Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted descending) Filter |
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| a comparison of molecular markers to detect lutzomyia longipalpis naturally infected with leishmania (leishmania) infantum. | the aim of the present study was to detect natural infection by leishmania (leishmania) infantum in lutzomyia longipalpis captured in barcarena, state of pará, brazil, through the use of three primer sets. with this approach, it is unnecessary to previously dissect the sandfly specimens. dna of 280 lu. longipalpis female specimens were extracted from the whole insects. pcr primers for kinetoplast minicircle dna (kdna), the mini-exon gene and the small subunit ribosomal rna (ssu-rrna) gene of lei ... | 2014 | 25004147 |
| effects of insemination and blood-feeding on locomotor activity of aedes albopictus and aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) females under laboratory conditions. | dengue is an arbovirus disease transmitted by two aedes mosquitoes: ae. aegypti and ae. albopictus. virgin females of these two species generally show a bimodal and diurnal pattern of activity, with early morning and late afternoon peaks. although some studies on the flight activity of virgin, inseminated and blood-fed ae. aegypti females have been carried out under laboratory conditions, little is known about the effects of such physiological states on the locomotor activity of ae. albopictus a ... | 2014 | 24990394 |
| the salivary secretome of the biting midge, culicoides sonorensis. | culicoides biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae) are hematophagous insects with over 1400 species distributed throughout the world. many of these species are of particular agricultural importance as primary vectors of bluetongue and schmallenberg viruses, yet little is known about culicoides genomics and proteomics. detailed studies of members from other blood-feeding dipteran families, including those of mosquito (culicidae) and black fly (simuliidae), have shown that protein components with ... | 2014 | 24949243 |
| effects of temperature and photoperiod on daily activity rhythms of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | insect vectors have been established as models in chronobiology for many decades, and recent studies have demonstrated a close relationship between the circadian clock machinery, daily rhythms of activity and vectorial capacity. lutzomyia longipalpis, the primary vector of leishmania (leishmania) infantum in the new world, is reported to have crepuscular/nocturnal activity in the wild. however, most of these studies applied hourly cdc trap captures, which is a good indicative of l. longipalpis b ... | 2014 | 24947114 |
| differential roles of an anopheline midgut gpi-anchored protein in mediating plasmodium falciparum and plasmodium vivax ookinete invasion. | novel strategies to directly thwart malaria transmission are needed to maintain the gains achieved by current control measures. transmission-blocking interventions (tbis), namely vaccines and drugs targeting parasite or mosquito molecules required for vector-stage parasite development, have been recognized as promising approaches for preventing malaria transmission. however, the number of tbi targets is limited and their degree of conservation among the major vector-parasite systems causing huma ... | 2014 | 24929123 |
| countermeasure development for rift valley fever: deletion, modification or targeting of major virulence factor nss. | rift valley fever (rvf) is a mosquito-borne zoonotic disease characterized by a high rate of abortion in ruminants, and febrile illness, hemorrhagic fever, retinitis and encephalitis in humans. rvf is caused by the rvf virus (rvfv), belonging to the genus phlebovirus of the family bunyaviridae. rvfv encodes a major virulence factor, nss, which is dispensable for viral replication, yet required for evasion of host innate immune responses. rvfv nss inhibits host gene upregulation at the transcript ... | 0 | 24910709 |
| spatial distribution and environmental factors associated to phlebotomine fauna in a border area of transmission of visceral leishmaniasis in mato grosso do sul, brazil. | mato grosso do sul has been undergoing a process of urbanization which results in loss of native vegetation. this withdrawal makes vectors of man and domestic animals closer, causing changes in the epidemiology of diseases such as american visceral leishmaniasis. the aim of the study was to evaluate the phlebotomine fauna and environmental issues related to the transmission of avl in ponta porã, mato grosso do sul, between 2009 and 2010. | 2014 | 24898032 |
| ecological aspects of the phlebotominae fauna (diptera: psychodidae) in the xakriabá indigenous reserve, brazil. | sand fly collections were performed to study ecological aspects of the phlebotominae fauna of the xakriabá indigenous reserve, an area with endemic cutaneous leishmaniasis, located in the state of minas gerais, brazil. | 2014 | 24886717 |
| humoral responses in rhodnius prolixus: bacterial feeding induces differential patterns of antibacterial activity and enhances mrna levels of antimicrobial peptides in the midgut. | the triatomine, rhodnius prolixus, is a major vector of trypanosoma cruzi, the causative agent of chagas disease in latin america. it has a strictly blood-sucking habit in all life stages, ingesting large amounts of blood from vertebrate hosts from which it can acquire pathogenic microorganisms. in this context, the production of antimicrobial peptides (amps) in the midgut of the insect is vital to control possible infection, and to maintain the microbiota already present in the digestive tract. | 2014 | 24885969 |
| anopheles darlingi (diptera: culicidae) displays increased attractiveness to infected individuals with plasmodium vivax gametocytes. | most hematophagous insects use host odours as chemical cues. the odour components, some physiological parameters and host attractiveness are affected by several conditions, including infection by parasites, e.g., plasmodia and, therefore, change the epidemiological scenario. this study evaluated the attractiveness of individuals with vivax malaria before, during (7 days) and after treatment (14 days) with specific antimalarial drugs. | 2014 | 24885914 |
| expansion of visceral leishmaniasis in the state of rio de janeiro, brazil: report of the first autochthonous case in the municipality of volta redonda and the difficulty of diagnosis. | visceral leishmaniasis has been showing remarkable epidemiological changes in recent decades, with marked expansion and an emergence of cases in urban areas of the north, southeast and midwest regions of brazil. the kala-azar cases reported here, despite being very characteristic, presented a great difficulty of diagnosis, because the disease is not endemic in volta redonda. the child underwent two hospitalizations in different hospitals, but got the correct diagnosis only after 11 months of sym ... | 0 | 24879008 |
| the characterization of the fat bodies and oenocytes in the adult females of the sand fly vectors lutzomyia longipalpis and phlebotomus papatasi. | the fat body (fb) is responsible for the storage and synthesis of the majority of proteins and metabolites secreted into the hemolymph. oenocytes are responsible for lipid processing and detoxification. the fb is distributed throughout the insect body cavity and organized as peripheral and perivisceral portions in the abdomen, with trophocytes and oenocytes attached to the peripheral portion. here, we investigated the morphology and the subcellular changes in the peripheral and perivisceral fbs ... | 2014 | 24863740 |
| discovery and evolution of bunyavirids in arctic phantom midges and ancient bunyavirid-like sequences in insect genomes. | bunyaviridae is a large family of rna viruses chiefly comprised of vertebrate and plant pathogens. we discovered novel bunyavirids that are approximately equally divergent from each of the five known genera. we characterized novel genome sequences for two bunyavirids, namely, kigluaik phantom virus (kigv), from tundra-native phantom midges (chaoborus), and nome phantom virus (nomv), from tundra-invading phantom midges, and demonstrated that these bunyavirid-like sequences belong to an infectious ... | 2014 | 24850747 |
| ecological and epidemiological aspects of the sand fly (diptera, psychodidae) fauna of the national monument of pontões capixabas, state of espírito santo, southeastern brazil. | we evaluated the ecological and epidemiological aspects of the sand fly fauna in an area of the atlantic forest biome with records of visceral and cutaneous leishmaniasis. sand fly collections at three different localities at the national monument of pontões capixabas, state of espírito santo, southeastern brazil, were conducted by using two centers of disease control and prevention automatic light traps in the peridomiciliary environment and eight centers of disease control and prevention autom ... | 2013 | 24843925 |
| epidemiology of visceral leishmaniasis. | leishmania species are the causative agents of leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease. these parasitic protozoans are usually transmitted between vertebrate hosts by the bite of blood sucking female phlebotomine sand flies. this review focuses on the two parasites causing most human visceral leishmaniasis (vl), which leads to substantial health problems or death for up to 400,000 people per year. except for travel cases, leishmania donovani infections are restricted to the (sub-)tropics of ... | 2014 | 24833919 |
| identification of blood meal sources of lutzomyia longipalpis using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of the cytochrome b gene. | an analysis of the dietary content of haematophagous insects can provide important information about the transmission networks of certain zoonoses. the present study evaluated the potential of polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (pcr-rflp) analysis of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene to differentiate between vertebrate species that were identified as possible sources of sandfly meals. the complete cytb gene sequences of 11 vertebrate species available in ... | 2014 | 24821056 |
| orientation of colonized sand flies phlebotomus papatasi, p. duboscqi, and lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) to diverse honeys using a 3-chamber in-line olfactometer. | a 3-chamber in-line olfactometer designed for use with sand flies is described and tested as a high-throughput method to screen honeys for attractiveness to phlebotomus papatasi (four geographic isolates), p. duboscqi (two geographic isolates), and lutzomyia longipalpis maintained in colonies at the walter reed army institute of research. a diversity of unifloral honey odors were evaluated as a proxy for the natural floral odors that sand flies may use in orientation to floral sugar sources in t ... | 2014 | 24820561 |
| polymerase chain reaction-based assay for the detection and identification of sand fly gregarines in lutzomyia longipalpis, a vector of visceral leishmaniasis. | gregarines that parasitise phlebotomine sand flies belong to the genus psychodiella and, even though they are highly host-specific, only five species have been described to date. their most outstanding features include the unique localisation of the oocysts in the accessory glands of the female host, which ensures contamination of the egg surface during oviposition, and the fact that they naturally parasitise the vectors of leishmania, causal agent of leishmaniasis. the type species, ps. chagasi ... | 2014 | 24820560 |
| a potential link among antioxidant enzymes, histopathology and trace elements in canine visceral leishmaniasis. | canine visceral leishmaniasis (cvl) is a severe and fatal systemic chronic inflammatory disease. we investigated the alterations in, and potential associations among, antioxidant enzymes, trace elements and histopathology in cvl. blood and tissue levels of cu-zn superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase were measured in mixed-breed dogs naturally infected with leishmania infantum chagasi, symptomatic (n = 19) and asymptomatic (n = 11). serum levels of copper, iron, zinc, selenium ... | 2014 | 24766461 |
| establishment and characterization of an embryonic cell line from sarconesiopsis magellanica. | sarconesiopsis magellanica (le guillou) (diptera: calliphoridae) is a necrophagous fly that is important in both human and veterinary medicines. this insect has been registered in colombia as a biological indicator in estimating post-mortem interval. insect cell cultures are an important biotechnological tool for basic and applied studies, and cell cultures derived from s. magellanica embryonic tissues are described in this study. s. magellanica embryonated eggs were taken for tissue explants. t ... | 0 | 24766352 |
| an investigation into the protein composition of the teneral glossina morsitans morsitans peritrophic matrix. | tsetse flies serve as biological vectors for several species of african trypanosomes. in order to survive, proliferate and establish a midgut infection, trypanosomes must cross the tsetse fly peritrophic matrix (pm), which is an acellular gut lining surrounding the blood meal. crossing of this multi-layered structure occurs at least twice during parasite migration and development, but the mechanism of how trypanosomes do so is not understood. in order to better comprehend the molecular events su ... | 2014 | 24763256 |
| characterization of the early inflammatory infiltrate at the feeding site of infected sand flies in mice protected from vector-transmitted leishmania major by exposure to uninfected bites. | mice exposed to sand fly saliva are protected against vector-transmitted leishmania major. although protection has been related to ifn-γ producing t cells, the early inflammatory response orchestrating this outcome has not been defined. | 2014 | 24762408 |
| morphological changes in the bone marrow of the dogs with visceral leishmaniasis. | the aim of this study was to evaluate the most frequent lesions in the bone marrow of dogs naturally infected by leishmania (leishmania) chagasi. thirty-three dogs sacrificed at the zoonosis control center of araçatuba, a municipality endemic for visceral leishmaniasis (vl), were used. the animals were classified as asymptomatic, oligosymptomatic, and symptomatic groups. at the necropsy, bone marrow samples were collected from the femur, fixed, processed, and stained with hematoxylin and eosin. ... | 2014 | 24744957 |
| a listeria monocytogenes-based vaccine that secretes sand fly salivary protein ljm11 confers long-term protection against vector-transmitted leishmania major. | cutaneous leishmaniasis is a sand fly-transmitted disease characterized by skin ulcers that carry significant scarring and social stigmatization. over the past years, there has been cumulative evidence that immunity to specific sand fly salivary proteins confers a significant level of protection against leishmaniasis. in this study, we used an attenuated strain of listeria monocytogenes as a vaccine expression system for ljm11, a sand fly salivary protein identified as a good vaccine candidate. ... | 2014 | 24733091 |
| epidemiological aspects of visceral leishmaniasis in jaciara, mato grosso, brazil, 2003 to 2012. | visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is caused by leishmania (l.) infantum chagasi in the americas. in brazil, it is transmitted by sandflies of the species lutzomyia longipalpis and l. cruzi, and dogs are the main domestic reservoirs. the aim of this study was to analyze data relating to vl transmission in jaciara, state of mato grosso, and discuss vector distribution, domestic reservoirs, and human cases that occurred between 2003 and 2012. the data for analysis were obtained from the notifiable diseas ... | 2014 | 24728362 |
| epidemiological survey of lutzomyia longipalpis infected by leishmania infantum in an endemic area of brazil. | the objective of this study was to perform an epidemiological survey to determine the areas at risk of visceral leishmaniasis through the detection and quantification of natural infection by leishmania infantum in lutzomyia longipalpis. the sandflies were captured between february 2009 and january 2010, at 21 sites in four regions of the fortaleza municipality. samples were screened for the presence of leishmania dna by real time pcr (qpcr), amplification of kdna minicircle sequence. out of the ... | 2014 | 24728361 |
| catalogue of the type material of phlebotominae (diptera, psychodidae) deposited in the instituto evandro chagas, brazil. | the available type material of phlebotominae (diptera, psychodidae) deposited in the "coleção de flebotomíneos" of the instituto evandro chagas (colfleb iec) is now presented in an annotated catalogue comprising a total of 121 type specimens belonging to 12 species as follow: nyssomyia richardwardi (2 female paratypes), nyssomyia shawi (9 male and 25 female paratypes), nyssomyia umbratilis (female holotype and 1 female paratype), nyssomyia yuilli yuilli (1 male and 1 female paratypes), pintomyia ... | 2014 | 24715786 |
| an infectious topic in reticulate evolution: introgression and hybridization in animal parasites. | little attention has been given to the role that introgression and hybridization have played in the evolution of parasites. most studies are host-centric and ask if the hybrid of a free-living species is more or less susceptible to parasite infection. here we focus on what is known about how introgression and hybridization have influenced the evolution of protozoan and helminth parasites of animals. there are reports of genome or gene introgression from distantly related taxa into apicomplexans ... | 2010 | 24710013 |
| characterization of guinea pig antibody responses to salivary proteins of triatoma infestans for the development of a triatomine exposure marker. | salivary proteins of triatoma infestans elicit humoral immune responses in their vertebrate hosts. these immune responses indicate exposure to triatomines and thus can be a useful epidemiological tool to estimate triatomine infestation. in the present study, we analyzed antibody responses of guinea pigs to salivary antigens of different developmental stages of four t. infestans strains originating from domestic and/or peridomestic habitats in argentina, bolivia, chile and peru. we aimed to ident ... | 2014 | 24699441 |
| transcriptional activation of antioxidants may compensate for selenoprotein deficiencies in amblyomma maculatum (acari: ixodidae) injected with selk- or selm-dsrna. | the gulf-coast tick, amblyomma maculatum, possesses an elaborate set of selenoproteins, which prevent the deleterious effects from oxidative stress that would otherwise occur during feeding. in the current work, we examined the role of selenoprotein k (selk) and selenoprotein m (selm) in feeding a. maculatum by bioinformatics, transcriptional gene expression, rna interference and antioxidant assays. the transcriptional expression of selk did not vary significantly in salivary glands or midguts t ... | 2014 | 24698418 |
| [expansion of the distribution of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) (diptera: psychodidae) in the department of caldas: increased risk of visceral leishmaniasis]. | diverse taxonomical and molecular studies suggest that lutzomyia longipalpis , main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in latin america, is a complex of species widely distributed throughout the continent and adapted to different habitats. | 2014 | 24652141 |
| synthetic sex pheromone in a long-lasting lure attracts the visceral leishmaniasis vector, lutzomyia longipalpis, for up to 12 weeks in brazil. | current control methodologies have not prevented the spread of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) across brazil. here, we describe the development of a new tool for controlling the sand fly vector of the disease: a long-lasting lure, which releases a synthetic male sex pheromone, attractive to both sexes of lutzomyia longipalpis. this device could be used to improve the effectiveness of residual insecticide spraying as a means of sand fly control, attracting l. longipalpis to insecticide-treated animal ... | 2014 | 24651528 |
| stingray: system for integrated genomic resources and analysis. | the stingray system has been conceived to ease the tasks of integrating, analyzing, annotating and presenting genomic and expression data from sanger and next generation sequencing (ngs) platforms. | 2014 | 24606808 |
| identifying vaccine targets for anti-leishmanial vaccine development. | leishmaniasis is a neglected tropical disease spread by an arthropod vector. it remains a significant health problem with an incidence of 0.2–0.4 million visceral leishmaniasis and 0.7–1.2 million cutaneous leishmaniasis cases each year. there are limitations associated with the current therapeutic regimens for leishmaniasis and the fact that after recovery from infection the host becomes immune to subsequent infection therefore, these factors force the feasibility of a vaccine for leishmaniasis ... | 0 | 24606556 |
| feeding preferences of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae), the sand fly vector, for leishmania infantum (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae). | leishmania infantum, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in brazil, is spread mostly by the bite of the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva). we trapped sand flies in endemic neighborhoods near natal, brazil, where cases of human and dog vl were documented. amplification of species-specific cytochrome b (cyt b) genes by polymerase chain reaction revealed that sand flies from rural and periurban areas harbored blood from different sources. the most common source ofbloodmea ... | 0 | 24605474 |
| female preference and predation risk models can explain the maintenance of a fallow deer (dama dama) lek and its 'handy' location. | we tested the predictions of three models (female preference; hotspot; predator avoidance) on lek formation in the fallow deer population of san rossore, tuscany. we collected behavioural observations in two leks and radiotracking data on 67 deer over 7 years. two deer sub-populations were present in the northern and southern sides of the area, respectively, the two sectors being delimited by a river and including one lek each. predictions were tested for one lek (sg), located in the south-side ... | 2014 | 24599036 |
| comparative analysis of salivary gland transcriptomes of phlebotomus orientalis sand flies from endemic and non-endemic foci of visceral leishmaniasis. | in east africa, phlebotomus orientalis serves as the main vector of leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (vl). phlebotomus orientalis is present at two distant localities in ethiopia; addis zemen where vl is endemic and melka werer where transmission of vl does not occur. to find out whether the difference in epidemiology of vl is due to distant compositions of p. orientalis saliva we established colonies from addis zemen and melka werer, analyzed and compared the t ... | 2014 | 24587463 |
| ecological interactions among phlebotomines (diptera: psychodidae) in an agroforestry environment of northeast brazil. | phlebotomine vectors transmit parasites and can cause visceral leishmaniasis (vl) or cutaneous leishmaniasis (tl). phlebotomine females are hematophagous but need to ingest carbohydrates, possibly promoting the development of protozoan parasites in their digestive tract. the present study evaluated the species composition and abundance across several habitats in a metropolitan landscape, as well as associations among phlebotomines, plants, and local climatic parameters. three consecutive monthly ... | 2013 | 24581360 |
| climatic factors and population density of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) in an urban endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis in midwest brazil. | the life cycle of vectors and the reservoirs that participate in the chain of infectious diseases have a strong relationship with the environmental dynamics of the ecosystems in which they live. oscillations in population abundance and seasonality of insects can be explained by factors inherent in each region and time period. therefore, knowledge of the relationship and influence of environmental factors on the population of lutzomyia longipalpis is necessary because of the high incidence of vis ... | 2013 | 24581349 |
| diagnostic metagenomics: potential applications to bacterial, viral and parasitic infections. | the term 'shotgun metagenomics' is applied to the direct sequencing of dna extracted from a sample without culture or target-specific amplification or capture. in diagnostic metagenomics, this approach is applied to clinical samples in the hope of detecting and characterizing pathogens. here, i provide a conceptual overview, before reviewing several recent promising proof-of-principle applications of metagenomics in virus discovery, analysis of outbreaks and detection of pathogens in contemporar ... | 2014 | 24576467 |
| evaluation of canine and feline leishmaniasis by the association of blood culture, immunofluorescent antibody test and polymerase chain reaction. | this study aimed to evaluate the occurrence of leishmania spp. in dogs and cats from botucatu, são paulo state, and campo grande, mato grosso do sul state, brazil, by the association of three diagnostic tests: blood culture in liver infusion tryptose medium, immunofluorescent antibody test and polymerase chain reaction. fifty blood samples of dogs and cats from the center for zoonosis control in campo grande, an area endemic for canine visceral leishmaniasis, were collected randomly, as well as ... | 2014 | 24565284 |
| first case of autochthonous human visceral leishmaniasis in the urban center of rio de janeiro: case report. | visceral leishmaniasis is an anthropozoonosis that is caused by protozoa of the genus leishmania, especially leishmania (leishmania) infantum, and is transmitted to humans by the bite of sandflies of the genus lutzomyia, such as lutzomyia longipalpis. there are many reservoirs, including canis familiaris. it is a chronic infectious disease with systemic involvement that is characterized by three phases: the initial period, the state period and the final period. the main symptoms are fever, malnu ... | 0 | 24553614 |
| distinct cellular migration induced by leishmania infantum chagasi and saliva from lutzomyia longipalpis in a hemorrhagic pool model. | recruitment of a specific cell population after leishmania infection can influence the outcome of the disease. cellular migration in response to leishmania or vector saliva has been reported in air pouch model, however, cellular migration induced by leishmania associated with host's blood and vector saliva in this model has not been described. herein we investigated cellular migration into air pouch of hamster after stimulation with combination of l. chagasi and host's blood and lutzomyia longip ... | 0 | 24553604 |
| the concise guide to pharmacology 2013/14: g protein-coupled receptors. | the concise guide to pharmacology 2013/14 provides concise overviews of the key properties of over 2000 human drug targets with their pharmacology, plus links to an open access knowledgebase of drug targets and their ligands (www.guidetopharmacology.org), which provides more detailed views of target and ligand properties. the full contents can be found at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/bph.12444/full. g protein-coupled receptors are one of the seven major pharmacological targets into ... | 0 | 24517644 |
| first detection of leishmania tropica dna and trypanosoma species in sergentomyia sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) from an outbreak area of cutaneous leishmaniasis in ghana. | leishmania major and an uncharacterized species have been reported from human patients in a cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl) outbreak area in ghana. reports from the area indicate the presence of anthropophilic sergentomyia species that were found with leishmania dna. | 2014 | 24516676 |
| lundep, a sand fly salivary endonuclease increases leishmania parasite survival in neutrophils and inhibits xiia contact activation in human plasma. | neutrophils are the host's first line of defense against infections, and their extracellular traps (net) were recently shown to kill leishmania parasites. here we report a net-destroying molecule (lundep) from the salivary glands of lutzomyia longipalpis. previous analysis of the sialotranscriptome of lu. longipalpis showed the potential presence of an endonuclease. indeed, not only was the cloned cdna (lundep) shown to encode a highly active ss- and dsdnase, but also the same activity was demon ... | 2014 | 24516388 |
| lbsapsal-vaccinated dogs exhibit increased circulating t-lymphocyte subsets (cd4⁺ and cd8⁺) as well as a reduction of parasitism after challenge with leishmania infantum plus salivary gland of lutzomyia longipalpis. | the development of a protective vaccine against canine visceral leishmaniasis (cvl) is an alternative approach for interrupting the domestic cycle of leishmania infantum. given the importance of sand fly salivary proteins as potent immunogens obligatorily co-deposited during transmission of leishmania parasites, their inclusion in an anti-leishmania vaccine has been investigated in the last few decades. in this context, we previously immunized dogs with a vaccine composed of l. braziliensis anti ... | 2014 | 24507702 |
| a laboratory evaluation of alcohols as attractants for the sandfly lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera:psychodidae). | the potential attraction from 1-octen-3-ol for sandflies has been documented; however, studies using other primary alcohols are limited. | 2014 | 24502386 |
| leishmaniasis transmission in an ecotourism area: potential vectors in ilha grande, rio de janeiro state, brazil. | the south coast of rio de janeiro state, in brazil, is endemic for cutaneous and visceral leishmaniases and is frequently visited by tourists from different parts of the world. since the complex epidemiology of leishmaniases demands local studies, the goal of this study was to investigate the phlebotomine sand fly fauna and leishmaniases transmission in ilha grande, an ecotourism area of angra dos reis municipality. | 2013 | 24499568 |
| spatial and seasonal distribution of lutzomyia longipalpis in dracena, a city in the western region of the state of são paulo, brazil, that is endemic with visceral leishmaniasis. | vector seasonality knowledge is important for monitoring and controlling of vector-borne diseases. lutzomyia longipalpis (lu. longipalpis) is the main vector of leishmania (leishmania) infantum nicolle, 1908, which is the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis in the americas. | 2014 | 24474011 |
| molecular and parasitological detection of leishmania spp. in a dipteran of the species tabanus importunus. | leishmaniasis is an important chronic zoonosis caused by protozoa of the genus leishmania spp. the major vectors of this protozoosis are sand flies, and lutzomyia longipalpis is considered the main species implicated in the transmission of american visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. the presence of the parasite's deoxyribonucleic acid (dna) in ectoparasites such as ticks and fleas has prompted speculations about the existence of new vectors in the cycle of leishmaniasis. the aim of this paper is ... | 2014 | 24473890 |
| molecular analysis of an odorant-binding protein gene in two sympatric species of lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. | lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. is the main vector of american visceral leishmaniasis (avl) and occurs as a species complex. dna samples from two brazilian sympatric species that differ in pheromone and courtship song production were used to analyse molecular polymorphisms in an odorant-binding protein (obp29) gene. obps are proteins related to olfaction and are involved in activities fundamental to survival, such as foraging, mating and choice of oviposition site. in this study, the marker obp29 was ... | 0 | 24473807 |
| circadian clock of aedes aegypti: effects of blood-feeding, insemination and rna interference. | mosquitoes are the culprits of some of the most important vector borne diseases. a species' potential as a vector is directly dependent on their pattern of behaviour, which is known to change according to the female's physiological status such as whether the female is virgin/mated and unfed/blood-fed. however, the molecular mechanism triggered by and/or responsible for such modulations in behaviour is poorly understood. clock genes are known to be responsible for the control of circadian behavio ... | 0 | 24473806 |
| when population and evolutionary genetics met behaviour. | in this review, we analyse the impact of a population and evolutionary genetics approach on the study of insect behaviour. our attention is focused on the model organism drosophila melanogaster and several other insect species. in particular, we explore the relationship between rhythmic behaviours and the molecular evolution of clock and ion channel genes. | 0 | 24473805 |
| circadian rhythms in insect disease vectors. | organisms from bacteria to humans have evolved under predictable daily environmental cycles owing to the earth's rotation. this strong selection pressure has generated endogenous circadian clocks that regulate many aspects of behaviour, physiology and metabolism, anticipating and synchronising internal time-keeping to changes in the cyclical environment. in haematophagous insect vectors the circadian clock coordinates feeding activity, which is important for the dynamics of pathogen transmission ... | 0 | 24473802 |
| acoustic communication in insect disease vectors. | acoustic signalling has been extensively studied in insect species, which has led to a better understanding of sexual communication, sexual selection and modes of speciation. the significance of acoustic signals for a blood-sucking insect was first reported in the xix century by christopher johnston, studying the hearing organs of mosquitoes, but has received relatively little attention in other disease vectors until recently. acoustic signals are often associated with mating behaviour and sexua ... | 0 | 24473800 |
| foreword. | 0 | 24473796 | |
| dna barcoding for the identification of sand fly species (diptera, psychodidae, phlebotominae) in colombia. | sand flies include a group of insects that are of medical importance and that vary in geographic distribution, ecology, and pathogen transmission. approximately 163 species of sand flies have been reported in colombia. surveillance of the presence of sand fly species and the actualization of species distribution are important for predicting risks for and monitoring the expansion of diseases which sand flies can transmit. currently, the identification of phlebotomine sand flies is based on morpho ... | 2014 | 24454877 |
| isolation and molecular characterization of a major hemolymph serpin from the triatomine, panstrongylus megistus. | chagas disease kills 2.5 thousand people per year of 15 million persons infected in latin america. the disease is caused by the protozoan, trypanosome cruzi, and vectored by triatomine insects, including panstrongylus megistus, an important vector in brazil. medicines treating chagas disease have unpleasant side effects and may be ineffective, therefore, alternative control techniques are required. knowledge of the t. cruzi interactions with the triatomine host needs extending and new targets/st ... | 2014 | 24423259 |
| dogs, cats, parasites, and humans in brazil: opening the black box. | dogs and cats in brazil serve as primary hosts for a considerable number of parasites, which may affect their health and wellbeing. these may include endoparasites (e.g., protozoa, cestodes, trematodes, and nematodes) and ectoparasites (i.e., fleas, lice, mites, and ticks). while some dog and cat parasites are highly host-specific (e.g., aelurostrongylus abstrusus and felicola subrostratus for cats, and angiostrongylus vasorum and trichodectes canis for dogs), others may easily switch to other h ... | 2014 | 24423244 |
| repeated exposure to lutzomyia intermedia sand fly saliva induces local expression of interferon-inducible genes both at the site of injection in mice and in human blood. | during a blood meal, lutzomyia intermedia sand flies transmit leishmania braziliensis, a parasite causing tegumentary leishmaniasis. in experimental leishmaniasis, pre-exposure to saliva of most blood-feeding sand flies results in parasite establishment in absence of any skin damages in mice challenged with dermotropic leishmania species together with saliva. in contrast, pre-immunization with lu. intermedia salivary gland sonicate (sgs) results in enhanced skin inflammatory exacerbation upon co ... | 2014 | 24421912 |
| heterogeneities in leishmania infantum infection: using skin parasite burdens to identify highly infectious dogs. | the relationships between heterogeneities in host infection and infectiousness (transmission to arthropod vectors) can provide important insights for disease management. here, we quantify heterogeneities in leishmania infantum parasite numbers in reservoir and non-reservoir host populations, and relate this to their infectiousness during natural infection. tissue parasite number was evaluated as a potential surrogate marker of host transmission potential. | 2014 | 24416460 |
| comparison of two commercial vaccines against visceral leishmaniasis in dogs from endemic areas: igg, and subclasses, parasitism, and parasite transmission by xenodiagnosis. | the incidence of zoonotic canine visceral leishmaniasis (cvl) would decrease if dogs were effectively vaccinated; however, additional data on the efficacy of canine vaccines are required for their approved preventative use. | 2014 | 24406392 |
| the first record of lutzomyia longipalpis in the argentine northwest. | in 2004, the urban presence of lutzomyia longipalpis was recorded for the first time in formosa province. in 2006, the first autochthonous case of human urban visceral leishmaniasis (vl) was recorded in misiones in the presence of the vector, along with some canine vl cases. after this first case, the vector began to spread primarily in northeast argentina. between 2008-2011, three human vl cases were reported in salta province, but the presence of lu. longipalpis was not recorded. captures of p ... | 0 | 24402160 |
| predicting the geographic distribution of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) and visceral leishmaniasis in the state of mato grosso do sul, brazil. | to understand the geographic distribution of visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in the state of mato grosso do sul (ms), brazil, both the climatic niches of lutzomyia longipalpis and vl cases were analysed. distributional data were obtained from 55 of the 79 counties of ms between 2003-2012. ecological niche models (enm) of lu. longipalpis and vl cases were produced using the maximum entropy algorithm based on eight climatic variables. lu. longipalpis showed a wide distribution in ms. the highest clima ... | 0 | 24402151 |
| insights into the preservation of the homomorphic sex-determining chromosome of aedes aegypti from the discovery of a male-biased gene tightly linked to the m-locus. | the preservation of a homomorphic sex-determining chromosome in some organisms without transformation into a heteromorphic sex chromosome is a long-standing enigma in evolutionary biology. a dominant sex-determining locus (or m-locus) in an undifferentiated homomorphic chromosome confers the male phenotype in the yellow fever mosquito aedes aegypti. genetic evidence suggests that the m-locus is in a nonrecombining region. however, the molecular nature of the m-locus has not been characterized. u ... | 0 | 24398378 |
| field evaluation of alphacypermethrin in indoor residual spraying for leishmaniasis control in an endemic area, northern morocco. | in morocco, the main strategies of leishmaniasis vector control are based on environmental modifications. use of local residual indoor spraying with synthetic pyrethroids is often envisaged. the need to evaluate this control method is essential. the current study was conducted to determine the efficacy of an alphacypermethrin irs program against leishmaniasis vectors in an endemic area in the north of morocco. | 2013 | 24330760 |
| a deep insight into the sialotranscriptome of the mosquito, psorophora albipes. | psorophora mosquitoes are exclusively found in the americas and have been associated with transmission of encephalitis and west nile fever viruses, among other arboviruses. mosquito salivary glands represent the final route of differentiation and transmission of many parasites. they also secrete molecules with powerful pharmacologic actions that modulate host hemostasis, inflammation, and immune response. here, we employed next generation sequencing and proteome approaches to investigate for the ... | 2013 | 24330624 |
| sand-fly saliva-leishmania-man: the trigger trio. | leishmaniases are worldwide diseases transmitted to the vertebrate host by the bite of an infected sand-fly. sand-fly biting and parasite inoculation are accompanied by the injection of salivary molecules, whose immunomodulatory properties are actively being studied. this mini review focuses on how the interactions between sand-fly saliva and the immune system may shape the outcome of infection, given its immunomodulatory properties, in experimental models and in the endemic area. additionally, ... | 2013 | 24312093 |
| chemical composition and insecticidal activity of plant essential oils from benin against anopheles gambiae (giles). | insecticide resistance in sub-saharan africa and especially in benin is a major public health issue hindering the control of the malaria vectors. each anopheles species has developed a resistance to one or several classes of the insecticides currently in use in the field. therefore, it is urgent to find alternative compounds to conquer the vector. in this study, the efficacies of essential oils of nine plant species, which are traditionally used to avoid mosquito bites in benin, were investigate ... | 2013 | 24298981 |
| spatial and temporal changes in lutzomyia longipalpis abundance, a leishmania infantum vector in an urban area in northeastern argentina. | this study aimed to analyse changes in the spatial distribution of lutzomyia longipalpis in posadas, an urban area located in northeastern argentina. data were obtained during the summer of 2007 and 2009 through two entomological surveys of peridomiciles distributed around the city. the abundance distribution pattern for 2009 was computed and compared with the previous pattern obtained in 2007, when the first human visceral leishmaniasis cases were reported in the city. vector abundance was also ... | 0 | 24271040 |
| spatial dynamics of urban populations of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) in caxias, state of maranhão, brazil. | in this paper, we report the ecology of lutzomyia longipalpis in caxias city, located in the eastern part of state of maranhão, brazil and highlight its seasonal and geographical distribution by environment. in addition, we discuss natural leishmania infection and its relationship with visceral leishmaniasis. | 2013 | 24270246 |
| novel virus discovery and genome reconstruction from field rna samples reveals highly divergent viruses in dipteran hosts. | we investigated whether small rna (srna) sequenced from field-collected mosquitoes and chironomids (diptera) can be used as a proxy signature of viral prevalence within a range of species and viral groups, using srnas sequenced from wild-caught specimens, to inform total rna deep sequencing of samples of particular interest. using this strategy, we sequenced from adult anopheles maculipennis s.l. mosquitoes the apparently nearly complete genome of one previously undescribed virus related to chro ... | 2013 | 24260463 |
| different host complement systems and their interactions with saliva from lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera, psychodidae) and leishmania infantum promastigotes. | lutzomyia longipalpis is the vector of leishmania infantum in the new world, and its saliva inhibits classical and alternative human complement system pathways. this inhibition is important in protecting the insect´s midgut from damage by the complement. l. longipalpis is a promiscuous blood feeder and must be protected against its host's complement. the objective of this study was to investigate the action of salivary complement inhibitors on the sera of different host species, such as dogs, gu ... | 2013 | 24255715 |
| genomic, rnaseq, and molecular modeling evidence suggests that the major allergen domain in insects evolved from a homodimeric origin. | the major allergen domain (ma) is widely distributed in insects. the crystal structure of a single bla g 1 ma revealed a novel protein fold in which the fundamental structure was a duplex of two subsequences (monomers), which had diverged over time. this suggested that the evolutionary origin of the ma structure may have been a homodimer of this smaller subsequence. using publicly available genomic data, the distribution of the basic unit of this class of proteins was determined to better unders ... | 0 | 24253356 |
| relative risk of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil: a spatial analysis in urban area. | visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a vector-borne disease whose factors involved in transmission are poorly understood, especially in more urban and densely populated counties. in brazil, the vl urbanization is a challenge for the control program. the goals were to identify the greater risk areas for human vl and the risk factors involved in transmission. | 2013 | 24244776 |
| effects of aedes aegypti salivary components on dendritic cell and lymphocyte biology. | saliva is a key element of interaction between hematophagous mosquitoes and their vertebrate hosts. in addition to allowing a successful blood meal by neutralizing or delaying hemostatic responses, the salivary cocktail is also able to modulate the effector mechanisms of host immune responses facilitating, in turn, the transmission of several types of microorganisms. understanding how the mosquito uses its salivary components to circumvent host immunity might help to clarify the mechanisms of tr ... | 2013 | 24238038 |
| positive selection drives accelerated evolution of mosquito salivary genes associated with blood-feeding. | the saliva of bloodsucking animals contains dozens to hundreds of proteins that counteract their hosts' haemostasis, inflammation and immunity. it was previously observed that salivary proteins involved in haematophagy are much more divergent in their primary sequence than those of housekeeping function, when comparisons were made between closely related organisms. while this pattern of evolution could result from relaxed selection or drift, it could alternatively be the result of positive selec ... | 2013 | 24237399 |
| mechanisms of cellular invasion by intracellular parasites. | numerous disease-causing parasites must invade host cells in order to prosper. collectively, such pathogens are responsible for a staggering amount of human sickness and death throughout the world. leishmaniasis, chagas disease, toxoplasmosis, and malaria are neglected diseases and therefore are linked to socio-economical and geographical factors, affecting well-over half the world's population. such obligate intracellular parasites have co-evolved with humans to establish a complexity of specif ... | 2013 | 24221133 |
| the possible impact of persistent virus infection on the function of the rnai machinery in insects: a hypothesis. | rnai experiments in insects are characterized by great variability in efficiency; for instance beetles and locusts are very amenable to dsrna-mediated gene silencing, while other insect groups, most notably lepidopterans, are more refractory to rnai. several factors can be forwarded that could affect the efficiency of rnai, such as the composition and function of the intracellular rnai machinery, the mechanism of dsrna uptake, the presence of dsrna- and sirna-degrading enzymes and non-specific a ... | 2013 | 24204347 |
| expression of the mevalonate pathway enzymes in the lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) sex pheromone gland demonstrated by an integrated proteomic approach. | in latin america, lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector of the protozoan parasite leishmania infantum, which is the causal agent of american visceral leishmaniasis. this insect uses male-produced pheromones for mate recognition. elucidation of pheromone biogenesis or its regulation may enable molecular strategies for mating disruption and, consequently, the vector's population management. motivated by our recent results of the transcriptomic characterization of the l. longipalpis pheromone gl ... | 2013 | 24185139 |
| purification of a serine protease and evidence for a protein c activator from the saliva of the tick, ixodes scapularis. | the saliva of ticks is critical to their survival as parasites and hematophagous animals. in this study, we have purified an enzyme with trypsin-like activity from the saliva of the tick vector of lyme disease, ixodes scapularis. this enzyme, named as ixosp (i. scapularis salivary serine protease), is a 29.9 kda molecule with n-terminus fpxmvxlrikxr. a blast search identified ixosp as a secreted serine protease (aay66740) with a conserved catalytic triad his, asp, and ser. in vitro studies demon ... | 2013 | 24184517 |
| the effect of temperature on leishmania (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae) development in sand flies. | the spread of leishmaniasis to areas where it was previously considered nonendemic has been recently found in the new and old worlds, and climate changes are suspected as a crucial factor responsible for this spread. ambient temperature is known to significantly affect the metabolism of sand flies and their developmental times, but little is known about the effect of temperature on the leishmania life cycle in vectors. this study assesses the effect of temperature on the development of two close ... | 2013 | 24180098 |
| molecular and immunogenic properties of apyrase sp01b and d7-related sp04 recombinant salivary proteins of phlebotomus perniciosus from madrid, spain. | sand fly salivary proteins are on the spotlight to become vaccine candidates against leishmaniasis and to markers of exposure to sand fly bites due to the host immune responses they elicit. working with the whole salivary homogenate entails serious drawbacks such as the need for maintaining sand fly colonies and the laborious task of glands dissection. in order to overcome these difficulties, producing recombinant proteins of different vectors has become a major task. in this study, a cdna libra ... | 2013 | 24171166 |
| sand fly-leishmania interactions: long relationships are not necessarily easy. | sand fly and leishmania are one of the best studied vector-parasite models. much is known about the development of these parasites within the sand fly, and how transmission to a suitable vertebrate host takes place. various molecules secreted by the vector assist the establishment of the infection in a vertebrate, and changes to the vector are promoted by the parasites in order to facilitate or enhance transmission. despite a generally accepted view that sand flies and leishmania are also one of ... | 0 | 24159365 |
| a nod to disease vectors: mitigation of pathogen sensing by arthropod saliva. | arthropod saliva possesses anti-hemostatic, anesthetic, and anti-inflammatory properties that facilitate feeding and, inadvertently, dissemination of pathogens. vector-borne diseases caused by these pathogens affect millions of people each year. many studies address the impact of arthropod salivary proteins on various immunological components. however, whether and how arthropod saliva counters nod-like (nlr) sensing remains elusive. nlrs are innate immune pattern recognition molecules involved i ... | 2013 | 24155744 |
| multilocus analysis of divergence and introgression in sympatric and allopatric sibling species of the lutzomyia longipalpis complex in brazil. | lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in latin america, is a complex of sibling species. in brazil, a number of very closely related sibling species have been revealed by the analyses of copulation songs, sex pheromones and molecular markers. however, the level of divergence and gene flow between the sibling species remains unclear. brazilian populations of this vector can be divided in two main groups: one producing burst-type songs and the cembrene-1 pheromone and a ... | 2013 | 24147172 |
| first autochthonous case of canine visceral leishmaniasis in volta redonda, rio de janeiro, brazil. | in brazil, american visceral leishmaniasis (avl) is caused by leishmania (leishmania) chagasi and its main vector is lutzomyia longipalpis. cases of canine visceral leishmaniasis (cvl) in non-endemic areas have been reported over the last few years throughout the country. the objective of this research note is to describe an autochthonous case of cvl that occurred in the municipality of volta redonda, state of rio de janeiro, an area where the disease is not endemic, alerting veterinarians and t ... | 2013 | 24142177 |
| oviposition behaviour of phlebotomus argentipes--a laboratory-based study. | the breeding habitat of sandflies is a little studied and poorly understood phenomenon. more importantly, oviposition behaviour is a largely neglected aspect of sandfly biology and this knowledge gap further undermines our understanding of the biology of sandflies. pheromones released by the eggs play an important role in identifying good sites for oviposition by female insects. several recent studies have examined the oviposition pheromone. the present study provides a preliminary report on the ... | 0 | 24141963 |
| the sandfly fauna (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae) of the parque estadual da serra da tiririca, rio de janeiro, brazil. | cutaneous leishmaniasis (cl) in the state of rio de janeiro is sporadic and can be characterised as a peridomestic transmission that occurs in modified natural environments. the aim of this work was to study the fauna and ecological characteristics of sandflies in an environmentally protected area (the state park of serra da tiririca) within the remnants of the atlantic forest in the municipalities of niterói and maricá and their possible relationship with leishmaniasis. captures were performed ... | 0 | 24141956 |
| ecological aspects of phlebotomine sandflies (diptera: psychodidae) from a cave of the speleological province of bambuí, brazil. | phlebotomines are invertebrate hosts of leishmania genus species which are etiological agents of leishmaniases in humans and other mammals. sandflies are often collected in entomological studies of caves both in the inner area and the adjacent environments. caves are ecotypes clearly different from the external environment. several caves have been opened to public visitation before any studies were performed and the places do not have scientific monitoring of the fauna, flora, geological and geo ... | 2013 | 24130847 |
| cytokine and nitric oxide patterns in dogs immunized with lbsap vaccine, before and after experimental challenge with leishmania chagasi plus saliva of lutzomyia longipalpis. | in the studies presented here, dogs were vaccinated against leishmania (leishmania) chagasi challenge infection using a preparation of leishmania braziliensis promastigote proteins and saponin as adjuvant (lbsap). vaccination with lbsap induced a prominent type 1 immune response that was characterized by increased levels of interleukin (il-) 12 and interferon gamma (ifn-γ) production by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) upon stimulation with soluble vaccine antigen. importantly, results ... | 2013 | 24129068 |
| transcriptional regulation of a chitinase gene by 20-hydroxyecdysone and starvation in the oriental fruit fly, bactrocera dorsalis. | insect chitinases are hydrolytic enzymes that are required for the degradation of glycosidic bonds of chitin. in this study, we identified and characterized a full-length cdna of the chitinase gene (bdcht2) in the oriental fruit fly, bactrocera dorsalis. the cdna contains an open reading frame (orf) of 1449 bp that encodes 483 amino acid residues and 126- and 296-bp non-coding regions at the 5'- and 3'-ends, respectively. the bdcht2 genome has four exons and three introns. the predicted molecula ... | 2013 | 24113584 |
| larval breeding sites of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) in visceral leishmaniasis endemic urban areas in southeastern brazil. | the scarcity of information on the immature stages of sand flies and their preferred breeding sites has resulted in the focus of vectorial control on the adult stage using residual insecticide house-spraying. this strategy, along with the treatment of human cases and the euthanasia of infected dogs, has proven inefficient and visceral leishmaniasis continues to expand in brazil. identifying the breeding sites of sand flies is essential to the understanding of the vector's population dynamic and ... | 2013 | 24069494 |
| current and future niche of north and central american sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) in climate change scenarios. | ecological niche models are useful tools to infer potential spatial and temporal distributions in vector species and to measure epidemiological risk for infectious diseases such as the leishmaniases. the ecological niche of 28 north and central american sand fly species, including those with epidemiological relevance, can be used to analyze the vector's ecology and its association with transmission risk, and plan integrated regional vector surveillance and control programs. in this study, we mod ... | 2013 | 24069478 |
| genetic structure of lutzomyia longipalpis populations in mato grosso do sul, brazil, based on microsatellite markers. | lutzomyialongipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) is the major vector of leishmania (leishmania) infantum and thus plays a crucial role in the epidemiology of american visceral leishmaniasis (avl). this vector is the best studied species of sand fly in the neotropical region. many studies claim that this vector is in fact a species complex; however there is still no consensus regarding the number of species that belong into this complex or the geographical distribution of sibling species. the aim of t ... | 2013 | 24066129 |
| lights, camera, and action: vertebrate skin sets the stage for immune cell interaction with arthropod-vectored pathogens. | despite increasing studies targeted at host-pathogen interactions, vector-borne diseases remain one of the largest economic health burdens worldwide. such diseases are vectored by hematophagous arthropods that deposit pathogens into the vertebrate host's skin during a blood meal. these pathogens spend a substantial amount of time in the skin that allows for interaction with cutaneous immune cells, suggesting a window of opportunity for development of vaccine strategies. in particular, the recent ... | 2013 | 24062751 |
| the effect of avian blood on leishmania development in phlebotomus duboscqi. | the development of pathogens transmitted by haematophagous invertebrate vectors is closely connected with the digestion of bloodmeals and is thus affected by midgut enzymatic activity. some studies have demonstrated that avian blood inhibits leishmania major infection in the old world vector phlebotomus papatasi; however, this effect has never been observed in the new world vectors of the genus lutzomyia infected by other leishmania species. therefore, our study was focused on the effect of chic ... | 2013 | 24059328 |
| fine structure of the male reproductive system and reproductive behavior of lutzomyia longipalpis sandflies (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae). | the male reproductive system of insects can have several tissues responsible for the secretion of seminal fluid proteins (sfps), such as testes, accessory glands, seminal vesicles, ejaculatory duct and ejaculatory bulb. the sfps are transferred during mating and can induce several physiological and behavioral changes in females, such as increase in oviposition and decrease in sexual receptivity after copulation. the phlebotomine lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis. ... | 2013 | 24058637 |
| leishmania amazonensis exhibits phosphatidylserine-dependent procoagulant activity, a process that is counteracted by sandfly saliva. | leishmania parasites expose phosphatidylserine (ps) on their surface, a process that has been associated with regulation of host's immune responses. in this study we demonstrate that ps exposure by metacyclic promastigotes of leishmania amazonensis favours blood coagulation. l. amazonensis accelerates in vitro coagulation of human plasma. in addition, l. amazonensis supports the assembly of the prothrombinase complex, thus promoting thrombin formation. this process was reversed by annexin v whic ... | 0 | 24037188 |