Linking bats to emerging diseases.
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Animals↗
Biomedical subjects
Paul A Racey
Publications and source records attributed to Paul A Racey.
Geographic profiling and animal foraging.
Geographic profiling was originally developed as a statistical tool for use in criminal cases, particularly those involving serial killers and rapists. It is designed to help police forces prioritize lists of suspects by using the location of crime scenes to identify the areas in which the criminal is most likely to live. Two important concepts are the buffer zone (criminals are less likely to commit crimes in the immediate vicinity of their home) and distance decay (criminals commit fewer crimes as the distance from their home increases). In this study, we show how the techniques of geographic profiling may be applied to animal data, using as an example foraging patterns in two sympatric colonies of pipistrelle bats, Pipistrellus pipistrellus and P. pygmaeus, in the northeast of Scotland. We show that if model variables are fitted to known roost locations, these variables may be used as numerical descriptors of foraging patterns. We go on to show that these variables can be used to differentiate patterns of foraging in these two species.
Animals↗
European bat lyssavirus in Scottish bats.
We report the first seroprevalence study of the occurrence of specific antibodies to European bat lyssavirus type 2 (EBLV-2) in Daubenton's bats. Bats were captured from 19 sites across eastern and southern Scotland. Samples from 198 Daubenton's bats, 20 Natterer's bats, and 6 Pipistrelle's bats were tested for EBLV-2. Blood samples (N = 94) were subjected to a modified fluorescent antibody virus neutralization test to determine antibody titer. From 0.05% to 3.8% (95% confidence interval) of Daubenton's bats were seropositive. Antibodies to EBLV-2 were not detected in the 2 other species tested. Mouth swabs (N = 218) were obtained, and RNA was extracted for a reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). The RT-PCR included pan lyssavirus-primers (N gene) and internal PCR control primers for ribosomal RNA. EBLV-2 RNA was not detected in any of the saliva samples tested, and live virus was not detected in virus isolation tests.
Animals↗
Similar estimates of population genetic composition and sex ratio derived from carcasses and faeces of Eurasian otter Lutra lutra.
Collecting faeces is viewed as a potentially efficient way to sample elusive animals. Nonetheless, any biases in estimates of population composition associated with such sampling remain uncharacterized. The goal of this study was to compare estimates of genetic composition and sex ratio derived from Eurasian otter Lutra lutra spraints (faeces) with estimates derived from carcasses. Twenty per cent of 426 wild-collected spraints from SW England yielded composite genotypes for 7-9 microsatellites and the SRY gene. The expected number of incorrect spraint genotypes was negligible, given the proportions of allele dropout and false allele detection estimated using paired blood and spraint samples of three captive otters. Fifty-two different spraint genotypes were detected and compared with genotypes of 70 otter carcasses from the same area. Carcass and spraint genotypes did not differ significantly in mean number of alleles, mean unbiased heterozygosity or sex ratio, although statistical power to detect all but large differences in sex ratio was low. The genetic compositions of carcass and spraint genotypes were very similar according to confidence intervals of theta and two methods for assigning composite genotypes to groups. A distinct group of approximately 11 carcass and spraint genotypes was detected using the latter methods. The results suggest that spraints can yield unbiased estimates of population genetic composition and sex ratio.
Animals↗
Transient masculinization in the fossa, Cryptoprocta ferox (Carnivora, Viverridae).
In at least 9 mammalian species, females are masculinized throughout life, but the benefits of this remain unclear despite decades of thorough study, in particular of the spotted hyaena (Crocuta crocuta) in which the phenomenon has been associated with a high fitness cost. Through examination of wild and captive fossas (Cryptoprocta ferox, Viverridae), androgen assays, and DNA typing for confirmation of gender, we made the first discovery of transient masculinization of a female mammal. Juvenile female fossas exhibited an enlarged, spinescent clitoris supported by an os clitoridis and a pigmented secretion on the underpart fur that in adults was confined to males. These features appeared to diminish with age. The majority of adult females lacked them, and os clitoridis length was inversely related to head-body length. No evidence was found to link this masculinization to elevated female androgen levels. Circulating concentrations of testosterone and androstenedione, but not dihydrotestosterone, were significantly lower in females than in males. No significant differences in testosterone, androstenedione, or dihydrotestosterone levels were found between juvenile (masculinized) and adult (nonmasculinized) females. There are several possible physiological mechanisms for this masculinization. None of the hypotheses so far proposed to explain the evolutionary basis of female masculinization in mammals are applicable to our findings. We present 2 new hypotheses for testing and development.
Aging↗