Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted ascending) Filter | PMID Filter |
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| evaluation of simultaneous transmission of chikungunya virus and dengue virus type 2 in infected aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus (diptera: culicidae). | the simultaneous transmission of chikungunya virus (chikv) and dengue viruses (denv) has been a major public health concern because of their sympatric distribution and shared mosquito vectors. groups of aedes aegypti (l.) and aedes albopictus (skuse) were orally infected with 1.5 × 10(5) pfu/ml of chikv and 3.2 × 10(6) ffu/ml of denv-2 simultaneously or separately in inverse orders and evaluated for dissemination and transmission by qrt-pcr. simultaneous dissemination of both viruses was detecte ... | 2015 | 26334820 |
| dengue on islands: a bayesian approach to understanding the global ecology of dengue viruses. | transmission of dengue viruses (denv), the most common arboviral pathogens globally, is influenced by many climatic and socioeconomic factors. however, the relative contributions of these factors on a global scale are unclear. | 2015 | 25771261 |
| impact of a dengue outbreak experience in the preventive perceptions of the community from a temperate region: madeira island, portugal. | the ability to effectively modify behaviours is increasingly relevant to attain and maintain a good health status. current behaviour-change models and theories present two main approaches for (healthier) decision-making: one analytical/logical, and one experiential/emotional/intuitive. therefore, to achieve an integral and dynamic understanding of the public perceptions both approaches should be considered: community surveys should measure cognitive understanding of health-risk contexts, and als ... | 2015 | 25767886 |
| draft genome sequences of two strains of serratia spp. from the midgut of the malaria mosquito anopheles gambiae. | here, we report the annotated draft genome sequences of two strains of serratia spp., ag1 and ag2, isolated from the midgut of two different strains of anopheles gambiae. the genomes of these two strains are almost identical. | 2015 | 25767231 |
| molecular cloning and characterization of the allatotropin precursor and receptor in the desert locust, schistocerca gregaria. | allatotropins (ats) are pleiotropic neuropeptides initially isolated from the tobacco hornworm, manduca sexta. in 2008, the first receptor for at-like peptides (atr) was characterized in bombyx mori. since then, atrs have also been characterized in m. sexta, tribolium castaneum, aedes aegypti and bombus terrestris. these receptors show sequence similarity to vertebrate orexin (orx) receptors. when generating an est-database of the desert locust (schistocerca gregaria) central nervous system, we ... | 2015 | 25814925 |
| de novo assembly and annotation of the asian tiger mosquito (aedes albopictus) repeatome with dnapipete from raw genomic reads and comparative analysis with the yellow fever mosquito (aedes aegypti). | repetitive dna, including transposable elements (tes), is found throughout eukaryotic genomes. annotating and assembling the "repeatome" during genome-wide analysis often poses a challenge. to address this problem, we present dnapipete-a new bioinformatics pipeline that uses a sample of raw genomic reads. it produces precise estimates of repeated dna content and te consensus sequences, as well as the relative ages of te families. we shows that dnapipete performs well using very low coverage sequ ... | 2015 | 25767248 |
| carbamate and pyrethroid resistance in the akron strain of anopheles gambiae. | insecticide resistance in the malaria vector, anopheles gambiae, is a serious problem, epitomized by the multi-resistant akron strain, originally isolated in the country of benin. here we report resistance in this strain to pyrethroids and ddt (13-fold to 35-fold compared to the susceptible g3 strain), but surprisingly little resistance to etofenprox, a compound sometimes described as a "pseudo-pyrethroid." there was also strong resistance to topically-applied commercial carbamates (45-fold to 8 ... | 2015 | 26047119 |
| a perilipin gene from clonostachys rosea f. catenulata hl-1-1 is related to sclerotial parasitism. | clonostachys rosea f. catenulata is a promising biocontrol agent against many fungal plant pathogens. to identify mycoparasitism-related genes from c. rosea f. catenulata, a suppression subtractive hybridization (ssh) cdna library of c. rosea f. catenulata hl-1-1 that parasitizes the sclerotia of s. sclerotiorum was constructed. 502 clones were sequenced randomly, and thereby 472 expressed sequence tags (ests) were identified. forty-three unigenes were annotated and exhibited similarity to a wid ... | 2015 | 25761240 |
| evolutionary genetics of insect innate immunity. | patterns of evolution in immune defense genes help to understand the evolutionary dynamics between hosts and pathogens. multiple insect genomes have been sequenced, with many of them having annotated immune genes, which paves the way for a comparative genomic analysis of insect immunity. in this review, i summarize the current state of comparative and evolutionary genomics of insect innate immune defense. the focus is on the conserved and divergent components of immunity with an emphasis on gene ... | 2015 | 25750410 |
| dengue: what it is and why there is more. | in 2014, china experienced the worst outbreak of dengue fever in the last decade with over 40,000 dengue cases including six deaths by the end of october. as one of the "neglected" tropical diseases, dengue is affecting substantially increasing number of people and proportion of global population due to factors including globalization, human settlement, and possibly climate change. here, the authors summarized the most recent data about dengue outbreaks in china and reviewed the global trend of ... | 2015 | 26640300 |
| role of vision and mechanoreception in bed bug, cimex lectularius l. behavior. | the role of olfactory cues such as carbon dioxide, pheromones, and kairomones in bed bug, cimex lectularius l. behavior has been demonstrated. however, the role of vision and mechanoreception in bed bug behavior is poorly understood. we investigated bed bug vision by determining their responses to different colors, vertical objects, and their ability to detect colors and vertical objects under low and complete dark conditions. results show black and red paper harborages are preferred compared to ... | 2015 | 25748041 |
| induction of excessive endoplasmic reticulum stress in the drosophila male accessory gland results in infertility. | endoplasmic reticulum (er) stress occurs when misfolded proteins accumulate in the lumen of the er. a cell responds to er stress with the unfolded protein response (upr), a complex program of transcriptional and translational changes aimed at clearing misfolded proteins. secretory tissues and cells are particularly well adapted to respond to er stress because their function requires high protein production and secretory load. the insect male accessory gland (ag) is a secretory tissue involved in ... | 2015 | 25742606 |
| the sterilizing effect of pyriproxyfen on the malaria vector anopheles gambiae: physiological impact on ovaries development. | adult females an. gambiae were exposed in 3 min cone test to treated nets with ppf before or after they were blood fed. the effects of ppf on ovaries development, females oviposition and eggs hatching were assessed. both unfed and fed mosquitoes exposed to ppf exhibited nearly complete inhibition of fecundity (70-100%) and fertility (90-100%). after females have been exposed once to ppf, the sterilizing effect on their fecundity was observed over 3 consecutive blood meals suggesting that ppf mig ... | 2015 | 25880844 |
| incidence of dengue virus infection in school-aged children in puerto rico: a prospective seroepidemiologic study. | dengue is a potentially fatal acute febrile illness caused by the mosquito-borne dengue viruses (denv-1 to -4). to estimate denv seroincidence in school-aged children, a 1-year prospective cohort study was conducted in patillas, puerto rico; 10- to 18-year-olds (n = 345) were randomly selected from 13 public schools. at enrollment, 49.8% of the entire cohort had denv immunoglobulin g (igg) anti-denv antibodies, and there were individuals with neutralizing antibodies specific to each of the four ... | 2015 | 25646256 |
| discovery of putative small non-coding rnas from the obligate intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis. | wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiotic bacterium that induces a wide range of effects in its insect hosts, including manipulation of reproduction and protection against pathogens. little is known of the molecular mechanisms underlying the insect-wolbachia interaction, though it is likely to be mediated via the secretion of proteins or other factors. there is an increasing amount of evidence that bacteria regulate many cellular processes, including secretion of virulence factors, using small non ... | 2015 | 25739023 |
| evidence for an overwintering population of aedes aegypti in capitol hill neighborhood, washington, dc. | aedes aegypti is an invasive, highly anthropophilic mosquito and a major vector for dengue and chikungunya. population persistence in the continental united states is reportedly limited to southward of the average 10°c winter isotherm, which in the east, bisects alabama, mississippi, georgia, and south carolina. we report on summer collections and genotypic analyses of ae. aegypti collected in the capitol hill neighborhood in washington, dc (wdc). analysis of a 441-bp fragment of the mitochondri ... | 2015 | 26526922 |
| dengue in china: comprehensive phylogenetic evaluation reveals evidence of endemicity and complex genetic diversity. | despite the increasing threat of dengue outbreaks in china, it is still considered as an imported disease and its introduction and/or circulation patterns remain obscure. on the basis of the most extensive phylogenetic analysis to date, we showed highly complex genetic diversity of dengue viruses (denvs) in south china with up to 20 different clades/lineages from multiple serotypes co-circulating in the same year. despite that most of these clades/lineages were resulted from imported cases, evid ... | 2015 | 26458780 |
| how reticulated are species? | many groups of closely related species have reticulate phylogenies. recent genomic analyses are showing this in many insects and vertebrates, as well as in microbes and plants. in microbes, lateral gene transfer is the dominant process that spoils strictly tree-like phylogenies, but in multicellular eukaryotes hybridization and introgression among related species is probably more important. because many species, including the ancestors of ancient major lineages, seem to evolve rapidly in adaptiv ... | 2015 | 26709836 |
| trends in dengue cases imported into the united states from pan america 2001-2012. | the objective of this study was to improve risk assessments of travel on dengue (den) virus (denv) distribution. we investigated the exposure risk of us citizens traveling to den-endemic pan american countries. the number of den cases reported in 51 pan american countries from 2001 to 2012 was compared to the population of the same countries. the number of us travelers visiting the pan american countries was categorized by region, and travel-related den infections were analyzed. us residents vis ... | 2015 | 26766913 |
| leading indicators of mosquito-borne disease elimination. | mosquito-borne diseases contribute significantly to the global disease burden. high-profile elimination campaigns are currently underway for many parasites, e.g., plasmodium spp., the causal agent of malaria. sustaining momentum near the end of elimination programs is often difficult to achieve and consequently quantitative tools that enable monitoring the effectiveness of elimination activities after the initial reduction of cases has occurred are needed. documenting progress in vector-borne di ... | 2015 | 27512522 |
| combining rna-seq and proteomic profiling to identify seminal fluid proteins in the migratory grasshopper melanoplus sanguinipes (f). | seminal fluid proteins control many aspects of fertilization and in turn, they play a key role in post-mating sexual selection and possibly reproductive isolation. because effective proteome profiling relies on the availability of high-quality dna reference databases, our knowledge of these proteins is still largely limited to model organisms with ample genetic resources. new advances in sequencing technology allow for the rapid characterization of transcriptomes at low cost. by combining high t ... | 2015 | 26694822 |
| a white spot syndrome virus microrna promotes the virus infection by targeting the host stat. | jak/stat pathway plays an important role in invertebrates during virus infection. however the microrna (mirna)-mediated regulation of jak/stat is not intensively investigated. viral mirnas, encoded by virus genome, have emerged as important regulators in the virus-host interactions. in this study, a wssv (white spot syndrome virus)-encoded mirna (wssv-mir-22) was characterized in shrimp during virus infection. the results showed that the viral mirna could promote wssv infection in shrimp by targ ... | 2015 | 26671453 |
| some like it hot, but not too hot. | a temperature-sensitive receptor prevents mosquitoes from being attracted to targets that are hotter than a potential host. | 2015 | 26670880 |
| quantifying interspecific variation in dispersal ability of noctuid moths using an advanced tethered flight technique. | dispersal plays a crucial role in many aspects of species' life histories, yet is often difficult to measure directly. this is particularly true for many insects, especially nocturnal species (e.g. moths) that cannot be easily observed under natural field conditions. consequently, over the past five decades, laboratory tethered flight techniques have been developed as a means of measuring insect flight duration and speed. however, these previous designs have tended to focus on single species (ty ... | 2015 | 26811783 |
| different effects of bacillus thuringiensis toxin cry1ab on midgut cell transmembrane potential of mythimna separata and agrotis ipsilon larvae. | bacillus thuringiensis (bt) cry toxins from the cry1a family demonstrate significantly different toxicities against members of the family noctuidae for unknown reasons. in this study, membrane potential was measured and analyzed in freshly isolated midgut samples from mythimna separata and agrotis ipsilon larvae under oral administration and in vitro incubation with bt toxin cry1ab to elucidate the mechanism of action for further control of these pests. bioassay results showed that the larvae of ... | 2015 | 26694463 |
| intra-cellular bacterial infections affect learning and memory capacities of an invertebrate. | how host manipulation by parasites evolves is fascinating but challenging evolutionary question remains. many parasites share the capacity to manipulate host behavior increasing their transmission success. however, little is known about the learning and memory impact of parasites on their host. wolbachia are widespread endosymbionts and infect most insect species. these bacteria are maternally transmitted and mainly alter the reproduction of hosts with weak virulence. we tested the impact of par ... | 2015 | 26675213 |
| the evolutionarily conserved tre2/bub2/cdc16 (tbc), lysin motif (lysm), domain catalytic (tldc) domain is neuroprotective against oxidative stress. | oxidative stress is a pathological feature of many neurological disorders; therefore, utilizing proteins that are protective against such cellular insults is a potentially valuable therapeutic approach. oxidation resistance 1 (oxr1) has been shown previously to be critical for oxidative stress resistance in neuronal cells; deletion of this gene causes neurodegeneration in mice, yet conversely, overexpression of oxr1 is protective in cellular and mouse models of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. how ... | 2015 | 26668325 |
| methoprene-tolerant (met) and krüpple-homologue 1 (kr-h1) are required for ovariole development and egg maturation in the brown plant hopper. | the brown plant hopper is one of the most destructive known pests of rice. we studied the roles of the jh receptor met and the downstream transcription factor kr-h1 in ovariole development and egg maturation. the predicted met protein in n. lugens (nlmet) contained 517 amino acids. qrt-pcr showed that nlmet was expressed in all tissues and that the highest expression occurred in the embryonic stage. in nlmet- or nlkr-h1-silenced female adults, ovarian development varied significantly, whereas th ... | 2015 | 26658174 |
| comparison of the epidemiological aspects of imported dengue cases between korea and japan, 2006-2010. | to compare the epidemiological characteristics of dengue cases imported by travelers or immigration in both korea and japan, we determined dengue incidence and related risk factors. during 2006-2010, 367 and 589 imported dengue cases were reported in korea and japan, respectively. in korea, the presumptive origins for the dengue infections were southeast asia (82.6%), southern asia (13.9%), eastern asia (1.1%), south america (0.3%), central america (0.3%), africa (0.3%), and other countries (1.6 ... | 2015 | 26981346 |
| three-month real-time dengue forecast models: an early warning system for outbreak alerts and policy decision support in singapore. | with its tropical rainforest climate, rapid urbanization, and changing demography and ecology, singapore experiences endemic dengue; the last large outbreak in 2013 culminated in 22,170 cases. in the absence of a vaccine on the market, vector control is the key approach for prevention. | 2015 | 26662617 |
| coevolution of the ile1,016 and cys1,534 mutations in the voltage gated sodium channel gene of aedes aegypti in mexico. | worldwide the mosquito aedes aegypti (l.) is the principal urban vector of dengue viruses. currently 2.5 billion people are at risk for infection and reduction of ae. aegypti populations is the most effective means to reduce the risk of transmission. pyrethroids are used extensively for adult mosquito control, especially during dengue outbreaks. pyrethroids promote activation and prolong the activation of the voltage gated sodium channel protein (vgsc) by interacting with two distinct pyrethroid ... | 2015 | 26658798 |
| knockdown of a nutrient amino acid transporter gene ldnat1 reduces free neutral amino acid contents and impairs leptinotarsa decemlineata pupation. | a leptinotarsa decemlineata slc6 nat gene (ldnat1) was cloned. ldnat1 was highly expressed in the larval alimentary canal especially midgut. ldnat1 mrna levels were high right after the molt and low just before the molt. jh and a jh analog pyriproxyfen activated ldnat1 expression. rnai of an allatostatin gene ldas-c increased jh and upregulated ldnat1 transcription. conversely, silencing of a jh biosynthesis gene ldjhamt decreased jh and reduced ldnat1 expression. moreover, 20e and an ecdysteroi ... | 2015 | 26657797 |
| the drosophila zinc finger transcription factor ouija board controls ecdysteroid biosynthesis through specific regulation of spookier. | steroid hormones are crucial for many biological events in multicellular organisms. in insects, the principal steroid hormones are ecdysteroids, which play essential roles in regulating molting and metamorphosis. during larval and pupal development, ecdysteroids are synthesized in the prothoracic gland (pg) from dietary cholesterol via a series of hydroxylation and oxidation steps. the expression of all but one of the known ecdysteroid biosynthetic enzymes is restricted to the pg, but the transc ... | 2015 | 26658797 |
| genome-wide identification and expression profiling of serine proteases and homologs in the diamondback moth, plutella xylostella (l.). | serine proteases (sps) are crucial proteolytic enzymes responsible for digestion and other processes including signal transduction and immune responses in insects. serine protease homologs (sphs) lack catalytic activity but are involved in innate immunity. this study presents a genome-wide investigation of sps and sphs in the diamondback moth, plutella xylostella (l.), a globally-distributed destructive pest of cruciferous crops. | 2015 | 26653876 |
| genome sequence of the mosquitocidal bacillus thuringiensis strain br58, a biopesticide product effective against the coffee berry borer (hypothenemus hampei). | bacillus thuringiensis is an important microbial control agent against insect pests. the draft genome sequence of the brazilian strain br58 described here contains the insecticidal genes cry4a, cry4b, cry10a, cry11a, cry60a, cry60b, and cyt1a, which show toxicity to both aedes aegypti and hypothenemus hampei larvae. | 2015 | 26659669 |
| only a minority of broad-range detoxification genes respond to a variety of phytotoxins in generalist bemisia tabaci species. | generalist insect can utilize two different modes for regulating their detoxification genes, the constitutive mode and the induced mode. here, we used the bemisia tabaci sibling species meam1 and med, as a model system for studying constitutive and induced detoxification resistance and their associated tradeoffs. b. tabaci adults were allowed to feed through membranes for 24 h on diet containing only sucrose or sucrose with various phytotoxins. quantitative real-time pcr analyses of 18 detoxific ... | 2015 | 26655836 |
| dengue knowledge and preventive practices in iquitos, peru. | as part of a cluster-randomized trial to evaluate insecticide-treated curtains for dengue prevention in iquitos, peru, we surveyed 1,333 study participants to examine knowledge and reported practices associated with dengue and its prevention. entomological data from 1,133 of these households were linked to the survey. most participants knew that dengue was transmitted by mosquito bite (85.6%), but only few (18.6%) knew that dengue vectors bite during daytime. most commonly recognized dengue symp ... | 2015 | 26503276 |
| (e)-caryophyllene and α-humulene: aedes aegypti oviposition deterrents elucidated by gas chromatography-electrophysiological assay of commiphora leptophloeos leaf oil. | aedes aegypti is responsible for the transmission of dengue, a disease that infects millions of people each year. although essential oils are well recognized as sources of compounds with repellent and larvicidal activities against the dengue mosquito, much less is known about their oviposition deterrent effects. commiphora leptophloeos, a tree native to south america, has important pharmacological properties, but the chemical profile and applicability of its essential oil in controlling the spre ... | 2015 | 26650757 |
| estimating dengue type reproduction numbers for two provinces of sri lanka during the period 2013-14. | dengue is an endemic disease in the southeast asian country sri lanka. two seasonal peaks of dengue incidence were observed every year since 2002 onwards. in this study, we formulate a 2-strain dengue model for analyzing the monthly seasonal dengue incidence data from 2 provinces of sri lanka during the period april 2013 to september 2014. the seasonality is incorporated in the model in terms of mosquito biting rate, which we assume to be time periodic. we estimated 2 primary reproduction number ... | 2015 | 26646355 |
| the ancestral gene repertoire of animal stem cells. | stem cells are pivotal for development and tissue homeostasis of multicellular animals, and the quest for a gene toolkit associated with the emergence of stem cells in a common ancestor of all metazoans remains a major challenge for evolutionary biology. we reconstructed the conserved gene repertoire of animal stem cells by transcriptomic profiling of totipotent archeocytes in the demosponge ephydatia fluviatilis and by tracing shared molecular signatures with flatworm and hydra stem cells. phyl ... | 2015 | 26644562 |
| within-species divergence in the seminal fluid proteome and its effect on male and female reproduction in a beetle. | male seminal fluid proteins (sfps), transferred to females during mating, are important reproductive proteins that have multifarious effects on female reproductive physiology and that often show remarkably rapid and divergent evolution. inferences regarding natural selection on sfps are based primarily on interspecific comparative studies, and our understanding of natural within-species variation in sfps and whether this relates to reproductive phenotypes is very limited. here, we introduce an e ... | 2015 | 26627998 |
| the interrelationship between dengue incidence and diurnal ranges of temperature and humidity in a sri lankan city and its potential applications. | temperature, humidity, and other weather variables influence dengue transmission. published studies show how the diurnal fluctuations of temperature around different mean temperatures influence dengue transmission. there are no published studies about the correlation between diurnal range of humidity and dengue transmission. | 2015 | 26632645 |
| health seeking behaviour and treatment intentions of dengue and fever: a household survey of children and adults in venezuela. | dengue in venezuela is a major public health problem with an increasing incidence of severe cases. early diagnosis and timely treatment influences the outcome of dengue illness, as delay in care-seeking is significantly associated with complications leading to severe dengue. we aimed to understand patterns of health seeking behaviour (hsb) in individuals exposed to high dengue incidence in order to improve early attendance to health centres. | 2015 | 26624283 |
| aedes aegypti has spatially structured and seasonally stable populations in yogyakarta, indonesia. | dengue fever, the most prevalent global arboviral disease, represents an important public health problem in indonesia. control of dengue relies on the control of its main vector, the mosquito aedes aegypti, yet nothing is known about the population history and genetic structure of this insect in indonesia. our aim was to assess the spatio-temporal population genetic structure of ae. aegypti in yogyakarta, a densely populated region on java with common dengue outbreaks. | 2015 | 26627473 |
| a venom gland extracellular chitin-binding-like protein from pupal endoparasitoid wasps, pteromalus puparum, selectively binds chitin. | chitin-binding proteins (cbps) are present in many species and they act in a variety of biological processes. we analyzed a pteromalus puparum venom apparatus proteome and transcriptome and identified a partial gene encoding a possible cbp. here, we report cloning a full-length cdna of a sequence encoding a chitin-binding-like protein (ppcbp) from p. puparum, a pupal endoparasitoid of pieris rapae. the cdna encoded a 96-amino-acid protein, including a secretory signal peptide and a chitin-bindin ... | 2015 | 26633500 |
| pre-treatment of stegomyia aegypti mosquitoes with a sublethal dose of imidacloprid impairs behavioural avoidance induced by lemon oil and deet. | the present study was conducted to determine whether imidacloprid can impair the avoidance behaviour of the mosquito stegomyia aegypti. laboratory investigations using a t-maze apparatus showed that st. aegypti mosquitoes present long term avoidance behaviour when they are exposed to repetitive trials with lemon oil and deet. the present study tested the effect of a sublethal dose of imidacloprid on the avoidance behaviour of st. aegypti mosquitoes over a 48 h period. data suggest that 0.5 ng of ... | 2015 | 25155403 |
| new state records of mosquitoes for colorado. | the 1967 treatment of the mosquitoes of colorado by harmston and lawson and subsequent publications have recorded 46 culicid species from colorado. as part of a study to create an updated synopsis of the mosquitoes of colorado, adult trapping at numerous localities was conducted in colorado during the summers of 2013 and 2014. this review also included an examination of mosquito specimens in various relevant museum collections. aedes (ochlerotatus) niphadopsis and ae. (och.) spencerii spencerii ... | 2015 | 26181688 |
| insect-pathogen interactions: contribution of viral adaptation to the emergence of vector-borne diseases, the example of chikungunya. | the emergence or re-emergence of vector borne diseases represents a major public health problem. in general, therapeutic or prophylactic treatments along with vaccines are missing or inefficient, emphasizing the need for increased control of vector populations. understanding the interactions of human pathogens with their insect vectors will aid us in our understanding of viral emergence and the dynamics of these events. chikungunya virus (chikv) is a mosquito-borne virus that typically causes in ... | 2015 | 29588001 |
| is there a risk of chikungunya transmission in canada? | an outbreak of chikungunya virus infection is currently underway in the caribbean, central america and south america, and autochthonous (local or indigenous) transmission has occurred in the southeastern united states. the mosquito species known to transmit chikungunya-aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus-are not known to reside in canada at this time. but how comfortable can we be that this situation will continue? here we explore four key conditions that must be met for transmission of chikungun ... | 2015 | 29769915 |
| annotation of the asian citrus psyllid genome reveals a reduced innate immune system. | citrus production worldwide is currently facing significant losses due to citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing. the citrus greening bacteria, candidatus liberibacter asiaticus (clas), is a persistent propagative pathogen transmitted by the asian citrus psyllid, diaphorina citri kuwayama (hemiptera: liviidae). hemipterans characterized to date lack a number of insect immune genes, including those associated with the imd pathway targeting gram-negative bacteria. the d. citri draft ... | 2016 | 27965582 |
| disruption of phenylalanine hydroxylase reduces adult lifespan and fecundity, and impairs embryonic development in parthenogenetic pea aphids. | phenylalanine hydroxylase (pah) is a key tyrosine-biosynthetic enzyme involved in neurological and melanin-associated physiological processes. despite extensive investigations in holometabolous insects, a pah contribution to insect embryonic development has never been demonstrated. here, we have characterized, for the first time, the pah gene in a hemimetabolous insect, the aphid acyrthosiphon pisum. phylogenetic and sequence analyses confirmed that appah is closely related to metazoan pah, exhi ... | 2016 | 27694983 |
| convergent evolution of trna gene targeting preferences in compact genomes. | in gene-dense genomes, mobile elements are confronted with highly selective pressure to amplify without causing excessive damage to the host. the targeting of trna genes as potentially safe integration sites has been developed by retrotransposons in various organisms such as the social amoeba dictyostelium discoideum and the yeast saccharomyces cerevisiae. in d. discoideum, trna gene-targeting retrotransposons have expanded to approximately 3 % of the genome. recently obtained genome sequences o ... | 2016 | 27583033 |
| small rna regulators of plant-hemipteran interactions: micromanagers with versatile roles. | non-coding small rnas (srnas) in plants have important roles in regulating biological processes, including development, reproduction, and stress responses. recent research indicates significant roles for srna-mediated gene silencing during plant-hemipteran interactions that involve all three of these biological processes. plant responses to hemipteran feeding are determined by changes in the host transcriptome that appear to be fine-tuned by srnas. the role of srna in plant defense responses is ... | 2016 | 27625654 |
| novel insights into insect-microbe interactions-role of epigenomics and small rnas. | it has become increasingly clear that microbes form close associations with the vast majority of animal species, especially insects. in fact, an array of diverse microbes is known to form shared metabolic pathways with their insect hosts. a growing area of research in insect-microbe interactions, notably for hemipteran insects and their mutualistic symbionts, is to elucidate the regulation of this inter-domain metabolism. this review examines two new emerging mechanisms of gene regulation and th ... | 2016 | 27540386 |
| heat sensitivity of wmel wolbachia during aedes aegypti development. | the wmel strain of wolbachia bacteria is known to prevent dengue and zika virus transmission in the mosquito vector aedes aegypti. accordingly, the release of wmel-infected a. aegypti in endemic regions has been recommended by the world health organization as a potential strategy for controlling dengue and zika outbreaks. however, the utility of this approach could be limited if high temperatures in the aquatic habitats where a. aegypti develop are detrimental to wolbachia. we exposed wmel-infec ... | 2016 | 27459519 |
| de novo transcriptome assembly of the grapevine phylloxera allows identification of genes differentially expressed between leaf- and root-feeding forms. | grapevine phylloxera, an insect related to true aphids, is a major historic pest of viticulture only controlled through the selection of resistant rootstocks or through quarantine regulations where grapevine is cultivated own-rooted. transcriptomic data could help understand the bases of its original life-traits, including a striking case of polyphenism, with forms feeding on roots and forms feeding in leaf-galls. comparisons with true aphids (for which complete genomes have been sequenced) shou ... | 2016 | 26968158 |
| detection of dengue, west nile virus, rickettsiosis and leptospirosis by a new real-time pcr strategy. | dengue virus (denv) infection causes sudden fever along with several nonspecific signs and symptoms and in severe cases, death. denv is transmitted to people by aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus mosquitoes, whose populations increase during rainy season. west nile virus (wnv), rickettsia spp. and leptospira spp. are fever-causing pathogens that share many of the initial symptoms of denv infection and also thrive in the rainy season. outbreaks in some regions may be due to any of these pathogens t ... | 2016 | 27350908 |
| zika virus: an update on epidemiology, pathology, molecular biology, and animal model. | zika virus (zikv) was first described in 1947, and became a health emergency problem in 2016 when its association with fetal microcephaly cases was confirmed by centers for disease control and prevention (cdc) in the united states. to date, zikv infection has been documented in 66 countries. zikv is recognized as a neurotropic virus and numerous diseases manifested in multiple neurological disorders have been described, mainly in countries that have been exposed to zikv after the 2007 outbreak i ... | 2016 | 27124623 |
| magnitude of neglected tropical diseases in indonesia at postmillennium development goals era. | the world will enter the postmillennium development goals 2015 era. the achievements of the millennium development goals (mdgs) as a global development target need to be evaluated. a sustainable new reasonable target is important for neglected tropical diseases (ntd) elimination in indonesia. this review describes the ntd situation in indonesia and highlights problems beneath the ntd transmission. multidisciplinary approach is a promising strategy to help the marginalized people. | 2016 | 27190525 |
| the untapped cell biology of neglected tropical diseases. | the world health organization lists a constellation of 17 tropical diseases that afflict approximately one in six individuals on the planet and, until recently, few resources have been devoted to the treatment and eradication of those diseases. they are often referred to as the diseases of the "bottom billion," because they are most prevalent among the poorest individuals in impoverished tropical nations. however, the few studies that have been performed reveal an extraordinary world of molecula ... | 2016 | 26915691 |
| structure and functional diversity of gcn5-related n-acetyltransferases (gnat). | general control non-repressible 5 (gcn5)-related n-acetyltransferases (gnat) catalyze the transfer of an acyl moiety from acyl coenzyme a (acyl-coa) to a diverse group of substrates and are widely distributed in all domains of life. this review of the currently available data acquired on gnat enzymes by a combination of structural, mutagenesis and kinetic methods summarizes the key similarities and differences between several distinctly different families within the gnat superfamily, with an emp ... | 2016 | 27367672 |
| overview of zika virus (zikv) infection in regards to the brazilian epidemic. | zika virus (zikv), a mosquito-borne flavivirus, belongs to the flaviviridae family, genus flavivirus. zikv was initially isolated in 1947 from a sentinel monkey in the zika forest, uganda. little clinical importance was attributed to zikv, once only few symptomatic cases were reported in some african and southeast asiatic countries. this situation changed in 2007, when a large outbreak was registered on the yap island, micronesia, caused by the asian zikv lineage. between 2013 and 2014, zikv spr ... | 2016 | 27143174 |
| zika: the origin and spread of a mosquito-borne virus. | to describe the temporal and geographical distribution of zika virus infection and associated neurological disorders, from 1947 to 1 february 2016, when zika became a public health emergency of international concern (pheic). | 2016 | 27708473 |
| persistent infection by wolbachia walbb has no effect on composition of the gut microbiota in adult female anopheles stephensi. | the bacteria in the midgut of anopheles stephensi adult females from laboratory colonies were studied by sequencing the v4 region of 16s rrna genes, with respect to three experimental factors: stable or cured wolbachia infection; sugar or blood diet; and age. proteobacteria and bacteroidetes dominated the community [>90% of operational taxonomic units (otus)]; most taxa were in the classes flavobacteriia, gammaproteobacteria, and alphaproteobacteria, and were assigned to elizabethkingia (46.9%), ... | 2016 | 27708633 |
| functional integration of the circulatory, immune, and respiratory systems in mosquito larvae: pathogen killing in the hemocyte-rich tracheal tufts. | as both larvae and adults, mosquitoes encounter a barrage of immune insults, ranging from microbe-rich communities in larval habitats to ingested blood-borne pathogens in adult blood meals. given that mosquito adults have evolved an efficient means of eliminating infections in their hemocoel (body cavity) via the coordinated action of their immune and circulatory systems, the goal of the present study was to determine whether such functional integration is also present in larvae. | 2016 | 27643786 |
| mosquito c-type lectins maintain gut microbiome homeostasis. | the long-term evolutionary interaction between the host immune system and symbiotic bacteria determines their cooperative rather than antagonistic relationship. it is known that commensal bacteria have evolved a number of mechanisms to manipulate the mammalian host immune system and maintain homeostasis. however, the strategies employed by the microbiome to overcome host immune responses in invertebrates still remain to be understood. here, we report that the gut microbiome in mosquitoes utilize ... | 2016 | 27170846 |
| open-air biowarfare testing and the evolution of values. | the united states and the united kingdom ended outdoor biological warfare testing in populated areas nearly half a century ago. yet, the conduct, health effects, and propriety of those tests remain controversial. the varied views reflect the limits of currently available test information and evolving societal values on research involving human subjects. western political culture has changed since the early days of the american and british testing programs. people have become less reluctant to qu ... | 2016 | 27564984 |
| symbiosis with francisella tularensis provides resistance to pathogens in the silkworm. | francisella tularensis, the causative agent of tularemia, is a highly virulent facultative intracellular pathogen found in a wide range of animals, including arthropods, and environments. this bacterium has been known for over 100 years, but the lifestyle of f. tularensis in natural reservoirs remains largely unknown. thus, we established a novel natural host model for f. tularensis using the silkworm (bombyx mori), which is an insect model for infection by pathogens. f. tularensis established a ... | 2016 | 27507264 |
| advances and limitations of disease biogeography using ecological niche modeling. | mapping disease transmission risk is crucial in public and animal health for evidence based decision-making. ecology and epidemiology are highly related disciplines that may contribute to improvements in mapping disease, which can be used to answer health related questions. ecological niche modeling is increasingly used for understanding the biogeography of diseases in plants, animals, and humans. however, epidemiological applications of niche modeling approaches for disease mapping can fail to ... | 2016 | 27547199 |
| diversity, evolution and medical applications of insect antimicrobial peptides. | antimicrobial peptides (amps) are short proteins with antimicrobial activity. a large portion of known amps originate from insects, and the number and diversity of these molecules in different species varies considerably. insect amps represent a potential source of alternative antibiotics to address the limitation of current antibiotics, which has been caused by the emergence and spread of multidrug-resistant pathogens. to get more insight into amps, we investigated the diversity and evolution o ... | 2016 | 27160593 |
| histopathology of aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) larvae parasitized by reesimermis nielseni (nematoda: mermithidae). | 2016 | 4761359 | |
| esterase polymorphism in aedes aegypti: the genetics and k m values of electrophoretically heterogeneous forms. | 2016 | 5038250 | |
| frequency of blood feeding in the mosquito aedes aegypti. | 2016 | 4937213 | |
| systemically and cutaneously distributed ectoparasiticides: a review of the efficacy against ticks and fleas on dogs. | acaricidal (tick) and insecticidal (flea) efficacy of systemically and cutaneously distributed ectoparasiticide products for dogs are compared based on permethrin and fluralaner as representative molecules. results of efficacy studies against fleas and ticks are reviewed that show generally good to excellent results. both externally and systemically distributed treatments have benefits and weaknesses in potentially preventing pathogen transmission by these arthropod vectors.four general properti ... | 2016 | 27502490 |
| vaccines and immunization strategies for dengue prevention. | dengue is currently the most significant arboviral disease afflicting tropical and sub-tropical countries worldwide. dengue vaccines, such as the multivalent attenuated, chimeric, dna and inactivated vaccines, have been developed to prevent dengue infection in humans, and they function predominantly by stimulating immune responses against the dengue virus (denv) envelope (e) and nonstructural-1 proteins (ns1). of these vaccines, a live attenuated chimeric tetravalent denv vaccine developed by sa ... | 2016 | 27436365 |
| disease vectors in the era of next generation sequencing. | almost 20 % of all infectious human diseases are vector borne and, together, are responsible for over one million deaths per annum. over the past decade, the decreasing costs of massively parallel sequencing technologies have facilitated the agnostic interrogation of insect vector genomes, giving medical entomologists access to an ever-expanding volume of high-quality genomic and transcriptomic data. in this review, we highlight how genomics resources have provided new insights into the physiolo ... | 2016 | 27154554 |
| genomic insights into the ixodes scapularis tick vector of lyme disease. | ticks transmit more pathogens to humans and animals than any other arthropod. we describe the 2.1 gbp nuclear genome of the tick, ixodes scapularis (say), which vectors pathogens that cause lyme disease, human granulocytic anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other diseases. the large genome reflects accumulation of repetitive dna, new lineages of retro-transposons, and gene architecture patterns resembling ancient metazoans rather than pancrustaceans. annotation of scaffolds representing ∼57% of the ge ... | 2016 | 26856261 |
| identification of abcc2 as a binding protein of cry1ac on brush border membrane vesicles from helicoverpa armigera by an improved pull-down assay. | cry1ac toxin-binding proteins from helicoverpa armigera brush border membrane vesicles were identified by an improved pull-down method that involves coupling cry1ac to cnbr agarose combined with liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (lc-ms/ms). according to the lc-ms/ms results, cry1ac toxin could bind to six classes of aminopeptidase-n, alkaline phosphatase, cadherin-like protein, atp-binding cassette transporter subfamily c protein (abcc2), actin, atpase, polycalin, and some other pro ... | 2016 | 27037552 |
| unique features of a global human ectoparasite identified through sequencing of the bed bug genome. | the bed bug, cimex lectularius, has re-established itself as a ubiquitous human ectoparasite throughout much of the world during the past two decades. this global resurgence is likely linked to increased international travel and commerce in addition to widespread insecticide resistance. analyses of the c. lectularius sequenced genome (650 mb) and 14,220 predicted protein-coding genes provide a comprehensive representation of genes that are linked to traumatic insemination, a reduced chemosensory ... | 2016 | 26836814 |
| mosquito-transmitted viruses - the great brazilian challenge. | arboviruses pose a serious threat to public health worldwide, overloading the healthcare system and causing economic losses. these viruses form a very diverse group, and in brazil, arboviruses belonging to the families flaviviridae and togaviridae are predominant. unfortunately, the number of arboviruses increases in proportion with factors such as deforestation, poor sanitation, climate changes, and introduction of new viruses like chikungunya virus and zika virus. in brazil, dengue is endemic, ... | 2016 | 27818091 |
| the viral capping enzyme nsp1: a novel target for the inhibition of chikungunya virus infection. | the chikungunya virus (chikv) has become a substantial global health threat due to its massive re-emergence, the considerable disease burden and the lack of vaccines or therapeutics. we discovered a novel class of small molecules ([1,2,3]triazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidin-7(6h)-ones) with potent in vitro activity against chikv isolates from different geographical regions. drug-resistant variants were selected and these carried a p34s substitution in non-structural protein 1 (nsp1), the main enzyme involve ... | 2016 | 27545976 |
| mosquito communities and disease risk influenced by land use change and seasonality in the australian tropics. | anthropogenic land use changes have contributed considerably to the rise of emerging and re-emerging mosquito-borne diseases. these diseases appear to be increasing as a result of the novel juxtapositions of habitats and species that can result in new interchanges of vectors, diseases and hosts. we studied whether the mosquito community structure varied between habitats and seasons and whether known disease vectors displayed habitat preferences in tropical australia. | 2016 | 27388293 |
| alphavirus infection: host cell shut-off and inhibition of antiviral responses. | alphaviruses cause debilitating disease in humans and animals and are transmitted by blood-feeding arthropods, typically mosquitoes. with a traditional focus on two models, sindbis virus and semliki forest virus, alphavirus research has significantly intensified in the last decade partly due to the re-emergence and dramatic expansion of chikungunya virus in asia, europe, and the americas. as a consequence, alphavirus-host interactions are now understood in much more molecular detail, and importa ... | 2016 | 27294951 |
| design and testing of novel lethal ovitrap to reduce populations of aedes mosquitoes: community-based participatory research between industry, academia and communities in peru and thailand. | dengue virus (and chikungunya and zika viruses) is transmitted by aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus mosquitoes and causes considerable human morbidity and mortality. as there is currently no vaccine or chemoprophylaxis to protect people from dengue virus infection, vector control is the only viable option for disease prevention. the purpose of this paper is to illustrate the design and placement process for an attractive lethal ovitrap to reduce vector populations and to describe lessons learne ... | 2016 | 27532497 |
| wolbachia biocontrol strategies for arboviral diseases and the potential influence of resident wolbachia strains in mosquitoes. | arboviruses transmitted by mosquitoes are a major cause of human disease worldwide. the absence of vaccines and effective vector control strategies has resulted in the need for novel mosquito control strategies. the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia has been proposed to form the basis for an effective mosquito biocontrol strategy. resident strains of wolbachia inhibit viral replication in drosophila fruit flies and induce a reproductive phenotype known as cytoplasmic incompatibility that allows ... | 2016 | 26925368 |
| arbovirosis and potential transmission blocking vaccines. | infectious diseases caused by arboviruses (viruses transmitted by arthropods) are undergoing unprecedented epidemic activity and geographic expansion. with the recent introduction of west nile virus (1999), chikungunya virus (2013) and zika virus (2015) to the americas, stopping or even preventing the expansion of viruses into susceptible populations is an increasing concern. with a few exceptions, available vaccines protecting against arboviral infections are nonexistent and current disease pre ... | 2016 | 27664127 |
| characterization of drosophila cmp-sialic acid synthetase activity reveals unusual enzymatic properties. | cmp-sialic acid synthetase (csas) is a key enzyme of the sialylation pathway. csas produces the activated sugar donor, cmp-sialic acid, which serves as a substrate for sialyltransferases to modify glycan termini with sialic acid. unlike other animal csass that normally localize in the nucleus, drosophila melanogaster csas (dmcsas) localizes in the cell secretory compartment, predominantly in the golgi, which suggests that this enzyme has properties distinct from those of its vertebrate counterpa ... | 2016 | 27114558 |
| use of a probabilistic motif search to identify histidine phosphotransfer domain-containing proteins. | the wealth of newly obtained proteomic information affords researchers the possibility of searching for proteins of a given structure or function. here we describe a general method for the detection of a protein domain of interest in any species for which a complete proteome exists. in particular, we apply this approach to identify histidine phosphotransfer (hpt) domain-containing proteins across a range of eukaryotic species. from the sequences of known hpt domains, we created an amino acid occ ... | 2016 | 26751210 |
| the sandfly lutzomyia longipalpis ll5 embryonic cell line has active toll and imd pathways and shows immune responses to bacteria, yeast and leishmania. | lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in latin america. sandfly immune responses are poorly understood. in previous work we showed that these vector insects respond to bacterial infections by modulating a defensin gene expression and activate the imd pathway in response to leishmania infection. aspects of innate immune pathways in insects (including mosquito vectors of human diseases) have been revealed by studying insect cell lines, and we have previously demonstrat ... | 2016 | 27098567 |
| emerging role of lipid droplets in aedes aegypti immune response against bacteria and dengue virus. | in mammals, lipid droplets (lds) are ubiquitous organelles that modulate immune and inflammatory responses through the production of lipid mediators. in insects, it is unknown whether lds play any role during the development of immune responses. we show that aedes aegypti aag2 cells - an immune responsive cell lineage - accumulates lds when challenged with enterobacter cloacae, sindbis, and dengue viruses. microarray analysis of aag2 challenged with e.cloacae or infected with dengue virus reveal ... | 2016 | 26887863 |
| mass spectrometry analysis and transcriptome sequencing reveal glowing squid crystal proteins are in the same superfamily as firefly luciferase. | the japanese firefly squid hotaru-ika (watasenia scintillans) produces intense blue light from photophores at the tips of two arms. these photophores are densely packed with protein microcrystals that catalyse the bioluminescent reaction using atp and the substrate coelenterazine disulfate. the squid is the only organism known to produce light using protein crystals. we extracted microcrystals from arm tip photophores and identified the constituent proteins using mass spectrometry and transcript ... | 2016 | 27279452 |
| tetrapyrroles as endogenous tspo ligands in eukaryotes and prokaryotes: comparisons with synthetic ligands. | the 18 kda translocator protein (tspo) is highly 0conserved in eukaryotes and prokaryotes. since its discovery in 1977, numerous studies established the tspo's importance for life essential functions. for these studies, synthetic tspo ligands typically are applied. tetrapyrroles present endogenous ligands for the tspo. tetrapyrroles are also evolutionarily conserved and regulate multiple functions. tspo and tetrapyrroles regulate each other. in animals tspo-tetrapyrrole interactions range from e ... | 2016 | 27271616 |
| novel nad+-farnesal dehydrogenase from polygonum minus leaves. purification and characterization of enzyme in juvenile hormone iii biosynthetic pathway in plant. | juvenile hormone iii is of great concern due to negative effects on major developmental and reproductive maturation in insect pests. thus, the elucidation of enzymes involved jh iii biosynthetic pathway has become increasing important in recent years. one of the enzymes in the jh iii biosynthetic pathway that remains to be isolated and characterized is farnesal dehydrogenase, an enzyme responsible to catalyze the oxidation of farnesal into farnesoic acid. a novel nad+-farnesal dehydrogenase of p ... | 2016 | 27560927 |
| functional genomic analyses of enterobacter, anopheles and plasmodium reciprocal interactions that impact vector competence. | malaria exerts a tremendous socioeconomic impact worldwide despite current control efforts, and novel disease transmission-blocking strategies are urgently needed. the enterobacter bacterium esp_z, which is naturally harboured in the mosquito midgut, can inhibit the development of plasmodium parasites prior to their invasion of the midgut epithelium through a mechanism that involves oxidative stress. here, a multifaceted approach is used to study the tripartite interactions between the mosquito, ... | 2016 | 27549662 |
| depletion of alveolar macrophages does not prevent hantavirus disease pathogenesis in golden syrian hamsters. | andes virus (andv) is associated with a lethal vascular leak syndrome in humans termed hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (hps). the mechanism for the massive vascular leakage associated with hps is poorly understood; however, dysregulation of components of the immune response is often suggested as a possible cause. alveolar macrophages are found in the alveoli of the lung and represent the first line of defense to many airborne pathogens. to determine whether alveolar macrophages play a role in hps ... | 2016 | 27099308 |
| analysis of protein composition and bioactivity of neoponera villosa venom (hymenoptera: formicidae). | ants cause a series of accidents involving humans. such accidents generate different reactions in the body, ranging from a mild irritation at the bite site to anaphylactic shock, and these reactions depend on the mechanism of action of the venom. the study of animal venom is a science known as venomics. through venomics, the composition of the venom of several ant species has already been characterized and their biological activities described. thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the pro ... | 2016 | 27110765 |
| tiger mosquito - generated devastation in the biosphere!!! | 2016 | 27041891 | |
| how to predict molecular interactions between species? | organisms constantly interact with other species through physical contact which leads to changes on the molecular level, for example the transcriptome. these changes can be monitored for all genes, with the help of high-throughput experiments such as rna-seq or microarrays. the adaptation of the gene expression to environmental changes within cells is mediated through complex gene regulatory networks. often, our knowledge of these networks is incomplete. network inference predicts gene regulator ... | 2016 | 27065992 |
| transfer of dna from bacteria to eukaryotes. | historically, the members of the agrobacterium genus have been considered the only bacterial species naturally able to transfer and integrate dna into the genomes of their eukaryotic hosts. yet, increasing evidence suggests that this ability to genetically transform eukaryotic host cells might be more widespread in the bacterial world. indeed, analyses of accumulating genomic data reveal cases of horizontal gene transfer from bacteria to eukaryotes and suggest that it represents a significant fo ... | 2016 | 27406565 |
| horizontal transfer of β-carbonic anhydrase genes from prokaryotes to protozoans, insects, and nematodes. | horizontal gene transfer (hgt) is a movement of genetic information occurring outside of normal mating activities. it is especially common between prokaryotic endosymbionts and their protozoan, insect, and nematode hosts. although beta carbonic anhydrase (β-ca) plays a crucial role in metabolic functions of many living organisms, the origin of β-ca genes in eukaryotic species remains unclear. | 2016 | 26983858 |