Publications

association between wolbachia and spiroplasma within drosophila neotestacea: an emerging symbiotic mutualism?	interspecific mutualism can evolve when specific lineages of different species tend to be associated with each other from one generation to the next. different maternally transmitted endosymbionts occurring within the same cytoplasmic lineage fulfil this requirement. drosophila neotestacea is infected with maternally transmitted wolbachia and spiroplasma, which are cotransmitted at high frequency in natural populations. molecular phylogenetic evidence indicates that both endosymbionts have been ...	2010	20002580
phylogenetically distinct wolbachia gene and pseudogene sequences obtained from the african onchocerciasis vector simulium squamosum.	wolbachia are intracellular bacteria mostly found in a diverse range of arthropods and filarial nematodes. they have been classified into seven distinct 'supergroups' and other lineages on the basis of molecular phylogenetics. the arthropod-infecting wolbachia are usually regarded as reproductive parasites because they manipulate their host species' sexing system to enhance their own spread, and this has led to their investigation as potential agents of genetic control in medical entomology. we ...	2010	20005876
brugia malayi: in vitro effects of ivermectin and moxidectin on adults and microfilariae.	the effect of ivermectin and moxidectin on the motility of brugia malayi adults and microfilariae and on the fertility of b. malayi females was examined. motility was reduced in adults after exposure to both drugs and worms were non-motile and dead within eight days. the motility of microfilariae was significantly reduced at all drug concentrations and ceased at concentrations of 2500 and 5000mug/ml. the motility of microfilariae released by females was reduced after exposure to both drugs, howe ...	2010	20034492
wolbachia: more than just a bug in insects genitals.	research on the intracellular bacterial symbiont wolbachia has grown on many levels, providing interesting insights on various aspects of the microbe's biology. although data from fully sequenced genomes of different wolbachia strains and from experimental studies of host-microbe interactions continue to arise, most of the molecular mechanisms employed by wolbachia to manipulate the host cytoplasmic machinery and to ensure vertical transmission are yet to be discovered. apart from the well-estab ...	2010	20036185
hidden cytoplasmic incompatibility alters the dynamics of male-killer/host interactions.	wolbachia manipulate the reproduction of their arthropod hosts in a variety of ways. recent work has demonstrated that these bacteria may combine phenotypes - possessing a 'male killing' phenotype and, where males survive, induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci). we here develop a mathematical model to investigate the extent to which 'hidden' ci may affect the evolutionary dynamics of host genes that suppress male-killing activity. we observed that for high prevalence infections, ci drives both ...	2010	20040002
taxonomic boundaries, phylogenetic relationships and biogeography of the drosophila willistoni subgroup (diptera: drosophilidae).	the drosophila willistoni subgroup represents a complex with varying taxonomic levels. it encompasses d. willistoni and its five sibling species: d. equinoxialis, d. insularis, d. paulistorum, d. pavlovskiana and d. tropicalis. of these, d. equinoxialis, d. tropicalis and d. willistoni present differentiation at subspecific level, whereas d. paulistorum represents a superspecies, formed by six semispecies. despite this taxonomic and evolutionary complexity, many of these semi and subspecific tax ...	2010	20049511
a wolbachia symbiont in aedes aegypti limits infection with dengue, chikungunya, and plasmodium.	wolbachia are maternally inherited intracellular bacterial symbionts that are estimated to infect more than 60% of all insect species. while wolbachia is commonly found in many mosquitoes it is absent from the species that are considered to be of major importance for the transmission of human pathogens. the successful introduction of a life-shortening strain of wolbachia into the dengue vector aedes aegypti that halves adult lifespan has recently been reported. here we show that this same wolbac ...	2009	20064373
human probing behavior of aedes aegypti when infected with a life-shortening strain of wolbachia.	mosquitoes are vectors of many serious pathogens in tropical and sub-tropical countries. current control strategies almost entirely rely upon insecticides, which increasingly face the problems of high cost, increasing mosquito resistance and negative effects on non-target organisms. alternative strategies include the proposed use of inherited life-shortening agents, such as the wolbachia bacterium. by shortening mosquito vector lifespan, wolbachia could potentially reduce the vectorial capacity ...	2009	20016848
transinfection of wolbachia in planthoppers: nymphal injection of cultured wolbachia and infection dynamics.	wolbachia species are intracellular symbionts that cause reproductive alterations in arthropods. transinfection experiments have been performed in many arthropod species to elucidate the interaction between wolbachia and a new host. to ease transinfection of this bacterium to new arthropod hosts, we introduced two techniques: nymphal injection instead of embryonic injection and the use of a cultured source of wolbachia instead of direct transfer from donors to recipients. wolbachia in the small ...	2009	20021758
serum antibody responses to wolbachia surface protein in patients with human lymphatic filariasis.	wolbachia surface protein (wsp), which is the most abundantly expressed protein of wolbachia from the human filarial parasite brugia malayi, was chosen for the present study. b-cell epitope prediction of the wsp protein sequence indicates a high antigenicity, surface probability and hydrophilicity by dna star software analysis. propred analysis suggests the presence of hla class ii binding regions in the wsp protein that contribute to t-cell responses and isotype reactivity. in order to validate ...	2009	19954456
characterizing the aedes aegypti population in a vietnamese village in preparation for a wolbachia-based mosquito control strategy to eliminate dengue.	a life-shortening strain of the obligate intracellular bacteria wolbachia, called wmelpop, is seen as a promising new tool for the control of aedes aegypti. however, developing a vector control strategy based on the release of mosquitoes transinfected with wmelpop requires detailed knowledge of the demographics of the target population.	2009	19956588
variation in antiviral protection mediated by different wolbachia strains in drosophila simulans.	drosophila c virus (dcv) is a natural pathogen of drosophila and a useful model for studying antiviral defences. the drosophila host is also commonly infected with the widespread endosymbiotic bacteria wolbachia pipientis. when dcv coinfects wolbachia-infected d. melanogaster, virus particles accumulate more slowly and virus induced mortality is substantially delayed. considering that wolbachia is estimated to infect up to two-thirds of all insect species, the observed protective effects of wolb ...	2009	19911047
symmetric and asymmetric mitotic segregation patterns influence wolbachia distribution in host somatic tissue.	wolbachia are maternally inherited bacterial endosymbionts that occupy many but not all tissues of adult insects. during the initial mitotic divisions in drosophila embryogenesis, wolbachia exhibit a symmetric pattern of segregation. wolbachia undergo microtubule-dependent and cell-cycle-regulated movement between centrosomes. symmetric segregation occurs during late anaphase when wolbachia cluster around duplicated and separating centrosomes. this centrosome association is microtubule-dependent ...	2009	19934219
computational prediction of essential genes in an unculturable endosymbiotic bacterium, wolbachia of brugia malayi.	wolbachia (wbm) is an obligate endosymbiotic bacterium of brugia malayi, a parasitic filarial nematode of humans and one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis. there is a pressing need for new drugs against filarial parasites, such as b. malayi. as wbm is required for b. malayi development and fertility, targeting wbm is a promising approach. however, the lifecycle of neither b. malayi nor wbm can be maintained in vitro. to facilitate selection of potential drug targets we computationa ...	2009	19943957
macrofilaricidal activity and amelioration of lymphatic pathology in bancroftian filariasis after 3 weeks of doxycycline followed by single-dose diethylcarbamazine.	in a placebo controlled trial, the effects of 21- and 10-day doxycycline treatments (200 mg/day) followed by single dose diethylcarbamazine (administered 4 months post treatment) on depletion of wolbachia endobacteria from wuchereria bancrofti, filaricidal activity, and amerlioration of scrotal lymph vessel dilation were studied in 57 men from orissa, india. the 21-day doxycycline course reduced wolbachia in w. bancrofti by 94% before diethylcarbamazine administration. after 12 months, all patie ...	2009	19815891
pathogenicity of life-shortening wolbachia in aedes albopictus after transfer from drosophila melanogaster.	maternally inherited wolbachia bacteria have evolved mechanisms to manipulate the reproduction of their invertebrate hosts, promoting infection spread. a high fitness cost to the host is maladaptive for obligate endosymbionts, and prior studies show rapid selection of new wolbachia associations toward commensal or mutualistic symbioses. here, wmelpop wolbachia is transferred from drosophila melanogaster into the mosquito aedes albopictus. characterization of the resulting strain provides an extr ...	2009	19820149
filariasis and lymphoedema.	among the causes of lymphoedema (le), secondary le due to filariasis is the most prevalent. it affects only a minority of the 120 million people infected with the causative organisms of lymphatic filariasis (lf), wuchereria bancrofti and brugia malayi/timori, but is clustered in families, indicating a genetic basis for development of this pathology. the majority of infected individuals develop filarial-specific immunosuppression that starts even before birth in cases where mothers are infected a ...	2009	19825106
influence of continuous high temperature conditions on wolbachia infection frequency and the fitness of liposcelis tricolor (psocoptera: liposcelididae).	endosymbiotic bacteria that potentially influence reproduction and other fitness-related traits of their hosts are widespread in arthropods, and their appeal to researchers' interest is growing. in this study, the influence of continuous high temperature conditions on wolbachia infection frequency and the fitness of liposcelis tricolor (psocoptera: liposcelididae) was studied in a laboratory. the results showed that the wolbachia infection frequency was gradually decreased when l. tricolor was r ...	2009	19825290
wolbachia interferes with ferritin expression and iron metabolism in insects.	wolbachia is an intracellular bacterium generally described as being a facultative reproductive parasite. however, wolbachia is necessary for oogenesis completion in the wasp asobara tabida. this dependence has evolved recently as a result of interference with apoptosis during oogenesis. through comparative transcriptomics between symbiotic and aposymbiotic individuals, we observed a differential expression of ferritin, which forms a complex involved in iron storage. iron is an essential element ...	2009	19851452
[population genetic analysis of drosophila melanogaster longevity: similar effects of endosymbiont wolbachia and tumor suppressor lgl under conditions of temperature stress].	before, it has been shown that keeping of drosophila wild populations under temperature stress leads to prevalence of deletion alleles of tumor suppressor lgl, and higher survival of heterozygous lgl(-)/+ females descendants (haploadaptivity). on the other hand, recent investigations have demonstrated that an additional dose of lgl gene in transgenic males has inadaptive effect--cytoplasmic incompatibility, caused by the gene, is similar to the effect caused by the widespread endosymbiont wolbac ...	2009	19891414
what is new about animal and human dirofilariosis?	dirofilaria immitis and d. repens, the causal agents of cardiopulmonary and subcutaneous dirofilariosis, respectively, affect canine, feline and human populations with an increasing incidence in temperate and tropical areas of the world. in the past decade outstanding advances in the knowledge of dirofilariosis have been achieved. nevertheless, questions such as the impact of climate change in the transmission and distribution of dirofilariosis, as well as a profound evaluation of both the role ...	2009	19720566
tetracycline treatment targeting wolbachia affects expression of an array of proteins in brugia malayi parasite.	wolbachia is an intracellular endosymbiont of brugia malayi parasite whose presence is essential for the survival of the parasite. treatment of b. malayi-infected jirds with tetracycline eliminates wolbachia, which affects parasite survival and fitness. in the present study we have tried to identify parasite proteins that are affected when wolbachia is targeted by tetracycline. for this wolbachia depleted parasites (b. malayi) were obtained by tetracycline treatment of infected mongolian jirds ( ...	2009	19722191
effect of intracellular wolbachia on interspecific crosses between drosophila melanogaster and drosophila simulans.	wolbachia are bacteria that live inside the cells of a large number of invertebrate hosts and are transmitted from infected females to their offspring. their presence is associated with cytoplasmic incompatibility in several species of drosophila. cytoplasmic incompatibility results when the sperm of infected males fertilize eggs of uninfected females, causing more or less intense embryonic mortality (unidirectional incompatibility). this phenomenon also appears in crosses between populations in ...	2009	19731208
hidden wolbachia diversity in field populations of the european cherry fruit fly, rhagoletis cerasi (diptera, tephritidae).	the european cherry fruit fly rhagoletis cerasi has been a field model for cytoplasmic incompatibility since the mid 1970s. two wolbachia strains were detected in this tephritid species and wcer2 was described as the ci inducing agent dividing european populations into two unidirectional incompatible groups, i.e. southern females produce viable offspring with northern males, whereas the reciprocal cross results in incompatibility. we detected three new wolbachia strains by sequencing a multitude ...	2009	19732336
prevalence of cardinium bacteria in planthoppers and spider mites and taxonomic revision of "candidatus cardinium hertigii" based on detection of a new cardinium group from biting midges.	cardinium bacteria, members of the phylum cytophaga-flavobacterium-bacteroides (cfb), are intracellular bacteria in arthropods that are capable of inducing reproductive abnormalities in their hosts, which include parasitic wasps, mites, and spiders. a high frequency of cardinium infection was detected in planthoppers (27 out of 57 species were infected). a high frequency of cardinium infection was also found in spider mites (9 out of 22 species were infected). frequencies of double infection by ...	2009	19734338
rapidly shifting sex ratio across a species range.	sex ratios are subject to distortion by a range of inherited parasites. although it has been predicted that the presence of these elements will result in spatial and temporal variation in host sex ratio, testing of this hypothesis has been constrained by availability of historical data. we here determine spatial and temporal variation in sex ratio in a interaction between a butterfly and male-killing wolbachia bacteria by assaying infection presence in museum specimens, and from this inferring i ...	2009	19747825
wolbachia infection reduces blood-feeding success in the dengue fever mosquito, aedes aegypti.	the mosquito aedes aegypti was recently transinfected with a life-shortening strain of the endosymbiont wolbachia pipientis (wmelpop) as the first step in developing a biocontrol strategy for dengue virus transmission. in addition to life-shortening, the wmelpop-infected mosquitoes also exhibit increased daytime activity and metabolic rates. here we sought to quantify the blood-feeding behaviour of wolbachia-infected females as an indicator of any virulence or energetic drain associated with wol ...	2009	19753103
newly acquired onchocerca volvulus filariae after doxycycline treatment.	despite successful mass drug administration and vector control programs, the nematode onchocerca volvulus is far from being eradicated. therefore, new long-term sterilizing or macrofilaricidal drugs are needed. the depletion of wolbachia endobacteria using doxycycline leads to long-term sterilizing effects and macrofilaricidal activity against female filariae of more than 60%. the worms die or degenerate 18-27 months after doxycycline. however, during this time patients may be exposed to new inf ...	2009	19756742
characterization and evolution of two bacteriome-inhabiting symbionts in cixiid planthoppers (hemiptera: fulgoromorpha: pentastirini).	like other plant sap-sucking insects, planthoppers within the family cixiidae (insecta: hemiptera: fulgoromorpha) host a diversified microbiota. we report the identification and first molecular characterization of symbiotic bacteria in cixiid planthoppers (tribe: pentastirini). using universal eubacterial primers we first screened the eubacterial 16s rrna sequences in pentastiridius leporinus (linnaeus) with pcr amplification, cloning, and restriction fragment analysis. we identified three main ...	2009	19758348
drosophila-parasitoid communities as model systems for host-wolbachia interactions.	wolbachia bacteria are cytoplasmic endosymbionts that infect a wide range of arthropod and nematode hosts. they are transmitted from mother to offspring via the eggs (vertical transmission) and enhance their transmission to the next generation by manipulating the reproductive system of their hosts. these manipulations occur in many forms, such as the induction of cytoplasmic incompatibility, feminization, male killing and parthenogenesis induction. wolbachia is estimated to occur in up to 66% of ...	2009	19773076
immune activation by life-shortening wolbachia and reduced filarial competence in mosquitoes.	wolbachia strain wmelpop reduces the longevity of its drosophila melanogaster host and, when introduced into the mosquito aedes aegypti, halves its life span. we show that wmelpop induces up-regulation of the mosquito's innate immune system and that its presence inhibits the development of filarial nematodes in the mosquito. these data suggest that wmelpop could be used in the global effort to eliminate lymphatic filariasis and possibly for the control of other mosquito-borne parasites where imm ...	2009	19797660
first isolation of enterobacter, enterococcus, and acinetobacter spp. as inhabitants of the tsetse fly (glossina palpalis palpalis) midgut.	this paper reports the first evidence of the presence of bacteria, other than the three previously described as symbionts, wigglesworthia glossinidia, wolbachia, and sodalis glossinidius, in the midgut of glossina palpalis palpalis, the tsetse fly, a vector of the chronic form of human african trypanosomiasis in sub-saharan african countries. based on the morphological, nutritional, physiological, and phylogenetic results, we identified enterobacter, enterococcus, and acinetobacter spp. as inhab ...	2009	19800031
brugia malayi gene expression in response to the targeting of the wolbachia endosymbiont by tetracycline treatment.	brugia malayi, like most human filarial parasite species, harbors an endosymbiotic bacterium of the genus wolbachia. elimination of the endosymbiont leads to sterilization of the adult female. previous biochemical and genetic studies have established that communication with its endobacterium is essential for survival of the worm.	2009	19806204
a randomized trial of doxycycline for mansonella perstans infection.	mansonella perstans infection is common in areas of africa where wuchereria bancrofti, a causative agent of lymphatic filariasis, is endemic. m. perstans is refractory to standard antifilarial therapies. the recent discovery of bacterial endosymbionts (e.g., wolbachia) in most filarial species, including m. perstans, provides new therapeutic options for reducing microfilaremia.	2009	19812401
mansonella perstans--the importance of an endosymbiont.		2009	19812409
reproductive compensation favours male-killing wolbachia in a live-bearing host.	wolbachia are maternally inherited, cellular endosymbionts that can enhance their fitness by biasing host sex ratio in favour of females. male killing (mk) is an extreme form of sex-ratio manipulation that is selectively advantageous if the self-sacrifice of wolbachia in males increases transmission through females. in live-bearing hosts, females typically produce more embryos than can be carried to term, and reproductive compensation through maternal resource reallocation from dead males to fem ...	2009	19710065
effects of crowding and temperature on wolbachia infection density among life cycle stages of aedes albopictus.	species of the genus wolbachia are a group of rickettsia-like, maternally-inherited bacteria (gram negative), which cause various reproductive alterations in their arthropod and nematode hosts including cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), male-killing, parthenogenesis and feminization. they can be divided into supergroups such as a and b based on phylogenetic analysis of 16s rdna sequences. in this study, we examined the relative infection densities of wolbachia strains among life cycle stages in ...	2009	19686755
longicorn beetle that vectors pinewood nematode carries many wolbachia genes on an autosome.	monochamus alternatus is the longicorn beetle notorious as a vector of the pinewood nematode that causes the pine wilt disease. when two populations of m. alternatus were subjected to diagnostic polymerase chain reaction (pcr) detection of four wolbachia genes, only the ftsz gene was detected from one of the populations. the wolbachia ftsz gene persisted even after larvae were fed with a tetracycline-containing diet for six weeks. the inheritance of the ftsz gene was not maternal but biparental, ...	2009	19692404
the endosymbiont wolbachia increases insulin/igf-like signalling in drosophila.	insulin/igf-like signalling (iis) is an evolutionarily conserved pathway that has diverse functions in multi-cellular organisms. mutations that reduce iis can have pleiotropic effects on growth, development, metabolic homeostasis, fecundity, stress resistance and lifespan. iis is also modified by extrinsic factors. for instance, in the fruitfly drosophila melanogaster, both nutrition and stress can alter the activity of the pathway. here, we test experimentally the hypothesis that a widespread e ...	2009	19692410
antibiotic treatment leads to the elimination of wolbachia endosymbionts and sterility in the diplodiploid collembolan folsomia candida.	wolbachia is an extremely widespread bacterial endosymbiont of arthropods and nematodes that causes a variety of reproductive peculiarities. parthenogenesis is one such peculiarity but it has been hypothesised that this phenomenon may be functionally restricted to organisms that employ haplodiploid sex determination. using two antibiotics, tetracycline and rifampicin, we attempted to eliminate wolbachia from the diplodiploid host folsomia candida, a species of springtail which is a widely used s ...	2009	19698188
functional conservation of the lipid ii biosynthesis pathway in the cell wall-less bacteria chlamydia and wolbachia: why is lipid ii needed?	cell division and cell wall biosynthesis in prokaryotes are driven by partially overlapping multiprotein machineries whose activities are tightly controlled and co-ordinated. so far, a number of protein components have been identified and acknowledged as essential for both fundamental cellular processes. genes for enzymes of both machineries have been found in the genomes of the cell wall-less genera chlamydia and wolbachia, raising questions as to the functionality of the lipid ii biosynthesis ...	2009	19656295
effects of parthenogenesis and geographic isolation on female sexual traits in a parasitoid wasp.	population divergence in sexual traits is affected by different selection pressures, depending on the mode of reproduction. in allopatric sexual populations, aspects of sexual behavior may diverge due to sexual selection. in parthenogenetic populations, loss-of-function mutations in genes involved in sexual functionality may be selectively neutral or favored by selection. we assess to what extent these processes have contributed to divergence in female sexual traits in the parasitoid wasp leptop ...	2009	19659591
huge symbiotic organs in giant scale insects of the genus drosicha (coccoidea: monophlebidae) harbor flavobacterial and enterobacterial endosymbionts.	giant scale insects (drosicha: coccoldea: monophlebidae) were investigated for their symbiotic organs and bacterial endosymbionts. two types of bacterial 16s rrna gene sequences, flavobacterial and enterobacterial, were consistently detected in d. corpulenta and d. pinicola. the former sequences formed a compact clade in the bacteroidetes, allied to the symbionts of cushion and armored scales. the latter sequences formed a robust clade in the gamma-proteobacteria, allied to enteric bacteria like ...	2009	19663639
integration of irradiation with cytoplasmic incompatibility to facilitate a lymphatic filariasis vector elimination approach.	abstract:	2009	19682363
cytoplasmic incompatibility in the parasitic wasp encarsia inaron: disentangling the roles of cardinium and wolbachia symbionts.	many bacterial endosymbionts of insects are capable of manipulating their host's reproduction for their own benefit. the most common strategy of manipulation is cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), in which embryonic mortality results from matings between uninfected females and infected males. in contrast, embryos develop normally in infected females, whether or not their mate is infected, and infected progeny are produced. in this way, the proportion of infected females increases in the insect pop ...	2009	19223921
the effects of, and interactions between, cardinium and wolbachia in the doubly infected spider mite bryobia sarothamni.	many arthropods are infected with vertically transmitted, intracellular bacteria manipulating their host's reproduction. cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) is commonly observed and is expressed as a reduction in the number of offspring in crosses between infected males and uninfected females (or females infected with a different bacterial strain). ci is often related to the presence of wolbachia, but recent findings indicate that a second reproductive parasite, cardinium, is also capable of induci ...	2009	19223923
multiple introductions of the spiroplasma bacterial endosymbiont into drosophila.	bacterial endosymbionts are common in insects and can have dramatic effects on their host's evolution. so far, the only heritable symbionts found in drosophila have been wolbachia and spiroplasma. while the incidence and effects of wolbachia have been studied extensively, the prevalence and significance of spiroplasma infections in drosophila are less clear. these small, gram-positive, helical bacteria infect a diverse array of plant and arthropod hosts, conferring a variety of fitness effects. ...	2009	19226322
incidence of wolbachia and cardinium endosymbionts in the osmia community in korea.	sex ratio distorting endosymbionts induce reproductive anomalies in their arthropod hosts. they have recently been paid much attention as firstly texts of evolution of host-symbiont relationships and secondly potential biological control agents to control arthropod pests. among such organisms, wolbachia and cardinium bacteria are well characterized. this study aims at probing such bacteria in the osmia community to evaluate their potential utilization to control arthropod pests. among 17 pcr tes ...	2009	19229488
bug for a bug for a bug.		2009	19253762
effects of a sex-ratio distorting endosymbiont on mtdna variation in a global insect pest.	patterns of mtdna variation within a species reflect long-term population structure, but may also be influenced by maternally inherited endosymbionts, such as wolbachia. these bacteria often alter host reproductive biology and can drive particular mtdna haplotypes through populations. we investigated the impacts of wolbachia infection and geography on mtdna variation in the diamondback moth, a major global pest whose geographic distribution reflects both natural processes and transport via human ...	2009	19257899
the wolbachia endosymbiont of brugia malayi has an active phosphoglycerate mutase: a candidate target for anti-filarial therapies.	phosphoglycerate mutases (pgm) interconvert 2- and 3-phosphoglycerate in the glycolytic and gluconeogenic pathways. a putative cofactor-independent phosphoglycerate mutase gene (ipgm) was identified in the genome sequence of the wolbachia endosymbiont from the filarial nematode, brugia malayi (wbm). since ipgm has no sequence or structural similarity to the cofactor-dependent phosphoglycerate mutase (dpgm) found in mammals, it may represent an attractive wolbachia drug target. in the present stu ...	2009	19043737
bacterial infection may limit spread of dengue fever.		2009	19165180
gamma interferon and interleukin-1 receptor 1 regulate neutrophil recruitment to the corneal stroma in a murine model of onchocerca volvulus keratitis.	toll-like receptor 2 (tlr2) is an essential mediator of corneal inflammation induced by the filarial nematode onchocerca volvulus, which harbors endosymbiotic wolbachia bacteria. tlr2 is also required for dendritic cell activation, gamma interferon (ifn-gamma) production, and neutrophil recruitment to the cornea. to examine the role of ifn-gamma in o. volvulus keratitis, c57bl/6 and ifn-gamma(-/-) mice were immunized subcutaneously, and a soluble antigen extract from o. volvulus adult worms (ova ...	2009	19168746
effects of wolbachia infection and ovarian tumor mutations on sex-lethal germline functioning in drosophila.	wolbachia is a ubiquitous intracellular endosymbiont of invertebrates. surprisingly, infection of drosophila melanogaster by this maternally inherited bacterium restores fertility to females carrying ovarian tumor (cystocyte overproliferation) mutant alleles of the drosophila master sex-determination gene, sex-lethal (sxl). we scanned the drosophila genome for effects of infection on transcript levels in wild-type previtellogenic ovaries that might be relevant to this suppression of female-steri ...	2009	19171941
interactions between coexisting intracellular genomes: mitochondrial density and wolbachia infection.	many arthropods are infected with maternally transmitted microorganisms, leading to the coexistence of several intracellular genomes within the host cells, including their own mitochondria. as these genomes are cotransmitted, their patterns of evolution have been intimately linked, with possible consequences for the diversity and evolution of the host mitochondrial dna. the evolutionary aspects of the situation have been thoroughly investigated, especially the selective sweep on the mitochondria ...	2009	19181828
life and death of an influential passenger: wolbachia and the evolution of ci-modifiers by their hosts.	wolbachia are intracellular bacteria widely distributed among arthropods and nematodes. in many insect species these bacteria induce a cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) between sperm of infected males and eggs of uninfected females. from an evolutionary point of view, ci is puzzling: in order to induce this modification-rescue system, wolbachia affect sperm of infected males even though wolbachia are only transmitted maternally. phylogenetic studies of wolbachia and hosts show that the bacteria r ...	2009	19209229
molecular systematics of filarial parasites, with an emphasis on groups of medical and veterinary importance, and its relevance for epidemiology.	filarial parasites are members of the phylum nemata that comprise several species of medical and veterinary importance. among the human diseases caused by members of this group of nematodes are river blindness and lymphatic filariasis, which afflict millions of people in the tropics. these diseases not only have an impact on the health of the people affected but also bear a great socioeconomic burden. despite their relevance, the systematics of the filarial parasites is not well understood yet, ...	2009	19539785
microbial modification of host long-distance dispersal capacity.	dispersal plays a key role in shaping biological and ecological processes such as the distribution of spatially-structured populations or the pace and scale of invasion. here we have studied the relationship between long-distance dispersal behaviour of a pest-controlling money spider, erigone atra, and the distribution of maternally acquired endosymbionts within the wider meta-population. this spider persists in heterogeneous environments because of its ability to recolonise areas through active ...	2009	19545353
complete wo phage sequences reveal their dynamic evolutionary trajectories and putative functional elements required for integration into the wolbachia genome.	wolbachia endosymbionts are ubiquitously found in diverse insects including many medical and hygienic pests, causing a variety of reproductive phenotypes, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility, and thereby efficiently spreading in host insect populations. recently, wolbachia-mediated approaches to pest control and management have been proposed, but the application of these approaches has been hindered by the lack of genetic transformation techniques for symbiotic bacteria. here, we report the geno ...	2009	19592535
molecular phylogeography of culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes in central bangladesh.	mosquitoes in the culex pipiens complex are a major vector of numerous parasitic and arboviral diseases. here we report the phylogeography of a prevalent culex mosquito, cx. quinquefasciatus, from three locations in bangladesh: dhaka, savar and mymensingh. sequence analysis of the genes encoding mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit ii, nuclear elongation factor-1 alpha, and acetylcholinesterase-2 revealed the lack of a population genetic structure among the three locations. moreover, the hig ...	2009	19595661
the heme biosynthetic pathway of the obligate wolbachia endosymbiont of brugia malayi as a potential anti-filarial drug target.	filarial parasites (e.g., brugia malayi, onchocerca volvulus, and wuchereria bancrofti) are causative agents of lymphatic filariasis and onchocerciasis, which are among the most disabling of neglected tropical diseases. there is an urgent need to develop macro-filaricidal drugs, as current anti-filarial chemotherapy (e.g., diethylcarbamazine [dec], ivermectin and albendazole) can interrupt transmission predominantly by killing microfilariae (mf) larvae, but is less effective on adult worms, whic ...	2009	19597542
discover the microbes within! the hhmi wolbachia project.		2009	19603576
[paradigm shift in bancroftian filariasis].	the way a particular subject is understood changes over time as a result of scientific research. in most cases, these changes are minor, with limited effect on the overall knowledge on the subject. sometimes, however, revolutionary changes occur and not only modify the understanding of the subject but open perspectives that can trigger new interpretations and new ways for expansion of scientific knowledge. the studies of gregor johann mendel were a good example. they led to discovery of the laws ...	2009	19629359
persistent wolbachia and cultivable bacteria infection in the reproductive and somatic tissues of the mosquito vector aedes albopictus.	commensal and symbiotic microbes have a considerable impact on the behavior of many arthropod hosts, including hematophagous species that transmit pathogens causing infectious diseases to human and animals. little is known about the bacteria associated with mosquitoes other than the vectorized pathogens. this study investigated wolbachia and cultivable bacteria that persist through generations in ae. albopictus organs known to host transmitted arboviruses, such as dengue and chikungunya.	2009	19633721
variation in sex peptide expression in d. melanogaster.	male drosophila melanogaster transfers many accessory-gland proteins to females during copulation. sex peptide (sp) is one of these and one of its main effects is to decrease female remating propensity. to date, there has been no investigation of genetic variation in sp-gene expression levels, or if such potential variation directly influences female remating behaviour. we assessed both these possibilities and found significant variation in expression levels of the sp gene across d. melanogaster ...	2009	19640319
pcr analysis for wolbachia in human and canine demodex mites.	in many skin diseases such as demodex folliculitis, rosacea- or steroid-induced rosacea demodex mites are present in abundance and are at least partially held responsible for causing these disorders. although it is known that these diseases respond well to tetracyclines, it is unclear if this is due to the antiinflammatory effects of the antibiotics or to an antibacterial effect on so far unknown bacteria within the demodex mites. as in filariasis, where the response to doxycycline can be explai ...	2009	19652990
maintenance of adaptive differentiation by wolbachia induced bidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility: the importance of sib-mating and genetic systems.	bacteria of the genus wolbachia are reproductive parasites widespread among arthropods. the most common effect arising from the presence of wolbachia in a population is cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), whereby postmating reproductive isolation occurs in crosses between an infected male and an uninfected female, or when a male is infected with a different strain of wolbachia to that of the female (bidirectional ci). previous theoretical models have demonstrated that bidirectional ci can contribu ...	2009	19653892
wolbachia in the culex pipiens group mosquitoes: introgression and superinfection.	wolbachia bacteria in mosquitoes induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), where sperm from wolbachia-infected males can produce inviable progeny. the wpip strain in the culex pipiens group of mosquitoes produces a complexity of ci crossing types. several factors are thought to be capable of influencing the expression of ci including wolbachia strain type and host genotype. in this study, the unidirectional ci that occurs between 2 c. pipiens complex laboratory strains, col and mol, was further i ...	2009	18836146
efficacy of 5-week doxycycline treatment on adult onchocerca volvulus.	the effects of 5-week doxycycline treatment on the depletion of wolbachia endobacteria from onchocerca volvulus, on the interruption of embryogenesis and on microfilariae production, and with regard to macrofilaricidal activity were studied. in 2003, in an endemic area in ghana, 22 onchocerciasis patients received 100 mg/day doxycycline for 5 weeks. two years after the start of the study, 20 treated and ten untreated patients were nodulectomized and skin microfilariae were counted. the onchocerc ...	2009	18850111
the genome of brugia malayi - all worms are not created equal.	filarial nematode parasites, the causative agents of elephantiasis and river blindness, undermine the livelihoods of over one hundred million people in the developing world. recently, the filarial genome project reported the draft sequence of the ~95 mb genome of the human filarial parasite brugia malayi - the first parasitic nematode genome to be sequenced. comparative genome analysis with the prevailing model nematode caenorhabditis elegans revealed similarities and differences in genome struc ...	2009	18952001
brugia malayi: effects of nitazoxanide and tizoxanide on adult worms and microfilariae of filarial nematodes.	there is an urgent need for safe and effective antifilarials. prior studies have shown that the nitazoxanide (ntz) exhibits broad activity against anaerobic bacteria, protozoa, and certain intestinal helminths. we examined the effects of ntz and tizoxanide (tz) on brugia malayi nematodes in vitro and in vivo. in vitro, ntz and tz reduced worm motility and viability in a dose-dependent manner. worm viability was reduced by 50% with both compounds at 2.5 and 20 microg/ml killed adult worms. ntz or ...	2009	18977224
parasitism and mutualism in wolbachia: what the phylogenomic trees can and cannot say.	ecological and evolutionary theories predict that parasitism and mutualism are not fixed endpoints of the symbiotic spectrum. rather, parasitism and mutualism may be host or environment dependent, induced by the same genetic machinery, and shifted due to selection. these models presume the existence of genetic or environmental variation that can spur incipient changes in symbiotic lifestyle. however, for obligate intracellular bacteria whose genomes are highly reduced, studies specify that discr ...	2009	18974066
identification and characterization of wolbachia in solenopsis saevissima fire ants (hymenoptera: formicidae) in southeastern brazil.	the genus solenopsis appears to have evolved and radiated very rapidly in south america and then spread throughout the rest of the continent. as part of the expansion process, distribution patterns and different degrees of geographic isolation among populations of s. saevissima can be observed. we have investigated the presence of wolbachia in 52 colonies and 1623 individuals in southeastern brazil. detection of wolbachia infection was based on amplification of the 16s rrna and wsp genes by poly ...	2009	18979132
an ancient horizontal gene transfer between mosquito and the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis.	the extent and biological relevance of horizontal gene transfer (hgt) in eukaryotic evolution remain highly controversial. recent studies have demonstrated frequent and large-scale hgt from endosymbiotic bacteria to their hosts, but the great majority of these transferred genes rapidly become nonfunctional in the recipient genome. here, we investigate an ancient hgt between a host metazoan and an endosymbiotic bacterium, wolbachia pipientis. the transferred gene has so far been found only in mos ...	2009	18988686
molecular cloning and characterization of a novel immunoreactive atpase/rna helicase in human filarial parasite brugia malayi.	dead box proteins are putative rna unwinding proteins found in organisms ranging from mammals to bacteria. we have identified a novel immunodominant cdna clone, bml3-helicase, encoding dead box rna helicase by immunoscreening of a larval stage cdna library of brugia malayi. the cdna sequence exhibited strong sequence homology to caenorhabditis elegans and c. briggsae rna helicase, a prototypic member of the dead (asp-glu-ala-asp) box protein family. the clone also showed similarity with rna heli ...	2009	19002498
detection of wolbachia bacteria in multiple organs and feces of the triatomine insect rhodnius pallescens (hemiptera, reduviidae).	at least two types of wolbachia bacteria were detected in wild and insectarium-raised rhodnius pallescens, a natural vector of trypanosoma cruzi and trypanosoma rangeli. wolbachia was detected in all the organs and tissues studied and in the feces, and this provided a methodological advantage for determining the presence of this endosymbiont in this host, obviating the need to kill the specimens. the occurrence of trypanosomatids in wild individuals was also studied.	2009	19028913
specialization and geographic isolation among wolbachia symbionts from ants and lycaenid butterflies.	wolbachia are the most prevalent and influential bacteria described among the insects to date. but despite their significance, we lack an understanding of their evolutionary histories. to describe the evolution of symbioses between wolbachia and their hosts, we surveyed global collections of two diverse families of insects, the ants and lycaenid butterflies. in total, 54 wolbachia isolates were typed using a multi locus sequence typing (mlst) approach, in which five unlinked loci were sequenced ...	2009	19054050
high mitochondrial diversity in geographically widespread butterflies of madagascar: a test of the dna barcoding approach.	the standardized use of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit i (coi) gene sequences as dna barcodes has been widely promoted as a high-throughput method for species identification and discovery. species delimitation has been based on the following criteria: (1) monophyletic association and less frequently (2) a minimum 10x greater divergence between than within species. divergence estimates, however, can be inflated if sister species pairs are not included and the geographic extent of vari ...	2009	19056502
strong cytoplasmic incompatibility and high vertical transmission rate can explain the high frequencies of wolbachia infection in japanese populations of colias erate poliographus (lepidoptera: pieridae).	wolbachia, belonging to alphaproteobacteria, is ubiquitously found in arthropods and filarial nematodes, and is known to manipulate the reproduction of its hosts in various ways, such as feminization, male killing, induction of parthenogenesis or induction of cytoplasmic incompatibility. we found that the wolbachia infection frequencies of the butterfly colias erate poliographus were high (85.7-100%) in seven japanese populations. crossing experiments and rearing revealed that the wolbachia stra ...	2009	19063762
how diverse is the genus wolbachia? multiple-gene sequencing reveals a putatively new wolbachia supergroup recovered from spider mites (acari: tetranychidae).	at least 20% of all arthropods and some nematode species are infected with intracellular bacteria of the genus wolbachia. this highly diverse genus has been subdivided into eight "supergroups" (a to h) on the basis of nucleotide sequence data. here, we report the discovery of a new wolbachia supergroup recovered from the spider mite species bryobia species v (acari: tetranychidae), based on the sequences of three protein-coding genes (ftsz, glta, and groel) and the 16s rrna gene. other tetranych ...	2009	19098217
genome sequence of the wolbachia endosymbiont of culex quinquefasciatus jhb.	wolbachia species are endosymbionts of a wide range of invertebrates, including mosquitoes, fruit flies, and nematodes. the wpip strains can cause cytoplasmic incompatibility in some strains of the culex mosquito. here we describe the genome sequence of a wolbachia strain that was discovered in the whole-genome sequencing data for the mosquito culex quinquefasciatus strain jhb.	2009	19114486
microbiology. mosquitoes cut short.		2009	19119208
stable introduction of a life-shortening wolbachia infection into the mosquito aedes aegypti.	most pathogens require a relatively long period of development in their mosquito vector before they can be transmitted to a new human host; hence, only older insects are of epidemiological importance. the successful transfer of a life-shortening strain of the inherited bacterial symbiont, wolbachia, into the major mosquito vector of dengue, aedes aegypti, halved adult life span under laboratory conditions. the association is stable, and the wolbachia strain is maternally inherited at high freque ...	2009	19119237
mobile male-killer: similar wolbachia strains kill males of divergent drosophila hosts.	wolbachia are capable of eliciting a variety of reproductive phenotypes from their hosts, including the production of an all-female progeny through embryonic male-killing. to date, phylogenetic analyses indicate six independent acquisitions of the ability to kill male embryos among wolbachia strains which infect insects. of these six strains, only one appears to have experienced horizontal transmission between host species while maintaining a male-killing phenotype. the rarity of male-killing wo ...	2009	19142204
endosymbiotic bacteria living inside the poultry red mite (dermanyssus gallinae).	this study investigated the endosymbiotic bacteria living inside the poultry red mite collected from five samples of one commercial farm from the uk and 16 farms from france using genus-specific pcr, pcr-ttge and dna sequencing. endosymbiotic bacteria are intracellular obligate organisms that can cause several phenotypic and reproductive anomalies to their host and they are found widespread living inside arthropods. the farm sampled from the uk was positive for bacteria of the genera cardinium s ...	2009	19145467
horizontal gene transfer between wolbachia and the mosquito aedes aegypti.	the evolutionary importance of horizontal gene transfer (hgt) from wolbachia endosymbiotic bacteria to their eukaryotic hosts is a topic of considerable interest and debate. recent transfers of genome fragments from wolbachia into insect chromosomes have been reported, but it has been argued that these fragments may be on an evolutionary trajectory to degradation and loss.	2009	19154594
structural and functional characterization of the oxidoreductase alpha-dsba1 from wolbachia pipientis.	the alpha-proteobacterium wolbachia pipientis is a highly successful intracellular endosymbiont of invertebrates that manipulates its host's reproductive biology to facilitate its own maternal transmission. the fastidious nature of wolbachia and the lack of genetic transformation have hampered analysis of the molecular basis of these manipulations. structure determination of key wolbachia proteins will enable the development of inhibitors for chemical genetics studies. wolbachia encodes a homolo ...	2009	19265485
role of horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of plant parasitism among nematodes.	horizontal gene transfer (hgt) implies the non-sexual exchange of genetic material between species - in some cases even across kingdoms. although common among bacteria and archaea, hgts from pro- to eukaryotes and between eukaryotes were thought to be extremely rare. recent studies on intracellular bacteria and their hosts seriously question this view. recipient organisms could benefit from hgt as new gene packages could allow them to broaden or change their diet, colonize new habitats, or survi ...	2009	19271205
infection by wolbachia: from passengers to residents.	wolbachia are endosymbiotic alpha-proteobacteria harboured by terrestrial arthropods and filarial nematodes, where they are maternally transmitted through egg cytoplasm. according to the host group, wolbachia have developed two contrasting symbiotic strategies. in arthropods, symbiosis is secondary (i.e. facultative), and wolbachia insure their transmission as reproduction parasites. however, despite of the efficiency of the manipulation mechanisms used, wolbachia are limited to the state of pas ...	2009	19281959
aphids acquired symbiotic genes via lateral gene transfer.	aphids possess bacteriocytes, which are cells specifically differentiated to harbour the obligate mutualist buchnera aphidicola (gamma-proteobacteria). buchnera has lost many of the genes that appear to be essential for bacterial life. from the bacteriocyte of the pea aphid acyrthosiphon pisum, we previously identified two clusters of expressed sequence tags that display similarity only to bacterial genes. southern blot analysis demonstrated that they are encoded in the aphid genome. in this stu ...	2009	19284544
effects on male fitness of removing wolbachia infections from the mosquito aedes albopictus.	cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) induced by maternally inherited wolbachia bacteria is a potential tool for the suppression of insect pest species with appropriate patterns of infection. the asian tiger mosquito aedes albopictus (skuse) (diptera: culicidae) is known to be infected by two strains of wolbachia pipientis hertig (rickettsiales: rickettsiaceae), walb a and walb b, throughout its geographical distribution. this infection pattern theoretically restricts the application of ci-based cont ...	2009	19292821
proteasome activity in a naïve mosquito cell line infected with wolbachia pipientis walbb.	we used wolbachia pipientis strain walbb from aedes albopictus aa23 cells to infect clonal ae. albopictus tk-6 cells, which are resistant to 5-bromodeoxyuridine. infected tk-6 cells were cultured in medium containing 5-bromodeoxyuridine to select against aa23 cells that might have persisted in the inoculum. infected tk-6 lines retained the wolbachia infection for 5 mo, indicating that their metabolic processes support wolbachia growth and multiplication. to investigate early events after wolbach ...	2009	19296184
wolbachia-mediated cytoplasmic incompatibility is associated with impaired histone deposition in the male pronucleus.	wolbachia is a bacteria endosymbiont that rapidly infects insect populations through a mechanism known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci). in ci, crosses between wolbachia-infected males and uninfected females produce severe cell cycle defects in the male pronucleus resulting in early embryonic lethality. in contrast, viable progeny are produced when both parents are infected (the rescue cross). an important consequence of ci-rescue is that infected females have a selective advantage over uninf ...	2009	19300496
the mosaic genome structure of the wolbachia wri strain infecting drosophila simulans.	the obligate intracellular bacterium wolbachia pipientis infects around 20% of all insect species. it is maternally inherited and induces reproductive alterations of insect populations by male killing, feminization, parthenogenesis, or cytoplasmic incompatibility. here, we present the 1,445,873-bp genome of w. pipientis strain wri that induces very strong cytoplasmic incompatibility in its natural host drosophila simulans. a comparison with the previously sequenced genome of w. pipientis strain ...	2009	19307581
the joint evolutionary histories of wolbachia and mitochondria in hypolimnas bolina.	the interaction between the blue moon butterfly, hypolimnas bolina, and wolbachia has attracted interest because of the high prevalence of male-killing achieved within the species, the ecological consequences of this high prevalence, the intensity of selection on the host to suppress the infection, and the presence of multiple wolbachia infections inducing different phenotypes. we examined diversity in the co-inherited marker, mtdna, and the partitioning of this between individuals of different ...	2009	19317891
the virulent wolbachia strain wmelpop efficiently establishes somatic infections in the malaria vector anopheles gambiae.	wolbachia pipientis bacteria are maternally inherited endosymbionts that are of interest to control the anopheles mosquito vectors of malaria. wolbachia does not infect anopheles mosquitoes in nature, although cultured anopheles cells can be infected. here, we show that the virulent wolbachia strain wmelpop can survive and replicate when injected into female anopheles gambiae adults, but the somatic infections established are avirulent. these in vivo data suggest that stable wolbachia infections ...	2009	19329661
molecular phylogeny of wolbachia strains in arthropod hosts based on groe-homologous gene sequences.	wolbachia is a genus of maternally inherited, intracellular, alpha-proteobacteria which are widespread among arthropods and cause various reproductive alterations such as cytoplasmic incompatibility and feminization. wolbachia strains in arthropods have been phylogenetically divided into two supergroups, a and b. here, we determined the phylogenetic relationships among wolbachia strains harbored by insects and isopod crustaceans by using groe operon sequences, which encode highly conserved bacte ...	2009	19341336
evidence for metabolic provisioning by a common invertebrate endosymbiont, wolbachia pipientis, during periods of nutritional stress.	wolbachia are ubiquitous inherited endosymbionts of invertebrates that invade host populations by modifying host reproductive systems. however, some strains lack the ability to impose reproductive modification and yet are still capable of successfully invading host populations. to explain this paradox, theory predicts that such strains should provide a fitness benefit, but to date none has been detected. recently completed genome sequences of different wolbachia strains show that these bacteria ...	2009	19343208
wolbachia infection in australasian and north american populations of haematobia irritans (diptera: muscidae).	buffalo fly (haematobia irritans exigua) is a major pest of beef and dairy cattle in northern australia. global warming is expected to increase the southern range of buffalo fly. chemical control is compromised by resistance and may not be feasible in extensive production systems and there is rapidly growing market preference for beef and dairy products produced in low-chemical systems. wolbachia are vertically transmitted intracellular bacteria that can profoundly influence host reproduction an ...	2009	19345018
brugia malayi excreted/secreted proteins at the host/parasite interface: stage- and gender-specific proteomic profiling.	relatively little is known about the filarial proteins that interact with the human host. although the filarial genome has recently been completed, protein profiles have been limited to only a few recombinants or purified proteins of interest. here, we describe a large-scale proteomic analysis using microcapillary reverse-phase liquid chromatography-tandem-mass spectrometry to identify the excretory-secretory (es) products of the l3, l3 to l4 molting es, adult male, adult female, and microfilari ...	2009	19352421