Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year Filter | PMID(sorted descending) Filter |
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| cooperative blood-feeding and the function and implications of feeding aggregations in the sand fly, lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | given the importance that the evolution of cooperation bears in evolutionary biology and the social sciences, extensive theoretical work has focused on identifying conditions that promote cooperation among individuals. in insects, cooperative or altruistic interactions typically occur amongst social insects and are thus explained by kin selection. here we provide evidence that in lutzomia longipalpis, a small biting fly and an important vector of leishmaniasis in the new world, cooperative blood ... | 2009 | 19688042 |
| kinin danger signals proteolytically released by gingipain induce fimbriae-specific ifn-gamma- and il-17-producing t cells in mice infected intramucosally with porphyromonas gingivalis. | porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative bacterium that causes periodontitis, activates the kinin system via the cysteine protease r-gingipain. using a model of buccal infection based on p. gingivalis inoculation in the anterior mandibular vestibule, we studied whether kinins released by gingipain may link mucosal inflammation to t cell-dependent immunity through the activation of bradykinin b(2) receptors (b(2)r). our data show that p. gingivalis w83 (wild type), but not gingipain-deficient mu ... | 2009 | 19687097 |
| functional characterization of a salivary apyrase from the sand fly, phlebotomus duboscqi, a vector of leishmania major. | two transcripts coding for proteins homologous to apyrases were identified by massive sequencing of a phlebotomus (p.) duboscqi salivary gland cdna library. the sequence analysis revealed that the amino acids important for enzymatic activity including nucleotidase activity and the binding of calcium and nucleotides were well conserved in these molecules. a recombinant p. duboscqi salivary apyrase was expressed in escherichia coli and purified. the resulting protein efficiently hydrolyzed adp and ... | 2009 | 19651132 |
| [asymmetric reproductive isolation between lutzomyia pseudolongipalpis and lutzomyia longipalpis (species c2), neotropical vectors of visceral leishmaniasis (diptera: pshychodidae)]. | lutzomyia pseudolongipalpis and lutzomyia longipalpis (species c2, l. sp n.) are two endemic species of phlebotominae sand fly vectors from venezuela. the two insects are sympatric and monophyletic but have deeply diverging, morphological differences. they belong to the l. longipalpis complex. a study of their reproductive isolation is necessary to understand the process of speciation and maintenance of the two sister species as two discrete taxonomic and biological entities. cross-mating tests ... | 2009 | 19637685 |
| surviving the cold: molecular analyses of insect cryoprotective dehydration in the arctic springtail megaphorura arctica (tullberg). | insects provide tractable models for enhancing our understanding of the physiological and cellular processes that enable survival at extreme low temperatures. they possess three main strategies to survive the cold: freeze tolerance, freeze avoidance or cryoprotective dehydration, of which the latter method is exploited by our model species, the arctic springtail megaphorura arctica, formerly onychiurus arcticus (tullberg 1876). the physiological mechanisms underlying cryoprotective dehydration h ... | 2009 | 19622137 |
| differential activation of guinea pig intrinsic cardiac neurons by the pac1 agonists maxadilan and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 27 (pacap27). | pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (pacap) evokes tachycardia followed by a larger cholinergic bradycardia in isolated guinea pig hearts. we used the selective pac1 receptor agonist maxadilan and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (vip) to test the hypothesis that pacap27-evoked tachycardia and bradycardia are mediated by vpac and pac1 receptors, respectively. chronotropic actions of these peptides were evaluated in isolated perfused hearts. direct neuronal actions were determined ... | 2009 | 19602551 |
| est sequencing of blood-fed and leishmania-infected midgut of lutzomyia longipalpis, the principal visceral leishmaniasis vector in the americas. | leishmaniasis is an important worldwide public health problem. visceral leishmaniasis caused by leishmania infantum chagasi is mainly transmitted by lutzomyia longipalpis in the americas. leishmania development within the sand fly vector is mostly restricted to the midgut. thus, a comparative analysis of blood-fed versus infected midguts may provide an invaluable insight into various aspects of sand fly immunity, physiology of blood digestion, and, more importantly, of leishmania development. to ... | 2009 | 19565270 |
| the role of salivary and intestinal complement system inhibitors in the midgut protection of triatomines and mosquitoes. | saliva of haematophagous arthropods contain biomolecules involved directly or indirectly with the haematophagy process, and among them are encountered some complement system inhibitors. the most obvious function for these inhibitors would be the protection of the midgut against injury by the complement. to investigate this hypothesis, triatoma brasiliensis nymphs were forced to ingest human serum in conditions in which the protection of midgut by the inhibitors is bypassed. in these conditions, ... | 2009 | 19557176 |
| analysis of salivary transcripts and antigens of the sand fly phlebotomus arabicus. | sand fly saliva plays an important role in blood feeding and leishmania transmission as it was shown to increase parasite virulence. on the other hand, immunity to salivary components impedes the establishment of infection. therefore, it is most desirable to gain a deeper insight into the composition of saliva in sand fly species which serve as vectors of various forms of leishmaniases. in the present work, we focused on phlebotomus (adlerius) arabicus, which was recently shown to transmit leish ... | 2009 | 19555500 |
| role of the domestic dog as a reservoir host of leishmania donovani in eastern sudan. | abstract: | 2009 | 19534802 |
| [new records of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) (diptera: psychodidae) in the central east region of são paulo state, brazil]. | cutaneous (lta) and visceral (lva) american leishmaniasis incidences are increasing in human and canine hosts, especially lva, which is expanding its range through são paulo state. distribution and ecology knowledge of different sand fly species is essential for leishmaniasis epidemiology vigilance. the communication of new findings of its vectors is mandatory for risk determination for transmission of these illnesses. on this study sand flies were trapped in bushed areas, in different localitie ... | 2009 | 19500464 |
| inhibitor of cysteine peptidase does not influence the development of leishmania mexicana in lutzomyia longipalpis. | it has been proposed that the natural cysteine peptidase inhibitor icp of leishmania mexicana protects the protozoan parasite from insect host proteolytic enzymes, thereby promoting survival. to test this hypothesis, l. mexicana mutants deficient in icp were evaluated for their ability to develop in the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis. no significant differences were found between the wild-type parasites, two independently derived icp-deficient mutants, or mutants overexpressing icp; all lines de ... | 2009 | 19496433 |
| synthetic sex pheromone attracts the leishmaniasis vector lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) to traps in the field. | improving vector control remains a key goal in reducing the world's burden of infectious diseases. more cost-effective approaches to vector control are urgently needed, particularly because vaccines are unavailable and treatment is prohibitively expensive. the causative agent of american visceral leishmaniasis (avl), leishmania chagasi, cunha and chagas (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae), is transmitted between animal and human hosts by blood-feeding female sand flies attracted to mating aggrega ... | 2009 | 19496409 |
| using biotic interaction networks for prediction in biodiversity and emerging diseases. | networks offer a powerful tool for understanding and visualizing inter-species ecological and evolutionary interactions. previously considered examples, such as trophic networks, are just representations of experimentally observed direct interactions. however, species interactions are so rich and complex it is not feasible to directly observe more than a small fraction. in this paper, using data mining techniques, we show how potential interactions can be inferred from geographic data, rather th ... | 2009 | 19478956 |
| cooperation between apoptotic and viable metacyclics enhances the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis. | mimicking mammalian apoptotic cells by exposing phosphatidylserine (ps) is a strategy used by virus and parasitic protozoa to escape host protective inflammatory responses. with leishmania amazonensis (la), apoptotic mimicry is a prerogative of the intramacrophagic amastigote form of the parasite and is modulated by the host. now we show that differently from what happens with amastigotes, promastigotes exposing ps are non-viable, non-infective cells, undergoing apoptotic death. as part of the n ... | 2009 | 19478944 |
| strong host-feeding preferences of the vector triatoma infestans modified by vector density: implications for the epidemiology of chagas disease. | understanding the factors that affect the host-feeding preferences of triatomine bugs is crucial for estimating transmission risks and predicting the effects of control tactics targeting domestic animals. we tested whether triatoma infestans bugs prefer to feed on dogs vs. chickens and on dogs vs. cats and whether vector density modified host choices and other vital rates under natural conditions. | 2009 | 19478849 |
| peritrophic matrix of phlebotomus duboscqi and its kinetics during leishmania major development. | light microscopy of native preparations, histology, and electron microscopy have revealed that phlebotomus duboscqi belongs to a class of sand fly species with prompt development of the peritrophic matrix (pm). secretion of electron-lucent fibrils, presumably chitin, starts immediately after the ingestion of a blood meal and, about 6 h later, is followed by secretion of amorphous electron-dense components, presumably proteins and glycoproteins. the pm matures in less than 12 h and consists of a ... | 2009 | 19471970 |
| sand fly salivary proteins induce strong cellular immunity in a natural reservoir of visceral leishmaniasis with adverse consequences for leishmania. | immunity to a sand fly salivary protein protects against visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in hamsters. this protection was associated with the development of cellular immunity in the form of a delayed-type hypersensitivity response and the presence of ifn-gamma at the site of sand fly bites. to date, there are no data available regarding the cellular immune response to sand fly saliva in dogs, the main reservoirs of vl in latin america, and its role in protection from this fatal disease. two of 35 sa ... | 2009 | 19461875 |
| saliva of laboratory-reared lutzomyia longipalpis exacerbates leishmania (leishmania) amazonensis infection more potently than saliva of wild-caught lutzomyia longipalpis. | in order to compare the saliva effect from wild-caught and lab-reared l. longipalpis on the development of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis, c57bl/6 mice were inoculated subcutaneously into the hind footpads with promastigotes of l. (l.) amazonensis plus salivary gland lysate from wild-caught (sgl-w) and lab-colonized (sgl-c) vectors. lesion sizes were significantly larger in the mice infected with both saliva compared to mice infected with parasites alone; moreover, the lesions caused by pa ... | 2009 | 19454323 |
| roles of galectins in infection. | galectins, which were first characterized in the mid-1970s, were assigned a role in the recognition of endogenous ('self') carbohydrate ligands in embryogenesis, development and immune regulation. recently, however, galectins have been shown to bind glycans on the surface of potentially pathogenic microorganisms, and function as recognition and effector factors in innate immunity. some parasites subvert the recognition roles of the vector or host galectins to ensure successful attachment or inva ... | 2009 | 19444247 |
| changing distribution patterns of canine vector borne diseases in italy: leishmaniosis vs. dirofilariosis. | abstract : ecological and climatic changes, human and animal population dynamics are among the several factors that have favoured the spread or the (re)introduction and establishment of "novel" vector species and pathogens they transmit in previously disease-free geographical areas. as key examples of the changing pattern of distribution of canine vector borne diseases (cvbds), the current distribution of canine leishmaniosis (canl) by leishmania infantum and dirofilariosis by dirofilaria immiti ... | 2009 | 19426441 |
| canine leishmaniosis in south america. | abstract : canine leishmaniosis is widespread in south america, where a number of leishmania species have been isolated or molecularly characterised from dogs. most cases of canine leishmaniosis are caused by leishmania infantum (syn. leishmania chagasi) and leishmania braziliensis. the only well-established vector of leishmania parasites to dogs in south america is lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of l. infantum, but many other phlebotomine sandfly species might be involved. for quite som ... | 2009 | 19426440 |
| perpetuation of leishmania: some novel insight into elegant developmental programs. | leishmania spp. are polarized single-celled eukaryotic parasites, the perpetuation of which relies on two other organisms they "use" as hosts. one of the leishmania host organisms is a blood-feeding female sand fly, the second host being a mammal that acts as a blood source for the female sand fly. leishmania-hosting sand flies transmit the metacyclic promastigote developmental stage to the mammal skin. while many mammals are known to act as sand fly blood sources, only some of these mammals are ... | 2009 | 19379663 |
| phlebotominae distribution in janaúba, an area of transmission for visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. | in brazil, visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is caused by leishmania chagasi parasites that are transmitted to man through the bites of infected females of lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies. in order to evaluate transmission risk and to clarify the epidemiology of this tropical disease, studies focused on the vector and favorable environmental conditions are of fundamental importance. in this work, we surveyed the phlebotomine sand fly fauna in janaúba, a brazilian municipality that is endemic for vl. ... | 2009 | 19274377 |
| suppression of rna interference increases alphavirus replication and virus-associated mortality in aedes aegypti mosquitoes. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) can persistently infect and cause limited damage to mosquito vectors. rna interference (rnai) is a mosquito antiviral response important in restricting rna virus replication and has been shown to be active against some arboviruses. the goal of this study was to use a recombinant sindbis virus (sinv; family togaviridae; genus alphavirus) that expresses b2 protein of flock house virus (fhv; family nodaviridae; genus alphanodavirus), a protein that inhibits rna ... | 2009 | 19265532 |
| a 245kb mini-chromosome impacts on leishmania braziliensis infection and survival. | leishmania (v.) braziliensis, the causative agent of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in the new world, may present an ld1 type genomic amplification that appears as a small 245 kb linear chromosome, and is not clearly associated to the presence of a selection agent. a bt1 gene, codifying for a biopterin transporter protein, was identified in this small chromosome. leishmania are auxotrophic for pterins and one of the proposed explanations for the appearance of this amplification is the improvement o ... | 2009 | 19254695 |
| antibody responses of domestic animals to salivary antigens of triatomainfestans as biomarkers for low-level infestation of triatomines. | hematophagous arthropods such as triatoma infestans, the vector of trypanosoma cruzi, elicit host-immune responses during feeding. characterization of antibody responses to salivary antigens offers the potential to develop immunologically based monitoring techniques for exposure to re-emergent triatomine bug populations in peridomestic animals. igg-antibody responses to the salivary antigens of t.infestans have been detected in chickens as soon as 2 days after the first exposure to five adult bu ... | 2009 | 19248784 |
| the salivary gland transcriptome of the neotropical malaria vector anopheles darlingi reveals accelerated evolution of genes relevant to hematophagy. | mosquito saliva, consisting of a mixture of dozens of proteins affecting vertebrate hemostasis and having sugar digestive and antimicrobial properties, helps both blood and sugar meal feeding. culicine and anopheline mosquitoes diverged ~150 mya, and within the anophelines, the new world species diverged from those of the old world ~95 mya. while the sialotranscriptome (from the greek sialo, saliva) of several species of the cellia subgenus of anopheles has been described thoroughly, no detailed ... | 2009 | 19178717 |
| salivary gland homogenates of lutzomyia longipalpis and its vasodilatory peptide maxadilan cause plasma leakage via pac1 receptor activation. | experiments were designed to determine if salivary gland homogenates (sgh) of the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis, the vasodilatory peptides maxadilan and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (pacap-38) may cause plasma leakage and to what extent these effects could be due to pac1 receptor stimulation. | 2009 | 19176972 |
| molecular and behavioral differentiation among brazilian populations of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae). | lutzomyia longipalpis is the primary vector of american visceral leishmaniasis. there is strong evidence that l. longipalpis is a species complex, but until recently the existence of sibling species among brazilian populations was considered a controversial issue. in addition, there is still no consensus regarding the number of species occurring in this complex. | 2009 | 19172187 |
| insight into the sialome of the black fly, simulium vittatum. | adaptation to vertebrate blood feeding includes development of a salivary "magic potion" that can disarm host hemostasis and inflammatory reactions. within the lower diptera, a vertebrate blood-sucking mode evolved in the psychodidae (sand flies), culicidae (mosquitoes), ceratopogonidae (biting midges), simuliidae (black flies), and the frog-feeding corethrellidae. sialotranscriptome analyses from several species of mosquitoes and sand flies and from one biting midge indicate divergence in the e ... | 2009 | 19166301 |
| phlebotomus (euphlebotomus) barguesae n. sp. from thailand (diptera - psychodidae). | abstract: | 2009 | 19128518 |
| molecular analysis of photic inhibition of blood-feeding in anopheles gambiae. | anopheles gambiae mosquitoes exhibit an endophilic, nocturnal blood feeding behavior. despite the importance of light as a regulator of malaria transmission, our knowledge on the molecular interactions between environmental cues, the circadian oscillators and the host seeking and feeding systems of the anopheles mosquitoes is limited. | 2008 | 19087335 |
| characterization and speculations on the urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. | the available hypotheses or explanations for the urbanization of american visceral leishmaniasis are insufficient. an alternative hypothesis is that changes in the ecology and biology of the vector, lutzomyia longipalpis, might explain all the new urban epidemiological features of the disease. to tackle the knowledge gaps in this process, certain key research areas need to be prioritized: the role of dogs in expanding transmission in cities, community trials to evaluate new insecticides, and res ... | 2008 | 19082289 |
| lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera, psychodidae, phlebotominae) and urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. | the article discusses habits related to the vectorial competence of lutzomyia longipalpis, along with evidence confirming the importance of this sand fly species in the epidemiological chain of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. a new epidemiological profile for visceral leishmaniasis is also postulated, associated with domestic environments and the role of lu. longipalpis in this process, its sylvatic origin, and its capacity to adapt to a wide range of habitats. another sand fly species, lu. cr ... | 2008 | 19082287 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| [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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| [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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| lutzomyia adiketis sp. n. (diptera: phlebotomidae), a vector of paleoleishmania neotropicum sp. n. (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae) in dominican amber. | 2008 | 18627624 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| [occurrence of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) (diptera, psychodidae) in timóteo, minas gerais state, brazil]. | 2008 | 18545771 | |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| [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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |