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PubMed2006

Exploration of the emergence of the Victoria lineage of influenza B virus.

The Victoria lineage represented by B/Victoria/2/87 is one of the two major distinctive haemagglutinin (HA) lineages of influenza B virus, and its recent re-emergence has aroused great concerns. However, it remains unknown when, where, and how this HA lineage emerged in the world. In this study, the HA1 domain of the HA gene of fourteen influenza B viruses isolated in China in 1972-1984 was sequenced. The sequences were phylogenetically analyzed with the HA1 sequences of 41 other important influenza B isolates. The results unveiled some earlier footprints of the Victoria lineage in China, and the epidemic history of the Victoria lineage could be traced back from the year 1985 to 1975. Moreover, phylogenetic analysis, the history of China, and the epidemiology of influenza B virus indicated that the Victoria lineage possibly emerged in China in the 1970s through gradual evolution from a minor lineage.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

PubMed2005

Biogenesis, structure, and immune-suppressive effects of virus-like particles of a Drosophila parasitoid, Leptopilina victoriae.

Drosophila melanogaster larvae are attacked by virulent strains of parasitoid wasps. Females of Leptopilina heterotoma produce virus-like particles (VLPs) that efficiently destroy lamellocytes, a major larval immune effector cell type. We report here that L. victoriae, a closely related wasp species, also produces VLPs that trigger immune suppression responses in fly hosts. We compare the ability of immune suppression of the two parasitoids using a mutant host strain hopscotch(Tumorous-lethal) (hop(Tum-l)). hop(Tum-l) larvae have two defects of hematopoietic origin: overproliferation of hemocytes and constitutive encapsulation of self-tissue by lamellocytes. The encapsulation phenotype is suppressed weakly by L. victoriae and strongly by L. heterotoma. In vitro studies on hop(Tum-l) lamellocytes show that VLP-containing fluid from either wasp species induces lamellocyte lysis, but with different kinetics. Previously undocumented precursors of L. victoriae VLPs are synthesized in the long gland and are first visible within canals connecting secretory cells to the long gland lumen. VLP assembly occurs in the lumen. VLPs show multiple electron-dense projections surrounding a central core. Maturing particles appear segmented, singly or in arrays, embedded in the reservoir matrix. In sections, mature particles are pentagonal or hexagonal; the polygon vertices extending into spikes. Our results suggest that L. victoriae is likely to promote immune suppression by an active mechanism that is mediated by VLPs, similar to that used by L. heterotoma.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

Persistence of neutral polymorphisms in Lake Victoria cichlid fish.

Phylogenetic trees for groups of closely related species often have different topologies, depending on the genes used. One explanation for the discordant topologies is the persistence of polymorphisms through the speciation phase, followed by differential fixation of alleles in the resulting species. The existence of transspecies polymorphisms has been documented for alleles maintained by balancing selection but not for neutral alleles. In the present study, transspecific persistence of neutral polymorphisms was tested in the endemic haplochromine species flock of Lake Victoria cichlid fish. Putative noncoding region polymorphisms were identified at four randomly selected nuclear loci and tested on a collection of 12 Lake Victoria species and their putative riverine ancestors. At all loci, the same polymorphism was found to be present in nearly all the tested species, both lacustrine and riverine. Different polymorphisms at these loci were found in cichlids of other East African lakes (Malawi and Tanganyika). The Lake Victoria polymorphisms must have therefore arisen after the flocks now inhabiting the three great lakes diverged from one another, but before the riverine ancestors of the Lake Victoria flock colonized the Lake. Calculations based on the mtDNA clock suggest that the polymorphisms have persisted for about 1.4 million years. To maintain neutral polymorphisms for such a long time, the population size must have remained large throughout the entire period.

Actins↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A review of mercury in Lake Victoria, East Africa: implications for human and ecosystem health.

Lake Victoria, East Africa, has been the site of many recent studies measuring mercury (Hg) concentrations in water, fish, sediment, soil, and humans. Most of these studies were motivated by concerns about Hg contamination from processing of gold ore on the southern shores. Total Hg (THg) concentrations in fish were usually below permissible World Health Organization (WHO) concentrations and international marketing limits and do not threaten the lucrative export industry. Nile perch 3-10 kg and most >10 kg had THg concentrations above the WHO threshold concentrations for at-risk groups (200 ng/g). Elevated THg concentrations in large Nile perch are not of major concern because Nile perch are rarely consumed by the people living on Lake Victoria and very large Nile perch are becoming increasingly rare in catches. Water THg concentrations were below Canadian drinking water guidelines but were elevated relative to those in the northern Great Lakes. Sediment and soil THg concentrations were within inter-national guidelines and are comparable to those in northern latitudes but are lower than those in the Amazon basin. Biomass burning and soil erosion are estimated to be the major sources of THg for the lake and probably constitute a larger source of THg than gold mining in Tanzania.THg concentrations in urine and hair from human volunteers indicate that while gold miners and frequent skin-bleaching cream users are at risk of inorganic mercury poisoning, the rest of the population, including fishermen, is not. Human exposure assessments demonstrated that fish consumption and soil geophagy constitute major sources of THg for humans, but the total estimated daily intake of THg was below the Health Canada tolerable daily intake (TDI) limits. The use of beauty creams containing high inorganic Hg concentrations, however, caused the estimated THg exposure to exceed the TDI. The high THg content in the hair of regular cream users supports this assessment. The nutritional benefits of fish and soil geophagy outweigh the risk of THg poisoning. Still, due to the importance of those natural items as a THg source to humans, as well as the changing nature of Lake Victoria, regular monitoring and risk assessments need to be carried out in the Lake Victoria catchment.

Animals↗

PubMed2002

History and timing of human impact on Lake Victoria, East Africa.

Lake Victoria, the largest tropical lake in the world, suffers from severe eutrophication and the probable extinction of up to half of its 500+ species of endemic cichlid fishes. The continuing degradation of Lake Victoria's ecological functions has serious long-term consequences for the ecosystem services it provides, and may threaten social welfare in the countries bordering its shores. Evaluation of recent ecological changes in the context of aquatic food-web alterations, catchment disturbance and natural ecosystem variability has been hampered by the scarcity of historical monitoring data. Here, we present high-resolution palaeolimnological data, which show that increases in phytoplankton production developed from the 1930s onwards, which parallels human-population growth and agricultural activity in the Lake Victoria drainage basin. Dominance of bloom-forming cyanobacteria since the late 1980s coincided with a relative decline in diatom growth, which can be attributed to the seasonal depletion of dissolved silica resulting from 50 years of enhanced diatom growth and burial. Eutrophication-induced loss of deep-water oxygen started in the early 1960s, and may have contributed to the 1980s collapse of indigenous fish stocks by eliminating suitable habitat for certain deep-water cichlids. Conservation of Lake Victoria as a functioning ecosystem is contingent upon large-scale implementation of improved land-use practices.

Africa, Eastern↗

PubMed2002

Patterns in fish radiation are compatible with Pleistocene desiccation of Lake Victoria and 14,600 year history for its cichlid species flock.

Geophysical data are currently being interpreted as evidence for a late Pleistocene desiccation of Lake Victoria and its refilling 14,600 years ago. This implies that between 500 and 1000 endemic cichlid fish species must have evolved in 14,600 years, the fastest large-scale species radiation known. A recent review concludes that biological evidence clearly rejects the postulated Pleistocene desiccation of the lake: a 14,600 year history would imply exceptionally high speciation rates across a range of unrelated fish taxa. To test this suggestion, I calculated speciation rates for all 41 phylogenetic lineages of fish in the lake. Except for one cichlid lineage, accepting a 14 600 year history does not require any speciation rates that fall outside the range observed in fishes in other young lakes around the world. The exceptional taxon is a lineage of haplochromine cichlids that is also known for its rapid speciation elsewhere. Moreover, since it is unknown how many founding species it has, it is not certain that its speciation rates are really outside the range observed in fishes in other young lakes. Fish speciation rates are generally faster in younger than in older lakes, and those in Lake Victoria, by far the largest of the young lakes of the world, are no exception. From the speciation rates and from biogeographical observations that Lake Victoria endemics, which lack close relatives within the lake basin, have such relatives in adjacent drainage systems that may have had Holocene connections to Lake Victoria, I conclude that the composition of the fish assemblage does not provide biological evidence against Pleistocene desiccation. It supports a hypothesis of recent colonization from outside the lake basin rather than survival of a diverse assemblage within the basin.

Africa, Eastern↗

PubMed2003

Origin of the superflock of cichlid fishes from Lake Victoria, East Africa.

Lake Victoria harbors a unique species-rich flock of more than 500 endemic haplochromine cichlid fishes. The origin, age, and mechanism of diversification of this extraordinary radiation are still debated. Geological evidence suggests that the lake dried out completely about 14,700 years ago. On the basis of phylogenetic analyses of almost 300 DNA sequences of the mitochondrial control region of East African cichlids, we find that the Lake Victoria cichlid flock is derived from the geologically older Lake Kivu. We suggest that the two seeding lineages may have already been lake-adapted when they colonized Lake Victoria. A haplotype analysis further shows that the most recent desiccation of Lake Victoria did not lead to a complete extinction of its endemic cichlid fauna and that the major lineage diversification took place about 100,000 years ago.

Africa, Eastern↗

PubMed2003

Construction of a BAC library for Haplochromis chilotes, a cichlid fish from Lake Victoria.

Cichlid fishes in Lake Victoria are model organisms for studying rapid radiation and speciation. On the way to examine the molecular basis of how these cichlid fishes achieved such a remarkable morphological diversification, we constructed a bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library derived from a cichlid species, Haplochromis chilotes, from Lake Victoria. The library includes 157,056 clones with the average insert size of 128 kb, corresponding to a 10-fold coverage of the H. chilotes genome. Given that the cichlid fishes endemic to Lake Victoria are closely related to one another phylogenetically and their genomes are nearly identical, this BAC library can be utilized to isolate genes from the more than 200 Haplochromine cichlid species in Lake Victoria.

Animals↗

PubMed1998

A cross-validation study of the Victoria Revision of the Category Test.

Short form versions of the Category Test have been shown to be effective tools for assessing brain injury in relatively short amounts of time. The purpose of the current study was to compare the Victoria Revision of the Category Test with the full booklet version. The Victoria Revision short form was administered as part of a neuropsychological battery to two sets of participants matched for diagnosis. Results showed that the Victoria Revision is as effective in identifying brain injury as the full Category Test. The authors conclude that the Victoria Revision is a viable alternative to the full Category Test. In this time of managed health care, and in consideration of the fatigability of brain injured subjects, a valid short version of the Category Test is clinically relevant and useful.

Journal Article↗

PubMed2005

Molecular and epidemiological features of norovirus-associated gastroenteritis outbreaks in Victoria, Australia in 2001.

Norovirus was identified in 30 of 59 gastroenteritis outbreaks occurring in the state of Victoria, Australia in 2001 by RT-PCR and/or electron microscopy (EM). Norovirus outbreaks occurred in hostels/nursing homes (27%), hospitals (13%), youth refuges (3%), social gatherings associated with food consumption (27%), school outings/camps (13%), and pre-school/child-minding centers (17%). Norovirus outbreaks tended to occur in the warmer months. Phylogenetic analysis identified six clusters, one within genogroup 1 (G1) and five within genogroup 2 (G2). Cluster 1, which incorporates the G2 Camberwell/Lordsdale strains, was the most common (39% of outbreaks). In 2 of 27 outbreaks, strains from two G2 clusters, 1 and 5, occurred. Norovirus G2 was more common in the young and very old than in those in intermediate years. Norovirus G2 detection rate was higher in females than in males for adults (>15 years) and the susceptibility of adult females to norovirus G2 infection relative to males increased with age. In one outbreak analyzed, some sequences had a single base substitution, but this did not result in an amino acid (aa) change. The two most common norovirus clusters (G2 clusters 1 and 4) occurred in the capital of Victoria, Melbourne, and regional Victoria, but the least common clusters (G2 clusters 2 and 3 and G1 cluster 8) only occurred in inner Melbourne. Norovirus was occasionally detected by EM but not by RT-PCR. The occurrence of norovirus outbreaks is modulated by a large group of factors, which will have to be considered in any epidemiological model.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2006

The influence of climate variability on numbers of three waterbird species in Western Port, Victoria, 1973-2002.

Seasonal and annual movements of Australian waterbirds are generally more complex than those of their Northern Hemisphere counterparts, and long-term data are needed to understand their relationships with climatic variables. This paper explores a long-term (1973-2002) set of waterbird counts from coastal Victoria and relates them to climatic data at local and continental scales. Three species (Black Swan Cygnus atratus, White-faced Heron Egretta novaehollandiae and Grey Teal Anas gracilis) were chosen for this analysis. Black Swans have large local breeding populations near the study region; White-faced Herons have smaller local breeding populations and Grey Teal breed extensively in ephemeral inland floodplains, such as those in the Murray-Darling Basin. All showed significant relationships with streamflow, regional rainfall and the Southern Oscillation Index (SOI) at appropriate scales and time-lags, with streamflow explaining the most variance. Black Swans showed a strong seasonal cycle in abundance and local climate variables had the greatest influence on the counts. Numbers were positively correlated with streamflow in southern Victoria three to six seasons before each count. Broader-scale climatic patterns were more important for the other two species. Numbers of White-faced Herons were positively correlated with streamflow or rainfall over various parts of Australia seven to nine seasons before each count. Numbers of Grey Teal showed weak seasonal cycles, and were negatively correlated with rainfall in Victoria or the Murray-Darling Basin in the seasons before or during each count, and positively with streamflow in the Murray-Darling Basin 15-18 months before each count.

Animals↗

PubMed1995

Aflatoxin M1 in human breast milk samples from Victoria, Australia and Thailand.

This study examined the exposure of infants to aflatoxin M1 (AFM1) and of lactating mothers to aflatoxin B1 (AFB1), using AFM1 in breast milk as a biomarker for exposure to AFB1. An enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was modified for the analysis of AFM1 in breast milk samples from 73 women from Victoria for comparison with breast milk samples from Thailand (n = 11). The results were compared with those obtained by HPLC. AFM1 was detected in 11 samples from Victoria and five samples from Thailand at median concentrations of 0.071 ng/ml (range 0.028 to 1.031 ng/ml) and 0.664 ng/ml (range 0.039 to 1.736 ng/ml), respectively. Levels of AFM1 in Thai milk samples were significantly higher than those in milk samples from Victoria.

Aflatoxin B1↗

PubMed2005

Prevalence of diabetes in rural Victoria.

AIMS: To compare the prevalence of diabetes in adults in small and medium sized towns in a part of rural Victoria MATERIALS AND METHODS: Participants were usual residents, aged >or=25 years, from randomly selected households in the crossroads undiagnosed disease study (CUDS: six small rural towns and their regional center in rural Victoria). Response rates to an initial census at the household and attendance at a subsequent biomedical examination involved were 70% and 61% (1454), respectively. All non-diabetic participants had an oral glucose tolerance test. RESULTS: Prevalence of diabetes, IGT, IFG were 7.3 (5.5-9.5)%, 6.9 (5.1-9.9)% and 3.2 (2.0-4.7)% respectively in the regional center and 8.9 (6.9-11.1)%, 4.9 (3.5-6.7)%, 3.0 (1.9-4.5)% in the Shire Capitals. Overall, 31/118 (26.3%) of those with diabetes were previously undiagnosed. Most (83.9%) of those with undiagnosed diabetes remembered having been screened for diabetes in the previous 2 years. Overall screening rates for diabetes were higher than across Victoria as a whole. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of diabetes has probably doubled over the last 15 years in this area. Undiagnosed diabetes is less common than expected, possibly as a result of a more vigorous approach to screening in general practice and in spite of the lower numbers of GPs in the area.

Adult↗

PubMed2001

Road traffic fatalities in Victoria, Australia and changes to the trauma care system.

BACKGROUND: The aim was to identify organizational and clinical errors in the management of road traffic fatalities and to use this information to improve Victoria's trauma care system. METHODS: A multidisciplinary committee evaluated the complete ambulance, hospital and autopsy records of 559 consecutive road traffic fatalities, who were alive on arrival of ambulance services, in five substantial time periods between 1992 and 1998. Patients who survived more than 30 days were excluded. Errors or inadequacies in each phase of management, including those contributing to death, were identified and an assessment was made of the potential preventability of death. RESULTS: Findings between 1992 and 1998 were similar. In 1998, 1672 problems were identified in 110 deaths with 1024 (61 per cent) contributing to death. Eight hundred and forty-two (50 per cent) of the total problems occurred in the emergency department. There were frequent problems in initial patient reception and medical consultation, resuscitation, investigation and assessment (especially of the abdomen and head), and in transfer to the operating theatre or to a higher-level hospital. Victoria's combined preventable and potentially preventable death rate has been unchanged between 1992 and 1998 (34-38 per cent). CONCLUSION: The problems identified led to a Ministerial Taskforce on Trauma and Emergency Services in Victoria as a consequence of which a new trauma system is now being implemented.

Accidents, Traffic↗

PubMed1997

Exposure to hepatitis A virus among blood donors, injecting drug users and prison entrants in Victoria.

To assess prevalence of exposure to hepatitis A virus (HAV) among injecting drug users (IDUs) and prison entrants in Victoria, and to compare this with prevalence of HAV among a reference population of blood donors, sera stored from two previous studies and from randomly selected blood donors were tested for total antibody to HAV. The first study was a longitudinal study of field-recruited IDUs from 1990 to 1992 and the second was a study of all prison entrants in 1991-92 (both studies were carried out in Victoria); blood donors were from the Australian Red Cross Blood Bank Victoria in 1995. Forty-five per cent of 2175 prison entrants and 51% of 293 IDUs were seropositive for HAV, compared with 30% of 2995 blood donors. When standardized for age against the blood donors, HAV seropositivity in IDUs was 44% and in prison entrants 60%. The strongest association of HAV seropositivity among the IDUs on multivariate analysis was a history of imprisonment. There are high rates of exposure to HAV among prison entrants, whether with a history of IDU or not, and among IDUs who have a prison history. The role of sharing contaminated injecting equipment in transmission of HAV seems to be less important than institutionalization per se. With adequate resourcing, both populations are appropriate targets for HAV vaccination, especially in a context of continuing decline of transmission of HAV in the general community.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2000

Human cases of cattle ringworm due to Trichophyton verrucosum in Victoria, Australia.

Between 1962 and 1994, 32 isolates of Trichophyton verrucosum from cases of tinea corporis, tinea faciei and tinea capitis were referred to the Mycology Reference Laboratory of the Microbiological Diagnostic Unit at The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Patients had presented at clinics in metropolitan Melbourne and country towns in the State of Victoria, Australia. They included dairy and cattle farmers, a slaughterman who worked in an abattoir, a veterinary tutor and children who lived on farms. Many patients lived in one of the three dairy farming areas of Victoria. A few lived in the outer suburbs of Melbourne. One cattle farmer came from south-east New South Wales. Specimens were not received for examination from animal contacts of the patients. The only patient from overseas was a boy from Lebanon. The literature recording human infections due to T. verrucosum in Australia is reviewed.

Abattoirs↗

PubMed2001

Laboratory enhanced surveillance for meningococcal disease in Victoria.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the epidemiological and microbiological characteristics and notification patterns of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) in Victoria between 1990 and 1999. METHODS: Cases of IMD occurring between 1990 and 1995 identified in any of three databases were combined, matching where possible. Statistical modelling provided estimates of cases missing from all datasets. Notification sources for 1999 and 2000 cases were identified. Cases identified from notification and laboratory results provided the data to describe IMD epidemiology between 1990 and 1999. RESULTS: Between 1990 and 1995, 479 cases of IMD were identified. Three individual datasets each identified between 62 and 82% of cases and 47% of cases were identified in all three datasets. Statistical modelling estimated that between 37 and 83 additional cases were not identified by any dataset. Serogroup B and C strains caused 63 and 33% of culture-positive cases, respectively, with a substantial rise in serogroup C cases in 1999. Epidemiological characteristics remained relatively constant between 1990 and 1998, but an increase in patient age was seen in cases with serogroup C disease in 1999. In addition to three clonal strains seen elsewhere, an additional strain was identified that was unique to Victoria. Since January 1999, only 72% of notifications have come from treating doctors. CONCLUSIONS: Meningococcal disease is of increasing public health significance in Victoria. Laboratory enhanced notification has improved case identification and detailed microbiological information has improved our understanding of the changing epidemiology of this disease. Collaboration with laboratories and other agencies, active investigation of putative cases and microbiological monitoring are important elements in supporting public health decisions about the control of IMD.

Age Distribution↗

PubMed2002

The Victorian Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions study: reducing demand on hospital services in Victoria.

Ambulatory Care Sensitive Conditions (ACSCs) are those for which hospitalisation is thought to be avoidable if preventive care and early disease management are applied, usually in the ambulatory setting. The Victorian ACSCs study offers a new set of indicators describing differentials and inequalities in access to the primary healthcare system in Victoria. The study used the Victorian Admitted Episodes Dataset (1999-2000) for analysing hospital admissions for diabetes complications, asthma, vaccine preventable influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia. The analyses were performed at the level of Primary Care Partnerships (PCPs). There were 12,100 admissions for diabetes complications in Victoria. There was a 12-fold variation in admission rates for diabetes complications across PCPs, with 13 PCPs having significantly higher rates than the Victorian average, accounting for just over half of all admissions (6114) and 39 per cent total bed days. Similar variations in admission rates across PCPs were observed for asthma, influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia. This analysis, with its acknowledged limitations, has shown the potential for using these indicators as a planning tool for identifying opportunities for targeted public health and health services interventions in reducing demand on hospital services in Victoria.

Ambulatory Care↗