Changes in hemocytes and hemolymph proteins of Aedes aegypti following encapsulation of a nematode parasite Neoaplectana carpocapsae.

Thesis (M.S.

Verified and potential pathogens of predatory mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Several species of phytoseiid mites (Acari: Phytoseiidae), including species of the genera Amblyseius, Galendromus, Metaseiulus, Neoseiulus, Phytoseiulus and Typhlodromus, are currently reared for biological control of various crop pests and/or as model organisms for the study of predator¿prey interactions. Pathogen-free phytoseiid mites are important to obtain high efficacy in biological pest control and to get reliable data in mite research, as pathogens may affect the performance of their host or alter their reproduction and behaviour. Potential and verified pathogens have been reported for phytoseiid mites during the past 25 years. The present review provides an overview, including potential pathogens with unknown host effects (17 reports), endosymbiotic Wolbachia (seven reports), other bacteria (including Cardinium and Spiroplasma) (four reports), cases of unidentified diseases (three reports) and cases of verified pathogens (six reports). From the latter group four reports refer to Microsporidia, one to a fungus and one to a bacterium. Only five entities have been studied in detail, including Wolbachia infecting seven predatory mite species, other endosymbiotic bacteria infecting Metaseiulus (Galendromus, Typhlodromus) occidentalis (Nesbitt), the bacterium Acaricomes phytoseiuli infecting Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, the microsporidium Microsporidium phytoseiuli infecting P. persimilis and the microsporidium Oligosproridium occidentalis infecting M. occidentalis. In four cases (Wolbachia, A. phytoseiuli, M. phytoseiuli and O. occidentalis) an infection may be connected with fitness costs of the host. Moreover, infection is not always readily visible as no obvious gross symptoms are present. Monitoring of these entities on a routine and continuous basis should therefore get more attention, especially in commercial mass-production. Special attention should be paid to field-collected mites before introduction into the laboratory or mass rearing, and to mites that are exchanged among rearing facilities. However, at present general pathogen monitoring is not yet practical as effects of many entities are unknown. More research effort is needed concerning verified and potential pathogens of commercially reared arthropods and those used as model organisms in research

Critical Analysis of Theoretical Estimates for BB to Light Meson Form Factors and the B→ψK(K∗)B \to \psi K(K^{\ast}) Data

We point out that current estimates of form factors fail to explain the non-leptonic decays $B \to \psi K(K^{\ast})$ and that the combination of data on the semi-leptonic decays $D \to K(K^{\ast})\ell \nu$ and on the non-leptonic decays $B \to \psi K(K^{\ast})$ (in particular recent po\-la\-ri\-za\-tion data) severely constrain the form (normalization and $q^2$ dependence) of the heavy-to-light meson form factors, if we assume the factorization hypothesis for the latter. From a simultaneous fit to \bpsi and \dk data we find that strict heavy quark limit scaling laws do not hold when going from $D$ to $B$ and must have large corrections that make softer the dependence on the masses. We find that $A_1(q^2)$ should increase slower with \qq than $A_2, V, f_+$. We propose a simple parametrization of these corrections based on a quark model or on an extension of the \hhs laws to the \hl case, complemented with an approximately constant $A_1(q^2)$. We analyze in the light of these data and theoretical input various theoretical approaches (lattice calculations, QCD sum rules, quark models) and point out the origin of the difficulties encountered by most of these schemes. In particular we check the compatibility of several quark models with the heavy quark scaling relations.Comment: 48 pages, DAPNIA/SPP/94-24, LPTHE-Orsay 94/1

Nucleon to Delta Weak Excitation Amplitudes in the Non-relativistic Quark Model

We investigate the nucleon to Delta(1232) vector and axial vector amplitudes in the non-relativistic quark model of the Isgur-Karl variety. A particular interest is to investigate the SU(6) symmetry breaking, due to color hyperfine interaction. We compare the theoretical estimates to recent experimental investigation of the Adler amplitudes by neutrino scattering.Comment: \documentstyle[aps]{revtex}, 21pages; 11 postscript figures. Accepted for publication by Phys. Rev.

Mosquito surveillance for West Nile virus in Connecticut, 2000: isolation from Culex pipiens, Cx. restuans, Cx. salinarius, and Culiseta melanura.

Fourteen isolations of West Nile (WN) virus were obtained from four mosquito species (Culex pipiens [5], Cx. restuans [4], Cx. salinarius [2], and Culiseta melanura [3]) in statewide surveillance conducted from June through October 2000. Most isolates were obtained from mosquitoes collected in densely populated residential locales in Fairfield and New Haven counties, where the highest rates of dead crow sightings were reported and where WN virus was detected in 1999. Minimum field infection rates per 1,000 mosquitoes ranged from 0.5 to 1.8 (county based) and from 1.3 to 76.9 (site specific). Cx. restuans appears to be important in initiating WN virus transmission among birds in early summer; Cx. pipiens appears to play a greater role in amplifying virus later in the season. Cs. melanura could be important in the circulation of WN virus among birds in sylvan environments; Cx. salinarius is a suspected vector of WN virus to humans and horses

Host associations of mosquitoes at eastern equine encephalitis virus foci in Connecticut, USA

BACKGROUND: Eastern equine encephalitis virus (EEEV) is a highly pathogenic mosquito-borne arbovirus, with active transmission foci in freshwater hardwood swamps in eastern North America, where enzootic transmission is maintained between the ornithophilic mosquito, Culiseta melanura, and wild passerine birds. The role of other locally abundant mosquito species in virus transmission and their associations with vertebrate hosts as sources of blood meals within these foci are largely unknown but are of importance in clarifying the dynamics of enzootic and epidemic/epizootic transmission. METHODS: Blood-engorged mosquitoes were collected from resting boxes at four established EEEV foci in Connecticut during 2010–2011. Mosquitoes were identified to species, and the identity of vertebrate hosts was determined based on mitochondrial cytochrome b and/or cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene sequences of polymerase chain reaction products. RESULTS: The vertebrate hosts of 378 (50.3 % of engorged mosquitoes) specimens, representing 12 mosquito species, were identified. Culiseta morsitans (n = 54; 67.5 %), Culex restuans (n = 4; 66.7 %), and Cx. pipiens (n = 2; 100 %) acquired blood meals exclusively from avian hosts, whereas Aedes cinereus (n = 6; 66.7 %), Ae. canadensis (n = 2; 100 %), and Ae. stimulans (n = 1; 100 %) obtained blood meals solely from mammals. Species that fed opportunistically on both avian and mammalian hosts included: Ae. thibaulti (n = 21 avian, and n = 181 mammalian; 57.2 %), Anopheles punctipennis (n = 8 and n = 40; 44.0 %), An. quadrimaculatus (n = 1 and n = 23; 35.7 %), Coquillettidia perturbans (n = 3 and n = 3; 46.2 %) and Ae. abserratus (n = 1 and n = 2; 23.1 %). Culex territans obtained blood meals from avian and amphibian hosts (n = 18 and n = 5; 26.6 %). Mixed blood meals originating from both avian and mammalian hosts were identified in An. quadrimaculatus (n = 1), and Cx. territans (n = 2). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that wood thrush, tufted titmouse, and a few other avian species serve as hosts for mosquitoes, and likely contribute to amplification of EEEV. Our study supports the role of Cs. morsitans in enzootic transmission of EEEV among avian species. Culex territans will seek blood from multiple vertebrate classes, suggesting that this species may contribute to epizootic transmission of the virus. Our findings support roles for Cq. perturbans and An. quadrimaculatus as epidemic/epizootic vectors to humans, horses, and white-tailed deer. Despite its abundance, the potential of Ae. thibaulti to serve as a “bridge vector” for EEEV remains unclear in the absence of any definitive knowledge on its competency for the virus. The contribution of white-tailed deer to the dynamics of EEEV transmission is not fully understood, but findings indicate repeated exposure due to frequent feeding by vector competent mosquito species

Human adipose stem cells cell sheet constructs impact epidermal morphogenesis in full-thickness excisional wounds

Among the wide range of strategies to target skin repair/regeneration, tissue engineering (TE) with stem cells at the forefront, remains as the most promising route. Cell sheet (CS) engineering is herein proposed, taking advantage of particular cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix (ECM) interactions and subsequent cellular milieu, to create 3D TE constructs to promote full-thickness skin wound regeneration. Human adipose derived stem cells (hASCs) CS were obtained within five days using both thermoresponsive and standard cell culture surfaces. hASCs-based constructs were then built by superimposing three CS and transplanted into full-thickness excisional mice skin wounds with delayed healing. Constructs obtained using thermoresponsive surfaces were more stable than the ones from standard cell culture surfaces due to the natural adhesive character of the respective CS. Both CS-generating strategies lead to prolonged hASCs engraftment, although no transdifferentiation phenomena were observed. Moreover, our findings suggest that the transplanted hASCs might be promoting neotissue vascularization and extensively influencing epidermal morphogenesis, mainly through paracrine actions with the resident cells. The thicker epidermis, with a higher degree of maturation characterized by the presence of rete ridges-like structures, as well as a significant number of hair follicles observed after transplantation of the constructs combining the CS obtained from the thermoresponsive surfaces, reinforced the assumptions of the influence of the transplanted hASCs and the importance of the higher stability of these constructs promoted by cohesive cell-cell and cell-ECM interactions. Overall, this study confirmed the potential of hASCs CS-based constructs to treat full-thickness excisional skin wounds and that their fabrication conditions impact different aspects of skin regeneration, such as neovascularisation, but mainly epidermal morphogenesis.We would like to thank Hospital da Prelada (Porto), in particular, to Dr. Paulo Costa for the lipoaspirates collection and for financial support by Skingineering (PTDC/SAU-OSM/099422/2008), Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT) funded project. The research leading to these results has also received funding from the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013) under Grant Agreement No. REGPOT-CT2012-316331-POLARIS