Search

Targeted environmental and ecosystem management remain crucial in control of dengue. However, providing detailed environmental information on a large scale to effectively target dengue control efforts remains a challenge. An important piece of such information is the extent of the presence of potential dengue vector breeding sites, which consist primarily of open containers such as ceramic jars, buckets, old tires, and flowerpots. In this paper we present the design and implementation of a pipeline to detect outdoor open containers which constitute potential dengue vector breeding sites from geotagged images and to create highly detailed container density maps at unprecedented scale. We implement the approach using Google Street View images which have the advantage of broad coverage and of often being two to three years old which allows correlation analyses of container counts against historical data from manual surveys. Containers comprising eight of the most common breeding sites are detected in the images using convolutional neural network transfer learning. Over a test set of images the object recognition algorithm has an accuracy of 0.91 in terms of F-score. Container density counts are generated and displayed on a decision support dashboard. Analyses of the approach are carried out over three provinces in Thailand. The container counts obtained agree well with container counts from available manual surveys. Multi-variate linear regression relating densities of the eight container types to larval survey data shows good prediction of larval index values with an R-squared of 0.674. To delineate conditions under which the container density counts are indicative of larval counts, a number of factors affecting correlation with larval survey data are analyzed. We conclude that creation of container density maps from geotagged images is a promising approach to providing detailed risk maps at large scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the literature, 114 species of arthropods associated to Microtus oeconomus have been reported in the entire area of their occurrence. There are eight species of hard ticks, 52 species of gamasid and chigger mites, 47 species of fleas and seven species of sucking lice. In general, the dominant parasites of the Palearctic and Nearctic root vole populations are either western or entire Palearctic species. The analysis of the geographical range of their occurrence indicates that most of them occur both in Europe and Asia. Throughout Europe, Asia and America (Holarctic realm), root voles share 13 species of mites, seven species of fleas, and three species of sucking lice. Ectoparasite species split between two continents, most of them are found in both Europe and Asia (Palearctic region). Here belong three species of ixodid ticks, sixteen species of mites, seven species of fleas and two species of sucking lice. In Asia and the North American continents (Holarctic realm excluding Europe) populations of root voles share only one tick species, two species of mites, three species of fleas and one species of sucking lice. Of the parasitic species found only in Western Palearctic, excluding Asia, root voles are infested by three ixodid tick species, 14 mite species, and 13 flea species. Among the parasitic arthropods affecting root vole only in Eastern Palearctic, excluding Europe, one tick species, four mite species and seven flea species occur. There are only three mite species, ten flea and one sucking louse species on voles that inhabit North America (Nearctic region). Associated arthropods are obligate and facultative parasites or nidicolic and edaphic species. Seasonal changes in numbers of ticks, parasitic mites, sucking lice, fleas have also been observed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Despite allergic rhinitis (AR) being a highly prevalent disease, according to literature, it is often underdiagnosed or undertreated. Aim: This study explored the disease characteristics of AR in the Saudi community and the non-conventional coping measures used to alleviate symptoms. Methods: The study was a nationwide cross-sectional study, using a self-report electronic survey distributed via social media networks in 2018. The survey included an explanatory letter and consent. The sample size comprised 3,458 participants and 2,849 adults had at least one of the four signs of AR, i.e. watery-nose, sneezing, nasal obstruction, itchy nose, watery eyes, in the past year, not related to cold/flu. The outcomes of the study were the triggers, pattern, severity and the classification of AR (2016 ARIA guidelines) and coping measures. Descriptive statistics, univariate analytic statistics and binary logistic regression analyses were conducted. The P-value was considered statistically significant at <0.05. Results: The leading reported trigger of AR was dust (74%, n = 2118), followed by pollen (17%, n = 477), mold (5%, n = 140) and fur (4%, n = 114). The prevalence of intermittent AR was (54%, n = 1,635), while that of persistent AR was (46%, n = 1,314). Almost one-third (34%, n = 959) complained of mild forms of AR, while others complained of moderate to severe forms (66%, n = 1890). The coping measures were mainly shower/humidification 368(12.9%) and herbal hot drinks 266(9.3%). Older participants (adj.OR = 1.3[1.1–1.5]) and overweight participants, (adj.OR = 1.2[1.1–1.4]) reported more persistent forms of rhinitis compared to their counter groups, (adj.P<0.001 and adj.P = 0.032) respectively. Female participants (adj.OR = 0.8[0.7–0.9]) had significantly milder forms of AR, in comparison to males, adj.P = 0.006. Conclusion: This study presented the disease characteristics of self-reported AR and its associated factors in Saudi Arabia. Special attention should be paid to older age groups and overweight patients who reported persistent forms of AR. Males reported more severe and persistent forms of AR. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abydos is a large, complex archaeological site located approximately 500 km south of Cairo in Upper Egypt. The site has served as a cemetery for thousands of years and is where most of the Early Dynastic royal tombs are located. North Abydos includes the Middle Cemetery and the North Cemetery, which are separated from each other by a wadi. The Middle Cemetery was the burial ground for important Sixth Dynasty (2407–2260 BC) officials and over time for thousands of elite and non-elite individuals as well. Excavations at the core area of the Old Kingdom mortuary landscape have revealed many culturally important wooden objects but these are often found with extensive deterioration that can compromise their preservation. The objectives of this study were to characterize the biodegradation that has taken place in excavated wooden objects, elucidate the type of wood degradation present, obtain information on soil properties at the site and identify fungi currently associated with the wood and soils. Light and scanning electron microscopy studies were used to observe the micromorphological characteristics of the wood, and culturing on different media was done to isolate fungi. Identification of the fungi was done by examining morphological characteristics and extracting rDNA from pure cultures and sequencing the ITS region. Wooden objects, made from Cedrus, Juniperus and Acacia as well as several unidentified hardwoods, were found with extensive degradation and were exceedingly fragile. Termite damage was evident and frass from the subterranean termites along with sand particles were present in most woods. Evidence of soft rot attack was found in sections of wood that remained. Fungi isolated from wood and soils were identified as species of Aspergillus, Chaetomium, Cladosporium, Fusarium, Penicillium, Stemphylium Talaromyces and Trichoderma. Results provide important information on the current condition of the wood and gives insights to the identity of the fungi in wood and soils at the site. These results provide needed information to help develop conservation plans to preserve these degraded and fragile wooden objects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forecasting the impacts of climate change on Aedes-borne viruses—especially dengue, chikungunya, and Zika—is a key component of public health preparedness. We apply an empirically parameterized model of viral transmission by the vectors Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, as a function of temperature, to predict cumulative monthly global transmission risk in current climates, and compare them with projected risk in 2050 and 2080 based on general circulation models (GCMs). Our results show that if mosquito range shifts track optimal temperature ranges for transmission (21.3–34.0°C for Ae. aegypti; 19.9–29.4°C for Ae. albopictus), we can expect poleward shifts in Aedes-borne virus distributions. However, the differing thermal niches of the two vectors produce different patterns of shifts under climate change. More severe climate change scenarios produce larger population exposures to transmission by Ae. aegypti, but not by Ae. albopictus in the most extreme cases. Climate-driven risk of transmission from both mosquitoes will increase substantially, even in the short term, for most of Europe. In contrast, significant reductions in climate suitability are expected for Ae. albopictus, most noticeably in southeast Asia and west Africa. Within the next century, nearly a billion people are threatened with new exposure to virus transmission by both Aedes spp. in the worst-case scenario. As major net losses in year-round transmission risk are predicted for Ae. albopictus, we project a global shift towards more seasonal risk across regions. Many other complicating factors (like mosquito range limits and viral evolution) exist, but overall our results indicate that while climate change will lead to increased net and new exposures to Aedes-borne viruses, the most extreme increases in Ae. albopictus transmission are predicted to occur at intermediate climate change scenarios. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]