PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Christmas Island reptile-killer identified

Bacterium responsible for deaths of critically endangered species

Christmas Island reptile-killer identified
2021-03-18
(Press-News.org) Native reptile populations on Christmas Island have been in severe decline with two species, Lister's gecko and the blue-tailed skink, entirely disappearing from the wild. While previously the main driver for this decline is likely predation by invasive species and habitat destruction, a silent killer is now threatening to wipe the species out entirely.

Those bred in captivity on the Australian Territory in the Indian Ocean have also been mysteriously dying, leaving the two species - which number only around 1000 each - in danger of extinction. Veterinary scientists from the University of Sydney, the Australian Registry of Wildlife Health and the Taronga Conservation Society Australia have now discovered the cause of these deaths: a bacterium, Enterococcus lacertideformus (E. lacertideformus).

The bacterium was discovered in 2014 after captive reptiles presented with facial deformities and lethargy, and some even died. Samples were collected and analysed using microscopy and genetic testing.

The researchers' findings, published in Frontiers in Microbiology, will inform antibiotic trials on the reptiles to see if the infection can be treated.

The bacterium grows in the animal's head, then in its internal organs, before eventually causing death. It can be spread by direct contact - including through reptiles' mouths, or via reptiles biting one another - often during breeding season fights.

"This means that healthy captive animals need to be kept apart from infected ones and should also be kept away from areas where infected animals have been," said Jessica Agius, co-lead researcher and PhD candidate in the Sydney School of Veterinary Science.

Ms Agius and the research team not only identified the bacterium, they decoded its genetic structure using whole genome sequencing.

Specific genes were identified that are likely to be associated with the bacterium's ability to infect its host, invade its tissues and avoid the immune system.

"We also found that the bacterium can surround itself with a biofilm - a 'community of bacteria' that can help it survive," Ms Agius said.

"Understanding how E. lacertideformus produces and maintains the biofilm may provide insights on how to treat other species of biofilm-forming bacteria."

The search of the genetic code suggested that the killer bacterium was susceptible to most antibiotics.

Professor David Phalen, research co-lead and Ms Agius' PhD supervisor, said: "This suggests that infected animals might be successfully treated. That's what we need to determine now."

In another effort to protect the endangered reptiles on Christmas Island, a population of blue-tailed skinks has been established on the Cocos Islands. Ms Agius played a critical role in the translocation, testing reptiles on the Cocos Islands to make sure that they were free of E. lacertideformus.

"It's critical we act now to ensure these native reptiles survive," Ms Agius said.

INFORMATION:


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Christmas Island reptile-killer identified

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Astronomers see a 'space jellyfish'

2021-03-18
A radio telescope located in outback Western Australia has observed a cosmic phenomenon with a striking resemblance to a jellyfish. Published today in The Astrophysical Journal, an Australian-Italian team used the Murchison Widefield Array (MWA) telescope to observe a cluster of galaxies known as Abell 2877. Lead author and PhD candidate Torrance Hodgson, from the Curtin University node of the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) in Perth, said the team observed the cluster for 12 hours at five radio frequencies between 87.5 and 215.5 megahertz. "We looked at the data, and as we turned down the frequency, we saw a ghostly jellyfish-like ...

Researchers develop acid-sensitive nanoparticles as new treatment for pancreatic cancer

2021-03-18
The research team led by Prof. YANG Lihua from Hefei National Laboratory for Physical Sciences at the Microscale, School of Chemistry and Materials Science of the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences proposed nanomicelles composed solely of macromolecules as a new approach for treating pancreatic tumor. The study was published in ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces. Host dense peptides (HDP) is a part of the innate immunity of eukaryotic organism. It helps the host fence back attack by microbes through disrupting cellular membrane integrity. Inspired by HDP, membrane-disruptive macromolecules are designed with two most HDP's common structural characteristics (cationic and amphipathic) to realize similar membrane-disrupting ...

Eating before 8:30 a.m. could reduce risk factors for type 2 diabetes

2021-03-18
WASHINGTON--People who start eating before 8:30 a.m. had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance, which could reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. "We found people who started eating earlier in the day had lower blood sugar levels and less insulin resistance, regardless of whether they restricted their food intake to less than 10 hours a day or their food intake was spread over more than 13 hours daily," said lead researcher Marriam Ali, M.D., of Northwestern University in Chicago, Ill. Insulin resistance occurs when the body doesn't respond as well to the insulin that the pancreas is producing and glucose is less able to enter the cells. People with insulin resistance ...

1 in 3 older thyroid patients take medications that interfere with thyroid function tests

2021-03-18
WASHINGTON--Nearly one-third of adults age 65 and older who take thyroid hormone also take medications that are known to interfere with thyroid function tests, according to a study presented virtually at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. "Our findings highlight the complexity of managing thyroid hormone replacement in older adults, many of whom take medications for other medical conditions," said first author Rachel Beeson, M.D., of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Mich. "Until now, the prevalence of concurrent use of thyroid hormone and interfering medications in older adults, and patient characteristics associated with this practice, has been unknown." Thyroid ...

Osteoporosis drug prescribing often does not follow guidelines

2021-03-18
WASHINGTON--Less than one in 10 commercially insured patients in the United States who broke a hip, a major complication of osteoporosis, receive any osteoporosis medical treatment within two calendar quarters of their fracture, according to a study whose results will be presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting. Rates of treatment with osteoporosis, or bone loss, medicines dropped dramatically over the past decade from 15 percent to 8 percent, a new analysis of a large nationwide private insurance database found. The decrease comes despite ...

Powerful stratospheric winds measured on Jupiter for the first time

Powerful stratospheric winds measured on Jupiter for the first time
2021-03-18
Using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA), in which the European Southern Observatory (ESO) is a partner, a team of astronomers have directly measured winds in Jupiter's middle atmosphere for the first time. By analysing the aftermath of a comet collision from the 1990s, the researchers have revealed incredibly powerful winds, with speeds of up to 1450 kilometres an hour, near Jupiter's poles. They could represent what the team have described as a "unique meteorological beast in our Solar System". Jupiter is famous for its distinctive red and white bands: swirling clouds of moving gas that astronomers traditionally use to track winds in Jupiter's lower atmosphere. Astronomers ...

Harbor porpoises attracted to oil platforms when searching for food

Harbor porpoises attracted to oil platforms when searching for food
2021-03-18
A large gathering of fish tempts harbour porpoises to search for food around oil and gas platforms, even though the noise from these industrial plants normally to scare the whales away. Decommissioned platforms may therefore serve as artificial reefs in the North Sea. Harbour porpoises are one of the smallest of all whales and the only whale that with certainty breeds in Danish waters. The harbour porpoise was protected in 1967 in Danish Waters, and researchers from Aarhus University, Denmark, have previously shown that underwater noise from ships, and seismic surveys of the seabed scare the porpoises away. A brand new study now shows that in some parts of the year there are actually ...

A new study by Novateur Ventures provides global analysis of COVID-19 vaccines

A new study by Novateur Ventures provides global analysis of COVID-19 vaccines
2021-03-18
A new study by Novateur Ventures provides a comparative analysis of twelve COVID-19 Vaccines that had initiated or announced the Phase III clinical trial stage by early November 2020. The study highlights the early successes, as well as the hurdles and barriers yet to be overcome for ending the global COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 vaccines analyzed for the study messenger RNA - Moderna and Pfizer/BioNtech Viral Vector-based (non-replicating) Vaccines - Astra Zeneca/University of Oxford, CanSino Biologics, Gamaleya Research Institute, Johnson & Johnson/Janssen (J&J)) Recombinant Protein-based Vaccines - Novavax and Medicago Inactivated Virus - Three Chinese conglomerates and one Indian company The study 'Target Product Profile Analysis ...

Escape from mongoose: frog's novel strategy

Escape from mongoose: frogs novel strategy
2021-03-18
Biodiversity is increasingly ruined by humanity's many impacts, a major aspect of which is biological invasion. Although there are a lot of studies reporting that invasive predators decrease the population size of native species, only a few studies have reported impact on phenotypic traits such as morphology and performance of native species. Particularly island ecosystem is very sensitive to invasive predators because strong predators such as mammalian predators are not in such environment. Researchers at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology (TUAT) analyzed predators' effect on frogs in a Japanese island and their findings were reported in Biological ...

Muscle cramp? Drink electrolytes, not water

Muscle cramp? Drink electrolytes, not water
2021-03-18
If you reach for water when a muscle cramp strikes, you might want to think again. New research from Edith Cowan University (ECU) has revealed drinking electrolytes instead of pure water can help prevent muscle cramps. The study, published in the Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, found that people who drank electrolyte enhanced water during and after exercise were less susceptible to muscle cramps than those who drank pure water. Muscle cramps are a common painful condition affecting many people, including around 39 per cent of marathon runners, 52 per cent of rugby players and 60 per cent of cyclists. ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Humans evolved fastest amongst the apes

Biochar and wetter soils offer breakthrough path to slash farm emissions without cutting crop yields

New biochar-enhanced cement could lock away more carbon dioxide

Strong evidence supports skin-to-skin contact after birth as standard care

Why it’s not just about money: Who goes to the ballet, opera and symphony

Daily step counts of 4,000 or more tied to reduced risk of heart disease, mortality in older women

Number of steps taken matters more for better health in older women than the frequency

Less than half of schoolkids at risk of food anaphylaxis in England prescribed adrenaline ‘antidote’

The Lancet: Antidepressants vary widely in their physical side effects, highlighting the need for personalised prescribing, says major meta-analysis

Scientists discover clean and green way to recycle Teflon®

‘Messy’ galaxies in the early universe struggled to settle

Global supply chains benefit most from who you know

While searching for the world’s oldest ice, scientists find sediment sneaking under the Antarctic ice sheet

Contrasting risk profiles for suicide attempt and suicide

Future-focused conservation index identifies reptiles as highest conservation priority

Ideological polarization and the spread of biased or fake news on Facebook are on the rise, according to a study by the UPF

New study reveals how tiny but powerful gatekeepers guard the nucleus

Discovery of a brown dwarf orbiting a red dwarf through the synergy of ground- and space-based observatories

CPA journal wins prestigious award at high-quality development conference

Disruptive investments can build a cleaner aviation industry

Wearable optical device distinguishes blood flow signals from the brain and scalp

USC-Caltech study moves novel tool to measure brain blood flow closer to the clinic

Changes in colorectal cancer screening modalities among insured individuals

Seaweed makes for eco-friendly tissue scaffolds and reduces animal testing

New study: AI chatbots systematically violate mental health ethics standards

Smoking both cannabis and tobacco may alter brain’s ‘bliss molecule,’ study finds

The rise of longevity clinics: Promise, risk, and the future of aging

Decoding the T-cell burst: Signature genes that predict T-cell expansion in cancer immunotherapy

Biomarker can help predict preeclampsia risk in women with sickle cell disease

AI models can now be customized with far less data and computing power

[Press-News.org] Christmas Island reptile-killer identified
Bacterium responsible for deaths of critically endangered species