| adjuvant-like effect of vaccinia virus 14k protein: a case study with malaria vaccine based on the circumsporozoite protein. | development of subunit vaccines for malaria that elicit a strong, long-term memory response is an intensive area of research, with the focus on improving the immunogenicity of a circumsporozoite (cs) protein-based vaccine. in this study, we found that a chimeric protein, formed by fusing vaccinia virus protein 14k (a27) to the cs of plasmodium yoelii, induces strong effector memory cd8(+) t cell responses in addition to high-affinity abs when used as a priming agent in the absence of any adjuvan ... | 2012 | 22615208 |
| complex effects of temperature on mosquito immune function. | over the last 20 years, ecological immunology has provided much insight into how environmental factors shape host immunity and host-parasite interactions. currently, the application of this thinking to the study of mosquito immunology has been limited. mechanistic investigations are nearly always conducted under one set of conditions, yet vectors and parasites associate in a variable world. we highlight how environmental temperature shapes cellular and humoral immune responses (melanization, pha ... | 2012 | 22593107 |
| algae-produced pfs25 elicits antibodies that inhibit malaria transmission. | subunit vaccines are significantly more expensive to produce than traditional vaccines because they are based primarily on recombinant proteins that must be purified from the expression system. despite the increased cost, subunit vaccines are being developed because they are safe, effective, and can elicit antibodies that confer protection against diseases that are not currently vaccine-preventable. algae are an attractive platform for producing subunit vaccines because they are relatively inexp ... | 2012 | 22615931 |
| the anopheles gambiae ce5, a tight- and fast-binding thrombin inhibitor with post-transcriptionally regulated salivary-restricted expression. | mosquito saliva carries a large number of factors with anti-hemostatic, anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory activities. the ce5 protein was initially identified during an anopheles gambiae salivary gland transcriptome study and later shown to share sequence similarity with anophelin, a thrombin inhibitor from the saliva of the new world mosquito anopheles albimanus. the ce5 gene was found to encode different mrna isoforms coexisting in several tissues of both male and female mosquitoes, a hi ... | 2012 | 22617725 |
| liver-stage malaria parasites vulnerable to diverse chemical scaffolds. | human malaria infection begins with a one-time asymptomatic liver stage followed by a cyclic symptomatic blood stage. all high-throughput malaria drug discovery efforts have focused on the cyclic blood stage, which has limited potential for the prophylaxis, transmission blocking, and eradication efforts that will be needed in the future. to address these unmet needs, a high-throughput phenotypic liver-stage plasmodium parasite screen was developed to systematically identify molecules with liver- ... | 2012 | 22586124 |
| transmission of malaria to mosquitoes blocked by bumped kinase inhibitors. | effective control and eradication of malaria will require new tools to prevent transmission. current antimalarial therapies targeting the asexual stage of plasmodium do not prevent transmission of circulating gametocytes from infected humans to mosquitoes. here, we describe a new class of transmission-blocking compounds, bumped kinase inhibitors (bkis), which inhibit microgametocyte exflagellation. oocyst formation and sporozoite production, necessary for transmission to mammals, were inhibited ... | 2012 | 22565309 |
| trypanosoma cruzi immune response modulation decreases microbiota in rhodnius prolixus gut and is crucial for parasite survival and development. | trypanosoma cruzi in order to complete its development in the digestive tract of rhodnius prolixus needs to overcome the immune reactions and microbiota trypanolytic activity of the gut. we demonstrate that in r. prolixus following infection with epimastigotes of trypanosoma cruzi clone dm28c and, in comparison with uninfected control insects, the midgut contained (i) fewer bacteria, (ii) higher parasite numbers, and (iii) reduced nitrite and nitrate production and increased phenoloxidase and an ... | 2012 | 22574189 |
| mosquito bisection as a variable in estimates of pcr-derived malaria sporozoite rates. | highly sensitive polymerase chain reaction (pcr) methods offer an alternative to the light microscopy examination of mosquito salivary glands for the determination of malaria sporozoite rates in wild caught female anopheles. removal of mosquito abdomens is assumed to eliminate false positives caused by malaria oocyst dna in the midgut. this assumption has not been tested with current gold standard pcr assays, and for the variety of conditions that specimens could encounter in the laboratory and ... | 2012 | 22551078 |
| imidacloprid and thiamethoxam induced mutations in internal transcribed spacer 2 (its2) of anopheles stephensi. | the present article deals with the polymerase chain reaction (pcr)-based genotoxicity evaluation of neonicotinoid pesticides, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam, by using the genome of a mosquito anopheles stephensi taken as an experimental model. after treatment of the second instar larvae with lc(20) of the pesticides for 24 h, the induced nucleotide sequence variations in the internal transcribed spacer 2 (its2) of freshly hatched unfed control and treated individuals was studied from the sequence ... | 0 | 22778521 |
| long term protection after immunization with p. berghei sporozoites correlates with sustained ifnγ responses of hepatic cd8+ memory t cells. | protection against p. berghei malaria can successfully be induced in mice by immunization with both radiation attenuated sporozoites (ras) arresting early during liver stage development, or sporozoites combined with chloroquine chemoprophylaxis (cps), resulting in complete intra-hepatic parasite development before killing of blood-stages by chloroquine takes place. we assessed the longevity of protective cellular immune responses by ras and cps p. berghei immunization of c57bl/6j mice. strong ef ... | 2012 | 22563506 |
| survey for asymptomatic malaria cases in low transmission settings of iran under elimination programme. | in malaria endemic areas, continuous exposure to plasmodium parasites leads to asymptomatic carriers that provide a fundamental reservoir of parasites, contributing to the persistence of malaria transmission. therefore, in the present investigation, the presence and prevalence of malaria asymptomatic cases were determined to evaluate the reservoir of infection in two malaria endemic areas with a previous history of malaria transmission in the south of iran, bashagard and ghale-ganj districts of ... | 2012 | 22533733 |
| age-dependent sex bias in clinical malarial disease in hypoendemic regions. | experimental models show a male bias in murine malaria; however, extant literature on biases in human clinical malaria is inconclusive. studies in hyperendemic areas document an absence of sexual dimorphism in clinical malaria. data on sex bias in clinical malaria in hypoendemic areas is ambiguous--some reports note a male bias but do not investigate the role of differential mosquito exposure in that bias. moreover, these studies do not examine whether the bias is age related. this study investi ... | 2012 | 22558172 |
| vaccine efficacy against malaria by the combination of porcine parvovirus-like particles and vaccinia virus vectors expressing cs of plasmodium. | with the aim to develop an efficient and cost-effective approach to control malaria, we have generated porcine parvovirus-like particles (ppv-vlps) carrying the cd8(+) t cell epitope (syvpsaeqi) of the circumsporozoite (cs) protein from plasmodium yoelii fused to the ppv vp2 capsid protein (ppv-pycs), and tested in prime/boost protocols with poxvirus vectors for efficacy in a rodent malaria model. as a proof-of concept, we have characterized the anti-cs cd8(+) t cell response elicited by these h ... | 2012 | 22529915 |
| emergence and evolution of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. | the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (raas) is not the sole, but perhaps the most important volume regulator in vertebrates. to gain insights into the function and evolution of its components, we conducted a phylogenetic analysis of its main related genes. we found that important parts of the system began to appear with primitive chordates and tunicates and that all major components were present at the divergence of bony fish, with the exception of the mas receptor. the mas receptor first ap ... | 2012 | 22527880 |
| role of leukotrienes on protozoan and helminth infections. | leukotrienes (lts), formed by the 5-lipoxygenase-(5-lo-) catalyzed oxidation of arachidonic acid, are lipid mediators that have potent proinflammatory activities. pharmacologic or genetic inhibition of 5-lo biosynthesis in animals is associated with increased mortality and impaired clearance of bacteria, fungi, and parasites. lts play a role in the control of helminth and protozoan infections by modulating the immune system and/or through direct cytotoxicity to parasites; however, lts may also b ... | 2012 | 22577251 |
| effects of beauveria bassiana on survival, blood-feeding success, and fecundity of aedes aegypti in laboratory and semi-field conditions. | the fungus beauveria bassiana reduces aedes aegypti longevity in laboratory conditions, but effects on survival, blood-feeding behavior, and fecundity in realistic environmental conditions have not been tested. adult, female ae. aegypti infected with b. bassiana (fi-277) were monitored for blood-feeding success and fecundity in the laboratory. fungal infection reduced mosquito-human contact by 30%. fecundity was reduced by (mean ± sd) 29.3 ± 8.6 eggs per female per lifetime in the laboratory; eg ... | 0 | 22492151 |
| exploring marine cyanobacteria for lead compounds of pharmaceutical importance. | the ocean, which is called the "mother of origin of life," is also the source of structurally unique natural products that are mainly accumulated in living organisms. cyanobacteria are photosynthetic prokaryotes used as food by humans. they are excellent source of vitamins and proteins vital for life. several of these compounds show pharmacological activities and are helpful for the invention and discovery of bioactive compounds, primarily for deadly diseases like cancer, acquired immunodeficien ... | 2012 | 22545008 |
| expression, immunogenicity, histopathology, and potency of a mosquito-based malaria transmission-blocking recombinant vaccine. | vaccines have been at the forefront of global research efforts to combat malaria, yet despite several vaccine candidates, this goal has yet to be realized. a potentially effective approach to disrupting the spread of malaria is the use of transmission-blocking vaccines (tbv), which prevent the development of malarial parasites within their mosquito vector, thereby abrogating the cascade of secondary infections in humans. since malaria is transmitted to human hosts by the bite of an obligate inse ... | 2012 | 22311924 |
| a hybrid multistage protein vaccine induces protective immunity against murine malaria. | we have previously reported the design and expression of chimeric recombinant proteins as an effective platform to deliver malaria vaccines. the erythrocytic and exoerythrocytic protein chimeras described included autologous t helper epitopes genetically linked to defined b cell epitopes. proof-of-principle studies using vaccine constructs based on the plasmodium yoelii circumsporozoite protein (csp) and p. yoelii merozoite surface protein-1 (msp-1) showed encouraging results when tested individ ... | 2012 | 22252877 |
| plasmodium yoelii macrophage migration inhibitory factor is necessary for efficient liver-stage development. | mammalian macrophage migration inhibitory factor (mif) is a multifaceted cytokine involved in both extracellular and intracellular functions. malaria parasites express a mif homologue that might modulate host immune responses against blood-stage parasites, but the potential importance of mif against other life cycle stages remains unstudied. in this study, we characterized the mif homologue of plasmodium yoelii throughout the life cycle, with emphasis on preerythrocytic stages. p. yoelii mif (py ... | 2012 | 22252874 |
| in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activities of t-2307, a novel arylamidine. | t-2307, a novel arylamidine, has been shown to exhibit broad-spectrum antifungal activities against clinically significant pathogens. here, we evaluated the in vitro and in vivo antimalarial activity of t-2307. the 50% inhibitory concentrations (ic₅₀s) of t-2307 against plasmodium falciparum fcr-3 and k-1 strains were 0.47 and 0.17 μm, respectively. t-2307 at 2.5 to 10 mg/kg of body weight/day exhibited activity against blood stage and liver stage parasites in rodent malaria models. in conclusio ... | 2012 | 22252809 |
| analysis of expressed sequence tags and characterization of a novel gene, slmg7, in the midgut of the common cutworm, spodoptera litura. | out of total 3,081 assembled expressed sequence tags (ests) sequences representing 6,815 high-quality ests identified in three cdna libraries constructed with rna isolated from the midgut of spodoptera litura, 1,039 ests showed significant hits and 1,107 ests did not show significant hits in blast searches. it is of interest to clarify whether or not these ests that did not show hits function in s. litura. | 2012 | 22470457 |
| transcript and protein expression profile of pf11_0394, a plasmodium falciparum protein expressed in salivary gland sporozoites. | plasmodium falciparum malaria is a significant problem around the world today, thus there is still a need for new control methods to be developed. because the sporozoite displays dual infectivity for both the mosquito salivary glands and vertebrate host tissue, it is a good target for vaccine development. | 2012 | 22443220 |
| quantitative genome re-sequencing defines multiple mutations conferring chloroquine resistance in rodent malaria. | drug resistance in the malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum severely compromises the treatment and control of malaria. a knowledge of the critical mutations conferring resistance to particular drugs is important in understanding modes of drug action and mechanisms of resistances. they are required to design better therapies and limit drug resistance.a mutation in the gene (pfcrt) encoding a membrane transporter has been identified as a principal determinant of chloroquine resistance in p. falc ... | 2012 | 22435897 |
| characterization of plasmodium liver stage inhibition by halofuginone. | malaria is a devastating parasitic disease that afflicts one-third of the world's population. antimalarial drugs in common use address few targets, and their efficacy is being undermined by parasite resistance. most therapeutics target blood-stage malaria, whereas only few compounds are active against malaria's liver stage, the first stage of the plasmodium parasite's life cycle within the human host. the identification of inhibitors active against liver-stage malaria would benefit the developme ... | 2012 | 22438279 |
| effect of insecticide resistance on development, longevity and reproduction of field or laboratory selected aedes aegypti populations. | aedes aegypti dispersion is the major reason for the increase in dengue transmission in south america. in brazil, control of this mosquito strongly relies on the use of pyrethroids and organophosphates against adults and larvae, respectively. in consequence, many ae. aegypti field populations are resistant to these compounds. resistance has a significant adaptive value in the presence of insecticide treatment. however some selected mechanisms can influence important biological processes, leading ... | 2012 | 22431967 |
| drug screen targeted at plasmodium liver stages identifies a potent multistage antimalarial drug. | plasmodium parasites undergo a clinically silent and obligatory developmental phase in the host's liver cells before they are able to infect erythrocytes and cause malaria symptoms. to overcome the scarcity of compounds targeting the liver stage of malaria, we screened a library of 1037 existing drugs for their ability to inhibit plasmodium hepatic development. decoquinate emerged as the strongest inhibitor of plasmodium liver stages, both in vitro and in vivo. furthermore, decoquinate kills the ... | 2012 | 22396598 |
| characterization and comparative analysis of small rnas in three small rna libraries of the brown planthopper (nilaparvata lugens). | the brown planthopper (bph), nilaparvata lugens (stå;l), which belongs to homopteran, delphacidae, is one of the most serious and destructive pests of rice. feeding bph with homologous dsrna in vitro can lead to the death of bph, which gives a valuable clue to the prevention and control of this pest, however, we know little about its small rna world. | 2012 | 22412935 |
| ookinete destruction within the mosquito midgut lumen explains anopheles albimanus refractoriness to plasmodium falciparum (3d7a) oocyst infection. | previous studies have shown that the central american mosquito vector, anopheles albimanus, is generally refractory to oocyst infection with allopatric isolates of the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum. however, the reasons for the refractoriness of a. albimanus to infection with such isolates of p. falciparum are unknown. in the current study, we investigated the infectivity of the p. falciparum clone 3d7a to laboratory-reared a. albimanus and another natural vector of human malaria, ... | 2012 | 22366731 |
| novel potent metallocenes against liver stage malaria. | novel conjugates of the antimalarial drug primaquine (compound 1) with ferrocene, named primacenes, have been synthesized and screened for their activities against blood stage and liver stage malaria in vitro and host-vector transmission in vivo. both transmission-blocking and blood-schizontocidal activities of the parent drug were conserved only in primacenes bearing a basic aliphatic amine group. liver stage activity did not require this structural feature, and all metallocenes tested were com ... | 2011 | 22155838 |
| nutritional and hormonal regulation of the tor effector 4e-binding protein (4e-bp) in the mosquito aedes aegypti. | mosquitoes require blood for egg development, and, as a consequence, they transmit pathogens of devastating diseases. target of rapamycin (tor) signaling is a key pathway linking blood feeding and egg development in the mosquito aedes aegypti. we show that the regulation of the tor effector translational repressor 4e-bp is finely tuned to the nutritional requirements of the female mosquito, and it occurs at transcriptional and post-translational levels. immediately after blood feeding, 4e-bp bec ... | 2011 | 22159149 |
| real-time quantitative reverse transcription pcr for monitoring of blood-stage plasmodium falciparum infections in malaria human challenge trials. | to detect pre-patent parasitemia, we developed a real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (qrt-pcr) for the asexual 18s ribosomal rna (rrnas) of plasmodium falciparum. total nucleic acids extracted from whole blood were combined with control rna and tested by qrt-pcr. the assay quantified > 98.7% of parasite-containing samples to ±0.5 log(10) parasites/ml of the nominal value without false positives. the analytical sensitivity was ≥ 20 parasites/ml. the coefficient ... | 0 | 22403305 |
| roles of the amino terminal region and repeat region of the plasmodium berghei circumsporozoite protein in parasite infectivity. | the circumsporozoite protein (csp) plays a key role in malaria sporozoite infection of both mosquito salivary glands and the vertebrate host. the conserved regions i and ii have been well studied but little is known about the immunogenic central repeat region and the n-terminal region of the protein. rodent malaria plasmodium berghei parasites, in which the endogenous cs gene has been replaced with the avian plasmodium gallinaceum cs (pgcs) sequence, develop normally in the a. stephensi mosquito ... | 2012 | 22393411 |
| spatial localisation of actin filaments across developmental stages of the malaria parasite. | actin dynamics have been implicated in a variety of developmental processes during the malaria parasite lifecycle. parasite motility, in particular, is thought to critically depend on an actomyosin motor located in the outer pellicle of the parasite cell. efforts to understand the diverse roles actin plays have, however, been hampered by an inability to detect microfilaments under native conditions. to visualise the spatial dynamics of actin we generated a parasite-specific actin antibody that s ... | 2012 | 22389687 |
| a putative homologue of cdc20/cdh1 in the malaria parasite is essential for male gamete development. | cell-cycle progression is governed by a series of essential regulatory proteins. two major regulators are cell-division cycle protein 20 (cdc20) and its homologue, cdc20 homologue 1 (cdh1), which activate the anaphase-promoting complex/cyclosome (apc/c) in mitosis, and facilitate degradation of mitotic apc/c substrates. the malaria parasite, plasmodium, is a haploid organism which, during its life-cycle undergoes two stages of mitosis; one associated with asexual multiplication and the other wit ... | 2012 | 22383885 |
| the exported plasmodium berghei protein ibis1 delineates membranous structures in infected red blood cells. | the importance of pathogen-induced host cell remodelling has been well established for red blood cell infection by the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum. exported parasite-encoded proteins, which often possess a signature motif, termed plasmodium export element (pexel) or host-targeting (ht) signal, are critical for the extensive red blood cell modifications. to what extent remodelling of erythrocyte membranes also occurs in non-primate hosts and whether it is in fact a hallmark of al ... | 2012 | 22329949 |
| mixed vector immunization with recombinant adenovirus and mva can improve vaccine efficacy while decreasing antivector immunity. | substantial protection can be provided against the pre-erythrocytic stages of malaria by vaccination first with an adenoviral and then with an modified vaccinia virus ankara (mva) poxviral vector encoding the same me.trap transgene. we investigated whether the two vaccine components adenovirus (ad) and mva could be coinjected as a mixture to enhance protection against malaria. a single-shot mixture at specific ratios of ad and mva (ad+mva) enhanced cd8(+) t cell-dependant protection of mice agai ... | 2012 | 22354374 |
| pk4, a eukaryotic initiation factor 2α(eif2α) kinase, is essential for the development of the erythrocytic cycle of plasmodium. | in response to environmental stresses, the mammalian serine threonine kinases perk, gcn2, hri, and pkr phosphorylate the regulatory serine 51 of the eukaryotic translation initiation factor 2α (eif2α) to inhibit global protein synthesis. plasmodium, the protozoan that causes malaria, expresses three eif2α kinases: ik1, ik2, and pk4. like gcn2, ik1 regulates stress response to amino acid starvation. ik2 inhibits development of malaria sporozoites present in the mosquito salivary glands. here we s ... | 2012 | 22355110 |
| development of the bi-partite gal4-uas system in the african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae. | functional genetic analysis in anopheles gambiae would be greatly improved by the development of a binary expression system, which would allow the more rapid and flexible characterisation of genes influencing disease transmission, including those involved in insecticide resistance, parasite interaction, host and mate seeking behaviour. the gal4-uas system, widely used in drosophila melanogaster functional genetics, has been significantly modified to achieve robust application in several differen ... | 2012 | 22348104 |
| larvicidal and irritant activities of hexane leaf extracts of citrus sinensis against dengue vector aedes aegypti l. | to assess the larvicidal and irritant activities of the hexane extracts of leaves of citrus sinensis (c. sinensis) against the early fourth instars and female adults of aedes aegypti (ae. aegypti). | 0 | 23569887 |
| antibodies to plasmodium circumsporozoite protein (csp) inhibit sporozoite's cell traversal activity. | plasmodium sporozoites are deposited in the skin of the mammalian host by anopheles mosquitoes. to continue the life cycle, the sporozoites have to invade the host's hepatocytes, where they transform into exoerythrocytic forms (eefs) inside a parasitophorous vacuole. during their route from the skin to the liver, the parasites traverse the capillary epithelium in the dermis to enter the blood circulation, and cross the endothelium of liver sinusoids to enter the parenchyma. cell traversal by spo ... | 2012 | 22306356 |
| horizontal transmission of the symbiotic bacterium asaia sp. in the leafhopper scaphoideus titanus ball (hemiptera: cicadellidae). | bacteria of the genus asaia have been recently recognized as secondary symbionts of different sugar-feeding insects, including the leafhopper scaphoideus titanus, vector of flavescence dorée phytoplasmas. asaia has been shown to be localized in s. titanus gut, salivary glands and gonoducts and to be maternally transmitted to the progeny by an egg smearing mechanism. it is currently not known whether asaia in s. titanus is transmitted by additional routes. we performed a study to evaluate if asai ... | 2012 | 22376056 |
| delayed larval development in anopheles mosquitoes deprived of asaia bacterial symbionts. | in recent years, acetic acid bacteria have been shown to be frequently associated with insects, but knowledge on their biological role in the arthropod host is limited. the discovery that acetic acid bacteria of the genus asaia are a main component of the microbiota of anopheles stephensi makes this mosquito a useful model for studies on this novel group of symbionts. here we present experimental results that provide a first evidence for a beneficial role of asaia in an. stephensi. | 2012 | 22375964 |
| control of tetranychus urticae koch by extracts of three essential oils of chamomile, marjoram and eucalyptus. | to evaluate the acaricidal activity of extracts of three essential oils of chamomile, marjoram and eucalyptus against tetranychus urticae (t. urticae) koch. | 0 | 23569829 |
| absence of asymptomatic malaria infection in endemic area of bashagard district, hormozgan province, iran. | a successful malaria elimination program calls for enough attention to parasite carriers, especially asymptomatic malaria, as well as the diagnosis and treatment of clinical cases. asymptomatic malaria is an infection that patients do not show any symptom; thus, these patients play critical role in the concept of an elimination program. the current investigation was conducted to evaluate the presence of these cases in bashagard district, formerly a high malaria transmission area in hormozgan pro ... | 0 | 23133470 |
| a novel 'gene insertion/marker out' (gimo) method for transgene expression and gene complementation in rodent malaria parasites. | research on the biology of malaria parasites has greatly benefited from the application of reverse genetic technologies, in particular through the analysis of gene deletion mutants and studies on transgenic parasites that express heterologous or mutated proteins. however, transfection in plasmodium is limited by the paucity of drug-selectable markers that hampers subsequent genetic modification of the same mutant. we report the development of a novel 'gene insertion/marker out' (gimo) method for ... | 2011 | 22216235 |
| duality and complexity of allergic type inflammatory mechanisms in determining the outcome of malaria disease. | one of the effector arms of the pathogenesis of severe forms of malaria disease is the development of uncontrolled or excessive inflammatory responses. a characteristic inflammatory response may arise from the propensity of some individuals to produce ige antibodies against environmental antigens or against parasite components. we believe that an allergic inflammatory response which develops concomitantly with a malaria episode may drive the disease course toward severe forms. the role of the ig ... | 2011 | 22566867 |
| engineered anopheles immunity to plasmodium infection. | a causative agent of human malaria, plasmodium falciparum, is transmitted by anopheles mosquitoes. the malaria parasite is under intensive attack from the mosquito's innate immune system during its sporogonic development. we have used genetic engineering to create immune-enhanced anopheles stephensi mosquitoes through blood meal-inducible expression of a transgene encoding the imd pathway-controlled nf-kb rel2 transcription factor in the midgut and fat-body tissue. transgenic mosquitoes showed g ... | 2011 | 22216006 |
| use of the checkerboard dna-dna hybridization technique for bacteria detection in aedes aegypti (diptera:culicidae) (l.). | bacteria associated with insects can have a substantial impact on the biology and life cycle of their host. the checkerboard dna-dna hybridization technique is a semi-quantitative technique that has been previously employed in odontology to detect and quantify a variety of bacterial species in dental samples. here we tested the applicability of the checkerboard dna-dna hybridization technique to detect the presence of aedes aegypti-associated bacterial species in larvae, pupae and adults of a. a ... | 2011 | 22185193 |
| novel, meso-substituted cationic porphyrin molecule for photo-mediated larval control of the dengue vector aedes aegypti. | control of the mosquito vector population is the most effective strategy currently available for the prevention of dengue fever and the containment of outbreaks. photo-activated oxidants may represent promising tools for developing effective, safe and ecofriendly novel larvicides. the purpose of this study was to evaluate the potential of the synthetic meso-substituted porphyrin meso-tri(n-methylpyridyl), meso-mono(n-tetradecylpyridyl)porphine (c14) as a photoactivatable larvicide against the de ... | 2011 | 22206031 |
| a new powerful method for site-specific transgene stabilization based on chromosomal double-strand break repair. | transgenic insects are a promising tool in sterile insect techniques and population replacement strategies. such transgenic insects can be created using nonautonomous transposons, which cannot be transferred without a transposase source. in biocontrol procedures where large numbers of insects are released, there is increased risk of transgene remobilization caused by external transposase sources that can alter the characteristics of the transgenic organisms lead horizontal transgene transfer to ... | 2011 | 22022613 |
| mast cells as cellular sensors in inflammation and immunity. | mast cells are localized in tissues. intense research on these cells over the years has demonstrated their role as effector cells in the maintenance of tissue integrity following injury produced by infectious agents, toxins, metabolic states, etc. after stimulation they release a sophisticated array of inflammatory mediators, cytokines, and growth factors to orchestrate an inflammatory response. these mediators can directly initiate tissue responses on resident cells, but they have also been sho ... | 2011 | 22566827 |
| larvicidal activity of centaurea bruguierana ssp. belangerana against anopheles stephensi larvae. | in this study, the total 80% of meoh extract and also petroleum ether, chcl3, etoac, n-buoh, and the remaining meoh fractions obtained by solvent-solvent fractionation of the whole flowering samples of centaurea bruguierana (dc.) hand.-mzt. ssp. belangerana (dc.) bornm. (asteraceae), namely "baad-avard", collected from borazjan in bushehr province (bushehr, iran) were investigated for larvicidal activity against malaria vector, anopheles stephensi liston, according to who methods. the mortality ... | 0 | 24250419 |
| prevalence of malaria, dengue, and chikungunya significantly associated with mosquito breeding sites. | to observe the prevalence of malaria, dengue, and chikungunya and their association with mosquito breeding sites. | 0 | 23610486 |
| malaria transmission blocking immunity and sexual stage vaccines for interrupting malaria transmission in latin america. | malaria is a vector-borne disease that is considered to be one of the most serious public health problems due to its high global mortality and morbidity rates. although multiple strategies for controlling malaria have been used, many have had limited impact due to the appearance and rapid dissemination of mosquito resistance to insecticides, parasite resistance to multiple antimalarial drug, and the lack of sustainability. individuals in endemic areas that have been permanently exposed to the pa ... | 0 | 21881775 |
| an integrated chromosome map of microsatellite markers and inversion breakpoints for an asian malaria mosquito, anopheles stephensi. | anopheles stephensi is one of the major vectors of malaria in the middle east and indo-pakistan subcontinent. understanding the population genetic structure of malaria mosquitoes is important for developing adequate and successful vector control strategies. commonly used markers for inferring anopheline taxonomic and population status include microsatellites and chromosomal inversions. knowledge about chromosomal locations of microsatellite markers with respect to polymorphic inversions could be ... | 2011 | 21810771 |
| probucol-induced α-tocopherol deficiency protects mice against malaria infection. | the emergence of malaria pathogens having resistance against antimalarials implies the necessity for the development of new drugs. recently, we have demonstrated a resistance against malaria infection of α-tocopherol transfer protein knockout mice showing undetectable plasma levels of α-tocopherol, a lipid-soluble antioxidant. however, dietary restriction induced α-tocopherol deficiency is difficult to be applied as a clinical antimalarial therapy. here, we report on a new strategy to potentiall ... | 2015 | 26296197 |
| discovery of novel plasmodium falciparum pre-erythrocytic antigens for vaccine development. | nearly 100% protection against malaria infection can be achieved in humans by immunization with p. falciparum radiation-attenuated sporozoites (ras). although it is thought that protection is mediated by t cell and antibody responses, only a few of the many pre-erythrocytic (sporozoite and liver stage) antigens that are targeted by these responses have been identified. | 2015 | 26292257 |
| anopheles stephensi p38 mapk signaling regulates innate immunity and bioenergetics during plasmodium falciparum infection. | fruit flies and mammals protect themselves against infection by mounting immune and metabolic responses that must be balanced against the metabolic needs of the pathogens. in this context, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (mapk)-dependent signaling is critical to regulating both innate immunity and metabolism during infection. accordingly, we asked to what extent the asian malaria mosquito anopheles stephensi utilizes p38 mapk signaling during infection with the human malaria parasite plasmo ... | 2015 | 26283222 |
| salinomycin and other ionophores as a new class of antimalarial drugs with transmission-blocking activity. | the drug target profile proposed by the medicines for malaria venture for a malaria elimination/eradication policy focuses on molecules active on both asexual and sexual stages of plasmodium, thus with both curative and transmission-blocking activities. the aim of the present work was to investigate whether the class of monovalent ionophores, which includes drugs used in veterinary medicine and that were recently proposed as human anticancer agents, meets these requirements. the activity of sali ... | 2015 | 26055362 |
| longitudinal analysis of plasmodium sporozoite motility in the dermis reveals component of blood vessel recognition. | malaria infection starts with injection of plasmodium sporozoites by an anopheles mosquito into the skin of the mammalian host. how sporozoites locate and enter a blood vessel is a critical, but poorly understood process. in this study, we examine sporozoite motility and their interaction with dermal blood vessels, using intravital microscopy in mice. our data suggest that sporozoites exhibit two types of motility: in regions far from blood vessels, they exhibit 'avascular motility', defined by ... | 2015 | 26271010 |
| morphology and development of the salivary glands and their chromosomes in the larvae of anopheles stephensi sensu stricto. | in the larvae of anopheles stephensi s. s. five typically banded salivary chromosomes are present united proximally to a chromocentre. maps have been constructed to illustrate their constant and characteristic banded pattern. chromosome iiir, however, has shown a variation in the form of a heterozygous inversion. the chromocentre is a small, fragile body, closely associated with the large nucleolus.the development of the salivary glands in the larva is by cell-growth. the chromocentre appears at ... | 0 | 13638789 |
| resistance to ddt in anopheles stephensi in southern iraq. | | 0 | 20604035 |
| transcriptome analysis of the venom gland of the scorpion scorpiops jendeki: implication for the evolution of the scorpion venom arsenal. | the family euscorpiidae, which covers europe, asia, africa, and america, is one of the most widely distributed scorpion groups. however, no studies have been conducted on the venom of a euscorpiidae species yet. in this work, we performed a transcriptomic approach for characterizing the venom components from a euscorpiidae scorpion, scorpiops jendeki. | 2009 | 19570192 |
| blood meal identification in field-captured sand flies: comparison of pcr-rflp and elisa assays. | we aimed to develop a pcr-rflp assay based on available sequences of putative vertebrate hosts to identify blood meals ingested by field female sand fly in the northwest of iran. in addition, the utility of pcr-rflp was compared with elisa as a standard method. | 2009 | 22808367 |
| study on fungal flora in the midgut of the larva and adult of the different populations of the malaria vector anopheles stephensi. | many microorganisms in midgut of mosquito challenge with their host and also other pathogens present in midgut. the aim of this study was presence of non-pathogens microorganisms like fungal flora which may be crucial on interaction between vectors and pathogens. | 2009 | 22808370 |
| interaction between short-term heat pretreatment and avermectin on 2nd instar larvae of diamondback moth, plutella xylostella (linn). | based on the cooperative virulence index (c.f.), the interaction effect between short-term heat pretreatment and avermectin on 2(nd) instar larvae of diamondback moth (dbm), plutella xylostella (linnaeus), was assessed. the results suggested that the interaction results between short-term heat pretreatment and avermectin on the tested insects varied with temperature level as well as its duration and avermectin concentration. interaction between heat pretreatment at 30 degrees c and avermectin ma ... | 2009 | 19809544 |
| anti-thrombosis repertoire of blood-feeding horsefly salivary glands. | blood-feeding arthropods rely heavily on the pharmacological properties of their saliva to get a blood meal and suppress immune reactions of hosts. little information is available on antihemostatic substances in horsefly salivary glands although their saliva has been thought to contain wide range of physiologically active molecules. in traditional eastern medicine, horseflies are used as anti-thrombosis material for hundreds of years. by proteomics coupling transcriptome analysis with pharmacolo ... | 2009 | 19531497 |
| differential gene expression during compensatory sprouting of dendrites in the auditory system of the cricket gryllus bimaculatus. | neurones that lose their presynaptic partners because of injury usually retract or die. however, when the auditory interneurones of the cricket gryllus bimaculatus are denervated, dendrites respond by growing across the midline and forming novel synapses with the opposite auditory afferents. suppression subtractive hybridization was used to detect transcriptional changes 3 days after denervation. this is a stage at which we demonstrate robust compensatory dendritic sprouting. whereas 49 unique c ... | 2009 | 19453768 |
| acclimatory responses of the daphnia pulex proteome to environmental changes. ii. chronic exposure to different temperatures (10 and 20 degrees c) mainly affects protein metabolism. | temperature affects essentially every aspect of the biology of poikilothermic animals including the energy and mass budgets, activity, growth, and reproduction. while thermal effects in ecologically important groups such as daphnids have been intensively studied at the ecosystem level and at least partly at the organismic level, much less is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the acclimation to different temperatures. by using 2d gel electrophoresis and mass spectrometry, the presen ... | 2009 | 19383147 |
| dietary-dependent trans-generational immune priming in an insect herbivore. | trans-generational effects on immunity are well known in vertebrates and are considered in many evolutionary and ecological theories of species interaction. maternal effects have been identified to be of special importance, and are now recognized as a mechanism for adaptive phenotypic response to environmental heterogeneity. we have previously shown that exposure to dietary non-pathogenic bacteria can induce several aspects of immune response in an insect herbivore, the cabbage semilooper (trich ... | 2009 | 19369263 |
| strong alkalinization in the anterior midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (aedes aegypti): involvement of luminal na+/k+-atpase. | recently, na(+)/k(+)-atpase has been detected in the luminal membrane of the anterior midgut of larval yellow fever mosquitoes (aedes aegypti) with immunohistochemical techniques. in this study, the possible involvement of this atpase in strong alkalinization was investigated on the level of whole larvae, isolated and perfused midgut preparations and on the molecular level of the na(+)/k(+)-atpase protein. ouabain (5 mm) did not inhibit the capability of intact larval mosquitoes to alkalinize th ... | 0 | 19048614 |
| proteomic analysis of the mosquito aedes aegypti midgut brush border membrane vesicles. | we analyzed brush border membrane vesicle proteins from isolated midguts of the mosquito aedes aegypti, by two proteomic methods: two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (isoelectric focusing and sds-page) and a shotgun two-dimensional liquid chromatographic (ls/ls) approach based on multidimensional protein identification technology (mudpit). we were interested in the most abundant proteins of the apical brush border midgut membrane. about 400 spots were detected on 2d gels and 39 spots were cored ... | 2009 | 19133270 |
| silencing of six hydrophobins in cladosporium fulvum: complexities of simultaneously targeting multiple genes. | in this study, we have constructed and expressed inverted repeat chimeras from the first exons of the six known hydrophobins of the fungus cladosporium fulvum, the causal agent of tomato leaf mold. we used quantitative pcr to measure specifically the expression levels of the hydrophobins. the targeted genes are silenced to different degrees, but we also detected clear changes in the expression levels of nontargeted genes. this work highlights the difficulties that are likely to be encountered wh ... | 2008 | 19011063 |
| molecular genetic manipulation of vector mosquitoes. | genetic strategies for reducing populations of vector mosquitoes or replacing them with those that are not able to transmit pathogens benefit greatly from molecular tools that allow gene manipulation and transgenesis. mosquito genome sequences and associated est (expressed sequence tags) databases enable large-scale investigations to provide new insights into evolutionary, biochemical, genetic, metabolic, and physiological pathways. additionally, comparative genomics reveals the bases for evolut ... | 0 | 18996342 |
| immunity in a variable world. | immune function is likely to be a critical determinant of an organism's fitness, yet most natural animal and plant populations exhibit tremendous genetic variation for immune traits. accumulating evidence suggests that environmental heterogeneity may retard the long-term efficiency of natural selection and even maintain polymorphism, provided alternative host genotypes are favoured under different environmental conditions. 'environment' in this context refers to abiotic factors such as ambient t ... | 0 | 18926975 |
| larval anopheline mosquito recta exhibit a dramatic change in localization patterns of ion transport proteins in response to shifting salinity: a comparison between anopheline and culicine larvae. | mosquito larvae live in dynamic aqueous environments, which can fluctuate drastically in salinity due to environmental events such as rainfall and evaporation. larval survival depends upon the ability to regulate hemolymph osmolarity by absorbing and excreting ions. a major organ involved in ion regulation is the rectum, the last region for modification of the primary urine before excretion. the ultrastructure and function of culicine larval recta have been studied extensively; however, very lit ... | 0 | 18805805 |
| embryonic desiccation resistance in aedes aegypti: presumptive role of the chitinized serosal cuticle. | one of the major problems concerning dengue transmission is that embryos of its main vector, the mosquito aedes aegypti, resist desiccation, surviving several months under dry conditions. the serosal cuticle (sc) contributes to mosquito egg desiccation resistance, but the kinetics of sc secretion during embryogenesis is unknown. it has been argued that mosquito sc contains chitin as one of its components, however conclusive evidence is still missing. | 2008 | 18789161 |
| gene structure and expression of nanos (nos) and oskar (osk) orthologues of the vector mosquito, culex quinquefasciatus. | the products of the maternal-effect genes, nanos (nos) and oskar (osk), are important for the development of germ cells in insects. furthermore, these genes have been proposed as candidates for donating functional dna regulatory sequences for use in gene drive systems to control transmission of mosquito-borne pathogens. the nos and osk genes of the cosmopolitan vector mosquito, culex quinquefasciatus, encode proteins with domains common to orthologues found in other mosquitoes. expression analys ... | 0 | 18828840 |
| mutational analysis of highly conserved aspartate residues essential to the catalytic core of the piggybac transposase. | the piggybac mobile element is quickly gaining popularity as a tool for the transgenesis of many eukaryotic organisms. by studying the transposase which catalyzes the movement of piggybac, we may be able to modify this vector system to make it a more effective transgenesis tool. in a previous publication, sarkar a, sim c, hong ys, hogan jr, fraser mj, robertson hm, and collins fh have proposed the presence of the widespread 'dde/ddd' motif for piggybac at amino acid positions d268, d346, and d44 ... | 2008 | 18694512 |
| analysis of the piggybac transposase reveals a functional nuclear targeting signal in the 94 c-terminal residues. | the piggybac transposable element is a popular tool for germ-line transgenesis of eukaryotes. despite this, little is known about the mechanism of transposition or the transposase (tpase) itself. a thorough understanding of just how piggybac works may lead to more effective use of this important mobile element. a psortii analysis of the tpase amino acid sequence predicts a bipartite nuclear localization signal (nls) near the c-terminus, just upstream of a putative znf (znf). | 2008 | 18694511 |
| biologically active natural products of the genus callicarpa. | about 20 species from callicarpa have reported ethnobotanical and ethnomedical uses, and several members of this genus are well known in the traditional medical systems of china and south asia. ethnomedical reports indicate their use in the treatment of hepatitis, rheumatism, fever, headache, indigestion, and other ailments. several species of callicarpa have been reported to be used against cancer (e.g., callicarpa americana root to treat skin cancer and callicarpa rubella bark to treat tumors ... | 0 | 19830264 |
| light-emitting diode technology improves insect trapping. | in a climate of increased funding for vaccines, chemotherapy, and prevention of vector-borne diseases, fewer resources have been directed toward improving disease and vector surveillance. recently developed light-emitting diode (led) technology was applied to standard insect-vector traps to produce a more effective lighting system. this approach improved phlebotomine sand fly capture rates by 50%, and simultaneously reduced the energy consumption by 50-60%. the leds were incorporated into 2 ligh ... | 0 | 18666546 |
| towards the genetic control of insect vectors: an overview. | insects are responsible for the transmission of major infectious diseases. recent advances in insect genomics and transformation technology provide new strategies for the control of insect borne pathogen transmission and insect pest management. one such strategy is the genetic modification of insects with genes that block pathogen development. another is to suppress insect populations by releasing either sterile males or males carrying female-specific dominant lethal genes into the environment. ... | 0 | 25530773 |
| malaria: prevention in travellers. | malaria transmission occurs most frequently in environments with humidity over 60% and ambient temperature of 25-30 degrees c. risks increase with longer visits and depend on activity. infection can follow a single mosquito bite. incubation is usually 10-14 days but can be up to 18 months depending on the strain of parasite. | 2007 | 19450348 |
| the dna transposon minos as a tool for transgenesis and functional genomic analysis in vertebrates and invertebrates. | transposons are powerful tools for conducting genetic manipulation and functional studies in organisms that are of scientific, economic, or medical interest. minos, a member of the tc1/mariner family of dna transposons, exhibits a low insertional bias and transposes with high frequency in vertebrates and invertebrates. its use as a tool for transgenesis and genome analysis of rather different animal species is described. | 0 | 18047694 |
| assessment of antibody protection against malaria sporozoites must be done by mosquito injection of sporozoites. | | 2007 | 17823294 |
| injection of an. stephensi embryos to generate malaria-resistant mosquitoes. | the introduction of exogenous genes into the genomes of mosquitoes requires microinjection techniques tailored to the specific species of interest. this video protocol demonstrates a method used by the james laboratory to microinject dna constructs into anopheles stephensi embryos for the generation of transformed mosquitoes. techniques for preparing microinjection needles, collecting and preparing embryos and performing the microinjection are illustrated. | 2007 | 18979016 |
| nanos gene control dna mediates developmentally regulated transposition in the yellow fever mosquito aedes aegypti. | transposable elements (tes) are proposed as a basis for developing drive systems to spread pathogen resistance genes through vector mosquito populations. the use of transcriptional and translational control dna elements from genes expressed specifically in the insect germ line to mediate transposition offers possibilities for mitigating some of the concerns about transgene behavior in the target vector species and eliminating effects on nontarget organisms. here, we describe the successful use o ... | 2007 | 17548819 |
| an insight into the sialotranscriptome of the seed-feeding bug, oncopeltus fasciatus. | the salivary transcriptome of the seed-feeding hemipteran, oncopeltus fasciatus (milkweed bug), is described following assembly of 1025 expressed sequence tags (ests) into 305 clusters of related sequences. inspection of these sequences reveals abundance of low complexity, putative secreted products rich in the amino acids (aa) glycine, serine or threonine, which might function as silk or mucins and assist food canal lubrication and sealing of the feeding site around the mouthparts. several prot ... | 2007 | 17681229 |
| late-acting dominant lethal genetic systems and mosquito control. | reduction or elimination of vector populations will tend to reduce or eliminate transmission of vector-borne diseases. one potential method for environmentally-friendly, species-specific population control is the sterile insect technique (sit). sit has not been widely used against insect disease vectors such as mosquitoes, in part because of various practical difficulties in rearing, sterilization and distribution. additionally, vector populations with strong density-dependent effects will tend ... | 2007 | 17374148 |
| colocalization of a cd1d-binding glycolipid with a radiation-attenuated sporozoite vaccine in lymph node-resident dendritic cells for a robust adjuvant effect. | a cd1d-binding glycolipid, α-galactosylceramide (αgalcer), activates invariant nk t cells and acts as an adjuvant. we previously identified a fluorinated phenyl ring-modified αgalcer analog, 7dw8-5, displaying nearly 100-fold stronger cd1d binding affinity. in the current study, 7dw8-5 was found to exert a more potent adjuvant effect than αgalcer for a vaccine based on radiation-attenuated sporozoites of a rodent malaria parasite, plasmodium yoelii, also referred to as irradiated p. yoelii sporo ... | 2015 | 26254338 |
| controlled human malaria infection by intramuscular and direct venous inoculation of cryopreserved plasmodium falciparum sporozoites in malaria-naïve volunteers: effect of injection volume and dose on infectivity rates. | controlled human malaria infection (chmi) by mosquito bite is a powerful tool for evaluation of vaccines and drugs against plasmodium falciparum malaria. however, only a small number of research centres have the facilities required to perform such studies. chmi by needle and syringe could help to accelerate the development of anti-malaria interventions by enabling centres worldwide to employ chmi. | 2015 | 26245196 |
| the plasmodium berghei translocon of exported proteins reveals spatiotemporal dynamics of tubular extensions. | the erythrocyte is an extraordinary host cell for intracellular pathogens and requires extensive remodelling to become permissive for infection. malaria parasites modify their host red blood cells through protein export to acquire nutrients and evade immune responses. endogenous fluorescent tagging of three signature proteins of the plasmodium berghei translocon of exported proteins (ptex), heat shock protein 101, exported protein 2 (exp2), and ptex88, revealed motile, tubular extensions of the ... | 2015 | 26219962 |
| long-term live imaging reveals cytosolic immune responses of host hepatocytes against plasmodium infection and parasite escape mechanisms. | plasmodium parasites are transmitted by anopheles mosquitoes to the mammalian host and actively infect hepatocytes after passive transport in the bloodstream to the liver. in their target host hepatocyte, parasites reside within a parasitophorous vacuole (pv). in the present study it was shown that the parasitophorous vacuole membrane (pvm) can be targeted by autophagy marker proteins lc3, ubiquitin, and sqstm1/p62 as well as by lysosomes in a process resembling selective autophagy. the dynamics ... | 0 | 26208778 |
| plasmodium falciparum full life cycle and plasmodium ovale liver stages in humanized mice. | experimental studies of plasmodium parasites that infect humans are restricted by their host specificity. humanized mice offer a means to overcome this and further provide the opportunity to observe the parasites in vivo. here we improve on previous protocols to achieve efficient double engraftment of tk-nog mice by human primary hepatocytes and red blood cells. thus, we obtain the complete hepatic development of p. falciparum, the transition to the erythrocytic stages, their subsequent multipli ... | 2015 | 26205537 |
| host-pathogen interactions in malaria: cross-kingdom signaling and mitochondrial regulation. | malaria parasite-host interactions are complex and have confounded available drugs and the development of vaccines. further, we now appreciate that interventions for malaria elimination and eradication must include therapeutics with intrinsic transmission blocking activity to treat the patient and prevent disease spread. studies over the past 15 years have revealed significant conservation in the response to infection in mosquito and human hosts. more recently, we have recognized that conserved ... | 2015 | 26210301 |
| macrolides rapidly inhibit red blood cell invasion by the human malaria parasite, plasmodium falciparum. | malaria invasion of red blood cells involves multiple parasite-specific targets that are easily accessible to inhibitory compounds, making it an attractive target for antimalarial development. however, no current antimalarial agents act against host cell invasion. | 2015 | 26187647 |
| the efficacy of chinese medicinal herbs towards grape phylloxera (daktulosphaira vitifoliae fitch) (hemiptera, phylloxeridae). | bio-insecticidal effects of seven chinese medicinal herbs on mortality, fecundity, developmental periods and life table parameters of the grape phylloxera were investigated. in an excised root bioassay experiment aqueous extracts from seven chinese medicinal herbs increased grape phylloxera first instar mortality (26.00-38.50%) compared to other instars. the intrinsic rate of increase (rm), finite rate of increase (λ), fecundity rate and net reproductive rate (r0) were significantly reduced by a ... | 2015 | 26186216 |
| mass spectrometry identification of age-associated proteins from the malaria mosquitoes anopheles gambiae s.s. and anopheles stephensi. | this study investigated proteomic changes occurring in anopheles gambiae and anopheles stephensi during adult mosquito aging. these changes were evaluated using two-dimensional difference gel electrophoresis (2d-dige) and the identities of aging related proteins were determined using capillary high-pressure liquid chromatography (caphplc) coupled with a linear ion-trap (ltq)-orbitrap xl hybrid mass spectrometry (ms). here, we have described the techniques used to determine age associated proteom ... | 2015 | 26306320 |