Traditional Living Habits of the Taz Tundra Population: A Paleoparasitological Study

An excavation of the Vesakoyakha II–IV and Nyamboyto I burial grounds was conducted during the 2014 field season, and soil samples from intact burials dating from the 19th and 20th centuries, respectively, were analyzed to determine interactions between parasites and host/vectors. Considering the discovery of Diphyllobothrium sp. and Taenia sp. eggs in soil samples from the pelvic region, diphyllobothriasis was the most frequent helminthic infection among the Taz Nenets. The Nyamboyto Nenets mainly consumed uncooked fish, while the Vesakoyakha Nenets had a bigger variety in food choices, including reindeer meat. Nenets children were given raw fish from early childhood. The paleoparasitological results corroborate rare ethnographic records about the consumption of uncooked reindeer cerebrum which led to beef tapeworm helminthiases. This is the first parasitological report of helminthic diseases among the Taz Nenets, and, as such, it provides insight into their subsistence activities and food patterns and broadens our understanding of their health condition.

Sarcocystis in caribou (Rangifer tarandus terraenorae) in Newfoundland.

Prevalence of species of Sarcocystis in muscle of 36 caribou, Rangifer tarandus terraenorae, shot in Newfoundland, Canada, was 53%. A greater percentage of infected animals were obtained from the central part of the island. The highest concentration of microscopic sarcocysts, 1/mm2 of tissue, was observed in a 5-year old animal. Although widely distributed throughout the body, cysts were more prevalent in the tongue and diaphragm. The potential of Sarcocystis in caribou as a food-borne disease organism in man cannot be overlooked in view of its prevalence in meat and its widespread consumption, when lightly cooked, in rural Newfoundland.

Propriedades biológicos y moleculares del virus Papiloma / Biologic and molecular characteristics of Papilloma virus

Warts or papillomas are caused by papillomavirus, a member of the Papovaviridae family. the virus is 55 nm in diameter, consisting of a protein capsid with 72 capsomers arranged in a icosaedral form. The genome is a double standed circular DNA molecule containing approximately 8.000 base pairs. The papillomavirus does not multiply in any culture system tested so far and this hampered the molecular studies of this virus. However, the development of recombinant DNA techniques makes it possible to clone papillomavirus genomes in bacterial vectors and hence to produce viral DNA in sufficient quantities to be used for structural studies and for biological experiments. The genome of papillomavirus replicates extrachromosomally in mouse cells and can therefore be used as a cloning vector in mammalian cells. Moreover, the virus or its genome can efficiently transform mouse cells in vitro and therfore has been a useful model to study papillomavirus transformation, oncogenicity as well as gene expression. The present work summarizes the results obtained un our laboratory concerning the biological and molecular characterizarion of some papillomavirus isolated in Sweden (Bovine papillomavirus type 1, FPV and the Reindeer papillomavirus RPV)