Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted ascending) Filter |
|---|
| transmission of leishmania metacyclic promastigotes by phlebotomine sand flies. | a thorough understanding of the transmission mechanism of any infectious agent is crucial to implementing an effective intervention strategy. here, our current understanding of the mechanisms that leishmania parasites use to ensure their transmission from sand fly vectors by bite is reviewed. the most important mechanism is the creation of a "blocked fly" resulting from the secretion of promastigote secretory gel (psg) by the parasites in the anterior midgut. this forces the sand fly to regurgit ... | 2007 | 17517415 |
| the biogeography and population genetics of neotropical vector species. | phylogenetic and population genetic data support the pliocene or pleistocene divergences of the co-distributed hematophagous insect vectors, the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis s.l., the mosquitoes anopheles darlingi and a. albitarsis s.l., and the triatomines rhodnius prolixus and r. robustus. we examined patterns of divergence and distribution in relation to three hypotheses of neotropical diversification: miocene/pliocene marine incursion, pliocene/pleistocene riverine barriers and pleistocene ... | 2007 | 17534382 |
| in vitro binding and survival assays of leishmania parasites to peripherical blood monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages isolated from dogs naturally and experimentally infected with leishmania (leishmania) chagasi. | there are a few works considering the characterization of canine monocyte-derived macrophages as well as a standardized procedure for isolation, culture, and infection of these cells with leishmania. we have performed several modifications in order to improve the canine monocyte-derived macrophage cultures. in addition, we have done a comparative study between monocytes and monocyte-derived macrophages from dogs naturally and experimentally infected with l. chagasi. | 2007 | 17537246 |
| deltamethrin-impregnated bednets reduce human landing rates of sandfly vector lutzomyia longipalpis in amazon households. | the entomological efficacy of using 25% deltamethrin ec insecticide-treated bednets (itns) was evaluated against the sandfly lutzomyia longipalpis lutz and neiva (diptera: psychodidae), the principal vector of zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (zvl) in latin america. a crossover field study in amazon brazil (marajó island, pará state) demonstrated that, compared with untreated nets, the insecticide increased the barrier effect of nets by 39% (95% confidence interval [ci] 34-44%), reduced human lan ... | 2007 | 17550436 |
| [natural infection of lutzomyia longipalpis by leishmania sp. in teresina, piauí state, brazil]. | in brazil, control of the vector lutzomyia longipalpis is one of the main strategies used to limit the expansion of american visceral leishmaniasis. however, studies on the ecology of this sand fly are rare, especially regarding its natural infection with species of leishmania. a study of the natural infection of lu. longipalpis by leishmania sp. was carried out in the bela vista neighborhood in the city of teresina, piauí state, brazil, an important area of american visceral leishmaniasis trans ... | 2007 | 17572822 |
| leishmania manipulation of sand fly feeding behavior results in enhanced transmission. | in nature the prevalence of leishmania infection in whole sand fly populations can be very low (<0.1%), even in areas of endemicity and high transmission. it has long since been assumed that the protozoan parasite leishmania can manipulate the feeding behavior of its sand fly vector, thus enhancing transmission efficiency, but neither the way in which it does so nor the mechanisms behind such manipulation have been described. a key feature of parasite development in the sand fly gut is the secre ... | 2007 | 17604451 |
| cloning and characterization of a v-atpase subunit c from the american visceral leishmaniasis vector lutzomyia longipalpis modulated during development and blood ingestion. | visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a serious tropical disease that affects approximately 500 thousand people worldwide every year. in the americas, vl is caused by the parasite leishmania (leishmania) infantum chagasi mainly transmitted by the bite of the sand fly vector lutzomyia longipalpis. despite recent advances in the study of interaction between leishmania and sand flies, very little is known about sand fly protein expression profiles. understanding how the expression of proteins may be affec ... | 2007 | 17607496 |
| midgut ph profile and protein digestion in the larvae of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis is the vector of leishmania infantum, the etiological agent of american visceral leishmaniasis. despite its importance, until now the internal anatomy of the immature forms has never been described and little is known about their digestive processes. in nature, sand fly larvae feed on organic detritus in the soil, constantly ingesting large amounts of material. the objective of this study was to describe the anatomy of the gut and the ph of the gut lumen, as we ... | 2007 | 17659300 |
| maxadilan, a pac1 receptor agonist from sand flies. | in 1991, a potent 61 amino acid vasodilator peptide, named maxadilan, was isolated from the salivary glands of the sand fly. subsequently, it was shown that this peptide specifically and potently activated the mammalian pac1 receptor, one of the three receptors for pacap. these studies and the link between maxadilan and leishmaniasis are discussed. | 2007 | 17681401 |
| structural characterization of acetylcholinesterase 1 from the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | acetylcholinesterase (ache) plays a key role in cholinergic impulse transmission, and it is the target enzyme for organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides. two genes, acei and aceii, have been characterized from different insect species, and point mutations in either gene can lead to significant resistance to these classes of insecticides. in this report, we describe the partial characterization of the acei gene from lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) (diptera: psychodidae), and we show tha ... | 2007 | 17695019 |
| non-specific antiviral response detected in rna-treated cultured cells of the sandfly, lutzomyia longipalpis. | lutzomyia longipalpis is the principal vector of visceral leishmaniasis in the americas, and can also transmit some viruses. to help develop a gene-silencing system for this sandfly, we transfected cultured embryonic cells with various double-stranded rnas using west nile virus (wnv) virus-like particles (vlps) expressing luciferase as the target rna to demonstrate effective gene knock-down. when luciferase dsrna was introduced into these cells, they produced the expected reduction in vlp-encode ... | 2008 | 17706772 |
| dna vaccines against protozoan parasites: advances and challenges. | over the past 15 years, dna vaccines have gone from a scientific curiosity to one of the most dynamic research field and may offer new alternatives for the control of parasitic diseases such as leishmaniasis and chagas disease. we review here some of the advances and challenges for the development of dna vaccines against these diseases. many studies have validated the concept of using dna vaccines for both protection and therapy against these protozoan parasites in a variety of mouse models. the ... | 2007 | 17710244 |
| phlebotomine fauna (diptera: psychodidae) and species abundance in an endemic area of american cutaneous leishmaniasis in southeastern minas gerais, brazil. | this study was undertaken to identify the phlebotomine fauna and species abundance in domiciliary and peridomiciliary (hen-house and guava-tree) environments, on a lake shore, a cultivated area of coffee and banana, and a forested area of conceição da aparecida municipality, southeastern the state of minas gerais, to provide information for the control and epidemiological surveillance of leishmaniasis in this area. the captures were carried out monthly between may 2001 and november 2002, with au ... | 2007 | 17710302 |
| exploring the midgut transcriptome of phlebotomus papatasi: comparative analysis of expression profiles of sugar-fed, blood-fed and leishmania-major-infected sandflies. | in sandflies, the blood meal is responsible for the induction of several physiologic processes that culminate in egg development and maturation. during blood feeding, infected sandflies are also able to transmit the parasite leishmania to a suitable host. many blood-induced molecules play significant roles during leishmania development in the sandfly midgut, including parasite killing within the endoperitrophic space. in this work, we randomly sequenced transcripts from three distinct high quali ... | 2007 | 17760985 |
| serological survey of leishmania infantum and trypanosoma cruzi in dogs from urban areas of brazil and colombia. | leishmania infantum and trypanosoma cruzi are zoonotic parasites that are endemic throughout many parts of latin america. infected dogs play an important role in transmission of both parasites to humans. a serological survey of leishmania and trypanosoma infection was conducted on 365 dogs from são paulo, brazil and bogatá, colombia, south america. serum samples were examined by the indirect immunofluorescent antibody test (ifat). anti-leishmania igg antibodies were detected in 5 of 107 from bra ... | 2007 | 17825991 |
| [behavior of lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of american visceral leishmaniasis, in campo grande, state of mato grosso do sul]. | the municipality of campo grande, state of mato grosso do sul, brazil, has presented cases of canine and human visceral leishmaniasis since 2002, and is classified as an area of intense transmission. this study was carried out from may 2003 to april 2005, in partnership with the national health foundation and the state health department, with the objective of determining the behavior and seasonality of the species lutzomyia longipalpis. captures were accomplished using luminous traps of cdc type ... | 2007 | 17876464 |
| constitutive and blood meal-induced trypsin genes in lutzomyia longipalpis. | trypsins constitute some of the most abundant midgut digestive proteases expressed by hematophagous insects upon blood feeding. in addition to their role in the digestion of the blood meal, these proteases also have been implicated in the ability of certain pathogens to infect their natural vector. in sand flies, digestive proteases including trypsins were associated with early killing of leishmania and are believed to play a role in the species-specificity dictating sand fly vectorial capacity. ... | 2007 | 17879236 |
| evolution of female preference for younger males. | previous theoretical work has suggested that females should prefer to mate with older males, as older males should have higher fitness than the average fitness of the cohort into which they were born. however, studies in humans and model organisms have shown that as males age, they accumulate deleterious mutations in their germ-line at an ever-increasing rate, thereby reducing the quality of genes passed on to the next generation. thus, older males may produce relatively poor-quality offspring. ... | 2007 | 17895980 |
| host odor synergizes attraction of virgin female lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis lutz & neiva (diptera: psychodidae) is the principle vector of leishmania chagasi/infantum cunha and chagas, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis. the disease is transmitted by blood-feeding females, which seek aggregations of males above potential hosts both to mate and blood-feed. pheromones produced by male sand flies could potentially be used as lures in l. longipalpis control programs. we investigated whether attraction of male and female sand fli ... | 2007 | 17915508 |
| the odor of origin: kinship and geographical distance are reflected in the marking pheromone of male beewolves (philanthus triangulum f., hymenoptera, crabronidae). | pheromones play an important role for mate finding and courtship in many insects. in species where males are the signaling sex, females are expected to choose among potential mates with regard to the emitter's quality and/or genetic compatibility. one important aspect is the balance between negative and positive effects of in- vs. outbreeding. in the present study, we aimed to assess the potential of the territory marking pheromone of european beewolves as an indicator for genetic compatibility ... | 2007 | 17927833 |
| human anti-saliva immune response following experimental exposure to the visceral leishmaniasis vector, lutzomyia longipalpis. | experiments in animals verified that phlebotomine saliva enhances leishmania infection, and vaccination with saliva prevents disease. we have shown that individuals from an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis displayed robust antibody responses to saliva from the vector lutzomyia longipalpis, which correlated with anti-parasite cell-mediated immunity. here, we explored human anti-saliva responses following exposure to sand flies, using an in vivo bite model in which normal volunteers were exp ... | 2007 | 17935072 |
| efficacy of eleven antimicrobials against a gregarine parasite (apicomplexa: protozoa). | the apicomplexa are a diverse group of obligate protozoan parasites infesting a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate hosts including humans. these parasites are notoriously difficult to control and many species continue to evolve resistance to commercial antibiotics. in this study, we sought to find an effective chemotherapeutic treatment against arthropod gregarines (apicomplexa), and to identify candidate compounds for testing against other groups of protozoan parasites. | 2007 | 17997852 |
| prior exposure to uninfected mosquitoes enhances mortality in naturally-transmitted west nile virus infection. | the global emergence of west nile virus (wnv) has highlighted the importance of mosquito-borne viruses. these are inoculated in vector saliva into the vertebrate skin and circulatory system. arthropod-borne (arbo)viruses such as wnv are transmitted to vertebrates as an infectious mosquito probes the skin for blood, depositing the virus and saliva into the skin and circulation. growing evidence has demonstrated that arthropod, and recently mosquito, saliva can have a profound effect on pathogen t ... | 2007 | 18000543 |
| seasonal variation of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae) in endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis, campo grande, state of mato grosso do sul, brazil. | the seasonal distribution of lutzomyia longipalpis was studied in two forested and five domiciliary areas of the urban area of campo grande; ms, from december 2003 to november 2005. weekly captures were carried out with cdc light traps positioned on ground and in the canopy inside a residual forest and on the edge (ground) of a woodland and in at least one of the following ecotopes in peridomiciles-a cultivated area, a chicken coop, a pigsty, a kennel, a goat and sheep shelter and an intradomici ... | 2008 | 18022137 |
| the lutzomyia longipalpis species complex: does population sub-structure matter to leishmania transmission? | leishmania chagasi causes visceral leishmaniasis and, to a lesser extent, atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis in central and south america. its main sand fly vector, lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. (diptera: psychodidae) displays a complex population structure that might contribute to the observed clinical pleomorphism and to recent major urban epidemics. this article summarises our understanding on reproductive barriers and hybridisation among this vector's sibling incipient species. identifying genes ... | 2008 | 18023260 |
| enhanced leishmania braziliensis infection following pre-exposure to sandfly saliva. | sand fly saliva has an array of pharmacological and immunomodulatory components, and immunity to saliva protects against leishmania infection. in the present study, we have studied the immune response against lutzomyia intermedia saliva, the main vector of leishmania braziliensis in brazil, and the effects of saliva pre-exposure on l. braziliensis infection employing an intradermal experimental model. | 2007 | 18060088 |
| ultrastructure of male sex pheromone glands in abdominal tergites of five lutzomyia sandfly species (diptera: psychodidae). | the fine structure of male sex pheromone disseminating structures on abdominal segments of five species of lutzomyia sandflies (diptera: psychodidae) was analyzed. scanning electron microscopy showed that in lutzomyia cruzi [mem. inst. oswaldo cruz 33 (1938) 349] and lutzomyia longipalpis [mem. inst. oswaldo cruz 4 (1912) 84], the disseminating structures are located in pale spots on abdominal tergites iv or iii and iv and are morphologically similar, appearing as small round cuticular elevation ... | 2002 | 18088957 |
| courtship behaviour in the sandfly lutzomyia longipalpis, the new world vector of visceral leishmaniasis. | courtship behaviour in lutzomyia longipalpis lutz and neiva (diptera: psychodidae) was examined to determine the sequence of behaviours that occur prior to copulation. courtship consisted of a series of male and female touching and wing-flapping behaviours, with males performing a greater variety of wing-flapping behaviours than previously described. occurrence of male approach-flapping, semi-circling and female stationary-flapping were all predictors of eventual copulation, and may coincide wit ... | 2007 | 18092971 |
| variability and action mechanism of a family of anticomplement proteins in ixodes ricinus. | ticks are blood feeding arachnids that characteristically take a long blood meal. they must therefore counteract host defence mechanisms such as hemostasis, inflammation and the immune response. this is achieved by expressing batteries of salivary proteins coded by multigene families. | 2008 | 18167559 |
| the midgut transcriptome of lutzomyia longipalpis: comparative analysis of cdna libraries from sugar-fed, blood-fed, post-digested and leishmania infantum chagasi-infected sand flies. | in the life cycle of leishmania within the alimentary canal of sand flies the parasites have to survive the hostile environment of blood meal digestion, escape the blood bolus and attach to the midgut epithelium before differentiating into the infective metacyclic stages. the molecular interactions between the leishmania parasites and the gut of the sand fly are poorly understood. in the present work we sequenced five cdna libraries constructed from midgut tissue from the sand fly lutzomyia long ... | 2008 | 18194529 |
| identity and transfer of male reproductive gland proteins of the dengue vector mosquito, aedes aegypti: potential tools for control of female feeding and reproduction. | male reproductive gland proteins (mrgps) impact the physiology and/or behavior of mated females in a broad range of organisms. we sought to identify mrgps of the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses. earlier studies with ae. aegypti demonstrated that "matrone" (a partially purified male reproductive accessory gland substance) or male accessory gland fluid injected into virgin female ae. aegypti affect female sexual refractoriness, blood feed ... | 2008 | 18207079 |
| phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) in the municipality of várzea grande: an area of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in the state of mato grosso, brazil. | visceral leishmaniasis (vl) has been naturally transmitted in periurban areas due to the emergence and reemergence of its vectors in such areas. aimed to further knowledge on ecological aspects affecting the occurrence of phlebotomine sand flies in vl transmission areas in the municipality of várzea grande, state of mato grosso (mt), brazil, sand fly captures were carried out. monthly collections of sand flies were undertaken with cdc light-traps, which were left in both intradomiciliary and per ... | 2007 | 18209928 |
| apy-1, a novel caenorhabditis elegans apyrase involved in unfolded protein response signalling and stress responses. | protein glycosylation modulates a wide variety of intracellular events and dysfunction of the glycosylation pathway has been reported in a variety of human pathologies. endo-apyrases have been suggested to have critical roles in protein glycosylation and sugar metabolism. however, deciphering the physiological relevance of endo-apyrases activity has actually proved difficult, owing to their complexity and the functional redundancy within the family. we report here that a udp/gdpase, homologous t ... | 2008 | 18216284 |
| engineered human soluble calcium-activated nucleotidase inhibits coagulation in vitro and thrombosis in vivo. | human soluble calcium-activated nucleotidase (human scan) is a homologue of the salivary anti-coagulant apyrases injected by insects into their hosts to allow blood feeding. however, the human enzyme, unlike its insect counterparts, does not efficiently hydrolyze the platelet agonist, adp. by site-directed mutagenesis, two mutant human scans were constructed and expressed in bacteria. following refolding from inclusion bodies and purification, these enzymes were assessed for anti-coagulant and a ... | 2008 | 18222531 |
| comparative genomic analysis of novel conserved peptide upstream open reading frames in drosophila melanogaster and other dipteran species. | upstream open reading frames (uorfs) are elements found in the 5'-region of an mrna transcript, capable of regulating protein production of the largest, or major orf (morf), and impacting organismal development and growth in fungi, plants, and animals. in drosophila, approximately 40% of transcripts contain upstream start codons (uaugs) but there is little evidence that these are translated and affect their associated morf. | 2008 | 18237443 |
| molecular homogeneity in diverse geographical populations of phlebotomus papatasi (diptera, psychodidae) inferred from nd4 mtdna and its2 rdna epidemiological consequences. | an intraspecific study on phlebotomus papatasi, the main proven vector of leishmania major among the members of the subgenus phlebotomus, was performed. the internal transcribed spacer 2 (its 2) of rdna and the nd4 gene of mt dna were sequenced from 26 populations from 18 countries (albania, algeria, cyprus, egypt, greece, india, iran, israel, italy, lebanon, morocco, saudi arabia, spain, syria, tunisia, turkey, yugoslavia and yemen), and compared. samples also included three other species belon ... | 2008 | 18243814 |
| vertical stratification and development aspects of phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) in an area of atlantic forest tree species in a metropolitan region in northeastern brazil. | in the state of rio grande do norte in northeast brazil, cases of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) occur mainly in the periurban areas of the city of natal. lutzomyia longipalpis lutz & neiva 1912 (diptera: psychodidae), a vector of leishmania chagasi (protozoa: trypanosomatidae) to humans, is found throughout the state. flora and fauna influence the distribution of sand fly species, whose horizontal or vertical stratification can be used as a parameter for identifying potential vectors, considering ... | 2007 | 18260526 |
| kinetics of canine antibody response to saliva of the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis. | zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis (vl) caused by leishmania infantum is transmitted from dogs to humans by sand flies and lutzomyia longipalpis is a major vector of this disease. we studied the antibody response in dogs experimentally exposed to l. longipalpis females to characterize sand fly salivary antigens recognized by canine sera and to find out whether the level of specific anti-saliva antibodies reflects the intensity of exposure. sera from repeatedly bitten dogs revealed up to six salivar ... | 2008 | 18260789 |
| genomic resources for invertebrate vectors of human pathogens, and the role of vectorbase. | high-throughput genome sequencing techniques have now reached vector biology with an emphasis on those species that are vectors of human pathogens. the first mosquito to be sequenced was anopheles gambiae, the vector for plasmodium parasites that cause malaria. further mosquitoes have followed: aedes aegypti (yellow fever and dengue fever vector) and culex pipiens (lymphatic filariasis and west nile fever). species that are currently in sequencing include the body louse pediculus humanus (typhus ... | 2009 | 18262474 |
| effects of varying moisture on egg production and longevity of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) (diptera: psychodidae), is the vector of the neotropical parasite leishmania chagasi. designing methods to control the spread of this pathogen involves maintaining large laboratory colonies of these flies. however, transmission studies have been hampered particularly in regard to significant fluctuations in colony productivity. in the process of optimizing our sand fly rearing protocol, we increased moisture levels in the environment of the adult ... | 2008 | 18283958 |
| rare occurrence of gynandromorphism in lutzomyia davisi (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae) in brazil. | descriptions of morphological anomalies of phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) have been recorded in both the new world and the old world. the majority of these anomalies are associated with the genitalia, the number of cibarial teeth, wing venation, the size of the palps, and other less significant features. such morphological variations, particularly in symmetry, can result in incorrect species identification. the occurrence of gynandromorphism in sand flies is a rare phenomenon. cu ... | 2008 | 18283959 |
| leishmania chitinase facilitates colonization of sand fly vectors and enhances transmission to mice. | chitinases of trypanosomatid parasites have been proposed to fulfil various roles in their blood-feeding arthropod vectors but so far none have been directly tested using a molecular approach. we characterized the ability of leishmania mexicana episomally transfected with lmexcht1 (the l. mexicana chitinase gene) to survive and grow within the permissive sand fly vector, lutzomyia longipalpis. compared with control plasmid transfectants, the overexpression of chitinase was found to increase the ... | 2008 | 18284631 |
| leishmania manipulates sandfly feeding to enhance its transmission. | malaria parasites manipulate mosquitoes to ensure transmission between mammalian hosts; painstaking experiments have now demonstrated that another medically important protozoan, leishmania, enhances its transmission through the adaptive manipulation of one of its sandfly vectors, lutzomyia longipalpis. experimental leishmania infections specifically increased sandfly biting persistence and feeding on multiple hosts, but only if the parasites produced infective forms and a gel plug of filamentous ... | 2008 | 18314394 |
| the enhancement of arbovirus transmission and disease by mosquito saliva is associated with modulation of the host immune response. | arthropod-borne (arbo-) viruses have emerged as a major human health concern. viruses transmitted by mosquitoes are the cause of the most serious and widespread arbovirus diseases worldwide and are ubiquitous in both feral and urban settings. arboviruses, including dengue and west nile virus, are injected into vertebrates within mosquito saliva during mosquito feeding. mosquito saliva contains anti-haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory molecules that facilitate the acquisition of a ... | 2008 | 18342898 |
| modulation of dendritic cell function by leishmania parasites. | the interactions between leishmania parasites and dendritic cells (dcs) are complex and involve paradoxical functions that can stimulate or halt t cell responses, leading to the control of infection or progression of disease. the magnitude and profile of dc activation vary greatly, depending upon the leishmania species/strains, developmental stages, dc subsets, serum opsonization, and exogenous dc stimuli involved in the study. in general, the uptake of leishmania parasites alone can trigger rel ... | 2008 | 18354154 |
| first visceral leishmaniasis focus in argentina. | an eight-year old boy from posadas (27 masculine 23's, 55 masculine 54'w) was diagnosed with visceral leishmaniasis (vl) during 2006. lutzomyia longipalpis was discovered in the backyard of his house, while the spread of canine visceral leishmaniasis was confirmed in posadas. this is the southernmost report of a vl transmission focus and the first in argentina. | 2008 | 18368242 |
| molecular genetics reveal that silvatic rhodnius prolixus do colonise rural houses. | rhodnius prolixus is the main vector of chagas disease in venezuela. here, domestic infestations of poor quality rural housing have persisted despite four decades of vector control. this is in contrast to the southern cone region of south america, where the main vector, triatoma infestans, has been eliminated over large areas. the repeated colonisation of houses by silvatic populations of r. prolixus potentially explains the control difficulties. however, controversy surrounds the existence of s ... | 2008 | 18382605 |
| phlebotomine salivas inhibit immune inflammation-induced neutrophil migration via an autocrine dc-derived pge2/il-10 sequential pathway. | in the present study, we investigated whether saliva from phlebotomus papatasi and phlebotomus duboscqi inhibited antigen-induced neutrophil migration and the mechanisms involved in these effects. the pretreatment of immunized mice with salivary gland extracts (sge) of both phlebotomines inhibited ova challenge-induced neutrophil migration and release of the neutrophil chemotactic mediators, mip-1alpha, tnf-alpha, and leukotriene b4 (ltb4). furthermore, sge treatment enhanced the production of a ... | 2008 | 18390928 |
| cloning and molecular characterization of two invertebrate-type lysozymes from anopheles gambiae. | we sequenced and characterized two novel invertebrate-type lysozymes from the mosquito anopheles gambiae. alignment and phylogenetic analysis of these and a number of related insect proteins identified through bioinformatics strategies showed a high degree of conservation of this protein family throughout the class insecta. expression profiles were examined for the two mosquito genes through semiquantitative and real-time pcr analysis. lys i-1 transcripts were found in adult females in the fat b ... | 2008 | 18397277 |
| immunomodulation of human monocytes following exposure to lutzomyia intermedia saliva. | sand fly saliva contains potent and complex pharmacologic molecules that are able to modulate the host's hemostatic, inflammatory, and immune systems. in this study, we evaluated the effects of salivary gland sonicate (sgs) of lutzomyia intermedia, the natural vector of leishmania braziliensis, on monocytes obtained from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) of healthy volunteers. we investigated the effects of sand fly saliva on cytokine production and surface molecule expression of lps ... | 2008 | 18402685 |
| the calcium activated nucleotidases: a diverse family of soluble and membrane associated nucleotide hydrolyzing enzymes. | it has long been known that the salivary glands of hematophagous (blood-feeding) arthropods secrete soluble apyrases, which are potent nucleotide hydrolyzing enzymes capable of hydrolyzing extracellular atp and adp, the latter being a major agonist contributing to platelet aggregation. only recently, however, has the identification of proteins homologous to these apyrases been reported in non-blood-feeding organisms such as rodents and humans. in this review, we present an overview of the divers ... | 2006 | 18404472 |
| immunity to distinct sand fly salivary proteins primes the anti-leishmania immune response towards protection or exacerbation of disease. | leishmania parasites are transmitted in the presence of sand fly saliva. together with the parasite, the sand fly injects biologically active salivary components that favorably change the environment at the feeding site. exposure to bites or to salivary proteins results in immunity specific to these components. mice immunized with phlebotomus papatasi salivary gland homogenate (sgh) or pre-exposed to uninfected bites were protected against leishmania major infection delivered by needle inoculati ... | 2008 | 18414648 |
| reproductive isolation between sympatric and allopatric brazilian populations of lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. (diptera: psychodidae). | lutzomyia longipalpis s.l., the main vector of leishmania chagasi in latin america, is a species complex although the exact number of siblings is yet unknown. in brazil, the siblings differ in male copulatory courtship songs and pheromones that most certainly act as pre-zygotic reproductive barriers. here we analysed the reproductive isolation between three allopatric and two sympatric populations of lu. longipalpis s.l. from brazil. the results indicate a strong copulatory and pre-mating isolat ... | 2008 | 18425278 |
| detection of leishmania dna in phlebotomines captured in campo grande, mato grosso do sul, brazil. | over the past years, leishmaniases have become a public health issue in the brazilian state of mato grosso do sul, particularly in campo grande, the state capital. the purpose of this study was to detect the presence of leishmania dna in the population of phlebotomine sandflies using dna amplification by pcr. insect captures were carried out from 4 pm. to 7 am for 4 consecutive days each month from october 2005 to september 2006 in 16 neighborhoods located in 7 urban regions of campo grande. tra ... | 2008 | 18456262 |
| reduced tissue parasitic load and infectivity to sand flies in dogs naturally infected by leishmania (leishmania) chagasi following treatment with a liposome formulation of meglumine antimoniate. | the toxicity and antileishmanial effectiveness of a novel liposome formulation of meglumine antimoniate in mongrel dogs with visceral leishmaniasis (vl) obtained from a region where vl is endemic in brazil have been investigated. groups of 12 animals received by the intravenous route four doses (with 4-day intervals) of either liposomal meglumine antimoniate (group i [gi], 6.5 mg sb/kg of body weight/dose), empty liposomes (gii), or isotonic saline (giii). evaluation of markers of hematopoietic, ... | 2008 | 18458133 |
| multilocus analysis of introgression between two sand fly vectors of leishmaniasis. | the phlebotomine sand flies (diptera:psychodidae) lutzomyia (nyssomyia) intermedia lutz & neiva 1912 and lutzomyia (nyssomyia) whitmani antunes & coutinho 1932 are two very closely related species and important vectors of american cutaneous leishmaniasis. two single-locus studies have revealed evidence for introgression between the two species in both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. these findings have prompted the development of a multilocus approach to investigate in more detail the genetic ... | 2008 | 18474115 |
| a cysteine protease is critical for babesia spp. transmission in haemaphysalis ticks. | vector ticks possess a unique system that enables them to digest large amounts of host blood and to transmit various animal and human pathogens, suggesting the existence of evolutionally acquired proteolytic mechanisms. we report here the molecular and reverse genetic characterization of a multifunctional cysteine protease, longipain, from the babesial parasite vector tick haemaphysalis longicornis. longipain shares structural similarity with papain-family cysteine proteases obtained from invert ... | 2008 | 18483546 |
| gene discovery in an invasive tephritid model pest species, the mediterranean fruit fly, ceratitis capitata. | the medfly, ceratitis capitata, is a highly invasive agricultural pest that has become a model insect for the development of biological control programs. despite research into the behavior and classical and population genetics of this organism, the quantity of sequence data available is limited. we have utilized an expressed sequence tag (est) approach to obtain detailed information on transcriptome signatures that relate to a variety of physiological systems in the medfly; this information emph ... | 2008 | 18500975 |
| molecular evolution of cide family proteins: novel domain formation in early vertebrates and the subsequent divergence. | cide family proteins including cidea, cideb and cidec/fsp27, contain an n-terminal cide-n domain that shares sequence similarity to the n-terminal cad domain (ncd) of dna fragmentation factors dffa/dff45/icad and dffb/dff40/cad, and a unique c-terminal cide-c domain. we have previously shown that cide proteins are newly emerged regulators closely associated with the development of metabolic diseases such as obesity, diabetes and liver steatosis. they modulate many metabolic processes such as lip ... | 2008 | 18500987 |
| a real-time pcr assay to estimate leishmania chagasi load in its natural sand fly vector lutzomyia longipalpis. | leishmania chagasi, transmitted mainly by lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies, causes visceral leishmaniasis and atypical cutaneous leishmaniasis in latin america. successful vector control depends upon determining vectorial capacity and understanding leishmania transmission by sand flies. as microscopic detection of leishmania in dissected sand fly guts is laborious and time-consuming, highly specific, sensitive, rapid and robust leishmania pcr assays have attracted epidemiologists' attention. rea ... | 2008 | 18501935 |
| [diversity, distribution and abundance of sandflies (diptera: psychodidae) in parana state, southern brazil]. | due to the spread of visceral leishmaniasis in brazilian territory, this research was undertaken with the objective to identify the sandfly fauna and aspects of the species behavior in forest and anthropic environments in paraná state, brazil. the sandfly captures were sporadically carried out in 37 municipalities of the paraná state, during the period from march 2004 to november 2005. each municipality was once visited, when falcão traps were installed during three consecutive nights in foreste ... | 2008 | 18506303 |
| immunity to a salivary protein of a sand fly vector protects against the fatal outcome of visceral leishmaniasis in a hamster model. | visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a fatal disease for humans, and no vaccine is currently available. sand fly salivary proteins have been associated with protection against cutaneous leishmaniasis. to test whether vector salivary proteins can protect against vl, a hamster model was developed involving intradermal inoculation in the ears of 100,000 leishmania infantum chagasi parasites together with lutzomyia longipalpis saliva to mimic natural transmission by sand flies. hamsters developed classica ... | 2008 | 18509051 |
| gene silencing in phlebotomine sand flies: xanthine dehydrogenase knock down by dsrna microinjections. | lutzomyia longipalpis are vectors of medically important visceral leishmaniasis in south america. blood-fed adult females digest large amounts of protein, and xanthine dehydrogenase is thought to be a key enzyme involved in protein catabolism through the production of urate. large amounts of heme are also released during digestion with potentially damaging consequences, as heme can generate oxygen radicals that damage lipids, proteins and nucleic acids. however, urate is an antioxidant that may ... | 2008 | 18510977 |
| the sider2 elements, interspersed repeated sequences that populate the leishmania genomes, constitute subfamilies showing chromosomal proximity relationship. | protozoan parasites of the genus leishmania are causative agents of a diverse spectrum of human diseases collectively known as leishmaniasis. these eukaryotic pathogens that diverged early from the main eukaryotic lineage possess a number of unusual genomic, molecular and biochemical features. the completion of the genome projects for three leishmania species has generated invaluable information enabling a direct analysis of genome structure and organization. | 2008 | 18518959 |
| lutzomyia longipalpis salivary peptide maxadilan alters murine dendritic cell expression of cd80/86, ccr7, and cytokine secretion and reprograms dendritic cell-mediated cytokine release from cultures containing allogeneic t cells. | leishmania protozoan parasites, the etiologic agent of leishmaniasis, are transmitted exclusively by phlebotomine sand flies of the genera phlebotomus and lutzomyia. in addition to parasites, the infectious bite inoculum contains arthropod salivary components. one well-characterized salivary component from lutzomyia longipalpis is maxadilan (max), a vasodilator acting via the type i receptor for the pituitary cyclic amp activating peptide. max has been shown to elicit immunomodulatory effects po ... | 2008 | 18523295 |
| changes in amounts of total salivary gland proteins of lutzomyia longipallpis (diptera: psychodidae) according to age and diet. | saliva plays important roles in facilitation of a bloodmeal, lubrication of mouthparts, and parasite transmission for some vector insects. salivary composition changes during the lifetime of an insect, and differences in the salivary profile may influence its functions. in this report, the amount and profile of salivary gland protein of the american visceral leishmaniasis vector lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) were analyzed at different times of insect development and diet. protein co ... | 2008 | 18533433 |
| [occurrence of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) (diptera, psychodidae) in timóteo, minas gerais state, brazil]. | 2008 | 18545771 | |
| lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. in brazil and the impact of the sao francisco river in the speciation of this sand fly vector. | abstract: lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. (diptera: psychodidae) is the principal vector of leishmania infantum chagasi in the americas, and constitutes a complex of species. various studies have suggested an incipient speciation process based on behavioral isolation driven by the chemotype of male sexual pheromones. it is well known that natural barriers, such as mountains and rivers can directly influence population divergence in several organisms, including insects. in this work we investigated th ... | 2008 | 18549496 |
| spread of vector-borne diseases and neglect of leishmaniasis, europe. | the risk for reintroduction of some exotic vector-borne diseases in europe has become a hot topic, while the reality of others is neglected at the public health policy level. leishmaniasis is endemic in all southern countries of europe, with approximately 700 autochthonous human cases reported each year (3,950 if turkey is included). asymptomatic cases have been estimated at 30-100/1 symptomatic case, and leishmaniasis has up to 25% seroprevalence in domestic dogs. even though leishmaniasis is e ... | 2008 | 18598618 |
| blood meal identification and parasite detection in laboratory-fed and field-captured lutzomyia longipalpis by pcr using fta databasing paper. | the phlebotomine sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis takes blood from a variety of wild and domestic animals and transmits leishmania (leishmania) infantum chagasi, etiological agent of american visceral leishmaniasis. blood meal identification in sand flies has depended largely on serological methods but a new protocol described here uses filter-based technology to stabilise and store blood meal dna, allowing subsequent pcr identification of blood meal sources, as well as parasite detection, in bloo ... | 2008 | 18606150 |
| observations on the feeding habits of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae) in campo grande, an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis in mato grosso do sul, brazil. | sand flies were captured weekly with cdc light traps from december 2003 to november 2005 in three areas of campo grande, in the brazilian state of mato grosso do sul. these areas incorporated two patches of remnant forest and five houses. the blood meals of engorged female sand flies were identified using the avidin-biotin system of immunoenzymatic elisa capture. most (327/355) of the females analysed were lutzomyia longipalpis, of which 66.4% reacted with human blood, 64.8% with that of birds a ... | 2008 | 18611387 |
| leishmania sand fly interaction: progress and challenges. | complex interactions occurs between leishmania parasites and their sand fly vectors. promastigotes of leishmania live exclusively within the gut, possess flagella and are motile, and kinesins, kinases and g proteins have been described that play a role in regulating flagellar assembly. movement within the gut is not random: promastigotes can detect gradients of solutes via chemotaxis and osmotaxis. further they use their flagella to attach to the fly midgut using surface glyconconjugates, a key ... | 2008 | 18625337 |
| quantification of the infectious dose of leishmania major transmitted to the skin by single sand flies. | leishmaniasis is transmitted between mammalian hosts by the bites of bloodsucking vector sand flies. the dose of parasites transmitted to the mammalian host has never been directly determined. we developed a real-time pcr-based method to determine the number of leishmania major parasites inoculated into the ears of living mice during feeding by individual infected flies (phlebotomus duboscqi). the number of parasites transmitted varied over a wide range in the 58 ears in which leishmania were de ... | 2008 | 18626016 |
| lutzomyia adiketis sp. n. (diptera: phlebotomidae), a vector of paleoleishmania neotropicum sp. n. (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae) in dominican amber. | 2008 | 18627624 | |
| antagonistic pleiotropy involving promoter sequences in a virus. | selection of specialist genotypes, that is, populations with limited niche width, promotes the maintenance of diversity. specialization to a particular environment may have a cost in other environments, including fitness tradeoffs. when the tradeoffs are the result of mutations that have a beneficial effect in the selective environment but a deleterious effect in other environments, we have antagonistic pleiotropy. alternatively, tradeoffs can result from the fixation of mutations that are neutr ... | 2008 | 18644381 |
| are light traps baited with kairomones effective in the capture of lutzomyia longipalpis and lutzomyia intermedia? an evaluation of synthetic human odor as an attractant for phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae). | phlebotomine sand flies are often captured with human bait and/or light traps, either with or without an animal bait. more recently, synthetic attractants have been used as bait in traps to improve the capture of phlebotomine sand flies as well as other insects of medical and veterinary importance. the aim of the present study was to evaluate the effects of the kairomone 1-octen-3-ol (octenol) and the synthetic human odor bg-mesh lure (bgml--lactic acid, caproic acid and ammonia) baited in modif ... | 2008 | 18660986 |
| light-emitting diode technology improves insect trapping. | in a climate of increased funding for vaccines, chemotherapy, and prevention of vector-borne diseases, fewer resources have been directed toward improving disease and vector surveillance. recently developed light-emitting diode (led) technology was applied to standard insect-vector traps to produce a more effective lighting system. this approach improved phlebotomine sand fly capture rates by 50%, and simultaneously reduced the energy consumption by 50-60%. the leds were incorporated into 2 ligh ... | 0 | 18666546 |
| ecological niche modeling for visceral leishmaniasis in the state of bahia, brazil, using genetic algorithm for rule-set prediction and growing degree day-water budget analysis. | two predictive models were developed within a geographic information system using genetic algorithm rule-set prediction (garp) and the growing degree day (gdd)-water budget (wb) concept to predict the distribution and potential risk of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in the state of bahia, brazil. the objective was to define the environmental suitability of the disease as well as to obtain a deeper understanding of the eco-epidemiology of vl by associating environmental and climatic variables with d ... | 2006 | 18686237 |
| canine vector-borne diseases in brazil. | abstract: canine vector-borne diseases (cvbds) are highly prevalent in brazil and represent a challenge to veterinarians and public health workers, since some diseases are of great zoonotic potential. dogs are affected by many protozoa (e.g., babesia vogeli, leishmania infantum, and trypanosoma cruzi), bacteria (e.g., anaplasma platys and ehrlichia canis), and helminths (e.g., dirofilaria immitis and dipylidium caninum) that are transmitted by a diverse range of arthropod vectors, including tick ... | 2008 | 18691408 |
| establishment of a large semi-field system for experimental study of african malaria vector ecology and control in tanzania. | medical entomologists increasingly recognize that the ability to make inferences between laboratory experiments of vector biology and epidemiological trends observed in the field is hindered by a conceptual and methodological gap occurring between these approaches which prevents hypothesis-driven empirical research from being conducted on relatively large and environmentally realistic scales. the development of semi-field systems (sfs) has been proposed as the best mechanism for bridging this ga ... | 2008 | 18715508 |
| [first finding of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) in the urban area of uberlândia, mg, concomitant with the first reported autochthonous case of human visceral leishmaniasis]. | the first occurrence of the vector for visceral leishmaniasis, lutzomyia longipalpis, in the urban area of uberlândia, state of minas gerais, and the first autochthonous case of human visceral leishmaniasis recorded in the same locality are reported. these were notified to the zoonosis control center, through the epidemiological surveillance sector of the municipal health department. the importance of these findings regarding transmission of the disease in this area is discussed. | 2008 | 18719814 |
| the physiology of the midgut of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz and neiva 1912): ph in different physiological conditions and mechanisms involved in its control. | nutrient digestion and absorption after blood feeding are important events for lutzomyia longipalpis, which uses these nutrients to produce eggs. in this context, the ph inside the digestive tract is an important physiological feature as it can markedly influence the digestive process as well as interfere with leishmania development in infected phlebotomines. it was described previously that unfed females have an acidic midgut (ph 6). in this study, the ph inside the midgut of blood-fed females ... | 2008 | 18723537 |
| subversion of complement by hematophagous parasites. | the complement system is a crucial part of innate and adaptive immunity which exerts a significant evolutionary pressure on pathogens. it has selected for those pathogens, mainly microorganisms but also parasites, that have evolved countermeasures. the characterization of how pathogens evade complement attack is a rapidly developing field of current research. in recent years, multiple complement evasion strategies have been characterized. in this review, we focus on complement escape mechanisms ... | 2009 | 18762211 |
| sand flies, leishmania, and transcriptome-borne solutions. | sand fly-parasite and sand fly-host interactions play an important role in the transmission of leishmaniasis. vector molecules relevant for such interactions include midgut and salivary proteins. these potential targets for interruption of propagation of leishmania parasites have been poorly characterized. transcriptomic analysis has proven to be an effective tool for identification of new sand fly molecules, providing exciting new insights into vector-based control strategies against leishmania ... | 2009 | 18768167 |
| comparative genomics of small rna regulatory pathway components in vector mosquitoes. | small rna regulatory pathways (srrps) control key aspects of development and anti-viral defense in metazoans. members of the argonaute family of catalytic enzymes degrade target rnas in each of these pathways. srrps include the microrna, small interfering rna (sirna) and piwi-type gene silencing pathways. mosquitoes generate viral sirnas when infected with rna arboviruses. however, in some mosquitoes, arboviruses survive antiviral rna interference (rnai) and are transmitted via mosquito bite to ... | 2008 | 18801182 |
| sandfly pheromones. their biology and potential for use in control programs. | lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) is the vector of leishmania chagasi the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in south and central america, particularly brazil, where the greatest incidence occurs. the disease is fatal if untreated. although huge efforts have been made to control vl the incidence is increasing. vector control remains an important element of disease control but residual spraying and other strategies have failed to make any lasting impact. manipulation of san ... | 2008 | 18814690 |
| analysis of the activity patterns of two sympatric sandfly siblings of the lutzomyia longipalpis species complex from brazil. | lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. (lutz & neiva) (diptera: psychodidae) is the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in latin america. differences in copulation songs, pheromones and molecular markers show that l. longipalpis is a species complex in brazil. the patterns of activity of insect vectors are important in disease transmission. in addition, differences in activity rhythms have a potential role as a temporal reproductive isolation mechanism in closely related species. we compared the activity ... | 2008 | 18816278 |
| hyaluronidase of bloodsucking insects and its enhancing effect on leishmania infection in mice. | salivary hyaluronidases have been described in a few bloodsucking arthropods. however, very little is known about the presence of this enzyme in various bloodsucking insects and no data are available on its effect on transmitted microorganisms. here, we studied hyaluronidase activity in thirteen bloodsucking insects belonging to four different orders. in addition, we assessed the effect of hyaluronidase coinoculation on the outcome of leishmania major infection in balb/c mice. | 2008 | 18820742 |
| lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. in brazil and the impact of the sao francisco river in the speciation of this sand fly vector. | in our recently published article "lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. in brazil and the impact of the sao francisco river in the speciation of this sand fly vector" by iliano v. coutinho-abreu et al. a sentence located in paragraph 8 in the discussion section had its meaning altered due to the improper insertion of three words. | 2008 | 18834535 |
| [feeding preference of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) in transmission area of visceral leishmaniasis in mato grosso]. | studies on the feeding habits and intestinal content of sandflies make it possible to identify hosts, thereby indicating potential reservoirs for leishmania. the present study had the aim of determining the feeding preferences of lutzomyia longipalpis and its relationship with the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis. specimens were caught every month in a transmission area of visceral leishmaniasis, in the municipality of várzea grande, state of mato grosso, from january 2004 to june 2006, us ... | 2008 | 18853008 |
| complexities of assessing the disease burden attributable to leishmaniasis. | among parasitic diseases, morbidity and mortality caused by leishmaniasis are surpassed only by malaria and lymphatic filariasis. however, estimation of the leishmaniasis disease burden is challenging, due to clinical and epidemiological diversity, marked geographic clustering, and lack of reliable data on incidence, duration, and impact of the various disease syndromes. non-health effects such as impoverishment, disfigurement, and stigma add to the burden, and introduce further complexities. le ... | 2008 | 18958165 |
| transmission potential, skin inflammatory response, and parasitism of symptomatic and asymptomatic dogs with visceral leishmaniasis. | visceral leishmaniasis in brazil is caused by the protozoan leishmania (leishmania) chagasi and it is transmitted by sandfly of the genus lutzomyia. dogs are an important domestic reservoir, and control of the transmission of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) to humans includes the elimination of infected dogs. however, though dogs are considered to be an important element in the transmission cycle of leishmania, the identification of infected dogs representing an immediate risk for transmission has n ... | 2008 | 18990238 |
| exploring the mialome of ticks: an annotated catalogue of midgut transcripts from the hard tick, dermacentor variabilis (acari: ixodidae). | ticks are obligate blood feeders. the midgut is the first major region of the body where blood and microbes ingested with the blood meal come in contact with the tick's internal tissues. little is known about protein expression in the digestive tract of ticks. in this study, for analysis of global gene expression during tick attachment and feeding, we generated and sequenced 1,679 random transcripts (ests) from cdna libraries from the midguts of female ticks at varying stages of feeding. | 2008 | 19021911 |
| vectorbase: a data resource for invertebrate vector genomics. | vectorbase (http://www.vectorbase.org) is an niaid-funded bioinformatic resource center focused on invertebrate vectors of human pathogens. vectorbase annotates and curates vector genomes providing a web accessible integrated resource for the research community. currently, vectorbase contains genome information for three mosquito species: aedes aegypti, anopheles gambiae and culex quinquefasciatus, a body louse pediculus humanus and a tick species ixodes scapularis. since our last report vectorb ... | 2009 | 19028744 |
| functional insight into maelstrom in the germline pirna pathway: a unique domain homologous to the dnaq-h 3'-5' exonuclease, its lineage-specific expansion/loss and evolutionarily active site switch. | maelstrom (mael) plays a crucial role in a recently-discovered pirna pathway; however its specific function remains unknown. here a novel mael-specific domain characterized by a set of conserved residues (glu-his-his-cys-his-cys, ehhchc) was identified in a broad range of species including vertebrates, sea squirts, insects, nematodes, and protists. it exhibits ancient lineage-specific expansions in several species, however, appears to be lost in all examined teleost fish species. functional invo ... | 2008 | 19032786 |
| genetic divergence between two sympatric species of the lutzomyia longipalpis complex in the paralytic gene, a locus associated with insecticide resistance and lovesong production. | the sandfly lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. is the main vector of american visceral leishmaniasis. l. longipalpis s.l. is a species complex but until recently the existence of cryptic sibling species among brazilian populations was a controversial issue. a fragment of paralytic (para), a voltage dependent sodium channel gene associated with insecticide resistance and courtship song production in drosophila, was isolated and used as a molecular marker to study the divergence between two sympatric sibl ... | 2008 | 19057828 |
| fine structure and distribution pattern of antennal sensilla of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) sand flies. | the specific aims of this work were to examine the antennal sensilla of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva 1912) (diptera: psychodidae) adults and to characterize their typology and topography, with special attention to olfactory sensilla. the surfaces of the antennal segments of lu. longipalpis males and females were studied by scanning electron microscopy (sem). lu. longipalpis used in the current study were obtained from a colony originating from lapinha cave, minas gerais state, brazil. mic ... | 2008 | 19058620 |
| study on the bacterial midgut microbiota associated to different brazilian populations of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) (diptera: psychodidae). | the bacterial community associated with the midgut of three brazilian lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) populations, two from endemic areas for visceral leishmaniasis (jacobina, bahia state and são luís, maranhão state) and one from a non-endemic area (lapinha cave, minas gerais state), was identified. five groups, 35 females each, from each population were separated; a total of 175 females per collecting area were analyzed. the species identification was based on molecular and traditional ba ... | 2008 | 19061048 |
| the finding of lutzomyia almerioi and lutzomyia longipalpis naturally infected by leishmania spp. in a cutaneous and canine visceral leishmaniases focus in serra da bodoquena, brazil. | to identify natural infections by leishmania spp. in insect vectors of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, we performed field studies in natural and anthropic environments in the guaicurus settlement (bodoquena range) of the bonito municipality, mato grosso do sul state, brazil. from october 2002 to october 2003, a total of 1395 sandfly females were captured with shannon and light traps and dissected in search of flagellates. the sample is composed of a total of 13 species, with lutzomyia alme ... | 2009 | 19062193 |
| visceral leishmaniasis in brazil: trends and challenges. | the urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil has been related to environmental changes, migration, interaction and spread of sylvatic reservoirs and infected dogs to areas with no transmission, and adaptation of the vector lutzomyia longipalpis to the peridomiciliary environment. from 1980 to 2005, brazil recorded 59,129 cases of visceral leishmaniasis, 82.5% of which in the northeast region. visceral leishmaniasis gradually spread to other regions of the country: in 1998 these other reg ... | 2008 | 19082286 |