Adenovirus and Norovirus Contaminants in Commercially Distributed Shellfish

Shellfish complying with European Regulations based on quantification of fecal bacterial indicators (FIB) are introduced into markets; however, information on viruses, more stable than FIB, is not available in the literature. To assess the presence of noroviruses (NoVs) GI and GII and human adenoviruses (HAdV) in domestic and imported mussels and clams (n = 151) their presence was analyzed during winter seasons (2004–2008) in north-west Spanish markets through a routine surveillance system. All samples tested negative for NoV GI and 13 % were positive for NoV GII. The role of HAdV as viral indicator was evaluated in 20 negative and 10 positive NoV GII samples showing an estimated sensitivity and specificity of HAdV to predict the presence of NoV GII of 100 and 74 % (cut-off 0.5). The levels of HAdV and NoVs and the efficiency of decontamination in shellfish depuration plants (SDP) were evaluated analyzing pre- and post-depurated mussels collected in May–June 2010 from three different SDP. There were no statistically significant differences in the prevalence and quantification of HAdV between pre- and post-depurated shellfish and between seawater entering and leaving the depuration systems. Moreover, infectious HAdV were detected in depurated mussels. These results confirm previous studies showing that current controls and depuration treatments limiting the number of FIB do not guarantee the absence of viruses in shellfish.     

Heavy metal load and effects on biochemical properties in urban soils of a medium-sized city,Ancona, Italy

Environmental Geochemistry and Health - Urban soils are often mixed with extraneous materials and show a high spatial variability that determine great differences from their agricultural or natural...     

单个药品及其混合物对Aliivibrio fischeri的毒性研究：单一化合物的实验结果，并对其行为机理和对水生生物潜在急性效应进行思考

在这个较广泛的关于单个和多组分混合药物活性化合物影响研究的第一部分,作者使用了Microtox^?测试系统详细分析了10种广泛使用的人用和兽用药活性化合物对生物荧光细菌Aliivibrio fischeri的影响。实验结果表明大多数受试化合物具有中度毒性。对比实验得到的50%抑制浓度和定量构效关系模型预测的结果表明,大多数受试药物活性化合物与极性麻醉型化合物对A. fischeri的行为类似(似乎只有抗生素金霉素有特定的作用机制)。将实验结果与其他不属预定目标的生物急性毒性数据集进行比较表明,一般而言A . fischeri较其他水生物种敏感。然而,根据全球化学品统一分类和标签制度,大部分受调查的化学物质可归为水生生态系统中有害或无毒的化合物。最后,基于欧盟水体中测量的环境浓度第95百分位数和各种水生生物的急性毒性数据的比较,可以认为当受试药物活性化合物作为单一化合物进行评估的时候,不存在水生生物风险。
精选自Valeria Di Nica, Sara Villa, Antonio Finizio. Toxicity of individual pharmaceuticals and their mixtures to Aliivibrio fischeri: experimental results for single compounds and considerations of their mechanisms of action and potential acute effects on aquatic organisms. Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry: Volume 36, Issue 3, pages 807–814, July 2017. DOI: 10.1002/etc.3568
详情请见http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/wol1/doi/10.1002/etc.3568/full
     

Scenarios of change in the realized climatic niche of mountain carnivores and ungulates

Mountains are among the natural systems most affected by climate change, and mountain mammals are considered particularly imperiled, given their high degree of specialization to narrow tolerance bands of environmental conditions. Climate change mitigation policies, such as the Paris Agreement, are essential to stem climate change impacts on natural systems. But how significant is the Paris Agreement to the survival of mountain mammals? We investigated how alternative emission scenarios may determine change in the realized climatic niche of mountain carnivores and ungulates in 2050. We based our predictions of future change in species niches based on how species have responded to past environmental changes, focusing on the probabilities of niche shrink and niche stability. We found that achieving the Paris Agreement's commitments would substantially reduce climate instability for mountain species. Specifically, limiting global warming to below 1.5°C would reduce the probability of niche shrinkage by 4% compared with a high-emission scenario. Globally, carnivores showed greater niche shrinkage than ungulates, whereas ungulates were more likely to shift their niches (i.e., face a level of climate change that allows adaptation). Twenty-three species threatened by climate change according to the IUCN Red List had greater niche contraction than other species we analyzed (3% higher on average). We therefore argue that climate mitigation policies must be coupled with rapid species-specific conservation intervention and sustainable land-use policies to avoid high risk of loss of already vulnerable species.