Northern Part Of Australia Research Articles

Which SDM Model, CLIMEX vs. MaxEnt, Best Forecasts Aeolesthes sarta Distribution at a Global Scale under Climate Change Scenarios?

A precise evaluation of the risk of establishing insect pests is essential for national plant protection organizations. This accuracy is crucial in negotiating international trade agreements for forestry-related commodities, which have the potential to carry pests and lead to unintended introductions in the importing countries. In our study, we employed both mechanistic and correlative niche models to assess and map the global patterns of potential establishment for Aeolesthes sarta under current and future climates. This insect is a significant pest affecting tree species of the genus Populus, Salix, Acer, Malus, Juglans, and other hardwood trees. Notably, it is also categorized as a quarantine pest in countries where it is not currently present. The mechanistic model, CLIMEX, was calibrated using species-specific physiological tolerance thresholds, providing a detailed understanding of the environmental factors influencing the species. In contrast, the correlative model, maximum entropy (MaxEnt), utilized species occurrences and spatial climatic data, offering insights into the species' distribution based on observed data and environmental conditions. The projected potential distribution from CLIMEX and MaxEnt models aligns well with the currently known distribution of A. sarta. CLIMEX predicts a broader global distribution than MaxEnt, indicating that most central and southern hemispheres are suitable for its distribution, excluding the extreme northern hemisphere, central African countries, and the northern part of Australia. Both models accurately predict the known distribution of A. sarta in the Asian continent, and their projections suggest a slight overall increase in the global distribution range of A. sarta with future changes in climate temperature, majorly concentrating in the central and northern hemispheres. Furthermore, the models anticipate suitable conditions in Europe and North America, where A. sarta currently does not occur but where its preferred host species, Populus alba, is present. The main environmental variables associated with the distribution of A. sarta at a global level were the average annual temperature and precipitation rate. The predictive models developed in this study offer insights into the global risk of A. sarta establishment and can be valuable for monitoring potential pest introductions in different countries. Additionally, policymakers and trade negotiators can utilize these models to make science-based decisions regarding pest management and international trade agreements.

A severe case of swimmer's itch in Victoria, Australia with bullous eruption.

We describe a severe case of swimmer's itch in Victoria with widespread bullous eruption, which is a rare manifestation of this condition and presented a diagnostic challenge. This is the first case reported in Victoria, having been previously reported in more northern parts of Australia; with climate change trends, swimmer's itch is likely to become increasingly common in southern parts of the region.

Physical properties and magnetic resonance imaging of the Australian green plum (Buchanania obovata) through maturity and ripening and across locations

The green plum (Buchanania obovata) is a small fruit eaten by Aboriginal people in the northern parts of Australia. The trees grow in remote locations and the fruit has received very little study by Western food science. This study aims to profile and analyse physical characteristics of the green plums as they grow and ripen across multiple locations and harvests. Fruit from four locations, five maturity stages and two harvests were characterised using standard physical measurements, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), moisture content, titratable acidity, pH, total soluble solids, and ethylene, oxygen and carbon dioxide gas analysis. Results of the physical measurements were analysed with multivariate data analysis using principal component analysis (PCA). This study confirms that the five-stage maturity index has accurately classified the maturity stages in the green plums, how maturity stages can be described with physical parameters and the specific changes that occur between each stage of the maturity process. This study has concluded that green plum is a climacteric fruit and suggest that further studies exploring these characteristics could increase its commercial potential. This report provides valuable characteristics of the green plums as potential products for Indigenous agribusinesses and the food industry.

Bioactive compounds and functional properties of Rambai (Baccaurea motleyana Müll. Arg.) fruit: A comprehensive review.

Rambai (Baccaurea motleyana Müll. Arg.), a member of the Phyllanthaceae family, is one of the underutilized fruits native to Indonesia, Malaya Peninsula, and Thailand. Nowadays, B. motleyana is cultivated for its fruits in many parts of Northern Australia, China, and Southeast Asia. The edible part of the fruit is white and contains reddish arillodes that taste sweet to acid‐sweet. The ripe fruit is consumed fresh and can be processed into juice, jams, organic vinegar, and wine. Traditionally, the fruit and its bark are used to treat stomach and eye diseases, respectively. The fruits of B. motleyana are a good source of vitamins, minerals, and fibers, and they also contain bioactive compounds such as phenolic acids, flavonoids, carotenoids, and terpenes. This scientific review describes the nutritional composition, phytochemistry, and pharmacology of B. motleyana. In addition, most recent information is provided to promote the widespread consumption of B. motleyana fruit as well as to create research interest on this interesting species among the scientific community.

Melioidosis in Australia

Melioidosis is a potentially fatal bacterial infection caused by the Gram-negative bacillus, Burkholderia pseudomallei following contact with a contaminated environmental source, normally soil or water in tropical and subtropical locations. The disease spectrum varies from rapidly progressive bacteraemic infection with or without pneumonia, to focal lesions in deep soft tissues and internal organs to superficial soft tissue infection and asymptomatic seroconversion with possible long-term dormancy. Most infections occur with a background of chronic illness such as diabetes, chronic kidney disease and alcoholic liver disease. Improvements in diagnosis, targeted antimicrobial treatment and long term follow up have improved clinical outcomes. Environmental controls following rare point source case clusters and heightened awareness of melioidosis appear to have reduced the disease burden in some parts of northern Australia. However, the impact of climate change on dispersal of environmental B. pseudomallei, and changing land use in tropical Australia is expected to change the epidemiology of melioidosis in future.

Understanding trends in hydrologic extremes across Australia

Changes in the hydrologic cycle have far reaching impacts on agricultural productivity, water resources availability, riverine ecosystems, and our ability to manage environmental assets, bushfire risk, and flood hazard. For example, declining rainfall in the southeast of Australia has led to a prolonged period of drought, with serious impacts on agriculture, the environment, and water supply to urban and rural towns. Here, using the continental wide Australian Water Resources Assessment Landscape model (AWRA-L), we evaluate historical trends from 1960 to 2017 in rainfall, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and runoff to explain changing drought and flooding. Northern parts of Australia have experienced increasing annual rainfall totals, resulting in increased water availability in the tropics with increased soil moisture, evapotranspiration, and runoff, particularly during the hot, wet monsoon season. In contrast, the southwest and southeast coast of Australia have experienced declines in rainfall, particularly in the colder months, corresponding with decreasing evapotranspiration, soil moisture, and runoff. Trends in flooding are aligned with runoff trends, and closely follow trends in rainfall, with changes in soil moisture of secondary influence. Streamflow droughts, measured by the standardised runoff index, are increasing across large parts of Australia, with these increases more widespread than changes in rainfall alone. Increases in rainfall in the tropics of northern Australia appear to be related to decreasing drought occurrence and extent, but this trend is not universal, suggesting changes in rainfall alone are not an indicator of changing drought conditions.

Evidence of a continent-wide shift of episodic rainfall in Australia

Extreme daily rainfall has intensified and become more frequent globally. However, in Australia, long-term changes in the characteristics of extreme rainfall are not well understood. Commonly used indices that examine the characteristics of rainfall rarely show statistically significant long-term historical changes in mean and extreme rainfall events. Here we use a rainfall event-based approach to study observed changes in intensity and frequency of rainfall events in Australia. This approach defines rain events as n consecutive days of rain to account for varying event duration. The intensity of a rainfall event is defined as the average of the daily accumulation of rainfall over the event duration. We find that short-duration rainfall events (1–2 day) have become more frequent and have intensified in large parts of Australia since the beginning of the 20th century. The frequency of longer duration rainfall events (3–4 day and 5–6 day) show substantial and statistically significant reductions in the south of Australia and increases in some parts of northern Australia. The frequency of rainfall events lasting >6 days has increased in the north and decreased in the south. The robust increase in short-duration episodic rainfall events across Australia and decrease in the frequency of extended episodic events imply rainfall has become more sporadic in Australia. Changes in rainfall intensities are less consistent compared to changes in frequency across the continent. We find an increase in intensity in the 1–2 and 3–4 day events, but the trends in the intensity of those events lasting >4 days are mostly not significant. Overall, changes in the characteristics of rainfall events of duration n days provide more spatially coherent results than those presented previously.

Complications of Melioidosis: A Systematic Review


 Introduction: Melioidosis, also known as Whitmore disease, is caused by the gram-negative bacillus, Burkholderia pseudomallei and remains a public health concern in Southeast Asia and northern parts of Australia. This study attempts to identify all possible complications of melioidosis and its outcomes.
 Methods: Literature search was conducted from databases such as PubMed, Science Direct and Scopus from 1st January 2000 to 31st August 2019. Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) search strategy was used with the terms ‘Melioidosis’ or ‘Burkholderia pseudomallei’ and ‘Complications’.
 Results: A total of 162 titles were identified and 22 articles were included in the review. Findings showed that among the 22 articles, the ratio of male to female melioidosis incidence was 2.3 to 1, with most cases (86.4%) aged older than 14 years old and showed a mean age of 46 years old. A third (7/22) of the papers reported the involvement of the nervous system as a complication of melioidosis followed by cardiovascular complications. Among the 23 cases reported, 13 had underlying medical conditions with most of them (84.6%) having diabetes mellitus or newly diagnosed with diabetes mellitus. Overall, only one case (4.3%) had resulted in mortality, while 17.4% developed complications and 78.3% managed a full recovery after undergoing treatment for melioidosis.
 Conclusion: The most commonly found complication of melioidosis involved the nervous system but patient outcomes were favourable. Rare complications included mycotic aneurysm that can be fatal. Melioidosis can affect almost any organ leading to various complications.

Segregation Distortion Observed in the Progeny of Crosses Between Oryza sativa and O. meridionalis Caused by Abortion During Seed Development.

Wild rice relatives having the same AA genome as domesticated rice (Oryza sativa) comprise the primary gene pool for rice genetic improvement. Among them, O. meridionalis and O. rufipogon are found in the northern part of Australia. Three Australian wild rice strains, Jpn1 (O. rufipogon), Jpn2, and W1297 (O. meridionalis), and one cultivated rice cultivar Taichung 65 (T65) were used in this study. A recurrent backcrossing strategy was adopted to produce chromosomal segment substitution lines (CSSLs) carrying chromosomal segments from wild relatives and used for trait evaluation and genetic analysis. The segregation of the DNA marker RM136 locus on chromosome 6 was found to be highly distorted, and a recessive lethal gene causing abortion at the seed developmental stage was shown to be located between two DNA markers, KGC6_10.09 and KGC6_22.19 on chromosome 6 of W1297. We name this gene as SEED DEVELOPMENT 1 (gene symbol: SDV1). O. sativa is thought to share the functional dominant allele Sdv1-s (s for sativa), and O. meridionalis is thought to share the recessive abortive allele sdv1-m (m for meridionalis). Though carrying the sdv1-m allele, the O. meridionalis accessions can self-fertilize and bear seeds. We speculate that the SDV1 gene may have been duplicated before the divergence between O. meridionalis and the other AA genome Oryza species, and that O. meridionalis has lost the function of the SDV1 gene and has kept the function of another putative gene named SDV2.

Situation of Melioidosis in Tuaran (2017)

Background: Melioidosis an infectious disease caused by gram-negative bacteria, Burkholderia pseudomallei is highly endemic in Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and parts of northern Australia. The district of Tuaran which is located on the west coast of Sabah had reported an increasing trend of Melioidosis cases where in 2017, a total of 19 cases were reported, more than doubling the number of cases reported the prior year (7 cases).

Improving population retention in northern Australia: clues from German-born Territorians

Background Population growth rates in many parts of northern Australia have slowed considerably in recent years. Governments are interested in identifying northern migration ‘markets’ as potential targets for a mix of marketing and policy-based approaches to improve population attraction and retention. In the Northern Territory (NT), German-born residents present an interesting case study. Many are long-term residents (‘sticky’), highly educated, in professional jobs and say they are likely to stay. Aims We profile and report on a study of German-born NT residents as one important international market for offsetting population losses. Understanding factors which have contributed to the attraction and retention of this group may help to inform policies and initiatives to improve the population position of the NT and northern Australia more broadly. Data and methods Data for the paper is sourced from the 2016 ABS Census of Population and Housing (Census) and the 2017 German Territorian Survey (GTS) conducted by Charles Darwin University. Results German-born residents are a relatively immobile (‘sticky’) and educated population group in the NT with a high ratio of females. Many of those surveyed, in particular those who had arrived as working holiday makers or tourists, exhibited little or no intention of leaving. Lifestyle factors, climate and job opportunities ranked highly in decisions to stay. Conclusions The study of German-born Territorians holds promise for developing targetted niche migration initiatives to address skills and population deficits in the NT and northern Australia. Analysis of responses to the GTS highlighted opportunities for recruiting skilled women and the importance of tourism as a source for labour supply and population growth.

Molecular Dynamics and Mode of Transmission of Koala Retrovirus as It Invades and Spreads through a Wild Queensland Koala Population

The recent acquisition of a novel retrovirus (KoRV) by koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus) has created new opportunities for retroviral research and new challenges for koala conservation. There are currently two major subtypes of KoRV: KoRV-A, which is believed to be endogenous only in koalas from the northern part of Australia, and KoRV-B, which appears to be exogenous. Understanding and management of these subtypes require population level studies of their prevalence and diversity, especially when coinfected in the same population, and investigations of their modes of transmission in the wild. Toward this end, we studied a wild Queensland koala population of 290 animals over a 5-year period and investigated the prevalence, diversity and mode of transmission of KoRV-A and KoRV-B. We found KoRV-A to have an infection level of 100% in the population, with all animals sharing the same dominant envelope protein sequence. In contrast, the KoRV-B infection prevalence was only 24%, with 21 different envelope protein sequence variants found in the 83 KoRV-B-positive animals. Linked to severe disease outcomes, a significant association between KoRV-B positivity and both chlamydial disease and neoplasia was found in the population. Transmission of KoRV-B was found at a rate of 3% via adult-to-adult contact per year, while there was a 100% rate of KoRV-B-positive mothers transmitting the virus to their joeys. Collectively, these findings demonstrate KoRV-B as the pathogenic subtype in this wild koala population and inform future intervention strategies with subtype variation and transmission data. IMPORTANCE KoRV represents a unique opportunity to study a relatively young retrovirus as it goes through its molecular evolution in both an endogenous form and a more recently evolved exogenous form. The endogenous form, KoRV-A, now appears to have stably and completely established itself in Northern Australian koala populations and is progressing south. Conversely, the exogenous form, KoRV-B, is undergoing continuous mutation and spread in the north and, as yet, has not reached all southern koala populations. We can now link KoRV-B to neoplasia and chlamydial disease in both wild and captive koalas, making it an imminent threat to this already vulnerable species. This work represents the largest study of koalas in a wild population with respect to KoRV-A/KoRV-B-infected/coinfected animals and the linkage of this infection to chlamydial disease, neoplasia, viral evolution, and spread.

Application of PCR-Based Tools to Explore Strongyloides Infection in People in Parts of Northern Australia.

Strongyloidiasis, which is caused by infection with the nematode Strongyloides stercoralis, is endemic to areas of northern Australia. Diagnosis in this region remains difficult due to the distances between endemic communities and diagnostic laboratories, leading to lengthy delays in stool processing for microscopy and culture. PCR represents a viable solution to this difficulty, having potential for high sensitivity detection of S. stercoralis, even in older, unpreserved faecal samples. We prospectively collected 695 faecal specimens that were submitted to The Townsville Hospital Microbiology Laboratory from the North Queensland region for routine parasitological examination, and subjected them to a Strongyloides sp. real-time (q)PCR. Results were confirmed with a novel nested conventional PCR assay targeting the 18S rRNA gene, followed by single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis (SSCP). Of the 695 specimens tested, S. stercoralis was detected in three specimens (0.4%) by classical parasitological methods (direct microscopy and formyl-ether acetate concentration), whereas 42 positives were detected by qPCR (6.0%). Conventional PCR confirmed the real-time PCR results in 24 of the samples (3.5%). Several apparent false-positive results occurred at higher cycle times (Ct) in the qPCR. Use of real-time PCR in these populations is promising for the enhanced detection of disease and to support eradication efforts.

Cattle phenotypes can disguise their maternal ancestry

BackgroundCattle are bred for, amongst other factors, specific traits, including parasite resistance and adaptation to climate. However, the influence and inheritance of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are not usually considered in breeding programmes. In this study, we analysed the mtDNA profiles of cattle from Victoria (VIC), southern Australia, which is a temperate climate, and the Northern Territory (NT), the northern part of Australia, which has a tropical climate, to determine if the mtDNA profiles of these cattle are indicative of breed and phenotype, and whether these profiles are appropriate for their environments.ResultsA phylogenetic tree of the full mtDNA sequences of different breeds of cattle, which were obtained from the NCBI database, showed that the mtDNA profiles of cattle do not always reflect their phenotype as some cattle with Bos taurus phenotypes had Bos indicus mtDNA, whilst some cattle with Bos indicus phenotypes had Bos taurus mtDNA. Using D-loop sequencing, we were able to contrast the phenotypes and mtDNA profiles from different species of cattle from the 2 distinct cattle breeding regions of Australia. We found that 67 of the 121 cattle with Bos indicus phenotypes from NT (55.4%) had Bos taurus mtDNA. In VIC, 92 of the 225 cattle with Bos taurus phenotypes (40.9%) possessed Bos indicus mtDNA. When focusing on oocytes from cattle with the Bos taurus phenotype in VIC, their respective oocytes with Bos indicus mtDNA had significantly lower levels of mtDNA copy number compared with oocytes possessing Bos taurus mtDNA (P < 0.01). However, embryos derived from oocytes with Bos indicus mtDNA had the same ability to develop to the blastocyst stage and the levels of mtDNA copy number in their blastocysts were similar to blastocysts derived from oocytes harbouring Bos taurus mtDNA. Nevertheless, oocytes originating from the Bos indicus phenotype exhibited lower developmental potential due to low mtDNA copy number when compared with oocytes from cattle with a Bos taurus phenotype.ConclusionsThe phenotype of cattle is not always related to their mtDNA profiles. MtDNA profiles should be considered for breeding programmes as they also influence phenotypic traits and reproductive capacity in terms of oocyte quality.

The effect of retouch intensity on mid to late Holocene unifacial and bifacial points from the Kimberley

Stone points have provided key data for studies of hunter gatherer lifeways in several parts of the world. Point technologies occur widely across northern Australia, appearing around the mid-Holocene and persisting into the European Contact period. These points exhibit high-morphological variation, and include bifacial, unifacial and other forms. In the Northern Territory and north Queensland, points have been shown to form part of a reduction continuum. However, in the Kimberley region of Western Australia, similar reconstructions of artefact life history have not been conducted. Using a recently excavated assemblage with a large sample of retouched unifacial and bifacial points (n = 137), we examine the effect of retouch intensity on changing point morphology. Quantification of point reduction reveals a complex artefact life history having compelling parallels with point assemblages from other parts of northern Australia. Drivers for the inception of point technology in northern Australia are likely to be multiple, including environmental change, population change and social signalling.

Skin infection caused by Burkholderia thailandensis: Case report with review

Burkholderia thailandensis is genetically closed to Burkholderia pseudomallei , which causes melioidosis. The bacterium inhabits the environments of tropical regions including those in Southeast Asia and the Northern part of Australia. B. thailandensis is considered avirulent and extremely uncommon to cause disease. We report the first case of foot abscess with skin cellulitis and ankle swelling caused by B. thailandensis in Malaysia. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2016;6(2): 92-95

Genomic resources and draft assemblies of the human and porcine varieties of scabies mites, Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis and var. suis.

BackgroundThe scabies mite, Sarcoptes scabiei, is a parasitic arachnid and cause of the infectious skin disease scabies in humans and mange in other animal species. Scabies infections are a major health problem, particularly in remote Indigenous communities in Australia, where secondary group A streptococcal and Staphylococcus aureus infections of scabies sores are thought to drive the high rate of rheumatic heart disease and chronic kidney disease.ResultsWe sequenced the genome of two samples of Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis obtained from unrelated patients with crusted scabies located in different parts of northern Australia using the Illumina HiSeq. We also sequenced samples of Sarcoptes scabiei var. suis from a pig model. Because of the small size of the scabies mite, these data are derived from pools of thousands of mites and are metagenomic, including host and microbiome DNA. We performed cleaning and de novo assembly and present Sarcoptes scabiei var. hominis and var. suis draft reference genomes. We have constructed a preliminary annotation of this reference comprising 13,226 putative coding sequences based on sequence similarity to known proteins.ConclusionsWe have developed extensive genomic resources for the scabies mite, including reference genomes and a preliminary annotation.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s13742-016-0129-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Skin infection caused by Burkholderia thailandensis: Case report with review

Burkholderia thailandensis is genetically closed to Burkholderia pseudomallei, which causes melioidosis. The bacterium inhabits the environments of tropical regions including those in Southeast Asia and the Northern part of Australia. B. thailandensis is considered avirulent and extremely uncommon to cause disease. We report the first case of foot abscess with skin cellulitis and ankle swelling caused by B. thailandensis in Malaysia. J Microbiol Infect Dis 2016;6(2): 92-95

Fire management business in Australia's tropical savannas: Lighting the way for a new ecosystem services model for the north?

Fire management business in Australia's tropical savannas: Lighting the way for a new ecosystem services model for the north?

Genetic Diversity Analysis of Indian Salmon, &lt;i&gt;Eleutheronema tetradactylum&lt;/i&gt; from South Asian Countries Based on Mitochondrial COI Gene Sequences

Eleutheronema tetradactylum is an important commercial fish species exposed to intense exploitation both in Southeast Asian countries and Northern parts of Australia. Research on the population structure of E. tetradactylum in these coastal waters is substantial in order to ensure sustainable use and appropriate resource management. In this study, genetic variation, diversity and population structure of E. tetradactylum among four FAO fishing areas, along South Asian countries, were evaluated using cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene. Totally 30 sequences of COI gene were collected from four FAO fishing areas. Among these 30 individuals, 18 distinct haplotypes were defined. High levels of haplotype diversity (hd = 0.952 ± 0.096) and nucleotide diversity (Ï€ = 0.01536 ± 0.00312) were observed in the population within the Bay of Bengal. No haplotype and nucleotide diversity were observed in South China Sea population. Hierarchical analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) indicated that 0.81% of the genetic variation occurred within the populations, while 7.09% variation occurred among populations. Significant genealogical branches were recognized in North Australian populations (one clade), South China Sea populations (one clade), Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal populations (one clade) on the neighbor-joining tree. These results suggested that E. tetradactylum populations in FAO fishing areas 51, 57 and 61 have developed different genetic structures. Tests of neutral evolution and mismatch distribution suggest that a population growth of E. tetradactylum may take place in these fishing areas.