Pilar Fernández

Persistence and molecular evolution of Mycobacterium bovis population from cattle and wildlife in Doñana National Park revealed by genotype variation

The role of wildlife in tuberculosis epidemiology is being widely studied since it can affect the effectiveness of eradication campaigns in cattle. The health problem is enhanced when it concerns also wildlife welfare and biodiversity conservation. This study was performed to understand the epidemiology of Mycobacterium bovis population affecting livestock and wild animals in the Doñana National Park using bacteriology and molecular characterisation techniques. Tuberculosis research was performed on 1209 cattle and wild animals (artiodactyla and carnivore) collected over 6 years in the Park. One hundred and sixty-three animals were found to be infected with M. bovis, comprising 7.96% of the cattle and 20.53% of the wild animals tested. Spoligotyping revealed nine patterns, being SB1232 and SB1230 the most prevalent (77.30% and 15.34% of infected animals, respectively). MIRU-VNTR analysis of a selected panel of 92 isolates showed eight different profiles, including several spoligotypes within the same MIRU-VNTR profile. The discriminatory capacity of both techniques in this panel was similar. The results obtained by combination of both techniques corroborate that wildlife species are infected with the M. bovis strains which are more prevalent in cattle and reveal their persistence. Genotype variation between isolates strongly suggests micro-evolutionary events in the M. bovis population in the same area. This study in the Doñana National Park exposes the risk of introduction of domestic animals into wildlife areas when there is not a warranty of disease freedom, appropriate diagnostic techniques and control measures.

HABITAT DISTRIBUTION MODELS: ARE MUTUALIST DISTRIBUTIONS GOOD PREDICTORS OF THEIR ASSOCIATES?

Because of time and resource limitations, extensive studies of distributions at fine resolutions over entire landscapes are not viable, and distribution maps must be delineated using static habitat models. In cases where short life cycles and time limitations prevent the collection of detailed abundance and distributional data to generate habitat models for target species, one potential alternative is to use models of the abundance or occurrence of closely associated species (e.g., prey, host plant, mutualist) to predict the abundance or occurrence of the target species. We present a predictive model for the habitat of the butterfly Plebejus argus in scrubland in a protected area in southern Spain (Donana National Park), based on the distribution of its mutualist ant Lasius niger, field habitat data, and topographical variables from a digital elevation model. The frequency of nests of L. niger was by far the major predictor of P. argus abundance and presence–absence. In turn, high L. niger frequency was a...

First report of an intraerythrocytic small piroplasm in wild Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus).

A wild injured Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) was taken from the Sierra Morena population. During the health check small intraerythrocytic piroplasms, morphologically indistinguishable from other feline piroplasms, were observed in Wright-Giemsa-stained blood films. Amplification by polymerase chain reaction of a portion of the 18S nuclear small subunit (NSS) rRNA gene and sequencing revealed similarity of the unknown organism with sequences obtained from Pallass cat from Mongolia and from a domestic cat in Spain. In a retrospective (1993–2003) study of 50 Iberian lynx tissue samples, no amplifications of the 18S NSS rRNA gene of the organism were obtained. This is the first report of a naturally occurring erythroparasitemia in the Iberian lynx and the first documented case of naturally occurring piroplasm infection in a free-ranging felid from Europe.

Fine Scale Movements of the Butterfly Plebejus argus in a Heterogeneous Natural Landscape as Revealed by GPS Tracking

The study of butterfly movements has focused on dispersal behaviour in the framework of population persistence in heterogeneous landscapes. The ecological significance of routine movements has received less attention. These movements may be influenced by structural attributes of habitat patches or may reflect the distribution of food, mates, host plants or ecological interactions. The relative influence of structural and functional factors on flight patterns is poorly understood, partly because butterfly movements are often described by simplified representations of actual trajectories. Using high-resolution GPS tracking we obtained accurate trajectories of routine movements of Plebejus argus in a heterogeneous natural landscape. Habitat quality in patches was ranked according to the abundance of host and nectar plants as well as the abundance of nests of its mutualistic ant Lasius niger. Movements were slow and winding in high quality habitats whereas faster, straighter flights were observed in poor habitats. At edges, butterflies often crossed without any exploratory behaviour towards patches of better quality, suggesting they may use cues to detect resources at some distance. Conversely, individuals usually stayed in the patch after exploring edges with other patches of lower quality. However, scanning also preceded exits towards clearly unsuitable habitat, compatible with transfers to distant high-quality patches. We conclude that patterns of movement in P. argus were explained by spatial heterogeneity defined by functional rather than structural criteria. We also show that inexpensive handheld GPS receivers allow depicting detailed flying trajectories in open flat terrain revealing complex behavioural patterns.

Water availability drives habitat quality for the butterfly Plebejus argus in a Mediterranean sand dune landscape

For terrestrial species, habitat is frequently defined as physical patches of a certain land cover type in a matrix of non-habitat. However, the appropriate definition of habitat quality requires more detailed information on the resources and conditions that are necessary for the maintenance of the species (‘resource-based habitat approach’). In arthropods, their life cycle comprises several clearly differentiated stages that may depend on different resources and conditions for successful development; in turn, males and females may have different habitat requirements due to their different behaviours. Here we examine the habitat quality for males, females and eggs of the butterfly Plebejus argus in a continuous sand dune landscape in southern Spain. For both sexes, abundance was related to host plant density (negatively) and distance to heathland vegetation (a surrogate for higher water availability; negatively for males and hump-shaped for females); and, for males only, positively with flower presence. Egg abundance was positively related to mutualistic ant frequency and flower presence, and negatively to distance to heathland. Hence, female and male adults and eggs of P. argus partly differed in their dependence on resources and conditions, although distance to wetter areas of heathland was the common variable for all models. This suggests that soil humidity is the key variable for P. argus habitat quality, probably through both direct effects on individuals and indirect effects on interacting species (mutualistic ants and nectar sources). As a result, we found a high spatial congruence in habitat quality between males and females, and a moderate congruence between adults and eggs.

Consultas de una población pediátrica rural, en un centro de salud, durante el horario de mañana

Introduccion Varios trabajos analizan la demanda en atencion primaria pediatrica en el ambito urbano 1-3 , pero pocos hacen referencia al medio rural. Objetivo Examinar la demanda de una poblacion pediatrica durante un ano en un centro de salud rural de Galicia. Diseno Estudio descriptivo transversal. De modo retrospectivo se analizaron todas las historias clinicas de la poblacion pediatrica adscrita al centro, considerando las consultas y los problemas de salud anotados en la hoja de problemas. Se estudiaron las frecuencias absolutas y relativas de las diferentes variables consideradas. Emplazamiento Centro de Salud de A Fonsagrada. Fonsagrada es un municipio de montana situado en la provincia de Lugo (Galicia). Demograficamente se caracteriza por el envejecimiento de su poblacion, la dispersion geografica y la baja natalidad. Cuenta con 4.952 habitantes, de los que 420 son menores de 14 anos. Participantes Pacientes Mediciones Se han registrado la fecha, la edad, el sexo, el tipo de consulta, el diagnostico al alta, la derivacion hospitalaria, la prescripcion de antibioticos y el problema de salud (hoja de problemas). Los tipos de consulta se agruparon en las siguientes categorias: enfermedad aguda, control de salud, administrativa y control de enfermedad. Los pacientes se dividieron por edades en: menores de 1 ano, ninos de 1 a 6 anos y ninos de 7 a 14 anos. Resultados Durante un ano se registraron 991 consultas. La importancia de los diferentes tipos de consulta se muestra en la figura 1. Por edad, el 47% de la demanda correspondio a los ninos de 1 a 6 anos. El indice de frecuentacion (numero de consultas por paciente y ano) fue de 11,8 para los menores de un ano, de 3,5 para los ninos de 1 a 6 anos y de 1,1 para los mayores. En la distribucion por sexos no hubo diferencias. En cuanto al tipo de demanda, los controles de salud suponen el 52% del total de consultas para los menores de un ano de edad, mientras que la proporcion en los demas grupos etarios es menor (14-17%). Por enfermedad aguda, los motivos de consulta mas frecuentes fueron: los sintomas respiratorios (el 42% con respecto al total de consultas por enfermedad aguda), la fiebre (17%), el dolor (11%) y los sintomas digestivos (11%), seguidos por los sintomas dermatologicos (6%) y los traumatismos o accidentes (5%). Por edades, los motivos mantenian las proporciones, excepto para los traumatismos y los accidentes, que ocupan un claro cuarto puesto para los ninos mayores y cuya importancia decrece mucho en los menores de 6 anos. El llanto es un motivo de consulta destacado en los lactantes (el 12% en su grupo). El diagnostico mas frecuente fue el de catarro de vias altas (32%), seguido por la amigdalitis (11%), la gastroenteritis aguda (8,4%), la viriasis (7%), la crisis de broncoespasmo (5%), la otitis media aguda (5,5%), los traumatismos (4%) y las dermatitis/eccemas (2,8%). En cuanto al uso de antibioticos, en un 15,3% de los ninos atendidos por enfermedad aguda se les recomendo un tratamiento antibiotico; las faringoamigdalitis (se trata al 43% de estas) y las otitis (81%) fueron los diagnosticos que mayor prescripcion, en cifras absolutas, generaron. La derivacion al hospital se aconsejo en el 2,5% de las consultas por enfermedad aguda. Las causas mas frecuentes de derivacion fueron la sospecha de abdomen agudo y la sospecha de fractura o complicacion en un traumatismo. Las otitis agudas, las crisis asmaticas, el dolor abdominal y la fiebre prolongada fueron las causas que motivaron con mayor frecuencia un control de enfermedad por proceso agudo. En cuanto a los procesos cronicos, los problemas de salud mas frecuentemente anotados en la hoja de problemas de la historia clinica fueron: obesidad, hipertrofia adenoidea, infeccion de orina con/sin reflujo vesicoureteral, retraso del inicio del lenguaje, asma, rinitis alergica, dolor abdominal recurrente, escoliosis y patologia de la pubertad. Discusion y conclusiones Diversos trabajos analizan la demanda pediatrica en un centro de salud 1-3 . La tendencia es similar en todos ellos, con un mayor peso de las consultas por enfermedad aguda con respecto a otros tipos de consulta. En nuestro medio tambien se observa el citado predominio, excepto en los menores de un ano, en quienes los controles de salud fueron el principal motivo de consulta. Por enfermedad aguda, los diagnosticos mas frecuentes son comparables con los encontrados en nuestra poblacion: predominio de las infecciones respiratorias y catarro de vias altas, seguidas por las otitis media agudas y las faringoamigdalitis 3,4 . En cuanto a la antibioterapia, nuestro analisis muestra datos comparables, aunque con porcentajes algo inferiors a los comunicados por otros estudios 5 . Es bien conocido que el numero de consultas a los servicios de urgencia de pediatria hospitalarios es cada vez mas elevado 6 . Las cifras de derivacion hospitalaria en el contexto de una enfermedad aguda pueden orientar, en cierto modo, sobre la eficacia de los equipos de atencion primaria y centros de salud como «filtro» para la urgencia hospitalaria. Los sintomas respiratorios, la fiebre y el dolor son los motivos mas frecuentes de consulta por enfermedad aguda. Los ninos menores de 6 anos son los que generan mayor demanda. Los controles de salud, asi como los controles por una enfermedad o un problema de salud, son una parte importante del trabajo de la pediatria en atencion primaria, hecho que ha de ser tenido en cuenta a la hora de planificar y organizar los recursos asistenciales. Los equipos de atencion primaria ofrecen una adecuada cobertura sanitaria y, ademas, contribuyen a mejorar la utilizacion de los servicios de urgencia hospitalarios.