| schistosoma mansoni: the dicer gene and its expression. | rna interference (rnai) is a gene silencing mechanism that plays an important role in regulating gene expression in many eukaryotes and has become a valuable molecular tool for analyzing gene function. multi-domain nucleases called dicer proteins play pivotal roles in rnai. in this paper, we characterize the structure and expression of the dicer gene from the platyhelminth parasite schistosoma mansoni. the gene (smdicer) is over 54kb long and comprises 30 exons that potentially encode a 2641 ami ... | 2008 | 17707814 |
| venezuelan equine encephalitis virus infection of mosquito cells requires acidification as well as mosquito homologs of the endocytic proteins rab5 and rab7. | venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (veev) is a new world alphavirus that can cause fatal encephalitis in humans. it remains a naturally emerging disease as well as a highly developed biological weapon. veev is transmitted to humans in nature by mosquito vectors. little is known about veev entry, especially in mosquito cells. here, a novel luciferase-based virus entry assay is used to show that the entry of veev into mosquito cells requires acidification. furthermore, mosquito homologs of key h ... | 2007 | 17707875 |
| distribution of dengue vectors in neighborhoods with different urbanization types of manaus, state of amazonas, brazil. | aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus are vectors of dengue viruses, which cause endemic disease in the city of manaus, capital of the state of amazonas, brazil. more than 53 thousand cases have been registered in this city since the first epidemic in 1998. we evaluated the hypothesis that different ecological conditions result in different patterns of vector infestation in manaus, by measuring the infestation level in four neighborhoods with different urbanization patterns, during the rainy (april), ... | 2007 | 17710307 |
| effect of discriminative plant-sugar feeding on the survival and fecundity of anopheles gambiae. | a previous study showed for anopheles gambiae s.s. a gradation of feeding preference on common plant species growing in a malaria holoendemic area in western kenya. the present follow-up study determines whether there is a relationship between the mosquito's preferences and its survival and fecundity. | 2007 | 17711580 |
| sterility and gene expression in hybrid males of xenopus laevis and x. muelleri. | reproductive isolation is a defining characteristic of populations that represent unique biological species, yet we know very little about the gene expression basis for reproductive isolation. the advent of powerful molecular biology tools provides the ability to identify genes involved in reproductive isolation and focuses attention on the molecular mechanisms that separate biological species. herein we quantify the sterility pattern of hybrid males in african clawed frogs (xenopus) and apply m ... | 2007 | 17712429 |
| [detection of aedes albopictus (skuse) (diptera: culicidae) in the city of cali, valle del cauca, colombia]. | aedes albopictus is the second most important dengue virus vector in the asian southeast after aedes aegypti. its entrance into the americas occurred in 1985, and laboratory studies performed show its potential as a vector in this continent as well. in colombia, this species has been reported in leticia (amazonas) in 1998 and buenaventura (valle del cauca) in 2001. the latest discoveries show that this mosquito continues to advance toward the country's interior. | 2007 | 17713638 |
| short communication: first record of aedes albopictus in gabon, central africa. | the asian tiger mosquito aedes albopictus is an important arbovirus vector. originating in east asia, the species has been introduced to the americas, the indo-pacific and australasian regions as well as europe and africa, mostly during the past 30 years and probably by transportation in used tires. we report ae. albopictus for the first time from gabon (libreville). in addition, the yellow fever mosquito ae. aegypti ssp. formosus and 16 other culicid species were detected throughout the city, f ... | 2007 | 17714432 |
| synergism of bacillus thuringiensis toxins by a fragment of a toxin-binding cadherin. | the insecticidal crystal proteins produced by bacillus thuringiensis (bt) are broadly used to control insect pests with agricultural importance. the cadherin bt-r(1) is a binding protein for bt cry1a toxins in midgut epithelia of tobacco hornworm (manduca sexta). we previously identified the bt-r(1) region most proximal to the cell membrane (cr12-mped) as the essential binding region required for cry1ab-mediated cytotoxicity. here, we report that a peptide containing this region expressed in esc ... | 2007 | 17724346 |
| aedes dronc: a novel ecdysone-inducible caspase in the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. | caspases are cysteinyl-aspartate-specific proteases known for their role in apoptosis. here, we describe the characterization of aedes dronc, a novel caspase in the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti. aedes dronc is predicted to contain an n-terminal caspase recruitment domain and is a homologue of drosophila dronc and human caspase-9. an increase in transcripts and caspase activity coincides with developmental changes in the mosquito, suggesting that aedes dronc plays a role in developmental ... | 2007 | 17725799 |
| homing endonuclease mediated gene targeting in anopheles gambiae cells and embryos. | homing endonuclease genes (hegs) are 'selfish' genetic elements that combine the capability to selectively disrupt specific gene sequences with the ability to rapidly spread from a few individuals to an entire population through homologous recombination repair events. because of these properties, hegs are regarded as promising candidates to transfer genetic modifications from engineered laboratory mosquitoes to wild-type populations including anopheles gambiae the vector of human malaria. here w ... | 2007 | 17726053 |
| exploring the midgut transcriptome of phlebotomus papatasi: comparative analysis of expression profiles of sugar-fed, blood-fed and leishmania-major-infected sandflies. | in sandflies, the blood meal is responsible for the induction of several physiologic processes that culminate in egg development and maturation. during blood feeding, infected sandflies are also able to transmit the parasite leishmania to a suitable host. many blood-induced molecules play significant roles during leishmania development in the sandfly midgut, including parasite killing within the endoperitrophic space. in this work, we randomly sequenced transcripts from three distinct high quali ... | 2007 | 17760985 |
| odor coding in the maxillary palp of the malaria vector mosquito anopheles gambiae. | many species of mosquitoes, including the major malaria vector anopheles gambiae, utilize carbon dioxide (co(2)) and 1-octen-3-ol as olfactory cues in host-seeking behaviors that underlie their vectorial capacity. however, the molecular and cellular basis of such olfactory responses remains largely unknown. | 2007 | 17764944 |
| the aedes aegypti glutathione transferase family. | in this report, we describe the glutathione transferase (gst) gene family in the dengue vector aedes aegypti and suggest a novel role for a new class of mosquito gsts. twenty-six gst genes are present in ae. aegypti, two of which are alternatively spliced to give a total of 29 transcripts for cytosolic gsts. the six classes identified in other insect species are all represented and, as in anopheles gambiae, the majority of the mosquito gsts belong to the insect-specific delta and epsilon classes ... | 2007 | 17785190 |
| introducing transgenes into insect populations using combined gene-drive strategies: modeling and analysis. | engineered underdominance (eu), meiotic drive (md) and wolbachia have been proposed as mechanisms for driving anti-pathogen transgenes into natural populations of insect vectors of human diseases. eu can drive transgenes to high and stable frequencies but requires the release of sizeable numbers of engineered insects. md and wolbachia either cannot maintain high frequencies of transgenes or lack appropriate expression in critical tissues, but both can drive the transgenes to spread from very low ... | 2007 | 17785193 |
| dengue virus-mosquito interactions. | the mosquito aedes aegypti is more widely dispersed now than at any time in the past, placing billions of humans at risk of infection with one or more of the four dengue viruses. this review presents and discusses information on mosquito-dengue infection dynamics and describes the prominent role that temperature and rainfall play in controlling dengue viral transmission including discussions of the effect of interannual climate variations and the predicted effect of global warming. complementary ... | 2008 | 17803458 |
| does japanese encephalitis virus share the same cellular receptor with other mosquito-borne flaviviruses on the c6/36 mosquito cells? | japanese encephalitis virus (jev) is a member of mosquito-borne flaviviridae. to date, the mechanisms of the early events of jev infection remain poorly understood, and the cellular receptors are unidentified. there are evidences that the structure of the virus attachment proteins (vap), envelope glycoprotein of mosquito-borne flaviviruses is very similar, and the vector-virus interaction of mosquito-borne flaviviruses is also very similar. based on the studies previously demonstrated that the s ... | 2007 | 17803826 |
| surveillance of dengue fever cases using a novel aedes aegypti population sampling method in trinidad, west indies: the cardinal points approach. | a novel dengue surveillance method is described and used to evaluate 100 suspected dengue fever (df) cases in county st. patrick, trinidad, west indies. from the 30 confirmed df cases fully investigated within 48 h of diagnosis, 63% (19/30 houses) of their homes were found harboring aedes aegypti immature stages. only houses at the four cardinal points of the index case rather than the entire neighborhood were investigated. the results showed significantly (p<0.001) more ae. aegypti positive hou ... | 2007 | 17803949 |
| characterization of immune genes from the schistosome host snail biomphalaria glabrata that encode peptidoglycan recognition proteins and gram-negative bacteria binding protein. | peptidoglycan (pgn) recognition proteins (pgrps) and gram-negative bacteria binding proteins (gnbps) play an essential role in toll/imd signaling pathways in arthropods. the existence of homologous pathways involving pgrps and gnbps in other major invertebrate phyla such as the mollusca remains unclear. in this paper, we report four full-length pgrp cdnas and one full-length gnbp cdna cloned from the snail biomphalaria glabrata, the intermediate host of the human blood fluke schistosoma mansoni, ... | 2007 | 17805526 |
| [integrated approach to yellow fever surveillance: pilot study in senegal in 2003-2004]. | the aim was to undertake a pilot study of integrated surveillance of yellow fever (yf) in senegal, based on i) a human surveillance involving healthcare centers in the 11 administrative regions of the country ii) an entomological surveillance including domestic and sylvatic environment and iii) screening mosquitoes for yf virus using rt-pcr method. the integrated approach of human and entomological surveillance was conducted for 2 years (2003-2004). surveillance in human population was based on ... | 2007 | 17824313 |
| ige and igg4 antibody responses to aedes saliva in african children. | aedes mosquitoes are the major vectors of (re)-emerging infections including arboviruses (dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever) in developing countries. moreover, the emergence of aedes-borne diseases in the developed world is currently a source of concern. evaluation of human immune responses to aedes bites could be a useful immuno-epidemiological tool for evaluating exposure to aedes-borne diseases and thus predicting the risk of such emerging diseases. specific ige and igg4 antibody (ab) respons ... | 2007 | 17825239 |
| insecticide resistance mechanisms of brazilian aedes aegypti populations from 2001 to 2004. | in brazil, aedes aegypti resistance to temephos, used since 1967, was detected in several municipalities in 2000. organophosphates were substituted by pyrethroids against adults and, in some localities, by bti against larvae. however, high temephos resistance ratios were still detected between 2001 and 2004. field-simulated assays confirmed a low temephos residual effect. acethylcholinesterase and mixed function oxidase profiles were not altered. in contrast, higher esterase activity, studied wi ... | 2007 | 17827362 |
| an evaluation of some trinidadian plant extracts against larvae of aedes aegypti mosquitoes. | in recent times, bioprospecting for plants that show bioactive properties has yielded many chemicals that can be used in controlling mosquitoes. crude extracts of 4 terrestrial and 3 mangrove plants were assayed against 2-3 larval instars of aedes aegypti. among the plants tested, cordia curassavica showed the highest levels of activity for all the extracts tested. azadirachta indica showed the least activity, whereas the 2 cultivars of mangifera indica showed substantial activity for the aqueou ... | 2007 | 17847850 |
| rapid determination of viral rna sequences in mosquitoes collected in the field. | a method for rapid determination of viral rna sequences (rdv) was applied to homogenates of aedes aegypti collected in thailand in an area in which dengue fever (dengue hemorrhagic fever) is endemic, using the mosquito cell line c6/36. nucleic acid sequences of dengue virus type 4 and cell fusing agent virus were detected. this rdv method has the potential to become a standard method for detection of both known and newly emerging, unknown mosquito-borne viruses. | 2007 | 17869351 |
| cost-effectiveness of annual targeted larviciding campaigns in cambodia against the dengue vector aedes aegypti. | to assess the cost-effectiveness (ce) of annual targeted larviciding campaigns from 2001 to 2005 against the dengue vector aedes aegypti in two urban areas of cambodia with a population of 2.9 million people. | 2007 | 17875014 |
| analysis of the immune-inducible transcriptome from microbial stress resistant, rat-tailed maggots of the drone fly eristalis tenax. | the saprophagous and coprophagous maggots of the drone fly eristalis tenax (insecta, diptera) have evolved the unique ability to survive in aquatic habitats with extreme microbial stress such as drains, sewage pools, and farmyard liquid manure storage pits. therefore, they represent suitable models for the investigation of trade-offs between the benefits resulting from colonization of habitats lacking predators, parasitoids, or competitors and the investment in immunity against microbial stress. ... | 2007 | 17875201 |
| potential use of piper nigrum ethanol extract against pyrethroid-resistant aedes aegypti larvae. | fractionation of piper nigrum ethanol extract, biomonitored by assays on pyrethroid-resistant aedes aegypti larvae yielded isolation of the larvicidal amides piperolein-a and piperine. comparing lc50 values, the ethanol extract (0.98 ppm) was the most toxic, followed by piperolein-a (1.46 ppm) and piperine (1.53 ppm). | 2007 | 17876460 |
| seasonal prevalence of aedes aegypti immatures in kolkata, india. | dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever (dhf) is recurring in india in recent years, affecting many cities including kolkata (calcutta). in view of this, a survey of three years was carried out on the prevalence of immatures of the vector mosquito aedes aegypti in the city of kolkata. mosquito immatures were found throughout the year with fluctuating densities in the habitats surveyed. an index of density of immatures (i/s)m employed in the study revealed that in the months of august and september a ... | 2007 | 17877217 |
| a survey of dengue viral infection in aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus from re-epidemic areas in the north of thailand using nucleic acid sequence based amplification assay. | immature stages of aedes aegypti and ae. albopictus were collected from 17 dengue re-epidemic areas in chiang mai and lampang provinces, in the north of thailand. they were reared to adults and tested for dengue viral rna by a nucleic acid sequence based amplification assay (nasba). of a total of 9,825 ae. aegypti and 150 ae. albopictus examined, none of them were found positive for the virus, suggesting that transovarial transmission may be very low in the vector populations and may not play a ... | 2007 | 17877218 |
| epitope determinants of a chimpanzee dengue virus type 4 (denv-4)-neutralizing antibody and protection against denv-4 challenge in mice and rhesus monkeys by passively transferred humanized antibody. | the chimpanzee monoclonal antibody (mab) 5h2 is specific for dengue virus type 4 (denv-4) and neutralizes the virus at a high titer in vitro. the epitope detected by the antibody was mapped by sequencing neutralization escape variants of the virus. one variant contained a lys174-glu substitution and another contained a pro176-leu substitution in domain i of the denv-4 envelope protein (e). these mutations reduced binding affinity for the antibody 18- to >100-fold. humanized immunoglobulin g (igg ... | 2007 | 17881450 |
| type- and subcomplex-specific neutralizing antibodies against domain iii of dengue virus type 2 envelope protein recognize adjacent epitopes. | neutralization of flaviviruses in vivo correlates with the development of an antibody response against the viral envelope (e) protein. previous studies demonstrated that monoclonal antibodies (mabs) against an epitope on the lateral ridge of domain iii (diii) of the west nile virus (wnv) e protein strongly protect against infection in animals. based on x-ray crystallography and sequence analysis, an analogous type-specific neutralizing epitope for individual serotypes of the related flavivirus d ... | 2007 | 17881453 |
| emergency vector control in a denv-2 outbreak in 2002 in pingtung city, pingtung county, taiwan. | this paper reports the strategy and effectiveness of an emergency control program conducted in pingtung city, taiwan in response to dengue outbreaks. in our control strategy, we carried out 3 insecticide space sprays with an interval of 6-7 days and 2 source reductions to cover the entire duration of dengue virus exposure in humans and mosquito vectors. the control effect was demonstrated by a significant reduction in the breteau (51.1%) and larval (80.0%) indices, but no such effect was demonst ... | 2007 | 17881866 |
| larvicidal efficacy of new formulations of temephos in non-woven sachets against larvae of aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae) in water-storage containers. | three new formulations of temephos (lavifos sg 1%, mosq sg 1% and azai-ss zg 1%) were evaluated for larvicidal efficacy against larvae of aedes aegypti (l.) in water-storage jars under field-simulated conditions. lavifos sg 1% and mosq sg 1% are sand granule formulations, whereas azai-ss zg 1% is zeolite granule formulation. each formulation contained 1% temephos as an active ingredient. each formulation was packed in a non-woven sachet at quantity of 20 g per sachet and placed in a 200-liter gl ... | 2007 | 17883001 |
| the effect of temperature and host species on the development of the trichomycete smittium culisetae (zygomycota). | we examined the growth and development of the trichomycete smittium culisetae (harpellales: legeriomycetaceae) in the larval hosts simulium vittatum zetterstedt (diptera: simuliidae) and aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae) at three temperatures, 17, 22 and 30 c. trichospore maturation of sm. culicetae external to the host as well as the ability of these trichospores to colonize new hosts also was investigated. although the development of sm. culisetae varied with both temperature and host th ... | 2007 | 17883033 |
| body size-associated survival and dispersal rates of aedes aegypti in rio de janeiro. | the daily survival rate of aedes aegypti (l) (diptera: culicidae) is one of the most important parameters in mathematical models of dengue transmission. in this report, we evaluate the effect of adult body size on the survival and dispersal rates of male and female ae. aegypti, the primary dengue vector in brazil. independent of larval diet (i.e. size), the daily survival rate of females recaptured in the field was greater than that of males (smaller: t = 5.617; d.f. = 15; p < 0.05; larger: t = ... | 2007 | 17897370 |
| a genome-wide analysis in anopheles gambiae mosquitoes reveals 46 male accessory gland genes, possible modulators of female behavior. | the male accessory glands (mags) of many insect species produce and secrete a number of reproductive proteins collectively named acps. these proteins, many of which are rapidly evolving, are essential for male fertility and represent formidable modulators of female postmating behavior. upon copulation, the transfer of acps has been shown in drosophila and other insects to trigger profound physiological and behavioral changes in females, including enhanced ovulation/oviposition and reduced mating ... | 2007 | 17901209 |
| antibody response against saliva antigens of anopheles gambiae and aedes aegypti in travellers in tropical africa. | exposure to vectors of infectious diseases has been associated with antibody responses against salivary antigens of arthropods among people living in endemic areas. this immune response has been proposed as a surrogate marker of exposure to vectors appropriate for evaluating the protective efficacy of antivectorial devices. the existence and potential use of such antibody responses in travellers transiently exposed to plasmodium or arbovirus vectors in tropical areas has never been investigated. ... | 2007 | 17913537 |
| ovicidal activity of entomopathogenic hyphomycetes on aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) under laboratory conditions. | the ovicidal activity of 21 hyphomycete fungi species against aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae) was tested. fungi with ovicidal activity developed on high numbers of eggs (> or =70%) during 25 d of exposure. a clear ovicidal activity with low values of hatch (1.3-40%) was observed after 25 d of incubation with isaria farinosa (holm: fries) fries, paecilomyces carneus (duché & heim) brown & smith, paecilomyces marquandii (massee) hughes, isaria fumosorosea (wize), metarhizium anisopliae (me ... | 2007 | 17915511 |
| characterization of aedes aegypti (diptera: culcidae) production sites in urban nicaragua. | to characterize the production patterns of the dengue virus vector aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culcidae), pupal surveys were conducted in selected neighborhoods of two major cities in nicaragua. in león, 833 houses were visited in july and september 2003, corresponding to the beginning and middle of the dengue season; in managua, 1,365 homes were visited in july 2003. in total, 7,607 containers were characterized, of which 11% were positive for ae. aegypti larvae and 4% for pupae. in addition t ... | 2007 | 17915519 |
| alternative splicing generates multiple transcripts of the inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1 in aedes and culex spp. mosquitoes. | we determined the sequences of cdna encoding inhibitor of apoptosis protein 1 (iap1) homologues from aedes triseriatus, aedes albopictus, aedes aegypti, culex pipiens and culex tarsalis. the cdnas encode translation products that share > or = 84% sequence similarity. the iap1 mrna of each mosquito species exists as 3-5 distinct variants due to the presence of heterogeneous sequences at the distal end of their 5'utrs. partial genomic sequencing upstream of the 5' end of the ae. triseriatus iap1 g ... | 2007 | 17916508 |
| binding characteristics to mosquito-larval midgut proteins of the cloned domain ii-iii fragment from the bacillus thuringiensis cry4ba toxin. | receptor binding plays an important role in determining host specificity of the bacillus thuringiensis cry delta-endotoxins. mutations in domains ii and iii have suggested the participation of certain residues in receptor recognition and insect specificity. in the present study, we expressed the cloned domain ii-iii fragment of cry4ba and examined its binding characteristics to mosquito-larval midgut proteins. the 43-kda cry4ba-domain ii-iii protein over-expressed in escherichia coli as inclusio ... | 2007 | 17927913 |
| the gr family of candidate gustatory and olfactory receptors in the yellow-fever mosquito aedes aegypti. | the gustatory receptor (gr) protein family contains most of the diversity in the insect chemoreceptor superfamily, including within it not only taste receptors but select olfactory receptors as well. manual annotation of the gr family in the genome sequence of the yellow-fever mosquito, aedes aegypti, yielded a total of 114 potential proteins encoded by 79 genes. in the sequenced genome, 23 of these genes and protein isoforms are pseudogenic, leaving 91 putatively functional grs. comparison with ... | 2008 | 17928357 |
| anopheles gambiae mirnas as actors of defence reaction against plasmodium invasion. | the path plasmodium takes across the anopheles midgut constitutes the major bottleneck during the malaria transmission cycle. in the present study, using a combination of shot-gun cloning and bioinformatic analysis, we have identified 18 mirnas from anopheles gambiae including three mirnas unique to mosquito. twelve of them are expressed ubiquitously across the body, independently of gender, while the other six exhibited an expression pattern restricted to the digestive system. strikingly, the e ... | 2007 | 17933784 |
| associations between two mosquito populations and west nile virus in harris county, texas, 2003-06. | associations between culex quinquefasciatus, aedes albopictus and west nile virus (wnv) activity, temperature, and rainfall in harris county, texas 2003-06 are discussed. human cases were highly correlated to cx. quinquefasciatus (r = 0.87) and ae. albopictus (r = 0.78) pools, blue jays (r = 0.83), and ae. albopictus collected (r = 0.71), but not cx. quinquefasciatus collected (r = 0.45). human cases were associated with temperature (r = 0.71), not rainfall (r = 0.29), whereas temperature correl ... | 2007 | 17939505 |
| laboratory comparison of aedes aegypti attraction to human odors and to synthetic human odor compounds and blends. | chemical lures can enhance the ability of traps to collect mosquitoes, selectively target species for capture, and provide a realistic assessment of the species and host-equivalent numbers of mosquitoes present in the local area. one approach to the development of chemical lures is to manufacture blends that comprise odors released in human emanations. these blends need to be safe for use in the environment, desirable from an economic standpoint, and transportable to the field for use in traps. ... | 2007 | 17939508 |
| comparison of blood feeding response and infection of aedes aegypti to wuchereria bancrofti using animal membranes and direct host contact. | comparison of an artificial, whole-blood membrane feeding procedure was performed by feeding aedes aegypti (liverpool strain) on the blood of patients infected with wuchereria bancrofti microfilariae with the use of 3 types of membranes produced from chicken and mouse skin and swine intestine. direct feeding of ae. aegypti on the skin of infected human patients served as control. for all 3 types of membranes, mosquito survival, infection, and number of infective-stage larvae per mosquito did not ... | 2007 | 17939509 |
| larvicidal effect of eucalyptus grandis essential oil and turpentine and their major components on aedes aegypti larvae. | in the search for new alternatives for the control of aedes aegypti the larvicidal activity of eucalyptus grandis essential oil and pine resin essential oil (turpentine) and their major components (alpha- and beta-pinene and 1,8-cineole) was determined. gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy analysis of e. grandis essential oil revealed that its major components are alpha-pinene and 1,8-cineole. similar analysis of turpentine obtained by distillation of the resin pitch of conifers showed that alph ... | 2007 | 17939510 |
| is the extract from the plant catmint (nepeta cataria) repellent to mosquitoes in australia? | the repellency of nepeta cataria (catmint or catnip) was tested against aedes aegypti, ae. vigilax, culex annulirostris, and cx. quinquefasciatus, and compared with a blend of natural plant extracts and n,n-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet) on human skin. the catmint and natural plant extract blend did not provide the same level of protection from biting mosquitoes as deet. there were significant differences in the level of protection provided by catmint to the 4 species of mosquito, with mean pr ... | 2007 | 17939520 |
| convergent domestication of pogo-like transposases into centromere-binding proteins in fission yeast and mammals. | the mammalian centromere-associated protein b (cenp-b) shares significant sequence similarity with 3 proteins in fission yeast (abp1, cbh1, and cbh2) that also bind centromeres and have essential function for chromosome segregation and centromeric heterochromatin formation. each of these proteins displays extensive sequence similarity with pogo-like transposases, which have been previously identified in the genomes of various insects and vertebrates, in the protozoan entamoeba and in plants. bas ... | 2008 | 17940212 |
| mosquitoes inoculate high doses of west nile virus as they probe and feed on live hosts. | west nile virus (wnv) is transmitted to vertebrate hosts by mosquitoes as they take a blood meal. the amount of wnv inoculated by mosquitoes as they feed on a live host is not known. previous estimates of the amount of wnv inoculated by mosquitoes (10(1.2)-10(4.3) pfu) were based on in vitro assays that do not allow mosquitoes to probe or feed naturally. here, we developed an in vivo assay to determine the amount of wnv inoculated by mosquitoes as they probe and feed on peripheral tissues of a m ... | 2007 | 17941708 |
| crithidia deanei: influence of parasite gp63 homologue on the interaction of endosymbiont-harboring and aposymbiotic strains with aedes aegypti midgut. | the present study demonstrates that the endosymbiont of crithidia deanei influences the expression of surface gp63 molecules. ultrastructural immunocytochemical analysis shows the presence of the gp63-like protein in the protozoan flagellum and flagellar pocket, either attached to shed membranes or in a free form. this molecule is glycosylphosphatidylinositol (gpi) anchored to the plasma membrane as demonstrated by phospholipase c (plc) treatment and cross-reacting determinant detection by immun ... | 2008 | 17945218 |
| evolution and horizontal transfer of a dd37e dna transposon in mosquitoes. | itmd37e, a unique class ii transposable element (te) with an ancient origin, appears to have been involved in multiple horizontal transfers in mosquitoes as itmd37e sequences from 10 mosquito species of five genera share high nucleotide (nt) identities. for example, itmd37e sequences from aedes aegypti and anopheles gambiae, which have an estimated common ancestor of 145-200 million years ago, display 92% nt identity. the comparison of itmd37e and host mosquito phylogenies shows a lack of congru ... | 2007 | 17947403 |
| molecular cloning, phylogeny and localization of agnha1: the first na+/h+ antiporter (nha) from a metazoan, anopheles gambiae. | we have cloned a cdna encoding a new ion transporter from the alimentary canal of larval african malaria mosquito, anopheles gambiae giles sensu stricto. phylogenetic analysis revealed that the corresponding gene is in a group that has been designated nha, and which includes (na+ or k+)/h+ antiporters; so the novel transporter is called agnha1. the annotation of current insect genomes shows that both agnha1 and a close relative, agnha2, belong to the cation proton antiporter 2 (cpa2) subfamily a ... | 2007 | 17951426 |
| chikungunya fever, andaman and nicobar islands, india. | | 2007 | 17953109 |
| identification and characterization of a juvenile hormone response element and its binding proteins. | juvenile hormones (jh) regulate a wide variety of developmental and physiological processes in insects. comparison of microarray data on jh-induced genes in the fruit fly, drosophila melanogaster, l57 cells and in the honey bee, apis mellifera, identified 16 genes that are induced in both species. analysis of promoter regions of these 16 d. melanogaster genes identified dmjhre1 (d. melanogaster jh response element 1). in l57 cells, the reporter gene regulated by dmjhre1 was induced by jh iii. tw ... | 2007 | 17956872 |
| susceptibility of anopheles gambiae and anopheles stephensi to tropical isolates of plasmodium falciparum. | the susceptibility of anopheline mosquito species to plasmodium infection is known to be variable with some mosquitoes more permissive to infection than others. little work, however, has been carried out investigating the susceptibility of major malaria vectors to geographically diverse tropical isolates of plasmodium falciparum aside from examining the possibility of infection extending its range from tropical regions into more temperate zones. | 2007 | 17958900 |
| the exanthem of dengue fever: clinical features of two us tourists traveling abroad. | dengue fever is the most common identifiable cause of acute febrile illness among travelers returning from south america, south central asia, southeast asia, and the caribbean. although the characteristic exanthem of dengue fever occurs in up to 50% of patients, few descriptions of it are found in the dermatology literature, and discussions of how to distinguish the dengue exanthem from other infectious disease entities are rare. chikungunya fever is an emerging infectious disease now seen in re ... | 2008 | 17959270 |
| recombination-ready sindbis replicon expression vectors for transgene expression. | sindbis viruses have been widely used as tools to study gene function in cells. despite the utility of these systems, the construction and production of alphavirus replicons is time consuming and inefficient due to potential additional restriction sites within the insert region and lack of directionality for insert ligation. in this report, we present a system useful for producing recombinant sindbis replicons that uses lambda phage recombination technology to rapidly and specifically construct ... | 2007 | 17963504 |
| coconut water as a cheap source for the production of delta endotoxin of bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis, a mosquito control agent. | bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (b. t. i.) is being widely used in mosquito control programs. however, the large-scale production of this bacillus is expensive due to the high cost of the production medium. in this study, we attempted to develop a cost-effective medium, based on a locally available raw material namely coconut water which is available in plenty as waste product from coconut oil industry. the yield of cell mass, sporulation and mosquito larvicidal activity were studied by ... | 2008 | 17963708 |
| [state of the resistance to insecticides in adult aedes aegypti mosquitoes from playa municipality, havana city, cuba]. | the level of susceptibility and/or resistance of adult mosquitoes to lambda-cyhalothrin, clorpirifos and cypermethrin insecticides was determined in a strain of aedes aegypti (l) collected in playa municipality, havana city. according to the results, the strain under study is not resistant to lambda-cyhalothrin and cypermethrin (fr < 5x), and it is as susceptible as the carec reference strain (fr=1) to chlorpyrifos. | 2005 | 17966584 |
| [comparison of 2 populations of aedes aegypti mosquitoes from santiago de cuba with different rest conduct]. | two populations of aedes aegypti that were collected in santiago de cuba during the epidemics of 1971 were separated for having different rest habits, some of them rested naturally on the walls up to 1 m high (santiago de cuba strain) and the others were found resting in the roofs of the houses (santiago de cuba techo strain). these strains did not show significant differences as regards their morphological characteristics. the mosquitoes corresponding to santiago de cuba techo strain presented ... | 2005 | 17966585 |
| [report of habitats used by aedes aegypti in havana city, cuba]. | 50 habitats used by aedes aegypti in the urban environment of havana city were reported. 66% corresponded to artificial deposits, of which 57.5% were classified as unuseful by the population. 14% were receptacles of domestic use, whereas 8% were natural breeding places. it calls the attention that 12% of the habitats were represented by pits, sewers and drainages that contain the so-called black waters; a factor that should be considered in the epidemiology of dengue in cuba and that deserves a ... | 2005 | 17966589 |
| a chitin-like component in aedes aegypti eggshells, eggs and ovaries. | an insoluble white substance was prepared from extracts of eggshells of aedes aegypti, the yellow fever mosquito and dengue vector. its infrared and proton nmr spectra were similar to that of standard commercial chitin. this putative chitin-like material, also obtained from ovaries, newly laid and dark eggs, was hydrolyzed in acid and a major product was identified by hplc to be glucosamine. the eggshell acid hydrolysate was also analyzed by esi-ms and an ion identical to a glucosamine monoproto ... | 2007 | 17967344 |
| characterization of tyrosine hydroxylase from manduca sexta. | in insects, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (dopa) is required for tanning of newly formed cuticle and the production of melanin during some types of immune responses. dopa is produced by the hydroxylation of tyrosine, and this reaction can be catalyzed by two types of enzymes: tyrosine hydroxylase (th) and phenoloxidase (po). th is required for cuticle tanning in drosophila melanogaster and for cuticle pigmentation in other insect species, but additional functions of th have been uncertain. in contr ... | 2007 | 17967351 |
| [pathogenic effect of 3 parasitic nematodes in aedes aegypti larvae under laboratory conditions in cuba]. | the pathogenic effect of three parasitic nematodes, romanomermis culicivorax ross y smith, 1976, romanomermis iyengari welch, 1964, and strelkovimermis spiculatus poinar and camino, 1986, was evaluated at different application doses in larvae of aedes aegypti. for each experimental unit, one hundred second instar larvae of this mosquitoe were infested with preparasites of the three nematode species in the following proportions: 3:1, 5:1, 10:1, 15:1 and 20:1. both infestation mean and parasitism ... | 2005 | 17969278 |
| estimation of the number of virus particles transmitted by an insect vector. | plant viruses are submitted to narrow population bottlenecks both during infection of their hosts and during horizontal transmission between host individuals. the size of bottlenecks exerted on virus populations during plant invasion has been estimated in a few pathosystems but is not addressed yet for horizontal transmission. using competition for aphid transmission between two potato virus y variants, one of them being noninfectious but equally transmissible, we obtained estimates of the size ... | 2007 | 17971440 |
| analysis of both chitinase and chitosanase produced by sphingomonas sp. cj-5. | a novel chitinolytic and chitosanolytic bacterium, sphingomonas sp. cj-5, has been isolated and characterized. it secretes both chitinase and chitosanase into surrounding medium in response to chitin or chitosan induction. to characterize the enzymes, both chitinase and chitosanase were purified by ammonium sulfate precipitation, sephadex g-200 gel filtration and deae-sepharose fast flow. sds-page analysis demonstrated molecular masses of chitinase and chitosanase were 230 kda and 45 kda respect ... | 2007 | 17973345 |
| cloning and characterization of agca9, a novel alpha-carbonic anhydrase from anopheles gambiae giles sensu stricto (diptera: culicidae) larvae. | mosquito larvae generate a luminal ph as high as 10.5 in the anterior region of their midgut. the mechanisms responsible for the generation and maintenance of this alkaline ph are largely unknown, but there is evidence suggesting a role for the enzyme carbonic anhydrase (ca). ca has been cloned from the alimentary canal epithelium of anopheles gambiae larvae and can generate bicarbonate, which is implicated as a buffer for the larval lumen. the question remains as to how the bicarbonate is trans ... | 2007 | 17981859 |
| innate immunity in insects: surface-associated dopa decarboxylase-dependent pathways regulate phagocytosis, nodulation and melanization in medfly haemocytes. | phagocytosis, melanization and nodulation in insects depend on phenoloxidase (po) activity. in this report, we demonstrated that these three processes appear to be also dependent on dopa decarboxylase (ddc) activity. using flow cytometry, rna interference, immunoprecipitation and immunofluorescence, we demonstrated the constitutive expression of ddc and its strong association with the haemocyte surface, in the medfly ceratitis capitata. in addition, we showed that escherichia coli phagocytosis i ... | 2008 | 17983437 |
| relative susceptibilties of south texas mosquitoes to infection with west nile virus. | three species of mosquitoes (culex pipiens quinquefasciatus, aedes aegypti, and ae. albopictus) collected in texas were compared with respect to their relative susceptibility to infection with west nile virus (wnv) strain 114. oral infection and dissemination rates were 73% infected with 86% dissemination for ae. aegypti, 13% infected with 100% dissemination for ae. albopictus, and 100% infected and disseminated for cx. p. quinquefasciatus. the oral infectious dose required to establish a 50% in ... | 2007 | 17984355 |
| genomic regulatory blocks underlie extensive microsynteny conservation in insects. | insect genomes contain larger blocks of conserved gene order (microsynteny) than would be expected under a random breakage model of chromosome evolution. we present evidence that microsynteny has been retained to keep large arrays of highly conserved noncoding elements (hcnes) intact. these arrays span key developmental regulatory genes, forming genomic regulatory blocks (grbs). we recently described grbs in vertebrates, where most hcnes function as enhancers and hcne arrays specify complex expr ... | 2007 | 17989259 |
| a scorpion neurotoxin increases the potency of a fungal insecticide. | the low virulence of the insecticidal fungus metarhizium anisopliae has stymied its widespread use in controlling insect pests. we show that high-level expression of an insect-specific neurotoxin from the scorpion androctonus australis in hemolymph by m. anisopliae increases fungal toxicity 22-fold against tobacco hornworm (manduca sexta) caterpillars and ninefold against adult yellow fever mosquitoes (aedes aegypti) without compromising host specificity. prelethal effects include reduced mobili ... | 2007 | 17994009 |
| yarrowia lipolytica vesicle-mediated protein transport pathways. | protein secretion is a universal cellular process involving vesicles which bud and fuse between organelles to bring proteins to their final destination. vesicle budding is mediated by protein coats; vesicle targeting and fusion depend on rab gtpase, tethering factors and snare complexes. the génolevures ii sequencing project made available entire genome sequences of four hemiascomycetous yeasts, yarrowia lipolytica, debaryomyces hansenii, kluyveromyces lactis and candida glabrata. y. lipolytica ... | 2007 | 17997821 |
| efficacy of eleven antimicrobials against a gregarine parasite (apicomplexa: protozoa). | the apicomplexa are a diverse group of obligate protozoan parasites infesting a wide range of invertebrate and vertebrate hosts including humans. these parasites are notoriously difficult to control and many species continue to evolve resistance to commercial antibiotics. in this study, we sought to find an effective chemotherapeutic treatment against arthropod gregarines (apicomplexa), and to identify candidate compounds for testing against other groups of protozoan parasites. | 2007 | 17997852 |
| two chikungunya isolates from the outbreak of la reunion (indian ocean) exhibit different patterns of infection in the mosquito, aedes albopictus. | a chikungunya (chik) outbreak hit la réunion island in 2005-2006. the implicated vector was aedes albopictus. here, we present the first study on the susceptibility of ae. albopictus populations to sympatric chikv isolates from la réunion island and compare it to other virus/vector combinations. | 2007 | 18000540 |
| prior exposure to uninfected mosquitoes enhances mortality in naturally-transmitted west nile virus infection. | the global emergence of west nile virus (wnv) has highlighted the importance of mosquito-borne viruses. these are inoculated in vector saliva into the vertebrate skin and circulatory system. arthropod-borne (arbo)viruses such as wnv are transmitted to vertebrates as an infectious mosquito probes the skin for blood, depositing the virus and saliva into the skin and circulation. growing evidence has demonstrated that arthropod, and recently mosquito, saliva can have a profound effect on pathogen t ... | 2007 | 18000543 |
| exoerythrocytic development of plasmodium gallinaceum in the white leghorn chicken. | plasmodium gallinaceum typically causes sub-clinical disease with low mortality in its primary host, the indian jungle fowl gallus sonnerati. domestic chickens of european origin, however, are highly susceptible to this avian malaria parasite. here we describe the development of p. gallinaceum in young white leghorn chicks with emphasis on the primary exoerythrocytic phase of the infection. using various regimens for infection, we found that p. gallinaceum induced a transient primary exoerythroc ... | 2008 | 18005972 |
| predicting the age of mosquitoes using transcriptional profiles. | the use of transcriptional profiles for predicting mosquito age is a novel solution for the longstanding problem of determining the age of field-caught mosquitoes. female mosquito age is of central importance to the transmission of a range of human pathogens. the transcriptional age-grading protocol we present here was developed in aedes aegypti, principally as a research tool. age predictions are made on the basis of transcriptional data collected from mosquitoes of known age. the abundance of ... | 2007 | 18007615 |
| impact of extrinsic incubation temperature and virus exposure on vector competence of culex pipiens quinquefasciatus say (diptera: culicidae) for west nile virus. | culex pipiens quinquefasciatus say mosquitoes from a laboratory colony were exposed to artificial blood meals containing west nile virus (wnv) and held at incubation temperatures approximating average daily temperatures that occur during florida arboviral periods. mosquitoes fed blood meals containing 6.2 logs plaque-forming units (pfu) wnv/ml and held at 25 degrees c, 28 degrees c, or 30 degrees c for 13 days exhibited significantly different rates of infection (30%, 52%, 93%) and dissemination ... | 2007 | 18021028 |
| optimization of spray-drying conditions for the large-scale preparation of bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis after downstream processing. | reduction of water activity in the formulations of mosquito biocontrol agent, bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis is very important for long term and successful storage. a protocol for spray drying of b. thuringiensis var. israelensis was developed through optimizing parameters such as inlet temperature and atomization type. a indigenous isolate of b. thuringiensis var. israelensis (vcrc b-17) was dried by freeze and spray drying methods and the moisture content and mosquito larvicidal activ ... | 2008 | 18023058 |
| venezuelan equine encephalitis virus in the mosquito vector aedes taeniorhynchus: infection initiated by a small number of susceptible epithelial cells and a population bottleneck. | we evaluated infection of aedes taeniorhynchus mosquitoes, vectors of venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (veev), using radiolabeled virus and replicon particles expressing green (gfp) or cherry fluorescent protein (cfp). more epidemic veev bound to and infected mosquito midguts compared to an enzootic strain, and a small number of midgut cells was preferentially infected. chimeric replicons infected midgut cells at rates comparable to those of the structural gene donor. the numbers of midgut c ... | 2008 | 18023837 |
| structural studies on the neutral glycosphingolipids of manduca sexta. | glycosphingolipids (gsls) have been implicated as playing major roles in cellular interactions and control of cell proliferation in muticellular organisms. moreover gsls and other sphingolipids such as sphingomyelins, ceramides and sphingosines serve a variety of roles in signal transduction. hence, identification of structures of gsls in different biota will shed light in understanding their physiological role. during this study, the major glycosphingolipid component present in the extracts of ... | 2008 | 18023840 |
| parasitism of ascogregarina taiwanensis and ascogregarina culicis (apicomplexa: lecudinidae) in larvae of aedes albopictus and aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) from manaus, amazon region, brazil. | the aim of the study was to determine the existence of ascogregarina spp. in larvae of aedes albopictus and aedes aegypti collected in urban and suburban areas of manaus, amazon region, brazil. between may 2004 and july 2005, the mid-gut of 3rd and 4th instar larvae, collected in tire traps in six neighborhoods of manaus, was examined for the presence of trophozoites of ascogregarina. coexistence of ae. albopictus larvae infected by a. taiwanensis, and ae. aegypti larvae by a. culicis, was detec ... | 2008 | 18028941 |
| population dynamics of defensive symbionts in aphids. | vertically transmitted micro-organisms can increase in frequency in host populations by providing net benefits to hosts. while laboratory studies have identified diverse beneficial effects conferred by inherited symbionts of insects, they have not explicitly examined the population dynamics of mutualist symbiont infection within populations. in the pea aphid, acyrthosiphon pisum, the inherited facultative symbiont, hamiltonella defensa, provides protection against parasitism by the wasp, aphidiu ... | 2008 | 18029301 |
| a novel polydnavirus protein inhibits the insect prophenoloxidase activation pathway. | pathogens often suppress the melanization response of host insects, but the underlying molecular mechanisms are largely unknown. here we report that microplitis demolitor bracovirus (mdbv) carried by the wasp m. demolitor produces a protein, egf1.0, which inhibits the phenoloxidase (po) cascade. egf1.0 belongs to a larger gene family that shares a cysteine-rich motif with similarities to the trypsin inhibitor-like (til) domains of small serine proteinase inhibitors (smapins). gain-of-function an ... | 2007 | 18032603 |
| identification of the main malaria vectors in the anopheles gambiae species complex using a taqman real-time pcr assay. | the anopheles gambiae sensu lato species complex comprises seven sibling species of mosquitoes that are morphologically indistinguishable. rapid identification of the two main species which vector malaria, anopheles arabiensis and an. gambiae sensu stricto, from the non-vector species anopheles quadriannulatus is often required as part of vector control programmes. currently the most widely used method for species identification is a multiplex pcr protocol that targets species specific differenc ... | 2007 | 18034887 |
| immunoglobulin superfamily members play an important role in the mosquito immune system. | immunoglobulin superfamily (igsf) proteins are known for their ability to specifically recognize and adhere to other molecules, mediating cell-surface reception and pathogen recognition. mammalian igsf proteins such as antibodies are among the best characterized molecules of the immune system; in contrast, the involvement of invertebrate igsf members in immunity has not been broadly studied. analysis of the predicted anopheles gambiae transcriptome identified 138 proteins that have at least one ... | 2008 | 18036658 |
| cloning and expression of glucose regulated protein 78 (grp78) in fenneropenaeus chinensis. | grp78 (78 kda glucose-regulated protein), also known as bip (immunoglobulin heavy-chain-binding protein), is an essential regulator of endoplasmic reticulum (er) homeostasis because of its multiple functions in protein folding, er calcium binding, and controlling of the activation of transmembrane er stress sensors. in this report, we cloned the full length cdna of grp78 (fcgrp78) from chinese shrimp fenneropenaeus chinensis. this cdna revealed a 2,325 bp with 1,968 bp open reading frame encodin ... | 2009 | 18038268 |
| elucidating the function of an ancient nf-kappab p100 homologue, crrelish, in antibacterial defense. | the family of nf-kappab transcription factors essentially regulates immune-related gene expression. recently, we isolated and characterized the classical nf-kappab/inhibitor kappab (ikappab) homologues from a "living fossil," the horseshoe crab, carcinoscorpius rotundicauda. interestingly, this ancient species also harbors another class i nf-kappab p100 homologue, c. rotundicauda relish (crrelish). similar to drosophila relish and the mammalian p100, crrelish contains both the rel-homology domai ... | 2008 | 18039837 |
| estimating dispersal and survival of anopheles gambiae and anopheles funestus along the kenyan coast by using mark-release-recapture methods. | mark-release-recapture (mrr) experiments were conducted with emerging anopheles gambiae s.l. and anophelesfunestus giles at jaribuni and mtepeni in kilifi, along the kenyan coast. of 739 and 1246 anopheles released at jaribuni and mtepeni, 24.6 and 4.33% were recaptured, respectively. the daily survival probability was 0.96 for an. funestus and 0.95 for an. gambiae in jaribuni and 0.83 and 0.95, respectively, in mtepeni. the maximum flight distance recorded was 661 m. the high survival probabili ... | 2007 | 18047189 |
| three calibration factors, applied to a rapid sweeping method, can accurately estimate aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae) pupal numbers in large water-storage containers at all temperatures at which dengue virus transmission occurs. | the ability of a simple sweeping method, coupled to calibration factors, to accurately estimate the total numbers of aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae) pupae in water-storage containers (20-6412-liter capacities at different water levels) throughout their main dengue virus transmission temperature range was evaluated. using this method, one set of three calibration factors were derived that could accurately estimate the total ae. aegypti pupae in their principal breeding sites, large water- ... | 2007 | 18047190 |
| standardizing container classification for immature aedes aegypti surveillance in kamphaeng phet, thailand. | for the development of community-based vector control programs for dengue prevention, one of the key components is to formulate an adequate classification scheme for the different containers in which immature aedes mosquitoes develop. such a standardized scheme would permit more efficient targeting of efforts and resources in the most productive way possible. based on field data from kamphaeng phet, thailand, we developed a classification method that consists of the shape (s), use (u), and mater ... | 2007 | 18047191 |
| attractiveness of mm-x traps baited with human or synthetic odor to mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae) in the gambia. | chemical cues play an important role in the host-seeking behavior of blood-feeding mosquitoes (diptera: culicidae). a field study was carried out in the gambia to investigate the effects of human odor or synthetic odor blends on the attraction of mosquitoes. mm-x traps baited with 16 odor blends to which carbon dioxide (co2) was added were tested in four sets of experiments. in a second series of experiments, mm-x traps with 14 odor blends without co2 were tested. a blend of ammonia and l-lactic ... | 2007 | 18047195 |
| laboratory and field evaluation of the impact of exercise on the performance of regular and polymer-based deet repellents. | studies were done in manitoba, canada, to evaluate the impact of exercise on repellent performance against mosquitoes. two products containing the active ingredient n,n-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide (deet) were tested; one product was a polymer-based cream (3m ultrathon insect repellent) and the other product was an alcohol-based pump spray formulation (muskol insect repellent). assessments were done in the laboratory using aedes aegypti (l.) and in the field with naturally occurring populations of ... | 2007 | 18047202 |
| microsporidiosis (microsporidia: culicosporidae) alters blood-feeding responses and deet repellency in aedes aegypti (diptera: culicidae). | infection of aedes aegypti (l.) (diptera: culicidae) with edhazardia aedis (microsporidia: culicosporidae) reduced mean human host attraction and landing/probing rates in female mosquitoes by 53 and 62%, respectively, compared with rates in microsporidia-free females. infection with e. aedis reduced the average weight of unfed female mosquitoes by 4%, caused them to imbibe 23% less blood, and to lay 30% fewer eggs than healthy females. in contrast, e. aedis-infected mosquitoes required 20% more ... | 2007 | 18047204 |
| small steps or giant leaps for male-killers? phylogenetic constraints to male-killer host shifts. | arthropods are infected by a wide diversity of maternally transmitted microbes. some of these manipulate host reproduction to facilitate population invasion and persistence. such parasites transmit vertically on an ecological timescale, but rare horizontal transmission events have permitted colonisation of new species. here we report the first systematic investigation into the influence of the phylogenetic distance between arthropod species on the potential for reproductive parasite interspecifi ... | 2007 | 18047670 |
| technology transfer from worms and flies to vertebrates: transposition-based genome manipulations and their future perspectives. | to meet the increasing demand of linking sequence information to gene function in vertebrate models, genetic modifications must be introduced and their effects analyzed in an easy, controlled, and scalable manner. in the mouse, only about 10% (estimate) of all genes have been knocked out, despite continuous methodologic improvement and extensive effort. moreover, a large proportion of inactivated genes exhibit no obvious phenotypic alterations. thus, in order to facilitate analysis of gene funct ... | 2007 | 18047686 |
| continuous exposure to plasmodium results in decreased susceptibility and transcriptomic divergence of the anopheles gambiae immune system. | plasmodium infection has been shown to compromise the fitness of the mosquito vector, reducing its fecundity and longevity. however, from an evolutionary perspective, the impact of plasmodium infection as a selective pressure on the mosquito is largely unknown. | 2007 | 18053261 |
| the elimination of chagas' disease from brazil. | on 9 june 2006 the pan american health organization (paho) presented the minister of health of brazil with the international elimination of transmission of chagas' disease certificate. this act was the culmination of an intensive process that began in 1991 with the southern cone initiative, a joint agreement between the governments of argentina, bolivia, brazil, chile, paraguay, uruguay and peru, to control chagas' disease by the elimination of the main vector, triatoma infestans. this initiativ ... | 2008 | 18053273 |
| an overview of aedes aegypti and aedes albopictus control in the british overseas territory of the cayman islands. | | 2007 | 18053562 |
| a genome-wide inventory of neurohormone gpcrs in the red flour beetle tribolium castaneum. | insect neurohormones (biogenic amines, neuropeptides, and protein hormones) and their g protein-coupled receptors (gpcrs) play a central role in the control of behavior, reproduction, development, feeding and many other physiological processes. the recent completion of several insect genome projects has enabled us to obtain a complete inventory of neurohormone gpcrs in these insects and, by a comparative genomics approach, to analyze the evolution of these proteins. the red flour beetle triboliu ... | 2008 | 18054377 |