Epidemiological and genotypic assessment of cystic echinococcosis in ruminant populations of Northern Punjab, Pakistan: a neglected zoonotic disease.

Echinococcus granulosus is a zoonotic dog parasite, which causes cystic echinococcosis in humans and animals, adversely affecting health and food production. The resultant socio-economic impacts in lower-middle-income countries and the paucity of epidemiology data prompted the World Health Organization to classify cystic echinococcosis as a neglected tropical disease. Between November 2019 and December 2020, the prevalence of cystic echinococcosis was assessed from 3600 post-slaughter livestock (1142 sheep, 1258 goats and 1200 buffalo) from three districts, Narowal, Sheikhupura and Sialkot, in Northern Punjab, Pakistan.

Sexual dimorphism at different life stages: early life sexual differences in root growth in Silene latifolia.

Male and female dioecious plants often show sexual dimorphism, differing in morphological, physiological and life-history traits. Most previous studies have focused on differences between males and females during or after reproduction, paying little attention to the pre-reproductive stages of the individuals. Here we assessed the response of male and female individuals of the dioecious plant Silene latifolia to abiotic stress at different life stages, including pre-reproductive (i.

Multiple novel caliciviruses identified from stoats (Mustela erminea) in the United Kingdom.

The family comprising positive-sense RNA viruses, is characterised by its non-enveloped, small virions, broad host range, and notable tendency for host switching. These viruses are primarily associated with gastroenteric disease, though they can lead to haemorrhagic or respiratory infections. Our study employed a metagenomics analysis of faecal samples from stoats (), identifying two novel calicivirus species, named stoat vesivirus and stoat valovirus.

Persistence of PFOA Pollution at a PTFE Production Site and Occurrence of Replacement PFASs in English Freshwaters Revealed by Sentinel Species, the Eurasian Otter ().

Concentrations of 33 PFASs were determined in 20 Eurasian otters, sampled 2015-2019, along a transect away from a factory, which used PFOA in PTFE manufacture. Despite cessation of usage in 2012, PFOA concentrations remained high near the factory (>298 μg/kg ww <20 km from factory) and declined with increasing distance (<57 μg/kg ww >150 km away). Long-chain legacy PFASs dominated the ΣPFAS profile, particularly PFOS, PFOA, PFDA, and PFNA.

Two novel PCR-based assays for sexing of and plants.

and are model systems in studies of plant reproduction, chromosome evolution and sexual dimorphism, but sexing of plants based on morphology is only possible from flowering stage onwards. Both species show homogametic females (XX) and heterogametic males (XY).•Here we developed two assays (primer pairs and ) for molecular sexing of and , targeting length polymorphisms between the X and Y-linked copies of the spermidine synthase gene.