Publications

stage-specific proteomic expression patterns of the human filarial parasite brugia malayi and its endosymbiont wolbachia.	global proteomic analyses of pathogens have thus far been limited to unicellular organisms (e.g., protozoa and bacteria). proteomic analyses of most eukaryotic pathogens (e.g., helminths) have been restricted to specific organs, specific stages, or secretomes. we report here a large-scale proteomic characterization of almost all the major mammalian stages of brugia malayi, a causative agent of lymphatic filariasis, resulting in the identification of more than 62% of the products predicted from t ...	2011	21606368
the immune cellular effectors of terrestrial isopod armadillidium vulgare: meeting with their invaders, wolbachia.	most of crustacean immune responses are well described for the aquatic forms whereas almost nothing is known for the isopods that evolved a terrestrial lifestyle. the latter are also infected at a high prevalence with wolbachia, an endosymbiotic bacterium which affects the host immune system, possibly to improve its transmission. in contrast with insect models, the isopod armadillidium vulgare is known to harbor wolbachia inside the haemocytes.	2011	21533137
regulation of wolbachia ankyrin domain encoding genes in drosophila gonads.	the maternally inherited obligatory intracellular bacterium wolbachia is a reproductive parasite of many insect species. wolbachia evades the host immune system, uses the mitotic apparatus to ensure infection of daughter cells, migrates through the host to the gonads and causes reproductive phenotypes, most commonly cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), i.e. incompatibility of sperm from infected males and eggs from uninfected females. due to the interconnected facts that wolbachia is not ex-ávivo c ...	2011	21726632
comparing de novo genome assembly: the long and short of it.	recent advances in dna sequencing technology and their focal role in genome wide association studies (gwas) have rekindled a growing interest in the whole-genome sequence assembly (wgsa) problem, thereby, inundating the field with a plethora of new formalizations, algorithms, heuristics and implementations. and yet, scant attention has been paid to comparative assessments of these assemblers' quality and accuracy. no commonly accepted and standardized method for comparison exists yet. even worse ...	2011	21559467
male mating competitiveness of a wolbachia-introgressed aedes polynesiensis strain under semi-field conditions.	lymphatic filariasis (lf), a global public health problem affecting approximately 120 million people worldwide, is a leading cause of disability in the developing world including the south pacific. despite decades of ongoing mass drug administration (mda) in the region, some island nations have not yet achieved the threshold levels of microfilaremia established by the world health organization for eliminating transmission. previously, the generation of a novel aedes polynesiensis strain (cp) inf ...	2011	21829750
filariasis in africa--treatment challenges and prospects.	lymphatic filariasis (lf) and onchocerciasis are parasitic nematode infections that are responsible for a major disease burden in the african continent. disease symptoms are induced by the immune reactions of the host, with lymphoedema and hydrocoele in lf, and dermatitis and ocular inflammation in onchocerciasis. wuchereria bancrofti and onchocerca volvulus, the species causing lf and onchocerciasis in africa, live in mutual symbiosis with wolbachia endobacteria, which cause a major part of the ...	2011	21722251
a new model and method for understanding wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility.	wolbachia are intracellular bacteria transmitted almost exclusively vertically through eggs. in response to this mode of transmission, wolbachia strategically manipulate their insect hosts' reproduction. in the most common manipulation type, cytoplasmic incompatibility, infected males can only mate with infected females, but infected females can mate with all males. the mechanism of cytoplasmic incompatibility is unknown; theoretical and empirical findings need to converge to broaden our underst ...	2011	21572955
wolbachia prophage dna adenine methyltransferase genes in different drosophila-wolbachia associations.	wolbachia is an obligatory intracellular bacterium which often manipulates the reproduction of its insect and isopod hosts. in contrast, wolbachia is an essential symbiont in filarial nematodes. lately, wolbachia has been implicated in genomic imprinting of host dna through cytosine methylation. the importance of dna methylation in cell fate and biology calls for in depth studing of putative methylation-related genes. we present a molecular and phylogenetic analysis of a putative dna adenine met ...	2011	21573076
new insights into the evolution of wolbachia infections in filarial nematodes inferred from a large range of screened species.	wolbachia are intriguing symbiotic endobacteria with a peculiar host range that includes arthropods and a single nematode family, the onchocercidae encompassing agents of filariases. this raises the question of the origin of infection in filariae. wolbachia infect the female germline and the hypodermis. some evidences lead to the theory that wolbachia act as mutualist and coevolved with filariae from one infection event: their removal sterilizes female filariae; all the specimens of a positive s ...	2011	21731626
wolbachia screening in spiders and assessment of horizontal transmission between predator and prey.	recent studies have revealed that the prevalence of wolbachia in arthropods is attributable not only to its vertical transmission, but also to its horizontal transfer. in order to assess the horizontal transmission of wolbachia between predator and prey, arthropods belonging to 11 spider families and six insect families were collected in the same field of rice. the distribution of wolbachia in these arthropods was detected by diagnostic pcr amplification of the wsp (wolbachia outer surface prote ...	2011	21584395
characterization of an intergenic polymorphic site (pp-hc1a_5) in wolbachia pipientis (wpip).	wolbachia pipientis (wpip) is an intracellular bacterium causing cytoplasmic incompatibility in arthropods, including mosquitoes of the culex pipiens complex. here, we present a method useful for genotyping within the wpip group. primers were designed using a tandem repeat finder program to amplify an intergenic, polymorphic site (pp-hc1a_5) of wpip. the polymorphic site is located between genes that code for polynucleotide phosphorylase and a hypothetical protein (c1a_5). comparison of these wp ...	2011	21676204
Hybrid selection for sequencing pathogen genomes from clinical samples.	ABSTRACT: We have adapted a solution hybrid selection protocol to enrich pathogen DNA in clinical samples dominated by human genetic material. Using mock mixtures of human and Plasmodium falciparum malaria parasite DNA as well as clinical samples from infected patients, we demonstrate an average of approximately 40-fold enrichment of parasite DNA after hybrid selection. This approach will enable efficient genome sequencing of pathogens from clinical samples, as well as sequencing of endosymbioti ...	2011	21835008
can wolbachia be used to control malaria?	malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease caused by plasmodium parasites transmitted by the infectious bite of anopheles mosquitoes. vector control of malaria has predominantly focused on targeting the adult mosquito through insecticides and bed nets. however, current vector control methods are often not sustainable for long periods so alternative methods are needed. a novel biocontrol approach for mosquito-borne diseases has recently been proposed, it uses maternally inherited endosymbioti ...	2011	21881776
comparisons of host mitochondrial, nuclear and endosymbiont bacterial genes reveal cryptic fig wasp species and the effects of wolbachia on host mtdna evolution and diversity.	figs and fig-pollinating wasp species usually display a highly specific one-to-one association. however, more and more studies have revealed that the "one-to-one" rule has been broken. co-pollinators have been reported, but we do not yet know how they evolve. they may evolve from insect speciation induced or facilitated by wolbachia which can manipulate host reproduction and induce reproductive isolation. in addition, wolbachia can affect host mitochondrial dna evolution, because of the linkage ...	2011	21457543
comparative evaluation of a point-of-care immunochromatographic test snap 4dx with molecular detection tests for vector-borne canine pathogens in hong kong.	abstract there are no comprehensive studies on the performance of commonly used point-of-care diagnostic enzyme immunoassay for common arthropod-borne canine pathogens. a comparative evaluation of an immunochromatographic test for these infections with a comprehensive polymerase chain reaction (pcr) test panel was performed on 100 pet dogs and 100 stray dogs without obvious clinical symptoms. of the 162 positive test results from both immunochromatographic test and pcr, there was 85.2% concordan ...	2011	21612526
rickettsia, ehrlichia, anaplasma, and bartonella in ticks and fleas from dogs and cats in bangkok.	abstract flea and tick specimens (5-10 fleas or ticks) on dogs and cats from various sites in bangkok were tested by polymerase chain reaction and dna sequencing to detect dna of bacteria rickettsia (glta and 17 kda genes), anaplasmataceae (16s rrna gene), and bartonella (pap31 and its genes). we confirmed that rickettsia sp. related to rickettsia felis was detected in 66 of 98 (67.4%) flea specimens from dogs, whereas 8 bartonella henselae and 2 bartonella clarridgeiae were detected in 10 of 54 ...	2011	21612535
population dynamic models of the spread of wolbachia.	wolbachia are endosymbionts that are found in many insect species and can spread rapidly when introduced into a naive host population. most wolbachia spread when their infection frequency exceeds a threshold normally calculated using purely population genetic models. however, spread may also depend on the population dynamics of the insect host. we develop models to explore interactions between host population dynamics and wolbachia infection frequency for an age-structured insect population regu ...	2011	21460541
symbiont diversity and non-random hybridization among indigenous (ms) and invasive (b) biotypes of bemisia tabaci.	the whitefly bemisia tabaci (hemiptera: aleyrodidae) is a worldwide pest and a vector of numerous plant viruses. b. tabaci is composed of dozens of morphologically indistinguishable biotypes and its taxonomic status is still controversial. this phloem-feeder harbours the primary symbiont portiera aleyrodidarum and potentially six secondary symbionts: cardinium, arsenophonus, hamiltonella, rickettsia, wolbachia and fritschea. in the southwest indian ocean, la réunion hosts two biotypes of this sp ...	2011	21476990
wolbachia infections are virulent and inhibit the human malaria parasite plasmodium falciparum in anopheles gambiae.	endosymbiotic wolbachia bacteria are potent modulators of pathogen infection and transmission in multiple naturally and artificially infected insect species, including important vectors of human pathogens. anopheles mosquitoes are naturally uninfected with wolbachia, and stable artificial infections have not yet succeeded in this genus. recent techniques have enabled establishment of somatic wolbachia infections in anopheles. here, we characterize somatic infections of two diverse wolbachia stra ...	2011	21625582
tissue and stage-specific distribution of wolbachia in brugia malayi.	most filarial parasite species contain wolbachia, obligatory bacterial endosymbionts that are crucial for filarial development and reproduction. they are targets for alternative chemotherapy, but their role in the biology of filarial nematodes is not well understood. light microscopy provides important information on morphology, localization and potential function of these bacteria. surprisingly, immunohistology and in situ hybridization techniques have not been widely used to monitor wolbachia ...	2011	21629728
the impact of endosymbionts on the evolution of host sex-determination mechanisms.	the past years have revealed that inherited bacterial endosymbionts are important sources of evolutionary novelty for their eukaryotic hosts. in this review we discuss a fundamental biological process of eukaryotes influenced by bacterial endosymbionts: the mechanisms of sex determination. because they are maternally inherited, several endosymbionts of arthropods, known as reproductive parasites, have developed strategies to convert non-transmitting male hosts into transmitting females through f ...	2011	21663992
wolbachia detection: an assessment of standard pcr protocols.	wolbachia is a large monophyletic genus of intracellular bacteria, traditionally detected using pcr assays. its considerable phylogenetic diversity and impact on arthropods and nematodes make it urgent to assess the efficiency of these screening protocols. the sensitivity and range of commonly used pcr primers and of a new set of 16s primers were evaluated on a wide range of hosts and wolbachia strains. we show that certain primer sets are significantly more efficient than others but that no sin ...	2011	21481216
co-existence, phylogeny and putative role of wolbachia and yeast-like symbiont (yls) in kerria lacca (kerr).	this study reports the first detection of wolbachia and yeast-like symbiont (yls) harbored in kerria lacca (kerr), a scale insect, latter of which produces an economically important natural resin, known as lac. wolbachia was detected using pcr amplification and sequencing of 16s rdna; and further confirmation and phylogenetic analysis was carried out by fast evolving wsp gene. neighbor-joining and maximum parsimonious (mp) analysis showed that this strain belongs to subgroup "ori" of wolbachia s ...	2011	21674166
outsmarting dengue fever.		2011	21495472
diversification of wolbachia endosymbiont in the culex pipiens mosquito.	the α-proteobacteria wolbachia are among the most common intracellular bacteria and have recently emerged as important drivers of arthropod biology. wolbachia commonly act as reproductive parasites in arthropods by inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), a type of conditional sterility between hosts harboring incompatible infections. in this study, we examined the evolutionary histories of wolbachia infections, known as wpip, in the common house mosquito culex pipiens, which exhibits the grea ...	2011	21515811
bacteria-induced sexual isolation in drosophila.	commensal bacteria can induce sexual isolation between populations of drosophila. this phenomenon has implications for speciation, and raises questions about its behavioral and developmental mechanisms, which are not yet known. in this extra view, we discuss related work by others, bearing directly on these issues, and we speculate about how bacteria might influence fly behavior. there are many reports of interaction between drosophila and their microbiota that significantly impacts mating prefe ...	2011	21525789
wolbachia wsinvictaa infections in natural populations of the fire ant solenopsis invicta: testing for phenotypic effects.	abstract wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that commonly infect many arthropods and some nematodes. in arthropods, these maternally transmitted bacteria often induce a variety of phenotypic effects to enhance their own spread within host populations. wolbachia phenotypic effects generally either provide benefits to infected host females (cytoplasmic incompatibility, positive fitness effects) or bias host sex ratio in favor of females (male-killing, parthenogenesis, feminization), all of which ...	2011	21526927
transcriptomics of the bed bug (cimex lectularius).	bed bugs (cimex lectularius) are blood-feeding insects poised to become one of the major pests in households throughout the united states. resistance of c. lectularius to insecticides/pesticides is one factor thought to be involved in its sudden resurgence. despite its high-impact status, scant knowledge exists at the genomic level for c. lectularius. hence, we subjected the c. lectularius transcriptome to 454 pyrosequencing in order to identify potential genes involved in pesticide resistance.	2011	21283830
identification and characterization of the cofactor-independent phosphoglycerate mutases of dirofilaria immitis and its wolbachia endosymbiont.	drug treatments for heartworm disease have not changed significantly in the last decade. due to concerns about possible drug resistance and their lower efficacy against adult worms, there is a need for the development of new antifilarial drug therapies. the recent availability of genomic sequences for the related filarial parasite brugia malayi and its wolbachia endosymbiont enables genome-wide searching for new drug targets. phosphoglycerate mutase (pgm) enzymes catalyze the critical isomerizat ...	2011	21324604
further insights into the strange role of bacterial endosymbionts in whitefly, bemisia tabaci: comparison of secondary symbionts from biotypes b and q in china.	the percentage infection of secondary symbionts (ss) (wolbachia, arsenophonus, rickettsia, hamiltonella, fritschea and cardinium) in the exotic bemisia tabaci (genn.) invaders, commonly known as biotypes b and q from china, were determined by pcr. in total, 373 biotype b and 1830 biotype q individuals were screened for the presence of ss. biotype b was more abundant than biotype q from 2005 to 2006, and biotype q was more abundant from 2007 to 2009. each of the ss, with the exception of fritsche ...	2011	21329550
differentially expressed genes in silkworm cell cultures in response to infection by wolbachia and cardinium endosymbionts.	wolbachia and cardinium are bacterial endosymbionts that are widely distributed amongst arthropods. both cause reproductive alterations, such as cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis and feminization. here we studied differentially expressed genes in wolbachia- and cardinium-infected bm-aff3 silkworm cells using a silkworm microarray. wolbachia infection did not alter gene expression or induce or suppress immune responses. in contrast, cardinium infection induced many immune-related genes ...	2011	21349119
recombination in wolbachia endosymbionts of filarial nematodes?		2011	21350051
mitochondrial dna effects on fitness in drosophila subobscura.	we tested different fitness components on a series of conspecific mtdna haplotypes, detected by rflps in drosophila subobscura. additionally, haplotype viii, endemic to the canary islands, was tested upon its own native nuclear dna background and upon that of the rest of mtdnas tested herein. we found that both nuclear and mitochondrial dna can have a significant effect upon their hosts' fitness, and that negative selection is one of the mechanisms that can intervene in this species' mtdna haplo ...	2011	21364694
ccl17 controls mast cells for the defense against filarial larval entry.	filarial parasites have to trespass many barriers to successfully settle within their mammalian host, which is equipped with mechanical borders and complex weaponry of an evolved immune system. however, little is known about mechanisms of early local events in filarial infections. in this study, bone marrow-derived dendritic cells not only upregulated activation markers cd40 and cd80 upon in vitro stimulation with filarial extracts, but also secreted ccl17, a chemokine known to be produced upon ...	2011	21398605
a fluorescent-based method for rapid wolbachia detection in the drosophila germline and somatic tissues.	wolbachia is a globally distributed bacterial endosymbiont present in arthropods and nematodes. the advent of sensitive pcr-based approaches has greatly facilitated the identification of wolbachia-infected individuals and analysis of populations infection levels. here, a complementary visual fluorescence-based wolbachia screening approach is described. through the use of the fluorescent-dye syto-11, wolbachia can be efficiently detected in various insect tissues, including ovaries. syto-11 also ...	2011	21622788
endosymbiont costs and benefits in a parasitoid infected with both wolbachia and cardinium.	theory suggests that maternally inherited endosymbionts can promote their spread and persistence in host populations by enhancing the production of daughters by infected hosts, either by improving overall host fitness, or through reproductive manipulation. in the doubly infected parasitoid wasp encarsia inaron, wolbachia manipulates host reproduction through cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), but cardinium does not. we investigated the fitness costs and/or benefits of infection by each bacterium ...	2011	20606691
functional test of the influence of wolbachia genes on cytoplasmic incompatibility expression in drosophila melanogaster.	wolbachia are inherited intracellular bacteria that infect a broad range of invertebrate hosts. they commonly manipulate host reproduction in a variety of ways and thereby favour their invasion into host populations. while the biology of wolbachia has been extensively studied at the ecological and phenotypic level, little is known about the molecular mechanisms underlying the interaction between wolbachia and their hosts. recent comparative genomics studies of wolbachia strains have revealed put ...	2011	20854481
the genetics and evolution of obligate reproductive parasitism in trichogramma pretiosum infected with parthenogenesis-inducing wolbachia.	parthenogenesis-inducing (pi) wolbachia belong to a class of intracellular symbionts that distort the offspring sex ratio of their hosts toward a female bias. in many pi wolbachia-infected species sex ratio distortion has reached its ultimate expression-fixation of infection and all-female populations. this is only possible with thelytokous pi symbionts as they provide an alternative form of reproduction and remove the requirement for males and sexual reproduction. many populations fixed for pi ...	2011	20442735
wolbachia strains typing in different geographic population spider, hylyphantes graminicola (linyphiidae).	the wolbachia endosymbiont of spiders has not been extensively examined. in order to investigate the distribution, evolutionary history, and reproductive phenotype of wolbachia in spiders in china, we tested 11 geographic populations of hylyphantes graminicola. wolbachia infection has been detected in each population. 10 wolbachia strains have been characterized by multilocus sequence typing (mlst). phylogenetic analyses indicated that eight wolbachia strains in h. graminicola belonged to superg ...	2011	20533041
What ails Wolbachia transinfection to control disease vectors?		2012	22079163
transposable element proliferation as a possible side effect of endosymbiont manipulations.	the mode of reproduction has been predicted to affect the proliferation of transposable elements (tes). a population that switches from sexual to asexual reproduction could either accumulate tes because purifying selection becomes less efficient, or a decrease in te load because the opportunity for horizontal transmission is reduced. a third possibility is that the mechanism that induces asexual reproduction affects te dynamics as a side effect. we propose two such mechanisms that might explain ...	2012	23550173
targeted genome enrichment for efficient purification of endosymbiont dna from host dna.	wolbachia endosymbionts are widespread in arthropods and are generally considered reproductive parasites, inducing various phenotypes including cytoplasmic incompatibility, parthenogenesis, feminization and male killing, which serve to promote their spread through populations. in contrast, wolbachia infecting filarial nematodes that cause human diseases, including elephantiasis and river blindness, are obligate mutualists. dna purification methods for efficient genomic sequencing of these uncult ...	2012	23482460
presence and distribution of the endosymbiont wolbachia among solenopsis spp. (hymenoptera: formicidae) from brazil and its evolutionary history.	wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that commonly infect arthropods. its prevalence among ants of the genus solenopsis is high. in the present study, the presence and distribution of these endosymbionts was examined among populations of solenopsis spp. from brazil. a phylogenetic analysis based on the wsp gene was conducted to infer the evolutionary history of wolbachia infections within the populations surveyed. a high frequency of wolbachia bacteria was observed among the genus solenopsis, 51 ...	2012	22266203
detection of wolbachia endobacteria in culex quinquefasciatus by gimenez staining and confirmation by pcr.	wolbachia are common intracellular bacteria that are found in arthropods and nematodes. these endosymbionts are transmitted vertically through host eggs and alter host biology in diverse ways, including the induction of reproductive manipulations, such as feminization, parthenogenesis, male killing and sperm-egg incompatibility. since they can also move horizontally across species boundaries, wolbachia is gaining importance in recent days as it could be used as a biological control agent to cont ...	2012	23428527
first record of wolbachia in south american terrestrial isopods: prevalence and diversity in two species of balloniscus (crustacea, oniscidea).	wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria that commonly infect arthropods, inducing certain phenotypes in their hosts. so far, no endemic south american species of terrestrial isopods have been investigated for wolbachia infection. in this work, populations from two species of balloniscus (b. sellowii and b. glaber) were studied through a diagnostic pcr assay. fifteen new wolbachia 16s rdna sequences were detected. wolbachia found in both species were generally specific to one population, and five po ...	2012	23413179
deep sympatric mtdna divergence in the autumnal moth (epirrita autumnata).	deep sympatric intraspecific divergence in mtdna may reflect cryptic species or formerly distinct lineages in the process of remerging. preliminary results from dna barcoding of scandinavian butterflies and moths showed high intraspecific sequence variation in the autumnal moth, epirrita autumnata. in this study, specimens from different localities in norway and some samples from finland and scotland, with two congeneric species as outgroups, were sequenced with mitochondrial and nuclear markers ...	2012	23404314
a veritable menagerie of heritable bacteria from ants, butterflies, and beyond: broad molecular surveys and a systematic review.	maternally transmitted bacteria have been important players in the evolution of insects and other arthropods, affecting their nutrition, defense, development, and reproduction. wolbachia are the best studied among these and typically the most prevalent. while several other bacteria have independently evolved a heritable lifestyle, less is known about their host ranges. moreover, most groups of insects have not had their heritable microflora systematically surveyed across a broad range of their t ...	2012	23284655
population genomics of the wolbachia endosymbiont in drosophila melanogaster.	wolbachia are maternally inherited symbiotic bacteria, commonly found in arthropods, which are able to manipulate the reproduction of their host in order to maximise their transmission. the evolutionary history of endosymbionts like wolbachia can be revealed by integrating information on infection status in natural populations with patterns of sequence variation in wolbachia and host mitochondrial genomes. here we use whole-genome resequencing data from 290 lines of drosophila melanogaster from ...	2012	23284297
molecular characterization of wolbachia strains associated with the invasive asian citrus psyllid diaphorina citri in brazil.	wolbachia is a symbiont intensively studied due to its ability to interfere with their host's reproduction, and it has been recently proposed as an alternative tool to control insect pests or vectors of diseases. the asian citrus psyllid diaphorina citri is an important pest of citrus since it vectors the bacterium that causes the "huanglongbing" disease in citrus. the frequency and diversity of wolbachia associated with d. citri is unknown, limiting the utilization of wolbachia as an alternativ ...	2012	23269454
filamentation temperature-sensitive protein z (ftsz) of wolbachia, endosymbiont of wuchereria bancrofti: a potential target for anti-filarial chemotherapy.	lymphatic filariasis (lf) is a leading cause of morbidity in the tropical world. it is caused by the filarial parasites wuchereria bancrofti, brugia malayi and brugia timori and transmitted by vector mosquitoes. currently a programme for the elimination of lf, global programme for elimination of lymphatic filariasis (gpelf), is underway with the strategy of mass administration of single dose of diethylcarbamazine or ivermectin, in combination with an anthelmintic drug, albendazole. however, anti ...	2012	23262214
Wolbachia pipientis is associated with different mitochondrial haplotypes in natural populations of Drosophila willistoni.	The prevalence of the endosymbiont Wolbachia pipientis and its effects on mitochondrial genetic diversity were analyzed in natural populations of Drosophila willistoni, a neotropical species recently infected. Total infection rate was 55% and no evidence was found that the Wolbachia infection decreased the diversity of mtDNA. Wolbachia was seen to be associated with different mitochondria, suggesting multiple horizontal transmission events and/or transmission paternal leakage of mitochondrial an ...	2012	21945051
Extended starvation reduced and eliminated Wolbachia, but not Cardinium, from Metaseiulus occidentalis females (Acari: Phytoseiidae): A need to reassess Wolbachia's status in this predatory mite?	The presence of Wolbachia and Cardinium bacteria has been documented in many arthropod species, including the predatory mite Metaseiulus (=Typhlodromus or Galendomus) occidentalis (Nesbitt) (Acari: Phytoseiidae). We show that Tetranychus urticae, the prey of Metaseiulus occidentalis, contains Wolbachia and no detectable Cardinium using quantitative PCR (qPCR). Starvation for 72h at 22°C eliminated most, if not all, Wolbachia in M. occidentalis adult females from 7 laboratory colonies. Refeeding ...	2012	21946455
High-Resolution Melting technology: a new tool for studying the Wolbachia endosymbiont diversity in the field.	Stable infections by maternally transmitted symbionts are frequently found in field populations, especially in arthropods. Many questions remain regarding their contribution to host biology and ecology, and especially on environmental adaptation of their host. Wolbachia is one of the most common endosymbiont of invertebrates. This cytoplasmically inherited endocellular bacterium induces number of reproductive alterations in its arthropod hosts and various fitness effects that allow it to spread ...	2012	21923674
retarded onchocerca volvulus l1 to l3 larval development in the simulium damnosum vector after anti-wolbachial treatment of the human host.	abstract: background: the human parasite onchocerca volvulus harbours wolbachia endosymbionts essential for worm embryogenesis, larval development and adult survival. in this study, the development of wolbachia-depleted microfilariae (first stage larvae) to infective third stage larvae (l3) in the insect vector simulium damnosum was analysed. methods: infected volunteers in cameroon were randomly and blindly allocated into doxycycline (200 mg/day for 6 weeks) or placebo treatment groups. after ...	2012	22236497
characterization of intersex production in trichogramma kaykai infected with parthenogenesis-inducing wolbachia.	sexually aberrant individuals, displaying both male and female characteristics, are rare in occurrence but are documented throughout the animal kingdom. in parasitoid wasps of the genus trichogramma, such individuals typically appear as a result of rearing wolbachia-infected thelytokous wasps at high temperatures. sexually aberrant trichogramma have been referred to interchangeably in the literature as gynandromorphs, sexual mosaics and intersexes. however, accurately used, the terms "gynandromo ...	2012	22218612
a male-killing wolbachia carries a feminizing factor and is associated with degradation of the sex-determining system of its host.	endosymbiotic bacteria of the genus wolbachia induce diverse reproductive alterations in their insect hosts. wolbachia (wsca) infecting the moth ostrinia scapulalis causes unusual male killing, in which males (genotype: zz) selectively die during embryonic and larval development, whereas females (genotype: zw), in turn, selectively die when cured of infection. to gain insight into the interaction between wsca and the host, we analysed phenotypic and genetic sexes of the embryos and larvae of nor ...	2012	22219393
wolbachia from the planthopper laodelphax striatellus establishes a robust, persistent, streptomycin-resistant infection in clonal mosquito cells.	the obligate intracellular bacterium, wolbachia pipientis (rickettsiales: anaplasmataceae), distorts reproduction of its arthropod hosts to facilitate invasion of naïve populations. this property makes wolbachia an attractive "gene drive" agent with potential applications in the control of insect vector populations. genetic manipulation of wolbachia will require in vitro systems for its propagation, genetic modification, amplification, and introduction into target insects. here we show that wolb ...	2012	23271364
Microbial control of malaria: Biological warfare against the parasite and its vector.	Microbial applications in malaria transmission control have drawn global attention. Mosquito midgut microbiota can modulate vector immunity and block Plasmodium development. Paratransgenic manipulation of bacterial symbionts and Wolbachia can affect reproductive characteristics of mosquitoes. Bacillus-based biolarvicides can control mosquito larvae in different breeding habitats, but their effectiveness differs according to the type of formulation applied, and the physical and ecological conditi ...	2012	22100545
the native wolbachia symbionts limit transmission of dengue virus in aedes albopictus.	the chikungunya (chik) outbreak that struck la reunion island in 2005 was preceded by few human cases of dengue (den), but which surprisingly did not lead to an epidemic as might have been expected in a non-immune population. both arboviral diseases are transmitted to humans by two main mosquito species, aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus. in the absence of the former, ae. albopictus was the only species responsible for viral transmission on la reunion island. this mosquito is naturally super-in ...	2012	23301109
detection of the wolbachia-encoded dna binding protein, hu beta, in mosquito gonads.	wolbachia are obligate intracellular bacteria that cause cytoplasmic incompatibility in mosquitoes. in an incompatible cross, eggs of uninfected females fail to hatch when fertilized by sperm from infected males. we used polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and tandem mass spectrometry to identify wolbachia proteins in infected mosquito gonads. these included surface proteins with masses of 25 and 18 kda and the dna binding protein, hu beta. using reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction, w ...	2012	23287400