Search

Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal) is an emerging fungal pathogen of salamanders. Despite limited surveillance, Bsal was detected in kept salamanders populations in Belgium, Germany, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, and in wild populations in some regions of Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. According to niche modelling, at least part of the distribution range of every salamander species in Europe overlaps with the climate conditions predicted to be suitable for Bsal. Passive surveillance is considered the most suitable approach for detection of Bsal emergence in wild populations. Demonstration of Bsal absence is considered feasible only in closed populations of kept susceptible species. In the wild, Bsal can spread by both active (e.g. salamanders, anurans) and passive (e.g. birds, water) carriers; it is most likely maintained/spread in infected areas by contacts of salamanders or by interactions with anurans, whereas human activities most likely cause Bsal entry into new areas and populations. In kept amphibians, Bsal contamination via live silent carriers (wild birds and anurans) is considered extremely unlikely. The risk‐mitigation measures that were considered the most feasible and effective: (i) for ensuring safer international or intra‐EU trade of live salamanders, are: ban or restrictions on salamander imports, hygiene procedures and good practice manuals; (ii) for protecting kept salamanders from Bsal, are: identification and treatment of positive collections; (iii) for on‐site protection of wild salamanders, are: preventing translocation of wild amphibians and release/return to the wild of kept/temporarily housed wild salamanders, and setting up contact points/emergency teams for passive surveillance. Combining several risk‐mitigation measures improve the overall effectiveness. It is recommended to: introduce a harmonised protocol for Bsal detection throughout the EU; improve data acquisition on salamander abundance and dis

EFSA assisted four countries in the analysis of epidemiological data on African swine fever (ASF), collected until September 2017. The temporal analysis demonstrated that the average proportions of PCR and antibody-ELISA positive samples from the hunted wild boar remained below 3.9 and 6.6, respectively. A peak in the ASF incidence was observed 6 months after the first observed case, followed by a significant reduction of the number of cases and low levels of African swine fever virus (ASFV) circulation at the end of 38 months follow-up period at different spatial resolutions. The spatial analysis concluded that human-mediated spread of ASFV continues to play a critical role in the ASF epidemiology, despite all measures currently taken. ‘Wild boar density’, ‘total road length’ (as proxy for human activity) and ‘average suitable wild boar habitat availability’ were identified as predictors for the occurrence of ASF in Estonia by a Bayesian hierarchical model, whereas ‘wild boar density’ and ‘density of pig farms’ were predictors according to a generalised additive model. To evaluate the preventive strategies proposed in EFSA's Scientific Opinion (2015) to stop the spread of ASFV in the wild boar population, a simulation model, building on expert knowledge and literature was used. It was concluded that reduction of wild boar population and carcass removal to stop the spread of ASFV in the wild boar population are more effective when applied preventively in the infected area. Drastic depopulation, targeted hunting of female wild boar and carcass removal solely implemented as measures to control ASF in the wild boar population need to be implemented in a highly effective manner (at or beyond the limit of reported effectivity in wild boar management) to sustainably halt the spread of ASF.

An important step in building a computational model is its documentation; a comprehensive and structured documentation can improve the model applicability and transparency in science/research and for regulatory purposes. This is particularly crucial and challenging for environmental and/or human exposure models that aim to establish quantitative relationships between personal exposure levels and their determinants. Exposure models simulate the transport and fate of a contaminant from the source to the receptor and may involve a large set of entities (e.g. all the media the contaminants may pass though). Such complex models are difficult to be described in a comprehensive, unambiguous and accessible way. Bad communication of assumptions, theory, structure and/or parameterization can lead to lack of confidence by the user and it may be source of errors.The goal of this paper is to propose a standard documentation protocol (SDP) for exposure models, i.e. a generic format and a standard structure by which all exposure models could be documented. For this purpose, a CEN (European Committee for Standardisation) workshop was set up with objective to agree on minimum requirements for the amount and type of information to be provided on exposure models documentation along with guidelines for the structure and presentation of the information. The resulting CEN workshop agreement (CWA) was expected to facilitate a more rigorous formulation of exposure models description and the understanding by users. This paper intends to describe the process followed for defining the SDP, the standardisation approach, as well as the main components of the SDP resulting from a wide consultation of interested stakeholders. The main outcome is a CEN CWA which establishes terms and definitions for exposure models and their elements, specifies minimum requirements for the amount and type of information to be documented, and proposes a structure for communicating the documentation to different use

MERLIN-Expo is a library of models that was developed in the frame of the FP7 EU project 4FUN in order to provide an integrated assessment tool for state-of-the-art exposure assessment for environment, biota and humans, allowing the detection of scientific uncertainties at each step of the exposure process. This paper describes the main features of the MERLIN-Expo tool. The main challenges in exposure modelling that MERLIN-Expo has tackled are: (i) the integration of multimedia (MM) models simulating the fate of chemicals in environmental media, and of physiologically based pharmacokinetic (PBPK) models simulating the fate of chemicals in human body. MERLIN-Expo thus allows the determination of internal effective chemical concentrations; (ii) the incorporation of a set of functionalities for uncertainty/sensitivity analysis, from screening to variance-based approaches. The availability of such tools for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis aimed to facilitate the incorporation of such issues in future decision making; (iii) the integration of human and wildlife biota targets with common fate modelling in the environment. MERLIN-Expo is composed of a library of fate models dedicated to non biological receptor media (surface waters, soils, outdoor air), biological media of concern for humans (several cultivated crops, mammals, milk, fish), as well as wildlife biota (primary producers in rivers, invertebrates, fish) and humans. These models can be linked together to create flexible scenarios relevant for both human and wildlife biota exposure. Standardized documentation for each model and training material were prepared to support an accurate use of the tool by end-users. One of the objectives of the 4FUN project was also to increase the confidence in the applicability of the MERLIN-Expo tool through targeted realistic case studies. In particular, we aimed at demonstrating the feasibility of building complex realistic exposure scenarios and the accuracy of the modellin

A consensus-based import risk assessment approach was developed combining methods applied in the fields of plant health and animal health. It provides (1) an overall risk score per risk pathway and (2) the possibility to rank risk factors between pathways in absence of quantitative data. This method was applied to assess the risk of entry of a bee pest. Expert elicitation sessions were run as is done for the evaluation of the probability of entry performed in pest risk assessments of invasive species in the plant health field and an overall risk score for each pathway was determined by combining risk scores per pathway using acombination matrix used in animal health risk assessment. Validation of this improved method was performed by comparing the determined overall risk scores with overall risk scores that the individual experts assigned at the beginning of the process based on their personal experience and knowledge.

Since the beginning of November 2014, nine outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (HPAIV) A(H5N8) in poultry have been detected in four European countries. In this report, similarities and differences between the modes of introduction of HPAIV A(H5N1) and A(H5N8) into Europe are described. Experiences from outbreaks of A(H5N1) in Europe demonstrated that early detection to control HPAIV in poultry has proven pivotal to minimise the risk of zoonotic transmission and prevention of human cases.

The aim of the guidance is to deliver the basic material or building blocks for making metal risk assessments more ecologically relevant while adapting methodologies to different jurisdictions and applications. Metals are introduced as an intrinsic part of the environment, in many cases essential for electron transfer or direct reaction in many enzymatic and metabolic processes, in other cases tolerated by organisms that have adapted or acclimatised to their presence. The toxicity of essential elements is discussed within the framework of setting criteria for environmental quality and the speciation, mobility and bioavailability of metals in the environment is considered at length. The accompanying CD includes eight fact sheets: Risk characterisation - general aspects, 20pp., 11 refs.; Exposure assessment, 48pp., 32 refs.; Effects assessment - data compilation, selection and derivation of PNEC values for the risk assessment of different environmental compartments (water, STP, soil, sediment), 31pp., 41 refs.; Marine risk assessment - use of freshwater data for the derivation of ecotoxicity thresholds for marine species, 13pp., 47 refs.; Bioavailability - water and sediment, 23pp., 29 refs.; Bioavailability - soils, 14pp., 7 refs.; Uncertainty analysis, 22pp., 41 refs.; and Classification - classification for effects on the aquatic environment of metals/metal compounds and alloys, 46pp., 14 refs., The aim of the guidance is to deliver the basic material or building blocks for making metal risk assessments more ecologically relevant while adapting methodologies to different jurisdictions and applications. Metals are introduced as an intrinsic part of the environment, in many cases essential for electron transfer or direct reaction in many enzymatic and metabolic processes, in other cases tolerated by organisms that have adapted or acclimatised to their presence. The toxicity of essential elements is discussed within the framework of setting criteria for environmental quality and the speciation, mobility and bioavailability of metals in the environment is considered at length. The accompanying CD includes eight fact sheets: Risk characterisation - general aspects, 20pp., 11 refs.; Exposure assessment, 48pp., 32 refs.; Effects assessment - data compilation, selection and derivation of PNEC values for the risk assessment of different environmental compartments (water, STP, soil, sediment), 31pp., 41 refs.; Marine risk assessment - use of freshwater data for the derivation of ecotoxicity thresholds for marine species, 13pp., 47 refs.; Bioavailability - water and sediment, 23pp., 29 refs.; Bioavailability - soils, 14pp., 7 refs.; Uncertainty analysis, 22pp., 41 refs.; and Classification - classification for effects on the aquatic environment of metals/metal compounds and alloys, 46pp., 14 refs.

A summary is given of the EU copper risk assessment report on the emissions from the production, use and disposal of copper products, copper(I) oxide, copper(II) oxide, copper oxychloride and copper(II)sulphate pentahydrate. Exposure levels for humans are considered in relation to toxicity and environmental concentrations predicted by life-cycle analysis are compared with those found in water, sediments and soils., A summary is given of the EU copper risk assessment report on the emissions from the production, use and disposal of copper products, copper(I) oxide, copper(II) oxide, copper oxychloride and copper(II)sulphate pentahydrate. Exposure levels for humans are considered in relation to toxicity and environmental concentrations predicted by life-cycle analysis are compared with those found in water, sediments and soils.

Li+ is the only ion that can replace the physiological intra-and extracellular activator cations of the Na+/K+ pump. In order to study this singular property of Li+ in some detail, the activation of the Na+/K+ pump current (I-p) by intra-and extracellular Li+ (Li-i(+); Li-o(+)) was measured in isolated guinea-pig ventricular myocytes by means of whole cell recording at 34 degrees C and a holding potential of -20 mV. I-p was identified as current blocked by dihydro-ouabain. Half-maximal I-p activation occurred at 23 mM Li-o(+) (K-0.5 value) in cells containing Na+ (50 or 100 mM) and at 73 mM Li-o(+) in myocytes containing Li+ (100 mM). The K-0.5 value of I-p activation by Li-o(+) increased with depolarisation, suggesting the transfer of 0.2 of an elementary charge across the electric field of the sacrolemma during Li-o(+)-binding. An intracellular Li+ concentration of 36 mM caused half-maximal I-p activation in cells superfused with Na+- and Li+-free media containing 1 mM K+. In Na+-free solutions, the I-p-V curve displayed a positive slope at negative membrane potentials. A negative slope at positive potentials was observed in Li+-containing media. It is concluded that Li+ is less efficacious and potent than the physiological pump activator cations. The shape of the I-p-V curves in Na+-free solutions supports the view that the cardiac Na+/K+ pump contains a channel-like structure and suggests that there are voltage-sensitive steps in the pump cycle, apart from the binding of external cations. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science B.V.