ABSTRACT
Ornithodoros sonrai (O. sonrai) ticks are the only known vectors of Borrelia crocidurae, an agent of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) borreliosis. Rodents serve as principal natural reservoirs for Borrelia. Our research objective was to detect TBRF Borrelia and other zoonotic bacterial infections in ticks and in house mice Mus musculus domesticus, an invasive species currently expanding in rural northern Senegal. Real-time and conventional PCR were utilized for detecting Borrelia and other bacterial taxa. The analyses were performed on 253 specimens of O. sonrai and 150 samples of brain and spleen tissue from rodents. Borrelia crocidurae was found in one O. sonrai tick and 18 Mus musculus domesticus samples, with prevalences of 0.39 percent and 12 percent, respectively, as well as Ehrlichia sp. in one Mus musculus domesticus. Further, we were able to detect the presence of a potentially infectious novel species belonging to the Anaplasmataceae family for the first time in O. sonrai ticks. More attention should be paid to the house mouse and O. sonrai ticks, as they can be potential hosts for novel species of pathogenic bacteria in humans.
ABSTRACT
In the contemporary context of zoonosis emergence and spread, invasive species are a major issue since they represent potential pathogen hosts. Even though many progresses have been done to understand and predict spatial patterns of invasive species, the challenge to identify the underlying determinants of their distribution remains a central question in invasion biology. This is particularly exacerbated in the case of commensal species that strictly depend on humankind for dispersal and perennial establishment of new populations. The distribution of these species is predicted to be influenced by dispersal opportunities and conditions acting on establishment and proliferation, such as environmental characteristics, including spatio-temporal components of the human societies. We propose to contribute to the understanding of the recent spread of a major invasive rodent species, the black rat (Rattus rattus), in the changing southeastern of Senegal. We address the factors that promote the dispersal and distribution of this invasive rodent from the perspective of human geography. We first describe characteristics of human settlements in terms of social and spatial organization of human societies (i.e. economic activities, commercial and agricultural networks, roads connectivity). We then explore the relationship between these characteristics and the distribution of this invasive rodent. Finally we propose that historical and contemporary dynamics of human societies have contributed to the risk of invasion of the black rat. We argue that the diffusion processes of invasive species cannot be considered as a result of the spatial structure only (i.e. connectivity and distance), but as a part of the human territory that includes the social and spatial organization. Results suggest that the distribution of invasive rodents partly results from the contemporary and inherited human socio-spatial systems, beyond the existence of suitable ecological conditions that are classically investigated by biologists.
ABSTRACT
UNLABELLED: The aim of this study was the description of breast carcinoma over a 10-year period according to pathology data. METHOD: Descriptive epidemiological study based on data collection of pathological code ADICAP (injury, organ, and applied technical), histological, hormonal, node and administrative data. From January 1st 2000 to December 31st 2009, 6186 women living in Finistère have had a diagnosis of invasive breast carcinoma. The incidence rate involved from 125 per 100,000 women to 136 in 2009. Average age to the first diagnosis was 61.4 ± 13.6; class of age with the more important incidence rate was for the 50-74 years old. The different histological subtypes varied over the period (P<0.0001). Tumour's size was notified for more than 75% in the whole period of the study. The average size evolved significantly over the period (P<0.0001 from 23.5mm [± 18.4] in 2000 to 21.02 [± 16.2] in 2009, particularly after 2003 [P<0.0002]). The grade status (SBR, MSBR and Elston Ellis) showed a trend to the gravity decrease over the period (respectively P=0.03 [r(2)=-0,04]; P<0.0001 [r(2)=-0.10]; P<0.0001 [r(2)=-0.08]). CONCLUSION: Our results confirm the interest of pathology database for the description of invasive breast cancer.
