Expansion of spatial and host range of Puumala virus in Sweden: an increasing threat for humans?

Hantaviruses are globally distributed and cause severe human disease. Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) is the most common species in Northern Europe, and the only hantavirus confirmed to circulate in Sweden, restricted to the northern regions of the country. In this study, we aimed to further add to the natural ecology of PUUV in Sweden by investigating prevalence, and spatial and host species infection patterns.

Hantavirus in new geographic regions, Sweden.

In Sweden, human cases of Puumala hantavirus (PUUV) infections are reported from the northern endemic regions. We found hantavirus-specific antibodies in yellow-necked mice (Apodemus flavicollis) trapped in human dwellings in the surroundings of the cities of Uppsala and Stockholm, which are situated far south from the traditional endemic areas of PUUV. Because the yellow-necked mouse is the most common rodent in human dwellings, hantaviruses in this rodent species may be important for the public health.

Reading from a Head-Fixed Display during Walking: Adverse Effects of Gaze Stabilization Mechanisms.

Reading performance during standing and walking was assessed for information presented on earth-fixed and head-fixed displays by determining the minimal duration during which a numerical time stimulus needed to be presented for 50% correct naming answers. Reading from the earth-fixed display was comparable during standing and walking, with optimal performance being attained for visual character sizes in the range of 0.2° to 1°.

Perception of spin and the interception of curved football trajectories.

Using plain white and chequered footballs, we evaluated observers' sensitivity to rotation direction and the effects of ball texture on interceptive behaviour. Experiment 1 demonstrated that the maximal distance at which observers (n = 8) could perceive the direction of ball rotation decreased when rotation frequency increased from 5 to 11 Hz. Detection threshold distances were nevertheless always larger for the chequered (decreasing from 47 to 28 m) than for the white (decreasing from 15 to 11 m) ball.

Temporal dynamics, diversity, and interplay in three components of the virodiversity of a Mallard population: influenza A virus, avian paramyxovirus and avian coronavirus.

Multiple infections, or simultaneous infection of a host with multiple parasites, are the rule rather than the exception. Interactions between co-occurring pathogens in a population may be mutualistic, competitive or facilitative. For some pathogen combinations, these interrelated effects will have epidemiological consequences; however this is as yet poorly incorporated into practical disease ecology.