The first confirmed human case of rabies, Timor-Leste, 2024.

In March 2024, the first ever human case of rabies, following a dog bite, was detected in Timor-Leste. This paper briefly discusses the circumstances of transmission, clinical presentation, palliative care of the case and public health measures taken. Timor-Leste was previously considered rabies-free.

Climate-Change Impacts on Cephalopods: A Meta-Analysis.

Aside from being one of the most fascinating groups of marine organisms, cephalopods play a major role in marine food webs, both as predators and as prey, while representing key living economic assets, namely for artisanal and subsistence fisheries worldwide. Recent research suggests that cephalopods are benefitting from ongoing environmental changes and the overfishing of certain fish stocks (i.e.

Paralytic Shellfish Toxin Production and Photobiological Responses under Marine Heat Waves.

Marine heatwaves (MHWs) have doubled in frequency since the 1980s and are projected to be exacerbated during this century. MHWs have been shown to trigger harmful algal blooms (HABs), with severe consequences to marine life and human populations. Within this context, this study aims to understand, for the first time, how MHWs impact key biological and toxicological parameters of the paralytic shellfish toxin (PST) producer , a dinoflagellate inhabiting temperate and tropical coastal waters.

Impacts of Climate Change on the Biogeography of Three Amnesic Shellfish Toxin Producing Diatom Species.

Harmful algal blooms (HABs) are considered one of the main risks for marine ecosystems and human health worldwide. Climate change is projected to induce significant changes in species geographic distribution, and, in this sense, it is paramount to accurately predict how it will affect toxin-producing microalgae. In this context, the present study was intended to project the potential biogeographical changes in habitat suitability and occurrence distribution of three key amnesic shellfish toxin (AST)-producing diatom species (i.

Impacts of Low Oxygen on Marine Life: Neglected, but a Crucial Priority for Research.

AbstractGlobal ocean O content has varied significantly across the eons, both shaping and being shaped by the evolutionary history of life on planet Earth. Indeed, past O fluctuations have been associated with major extinctions and the reorganization of marine biota. Moreover, its most recent iteration-now anthropogenically driven-represents one of the most prominent challenges for both marine ecosystems and human societies, with ocean deoxygenation being regarded as one of the main drivers of global biodiversity loss.

Projecting Future Climate Change-Mediated Impacts in Three Paralytic Shellfish Toxins-Producing Dinoflagellate Species.

Toxin-producing microalgae present a significant environmental risk for ecosystems and human societies when they reach concentrations that affect other aquatic organisms or human health. Harmful algal blooms (HAB) have been linked to mass wildlife die-offs and human food poisoning episodes, and climate change has the potential to alter the frequency, magnitude, and geographical extent of such events. Thus, a framework of species distribution models (SDMs), employing MaxEnt modeling, was used to project changes in habitat suitability and distribution of three key paralytic shellfish toxin (PST)-producing dinoflagellate species (i.

First indication of deleterious impacts in white-seabream larvae (Diplodus sargus) survival and behaviour following acute venlafaxine exposure.

Wastewater effluents are teeming with organisms, nutrients and chemical substances which water treatment processes fail to remove. Among these substances, pharmaceuticals such as antidepressants are a frequent occurrence, and have been reported to lead to severe effects in the physiology and behaviour of non-target marine species across taxa. Venlafaxine (VFX) is one of the most consistently prescribed substances for the treatment of human depressive disorders, acting as a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor.

Ocean warming and acidification may challenge the riverward migration of glass eels.

The dramatic decline of European eel ( Anguilla anguilla) populations over recent decades has attracted considerable attention and concern. Furthermore, little is known about the sensitivity of the early stages of eels to projected future environmental change. Here, we investigated, for the first time, the potential combined effects of ocean warming (OW; Δ + 4°C; 18°C) and acidification (OA; Δ - 0.

Transgenerational exposure to ocean acidification induces biochemical distress in a keystone amphipod species (Gammarus locusta).

Atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO) levels are increasing at the fastest rate ever recorded, causing higher CO dissolution in the ocean, leading to a process known as ocean acidification (OA). Unless anthropogenic CO emissions are reduced, they are expected to reach ~900 ppm by the century's end, resulting in a 0.13-0.

Hypercapnia-induced disruption of long-distance mate-detection and reduction of energy expenditure in a coastal keystone crustacean.

Ocean acidification (OA) has been shown to disrupt behavioural responses either by affecting metabolic processes, or by effectively impairing an organisms' ability to gather and assess information and make decisions. Given the lack of information regarding the effects of high CO on olfactory-mediated mating behaviours in crustaceans, the possible chemosensory disruption in male mate-tracking in the keystone amphipod (Gammarus locusta) was assessed (after a two-generation acclimation to high CO conditions). In a series of behavioural trials, the response time, first direction of movement and the proportion of time spent in the presence of female scent cues were quantified.

Transgenerational deleterious effects of ocean acidification on the reproductive success of a keystone crustacean (Gammarus locusta).

Ocean acidification (OA) poses a global threat to marine biodiversity. Notwithstanding, marine organisms may maintain their performance under future OA conditions, either through acclimation or evolutionary adaptation. Surprisingly, the transgenerational effects of high CO exposure in crustaceans are still poorly understood.