filled out. The fecal samples underwent parasitological microscopic examination,
which included sediment analysis using Lugol and ziehl-Neelsen staining, as well as a flotation technique.
Samples that tested positive using the flotation technique were further analyzed using Mc Master
quantitative analysis to quantify the parasitic burden. For fecal samples that tested positive for Giardia
sp., DNA extraction was performed to conduct a nested PCR targeting the TPI gene in order to genotype
the strains.
RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: A total of 155 calves, both with and without diarrhea, were sampled,
ranging in age from one week to six months. The prevalence of parasitic protozoa observed was: 28%
for eimeria spp., 28% for amoebae cysts; 15% for Cryptosporidium spp.; 10% for Giardia duodenalis,
1.29% for Buxtonella sp., 0.65% for Blastocystis sp. In some calves also Strongyloides papillosus
(1.29%), and Toxocara vitulorum (0.65%) were found. Preliminary molecular results indicated that the
genotype of G. duodenalis in tested calves was Assemblage E. quantitative coprological analysis revealed
that eimeria oocyst counts ranged from <20 to 50120 oocysts per gram, while all detected helminths
showed egg counts of less than 20 eggs per gram. eimeria spp. was detected in all sampled
farms, Cryptosporidium in 89% of the barns, and Giardia sp. in 67%. Amoebae cysts, rarely described
in cattle, were recorded in 56% of the investigated farms; in particular, in two dairy barns of the province
of bologna, they were found in 41.17% and 59.45% of the calves
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Full text linkWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Full text linkWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
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