Publications

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
endophagy of biting midges attacking cavity-nesting birds.	feeding behaviour, host preferences and the spectrum of available hosts determine the role of vectors in pathogen transmission. feeding preferences of blood-feeding diptera depend on, among others factors, the willingness of flies to attack their hosts either in the open (exophagy) or in enclosed places (endophagy). as far as ornithophilic blood-feeding diptera are concerned, the biting midges (diptera: ceratopogonidae) and blackflies (diptera: simuliidae) are generally considered to be strictly ...	2009	19531067
host-seeking activity of bluetongue virus vectors: endo/exophagy and circadian rhythm of culicoides in western europe.	feeding success of free-living hematophagous insects depends on their ability to be active when hosts are available and to reach places where hosts are accessible. when the hematophagous insect is a vector of pathogens, determining the components of host-seeking behavior is of primary interest for the assessment of transmission risk. our aim was to describe endo/exophagy and circadian host-seeking activity of palaearctic culicoides species, which are major biting pests and arbovirus vectors, usi ...	2012	23144735
urban forests as hubs for novel zoonosis: blood meal analysis, seasonal variation in culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) vectors, and avian haemosporidians.	culicoides vectors can transmit a diverse array of parasites and are globally distributed. we studied feeding preferences and seasonal variation of culicoides (diptera: ceratopogonidae) vectors in an urban forest of germany to determine whether humans living nearby are readily exposed to vector-borne parasites from wild animals. we used a fragment of the mtdna coi gene to identify hosts from blood meals. we amplified a fragment of the mtdna cyt b to detect haemosporidian infections in culicoides ...	2013	23981661
culicoides species communities associated with wild ruminant ecosystems in spain: tracking the way to determine potential bridge vectors for arboviruses.	the genus culicoides latreille 1809 is a well-known vector for protozoa, filarial worms and, above all, numerous viruses. the bluetongue virus (btv) and the recently emerged schmallenberg virus (sbv) are responsible for important infectious, non-contagious, insect-borne viral diseases found in domestic ruminants and transmitted by culicoides spp. both of these diseases have been detected in wild ruminants, but their role as reservoirs during the vector-free season still remains relatively unknow ...	2015	26510136
host preferences of ornithophilic biting midges of the genus culicoides in the eastern balkans.	many biting midges of the genus culicoides latreille, 1809 (diptera: ceratopogonidae) are competent vectors of a diverse number of pathogens. the identification of their feeding behaviour and of vector-host associations is essential for understanding their transmission capacity. by applying two different nested polymerase chain reaction (pcr) assays, of which one targeted the avian cyt b gene and the other targeted the coi gene of a wide range of vertebrates, we identified the blood hosts of six ...	2015	25689114
pcr detection of malaria parasites and related haemosporidians: the sensitive methodology in determining bird-biting insects.	knowledge about feeding preference of blood-sucking insects is important for the better understanding epidemiology of vector-borne parasitic diseases. extraction of dna from blood present in abdomens of engorged insects provides opportunities to identify species of their vertebrate hosts. however, this approach often is insufficiently sensitive due to rapid degeneration of host dna in midguts. recent studies indicate that avian malaria parasites (plasmodium spp.) and related haemosporidians (hae ...	2016	27207268
some new records of culicoides species (diptera: ceratopogonidae) from iran.	biting midges of the genus culicoides act as vectors for important diseases affecting humans and both wild and domestic animals. collection of adult culicoides specimens in the near vicinity of vertebrate hosts is the major part of any bluetongue surveillance plan. there are old records of culicoides species dated from 1963, 1968 and 1975. therefore, it was decided to collect different ceratopogonids members using a light trap.	2016	28032099