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Este artículo contiene 14 páginas, 8 figuras, 3 tablas., Algal habitat-forming forests composed of fucalean brown seaweeds (Cystoseira, Ericaria, and Gongolaria) have severely declined along the Mediterranean coasts, endangering the maintenance of essential ecosystem services. Numerous factors determine the loss of these assemblages and operate at different spatial scales, which must be identified to plan conservation and restoration actions. To explore the critical stressors (natural and anthropogenic) that may cause habitat degradation, we investigated (a) the patterns of variability of fucalean forests in percentage cover (abundance) at three spatial scales (location, forest, transect) by visual estimates and or photographic sampling to identify relevant spatial scales of variation, (b) the correlation between semi-quantitative anthropogenic stressors, individually or cumulatively (MA-LUSI index), including natural stressors (confinement, sea urchin grazing), and percentage cover of functional groups (perennial, semi-perennial) at forest spatial scale. The results showed that impacts from mariculture and urbanization seem to be the main stressors affecting habitat-forming species. In particular, while mariculture, urbanization, and cumulative anthropogenic stress negatively correlated with the percentage cover of perennial fucalean species, the same stressors were positively correlated with the percentage cover of the semi-perennial Cystoseira compressa and C. compressa subsp. pustulata. Our results indicate that human impacts can determine spatial patterns in these fragmented and heterogeneous marine habitats, thus stressing the need of carefully considering scale-dependent ecological processes to support conservation and restoration., This study was supported by the European Union’s EASME (Executive Agency for Small and Medium Enterprise) and EMFF (European Maritime and Fisheries fund) as part of the project AFRIMED, “Algal Forest Restoration in the Mediterranean Sea” (under grant agreement no. 789059), http:// afrimed-project.eu/.

Brucellosis is a bacterial infectious disease caused by Brucella melitensis. The infection from Brucella melitensis is a known fact and one of the most important challenges to human health, having big economic and financial consequences, especially in countries where the disease is endemic, such as Albania. In the last 20 years the frequency of the spread of zoonozes in Albania is increasing in a considerable way, especially in the southern and southeastern region where it is more vulnerable. The identification of brucellosis is made through the agglutination test and A.W Right test. The knowledge regarding the frequency of brucellosis, the time, space and age dynamics and the ways of its transmission are the purpose of this study. The ratio between the total number of the population and the number of those infected with brucellosis reaches an average of 68.69 cases per 100 000 inhabitants, which is about 10-12 times higher than some Mediterranean regions. INTRODUCTION Brucellosis is one of the common bacterial zoonosis caused by organisms belonging to brucella sort. In Albania, the brucellosis has an early origin (16). The first case in humans was discovered in 1925 in the district of Gjirokastra (1). We undertook to carry out this study for the period from 2005-2009, based on the fact that Gjirokastra district currently remains the most problematic district all over the country, in terms of brucellosis infection in animals and in humans, but also because of the fact that brucellosis is ranked being the first bacterial infectious disease. The highest frequency of brucella that causes brucellosis in our country is Brucella melitensis (7). The brucellosis infection is taken through direct ways i.e. from the contact with the infected animals (the shepherds, veterinarians, laboratory employee, meat, milk, cheese and skin processing employees) and/or indirect way i.e. from the consumption of livestock products and contaminated byproducts (9, 15). The study is important to present the brucellosis due to the health and economic impact it has. Out of the researches conducted in the recent years there has resulted that the infection is spread not only to the livestock and people, but also in the environment, due to the non functioning of the technical structures that keep the disease under control, such as: · inefficient functioning of the veterinary service structures; · lack of control of dairy products; · uncontrolled movements of livestock within the country and abroad. For these reasons, in epidemiological terms, the brucellosis infection is a social risk, as the number of people with brucellosis is growing (10, 14, 15). The purpose of this study is to present as much data as possible, related to this disease. The epidemiological surveillance of brucellosis is of high importance, especially on the endemic countries, where Albania is included. Material and Methods Measures taken The sampling for the bacteriological examination was taken from the individuals who after the checking resulted to have brucellosis (1). The identification of brucellosis is made through the agglutination test and A.W Right test. During the analysis both methods were used at the same time in order to get more accurate result. Evidence of agglutination We spill with a pipe some drops of serum divided in two parts over a glass (1; 4, 7, 11). We pour in one of them some drops of antigen from Brucella melitensis or rose Bengal. The analysis is carried out under the temperature of 22-270C and the result is defined after 2 minutes. This method is fast but not very accurate. Wright Test The proof of A. Wright is carried out to get a more accurate result by determining the agglutination amount in the serum of patients. In two rows of tubes it is done the serum dilution starting from a dilution of 1:40 in the first tube reaching to 1:1280 in the ninth tube. Whereas the tenth tube serves to check the antigen, where is not poured the diluted serum (1, 4, 11, 19). In all the test tubes with the diluted serum is poured 0.25 ml antigen. The antigens are kites produced at the Institute of Hygiene in Tirana. The test tubes are incubated in the thermostat at a temperature of 37°C for 24 hours (1, 2). In cases where the antibodies are present the process of agglutination occurs and there happens a positive reaction. The test tubes without clarity and without agglutination are considered as negative. Results Descriptive study During the years 2005-2009 in the South and Southeast Region (Gjirokastra, Tepelena, Permet, Korca), of Albania, there have been isolated and identified 1236 cases of brucellosis in sick people and carriers (1). The infected individuals have displayed the following symptoms considered to be major: fever (100%), chills (100%), night sweats (94%), fatigue (94%), irregular sleep (81%), headache (68%), anorexia (81%) and irritability by toxic (92%) (5, 9, 10).