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Environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting the increasing occurrence of shark-human interactions around a fast-developing Indian Ocean island.

ABSTRACT: Understanding the environmental drivers of interactions between predators and humans is critical for public safety and management purposes. In the marine environment, this issue is exemplified by shark-human interactions. The annual shark bite incidence rate (SBIR) in La Réunion (Indian Ocean) is among the highest in the world (up to 1 event per 24,000?hours of surfing) and has experienced a 23-fold increase over the 2005-2016 period. Since 1988, 86% of shark bite events on ocean-users involved surfers off the leeward coast, where 96% of surfing activities took place. We modeled the SBIR as a function of environmental variables, including benthic substrate, sea temperature and period of day. The SBIR peaked in winter, during the afternoon and dramatically increased on coral substrate since the mid-2000s. Seasonal patterns of increasing SBIR followed similar fluctuations of large coastal shark occurrences (particularly the bull shark Carcharhinus leucas), consistent with the hypothesis that higher shark presence may result in an increasing likelihood of shark bite events. Potential contributing factors and adaptation of ocean-users to the increasing shark bite hazard are discussed. This interdisciplinary research contributes to a better understanding of shark-human interactions. The modeling method is relevant for wildlife hazard management in general.

SUBMITTER: Lagabrielle E

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5829236 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:IntroductionHuman angiostrongyliasis (HA) is a neurological helminthic disease caused by the lung worm Angiostrongylus cantonensis. It is suspected in the combination of travel or a residence in an endemic area and eosinophilic meningitis. In Mayotte, an island in the Indian Ocean, cases are rare but regular. The main objective of our study was to describe the epidemiological and diagnosis clues of HA in Mayotte. The secondary objectives were to evaluate the contribution of Real-Time Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT- PCR) for the diagnosis of HA, delineate the characteristics of the local transmission and ascertain the presence of A. cantonensis in Achatina fulica, the potential vector of the disease.Materials and methodsBetween 2007 and 2012, all cases of eosinophilic meningitis were retrospectively included and investigated by RT- PCR in the CSF. Descriptive analysis was conducted for clinical, biological and radiological features, and were analyzed for all patients together with the search for prognostic factors for mortality. Concurrently, geolocalization and temporal parameters were studied to correlate the occurrence of the cases with rainfall seasons and snails were collected to enhance a parasitic carriage with real time PCR.ResultsDuring the 6-year period of the study, 14 cases were identified (2.3 cases/year) and 9 among 10 remaining CSF were positive in PCR. Among 14 cases of EM, 13 were less than 2 year-old children. The 1 year mortality rate was 5/14 (35.7%). Among survivors, 3/7 (42.8%) presented neurological sequelae. Factors associated with mortality were dysfunction of cranial nerves, abnormal brain imaging, and CSF glucose level inferior to 2 mmol/l. Occurrence of cases was temporarily and spatially correlated to the rainy season. Among the 64 collected giant snails, 6 (9.4%) were positive with A. cantonensis PCR. The likely main route of transmission was the children licking snails, carriers of the parasite.ConclusionIn Mayotte, HA was mainly found in paediatric cases under 2 years old, and evidenced a life-threatening disease. PCR seems to be a promising tool in the definitive diagnosis of HA. Population should be aware of the role of A. fulica, and not let the children have direct contact with the snails.

Project description:Scalloped Hammerhead shark (Sphyrna lewini) is an endangered species which its populations have been declining globally including in Indonesia, the world's top shark fishing country. However, there is a lack of information on the recent population structure of this species to promote proper management and its conservation status. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity, population structure, and connectivity of the S. lewini population, in three major shark landing sites: Aceh (n = 41), Balikpapan (n = 30), and Lombok (n = 29). Meanwhile, additional sequences were retrieved from West Papua (n = 14) and the Western Indian Ocean (n = 65) populations. From the analyses of the mitochondrial CO1 gene, a total of 179 sequences of S. lewini, with an average size of 594 bp, and 40 polymorphic loci in four and eight haplotypes for the Indonesian population and the Western Indian Ocean population were identified. The overall values of genetic diversity were high (h = 0.717; ? = 0.013), with the highest values recorded in Aceh (h = 0.668; ? = 0.002) and the lowest in Papua (h = 0.143; ? = 0.000). On the contrary, the overall value was fairly low in the Western Indian Ocean (h = 0.232; ? = 0.001). Furthermore, AMOVA and FST showed three significant subdivisions in Indonesia (FST = 0.442; P < 0.001), with separated populations for Aceh and West Papua, and mixed between Balikpapan and Lombok (FST = 0.044; P = 0.091). In contrast, genetic homogeneity was observed within the population of the Western Indian Ocean (FST = -0.013; P = 0.612). The establishment of a haplotype network provided evidence of a significantly different population and a limited genetic distribution between the Indonesian and the Western Indian Ocean populations (FST = 0.740; P < 0.001). This study showed the presence of a complex population of S. lewini with limited connectivity only in Indonesia separated from the Western Indian Ocean and requiring specific management measures based on the population structure at the regional level.

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Environmental and anthropogenic factors affecting the increasing occurrence of shark-human interactions around a fast-developing Indian Ocean island.

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