Use of quinine decreased substantially, although diagnoses of leg cramps persist. To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of an association for quinine and ITP and TMA in claims data.

No abstract

Pesticides in urban runoff are a major source of pollutants in aquatic ecosystems. Fipronil, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, found in structural pest control products, turf grass control, and home pet flea medication, has recently increased in use and is commonly detected in urban runoff. However, little is known about the effects of fipronil on aquatic organisms at early developmental stages. Here, we evaluated toxicity of fipronil to embryos of Japanese Medaka (Oryzias latipes, Qurt stain) using a high-throughput 96-well plate toxicity test. Male and female embryos (< 6 h post fertilization) were exposed to concentrations of fipronil ranging from 0.1–910 μg L−1 for 14 days or until hatching. Embryos were subjected to gross and microscopic examinations of developmental adverse effects as well as transcriptome analysis using RNA-seq. Results indicated a positive dose-response in reduced hatching success, increased gross deformity (tail curvature) at a lowest-observed-effect concentration (LOEC) of 200 μg L−1 and delayed hatching (~1 day at the highest concentration, LOEC = 600 μg L−1). The transcriptome analysis indicated that fipronil exposure enhanced expression of titin and telethonin, which are responsible for muscle development. It is therefore possible that the formation of a tail curvature is due to asymmetrical overgrowth of muscle. Our results indicate that sub-lethal effects occur in embryonic stages of an aquatic vertebrate following exposure to high concentrations of fipronil, although no adverse effects at the highest published environmentally relevant concentration (6.3 μg L−1) were observed.

Breeding of ornamental marine fishes was initiated in Makassar, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, to protect reef ecosystems from destructive fishing and to supplement income of local communities. However, stress associated with captive breeding conditions could enhance vulnerability of fish to disease. Wild-and captive-bred clownfish Amphiprion percula showed clinical signs such as white spots and warts typically associated with lymphocystis disease. Sequencing a portion of the DNA polymerase gene confirmed the identity of a lymphocystis disease virus (LCDV) in clownfish tissues that closely resembled LCDV from paradisefish; however, both strains were only 90% similar at the nucleotide level. Phylogenetic analysis suggests the LCDV is a new strain representing the first sequence of LCDV in A. percula. To determine the virus presence in clownfish and other ornamental marine species (OMS) in the hatchery, we developed conventional PCR and loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) assays that were comparatively sensitive at detecting the new LCDV strain. Among the PCR-tested clownfish, 19.4% (n = 14/72) were positive for the LCDV DNA that were either symptomatic or apparently healthy. Other OMS (n = 29) bred in the hatchery including seahorse Hippocampus spp., mandarin fish Synchiropus spp., and pajama cardinal fish Sphaeremia nepatoptera were negative by the LCDV PCR. The PCR and LAMP assays developed in this study will facilitate disease management by early detection of the LCDV and removal of potential reservoirs of the virus.

The frequency, intensity and duration of cyanobacterial harmful algal blooms are expected to increase with climate change. Here we tested the null hypothesis that successive severe drought years would not differ in the magnitude, community composition and controlling factors for Microcystis blooms during 2014 and 2015, the third and fourth most severe drought years on record in the San Francisco Estuary, California, USA. Identical sets of physical, chemical and biological data were collected every 2 wk at 10 stations between August and November for each year. Primary producer biomass, abundance, biovolume, community composition and toxin production were quantified. Contrary to expectation, the surface and subsurface Microcystis bloom in 2014 was at least an order of magnitude greater than in 2015, the drier and warmer year. In addition, the 2015 drought had a greater percentage of other cyanobacteria (non-Microcystis) and eukaryotic phytoplankton than 2014. Median water quality conditions were similar between years, but correlations among physical, chemical and biological variables often differed in magnitude and direction. PRIMER DISTLM (BEST) analysis identified water temperature, the landward extent of saltwater intrusion and outflow as variables that accounted for the most variation in Microcystis surface biovolume (R 2 = 0.48) or subsurface abundance (R 2 = 0.45). We conclude that the magnitude of Microcystis blooms may not always increase with drought severity or prolonged drought, and are dependent on within-year spatial and temporal variation.