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Infectious Disease: Parasitic Diseases

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Total 121 results found since Jan 2013.

Host-Feeding Sources and Infection With Trypanosoma cruzi of Triatoma infestans and Triatoma eratyrusiformis (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) From the Calchaqui Valleys in Northwestern Argentina
We assessed the prevalence of infection with Trypanosoma cruzi, parasite genotypes (discrete typing units, DTUs), and the host-feeding sources of domestic and peridomestic Triatoma infestans Klug and Triatoma eratyrusiformis Del Ponte in eight rural communities of the subandean Calchaqui valleys in northwestern Argentina. We sought to analyze their epidemiological role in the context of routine vector surveillance and control actions. Infection with T. cruzi was determined by optic microscopy or polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of the hypervariable region of kinetoplast DNA minicircles. Parasite genotypes were...
Source: Journal of Medical Entomology - May 19, 2016 Category: Biology Authors: Cecere, M. C., Leporace, M., Fernandez, M. P., Zarate, J. E., Moreno, C., Gürtler, R. E., Cardinal, M. V. Tags: Vector/Pathogen/Host Interaction, Transmission Source Type: research

Diversity and Prevalence of Ectoparasites on Backyard Chicken Flocks in California
Peridomestic ("backyard") chicken flocks are gaining popularity in the developed world (e.g., North America or Europe), yet little is known regarding prevalence or severity of their ectoparasites. Therefore, five birds on each of 20 properties throughout southern California were surveyed in summer for on-host (permanent) and off-host dwelling (temporary) ectoparasites. Only four premises (20%) were entirely free of ectoparasites. In declining order of prevalence (% of premises), permanent ectoparasites included six chicken louse species: Menacanthus stramineus (Nitzsch) (50%), Goniocotes gallinae (De Geer) (35%), Lipeurus ...
Source: Journal of Medical Entomology - May 19, 2016 Category: Biology Authors: Murillo, A. C., Mullens, B. A. Tags: Short Communication Source Type: research

The Latest Report On Bees Is A Total Buzzkill
Bees, the earth's most important pollinators, took another devastating hit last year, despite increased efforts to reverse the decline. U.S beekeepers lost 44 percent of their total colonies from April 2015 to March 2016, an increase of 3.5 percentage points over the previous year, according to the findings of an annual survey released Tuesday. Colony loss during winter jumped to 28.1 percent, from 22.3 percent a year earlier. In addition, beekeepers experienced a second straight year in which summer loss rates rivaled those of the colder months, which typically are more extreme. The summer losses, in particular,...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - May 11, 2016 Category: Science Source Type: news

The Incidence and Differential Seasonal Patterns of Plasmodium vivax Primary Infections and Relapses in a Cohort of Children in Papua New Guinea
by Amanda Ross, Cristian Koepfli, Sonja Schoepflin, Lincoln Timinao, Peter Siba, Thomas Smith, Ivo Mueller, Ingrid Felger, Marcel Tanner Plasmodium vivax has the ability to relapse from dormant parasites in the liver weeks or months after inoculation, causing further blood-stage infection and potential onward transmission. Estimates of the force of blood-stage infections arising from primary infections and relapses are important for designing intervention strategies. However, in endemic settings their relative contributions are unclear. Infections are frequently asymptomatic, many individuals harbor multiple infections, a...
Source: PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases - May 3, 2016 Category: Tropical Medicine Authors: Amanda Ross Source Type: research

A new genus and species of demodecid mites from the tongue of a house mouse Mus musculus: description of adult and immature stages with data on parasitism
This article proposes and describes a new genus and species of the parasitic mite based on adult and immature stages from the house mouse. Glossicodex musculi gen. n., sp. n. is a medium‐sized demodecid mite (adult stages on average 199 µm in length) found in mouse tissue of the tongue. It is characterized by two large, hooked claws on each tarsus of the legs; the legs are relatively massive, consisting of large, non‐overlapping segments. The palps consist of three slender, clearly separated, relatively narrow segments, wherein their coxal segments are also quite narrow and spaced. Also, segments of the palps of lar...
Source: Medical and Veterinary Entomology - March 1, 2016 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: J. N. IZDEBSKA, L. ROLBIECKI Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Assessing the importance of four sandfly species (Diptera: Psychodidae) as vectors of Leishmania mexicana in Campeche, Mexico
Abstract Localized cutaneous leishmaniasis represents a public health problem in many areas of Mexico, especially in the Yucatan Peninsula. An understanding of vector ecology and bionomics is of great importance in evaluations of the transmission dynamics of Leishmania parasites. A field study was conducted in the county of Calakmul, state of Campeche, during the period from November 2006 to March 2007. Phlebotomine sandfly vectors were sampled using Centers for Disease Control light traps, baited Disney traps and Shannon traps. A total of 3374 specimens were captured in the two villages of Once de Mayo (93.8%) and Arroyo ...
Source: Medical and Veterinary Entomology - February 29, 2016 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: A. PECH‐MAY, G. PERAZA‐HERRERA, D. A. MOO‐LLANES, J. ESCOBEDO‐ORTEGÓN, M. BERZUNZA‐CRUZ, I. BECKER‐FAUSER, A. C. MONTES DE OCA‐AGUILAR, E. A. REBOLLAR‐TÉLLEZ Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Distribution of individual members of the mosquito Anopheles maculipennis complex in Germany identified by newly developed real‐time PCR assays
Abstract Owing to their role as vectors of malaria parasites, species of the Anopheles maculipennis complex (Diptera: Culicidae) Meigen were intensively studied in the past, but with the disappearance of malaria in Germany in the middle of the last century, the interest in this field of research declined. A comprehensive ecological analysis of the current species distribution for Germany is lacking. Between 2010 and 2013, a total of 1445 mosquitoes of the An. maculipennis complex were collected at 72 different sites in Germany. The samples comprise 722 single individuals as well as 723 individuals in 90 pools of up to 25 m...
Source: Medical and Veterinary Entomology - January 20, 2016 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: R. Lühken, C. Czajka, S. Steinke, H. Jöst, J. Schmidt‐Chanasit, W. Pfitzner, N. Becker, E. Kiel, A. Krüger, E. Tannich Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Backyard Chickens Harbor Ticks, Mites and Lice
Annapolis, MD; January 11, 2016 -- Backyard chickens may live a sweeter life than chickens on commercial poultry farms, but roaming green grass and scratching real dirt exposes these birds to a different suite of parasites than those found in most commercial facilities. A paper in the latest issue of the Journal of Medical Entomology by University of California, Riverside scientists Amy C. Murillo and Bradley A. read more
Source: ESA News - January 14, 2016 Category: Biology Authors: rlevine Tags: Press Releases Source Type: research

Infection Rate by Trypanosoma cruzi and Biased Vertebrate Host Selection in the Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduvidae) Species Complex
Chagas disease is a vector-borne disease, caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted by hematophagous insects. Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduvidae (Latreille 1811)) is one of the main vectors, and recent molecular studies indicate that it is a species complex, with potentially different vectorial competences. We investigated the differences in natural T. cruzi infection rate within T. dimidiata complex in Yucatan, Mexico. ITS-2 hybrid bugs had a twofold higher infection rate than ITS-2 Groups 2 and 3 bugs, and this pattern was consistent over time and in several villages. To test if T. dimidiat...
Source: Journal of Medical Entomology - January 12, 2016 Category: Biology Authors: Ramirez-Sierra, M. J., Dumonteil, E. Tags: Arthropod/Host Interaction, Immunity Source Type: research

Experimental Infection of Lutzomyia (Nyssomyia) whitmani (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) With Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis and Leishmania (L.) amazonensis, Etiological Agents of American Tugumentary Leishmaniasis
Leishmania (L.) amazonensis (Lainson & Shaw, 1972) and Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis (Vianna, 1911) are the principal causative agents of American tegumentary leishmaniasis (ATL) in Brazil. L. amazonensis also causes diffuse cutaneous leishmaniasis (DCL) vectored principally by Lutzomyia flaviscutellata and secondarily by Lutzomyia whitmani (Antunes & Coutinho, 1939). The latter is the most common phlebotomine in the state of Maranhão, and it is the focal species for potential ATL transmission. For this reason, we tested the ability of L. whitmani to become infected with Lutzomyia parasites. Phlebotomine...
Source: Journal of Medical Entomology - January 12, 2016 Category: Biology Authors: Fonteles, R. S., Filho, A. A. P., Moraes, J. L. P., Kuppinger, O., Rebelo, J. M. M. Tags: Short Communications Source Type: research

Backyard chickens harbor many parasites
(University of California - Riverside) Backyard chickens may not live as good of a life as most people think. Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have found backyard chickens are more likely than chickens on commercial chicken farms to be infested by ectoparasites, which are parasites such as fleas, lice and mites that live on the exterior of an organism. Their work was published online today in the Journal of Medical Entomology.
Source: EurekAlert! - Biology - January 11, 2016 Category: Biology Source Type: news

This Is What It's Like to Make a Discovery in the Amazon Rainforest
"Huh, that's weird," I muttered as I trudged through a muddy trail in the Amazon rainforest. Even though the sun was setting, the heat was still sweltering and sweat dripped into my eyes as I stared at something I had never before seen -- a tree covered with bizarre yellow outgrowths. Some sort of fungus? That was my first thought. After all, I've seen tons of strange looking fungi in the Amazon. But something about these yellow bulby-looking things piqued my curiosity. A tree covered with strange yellow bulbs in the jungle. Inspecting them closer only made things more confusing. They didn't really look like fungi, at le...
Source: Science - The Huffington Post - December 4, 2015 Category: Science Source Type: news

Patterns of cryptic host specificity in duck lice based on molecular data
Abstract Documenting patterns of host specificity in parasites relies on the adequate definition of parasite species. In many cases, parasites have simplified morphology, making species delimitation based on traditional morphological characters difficult. Molecular data can help in assessing whether widespread parasites harbour cryptic species and, alternatively, in guiding further taxonomic revision in cases in which there is morphological variation. The duck louse genus Anaticola (Phthiraptera: Philopteridae), based on current taxonomy, contains both host‐specific and widespread species. Mitochondrial and nuclear DNA s...
Source: Medical and Veterinary Entomology - December 1, 2015 Category: Veterinary Research Authors: G. C. ESCALANTE, A. D. SWEET, K. G. MCCRACKEN, D. R. GUSTAFSSON, R. E. WILSON, K. P. JOHNSON Tags: Original Article Source Type: research

Active Compounds Against Anopheles minimus Carboxypeptidase B for Malaria Transmission-Blocking Strategy
Malaria transmission-blocking compounds have been studied to block the transmission of malaria parasites, especially the drug-resistant Plasmodium. Carboxypeptidase B (CPB) in the midgut of Anopheline mosquitoes has been demonstrated to be essential for the sexual development of Plasmodium in the mosquito. Thus, the CPB is a potential target for blocking compounds. The aim of this research was to screen compounds from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) diversity dataset and U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drugs that could reduce the Anopheles CPB activity. The cDNA fragment of cpb gene from An. minimus (c...
Source: Journal of Medical Entomology - November 5, 2015 Category: Biology Authors: Mongkol, W., Arunyawat, U., Surat, W., Kubera, A. Tags: Vector/Pathogen/Host Interaction, Transmission Source Type: research

Molecular and Parasitological Survey of Bovine Piroplasms in the Black Sea Region, Including the First Report of Babesiosis Associated with Babesia divergens in Turkey
Clinical cases of babesiosis were evaluated, and the frequency of bovine Babesia and Theileria parasites was determined in cattle. Blood samples and thin blood smears were collected from 23 cattle exhibiting clinical signs of babesiosis. In addition, tick and blood samples were collected from 100 apparently healthy cattle cograzing from the same area. Egg masses obtained from fully engorged female ticks were included. DNA isolated from blood and tick samples was screened for Babesia and Theileria by reverse line blot assay. Piroplasms compatible with Babesia spp. were observed microscopically for symptomatic cattle as circ...
Source: Journal of Medical Entomology - November 5, 2015 Category: Biology Authors: Aktas, M., Ozubek, S. Tags: Vector-Borne Diseases, Surveillance, Prevention Source Type: research