| epithelial innate immunity. a novel antimicrobial peptide with antiparasitic activity in the blood-sucking insect stomoxys calcitrans. | the gut epithelium is an essential interface in insects that transmit parasites. we investigated the role that local innate immunity might have on vector competence, taking stomoxys calcitrans as a model. s. calcitrans is sympatric with tsetse flies, feeds on many of the same vertebrate hosts, and is thus regularly exposed to the trypanosomes that cause african sleeping sickness and nagana. despite this, s. calcitrans is not a cyclical vector of these trypanosomes. trypanosomes develop exclusive ... | 2002 | 12372834 |