Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| a new densovirus isolated from the mosquito toxorhynchites splendens (wiedemann) (diptera: culicidae). | a new densovirus was isolated and characterized in laboratory strains of toxorhynchites splendens. the virus was detected by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) from mosquitoes reared in our laboratory. pcr fragments from each mosquito were compared by single strand conformation polymorphism (sscp) assay and found to be indistinguishable. thus, it is likely the densoviruses from these mosquitoes contain homologous nucleotide sequences. the pcr fragment corresponding to a 451 bp densovirus structural ... | 2007 | 17539278 |
| modelling the control strategies against dengue in singapore. | notified cases of dengue infections in singapore reached historical highs in 2004 (9459 cases) and 2005 (13,817 cases) and the reason for such an increase is still to be established. we apply a mathematical model for dengue infection that takes into account the seasonal variation in incidence, characteristic of dengue fever, and which mimics the 2004-2005 epidemics in singapore. we simulated a set of possible control strategies and confirmed the intuitive belief that killing adult mosquitoes is ... | 2007 | 17540051 |
| trend of temephos resistance in aedes (stegomyia) mosquitoes in thailand during 2003-2005. | the diagnostic dose for temephos susceptibility test was established based on aedes aegypti, the susceptible bora (french polynesia) strain, for practical and routine use. the diagnostic dose was subsequently used to evaluate the susceptibility/resistance status in f1 progenies of field-collected samples from bangkok and various parts of thailand. it appeared that ae. aegypti mosquitoes of one collection site each in bangkok, nakhon sawan (northcentral), and nakhon ratchasrima (northeast) were r ... | 2007 | 17540057 |
| glycosylation of the dengue 2 virus e protein at n67 is critical for virus growth in vitro but not for growth in intrathoracically inoculated aedes aegypti mosquitoes. | to determine the importance of dengue 2 virus (den2v) envelope (e) protein glycosylation, virus mutants in one or both of the n-linked glycosylation motifs were prepared. we found that while the e2 mutant virus (n153q) replicated in mammalian and mosquito cells, the e1 (n67q) and e1/2 (n67q and n153q) mutant viruses were unable to grow in mammalian cells. infection of c6/36 mosquito cells with either the e1 or e1/2 mutants resulted in the introduction of a compensatory mutation, k64n, restoring ... | 2007 | 17543367 |
| infection of adult aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus mosquitoes with the entomopathogenic fungus metarhizium anisopliae. | this study describes a laboratory investigation on the use of the insect-pathogenic fungus metarhizium anisopliae against adult aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus mosquitoes. at a dosage of 1.6 x 10(10)conidia/m(2), applied on material that served as a mosquito resting site, an average of 87.1+/-2.65% of ae. aegypti and 89.3+/-2.2% of ae. albopictus became infected with the fungus. the life span of fungus-contaminated mosquitoes of both species was significantly reduced compared to uninfected mosq ... | 2007 | 17544354 |
| vector competence of aedes aegypti (l.) and culex quinquefasciatus (say) for dirofilaria immitis (leidy). | this study was performed to examine the vector competence of aedes aegypti and culex quinquefasciatus for dirofilaria immitis. eleven individual experiments were conducted in this study. nonthaburi and udon thani strains of ae. aegypti were allowed to feed on infected dogs that had 5,750 and 4,600 microfilariae (mw) per ml of blood, respectively. three groups of bangkok-strain cx. quinquefasciatus were allowed to feed on dogs that had 4,800, 5,200, and 5,850 mf per ml of blood. six groups of liv ... | 2006 | 17547063 |
| age and body size influence male sperm capacity of the dengue vector aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae). | understanding mosquito mating biology is essential for studies of mosquito behavior, gene flow, population structure, and genetic control. in the current study, we examine the effect of age and body size on spermatozoa number in two laboratory strains of the dengue vector, aedes aegypti (l.), thailand and rockefeller (rock), and in wild-collected mosquitoes from thailand. body size was a major predictor of total spermatozoa number, with significantly greater sperm numbers in large (2.27-mm wing ... | 2007 | 17547226 |
| comparative laboratory study on the reaction of aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus to different attractive cues in a mosquito trap. | the behavioral responses of aedes aegypti (l.) and aedes albopictus (skuse) adults to several attractive cues, as reactions to mosquito traps, are compared in the laboratory, and differences in the primary attractive factors for both species are discussed. target-attacking frequency of unfed ae. aegypti females was >30 times that of unfed ae. albopictus females under simulated conditions. changes in the percentage of trapped mosquitoes under several attractive conditions using commercial mosquit ... | 2007 | 17547227 |
| nanos gene control dna mediates developmentally regulated transposition in the yellow fever mosquito aedes aegypti. | transposable elements (tes) are proposed as a basis for developing drive systems to spread pathogen resistance genes through vector mosquito populations. the use of transcriptional and translational control dna elements from genes expressed specifically in the insect germ line to mediate transposition offers possibilities for mitigating some of the concerns about transgene behavior in the target vector species and eliminating effects on nontarget organisms. here, we describe the successful use o ... | 2007 | 17548819 |
| development of a novel sticky trap for container-breeding mosquitoes and evaluation of its sampling properties to monitor urban populations of aedes albopictus. | collection methods currently used for large-scale sampling of adult stegomyia mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) present several operational limitations, which constitute major drawbacks to the epidemiological surveillance of arboviruses, the evaluation of the impact of control strategies, and the surveillance of the spreading of allochthonous species into non-endemic regions. here, we describe a new sticky trap designed to capture adult container-breeding mosquitoes and to monitor their population ... | 2007 | 17550438 |
| using fluorescently labelled m13-tailed primers to isolate 45 novel microsatellite loci from the arboviral vector culex tarsalis. | culex tarsalis coquillett (diptera: culicidae) is a highly efficient arbovirus vector. spatial and temporal heterogeneity have been observed in cx tarsalis for phenotypic traits including autogeny, virus susceptibility and host preference. genetic differences between populations may in part explain these observations. using the m13-tailed primer method, we identified 45 novel polymorphic microsatellite markers from microsatellite-enriched cx tarsalis genomic libraries. the m13-tailed primer meth ... | 0 | 17550440 |
| an insight into immunogenic salivary proteins of anopheles gambiae in african children. | during blood feeding, the mosquito injects saliva into the vertebrate host. this saliva contains bioactive components which may play a role in pathogen transmission and in host-vector relationships by inducing an immune response in the vertebrate host. the evaluation of human immune responses to arthropod bites might also represent a research direction for assessing individual exposure to the bite of a malaria vector. | 2007 | 17550586 |
| molecular cloning and characterization of the complete acetylcholinesterase gene (ace1) from the mosquito aedes aegypti with implications for comparative genome analysis. | insensitive acetylcholinesterase (ache) has been shown to be responsible for resistance to organophosphates and carbamates in a number of arthropod species. some arthropod genomes contain a single ace gene, while others including mosquitoes contain two genes, but only one confers insecticide resistance. here we report the isolation of the full-length cdna and characterization of the complete genomic dna sequence for the ace1 gene in the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. the ace1 homolog in o ... | 2007 | 17550823 |
| the sialotranscriptome of the blood-sucking bug triatoma brasiliensis (hemiptera, triatominae). | triatoma brasiliensis is the most important autochthon vector of trypanosoma cruzi in brazil, where it is widely distributed in the semiarid areas of the northeast. in order to advance the knowledge of the salivary biomolecules of triatominae, a salivary gland cdna library of t. brasiliensis was mass sequenced and analyzed. polypeptides were sequenced by hplc/edman degradation experiments. then 1712 cdna sequences were obtained and grouped in 786 clusters. the housekeeping category had 24.4% and ... | 2007 | 17550826 |
| chikungunya virus infection in traveler to australia. | 2007 | 17552118 | |
| age and clinical dengue illness. | the relationship between age and risk for classic dengue fever has never been quantified. we use data from clinical patients to show that the relative risk of having classical disease after primary dengue virus infection increases with age. this relationship has implications for strategies aimed at controlling dengue fever. | 2007 | 17553238 |
| chikungunya virus in us travelers returning from india, 2006. | chikungunya virus (chikv), a mosquito-borne alphavirus, is endemic in africa and asia. in 2005-2006, chikv epidemics were reported in islands in the indian ocean and in southern india. we present data on laboratory-confirmed chikv infections among travelers returning from india to the united states during 2006. | 2007 | 17553261 |
| evolutionary processes among sylvatic dengue type 2 viruses. | sylvatic dengue viruses (denv) are transmitted in an enzootic cycle between nonhuman primates and arboreal aedes mosquitoes in southeast asia and west africa. although previous analyses have revealed the evolutionary processes among endemic (human) denv, little is known about viral evolution in the sylvatic cycle. through an analysis of 14 complete coding regions of sylvatic dengue type 2 virus sampled over a 33-year period, we show that both the rate of evolutionary change and the pattern of na ... | 2007 | 17553878 |
| role of receptors in bacillus thuringiensis crystal toxin activity. | bacillus thuringiensis produces crystalline protein inclusions with insecticidal or nematocidal properties. these crystal (cry) proteins determine a particular strain's toxicity profile. transgenic crops expressing one or more recombinant cry toxins have become agriculturally important. individual cry toxins are usually toxic to only a few species within an order, and receptors on midgut epithelial cells have been shown to be critical determinants of cry specificity. the best characterized of th ... | 2007 | 17554045 |
| microbial larvicides for malaria control in the gambia. | mosquito larval control may prove to be an effective tool for incorporating into integrated vector management (ivm) strategies for reducing malaria transmission. here the efficacy of microbial larvicides against anopheles gambiae s.l. was tested in preparation for a large-scale larviciding programme in the gambia. | 2007 | 17555570 |
| cytokine responses of cd4+ t cells during a plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi (er) blood-stage infection in mice initiated by the natural route of infection. | investigation of host responses to blood stages of plasmodium spp, and the immunopathology associated with this phase of the life cycle are often performed on mice infected directly with infected red blood cells. thus, the effects of mosquito bites and the pre-erythrocytic stages of the parasite, which would be present in natural infection, are ignored in this paper, plasmodium chabaudi chabaudi infections of mice injected directly with infected red blood cells were compared with those of mice i ... | 2007 | 17555592 |
| genetic control of malaria parasite transmission: threshold levels for infection in an avian model system. | genetic strategies for controlling malaria transmission based on engineering pathogen resistance in anopheles mosquitoes are being tested in a number of animal models. a key component is the effector molecule and the efficiency with which it reduces parasite transmission. single-chain antibodies (scfvs) that bind the circumsporozoite protein of the avian parasite, plasmodium gallinaceum, can reduce mean intensities of sporozoite infection of salivary glands by two to four orders of magnitude in ... | 2007 | 17556613 |
| generation and analysis of ests from the eastern oyster, crassostrea virginica gmelin and identification of microsatellite and snp markers. | the eastern oyster, crassostrea virginica (gmelin 1791), is an economically important species cultured in many areas in north america. it is also ecologically important because of the impact of its filter feeding behaviour on water quality. populations of c. virginica have been threatened by overfishing, habitat degradation, and diseases. through genome research, strategies are being developed to reverse its population decline. however, large-scale expressed sequence tag (est) resources have bee ... | 2007 | 17559679 |
| conformational plasticity of the lipid transfer protein scp2. | the nonspecific lipid transfer protein sterol carrier protein 2 (scp2) is involved in organellar fatty acid metabolism. a hydrophobic cavity in the structure of scp2 accommodates a wide variety of apolar ligands such as cholesterol derivatives or fatty acyl-coenzyme a (coa) conjugates. the properties of this nonspecific lipid binding pocket are explored using nmr chemical shift perturbations, paramagnetic relaxation enhancement, amide hydrogen exchange, and 15n relaxation measurements. a common ... | 2007 | 17566986 |
| cross-reactive t-cell responses to the nonstructural regions of dengue viruses among dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever patients in malaysia. | dengue virus infections are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in tropical and subtropical areas in the world. attempts to develop effective vaccines have been hampered by the lack of understanding of the pathogenesis of the disease and the absence of suitable experimental models for dengue viral infection. the magnitude of t-cell responses has been reported to correlate with dengue disease severity. sixty malaysian adults with dengue viral infections were investigated for their dengue vir ... | 2007 | 17567768 |
| biochemical studies of insecticide resistance in aedes (stegomyia) aegypti and aedes (stegomyia) albopictus (diptera: culicidae) in thailand. | biochemical analysis was performed on field caught aedes (stegomyia) aegypti and aedes (stegomyia) albopictus (diptera: culicidae) mosquitoes to determine activities of enzymes including mixed function oxidases (mfo), nonspecific esterases (alpha- and beta-), glutathione-s-transferases (gst), and insensitive acetylcholinesterase (ache). biochemical tests were performed on f1 generation of ae. aegypti field caught mosquitoes, while in ae. albopictus f2 progenies were used. twenty-six samples of a ... | 2007 | 17568372 |
| seasonal abundance of aedes albopictus in selected urban and suburban areas in penang, malaysia. | ovitrap surveillance was conducted in a selected urban area and suburban area, ie. taman permai indah(tpi) and kampung pasir gebu (kpg) in penang for 14 months. it was found that aedes albopictus was the most abundant aedes species in both study areas, even though a small percentage of aedes aegypti and culex quinquefasciatus were found to breed simultaneously in the same ovitrap. this study indicated that the main dengue vector was ae. albopictus. a strong correlation was found between rainfall ... | 2007 | 17568381 |
| [specificity of the adultrap for capturing females of aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae)]. | the adultrap is a new trap built for capturing females of aedes aegypti. tests were carried out to evaluate the specificity of this trap in comparison with the technique of aspiration of specimens in artificial shelters. adultraps were kept for 24 hours inside and outside 120 randomly selected homes in two districts of the city of foz do iguaçú, state of paraná. the statistical test was poissons log-linear model. the result was 726 mosquitoes captured, of which 80 were aedes aegypti. the adultra ... | 2007 | 17568892 |
| emergent arboviruses in brazil. | brazil is a large tropical country (8,514,215 km(2)) with 185,360,000 inhabitants. more than one third of its territory is covered by tropical forests or other natural ecosystems. these provide ideal conditions for the existence of many arboviruses, which are maintained in a large variety of zoonotic cycles. the risk that new arboviruses might emerge in brazil is related to the existence of large, densely populated cities that are infested by mosquitoes such as culex and the highly anthropophili ... | 2007 | 17568894 |
| ryanodane diterpenes from two erythroxylum species. | ryanodane diterpenes, named 14-o-methyl-ryanodanol and ryanodanol, were isolated from ripe fruit of erythroxylum passerinum. compound 2 was also found in the leaves of this species, while 1 was obtained from the leaves of e. nummularia. compound 1 showed insecticidal activity against aedes aegypti larvae. | 2007 | 17570446 |
| [social representations concerning dengue, dengue vectors, and control activities among residents of são sebastião on the northern coast of são paulo state, brazil]. | this study sought to identify people's knowledge on dengue and its vector biology, aimed at promoting a communications channel between technical and lay reasoning in order to foster community involvement in dengue and dengue vector control activities. a survey was conducted in an aedes aegypti-infested area with dengue transmission in são sebastião on the northern coast of são paulo state, brazil. one hundred interviews were held, with five open questions on topics related to dengue and vector c ... | 2007 | 17572820 |
| the cdna cloning and mrna expression of cytoplasmic cu, zn superoxide dismutase (sod) gene in scallop chlamys farreri. | cu, zn superoxide dismutases (sods) are metalloenzymes that represent one important line of defence against reactive oxygen species (ros). a cytoplasmic cu, zn sod cdna sequence was cloned from scallop chlamys farreri by the homology-based cloning technique. the full-length cdna of scallop cytoplasmic cu, zn sod (designated cfsod) was 1022 bp with a 459 bp open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 153 amino acids. the predicted amino acid sequence of cfsod shared high identity with cytoplasmi ... | 2007 | 17574438 |
| spindly, a novel protein essential for silencing the spindle assembly checkpoint, recruits dynein to the kinetochore. | the eukaryotic spindle assembly checkpoint (sac) monitors microtubule attachment to kinetochores and prevents anaphase onset until all kinetochores are aligned on the metaphase plate. in higher eukaryotes, cytoplasmic dynein is involved in silencing the sac by removing the checkpoint proteins mad2 and the rod-zw10-zwilch complex (rzz) from aligned kinetochores (howell, b.j., b.f. mcewen, j.c. canman, d.b. hoffman, e.m. farrar, c.l. rieder, and e.d. salmon. 2001. j. cell biol. 155:1159-1172; wojc ... | 2007 | 17576797 |
| characterization of na+/h+ exchanger nhe8 in cultured renal epithelial cells. | nhe8 is expressed in the apical membrane of the proximal tubule and is predicted to be a na+/h+ exchanger on the basis of its primary amino acid sequence. functional characterization of native nhe8 in mammalian cells has not been possible to date. we screened a number of polarized renal cell lines for the plasma membrane na+/h+ exchangers (nhe1, 2, 3, 4, and 8) and found only nhe1 and nhe8 transcripts in nrk cells by rt-pcr. nhe8 protein is expressed in the apical membrane of nrk cells as demons ... | 2007 | 17581925 |
| mosquito repellent activity of essential oils of aromatic plants growing in argentina. | mosquitoes are important vectors of diseases and nuisance pests. repellents minimize contact with mosquitoes. repellents based on essential oils (eo) are being developed as an alternative to deet (n,n-diethyl-m-methylbenzamide), an effective compound that has disadvantages including toxic reactions, and damage to plastic and synthetic fabric. this work evaluated the repellency against aedes aegypti of eo from aromatic plants that grow in argentina: acantholippia seriphioides, achyrocline saturei ... | 2008 | 17583499 |
| new criteria for selecting the origin of dna replication in wolbachia and closely related bacteria. | the annotated genomes of two closely related strains of the intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis have been reported without the identifications of the putative origin of replication (ori). identifying the ori of these bacteria and related alpha-proteobacteria as well as their patterns of sequence evolution will aid studies of cell replication and cell density, as well as the potential genetic manipulation of these widespread intracellular bacteria. | 2007 | 17584494 |
| structural and rnai characterization of the german cockroach lipophorin receptor, and the evolutionary relationships of lipoprotein receptors. | lipophorin receptors (lprs) have been described in a number of insects, but functional studies have been reported only in locusts and mosquitoes. the aim of the present work was to characterize the lpr of the cockroach blattella germanica, not only molecularly but also functionally using rnai techniques, and to place lprs in a phylogenetical context among lipoprotein receptors. | 2007 | 17587448 |
| identification of genes differentially expressed during larval molting and metamorphosis of helicoverpa armigera. | larval molting and metamorphosis are important physiological processes in the life cycle of the holometabolous insect. we used suppression subtractive hybridization (ssh) to identify genes differentially expressed during larval molting and metamorphosis. | 2007 | 17588272 |
| evolutionary dynamics of immune-related genes and pathways in disease-vector mosquitoes. | mosquitoes are vectors of parasitic and viral diseases of immense importance for public health. the acquisition of the genome sequence of the yellow fever and dengue vector, aedes aegypti (aa), has enabled a comparative phylogenomic analysis of the insect immune repertoire: in aa, the malaria vector anopheles gambiae (ag), and the fruit fly drosophila melanogaster (dm). analysis of immune signaling pathways and response modules reveals both conservative and rapidly evolving features associated w ... | 2007 | 17588928 |
| [efficacy of fish as predators of aedes aegypti larvae, under laboratory conditions]. | to evaluate the efficacy of fish as predators of the aedes aegypti larvae in laboratory conditions. | 2007 | 17589763 |
| mosquito heparan sulfate and its potential role in malaria infection and transmission. | heparan sulfate has been isolated for the first time from the mosquito anopheles stephensi, a known vector for plasmodium parasites, the causative agents of malaria. chondroitin sulfate, but not dermatan sulfate or hyaluronan, was also present in the mosquito. the glycosaminoglycans were isolated, from salivary glands and midguts of the mosquito in quantities sufficient for disaccharide microanalysis. both of these organs are invaded at different stages of the plasmodium life cycle. mosquito hep ... | 2007 | 17597060 |
| rna editing and alternative splicing of the insect nachr subunit alpha6 transcript: evolutionary conservation, divergence and regulation. | rna editing and alternative splicing play an important role in expanding protein diversity and this is well illustrated in studies of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nachrs). | 2007 | 17597521 |
| identification and expression profile of a putative basement membrane protein gene in the midgut of helicoverpa armigera. | the midgut undergoes histolysis and remodeling during the larval to adult transition in holometabolous insects, but the molecular mechanisms underlying this process are not well understood. | 2007 | 17597546 |
| molecular basis for the reproductive division of labour in a lower termite. | polyphenism, the expression of different phenotypes with the same genetic background, is well known for social insects. the substantial physiological and morphological differences among the castes generally are the result of differential gene expression. in lower termites, workers are developmentally flexible to become neotenic replacement reproductives via a single moult after the death of the founding reproductives. thus, both castes (neotenics and workers) are expected to differ mainly in the ... | 2007 | 17598892 |
| the geometry of the wing of aedes (stegomyia) aegypti in isofemale lines through successive generations. | under a common laboratory environment, three isofemale lines of aedes (stegomyia) aegypti were used to score metric properties (size and shape) of the wings during 10 generations. since the number of generations was much higher than the number of founders in each line, genetic drift was expected to occur. size tended to slightly increase with time, but its variation among the successive generations did not show any detectable information specific to each line. shape could discriminate among line ... | 2008 | 17600773 |
| transposable element dynamics of the hat element herves in the human malaria vector anopheles gambiae s.s. | transposable elements are being considered as genetic drive agents for introducing phenotype-altering genes into populations of vectors of human disease. the dynamics of endogenous elements will assist in predicting the behavior of introduced elements. transposable element display was used to estimate the site-occupancy frequency distribution of herves in six populations of anopheles gambiae s.s. the site-occupancy distribution data suggest that the element has been recently active within the sa ... | 2007 | 17603116 |
| characterization of reemerging chikungunya virus. | an unprecedented epidemic of chikungunya virus (chikv) infection recently started in countries of the indian ocean area, causing an acute and painful syndrome with strong fever, asthenia, skin rash, polyarthritis, and lethal cases of encephalitis. the basis for chikungunya disease and the tropism of chikv remain unknown. here, we describe the replication characteristics of recent clinical chikv strains. human epithelial and endothelial cells, primary fibroblasts and, to a lesser extent, monocyte ... | 2007 | 17604450 |
| community based vector control in malindi, kenya. | community involvement has become an important component of the national malaria control strategy in kenya, resulting in the organization of groups charged with addressing mosquito and malaria-related concerns within the community. | 0 | 17604514 |
| evaluation of the sticky mosquitrap for detecting aedes (stegomyia) aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae) during the dry season in belo horizonte, minas gerais, brazil. | mosquitrap is a sticky trap specifically designed to capture gravid females of aedes aegypti (l.) and allows the identification of the mosquito in the field during the inspection of the trap. this study aims to compare this sticky trap to larval and ovitrap surveys for field monitoring of a. aegypti during the dry season. the study was conducted from march to june of 2003 in 20 blocks of the district of itapoã, belo horizonte, mg. the traps were monitored every week while the larval survey was c ... | 2007 | 17607465 |
| [resistance of aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae) populations to organophosphates temephos in the paraíba state, brazil]. | rumors of aedes aegypti (l.) resistance to temephos in diferent brazilian states justified this research, whose objective was to verify and characterize the resistance to temephos in a. aegypti populations from paraíba state. the temephos resistance was evaluated and characterized through a diagnostic dose of 0.012 mg/l and concentration-mortality curves. the mortality data of multiple concentrations were submitted to probit analysis, and the resistance ratios (rr) were figured out from the cl50 ... | 2007 | 17607466 |
| molecular evolution of the reactive oxygen-generating nadph oxidase (nox/duox) family of enzymes. | nadph-oxidases (nox) and the related dual oxidases (duox) play varied biological and pathological roles via regulated generation of reactive oxygen species (ros). members of the nox/duox family have been identified in a wide variety of organisms, including mammals, nematodes, fruit fly, green plants, fungi, and slime molds; however, little is known about the molecular evolutionary history of these enzymes. | 2007 | 17612411 |
| sampling daphnia's expressed genes: preservation, expansion and invention of crustacean genes with reference to insect genomes. | functional and comparative studies of insect genomes have shed light on the complement of genes, which in part, account for shared morphologies, developmental programs and life-histories. contrasting the gene inventories of insects to those of the nematodes provides insight into the genomic changes responsible for their diversification. however, nematodes have weak relationships to insects, as each belongs to separate animal phyla. a better outgroup to distinguish lineage specific novelties woul ... | 2007 | 17612412 |
| variation in aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) container productivity in a slum and a suburban district of rio de janeiro during dry and wet seasons. | seasonal variation in container productivity and infestation levels by aedes aegypti were evaluated in two areas with distinct levels of urbanization degrees in rio de janeiro, a slum and a suburban neighborhood. the four most productive containers can generate up to 90% of total pupae. large and open-mouthed containers, such as water tanks and metal drums, located outdoors were the most productive in both areas, with up to 47.49% of total ae. aegypti pupae collected in the shaded sites in the s ... | 2007 | 17612770 |
| the juan non-ltr retrotransposon in mosquitoes: genomic impact, vertical transmission and indications of recent and widespread activity. | in contrast to dna-mediated transposable elements (tes), retrotransposons, particularly non-long terminal repeat retrotransposons (non-ltrs), are generally considered to have a much lower propensity towards horizontal transfer. detailed studies on site-specific non-ltr families have demonstrated strict vertical transmission. more studies are needed with non-site-specific non-ltr families to determine whether strict vertical transmission is a phenomenon related to site specificity or a more gener ... | 2007 | 17620143 |
| developmental genomics of the most dangerous animal. | 2007 | 17620616 | |
| advances in mosquito allergy. | allergic reactions, including severe local and systemic reactions to mosquito bites, are immunological in nature, and involve immunoglobulin e, immunoglobulin g, and t-lymphocyte-mediated hypersensitivities in response to allergens in mosquito saliva. naturally acquired desensitization to mosquito saliva may occur during childhood or during long-term exposure to mosquitoes. due to the lack of availability of mosquito salivary preparations for use in skin tests and in-vitro tests, allergic reacti ... | 2007 | 17620829 |
| geographical structure of dengue transmission and its determinants in thailand. | expansion of dengue has been attributed to urbanization. to test this concept, we examined dengue transmission intensities in thailand. we used the inverse of mean age of dengue haemorrhagic fever (dhf) cases as a surrogate of dengue transmission intensity (or force of infection). the transmission intensity in bangkok decreased rapidly since the mid-1990s, to levels that are currently lower than in other regions. regression analysis revealed that transmission intensity is highest in the northeas ... | 2007 | 17624231 |
| anopheles gambiae heat shock protein cognate 70b impedes o'nyong-nyong virus replication. | phylogenetic and functional analysis was conducted on an anopheles gambiae gene, ensangg00000017398. based on phylogenetic analysis, this gene belongs to the same lineage as heat shock protein cognate 70-4 (hsc70-4) in drosophila. accordingly, we propose to name this gene heat shock protein cognate 70b (hsc70b). we previously reported that expression of hsc70b and other genes including elongation factor-1alpha (ef-1alpha) and the agglutinin attachment subunit (agglutinin) were up-regulated in o' ... | 2007 | 17625007 |
| nematicidal and larvicidal activities of the essential oils from aerial parts of pectis oligocephala and pectis apodocephala baker. | the chemical composition of the essential oils from aerial parts of pectis apodocephala and pectis oligocephala were analyzed by gc-ms. the essential oils of these species were predominantly constituted by monoterpenes. geranial (42.9-44.5%), neral (32.2-34.2%) and alpha-pinene (10.7-11.4%) were the main constituents in the oil of p. apodocephala, while p-cymene (50.3-70.9%) and thymol (24.4-44.7%), were the prevalent compounds in the oil of p. oligocephala. the essential oils were tested agains ... | 2007 | 17625675 |
| oviposition, dispersal, and survival in aedes aegypti: implications for the efficacy of control strategies. | there is compelling evidence that aedes aegypti distributes small numbers of eggs among many sites, and that this "skip oviposition" is a driver for dispersal. the behavior is compatible with published results of mark-release-recapture studies, although many of these have been interpreted as evidence for limited dispersal. skip oviposition also extends the duration of the gonotrophic cycle, the key parameter in the use of parous rates to estimate physiologic age. in addition, contact with multip ... | 2007 | 17627447 |
| identification and characterization of juvenile hormone esterase gene from the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. | juvenile hormone esterase (jhe) plays an important role in regulating juvenile hormone titers. recent sequencing and annotation of the aedes aegypti genome identified ten putative jhe gene sequences. analysis of these ten putative jhe gene sequences showed that only three of them, eat43357, eat43353 and eat43354 contained gqsag motif and showed high sequence similarity with the sequences of jhe genes identified from other insect species. to determine which putative jhe gene(s) code for functiona ... | 2007 | 17628281 |
| a photoaffinity, non-steroidal, ecdysone agonist, bisacylhydrazine compound, rh-131039: characterization of binding and functional activity. | in this paper we describe the synthesis, ligand-binding and functional activity characteristics of the photoaffinity, non-steroidal, ecdysone agonist, bisacylhydrazine compound, 3-benzoyl-benzoic acid n-tert-butyl-n'-(2-ethyl-3-methoxy-benzoyl)-hydrazide (rh-131039). tritiated rh-131039 is the first non-steroidal photoaffinity compound that was shown to bind specifically to ecdysone receptors (ecrs) from insects belonging to the orders diptera and lepidoptera. the spruce budworm (choristoneura f ... | 2007 | 17628285 |
| [impact of aerial mosquito control on populations of aedes aegypti in two communities of abidjan]. | from may 2nd to 13th 1997, an aerial mosquito control took place in abidjan. this mosquitoes control has been undertaken by the municipality. he made two ultra low volume (ulv) applications of d eltamethrine (k o thriner). the second application took place one week after the first one. each application used 2g per ha of deltamethrine diluted with gasoil. | 2005 | 17632992 |
| parity and ovarian development of aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus (diptera: culicidae) in metropolitan rio de janeiro. | vector blood-feeding frequency, parity, and ovarian development are important factors that can influence pathogen transmission. parity rates of the dengue vectors aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus were determined from females collected from august 2002 to july 2004 in metropolitan rio de janeiro. a high frequency of parous ae. aegypti (92.9%, n = 550) and ae. albopictus (99.1%, n = 320) females suggested high survivorship of both species. a total of 69% of wild-caught ae. aegypti females had bloo ... | 2007 | 17633424 |
| predator avoidance behavior of aedes aegypti mosquito larvae infected with mermithid nematodes (nematoda: mermithidae). | 2007 | 17633436 | |
| drosophila by the dozen. | 0 | 17634150 | |
| resource depletion in aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected by the microsporidia vavraia culicis. | summaryparasitic infection is often associated with changes in host life-history traits, such as host development. many of these life-history changes are ultimately thought to be the result of a depletion or reallocation of the host's resources driven either by the host (to minimize the effects of infection) or by the parasite (to maximize its growth rate). in this paper we investigate the energetic budget of aedes aegypti mosquito larvae infected by vavraia culicis, a microsporidian parasite th ... | 2007 | 17634157 |
| genomics against flatulence. | 2007 | 17635535 | |
| molecular characterization of the aedes aegypti odorant receptor gene family. | the olfactory-driven blood-feeding behaviour of female aedes aegypti mosquitoes is the primary transmission mechanism by which the arboviruses causing dengue and yellow fevers affect over 40 million individuals worldwide. bioinformatics analysis has been used to identify 131 putative odourant receptors from the a. aegypti genome that are likely to function in chemosensory perception in this mosquito. comparison with the anopheles gambiae olfactory subgenome demonstrates significant divergence of ... | 2007 | 17635615 |
| ecology of invasive mosquitoes: effects on resident species and on human health. | investigations of biological invasions focus on patterns and processes that are related to introduction, establishment, spread and impacts of introduced species. this review focuses on the ecological interactions operating during invasions by the most prominent group of insect vectors of disease, mosquitoes. first, we review characteristics of non-native mosquito species that have established viable populations, and those invasive species that have spread widely and had major impacts, testing wh ... | 2005 | 17637849 |
| transepithelial transport of salicylate by the malpighian tubules of insects from different orders. | the organic anion salicylate is a plant secondary metabolite that protects plants against phytophagous insects. in this study, a combination of salicylate-selective microelectrodes and a radioisotope tracer technique was used to study the transepithelial transport of salicylate by the malpighian tubules of 10 species of insects from five orders. our results show that salicylate is transported into the lumen of the malpighian tubules in all the species evaluated, except rhodnius prolixus. the tra ... | 2007 | 17640663 |
| aegyptin, a novel mosquito salivary gland protein, specifically binds to collagen and prevents its interaction with platelet glycoprotein vi, integrin alpha2beta1, and von willebrand factor. | blood-sucking arthropods have evolved a number of inhibitors of platelet aggregation and blood coagulation. in this study we have molecularly and functionally characterized aegyptin, a member of the family of 30-kda salivary allergens from aedes aegypti, whose function remained elusive thus far. aegyptin displays a unique sequence characterized by glycine, glutamic acid, and aspartic acid repeats and was shown to specifically block collagen-induced human platelet aggregation and granule secretio ... | 2007 | 17650501 |
| identification of a chloride ion binding site in na+/cl -dependent transporters. | the recent determination of the crystal structure of the leucine transporter from aquifex aeolicus (aaleut) has provided significant insights into the function of neurotransmitter:sodium symporters. transport by aaleut is cl(-) independent, whereas many neurotransmitter:sodium symporters from higher organisms depend on cl(-) ions. however, the only cl(-) ion identified in the aaleut structure interacts with nonconserved residues in extracellular loops, and thus the relevance of this binding site ... | 2007 | 17652169 |
| an immunogenic and protective alphavirus replicon particle-based dengue vaccine overcomes maternal antibody interference in weanling mice. | a candidate pediatric dengue virus (denv) vaccine based on nonpropagating venezuelan equine encephalitis virus replicon particles (vrp) was tested for immunogenicity and protective efficacy in weanling mice in the presence and absence of potentially interfering maternal antibodies. a gene cassette encoding envelope proteins prm and e from mouse-adapted denv type 2 (denv2) strain ngc was cloned into a vee replicon vector and packaged into vrp, which programmed proper in vitro expression and proce ... | 2007 | 17652394 |
| larvicidal activity of oil-resin fractions from the brazilian medicinal plant copaifera reticulata ducke (leguminosae-caesalpinoideae) against aedes aegypti (diptera, culicidae). | oil-resin fractions from copaifera reticulata ducke (leguminosae-caesalpinoideae) were evaluated for larvicidal activity on third larval instars of aedes aegypti, in searching for alternative control methods for this mosquito. the bioactive fractions were chemically monitored by thin-layer chromatography, (1)h and 13c nuclear magnetic resonance and mass spectrometry. bioassays were performed using five repetitions, at a temperature of 28+/-1 degrees c, relative humidity of 80+/- 5% and light and ... | 2007 | 17653457 |
| epidemiology of tree-hole breeding mosquitoes in the tropical rainforest of imo state, south-east nigeria. | the study of tree-hole breeding mosquitoes was carried out in the tropical rainforest of imo state nigeria (two rural areas and two forest reserves in some parts of orlu senatorial zone) between may-october 2002. using standard entomological procedures, two macrohabitats (natural tree-holes and bamboo traps) and two microhabitats (leaf axils of cocoyams/pineapples and leaf axils of plantain/banana) were sampled for various mosquito species. mosquitoes were recovered from all the various biotypes ... | 2007 | 17655174 |
| effects of essential oils on aedes aegypti larvae: alternatives to environmentally safe insecticides. | the essential oils from leaves of hyptis fruticosa (lamiaceae) salzm., h. pectinata (lamiaceae) poit., and lippia gracilis (verbenaceae) hbk were investigated for their larvicidal activity against aedes aegypti and analyzed by gc/ms. fifty-nine compounds, representing 91.28-98.39% of the essential oils, have been identified. a standard solution was used to make 20 ml solutions ranging from 30 to 2000 ppm. twenty larvae between third and fourth stages were added to the essential oil solution. a m ... | 2008 | 17662602 |
| genetic variation of male reproductive success in a laboratory population of anopheles gambiae. | for anopheline mosquitoes, the vectors of human malaria, genetic variation in male reproductive success can have important consequences for any control strategy based on the release of transgenic or sterile males. | 2007 | 17663767 |
| larvicide and oviposition deterrent effects of fruit and leaf extracts from melia azedarach l. on aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae). | aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae), the main urban vector of dengue, has developed resistance to various insecticides, making its control increasingly difficult. we explored the effects of argentine melia azedarach l. (meliaceae) fruit and senescent leaf extracts on ae. aegypti larval development and survival, by rearing cohorts of first instar mosquitoes in water with different extract concentrations. we also analysed oviposition deterrent activity in choice tests with extract-treated ovit ... | 2008 | 17669645 |
| bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis cyt1aa enhances activity of cry11aa toxin by facilitating the formation of a pre-pore oligomeric structure. | bacillus thuringiensis ssp. israelensis (bti) has been used worldwide for the control of dipteran insect pests. this bacterium produces several cry and cyt toxins that individually show activity against mosquitoes but together show synergistic effect. previous work demonstrated that cyt1aa synergizes the toxic activity of cry11aa by functioning as a membrane-bound receptor. in the case of cry toxins active against lepidopteran insects, receptor interaction triggers the formation of a pre-pore ol ... | 2007 | 17672866 |
| organization, ultrastructure, and development of midgut visceral muscle in larval aedes aegypti. | the midgut muscularis of larvae of the mosquito aedes aegypti takes the form of a grid of longitudinal and circular muscle bands. the longitudinal and circular bands overlap at near right angles at many areas of intersection. the longitudinal bands run the length of the midgut. however, some bands of circular muscle, located in the anterior midgut, pass only partway around the gut. an unusual feature was observed at some regions where longitudinal and circular bands of muscle intersect: filament ... | 2007 | 17675126 |
| an insight into the sialotranscriptome of the seed-feeding bug, oncopeltus fasciatus. | the salivary transcriptome of the seed-feeding hemipteran, oncopeltus fasciatus (milkweed bug), is described following assembly of 1025 expressed sequence tags (ests) into 305 clusters of related sequences. inspection of these sequences reveals abundance of low complexity, putative secreted products rich in the amino acids (aa) glycine, serine or threonine, which might function as silk or mucins and assist food canal lubrication and sealing of the feeding site around the mouthparts. several prot ... | 2007 | 17681229 |
| post-integration stability of piggybac in aedes aegypti. | the post-integration activity of piggybac transposable element gene vectors in aedes aegypti mosquitoes was tested under a variety of conditions. the embryos from five independent transgenic lines of ae. aegypti, each with a single integrated non-autonomous piggybac transposable element gene vector, were injected with plasmids containing the piggybac transposase open-reading frame under the regulatory control of the drosophila melanogaster hsp70 promoter. no evidence for somatic remobilization w ... | 2007 | 17681233 |
| broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity of the reactive compounds generated in vitro by manduca sexta phenoloxidase. | although quinone production and melanin formation are widely recognized as an integral part of the insect defense system, experimental evidence is lacking that the proteolytic activation of prophenoloxidase participates in the direct killing of invading microbes-active phenoloxidase generates quinones that polymerize to form melanin. here, we report the antimicrobial effect of reactive intermediates produced in phenoloxidase-catalyzed reactions. after being treated with manduca sexta phenoloxida ... | 2007 | 17681234 |
| forkhead transcription factors regulate mosquito reproduction. | forkhead-box (fox) genes encode a family of transcription factors defined by a 'winged helix' dna-binding domain. in this study we aimed to identify fox factors that are expressed within the fat body of the yellow fever mosquito aedes aegypti, and determine whether any of these are involved in the regulation of mosquito yolk protein gene expression. the ae. aegypti genome contains 18 loci that encode putative fox factors. our stringent cladistic analysis has profound implications for the use of ... | 2007 | 17681238 |
| a new classification system for the actions of irs chemicals traditionally used for malaria control. | knowledge of how mosquitoes respond to insecticides is of paramount importance in understanding how an insecticide functions to prevent disease transmission. a suite of laboratory assays was used to quantitatively characterize mosquito responses to toxic, contact irritant, and non-contact spatial repellent actions of standard insecticides. highly replicated tests of these compounds over a range of concentrations proved that all were toxic, some were contact irritants, and even fewer were non-con ... | 2007 | 17684562 |
| reduced infection in mosquitoes exposed to blood meals containing previously frozen flaviviruses. | the increased difficulty and expense of using live animals for delivering infectious blood meals in arthropod-borne virus vector competence experiments has resulted in an increase in the use of artificial feeding systems. compared to live hosts, artificial systems require higher viral titers to attain mosquito infection, thereby limiting the utility of such systems with low or moderate titer virus stocks. based on the report that freshly propagated virus is more infectious than previously frozen ... | 2007 | 17686541 |
| fate of blood meal iron in mosquitoes. | iron is an essential element of living cells and organisms as a component of numerous metabolic pathways. hemoglobin and ferric-transferrin in vertebrate host blood are the two major iron sources for female mosquitoes. we used inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (icp-ms) and radioisotope labeling to quantify the fate of iron supplied from hemoglobin or as transferrin in aedes aegypti. at the end of the first gonotrophic cycle, approximately 87% of the ingested total meal heme iron was e ... | 2007 | 17689557 |
| low gene flow of aedes aegypti between dengue-endemic and dengue-free areas in southeastern and southern brazil. | we present a population genetic study of aedes aegypti in brazil using isoenzyme markers. four polymorphic loci were used to examine 11 mosquito collections at four periods in 2003. samples from a dengue-endemic area (southeastern region) and a dengue-free area (southern region) connected by an important network of roads and railways were analyzed. the degree of genetic differentiation observed between populations is consistent with limited gene flow between them. there was no evidence of passiv ... | 2007 | 17690403 |
| effects of the compounds 2-methoxynaphthoquinone, 2-propoxynaphthoquinone, and 2-isopropoxynaphthoquinone on ecdysone 20-monooxygenase activity. | the effects of the natural compound 2-methoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone, isolated from the leaves of impatiens glandulifera and the synthetic compounds 2-propoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone and 2-isopropoxy-1,4-naphthoquinone on ecdysone 20-monooxygenase (e-20-m) activity were examined in three insect species. homogenates of wandering stage third instar larvae of drosophila melanogaster, or abdomens from adult female aedes aegypti, or fat body or midgut from fifth instar larvae of manduca sexta were incubated w ... | 2007 | 17694563 |
| direct and indirect effects of animal detritus on growth, survival, and mass of invasive container mosquito aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae). | compared with plant detritus, animal detritus yields higher growth rates, survival, adult mass, and population growth of container-dwelling mosquitoes. it is unclear whether the benefit from animal detritus to larvae results from greater microorganism growth, direct ingestion of animal detritus by larvae, or some other mechanism. we tested alternative mechanisms by which animal detritus may benefit the invasive container-dwelling mosquito aedes albopictus (skuse) (diptera: culicidae). in the lab ... | 2007 | 17695011 |
| age-related changes in female mosquito carbon dioxide detection. | mosquitoes rely on carbon dioxide (co2) as a primary component in host-seeking behavior. co2 is detected by specialized receptor neurons in basiconic sensilla located on the maxillary palps of the mosquito. the sensitivity and specificity of these sensors can be studied using single-cell electrophysiological methods. such electrophysiological data reveal that certain aspects of the sensitivity of these sensors change during the maturation of adult female aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae). ... | 2007 | 17695016 |
| spinosad, a naturally derived insecticide, for control of aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae): efficacy, persistence, and elicited oviposition response. | the naturally derived insecticide spinosad is a reduced-risk material that is neurotoxic to diptera. the 24-h 50% lethal concentration by laboratory bioassay in third instars of aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae) (rockefeller strain) was estimated at 0.026 ppm. two identical field trials were performed in an urban cemetery in southern mexico during the dry and wet seasons. water containers treated with 1 or 5 ppm spinosad suspension concentrate (tracer, dow agrosciences) were as effective i ... | 2007 | 17695018 |
| human wild-type alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase and its naturally occurring g82e variant: functional properties and physiological implications. | human hepatic peroxisomal agt (alanine:glyoxylate aminotransferase) is a plp (pyridoxal 5'-phosphate)-dependent enzyme whose deficiency causes primary hyperoxaluria type i, a rare autosomal recessive disorder. to acquire experimental evidence for the physiological function of agt, the k(eq),(overall) of the reaction, the steady-state kinetic parameters of the forward and reverse reactions, and the pre-steady-state kinetics of the half-reactions of the plp form of agt with l-alanine or glycine an ... | 2007 | 17696873 |
| detection of knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in anopheles gambiae: a comparison of two new high-throughput assays with existing methods. | knockdown resistance (kdr) is a well-characterized mechanism of resistance to pyrethroid insecticides in many insect species and is caused by point mutations of the pyrethroid target site the para-type sodium channel. the presence of kdr mutations in anopheles gambiae, the most important malaria vector in africa, has been monitored using a variety of molecular techniques. however, there are few reports comparing the performance of these different assays. in this study, two new high-throughput as ... | 2007 | 17697325 |
| evidence of vertical transmission of dengue virus in two endemic localities in the state of oaxaca, mexico. | dengue virus is spread in tropical areas of the world and is the causative agent of dengue fever and dengue hemorrhagic fever. it is horizontally transmitted to humans by infected aedes mosquitoes, but it is also able to be vertically or transovarially transmitted to insect progeny. | 2007 | 17700030 |
| genomic mapping of suppressor of hairy-wing binding sites in drosophila. | insulator elements are proposed to play a key role in the organization of the regulatory architecture of the genome. in drosophila, one of the best studied is the gypsy retrotransposon insulator, which is bound by the suppressor of hairy-wing (su [hw]) transcriptional regulator. immunolocalization studies suggest that there are several hundred su(hw) sites in the genome, but few of these endogenous su(hw) binding sites have been identified. | 0 | 17705839 |
| multiple domain insertions and losses in the evolution of the rab prenylation complex. | rab proteins are regulators of vesicular trafficking, requiring a lipid modification for proper function, prenylation of c-terminal cysteines. this is catalysed by a complex of a catalytic heterodimer (rab geranylgeranyl transferase - rabggtase) and an accessory protein (rab escort protein. rep). components of this complex display domain insertions relative to paralogous proteins. the function of these inserted domains is unclear. | 2007 | 17705859 |
| schistosoma mansoni: the dicer gene and its expression. | rna interference (rnai) is a gene silencing mechanism that plays an important role in regulating gene expression in many eukaryotes and has become a valuable molecular tool for analyzing gene function. multi-domain nucleases called dicer proteins play pivotal roles in rnai. in this paper, we characterize the structure and expression of the dicer gene from the platyhelminth parasite schistosoma mansoni. the gene (smdicer) is over 54kb long and comprises 30 exons that potentially encode a 2641 ami ... | 2008 | 17707814 |
| venezuelan equine encephalitis virus infection of mosquito cells requires acidification as well as mosquito homologs of the endocytic proteins rab5 and rab7. | venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (veev) is a new world alphavirus that can cause fatal encephalitis in humans. it remains a naturally emerging disease as well as a highly developed biological weapon. veev is transmitted to humans in nature by mosquito vectors. little is known about veev entry, especially in mosquito cells. here, a novel luciferase-based virus entry assay is used to show that the entry of veev into mosquito cells requires acidification. furthermore, mosquito homologs of key h ... | 2007 | 17707875 |