Correction to "Prevalence, distribution and phylogenetic relationships of Bartonella in companion animals, wildlife and fleas from the Atlantic Forest ecoregion, Argentina".

The aim of this study was to analyse the prevalence and distribution of Bartonella species in companion animals, wildlife and their associated fleas in different landscapes of the Atlantic Forest ecoregion of Argentina, and to analyse the phylogenetic relationships between the Bartonella species identified in this study in addition to those found in other regions available in GenBank. A total of 257 mammals, including rodents, opossums, dogs and cats, were examined to detect the presence of Bartonella in both fleas and host tissues. The study revealed the presence of Bartonella in rodent fleas (47.7%), opossum fleas (7.8%), rodent spleens (6.5%) and cat blood (10%). Analysis of 15 gltA gene fragments revealed the existence of at least three different genotypes and eight haplotypes. Genetic analysis has established a close association between Bartonella species from mammals and fleas in both the Atlantic Forest of Brazil and the Costanera Sur Reserve in Argentina. Bartonella henselae (Regnery et al.) Brenner et al. (Hyphomicrobiales: Bartonellaceae) was identified in three rodent species: Rattus rattus (L.; Muridae), Akodon montensis Thomas (Cricetidae) and Calomys tener Winge (Cricetidae). This marks the first report of B. henselae in R. rattus in Argentina, as well as the initial documentation of its association with A. montensis and C. tener. Additionally, Bartonella clarridgeiae Lawson and Collins (Hyphomicrobiales: Bartonellaceae) was identified in feline blood and in fleas from dogs and cats. These findings are particularly relevant in the context of areas undergoing deforestation, where interactions between wild and domestic hosts increase the risk of zoonotic disease transmission. A One Health approach is crucial to understand transmission dynamics and to address the challenges posed by fleas as infection amplifiers and spillover phenomena. These present significant challenges for public health and biodiversity conservation.

This paper examines the frequencies of mammal roadkill in two adjacent biogeographic ecoregions (Atlantic Forest and Cerrado) of Brazil. Mammals were recorded during a seven-year period and over 3,900 km of roads, in order to obtain data for frequencies of species in habitats (sites) and frequencies of species killed by cars on roads. Sites (n = 80) within ecoregions (Cerrado, n = 57; Atlantic Forest, n = 23) were searched for records of mammals. Species surveyed in the entire region totaled 33, belonging to nine orders and 16 families. In the Cerrado, 31 species were recorded in habitats; of these, 25 were found dead on roads. In the Atlantic Forest ecoregions, however, we found 21 species in habitats, 16 of which were also found dead on roads. There was no overall significant difference between ecoregions for frequencies of occurrence in habitats or for roadkills, but there were differences between individual species. Hence, anteaters were mostly recorded in the Cerrado ecoregion, whereas caviomorph rodents tended to be more frequent in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion (seen mainly by roadkills). The greater number of species (overall and threatened) and the greater abundance of species records in the Cerrado suggest that this ecoregion has a greater biodiversity and is better conserved than the Atlantic Forest ecoregion, in the state of Mato Grosso do Sul, south-western Brazil.

An ecological analysis of a tick (Ixodida: Ixodidae) community across a landscape gradient presenting differential anthropogenic disturbance in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion in Argentina was performed. Ticks were collected from vegetation and hosts between September 2014 and August 2016. A total of 12 697 free-living ticks and 3347 specimens from hosts were collected, including 317 ticks infesting humans. The values obtained show considerable species diversity in the forest environment accompanied by low equitability. The similarity index derived from a comparison of forest and agricultural environments was higher than that calculated by comparing forest and urban environments. The data suggest that although a cycle of one generation per year is apparent in some species, more than one cohort may co-exist within the populations of some of these species. Well-marked patterns of the seasonal distribution of free-living tick species emerged in environments with no anthropic modification. The results indicate that forest environments are more suitable habitats than agricultural and urban environments for many species of native tick, but are unsuitable for exotic species that have successfully established in environments that have been modified by man.

Itaipu Hydroelectric Power Plant initiated a large reforestation programme after the expropriation of the areas destined for the formation of the reservoir. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of forest restoration of the Seasonal Semideciduous Forest in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion, Brazil, using epigaeic ant assemblages as bioindicators, by comparing ant species richness and composition in the Reservoir Protection Strip with adjacent areas, such as the primary forest of the Iguaçu National Park and the Permanent Preservation Area located on a rural property and agricultural areas. In total, 171 ant species were identified. Ant species richness was higher in forest than in agricultural areas and did not differ among forest areas. However, ant species composition in forest areas, regardless of the restoration technique used, was not similar to the primary forest, possibly due to variation in forest recovery time. This study highlights the great value of the Iguaçu National Park as a conservation unit. Also, it reveals that the efforts for the creation and maintenance of the Reservoir Protection Strip, which remains without anthropic interventions for years, might indeed lead to a complete recovery of the ant species composition over time, reinforcing their great importance for biodiversity conservation.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the use of and suggest possible adjustments to indicators of biodiversity loss for LCA proposed by Chaudhary and Books (2018). For this, we analyzed soybean production in Brazil. Potential damage to biodiversity has been determined for all Brazilian ecoregions: the Amazon; the Atlantic forest; Caatinga; Cerrado; Pampas; and the Pantanal. Two dimensions of assessment were considered – global and regional – in addition to Average-country. An adjustment was proposed for the vulnerability coefficient to the indicators Average-country Brazil: the Regional Species Fragility Index (FI). Two inventories were created using two different functional units: area of production of soybean by ecoregion (year m2); and area corresponding to production of 1 kg of soybean (year m2). Thus, we observed that when the indicators of aggregate values were adopted, the Atlantic Forest was the ecoregion most affected by the crop. Regarding the assessments of the Potential Biodiversity Damage (BD) Global and Regional indicators, the Atlantic Forest and the Amazon were the ecoregions that suffered the highest impacts, mainly on plants, birds and amphibians taxa. Besides, the impacts at the global level were always more expressive than the regional ones. Due to this, we noticed that the results were influenced by the Vulnerability Score (VS). The suitability of the VS for FI is relevant and the adjustment in the equation can be suggested for other regions. Considering the results found here, to prevent regional impacts, technical measures such as extensive farming and crop rotation should be prioritized as impact mitigation actions. However, political measures tend to be more effective at geographic levels when addressing more than one ecoregion, due to the standardization of preservation procedures. Thus, from the results reported here, we conclude that the FI is relevant to diagnose measures at the administrative geographic levels of the ecoregions present in a single country, and the applied indicators reinforce that the Atlantic Forest ecoregion is the most vulnerable due to the replacement of wild forest for cultivated areas, which includes soybean crops.

The northwestern portion of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion is one of the most disturbed and fragmented areas in the Atlantic Forest, and little is known about the local avifauna. In this study, we have described the composition and diversity of the aquatic avifauna of this region and analyzed the patterns of similarity with respect to the seasonal as well as spatial distribution. We used the line transect sampling technique in six distinct humid areas (including lentic and lotic water bodies) during the dry and rainy seasons of 2012 and 2013. A total of 52 species of waterfowl were recorded. The species richness of the studied areas was surprisingly distinct; only seven waterfowl species, namely Cairina moschata (Linnaeus, 1758), Tigrisoma lineatum (Boddaert, 1783), Rosthramus sociabilis (Vieillot, 1817), Aramus guarauna (Linnaeus, 1766), Vanellus chilensis (Molina, 1782), Jacana jacana (Linnaeus, 1766), and Arundinicola leucocephala (Linnaeus, 1764), were common to these six studied areas. This indicated that the other bird species that were observed might be habitat selective. Moreover, the analysis of the composition of birds in the two seasons (dry and rainy) combined with their spatial distributions showed significant dissimilarities between the areas with lotic (river and constructed wetland) and lentic (lagoons) characteristics. Nevertheless, despite the small extent and low total richness of the entire study area, it was found to be home to 1/3 of all freshwater aquatic birds documented in the state of São Paulo, with the record of 5 migratory species and 11 new species added to the northwest of the state. The heterogeneity of local aquatic environments, habitat selection combined with seasonality, and the absence of other humid locations in the surroundings can explain the diversity and distribution of these birds in the water bodies of this uninvestigated Atlantic Forest ecoregion.

Assessment of Paraguay's forest cover change using Landsat observations

To understand the ecoepidemiology of fleas and their interactions with domestic and wild animals, it is necessary to decode the cycles of flea abundance in relation to host species and environmental factors. The province of Misiones, known for its biodiversity and land use changes, provides an excellent study location. We assessed the diversity, prevalence, abundance, and parasitic intensity of fleas collected from 1153 rodents and opossums in various environments in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest of Argentina, considering phytogeography and land use. Our findings were consistent with previous studies conducted in humid regions of Argentina and the Atlantic Forest in Brazil. Hosts with high population density exhibited greater flea prevalence and abundance, and widely distributed hosts showed higher flea species richness and diversity. Significant similarities in flea similarity indices among phytogeographic areas, especially in forest. Environments with an anthropogenic gradient exhibited marked dissimilarities, with higher species richness and diversity in less disturbed sites. These parameters may be influenced by the presence of polyxenous Ctenocephalides, Polygenis, and Adoratopsylla fleas co-infesting opossum in urban areas. These findings provide valuable insights into the ecoepidemiology of fleas, their relationships with host species, and the impact of environmental factors in a strategic Atlantic forest ecoregion.

BackgroundBartonella spp. are vector-borne pathogens that cause zoonotic infections in humans. One of the most well-known of these is cat-scratch disease caused by Bartonella henselae and Bartonella clarridgeiae, with cats being the major reservoir for these two bacteria. Izmir, Turkey is home to many stray cats, but their potential role as a reservoir for the transmission of Bartonella to humans has not been investigated yet. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of Bartonella species and their genetic diversity in stray cats living in Izmir.MethodsMolecular prevalence of Bartonella spp. in stray cats (n = 1012) was investigated using a PCR method targeting the 16S-23S internal transcribed spacer gene (ITS), species identification was performed by sequencing and genetic diversity was evaluated by haplotype analysis.ResultsAnalysis of the DNA extracted from 1012 blood samples collected from stray cats revealed that 122 samples were Bartonella-positive, which is a molecular prevalence of 12.05% (122/1012; 95% confidence interval [CI] 10.1–14.2%). Among the Bartonella-positive specimens, 100 (100/122; 81.96%) were successfully sequenced, and B. henselae (45/100; 45%), B. clarridgeiae (29/100; 29%) and Bartonella koehlerae (26/100; 26%) were identified by BLAST and phylogenetic analyses. High genetic diversity was detected in B. clarridgeiae with 19 haplotypes, followed by B. henselae (14 haplotypes) and B. koehlerae (8 haplotypes).ConclusionsThis comprehensive study analyzing a large number of samples collected from stray cats showed that Bartonella species are an important source of infection to humans living in Izmir. In addition, high genetic diversity was detected within each Bartonella species.

Background and Aim:Bartonella spp. are Gram-negative zoonotic bacteria that are transmitted to humans by several types of animal hosts, including rodents. Several studies have been conducted on the prevalence of Bartonella infections in rodents. However, the risk of rodent-associated Bartonella spp. infection in humans remains unclear. This study aimed to estimate the prevalence and genetic heterogeneity of Bartonella spp. in rodents and shrews from nine provinces of Thailand using culture and molecular techniques.Materials and Methods:A total of 860 blood samples from rodents and shrews across nine provinces of Thailand were collected from January 2013 to June 2016. Bartonella spp. were isolated from all samples using conventional culture techniques and polymerase chain reaction. Phylogenetic tree analysis was used to align the Bartonella sequences obtained from this study.Results:The prevalence of Bartonella spp. in rodents and shrews was 11.5% (99/860, 95% confidence interval: 9.38–13.64%). The following nine species of Bartonella were detected: Bartonella tribocorum, Bartonella rattimassiliensis, Bartonella queenslandensis, Bartonella elizabethae, Bartonella chanthaburi spp. nov., Bartonella satun spp. nov., Bartonella coopersplainsensis, Bartonella ranong spp. nov., and Bartonella henselae. The prevalence of Bartonella-positive animals differed significantly among provinces.Conclusion:To the best of our knowledge, the three novel Bartonella spp. isolated from rodents and shrews across Thailand were detected for the first time in this study. Further studies on the epidemiology of Bartonella infection in rodents and its interaction with human health should be conducted in accordance with the Thai government’s “One Health” approach to humans, animals, and the environment.

Rapid loss of Paraguay's Atlantic forest and the status of protected areas — A Landsat assessment

Two species of Erethizontidae and one species of Chinchillidae have been recorded in Paraguay. To date no specialized studies have been performed on them and their distribution is poorly known. This study clarifies the available data on the distribution, habitat affinities and nomenclature of the Paraguayan members of these families, and provides a complete Paraguayan bibliography of the species. Coendou spinosus is associated with the Atlantic Forest ecoregion and forests influenced by it, exclusively in eastern Paraguay. Coendou longicaudatus shows a near parapatric distribution with it, replacing that species in the gallery forests of the Cerrado and Humid Chaco ecoregions. Lagostomus maximus is confined to a small area of Dry Chaco along the northern Pilcomayo River in Boquerón department. The distributions of the two species of Paraguayan porcupines with respect to each other requires more data, and citizen science projects can contribute to clarification of the issues.

Camera‐trap surveys were carried out at two different sites within the Atlantic Forest of Misiones province, Argentina, to study the density, habitat use and activity patterns of ocelots. At Urugua‐í Provincial Park, 17 different individuals were captured (nine females, six males, two of unknown sex) during a 3‐month‐long survey (34 camera stations, 1409 trap days). At Iguazú National Park, 34 different individuals were trapped (20 adult females, nine adult males, two subadult females and three of unknown sex) during the survey (39 sampling stations, 1631 trap days). Population density estimates (±se) for Urugua‐í, in an area of between 150 and 259 km2 (depending on the buffer used to estimate the area effectively sampled), range from 7.7±1.4 to 13.4±2.6 individuals × 100 km−2, whereas at Iguazú, in an area of between 275 and 428 km2, a population density of between 12.8±2.7 and 20.0±4.2 individuals × 100 km−2 was estimated. Minimum observed range estimates for individuals with >3 capture sites range from 3.19 to 37.09 km2 for four males and from 4.17 to 7.11 km2 for three females, but underestimate the true home range size. Ocelots were captured more frequently along old roads than on new trails opened with machetes. Ocelots were captured more frequently at night than during the day and reduce their use of roads and trails during the week previous to and during full moon nights, a behavior previously reported for Amazonian ocelots. Population density estimates for ocelots in the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest ecoregion are lower than those at other neotropical sites. The whole Green Corridor contains a population of about 1280 individuals. This estimate should bring our attention to the larger cats (pumas and jaguars) that live at lower population densities because the future of their local populations is compromised if protected areas are not urgently created and properly managed.

The New World genus Aegidium Arrow (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Orphninae) comprises mid-sized to rather large beetles belonging to 12 species (Paulian 1984). The species of this genus were known from the northern Amazon Basin and the Caribbean including some of the Lesser Antilles islands. Distribution records suggest that the primary habitat of Aegidium are Neotropical rain forests. The genus is distributed up to southern Mexico in the north (Morón 1991) and A. cribratum chileanum Paulian was described from Chile (Paulian 1984), but Aegidium has not been recorded southeast of the Amazonia. An interesting discovery was made by one of us (P.C.G.) who collected one male Aegidium specimen in the Atlantic forest patch near Nova Friburgo (Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil)—the area separated from the yet known range of the genus by vast territories occupied by the Cerrado biome. Examination of this specimen showed that it belongs to an undescribed species and differs sharply from the other congeners in the shape of its aedeagus. This new species is described and illustrated below.

Many questions concerning habitat preferences of Neotropical small mammals remain unanswered. These questions include where the animal lives within and among the available habitats, and the temporal (seasonal and interannual) variation in the habitat associations. The objectives of this research were: (1) to determine the associations of non-volant small mammal species (Rodentia and Didelphimorphia) with specific microhabitat characteristics including vegetation structure in an area near the western boundary of the Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest, and (2) to evaluate seasonal and interannual variation in those associations. Three grids were sampled in three seasons (Dry, Wet, Variable) during two years (2015-2017). The four predominant small mammal species (Gracilinanus agilis, Akodon montensis, Hylaeamys megacephalus, and Oligoryzomys nigripes) were evaluated for seasonal and interannual variation in habitat preferences. Each of the four exhibited seasonal and/or interannual variation in microhabitat preferences for three to six of the 17 environmental variables analyzed. This is the first study to explicitly evaluate temporal variation in habitat associations of small mammals in the Atlantic Forest ecoregion. The temporal patterns of habitat association among these four predominant species reveal a complex spatially and temporally dynamic composition and structure in this small mammal community.