人类传染病亦危害动物健康

随着畜牧业发展、宠物市场增长、气候变化、生态系统破坏以及旅行和商业全球化,人与动物之间的关系在全球范围内持续加强。人类与动物之间的联系不断升级,使得病原体的威胁也不断扩散。关于人兽共患疾病的研究多集中在由动物传染给人类的疾病,如疯牛病、艾滋病、禽流感等。但是微生物的交换是相互的,近年来越来越多的研究表明人类亦会将病原体传播给动物,包括新型冠状病毒、耐甲氧西林金黄色葡萄球菌、甲型流感病毒、隐孢子虫和蛔虫等。因此本文对人类疾病传染给动物的研究作一综述,为人与动物传染病的有效预防与控制提供参考。     

家养食草动物粪便中的花粉及菌孢子类型及其对人类活动的指示意义

考古遗址中动物粪化石中的微体植物遗存是重建过去生态环境以及人类活动的重要材料,然而对于能够指示人类活动的粪化石孢粉组合类型及其特征仍然缺乏清楚的认识。本文研究了山羊(Capra aegagrus)、绵羊(Ovis aries)、牛(Bos taurus)、骆驼(Camelus)、牦牛(Bos grunniens)和马(Equus caballus)等几种中国常见的家养食草类动物粪便中的主要孢粉和真菌孢子类型。通过分析这些动物粪便的花粉组合特征,探讨了花粉和菌孢子等微体植物遗存对生态环境及人类活动的指示意义。花粉种类丰度低、一些特征种属花粉(如禾本科、藜科)含量高是家养食草类动物粪便花粉组合的主要特征,可以用于指示人类的饲养行为。家养食草动物粪便中的粪生真菌孢子类型主要有Sporormiella, Sodaria, Pleospora, Coniochaeta, Thecaphora and Dictyosporium。研究表明真菌孢子的分布主要受到动物活动范围的影响,这使得利用粪生菌孢子(如Sporormiella)并结合其他记录来反映人类的饲养或游牧活动成为可能。     

猫和狗的疫苗可能有助于人类

人们将绝大部分精力投入了人病疫苗的开发研究,然而,动物疫苗对人类健康可能有重大作用。上个月,在全美微生物学会会议上,几个小组报导了他们开发动物疫苗的研究情况。这些疫苗预防的动物疾病可传染给人类,或者可以作为人类疾病的模型。     

浙江七星列岛海洋特别保护区主要鱼类功能群划分及生态位分析

为揭示七星列岛省级海洋特别保护区鱼类群落现状, 于2014年秋季(11月)和2015年春季(5月)进行底拖网调查。利用生态位测度、非度量多维标度排序和等级聚类等方法对该海域鱼类功能群组成及生态位特征进行了研究。结果表明, 该区鱼类可划分为浮游生物食性、底栖动物食性、游泳动物食性、浮游生物/底栖动物食性、底栖动物/游泳动物食性和杂食性6个功能群。浮游生物食性、底栖动物食性和底栖动物/游泳动物食性功能群是秋季优势功能群, 浮游生物食性、游泳动物食性和杂食性是春季优势功能群。秋季, 主要鱼类生态位宽度值变化范围为0.28-3.84, 其中龙头鱼(Harpodon nehereus)、六指马鲅(Polydactylus sexfilis)、赤鼻棱鳀(Thrissa kammalensis)、红狼牙鰕虎鱼(Odontamblyopus rubicundus)、海鳗(Muraenesox cinereus)、尖头黄鳍牙鱼或(Chrysochir aureus)和叫姑鱼(Johnius belengerii)的生态位宽度值较高; 春季生态位宽度值变化范围为0.36-3.16, 其中带鱼(Trichiurus lepturus)、日本鳀(Engraulis japonicus)、蓝圆鲹(Decapterus maruadsi)、刺鲳(Psenopsis anomala)、龙头鱼和镰鲳(Pampus echinogaster)的生态位宽度值较高。秋季, 主要鱼类生态位重叠值在0-0.94之间波动; 春季, 主要鱼类生态位重叠值在0-0.92之间波动。以丰度数据平方根为基础, 利用非度量多维标度排序和等级聚类分析, 主要鱼类秋季可以分为4组, 而春季可以分为3组。上述结果表明, 保护区鱼类群落的营养结构和空间结构较好。     

我国熊的分布

熊是大型兽类,历史上人类与熊的关系很密切,我国劳动人民对熊的认识和猎取利用具有悠久的历史。然而,采用近代动物分类学方法研究我国熊类的,最初还是一些外国人。1853年,Blyth根据得自我国西藏拉萨的棕熊标本命名为Ursus< pruinosus,Swinhoe(1864)将台湾的熊标本订名为Ursvs formosanus,Gray(1867)则依据一个活的由我国北部运到英国伦敦动物学会公园的棕熊订名为Ursus lasiotus,后来,Heude(1901),Pocock(1914,1932,1941 Sowerby (1920,1923) Howell (1928,1929),Allen ( 1929,1938 ) , Schwarz ( 1940)等人相继对我国的熊进行了研究。由于他们多依据个别标本订名,现在看来所发表的许多种实际上并不存在或仅是亚种,而绝大多数亚种则是某一亚种的同物异名,因而,也给我国熊的分类带来某些混乱。     

河南淅川沟湾遗址仰韶时期的动物遗存

沟湾遗址位于河南省淅川县上集镇西南,老灌河东岸二级台地上。2007-2009年共发掘5000 m²,出土了7700多件仰韶时期动物骨骼。可鉴定标本至少代表5纲11目19科23个属种,包括猪(Sus scrofa domesticus)、犬(Canis familiaris)、水牛(Buballus buballus)、犀牛(Rhinoceros sp.)、亚洲象(Elephas maximus)、中华竹鼠(Rhizomys sinensis)、花面狸(Paguma larvata taivana)等。动物群统计结果表明,仰韶文化一至三期含犀牛、亚洲象、竹鼠等喜温动物,四期中无喜温动物;根据动物生境,可判断该地区仰韶文化一至三期气候温暖湿润,四期相对干冷。仰韶文化一、二期狩猎动物的数量稍多于或等于家养动物,说明该时期“狩猎采集”比“饲养家畜”的活动多或并重;三、四期家猪骨骼占比分别是90.7%和87.9%,说明饲养家畜是一项主要的生业方式,狩猎和捕捞仅起辅助作用。仰韶文化三期3个兽骨坑内各埋藏了1具完整的成年母猪骨架,其中K15内为孕晚期母猪,怀仔猪数为7或稍多,为研究我国早期家猪繁育情况提供了十分宝贵的材料。总之,该遗址出土的丰富动物遗骸可为研究汉水中游地区仰韶时期的古环境、生业模式、动物资源利用、畜牧史等提供重要资料。     

中国牛科动物分布与种群现状: 基于文献计量数据

牛科是哺乳纲中物种数量最多的有蹄类动物类群, 在全球广泛分布, 在陆地生态系统中具有重要的生态功能与作用。我国的牛科动物多样性较高, 据历史文献记载共有33种。然而, 自20世纪中期以来, 我国人口快速扩张, 社会经济高速发展, 对环境改造强度空前, 许多野生牛科动物的种群和栖息地受到了极大的影响。因此, 历史资料记载的物种分布是否依然符合现状, 至今未见系统和全面的评估, 不利于对我国动物资源情况的掌握和保护。为此, 我们系统检索并分析了2008年至今(2020年8月31日)在国内外公开发表的432篇学术论文, 以近年报道的红外相机调查结果为核心, 对28种牛科动物的分布以及15种牛科动物的种群现状进行了初步评估。经整理分析: (1)近年公开发表的研究显示, 中国目前有确凿分布证据的野生牛科动物有28种, 包括16种国家I级和11种国家II级重点保护野生动物, 涉及20个生物多样性优先保护区域。其中, 红鬣羚(Capricornis rubidus)属于中国新记录物种。(2)在省级区划层面, 记录到牛科动物物种数量最多的是西藏(n = 11)和甘肃(n = 11), 其次是新疆(n = 10)、青海(n = 7), 以及四川、内蒙古和云南(均为6种)。(3)分布省域最多的牛科动物是中华鬣羚(Capricornis milneedwardsii, 省区, n = 16), 其次是中华斑羚(Naemorhedus griseus, n = 11)和岩羊(Pseudois nayaur, n = 8)。(4)据历史资料记载, 6种未见分布报道的牛科动物主要分布在西藏、新疆、云南, 分别是阿尔泰盘羊(Ovis ammon)、哈萨克盘羊(O. collium)、大额牛(Bos frontalis)、野水牛(B. arnee)、爪哇野牛(B. javanicus)和缅甸斑羚(Naemorhedus evansi)。(5)中华斑羚、赤斑羚(Naemorhedus baileyi)、中华鬣羚、岩羊、北山羊(Capra sibirica)、野牦牛(Bubalus arnee)在IUCN公布的分布区外有新分布记录, 建议及时修订和更新。本研究首次对中国牛科动物的分布以及种群现状进行了较客观和全面的评价, 为后续调查需要重点关注的物种和区域以及未来的研究提供参考。     

吉林老白山鱼鳞云杉树轮蓝光强度和轮宽指数与气候响应关系随海拔变化的对比

树轮数据是晚全新世古气候研究中最重要的代用指标。树轮参数各具优缺点, 蓝光强度(BI)是一种获取成本低廉的最大晚材密度(MXD)的光学替代参数, 其蓝色光反射率或强度最小值(256-BI)与相应的MXD值高度相关, 被很多的学者认为是树轮气候学研究中一个具有重要潜能的新兴参数。该研究以吉林老白山3个海拔(900、1 200和1 500 m)的鱼鳞云杉(Picea jezoensis)为例, 分析鱼鳞云杉的BI及轮宽指数(RWI)与气候因子的响应差异, 以期为BI参数在树轮气候学的进一步应用提供参考。结果表明: 不同海拔鱼鳞云杉BI或RWI对气候的响应趋势基本一致。BI与温度主要呈正相关关系, 而RWI与温度主要呈负相关关系, 其中BI与当年夏季及生长季最高温度显著正相关, 而RWI (低、中海拔)与全年平均气温、当年生长季和全年最低温度显著负相关。BI与当年夏季标准化降水蒸散指数(SPEI)显著负相关, RWI与夏季SPEI负相关关系较弱或为正相关; BI和RWI几乎相反的生长-气候关系可能是早、晚材权衡关系的体现。研究区域鱼鳞云杉的BI参数可能与年轮宽度记录不同的气候信号, 在空间尺度上对于当年夏季降水、最高温度以及SPEI的响应好于传统宽度指标。BI与主要气候因子相关关系的时间稳定性好于RWI, 因此, BI在树轮气候学的研究中具有一定的应用潜能。     

基于测序技术的畜禽基因组学研究进展

人类通过数千年的驯化和近代以来有计划性的育种,形成了当今多样化的畜禽品种,从而提供丰富的动物源性蛋白满足人类需求。在过去的100年里,数量遗传学应用于动物育种领域引发了畜禽育种技术的革命,但畜禽机体遗传发育体系相当复杂,一些性状仍然难以通过基于系谱的育种值进行高效选育,遗传潜能尚未充分发掘。人类基因组计划带来的理念和技术极大促进了畜禽基因组学的发展,使得人们可以从全基因组水平精准定位功能变异,挖掘功能元件的生物学意义,为畜禽分子设计育种提供重要的理论基础。本文对近10年来猪(Sus scrofa)、牛(Bos taurus)、牦牛(Bos grunniens)、山羊(Capra hircus)、绵羊(Ovis aries)、鸡(Gallus gallus)、鸭(Anas platyrhynchos)和鹅(Anser cygnoides)等主要畜禽的基因组学研究进展进行综述,分别从参考基因组构建和群体基因组学分析两个方面进行论述,并对畜禽基因组未来的研究工作进行了展望。     

Advances in the carbon use efficiency of forest

植物碳利用效率(CUE)指净初级生产力与总初级生产力的比率, 它不仅反映了植被生态系统将大气中CO₂转化为生物量的能力和固碳潜力, 而且可确定呼吸对植被生产力的影响。CUE是比较不同生态系统碳循环差异的重要参数, 了解生态系统CUE有助于分析陆地生态系统是碳源还是碳汇, 对于预测全球变化和人类干扰对森林碳收支的影响具有重要意义。我国在森林CUE研究方面还十分欠缺。该文在介绍森林CUE计算方法和测定技术的基础上, 综述了植被、气象、森林经营等因子对森林CUE的影响, 得出主要结论: (1)关于不同森林植被类型CUE变化有两种截然相反的观点, 即: 恒定CUE和变量CUE。越来越多的研究支持第二种观点, 不同生态系统、不同森林类型、不同物种和植物发育阶段的CUE存在较大差异, 森林CUE较灌丛和草地低, 落叶林比混交林和常绿林具有较高的CUE, 热带森林CUE通常低于温带森林, CUE与植被演替和林龄相关, 森林地上、地下部分和不同组织的CUE不同, 以树干为最高; (2)植被的CUE与气温相关, 全球尺度上, 森林植被年平均CUE与年平均气温呈抛物线关系, 温带、寒带、干旱地区植物呼吸的温度适应驱动其较高的CUE; CUE随着降水量的增加而减少, 在水分充足或过剩的地区保持不变; 光照减弱降低维持呼吸系数, 增加生长呼吸系数, 导致植物CUE降低, 生长在高光照下的植物CUE高于低光照下的植物; (3) CO₂浓度升高引起植物CUE的升高或降低, 也有人认为CO₂浓度升高对森林CUE没有影响, CO₂浓度升高对CUE的影响可能取决于树木年龄或基因型; (4)生长在土壤瘠薄、低温、干旱等胁迫环境下的植物CUE通常比生长在适宜环境下的植物具有较大的可塑性, 施肥、灌溉和择伐等管理措施影响森林CUE; (5)植物CUE具有明显的季节变化, 温带森林以春季CUE为最高。建议今后森林CUE研究应着重围绕以下3个关键问题: (1)从不同空间尺度和生态系统层次, 探讨森林CUE的变异特征及其驱动机制; (2)从不同时间尺度, 探讨森林CUE动态过程与机制; (3)森林CUE对气候变化的响应与适应。     

Prevalence of antibodies against human respiratory viruses potentially involving anthropozoonoses in wild bonobos

Primates - One of the current threats to the bonobo (Pan paniscus), a highly endangered ape species only found in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, are anthropozoonoses caused by human...     

The Impact of Animal Disease on Human Health and Welfare

Animal diseases are of considerable importance to human welfare both as a cause of illness in man and as a factor in reducing the food potential of the world. Perhaps the most important factor affecting the less developed areas is malnutrition and, while explosive epidemics among animals are of great importance, the most important sources of losses are the chronic, sub-acute or sub-clinical infections, especially those caused by the parasitic worms.     

Arboviruses and epizootic viruses

Some viral diseases are transmitted to human by arthropods (arboviroses), or by animals (zoonoses). Among more than 500 arboviruses and epizootic viruses that are classified into seven families, only a few are responsible for zoonoses or cause severe human diseases. Infected patients may show an acute disease associated with different symptoms, ranging from high fever to encephalitis, pulmonary distress, and haemorrhages. Some diseases show one or more of these symptoms and the factors responsible for severe outcomes, either linked to the virus, or to the host, or to the vector, remain poorly understood. Arboviroses and zoonoses are emerging or re-emerging diseases that need a multidisciplinary effort to control the propagation of the infectious agent and the pathogenesis in infected patients. Some viruses could be used for bioterrorism attacks. In virology, studies on the interactions of the viruses with their vectors and vertebrate hosts and on the pathophysiology of the infections will allow a better prevention of these diseases.     

Tick-borne infections of animals and humans: a common ground

A wide variety of pathogens is transmitted from ticks to vertebrates including viruses, bacteria, protozoa and helminths, of which most have a life cycle that requires passage through the vertebrate host. Tick-borne infections of humans, farm and companion animals are essentially associated with wildlife animal reservoirs. While some flying insect-borne diseases of humans such as malaria, filariasis and Kala Azar caused by Leishmania donovani target people as their main host, major tick-borne infections of humans, although potentially causing disease in large numbers of individuals, are typically an infringement of a circulation between wildlife animal reservoirs and tick vectors. While new tick-borne infectious agents are frequently recognised, emerging agents of human tick-borne infections were probably circulating among wildlife animal and tick populations long before being recognised as clinical causes of human disease as has been shown for Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato. Co-infection with more than one tick-borne infection is common and can enhance pathogenic processes and augment disease severity as found in B. burgdorferi and Anaplasma phagocytophilum co-infection. The role of wild animal reservoirs in co-infection of human hosts appears to be central, further linking human and animal tick-borne infections. Although transmission of most tick-borne infections is through the tick saliva, additional routes of transmission, shown mostly in animals, include infection by oral uptake of infected ticks, by carnivorism, animal bites and transplacentally. Additionally, artificial infection via blood transfusion is a growing threat in both human and veterinary medicine. Due to the close association between human and animal tick-borne infections, control programs for these diseases require integration of data from veterinary and human reporting systems, surveillance in wildlife and tick populations, and combined teams of experts from several scientific disciplines such as entomology, epidemiology, medicine, public health and veterinary medicine.     

The Leeuwenhoek Lecture 2001. Animal origins of human infectious disease

Since time immemorial animals have been a major source of human infectious disease. Certain infections like rabies are recognized as zoonoses caused in each case by direct animal-to-human transmission. Others like measles became independently sustained with the human population so that the causative virus has diverged from its animal progenitor. Recent examples of direct zoonoses are variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease arising from bovine spongiform encephalopathy, and the H5N1 avian influenza outbreak in Hong Kong. Epidemics of recent animal origin are the 1918-1919 influenza pandemic, and acquired immune deficiency syndrome caused by human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Some retroviruses jump into and out of the chromosomal DNA of the host germline, so that they oscillate between being inherited Mendelian traits or infectious agents in different species. Will new procedures like animal-to-human transplants unleash further infections? Do microbes become more virulent upon cross-species transfer? Are animal microbes a threat as biological weapons? Will the vast reservoir of immunodeficient hosts due to the HIV pandemic provide conditions permissive for sporadic zoonoses to take off as human-to-human transmissible diseases? Do human infections now pose a threat to endangered primates? These questions are addressed in this lecture.     

Human RNA “Rumor” Viruses: the Search for Novel Human Retroviruses in Chronic Disease

Summary: Retroviruses are an important group of pathogens that cause a variety of diseases in humans and animals. Four human retroviruses are currently known, including human immunodeficiency virus type 1, which causes AIDS, and human T-lymphotropic virus type 1, which causes cancer and inflammatory disease. For many years, there have been sporadic reports of additional human retroviral infections, particularly in cancer and other chronic diseases. Unfortunately, many of these putative viruses remain unproven and controversial, and some retrovirologists have dismissed them as merely “human rumor viruses.” Work in this field was last reviewed in depth in 1984, and since then, the molecular techniques available for identifying and characterizing retroviruses have improved enormously in sensitivity. The advent of PCR in particular has dramatically enhanced our ability to detect novel viral sequences in human tissues. However, DNA amplification techniques have also increased the potential for false-positive detection due to contamination. In addition, the presence of many families of human endogenous retroviruses (HERVs) within our DNA can obstruct attempts to identify and validate novel human retroviruses. Here, we aim to bring together the data on “novel” retroviral infections in humans by critically examining the evidence for those putative viruses that have been linked with disease and the likelihood that they represent genuine human infections. We provide a background to the field and a discussion of potential confounding factors along with some technical guidelines. In addition, some of the difficulties associated with obtaining formal proof of causation for common or ubiquitous agents such as HERVs are discussed.     

An overview of antifungal peptides derived from insect

Fungi are not classified as plants or animals. They resemble plants in many ways but do not produce chlorophyll or make their own food photosynthetically like plants. Fungi are useful for the production of beer, bread, medicine, etc. More complex than viruses or bacteria; fungi can be destructive human pathogens responsible for various diseases in humans. Most people have a strong natural immunity against fungal infection. However, fungi can cause diseases when this immunity breaks down. In the last few years, fungal infection has increased strikingly and has been accompanied by a rise in the number of deaths of cancer patients, transplant recipients, and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) patients owing to fungal infections. The growth rate of fungi is very slow and quite difficult to identify. A series of molecules with antifungal activity against different strains of fungi have been found in insects, which can be of great importance to tackle human diseases. Insects secrete such compounds, which can be peptides, as a part of their immune defense reactions. Active antifungal peptides developed by insects to rapidly eliminate infectious pathogens are considered a component of the defense munitions. This review focuses on naturally occurring antifungal peptides from insects and their challenges to be used as armaments against human diseases.     

Enterocytozoon bieneusi in human and animals, focus on laboratory identification and molecular epidemiology

Human microsporidian infections have emerged following the onset of the AIDS pandemic. Microsporidia are unicellular eukaryotic parasites that form spores. They are an exceptionally diverse group of parasites that infect a wide range of eukaryotic cells in numerous invertebrate and vertebrate hosts. Of the 14 species newly described as pathogens in human, Enterocytozoon bieneusi, which causes gastrointestinal diseases, is the most common agent of human infections. In the past fifteen years, E. bieneusi was also identified in environmental sources, especially in surface water, as well as in wild, domestic and farm animals. These findings raised concerns for waterborne, foodborne and zoonotic transmission. Molecular analyses of the 243-bp internal Transcribed spacer-(ITS) of the rRNA gene have revealed a considerable genetic variation within E. bieneusi isolates of human and animal origins, supporting the potential for zoonotic transmission. The focus of this revue is to present and discuss recent advances in diagnosis and zoonotic potential of E. bieneusi infections.     

A special issue on ＂Interferons, Cytokines, and Immunity＂

Vertebrates including human employ both innate and adaptive immune responses to defend against pathogen infections and malignancy. Interferons and cytokines play pivotal roles in mediating and coordinating diverse aspects of the host immune response responsible for the clearance of infection and elimination of malignant cells. In addition, abnormal immune and/or inflammatory responses are closely linked to the pathogenesis of various human diseases such as infections, autoimmune diseases and cancer. Thus, a better understanding of these signaling pathways is essential to our efforts in developing more effective regimes to prevent and treat infectious diseases as well as to combat autoimmune diseases and cancer.     

Animal cytomegaloviruses.

Cytomegaloviruses are agents that infect a variety of animals. Human cytomegalovirus is associated with infections that may be inapparent or may result in severe body malformation. More recently, human cytomegalovirus infections have been recognized as causing severe complications in immunosuppressed individuals. In other animals, cytomegaloviruses are often associated with infections having relatively mild sequelae. Many of these sequelae parallel symptoms associated with human cytomegalovirus infections. Recent advances in biotechnology have permitted the study of many of the animal cytomegaloviruses in vitro. Consequently, animal cytomegaloviruses can be used as model systems for studying the pathogenesis, immunobiology, and molecular biology of cytomegalovirus-host and cytomegalovirus-cell interactions.