Rodent-flea-plague relationships were examined at sites located at higher elevations of San Diego County during 1991-2002. The most frequently sampled rodents were the California ground squirrel, Spermophilus beecheyi, and white-footed mice, Peromyscus spp. Higher seasonal mean dependent variables (prevalences of squirrels and indices of O. montana), higher mean amounts of seasonal rainfall, an...

Ucides cordatus is an abundant mangrove crab in Brazil constructing burrows of up to 2 m depth. Sediment around burrows may oxidize during low tides. This increase in sediment-air contact area may enhance carbon degradation processes. We hypothesized that 1) the sediment CO2 efflux rate is greater with burrows than without and 2) the reduction potential in radial profiles in the sediment surrou...

Fungi play fundamental ecological roles in terrestrial ecosystems. However, their distribution and diversity remain poorly described in natural communities, particularly in arid and semi-arid ecosystems. In order to identify environmental factors determining fungal community structure in these systems, we assessed their diversity in conjunction with soil physicochemical characteristics in a sem...

BACKGROUND The presence in Morocco of Argasid ticks of the Ornithodoros erraticus complex, the vector of tick-borne relapsing fever (TBRF) in North Africa, has been known since 1919, but the disease is rarely diagnosed and few epidemiological data are available. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Between 2006 and 2011, we investigated the presence of Ornithodoros ticks in rodent burrows in 34 sit...

An industrial hygiene study was performed monitoring levels of phosphine gas workers are exposed to when applying aluminum phosphide tablets to rodent burrows. Clothing and gloves were monitored for phosphine gas from residual dust. Air in the breathing zone was monitored with short and long term monitoring equipment. No levels of phosphine exceeding the legal permissible exposure limits (PEL) ...

5 Thalassinoides sp. 19 INTRODUCTION 6 Genus Trichichnus Frey, n. gen. 20 Purpose and scope 6 Trichichnus linearis Frey, n. sp. 20 Stratigraphy 6 Genus Zoophycos Massalongo, 1855 22 Correlation of Fort Hays exposures 9 Zoophycos sp. A 22 Petrology 9 Zoophycos sp. B 22 Paleontology 9 Miscellaneous burrows 23 Acknowledgments 10 Arthrophycus-like burrows 23 TRACE FOSSILS (ICHNOLOGY) 10 Scaphopod-s...

BACKGROUND The Norway rat (Rattus norvegicus) is the principal reservoir for leptospirosis in many urban settings. Few studies have identified markers for rat infestation in slum environments while none have evaluated the association between household rat infestation and Leptospira infection in humans or the use of infestation markers as a predictive model to stratify risk for leptospirosis. ...

The incorporation of several anti-rodent masterbatches into polyethylene (PE) granules used for gas pipes and the effects of the masterbatches on the physical properties of the pipes were studied. Four commercial anti-rodent masterbatches from different international companies including, Clariant, Alchemix, PolyOne, and Newgen were used in this research. Each of the masterbatch was primarily dr...

Invasive rodent species have established on 80% of the world's islands causing significant damage to island environments. Insular ecosystems support proportionally more biodiversity than comparative mainland areas, highlighting them as critical for global biodiversity conservation. Few techniques currently exist to adequately detect, with high confidence, species that are trap-adverse such as t...

Tsetse flies Glossina pallidipes Austen and G. morsitans morsitans Westwood deposit their larvae in warthog burrows, in August-November, at Rekomitjie Research Station, Zambezi Valley, Zimbabwe. Artificial burrows, made from 200-l steel drums, were used to sample these flies and to collect their puparia. Sand-filled plastic trays in the burrows served as a substrate for larval deposition. The s...