Fabiana Rodrigues Costa

The largest flying reptile from Gondwana: a new specimen of Tropeognathus cf. T. mesembrinus Wellnhofer, 1987 (Pterodactyloidea, Anhangueridae) and other large pterosaurs from the Romualdo Formation, Lower Cretaceous, Brazil

A very large pterosaur (MN 6594-V) from the Romualdo Formation (Aptian/Albian), Santana Group, Araripe Basin, is described. The specimen is referred to Tropeognathus cf. T. mesembrinus mainly due to the presence of a low and blunt frontoparietal crest, the comparatively low number of teeth and the inclined dorsal part of the occipital region. Two distinct wingspan measurements for pterosaurs are introduced: the maximized wingspan (maxws), which essentially consists of doubling the addition of all wing elements and the length of the scapula or the coracoid (the smaller of the two), and the normal wingspan (nws), which applies a reducing factor (rfc) to the maximized wingspan to account for the natural flexures of the wing. The rfc suggested for pteranodontoids is 5%. In the case of MN 6594-V, the maxws and nws are 8.70 m and 8.26 m, respectively, making it the largest pterosaur recovered from Gondwana so far. The distal end of a larger humerus (MCT 1838-R) and a partial wing (MPSC R 1395) are also described showing that large to giant flying reptiles formed a significant part of the pterosaur fauna from the Romualdo Formation. Lastly, some comments on the nomenclatural stability of the Santana deposits are presented.

On two pterosaur humeri from the Tendaguru beds (Upper Jurassic, Tanzania)

Jurassic African pterosaur remains are exceptionally rare and only known from the Tendaguru deposits, Upper Jurassic, Tanzania. Here we describe two right humeri of Tendaguru pterosaurs from the Humboldt University of Berlin: specimens MB.R. 2828 (cast MN 6661-V) and MB.R. 2833 (cast MN 6666-V). MB.R. 2828 consists of a three-dimensionally preserved proximal portion. The combination of the morphological features of the deltopectoral crest not observed in other pterosaurs suggests that this specimen belongs to a new dsungaripteroid taxon. MB.R. 2833 is nearly complete, and because of a long and round proximally placed deltopectoral crest it could be referred to the Archaeopterodactyloidea. It is the smallest pterosaur from Africa and one of the smallest flying reptiles ever recorded. These specimens confirm the importance of the Tendaguru deposits for the Jurassic pterosaur record. This potential, however, has to be fully explored with more field work.

Eggshell and Histology Provide Insight on the Life History of a Pterosaur with Two Functional Ovaries

The counterpart of a previously described non-pterodactyloid pterosaur with an egg revealed the presence of a second egg inside the body cavity of this gravid female. It clearly shows that pterosaurs had two functional oviducts and demonstrates that the reduction of one oviduct was not a prerequisite for developing powered flight, at least in this group. Compositional analysis of one egg suggests the lack of a hard external layer of calcium carbonate. Histological sections of one femur lack medullary bone and further demonstrate that this pterosaur reached reproductive maturity before skeletal maturity. This study shows that pterosaurs laid eggs even smaller than previously thought and had a reproductive strategy more similar to basal reptiles than to birds. Whether pterosaurs were highly precocial or needed parental care is still open to debate.

New isolated pterodactyloid bones from the Albian Toolebuc Formation (western Queensland, Australia) with comments on the Australian pterosaur fauna

New isolated pterodactyloid bones from the Toolebuc Formation are described. The first one consists of a complete wing metacarpal 212 mm long, representing an individual with an estimated wing span of 4 m. Small depressions on the anterior surface are present and represent tooth marks showing that this specimen was subjected to scavenging prior to fossilization. The other bone consists of a three-dimensionally preserved cervical vertebra lacking most of the neural arch. The specimens are clearly referable to the derived pterosaur clade Pterodactyloidea. Based on several features such as the position of the pneumatic foramen and the particular shape and proportions of those elements, they possibly are members of, or closely related to, the Anhangueridae. The record of the Australian pterosaurs is reviewed here and represents the known southern distributional limit for Cretaceous pterosaurs, arguing against some older ideas of a more geographically restricted range for these flying reptiles.

Dengue-4 false negative results by Panbio ® Dengue Early ELISA assay in Brazil

BACKGROUND Dengue is a serious public health problem in numerous countries. The ability to rapidly diagnosis dengue is important for patient triage and management. Detection of dengue viral protein, NS1, represents a new approach to dengue diagnosis. OBJECTIVE The present study aims to evaluate if there are false negative results using the NS1 Ag rapid assay (Panbio(®) Dengue Early ELISA) in two different epidemiological situations (epidemic and non-epidemic). STUDY DESIGN 220 serum samples from patients with clinical symptoms of classical dengue fever were tested by NS1 antigen capture ELISA and Multiplex-Nested-PCR. RESULTS In samples collected in a non-epidemic period we found a 100% agreement of ELISA and RT-PCR in dengue negative samples and 85% agreement of ELISA and RT-PCR in dengue positive samples. But when we tested samples during an epidemic period (large DENV-4 outbreak) we found 15% false negative results (p<0.05) in dengue negative samples. CONCLUSIONS Due to false negative results for DENV-4, the sole use of the Panbio(®) Dengue Early ELISA assay as a screening method for monitoring circulating dengue serotypes must be reevaluated.

Short note on a Pteranodontoid pterosaur (Pterodactyloidea) from western Queensland, Australia

Flying reptiles from Australia are very rare, represented mostly by isolated bones coming from the Early Cretaceous (Albian) Toolebuc Formation, which crops out in western Queensland. Among the first pterosaur specimens discovered from this deposit is a mandibular symphysis that some authors thought to have a particular affinity to species found in the Cambridge Greensand (Cenomanian) of England. It was further referred as a member of or closely related to one of the genera Ornithocheirus, Lonchodectes or Anhanguera. Here we redescribe this specimen, showing that it cannot be referred to the aforementioned genera, but represents a new species of Pteranodontoid (sensu Kellner 2003), here named Aussiedraco molnari gen. et sp. nov. It is the second named pterosaur from Australia and confirms that the Toolebuc deposits are so far the most important for our understanding of the flying reptile fauna of this country.

Clinical, laboratory and virological data from suspected ZIKV patients in an endemic arbovirus area

BACKGROUND The emergence of Zika virus (ZIKV) presents new challenges to both clinicians and public health authorities. Overlapping clinical features between the diseases caused by ZIKV, dengue (DENV) and chikungunya (CHIKV) and the lack of validated serological assays for ZIKV make accurate diagnosis difficult. Brazilian authorities largely rely on clinical and epidemiological data for the epidemiological and clinical classifications of most ZIKV cases. OBJECTIVE To report the laboratory and clinical profiles of patients diagnosed with Zika fever based only on clinical and epidemiological data. STUDY DESIGN We analyzed 433 suspected cases of ZIKV identified by the attending physician based on proposed clinical criteria. The samples were also screened for ZIKV, DENV and CHIKV using PCR. RESULTS Of the 433 patients analyzed, 168 (38.8%) were laboratory-confirmed for arboviruses: 96 were positive for ZIKV, 67 were positive for DENV (56 for DENV-2, 9 for DENV-1, and 2 for DENV-4), four were positive for co-infection with ZIKV/DENV-2, and one was positive for CHIKV. The most common signs or symptoms in the patients with laboratory-confirmed ZIKV were rash (100%), arthralgia (77.1%), fever (74.0%), myalgia (74.0%) and non-purulent conjunctivitis (69.8%). In patients with laboratory-confirmed DENV infections, the most frequently observed symptoms were rash (100%), fever (79.1%), myalgia (74.6%), headache (73.1%) and arthralgia (70.1%). The measure of association between clinical manifestations and laboratory manifestations among patients with ZIKV and DENV detected a statistically significant difference only in abdominal pain (p=0.04), leukopenia (p=0.003), and thrombocytopenia (p=0.01). CONCLUSION Our data suggests that clinical and epidemiological criteria alone are not a good tool for ZIKV and DENV differentiation, and that laboratory diagnosis should be mandatory.

New pterosaur material from the Upper Jurassic of Tendaguru (Tanzania), Africa

The pterosaur fossil record from Africa is exceedingly scarce and one of the least known for any continental land mass. The specimens here described are housed at the Naturkundemuseum of the Humboldt University and consist of two cervical vertebrae, a coracoid and a wing metacarpal recovered from the Upper Jurassic Tendaguru Formation, Tanzania. Due to the general morphology and the absence of a lateral pneumatic foramen in both vertebrae, as well as the presence of a longitudinal depression, not previously reported in pterosaurs, we consider these specimens as representatives of a new species of Azhdarchidae. Moreover, because the coracoid, which bears three well-developed pneumatic foramina, has a well-excavated depression that is medially positioned at the posterior face of the acrocoracoid process, we regard this as a new basal pterodactyloid species. The wing metacarpal is greatly elongated and clearly belongs to Pterodactyloidea. Its elongation and slender aspect, as well as the sub-triangular shape of its proximal articular end, likely place it within the Tapejaroidea. The material here described shows the potential of these deposits to provide more informative pterosaur material and provisionally extends the oldest record of azhdarchids to the Kimmeridgian–Tithonian of Africa.

A biomechanical approach on the optimal stance of Anhanguera piscator (Pterodactyloidea) and its implications for pterosaur gait on land

The stance of pterosaurs on land is traditionally a controversial question. Here, we show that pterosaurs like Anhanguera piscator were quadrupeds. An osteological model of A. piscator was three-dimensionally built in digital space. The reconstructed muscles of its pelvic girdle were then placed on their points of origin and insertion to allow the biomechanical calculations to find the most efficient stance on land to be performed. The hindlimb readjustment (i.e. the repositioning of the hindlimb according to the achieved results) led to a pelvic counterclockwise displacement at 10°, which means that the ilium previously placed at 0° regarding an axis parallel to the ground was moved (and so the whole pelvis) 10° up from the preacetabular process. This new position prevents A. piscator from having a fully upright stance. A 10° displacement of the pelvic girdle would compel the forelimbs to be highly sprawled. Therefore, this study affords A. piscator having a quadrupedal gait and demonstrates that a bipedal stance is not viable once the lever arm values decrease abruptly both for extensor and flexor muscles during the femoral extension. This is the first time this approach is used to shed light on this question.

Dengue virus surveillance: Detection of DENV-4 in the city of São José do Rio Preto, SP, Brazil.

Dengue viruses are the most common arbovirus infection worldwide and are caused by four distinct serotypes of the dengue virus (DENV). In the present study, we assessed DENV transmission in São José do Rio Preto (SJRP) from 2010 to 2014. We analyzed blood samples from febrile patients who were attended at health care centers in SJRP. DENV detection was performed using multiplex RT-PCR, using flavivirus generic primers, based on the genes of the non-structural protein (NS5), followed by nested-PCR assay with species-specific primers. We analyzed 1549 samples, of which 1389 were positive for NS1 by rapid test. One thousand and eight-seven samples (78%) were confirmed as positive by multiplex RT-PCR: DENV-4, 48.5% (528/1087); DENV-1, 41.5% (449/1087); DENV-2, 9.5% (104/1087); and co-infection (5 DENV-1/DENV-4, 1 DENV-1/DENV-2), 0.5% (6/1087). Phylogenetic analysis of the DENV-4 grouped the isolates identified in this study with the American genotype and the showed a relationship between isolates from SJRP and isolates from the northern region of South America. Taken together, our data shows the detection and emergence of new dengue genotype in a new region and reiterate the importance of surveillance programs to detect and trace the evolution of DENV.