Publications

[paradigm shift in bancroftian filariasis].	the way a particular subject is understood changes over time as a result of scientific research. in most cases, these changes are minor, with limited effect on the overall knowledge on the subject. sometimes, however, revolutionary changes occur and not only modify the understanding of the subject but open perspectives that can trigger new interpretations and new ways for expansion of scientific knowledge. the studies of gregor johann mendel were a good example. they led to discovery of the laws ...	2009	19629359
persistent wolbachia and cultivable bacteria infection in the reproductive and somatic tissues of the mosquito vector aedes albopictus.	commensal and symbiotic microbes have a considerable impact on the behavior of many arthropod hosts, including hematophagous species that transmit pathogens causing infectious diseases to human and animals. little is known about the bacteria associated with mosquitoes other than the vectorized pathogens. this study investigated wolbachia and cultivable bacteria that persist through generations in ae. albopictus organs known to host transmitted arboviruses, such as dengue and chikungunya.	2009	19633721
variation in sex peptide expression in d. melanogaster.	male drosophila melanogaster transfers many accessory-gland proteins to females during copulation. sex peptide (sp) is one of these and one of its main effects is to decrease female remating propensity. to date, there has been no investigation of genetic variation in sp-gene expression levels, or if such potential variation directly influences female remating behaviour. we assessed both these possibilities and found significant variation in expression levels of the sp gene across d. melanogaster ...	2009	19640319
pcr analysis for wolbachia in human and canine demodex mites.	in many skin diseases such as demodex folliculitis, rosacea- or steroid-induced rosacea demodex mites are present in abundance and are at least partially held responsible for causing these disorders. although it is known that these diseases respond well to tetracyclines, it is unclear if this is due to the antiinflammatory effects of the antibiotics or to an antibacterial effect on so far unknown bacteria within the demodex mites. as in filariasis, where the response to doxycycline can be explai ...	2009	19652990
maintenance of adaptive differentiation by wolbachia induced bidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility: the importance of sib-mating and genetic systems.	bacteria of the genus wolbachia are reproductive parasites widespread among arthropods. the most common effect arising from the presence of wolbachia in a population is cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), whereby postmating reproductive isolation occurs in crosses between an infected male and an uninfected female, or when a male is infected with a different strain of wolbachia to that of the female (bidirectional ci). previous theoretical models have demonstrated that bidirectional ci can contribu ...	2009	19653892
rapid evolution of wolbachia density in insecticide resistant culex pipiens.	the maternally inherited symbiotic wolbachia have been previously shown to have much greater densities in insecticide-resistant culex pipiens mosquitoes than in insecticide-susceptible individuals. these high densities were shown to be at least partially responsible for the costs related to insecticide resistance in this species. we report here the rapid evolution, on the order of 50 generations, of bacterial densities both in laboratory and field populations. along with other recently published ...	2010	19654607
functional conservation of the lipid ii biosynthesis pathway in the cell wall-less bacteria chlamydia and wolbachia: why is lipid ii needed?	cell division and cell wall biosynthesis in prokaryotes are driven by partially overlapping multiprotein machineries whose activities are tightly controlled and co-ordinated. so far, a number of protein components have been identified and acknowledged as essential for both fundamental cellular processes. genes for enzymes of both machineries have been found in the genomes of the cell wall-less genera chlamydia and wolbachia, raising questions as to the functionality of the lipid ii biosynthesis ...	2009	19656295
effects of parthenogenesis and geographic isolation on female sexual traits in a parasitoid wasp.	population divergence in sexual traits is affected by different selection pressures, depending on the mode of reproduction. in allopatric sexual populations, aspects of sexual behavior may diverge due to sexual selection. in parthenogenetic populations, loss-of-function mutations in genes involved in sexual functionality may be selectively neutral or favored by selection. we assess to what extent these processes have contributed to divergence in female sexual traits in the parasitoid wasp leptop ...	2009	19659591
huge symbiotic organs in giant scale insects of the genus drosicha (coccoidea: monophlebidae) harbor flavobacterial and enterobacterial endosymbionts.	giant scale insects (drosicha: coccoldea: monophlebidae) were investigated for their symbiotic organs and bacterial endosymbionts. two types of bacterial 16s rrna gene sequences, flavobacterial and enterobacterial, were consistently detected in d. corpulenta and d. pinicola. the former sequences formed a compact clade in the bacteroidetes, allied to the symbionts of cushion and armored scales. the latter sequences formed a robust clade in the gamma-proteobacteria, allied to enteric bacteria like ...	2009	19663639
integration of irradiation with cytoplasmic incompatibility to facilitate a lymphatic filariasis vector elimination approach.	abstract:	2009	19682363
cytoplasmic incompatibility in populations with overlapping generations.	many insects and other arthropods harbor maternally inherited bacteria inducing "cytoplasmic incompatibility" (ci), reduced egg hatch when infected males mate with uninfected females. ci-causing infections produce a frequency-dependent reproductive advantage for infected females. however, many such infections impose fitness costs that lead to unstable equilibrium frequencies below which the infections tend to be eliminated. to understand the unstable equilibria produced by reduced lifespan or le ...	2010	19686264
effects of crowding and temperature on wolbachia infection density among life cycle stages of aedes albopictus.	species of the genus wolbachia are a group of rickettsia-like, maternally-inherited bacteria (gram negative), which cause various reproductive alterations in their arthropod and nematode hosts including cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), male-killing, parthenogenesis and feminization. they can be divided into supergroups such as a and b based on phylogenetic analysis of 16s rdna sequences. in this study, we examined the relative infection densities of wolbachia strains among life cycle stages in ...	2009	19686755
longicorn beetle that vectors pinewood nematode carries many wolbachia genes on an autosome.	monochamus alternatus is the longicorn beetle notorious as a vector of the pinewood nematode that causes the pine wilt disease. when two populations of m. alternatus were subjected to diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (pcr) detection of four wolbachia genes, only the ftsz gene was detected from one of the populations. the wolbachia ftsz gene persisted even after larvae were fed with a tetracycline-containing diet for six weeks. the inheritance of the ftsz gene was not maternal but biparental, ...	2009	19692404
the endosymbiont wolbachia increases insulin/igf-like signalling in drosophila.	insulin/igf-like signalling (iis) is an evolutionarily conserved pathway that has diverse functions in multi-cellular organisms. mutations that reduce iis can have pleiotropic effects on growth, development, metabolic homeostasis, fecundity, stress resistance and lifespan. iis is also modified by extrinsic factors. for instance, in the fruitfly drosophila melanogaster, both nutrition and stress can alter the activity of the pathway. here, we test experimentally the hypothesis that a widespread e ...	2009	19692410
antibiotic treatment leads to the elimination of wolbachia endosymbionts and sterility in the diplodiploid collembolan folsomia candida.	wolbachia is an extremely widespread bacterial endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes that causes a variety of reproductive peculiarities. parthenogenesis is one such peculiarity but it has been hypothesised that this phenomenon may be functionally restricted to organisms that employ haplodiploid sex determination. using two antibiotics, tetracycline and rifampicin, we attempted to eliminate wolbachia from the diplodiploid host folsomia candida, a species of springtail which is a widely used s ...	2009	19698188
superinfection of five wolbachia in the alnus ambrosia beetle, xylosandrus germanus (blandford) (coleoptera: curuculionidae).	wolbachia bacteria are among the most common endosymbionts in insects. in wolbachia research, the wolbachia surface protein (wsp) gene has been used as a phylogenetic tool, but relationships inferred by single-locus analysis can be unreliable because of the extensive genome recombination among wolbachia strains. therefore, a multilocus sequence typing (mlst) method for wolbachia, which relies upon a set of five conserved genes, is recommended. in this study, we examined whether the alnus ambrosi ...	2010	19698196
unexplained split sex ratios in the neotropical plant-ant, allomerus octoarticulatus var. demerarae (myrmicinae): a test of hypotheses.	we investigated sex allocation in the neotropical ant allomerus octoarticulatus var. demerarae. because allomerus is a plant symbiont, we could make geographically extensive collections of complete colonies and of foundresses in saplings, allowing us to estimate not only population- and colony-level sex allocation but also colony resource levels and the relatedness of competing ant foundresses. this species exhibits a strongly split sex ratio, with 80% of mature colonies producing >or=90% of one ...	2010	19703224
reproductive compensation favours male-killing wolbachia in a live-bearing host.	wolbachia are maternally inherited, cellular endosymbionts that can enhance their fitness by biasing host sex ratio in favour of females. male killing (mk) is an extreme form of sex-ratio manipulation that is selectively advantageous if the self-sacrifice of wolbachia in males increases transmission through females. in live-bearing hosts, females typically produce more embryos than can be carried to term, and reproductive compensation through maternal resource reallocation from dead males to fem ...	2009	19710065
diversity of bacteria associated with collembola - a cultivation-independent survey based on pcr-amplified 16s rrna genes.	the bacterial communities found in eight different soil-inhabiting microarthropod species of the class collembola (springtails) were analyzed by analysis of pcr-amplified 16s rrna genes obtained without cultivation from total dna. to characterize the bacteria associated with the parthenogenetically-reproducing folsomia candida, the almost complete 16s rrna genes were amplified with three universal primers, i.e., the forward primer f27 and the reverse primer r1492 or r1525. with the reverse prime ...	2004	19712416
what is new about animal and human dirofilariosis?	dirofilaria immitis and d. repens, the causal agents of cardiopulmonary and subcutaneous dirofilariosis, respectively, affect canine, feline and human populations with an increasing incidence in temperate and tropical areas of the world. in the past decade outstanding advances in the knowledge of dirofilariosis have been achieved. nevertheless, questions such as the impact of climate change in the transmission and distribution of dirofilariosis, as well as a profound evaluation of both the role ...	2009	19720566
tetracycline treatment targeting wolbachia affects expression of an array of proteins in brugia malayi parasite.	wolbachia is an intracellular endosymbiont of brugia malayi parasite whose presence is essential for the survival of the parasite. treatment of b. malayi-infected jirds with tetracycline eliminates wolbachia, which affects parasite survival and fitness. in the present study we have tried to identify parasite proteins that are affected when wolbachia is targeted by tetracycline. for this wolbachia depleted parasites (b. malayi) were obtained by tetracycline treatment of infected mongolian jirds ( ...	2009	19722191
effect of intracellular wolbachia on interspecific crosses between drosophila melanogaster and drosophila simulans.	wolbachia are bacteria that live inside the cells of a large number of invertebrate hosts and are transmitted from infected females to their offspring. their presence is associated with cytoplasmic incompatibility in several species of drosophila. cytoplasmic incompatibility results when the sperm of infected males fertilize eggs of uninfected females, causing more or less intense embryonic mortality (unidirectional incompatibility). this phenomenon also appears in crosses between populations in ...	2009	19731208
hidden wolbachia diversity in field populations of the european cherry fruit fly, rhagoletis cerasi (diptera, tephritidae).	the european cherry fruit fly rhagoletis cerasi has been a field model for cytoplasmic incompatibility since the mid 1970s. two wolbachia strains were detected in this tephritid species and wcer2 was described as the ci inducing agent dividing european populations into two unidirectional incompatible groups, i.e. southern females produce viable offspring with northern males, whereas the reciprocal cross results in incompatibility. we detected three new wolbachia strains by sequencing a multitude ...	2009	19732336
prevalence of cardinium bacteria in planthoppers and spider mites and taxonomic revision of "candidatus cardinium hertigii" based on detection of a new cardinium group from biting midges.	cardinium bacteria, members of the phylum cytophaga-flavobacterium-bacteroides (cfb), are intracellular bacteria in arthropods that are capable of inducing reproductive abnormalities in their hosts, which include parasitic wasps, mites, and spiders. a high frequency of cardinium infection was detected in planthoppers (27 out of 57 species were infected). a high frequency of cardinium infection was also found in spider mites (9 out of 22 species were infected). frequencies of double infection by ...	2009	19734338
distribution of wolbachia infection in chorthippus parallelus populations within and beyond a pyrenean hybrid zone.	two subspecies of the meadow grasshopper chorthippus parallelus meet in a secondary hybrid zone in the pyrenees. we have recently detected wolbachia infection in this extensively studied species. c. p. parallelus (cpp) and c. p. erythropus (cpe) harbour bacteria from the b and f supergroups, but they differ noticeably in the incidence and type of infection present in their populations. we can distinguish different regional infection patterns that are associated with the distribution of pure and ...	2010	19738635
rapidly shifting sex ratio across a species range.	sex ratios are subject to distortion by a range of inherited parasites. although it has been predicted that the presence of these elements will result in spatial and temporal variation in host sex ratio, testing of this hypothesis has been constrained by availability of historical data. we here determine spatial and temporal variation in sex ratio in a interaction between a butterfly and male-killing wolbachia bacteria by assaying infection presence in museum specimens, and from this inferring i ...	2009	19747825
wolbachia infection reduces blood-feeding success in the dengue fever mosquito, aedes aegypti.	the mosquito aedes aegypti was recently transinfected with a life-shortening strain of the endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis (wmelpop) as the first step in developing a biocontrol strategy for dengue virus transmission. in addition to life-shortening, the wmelpop-infected mosquitoes also exhibit increased daytime activity and metabolic rates. here we sought to quantify the blood-feeding behaviour of wolbachia-infected females as an indicator of any virulence or energetic drain associated with wol ...	2009	19753103
newly acquired onchocerca volvulus filariae after doxycycline treatment.	despite successful mass drug administration and vector control programs, the nematode onchocerca volvulus is far from being eradicated. therefore, new long-term sterilizing or macrofilaricidal drugs are needed. the depletion of wolbachia endobacteria using doxycycline leads to long-term sterilizing effects and macrofilaricidal activity against female filariae of more than 60%. the worms die or degenerate 18-27 months after doxycycline. however, during this time patients may be exposed to new inf ...	2009	19756742
characterization and evolution of two bacteriome-inhabiting symbionts in cixiid planthoppers (hemiptera: fulgoromorpha: pentastirini).	like other plant sap-sucking insects, planthoppers within the family cixiidae (insecta: hemiptera: fulgoromorpha) host a diversified microbiota. we report the identification and first molecular characterization of symbiotic bacteria in cixiid planthoppers (tribe: pentastirini). using universal eubacterial primers we first screened the eubacterial 16s rrna sequences in pentastiridius leporinus (linnaeus) with pcr amplification, cloning, and restriction fragment analysis. we identified three main ...	2009	19758348
drosophila-parasitoid communities as model systems for host-wolbachia interactions.	wolbachia bacteria are cytoplasmic endosymbionts that infect a wide range of arthropod and nematode hosts. they are transmitted from mother to offspring via the eggs (vertical transmission) and enhance their transmission to the next generation by manipulating the reproductive system of their hosts. these manipulations occur in many forms, such as the induction of cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization, male killing and parthenogenesis induction. wolbachia is estimated to occur in up to 66% of ...	2009	19773076
immune activation by life-shortening wolbachia and reduced filarial competence in mosquitoes.	wolbachia strain wmelpop reduces the longevity of its drosophila melanogaster host and, when introduced into the mosquito aedes aegypti, halves its life span. we show that wmelpop induces up-regulation of the mosquito's innate immune system and that its presence inhibits the development of filarial nematodes in the mosquito. these data suggest that wmelpop could be used in the global effort to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and possibly for the control of other mosquito-borne parasites where imm ...	2009	19797660
first isolation of enterobacter, enterococcus, and acinetobacter spp. as inhabitants of the tsetse fly (glossina palpalis palpalis) midgut.	this paper reports the first evidence of the presence of bacteria, other than the three previously described as symbionts, wigglesworthia glossinidia, wolbachia, and sodalis glossinidius, in the midgut of glossina palpalis palpalis, the tsetse fly, a vector of the chronic form of human african trypanosomiasis in sub-saharan african countries. based on the morphological, nutritional, physiological, and phylogenetic results, we identified enterobacter, enterococcus, and acinetobacter spp. as inhab ...	2009	19800031
brugia malayi gene expression in response to the targeting of the wolbachia endosymbiont by tetracycline treatment.	brugia malayi, like most human filarial parasite species, harbors an endosymbiotic bacterium of the genus wolbachia. elimination of the endosymbiont leads to sterilization of the adult female. previous biochemical and genetic studies have established that communication with its endobacterium is essential for survival of the worm.	2009	19806204
a randomized trial of doxycycline for mansonella perstans infection.	mansonella perstans infection is common in areas of africa where wuchereria bancrofti, a causative agent of lymphatic filariasis, is endemic. m. perstans is refractory to standard antifilarial therapies. the recent discovery of bacterial endosymbionts (e.g., wolbachia) in most filarial species, including m. perstans, provides new therapeutic options for reducing microfilaremia.	2009	19812401
mansonella perstans--the importance of an endosymbiont.		2009	19812409
population dynamics and rapid spread of cardinium, a bacterial endosymbiont causing cytoplasmic incompatibility in encarsia pergandiella (hymenoptera: aphelinidae).	cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) is a common phenotype of maternally inherited bacterial symbionts of arthropods; in its simplest expression, uninfected females produce few or no viable progeny when mated to infected males. infected females thus experience a reproductive advantage relative to that of uninfected females, with the potential for the symbiont to spread rapidly. ci population dynamics are predicted to depend primarily on the strength of incompatibility, the fitness cost of the infect ...	2010	19812617
macrofilaricidal activity and amelioration of lymphatic pathology in bancroftian filariasis after 3 weeks of doxycycline followed by single-dose diethylcarbamazine.	in a placebo controlled trial, the effects of 21- and 10-day doxycycline treatments (200 mg/day) followed by single dose diethylcarbamazine (administered 4 months post treatment) on depletion of wolbachia endobacteria from wuchereria bancrofti, filaricidal activity, and amerlioration of scrotal lymph vessel dilation were studied in 57 men from orissa, india. the 21-day doxycycline course reduced wolbachia in w. bancrofti by 94% before diethylcarbamazine administration. after 12 months, all patie ...	2009	19815891
pathogenicity of life-shortening wolbachia in aedes albopictus after transfer from drosophila melanogaster.	maternally inherited wolbachia bacteria have evolved mechanisms to manipulate the reproduction of their invertebrate hosts, promoting infection spread. a high fitness cost to the host is maladaptive for obligate endosymbionts, and prior studies show rapid selection of new wolbachia associations toward commensal or mutualistic symbioses. here, wmelpop wolbachia is transferred from drosophila melanogaster into the mosquito aedes albopictus. characterization of the resulting strain provides an extr ...	2009	19820149
filariasis and lymphoedema.	among the causes of lymphoedema (le), secondary le due to filariasis is the most prevalent. it affects only a minority of the 120 million people infected with the causative organisms of lymphatic filariasis (lf), wuchereria bancrofti and brugia malayi/timori, but is clustered in families, indicating a genetic basis for development of this pathology. the majority of infected individuals develop filarial-specific immunosuppression that starts even before birth in cases where mothers are infected a ...	2009	19825106
influence of continuous high temperature conditions on wolbachia infection frequency and the fitness of liposcelis tricolor (psocoptera: liposcelididae).	endosymbiotic bacteria that potentially influence reproduction and other fitness-related traits of their hosts are widespread in arthropods, and their appeal to researchers' interest is growing. in this study, the influence of continuous high temperature conditions on wolbachia infection frequency and the fitness of liposcelis tricolor (psocoptera: liposcelididae) was studied in a laboratory. the results showed that the wolbachia infection frequency was gradually decreased when l. tricolor was r ...	2009	19825290
wolbachia interferes with ferritin expression and iron metabolism in insects.	wolbachia is an intracellular bacterium generally described as being a facultative reproductive parasite. however, wolbachia is necessary for oogenesis completion in the wasp asobara tabida. this dependence has evolved recently as a result of interference with apoptosis during oogenesis. through comparative transcriptomics between symbiotic and aposymbiotic individuals, we observed a differential expression of ferritin, which forms a complex involved in iron storage. iron is an essential element ...	2009	19851452
[population genetic analysis of drosophila melanogaster longevity: similar effects of endosymbiont wolbachia and tumor suppressor lgl under conditions of temperature stress].	before, it has been shown that keeping of drosophila wild populations under temperature stress leads to prevalence of deletion alleles of tumor suppressor lgl, and higher survival of heterozygous lgl(-)/+ females descendants (haploadaptivity). on the other hand, recent investigations have demonstrated that an additional dose of lgl gene in transgenic males has inadaptive effect--cytoplasmic incompatibility, caused by the gene, is similar to the effect caused by the widespread endosymbiont wolbac ...	2009	19891414
lateral phage transfer in obligate intracellular bacteria (wolbachia): verification from natural populations.	lateral transfer of mobile dna is a hallmark of bacteria with a free-living replicative stage; however, its significance in obligate intracellular bacteria and other heritable endosymbionts remains controversial. comparative sequence analyses from laboratory stocks infected with wolbachia pipientis provide some of the most compelling evidence that bacteriophage wo-b transfers laterally between infections of the same insect host. lateral transfer between coinfections, however, has been evaluated ...	2010	19906794
variation in antiviral protection mediated by different wolbachia strains in drosophila simulans.	drosophila c virus (dcv) is a natural pathogen of drosophila and a useful model for studying antiviral defences. the drosophila host is also commonly infected with the widespread endosymbiotic bacteria wolbachia pipientis. when dcv coinfects wolbachia-infected d. melanogaster, virus particles accumulate more slowly and virus induced mortality is substantially delayed. considering that wolbachia is estimated to infect up to two-thirds of all insect species, the observed protective effects of wolb ...	2009	19911047
rapid spread of male-killing wolbachia in the butterfly hypolimnas bolina.	reproductive parasites such as wolbachia can spread through uninfected host populations by increasing the relative fitness of the infected maternal lineage. however, empirical estimates of how fast this process occurs are limited. here we use nucleotide sequences of male-killing wolbachia bacteria and co-inherited mitochondria to address this issue in the island butterfly hypolimnas bolina. we show that infected specimens scattered throughout the species range harbour the same wolbachia and mito ...	2010	19912450
identification and phylogenetic analysis of dirofilaria ursi (nematoda: filarioidea) from wisconsin black bears (ursus americanus) and its wolbachia endosymbiont.	dirofilaria ursi is a filarial nematode of american black bears (ursus americanus pallas, 1780) that is vectored by black flies (simuliidae) in many parts of the united states. in northwestern wisconsin, the prevalence of microfilaremic bears during the fall hunting season was 21% (n = 47). unsheathed blood microfilariae from wisconsin bears possess characters consistent with the original description of d. ursi, as do adult worms observed histologically and grossly. immunohistochemistry was used ...	2010	19916630
symmetric and asymmetric mitotic segregation patterns influence wolbachia distribution in host somatic tissue.	wolbachia are maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts that occupy many but not all tissues of adult insects. during the initial mitotic divisions in drosophila embryogenesis, wolbachia exhibit a symmetric pattern of segregation. wolbachia undergo microtubule-dependent and cell-cycle-regulated movement between centrosomes. symmetric segregation occurs during late anaphase when wolbachia cluster around duplicated and separating centrosomes. this centrosome association is microtubule-dependent ...	2009	19934219
computational prediction of essential genes in an unculturable endosymbiotic bacterium, wolbachia of brugia malayi.	wolbachia (wbm) is an obligate endosymbiotic bacterium of brugia malayi, a parasitic filarial nematode of humans and one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis. there is a pressing need for new drugs against filarial parasites, such as b. malayi. as wbm is required for b. malayi development and fertility, targeting wbm is a promising approach. however, the lifecycle of neither b. malayi nor wbm can be maintained in vitro. to facilitate selection of potential drug targets we computationa ...	2009	19943957
transinfection and growth discrepancy of drosophila wolbachia strain wmel in cell lines of the mosquito aedes albopictus.	the wolbachia strain wmel can protect drosophila melanogaster against pathogenic rna viruses. to analyse the potential of this inhibitory effect against arboviruses vectorized by these mosquitoes, we here first transinfected the aedes albopictus aa23 and c6/36 cell lines with the wolbachia strain wmel and then monitored their infection dynamics.	2010	19951376
serum antibody responses to wolbachia surface protein in patients with human lymphatic filariasis.	wolbachia surface protein (wsp), which is the most abundantly expressed protein of wolbachia from the human filarial parasite brugia malayi, was chosen for the present study. b-cell epitope prediction of the wsp protein sequence indicates a high antigenicity, surface probability and hydrophilicity by dna star software analysis. propred analysis suggests the presence of hla class ii binding regions in the wsp protein that contribute to t-cell responses and isotype reactivity. in order to validate ...	2009	19954456
characterizing the aedes aegypti population in a vietnamese village in preparation for a wolbachia-based mosquito control strategy to eliminate dengue.	a life-shortening strain of the obligate intracellular bacteria wolbachia, called wmelpop, is seen as a promising new tool for the control of aedes aegypti. however, developing a vector control strategy based on the release of mosquitoes transinfected with wmelpop requires detailed knowledge of the demographics of the target population.	2009	19956588
association between wolbachia and spiroplasma within drosophila neotestacea: an emerging symbiotic mutualism?	interspecific mutualism can evolve when specific lineages of different species tend to be associated with each other from one generation to the next. different maternally transmitted endosymbionts occurring within the same cytoplasmic lineage fulfil this requirement. drosophila neotestacea is infected with maternally transmitted wolbachia and spiroplasma, which are cotransmitted at high frequency in natural populations. molecular phylogenetic evidence indicates that both endosymbionts have been ...	2010	20002580
phylogenetically distinct wolbachia gene and pseudogene sequences obtained from the african onchocerciasis vector simulium squamosum.	wolbachia are intracellular bacteria mostly found in a diverse range of arthropods and filarial nematodes. they have been classified into seven distinct 'supergroups' and other lineages on the basis of molecular phylogenetics. the arthropod-infecting wolbachia are usually regarded as reproductive parasites because they manipulate their host species' sexing system to enhance their own spread, and this has led to their investigation as potential agents of genetic control in medical entomology. we ...	2010	20005876
human probing behavior of aedes aegypti when infected with a life-shortening strain of wolbachia.	mosquitoes are vectors of many serious pathogens in tropical and sub-tropical countries. current control strategies almost entirely rely upon insecticides, which increasingly face the problems of high cost, increasing mosquito resistance and negative effects on non-target organisms. alternative strategies include the proposed use of inherited life-shortening agents, such as the wolbachia bacterium. by shortening mosquito vector lifespan, wolbachia could potentially reduce the vectorial capacity ...	2009	20016848
transinfection of wolbachia in planthoppers: nymphal injection of cultured wolbachia and infection dynamics.	wolbachia species are intracellular symbionts that cause reproductive alterations in arthropods. transinfection experiments have been performed in many arthropod species to elucidate the interaction between wolbachia and a new host. to ease transinfection of this bacterium to new arthropod hosts, we introduced two techniques: nymphal injection instead of embryonic injection and the use of a cultured source of wolbachia instead of direct transfer from donors to recipients. wolbachia in the small ...	2009	20021758
brugia malayi: in vitro effects of ivermectin and moxidectin on adults and microfilariae.	the effect of ivermectin and moxidectin on the motility of brugia malayi adults and microfilariae and on the fertility of b. malayi females was examined. motility was reduced in adults after exposure to both drugs and worms were non-motile and dead within eight days. the motility of microfilariae was significantly reduced at all drug concentrations and ceased at concentrations of 2500 and 5000mug/ml. the motility of microfilariae released by females was reduced after exposure to both drugs, howe ...	2010	20034492
wolbachia: more than just a bug in insects genitals.	research on the intracellular bacterial symbiont wolbachia has grown on many levels, providing interesting insights on various aspects of the microbe's biology. although data from fully sequenced genomes of different wolbachia strains and from experimental studies of host-microbe interactions continue to arise, most of the molecular mechanisms employed by wolbachia to manipulate the host cytoplasmic machinery and to ensure vertical transmission are yet to be discovered. apart from the well-estab ...	2010	20036185
hidden cytoplasmic incompatibility alters the dynamics of male-killer/host interactions.	wolbachia manipulate the reproduction of their arthropod hosts in a variety of ways. recent work has demonstrated that these bacteria may combine phenotypes - possessing a 'male killing' phenotype and, where males survive, induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci). we here develop a mathematical model to investigate the extent to which 'hidden' ci may affect the evolutionary dynamics of host genes that suppress male-killing activity. we observed that for high prevalence infections, ci drives both ...	2010	20040002
taxonomic boundaries, phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the drosophila willistoni subgroup (diptera: drosophilidae).	the drosophila willistoni subgroup represents a complex with varying taxonomic levels. it encompasses d. willistoni and its five sibling species: d. equinoxialis, d. insularis, d. paulistorum, d. pavlovskiana and d. tropicalis. of these, d. equinoxialis, d. tropicalis and d. willistoni present differentiation at subspecific level, whereas d. paulistorum represents a superspecies, formed by six semispecies. despite this taxonomic and evolutionary complexity, many of these semi and subspecific tax ...	2010	20049511
a wolbachia symbiont in aedes aegypti limits infection with dengue, chikungunya, and plasmodium.	wolbachia are maternally inherited intracellular bacterial symbionts that are estimated to infect more than 60% of all insect species. while wolbachia is commonly found in many mosquitoes it is absent from the species that are considered to be of major importance for the transmission of human pathogens. the successful introduction of a life-shortening strain of wolbachia into the dengue vector aedes aegypti that halves adult lifespan has recently been reported. here we show that this same wolbac ...	2009	20064373
onchodermatitis.	this review is timely because awareness of the burden of disease from onchodermatitis has increased significantly over recent years. recent progress in the field is reviewed with emphasis on publications within the past 2 years.	2010	20071985
functional and evolutionary insights from the genomes of three parasitoid nasonia species.	we report here genome sequences and comparative analyses of three closely related parasitoid wasps: nasonia vitripennis, n. giraulti, and n. longicornis. parasitoids are important regulators of arthropod populations, including major agricultural pests and disease vectors, and nasonia is an emerging genetic model, particularly for evolutionary and developmental genetics. key findings include the identification of a functional dna methylation tool kit; hymenopteran-specific genes including diverse ...	2010	20075255
wolbachia as a bacteriocyte-associated nutritional mutualist.	many insects are dependent on bacterial symbionts that provide essential nutrients (ex. aphid-buchnera and tsetse-wiglesworthia associations), wherein the symbionts are harbored in specific cells called bacteriocytes that constitute a symbiotic organ bacteriome. facultative and parasitic bacterial symbionts like wolbachia have been regarded as evolutionarily distinct from such obligate nutritional mutualists. however, we discovered that, in the bedbug cimex lectularius, wolbachia resides in a ba ...	2010	20080750
the spiroplasma heritable bacterial endosymbiont of drosophila.	since the discovery of the small, gram-positive bacteria, spiroplasma, as a sex-ratio distorting agent in drosophila over 50 years ago, substantial progress has been made in understanding the relationship of this bacteria with its insect host. thus far, spiroplasma have been found as heritable endosymbionts in sixteen different species of drosophila. in some species these bacteria cause a male-killing phenotype, where the males die during embryogenesis. in other species, however, spiroplasma doe ...	2010	20081357
phage wo of wolbachia: lambda of the endosymbiont world.	the discovery of an extraordinarily high level of mobile elements in the genome of wolbachia, a widespread arthropod and nematode endosymbiont, suggests that this bacterium could be an excellent model for assessing the evolution and function of mobile dna in specialized bacteria. in this paper, we discuss how studies on the temperate bacteriophage wo of wolbachia have revealed unexpected levels of genomic flux and are challenging previously held views about the clonality of obligate intracellula ...	2010	20083406
behavioral and spermatogenic hybrid male breakdown in nasonia.	several reproductive barriers exist within the nasonia species complex, including allopatry, premating behavioral isolation, postzygotic inviability and wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility. here we show that hybrid males suffer two additional reproductive disadvantages, an inability to properly court females and decreased sperm production. hybrid behavioral sterility, characterized by a reduced ability of hybrids to perform necessary courtship behaviors, occurs in hybrids between two s ...	2010	20087395
phylogeography of nasonia vitripennis (hymenoptera) indicates a mitochondrial-wolbachia sweep in north america.	here we report evidence of a mitochondrial-wolbachia sweep in north american populations of the parasitoid wasp nasonia vitripennis, a cosmopolitan species and emerging model organism for evolutionary and genetic studies. analysis of the genetic variation of 89 n. vitripennis specimens from europe and north america was performed using four types of genetic markers: a portion of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase i gene, nine polymorphic nuclear microsatellites, sequences from 11 single-copy nu ...	2010	20087396
doxycycline for mansonella perstans infection.		2010	20089982
bacterial symbionts of the brown planthopper, nilaparvata lugens (homoptera: delphacidae).	the brown planthopper (nilaparvata lugens stål), the most destructive pest of rice, has been identified, including biotypes with high virulence towards previously resistant rice varieties. there have also been many reports of a yeast-like symbiont of n. lugens, but little is known about the bacterial microbes. in this study, we examined the bacterial microbes in n. lugens and identified a total of 18 operational taxonomic units (otus) representing four phyla (proteobacteria, firmicutes, actinoba ...	2010	20097822
the parasitoid wasp nasonia: an emerging model system with haploid male genetics.	nasonia is a complex of four closely related species of wasps that is rapidly emerging as a model for evolutionary and developmental genetics. it has several features that make it an excellent genetic system, including a short generation time, ease of rearing, interfertile species, visible and molecular markers, and a sequenced genome. the form of sex determination, called "haplodiploidy," makes nasonia particularly suitable as a genetic tool. females are diploid and develop from fertilized eggs ...	2009	20147035
curing wolbachia infections in nasonia (parasitoid wasp).	nasonia is a complex of four closely related species of wasps with several features that make it an excellent system for a variety of genetic studies. these include a short generation time, ease of rearing, interfertile species, visible and molecular markers, and a sequenced genome. however, the nasonia species normally are completely or partially reproductively isolated owing to wolbachia, widespread intracellular bacteria found in arthropods and nematodes. wolbachia cause cytoplasmic incompati ...	2009	20147057
accelerated microevolution in an outer membrane protein (omp) of the intracellular bacteria wolbachia.	outer membrane proteins (omps) of gram-negative bacteria are key players in the biology of bacterial-host interactions. however, while considerable attention has been given to omps of vertebrate pathogens, relatively little is known about the role of these proteins in bacteria that primarily infect invertebrates. one such omp is found in the intracellular bacteria wolbachia, which are widespread symbionts of arthropods and filarial nematodes. recent experimental studies have shown that the wolba ...	2010	20163713
characteristics of the genome of arsenophonus nasoniae, son-killer bacterium of the wasp nasonia.	we report the properties of a draft genome sequence of the bacterium arsenophonus nasoniae, son-killer bacterium of nasonia vitripennis. the genome sequence data from this study are the first for a male-killing bacterium, and represent a microorganism that is unusual compared with other sequenced symbionts, in having routine vertical and horizontal transmission, two alternating hosts, and being culturable on cell-free media. the resulting sequence totals c. 3.5 mbp and is annotated to contain 33 ...	2010	20167019
association of wolbachia with heartworm disease in cats and dogs.	although the presence of adult dirofilaria immitis in the pulmonary arteries and its associated arteritis and thromboembolic disease can explain some of the manifestations of canine and feline heartworm disease, the cause of other findings remains unclear. cats with d. immitis antibodies but lacking adult parasites in the pulmonary arteries frequently develop histological lesions of the airways, resulting in a condition termed heartworm-associated respiratory disease. all d. immitis parasites ha ...	2010	20193981
bacterial genes in the aphid genome: absence of functional gene transfer from buchnera to its host.	genome reduction is typical of obligate symbionts. in cellular organelles, this reduction partly reflects transfer of ancestral bacterial genes to the host genome, but little is known about gene transfer in other obligate symbioses. aphids harbor anciently acquired obligate mutualists, buchnera aphidicola (gammaproteobacteria), which have highly reduced genomes (420-650 kb), raising the possibility of gene transfer from ancestral buchnera to the aphid genome. in addition, aphids often harbor oth ...	2010	20195500
molecular evolution and functional characterization of drosophila insulin-like peptides.	multicellular animals match costly activities, such as growth and reproduction, to the environment through nutrient-sensing pathways. the insulin/igf signaling (iis) pathway plays key roles in growth, metabolism, stress resistance, reproduction, and longevity in diverse organisms including mammals. invertebrate genomes often contain multiple genes encoding insulin-like ligands, including seven drosophila insulin-like peptides (dilps). we investigated the evolution, diversification, redundancy, a ...	2010	20195512
[establishment of a new continuous cell line of drosophila melanogaster strain infected by the intracellular endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis under natural conditions].	wolbachia pipientis is an obligately intracellular bacterium infecting a number of arthropod and nematode species. at the body level, wolbachia infection may cause parthenogenesis, feminization of genetic males, male killing, or cytoplasmic incompatibility; it may also be asymptomatic. of special interest is dna transfer from wolbachia to the host insect genome, which was discovered recently. at the cellular level, the effects caused by wolbachia have been studied more poorly. only one of the kn ...	2010	20198874
immunohistological studies on neoplasms of female and male onchocerca volvulus: filarial origin and absence of wolbachia from tumor cells.	up to 5% of untreated female onchocerca volvulus filariae develop potentially fatal pleomorphic neoplasms, whose incidence is increased following ivermectin treatment. we studied the occurrence of 8 filarial proteins and of wolbachia endobacteria in the tumor cells. onchocercomas from patients, untreated and treated with antibiotics and anthelminthics, were examined by immunohistology. neoplasms were diagnosed in 112 of 3587 female and in 2 of 1570 male o. volvulus. the following proteins and ot ...	2010	20199697
prevalence of endosymbionts in bemisia tabaci populations and their in vivo sensitivity to antibiotics.	bemisia tabaci can harbor both primary and secondary endosymbionts, and the specific endosymbionts can differ among different b. tabaci biotypes. this study determined (1) the prevalence of the primary endosymbiont portiera aleyrodidarum and secondary endosymbionts arsenophonus and wolbachia in two invasive biotypes (b and q) and one indigenous biotype (cv) in china and (2) the in vivo effect of three antibiotics (tetracycline, ampicillin trihydrate, and rifampicin) against the endosymbionts; if ...	2010	20217091
monitoring long-term evolutionary changes following wolbachia introduction into a novel host: the wolbachia popcorn infection in drosophila simulans.	wolbachia may act as a biological control agent for pest management; in particular, the wolbachia variant wmelpop (popcorn) shortens host longevity and may be useful for dengue suppression. however, long-term changes in the host and wolbachia genomes can alter wolbachia spread and/or host effects that suppress disease. here, we investigate the phenotypic effects of wmelpop in a non-native host, drosophila simulans, following artificial transinfection approximately 200 generations ago. long-term ...	2010	20219740
lutzomyia sand fly diversity and rates of infection by wolbachia and an exotic leishmania species on barro colorado island, panama.	sand flies (diptera, psychodidae, phlebotominae) in the genus lutzomyia are the predominant vectors of the protozoan disease leishmaniasis in the new world. within the watershed of the panama canal, the cutaneous form of leishmaniasis is a continuous health threat for residents, tourists and members of an international research community. here we report the results of screening a tropical forest assemblage of sand fly species for infection by both leishmania and a microbe that can potentially se ...	2010	20231892
structured and unstructured continuous models for wolbachia infections.	we introduce and investigate a series of models for an infection of a diplodiploid host species by the bacterial endosymbiont wolbachia. the continuous models are characterized by partial vertical transmission, cytoplasmic incompatibility and fitness costs associated with the infection. a particular aspect of interest is competitions between mutually incompatible strains. we further introduce an age-structured model that takes into account different fertility and mortality rates at different sta ...	2010	20232169
wolbachia age-sex-specific density in aedes albopictus: a host evolutionary response to cytoplasmic incompatibility?	wolbachia bacteria have invaded many arthropod species by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci). these symbionts represent fascinating objects of study for evolutionary biologists, but also powerful potential biocontrol agents. here, we assess the density dynamics of wolbachia infections in males and females of the mosquito aedes albopitcus, an important vector of human pathogens, and interpret the results within an evolutionary framework.	2010	20300514
heat treatment of the adzuki bean borer, ostrinia scapulalis infected with wolbachia gives rise to sexually mosaic offspring.	a maternally inherited intracellular bacterium, wolbachia, causes reproductive alterations in its arthropod hosts. in the adzuki bean borer, ostrinia scapulalis (walker) (lepidoptera: crambidae), naturally-occurring wolbachia selectively kills male progeny. this wolbachia strain appears to have a feminizing effect, since antibiotic treatment of infected female moths gives rise to male progeny with sexually mosaic phenotypes. it is proposed that male-specific death occurs through the feminizing e ...	2008	20302522
ecology, wolbachia infection frequency and mode of reproduction in the parasitoid wasp tetrastichus coeruleus (hymenoptera: eulophidae).	whereas sexual reproduction may facilitate adaptation to complex environments with many biotic interactions, simplified environments are expected to favour asexual reproduction. in agreement with this, recent studies on invertebrates have shown a prevalence of asexual species in agricultural (simplified) but not in natural (complex) environments. we investigated whether the same correlation between reproductive mode and habitat can be found in different populations within one species. the parasi ...	2010	20345674
wolbachia modulates chikungunya replication in aedes albopictus.	the aedes albopictus mosquito has been involved as the principal vector of recent major outbreaks due to the chikungunya virus (chikv). the species is naturally infected by two strains of wolbachia (walba and walbb). wolbachia infections are thought to have spread by manipulating the reproduction of their hosts; cytoplasmic incompatibility is the mechanism used by wolbachia to invade natural populations of many insects including ae. albopictus. here, we report a study on the effects of removing ...	2010	20345686
plant green-island phenotype induced by leaf-miners is mediated by bacterial symbionts.	the life cycles of many organisms are constrained by the seasonality of resources. this is particularly true for leaf-mining herbivorous insects that use deciduous leaves to fuel growth and reproduction even beyond leaf fall. our results suggest that an intimate association with bacterial endosymbionts might be their way of coping with nutritional constraints to ensure successful development in an otherwise senescent environment. we show that the phytophagous leaf-mining moth phyllonorycter blan ...	2010	20356892
transforming growth factor-beta expression by host cells is elicited locally by the filarial nematode onchocerca volvulus in hyporeactive patients independently from wolbachia.	transforming growth factor-beta (tgf-beta) is a key cytokine in immune regulation, cell differentiation, development, wound healing, and tissue remodelling. it mediates immunosuppression in filarial infections facilitating parasite persistence, while attenuating immunopathology, which is induced by migrating microfilariae. immunosuppression rises with parasite burden, but it remains unknown whether filariae elicit local release of immunosuppressive cytokines. therefore, using immunohistology, we ...	2010	20359544
mitochondrial genes for heme-dependent respiratory chain complexes are up-regulated after depletion of wolbachia from filarial nematodes.	the filarial nematodes brugia malayi, wuchereria bancrofti and onchocerca volvulus cause elephantiasis or dermatitis and blindness resulting in severe morbidity. annually, 1.3 billion people are at risk of infection. targeting the essential wolbachia endobacteria of filarial nematodes with doxycycline has proven to be an effective therapy resulting in a block in embryogenesis, worm development and macrofilaricidal effects. however, doxycycline is contraindicated for a large portion of the at ris ...	2010	20362581
the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia induces resistance to dengue virus in aedes aegypti.	genetic strategies that reduce or block pathogen transmission by mosquitoes have been proposed as a means of augmenting current control measures to reduce the growing burden of vector-borne diseases. the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia has long been promoted as a potential vehicle for introducing disease-resistance genes into mosquitoes, thereby making them refractory to the human pathogens they transmit. given the large overlap in tissue distribution and intracellular localization between wol ...	2010	20368968
does wolbachia infection affect trichogramma atopovirilia behaviour?	unisexual trichogramma forms have attracted much attention due to their potential advantages as biocontrol agents. fitness studies have been performed and understanding the cost that wolbachia may inflict on their hosts will help in deciding if wolbachia infected (unisexual) forms are indeed better than sexual forms when used in biological control programmes. the influence of wolbachia on the foraging behaviour (including walking activity and speed) of t. atopovirilia is reported in this paper. ...	2010	20379652
characterization of a new aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae)-wolbachia pipientis (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae) symbiotic association generated by artificial transfer of the wpip strain from culex pipiens (diptera: culicidae).	wolbachia is a maternally inherited endosymbiont inducing various effects in insects and other invertebrate hosts that facilitate the invasion of naive host populations. one of the effects is a form of sterility known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) through which females are effectively sterilized when they mate with males harboring a different wolbachia strain. the repeated mass release of cytoplasmically incompatible males can be a tool to suppress insect populations. here, we attempt to i ...	2010	20380298
a small sequence in domain v of the mitochondrial large ribosomal rna restores drosophila melanogaster pole cell determination in uv-irradiated embryos.	the mechanism by which the mitochondrial large rrna is involved in the restoration of the pole cell-forming ability in drosophila embryos is still unknown. we identified a 15-ribonucleotide sequence which is conserved from the protobacterium wolbachia to the higher eukaryotes in domain v of the mitochondrial large rrna. this short sequence is sufficient to restore pole cell determination in uv-irradiated drosophila embryos. here, we provide evidence that the conserved 15-base sequence is suffici ...	2010	20386994
analysis of wolbachia strains associated with conotrachelus nenuphar (coleoptera: curculionidae) in the eastern united states.	we studied the distribution patterns of wolbachia infection associated with plum curculio strains in eight states of the eastern united states. the presence of the wolbachia-specific gene wsp identified infections of this endosymbiont in 97.8% of the 93 samples tested. three distinct wolbachia strains were identified. the strains wcne1 (593 bp) and wcne2 (593 bp) were 97% identical, and their sequences were both 84% identical with wcne3 (590 bp). blastn searches through genbank showed strong sim ...	2010	20388268
the maintenance of genetic variation for oviposition rate in two-spotted spider mites: inferences from artificial selection.	despite the directional selection acting on life-history traits, substantial amounts of standing variation for these traits have frequently been found. this variation may result from balancing selection (e.g., through genetic trade-offs) or from mutation-selection balance. these mechanisms affect allele frequencies in different ways: under balancing selection alleles are maintained at intermediate frequencies, whereas under mutation-selection balance variation is generated by deleterious mutatio ...	2010	20394655
diversity of wolbachia in odontotermes spp. (termitidae) and coptotermes heimi (rhinotermitidae) using the multigene approach.	the intracellular bacteria, wolbachia, are well known for inducing reproductive alterations in arthropod hosts, especially insects. the ancient origin and huge diversity, combined with the ecological, biological and behavioral plasticity of termites, make the latter exciting candidates for studying the interactions of wolbachia. in the present study, we investigated the distribution of wolbachia in populations of odontotermes spp. and coptotermes heimi termites occurring in 14 colonies (12 odont ...	2010	20402779
macrofilaricidal activity after doxycycline only treatment of onchocerca volvulus in an area of loa loa co-endemicity: a randomized controlled trial.	the risk of severe adverse events following treatment of onchocerciasis with ivermectin in areas co-endemic with loiasis currently compromises the development of control programmes and the treatment of co-infected individuals. we therefore assessed whether doxycycline treatment could be used without subsequent ivermectin administration to effectively deliver sustained effects on onchocerca volvulus microfilaridermia and adult viability. furthermore we assessed the safety of doxycycline treatment ...	2010	20405054
evidence for wolbachia symbiosis in microfilariae of wuchereria bancrofti from west bengal, india.	wolbachia are symbiotic endobacteria that infect the majority of filarial nematodes, including wuchereria bancrofti, brugia malayi and onchocerca volvulus. recent studies have suggested that wolbachia are necessary for the reproduction and survival of filarial nematodes and have highlighted the use of antibiotic therapy such as tetracycline/doxycycline as a novel method of treatment for infections caused by these organisms. before such therapy is conceived and implemented on a large scale, it is ...	2010	20413911
wolbachia affects the reproduction of the mirid predator macrolophus pygmaeus.		2009	20420217
the genetics and evolution of obligate reproductive parasitism in trichogramma pretiosum infected with parthenogenesis-inducing wolbachia.	parthenogenesis-inducing (pi) wolbachia belong to a class of intracellular symbionts that distort the offspring sex ratio of their hosts toward a female bias. in many pi wolbachia-infected species sex ratio distortion has reached its ultimate expression-fixation of infection and all-female populations. this is only possible with thelytokous pi symbionts as they provide an alternative form of reproduction and remove the requirement for males and sexual reproduction. many populations fixed for pi ...	2011	20442735