The computing environment has revolutionized the management and analysis of data in sciences during the last decades. This study aimed to evaluate the use of R software in research articles ...addressing the study of wildlife worldwide, particularly focusing on the research area "Veterinary Sciences". For this purpose, a systematic review mainly performed in the Web of Science database was conducted. Out of a total of 509 articles reviewed, our results show an increasing trend of the number of publications using the R software over time, as well as a wide geographical distribution at a global scale, particularly in North America, Europe, Australia and China. Most publications were categorized in research areas related to "Biological Sciences", while a minority of them was included in "Veterinary Sciences" (5.9%; 30/509). About the species groups assessed, many articles evaluated a single species group (96.5%), being mammals (50.7%) and birds (14.8%) the most studied ones. The present study showed a high variety of R-packages used in the publications reviewed, all of them related to data analysis, the study of genetic/phylogenetic information and graphical representation. Interestingly, the common use of packages between different research areas is indicative of the high interest of using R software in scientific articles. Our study points the R software as an open-source programming language that allows to support research addressing the study of wildlife, becoming a key software for many research areas, including "Veterinary Sciences". However, an in-depth methodological description about the use of R software in publications to improve the tracking, reproducibility and transparency is encouraged.
The role of red fox as host for a wide range of parasites, particularly fleas and other arthropods causing vector‐borne diseases, in combination with its capability to adapt to anthropized ...environments, makes this wild canid an epidemiologically remarkable species at the wildlife–domestic–human interface, especially in the present time of rise of emerging and re‐emerging diseases. This study evaluated the prevalence and parasite intensity of fleas in 88 foxes from Murcia Region (Southeastern Spain) and determined the geographic distribution of areas with the highest potential risk of flea presence. Pulex irritans, Ctenocephalides felis, Spilopsyllus cuniculi and Nosopsyllus fasciatus were identified. The overall prevalence was 76.13%. This is the first time that N. fasciatus has been reported in foxes from Murcia Region. The predictive model established a certain pattern to determine the areas with the highest risk of acquiring fleas. Positive correlation of daily potential evapotranspiration (ET0) in winter and the opposite effect occurring for ET0 in summer were obtained, as well as positive correlations for mean daily temperature (Tmean) in summer and mean precipitation (Pmean) in winter and summer. The model was also found positively correlated in the forest habitat ecotone areas and the anthropized areas.
Environmental factors influencing flea occurrence in foxes from semi‐arid Mediterranean areas
To determine the role of early acquisition of blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signals and diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) for analysis of the connectivity of the ascending arousal network (AAN) in ...predicting neurological outcomes after acute traumatic brain injury (TBI), cardiopulmonary arrest (CPA), or stroke. A prospective analysis of 50 comatose patients was performed during their ICU stay. Image processing was conducted to assess structural and functional connectivity of the AAN. Outcomes were evaluated after 3 and 6 months. Nineteen patients (38%) had stroke, 18 (36%) CPA, and 13 (26%) TBI. Twenty-three patients were comatose (44%), 11 were in a minimally conscious state (20%), and 16 had unresponsive wakefulness syndrome (32%). Univariate analysis demonstrated that measurements of diffusivity, functional connectivity, and numbers of fibers in the gray matter, white matter, whole brain, midbrain reticular formation, and pontis oralis nucleus may serve as predictive biomarkers of outcome depending on the diagnosis. Multivariate analysis demonstrated a correlation of the predicted value and the real outcome for each separate diagnosis and for all the etiologies together. Findings suggest that the above imaging biomarkers may have a predictive role for the outcome of comatose patients after acute TBI, CPA, or stroke.
Ticks are the main vectors for the transmission of bacterial, protist and viral pathogens in Europe affecting wildlife and domestic animals. However, some of them are zoonotic and can cause serious, ...sometimes fatal, problems in human health. A systematic review in PubMed/MEDLINE database was conducted to determine the spatial distribution and host and tick species ranges of a selection of tick-borne bacteria (Anaplasma spp., Borrelia spp., Coxiella spp., and Rickettsia spp.), protists (Babesia spp. and Theileria spp.), and viruses (Orthonairovirus, and flaviviruses tick-borne encephalitis virus and louping ill virus) on the European continent in a five-year period (November 2017 – November 2022). Only studies using PCR methods were selected, retrieving a total of 429 articles. Overall, up to 85 species of the selected tick-borne pathogens were reported from 36 European countries, and Anaplasma spp. was described in 37% (159/429) of the articles, followed by Babesia spp. (34%, 148/429), Borrelia spp. (34%, 147/429), Rickettsia spp. (33%, 142/429), Theileria spp. (11%, 47/429), tick-borne flaviviruses (9%, 37/429), Orthonairovirus (7%, 28/429) and Coxiella spp. (5%, 20/429). Host and tick ranges included 97 and 50 species, respectively. The highest tick-borne pathogen diversity was detected in domestic animals, and 12 species were shared between humans, wildlife, and domestic hosts, highlighting the following zoonotic species: Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Babesia divergens, Babesia microti, Borrelia afzelii, Borrelia burgdorferi s.s., Borrelia garinii, Borrelia miyamotoi, Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever virus, Coxiella burnetii, Rickettsia monacensis and tick-borne encephalitis virus. These results contribute to the implementation of effective interventions for the surveillance and control of tick-borne diseases.
•A comprehensive review of tick-borne bacteria, protozoa and viruses on the European continent is provided.•Tick and host associations of tick-borne bacteria, parasites and viruses are reviewed.•Babesia canis and TBEV were the most widely distributed tick-borne protozoa and virus, respectively.•The most widespread bacteria were Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Borrelia afzelii and Borrelia garinii.•Relevant tick-borne pathogens are shared between wildlife, domestic animals and humans.
To improve the knowledge on the role of bats in the maintenance and transmission of tick-borne pathogens, a molecular approach was used to characterize Anaplasma spp., Rickettsia spp., Coxiella ...burnetii, Borrelia burgdorferi s.l., piroplasmids, Hepatozoon spp., flaviviruses and nairoviruses in ticks collected from Iberian bats. A total of 732 bats from 25 species were captured at 38 sampling sites distributed in seven provinces of Spain between 2018 and 2022. Seventy-nine Ixodes simplex ticks were collected from 31 bats (Eptesicus isabellinus, Hypsugo savii, Myotis capaccini, Myotis emarginatus, Myotis myotis, Miniopterus schreibersii, Pipistrellus pipistrellus and Rhinolophus ferrumequinum). Sixty of 79 I. simplex were positive for at least one pathogen tested and were collected from 23 bats captured in southeast Spain. We detected the presence of Rickettsia slovaca in 12 ticks collected from M. emarginatus, H. savii, M. schreibersii and E. isabellinus; Rickettsia aeschlimannii in 1 tick from M. schreibersii; Anaplasma ovis in 3 ticks from H. savii and M. schreibersii; C. burnetii in 2 ticks from H. savii; Occidentia massiliensis in 1 tick from H. savii; piroplasmids in 12 ticks from H. savii, M. schreibersii and E. isabellinus; and a novel nairovirus in 1 tick from M. schreibersii. Furthermore, blood samples obtained from 14 of the 31 tick-infested bats were negative in all PCR analyses. This study describes new host and pathogen associations for the bat-specialist I. simplex, highlights the risk of spread of these pathogens, and encourages further research to understand the role of Iberian bats in the epidemiology of tick-borne pathogens.
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•Novel host and pathogen associations for Ixodes simplex from Iberian bats are described.•Collection of Ixodes simplex from seven Vespertilionidae and one Rhinolophidae species.•Rickettsia slovaca is detected in I. simplex from four Vespertilionidae species.•We also find Rickettsia aeschlimanii, Anaplasma ovis, Coxiella burnetii and Occidentia massiliensis.•A novel unclassified nairovirus is reported using a new multiplex PCR protocol with an NGS approach.
The aim of this research was to determine the psychometric properties (construct validity and internal consistency) of The Revised Two-Factor Study Process Questionnaire (R-SPQ-2F) in health sciences ...students from Cartagena, Colombia. Validation study without a standard criterion in 857 health sciences students whom answered the R-SPQ-2F. The number of factors that explained the construct was determined using exploratory factor analysis. Confirmatory factor analysis determined construct validity and Cronbach’s Alpha internal consistency. R-SQP-2F showed a mean value 66.01±12.3 with minimum 36 and maximum 99. EFA showed a two-factor solution that accounted for the 42.5% of the total variance. However, CFA showed the following fit indexes: χ2=962.783; df=166; RMSEA=0.075 (90% CI %: 0.070-0.079); CFI=0.883; TLI=0.866. R-SPQ-2F is a scale with acceptable internal consistency and two-factor structure with questionable construct validity. However, it shows practical utility on higher education learning strategies related-research. Researchers need additional studies about its psychometric properties in the future.
There is a knowledge gap in the study of Argasidae soft ticks and the pathogens they can transmit. These hematophagous arthropods are widely distributed and are often considered typical bird ...ectoparasites. Tick-parasitized birds can act not only as a reservoir of pathogens but also can carry these pathogen-infected arthropods to new areas. Seven griffon vulture nestlings were sampled in northeastern Spain, collecting ticks (
n
= 28) from two individuals and blood from each vulture (
n
= 7). Blood samples from griffon vultures tested PCR positive for
Flavivirus
(7/7),
Anaplasma
(6/7), piroplasms (4/7), and
Rickettsia
(1/7). A total of 27 of the 28 analyzed ticks were positive for
Rickettsia
, 9/28 for
Anaplasma
, 2/28 for piroplasms, and 5/28 for Crimean-Congo Hemorrhagic fever virus (CCHFv). Sequencing and phylogenetic analyses confirmed the presence of
Rickettsia
spp.,
Babesia ardeae
, and zoonotic
Anaplasma phagocytophilum
in vultures and
Rickettsia
spp.,
B. ardeae
, and CCHFv genotype V in ticks.
This study investigated the efficacy of high‐volume spraying with the adulticide α‐cypermethrin alone and in combination with the larvicide diflubenzuron on the density of sand flies in gardens of ...three detached households in periurban areas in southeast Spain. Treatments were applied four times between June and August 2016, and four nearby sites, two households and two non‐urbanized sites, were untreated controls. The number of sand flies collected between May and October 2016 using sticky interception and light attraction traps, was 4446 specimens. Species identified morphologically included Sergentomyia minuta (n = 2101; 48%), Phlebotomus perniciosus (n = 1922; 44%), Phlebotomus papatasi (n = 173; 4%), Phlebotomus sergenti (n = 161; 4%) and Phlebotomus ariasi (n = 36; 1%). Sand flies were detected in both treated and untreated sites. The proportion of positive sticky traps and the median (range) density of sand flies in positive traps were 61% traps and 7 (2–172) sand flies/m2/day in untreated sites, and 43% traps and 4 (1–56) sand flies/m2/day in treated sites (p < 0.05). Similarly, for light traps, it was 96% traps and 30 (3–168) flies/trap/day, and 83% traps and 3 (1–12) sand flies/trap/day, respectively (p < 0.05). However, sand fly density followed a comparable seasonal pattern in untreated and treated sites and did not consistently decrease following insecticide applications. These results were confirmed with mixed negative binomial modelling of sand fly density adjusted for time since application, month, environmental setting and site. The limited efficacy of the treatments, added to their cost, the impact of insecticides on non‐target organisms and human health, and the risk of development of insecticide resistance, should dissuade similar outdoor applications to control sand fly vector populations in residential areas.
El artículo describe el desarrollo de un demostrador basado en mapas interactivos y SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) en el ámbito de la Filología Clásica y la toponimia latina. El ...demostrador permite la identificación y localización de lugares a partir de la cartografía, y la recuperación de textos TEI (Text Encoding Initiative), ampliando la búsqueda con las formas declinadas de los topónimos y gentilicios. De esta forma se asegura mayor exhaustividad en la recuperación de resultados. El archivo SKOS con los nombres de lugares y gentilicios y los textos TEI sobre los que se realizan las búsquedas se almacenan en sendos repositorios XML gestionados con las herramientas de código abierto Apache Jena Fuseki y BaseX. La interfaz de búsqueda permite recuperar textos clásicos que contienen información sobre dichos lugares. Se ofrece un mecanismo flexible para explorar amplias colecciones de textos clásicos a partir de la toponimia.
El artículo describe el desarrollo de un demostrador basado en mapas interactivos y SKOS (Simple Knowledge Organization System) en el ámbito de la Filología Clásica y la toponimia latina. El ...demostrador permite la identificación y localización de lugares a partir de la cartografía, y la recuperación de textos TEI (Text Encoding Initiative), ampliando la búsqueda con las formas declinadas de los topónimos y gentilicios. De esta forma se asegura mayor exhaustividad en la recuperación de resultados. El archivo SKOS con los nombres de lugares y gentilicios y los textos TEI sobre los que se realizan las búsquedas se almacenan en sendos repositorios XML gestionados con las herramientas de código abierto Apache Jena Fuseki y BaseX. La interfaz de búsqueda permite recuperar textos clásicos que contienen información sobre dichos lugares. Se ofrece un mecanismo flexible para explorar amplias colecciones de textos clásicos a partir de la toponimia.
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