| discovery and verification of osteopontin and beta-2-microglobulin as promising markers for staging human african trypanosomiasis. | human african trypanosomiasis, or sleeping sickness, is a parasitic disease endemic in sub-saharan africa, transmitted to humans through the bite of a tsetse fly. the first or hemolymphatic stage of the disease is associated with presence of parasites in the bloodstream, lymphatic system, and body tissues. if patients are left untreated, parasites cross the blood-brain barrier and invade the cerebrospinal fluid and the brain parenchyma, giving rise to the second or meningoencephalitic stage. sta ... | 2010 | 20724469 |
| on the influence of meteorological conditions on the development of trypanosoma rhodesiense in glossina morsitans. | | 1912 | 20766339 |
| on the influence of meteorological conditions on the development of trypanosoma rhodesiense in glossina morsitans. | | 1912 | 20766433 |
| trypanosomiasis and tsetse fly control. | | 1933 | 20777391 |
| the transformer gene of ceratitis capitata: a paradigm for a conserved epigenetic master regulator of sex determination in insects. | the transformer gene in ceratitis capitata (cctra(ep)) is the founding member of a family of related sr genes that appear to act as the master epigenetic switch in sex determination in insects. a functional protein seems to be produced only in individuals with a female xx karyotype where it is required to maintain the productive mode of expression through a positive feedback loop and to direct female development by instructing the downstream target genes accordingly. when zygotic activation of t ... | 2010 | 20890720 |
| universal primers for rapid detection of hytrosaviruses. | hytrosaviridae is a proposed virus family encompassing viruses that cause salivary gland hypertrophy (sgh) syndrome in infected insects and reduce the fertility in their dipteran insect hosts. they contain a large, double stranded dna genome of 120-190 kbp. to date, these viruses have been detected only in adult diptera. these include hytrosaviruses detected in various tsetse fly species (glossina spp.), the narcissus bulb fly merodon equestris and the house fly musca domestica. the limited numb ... | 2010 | 20923688 |
| incubation of tsetse pupae: increased transmission-rate of trypanosoma rhodesiense in glossina morsitans. | | 1946 | 20984390 |
| the sex ratio of infected flies found in transmission-experiments with glossina morsitans and trypanosoma rhodesiense. | | 1946 | 20984394 |
| salivation by glossina morsitans on to glass slides; a technique for isolating infected flies. | | 1946 | 20997896 |
| an artificially isolated generation of tsetse flies (diptera). | | 1946 | 21000966 |
| human trypanosomiasis and tsetse-flies in liberia. | | 1946 | 21003282 |
| human trypanosomiasis in liberia, 1941-1944. | | 1946 | 21003283 |
| tsetse-flies in liberia; distribution and ecology; possibilities of control. | | 1946 | 21003284 |
| a note on the noise-making ability of the tsetse-fly, glossina palpalis rob.-desv. (diptera, glossinidae), while in flight. | | 1946 | 21022159 |
| evolutionary genomics of glossina morsitans immune-related clip domain serine proteases and serine protease inhibitors. | several species of haematophagous tsetse flies (genus glossina) are vectors for trypanosomes, the parasitic protozoans that cause human african trypanosomiasis (hat). although there was a reduced incidence of hat in the mid 1960s, decreased disease surveillance has led to a resurgence of hat in sub-saharan africa. despite being efficient vectors for hat transmission, the prevalence of g. morsitans infection by trypanosomes in the wild is surprisingly minimal. the precise mechanisms by which g. m ... | 2010 | 21055483 |
| theoretical levels of control as a function of mean temperature and spray efficacy in the aerial spraying of tsetse fly. | the hypothetical impact of aerial spraying on tsetse fly populations is investigated. spray cycles are scheduled at intervals two days short of the first interlarval period and halted once the last of the female flies that originated from pre-spray-deposited pupae have been sprayed twice. the effect of temperature on the aerial spraying of tsetse, through its reproductive cycle and general population dynamics, is of particular interest, given that cooler weather is preferred for the settling of ... | 2010 | 21087595 |
| infectivity of trypanosomes derived from individual glossina morsitans westw. | | 1966 | 21090417 |
| fine structure of the female reproductive system in a viviparous insect, glossina morsitans morsitans (diptera, glossinidae). | the female reproductive system of the tsetse fly glossina morsitans morsitans is analysed by scanning electron microscopy (sem). the study focuses in particular on the choriothete, a peculiar uterine structure involved in the viviparous mode of reproduction of glossina morsitans morsitans. under light microscopy, the choriothete appears formed by numerous tongue-like folds projecting towards the uterine lumen and lined by a thin cuticle. sem analysis highlights for the first time a distinctive n ... | 2010 | 21094964 |
| tsetse fly control and trypanosomiasis in africa, quo vadis? | national and international efforts to eradicate tsetse fly-borne human and animal trypanosomiasis are critically evaluated, and possible reasons for their failure in many cases are discussed. some formerly performed campaigns in specific areas with positive results cannot be taken as examples to solve the main problems. in future, a significant reduction of trypanosomiasis cases will be possible to achieve only if a concerted long-term pan-african approach, based on financial security, the conti ... | 2010 | 21104211 |
| effect of host pregnancy on pupal production by the tsetse fly. | | 1966 | 21108521 |
| functional analysis of the twin-arginine translocation pathway in sodalis glossinidius, a bacterial symbiont of the tsetse fly. | this study demonstrates a functional twin-arginine (tat) translocation pathway present in the tsetse fly symbiont sodalis glossinidius and its potential to export active heterologous proteins to the periplasm. functionality was demonstrated using green fluorescent protein (gfp) fused to the tat signal peptide of escherichia coli trimethylamine n-oxide reductase (tora). | 2010 | 21148698 |
| molecular bases of cytoskeleton plasticity during the trypanosoma brucei parasite cycle. | african trypanosomes are flagellated protozoan parasites responsible for sleeping sickness and transmitted by tsetse flies. the accomplishment of their parasite cycle requires adaptation to highly diverse environments. these transitions take place in a strictly defined order and are accompanied by spectacular morphological modifications in cell size, shape and positioning of organelles. to understand the molecular bases of these processes, parasites isolated from different tissues of the tsetse ... | 2011 | 21159115 |
| tbunc119 and its binding protein complex are essential for propagation, motility, and morphogenesis of trypanosoma brucei procyclic form cells. | flagellum-mediated motility of trypanosoma brucei is considered to be essential for the parasite to complete stage development in the tsetse fly vector, while the mechanism by which flagellum-mediated motility is controlled are not fully understood. we thus compared t. brucei whole gene products (amino acid sequence) with caenorhabditis elegans unc (uncoordinated) proteins, in order to find uncharacterized motility-related t. brucei genes. through in silico analysis, we found 88 gene products wh ... | 2010 | 21203515 |
| the tsetse fly glossina fuscipes fuscipes (diptera: glossina) harbours a surprising diversity of bacteria other than symbionts. | three different bacterial species are regularly described from tsetse flies. however, no broad screens have been performed to investigate the existence of other bacteria in this medically and agriculturally important vector insect. utilising both culture dependent and independent methods we show that kenyan populations of glossina fuscipes fuscipes harbour a surprising diversity of bacteria. bacteria were isolated from 72% of flies with 23 different bacterial species identified. the firmicutes p ... | 2011 | 21203841 |
| the phylogeny of sodalis-like symbionts as reconstructed using surface-encoding loci. | phylogenetic analyses of 16s rrna support close relationships between the gammaproteobacteria sodalis glossinidius, a tsetse (diptera: glossinidae) symbiont, and bacteria infecting diverse insect orders. to further examine the evolutionary relationships of these sodalis-like symbionts, phylogenetic trees were constructed for a subset of putative surface-encoding genes (i.e. ompa, spr, slyb, rcsf, ycfm, and ompc). the ompa and ompc loci were used toward examining the intra- and interspecific dive ... | 2011 | 21251054 |
| disappearance of some human african trypanosomiasis transmission foci in zambia in the absence of a tsetse fly and trypanosomiasis control program over a period of forty years. | we conducted a situation analysis of human african trypanosomiasis (hat) in zambia from january 2000 to april 2007. the aim of this survey was to identify districts in zambia that were still recording cases of hat. three districts namely, mpika, chama, and chipata were found to be still reporting cases of hat and thus lay in hat transmission foci in north eastern zambia. during the period under review, 24 cases of hat were reported from these three districts. we thereafter reviewed literature on ... | 2011 | 21276598 |
| progress towards the eradication of tsetse from the loos islands, guinea. | the tsetse fly glossina palpalis gambiensis is the main vector of sleeping sickness (human african trypanosomiasis - hat) in west africa, in particular in littoral guinea where this disease is currently very active. the loos islands constitute a small archipelago some 5 km from mainland guinea, where g. p. gambiensis is well known as a nuisance and potential disease vector by inhabitants of the three main islands, fotoba, room, and kassa. the national control program against hat of guinea has de ... | 2011 | 21310074 |
| identification of the meiotic life cycle stage of trypanosoma brucei in the tsetse fly. | elucidating the mechanism of genetic exchange is fundamental for understanding how genes for such traits as virulence, disease phenotype, and drug resistance are transferred between pathogen strains. genetic exchange occurs in the parasitic protists trypanosoma brucei, t. cruzi, and leishmania major, but the precise cellular mechanisms are unknown, because the process has not been observed directly. here we exploit the identification of homologs of meiotic genes in the t. brucei genome and demon ... | 2011 | 21321215 |
| microsatellite genotyping reveals diversity within populations of sodalis glossinidius, the secondary symbiont of tsetse flies. | the aim of this study was to develop a pcr-based microsatellite genotyping method for identifying genetic diversity in sodalis glossinidius, a symbiont associated with tsetse fly infection by trypanosomes causing human and animal trypanosomiasis. allelic polymorphism at three loci, investigated on 40 fly gut extracts, evidenced eight alleles and the existence of five genotypes. this novel approach was shown to be efficient and suitable for routine large-scale genotyping of s. glossinidius presen ... | 2011 | 21334833 |
| population vulnerability and disability in kenya's tsetse fly habitats. | human african trypanosomiasis (hat), also referred to as sleeping sickness, and african animal trypanosomaisis (aat), known as nagana, are highly prevalent parasitic vector-borne diseases in sub-saharan africa. humans acquire trypanosomiasis following the bite of a tsetse fly infected with the protozoa trypanosoma brucei (t.b.) spp. -i.e., t.b. gambiense in west and central africa and t.b. rhodesiense in east and southern africa. over the last decade hat diagnostic capacity to estimate hat preva ... | 2011 | 21347453 |
| the trypanosoma brucei zinc finger protein zc3h18 is involved in differentiation. | in mammalian cells, the degradation of mrnas that have au-rich elements in their 3'-untranslated regions is accelerated by the binding of proteins that contain two ccch-zinc-finger-domains. three ccch zinc-finger proteins, tbzfp1, tbzfp2, and tbzfp3, have been shown to have roles in trypanosome differentiation. we here studied another protein, zc3h18, which has two ccch zinc finger domains. the zc3h18 gene is not essential in bloodstream forms, but in an in vitro model of differentiation, deplet ... | 2011 | 21354218 |
| trypanosoma brucei s.l.: microsatellite markers revealed high level of multiple genotypes in the mid-guts of wild tsetse flies of the fontem sleeping sickness focus of cameroon. | to identify trypanosoma brucei genotypes which are potentially transmitted in a sleeping sickness focus, microsatellite markers were used to characterize t. brucei found in the mid-guts of wild tsetse flies of the fontem sleeping sickness focus in cameroon. for this study, two entomological surveys were performed during which 2685 tsetse flies were collected and 1596 (59.2%) were dissected. microscopic examination revealed 1.19% (19/1596) mid-gut infections with trypanosomes; the pcr method iden ... | 2011 | 21376044 |
| tracking the feeding patterns of tsetse flies (glossina genus) by analysis of bloodmeals using mitochondrial cytochromes genes. | tsetse flies are notoriously difficult to observe in nature, particularly when populations densities are low. it is therefore difficult to observe them on their hosts in nature; hence their vertebrate species can very often only be determined indirectly by analysis of their gut contents. this knowledge is a critical component of the information on which control tactics can be developed. the objective of this study was to determine the sources of tsetse bloodmeals, hence investigate their feeding ... | 2011 | 21386971 |
| responses of tsetse flies, glossina morsitans morsitans and glossina pallidipes, to baits of various size. | recent studies of palpalis group tsetse [glossina fuscipes fuscipes (diptera: glossinidae) in kenya] suggest that small (0.25 × 0.25 m) insecticide-treated targets will be more cost-effective than the larger (=1.0 × 1.0 m) designs currently used to control tsetse. studies were undertaken in zimbabwe to assess whether small targets are also more cost-effective for the morsitans group tsetse, glossina morsitans morsitans and glossina pallidipes. numbers of tsetse contacting targets of 0.25 × 0.25 ... | 2011 | 21414020 |
| a general model for mortality in adult tsetse (glossina spp.). | tsetse exhibit a u-shaped age-mortality curve, with high losses after eclosion and a well-marked ageing process, which is particularly dramatic in males. a three-parameter (k(1) -k(3) ) model for age-dependent adult instantaneous mortality rates was constructed using mark-recapture data for the tsetse fly glossina morsitans morsitans westwood (diptera: glossinidae). mortality changed linearly with k(1) over all ages; k(2) affected only losses in roughly the first week of adult life, and k(3) con ... | 2011 | 21414021 |
| permanent genetic resources added to molecular ecology resources database 1 december 2010-31 january 2011. | this article documents the addition of 238 microsatellite marker loci to the molecular ecology resources database. loci were developed for the following species: alytes dickhilleni, arapaima gigas, austropotamobius italicus, blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, cobitis lutheri, dendroctonus ponderosae, glossina morsitans morsitans, haplophilus subterraneus, kirengeshoma palmata, lysimachia japonica, macrolophus pygmaeus, microtus cabrerae, mytilus galloprovincialis, pallisentis (neosentis) celatus, ... | 2011 | 21457476 |
| antimicrobial peptide killing of african trypanosomes. | the diseases caused by trypanosomes are medically and economically devastating to the population of sub-saharan africa. parasites of the genus trypanosoma, infect both humans, causing african sleeping sickness, and livestock, causing nagana. the development of effective treatment strategies has suffered from the severe side effects of approved drugs, resistance and major difficulties in delivering drugs. antimicrobial peptides are ubiquitous components of immune defense and are being rigorously ... | 2011 | 21517904 |
| [ivory coast uprising and returning burkinabe immigrants: evaluation of the risk for reemergence of sleeping sickness in burkina faso]. | following the sociopolitical unrest that occurred in ivory coast in 2002, 360,000 burkinabe immigrants returned to burkina faso that was the epicenter of sleeping sickness last century and is now thought to be free of autochthonous transmission. the purpose of this study was to determine if the massive return of immigrants from human african trypanosomiasis (hat) endemic areas of ivory coast to areas in burkina faso where the vector (tsetse fly) is currently present could lead to re-emergence of ... | 2010 | 21520653 |
| have tsetse flies disappeared from brazzaville town? | from 1980 to 1985, the zoological park of brazzaville was the only tsetse resting site located in downtown which supplied others temporary sites. the last trapping survey carried out in this area in 1987 showed that there were no more tsetse flies. knowing that areas free of tsetse used to be reinvaded many years later, we have carried out an entomological survey in the area with the aim to verify what has happened more than twenty years later; given that suitable environmental conditions for gl ... | 2009 | 21532712 |
| polymorphic microsatellite markers for the tsetse fly glossina fuscipes fuscipes (diptera: glossinidae), a vector of human african trypanosomiasis. | our understanding of glossina fuscipes fuscipes, a major vector of sleeping sickness, has been severely constrained by a lack of genetic markers for mapping and population genetic studies. here we present 10 newly developed microsatellite loci for this tsetse species. heterozygosity levels in moyo, an ugandan population, averaged 0.57, with only two loci showing very low heterozygosity. five loci carried more than six alleles. together with five recently published microsatellite loci, this bring ... | 2008 | 21586090 |
| tsetse immune system maturation requires the presence of obligate symbionts in larvae. | beneficial microbial symbionts serve important functions within their hosts, including dietary supplementation and maintenance of immune system homeostasis. little is known about the mechanisms that enable these bacteria to induce specific host phenotypes during development and into adulthood. here we used the tsetse fly, glossina morsitans, and its obligate mutualist, wigglesworthia glossinidia, to investigate the co-evolutionary adaptations that influence the development of host physiological ... | 2011 | 21655301 |
| polyandry is a common event in wild populations of the tsetse fly glossina fuscipes fuscipes and may impact population reduction measures. | glossina fuscipes fuscipes is the main vector of human and animal trypanosomiasis in africa, particularly in uganda. attempts to control/eradicate this species using biological methods require knowledge of its reproductive biology. an important aspect is the number of times a female mates in the wild as this influences the effective population size and may constitute a critical factor in determining the success of control methods. to date, polyandry in g.f. fuscipes has not been investigated in ... | 2011 | 21666797 |
| population genetics of trypanosoma evansi from camel in the sudan. | genetic variation of microsatellite loci is a widely used method for the analysis of population genetic structure of microorganisms. we have investigated genetic variation at 15 microsatellite loci of t. evansi isolated from camels in sudan and kenya to evaluate the genetic information partitioned within and between individuals and between sites. we detected a strong signal of isolation by distance across the area sampled. the results also indicate that either, and as expected, t. evansi is pure ... | 2011 | 21666799 |
| sleeping sickness. | human african trypanosomiasis (hat), or sleeping sickness, is a vector-borne disease that flourishes in impoverished, rural parts of sub-saharan africa. it is caused by infection with the protozoan parasite trypanosoma brucei and is transmitted by tsetse flies of the genus glossina. the majority of cases are caused by t. b. gambiense, which gives rise to the chronic, anthroponotic endemic disease in western and central africa. infection with t. b. rhodesiense leads to the acute, zoonotic form of ... | 2011 | 21722252 |
| impact of microscopic motility on the swimming behavior of parasites: straighter trypanosomes are more directional. | microorganisms, particularly parasites, have developed sophisticated swimming mechanisms to cope with a varied range of environments. african trypanosomes, causative agents of fatal illness in humans and animals, use an insect vector (the tsetse fly) to infect mammals, involving many developmental changes in which cell motility is of prime importance. our studies reveal that differences in cell body shape are correlated with a diverse range of cell behaviors contributing to the directional motio ... | 2011 | 21698122 |
| post eclosion age predicts the prevalence of midgut trypanosome infections in glossina. | the teneral phenomenon, as observed in glossina sp., refers to the increased susceptibility of the fly to trypanosome infection when the first bloodmeal taken is trypanosome-infected. in recent years, the term teneral has gradually become synonymous with unfed, and thus fails to consider the age of the newly emerged fly at the time the first bloodmeal is taken. furthermore, conflicting evidence exists of the effect of the age of the teneral fly post eclosion when it is given the infected first b ... | 2011 | 22087240 |
| Multiple Trypanosoma infections are common amongst Glossina species in the new farming areas of Rufiji district, Tanzania. | ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: Tsetse flies and trypanosomiasis are among several factors that constrain livestock development in Tanzania. Over the years Rufiji District was excluded from livestock production owing to tsetse fly infestation, however, a few years ago there was an influx of livestock following evictions aimed at conserving the Usangu wetlands. METHODS: A study was conducted to determine the efficiency of available traps for catching tsetse flies, Glossina species infesting the area, thei ... | 2011 | 22093363 |
| the salivary secretome of the tsetse fly glossina pallidipes (diptera: glossinidae) infected by salivary gland hypertrophy virus. | the competence of the tsetse fly glossina pallidipes (diptera; glossinidae) to acquire salivary gland hypertrophy virus (sghv), to support virus replication and successfully transmit the virus depends on complex interactions between glossina and sghv macromolecules. critical requisites to sghv transmission are its replication and secretion of mature virions into the fly's salivary gland (sg) lumen. however, secretion of host proteins is of equal importance for successful transmission and require ... | 2011 | 22132244 |
| attenuation of the sensing capabilities of phoq in transition to obligate insect-bacterial association. | sodalis glossinidius, a maternally inherited endosymbiont of the tsetse fly, maintains genes encoding homologues of the phop-phoq two-component regulatory system. this two-component system has been extensively studied in facultative bacterial pathogens and is known to serve as an environmental magnesium sensor and a regulator of key virulence determinants. in the current study, we show that the inactivation of the response regulator, phop, renders s. glossinidius sensitive to insect derived cati ... | 2011 | 22072980 |
| wolbachia symbiont infections induce strong cytoplasmic incompatibility in the tsetse fly glossina morsitans. | tsetse flies are vectors of the protozoan parasite african trypanosomes, which cause sleeping sickness disease in humans and nagana in livestock. although there are no effective vaccines and efficacious drugs against this parasite, vector reduction methods have been successful in curbing the disease, especially for nagana. potential vector control methods that do not involve use of chemicals is a genetic modification approach where flies engineered to be parasite resistant are allowed to replace ... | 2011 | 22174680 |
| genetic diversity and population structure of the secondary symbiont of tsetse flies, sodalis glossinidius, in sleeping sickness foci in cameroon. | previous studies have shown substantial differences in sodalis glossinidius and trypanosome infection rates between glossina palpalis palpalis populations from two cameroonian foci of human african trypanosomiasis (hat), bipindi and campo. we hypothesized that the geographical isolation of the two foci may have induced independent evolution in the two areas, resulting in the diversification of symbiont genotypes. | 2011 | 21886849 |
| native microbiota shape insect vector competence for human pathogens. | the resident microbiota of insect vectors can impede transmission of human pathogens. recent studies have highlighted the capacity of endogenous bacteria to decrease viral and parasitic infections in mosquito and tsetse fly vectors by activating their immune responses or directly inhibiting pathogen development. these microbes may prove effective agents for manipulating the vector competence of malaria and other important human pathogens. | 2011 | 22018231 |
| alba proteins are stage regulated during trypanosome development in the tsetse fly and participate in differentiation. | the protozoan parasite trypanosoma brucei is responsible for sleeping sickness and alternates between mammal and tsetse fly hosts, where it has to adapt to different environments. we investigated the role of two members of the alba family, which encodes hypothetical rna-binding proteins conserved in most eukaryotes. we show that alba3/4 proteins colocalize with the dhh1 rna-binding protein and with a subset of poly(a+) rna in stress granules upon starvation. depletion of alba3/4 proteins by rna ... | 2011 | 21965287 |
| lipophorin acts as a shuttle of lipids to the milk gland during tsetse fly pregnancy. | during pregnancy in the viviparous tsetse fly, lipid mobilization is essential for the production of milk to feed the developing intrauterine larva. lipophorin (lp) functions as the major lipid transport protein in insects and closely-related arthropods. in this study, we assessed the role of lp and the lipophorin receptor (lpr) in the lipid mobilization process during tsetse reproduction. we identified single gene sequences for gmmlp and gmmlpr from the genome of glossinamorsitansmorsitans, and ... | 2011 | 21875592 |
| Cryptic diversity within the major trypanosomiasis vector Glossina fuscipes revealed by molecular markers. | The tsetse fly Glossina fuscipes s.l. is responsible for the transmission of approximately 90% of cases of human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness. Three G. fuscipes subspecies have been described, primarily based upon subtle differences in the morphology of their genitalia. Here we describe a study conducted across the range of this important vector to determine whether molecular evidence generated from nuclear DNA (microsatellites and gene sequence information), mitochondrial ... | 2011 | 21858237 |
| Glycolysis in the african trypanosome: targeting enzymes and their subcellular compartments for therapeutic development. | Subspecies of the African trypanosome, Trypanosoma brucei, which cause human African trypanosomiasis, are transmitted by the tsetse fly, with transmission-essential lifecycle stages occurring in both the insect vector and human host. During infection of the human host, the parasite is limited to using glycolysis of host sugar for ATP production. This dependence on glucose breakdown presents a series of targets for potential therapeutic development, many of which have been explored and validated ... | 2011 | 22091393 |
| The Enhancer of split complex arose prior to the diversification of schizophoran flies and is strongly conserved between Drosophila and stalk-eyed flies (Diopsidae). | ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: In Drosophila, the Enhancer of Split complex (E(spl)-C) comprises 11 bHLH and Bearded genes that function during Notch signaling to repress proneural identity in the developing peripheral nervous system. Comparison with other insects indicates that the basal state for Diptera is a single bHLH and Bearded homolog and that the expansion of the gene complex occurred in the lineage leading to Drosophila. However, comparative genomic data from other fly species that would eluci ... | 2011 | 22151427 |
| Human African trypanosomiasis in endemic populations and travellers. | Human African trypanosomiasis (HAT) or sleeping sickness is caused by the protozoan parasites Trypanosoma brucei (T.b.) gambiense (West African form) and T.b. rhodesiense (East African form) that are transmitted by the bite of the tsetse fly, Glossina spp.. Whereas most patients in endemic populations are infected with T.b. gambiense, most tourists are infected with T.b. rhodesiense. In endemic populations, T.b. gambiense HAT is characterized by chronic and intermittent fever, headache, pruritus ... | 2011 | 21901632 |
| experimental evaluation of xenodiagnosis to detect trypanosomes at low parasitaemia levels in infected hosts. | in human african trypanosomosis (hat) endemic areas, there are a number of subjects that are positive to serological tests but in whom trypanosomes are difficult to detect with the available parasitological tests. in most cases and particularly in west africa, these subjects remain untreated, thus posing a fundamental problem both at the individual level (because of a possible lethal evolution of the disease) and at the epidemiological level (since they are potential reservoirs of trypanosomes). ... | 2011 | 22091459 |
| the chemistry and biology of trypanosomal trans-sialidases: virulence factors in chagas disease and sleeping sickness. | trans-sialidases constitute a special group of the sialidase family. they occur in some trypanosome species and, in a unique reversible reaction, transfer sialic acids from one glycosidic linkage with galactose (donor) to another galactose (acceptor), to form (α2-3)-sialyl linkages. trypanosomes cause such devastating human diseases as chagas disease in south america (trypanosoma cruzi) or sleeping sickness in africa (trypanosoma brucei). the trans-sialidases strongly contribute to the pathogeni ... | 2011 | 21956798 |
| VectorBase: improvements to a bioinformatics resource for invertebrate vector genomics. | VectorBase (http://www.vectorbase.org) is a NIAID-supported bioinformatics resource for invertebrate vectors of human pathogens. It hosts data for nine genomes: mosquitoes (three Anopheles gambiae genomes, Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus), tick (Ixodes scapularis), body louse (Pediculus humanus), kissing bug (Rhodnius prolixus) and tsetse fly (Glossina morsitans). Hosted data range from genomic features and expression data to population genetics and ontologies. We describe improvements ... | 2012 | 22135296 |
| expression of chemosensory proteins in the tsetse fly glossina morsitans morsitans is related to female host-seeking behaviour. | chemosensory proteins (csps) are a class of soluble proteins present in high concentrations in the sensilla of insect antennae. it has been proposed that they play an important role in insect olfaction by mediating interactions between odorants and odorant receptors. here we report, for the first time, the presence of five csp genes in the tsetse fly glossina morsitans morsitans, a major vector transmitting nagana in livestock. real-time quantitative reverse transcription pcr showed that three o ... | 2011 | 22074189 |
| transfer of inoculum of metarhizium anisopliae between adult glossina morsitans morsitans and effects of fungal infection on blood feeding and mating behaviors. | the transfer of conidia of metarhizium anisopliae between tsetse flies glossina morsitans and the effects of fungal inoculation on mating and blood meal feeding behaviors were investigated in the laboratory. male or female flies were inoculated with fungal conidia ("donors") and allowed to pair with fungus-free mate of opposite sex ("recipients") at 1-day-interval up to three mates. fungus-treated male or female "donor" flies as well as their mates "recipients" died from fungal infection. howeve ... | 2012 | 23687485 |
| towards an early warning system for rhodesian sleeping sickness in savannah areas: man-like traps for tsetse flies. | in the savannahs of east and southern africa, tsetse flies (glossina spp.) transmit trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense which causes rhodesian sleeping sickness, the zoonotic form of human african trypanosomiasis. the flies feed mainly on wild and domestic animals and are usually repelled by humans. however, this innate aversion to humans can be undermined by environmental stresses on tsetse populations, so increasing disease risk. to monitor changes in risk, we need traps designed specifically to qu ... | 2012 | 23301107 |
| insight into the transmission biology and species-specific functional capabilities of tsetse (diptera: glossinidae) obligate symbiont wigglesworthia. | ancient endosymbionts have been associated with extreme genome structural stability with little differentiation in gene inventory between sister species. tsetse flies (diptera: glossinidae) harbor an obligate endosymbiont, wigglesworthia, which has coevolved with the glossina radiation. we report on the ~720-kb wigglesworthia genome and its associated plasmid from glossina morsitans morsitans and compare them to those of the symbiont from glossina brevipalpis. while there was overall high synten ... | 2012 | 22334516 |
| presence of extensive wolbachia symbiont insertions discovered in the genome of its host glossina morsitans morsitans. | tsetse flies (glossina spp.) are the cyclical vectors of trypanosoma spp., which are unicellular parasites responsible for multiple diseases, including nagana in livestock and sleeping sickness in humans in africa. glossina species, including glossina morsitans morsitans (gmm), for which the whole genome sequence (wgs) is now available, have established symbiotic associations with three endosymbionts: wigglesworthia glossinidia, sodalis glossinidius and wolbachia pipientis (wolbachia). the prese ... | 2014 | 24763283 |
| dopamine receptor antagonists as new mode-of-action insecticide leads for control of aedes and culex mosquito vectors. | new mode-of-action insecticides are sought to provide continued control of pesticide resistant arthropod vectors of neglected tropical diseases (ntds). we previously identified antagonists of the aadop2 d1-like dopamine receptor (dar) from the yellow fever mosquito, aedes aegypti, with toxicity to ae. aegypti larvae as leads for novel insecticides. to extend dar-based insecticide discovery, we evaluated the molecular and pharmacological characteristics of an orthologous dar target, cqdop2, from ... | 2015 | 25793586 |
| immunogenicity and serological cross-reactivity of saliva proteins among different tsetse species. | tsetse are vectors of pathogenic trypanosomes, agents of human and animal trypanosomiasis in africa. components of tsetse saliva (sialome) are introduced into the mammalian host bite site during the blood feeding process and are important for tsetse's ability to feed efficiently, but can also influence disease transmission and serve as biomarkers for host exposure. we compared the sialome components from four tsetse species in two subgenera: subgenus morsitans: glossina morsitans morsitans (gmm) ... | 2015 | 26313460 |
| analysis of multiple tsetse fly populations in uganda reveals limited diversity and species-specific gut microbiota. | the invertebrate microbiome contributes to multiple aspects of host physiology, including nutrient supplementation and immune maturation processes. we identified and compared gut microbial abundance and diversity in natural tsetse flies from uganda using five genetically distinct populations of glossina fuscipes fuscipes and multiple tsetse species (glossina morsitans morsitans, g. f. fuscipes, and glossina pallidipes) that occur in sympatry in one location. we used multiple approaches, includin ... | 2014 | 24814785 |
| description of a nanobody-based competitive immunoassay to detect tsetse fly exposure. | tsetse flies are the main vectors of human and animal african trypanosomes. the tsal proteins in tsetse fly saliva were previously identified as suitable biomarkers of bite exposure. a new competitive assay was conceived based on nanobody (nb) technology to ameliorate the detection of anti-tsal antibodies in mammalian hosts. | 2015 | 25658871 |
| tsetse fly tolerance to t. brucei infection: transcriptome analysis of trypanosome-associated changes in the tsetse fly salivary gland. | for their transmission, african trypanosomes rely on their blood feeding insect vector, the tsetse fly (glossina sp.). the ingested trypanosoma brucei parasites have to overcome a series of barriers in the tsetse fly alimentary tract to finally develop into the infective metacyclic forms in the salivary glands that are transmitted to a mammalian host by the tsetse bite. the parasite population in the salivary gland is dense with a significant number of trypanosomes tightly attached to the epithe ... | 2016 | 27884110 |
| tsetse-wolbachia symbiosis: comes of age and has great potential for pest and disease control. | tsetse flies (diptera: glossinidae) are the sole vectors of african trypanosomes, the causative agent of sleeping sickness in human and nagana in animals. like most eukaryotic organisms, glossina species have established symbiotic associations with bacteria. three main symbiotic bacteria have been found in tsetse flies: wigglesworthia glossinidia, an obligate symbiotic bacterium, the secondary endosymbiont sodalis glossinidius and the reproductive symbiont wolbachia pipientis. in the present rev ... | 2012 | 22835476 |
| genome sequence of the tsetse fly (glossina morsitans): vector of african trypanosomiasis. | tsetse flies are the sole vectors of human african trypanosomiasis throughout sub-saharan africa. both sexes of adult tsetse feed exclusively on blood and contribute to disease transmission. notable differences between tsetse and other disease vectors include obligate microbial symbioses, viviparous reproduction, and lactation. here, we describe the sequence and annotation of the 366-megabase glossina morsitans morsitans genome. analysis of the genome and the 12,308 predicted protein-encoding ge ... | 0 | 24763584 |
| an investigation into the protein composition of the teneral glossina morsitans morsitans peritrophic matrix. | tsetse flies serve as biological vectors for several species of african trypanosomes. in order to survive, proliferate and establish a midgut infection, trypanosomes must cross the tsetse fly peritrophic matrix (pm), which is an acellular gut lining surrounding the blood meal. crossing of this multi-layered structure occurs at least twice during parasite migration and development, but the mechanism of how trypanosomes do so is not understood. in order to better comprehend the molecular events su ... | 2014 | 24763256 |
| horizontally transferred genetic elements in the tsetse fly genome: an alignment-free clustering approach using batch learning self-organising map (blsom). | tsetse flies (glossina spp.) are the primary vectors of trypanosomes, which can cause human and animal african trypanosomiasis in sub-saharan african countries. the objective of this study was to explore the genome of glossina morsitans morsitans for evidence of horizontal gene transfer (hgt) from microorganisms. we employed an alignment-free clustering method, that is, batch learning self-organising map (blsom), in which sequence fragments are clustered based on the similarity of oligonucleotid ... | 2016 | 28074180 |
| computational characterization of iron metabolism in the tsetse disease vector, glossina morsitans: ire stem-loops. | iron metabolism and regulation is an indispensable part of species survival, most importantly for blood feeding insects. iron regulatory proteins are central regulators of iron homeostasis, whose binding to iron response element (ire) stem-loop structures within the utrs of genes regulate expression at the post-transcriptional level. despite the extensive literature on the mechanism of iron regulation in human, less attention has been given to insect and more specifically the blood feeding insec ... | 2016 | 27503259 |
| duplication and diversification of dipteran argonaute genes, and the evolutionary divergence of piwi and aubergine. | genetic studies of drosophila melanogaster have provided a paradigm for rna interference (rnai) in arthropods, in which the microrna and antiviral pathways are each mediated by a single argonaute (ago1 and ago2) and germline suppression of transposable elements is mediated by a trio of piwi-subfamily argonaute proteins (ago3, aub, and piwi). without a suitable evolutionary context, deviations from this can be interpreted as derived or idiosyncratic. here we analyze the evolution of argonaute gen ... | 2016 | 26868596 |
| identification of a tsal152-75 salivary synthetic peptide to monitor cattle exposure to tsetse flies. | the saliva of tsetse flies contains a cocktail of bioactive molecules inducing specific antibody responses in hosts exposed to bites. we have previously shown that an indirect-elisa test using whole salivary extracts from glossina morsitans submorsitans was able to discriminate between (i) cattle from tsetse infested and tsetse free areas and (ii) animals experimentally exposed to low or high numbers of tsetse flies. in the present study, our aim was to identify specific salivary synthetic pepti ... | 2016 | 26979518 |
| odorant and gustatory receptors in the tsetse fly glossina morsitans morsitans. | tsetse flies use olfactory and gustatory responses, through odorant and gustatory receptors (ors and grs), to interact with their environment. glossina morsitans morsitans genome ors and grs were annotated using homologs of these genes in drosophila melanogaster and an ab initio approach based on or and gr specific motifs in g. m. morsitans gene models coupled to gene ontology (go). phylogenetic relationships among the ors or grs and the homologs were determined using maximum likelihood estimate ... | 2014 | 24763191 |
| a comparative analysis of reproductive biology of insect vectors of human disease. | studying the reproductive strategies of insect species that transmit diseases to humans can identify new exploitable targets for the development of vector control methods. here we describe shared characteristics and individual features of the reproductive biology of three major disease vectors: anopheles gambiae, aedes aegypti and glossina morsitans. current studies are identifying i) species-specific molecular cascades that determine female monandrous behavior, ii) core aspects of egg developme ... | 0 | 26140265 |
| the spermatophore in glossina morsitans morsitans: insights into male contributions to reproduction. | male seminal fluid proteins (sfps) transferred during copulation modulate female reproductive physiology and behavior, impacting sperm storage/use, ovulation, oviposition, and remating receptivity. these capabilities make them ideal targets for developing novel methods of insect disease vector control. little is known about the nature of sfps in the viviparous tsetse flies (diptera: glossinidae), vectors of human and animal african trypanosomiasis. in tsetse, male ejaculate is assembled into a c ... | 2016 | 26847001 |
| chemosensory receptors in tsetse flies provide link between chemical and behavioural ecology. | tsetse flies survive in a variety of environments across tropical africa, often rising to large numbers, despite their low birth rate of one offspring every seven to nine days. they use olfactory receptors to process chemical signals in their environments to find food, escape from predators, and locate suitable larviposition sites. we discuss the identification of odorant and gustatory receptors in glossina morsitans morsitans and the role genomics could play in management of nuisance insects. | 2014 | 25017128 |
| aquaporins are critical for provision of water during lactation and intrauterine progeny hydration to maintain tsetse fly reproductive success. | tsetse flies undergo drastic fluctuations in their water content throughout their adult life history due to events such as blood feeding, dehydration and lactation, an essential feature of the viviparous reproductive biology of tsetse. aquaporins (aqps) are transmembrane proteins that allow water and other solutes to permeate through cellular membranes. here we identify tsetse aquaporin (aqp) genes, examine their expression patterns under different physiological conditions (blood feeding, lactat ... | 2014 | 24762803 |
| tss seq based core promoter architecture in blood feeding tsetse fly (glossina morsitans morsitans) vector of trypanosomiasis. | transcription initiation regulation is mediated by sequence-specific interactions between dna-binding proteins (transcription factors) and cis-elements, where bre, tata, inr, dpe and mte motifs constitute canonical core motifs for basal transcription initiation of genes. accurate identification of transcription start site (tss) and their corresponding promoter regions is critical for delineation of these motifs. to this end, the genome scale analysis of core promoter architecture in insects has ... | 2015 | 26394619 |
| analysis of lipolysis underlying lactation in the tsetse fly, glossina morsitans. | female tsetse flies undergo viviparous reproduction, generating one larva each gonotrophic cycle. larval nourishment is provided by the mother in the form of milk secretions. the milk consists mostly of lipids during early larval development and shifts to a balanced combination of protein and lipids in the late larval instars. provisioning of adequate lipids to the accessory gland is an indispensable process for tsetse fecundity. this work investigates the roles of brummer lipase (bmm) and the a ... | 0 | 22509523 |
| tsetse gmmsrpn10 has anti-complement activity and is important for successful establishment of trypanosome infections in the fly midgut. | the complement cascade in mammalian blood can damage the alimentary tract of haematophagous arthropods. as such, these animals have evolved their own repertoire of complement-inactivating factors, which are inadvertently exploited by blood-borne pathogens to escape complement lysis. unlike the bloodstream stages, the procyclic (insect) stage of trypanosoma brucei is highly susceptible to complement killing, which is puzzling considering that a tsetse takes a bloodmeal every 2-4 days. in this stu ... | 2015 | 25569180 |
| obligate symbionts activate immune system development in the tsetse fly. | many insects rely on the presence of symbiotic bacteria for proper immune system function. however, the molecular mechanisms that underlie this phenomenon are poorly understood. adult tsetse flies (glossina spp.) house three symbiotic bacteria that are vertically transmitted from mother to offspring during this insect's unique viviparous mode of reproduction. larval tsetse that undergo intrauterine development in the absence of their obligate mutualist, wigglesworthia, exhibit a compromised immu ... | 2012 | 22368278 |
| detection and characterization of wolbachia infections in laboratory and natural populations of different species of tsetse flies (genus glossina). | wolbachia is a genus of endosymbiotic α-proteobacteria infecting a wide range of arthropods and filarial nematodes. wolbachia is able to induce reproductive abnormalities such as cytoplasmic incompatibility (ci), thelytokous parthenogenesis, feminization and male killing, thus affecting biology, ecology and evolution of its hosts. the bacterial group has prompted research regarding its potential for the control of agricultural and medical disease vectors, including glossina spp., which transmits ... | 2012 | 22376025 |
| delivery of a functional anti-trypanosome nanobody in different tsetse fly tissues via a bacterial symbiont, sodalis glossinidius. | sodalis glossinidius, a vertically transmitted microbial symbiont of the tsetse fly, is currently considered as a potential delivery system for anti-trypanosomal components that reduce or eliminate the capability of the tsetse fly host to transmit parasitic trypanosomes, an approach also known as paratransgenesis. an essential step in developing paratransgenic tsetse is the stable colonization of adult flies and their progeny with recombinant sodalis bacteria, expressing trypanocidal effector mo ... | 2014 | 25376234 |
| global wolbachia prevalence, titer fluctuations and their potential of causing cytoplasmic incompatibilities in tsetse flies and hybrids of glossina morsitans subgroup species. | we demonstrate the high applicability of a novel vntr-based (variable-number-tandem-repeat) molecular screening tool for fingerprinting wolbachia-infections in tsetse flies. the vntr-141 locus provides reliable and concise differentiation between wolbachia strains deriving from glossina morsitans morsitans, glossina morsitans centralis, and glossina brevipalpis. moreover, we show that certain wolbachia-infections in glossina spp. are capable of escaping standard pcr screening methods by 'hiding' ... | 2012 | 22516306 |
| geographic range of vector-borne infections and their vectors: the role of african wildlife. | the role of african wildlife in the occurrence of vector-borne infections in domestic animals has gained renewed interest as emerging and re-emerging infections occur worldwide at an increasing rate. in africa, biodiversity conservation and the expansion of livestock production have increased the risk of transmitting vector-borne infections between wildlife and livestock. the indigenous african pathogens with transboundary potential, such as rift valley fever virus, african horse sickness virus, ... | 2015 | 26470454 |
| expression and characterization of cathepsin b from tsetse (glossina morsitans morsitans). | digestive enzymes in tsetse fly midgut are thought to modulate the development of african trypanosome which is a causative agent of trypanosomosis in human and animal. cathepsin b is induced after the first blood meal ingestion and being higher in trypanosome infected flies. a dna fragment encoding pro-cathepsin b (930 bp) (accession no. af329480_1) was cloned and expressed in e. coli and p. pastoris protein expression systems. an active recombinant cathepsin b (rgmcathb) produced by p. pastoris ... | 2013 | 24404748 |
| new rickettsia sp. in tsetse flies from senegal. | tsetse flies are blood-sucking insects transmitting african trypanosomiasis. they are known to harbor also three intracellular bacteria that play important role in their lifecycle: wigglesworthia glossinidia, sodalis glossinidius and wolbachia sp. we have studied 78 glossina morsitans submorsitans collected in senegal. in all studied flies we amplified genes of bacterium phylogenetically close to obligate intracellular pathogen rickettsia felis, the agent of spotted fever in humans. we also visu ... | 2012 | 22277830 |
| sodalis glossinidius prevalence and trypanosome presence in tsetse from luambe national park, zambia. | tsetse flies are the biological vectors of african trypanosomes, the causative agents of sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in animals. the tsetse endosymbiont sodalis glossinidius has been suggested to play a role in tsetse susceptibility to infection. here we investigate the prevalence of african trypanosomes within tsetse from the luambe national park, zambia and if there is an association between s. glossinidius and presence of trypanosomes within the tsetse examined. | 2014 | 25138709 |
| transcriptome profiling of trypanosoma brucei development in the tsetse fly vector glossina morsitans. | african trypanosomes, the causative agents of sleeping sickness in humans and nagana in animals, have a complex digenetic life cycle between a mammalian host and an insect vector, the blood-feeding tsetse fly. although the importance of the insect vector to transmit the disease was first realized over a century ago, many aspects of trypanosome development in tsetse have not progressed beyond a morphological analysis, mainly due to considerable challenges to obtain sufficient material for molecul ... | 2016 | 28002435 |
| the dermis as a delivery site of trypanosoma brucei for tsetse flies. | tsetse flies are the sole vectors of trypanosoma brucei parasites that cause sleeping sickness. our knowledge on the early interface between the infective metacyclic forms and the mammalian host skin is currently highly limited. glossina morsitans flies infected with fluorescently tagged t. brucei parasites were used in this study to initiate natural infections in mice. metacyclic trypanosomes were found to be highly infectious through the intradermal route in sharp contrast with blood stream fo ... | 2016 | 27441553 |
| bovine trypanosomosis and its fly vectors in three selected settlement areas of hawa-gelan district, western ethiopia. | a cross-sectional study aimed at investigating the species diversity of fly vectors and estimating the prevalence of bovine trypanosomosis was carried out from october 2009 to may 2010 in selected settlement areas of the hawa-gelan district in the western wollega zone of ethiopia. standard methods of sampling and identification were employed for both entomological and parasitological examination. three species of the genus glossina (glossina pallidipes, glossina morsitans submorsitans and glossi ... | 2014 | 25686018 |
| phenotypic characteristics and trypanosome prevalence of mursi cattle breed in the bodi and mursi districts of south omo zone, southwest ethiopia. | the study was conducted to characterize the morphological features of mursi cattle breed and to identify the species of trypanosome infecting the cattle and its prevalence in these traditionally managed cattle in the bodi and mursi pastoral communities. cattle body description and measurements were made on 201 matured animals. blood samples were collected from 409 animals into heparin-treated capillary tubes and were centrifuged to 12,000 rpm for 5 min to identify trypanosome species from the we ... | 2015 | 25510298 |
| midgut expression of immune-related genes in glossina palpalis gambiensis challenged with trypanosoma brucei gambiense. | tsetse flies from the subspecies glossina morsitans morsitans and glossina palpalis gambiensis, respectively, transmit trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense and trypanosoma brucei gambiense. the former causes the acute form of sleeping sickness, and the latter provokes the chronic form. although several articles have reported g. m. morsitans gene expression following trypanosome infection, no comparable investigation has been performed for g. p. gambiensis. this report presents results on the different ... | 2014 | 25426112 |
| insights into the trypanosome-host interactions revealed through transcriptomic analysis of parasitized tsetse fly salivary glands. | the agents of sleeping sickness disease, trypanosoma brucei complex parasites, are transmitted to mammalian hosts through the bite of an infected tsetse. information on tsetse-trypanosome interactions in the salivary gland (sg) tissue, and on mammalian infective metacyclic (mc) parasites present in the sg, is sparse. we performed rna-seq analyses from uninfected and t. b. brucei infected sgs of glossina morsitans morsitans. comparison of the sg transcriptomes to a whole body fly transcriptome re ... | 2014 | 24763140 |