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McGrath-Blaser SE, McGathey N, Pardon A, Hartmann AM, Longo AV. Invasibility of a North American soil ecosystem to amphibian-killing fungal pathogens. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232658. [PMID: 38628130 PMCID: PMC11021929 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2658] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
North American salamanders are threatened by intercontinental spread of chytridiomycosis, a deadly disease caused by the fungal pathogen Batrachochytrium salamandrivorans (Bsal). To predict potential dispersal of Bsal spores to salamander habitats, we evaluated the capacity of soil microbial communities to resist invasion. We determined the degree of habitat invasibility using soils from five locations throughout the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a region with a high abundance of susceptible hosts. Our experimental design consisted of replicate soil microcosms exposed to different propagule pressures of the non-native pathogen, Bsal, and an introduced but endemic pathogen, B. dendrobatidis (Bd). To compare growth and competitive interactions, we used quantitative PCR, live/dead cell viability assays, and full-length 16S rRNA sequencing. We found that soil microcosms with intact bacterial communities inhibited both Bsal and Bd growth, but inhibitory capacity diminished with increased propagule pressure. Bsal showed greater persistence than Bd. Linear discriminant analysis (LDA) identified the family Burkolderiaceae as increasing in relative abundance with the decline of both pathogens. Although our findings provide evidence of environmental filtering in soils, such barriers weakened in response to pathogen type and propagule pressure, showing that habitats vary their invasibility based on properties of their local microbial communities.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Natalie McGathey
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Allison Pardon
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Arik M. Hartmann
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
| | - Ana V. Longo
- Department of Biology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA
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Varzandi AR, Zanet S, Rubele E, Occhibove F, Vada R, Benatti F, Ferroglio E. Development of a qPCR Duplex Assay for simultaneous detection of Fascioloides magna and Galba truncatula in eDNA samples: Monitoring beyond boundaries. THE SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT 2024; 916:170338. [PMID: 38266734 DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.170338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2023] [Revised: 12/27/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Parasites constitute a significant economic burden and highly impact environmental, public, and animal health. The emergence of many parasitic diseases is environmentally mediated and they share the same biogeography with humans and both domestic and wild animals. American liver fluke, Fascioloides magna - a trematode parasite of domestic and wild ungulates - is an example of the anthropogenic introduction of an "invasive alien species" in Italy and Europe. Multiple introductions to Europe have led to the biogeographical expansion of the parasite across the Danube region mainly provided by the presence of suitable habitats for all hosts involved in the parasite's life cycle, human-assisted transport, and drastic environmental events such as flooding. In Italy, it was introduced and established in La Mandria Regional Park (LMRP) near Turin in 1865 along with imported wapitis (Cervus elaphus canadensis) from North America (Bassi, 1875), but with no reported expansion to the surrounding areas. LMRP isolated F. magna focus, poses an important threat of possible expansion since the enclosed area is vulnerable to occasional bidirectional passage of roe deer. Additionally, tributary rivers to the Po river system, traversing the enclosed area, could further bolster the possibility of such spread. In this study, we developed a duplex qPCR assay for F. magna and its principal intermediate host Galba truncatula optimized for testing eDNA samples to meet the needs for surveillance of the parasite. Moreover, we validated the developed assay in natura by testing samples derived from filtered water and sediments collected inside and outside LMRP's fenced-off area. Our findings for the first time demonstrate the presence of F. magna's eDNA outside the park's internal fenced-off area.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amir Reza Varzandi
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, TO, Italy.
| | - Stefania Zanet
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Elisa Rubele
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Flavia Occhibove
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Rachele Vada
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Francesco Benatti
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
| | - Ezio Ferroglio
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Turin, Largo Braccini 2, Grugliasco, TO, Italy
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Mendoza H, López-Pérez AM, Rubio AV, Barrón-Rodríguez JJ, Mazari-Hiriart M, Pontifes PA, Dirzo R, Suzán G. Association between anthropization and rodent reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens in Northwestern Mexico. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0298976. [PMID: 38386681 PMCID: PMC10883555 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0298976] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 02/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The world is facing a major pulse of ecological and social changes that may favor the risk of zoonotic outbreaks. Such risk facilitation may occur through the modification of the host's community diversity and structure, leading to an increase in pathogen reservoirs and the contact rate between these reservoirs and humans. Here, we examined whether anthropization alters the relative abundance and richness of zoonotic reservoir and non-reservoir rodents in three Socio-Ecological Systems. We hypothesized that anthropization increases the relative abundance and richness of rodent reservoirs while decreasing non-reservoir species. We first developed an Anthropization index based on 15 quantitative socio-ecological variables classified into five groups: 1) Vegetation type, 2) Urbanization degree, 3) Water quality, 4) Potential contaminant sources, and 5) Others. We then monitored rodent communities in three regions of Northwestern Mexico (Baja California, Chihuahua, and Sonora). A total of 683 rodents of 14 genera and 27 species were captured, nine of which have been identified as reservoirs of zoonotic pathogens (359 individuals, 53%). In all regions, we found that as anthropization increased, the relative abundance of reservoir rodents increased; in contrast, the relative abundance of non-reservoir rodents decreased. In Sonora, reservoir richness increased with increasing anthropization, while in Baja California and Chihuahua non-reservoir richness decreased as anthropization increased. We also found a significant positive relationship between the anthropization degree and the abundance of house mice (Mus musculus) and deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus), the most abundant reservoir species in the study. These findings support the hypothesis that reservoir species of zoonotic pathogens increase their abundance in disturbed environments, which may increase the risk of pathogen exposure to humans, while anthropization creates an environmental filtering that promotes the local extinction of non-reservoir species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Mendoza
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Andrés M. López-Pérez
- Department of Medicine and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA, United States of America
- Red de Biología y Conservación de Vertebrados, Instituto de Ecología A.C., Xalapa, México
| | - André V. Rubio
- Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas Animales, Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias y Pecuarias, Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Julio J. Barrón-Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Marisa Mazari-Hiriart
- Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias de la Sostenibilidad, Instituto de Ecología, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
| | - Paulina A. Pontifes
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
- MIVEGEC Unit, IRD, CNRS, Université de Montpellier, Montpellier, France
| | - Rodolfo Dirzo
- Departments of Biology and Earth Systems Science, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United States of America
| | - Gerardo Suzán
- Laboratorio de Ecología de Enfermedades y Una Salud, Departamento de Etología, Fauna Silvestre y Animales de Laboratorio, Facultad de Medicina Veterinaria y Zootecnia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Ciudad de México, México
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Dolfi AC, Kausrud K, Rysava K, Champagne C, Huang YH, Barandongo ZR, Turner WC. Season of death, pathogen persistence and wildlife behaviour alter number of anthrax secondary infections from environmental reservoirs. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232568. [PMID: 38320613 PMCID: PMC10846954 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2568] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2023] [Accepted: 01/09/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
An important part of infectious disease management is predicting factors that influence disease outbreaks, such as R, the number of secondary infections arising from an infected individual. Estimating R is particularly challenging for environmentally transmitted pathogens given time lags between cases and subsequent infections. Here, we calculated R for Bacillus anthracis infections arising from anthrax carcass sites in Etosha National Park, Namibia. Combining host behavioural data, pathogen concentrations and simulation models, we show that R is spatially and temporally variable, driven by spore concentrations at death, host visitation rates and early preference for foraging at infectious sites. While spores were detected up to a decade after death, most secondary infections occurred within 2 years. Transmission simulations under scenarios combining site infectiousness and host exposure risk under different environmental conditions led to dramatically different outbreak dynamics, from pathogen extinction (R < 1) to explosive outbreaks (R > 10). These transmission heterogeneities may explain variation in anthrax outbreak dynamics observed globally, and more generally, the critical importance of environmental variation underlying host-pathogen interactions. Notably, our approach allowed us to estimate the lethal dose of a highly virulent pathogen non-invasively from observational studies and epidemiological data, useful when experiments on wildlife are undesirable or impractical.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amélie C. Dolfi
- Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | | | - Kristyna Rysava
- Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Celeste Champagne
- College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Minnesota, Saint Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Yen-Hua Huang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
- Institute for Biospheric Studies, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06511, USA
| | - Zoe R. Barandongo
- Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Wendy C. Turner
- US Geological Survey, Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
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Zhu H, Deng W, Guan F, Lei J. Development of the WeChat Public Account I Love Parasitology and its Preliminary Application in the Teaching of Human Parasitology. JOURNAL OF MEDICAL EDUCATION AND CURRICULAR DEVELOPMENT 2024; 11:23821205241255224. [PMID: 38813087 PMCID: PMC11134169 DOI: 10.1177/23821205241255224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2024] [Indexed: 05/31/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To better construct teaching resources, enhance real-time interaction and feedback between teachers and students in and out of class, and improve the teaching quality of parasitology, our team set up a WeChat public account I love Parasitology. METHODS The data sources were mainly from original pictures and multimedia materials of different parasites collected and produced by our team, as well as related materials collected from traditional publications and digital media. With the instant interactive platform, course schedules and corresponding teaching contents were sent by push notifications, case-based learning was carried out, and 2-way communication between students and teachers was achieved. Teaching effectiveness was assessed using a self-evaluation questionnaire. RESULTS A WeChat public account suitable for our daily teaching of parasitology was established. The second recursion and implementation of the learning resources allowed students to conduct in-depth reading and get unrestricted access to high-quality resources through the public account. In addition, all contents were in digital forms and made the original resources reborn, which would make up for our current and future shortage of physical teaching specimens. Moreover, the results from the questionnaire indicated that all these actions encouraged students to master theoretical knowledge, improved their abilities of case analysis and communication, and increased their knowledge of academic progress. CONCLUSION Our WeChat public account can provide excellent learning materials for students and is a good supplement to the routine education of human parasitology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Honggang Zhu
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Basic Medical Education, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Weiwen Deng
- National Demonstration Center for Experimental Basic Medical Education, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Fei Guan
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
| | - Jiahui Lei
- Department of Pathogen Biology, School of Basic Medicine, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, China
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Ridwan Y, Sudarnika E, Dewi TIT, Budiono NG. Gastrointestinal helminth parasites of pets: Retrospective study at the veterinary teaching hospital, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia. Vet World 2023; 16:1043-1051. [PMID: 37576768 PMCID: PMC10420713 DOI: 10.14202/vetworld.2023.1043-1051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Background and Aim Dogs and cats are popular pets that play integral roles in human societies worldwide. Unfortunately, they can carry potential zoonotic helminths that can be transmitted to humans. However, data on the gastrointestinal helminths affecting dogs and cats in Bogor, Indonesia, are currently lacking. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence of gastrointestinal helminth parasites in pets from this area using a retrospective analysis. Materials and Methods A retrospective study was conducted at the Veterinary Teaching Hospital of IPB University, Bogor. Cat and dog patients from January 2014 to April 2019 were tested for helminth infections and the results as well as their age, sex, and breed data were analyzed using the Chi-square test. Results Among the dogs and cats examined for internal parasites, 61.11% (33/51) of the dogs and 53.80% (92/171) of the cats were infected by helminths. Among the dogs, hookworm (37.04%) and Toxocara spp. (24.07%) were detected, while in the cats, hookworm (11.11%), Toxocara spp. (38.01%), and Dipylidium caninum (4.68%) were detected. The prevalence of hookworm and D. caninum was higher in older pets, while Toxocara spp. infected younger cats and dogs (<1 year) more frequently. The prevalence of Toxocara spp. in the Indonesian local dog breed was higher when than other breeds. Sex did not significantly affect the prevalence of parasites in dogs or cats. Conclusion The discovery of zoonotic helminth parasites in the cat and dog pets from Bogor raises concerns for the inhabitants. Initiatives will be required to inform pet owners about prevention strategies for these parasitic diseases.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yusuf Ridwan
- Division of Parasitology and Medical Entomology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Etih Sudarnika
- Division of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Tri Isyani Tungga Dewi
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
| | - Novericko Ginger Budiono
- Veterinary Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
- Division of Medical Microbiology, School of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, IPB University, Bogor, Indonesia
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Sokolow SH, Nova N, Jones IJ, Wood CL, Lafferty KD, Garchitorena A, Hopkins SR, Lund AJ, MacDonald AJ, LeBoa C, Peel AJ, Mordecai EA, Howard ME, Buck JC, Lopez-Carr D, Barry M, Bonds MH, De Leo GA. Ecological and socioeconomic factors associated with the human burden of environmentally mediated pathogens: a global analysis. Lancet Planet Health 2022; 6:e870-e879. [PMID: 36370725 PMCID: PMC9669458 DOI: 10.1016/s2542-5196(22)00248-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Revised: 08/22/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Billions of people living in poverty are at risk of environmentally mediated infectious diseases-that is, pathogens with environmental reservoirs that affect disease persistence and control and where environmental control of pathogens can reduce human risk. The complex ecology of these diseases creates a global health problem not easily solved with medical treatment alone. METHODS We quantified the current global disease burden caused by environmentally mediated infectious diseases and used a structural equation model to explore environmental and socioeconomic factors associated with the human burden of environmentally mediated pathogens across all countries. FINDINGS We found that around 80% (455 of 560) of WHO-tracked pathogen species known to infect humans are environmentally mediated, causing about 40% (129 488 of 359 341 disability-adjusted life years) of contemporary infectious disease burden (global loss of 130 million years of healthy life annually). The majority of this environmentally mediated disease burden occurs in tropical countries, and the poorest countries carry the highest burdens across all latitudes. We found weak associations between disease burden and biodiversity or agricultural land use at the global scale. In contrast, the proportion of people with rural poor livelihoods in a country was a strong proximate indicator of environmentally mediated infectious disease burden. Political stability and wealth were associated with improved sanitation, better health care, and lower proportions of rural poverty, indirectly resulting in lower burdens of environmentally mediated infections. Rarely, environmentally mediated pathogens can evolve into global pandemics (eg, HIV, COVID-19) affecting even the wealthiest communities. INTERPRETATION The high and uneven burden of environmentally mediated infections highlights the need for innovative social and ecological interventions to complement biomedical advances in the pursuit of global health and sustainability goals. FUNDING Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, National Institute for Mathematical and Biological Synthesis, Stanford University, and the US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne H Sokolow
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Nicole Nova
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; High Meadows Environmental Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Isabel J Jones
- Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
| | - Chelsea L Wood
- School of Aquatic and Fishery Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Kevin D Lafferty
- US Geological Survey, Western Ecological Research Center, c/o Marine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Andres Garchitorena
- MIVEGEC, Université Montpellier, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Montpellier, France; PIVOT, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Andrea J Lund
- Emmett Interdisciplinary Program in Environment and Resources (E-IPER), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andrew J MacDonald
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Earth Research Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | | | - Alison J Peel
- Centre for Planetary Health and Food Security, Griffith University, Nathan, QLD, Australia
| | - Erin A Mordecai
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Meghan E Howard
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Julia C Buck
- Department of Biology and Marine Biology, University of North Carolina Wilmington, Wilmington, NC, USA
| | - David Lopez-Carr
- Department of Geography, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Michele Barry
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Center for Innovation in Global Health, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Matthew H Bonds
- PIVOT, Division of Global Health Equity, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA; Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Giulio A De Leo
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, CA, USA
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