First report of Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophiladae) in North Africa

Spotted wing Drosophila Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophiladae) is an important invasive pest reported in the last few years in Europe. The female lays eggs preferably on soft fruits like cherries and others causing thereafter injury by development of rotting point. Red traps baited with apple cider vinegar, red wine and sugar were used to collect the D. suzukii adults. After preparation of slide mounting, the key identification was used to confirm presence of this pest in the north of Morocco. The dark spotted wings of male and sclerotized black and strong teeth on valve margin of female ovipositor were observed. Until early 2014, damages were not detected but the reviewing and updating of pest risk assessment should be implemented to prevent heavy economic losses. Keywords: Drosophila suzukii, soft fruits, pest risk assessmen

In-vivo two-photon imaging of the honey bee antennal lobe

Due to the honey bee's importance as a simple neural model, there is a great need for new functional imaging modalities. Herein we report on the use of two-photon microscopy for in-vivo functional and morphological imaging of the honey bee's olfactory system focusing on its primary centers, the antennal lobes (ALs). Our imaging platform allows for simultaneously obtaining both morphological measurements of the AL and in-vivo calcium recording of neural activities. By applying external odor stimuli to the bee's antennas, we were able to record the characteristic odor response maps. Compared to previous works where conventional fluorescence microscopy is used, our approach offers all the typical advantages of multi-photon imaging, providing substantial enhancement in both spatial and temporal resolutions while minimizing photo-damages and autofluorescence contribution with a four-fold improvement in the functional signal. Moreover, the multi-photon associated extended penetration depth allows for functional imaging within profound glomeruli.Comment: 3 pages, 3 figure

A review of history and geographical distribution of grapevine moths in Italian vineyards in light of climate change: looking backward to face the future

Tortricid and pyralid moths include important pests of vineyards. This review offers a retrospective analysis of the geographic distribution expansion of the European grapevine moth, Lobesia botrana (Denis & Schiffermüller) (Lepidoptera: Tortricidae) and the replacement or marginalization of the importance of the previously largely vine-infesting species, i.e., Sparganothis pilleriana (Denis & Schiffermüller) and Eupoecilia ambiguella (Hübner), because of the combination and interaction between climate change, invasive alien species, and new cultivation techniques. Herein, we have focused on the case study of Italy, which is currently representing the fourth largest country in the world in terms of cultivated wine-growing area, and the biggest producer of wine grapes, as a model to analyze the possible influence of climate change on the occurrence and harmfulness of grapevine moths and what will be the next challenges for their sustainable management. Starting from the retrospective analysis and learned lessons, a research agenda outlining future challenges for IPM of grapevine moth pests in Medi terranean countries is developed

Inter-Plant Vibrational Communication in a Leafhopper Insect

Vibrational communication is one of the least understood channels of communication. Most studies have focused on the role of substrate-borne signals in insect mating behavior, where a male and a female establish a stereotyped duet that enables partner recognition and localization. While the effective communication range of substrate-borne signals may be up to several meters, it is generally accepted that insect vibrational communication is limited to a continuous substrate. Until now, interplant communication in absence of physical contact between plants has never been demonstrated in a vibrational communicating insect. With a laser vibrometer we investigated transmission of natural and played back vibrational signals of a grapevine leafhopper, Scaphoideus titanus, when being transmitted between leaves of different cuttings without physical contact. Partners established a vibrational duet up to 6 cm gap width between leaves. Ablation of the antennae showed that antennal mechanoreceptors are not essential in detection of mating signals. Our results demonstrate for the first time that substrate discontinuity does not impose a limitation on communication range of vibrational signals. We also suggest that the behavioral response may depend on the signal intensity

Side differences during odour processing in the honey bee brain

Trabalho de projecto de mestrado em Medicina (Pneumologia), apresentado à Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de CoimbraA pneumonia adquirida na comunidade (PAC) é uma doença que revela morbilidade e mortalidade significativas. Os doentes mais graves necessitam de hospitalização e por vezes reúnem critérios de gravidade que condicionam o seu internamento na unidade de cuidados intensivos (UCI), constituindo uma das entidades mais frequentes nestes serviços. Apesar de controverso, o termo “severa” é frequentemente atribuído à doença que requer internamento na UCI, constituindo a definição mais comum. Pelos recursos exigidos com o internamento quer ao nível da enfermaria, quer na UCI, reconhece-se como uma entidade com impacto socioeconómico significativo, daí a importância de escalonar correctamente os doentes que reúnem critérios de severidade e que necessitam de internamento. Objectivo do trabalho Propõe-se a realização de uma revisão da literatura que permita elucidar à luz dos conhecimentos actuais diversos aspectos relativos a esta entidade, designadamente clarificar a sua definição, caracterizando aspectos particulares da sua prevalência e história natural, e congregar diferentes directivas já existentes visando definir claramente o grau de severidade, o que determinará um melhor prognóstico e rentabilização de recursos pela instituição precoce da terapêutica adequada. Pretende-se ainda um esclarecimento quanto à identificação sistematizada dos doentes que reúnem critérios para admissão em UCI bem como quanto às implicações em termos de prognóstico resultante da condição de severidade. Desenvolvimento Para definir a PAC severa (PACS) há que atender a parâmetros que incluem a fisiopatogenia, os factores risco/co-morbilidades associados e o processo diagnóstico em termos clínicos, PAC Severa: Definição, Particularidades e Factores Preditivos para Admissão em Unidade de Cuidados Intensivos R Ferreira, S Freitas 3 laboratoriais (diagnóstico etiológico) e imagiológicos. Desenvolveram-se vários scores/índices de gravidade para escalonar apropriadamente os doentes que requerem internamento. A sua aplicação estratifica a severidade e prediz o prognóstico. Vários factores estão implicados no prognóstico, nomeadamente a maior duração do internamento ou um timing de admissão mais tardio. Avaliou-se igualmente a utilidade prognóstica de biomarcadores como a pró-calcitonina, proteína C reactiva, algumas interleucinas e o cortisol plasmático, bem como o status socioeconómico, variabilidade genética, toma de anti-inflamatórios não esteróides, ventilação mecânica e o seguimento das guidelines. Conclusões A definição mais consensual de PACS continua a ser a que implica internamento em UCI, apresentando-se o Streptococcus pneumoniae como o agente etiológico mais frequente. Dos diversos scores de gravidade disponíveis, as directivas IDSA/ATS 2007 revelaram-se como as mais equilibradas, pelo que a sua aplicação se traduziu num impacto prognóstico positivo significativo. Em termos futuros, prevê-se que o desenvolvimento da investigação na área dos biomarcadores inflamatórios poderá incrementar a acuidade diagnóstica e prognóstica nesta patologiaThe community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is a disease responsible for significant morbidity and mortality. The most critical patients require hospitalization and sometimes meet severity criteria that determine their admission in the intensive care unit (ICU), being one of the most common situations in these services. Although controversial, the term "severe" is often attributed to the disease that requires admission to ICU, being the most common definition. Given the amount of resources it requires, not only in the ward but also in the ICU, the CAP is recognized as an entity with significant economic impact, hence the importance of properly scaling the patients who meet the criteria for severe CAP and require hospitalization. This article seeks to review the literature to clarify the current knowledge over several aspects of this entity, including its definition, its prevalence and natural history, and to sum up various existing directives in order to clearly define the degree of severity, which determines the prognosis and allows a faster appropriate response as well as a better resources management. This review also aims at establishing a method of identifying the patients that meet the ICU admission criteria and at assessing the prognosis implications of their severity level. To define severe CAP (SCAP) one should consider parameters that include the pathophysiology, risk factors/comorbidities and associated diagnostic elements such as clinical, laboratory (etiology) and imaging findings. Several severity scores were developed to scale appropriately patients requiring hospitalization. Their application stratifies the severity and predicts prognosis. Several factors are implicated in worse prognosis, including length of stay in ICU and delayed admission. The prognostic value of biomarkers such as procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, plasma cortisol and some interleukins, as well as socioeconomic status, genetic variability, anti-inflammatory drugs intake, mechanical ventilation and monitoring of guidelines was also assessed. In conclusion, the most commonly agreed definition of SCAP continues to be a CAP that requires hospitalization in ICU, being the Streptococcus pneumoniae the most frequent etiologic agent. Among the various severity scores available, the directives IDSA / ATS 2007 turned out to be the most balanced and its application has resulted in a significant positive impact on prognosis. It is expected that future research on inflammatory biomarkers may improve the diagnostic accuracy and prognosis in this diseas

Exploitation of Insect Vibrational Signals Reveals a New Method of Pest Management

Food production is considered to be the main source of human impact on the environment and the concerns about detrimental effects of pesticides on biodiversity and human health are likely to lead to an increasingly restricted use of chemicals in agriculture. Since the first successful field trial, pheromone based mating disruption enabled sustainable insect control, which resulted in reduced levels of pesticide use. Organic farming is one of the fastest growing segments of agriculture and with the continuously growing public concern about use of pesticides, the main remaining challenge in increasing the safety of the global food production is to identify appropriate alternative mating disruption approaches for the numerous insect pests that do not rely on chemical communication. In the present study, we show for the first time that effective mating disruption based on substrate-borne vibrational signals can be achieved in the field. When disruptive vibrational signals were applied to grapevine plants through a supporting wire, mating frequency of the leafhopper pest Scaphoideus titanus dropped to 9 % in semi-field conditions and to 4 % in a mature vineyard. The underlying mechanism of this environmentally friendly pest-control tactic is a masking of the vibrational signals used in mate recognition and location. Because vibrational communication is widespread in insects, mating disruption using substrate vibrations can transform many open field and greenhouse based farming systems

Chemosensory Receptors in the Larval Maxilla of Papilio hospiton

Among the butterflies of the genus Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), Papilio hospiton (Géné) has a geographical distribution limited to the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France). This is mainly due to the host range that includes only a few plant species of Apiaceae and Rutaceae growing on these islands. In a previous electrophysiological investigation conducted on the maxillary gustatory system of larvae of P. hospiton and its closely phylogenetically related species Papilio machaon, a significantly higher spike activity was shown for the gustatory neurons of lateral and medial styloconic sensilla in P. hospiton when bitter compounds were tested. This effect was possibly correlated to the limited host choice range for P. hospiton. To shed light on the molecular aspects of this phenomenon, we investigated the expression pattern of sensory-related sequences by conducting a transcriptomic analysis from total RNA isolates of P. hospiton larval maxillae. We identified several transcripts that may be involved in taste (one gustatory receptor, one divergent ionotropic receptor, and several transient receptor potential channels, TRPs) as well as transcripts supporting an olfactory function for this appendage, including odorant receptors (ORs), antennal ionotropic receptors (A-IRs), sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), and odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). We used Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK293A) cells to heterologously express two of the identified receptors, PhospOR1 and PhospPain, together with their orthologs from P. machaon, for functional characterization. While our data suggest no activation of these two receptors by the ligands known so far to activate the electrophysiological response in larval maxillary neurons of Papilio species, nor temperature activation of both Papilio TRPA-channel Painless, they represent the first attempt in connecting neuronal activity with their molecular bases to unravel diet specialization between closely related Papilio species

Chemosensory Receptors in the Larval Maxilla of Papilio hospiton

Among the butterflies of the genus Papilio (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), Papilio hospiton (Gene) has a geographical distribution limited to the Mediterranean islands of Sardinia (Italy) and Corsica (France). This is mainly due to the host range that includes only a few plant species of Apiaceae and Rutaceae growing on these islands. In a previous electrophysiological investigation conducted on the maxillary gustatory system of larvae of P. hospiton and its closely phylogenetically related species Papilio machaon, a significantly higher spike activity was shown for the gustatory neurons of lateral and medial styloconic sensilla in P. hospiton when bitter compounds were tested. This effect was possibly correlated to the limited host choice range for P. hospiton. To shed light on the molecular aspects of this phenomenon, we investigated the expression pattern of sensory-related sequences by conducting a transcriptomic analysis from total RNA isolates of P. hospiton larval maxillae. We identified several transcripts that may be involved in taste (one gustatory receptor, one divergent ionotropic receptor, and several transient receptor potential channels, TRPs) as well as transcripts supporting an olfactory function for this appendage, including odorant receptors (ORs), antennal ionotropic receptors (A-IRs), sensory neuron membrane proteins (SNMPs), and odorant-binding proteins (OBPs). We used Human Embryonic Kidney (HEK293A) cells to heterologously express two of the identified receptors, PhospOR1 and PhospPain, together with their orthologs from P. machaon, for functional characterization. While our data suggest no activation of these two receptors by the ligands known so far to activate the electrophysiological response in larval maxillary neurons of Papilio species, nor temperature activation of both Papilio TRPA-channel Painless, they represent the first attempt in connecting neuronal activity with their molecular bases to unravel diet specialization between closely related Papilio species

Beneficial insects deliver plant growth-promoting bacterial endophytes between tomato plants

Beneficial insects and mites, including generalist predators of the family Miridae, are widely used in biocontrol programs against many crop pests, such as whiteflies, aphids, lepidopterans and mites. Mirid predators frequently complement their carnivore diet by feeding plant sap with their piercing–sucking mouthparts. This implies that mirids may act as vectors of phytopathogenic and beneficial microorganisms, such as plant growth-promoting bacterial endophytes. This work aimed at understanding the role of two beneficial mirids (Macrolophus pygmaeus and Nesidiocoris tenuis) in the acquisition and transmission of two plant growth-promoting bacteria, Paraburkholderia phytofirmans strain PsJN (PsJN) and Enterobacter sp. strain 32A (32A). Both bacterial strains were detected on the epicuticle and internal body of both mirids at the end of the mirid-mediated transmission. Moreover, both mirids were able to transmit PsJN and 32A between tomato plants and these bacterial strains could be re-isolated from tomato shoots after mirid-mediated transmission. In particular, PsJN and 32A endophytically colonised tomato plants and moved from the shoots to roots after mirid-mediated transmission. In conclusion, this study provided novel evidence for the acquisition and transmission of plant growth-promoting bacterial endophytes by beneficial mirid