Editorial Material
Psychology, Biological
Jennifer Vonk
Summary: Sehner et al. (PNAS Nexus, 2022, 1-14) found that groups of common marmosets solve problems more frequently and faster than individuals working alone. This can be partially explained by greater persistence in the group context, and it may have important implications for the evolution of cognition and culture.
LEARNING & BEHAVIOR
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Dairy & Animal Science
Beatrice Luisi, Jerome Micheletta, Eglantine Julle-Daniere, Jerome Catinaud, Laetitia Marechal
Summary: People often mimic animals' facial expressions in an attempt to communicate with them, but limited understanding exists regarding how animals respond to this behavior and if it poses any risk to human safety or animal welfare. In a study on Barbary macaques, researchers found that the macaques displayed different behaviors when faced with pictures of human and macaque facial expressions. The study highlights potential issues in facial communication between species, with implications for animal welfare and human safety.
APPLIED ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR SCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Virology
Ryan V. Moriarty, Amy L. Ellis, Shelby L. O'Connor
Summary: Tuberculosis is a common disease, and its replication is often uncontrolled during HIV infection. MAIT cells may help control mycobacterial infections, but there are still gaps in research in this area.
Article
Biology
Richard J. Harris, K. Anne-Isola Nekaris, Bryan G. Fry
Summary: This study provides further evidence of the coevolution between primates and snakes, showing that Afro-Asian primates have evolved increased resistance to alpha-neurotoxins from encountering neurotoxic elapid snakes, while such resistance is absent in Lemuriformes in Madagascar and Platyrrhini in the Americas. Increased resistance was significantly amplified in the last common ancestor of chimpanzees, gorillas, and humans, supporting the theory of a reciprocal coevolutionary arms-race between venomous snakes and primates.
Review
Microbiology
Eric S. Loker, Randall J. DeJong, Sara Brant
Summary: Although primarily infecting birds or non-human mammals, many species of schistosomes can cause swimmer's itch in humans. Research into the diversity and biology of schistosomes provides insights into disease transmission and the impact of environmental changes.
Review
Immunology
Emma L. Houlder, Alice H. Costain, Peter C. Cook, Andrew S. MacDonald
Summary: Schistosome infection is a major cause of global morbidity, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Understanding pulmonary immune responses and inflammatory pathology in schistosomiasis is crucial for future research and vaccine development efforts.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kimberley J. Hockings, Benjamin Mubemba, Charlotte Avanzi, Kamilla Pleh, Ariane Dux, Elena Bersacola, Joana Bessa, Marina Ramon, Sonja Metzger, Livia V. Patrono, Jenny E. Jaffe, Andrej Benjak, Camille Bonneaud, Philippe Busso, Emmanuel Couacy-Hymann, Moussa Gado, Sebastien Gagneux, Roch C. Johnson, Mamoudou Kodio, Joshua Lynton-Jenkins, Irina Morozova, Kerstin Matz-Rensing, Aissa Regalla, Abilio R. Said, Verena J. Schuenemann, Samba O. Sow, John S. Spencer, Markus Ulrich, Hyacinthe Zoubi, Stewart T. Cole, Roman M. Wittig, Sebastien Calvignac-Spencer, Fabian H. Leendertz
Summary: This study found leprosy-like lesions in wild populations of western chimpanzees in Guinea-Bissau and Cote d'Ivoire, caused by Mycobacterium leprae. The chimpanzee strains were identified as belonging to rare genotypes, suggesting leprosy may be circulating in more wild animals than previously suspected.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Geoffrey N. Gobert, Donald P. McManus, Geoff McMullan, Christopher J. Creevey, Jack Carson, Malcolm K. Jones, Sujeevi S. K. Nawaratna, Kosala G. Weerakoon, Hong You
Summary: This study used FISH and microbial profiling techniques to demonstrate for the first time the presence of bacteria on the epithelial surfaces of adult schistosomes, which differ from the host blood and bile. These schistosome surface-associated bacteria are considered an important component of the host-parasite interaction.
Article
Biology
Lijing Bu, Daibin Zhong, Lijun Lu, Eric S. Loker, Guiyun Yan, Si-Ming Zhang
Summary: This study compares the genomes of two homozygous lines of the freshwater snail to identify genomic differences related to resistance and susceptibility to the parasite Schistosoma mansoni. By constructing a genetic map and identifying quantitative trait loci associated with snail resistance/susceptibility and body pigmentation, the study provides insights into the genetic mechanisms of compatibility between the snail and the parasite. It offers valuable genomic resources for understanding vector snail biology and developing innovative control strategies.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Corey G. Wadsley, John Cirillo, Arne Nieuwenhuys, Winston D. Byblow
Summary: Response inhibition is crucial for terminating inappropriate preplanned or ongoing responses, with selective stopping being a complex form of this inhibition. The stopping interference effect, characterized by response delays on unstopped effectors, may result from both selective and nonselective response inhibition processes. This effect can be influenced by factors such as response conflict, task familiarity, and functional coupling.
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Manon K. Schweinfurth, Dylan B. Baldridge, Kyle Finnerty, Josep Call, Gunther K. Knoblich
Summary: Humans, like many other animals, live in groups and coordinate actions with others in social settings. Chimpanzees also spontaneously synchronize their actions with conspecifics while walking together, and this coordination is influenced by social relationships within the group.
Article
Microbiology
Sophie Alexandra Baron, Oleg Mediannikov, Rim Abdallah, Edmond Kuete Yimagou, Hacene Medkour, Gregory Dubourg, Youssouf Elamire, Pamela Afouda, Issa Isaac Ngom, Emmanouil Angelakis, Bernard Davoust, Georges Diatta, Amanda Barciela, R. Adriana Hernandez-Aguilar, Cheikh Sokhna, Aurelia Caputo, Anthony Levasseur, Jean-Marc Rolain, Didier Raoult
Summary: Antibiotic resistance genes are naturally present in various environments, far from human use. A high prevalence of carbapenem-resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae was found among chimpanzee and termite samples, suggesting potential circulation of resistant genes through international plasmids. Genome sequencing identified major clones associated with hospital-acquired infections in both chimpanzees and termites.
ANTIMICROBIAL AGENTS AND CHEMOTHERAPY
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Marine
Zhaojin Yan, Liang Cheng, Rong He, Hui Yang
Summary: This study proposes a method for extracting ship stopping information based on ship trajectory features and geographic semantics. By excavating trajectory features, the stopping points in the port area are recognized, and a classification model for ship stopping is constructed. Experimental results show that this method can effectively extract ship stopping information and provide support for ship behavior understanding and ship traffic analysis.
Article
Optics
Y. Sarkis, A. Aguilar-Arevalo, J. C. D'Olivo
Summary: We calculate the nuclear recoil ionization efficiency in silicon using an improved version of Lindhard's theory. Our model considers the breaking of atomic bonds as a function of initial ionic energy, interatomic potential, and the average energy for ion-vacancy pair production. We also incorporate descriptions of electronic stopping and straggling effects, charge screening, and Coulomb repulsion between ions. Our model accurately describes the available data across a wide range of nuclear recoil energies.
Article
Physics, Nuclear
Sohyun Park, Urs Achim Wiedemann
Summary: The study investigates the spectrum of bremsstrahlung photons resulting from the stopping of initial net charge distributions in ultrarelativistic nucleus-nucleus collisions at the LHC. This effect, detectable at very low transverse momentum and forward rapidity, could be within reach of the next-generation LHC heavy-ion detector ALICE-3. The research also discusses the physics motivation for measuring this phenomenon.
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Neil D. Young, Andreas J. Stroehlein, Tao Wang, Pasi K. Korhonen, Margaret Mentink-Kane, J. Russell Stothard, David Rollinson, Robin B. Gasser
Summary: This study reports the genome of the snail Bulinus truncatus, which is an intermediate host for the human blood fluke Schistosoma haematobium. The authors explore protein groups involved in the snail's interaction with the parasite and identify expansions in gene families linked to immune response regulation. Understanding this snail-parasite relationship could inform interventions to interrupt transmission of schistosomiasis.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Andreas J. Stroehlein, Pasi K. Korhonen, V. Vern Lee, Stuart A. Ralph, Margaret Mentink-Kane, Hong You, Donald P. McManus, Louis-Albert Tchuem Tchuente, J. Russell Stothard, Parwinder Kaur, Olga Dudchenko, Erez Lieberman Aiden, Bicheng Yang, Huanming Yang, Aidan M. Emery, Bonnie L. Webster, Paul J. Brindley, David Rollinson, Bill C. H. Chang, Robin B. Gasser, Neil D. Young
Summary: Urogenital schistosomiasis, caused by the blood fluke Schistosoma haematobium, affects over 100 million people globally. Research on the genome of S. haematobium reveals important biological and disease traits, which can contribute to improved control of the disease.
Article
Immunology
Daniel McDowell, Lisa Hurt, Narcis B. Kabatereine, John Russell Stothard, Joanne Lello
Summary: Plasmodium-Schistosoma mansonicoinfections are associated with a reduced Plasmodium intensity in preschool-aged children. This relationship, however, is modified by prior infections, host age, and family wealth. Future research should assess whether these interactions impact host health and parasite control efficacy.
JOURNAL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Nathan C. Lo, Fernando Schemelzer Moraes Bezerra, Daniel G. Colley, Fiona M. Fleming, Mamoun Homeida, Narcis Kabatereine, Fatma M. Kabole, Charles H. King, Margaret A. Mafe, Nicholas Midzi, Francisca Mutapi, Joseph R. Mwanga, Reda M. R. Ramzy, Fadjar Satrija, J. Russell Stothard, Mamadou Souncalo Traore, Joanne P. Webster, Juerg Utzinger, Xiao-Nong Zhou, Anthony Danso-Appiah, Paolo Eusebi, Eric S. Loker, Charles O. Obonyo, Reginald Quansah, Song Liang, Michel Vaillant, M. Hassan Murad, Paul Hagan, Amadou Garba
Summary: Schistosomiasis, a parasitic disease infecting approximately 250 million people worldwide, has been controlled through preventive chemotherapy programs. However, the recent increase in scientific evidence and the global supply of praziquantel has resulted in the need to update public health guidance. In 2022, the WHO published new guidelines that expand preventive chemotherapy eligibility, lower the prevalence threshold for treatment, and increase the frequency of treatment.
LANCET INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Rogers Wambi, William Worodria, James Muleme, Siya Aggrey, Lawrence Mugisha
Summary: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of leptospirosis among renal patients and general outpatients attending Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda. The overall prevalence of leptospirosis was found to be 4.70%, with common symptoms including abdominal pain and dehydration among the participants.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Review
Infectious Diseases
Song Liang, Keerati Ponpetch, Yi-Biao Zhou, Jiagang Guo, Berhanu Erko, J. Russell Stothard, M. Hassan Murad, Xiao-Nong Zhou, Fadjar Satrija, Joanne P. Webster, Justin Remais, Jurg Utzinger, Amadou Garba
Summary: This study aimed to summarize available diagnostic techniques for schistosome infections in non-human animals through a systematic review and meta-analysis. The findings suggest that the parasitologic technique FEA-SD and the molecular technique qPCR are the most promising techniques for schistosome diagnosis in non-human animal hosts.
PLOS NEGLECTED TROPICAL DISEASES
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Abigail E. Asangba, Lawrence Mugisha, Joshua Rukundo, Rebecca J. Lewis, Ali Halajian, Liliana Cortes-Ortiz, Randall E. Junge, Mitchell T. Irwin, Johan Karlson, Andrew Perkin, Mrinalini Watsa, Gideon Erkenswick, Karen L. Bales, Dorothy L. Patton, Anna J. Jasinska, Eduardo Fernandez-Duque, Steven R. Leigh, Rebecca M. Stumpf
Summary: The microbiome plays a crucial role in host health and disease, but there is still much unknown about its diversity and evolution. This study compared microbiome community compositions from different body sites across 17 nonhuman primate species, finding distinct differences in the oral microbiome compared to other body sites. Furthermore, host species differences were found to shape the microbiome within specific body sites.
MICROBIOLOGY SPECTRUM
(2022)
Editorial Material
Parasitology
J. R. Stothard, J. T. Ellis
Article
Infectious Diseases
Akinola Stephen Oluwole, Uwem Friday Ekpo, Obiageli Josephine Nebe, Nse Michael Akpan, Solomon Monday Jacob, Uche Veronica Amazigo, John Russell Stothard
INFECTIOUS DISEASES OF POVERTY
(2022)
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Bert J. Mohr, Ouajdi Souilem, Abdussamad M. Abdussamad, Abelouafi Benmouloud, Phillippe Bugnon, John K. Chipangura, Sohair R. Fahmy, Tamsyn Fourie, Khadiga Gaafar, Ngalla E. Jillani, Josiah T. Kantyok, Louise F. Martin, Mokganedi Mokopasetso, Lawrence Mugisha, Atunga Nyachieo, David Lewis
Summary: Despite limited access to education and training in laboratory animal science (LAS) and ethics in Africa, the establishment of PAN-LASE has successfully provided opportunities and strengthened knowledge hubs across the continent. Challenges and opportunities for PAN-LASE include formalization of the network, sustainability of education programs, and availability of Africa-centric educational resources.
LABORATORY ANIMALS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Melodie Sammarro, Barry Rowlingson, Derek Cocker, Kondwani Chidziwisano, Shevin T. Jacob, Henry Kajumbula, Lawrence Mugisha, David Musoke, Rebecca Lester, Tracy Morse, Nicholas Feasey, Chris Jewell
Summary: Water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) factors play a crucial role in the transmission of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli, while antimicrobial exposure is the key driver for ESBL-producing Klebsiella pneumoniae.
CLINICAL INFECTIOUS DISEASES
(2023)
Article
Infectious Diseases
Florence Mutua, Gideon Kiarie, Miriam Mbatha, Joshua Onono, Sofia Boqvist, Emily Kilonzi, Lawrence Mugisha, Arshnee Moodley, Susanna Sternberg-Lewerin
Summary: The use of antibiotics is common among poultry farmers, constituting 43% of the drugs used. Antibiotics are administered to chickens through water, and leftover drugs are either stored or incinerated. Farmers often buy drugs without prescriptions and rarely comply with withdrawal periods.
Article
Infectious Diseases
Derek Cocker, Kondwani Chidziwisano, Madalitso Mphasa, Taonga Mwapasa, Joseph M. Lewis, Barry Rowlingson, Melodie Sammarro, Winnie Bakali, Chifundo Salifu, Allan Zuza, Mary Charles, Tamandani Mandula, Victor Maiden, Stevie Amos, Shevin Jacob, Henry Kajumbula, Lawrence Mugisha, David Musoke, Rachel Byrne, Thomas Edwards, Rebecca Lester, Nicola Elviss, Adam P. Roberts, Andrew C. Singer, Christopher Jewell, Tracy Morse, Nicholas Feasey
Summary: The prevalence of ESBL-producing Enterobacterales is extremely high in humans, animals, and the environment in southern Malawi. Urbanization and seasonality are significant risk factors for colonization, and without proper environmental improvements, transmission of ESBL-producing bacteria is likely to persist in this setting.
Article
Veterinary Sciences
Bert Mohr, Ouajdi Souilem, Sohai Fahmy, Francis Fakoya, Khadiga Gaafar, Josia Kantiyok, Farida Khammar, Sarrah Mbarek, Lawrence Mugisha, Hany Sleem, Alemayehu Toma, Maricel van Rooyen, Henry Zakumumpa, David Lewis
Summary: To strengthen the ethical and regulatory oversight in Africa, the Pan-African Network for Laboratory Animal Science and Ethics gathered experts from 12 African countries to create a practical guide for the establishment and functioning of Institutional Animal Ethics Committees. The guidelines are based on universal principles, considering the cultural, religious, political, and socio-economic diversity in Africa, and focus on responsibilities, composition, ethical processes, and quality assurance. The adoption and adaptation of these guidelines will enhance research quality, improve animal well-being, and contribute to sustainable socio-economic development in Africa.
LABORATORY ANIMALS
(2023)
Article
Parasitology
A. Juhasz, S. E. J. Barlow, H. Williams, B. Johnson, N. Davies Walsh, L. C. Cunningham, S. Jones, E. J. LaCourse, J. R. Stothard
Summary: This study conducted surveillance on snails in Knowsley Safari in the United Kingdom and identified two significant trematode cercariae, Bilharziella polonica from Planorbarius corneus and Trichobilharzia spp. from Ampullacaena balthica. Genetic analysis revealed that the latter likely consisted of two taxa. The study also assessed the swimming rate of B. polonica and evaluated the risk of cercarial dermatitis for public activities.
JOURNAL OF HELMINTHOLOGY
(2022)
