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Inproceedings Reference First Record of three alien termite species (Insecta: Isoptera) in Belgium
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Assembling ancestors: the manipulation of Neolithic and Gallo-Roman skeletal remains at Pommerœul, Belgium
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Environmental and climatic inferences for Marine Isotope Stage 2 of southern Belgium (Meuse valley, Namur Province) based on rodent assemblages
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Incollection Reference Chapter 5 - Fish movement
Fish movements have long intrigued ecologists due to their complexity and far-reaching implications on survival, reproduction, and population dynamics. Advancements in tracking technologies, including emerging electronic and remote sensors and information derived from molecular, chemical, and isotopic markers naturally recorded in fish tissues, have propelled our understanding of where, when, and why individuals and populations move. Such tangible information on the direction, frequency, and timing of fish movements is key to supporting management, informing policy, and underpinning positive conservation outcomes. In this chapter, we aim to highlight the diversity of movement and migration strategies in fish, providing a blueprint of movement types at different spatial and temporal scales, as well as key methodologies and emerging approaches for studying fish movements. The goal is to broaden our understanding of how and why fish move, illustrated by representative and well-established case studies ranging from hourly or daily time steps, such as vertical migrations, to ontogenetic movements linking different life-history stages, all the way to transoceanic movements and diadromous migrations.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Article Reference Development of a Biofertilizer from Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria Isolated from Millipede Fecal Pellets
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2024
Article Reference Stick insects from Vietnam: The new genus Mycovartes gen. nov., with two new species and two new species of Neooxyartes Ho, 2018 (Phasmida: Lonchodidae: Necrosciinae)
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Inbook Reference The faunal remains in Bukova Pusta IV
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2023
Inproceedings Reference Leveraging ecosystem restoration for zoonotic spillover risk mitigation
As disease regulation is a key ecosystem service, it is crucial that we better understand the role that restoring landscapes can play in reducing disease risks. Ongoing One Health studies suggest that declining biodiversity and increasing zoonotic pathogen spill-over risk are linked. Restoration processes normally aim at increasing species diversity, wherefore it is assumed that pathogens will be diluted in restored ecosystems, hence reducing the risk of zoonotic spillover. Nonetheless, the developing species composition during restorative processes will impact dilution-amplification effects. To estimate the threshold beyond which a restored ecosystem can be considered to have reached the pathogen dilution phase, it is crucial to characterise the communities of hosts, and the prevalence of pathogens, at the different stages of recovery of an ecosystem. Using interdisciplinary methods, this project has the dual aim of examining the amplification-dilution of zoonotic pathogens in a mangrove forest of the western Peninsular Malaysia, and to estimate the frequency and duration of exposure of local communities to this hazard, so as to best mitigate the risk of zoonotic pathogen spillover.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Inproceedings Reference Metagenomic screening of African wild meat unveils a wide diversity of viruses
The processes involved in acquiring, trading, preparing, and consuming wild meat pose significant risks for the emergence of zoonotic infectious diseases. Several major viral outbreaks have been directly linked to the wild meat supply chain, yet our knowledge of the virome in many mammals involved in this chain remains limited and disproportionately focused on certain mammalian taxa and pathogens. This report presents the findings of a metagenomic viral screening of 99 specimens belonging to 27 wild African mammal species and one domesticated species, all traded for their meat. The study focuses on tissue and swab samples collected from various regions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Brussels, Belgium. A total of fifteen virus strains were detected, belonging to the families Arteriviridae, Retroviridae and Sedoreoviridae (primates), Picobirnaviridae (primates and rodents), Picornaviridae (rodents), Hepadnaviridae (hyrax), Orthoherpesviridae (artiodactylid and carnivore) and Spinareoviridae (carnivore). Several strains were detected in mammalian hosts for the first time, expanding their host range and genetic diversity. Of note is the presence of viruses genetically related to recognised zoonotic pathogens, i.e., human picobirnavirus (Orthopicobirnavirus hominis) (primates and rodents), simian foamy viruses (Simiispumavirus) (primates), and rotavirus A (Rotavirus alphagastroenteritidis) (primates). The presence of these viruses in primates is concerning as non-human primates are phylogenetically closely related to humans, which can facilitate interspecies viral transmission. These findings underscore the high diversity of mammalian viruses and the potential risk of human infection through cross-species transmission during the close interactions with wildlife in the wild meat supply chain.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025
Inproceedings Reference Expanding the swimmer’s itch pool of Belgium: a first record of Trichobilharzia regent
Introduction: Swimmer's itch (or cercarial dermatitis) is caused by avian and mammalian blood flukes, a parasitic infection affecting people worldwide. In particular, avian blood flukes of the genus Trichobilharzia, including Trichobilharzia regenti, are known for causing swimmer's itch. While these parasites typically infect waterfowl as final hosts, incidental infections in humans by cercariae can occur. Such infections trigger immune responses leading to painful, itchy skin lesions. In experimental animals, T. regenti has however shown the ability to evade immune responses, causing neuroinflammation. Recent decades have witnessed an increase in swimmer's itch cases across Europe, turning it into an emerging zoonosis. Methods: Following a swimmer's itch case in Kampenhout (Belgium) in 2022, a malacological and parasitological survey was conducted at the transmission site, consisting of a private pond and adjacent creek. Results: Six snail species were collected, including Ampullaceana balthica, a common intermediate host for Trichobilharzia parasites. Shedding experiments and DNA barcoding identified one snail specimen infected with T. regenti, a new species record for Belgium. This finding further strengthens the link between T. regenti and cercarial dermatitis. Additionally, Echinostomatidae sp. and Notocotylus sp. were isolated from other A. balthica specimens. However, the absence of reference DNA sequences hindered genus- and species-level identification for these parasites. Conclusions: The presence of T. regenti in Belgium may have significant clinical implications, emphasizing the need for heightened diagnostic awareness among medical professionals. The lack of species-level identification for other parasite species underscores the need for comprehensive DNA databases for trematodes. These findings reveal the necessity for a Belgian framework to promptly detect and monitor zoonotic outbreaks of trematode parasites within the One Health context.
Located in Library / RBINS Staff Publications 2025