Publications

wolbachia-induced neutrophil activation in a mouse model of ocular onchocerciasis (river blindness).	endosymbiotic wolbachia bacteria are abundant in the filarial nematodes that cause onchocerciasis (river blindness), including the larvae (microfilariae) that migrate into the cornea. using a mouse model of ocular onchocerciasis, we recently demonstrated that it is these endosymbiotic bacteria rather than the nematodes per se that induce neutrophil infiltration to the corneal stroma and loss of corneal clarity (saint andre et al., science 295:1892-1895, 2002). to better understand the role of wo ...	2004	15385467
wolbachia pipientis in australian spiders.	wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiotic bacterium common to arthropods and filarial nematodes. this study presents the first survey and characterization of wolbachia pipientis that infect spiders. all spiders were collected from queensland, australia during 2002-2003 and screened for wolbachia infection using pcr approaches. the wolbachia strains present in the spiders are diverse, paraphyletic, and for the most part closely related to strains that infect insects. we have also identified several ...	2004	15386106
virulence, multiple infections and regulation of symbiotic population in the wolbachia-asobara tabida symbiosis.	the density and regulation of microbial populations are important factors in the success of symbiotic associations. high bacterial density may improve transmission to the next generation, but excessive replication could turn out to be costly to the host and result in higher virulence. moreover, differences in virulence may also depend on the diversity of symbionts. using the maternally transmitted symbiont wolbachia, we investigated how bacterial density and diversity are regulated and influence ...	2004	15454536
the genetic basis of male fertility in relation to haplodiploid reproduction in leptopilina clavipes (hymenoptera: figitidae).	traits under relaxed selection are expected to become reduced or disappear completely, a process called vestigialization. in parthenogenetic populations, traits historically involved in sexual reproduction are no longer under selection and potentially subject to such reduction. in leptopilina clavipes, thelytokous (parthenogenetic) populations are infected by wolbachia bacteria. arrhenotokous populations do not harbor wolbachia. when antibiotics are applied to infected females, they are cured fr ...	2004	15454547
wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility as a means for insect pest population control.	biological control is the purposeful introduction of parasites, predators, and pathogens to reduce or suppress pest populations. wolbachia are inherited bacteria of arthropods that have recently attracted attention for their potential as new biocontrol agents. wolbachia manipulate host reproduction by using several strategies, one of which is cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) [stouthamer, r., breeuwer, j. a. j. & hurst, g. d. d. (1999) annu. rev. microbiol. 53, 71-102]. we established wolbachia-i ...	2004	15469918
specific igg antibody response against antigens of dirofilaria immitis and its wolbachia endosymbiont bacterium in cats with natural and experimental infections.	sera from three groups of cats under different experimental conditions were studied by elisa to assess the host's immune response against synthetic peptides derived from dirofilaria immitis (dipp) and against the surface protein of its endosymbiont, wolbachia (wspr). in experimentally infected cats (group 1), an increase of igg antibody against both dipp and wspr was observed from 2 months post-infection until the end of the study, 6 months post-infection. in experimentally infected cats, treate ...	2004	15482887
wolbachia infection in the newly described ecuadorian sand flea, tunga trimamillata.	wolbachia pipientis is an intracellular endosymbiont producing reproductive alterations in its hosts. this bacterium have been reported in many arthropods and nematodes. by pcr amplification and sequencing of the 16s rdna and ftsz genes we have identified a wolbachia strain in the newly described sand-flea, tunga trimamillata. prevalence of this endosymbiont in the 26 individuals screened is equal to 35%. sympatric and allopatric specimens of the related species tunga penetrans were also analyse ...	2004	15491544
wolbachia effects in drosophila melanogaster: in search of fitness benefits.	insect endosymbionts often influence host nutrition but these effects have not been comprehensively investigated in wolbachia endosymbionts that are widespread in insects. using strains of drosophila melanogaster with the wmel wolbachia infection, we showed that wolbachia did not influence adult starvation resistance. wolbachia also had no effect on larval development time or the size of emerging adults from a low nutrition medium. while wolbachia may influence the expression of heat shock prote ...	2004	15491598
infection dynamics of different wolbachia-types within one host population.	wolbachia are widespread intracellular symbionts of arthropods which are known to cause several reproductive manipulations in their hosts, the commonest of which being cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), male killing (mk), and the induction of parthenogenesis (pi). strains of endosymbionts inducing one of these effects can be referred to as 'wolbachia-types'. here, we try to ascertain whether two of these wolbachia-types can stably coexist within one population. we investigate this question by mea ...	2004	15501467
incipient evolution of wolbachia compatibility types.	cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) is induced in arthropods by the maternally inherited bacterium wolbachia. when infected males mate with uninfected females or with females bearing a different wolbachia variant, paternal chromosomes behave abnormally and embryos die. this pattern can be interpreted as resulting from two bacterial effects: one (usually termed mod, for modification) would affect sperm and induce embryo death, unless wolbachia is also present in the egg, which implies the existence ...	2004	15521450
genetics of female functional virginity in the parthenogenesis-wolbachia infected parasitoid wasp telenomus nawai (hymenoptera: scelionidae).	a lepidopteran egg parasitoid species telenomus nawai consists of two distinct populations with different reproductive modes. one is a completely thelytokous population consisting of females only, whereas the other displays arrhenotokous reproduction where fertilized eggs develop into diploid females and unfertilized eggs into haploid males. thelytoky in t. nawai is caused by a bacterial symbiont, the parthenogenesis-inducing (pi) wolbachia. recent theoretical studies have shown that when a pi-w ...	2005	15523503
high infection rate of wolbachia endobacteria in the sand flea tunga penetrans from brazil.	tunga penetrans is an ectoparasite causing considerable morbidity in endemic communities. recently, endobacteria of the genus wolbachia were identified also in t. penetrans. since wolbachia were suggested as targets for intervention of insect pests and human filariasis, sand fleas were collected from infested humans, dogs and rats in a hyperendemic area in northeastern brazil, and screened for wolbachia infections. twenty-one adult fleas and four batches of flea eggs were examined by pcr using p ...	2004	15533291
distribution and diversity of wolbachia infections in southeast asian mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae).	wolbachia are a group of intracellular inherited bacteria that infect a wide range of arthropods. they are associated with a variety of reproductive alterations in their hosts, the best known being cytoplasmic incompatability. the wolbachia pipientis assemblage has been divided into two major groups (a and b) and 12 subgroups. we report herein the first systematic survey of wolbachia in mosquitoes, and the first survey classifying wolbachia infections by subgroup. wolbachia were detected in 28.1 ...	2000	15535575
characterization of wolbachia infections and interspecific crosses of aedes (stegomyia) polynesiensis and ae. (stegomyia) riversi (diptera: culicidae).	prior studies have identified a complicated pattern of interspecific hybridization between members of the aedes (stegomyia) scutellaris (walker) mosquito group, which includes medically important vectors of bancroftian filariasis and dengue. here, we report that two members of the group, aedes polynesiensis marks and aedes riversi bohart & ingram, are both infected with intracellular wolbachia bacteria. sequencing of the wolbachia wsp gene demonstrates that the infections differ from each other ...	2004	15535618
multiple infections and diversity of cytoplasmic incompatibility in a haplodiploid species.	cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) is a sperm-egg incompatibility commonly induced by the intracellular endosymbiont bacterium wolbachia that, in diploid species, results in embryo mortality. in haplodiploid species, two types of ci exist depending on whether the incompatible fertilized eggs develop into males (male development (md)) or abort (female mortality (fm)). ci allows multiple infections to be maintained in host populations, and thus allows interactions to occur between co-infecting strai ...	2005	15562287
new wolbachia endosymbionts from nearctic and neotropical fleas (siphonaptera).	several species of fleas (siphonaptera), ectoparasites of mammals and birds, have recently been shown to harbor species of wolbachia. here, we extend this data set to 20 more species of siphonaptera (rhopalopsyllidae, stephanocircidae, pulicidae, ceratophyllidae, ctenophthalmidae, ischnopsyllidae, leptopsyllidae, and malacopsyllidae) from sylvatic populations throughout the nearctic and neotropical regions. using polymerase chain reaction, we targeted the wolbachia 16s ribosomal dna (rdna) gene. ...	2004	15562592
evolution of wolbachia cytoplasmic incompatibility types.	the success of obligate endosymbiotic wolbachia infections in insects is due in part to cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), whereby wolbachia bacteria manipulate host reproduction to promote their invasion and persistence within insect populations. the observed diversity of ci types raises the question of what the evolutionary pathways are by which a new ci type can evolve from an ancestral type. prior evolutionary models assume that wolbachia exists within a host individual as a clonal infection. ...	2004	15562682
intra-individual coexistence of a wolbachia strain required for host oogenesis with two strains inducing cytoplasmic incompatibility in the wasp asobara tabida.	cytoplasmically inherited symbiotic wolbachia bacteria are known to induce a diversity of phenotypes on their numerous arthropod hosts including cytoplasmic incompatibility, male-killing, thelytokous parthenogenesis, and feminization. in the wasp asobara tabida (braconidae), in which all individuals harbor three genotypic wolbachia strains (watab1, watab2 and watab3), the presence of wolbachia is required for insect oogenesis. to elucidate the phenotype of each wolbachia strain on host reproduct ...	2004	15562683
to what extent do different types of sex ratio distorters interfere?	within the diptera, two different selfish genetic elements are known to cause the production of female-biased sex ratios: maternally inherited bacteria that kill male zygotes (male-killers), and x chromosomes causing the degeneration of y-bearing sperm in males (meiotic drive). we here develop a mathematical model for the dynamics of these two sex-ratio distorters where they co-occur. we show that x chromosome meiotic drive elements can be expected to substantially lower the equilibrium frequenc ...	2004	15562699
wolbachia bacteria, the cause for false vesicular staining pattern in drosophila melanogaster.	majority of fly laboratory strains is infected with wolbachia, intracellular rickettsial-type symbiotic bacteria widespread in various organisms including insects and nematodes. to make the matter worse, i found that certain antisera used for fly immunocytochemistry can recognize wolbachia bacteria in addition to their own antigens, due to impurity in the antisera generated against the recombinant fusion proteins frequently used as antigens. thus, combinatorial use of contaminated antisera and w ...	2004	15567711
host resistance does not explain variation in incidence of male-killing bacteria in drosophila bifasciata.	selfish genetic elements that distort the sex ratio are found widely. notwithstanding the number of records of sex ratio distorters, their incidence is poorly understood. two factors can prevent a sex ratio distorter from invading: inability of the sex ratio distorter to function (failure of mechanism or transmission), and lack of drive if they do function (inappropriate ecology for invasion). there has been no test to date on factors causing variation in the incidence of sex ratio distorting cy ...	2004	15571631
wolbachia and nuclear-nuclear interactions contribute to reproductive incompatibility in the spider mite panonychus mori (acari: tetranychidae).	maternally transmitted bacteria of the genus wolbachia are obligate, intracellular symbionts that are responsible for cytoplasmic incompatibility in a wide range of arthropods such as insects and mites. spider mites often show uni- and bidirectional incompatibilities among populations with and without wolbachia. therefore, we surveyed the presence of wolbachia by pcr and then conducted crossing experiments among 25 populations of panonychus mori to determine how wolbachia are related to the inco ...	2005	15578046
evolutionarily stable infection by a male-killing endosymbiont in drosophila innubila: molecular evidence from the host and parasite genomes.	maternally inherited microbes that spread via male-killing are common pathogens of insects, yet very little is known about the evolutionary duration of these associations. the few examples to date indicate very recent, and thus potentially transient, infections. a male-killing strain of wolbachia has recently been discovered in natural populations of drosophila innubila. the population-level effects of this infection are significant: approximately 35% of females are infected, infected females pr ...	2004	15579697
phylogenetic characterization of wolbachia symbionts infecting cimex lectularius l. and oeciacus vicarius horvath (hemiptera: cimicidae).	wolbachia symbionts are obligate intracellular bacteria that cause host reproductive alterations in many arthropods and filarial nematodes. we identified wolbachia symbionts in the cliff swallow bug (oeciacus vicarious horvath) and the human bed bug (cimex lectularius l.) (hemiptera: cimicidae) by polymerase chain reaction (pcr) amplification and sequencing using wolbachia-specific 16s rdna and ftsz primers. phylogenetic analyses using bayesian, maximum likelihood, and maximum parsimony algorith ...	2004	15605657
decreased diversity but increased substitution rate in host mtdna as a consequence of wolbachia endosymbiont infection.	a substantial fraction of insects and other terrestrial arthropods are infected with parasitic, maternally transmitted endosymbiotic bacteria that manipulate host reproduction. in addition to imposing direct selection on the host to resist these effects, endosymbionts may also have indirect effects on the evolution of the mtdna with which they are cotransmitted. patterns of mtdna diversity and evolution were examined in drosophila recens, which is infected with the endosymbiont wolbachia, and it ...	2004	15611174
the allonemobius-wolbachia host-endosymbiont system: evidence for rapid speciation and against reproductive isolation driven by cytoplasmic incompatibility.	evidence for the evolution of fertilization incompatibilities and rapid speciation can be biased by the occurrence of hybridization and reproductive endosymbionts such as wolbachia. for example, patterns of mitochondrial dna (mtdna) variation can be obscured by mitotypes hitchhiking on extrachromosomal elements like wolbachia, while such endosymbionts can also induce phenotypes that mirror the operation of intrinsic fertilization incompatibilities between species. therefore, before strong infere ...	2004	15612285
on the ubiquity and phylogeny of wolbachia in lice.	wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that occur in an estimated 20% of arthropod species. they are of broad interest because they profoundly affect the reproductive fitness of diverse host taxa. here we document the apparent ubiquity and diversity of wolbachia in the insect orders anoplura (sucking lice) and mallophaga (chewing lice), by detecting single or multiple infections in each of 25 tested populations of lice, representing 19 species from 15 genera spanning eight taxonomic families. phyl ...	2005	15643971
super-infections of wolbachia in byturid beetles and evidence for genetic transfer between a and b super-groups of wolbachia.	wolbachia are maternally inherited bacteria responsible for altering host reproduction. the two main groups found in insects, a and b, are based on molecular characterization using ribosomal, ftsz, wsp (wolbachia surface protein) or groe genes. we have used the wsp and ftsz genes to study wolbachia in byturid beetles. byturus affinis contained a single copy of the ftsz gene which grouped with a ftsz sequences and a single copy of the wsp gene which grouped with b wsp sequences. this suggests tha ...	2005	15660951
loss of wolbachia infection during colonisation in the invasive argentine ant linepithema humile.	wolbachia are maternally inherited bacteria, which are very common in arthropods and nematodes. wolbachia infection may affect host reproduction through feminisation, parthenogenesis, male-killing, cytoplasmic incompatibility and increased fecundity. previous studies showing discrepancies between the phylogenies of wolbachia and its arthropod hosts indicate that infection is frequently lost, but the causes of symbiont extinction have so far remained elusive. here, we report data showing that col ...	2005	15674380
the eye does not see what the mind does not know: the bacterium in the worm.	symbiotic relationships underlie the evolutionary success of many different life forms. the filarial worms are long, slender nematode parasites that cause considerable pathology in large segments of the world's population. about 25 years ago, investigators first reported the presence of bacterial organisms living inside these parasitic worms. recent molecular biological studies have indicated that these bacteria belong to the genus wolbachia, members of which have been known to be associated wit ...	2005	15681877
brugia malayi: effects of gamma radiation on adult worms and their intracellular wolbachia bacteria.	prior studies have shown that intracellular wolbachia endobacteria are necessary for the normal development, reproduction, and survival of filarial nematodes. the purpose of this study was to examine effects of gamma radiation on wolbachia and reproduction in brugia malayi adult worms. worms were exposed to 0, 10, 25, 45, 75, and 105 krad of gamma radiation from a 137cesium source and cultured in vitro for 10 days. irradiation reduced production of microfilariae in a dose-dependent manner. embry ...	2005	15687015
analysis of sarcoptes scabiei finds no evidence of infection with wolbachia.	the endosymbiont wolbachia has been detected in a range of filarial nematodes and parasitic mites and is known to affect host reproductive compatibility and potentially evolutionary processes. pcr of wolbachia surface protein (wsp), ftsz and 16srrna genes from individual sarcoptes scabiei mites obtained from a series of individual hosts, and database searches of an s. scabiei var. hominis est library failed to detect wolbachia genes. therefore, wolbachia appears not to be involved in the genetic ...	2004	15710433
convergent incidences of wolbachia infection in fig wasp communities from two continents.	wide surveys suggest that wolbachia bacteria infect ca. 20% of all insect species, but particular taxonomic or ecological groups may display significantly higher or lower incidences. we studied 61 fig wasp species in australia and found the highest known incidence (67%) of infection in a targeted study of this nature. a comparable study in panama reported a similar figure (59%), confirming the exceptionally high incidence of wolbachia in fig wasps. importantly, these are two independent estimate ...	2005	15734697
detection and identification of ehrlichia spp. in ticks collected in tunisia and morocco.	a broad-range 16s rrna gene pcr assay followed by partial sequencing of the 16s rrna gene was used for the detection of members of the family anaplasmataceae in ticks in north africa. a total of 418 questing ixodes ricinus ticks collected in tunisia and morocco, as well as 188 rhipicephalus ticks from dogs and 52 hyalomma ticks from bovines in tunisia, were included in this study. of 324 adult i. ricinus ticks, 16.3% were positive for ehrlichia spp., whereas only 3.4 and 2.8% of nymphs and larva ...	2005	15750072
filarial susceptibility and effects of wolbachia in aedes pseudoscutellaris mosquitoes.	the mosquito aedes pseudoscutellaris (theobald), a member of the aedes (stegomyia) scutellaris complex (diptera: culicidae), is an important vector of subperiodic wuchereria bancrofti (cobbold) (spirurida: onchocercidae), causing human lymphatic filariasis, on south pacific islands. maternal inheritance of filarial susceptibility in the complex has previously been asserted, and larval tetracycline treatment reduced susceptibility; the maternally inherited wolbachia in these mosquitoes were sugge ...	2005	15752178
population differentiation and wolbachia phylogeny in mosquitoes of the aedes scutellaris group.	mosquito species of the aedes (stegomyia) scutellaris (walker) group (diptera: culicidae) are distributed across many islands of the south pacific and include major regional vectors of filariasis, such as aedes polynesiensis (marks). analysis of populations of ae. polynesiensis at the extremes of its range, from fiji and from moorea, french polynesia, using the rdna its2 (internal transcribed spacer 2) region and six microsatellite markers showed considerable genetic differentiation between them ...	2005	15752179
armadillidin: a novel glycine-rich antibacterial peptide directed against gram-positive bacteria in the woodlouse armadillidium vulgare (terrestrial isopod, crustacean).	we report the isolation and the characterization of a novel antibacterial peptide from hemocytes of the woodlouse armadillidium vulgare, naturally infected or uninfected by wolbachia, an intracellular gram-negative bacterium. this molecule displays antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria despite its composition which classes it into the glycine-rich antibacterial peptide family, usually directed against fungi and gram-negative bacteria. the complete sequence was determined by a com ...	2004	15752546
serendipitous discovery of wolbachia genomes in multiple drosophila species.	the trace archive is a repository for the raw, unanalyzed data generated by large-scale genome sequencing projects. the existence of this data offers scientists the possibility of discovering additional genomic sequences beyond those originally sequenced. in particular, if the source dna for a sequencing project came from a species that was colonized by another organism, then the project may yield substantial amounts of genomic dna, including near-complete genomes, from the symbiotic or parasiti ...	2005	15774024
the wolbachia genome of brugia malayi: endosymbiont evolution within a human pathogenic nematode.	complete genome dna sequence and analysis is presented for wolbachia, the obligate alpha-proteobacterial endosymbiont required for fertility and survival of the human filarial parasitic nematode brugia malayi. although, quantitatively, the genome is even more degraded than those of closely related rickettsia species, wolbachia has retained more intact metabolic pathways. the ability to provide riboflavin, flavin adenine dinucleotide, heme, and nucleotides is likely to be wolbachia's principal co ...	2005	15780005
using in situ hybridization to detect endosymbiont wolbachia in dissected tissues of mosquito host.	the endosymbiont wolbachia, extensively occurring in arthropods, usually causes reproductive distortions of the host, such as mosquitoes. in past years, detection of wolbachia in host tissues has highly relied on transmission electron microscopy (tem) that is tedious and usually unable to gain satisfactory results without experienced techniques and expensive instruments. polymerase chain reaction (pcr) recently has become popular in wolbachia identification. however, necessity of dna extraction ...	2005	15799519
[structural organization and distribution of the symbiotic bacteria wolbachia during spermatogenesis of drosophila simulans].	electron microscopy and morphometric analysis have shown that the symbiotic bacteria wolbachia occur the testis cells during spermatogenesis and are absent in mature spermatids. bacteria did not affect the structural organization of testis cells, which have a typical morphology during morphogenesis. bacteria were distributed along the meiotic spindle microtubules near the mitochondria. they increased in number in spermatids at the stage of elongation. endosymbionts aggregated at the spermatid di ...	2005	15807436
wolbachia endosymbiont levels in severe and mild strains of onchocerca volvulus.	epidemiological, clinical and genetic data have all suggested that the filarial parasite onchocerca volvulus, the causative agent of onchocerciasis (or river blindness) exists as two strains in west africa. the severe strain induces severe ocular disease in a large proportion of the infected population, while the mild strain induces little ocular disease. although dna probes based upon a non-coding repeat sequence family can distinguish the two strains, the underlying basis for this difference i ...	2005	15811532
social parasitism in fire ants (solenopsis spp.): a potential mechanism for interspecies transfer of wolbachia.	one possible mechanism for interspecific transfer of wolbachia is through the intimate contact between parasites and their hosts. we surveyed 10 species of fly parasitoids (pseudacteon spp.) and one inquiline social parasite, solenopsis daguerrei, for the presence and sequence identity (wsp gene) of wolbachia. two wolbachia variants infecting s. daguerrei were identical to known variants infecting the two common ant host species, solenopsis invicta and solenopsis richteri, suggesting possible tr ...	2005	15813792
transposable element polymorphism of wolbachia in the mosquito culex pipiens: evidence of genetic diversity, superinfection and recombination.	wolbachia is a group of maternally inherited endosymbiotic bacteria that infect and induce cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) in a wide range of arthropods. in contrast to other species, the mosquito culex pipiens displays an extremely high number of ci types suggesting differential infection by multiple wolbachia strains. attempts so far failed to detect wolbachia polymorphism that might explain this high level of ci diversity found in c. pipiens populations. here, we establish that wolbachia inf ...	2005	15813794
sequencing of the complete gene coding for the groel of the wolbachia of dirofilaria immitis and expression and purification of the recombinant protein.	wolbachia are intracellular bacteria that infect arthropods and filarial nematodes. these bacteria play an important role in the immunology and pathogenesis of filarial diseases through their proteins and, possibly, other molecules. groel is a constitutively expressed bacterial protein; it is highly conserved among bacteria and is involved in the correct folding of newly synthesized proteins. here we report the production of recombinant groel from the wolbachia of dirofilaria immitis. our goal i ...	2004	15828434
exploring the evolution of wolbachia compatibility types: a simulation approach.	wolbachia-induced cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) is observed when males bearing the bacterium mate with uninfected females or with females bearing a different wolbachia variant; in such crosses, paternal chromosomes are lost at the first embryonic mitosis, most often resulting in developmental arrest. the molecular basis of ci is currently unknown, but it is useful to distinguish conceptually the male and female sides of this phenomenon: in males, wolbachia must do something, before it is shed ...	2005	15834154
the annotated genome of wolbachia from the filarial nematode brugia malayi: what it means for progress in antifilarial medicine.		2005	15839745
bidirectional cytoplasmic incompatibility and the stable coexistence of two wolbachia strains in parapatric host populations.	wolbachiaare intracellular bacteria which are very widely distributed among arthropods. in many insect species wolbachiaare known to induce cytoplasmic mating incompatibility (ci). it has been suggested that wolbachiacould promote speciation in their hosts if parapatric host populations are infected with two different wolbachiastrains causing bidirectional mating incompatibilities. a necessary condition for this speciation scenario to work is that the two wolbachiastrains can stably coexist. the ...	2005	15862594
[polymorphism of mitochondrial dna and infection with symbiotic cytoplasmic bacterium wolbachia pipientis in mosquitoes of the culex pipiens complex from russia].	a total of 208 mosquitoes of the culex pipiens complex from 15 basement and terrestrial populations collected in different regions of the european part of russia and siberia were examined by genetic methods. among these, two major mitotypes, m and p, were identified. these mitotypes differed by six substitutions in the 246-bp mitochondrial dna cytochrome oxidase i gene fragment examined. urban basement mosquito ecotype c. pipiens (form molestus) were characterized by the presence of mitotype m a ...	2005	15865286
immune response to and tissue localization of the wolbachia surface protein (wsp) in dogs with natural heartworm (dirofilaria immitis) infection.	human and animal parasitic filarial nematodes, including the agent of canine and feline heartworm disease dirofilaria immitis, harbour intracellular bacteria of the genus wolbachia (rickettsiaies). it is thought that these bacteria play an important role in the pathogenesis and immune response to filarial infection. immunoglobulin g (total igg, igg1, igg2) production against and immunohistochemical staining of tissues for the wolbachia surface protein (wsp) from dogs with natural heartworm infec ...	2005	15876457
is wolbachia complicating the pathological effects of dirofilaria immitis infections?	human and animal parasitic filarial nematodes, which often are the cause of severe disease, harbor intracellular bacteria of the genus wolbachia (rickettsiaceae). it is thought that these bacteria play an important role in the pathogenesis and immune response to filarial infection. in order to determine the possible role of wolbachia in heartworm disease, dogs naturally infected with dirofilaria immitis were studied for specific antibody response to wolbachia surface protein (wsp). antibody subc ...	2005	15885912
interactions among multiple genomes: tsetse, its symbionts and trypanosomes.	insect-borne diseases exact a high public health burden and have a devastating impact on livestock and agriculture. to date, control has proved to be exceedingly difficult. one such disease that has plagued sub-saharan africa is caused by the protozoan african trypanosomes (trypanosoma species) and transmitted by tsetse flies (diptera: glossinidae). this presentation describes the biology of the tsetse fly and its interactions with trypanosomes as well as its symbionts. tsetse can harbor up to t ...	2005	15894186
expression and modulation of embryonic male-killing in drosophila innubila: opportunities for multilevel selection.	organisms and the symbionts they harbor may experience opposing forces of selection. in particular, the contrasting inheritance patterns of maternally transmitted symbionts and their host's nuclear genes can engender conflict among organizational levels over the optimal host offspring sex ratio. this study uses a male-killing wolbachia endosymbiont and its host drosophila innubila to experimentally address the potential for multilevel selection in a host-symbiont system. we show that bacterial d ...	2005	15926693
male-killing spiroplasma naturally infecting drosophila melanogaster.	elucidation of the mechanism of action of selfish genetic elements is difficult outside species with well-defined genetics. male-killing, the phenomenon whereby inherited bacteria kill male hosts during embryogenesis, is thus uncharacterized in mechanistic terms despite being common and important in insects. we characterized the prevalence, identity and source of the male-killing infection recently discovered in drosophila melanogaster in brazil. male-killing was found to be present in 2.3% of f ...	2005	15926897
evolutionary history of wolbachia infections in the fire ant solenopsis invicta.	wolbachia are endosymbiotic bacteria that commonly infect numerous arthropods. despite their broad taxonomic distribution, the transmission patterns of these bacteria within and among host species are not well understood. we sequenced a portion of the wsp gene from the wolbachia genome infecting 138 individuals from eleven geographically distributed native populations of the fire ant solenopsis invicta. we then compared these wsp sequence data to patterns of mitochondrial dna (mtdna) variation o ...	2005	15927071
endosymbiosis: past and present.		2005	15931237
wolbachia, sex ratio bias and apparent male killing in the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion.	bacterial endosymbionts that manipulate host reproduction are now known to be widespread in insects and other arthropods. since they inhabit the cytoplasm and are maternally inherited, these microorganisms can enhance their fitness by biasing host sex ratio in favour of females. at its most extreme, sex ratio manipulation may be achieved by killing male embryos, as occurs in a number of insect species. here, we provide evidence for the first case of male killing by a tetracycline-sensitive micro ...	2005	15931253
characterization of wolbachia transfection efficiency by using microinjection of embryonic cytoplasm and embryo homogenate.	wolbachia spp. are intracellular alpha proteobacteria closely related to rickettsia. the maternally inherited infections occur in a wide range of invertebrates, causing several reproductive abnormalities, including cytoplasmic incompatibility. the artificial transfer of wolbachia between hosts (transfection) is used both for basic research examining the wolbachia-host interaction and for applied strategies that use wolbachia infections to affect harmful insect populations. commonly employed tran ...	2005	15933022
evolution of searching and life history characteristics in individual-based models of host-parasitoid-microbe associations.	in this paper we develop a novel discrete, individual-based mathematical model of the evolution of life history, dispersal and other behavioural characteristics in insect host-parasitoid-microbe associations, and use it to investigate their evolutionary dynamics. for any individual characteristic the model begins with an even, rectangular distribution of characteristic values. selection is then allowed to act, and the change in the distribution of the characteristic values is observed. evolution ...	2005	15935392
discovery of protein-coding palindromic repeats in wolbachia.		2005	15936655
widespread prevalence of wolbachia in laboratory stocks and the implications for drosophila research.	wolbachia is an intracellular microbe harbored by a wide variety of arthropods (including drosophila) and filarial nematodes. employing several different strategies including male killing, induced parthenogenesis, cytoplasmic incompatibility, and feminization, and acting by as-yet-unknown mechanisms, wolbachia alters host reproduction to increase its representation within a population. wolbachia is closely associated with gametic incompatibility but also interacts with drosophila in other, littl ...	2005	15937134
generation of a novel wolbachia infection in aedes albopictus (asian tiger mosquito) via embryonic microinjection.	genetic strategies that reduce or block pathogen transmission by mosquitoes are being investigated as a means to augment current control measures. strategies of vector suppression and replacement are based upon intracellular wolbachia bacteria, which occur naturally in many insect populations. maternally inherited wolbachia have evolved diverse mechanisms to manipulate host insect reproduction and promote infection invasion. one mechanism is cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) through which wolbach ...	2005	15944085
high divergence among drosophila simulans mitochondrial haplogroups arose in midst of long term purifying selection.	we characterize the type of selection acting within and among mitochondrial lineages in five closely related drosophila species. we focus on d. simulans, where three genetically distinct mitochondrial haplogroups show high interhaplogroup divergence and low intrahaplogroup polymorphism. using maximum likelihood models we find that the branches leading to these three distinct mitochondrial groups show a significantly reduced rate of nonsynonymous relative to synonymous substitution. this interhap ...	2005	15955513
anti-wolbachia treatment for lymphatic filariasis.		2005	15964428
macrofilaricidal activity after doxycycline treatment of wuchereria bancrofti: a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled trial.	wolbachia endosymbionts of filarial nematodes are vital for larval development and adult-worm fertility and viability. this essential dependency on the bacterium for survival of the parasites has provided a new approach to treat filariasis with antibiotics. we used this strategy to investigate the effects of doxycycline treatment on the major cause of lymphatic filariasis, wuchereria bancrofti.	2005	15964448
effects of gamma radiation on brugia malayi infective larvae and their intracellular wolbachia bacteria.	prior studies have shown that irradiated filarial larvae are developmentally stunted but capable of inducing partial immunity to filariasis in animals. the mechanisms for these effects are poorly understood. recent studies suggest that intracellular wolbachia bacteria are necessary for the normal development, reproduction and survival of filarial nematodes. the purpose of this study was to examine the effects of irradiation on wolbachia in brugia malayi infective larvae (l3) and on l3 developmen ...	2005	15997407
lethal lps-independent side effects after microfilaricidal treatment in acanthocheilonema viteae-infected rodents.	mastomys coucha and jirds infected with acanthocheilonema viteae, a filarial species free of endosymbiontic bacteria of the genus wolbachia, suffer lethal side effects after effective microfilaricidal therapy with diethylcarbamazine and levamisole, whereas, m. coucha infected with the wolbachia-infested species brugia malayi or litomosoides carinii tolerate corresponding treatment. mortality in a. viteae infected, treated animals varied with microfilariae density in the blood. it was up to 100% ...	2005	15997410
new names for old strains? wolbachia wsim is actually wri.		2005	15998462
correction: serendipitous discovery of wolbachia genomes in multiple drosophila species.	a correction to serendipitous discovery of wolbachia genomes in multiple drosophila species by sl salzberg, jc dunning hotopp, al delcher, m pop, dr smith, mb eisen and wc nelson. genome biology 2005, 6:r23.	2005	15998463
parasite infiltrates fruitfly research.		2005	16001025
wolbachia genomes: insights into an intracellular lifestyle.	the genome sequence of the wolbachia endosymbiont that infects the nematode brugia malayi has recently been determined together with three partial wolbachia genomes from different drosophila species. these data along with the previously published wolbachia genome from drosophila melanogaster provide new insights into how this endosymbiont has managed to become so successful.	2005	16005284
entomology: incompatible mosquitoes.		2005	16015317
wolbachia variability and host effects on crossing type in culex mosquitoes.	wolbachia is a common maternally inherited bacterial symbiont able to induce crossing sterilities known as cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) in insects. wolbachia-modified sperm are unable to complete fertilization of uninfected ova, but a rescue function allows infected eggs to develop normally. by providing a reproductive advantage to infected females, wolbachia can rapidly invade uninfected populations, and this could provide a mechanism for driving transgenes through pest populations. ci can ...	2005	16015330
distribution, expression, and motif variability of ankyrin domain genes in wolbachia pipientis.	the endosymbiotic bacterium wolbachia pipientis infects a wide range of arthropods, in which it induces a variety of reproductive phenotypes, including cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), parthenogenesis, male killing, and reversal of genetic sex determination. the recent sequencing and annotation of the first wolbachia genome revealed an unusually high number of genes encoding ankyrin domain (ank) repeats. these ank genes are likely to be important in mediating the wolbachia-host interaction. in ...	2005	16030207
mosaic nature of the wolbachia surface protein.	lateral gene transfer and recombination play important roles in the evolution of many parasitic bacteria. here we investigate intragenic recombination in wolbachia bacteria, considered among the most abundant intracellular bacteria on earth. we conduct a detailed analysis of the patterns of variation and recombination within the wolbachia surface protein, utilizing an extensive set of published and new sequences from five main supergroups of wolbachia. analysis of nucleotide and amino acid seque ...	2005	16030235
can cytoplasmic incompatibility inducing wolbachia promote the evolution of mate preferences?	the maternally inherited bacterium, wolbachia pipientis, manipulates host reproduction by rendering uninfected females reproductively incompatible with infected males (cytoplasmic incompatibility, ci). hosts may evolve mechanisms, such as mate preferences, to avoid fitness costs of wolbachia infection. despite the potential importance of mate choice for wolbachia population dynamics, this possibility remains largely unexplored. here we model the spread of an allele encoding female mate preferenc ...	2005	16033569
sexual functionality of leptopilina clavipes (hymenoptera: figitidae) after reversing wolbachia-induced parthenogenesis.	females infected with parthenogenesis-inducing wolbachia bacteria can be cured from their infection by antibiotic treatment, resulting in male production. in most cases, however, these males are either sexually not fully functional, or infected females have lost the ability to reproduce sexually. we studied the decay of sexual function in males and females of the parasitoid leptopilina clavipes. in western europe, infected and uninfected populations occur allopatrically, allowing for an investig ...	2005	16033575
evidence for a global wolbachia replacement in drosophila melanogaster.	wolbachia are maternally inherited intracellular alpha-proteobacteria found in numerous arthropod and filarial nematode species. they influence the biology of their hosts in many ways. in some cases, they act as obligate mutualists and are required for the normal development and reproduction of the host. they are best known, however, for the various reproductive parasitism traits that they can generate in infected hosts. these include cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) between individuals of diffe ...	2005	16085497
differential effects of diethylcarbamazine, tetracycline and the combination on brugia pahangi adult females in vitro.	anti-filarial effects of diethylcarbamazine (dec), tetracycline (tc) and the combination on brugia pahangi adult females were studied in 7-day cell-free culture, in terms of microfilaria release, parasite motility, mtt assay for parasite viability and embryogram. tc 50 microg/ml (tc50) effectively reduced microfilaria release from day 1 of culture. combined with dec 100 microg/ml (dec100) or dec 500 microg/ml (dec500), microfilaria release reduced further and synergistically. tc50 also reduced m ...	2005	16103005
detection and characterization of wolbachia infections in wuchereria bancrofti (spirurida: onchocercidae) var. pacifica and aedes (stegomyia) polynesiensis (diptera: culicidae).	despite control programs based on mass drug administration (mda) of microfilaricidal compounds, bancroftian lymphatic filariasis remains a problem in french polynesia. for an alternative strategy to mda, we investigated the potential role of wolbachia to control filarial transmission. wolbachia are intracellular alpha-proteobacteria endosymbionts that infect a broad range of insects and nematodes. these bacteria have a suspected role in the pathogenesis of filariasis. they also may be useful in ...	2005	16103603
wolbachia variant that induces two distinct reproductive phenotypes in different hosts.	wolbachia is an intracellular endosymbiont that induces a variety of reproductive alterations in diverse arthropods. the almond moth, cadra cautella, is double infected with two wolbachia variants, wcaua and wcaub, and expresses complete cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci). the individual contribution of wcaua and wcaub to the expression of ci are unclear, however, because the two variants have not been separated in this host. the effect of wcaua is of particular interest because it induces male ki ...	2005	16106260
[molecular diagnostic techniques of wolbachia].	wolbachia is a common and widespread group of bacteria found in reproductive tissues of arthropods. these bacteria are transmitted through the cytoplasm of eggs and have evolved various mechanisms for manipulating reproduction of their hosts. because of important relationship with some major biological issues and implication of biological control and genetic engineering, the study of wolbachia has under gone an explosive growth in recent years. a tremendous progress has been made based on the ad ...	2002	16118145
wolbachia requirement for oogenesis: occurrence within the genus asobara (hymenoptera, braconidae) and evidence for intraspecific variation in a. tabida.	wolbachia are symbiotic bacteria that induce a diversity of phenotypes on their numerous invertebrate host species. in the wasp asobara tabida (braconidae), each individual harbours three wolbachia strains: watab3, which is required for host oogenesis, and watab1 and watab2, that do not have this function but induce cytoplasmic incompatibility. in this study, we surveyed and identified wolbachia strains in four additional asobara species. we detected wolbachia in one of these species, but both t ...	2005	16118660
negative evidence of wolbachia in the predaceous mite phytoseiulus persimilis.	the cytoplasmically inherited bacterium wolbachia is widespread in arthropod species and has been repeatedly detected in the predaceous mite phytoseiulus persimilis. our original goal was to assess the prevalence of wolbachia infection in p. persimilis and the potential fitness consequences for this host. to accomplish that goal, seven p. persimilis strains were obtained from europe, africa and the usa and reared on the phytophagous mite tetranychus urticae as prey. after preliminary results sho ...	2005	16132739
evolutionary dynamics of a spatially structured host-parasite association: drosophila innubila and male-killing wolbachia.	the mode and tempo of host-parasite evolution depend on population structure and history and the strength of selection that the species exert on each other. here we genetically and epidemiologically characterize populations of the mycophagous fly drosophila innubila and its male-killing wolbachia endosymbiont, with the aim of integrating the local through global nature of this association. drosophila innubila inhabit the forested "sky island" regions of the of the southwestern united states and ...	2005	16153037
prevalence and penetrance variation of male-killing wolbachia across indo-pacific populations of the butterfly hypolimnas bolina.	male-killing bacteria are generally thought to attain low to intermediate prevalence in natural populations, with only mild effects on the host population sex ratio. this view was recently challenged by reports of extremely high infection frequencies in three butterfly species, raising the prospect that male killers, by making males rare, might drive many features of host ecology and evolution. to assess this hypothesis, it is necessary to evaluate how often male killers actually produce a highl ...	2005	16156820
a novel and naturally occurring transposon, isrpe1 in the rickettsia peacockii genome disrupting the ricka gene involved in actin-based motility.	while examining the molecular basis for the lack of actin-based motility for the non-pathogenic spotted fever group (sfg) r. peacockii, we identified a novel insertion sequence (is) element, isrpe1, disrupting the coding sequence of ricka, demonstrated to induce actin-tail polymerization for the sfg rickettsiae. this rickettsial is element appears to be active in that complete terminal inverted repeat and recombinase/transposase open reading frame sequences are present and the transposase is tra ...	2005	16164550
antibiotic chemotherapy of onchocerciasis: in a bovine model, killing of adult parasites requires a sustained depletion of endosymbiotic bacteria (wolbachia species).	development of a drug lethal to adult onchocerca volvulus (i.e., macrofilaricide) is a research priority for the control of human onchocerciasis. using bovine o. ochengi infections, we investigated the effects of oxytetracycline administered in a short intensive regimen (sir; 10 mg/kg daily for 14 days), compared with a prolonged intermittent regimen (pir; 20 mg/kg monthly for 6 months) or a combination of both (com), on the viability of adult worms and their endosymbiotic bacteria (wolbachia sp ...	2005	16170768
increased rat alveolar macrophage expression of functional inos induced by a dirofilaria immitis immunoglobulin superfamily protein.	dirofilaria immitis is a worldwide filarial nematode causing heartworm disease in dogs and cats. several mosquito species, which are able to feed both on humans and animals, can transmit this parasite. inflammatory progression of host tissues induced by parasites are mediated by several molecules, including nitric oxide (no), which usually exerts deleterious effects on parasites and occasionally on the host. we analyze the in vitro effect of total d. immitis adult worm somatic antigens on naïve ...	2005	16172008
transinfection reveals the crucial importance of wolbachia genotypes in determining the type of reproductive alteration in the host.	wolbachia , a group of endosymbiotic bacteria in arthropods, alter the reproduction of their hosts in various ways. a wolbachia strain (wsca) naturally infecting the adzuki bean borer moth ostrinia scapulalis induces male killing, while another strain (wkue) infecting the mediterranean flour moth ephestia kuehniella induces cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci) in the resident host. transinfection of wolbachia can be a powerful tool to elucidate the relative importance of wolbachia and the host in de ...	2005	16174339
bacteriophage wo in wolbachia infecting terrestrial isopods.	wolbachia are maternally inherited intracellular alpha-proteobacteria that infect a wide range of arthropods. they are associated with a number of different reproductive phenotypes in arthropods and nematodes. in isopod crustacean, wolbachia are responsible for feminization of genetic males in many species, and for cytoplasmic incompatibility in two species. in this paper, we report the first detection of phage wo from wolbachia infecting terrestrial isopods. all wolbachia strains tested in this ...	2005	16198306
what is new in the wolbachia/dirofilaria interaction?	presence of transovarially-transmitted endosymbiontic wolbachia bacteria in dirofilaria immitis, and in other filariae of man and animals, presents a new paradigm for our understanding of pathogenesis, treatment and diagnosis of filarial infections. many of the basic biological characteristics of wolbachia have yet to be elucidated, but the results obtained to date suggest that canine or the feline hosts can be exposed to d. immitis wolbachia when larvae, or adult worms, are killed; when wolbach ...	2005	16198819
what is happening outside north america regarding human dirofilariasis?	the etiologic agents of human dirofilariasis in the old world are dirofilaria immitis, which cause pulmonary and subcutaneous nodules, and dirofilaria repens, which cause ocular lesions. although reports of new cases of dirofilariasis are sporadic in other parts of the world, a considerable amount of information is generated in europe regarding human dirofilariasis. most cases have been detected in the mediterranean countries, ukraine, and russia; however, isolated or short series of cases have ...	2005	16198821
genetic structure of the whitefly bemisia tabaci in the asia-pacific region revealed using microsatellite markers.	bemisia tabaci (hemiptera: aleyrodidae) is a haplo-diploid species of sap-feeding insect belonging to the group of insects commonly known as whiteflies. from earlier analyses of mitochondrial and ribosomal markers it has been concluded that in the asia-pacific region there were three major indigenous races as well as a large collection of genotypes with no clear association with any race. this new study uses 15 microsatellite loci and demonstrates that the indigenous asia-pacific genotypes can b ...	2005	16202090
[sexual reproduction of insects is regulated by cytoplasmic bacteria].	the effects have been considered that the intracellular symbiotic alpha-proteobacteria wolbachia pipientis induces in its hosts, such as insects and other arthropods: cytoplasmic incompatibility upon mating, feminization, parthenogenesis, and androcide. specific features of the bacterium genome and possible mechanisms of its action on hosts are discussed.	2005	16208939
an updated catalogue of salivary gland transcripts in the adult female mosquito, anopheles gambiae.	salivary glands of blood-sucking arthropods contain a variety of compounds that prevent platelet and clotting functions and modify inflammatory and immunological reactions in the vertebrate host. in mosquitoes, only the adult female takes blood meals, while both sexes take sugar meals. with the recent description of the anopheles gambiae genome, and with a set of approximately 3000 expressed sequence tags from a salivary gland cdna library from adult female mosquitoes, we attempted a comprehensi ...	2005	16215223
wolbachia establishment and invasion in an aedes aegypti laboratory population.	a proposed strategy to aid in controlling the growing burden of vector-borne disease is population replacement, in which a natural vector population is replaced by a population with a reduced capacity for disease transmission. an important component of such a strategy is the drive system, which serves to spread a desired genotype into the targeted field population. endosymbiotic wolbachia bacteria are potential transgene drivers, but infections do not naturally occur in some important mosquito v ...	2005	16224027
wolbachia utilizes host microtubules and dynein for anterior localization in the drosophila oocyte.	to investigate the role of the host cytoskeleton in the maternal transmission of the endoparasitic bacteria wolbachia, we have characterized their distribution in the female germ line of drosophila melanogaster. in the germarium, wolbachia are distributed to all germ cells of the cyst, establishing an early infection in the cell destined to become the oocyte. during mid-oogenesis, wolbachia exhibit a distinct concentration between the anterior cortex and the nucleus in the oocyte, where many bac ...	2005	16228015
wolbachia bacterial endosymbionts of filarial nematodes.	filarial nematodes are important helminth parasites of the tropics and a leading cause of global disability. they include species responsible for onchocerciasis, lymphatic filariasis and dirofilariasis. a unique feature of these nematodes is their dependency upon a symbiotic intracellular bacterium, wolbachia, which is essential for normal development and fertility. advances in our understanding of the symbiosis of wolbachia bacteria with filarial nematodes have made rapid progress in recent yea ...	2005	16230105
endosymbiotic wolbachia of parasitic filarial nematodes as drug targets.	the parasitic nematodes wuchereria bancrofti, brugia malayi and b. timori cause a dreadful disease in humans known as lymphatic filariasis, which afflicts more than 120 million people worldwide. as per recent epidemiologic estimates on prevalence of w. bancrofti and b. malayi, about 428 million people are at risk, with 28 million microfilaria carriers and 21 million clinical cases spread out in 13 states and 5 union territories of india. the indian subcontinent that comprises bangladesh, india, ...	2005	16251775