In 2022, the largest ever virgin soil outbreak of Japanese encephalitis (JE) occurred in Australia resulting in 45 reported human cases of JE, with seven fatalities. Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) was detected in 84 piggeries across Australia. In response, states implemented targeted vaccination programs for those individuals at the highest risk of JEV exposure. A mixed methods approach, including geospatial mapping of JEV vaccine distribution in Queensland, a case series of Queensland human cases and interviews with Queensland Health staff, assessed the JEV vaccination response program. Five notified human cases were reviewed, with three having occupational outdoor risk and local travel-related exposure. Vaccine coverage ranged from 0 to 7.4 doses per 100 people after 12 months of the program. The highest uptake was in southern Queensland, where 95% of the state’s commercial pig population is located. The vaccination program was limited by a heavy reliance on general practitioners, vast geographical distribution of eligible populations, difficulties mobilising and engaging eligible cohorts, and suboptimal One Health collaboration. Population and climate factors make it possible for the virus to become endemic. Targeted vaccination programs remain an important strategy to protect people at the highest risk of exposure, however, program improvements are required to optimize vaccine accessibility.

As global warming increases with the frequency of extreme weather, the distribution of species is inevitably affected. Among them, highly damaging invasive species are of particular concern. Being able to effectively predict the geographic distribution of invasive species and future distribution trends is a key entry point for their control. Opisina arenosella Walker is an invasive species, and its ability to live on the backs of foliage and generate canals to hide adds to the difficulty of control. In this paper, the current and future distributions of O. arenosella under three typical emission scenarios in 2050 and 2090 are projected based on the MaxEnt model combining 19 bioclimatic variables. Filter through the variables to find the four key environment variables: BIO 1, BIO 6, BIO 11 and BIO 4. The results show that O. arenosella is distributed only in the eight provinces of Tibet, Yunnan, Fujian, Guangxi, Taiwan, Guangdong, Hong Kong and Hainan in the southeastern region. Its high suitability area is concentrated in Taiwan and Hainan. In the long run, highly suitable areas will continue to increase in size, while moderately suitable areas and poorly suitable areas will decrease to varying degrees. This paper aims to provide theoretical references for the control of O. arenosella.

The giant sugarcane borer, Telchin licus, has been reported as an economically important sugarcane pest in Colombia; however, its taxonomic status has been scarcely investigated and previous reports offer an ambiguous characterization of both the immature and adult stages. The objective of this work is to identify Telchin species affecting sugarcane and alternative hosts in different departments of the country by integrating molecular analysis and conventional morphology. To date, T. licus has been found in the departments of Caquetá, Casanare, and Meta, while T. atymnius has been found in Antioquia, Caldas, Nariño, and Valle del Cauca. Sugarcane, Musaceae, and Heliconiaceae have been found to be hosts to both species. Additionally, the species T. cacica has also been registered in the department of Nariño, affecting heliconias and plantains. Genetic variation within the species allowed differentiation at the molecular level of subspecies of T. licus and T. atymnius, confirming that the subspecies present in Colombia are T. licus magdalena, T. atymnius humboldti, and T. atymnius atymnius. The haplotype diversity of populations is closely related to their geographical distribution, indicating low gene flow between populations and possible speciation inside the country. Analysis of genetic variance showed significant differences among and within T. atymnius populations, which may suggest a high genetic structure along the regions where it is found and the possible presence of additional subspecies to those previously reported. To understand the geographical and environmental conditions that determine the pest's distribution in Colombia, this information needs to be complemented with ecological considerations of possible geographical isolation and association of alternative hosts.

An extensive review of cephalopod fauna in the Central and North Atlantic coast of Africa was performed based on material collected during 10 research cruises in these waters. In the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) area, a total of 378,377 cephalopod specimens was collected from 1247 bottom trawl stations. Of those specimens, 300 were sampled for subsequent identification in the laboratory and found to belong to 65 different species and 23 families. After an exhaustive review of the existing literature on the cephalopods and new data obtained from the surveys, an updated checklist of 138 species was generated for the CCLME area. Our knowledge of the known geographic distribution ranges of several species has been expanded: Muusoctopus januarii has been sighted from Guinea–Bissau waters, passing through Western Sahara, to Morocco waters for the first time; Lepidoteuthis grimaldii and Octopus salutii have been sighted off Morocco waters for the first time; Austrorossia mastigophora, Abralia (Heterabralia) siedleckyi, Abralia (Pygmabralia) redfieldi and Sepiola atlantica have been cited off Western Sahara waters for the first time; Magnoteuthis magna, Abralia (Asteroteuthis) veranyi and Octopoteuthis megaptera have been sighted off Moroccan and Western Sahara waters for the first time; Ancistroteuthis lichtensteinii, Opisthoteuthis grimaldii, Onykia robsoni, Muusoctopus levis and Bathypolypus valdiviae have been cited in the Guinea–Bissau coast for the first time; the northern geographic limit of Bathypolypus ergasticus has been expanded to Morocco, Western Sahara and Mauritania and southward to Guinea–Bissau waters. The presence of Muusoctopus johnsonianus in Senegalese waters has been reported for the first time. A Chtenopteryx sicula specimen was reported in Western Sahara waters. A specimen belonging to the poorly known Cirrothauma murrayi species was found in South Moroccan waters. Amphitretus pelagicus, a probably cosmopolitan species, has been reported in the Western Sahara and Guinea–Bissau waters. Some species that were previously recorded in the area, Sepia angulata, Sepia hieronis, Heteroteuthis dagamensis, Helicocranchia joubini and Tremoctopus gelatus, were removed from the final checklist and considered to be not present in the CCLME area. Cycloteuthis akimushkini was substituted with Cycloteuthis sirventi, its senior synonym, in the final checklist. Similarly, Mastigoteuthis flammea and Mastigoteuthis grimaldii were substituted with Mastigoteuthis agassizii.

Several studies have shown that the Brazilian Northeast is a region with high rates of inbreeding as well as a high incidence of autosomal recessive diseases. The elaboration of public health policies focused on the epidemiological surveillance of congenital anomalies and rare genetic diseases in this region is urgently needed. However, the vast territory, socio-demographic heterogeneity, economic difficulties and low number of professionals with expertise in medical genetics make strategic planning a challenging task. Surnames can be compared to a genetic system with multiple neutral alleles and allow some approximation of population structure. Here, surname analysis of more than 37 million people was combined with health and socio-demographic indicators covering all 1794 municipalities of the nine states of the region. The data distribution showed a heterogeneous spatial pattern (Global Moran Index, GMI = 0.58; p < 0.001), with higher isonymy rates in the east of the region and the highest rates in the Quilombo dos Palmares region – the largest conglomerate of escaped slaves in Latin America. A positive correlation was found between the isonymy index and the frequency of live births with congenital anomalies (r = 0.268; p < 0.001), and the two indicators were spatially correlated (GMI = 0.50; p < 0.001). With this approach, quantitative information on the genetic structure of the Brazilian Northeast population was obtained, which may represent an economical and useful tool for decision-making in the medical field.

Currently, descriptive information on the host range and geographic distribution of helminth parasites associated with naturally occurring rodents in South and southern Africa is scant. Therefore, we embarked on a countrywide study to: (1) identify gastrointestinal helminths and their host range, and (2) provide baseline data on the geographic distribution of helminths across the country. Altogether, 55 helminth taxa were recovered from at least 13 rodent species (n = 1030) at 26 localities across South Africa. The helminth taxa represented 25 genera (15 nematodes, nine cestodes and one acanthocephalan). Monoxenous nematodes were the most abundant and prevalent group, while the occurrence of heteroxenous nematodes and cestodes was generally lower. The study recorded several novel helminth–host associations. Single-host-species infections were common, although multiple-host-species infections by helminth species were also recorded. Monoxenous nematodes and some cestodes were recovered countrywide, whereas heteroxenous nematodes were restricted to the eastern regions of South Africa. The study highlights the as yet unexplored diversity of helminth species associated with naturally occurring rodent species and provides initial data on their geographical distribution in South Africa.

Surname distribution can be a useful tool for studying the genetic structure of a human population. In South America, the Uruguay population has traditionally been considered to be of European ancestry, despite its trihybrid origin, as proved through genetics. The aim of this study was to investigate the structure of the Uruguayan population, resulting from population movements and surname drift in the country. The distribution of the surnames of 2,501,774 people on the electoral register was studied in the nineteen departments of Uruguay. Multivariate approaches were used to estimate isonymic parameters. Isolation by Distance was measured by correlating isonymic and geographic distances. In the study sample, the most frequent surnames were consistently Spanish, reflecting the fact that the first immigration waves occurred before Uruguayan independence. Only a few surnames of Native origin were recorded. The effective surname number (α) for the entire country was 302, and the average for departments was 235.8 ± 19. Inbreeding estimates were lower in the south-west of the country and in the densely populated Montevideo area. Isonymic distances between departments were significantly correlated with linear geographic distance (p < 0.001) indicating continuously increasing surname distances up to 400 km. Surnames form clusters related to geographic regions affected by different historical processes. The isonymic structure of Uruguay shows a radiation towards the east and north, with short-range migration playing a major role, while the contribution of drift, considering the small variance of α, appears to be minor.

Thirty warthogs, Phacochoerus africanus, were collected in the Pongola Game Reserve, South Africa and examined for helminths. Gastrointestinal helminth assemblages comprised Gastrodiscus aegyptiacus, the cestode genus Moniezia and seven species of nematodes. A single warthog harboured a metacestode of Taenia hydatigena in the mesenteries. No helminths were found in the heart, lungs or liver of the warthogs. Probstmayria vivipara and Murshidia spp. were the most prevalent as well as abundant helminth species, followed by Physocephalus sexalatus. The incidence of Moniezia did not differ between hosts of different sex or age. Numbers of Murshidia spp. were not affected by host sex, but were higher in adults than in juveniles. Conversely, burdens of Trichostrongylus thomasi were not affected by host age, but were higher in males than in females. While not highly significant, helminth assemblages in male warthogs were more species rich than in females. Helminth communities in the three genera of wild sub-Saharan suids are largely unique, but Ph. africanus and Hylochoerus meinertzhageni share more worm species with each other than with Potamochoerus larvatus, possibly because the former two are more closely related. Overlap between helminth communities of African wild suids and those of other suids and Tayassuidae worldwide is limited.

Alien weed species rank among the most important threats to conservation of biodiversity, making understanding the extent to which protected natural areas are vulnerable to invasion by weeds pivotal in long-term maintenance and conservation of biodiversity. We investigated the potential geographic range of the invasive paleotropical weed, smooth crotalaria, in protected natural areas across Brazil. The ecological niche dimensions of smooth crotalaria in Africa (its putative original distribution) were modeled using a genetic algorithm. Models for the native range and their projections to South America showed good predictive ability when challenged with independent occurrence data. All Brazilian protected natural areas were predicted as highly vulnerable to invasion by this species. However, smooth crotalaria appears more likely to occur in open (savanna-like vegetation, such as cerrado and pantanal) and highly fragmented (Atlantic forest) areas than in extensive closed forests (Amazon). Management suggestions and research priorities are outlined based on these results.

A survey was conducted to document the significance of crabgrass species among cropping systems and geographical regions in the continental United States. Surveys were mailed to 117 weed scientists, at least one in each state, including, where possible, extension weed scientists with responsibilities in each of the major agronomic and horticultural crops plus turfgrass systems. A 62% response rate was achieved. Large, smooth, and southern crabgrasses were considered at least occasionally important, with India and blanket crabgrasses considered rarely or not important. Smooth crabgrass and large crabgrass were considered to be important species in most of the latitudinal range, whereas southern crabgrass was considered to be important only in the southern states. Crabgrasses were considered to be more problematic in turf than in other cropping systems. From a regional perspective in turf, large crabgrass was the most important species in the Southeast, followed by southern crabgrass and smooth crabgrass. In the Northeast, smooth crabgrass was perceived as the more important species, but large crabgrass was more important in the north-central states.

On the west coast of North America and in Australia, there have been parallel cases of sequential invasion and replacement of the shoreline plant American sea-rocket by European sea-rocket. A similar pattern has also occurred in New Zealand. For 30 to 40 yr, from its first recording in 1921, American sea-rocket spread throughout the eastern coastlines of the North and South Islands of New Zealand. European sea-rocket has so far been collected only on the North Island. From its first collection in 1937, European sea-rocket spread to the northern extremity of the island by 1973, and by 2010, it had reached the southernmost limit. In the region where both species have occurred in the past, American sea-rocket is now rarely found. This appears to be another example of congeneric species displacement.

Human activities have increasingly affected biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. Data on the distribution and abundance of species allows researchers to assess the possible degradation of wild populations. These data could act as a baseline to assess the magnitude of the effects of human activities on a bioindicator species. The distribution and relative abundance of the south-western populations of the endemic Astroides calycularis in the South Iberian Peninsula were studied to establish a baseline for future studies. The rocky shoreline was studied at a depth range of 0–12 m, including more than 650 km of Spain's Andalusian coastline. The species was present in 135 of the 585 dive points sampled. ANOVA analysis showed differences in depth in the four provinces studied, and there was no interaction between the two factors. As human activities on the Mediterranean coast are reducing the A. calycularis populations, a baseline on marine populations is greatly recommended for monitoring, assessment, and management studies, especially for endangered or bioindicator species. This baseline could be useful as a reference tool to assess the effects of human activities on marine biodiversity, including global change.

Ten alien species were recorded in a first-time survey of the benthic biodiversity of the upper sublittoral at Sigri Bay (Lesvos Island, north-eastern Aegean Sea). The record of the mollusc Syrnola fasciata is the first in Hellenic territorial waters. The records of the brown alga Stypopodium schimperi, the bivalve Septifer cumingii, the gastropods Syrnola fasciata and Smaragdia souverbiana and the bony fish Siganus luridus constitute evidence for a further northwards extension of their geographic ranges in the Aegean Sea. The record of Cerithium scabridum is the first in Lesvos Island and partially fills the gap in the distribution of the species in the eastern Aegean Sea. We also recorded the green alga Caulerpa cylindracea, the angiosperm Halophila stipulacea and the bivalve Pinctada imbricata radiata, which are widely distributed in the eastern Mediterranean. The polychaete Marphysa adenensis, which was also found at Sigri Bay, has recently been reported for the first time from the Mediterranean as a cryptogenic species.

Echinococcus species are important parasites of wildlife, domestic animals and people worldwide; however, little is known about the prevalence, intensity and genetic diversity of Echinococcus tapeworms in Canadian wildlife. Echinococcus tapeworms were harvested from the intestines of 42% of 93 wolves (Canis lupus) from five sampling regions in the Northwest Territories, Manitoba and Saskatchewan, and visually identified to genus level by microscopic examination. Genetic characterization was successful for tapeworms from 30 wolves, and identified both Echinococcus canadensis and Echinococcus multilocularis in all sampling locations. Mixed infections of E. canadensis/E. multilocularis, as well as the G8/G10 genotypes of E. canadensis were observed. These findings suggest that wolves may be an important definitive host for both parasite species in western Canada. This represents the first report of wolves naturally infected with E. multilocularis in North America, and of wolves harbouring mixed infections with multiple species and genotypes of Echinococcus. These observations provide important information regarding the distribution and diversity of zoonotic species of Echinococcus in western North America, and may be of interest from public health and wildlife conservation perspectives.

This study analysed phytogeographic patterns of several Atlantic Forest areas in southeastern Brazil, including forest areas in the Espinhaço Range, to identify species with congruent distribution patterns and possible environmental factors that might influence these. A total of 54 floristic surveys, predominantly from semideciduous woodland sites but also including some rainforest areas, were compared using UPGMA and DCA methods as well as Jaccard analyses. The former identified four main groupings: group 1 included forests located throughout the Espinhaço Range; group 2 was formed by forest areas in the Rio Jequitinhonha basin; group 3 was formed by three distinct subgroups, one (3.1) predominantly of forest areas pertaining to the Alto Rio Grande basin, another (3.2) of upland forests of the Quadrilátero Ferrífero, and a third subgroup (3.3) of upland forests of the Serra da Mantiqueira; and group 4 encompassed forest areas in the Rio Doce, Rio Paraíba do Sul, Rio Itanhém and Rio Itapemirim basins. The prevailing relief in these basins has influenced rainfall and seasonality in these areas which, in turn, have exerted a major influence on the composition of the semideciduous forests. Geographic proximity and altitude, although important factors, play a minor role in the phytogeographic patterns analysed. Despite the floristic heterogeneity of the Espinhaço Range forests, there are physiognomic and floristic affinities among the forests within the campos rupestre vegetation. These are due to the high altitude and features of the soil.

Genebanks serve as a rich source of diversity that can be exploited for crop improvement. However, large numbers of accessions usually have to be evaluated to find material with the characters of interest, and therefore, enhanced trait information can facilitate the more efficient selection of accessions by users. In this study, we report on the distribution of resistances to 28 races of downy mildew among 1223 genebank accessions of cultivated lettuce (Lactuca sativa L.) and 14 related wild species. Due to modern plant breeding, the overall level of resistance of cultivars released after 1950 appears to have increased two- to three-fold compared with varieties from earlier periods. Although fully resistant reactions could be observed among the accessions of cultivated lettuce for each of the 28 investigated races, the resistance probability was more than two-fold higher on average for accessions from the wild gene pool. In general, species of the primary gene pool appeared less resistant than those of the secondary or tertiary gene pool. Probabilities for examined Lactuca species ranged from 0.29 for L. serriola to 1.00 for L. perennis compared with 0.19 for cultivated lettuce, with lower overall resistance probabilities observed only for L. altaica, L. dregeana and L. tenerrima. For L. serriola, the closest relative of cultivated lettuce and the wild species with the highest number of examined accessions, resistance probabilities to each of the investigated downy mildew races were relatively high for populations originating from Eastern Europe and Northern Asia.

The present study evaluated the size and germination characteristics of seeds of seven species of Syngonanthus (distributed among four sections) that occur in different microhabitats in campos rupestres vegetation in Minas Gerais State, to determine if (1) the germination responses of the various species characterize a single germination pattern for the genus; and (2) there is a correlation between the germination characteristics and the geographic distribution as well as the microhabitat of the different species. The experiments were undertaken with recently collected seeds exposed to a 12-h photoperiod and continuous darkness, at constant temperatures of 10–40°C (at intervals of 5°C) in germination chambers. The results indicated the existence of a pattern of reduced seed size and light requirements for germination within the genus. The geographic distribution of different species of the genus cannot be explained by the responses of seed germination to different temperatures, but suggests some relationship to their edaphic microhabitats. Therefore, germination characteristics of the populations studied may have been selected to colonize specific environments at different soil water conditions.

A study on the immune and mating interactions between Schistosoma intercalatum and S. mansoni has been carried out. The immunologically mediated interactions and mating patterns observed between the two species demonstrate that S. mansoni is competitively dominant over S. intercalatum. When S. mansoni females are absent, S. mansoni males are more competitive than S. intercalatum males at pairing with S. intercalatum females. The use of a mathematical model shows how the abundance of S. mansoni worms per host could dramatically affect the mating probability of S. intercalatum females with their homologous males. It appears that the competitive exclusion between these two species of schistosomes may probably be an important factor restricting the distribution of S. intercalatum in Africa.

The Salem Black is an important meat goat breed in the north-western part of Tamil Nadu, India. The native tract of this breed is the Salem, Dharmapuri, Krishnagiri, Erode, Karur and Namakkal districts of Tamil Nadu. Salem Black goats are tall animals, completely black in colour and reared mainly for meat. The average herd size of Salem Black goats was 31, of which there were 1 buck, 23 does and 7 kids The chest girth, body length and height at withers of Salem Black goats at full mouth age were 79.6±1.1 cm, 75.0±1.5 cm and 86.0±1.6 cm, respectively in males and 73.1 ±0.6 cm, 69.8±0.5 cm and 75.5±0.8 cm, respectively in females. The body weight of Salem Black goats at full mouth age was 38.5±1.0 kg in males and 29.5±0.6 kg in females. The average age at first mating was 9.5±0.4 months in males and 9.7±0.2 months in females, and the average age at first kidding was 14.8±0.2 months. The percentage of animals producing singles, twins, triplets and quadruplets was 54.1, 40.0, 8.2 and 0.4, respectively. Salem Black goats are allowed to browse extensively as a herded group for about seven to eight hours per day and are housed mostly (80%) during the night. Farmers kept breeding bucks, when available, in the herds at all times and exercised no controlled mating. The mortality rate in kids and adults was 7.5% and 2.3% respectively.