Publications
| Title | Abstract | Year(sorted descending) Filter | PMID Filter |
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| trypsin-like serine proteases in lutzomyia longipalpis--expression, activity and possible modulation by leishmania infantum chagasi. | midgut enzymatic activity is one of the obstacles that leishmania must surpass to succeed in establishing infection. trypsins are abundant digestive enzymes in most insects. we have previously described two trypsin cdnas of l. longipalpis: one (lltryp1) with a bloodmeal induced transcription pattern, the other (lltryp2) with a constitutive transcription pattern. we have now characterized the expression and activity of trypsin-like proteases of lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of visceral l ... | 2010 | 20502532 |
| immunity to lutzomyia intermedia saliva modulates the inflammatory environment induced by leishmania braziliensis. | during blood feeding, sand flies inject leishmania parasites in the presence of saliva. the types and functions of cells present at the first host-parasite contact are critical to the outcome on infection and sand fly saliva has been shown to play an important role in this setting. herein, we investigated the in vivo chemotactic effects of lutzomyia intermedia saliva, the vector of leishmania braziliensis, combined or not with the parasite. | 2010 | 20559550 |
| leishmania infantum proteophosphoglycans regurgitated by the bite of its natural sand fly vector, lutzomyia longipalpis, promote parasite establishment in mouse skin and skin-distant tissues. | we demonstrate that a proteophosphoglycan-rich gel secreted by leishmania infantum inside the midgut of lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies (promastigote secretory gel) is regurgitated along with an average dose of 500 l. infantum metacyclic promastigotes per infected bite. using both low (10³) and high (10⁵) doses of parasites in the ears of balb/c mice we show that the infections benefit from the presence of vector saliva and parasite gel in the skin. however, chronic infection of the spleen was ... | 2010 | 20561596 |
| invasion of mosquito salivary glands by malaria parasites: prerequisites and defense strategies. | the interplay between vector and pathogen is essential for vector-borne disease transmission. dissecting the molecular basis of refractoriness of some vectors may pave the way to novel disease control mechanisms. a pathogen often needs to overcome several physical barriers, such as the peritrophic matrix, midgut epithelium and salivary glands. additionally, the arthropod vector elicites immune responses that can severely limit transmission success. one important step in the transmission of most ... | 2010 | 20621627 |
| humoral immunological profile and parasitological statuses of leishmune vaccinated and visceral leishmaniasis infected dogs from an endemic area. | dogs represent the major reservoir of leishmaniao chagasi and vaccination against the canine disease is a potential control strategy. however, seroconversion occurs post-vaccine and hence, there is need to discriminate between the former group and naturally infected dogs. the present study represents a comparison of the humoral immunological profiles of both groups using leishmania soluble antigen (lsa) and fucose-mannose ligand (fml). for both categories, ear skin samples were evaluated immunoh ... | 2010 | 20638182 |
| pacap protects against tnfα-induced cell death in olfactory epithelium and olfactory placodal cell lines. | in mouse olfactory epithelium (oe), pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (pacap) protects against axotomy-induced apoptosis. we used mouse oe to determine whether pacap protects neurons during exposure to the inflammatory cytokine tnfα. live slices of neonatal mouse oe were treated with 40 ng/ml tnfα ± 40nm pacap for 6h and dying cells were live-labeled with 0.5% propidium iodide. tnfα significantly increased the percentage of dying cells while co-incubation with pacap prevented cell d ... | 2010 | 20654718 |
| canine leishmaniasis in brazil: serological follow-up of a dog population in an endemic area of american visceral leishmaniasis. | we performed a serological, clinical, and parasitological follow-up of a dog population in an endemic area of american visceral leishmaniasis estimated by indirect immunofluorescent assay (ifa) and western blot (wb). after twelve months, the results obtained from ifa demonstrated that 50% were seropositive and two serological profiles were observed: the first one ranging from 1/40 to 1/80 and the second >/=1/160. by wb, it was observed that the same percentage and sera from positive dogs present ... | 2010 | 20798762 |
| autochthonous visceral leishmaniasis in brasília, federal district, brazil. | visceral leishmaniasis is a public health threat in brazil considering the high lethality rates and increasing geographical dispersion to large urban conglomerates over the past 25 years. this study aimed to confirm suspected autochthonous cases of visceral leishmaniasis reported from 2005 to 2009 among individuals living in brasilia, federal district. | 2010 | 20802938 |
| lack of protection of pre-immunization with saliva of long-term colonized phlebotomus papatasi against experimental challenge with leishmania major and saliva of wild-caught p. papatasi. | immunity to saliva of phlebotomus papatasi protects against leishmania major infection as determined by co-inoculation of parasites with salivary gland homogenates (sghs) of this vector. these results were obtained with long-term colonized female p. papatasi. we investigated the effect of pre-immunization with sgh of long-term colonized p. papatasi against l. major infection co-inoculated with sgh of wild-caught p. papatasi. our results showed that pre-exposure to sgh of long-term, colonized p. ... | 2010 | 20810812 |
| phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae) of alagoas state, northeast of brazil. | the phlebotomine sandflies of the state of alagoas are poorly known, with more than 40 years since the last report on sandflies in the state. in here, psathyromyia brasiliensis (costa lima), micropygomyia quinquefer (dyar,) and evandromyia termitophila (martins, falcão & silva) are registered for the first time in alagoas. this report increases to nine the number of species collected in the state, including lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva), migonemyia migonei (frança), nyssomyia whitmani (an ... | 2009 | 19943022 |
| epidemiological study on leishmaniasis in an area of environmental tourism and ecotourism, state of mato grosso do sul, 2006-2007. | the aims of this study were to carry out a serological survey of canine leishmaniasis and identify the phlebotomine fauna in the urban area of bonito, mato grosso do sul. the serological survey was conducted on a sample of 303 dogs, by means of the indirect immunofluorescence test. phlebotomines were captured using automated light traps. the serological survey found that 30% of the dogs were seropositive, both from the center and from all districts of the town. a total of 2,772 specimens of phle ... | 2009 | 19967228 |
| visceral leishmaniasis in rio de janeiro, brazil: eco-epidemiological aspects and control. | from 1977 (index case) to 2006, 87 cases of visceral leishmaniasis were confirmed in the municipality of rio de janeiro, brazil, in periurban areas on the continental and coastal slopes of the pedra branca massif and the continental slopes of the gericinó massif. the majority (65.5%) of the patients were more than five years old, predominantly males (61.5%), but without any difference between the sexes below the age of 14 years. the overall fatality rate was 10.4%. two cases of visceral leishman ... | 2009 | 19967242 |
| [sandflies (diptera: psychodidae) in indigenous villages in the state of mato grosso]. | this study was conducted in 25 indigenous villages in 13 municipalities of the state of mato grosso. 4,424 specimens of 37 species of the genus lutzomyia and one species of the genus brumptomyia were identified. vectors for american tegumentary leishmaniasis and visceral leishmaniasis were abundantly captured, and these represented 28.7% (lutzomyia whitmani) and 23.6% (lutzomyia longipalpis), respectively. | 2009 | 19967248 |
| inhibition of trypsin expression in lutzomyia longipalpis using rnai enhances the survival of leishmania. | abstract: | 2009 | 20003192 |
| [distribution of vectors of visceral leishmaniasis in the province of corrientes, 2008]. | visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a relevant parasitic disease in public health, produced by leishmania infantum chagasi. since the urbanization and emergence in southern brazil and paraguay, the vector lutzomyia longipalpis in formosa, 2004, and the first human visceral leishmaniasis case in misiones, 2006, have been reported in argentina. due to the reports of canine vl, a search of the vector in the province of corrientes, contiguous to misiones, was performed during december 2008. standarized t ... | 2009 | 20053601 |
| sand flies, leishmania, and transcriptome-borne solutions. | sand fly-parasite and sand fly-host interactions play an important role in the transmission of leishmaniasis. vector molecules relevant for such interactions include midgut and salivary proteins. these potential targets for interruption of propagation of leishmania parasites have been poorly characterized. transcriptomic analysis has proven to be an effective tool for identification of new sand fly molecules, providing exciting new insights into vector-based control strategies against leishmania ... | 2009 | 18768167 |
| phlebotomus (euphlebotomus) barguesae n. sp. from thailand (diptera - psychodidae). | abstract: | 2009 | 19128518 |
| insight into the sialome of the black fly, simulium vittatum. | adaptation to vertebrate blood feeding includes development of a salivary "magic potion" that can disarm host hemostasis and inflammatory reactions. within the lower diptera, a vertebrate blood-sucking mode evolved in the psychodidae (sand flies), culicidae (mosquitoes), ceratopogonidae (biting midges), simuliidae (black flies), and the frog-feeding corethrellidae. sialotranscriptome analyses from several species of mosquitoes and sand flies and from one biting midge indicate divergence in the e ... | 2009 | 19166301 |
| molecular and behavioral differentiation among brazilian populations of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae). | lutzomyia longipalpis is the primary vector of american visceral leishmaniasis. there is strong evidence that l. longipalpis is a species complex, but until recently the existence of sibling species among brazilian populations was considered a controversial issue. in addition, there is still no consensus regarding the number of species occurring in this complex. | 2009 | 19172187 |
| antibody responses of domestic animals to salivary antigens of triatomainfestans as biomarkers for low-level infestation of triatomines. | hematophagous arthropods such as triatoma infestans, the vector of trypanosoma cruzi, elicit host-immune responses during feeding. characterization of antibody responses to salivary antigens offers the potential to develop immunologically based monitoring techniques for exposure to re-emergent triatomine bug populations in peridomestic animals. igg-antibody responses to the salivary antigens of t.infestans have been detected in chickens as soon as 2 days after the first exposure to five adult bu ... | 2009 | 19248784 |
| a 245kb mini-chromosome impacts on leishmania braziliensis infection and survival. | leishmania (v.) braziliensis, the causative agent of mucocutaneous leishmaniasis in the new world, may present an ld1 type genomic amplification that appears as a small 245 kb linear chromosome, and is not clearly associated to the presence of a selection agent. a bt1 gene, codifying for a biopterin transporter protein, was identified in this small chromosome. leishmania are auxotrophic for pterins and one of the proposed explanations for the appearance of this amplification is the improvement o ... | 2009 | 19254695 |
| suppression of rna interference increases alphavirus replication and virus-associated mortality in aedes aegypti mosquitoes. | arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses) can persistently infect and cause limited damage to mosquito vectors. rna interference (rnai) is a mosquito antiviral response important in restricting rna virus replication and has been shown to be active against some arboviruses. the goal of this study was to use a recombinant sindbis virus (sinv; family togaviridae; genus alphavirus) that expresses b2 protein of flock house virus (fhv; family nodaviridae; genus alphanodavirus), a protein that inhibits rna ... | 2009 | 19265532 |
| phlebotominae distribution in janaúba, an area of transmission for visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. | in brazil, visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is caused by leishmania chagasi parasites that are transmitted to man through the bites of infected females of lutzomyia longipalpis sand flies. in order to evaluate transmission risk and to clarify the epidemiology of this tropical disease, studies focused on the vector and favorable environmental conditions are of fundamental importance. in this work, we surveyed the phlebotomine sand fly fauna in janaúba, a brazilian municipality that is endemic for vl. ... | 2009 | 19274377 |
| perpetuation of leishmania: some novel insight into elegant developmental programs. | leishmania spp. are polarized single-celled eukaryotic parasites, the perpetuation of which relies on two other organisms they "use" as hosts. one of the leishmania host organisms is a blood-feeding female sand fly, the second host being a mammal that acts as a blood source for the female sand fly. leishmania-hosting sand flies transmit the metacyclic promastigote developmental stage to the mammal skin. while many mammals are known to act as sand fly blood sources, only some of these mammals are ... | 2009 | 19379663 |
| canine leishmaniosis in south america. | abstract : canine leishmaniosis is widespread in south america, where a number of leishmania species have been isolated or molecularly characterised from dogs. most cases of canine leishmaniosis are caused by leishmania infantum (syn. leishmania chagasi) and leishmania braziliensis. the only well-established vector of leishmania parasites to dogs in south america is lutzomyia longipalpis, the main vector of l. infantum, but many other phlebotomine sandfly species might be involved. for quite som ... | 2009 | 19426440 |
| changing distribution patterns of canine vector borne diseases in italy: leishmaniosis vs. dirofilariosis. | abstract : ecological and climatic changes, human and animal population dynamics are among the several factors that have favoured the spread or the (re)introduction and establishment of "novel" vector species and pathogens they transmit in previously disease-free geographical areas. as key examples of the changing pattern of distribution of canine vector borne diseases (cvbds), the current distribution of canine leishmaniosis (canl) by leishmania infantum and dirofilariosis by dirofilaria immiti ... | 2009 | 19426441 |
| saliva of laboratory-reared lutzomyia longipalpis exacerbates leishmania (leishmania) amazonensis infection more potently than saliva of wild-caught lutzomyia longipalpis. | in order to compare the saliva effect from wild-caught and lab-reared l. longipalpis on the development of experimental cutaneous leishmaniasis, c57bl/6 mice were inoculated subcutaneously into the hind footpads with promastigotes of l. (l.) amazonensis plus salivary gland lysate from wild-caught (sgl-w) and lab-colonized (sgl-c) vectors. lesion sizes were significantly larger in the mice infected with both saliva compared to mice infected with parasites alone; moreover, the lesions caused by pa ... | 2009 | 19454323 |
| sand fly salivary proteins induce strong cellular immunity in a natural reservoir of visceral leishmaniasis with adverse consequences for leishmania. | immunity to a sand fly salivary protein protects against visceral leishmaniasis (vl) in hamsters. this protection was associated with the development of cellular immunity in the form of a delayed-type hypersensitivity response and the presence of ifn-gamma at the site of sand fly bites. to date, there are no data available regarding the cellular immune response to sand fly saliva in dogs, the main reservoirs of vl in latin america, and its role in protection from this fatal disease. two of 35 sa ... | 2009 | 19461875 |
| peritrophic matrix of phlebotomus duboscqi and its kinetics during leishmania major development. | light microscopy of native preparations, histology, and electron microscopy have revealed that phlebotomus duboscqi belongs to a class of sand fly species with prompt development of the peritrophic matrix (pm). secretion of electron-lucent fibrils, presumably chitin, starts immediately after the ingestion of a blood meal and, about 6 h later, is followed by secretion of amorphous electron-dense components, presumably proteins and glycoproteins. the pm matures in less than 12 h and consists of a ... | 2009 | 19471970 |
| strong host-feeding preferences of the vector triatoma infestans modified by vector density: implications for the epidemiology of chagas disease. | understanding the factors that affect the host-feeding preferences of triatomine bugs is crucial for estimating transmission risks and predicting the effects of control tactics targeting domestic animals. we tested whether triatoma infestans bugs prefer to feed on dogs vs. chickens and on dogs vs. cats and whether vector density modified host choices and other vital rates under natural conditions. | 2009 | 19478849 |
| cooperation between apoptotic and viable metacyclics enhances the pathogenesis of leishmaniasis. | mimicking mammalian apoptotic cells by exposing phosphatidylserine (ps) is a strategy used by virus and parasitic protozoa to escape host protective inflammatory responses. with leishmania amazonensis (la), apoptotic mimicry is a prerogative of the intramacrophagic amastigote form of the parasite and is modulated by the host. now we show that differently from what happens with amastigotes, promastigotes exposing ps are non-viable, non-infective cells, undergoing apoptotic death. as part of the n ... | 2009 | 19478944 |
| using biotic interaction networks for prediction in biodiversity and emerging diseases. | networks offer a powerful tool for understanding and visualizing inter-species ecological and evolutionary interactions. previously considered examples, such as trophic networks, are just representations of experimentally observed direct interactions. however, species interactions are so rich and complex it is not feasible to directly observe more than a small fraction. in this paper, using data mining techniques, we show how potential interactions can be inferred from geographic data, rather th ... | 2009 | 19478956 |
| synthetic sex pheromone attracts the leishmaniasis vector lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) to traps in the field. | improving vector control remains a key goal in reducing the world's burden of infectious diseases. more cost-effective approaches to vector control are urgently needed, particularly because vaccines are unavailable and treatment is prohibitively expensive. the causative agent of american visceral leishmaniasis (avl), leishmania chagasi, cunha and chagas (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae), is transmitted between animal and human hosts by blood-feeding female sand flies attracted to mating aggrega ... | 2009 | 19496409 |
| inhibitor of cysteine peptidase does not influence the development of leishmania mexicana in lutzomyia longipalpis. | it has been proposed that the natural cysteine peptidase inhibitor icp of leishmania mexicana protects the protozoan parasite from insect host proteolytic enzymes, thereby promoting survival. to test this hypothesis, l. mexicana mutants deficient in icp were evaluated for their ability to develop in the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis. no significant differences were found between the wild-type parasites, two independently derived icp-deficient mutants, or mutants overexpressing icp; all lines de ... | 2009 | 19496433 |
| [new records of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) (diptera: psychodidae) in the central east region of são paulo state, brazil]. | cutaneous (lta) and visceral (lva) american leishmaniasis incidences are increasing in human and canine hosts, especially lva, which is expanding its range through são paulo state. distribution and ecology knowledge of different sand fly species is essential for leishmaniasis epidemiology vigilance. the communication of new findings of its vectors is mandatory for risk determination for transmission of these illnesses. on this study sand flies were trapped in bushed areas, in different localitie ... | 2009 | 19500464 |
| role of the domestic dog as a reservoir host of leishmania donovani in eastern sudan. | abstract: | 2009 | 19534802 |
| analysis of salivary transcripts and antigens of the sand fly phlebotomus arabicus. | sand fly saliva plays an important role in blood feeding and leishmania transmission as it was shown to increase parasite virulence. on the other hand, immunity to salivary components impedes the establishment of infection. therefore, it is most desirable to gain a deeper insight into the composition of saliva in sand fly species which serve as vectors of various forms of leishmaniases. in the present work, we focused on phlebotomus (adlerius) arabicus, which was recently shown to transmit leish ... | 2009 | 19555500 |
| the role of salivary and intestinal complement system inhibitors in the midgut protection of triatomines and mosquitoes. | saliva of haematophagous arthropods contain biomolecules involved directly or indirectly with the haematophagy process, and among them are encountered some complement system inhibitors. the most obvious function for these inhibitors would be the protection of the midgut against injury by the complement. to investigate this hypothesis, triatoma brasiliensis nymphs were forced to ingest human serum in conditions in which the protection of midgut by the inhibitors is bypassed. in these conditions, ... | 2009 | 19557176 |
| est sequencing of blood-fed and leishmania-infected midgut of lutzomyia longipalpis, the principal visceral leishmaniasis vector in the americas. | leishmaniasis is an important worldwide public health problem. visceral leishmaniasis caused by leishmania infantum chagasi is mainly transmitted by lutzomyia longipalpis in the americas. leishmania development within the sand fly vector is mostly restricted to the midgut. thus, a comparative analysis of blood-fed versus infected midguts may provide an invaluable insight into various aspects of sand fly immunity, physiology of blood digestion, and, more importantly, of leishmania development. to ... | 2009 | 19565270 |
| differential activation of guinea pig intrinsic cardiac neurons by the pac1 agonists maxadilan and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide 27 (pacap27). | pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (pacap) evokes tachycardia followed by a larger cholinergic bradycardia in isolated guinea pig hearts. we used the selective pac1 receptor agonist maxadilan and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (vip) to test the hypothesis that pacap27-evoked tachycardia and bradycardia are mediated by vpac and pac1 receptors, respectively. chronotropic actions of these peptides were evaluated in isolated perfused hearts. direct neuronal actions were determined ... | 2009 | 19602551 |
| [asymmetric reproductive isolation between lutzomyia pseudolongipalpis and lutzomyia longipalpis (species c2), neotropical vectors of visceral leishmaniasis (diptera: pshychodidae)]. | lutzomyia pseudolongipalpis and lutzomyia longipalpis (species c2, l. sp n.) are two endemic species of phlebotominae sand fly vectors from venezuela. the two insects are sympatric and monophyletic but have deeply diverging, morphological differences. they belong to the l. longipalpis complex. a study of their reproductive isolation is necessary to understand the process of speciation and maintenance of the two sister species as two discrete taxonomic and biological entities. cross-mating tests ... | 2009 | 19637685 |
| functional characterization of a salivary apyrase from the sand fly, phlebotomus duboscqi, a vector of leishmania major. | two transcripts coding for proteins homologous to apyrases were identified by massive sequencing of a phlebotomus (p.) duboscqi salivary gland cdna library. the sequence analysis revealed that the amino acids important for enzymatic activity including nucleotidase activity and the binding of calcium and nucleotides were well conserved in these molecules. a recombinant p. duboscqi salivary apyrase was expressed in escherichia coli and purified. the resulting protein efficiently hydrolyzed adp and ... | 2009 | 19651132 |
| kinin danger signals proteolytically released by gingipain induce fimbriae-specific ifn-gamma- and il-17-producing t cells in mice infected intramucosally with porphyromonas gingivalis. | porphyromonas gingivalis, a gram-negative bacterium that causes periodontitis, activates the kinin system via the cysteine protease r-gingipain. using a model of buccal infection based on p. gingivalis inoculation in the anterior mandibular vestibule, we studied whether kinins released by gingipain may link mucosal inflammation to t cell-dependent immunity through the activation of bradykinin b(2) receptors (b(2)r). our data show that p. gingivalis w83 (wild type), but not gingipain-deficient mu ... | 2009 | 19687097 |
| proteophosophoglycans regurgitated by leishmania-infected sand flies target the l-arginine metabolism of host macrophages to promote parasite survival. | all natural leishmania infections start in the skin; however, little is known of the contribution made by the sand fly vector to the earliest events in mammalian infection, especially in inflamed skin that can rapidly kill invading parasites. during transmission sand flies regurgitate a proteophosphoglycan gel synthesized by the parasites inside the fly midgut, termed promastigote secretory gel (psg). regurgitated psg can exacerbate cutaneous leishmaniasis. here, we show that the amount of leish ... | 2009 | 19696894 |
| a long-lasting topical deltamethrin treatment to protect dogs against visceral leishmaniasis. | to develop long-lasting, topical pour-on insecticides for dogs to control zoonotic visceral leishmaniasis, two deltamethrin-based formulations (emulsifiable concentrate [ec] and suspension concentrate [sc]) were tested for their efficacy against the phlebotomine sandfly lutzomyia longipalpis lutz & neiva (diptera: psychodidae), vector of leishmania infantum nicolle (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae). the entomological outcomes tested were anti-feeding effect (proportion of female sandflies unfed ... | 2009 | 19712155 |
| life cycle differences among brazilian sandflies of the lutzomyia longipalpis sibling species complex. | the developmental cycles of five brazilian populations of the lutzomyia longipalpis lutz & neiva species complex (diptera: psychodidae) were compared under laboratory conditions. three of the populations were derived from insects collected in allopatric sites at natal (rio grande do norte state), jacobina (bahia state) and lapinha cave (minas gerais state). the other two originated from sobral (ceará state), where the males of two sympatric species can be distinguished by the presence of one (1s ... | 2009 | 19712160 |
| the chemokine monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 contributes to renal dysfunction in swine renovascular hypertension. | renal artery stenosis (ras) causes renovascular hypertension and renal damage, which may result from tissue inflammation. we have previously shown that the kidney in ras exhibits increased expression of monocyte chemoattractant protein (mcp)-1, but its contribution to renal injury remained unknown. this study tested the hypothesis that mcp-1 contributes to renal injury and dysfunction in the stenotic kidney. | 2009 | 19730125 |
| effects of salivary gland homogenate from wild-caught and laboratory-reared lutzomyia longipalpis on the evolution and immunomodulation of leishmania (leishmania) amazonensis infection. | we investigated the effects of lutzomyia longipalpis salivary glands homogenate of wild-caught and laboratory-reared vectors on the lesion evolution and immunomodulation of the infection caused by leishmania (leishmania) amazonensis. to compare the effect of both salivary glands homogenate (sgh), c57bl/6 mice were inoculated subcutaneously into the hind footpads or into the ear dermis with 10(6) promastigotes in the presence or not of sgh from wild-caught and laboratory-colonized sand flies. com ... | 2009 | 19751274 |
| new means of canine leishmaniasis transmission in north america: the possibility of transmission to humans still unknown. | at present it is not possible to determine in advance the outcome of leishmania infantum infection. canine visceral leishmaniasis (vl), caused by le. infantum, is a natural disease process which offers a insight into the interaction of the host and resultant disease outcome. canine vl results in the same altered pathophysiology and immunodysregulation seen in humans. vl in us dogs is likely to be transmitted primarily via nontraditional, nonvector means. vl mediated by le. infantum is endemic in ... | 2009 | 19753139 |
| [two new populations of lutzomyia pseudolongipalpis arrivillaga & feliciangeli (diptera: phlebotominae) vector of visceral leishmaniasis in venezuela]. | two new populations of lutzomyia pseudolongipalpis arrivillaga & feliciangeli, species belonging to the lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) complex, are reported in venezuela on diagnostic isoenzymes. | 2009 | 19768281 |
| susceptibility to chemical insecticides of two brazilian populations of the visceral leishmaniasis vector lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | to investigate the insecticide susceptibility of two geographically separated lutzomyia longipalpis populations (lapinha and montes claros) with different histories of insecticide exposure (i.e. no exposure and repeated exposure, respectively). | 2009 | 19772549 |
| [allochthonous cases of canine visceral leishmaniasis in paraná, brazil: epidemiological implications]. | the south region is the only area in brazil that does not present autochthonous cases of visceral leishmaniasis (vl), however, in the state of paraná, dogs and humans have been found showing a vl compatible clinical profile. in view of this problem, the present work aimed at isolating and identifying the parasite and determining the cases autochthony. all animals clinically suspect of vl were clinically evaluated, and had samples of their blood collected for hemoculture (nnn culture medium), ser ... | 2009 | 19772775 |
| phlebotomine fauna (diptera: psychodidae) of an american cutaneous leishmaniasis endemic area in the state of mato grosso do sul, brazil. | the occurrence of an outbreak of cutaneous leishmaniasis associated with leishmania (leishmania) amazonensis in the municipality of bela vista, state of mato grosso do sul, brazil, and the absence of information on its vectors in this area led the authors to undertake captures of phlebotomine sand flies, using shannon traps and automatic cdc light traps, in domiciles, forested areas and animal shelters from february 2004-january 2006. a total of 808 specimens belonging to 18 sandfly species have ... | 2009 | 19820827 |
| visceral leishmaniasis in border areas: clustered distribution of phlebotomine sand flies in clorinda, argentina. | three years after the first report of lutzomyia longipalpis in clorinda, argentina, a border city near asunción, paraguay, the city was surveyed again. lu. longipalpis was found clustered in the same neighbourhoods in 2007 as in 2004, even though the scattered distribution of canine visceral leishmaniasis was more related to the traffic of dogs through the border. | 2009 | 19820846 |
| immunogenic salivary proteins of triatoma infestans: development of a recombinant antigen for the detection of low-level infestation of triatomines. | triatomines are vectors of trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of chagas disease in latin america. the most effective vector, triatoma infestans, has been controlled successfully in much of latin america using insecticide spraying. though rarely undertaken, surveillance programs are necessary in order to identify new infestations and estimate the intensity of triatomine bug infestations in domestic and peridomestic habitats. since hosts exposed to triatomines develop immune responses to sal ... | 2009 | 19841746 |
| identification of the sex pheromone of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) (diptera: psychodidae) from asunción, paraguay. | abstract: the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis is the main vector of leishmania (l.) infantum (nicolle), the causative agent of american visceral leishmaniasis (avl) in the new world. male lu. longipalpis have secretory glands which produce sex pheromones in either abdominal tergites 4 or 3 and 4. these glands are sites of sex pheromone production and each pheromone type may represent true sibling species. in latin america, apart from lu. pseudolongipalpis arrivillaga and feliciangeli from venezue ... | 2009 | 19883505 |
| genomic resources for invertebrate vectors of human pathogens, and the role of vectorbase. | high-throughput genome sequencing techniques have now reached vector biology with an emphasis on those species that are vectors of human pathogens. the first mosquito to be sequenced was anopheles gambiae, the vector for plasmodium parasites that cause malaria. further mosquitoes have followed: aedes aegypti (yellow fever and dengue fever vector) and culex pipiens (lymphatic filariasis and west nile fever). species that are currently in sequencing include the body louse pediculus humanus (typhus ... | 2009 | 18262474 |
| the first report of the main vector of visceral leishmaniasis in america, lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae), in the state of rio grande do sul, brazil. | visceral leishmaniasis (vl) is a widespread zoonosis in brazil and, up to now, there has been no record of the main vector of its agent, lutzomyia longipalpis, in the southern region. due to the diagnosis of vl in a dog in october 2008 in the city of são borja, in the southernmost brazilian state of rio grande do sul, a collection of phlebotomines was undertaken to detect the presence of the vector lu. longipalpis. the captures were carried out with cdc light traps on three consecutive nights in ... | 2009 | 20140381 |
| association of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) population density with climate variables in montes claros, an area of american visceral leishmaniasis transmission in the state of minas gerais, brazil. | in the present paper, we evaluate the relationship between climate variables and population density of lutzomyia longipalpis in montes claros, an area of active transmission of american visceral leishmaniasis (avl) in brazil. entomological captures were performed in 10 selected districts of the city, between september 2002-august 2003. a total of 773 specimens of l. longipalpiswere captured in the period and the population density could be associated with local climate variables (cumulative rain ... | 2009 | 20140384 |
| the finding of lutzomyia almerioi and lutzomyia longipalpis naturally infected by leishmania spp. in a cutaneous and canine visceral leishmaniases focus in serra da bodoquena, brazil. | to identify natural infections by leishmania spp. in insect vectors of cutaneous and visceral leishmaniasis, we performed field studies in natural and anthropic environments in the guaicurus settlement (bodoquena range) of the bonito municipality, mato grosso do sul state, brazil. from october 2002 to october 2003, a total of 1395 sandfly females were captured with shannon and light traps and dissected in search of flagellates. the sample is composed of a total of 13 species, with lutzomyia alme ... | 2009 | 19062193 |
| cooperative blood-feeding and the function and implications of feeding aggregations in the sand fly, lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | given the importance that the evolution of cooperation bears in evolutionary biology and the social sciences, extensive theoretical work has focused on identifying conditions that promote cooperation among individuals. in insects, cooperative or altruistic interactions typically occur amongst social insects and are thus explained by kin selection. here we provide evidence that in lutzomia longipalpis, a small biting fly and an important vector of leishmaniasis in the new world, cooperative blood ... | 2009 | 19688042 |
| roles of galectins in infection. | galectins, which were first characterized in the mid-1970s, were assigned a role in the recognition of endogenous ('self') carbohydrate ligands in embryogenesis, development and immune regulation. recently, however, galectins have been shown to bind glycans on the surface of potentially pathogenic microorganisms, and function as recognition and effector factors in innate immunity. some parasites subvert the recognition roles of the vector or host galectins to ensure successful attachment or inva ... | 2009 | 19444247 |
| subversion of complement by hematophagous parasites. | the complement system is a crucial part of innate and adaptive immunity which exerts a significant evolutionary pressure on pathogens. it has selected for those pathogens, mainly microorganisms but also parasites, that have evolved countermeasures. the characterization of how pathogens evade complement attack is a rapidly developing field of current research. in recent years, multiple complement evasion strategies have been characterized. in this review, we focus on complement escape mechanisms ... | 2009 | 18762211 |
| vectorbase: a data resource for invertebrate vector genomics. | vectorbase (http://www.vectorbase.org) is an niaid-funded bioinformatic resource center focused on invertebrate vectors of human pathogens. vectorbase annotates and curates vector genomes providing a web accessible integrated resource for the research community. currently, vectorbase contains genome information for three mosquito species: aedes aegypti, anopheles gambiae and culex quinquefasciatus, a body louse pediculus humanus and a tick species ixodes scapularis. since our last report vectorb ... | 2009 | 19028744 |
| molecular genomic approaches to infectious diseases in resource-limited settings. | 2009 | 19855820 | |
| effect of fruit and leaves of meliaceae plants (azadirachta indica and melia azedarach) on the development of lutzomyia longipalpis larvae (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae) under experimental conditions. | this no-choice, laboratory study focuses on the feeding of dried, ground, homogeneous powdered, unprocessed fruit and leaves of azadirachta indica and melia azedarach to lutzomyia longipalpis larvae to determine the effects on their mortality and metamorphosis. a. indica and m. azedarach fruit and leaves significantly increased larval mortality in comparison to larvae fed the untreated, standard diet. a. indica fruit and leaves blocked the molting of the larvae to the fourth instar, resulting in ... | 2009 | 19769044 |
| should reproductively isolated populations of lutzomyia longipalpis sensu lato receive taxonomically valid names? | a group of 18 research workers involved in different aspects of the biology of lutzomyia longipalpis discussed whether or not it is important to give taxonomically valid names to populations that have been defined by biological, biochemical and molecular methods to be reproductively isolated. the type material of this medically important species has been lost and because of this it was recommended that a colony should be established from insects captured in the region of the type area and that t ... | 2009 | 20140386 |
| salivary gland homogenates of lutzomyia longipalpis and its vasodilatory peptide maxadilan cause plasma leakage via pac1 receptor activation. | experiments were designed to determine if salivary gland homogenates (sgh) of the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis, the vasodilatory peptides maxadilan and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (pacap-38) may cause plasma leakage and to what extent these effects could be due to pac1 receptor stimulation. | 2009 | 19176972 |
| a repertoire of the dominant transcripts from the salivary glands of the blood-sucking bug, triatoma dimidiata, a vector of chagas disease. | triatoma (t.) dimidiata is a hematophagous hemiptera and a main vector of chagas disease. the saliva of this and other blood-sucking insects contains potent pharmacologically active components that assist them in counteracting the host hemostatic and inflammatory systems during blood feeding. to describe the repertoire of potential bioactive salivary molecules from this insect, a number of randomly selected transcripts from the salivary gland cdna library of t. dimidiata were sequenced and analy ... | 2009 | 19900580 |
| surviving the cold: molecular analyses of insect cryoprotective dehydration in the arctic springtail megaphorura arctica (tullberg). | insects provide tractable models for enhancing our understanding of the physiological and cellular processes that enable survival at extreme low temperatures. they possess three main strategies to survive the cold: freeze tolerance, freeze avoidance or cryoprotective dehydration, of which the latter method is exploited by our model species, the arctic springtail megaphorura arctica, formerly onychiurus arcticus (tullberg 1876). the physiological mechanisms underlying cryoprotective dehydration h ... | 2009 | 19622137 |
| platelet aggregation inhibitors from hematophagous animals. | salivary glands from blood-sucking animals (e.g., mosquitoes, bugs, sand flies, fleas, ticks, leeches, hookworms, bats) are a rich source of bioactive molecules that counteract hemostasis in a redundant and synergistic manner. this review discusses recent progress in the identification of salivary inhibitors of platelet aggregation, their molecular characterization, and detailed mechanism of action. diversity of inhibitors is remarkable, with distinct families of proteins characterized as apyras ... | 2009 | 20035779 |
| the salivary gland transcriptome of the neotropical malaria vector anopheles darlingi reveals accelerated evolution of genes relevant to hematophagy. | mosquito saliva, consisting of a mixture of dozens of proteins affecting vertebrate hemostasis and having sugar digestive and antimicrobial properties, helps both blood and sugar meal feeding. culicine and anopheline mosquitoes diverged ~150 mya, and within the anophelines, the new world species diverged from those of the old world ~95 mya. while the sialotranscriptome (from the greek sialo, saliva) of several species of the cellia subgenus of anopheles has been described thoroughly, no detailed ... | 2009 | 19178717 |
| large-scale identification of odorant-binding proteins and chemosensory proteins from expressed sequence tags in insects. | insect odorant binding proteins (obps) and chemosensory proteins (csps) play an important role in chemical communication of insects. gene discovery of these proteins is a time-consuming task. in recent years, expressed sequence tags (ests) of many insect species have accumulated, thus providing a useful resource for gene discovery. | 2009 | 20034407 |
| lutzomyia adiketis sp. n. (diptera: phlebotomidae), a vector of paleoleishmania neotropicum sp. n. (kinetoplastida: trypanosomatidae) in dominican amber. | 2008 | 18627624 | |
| comparative genomic analysis of novel conserved peptide upstream open reading frames in drosophila melanogaster and other dipteran species. | upstream open reading frames (uorfs) are elements found in the 5'-region of an mrna transcript, capable of regulating protein production of the largest, or major orf (morf), and impacting organismal development and growth in fungi, plants, and animals. in drosophila, approximately 40% of transcripts contain upstream start codons (uaugs) but there is little evidence that these are translated and affect their associated morf. | 2008 | 18237443 |
| functional insight into maelstrom in the germline pirna pathway: a unique domain homologous to the dnaq-h 3'-5' exonuclease, its lineage-specific expansion/loss and evolutionarily active site switch. | maelstrom (mael) plays a crucial role in a recently-discovered pirna pathway; however its specific function remains unknown. here a novel mael-specific domain characterized by a set of conserved residues (glu-his-his-cys-his-cys, ehhchc) was identified in a broad range of species including vertebrates, sea squirts, insects, nematodes, and protists. it exhibits ancient lineage-specific expansions in several species, however, appears to be lost in all examined teleost fish species. functional invo ... | 2008 | 19032786 |
| gene discovery in an invasive tephritid model pest species, the mediterranean fruit fly, ceratitis capitata. | the medfly, ceratitis capitata, is a highly invasive agricultural pest that has become a model insect for the development of biological control programs. despite research into the behavior and classical and population genetics of this organism, the quantity of sequence data available is limited. we have utilized an expressed sequence tag (est) approach to obtain detailed information on transcriptome signatures that relate to a variety of physiological systems in the medfly; this information emph ... | 2008 | 18500975 |
| fine structure and distribution pattern of antennal sensilla of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae) sand flies. | the specific aims of this work were to examine the antennal sensilla of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva 1912) (diptera: psychodidae) adults and to characterize their typology and topography, with special attention to olfactory sensilla. the surfaces of the antennal segments of lu. longipalpis males and females were studied by scanning electron microscopy (sem). lu. longipalpis used in the current study were obtained from a colony originating from lapinha cave, minas gerais state, brazil. mic ... | 2008 | 19058620 |
| genetic divergence between two sympatric species of the lutzomyia longipalpis complex in the paralytic gene, a locus associated with insecticide resistance and lovesong production. | the sandfly lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. is the main vector of american visceral leishmaniasis. l. longipalpis s.l. is a species complex but until recently the existence of cryptic sibling species among brazilian populations was a controversial issue. a fragment of paralytic (para), a voltage dependent sodium channel gene associated with insecticide resistance and courtship song production in drosophila, was isolated and used as a molecular marker to study the divergence between two sympatric sibl ... | 2008 | 19057828 |
| changes in amounts of total salivary gland proteins of lutzomyia longipallpis (diptera: psychodidae) according to age and diet. | saliva plays important roles in facilitation of a bloodmeal, lubrication of mouthparts, and parasite transmission for some vector insects. salivary composition changes during the lifetime of an insect, and differences in the salivary profile may influence its functions. in this report, the amount and profile of salivary gland protein of the american visceral leishmaniasis vector lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva, 1912) were analyzed at different times of insect development and diet. protein co ... | 2008 | 18533433 |
| lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. in brazil and the impact of the sao francisco river in the speciation of this sand fly vector. | in our recently published article "lutzomyia longipalpis s.l. in brazil and the impact of the sao francisco river in the speciation of this sand fly vector" by iliano v. coutinho-abreu et al. a sentence located in paragraph 8 in the discussion section had its meaning altered due to the improper insertion of three words. | 2008 | 18834535 |
| study on the bacterial midgut microbiota associated to different brazilian populations of lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) (diptera: psychodidae). | the bacterial community associated with the midgut of three brazilian lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) populations, two from endemic areas for visceral leishmaniasis (jacobina, bahia state and são luís, maranhão state) and one from a non-endemic area (lapinha cave, minas gerais state), was identified. five groups, 35 females each, from each population were separated; a total of 175 females per collecting area were analyzed. the species identification was based on molecular and traditional ba ... | 2008 | 19061048 |
| multilocus analysis of introgression between two sand fly vectors of leishmaniasis. | the phlebotomine sand flies (diptera:psychodidae) lutzomyia (nyssomyia) intermedia lutz & neiva 1912 and lutzomyia (nyssomyia) whitmani antunes & coutinho 1932 are two very closely related species and important vectors of american cutaneous leishmaniasis. two single-locus studies have revealed evidence for introgression between the two species in both mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. these findings have prompted the development of a multilocus approach to investigate in more detail the genetic ... | 2008 | 18474115 |
| comparative genomics of small rna regulatory pathway components in vector mosquitoes. | small rna regulatory pathways (srrps) control key aspects of development and anti-viral defense in metazoans. members of the argonaute family of catalytic enzymes degrade target rnas in each of these pathways. srrps include the microrna, small interfering rna (sirna) and piwi-type gene silencing pathways. mosquitoes generate viral sirnas when infected with rna arboviruses. however, in some mosquitoes, arboviruses survive antiviral rna interference (rnai) and are transmitted via mosquito bite to ... | 2008 | 18801182 |
| visceral leishmaniasis in brazil: trends and challenges. | the urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil has been related to environmental changes, migration, interaction and spread of sylvatic reservoirs and infected dogs to areas with no transmission, and adaptation of the vector lutzomyia longipalpis to the peridomiciliary environment. from 1980 to 2005, brazil recorded 59,129 cases of visceral leishmaniasis, 82.5% of which in the northeast region. visceral leishmaniasis gradually spread to other regions of the country: in 1998 these other reg ... | 2008 | 19082286 |
| lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera, psychodidae, phlebotominae) and urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. | the article discusses habits related to the vectorial competence of lutzomyia longipalpis, along with evidence confirming the importance of this sand fly species in the epidemiological chain of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. a new epidemiological profile for visceral leishmaniasis is also postulated, associated with domestic environments and the role of lu. longipalpis in this process, its sylvatic origin, and its capacity to adapt to a wide range of habitats. another sand fly species, lu. cr ... | 2008 | 19082287 |
| characterization and speculations on the urbanization of visceral leishmaniasis in brazil. | the available hypotheses or explanations for the urbanization of american visceral leishmaniasis are insufficient. an alternative hypothesis is that changes in the ecology and biology of the vector, lutzomyia longipalpis, might explain all the new urban epidemiological features of the disease. to tackle the knowledge gaps in this process, certain key research areas need to be prioritized: the role of dogs in expanding transmission in cities, community trials to evaluate new insecticides, and res ... | 2008 | 19082289 |
| molecular analysis of photic inhibition of blood-feeding in anopheles gambiae. | anopheles gambiae mosquitoes exhibit an endophilic, nocturnal blood feeding behavior. despite the importance of light as a regulator of malaria transmission, our knowledge on the molecular interactions between environmental cues, the circadian oscillators and the host seeking and feeding systems of the anopheles mosquitoes is limited. | 2008 | 19087335 |
| effects of varying moisture on egg production and longevity of lutzomyia longipalpis (diptera: psychodidae). | the sand fly lutzomyia longipalpis (lutz & neiva) (diptera: psychodidae), is the vector of the neotropical parasite leishmania chagasi. designing methods to control the spread of this pathogen involves maintaining large laboratory colonies of these flies. however, transmission studies have been hampered particularly in regard to significant fluctuations in colony productivity. in the process of optimizing our sand fly rearing protocol, we increased moisture levels in the environment of the adult ... | 2008 | 18283958 |
| rare occurrence of gynandromorphism in lutzomyia davisi (diptera: psychodidae: phlebotominae) in brazil. | descriptions of morphological anomalies of phlebotomine sand flies (diptera: psychodidae) have been recorded in both the new world and the old world. the majority of these anomalies are associated with the genitalia, the number of cibarial teeth, wing venation, the size of the palps, and other less significant features. such morphological variations, particularly in symmetry, can result in incorrect species identification. the occurrence of gynandromorphism in sand flies is a rare phenomenon. cu ... | 2008 | 18283959 |
| leishmania chitinase facilitates colonization of sand fly vectors and enhances transmission to mice. | chitinases of trypanosomatid parasites have been proposed to fulfil various roles in their blood-feeding arthropod vectors but so far none have been directly tested using a molecular approach. we characterized the ability of leishmania mexicana episomally transfected with lmexcht1 (the l. mexicana chitinase gene) to survive and grow within the permissive sand fly vector, lutzomyia longipalpis. compared with control plasmid transfectants, the overexpression of chitinase was found to increase the ... | 2008 | 18284631 |
| leishmania manipulates sandfly feeding to enhance its transmission. | malaria parasites manipulate mosquitoes to ensure transmission between mammalian hosts; painstaking experiments have now demonstrated that another medically important protozoan, leishmania, enhances its transmission through the adaptive manipulation of one of its sandfly vectors, lutzomyia longipalpis. experimental leishmania infections specifically increased sandfly biting persistence and feeding on multiple hosts, but only if the parasites produced infective forms and a gel plug of filamentous ... | 2008 | 18314394 |
| the enhancement of arbovirus transmission and disease by mosquito saliva is associated with modulation of the host immune response. | arthropod-borne (arbo-) viruses have emerged as a major human health concern. viruses transmitted by mosquitoes are the cause of the most serious and widespread arbovirus diseases worldwide and are ubiquitous in both feral and urban settings. arboviruses, including dengue and west nile virus, are injected into vertebrates within mosquito saliva during mosquito feeding. mosquito saliva contains anti-haemostatic, anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory molecules that facilitate the acquisition of a ... | 2008 | 18342898 |
| modulation of dendritic cell function by leishmania parasites. | the interactions between leishmania parasites and dendritic cells (dcs) are complex and involve paradoxical functions that can stimulate or halt t cell responses, leading to the control of infection or progression of disease. the magnitude and profile of dc activation vary greatly, depending upon the leishmania species/strains, developmental stages, dc subsets, serum opsonization, and exogenous dc stimuli involved in the study. in general, the uptake of leishmania parasites alone can trigger rel ... | 2008 | 18354154 |
| first visceral leishmaniasis focus in argentina. | an eight-year old boy from posadas (27 masculine 23's, 55 masculine 54'w) was diagnosed with visceral leishmaniasis (vl) during 2006. lutzomyia longipalpis was discovered in the backyard of his house, while the spread of canine visceral leishmaniasis was confirmed in posadas. this is the southernmost report of a vl transmission focus and the first in argentina. | 2008 | 18368242 |
| molecular genetics reveal that silvatic rhodnius prolixus do colonise rural houses. | rhodnius prolixus is the main vector of chagas disease in venezuela. here, domestic infestations of poor quality rural housing have persisted despite four decades of vector control. this is in contrast to the southern cone region of south america, where the main vector, triatoma infestans, has been eliminated over large areas. the repeated colonisation of houses by silvatic populations of r. prolixus potentially explains the control difficulties. however, controversy surrounds the existence of s ... | 2008 | 18382605 |
| phlebotomine salivas inhibit immune inflammation-induced neutrophil migration via an autocrine dc-derived pge2/il-10 sequential pathway. | in the present study, we investigated whether saliva from phlebotomus papatasi and phlebotomus duboscqi inhibited antigen-induced neutrophil migration and the mechanisms involved in these effects. the pretreatment of immunized mice with salivary gland extracts (sge) of both phlebotomines inhibited ova challenge-induced neutrophil migration and release of the neutrophil chemotactic mediators, mip-1alpha, tnf-alpha, and leukotriene b4 (ltb4). furthermore, sge treatment enhanced the production of a ... | 2008 | 18390928 |
| cloning and molecular characterization of two invertebrate-type lysozymes from anopheles gambiae. | we sequenced and characterized two novel invertebrate-type lysozymes from the mosquito anopheles gambiae. alignment and phylogenetic analysis of these and a number of related insect proteins identified through bioinformatics strategies showed a high degree of conservation of this protein family throughout the class insecta. expression profiles were examined for the two mosquito genes through semiquantitative and real-time pcr analysis. lys i-1 transcripts were found in adult females in the fat b ... | 2008 | 18397277 |
| immunomodulation of human monocytes following exposure to lutzomyia intermedia saliva. | sand fly saliva contains potent and complex pharmacologic molecules that are able to modulate the host's hemostatic, inflammatory, and immune systems. in this study, we evaluated the effects of salivary gland sonicate (sgs) of lutzomyia intermedia, the natural vector of leishmania braziliensis, on monocytes obtained from the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (pbmc) of healthy volunteers. we investigated the effects of sand fly saliva on cytokine production and surface molecule expression of lps ... | 2008 | 18402685 |
| immunity to distinct sand fly salivary proteins primes the anti-leishmania immune response towards protection or exacerbation of disease. | leishmania parasites are transmitted in the presence of sand fly saliva. together with the parasite, the sand fly injects biologically active salivary components that favorably change the environment at the feeding site. exposure to bites or to salivary proteins results in immunity specific to these components. mice immunized with phlebotomus papatasi salivary gland homogenate (sgh) or pre-exposed to uninfected bites were protected against leishmania major infection delivered by needle inoculati ... | 2008 | 18414648 |