Microcystins (MCs), frequently detected in freshwater ecosystems, have raised significant human health and ecological concerns. New approaches are being developed to control and remove MCs. In this study, we examined factors influencing the efficacy of electrochemical oxidation as a means of control.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWhen cyanobacterial phytoplankton form harmful cyanobacterial blooms (HCBs), the toxins they produce threaten freshwater ecosystems. Hydrogen peroxide is often used to control HCBs, but it is broadly toxic and dangerous to handle. Previously, we demonstrated that glucose addition to lake water could suppress the abundance of cyanobacteria.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPreviously, we showed that prophylactic addition of glucose to Harsha Lake water samples could inhibit cyanobacteria growth, at least for a short period of time. The current study tested cyanobacterial control with glucose for the entire Harsha Lake bloom season. Water samples (1000 ml) were collected weekly from Harsha Lake during the algal-bloom season starting June 9 and lasting until August 24, 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAn interrupted time-series study design was implemented to evaluate the impact of antibiotic stewardship interventions on antibiotic prescribing among veterinarians. A total of 41 veterinarians were enrolled in Canada and Israel and their prescribing data between 2019 and 2021 were obtained. As an intervention, veterinarians periodically received three feedback reports comprising feedback on the participants' antibiotic prescribing and prescribing guidelines.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRabies is a fatal zoonotic disease affecting all mammalian species. It is caused by the rabies virus and is prevalent worldwide. Horses are not commonly infected with rabies but their vaccination is recommended due to the potential zoonotic risk.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSci Total Environ
December 2023
Road salt runoff from de-icing applications is increasingly impacting water quality around the globe. Excess salt (especially chloride) concentrations can negatively impact the biological, chemical, and physical properties of freshwater ecosystems. Though road salt pollution is a prevalent issue affecting many northern temperate lakes, there are few studies on how freshwater salinization interacts with other ecological stressors such as eutrophication.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAquatic plants are potentially impacted by microcystins (MCs) in lakes experiencing harmful algal blooms. However, how these plants respond, and possibly adapt to osmotic stress caused by MCs is unclear. Vallisneria natans is a pioneer taxon with a global distribution in eutrophic lakes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a tissue cyst forming coccidia, which affects multiple host species worldwide. Equine besnoitiosis is characterized mainly by generalized skin lesions and cysts in the scleral conjunctiva. Recent reports revealed exposure to in equines in Europe and the United States.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAquatic plants play an important role in maintaining lake water status and ecosystem stability, but the effect of the cyanotoxin microcystin (MC) on ion homeostasis in aquatic plants and the resulting adverse consequences remains unclear. This study used non-invasive micro-test technology to detect the effect of MC-LR on homeostasis of calcium (Ca) and hydrogen ions (H) in Vallisneria natans (Lour.) Hara, and examined the relationship between ion homeostasis and physiological indicators.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFUnderstanding the history of microcystins (MCs) pollution in large lakes can help inform future lake management. We collected sediment cores from Lake Taihu to: investigate the long-term record of MCs (MC-LR, MC-YR, and MC-RR), explore the main environmental drivers of MCs, and assess their public health and ecological risks. Results showed that MCs content in all cores increased over time.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWest Nile virus (WNV) is an important zoonotic pathogen, which is detected mainly by identification of its RNA using PCR. Genetic differentiation between WNV lineages is usually performed by complete genome sequencing, which is not available in many research and diagnostic laboratories. In this chapter, we describe a protocol for detection and analysis of WNV samples by sequencing the entire region of their structural genes capsid (C), preM/membrane, and envelope.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEquine infection has been linked to neurological disorders and infertility in horses. This study looked into the risk factors for infection and the exposure to spp. in horses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: antimicrobial resistance is a global problem in human and veterinary medicine. We aimed to investigate the extended spectrum β-lactamase-producing (ESBL-PE) gut colonization in healthy community dogs in Israel.
Methods: Rectal swabs were sampled from 145 healthy dogs, enriched, plated on selective plates, sub-cultured to obtain pure cultures, and ESBL production was confirmed.
Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are a growing public health threat, and one key human exposure point is through livestock and the food supply. Understanding microbiome factors associated with fecal ESBL carriage can help detect and ideally assist with controlling and preventing ESBL dissemination among livestock. The objective of this study was to investigate the diversity and composition of the heifer fecal microbiota in ESBL-producing Enterobacterales (ESBL-PE) carriers and noncarriers.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe relationship between men and horses has significantly evolved over the last century [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEnviron Monit Assess
March 2022
Macroinvertebrate community assemblages were examined in three areas of the littoral zone of an impacted, drowned river mouth lake in west Michigan, USA. Muskegon Lake has an extensive history of environmental abuse, resulting in its listing as a Great Lakes Area of Concern. A multi-organizational, shoreline restoration initiative was started in 2009 and completed in 2012.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEquine encephalosis (EE) is an arthropod-borne, noncontagious, febrile disease of horses. It is caused by EE virus (EEV), an of the Reoviridae family transmitted by . Within the EEV serogroup, seven serotypes (EEV-1-7) have been identified to date.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn order to evaluate the contribution of different wild bird species to West Nile virus (WNV) circulation in Israel, during the months preceding the 2018 outbreak that occurred in Israel, we randomly sampled 136 frozen carcasses of a variety of avian species. Visceral and central nervous system (CNS) tissue pools were tested using WNV NS2A RT qPCR assay; of those, 15 (11.03%, 95% CI: 6.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, the simultaneous removal effects of electrochemical oxidation with boron-doped diamond anodes at different current densities were tested on Microcystis aeruginosa and sulfamethoxazole. Flow cytometry and non-invasive micro-test technology were applied to study the physiological states of M. aeruginosa and Vallisneria spiralis leaf cells.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe presence of both microplastics and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) is ubiquitous in the environment. The ecological impacts associated with their presence are still poorly understood, however, these contaminants are extremely persistent. Although plastic in the environment can concentrate pollutants, factors such as the type of plastic and duration of environmental exposure as it relates to the degree of adsorption have received far less attention.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a tick-borne hemoparasite of equines and one of the causative agents of equine piroplasmosis, which poses a great concern for the equine industry regarding animal welfare and international horse movement. The parasite is endemic in Israel; however, its seroprevalence in the area was never evaluated due to antigenic heterogenicity in the gene used in the commercially available kit. Blood samples were collected from 257 horses at 19 farms throughout the country and screened for the presence of anti- antibodies via an indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (IFAT) and for the presence of parasite DNA by nested PCR.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLeptospirosis has been reported in both humans and animals in Israel but has not been reported in horses. In 2018, an outbreak of spp. serogroup Pomona was reported in humans and cattle in Israel.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEquine coronavirus (ECoV) infection is the cause of an emerging enteric disease of adult horses. Outbreaks have been reported in the USA, EU and Japan, as well as sporadic cases in the UK and Saudi Arabia. Infection of ECoV in horses in Israel has never been reported, and the risk of exposure is unknown.
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