Widespread amphibian extinctions from epidemic disease driven by global warming.

As the Earth warms, many species are likely to disappear, often because of changing disease dynamics. Here we show that a recent mass extinction associated with pathogen outbreaks is tied to global warming. Seventeen years ago, in the mountains of Costa Rica, the Monteverde harlequin frog (Atelopus sp.

Novel combinations of chitosan, carnocin and sulphite for the preservation of chilled pork sausages.

The aim of this study was to develop novel preservation systems for fresh pork sausages based on combinations of chitosan (polymeric β-1,4-N-acetylglucosamine) carnocin (a bacteriocin produced by Carnobacterium piscicola) and low concentrations of sulphite. Two pilot-scale trials showed that 0.6% chitosan combined with low sulphite (170 ppm) retarded the growth of spoilage organisms more effectively (3-4 log cfu/g) than high levels (340 ppm) of sulphite alone at 4 °C for up to 24 days.