A PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION OF PATHOGEN EXPOSURE OF ADULT FEMALE WHITE-TAILED DEER (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS) AND SURVIVAL OF ASSOCIATED FAWNS IN THE WESTERN DAKOTAS, USA.

Exposure of a dam to pathogens may potentially affect her fawns positively or negatively. Mammalian females transfer immunologic protection to their offspring via colostrum obtained while nursing. Conversely, chronic diseases in dams may potentially result in small and weak neonates, reduced milk production or quality, or infection. Little is known about how pathogen exposure in adult female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) affects offspring survival. Our objective was to assess pathogen exposure for female white-tailed deer and subsequent survival rates of fawns in Dunn and Grant counties, North Dakota, and Perkins County, South Dakota, USA. We collected blood serum from 150 adult female deer during 2014. We compared survival of 49 fawns to maternal exposure to 10 pathogens from 37 of 150 adult females. There was no difference in fawn mass between dams based on antibody status and no difference in fawn survival for nine pathogens. The 12-wk survival for fawns born to mothers with antibodies against bovine herpesvirus 1 (BoHV-1, causing infectious bovine rhinotracheitis) was lower than for fawns born from mothers without antibodies against BoHV-1; however, the indirect or direct impacts of BoHV-1 exposure in mothers on fawn survival are unclear. Although our findings suggest that the cost of exposure to previous diseases may have minimal impact on short-term fawn survival for most pathogens, additional research with increased sample sizes is needed to confirm our findings.

Making Waves: Modeling bioturbation in soils - are we burrowing in the right direction?

The burrowing, feeding and foraging activities of terrestrial and benthic organisms induce displacements of soil and sediment materials, leading to a profound mixing of these media. Such particle movements, called "sediment reworking" in aquatic environments and "bioturbation" in soils, have been thoroughly studied and modeled in sediments, where they affect organic matter mineralization and contaminant fluxes. In comparison, studies characterizing the translocation, by soil burrowers, of mineral particles, organic matter and adsorbed contaminants are paradoxically fewer. Nevertheless, models borrowed from aquatic ecology are used to predict the impact of bioturbation on organic matter turnover and contaminant transport in the soil. However, these models are based on hypotheses that have not been tested with adequate observations in soils, and may not necessarily reflect the actual impact of soil burrowers on particle translocation. This paper aims to (i) highlight the possible shortcomings linked to the current use of sediment reworking models for soils, (ii) identify how recent progresses in aquatic ecology could help to circumvent these limitations, and (iii) propose key steps to ensure that soil bioturbation models are built on solid foundations: more accurate models of organic matter turnover, soil evolution and contaminant transport in the soil are at stake.

Leaching and degradation of S-Metolachlor in undisturbed soil cores amended with organic wastes.

Organic waste (OW) reuse in agriculture is a common practice fostered by benefits in terms of waste recycling and crop production. However, OW amendments potentially affect the fate of pesticide spread on fields to protect the crops from pests and weeds. The influence of OW on the sorption, degradation, and leaching of pesticides is generally studied for each mechanism separately under artificial laboratory conditions. Our study aims at evaluating the balance of these mechanisms under more realistic conditions to clarify the influence of three common OW amendments on the fate, in soil, of the widely used herbicide S-Metolachlor. We performed leaching experiments in large undisturbed soil cores amended with raw sewage sludge, composted sludge, and digested pig slurry (digestate), respectively. We monitored S-Metolachlor and its two main metabolites MET-OA and MET-ESA in the leachates during a succession of 10 rainfall events over 126 days. We also quantified the remaining S-Metolachlor and metabolites in the soil at the end of the experiments. S-Metolachlor leaching didn't exceed 0.1% of the applied dose with or without OW amendment. Despite a soil organic carbon increase of 3 to 32%, OW amendments did not significantly affect the amount of S-Metolachlor that leached through the soil (0.01 to 0.1%) nor its transformation rate (6.0 to 8.6%). However, it affected the degradation pathways with an increase of MET-OA relative to MET-ESA formed after OW amendment (28 to 54%) compared to the controls (8%). Concentration of S-Metolachlor and metabolites in the leachates of all treatments greatly exceeded the regulatory limit for groundwater intended for human consumption in Europe. These high concentrations were probably the consequence of preferential macropore flow. Colloids had comparable levels in the leachates after S-Metolachlor application. Dissolved organic carbon was also comparable in the controls, digestate, and sludge treatments but was 65% higher in the compost-amended cores. These results, along with a great variability among replicates inherent to experiments performed under realistic conditions, partly explain the limited impact of OW on the transport of S-Metolachlor.

Capture method affects survival estimates and subsequent interpretation of ecological covariates for a long-lived cervid.

Understanding what variables affect ungulate neonate survival is imperative to successful conservation and management of the species. Predation is commonly cited as a cause-specific source of mortality, and ecological covariates often influence neonate survival. However, variation in survival estimates related to capture methodology has been documented with opportunistically captured neonates generally displaying greater survival than those captured via aid of vaginal implant transmitters (VITs), likely because of increased left truncation observed in the opportunistically captured datasets. Our goal was to assess whether 3- and 6-month survival estimates varied by capture method while simultaneously assessing whether capture method affected model selection and interpretation of ecological covariates for white-tailed deer neonates captured from three study sites from 2014 to 2015 in North Dakota and South Dakota, USA. We found survival varied by capture method for 3-month neonate survival with opportunistically captured neonates displaying up to 26% greater survival than their counterparts captured via VITs; however, this relationship was not present for 6-month survival. We also found model selection and subsequent interpretation of ecological covariates varied when analyzing datasets comprised of neonates captured via VITs, neonates captured opportunistically, and all neonates combined regardless of capture method. When interpreting results from our VIT-only analysis for 3-month survival, we found survival varied by three time intervals and was lowest in the first two weeks of life. Capture method did not affect 6-month survival, which was most influenced by total precipitation occurring during 3 - 8 weeks of a neonate's life and percent canopy cover found at a neonate's capture site. Our results support previous research that capture method must be accounted for when deriving survival estimates for ungulate neonates as it can impact derived estimates and subsequent interpretation of results.

Discontinuation of healthcare and factors associated to mortality among severe acute malnourished children under five years in healthcare and nutritional care settings.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Even if under-five children mortality tends to decrease considerably in developed countries, it remains a major concern in Sub-Saharan Africa. The purpose of the present study is to assess causes of healthcare discontinuation and factors associated with mortality among severe acute malnourished children under five years old in the health district of Gorom-Gorom in Burkina Faso. METHODS: A descriptive retrospective study on healthcare discontinuation and deaths of severely acute malnourished children under five years old who registered from July to December 2018, in the health district of Gorom-Gorom in Burkina Faso. RESULTS: A total of 377 records of children suffering from severe acute malnutrition were exploited. Children of age range 6-23 months were the most predominantly malnourished. Healthcare discontinuation was observed at rates around 24.4%.Deaths were recorded in 9.72% of children hospitalized in the CRNE and around 1% in children in the ambulatory care management. The severe acute malnutrition co-morbidity factors included oral candidiasis [OR = 14.8; (95%CI 1.128-194.285)], dehydration [OR = 11.46; (95%CI 1.085-121.038)] and malaria [OR = 8.32; (95%CI 1.915-36.191)]. CONCLUSION: The risk of death of severe acute malnourished children is higher when the disease is associated with complications.

Effects of Neonicotinoid Insecticides on Physiology and Reproductive Characteristics of Captive Female and Fawn White-tailed Deer.

Over the past decade, abnormalities have been documented in white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in west-central Montana. Hypotheses proposed to explain these anomalies included contact with endocrine disrupting pesticides, such as imidacloprid. We evaluated the effects of imidacloprid experimentally at the South Dakota State University Wildlife and Fisheries Captive Facility where adult white-tailed deer females and their fawns were administered aqueous imidacloprid (an untreated control, 1,500 ng/L, 3,000 ng/L, and 15,000 ng/L). Water consumption, thyroid hormone function, behavioral responses, and skull and jawbone measurements were compared among treatments. Additionally, liver, spleen, genital, and brain imidacloprid concentrations were determined by an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Results indicated that 1) control deer consumed more water than treatment groups, 2) imidacloprid was present in the organs of our control group, indicating environmental contamination, 3) as imidacloprid increased in the spleen, fawn survival, thyroxine levels, jawbone lengths, body weight, and organ weights decreased, 4) adult female imidacloprid levels in the genitals were negatively correlated with genital organ weight and, 5) behavioral observations indicated that imidacloprid levels in spleens were negatively correlated with activity levels in adult females and fawns. Results demonstrate that imidacloprid has direct effects on white-tailed deer when administered at field-relevant doses.

The effect of weather on the decision to migrate from stopover sites by autumn-migrating ducks.

BACKGROUND: Previous investigations of autumn-migrating ducks have reported weak connections between weather conditions and the decision to migrate from stopover sites. We leveraged relatively new weather surveillance radar technology to remotely detect departures of discrete groups of various species of migratory dabbling ducks (Anatidae) in autumn to more directly assess the effect of specific weather conditions on departure from discrete stopover sites. METHODS: Using radar data collected over fifteen years (1995-2009), we documented a consistent phenomenon where a single, identifiable group departed from our study area on 30% of days during the autumn study period, and no ducks departed on the other days. We gathered weather variables from nearby stations and used them to develop competing models to explain temporal patterns of departure versus non-departure to better understand the potential mechanisms associated with binomial patterns of departures. RESULTS: The best approximating model of departure probability was our integrated model, which included variables accounting for wind aloft direction favorable for departure (i.e., tailwind), absence of precipitation, and a partially or completely clear sky. The integrated model accounted for all model weight in the candidate set and explained 55% of the variation in departure probability. Estimated probability of departure was 0.76 after parameterizing the best model with favorable conditions for all covariates. CONCLUSIONS: Our results contrasted those of previous studies of autumn duck migration as a small set of simplistic, extrinsic conditions substantially influenced departure decision.

Weather and landscape factors affect white-tailed deer neonate survival at ecologically important life stages in the Northern Great Plains.

Offspring survival is generally more variable than adult survival and may limit population growth. Although white-tailed deer neonate survival has been intensively investigated, recent work has emphasized how specific cover types influence neonate survival at local scales (single study area). These localized investigations have often led to inconsistences within the literature. Developing specific hypotheses describing the relationships among environmental, habitat, and landscape factors influencing white-tailed deer neonate survival at regional scales may allow for detection of generalized patterns. Therefore, we developed 11 hypotheses representing the various effects of environmental (e.g., winter and spring weather), habitat (e.g., hiding and escape cover types), and landscape factors (e.g., landscape configuration regardless of specific cover type available) on white-tailed deer neonate survival up to one-month and from one- to three-months of age. At one-month, surviving fawns experienced a warmer lowest recorded June temperature and more June precipitation than those that perished. At three-months, patch connectance (percent of patches of the corresponding patch type that are connected within a predefined distance) positively influenced survival. Our results are consistent with white-tailed deer neonate ecology: increased spring temperature and precipitation are likely associated with a flush of nutritional resources available to the mother, promoting increased lactation efficiency and neonate growth early in life. In contrast, reduced spring temperature with increased precipitation place neonates at risk to hypothermia. Increased patch connectance likely reflects increased escape cover available within a neonate's home range after they are able to flee from predators. If suitable escape cover is available on the landscape, then managers could focus efforts towards manipulating landscape configuration (patch connectance) to promote increased neonate survival while monitoring spring weather to assess potential influences on current year survival.

Birth date promotes a tortoise or hare tactic for body mass development of a long-lived male ungulate.

Maternal and early-life influences may affect life-long individual phenotype, potentially influencing reproductive success. However, some individuals may compensate for a poor start to life, which may improve longevity and reproductive success later in life. We developed four models to assess whether maternal characteristics (age, body mass and previous year cumulative lactation demand) and/or birth date influenced a long-lived mammal's phenotype to maturity. We used a directional separation analysis to assess the relative influence of each maternal characteristic and birth date on captive male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) body mass and antler size. We found that birth date was the only characteristic that persistently influenced male body mass. Depending on when offspring were born, they used alternative tactics to increase their body mass. Birth date positively influenced body mass at 1, 2 and 3 years of age-indicating males displayed faster growth and compensated for late birth (hare tactic). However, early-, heavy-born males were heavy juveniles, and juvenile body mass positively influenced mature body mass (slow but steady growth; tortoise tactic). Our findings provide a first evidence that a long-lived ungulate can display alternative tactics to achieve heavy body mass; individuals are either born early and heavy and are heavy throughout life (tortoise), or light, late-born individuals compensate for a poor start in life by growing at a faster rate to equal or surpass the body mass of early-born individuals (hare). Either tactic may be viable if it influences reproductive success as body mass positively influences access to mates in ungulates.

Protocol for Assessing the Relative Effects of Environment and Genetics on Antler and Body Growth for a Long-lived Cervid.

Cervid phenotype can be placed into one of two categories: efficiency, which promotes survival over extravagant morphometric growth, and luxury, which promotes growth of large weaponry and body size. Populations of the same species display each phenotype depending on environmental conditions. Although antler and body size of male white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) varies by physiographic region in Mississippi, USA and is strongly correlated with regional variation in nutritional quality, the effects of population-level genetics from native stocks and previous re-stocking efforts cannot be disregarded. This protocol describes how we designed a controlled study, where other factors that influence phenotype, such as age and nutrition, are controlled. We brought wild-caught pregnant females and six-month-old fawns from three distinct physiographic regions in Mississippi, USA to the Mississippi State University Rusty Dawkins Memorial Deer Unit. Deer from the same region were bred to produce a second generation of offspring, allowing us to assess generational responses and maternal effects. All deer ate the same high-quality (20% crude protein deer pellet) diet ad libitum. We uniquely marked each neonate and recorded body mass, hind foot, and total body length. Each subsequent fall, we sedated individuals via remote injection and sampled the same morphometrics plus antlers of adults. We found that all morphometrics increased in size from first to second generation, with full compensation of antler size (regional variation no longer present) and partial compensation of body mass (some evidence of regional variation) evident in the second generation. Second generation males that originated from our poorest quality soil region displayed about a 40% increase in antler size and about a 25% increase in body mass when compared to their wild harvested counterparts. Our results suggest phenotypic variation of wild male white-tailed deer in Mississippi are more related to differences in nutritional quality than population-level genetics.

Combined time-lapse magnetic resonance imaging and modeling to investigate colloid deposition and transport in porous media.

Colloidal particles can act as vectors of adsorbed pollutants in the subsurface, or be themselves pollutants. They can reach the aquifer and impair groundwater quality. The mechanisms of colloid transport and deposition are often studied in columns filled with saturated porous media. Time-lapse profiles of colloid concentration inside the columns have occasionally been derived from magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) data recorded in transport experiments. These profiles are valuable, in addition to particle breakthrough curves (BTCs), for testing and improving colloid transport models. We show that concentrations could not be simply computed from MRI data when both deposited and suspended colloids contributed to the signal. We propose a generic method whereby these data can still be used to quantitatively appraise colloid transport models. It uses the modeled suspended and deposited particle concentrations to compute modeled MRI data that are compared to the experimental data. We tested this method by performing transport experiments with sorbing colloids in sand, and assessed for the first time the capacity of the model calibrated from BTCs to reproduce the MRI data. Interestingly, the dispersion coefficient and deposition rate calibrated from the BTC were respectively overestimated and underestimated compared with those calibrated from the MRI data, suggesting that these quantities, when determined from BTCs, need to be interpreted with care. In a broader perspective, we consider that combining MRI and modeling offers great potential for the quantitative analysis of complex MRI data recorded during transport experiments in complex environmentally relevant porous media, and can help improve our understanding of the fate of colloids and solutes, first in these media, and later in soils.

Novel Experimental-Modeling Approach for Characterizing Perfluorinated Surfactants in Soils.

Soil contamination is still poorly understood and modeled in part because of the difficulties of looking inside the "black box" constituted by soils. Here, we investigated the application of a recently developed 1H NMR technique to 19F NMR relaxometry experiments and utilized the results as inputs for an existing model. This novel approach yields 19F T2 NMR relaxation values of any fluorinated contaminant, which are among the most dangerous contaminants, allowing us to noninvasively and directly monitor their fate in soils. Using this protocol, we quantified the amount of a fluorinated xenobiotic (heptafluorobutyric acid, HFBA) in three different environments in soil aggregate packings and monitored contaminant exchange dynamics between these compartments. A model computing HFBA partition dynamics between different soil compartments showed that these three environments corresponded to HFBA in solution (i) between and (ii) inside the soil aggregates and (iii) to HFBA adsorbed to (or strongly interacting with) the soil constituents. In addition to providing a straightforward way of determining the sorption kinetics of any fluorinated contaminant, this work also highlights the strengths of a combined experimental-modeling approach to unambiguously understand experimental data and more generally to study contaminant fate in soils.

Electrical conductivity and permittivity maps of brain tissues derived from water content based on T1 -weighted acquisition.

PURPOSE: To develop an electrical properties tomography (EPT) technique that can provide in vivo electrical conductivity and permittivity images of biological tissue without performing complex-valued radiofrequency field measurements. THEORY AND METHODS: Electrical conductivity and permittivity images are modeled as a monotonic function of tissues' water content (W) under the principle of Maxwell's mixture theory. Water content maps are estimated from two spin-echo images having different repetition times (TRs). For the modeling functions, physically measured parameters (electrical properties, water content, and T1 ) of brain cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), gray matter, and white matter are used as landmark literature references. The formulations are validated by a developed electrolyte-protein phantom and by human brain studies at 3 Tesla (T). RESULTS: The electrical properties (EPs) of the phantom estimated by the proposed method match well with the values measured on the bench. The conductivity and permittivity maps from all experiments show uncompromised spatial resolution without boundary artifacts and higher contrast when compared with water content maps. CONCLUSIONS: Human brain and phantom EP images suggest that water content is a dominating factor in determining the electrical properties of tissues. Despite possible literature inaccuracies, the proposed method offers EP maps that can provide complementary information to current approaches, to facilitate EPT scans in clinical applications. Magn Reson Med 77:1094-1103, 2017. © 2016 International Society for Magnetic Resonance in Medicine.

Improved nutrition cues switch from efficiency to luxury phenotypes for a long-lived ungulate.

Cervid phenotype can be categorized as efficiency, which promotes survival but not extravagant growth, or luxury which promotes growth of large weaponry and body size. Although nutritional variation greatly influences these phenotypic forms, the potential for subspecies-linked genetic or founder effects from restocking efforts of harvested species has not been eliminated. We measured intergenerational phenotypic change of males in response to improved nutrition in three captive-reared populations of white-tailed deer. Study animals were offspring of females captured from three regions displaying variation in antler and body size as well as nutritional variation. We fed all animals a high-quality diet and measured antler and body size for two generations. We predicted that improved long-term nutrition would cue a switch from efficiency to luxury phenotype for all populations and that regional compensation of antler and body size would occur. Improved nutrition positively influenced all measures of antler and body size; however, changes varied in magnitude. Antler size was more responsive than body size. Improved nutrition also facilitated regional compensation of antler size and partial compensation of body size. Our results show that improved long-term nutrition cues a shift from efficiency to luxury phenotype in a long-lived cervid with weaponry being more responsive than body size. Compensation of antler size suggests that weaponry is greatly influenced by nutrition and is not restricted by subspecies-linked genetic or founder effects from restocking efforts related to our regional populations. Therefore, strategies to improve cervid antler and body size should include habitat management that elevates long-term diet quality.

EAR AND TAIL LESIONS ON CAPTIVE WHITE-TAILED DEER FAWNS (ODOCOILEUS VIRGINIANUS): A CASE STUDY.

During the 2008-2011 time period, undiagnosed lesions were observed in 21 of 150 white-tailed deer fawns (Odocoileus virginianus) that were part of a captive deer herd at Mississippi State University. Clinical findings in healthy and diseased fawns from 0 to 90 days of age included bite and scratch marks followed by moderate to severe ear and tail necrosis. Gross necropsy findings of necrotizing ulcerative dermatitis correlated with histopathologic findings that included focally severe multifocal vasculitis, vascular necrosis, and thrombosis. This article is a clinical description of these previously unreported lesions associated with tissue necrosis in young captive white-tailed deer.

Contrasting the Effects of Maternal and Behavioral Characteristics on Fawn Birth Mass in White-Tailed Deer.

Maternal care influences offspring quality and can improve a mother's inclusive fitness. However, improved fitness may only occur when offspring quality (i.e., offspring birth mass) persists throughout life and enhances survival and/or reproductive success. Although maternal body mass, age, and social rank have been shown to influence offspring birth mass, the inter-dependence among these variables makes identifying causation problematic. We established that fawn birth mass was related to adult body mass for captive male and female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus), thus maternal care should improve offspring fitness. We then used path analysis to identify which maternal characteristic(s) most influenced fawn birth mass of captive female white-tailed deer. Maternal age, body mass and social rank had varying effects on fawn birth mass. Maternal body mass displayed the strongest direct effect on fawn birth mass, followed by maternal age and social rank. Maternal body mass had a greater effect on social rank than age. The direct path between social rank and fawn birth mass may indicate dominance as an underlying mechanism. Our results suggest that heavier mothers could use dominance to improve access to resources, resulting in increased fitness through production of heavier offspring.

Denoising of B1⁺ field maps for noise-robust image reconstruction in electrical properties tomography.

PURPOSE: To validate the use of adaptive nonlinear filters in reconstructing conductivity and permittivity images from the noisy B1(+) maps in electrical properties tomography (EPT). METHODS: In EPT, electrical property images are computed by taking Laplacian of the B1(+) maps. To mitigate the noise amplification in computing the Laplacian, the authors applied adaptive nonlinear denoising filters to the measured complex B1(+) maps. After the denoising process, they computed the Laplacian by central differences. They performed EPT experiments on phantoms and a human brain at 3 T along with corresponding EPT simulations on finite-difference time-domain models. They evaluated the EPT images comparing them with the ones obtained by previous EPT reconstruction methods. RESULTS: In both the EPT simulations and experiments, the nonlinear filtering greatly improved the EPT image quality when evaluated in terms of the mean and standard deviation of the electrical property values at the regions of interest. The proposed method also improved the overall similarity between the reconstructed conductivity images and the true shapes of the conductivity distribution. CONCLUSIONS: The nonlinear denoising enabled us to obtain better-quality EPT images of the phantoms and the human brain at 3 T.

Individual ambidexterity: exploring and exploiting in dynamic contexts.

Previous research regarding the role of individuals within the organizational ambidexterity construct has primarily focused on behavioral characteristics of managers. Drawing from the organizational, psychological, and neuroscience literatures, this study develops and tests hypotheses concerning the formative construct of Individual Ambidexterity (IA), the cognitive abilities necessary to balance efforts of exploration and exploitation. In an initial criterion-related predictive validity laboratory study, 181 undergraduate students completed successive trials in a computer-simulated, real-time dynamic microworld context. Findings explained unique variance beyond measures of general intelligence on the total score of task adaptive performance. The results indicate a novel combination of abilities that may further understanding of how individual abilities contribute to the ambidexterity literature.

Seismic constraints on rotation of Sun-like star and mass of exoplanet.

Rotation is thought to drive cyclic magnetic activity in the Sun and Sun-like stars. Stellar dynamos, however, are poorly understood owing to the scarcity of observations of rotation and magnetic fields in stars. Here, inferences are drawn on the internal rotation of a distant Sun-like star by studying its global modes of oscillation. We report asteroseismic constraints imposed on the rotation rate and the inclination of the spin axis of the Sun-like star HD 52265, a principal target observed by the CoRoT satellite that is known to host a planetary companion. These seismic inferences are remarkably consistent with an independent spectroscopic observation (rotational line broadening) and with the observed rotation period of star spots. Furthermore, asteroseismology constrains the mass of exoplanet HD 52265b. Under the standard assumption that the stellar spin axis and the axis of the planetary orbit coincide, the minimum spectroscopic mass of the planet can be converted into a true mass of 1.85(-0.42)(+0.52)M(Jupiter), which implies that it is a planet, not a brown dwarf.

Downregulation of the Na/K-ATPase pump by leptospiral glycolipoprotein activates the NLRP3 inflammasome.

Leptospira interrogans is responsible for a zoonotic disease known to induce severe kidney dysfunction and inflammation. In this work, we demonstrate that L. interrogans induces NLRP3 inflammasome-dependent secretion of IL-1ß through the alteration of potassium transport in bone marrow-derived macrophages. Lysosome destabilization also contributed to the IL-1ß production upon stimulation with live, but not dead, bacteria. Using bone marrow-derived macrophages from various TLRs and nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-deficient mice, we further determined that IL-1ß production was dependent on TLR2 and TLR4, suggesting a participation of the leptospiral LPS to this process. Hypokaliemia in leptospirosis has been linked to the presence of glycolipoprotein, a cell wall component of L. interrogans that is known to inhibit the expression and functions of the Na/K-ATPase pump. We show in this study that glycolipoprotein activates the inflammasome and synergizes with leptospiral LPS to produce IL-1ß, mimicking the effect of whole bacteria. These results were confirmed in vivo, as wild-type mice expressed more IL-1ß in the kidney than TLR2/4-deficient mice 3 d postinfection with L. interrogans. Collectively, these findings provide the first characterization, to our knowledge, of bacteria-induced activation of the NLRP3 inflammasome through the downregulation of a specific host potassium transporter.