Can the intake of antiparasitic secondary metabolites explain the low prevalence of hemoparasites among wild Psittaciformes?

Background: Parasites can exert selection pressure on their hosts through effects on survival, on reproductive success, on sexually selected ornament, with important ecological and evolutionary consequences, such as changes in population viability. Consequently, hemoparasites have become the focus of recent avian studies. Infection varies significantly among taxa.

Comparison of gizzard and intestinal microbiota of wild neotropical birds.

Gut bacterial communities have been shown to be influenced by diet, host phylogeny and anatomy, but most of these studies have been done in captive animals. Here we compare the bacterial communities in the digestive tract of wild birds. We characterized the gizzard and intestinal microbiota among 8 wild Neotropical bird species, granivorous or frugivorous species of the orders Columbiformes and Passeriformes.

Occurrence and virulence properties of Vibrio and Salinivibrio isolates from tropical lagoons of the southern Caribbean Sea.

The Vibrionaceae are Gram-negative bacteria present in marine and estuarine environments worldwide, including several species known as important pathogens to humans and aquatic organisms. The aim of this research was to investigate the occurrence and virulence properties of Vibrio and Salinivibrio isolated from lagoons at Cuare Wildlife Refuge and Margarita Island in the southern Caribbean Sea. Water, plankton and oyster samples were collected during October 2011 and March 2012 and examined by specific PCR and culture methods.

Prevalence and Distribution of Vibrio spp. in Wild Aquatic Birds of the Southern Caribbean Sea, Venezuela, 2011-12.

Vibrio spp. are associated with waterbirds mainly in temperate latitudes. We evaluated the prevalence and distribution of Vibrio spp.

BAP1-deficient and VE1-negative atypical Spitz tumor.

Atypical Spitz tumor with loss of BAP1 or Wiesner nevus is a peculiar variant of intradermal spitzoid melanocytic neoplasm composed of epithelioid melanocytes with a sheet-like growth pattern, abundant infiltrating lymphocytes and rare or absent mitotic activity. This subset of atypical spitzoid tumors is characterized by the BRAF(V600E) mutation and loss of BAP1 expression. Recognition of these lesions is important because they can be a marker for a hereditary BAP1-associated cancer syndrome.

Insights from quantum chemistry into piperazine-based ionic liquids and their behavior with regard to CO₂.

The short-range properties of alkylpiperazine ionic liquids paired with propionate and lactate anions were analyzed and their affinity for CO₂ molecules studied using density functional theory. Anion-cation interactions led to the development of strong intermolecular hydrogen bonding through the cation amine position, as confirmed through variations in structural and vibrational properties upon pair formation. Topological analysis via the atoms-in-molecules approach revealed the development of intense bond and ring critical points in the intermolecular regions, which is in agreement with charge transfer from lone pairs in anion oxygen atoms of carboxylate groups through antibonding orbitals in cation amine groups.

Low occurrence of Helicobacter DNA in tropical wild birds, Venezuela.

Enteric Helicobacter species (Helicobacter pullorum, Helicobacter pametensis, Helicobacter canadensis, Helicobacter anseris, and Helicobacter brantae) have been found in birds from temperate latitudes. We evaluated the occurrence of Helicobacter spp. in terrestrial wild birds from Venezuela.