Snake bite envenomation in Riyadh province of Saudi Arabia over the period (2005–2010)

The present investigation is a retrospective review of snake bites in Riyadh province over the period (2005–2010). A total of 1019 cases of bites admitted to the Ministry of Health medical centers in Riyadh province were analyzed on the basis of age, sex, time of bite and its site on the body, outcome of treatment, antiserum dose and type of snake. Bites occurred throughout the six years with the highest frequency in 2005 and least in 2006 where most of the bite cases were mild and all evolved to cure except four patients who died following the administration of antivenom during 24 h after snake bite. Most of the patients were males (81.7%) and the most attacked age was within the range of 11–30 years (51.5%). All the bites were mainly in the exposed limbs and the most frequently bitten anatomical regions were the lower limbs (427 cases, 41.9%), principally the feet. The study incriminates Cerastes cerastes gasperettii in most of the bites indicating it as the snake of medical importance in Riyadh province. Also, the study indicates low degree of threat in spite of high rate of snake bites as a result of the availability of the medical facilities and the antivenin use in medical centers in Riyadh province.     

Envenomation and the bite rate by venomous snakes in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia over the period (2015–2018)

Snakebite being medical emergency and known cause for increased mortality needs assessment and treatment on high-priority bases, even in patients of snakebite who appear fine initially. The current retrospective study presents the snake bites in Saudi Arabia from 2015 to 2018 reported by General Administration of Statistics and Information, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The data presented in the current study, was extracted, analyzed, and reported after getting ethical approval from institutional committee. Totally, 14,679 cases of snakebites were reported during the four-year study period, with a higher prevalence in males (80%) in their productive age. Most patients were within the age group between 25 and 44 followed by 44 to 64 years. The majority of snakebite affected inhabitants were reported from farms of the rural areas, commonly during night hours of spring and summer seasons when snakes are very active. Only 36 (0.24%) patients out of 14,679 were reported dead and 14,643 (99.63%) were discharged after the treatment. Awareness among the general public should be encouraged and early diagnosis and usage of proper snake antivenoms could be life-saving. The delay in appropriate treatment can lead to significant morbidity and mortality.     

Breeding biology of Saunders’s tern (Sterna saundersi) in the Farasan Islands,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Saunders’s terns (Sternula saundersi) are a small, ground-nesting marine bird species that have a massive rearing range, including the shores and islands of Asia and Africa adjacent to the north Indian Ocean. Despite occupying a large breeding range, little is known about the breeding ecology of this species. This research explored aspects of Saunders’s terns’ breeding ecology and predation rate in 2013 on the Farasan Islands of Saudi Arabia. The outcomes confirm that the mean clutch size of a Saunders’s tern was 1.77 ± 0.08 (n = 31) eggs per clutch and the mean egg size was 31.05 × 23.15 mm. The results of this study show a remarkable relationship between clutch size and egg volume and length (p = .002, p = .004, respectively). Predation was the major reason for nest damage (62.5%). Evidence from cameras at nests showed that the predators of Saunders’s tern nests on the Farasan Islands were white-tailed mongoose (Ichneumia albicauda) and Egyptian vultures (Neophron percnopterus). This is the first study on the breeding ecology of Saunders’s terns, and it shows that predator control is essential to the existence of the species. The results of this study suggest that fencing some breeding sites may help to minimize human disturbance and decrease the risk of nest predation from mammalian predators. Further research is needed to compare the predation rates on the mainland and islands and to develop efficient strategies to conserve this ground-nesting species.     

A Country on the Verge of Malaria Elimination – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

Significant headway has been made in the global fight against malaria in the past decade and as more countries enter the elimination phase, attention is now focused on identifying effective strategies to shrink the malaria map. Saudi Arabia experienced an outbreak of malaria in 1998, but is now on the brink of malaria elimination, with just 82 autochthonous cases reported in 2012. A review of published and grey literature was performed to identify the control strategies that have contributed to this achievement. The number of autochthonous malaria cases in Saudi Arabia decreased by 99.8% between 1998 and 2012. The initial steep decline in malaria cases coincided with a rapid scaling up of vector control measures. Incidence continued to be reported at low levels (between 0.01 and 0.1 per 1,000 of the population) until the adoption of artesunate plus sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine as first line treatment and the establishment of a regional partnership for a malaria-free Arabian Peninsula, both of which occurred in 2007. Since 2007, incidence has decreased by nearly an order of magnitude. Malaria incidence is now very low, but a high proportion of imported cases, continued potential for autochthonous transmission, and an increased proportion of cases attributable to Plasmodium vivax all present challenges to Saudi Arabia as they work toward elimination by 2015.     

Seroprevalence Rates of Helicobacter pylori and Viral Hepatitis A among Adolescents in Three Regions of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia: Is There Any Correlation?

Background: The seroprevalence rate of Helicobacter pylori in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) was reported to be in the range of 50–80% among mostly symptomatic patients in non‐community‐based studies. However, the seroprevalence of viral hepatitis A (HAV) underwent a marked decline in the last two decades from over 50% in 1989 to 25% in 1997 among Saudi children under the age of 12 years. The aim of this paper was to study seroprevalence rates of H. pylori and HAV among the adolescent population in three regions of KSA and to determine whether there was any correlation between them. Materials and methods: We randomly selected 1200 16–18‐year‐old students from three regions around KSA. Demographic data, including socioeconomic status (SES), were recorded, and each student was tested for the presence of H. pylori‐IgG antibodies and anti‐HAV‐IgG. Results: The results indicate a high H. pylori infection rate (47%) among this age group. Boys had a higher prevalence than girls (p = .03), and the Al‐Qaseem region had the highest prevalence (51%, p = .002). SES did not contribute to the high prevalence rates (p = .83). A cross‐tabulation of data showed that 88 (8%) of the teenagers were seropositive and that 512 (44%) were negative for both H. pylori and HAV antibodies (χ² = 0.03, OR = 0.97, CI = 0.70–1.34). The agreement between H. pylori and HAV seropositivity was lower than would be predicted by chance (κ = ?0.03). The variables that were independently associated with seropositivity to H. pylori were being female (OR = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.60–0.95) and living in the Madinah region (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.55–0.94). Conclusion: The prevalence of H. pylori in this group of adolescents was high. However, there was no correlation between H. pylori and HAV infection rates. Hence, factors contributing to the transmission source and route seem to be different.     

Food waste posing a serious threat to sustainability in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia – A systematic review

Worldwide, food waste is one of the prime issues threatening food security and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) is not an exception. With 427 kg of food wasted per capita per year, the country ranks among the top food wasters. Ironically, the Kingdom has limited arable lands and scarce water resources to support mass-scale agriculture and to feed its increasing population, KSA relies heavily on imports and subsidized food to meet needs. Yet, food is wasted at restaurants, caterers, cafeterias and, especially, by households such that food waste is the single-largest component of the landfills. The review article is based on the grey and scientific literature published in the English and Arabic languages on the issue of food waste in Saudi Arabia. Information sources like Web of knowledge, online resources and the databases available through the King Saud University, Saudi Arabia were accessed and used to collect information on food waste, its social, cultural, economic and environmental impacts and related topics. Since food items and groceries are abundantly available to all living in KSA and they are highly subsidized, the residents take food for granted. According to a recent survey, about 78% of food purchased in KSA is discarded each week in order to make room for new groceries. The factors responsible for food waste include: lack of awareness; and insufficient and inappropriate planning when shopping. Food waste in restaurants, celebrations, social events and occasions are enormous. Waste is common in festivals and special events where the customs is to provide more food than required. There is a need to change society’s food culture, particularly among the women and the youth, as they are largest segment of the society and the prime food wasters. The analysis of the factors responsible for food waste, identified in this article suggests a “Stop Wasting Food” campaign should be launched. It is also recommended to determine and activate the role of extension education to reduce food waste in the KSA through vibrant capacity building programs for youth and women, in particular, and society in general.     

Ontogenetic and sexual patterns in the cranial system of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus Berkenhout, 1769) from Hai’l region,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The brown rat, Rattus norvegicus, is a model system in ecological and systematic science, but little is known about its skull morphology and developmental patterns. Our objective was to investigate the cranial ontogenetic patterns in the brown rats, from Hai’l, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.Quantitative analysis of sexual shape dimorphisms (SShD) and age-classes were investigated using 28 landmarks plotted on two-dimensional images for dorsal and ventral views. Our results detected statistically significant sexual dimorphism (P-value <0.0001) in cranial shape and size for R. norvegicus. Nevertheless, males are much larger than females and display variation around the brain-case, while females tend to show greater variation around the occipital bone. In addition, there are subtle age-classes during ontogeny in the skull. However, the older age classes (i.e. age classes 3 and 4) represent well-built crania with an extended case of the brain and shortest nasal, while youngest specimens represent an elongated snout of minimum crania.Future GMM research should therefore examine the pre-defined age-classes and sex-related individuals in brown rat skulls in relation to genotype to characterize trends in skull shape variation that may affect teeth, zygomatic arches, brain case, and compartments of muscle attachments through its ecological patterns.     

Incidence of and Risk Factors Associated with Pulmonary and Extra-Pulmonary Tuberculosis in Saudi Arabia (2010–2011)

Setting

National Tuberculosis Program, Department of Public Health, Ministry of Health, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Objective

To summarize data on the incidence of tuberculosis and associated risk factors for cases reported during 2010–2011.

Design

Retrospective analysis of routinely collected data through an established national disease notification system of the Ministry of Health in KSA.

Results

The estimated incidence of all forms of tuberculosis fell from 15.8/100000 (95% CI: 15.3/100,000–16.3/100,000) in 2010 to 13.8/100,000 (95% CI: 13.4/100,000–14.2/100,000) in 2011. Saudis experienced a decrease from 11.8/100,000 (95% CI: 11.3/100,000 to 12.3/100,000) in 2010 to 9.9/100,000 (95% CI: 9.5/100,000–10.4/100,000) in 2011 while the incidence in non-Saudis declined from 24.7/100,000 (95% CI: 23.6/100,000 to 25.7/100,000) in 2010 to 22.5/100,000 (95% CI: 21.5/100,000 to 23.4/100,000) in 2011. The proportion of Extra Pulmonary TB (EPTB) which increased minimally from 30% in 2010 to 32% in 2011 was higher than global figures and strongly associated with age, sex, nationality and occupation.

Conclusion

The current estimated incidence of about 14/100,000 in 2011 is less than half its estimated value of 44/100000 in 1990. Without prejudice to any under-reporting, the KSA appeared to be on the course for TB elimination by 2050 having reached the first milestone set by WHO. The proportion of EPTB remains higher than global figure and age, sex, nationality and occupation were significant independent predictors of EPTB.     

Ectoparasites burden of House mouse (Mus musculus linnaeus, 1758) from Hai’l region,Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

The House mice (Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758), play an important role in the transmission of diseases, both in humans and livestock, through ectoparasite carried on their feces, urine and hair remnants. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ectoparasites infestation, as well as their quantitative and qualitative abundance and, prevalence in the house mice captured from Hai’l region, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA). Parasitological investigations were performed on 70 house mice trapped during 2012–2013 from two localities (Hai’l City residential area and Al-Khitah agricultural farm habitats in Hai’l region). Captured mice were identified as males (34.3% and 48.6%) and females (65.7% and 51.4%) from the residential and agricultural farm habitats, respectively. The findings of the study showed that the sex ratio of the mice found in different habitats did not influence the level of ectoparasite infestation (P > 0.05). Therefore, we combined only sex-wise samples for each habitat and isolated habitats treated separately for our subsequent analyses. A total of 514 ectoparasites individuals belong to four species were recovered from the mice, which included 339 of flea (Xenopsylla cheopis Rothschild, 1903), 39 of sucking lice (Polyplax spinulosa Burmeister, 1835), 37 of sucking lice Polyplax serrata Burmeister, 1839), and 99 of mite species (Laelaps echidninus Berlese, 1887).The presence of zoonotic parasites indicates that Mus musculus as a reservoir, might represent a danger to the public health particularly in the two sampled areas. Results also suggest an increasingly need for further studies to assess the role of the ectoparasites of house mice and their possible involvment in transmission of diseases among these areas.     

Hospitalization Rates and Post-Operative Mortality for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Italy over the Period 2000–2011

Background

Recent studies have reported declines in incidence, prevalence and mortality for abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) in various countries, but evidence from Mediterranean countries is lacking. The aim of this study is to examine the trend of hospitalization and post-operative mortality rates for AAAs in Italy during the period 2000–2011, taking into account the introduction of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) in 1990s.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study was carried out in Emilia-Romagna, an Italian region with 4.5 million inhabitants. A total of 19,673 patients hospitalized for AAAs between 2000 and 2011, were identified from the hospital discharge records (HDR) database. Hospitalization rates, percentage of OSR and EVAR and 30-day mortality rates were calculated for unruptured (uAAAs) and ruptured AAAs (rAAAs).

Results

Adjusted hospitalization rates decreased on average by 2.9% per year for uAAAs and 3.2% for rAAAs (p<0.001). The temporal trend of 30-day mortality rates remained stable for both groups. The percentage of EVAR for uAAAs increased significantly from 2006 to 2011 (42.7 versus 60.9% respectively, mean change of 3.9% per year, p<0.001). No significant difference in mortality was found between OSR and EVAR for uAAAs and rAAAs.

Conclusions

The incidence and trend of hospitalization rates for rAAAs and uAAAs decreased significantly in the last decade, while 30-day mortality rates in operated patients remained stable. OSR continued to be the most common surgery in rAAAs, although the gap between OSR and EVAR recently declined. The EVAR technique became the preferred surgery for uAAAs since 2008.     

Aspects of the breeding ecology and behaviors of the Bar-tailed Lark (Ammomanes cinctura) from Ha’il region in north of Saudi Arabia

The Bar-tailed Lark (Ammomanes cinctura) breeds in desert and semi-desert areas of the Saharo-Sindian region, from north-west Africa through the arid plains of the Arabian Peninsula to the Sind. Despite having a wide distribution, little information is available on the breeding ecology of this species. This study was conducted in a desert in the north of Saudi Arabia, where the daytime ambient temperature may exceed 40 °C. In contrast, the night ambient temperature may reach less than 10 °C in late spring and early summer. The objectives of this study were to collect some baseline data on some aspects of the breeding ecology of this species and to record the nest attendance behavior. The study found that Bar-tailed Larks preferred to nest under shrub trunks, which may camouflage both nests and incubating parents against predators and protect eggs, nestlings and incubating parents from hostile weather conditions. Moreover, nest attendance was high, as Bar-tailed Lark parents incubated their eggs 95.97 ± 2.62% over the entire day, and they seemed to maintain the eggs at temperatures around 23–33 °C. In addition, they incubated more at night than during the daytime. Temperatures under the shrubs at night fell below 21 °C, thus parents increased the nest attendance to warm the eggs and prevent the embryos from exposure to lethal temperatures.     

Socio-economic factors affecting the conservation of natural woodlands in Central Riyadh Area – Saudi Arabia

This study aimed to identify some socioeconomic factors affecting local people in central Riyadh area for the utilization of wood and other energy sources in cooking and heating in order to develop some recommendations for conserving woodlands. The study results revealed that gas is the most common energy source used for cooking with a mean usage level of 2.79 (SD = 0.58). On the other hand, wood ranked first for heating with the highest mean, usage level of 1.90 (SD = 1.06). However, electricity and gas as sources of energy for heating ranked second and third with mean usage level of 1.81 and 0.80 respectively. The study revealed that local people with the university education were significantly making higher use of electricity for both cooking and heating and those with no formal education ranked the highest on wood use for both cooking and heating. In addition, those living in traditional houses significantly used more wood for cooking than those living in villas and apartments. Also, local people with high income levels significantly were using more electricity for heating than others. The study recommended conducting extension and environmental awareness raising programs to enhance local residents’ adoption of wood substitutes, promoting employment opportunities for unemployed locals, and subsidizing prices of alternative energy sources.     

Has the Prevalence of Migraine Changed over the Last Decade (2003–2012)? A Spanish Population-Based Survey

Introduction

Information on temporal trends can identify groups of people at risk for any particular condition; however information on temporal trends on migraine headache at population levels is scarce. Our aim was to estimate the time trends in the prevalence of migraine from 2003 to 2012 in Spain.

Methods

A population-based national study was conducted. We analyzed data using individualized information taken from national surveys conducted in 2003/4, 2006/7, 2009/10 and 2011/12. A total of 94,158 Spanish adults participated. We considered the presence of self-rated and diagnosed migraine, and we analyzed socio-demographic features, lifestyle habits, self-rated health status, and comorbid diseases using logistic regressions.

Results

The prevalence of migraine increased from 6.54% in 2003 to 9.69% in 2012 with significant time trends (adj. OR 1.65; 95%CI 1.50–1.81). The probability of women of suffering migraine was 3 times higher than for men (adj.OR 3.08; 2.82–3.37). There was a declining trend in migraine prevalence as age increased (adj.OR 0.42; 0.35–0.51). Demographic variables associated with migraine were lower educational level (adj.OR 1.32; 1.13–1.54) and not being an immigrant (adj.OR 1.37; 1.15–1.64). A worse self-reported health status was related to higher prevalence of migraine (adj.OR 2.83; 2.59–3.09). The prevalence of migraine also increased as the number of comorbid conditions increased (adj.OR 2.42; 2.05–2.86).

Conclusion

The prevalence of migraine has increased in the first decade of the 21^st century in Spain. Migraine was associated with being female, mid-age, low educational level, not being an immigrant, worse self-rated health status and presence of comorbid conditions.     

Epidemiology of Acute Pancreatitis in Hospitalized Children in the United States from 2000–2009

Background

Single-center studies suggest an increasing incidence of acute pancreatitis (AP) in children. Our specific aims were to (i) estimate the recent secular trends, (ii) assess the disease burden, and (iii) define the demographics and comorbid conditions of AP in hospitalized children within the United States.

Methods

We used the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality for the years 2000 to 2009. Extracted data were weighted to generate national-level estimates. We used the Cochrane-Armitage test to analyze trends; cohort-matching to evaluate the association of AP and in-hospital mortality, length of stay, and charges; and multivariable logistic regression to test the association of AP and demographics and comorbid conditions.

Results

We identified 55,012 cases of AP in hospitalized children (1–20 years of age). The incidence of AP increased from 23.1 to 34.9 (cases per 10,000 hospitalizations per year; P<0.001) and for all-diagnoses 38.7 to 61.1 (P<0.001). There was an increasing trend in the incidence of both primary and all-diagnoses of AP (P<0.001). In-hospital mortality decreased (13.1 to 7.6 per 1,000 cases, P<0.001), median length of stay decreased (5 to 4 days, P<0.001), and median charges increased ($14,956 to $22,663, P<0.001). Children with AP compared to those without the disease had lower in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio, aOR 0.86, 95% CI, 0.78–0.95), longer lengths of stay (aOR 2.42, 95% CI, 2.40–2.46), and higher charges (aOR 1.62, 95% CI, 1.59–1.65). AP was more likely to occur in children older than 5 years of age (aORs 2.81 to 5.25 for each 5-year age interval). Hepatobiliary disease was the comorbid condition with the greatest association with AP.

Conclusions

These results demonstrate a rising incidence of AP in hospitalized children. Despite improvements in mortality and length of stay, hospitalized children with AP have significant morbidity.     

First record of the ant subfamily Aenictinae (Hymenoptera,Formicidae) from Saudi Arabia,with?the description of a new species

The ant subfamily Aenictinae is recorded for the first time from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and for the second time from the Arabian Peninsula. A new species Aenictus arabicus sp. n., is described from the worker caste. Aenictus arabicus belongs to the Aenictus wroughtonii-group and appears to be most closely related to Aenictus rhodiensis Menozzi, but can be easily distinguished from the latter by the following characters: overall smaller size; cephalic index (head width/head length) small; occipital corners in lateral view rounded; antennal scape when laid back surpassing approximately two-thirds of head length; funicular segments 2–8 each at least 2× as long as broad; subpetiolar process well developed; petiole and postpetiole distinctly imbricate; gaster and clypeus entirely yellow, teeth of mandibles reddish- brown. Aenictus arabicus was collected from leaf litter, next to a tree of Psidium guajava L. The new species also is similar to Aenictus sagei and Aenictus wroughtonii. Affinities and a key to related species of the species group are given.     

Molecular characterization of the Fe‑hydrogenase gene marker in Trichomonas gallinae isolated from birds in Riyadh,Saudi Arabia

Trichomonas gallinae causes avian oropharyngeal trichomonosis. This pathogen affects a large number of bird species and may cause substantial economic losses to the poultry industry. Al-Azizia poultry market in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is among the largest poultry markets in the Arabian Gulf. Birds traded in this market may be exposed to a variety of T. gallinae strains. Genetic diversity of T. gallinae among birds in the market was examined using Fe‑hydrogenase gene sequences. These sequences were amplified by PCR for twenty-nine isolates of T. gallinae from four different avian species, including 21 feral pigeons, one common mynah, three chickens, and four turkeys. Sequence analysis showed ten variant gene sequences. Nine sequences comprise a new subtype, including A(KSAF1), C(KSAF1) and C(KSAF3) with 34.48% (n = 10), 6.90% (n = 2), 6.90% (n = 2) of the isolates, respectively. Analyses also showed an additional five new sequences (KSAF1.1., KSAF2, KSAF13, KSAF14, KSAF15), representing 17.24% of the isolates. Subtype II (KSAF) was found in four feral pigeons (13.80%). To our knowledge, this report is the first to describe genotypes of T. gallinae from pigeons in Saudi Arabia using Fe‑hydrogenase gene sequences for subtyping. Subtype analysis infers the presence of multiple genotypes of T. gallinae in Saudi avian populations.     

Recording of Severe Mental Illness in United Kingdom Primary Care, 2000–2010

Background

There is increasing emphasis on primary care services for individuals with severe mental illnesses (SMI), including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and other non-organic psychotic disorders. However we lack information on how many people receive these different diagnoses in primary care. Primary care databases offer an opportunity to explore the recording of new SMI diagnoses in representative general practices.

Methods

We used data from The UK Health Improvement Network (THIN) primary care database including longitudinal patient records for individuals aged over 16 years from 437 general practices. We determined the annual GP recorded rate of first diagnosis of SMI by age, gender, social deprivation and urbanicity between 2000 and 2010.

Results

We identified 10,520 individuals with a first record of schizophrenia, bipolar disorder or other non-organic psychosis among 4,164,794 patients. This corresponded to a rate of first diagnosis of 46.4 per 100,000 person years at risk (PYAR) (95% CI 45.4 to 47.4) in the 16–65 age group. The rate of first record of schizophrenia was 9.2 per 100,000 PYAR (95% CI 8.7 to 9.6) in this age group, bipolar disorder was 15.0 per 100,000 PYAR (95% CI 14.4 to 15.5) and other non-organic psychotic disorder was 22.3 per 100,000 PYAR (95% CI 21.6 to 23.0).

Conclusions

The rates of GP recorded SMI in primary care records were broadly comparable to incidence rates from previous epidemiological studies of SMI and show similar patterns by socio-demographic characteristics. However there were some differences by specific diagnoses. GPs may be recording rates that are higher than those used to commission services.     

Observations of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) in the Svalbard area 1940–2009

Forty-six sightings of bowhead whales have been reported from the Svalbard area between 1940 and 2009. But, only three of these sightings are reported prior to 1980. Most observations involve only one or two whales, but groups of up to seven individuals have been seen recently. Increased ship traffic, particularly cruise-based tourism, in the north undoubtedly provides more opportunities for spotting this species, and the establishment of a structured cetacean sighting programme, as well as increase in effort in documenting sightings from a wider marine user-community, likely all play a role in more records being documented in recent years. The absence of a dedicated monitoring programme for ice-associated cetaceans and the generally low scientific activity level in this field in Svalbard Waters hampers firm conclusions about the trends in abundance of bowhead whales in the Svalbard area.     

Occurrence of the toxigenic fungi (producers of aflatoxins and ochratoxin A) in foodstuffs in the Czech Republic 1999–2000

The occurrence of toxigenic fungi producing aflatoxins and ochratoxin A in foodstuffs was studied in the Czech Republic. Twenty five commodities were collected at twelve collection places in the Czech Republic (300 food samples). The presence of potentially toxigenicAspergillus flavus was observed in 28% of the sampled foods (black pepper, caraway seeds, fruit tea, black tea, oat flakes, fine flour, rolled oat flakes and semolina) in the year 1999, and in 25% of the sampled foods (black pepper, black tea, fine flour) in the year 2000.A tamarii (aflatoxins producer) was found in 3 black pepper samples (25%) in both years. Aflatoxins were detected in black pepper and caraway seed samples in the year 1999 and in sweet red pepper in the year 2000.A parasiticus andA nomius were not isolated. Aspergillus section Nigri (potential producer of ochratoxin A) was detected in some foodstuffs. Ochratoxin A was detected in raisins.Penicillium verrucosum andA ochraceus were not isolated from foodstuffs.