Intracellular Development of Enterocytozoon, A Unique Microsporidian Found in the Intestine of AIDS Patients

Enterocytozoon was 1st described in 1985, in an AIDS patient with intestinal malabsorption and diarrhea. Since then, additional cases of infection with this organism have been observed, but only in individuals with AIDS and malabsorption. Intestinal tissue biopsies were obtained from a 45-year-old man prior to AIDS diagnosis, again nine months later and then at autopsy two months later. When the biopsies were examined electron microscopically, both sets contained the microsporidian parasite. However, the 2nd intestinal biopsy, when wasting was much more severe, contained infection in almost every small intestinal enterocyte examined. The parasite was actively developing, allowing us to detail its life cycle. The parasite is apansporoblastic, polysporous and has characteristics not previously reported in the Microsporida: (1) an electron lucent inclusion not usually seen in Microsporida is prominent and always present; (2) extremely elongated sausage-shaped nuclei occur in the proliferative phase of parasite development; (3) the polar tube development uniquely involves the production of electron dense discs, yet results in the formation of a typical spore; and (4) polar tube development occurs prior to the final division of the multi-nucleate sporont. On the basis of these characteristics, we are placing this genus in a new family, Enterocytozoonidae, n. fam.     

Response to weather and light conditions of migrating Whooper Swans Cygnus cygnus and flying height profiles, observed with the Argos satellite system

Ten satellite tracks of Whooper Swans migrating between Iceland and Britain or Ireland were analysed in relation to detailed weather and astronomical data. Surface pressure, visibility, cloud cover, precipitation intensity and type, sun altitude and moon altitude were estimated separately for each of 414 location points, of which 217 were over land or offshore islands, and 197 were over the open sea. Height profiles for four northbound and four southbound flights included two swans that flew continuously for most or all of the sea crossing, one of which reached 1856 m asl, the maximum height recorded. The others flew low, and landed often on the water, sometimes for prolonged periods. Elapsed times for the sea crossing varied from 12.7 to 101 hours. Statistical analysis showed that the swans tended to move onward during the sea crossings, provided that the altitude above the horizon of either the sun or the moon was higher than -4̀, and also that the visibility was greater than 2 km; otherwise, they tended to stop on the water. This effect was seen only when the swans were crossing the open sea, not when they were flying over land or islands. It was interpreted as suggesting that they need a visible horizon to navigate when out of sight of land. If this inference is correct, it would eliminate the possibility that the swans use inertial navigation, but strengthen the case for celestial navigation.     

THE RESPIRATION OF TOBACCO LEAVES AFTER SYSTEMIC INFECTION WITH TOBACCO MOSAIC VIRUS

The rate of CO, production per g. dry matter of the younger leaves of tobacco plants systemically infected with tobacco mosaic virus was about 10 yo less than that of comparable healthy leaves. Older infected leaves, showing well-developed mosaic symptoms, had the same respiration rate as comparable healthy leaves. These results were independent of seasonal change in light conditions during the growth of the plants. Older leaves, but not younger leaves, of infected plants had a lower initial water content, and both absorbed less water during the experimental period, than leaves from healthy plants. The effects of TMV infection on water content were so great that the rate of CO, production per g. fresh weight was sometimes significantly increased by infection. This reversal of the apparent effect of infection on respiration rate, depending on the basis of reference may partly account for contradictory results reported previously by other workers. Other causes for contradictory results are discussed.     

Will climate change be beneficial or detrimental to the invasive swede midge in North America? Contrasting predictions using climate projections from different general circulation models

Climate change may dramatically affect the distribution and abundance of organisms. With the world's population size expected to increase significantly during the next 100 years, we need to know how climate change might impact our food production systems. In particular, we need estimates of how future climate might alter the distribution of agricultural pests. We used the climate projections from two general circulation models (GCMs) of global climate, the Canadian Centre for Climate Modelling and Analysis GCM (CGCM2) and the Hadley Centre model (HadCM3), for the A2 and B2 scenarios from the Special Report on Emissions Scenarios in conjunction with a previously published bioclimatic envelope model (BEM) to predict the potential changes in distribution and abundance of the swede midge, Contarinia nasturtii, in North America. The BEM in conjunction with either GCM predicted that C. nasturtii would spread from its current initial invasion in southern Ontario and northwestern New York State into the Canadian prairies, northern Canada, and midwestern United States, but the magnitude of risk depended strongly on the GCM and the scenario used. When the CGCM2 projections were used, the BEM predicted an extensive shift in the location of the midges' climatic envelope through most of Ontario, Quebec, and the maritime and prairie provinces by the 2080s. In the United States, C. nasturtii was predicted to spread to all the Great Lake states, into midwestern states as far south as Colorado, and west into Washington State. When the HadCM3 was applied, southern Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Washington State were not as favourable for C. nasturtii by the 2080s. Indeed, when used with the HadCM3 climate projections, the BEM predicted the virtual disappearance of ‘very favourable’ regions for C. nasturtii. The CGCM2 projections generally caused the BEM to predict a small increase in the mean number of midge generations throughout the course of the century, whereas, the HadCM3 projections resulted in roughly the same mean number of generations but decreased variance. Predictions of the likely potential of C. nasturtii spatial spread are thus strongly dependent on the source of climate projections. This study illustrates the importance of using multiple GCMs in combination with multiple scenarios when studying the potential for spatial spread of an organism in response to climate change.