| 1. |
- Strand, Thomas, et al.
(författare)
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Caring for patients with spinal metastasis during an MRI examination
- 2018
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Ingår i: Radiography. - London : Elsevier. - 1078-8174 .- 1532-2831. ; 24:1, s. 79-83
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Introduction: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is without question the best tool used for diagnosing and evaluating spinal metastasis. An MRI examination is known to be of great value for the treatment planning and survival of these patients. Radiographers have an important role in how the quality of care is experienced by the patients during an MRI examination. The purpose of the study was to describe the radiographers’ perceptions of caring for patients with spinal metastasis during an examination with MRI.Methods: Phenomenography was used to analyze the data in this study. Ten radiographers, one male and nine females were interviewed about their perception of caring for patients with spinal metastasis during an MRI examination.Results: The findings showed that the radiographers’ caring perspective influenced their approach towards what they consider to be essential in the care of patients with spinal metastasis. This can impact the extent of the adjustment to the care needs of the patients. Furthermore, the findings showed that there was a strong connection between the radiographers’ care approach and preparedness to personalize the care.Conclusion: This study shows that it is important to be flexible when providing care for the patients. A person-centered care is achieved when the caring perspective is based on the patient’s view and adjustments are made in agreement with the patient.
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| 2. |
- Esson, Carol, et al.
(författare)
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Health and zoonotic Infections of snow leopards Panthera unica in the South Gobi desert of Mongolia.
- 2019
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Ingår i: Infection Ecology & Epidemiology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2000-8686. ; 9:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Snow leopards, Panthera uncia, are a threatened apex predator, scattered across the mountains of Central and South Asia. Disease threats to wild snow leopards have not been investigated.Methods and Results: Between 2008 and 2015, twenty snow leopards in the South Gobi desert of Mongolia were captured and immobilised for health screening and radio-collaring. Blood samples and external parasites were collected for pathogen analyses using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), microscopic agglutination test (MAT), and next-generation sequencing (NGS) techniques. The animals showed no clinical signs of disease, however, serum antibodies to significant zoonotic pathogens were detected. These pathogens included, Coxiella burnetii, (25% prevalence), Leptospira spp., (20%), and Toxoplasma gondii (20%). Ticks collected from snow leopards contained potentially zoonotic bacteria from the genera Bacillus, Bacteroides, Campylobacter, Coxiella, Rickettsia, Staphylococcus and Streptococcus.Conclusions: The zoonotic pathogens identified in this study, in the short-term did not appear to cause illness in the snow leopards, but have caused illness in other wild felids. Therefore, surveillance for pathogens should be implemented to monitor for potential longer- term disease impacts on this snow leopard population.
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| 3. |
- Kulma, Katarzyna, et al.
(författare)
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Immunoglobulin level and infection intensity influence how malaria-infected collared flycatchers respond to brood size manipulation
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- 1.The existence of a trade-off between investment in reproduction and immune function is well-established in many species. However, variation in the underlying physiological allocation strategies, which is what selection operates on, remains largely unexplored.2.We investigated how haemosporidian infection influenced stress hormone level and ability to increase parental effort in female collared flycatchers (Ficedula albicollis). We especially focused on how estimates of investment in humoral immune response and level of parasitemia influenced subsequent parental investment (i.e. offspring provisioning and offspring mass).3.To achieve these goals, we combined a brood size manipulation experiment with nested- and quantitative PCR methods to establish infection status and intensity. In addition, we quantified immunoglobulin Y (IgY) and stress protein levels.4. Malaria-infected females reared enlarged broods with lower mass but there was large variation in their response to the experiment. Only infected females with low IgY levels decreased their relative provisioning rate and there was a positive relationship between the intensity of infection and total brood mass.5. Our study implies that malaria-infected flycatchers experience a trade-off between keeping their infection at bay (i.e. low level of parasitemia) and responding to increased offspring demands (i.e. high offspring mass in enlarged broods). However, relatively immunocompetent individuals (i.e. individuals with high IgY levels) did not compromise their parental care suggesting that the main cost of raising the immune response does not lay in antibody production.
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| 4. |
- Puckett, Emily E., et al.
(författare)
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Genomic analyses reveal three independent introductions of the invasive brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) to the Faroe Islands
- 2020
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Ingår i: Heredity. - : NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP. - 0018-067X .- 1365-2540. ; 124:1, s. 15-27
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Population genomics offers innovative approaches to test hypotheses related to the source and timing of introduction of invasive species. These approaches are particularly appropriate to study colonization of island ecosystems. The brown rat is a cold-hardy global invasive that has reached most of the world's island ecosystems, including even highly isolated archipelagoes such as the Faroe Islands in the North Atlantic Ocean. Historic records tell of rats rafting to the southern island of Suouroy in 1768 following a shipwreck off the coast of Scotland, then expanding across the archipelago. We investigated the demographic history of brown rats in the Faroes using 50,174 SNPs. We inferred three independent introductions of rats, including to Suouroy, the islands of Borooy and Viooy, and onto Streymoy from which they expanded to Eysturoy and Vagar. All Faroese populations showed signs of strong bottlenecks and declining effective population size. We inferred that these founder events removed low frequency alleles, the exact data needed to estimate recent demographic histories. Therefore, we were unable to accurately estimate the timing of each invasion. The difficulties with demographic inference may be applicable to other invasive species, particularly those with extreme and recent bottlenecks. We identified three invasions of brown rats to the Faroe Islands that resulted in highly differentiated populations that will be useful for future studies of life history variation and genomic adaptation.
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| 5. |
- Puckett, Emily E., et al.
(författare)
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Global population divergence and admixture of the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus)
- 2016
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Ingår i: Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Biological Sciences. - : The Royal Society. - 0962-8452 .- 1471-2954. ; 283:1841
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Native to China and Mongolia, the brown rat (Rattus norvegicus) now enjoys a worldwide distribution. While black rats and the house mouse tracked the regional development of human agricultural settlements, brown rats did not appear in Europe until the 1500s, suggesting their range expansion was a response to relatively recent increases in global trade. We inferred the global phylogeography of brown rats using 32 k SNPs, and detected 13 evolutionary clusters within five expansion routes. One cluster arose following a southward expansion into Southeast Asia. Three additional clusters arose from two independent eastward expansions: one expansion from Russia to the Aleutian Archipelago, and a second to western North America. Westward expansion resulted in the colonization of Europe from which subsequent rapid colonization of Africa, the Americas and Australasia occurred, and multiple evolutionary clusters were detected. An astonishing degree of fine-grained clustering between and within sampling sites underscored the extent to which urban heterogeneity shaped genetic structure of commensal rodents. Surprisingly, few individuals were recent migrants, suggesting that recruitment into established populations is limited. Understanding the global population structure of R. norvegicus offers novel perspectives on the forces driving the spread of zoonotic disease, and aids in development of rat eradication programmes.
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| 6. |
- Rózsa, Jani, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of a range expansion on adaptive and neutral genetic diversity in dispersal limited Hazel grouse (Bonasa bonasia) in the French Alps
- 2016
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Ingår i: Conservation Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1566-0621 .- 1572-9737. ; 17:2, s. 401-412
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Biogeographic range expansions, when related to dispersal limitation, may have counter intuitive effects on genetic diversity. At range margins the relative roles of demographic changes, connectivity and genetic diversity need to be integrated for a successful assessment of population viability. Historically the Hazel grouse (Bonasa bonasia) in France was found in the north of the French Alps and also in a disjunct population in the nearby Jura Mountains. The species has recently undergone a range expansion in a north to south axis in the Alps. Local population size estimates and migration patterns during expansion have previously been studied. In this study, we performed genotyping at neutral (microsatellite) and adaptive (MHC) genetic markers in Hazel grouse. We compared diversity and differentiation (FST and DEST) at three sampling localities along the expansion axis in the French Alps and Jura, as well as at two sampling localities in Sweden, where the population has had a long-term continuous and stable distribution. Strong serial founder effects were found between the French localities, resulting in stronger isolation further south, with a relatively high neutral differentiation (pair-wise FST = 0.117). However, the loss of adaptive diversity MHC was slight. No adaptive differentiation (MHC DEST = −0.015) was observed, thus, the French localities can be considered uniform units with regard to MHC diversity, a criterion to treat populations in these localities as a management unit.
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| 7. |
- Segelbacher, Gernot, et al.
(författare)
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Analyses of historical and current populations of black grouse in Central Europe reveal strong effects of genetic drift and loss of genetic diversity
- 2014
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Ingår i: Conservation Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1566-0621 .- 1572-9737. ; 15:5, s. 1183-1195
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) in Central Europe have undergone a severe contraction of their range in recent decades with only a few small isolated remaining populations. Here we compare genetic diversity of two contemporary isolated populations (Sallandse Heuvelrug, Netherlands and Lüneburger Heide, Germany) with historical samples from the same region collected within the last one hundred years. We use markers with both putatively neutral and functional variation to test whether the present small and highly fragmented populations hold lower genetic diversity compared to the former larger population. For this we applied three different types of genetic markers: nine microsatellites and 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), both sets which have been found to be neutral, and two functional major histocompatibility complex (MHC) genes for which there is evidence they are under selection. The contemporary small isolated populations displayed lower neutral genetic diversity compared to the corresponding historical samples. Furthermore, samples from Denmark showed that this now extinct population displayed lower genetic variation in the period immediately prior to the local extinction. Population structure was more pronounced among contemporary populations compared to historical populations for microsatellites and SNPs. This effect was not as distinct for MHC which is consistent with the possibility that MHC has been subjected to balancing selection in the past, a process which maintains genetic variation and may minimize population structure for such markers. Genetic differentiation among the present populations highlights the strong effects of population decline on the genetic structure of natural populations, which can be ultimately attributed to habitat loss following anthropogenic land use changes.
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| 8. |
- Strand, Tanja, 1953-, et al.
(författare)
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Breeding consequences of flavivirus infection in the collared flycatcher
- 2018
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Ingår i: BMC Evolutionary Biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2148. ; 18
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The breeding consequences of virus infections have rarely been studied in avian natural breeding populations. In this paper we investigated the links between humoral immunity following a natural flavivirus infection and reproduction in a wild bird population of collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis). We analyzed plasma from 744 birds for antibodies and correlated these results to a number of reproductive components.Results: Nearly one third (27.8%) of the sampled collared flycatchers were found seropositive for flavivirus. Males had significantly more frequently flavivirus antibodies (32.3%) than females (25.1%). Seropositive females differed significantly from seronegative females in four traits: they had earlier lay date, higher body weight, higher survival rate and were older than seronegative females. The females did not differ in clutch size, number of fledged young or number of recruited young. Seropositive males had female partners with earlier lay date, i.e. the males bred earlier and they also produced more fledged young than seronegative males. In contrast, the males did not differ in clutch size, number of recruited young, male weight, age or survival. Interestingly, seropositive males had larger ornament, forehead badge size, than seronegative males.Conclusions: Collared flycatchers with an antibody response against flavivirus were more successful than birds with no antibody response, for any of the measured life history traits. The positive link between flavivirus antibody presence and life-history trait levels suggest that it is condition dependent in the collared flycatcher.
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| 9. |
- Strand, Tanja, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Can balancing selection on MHC loci counteract genetic drift in small fragmented populations of black grouse?
- 2012
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Ingår i: Ecology and Evolution. - : Wiley. - 2045-7758. ; 2:2, s. 341-353
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The ability of natural populations to adapt to new environmental conditions is crucial for their survival and partly determined by the standing genetic variation in each population. Populations with higher genetic diversity are more likely to contain individuals that are better adapted to new circumstances than populations with lower genetic diversity. Here we use both neutral and MHC markers to test whether small and highly fragmented populations hold lower genetic diversity than large ones. We use black grouse as it is distributed across Europe and found in populations with varying degrees of isolation and size. We sampled eleven different populations; five continuous, three isolated and three small and isolated. We tested patterns of genetic variation in these populations using three different types of genetic markers: nine microsatellites and 21 SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms) which both were found to be neutral, and two functional MHC (Major Histocompatibility Complex) genes that are presumably under selection. The small isolated populations displayed significantly lower neutral genetic diversity compared to continuous populations. A similar trend, but not as pronounced, was found for genotypes at MHC class II loci. Populations were less divergent at MHC genes compared to neutral markers. Measures of genetic diversity and population genetic structure were positively correlated among microsatellites and SNPs, but none of them were correlated to MHC when comparing all populations. Our results suggest that balancing selection at MHC loci does not counteract the power of genetic drift when populations get small and fragmented.
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| 10. |
- Strand, Tanja, 1978-
(författare)
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European Black Grouse : MHC Genetic Diversity and Population Structure
- 2011
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Black grouse Tetrao tetrix is a bird species composed of large, continuous as well as severely reduced and fragmented populations, making it an optimal species to investigate how genetic diversity is affected by habitat fragmentation. I have focused on genetic diversity in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) to measure the ability of the black grouse to respond to environmental changes.I partly characterized MHC class II in black grouse and found striking similarities with chicken MHC class II. I demonstrated that black grouse possess a similar compact MHC as chicken with few MHC class II B (BLB) and Y (YLB) loci. I did not find evidence of balancing selection in YLB so I concentrated further studies on BLB.I developed a PCR-based screening method for amplifying and separating expressed BLB alleles in European black grouse populations. Small fragmented populations had lost neutral genetic diversity (based on microsatellites and SNPs) compared to samples from the historical distribution and contemporary large populations. There was also a trend, albeit less pronounced, for reduced MHC diversity in these populations. Neutral markers in small isolated populations were affected by increased levels of genetic drift and were therefore genetically differentiated compared to other populations. MHC markers on the other hand, were not subjected to genetic drift to the same extent probably due a long historic process of balancing selection.Inferences of heterozygosity and evolutionary patterns as well as detailed correlations to reproductive success and diseases cannot be performed until MHC can be amplified in a locus-specific manner. Therefore, I developed a single locus sequence-based typing method for independently amplifying MHC class II B loci (BLB1 and BLB2). I found that BLB1 and BLB2 were duplicated in a common ancestor to chickens and black grouse and that these loci are subjected to homogenizing concerted evolution due to inter-genetic exchange between loci after species divergence. I could also verify that both BLB1 and BLB2 were transcribed in black grouse and under balancing selection.This collection of work has significance for future conservation of black grouse as well as research and management of zoonotic diseases.
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| 11. |
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| 12. |
- Strand, Tanja, et al.
(författare)
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Evolutionary history of black grouse major histocompatibility complex class IIB genes revealed through single locus sequence-based genotyping
- 2013
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Ingår i: BMC Genetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2156. ; 14, s. 29-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: Gene duplications are frequently observed in the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) of many species, and as a consequence loci belonging to the same MHC class are often too similar to tell apart. In birds, single locus genotyping of MHC genes has proven difficult due to concerted evolution homogenizing sequences at different loci. But studies on evolutionary history, mode of selection and heterozygosity correlations on the MHC cannot be performed before it is possible to analyse duplicated genes separately. In this study we investigate the architecture and evolution of the MHC class IIB genes in black grouse. We developed a sequence-based genotyping method for separate amplification of the two black grouse MHC class IIB genes BLB1 and BLB2. Based on this approach we are able to study differences in structure and selection between the two genes in black grouse and relate these results to the chicken MHC structure and organization. Results: Sequences were obtained from 12 individuals and separated into alleles using the software PHASE. We compared nucleotide diversity measures and employed selection tests for BLB1 and BLB2 to explore their modes of selection. Both BLB1 and BLB2 are transcribed and display classic characteristics of balancing selection as predicted for expressed MHC class IIB genes. We found evidence for both intra- and interlocus recombination or gene conversion, as well as indication for positive but differential selection at both loci. Moreover, the two loci appear to be linked. Phylogenetic analyses revealed orthology of the black grouse MHC class IIB genes to the respective BLB loci in chicken. Conclusions: The results indicate that the duplication of the BLB gene occurred before the species divergence into black grouse, chicken and pheasant. Further, we conclude that BLB1 and BLB2 in black grouse are subjected to homogenizing concerted evolution due to interlocus genetic exchange after species divergence. The loci are in linkage disequilibrium, which is in line with the theory of tightly coevolving genes within the MHC under the minimal essential MHC hypothesis. Our results support the conclusion that MHC form and function in birds derived from studies on the domesticated chicken are not artefacts of the domestication process.
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| 13. |
- Strand, Tanja, 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Leptospira Status in Sweden during the Past Century, Neglected and Re-Emerging?
- 2023
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Ingår i: Microorganisms. - : MDPI. - 2076-2607. ; 11:8
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Forskningsöversikt (refereegranskat)abstract
- We compiled data on notified cases of leptospirosis in animals and humans in Sweden. Published studies on leptospirosis in humans and animals from the beginning of the 20th century onwards are summarized. During the Second World War, hundreds of leptospirosis cases in humans were reported in Sweden, but since then, there have been only a few severe cases. Surveillance of leptospirosis in domestic animals demonstrates that the pathogen is still occurring. The occurrence of Leptospira in humans and animals in the other Nordic countries resembles that in Sweden. Leptospirosis is an underdiagnosed and underreported disease globally, both in animals and humans, partly due to the lack of simple, rapid diagnostic tools but possibly also due to the lack of awareness among physicians, veterinarians and nurses. Traditionally, leptospirosis has been mostly diagnosed by serology, but development of molecular methodshas improved the capability for correct diagnosis. As of today, leptospirosis is regarded as a relatively uncommon disease in the Nordic countries, but in some other countries, it is considered a neglected zoonosis or a (re-)emerging disease that may become more common in the future. Possible factors that could contribute to an increase in incidence are discussed in this review. Active surveillance of humans and domestic and wild animals and stringent rodent control in society and animal farms are of outmost importance for prevention.
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| 14. |
- Strand, Tanja M., 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Detection of Leptospira in Urban Swedish Rats : Pest Control Interventions as a Promising Source of Rats Used for Surveillance
- 2019
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Ingår i: Vector Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1530-3667 .- 1557-7759. ; 19:6, s. 414-420
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Rat carcasses obtained from pest control interventions can potentially be used for an efficient surveillance of zoonotic diseases such as leptospirosis. To evaluate the performance of different laboratory methods for detection of pathogenic Leptospira spp., heart and kidney samples from wild Norway rats were analyzed by microscopic agglutination test (MAT, the gold standard), a commercial IgG enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and by an optimized quantitative PCR (secY qPCR, followed by sequencing). We found secY qPCR to be as sensitive as MAT for screening of Leptospira infection in pest control rats and selected secY qPCR for a larger screening of rats from urban and rural areas in central and southern Sweden. We identified secY qPCR positive rats from the cities Stockholm, Gothenburg, and Malmö, which were further confirmed by sequencing.
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| 15. |
- Strand, Tanja M., 1978-, et al.
(författare)
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Genotyping of black grouse MHC class II B using Reference Strand-Mediated Conformational Analysis (RSCA)
- 2011
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Ingår i: BMC Research Notes. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1756-0500. ; 4:183
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background The Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) is a cluster of genes involved in the vertebrate immune system and includes loci with an extraordinary number of alleles. Due to the complex evolution of MHC genes, alleles from different loci within the same MHC class can be very similar and therefore difficult to assign to separate loci. Consequently, single locus amplification of MHC genes is hard to carry out in species with recently duplicated genes in the same MHC class, and multiple MHC loci have to be genotyped simultaneously. Since amplified alleles have the same length, accurate genotyping is difficult. Reference Strand-Mediated Conformational Analysis (RSCA), which is increasingly used in studies of natural populations with multiple MHC genes, is a genotyping method capable to provide high resolution and accuracy in such cases. Findings We adapted the RSCA method to genotype multiple MHC class II B (BLB) genes in black grouse (Tetrao tetrix), a non-model galliform bird species, using a 96-Capillary Array Electrophoresis, the MegaBACE™ 1000 DNA Analysing System (GE Healthcare). In this study we used fluorescently labelled reference strands from both black grouse and hazel grouse and observed good agreement between RSCA and cloning/sequencing since 71 alleles were observed by cloning/sequencing and 76 alleles by RSCA among the 24 individuals included in the comparison. At the individual level however, there was a trend towards more alleles scored with RSCA (1-6 per individual) than cloning/sequencing (1-4 per individual). In 63% of the pair-wise comparison, the identical allele was scored in RSCA as in cloning/sequencing. Nine out of 24 individuals had the same number of alleles in RSCA as in cloning/sequencing. Our RSCA protocol allows a faster RSCA genotyping than presented in many other RSCA studies. Conclusions In this study, we have developed the RSCA typing method further to work on a 96-Capillary Array Electrophoresis (MegaBACE™ 1000). Our RSCA protocol can be applied to fast and reliable screening of MHC class II B diversity of black grouse populations. This will facilitate future large-scale population studies of black grouse and other galliformes species with multiple inseparable MHC loci.
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| 16. |
- Strand, Tanja M, et al.
(författare)
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Highly Pathogenic Leptospira Found in Urban Brown Rats (Rattus norvegicus) in the Largest Cities of Sweden
- 2015
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Ingår i: Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1530-3667 .- 1557-7759. ; 15:12, s. 779-781
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Leptospirosis is an emerging zoonosis of global concern; however, its contemporary occurrence in Sweden, a European country partly located north of the Arctic Circle, is poorly known. Four out of 30 brown rats, captured within urban districts in Sweden, were found to be positive for antibodies to Leptospira interrogans serovar Icterohaemorrhagiae. This serovar causes Weil's disease in humans, a severe infection with jaundice, renal failure, and hemorrhage. Our study is the first finding of this highly pathogenic serovar in Swedish rats since the 1930s.
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| 17. |
- Strand, Tanja, et al.
(författare)
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The MHC class II of the Black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) consists of low numbers of B and Y genes with variable diversity and expression
- 2007
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Ingår i: Immunogenetics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0093-7711 .- 1432-1211. ; 59:9, s. 725-734
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We found that the Black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) possess low numbers of Mhc class II B (BLB) and Y (YLB) genes with variable diversity and expression. We have therefore shown, for the first time, that another bird species (in this case, a wild lek-breeding galliform) shares several features of the simple Mhc of the domestic chicken (Gallus gallus). The Black grouse BLB genes showed the same level of polymorphism that has been reported in chicken, and we also found indications of balancing selection in the peptide-binding regions. The YLB genes were less variable than the BLB genes, also in accordance with earlier studies in chicken, although their functional significance still remains obscure. We hypothesize that the YLB genes could have been under purifying selection, just as the mammal Mhc-E gene cluster.
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| 18. |
- Tydén, Tanja, 1949-, et al.
(författare)
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Effects of specially tailored information on Swedish university students' sexual behavior.
- 1994
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Ingår i: Journal of American College Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0744-8481 .- 1940-3208. ; 43:2, s. 75-9
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- In independent surveys concerning sexual behavior among university students in Uppsala, Sweden, in 1989 and 1990, we found that condoms were infrequently used and that up to 25% of the sexually experienced students had a history of having had at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD). We targeted an information campaign toward the same students (approximately 20,000) in 1990. Our aims were (1) to increase the knowledge of STDs and alert the students to the high frequency of STDs in the student population, (2) to encourage students to have an STD checkup at the local STD clinic, and (3) to induce a positive attitude toward condoms. We evaluated the effects of the campaign, using before and after classroom surveys, a separate survey of students who attended the STD clinic, and a focus group analysis. Although the information campaign was successful, in that students became more aware of STDs and showed increased knowledge about the high frequency of STDs in their own population, fewer than 1% of the target population went for an STD checkup at the local STD clinic. Overall, the campaign was well received by the students but failed to induce any measurable changes in attitudes during the short observation period.
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| 19. |
- Tydén, Tanja, 1949-, et al.
(författare)
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Evaluation of an STD-prevention program for Swedish university students.
- 1998
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Ingår i: Journal of American College Health. - : Informa UK Limited. - 0744-8481 .- 1940-3208. ; 47:2, s. 70-5
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The authors evaluated a sexually transmitted disease (STD)-prevention program that combined a mass media campaign with peer education. The program was designed to increase Swedish university students' knowledge about STDs, improve attitudes toward condom use, and tell students where to get an STD checkup. Preintervention and postintervention postal questionnaires wer used with an intervention group and two types of control groups. Responses ranged from 32% to 67% for the randomly selected students and from 93% to 99% for classroom and clinic participants. The intervention was noticed by a majority of the students (85-98%) and discussed by 43% to 57%; more women than men observed and discussed the campaign. Knowledge about STDs, where to turn for STD checkups, and the intention of having an STD checkup increased. Attitudes toward condom use were equally positive before and after the intervention. Although it was successful in attracting attention and leading to discussion of STD prevention, the campaign did not encourage students to have an STD checkup.
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| 20. |
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| 21. |
- Verner-Carlsson, Jenny, et al.
(författare)
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First evidence of Seoul hantavirus in the wild rat population in the Netherlands
- 2015
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Ingår i: Infection Ecology & Epidemiology. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2000-8686. ; 5, s. 27215-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We report the first detection of Seoul hantavirus (SEOV)-specific antibodies in the wild brown rat population in the Netherlands. SEOV-reactive antibodies were found in three rats out of 16 in a repeated series of tests including immunofluorescence assay, immunoblot, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Focus reduction neutralization test confirmed the presence of SEOV-specific antibodies, and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) confirmed the presence of hantaviral RNA. This discovery follows the recent findings of SEOV infections in wild and pet brown rats and humans in England, Wales, France, Belgium, and Sweden, indicating an even higher importance of this hantavirus for public health in large areas of Europe.
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| 22. |
- Wainaina, Martin, et al.
(författare)
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\textlessi\textgreaterLeptospira\textless/i\textgreater bacteria detected in rodents in Tana River and Garissa counties of Kenya
- 2018
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Ingår i: Infection Ecology & Epidemiology. - : Taylor & Francis. - 2000-8686. ; 8:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- ABSTRACTIntroduction: Leptospirosis is a bacterial zoonotic disease with wide geographical spread. Its presence in Kenya and some of the neighbouring countries has been documented before and it is thought to contribute significantly to the number of febrile cases in human populations and abortions in livestock. This study investigated Leptospira spp. presence in rodents collected in both a pastoral and irrigated region of Kenya.Materials and methods: Blood and kidney samples were screened for leptospiral DNA by PCR, and ELISA was used to detect antibodies in tissue fluid.Results and discussion: Almost 42% (28/67) of the rodents were found to be PCR positive and 25% (14/56) by the ELISA test. Focus group discussions revealed that the local population perceived an increase in the rodent population and febrile illnesses not responsive to malarial treatment, a possible attestation of importance of non-malarial acute febrile illnesses such as leptospirosis in the communities.Conclusion: While the study was sma...
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| 23. |
- Wallgren, Märtha, et al.
(författare)
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Influence of land use on the abundance of wildlife and livestock in the Kalahari, Botswana
- 2009
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Ingår i: Journal of Arid Environments. - : Elsevier BV. - 0140-1963 .- 1095-922X. ; 73:3, s. 314-321
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Human land use such as pastoralism may be a key determinant of wildlife populations. We studied the influence of land use on wildlife and livestock in south-western Kalahari, Botswana, during the wet and dry seasons. We included two types of livestock areas and two types of wildlife protection areas. Wild and domestic mammals >0.2 kg were sampled by distance technique. Small mammals <0.2 kg were trapped and a vegetation survey was performed. Livestock and some medium-sized wildlife species were most abundant in livestock areas, while large-sized wildlife species were mainly restricted to wildlife areas. Most red-listed species were confined to the national park. The influence of land use on abundances changed moderately between seasons. However, cattle moved into wildlife areas during the wet season. Differences in species richness and diversity were most pronounced during the dry season. The trapping frequency of small mammals was highest in the national park. Differences in vegetation structure included sparser field layer and higher cover of an invasive shrub in livestock areas. Our study shows the importance of protected areas for many wildlife species in the Kalahari. It also shows the value of a multi-species approach for investigating the effects of land use on wildlife communities.
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| 24. |
- Wang, Biao, et al.
(författare)
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Sequencing of the core MHC region of black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) and comparative genomics of the galliform MHC
- 2012
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Ingår i: BMC Genomics. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1471-2164. ; 13, s. 553-
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Background: The MHC, which is regarded as the most polymorphic region in the genomes of jawed vertebrates, plays a central role in the immune system by encoding various proteins involved in the immune response. The chicken MHC-B genomic region has a highly streamlined gene content compared to mammalian MHCs. Its core region includes genes encoding Class I and Class IIB molecules but is only similar to 92Kb in length. Sequences of other galliform MHCs show varying degrees of similarity as that of chicken. The black grouse (Tetrao tetrix) is a wild galliform bird species which is an important model in conservation genetics and ecology. We sequenced the black grouse core MHC-B region and combined this with available data from related species (chicken, turkey, gold pheasant and quail) to perform a comparative genomics study of the galliform MHC. This kind of analysis has previously been severely hampered by the lack of genomic information on avian MHC regions, and the galliformes is still the only bird lineage where such a comparison is possible. Results: In this study, we present the complete genomic sequence of the MHC-B locus of black grouse, which is 88,390 bp long and contains 19 genes. It shows the same simplicity as, and almost perfect synteny with, the corresponding genomic region of chicken. We also use 454-transcriptome sequencing to verify expression in 17 of the black grouse MHC-B genes. Multiple sequence inversions of the TAPBP gene and TAP1-TAP2 gene block identify the recombination breakpoints near the BF and BLB genes. Some of the genes in the galliform MHC-B region also seem to have been affected by selective forces, as inferred from deviating phylogenetic signals and elevated rates of non-synonymous nucleotide substitutions. Conclusions: We conclude that there is large synteny between the MHC-B region of the black grouse and that of other galliform birds, but that some duplications and rearrangements have occurred within this lineage. The MHC-B sequence reported here will provide a valuable resource for future studies on the evolution of the avian MHC genes and on links between immunogenetics and ecology of black grouse.
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