Sampling fleas: the reliability of host infestation data

The use of measures of host infestation as a reliable indicator of a flea population size to be used in interspecific comparisons was considered. The abundance of fleas collected from host bodies and collected from host burrows was compared among 55 flea species, controlling for the effect of flea phylogeny. The mean number of fleas on host bodies correlated positively with the mean number of fleas in host burrows/nests both when the entire data pool was analysed and for separate subsets of data on 'fur' fleas and 'nest' fleas. This was also true for a within-host (Microtus californicus) between-flea comparison. The results of this study demonstrate that, in general, the index of host body infestation by fleas can be used reliably as an indicator of the entire population size.     

Effect of long-term hypergravitation on the skeletal-muscular tissue in rats

The space flight or simulated gravitational unloading lead to the muscle atrophy, slow-to-fast transformation of muscle fibers and myofibrillar damages both in humans and animals (1, 7, 13, 17). This process could be prevented by the exercise training during space flight (1), (partly) by periodic weight support during unloading (13). It has been demonstrated in these studies that there is some level of force production necessary for the maintenance of skeletal muscle properties. It is known that adaptation to the physical training frequently induces augmentation in cross-sectional area (CSA) of muscle fibers (MF), transformation of fibers, augmentation of mitochondrial volume density, and increase in absolute volume of myofibrillas. Numerous observations suggest importance of gravitational loading in regulating muscle mass. The centrifuging is believed to be useful for preventing muscle functional and structural losses under microgravity. But there are few studies designed to investigate effect of artificial gravity on the skeletal musculature (2, 7). Our objective was to investigate structural adaptation in slow-twitch soleus muscle (percentage of connective tissue and central nuclei, fiber size, myosin heavy chain isotope, myofibrillar proteins and mitochondria volume density) after 19 and 33 days of hypergravity.     

Expression of the immediate-early gene cFos in brain of the rats exposed to repeated 2 G influence

Early gene c-Fos expression was studied by means of c-Fos protein immunostaining in brain locus coeruleus (LC) of the rats exposed to primary and repeated hypergravity. One-hour 2 G influence on rats induced in LC cells expression of c-Fos protein, pointing out early gene c-Fos expression and synaptic activation of LC neurons. After repeated 1-hour 2 G, postponed for 35 days after primary 30-day 2 G influence, expression of c-Fos protein in LC neurons was not found. This fact is considered as a sign of memorizing of primary hypergravity influence.     

The effect of vegetation cover on vigilance and foraging tactics in the fat sand rat Psammomys obesus

The combination of the visual obstruction and protection properties of vegetation is considered to be one of the most important factors determining the trade-off between vigilance and foraging in a prey species. In the Negev desert, diurnal fat sand rats construct their burrows in the ephemeral river beds ("wadis"), under dense and tall shrubs of Atriplex halimus, or on the open first fluvial terrace, covered with scattered low shrubs of Anabasis articulata. We tested the hypothesis that properties of the vegetation would affect the time budget of female sand rats. Sand rats spent more time aboveground, rested more, were less vigilant, and moved more slowly under the dense cover in the wadi than at the open terrace. No differences in the total foraging time were revealed, but foraging tactics varied between habitats: individuals in the wadi mainly fed aboveground, whereas those at the terrace mainly hoarded. Our results indicate that sand rats perceive the dense vegetation cover as good protection despite its visual obstructive nature, and that vigilance in Psammomys obesus is performed at the cost of resting rather than at the cost of foraging. Received: January 15, 2001 / Accepted: April 17, 2001     

The epidemiological patterns of hepatitis non-A, non-B

The etiological structure of viral hepatitides in three cities of the Volga region was studied. The proportion of hepatitis non A, non B was established: it varied from 3.6% to 18.1% at different territories and depended on the total morbidity level, on the season, as well as on the age of patients. A suggestion was made concerning the role of the parenteral mechanism of the transfer of hepatitis non A, non B at the territory under study.     

Effect of microgravity on metabolic enzymes of individual muscle fibers

Eleven enzymes were measured in individual fibers of soleus and tibialis anterior (TA) muscles from two flight and two control (synchronous) animals. There were five enzymes of glycogenolytic metabolism: phosphorylase, glucose-6-phosphate isomerase, glycerol-3-phosphate dehydrogenase, pyruvate kinase, and lactate dehydrogenase (group GLY); five of oxidative metabolism: citrate synthase, malate dehydrogenase, beta-hydroxyacyl-CoA dehydrogenase, 3-ketoacid CoA-transferase, and mitochondrial thiolase (group OX); and hexokinase, subserving both groups. Fiber size (dry weight per unit length) was reduced about 35% in both muscles. On a dry weight basis, hexokinase levels were increased 100% or more in flight fibers from both soleus and TA. Group OX enzymes increased 56-193% in TA without significant change in soleus. Group GLY enzymes increased an average of 28% in soleus fibers but underwent, if anything, a modest decrease (20%) in TA fibers. These changes in composition of TA fibers were those anticipated for a conversion of about half of the originally predominant fast glycolytic fibers into fast oxidative glycolytic fibers. Calculation on the basis of fiber length, rather than dry weight, gave an estimate of absolute enzyme changes: hexokinase was still calculated to have increased in both soleus and TA fibers, but only by 50 and 25%, respectively. Three of the OX enzymes were, on this basis, unchanged in TA fibers, but 3-ketoacid CoA-transferase and thiolase had still nearly doubled, whereas TA GLY enzymes had fallen about 40%. In soleus fibers, absolute levels of OX enzymes had decreased an average of 25% and GLY enzymes were marginally decreased.     

Potential Parasite Transmission in Multi-Host Networks Based on Parasite Sharing

Epidemiological networks are commonly used to explore dynamics of parasite transmission among individuals in a population of a given host species. However, many parasites infect multiple host species, and thus multi-host networks may offer a better framework for investigating parasite dynamics. We investigated the factors that influence parasite sharing – and thus potential transmission pathways – among rodent hosts in Southeast Asia. We focused on differences between networks of a single host species and networks that involve multiple host species. In host-parasite networks, modularity (the extent to which the network is divided into subgroups of rodents that interact with similar parasites) was higher in the multi-species than in the single-species networks. This suggests that phylogeny affects patterns of parasite sharing, which was confirmed in analyses showing that it predicted affiliation of individuals to modules. We then constructed “potential transmission networks” based on the host-parasite networks, in which edges depict the similarity between a pair of individuals in the parasites they share. The centrality of individuals in these networks differed between multi- and single-species networks, with species identity and individual characteristics influencing their position in the networks. Simulations further revealed that parasite dynamics differed between multi- and single-species networks. We conclude that multi-host networks based on parasite sharing can provide new insights into the potential for transmission among hosts in an ecological community. In addition, the factors that determine the nature of parasite sharing (i.e. structure of the host-parasite network) may impact transmission patterns.