Potential Facilitation Between a Commensal and a Pathogenic Microbe in a Wildlife Disease

Quantification of Thermal Acclimation in Immune Functions in Ectothermic Animals

This short review focuses on current experimental designs to quantify immune acclimation in animals. Especially in the face of rapidly changing thermal regimes, thermal acclimation of immune function has the potential to impact host-pathogen relationships and the fitness of hosts. While much of the field of ecoimmunology has focused on vertebrates and insects, broad interest in how animals can acclimate to temperatures spans taxa. The literature shows a recent increase in thermal acclimation studies in the past six years. I categorized studies as focusing on (1) natural thermal variation in the environment (e.g., seasonal), (2) in vivo manipulation of animals in captive conditions, and (3) in vitro assays using biological samples taken from wild or captive animals. I detail the strengths and weaknesses of these approaches, with an emphasis on mechanisms of acclimation at different levels of organization (organismal and cellular). These two mechanisms are not mutually exclusive, and a greater combination of the three techniques listed above will increase our knowledge of the diversity of mechanisms used by animals to acclimate to changing thermal regimes. Finally, I suggest that functional assays of immune system cells (such as quantification of phagocytosis) are an accessible and non-taxa-specific way to tease apart the effects of animals upregulating quantities of immune effectors (cells) and changes in the function of immune effectors (cellular performance) due to structural changes in cells such as those of membranes and enzymes.

A comprehensive analysis of chemical and biological pollutants (natural and anthropogenic origin) of soil and dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) samples

A range of analytical methods (GC-MS, LC-MS, voltammetry, microbiological and microscopic techniques, PCR) was used to assay a range of potential chemical and biological contaminants in soil and dandelion samples. The results provide the first comprehensive safety analysis of dandelion as a herbal product. Samples were collected from three different sites in Poland where the local population collects dandelion plants for their own consumption: Rudenka (a mountain meadow in the European Ecological Network of Natura 2000 protection area, free of agrotechnical treatments for over 30 years), Warszawa 1 (dense single-family housing with heavy traffic), and Warszawa 2 (recreation area with heavy traffic near a coal-fired heat and power plant). The assays of heavy metals and other chemical pollutants (PAHs, PCBs, dioxins, pesticides, mycotoxins) confirm that all collected soil and dandelion samples were chemically pure; however, 95 species of pathogenic bacteria were detected, including "carnivorous" Vibrio vulnificus, zoonotic Pasteurella pneumotropica, Pasteurella canis, Staphylococcus pseudintermedius, Staphylococcus lentus and Francisella tularensis as well as 14 species of pathogenic fungi and one protozoan parasite (Giardia intestinalis). The discovery of septicemia agents V. vulnificus, Fusobacterium mortiferum and Rahnella aquatilis in the soil surrounding dandelion roots and in the flowers, G. intestinalis in dandelion leaves and roots samples, all collected in Warsaw, is highly disturbing. This finding underlines the need for increased caution when collecting dandelion in densely populated areas with a large population of pets. Thorough washing of the harvested plants is necessary before using them for consumption, especially in the case of making salads from fresh dandelion leaves, which is becoming increasingly popular among people leading healthy and an environmentally friendly lifestyle.