Notes on Phlebotomine sand flies of Michoacán, Mexico, with a key

Four species of phlebotomine sand flies were collected in the Municipality of Sahuayo, on the High Plateau of Michoacán, representing the first records of phlebotomine sand flies in this region. Two of them, Micropygomyia (Coquillettimyia) vindicator (Dampf) and Psathyromyia (Forattiniella) texana (Dampf), are new records for Michoacán. A total of ten phlebotomine species are now known to occur in this state, and we present a key for their identification

Respuesta conductual de Aedes aegypti (Linneaus, 1762) frente adulticidas piretroides de uso frecuente en Salud Pública

Objetivos. Evaluar la respuesta conductual de la generación F1 de Aedes aegyti (L) colectados en el área metropolitana de Monterrey (Nuevo León, México) frente a tres adulticidas piretroides de uso frecuente en salud pública. Materiales y métodos. Se utilizó un sistema modular novedoso denominado HITSS (High-Throughput Screening System), para evaluar dos respuestas de comportamiento (irritación de contacto y repelencia espacial), así como la toxicidad de tres insecticidas DDT, permetrina y bifentrina a diferentes concentraciones (0,025, 0,25, 25 y 250 nmol/cm2). Resultados. En la concentración 2,5 nmol/cm2, el DDT (4,3 ± 2,4) y la permetrina (8,0 ± 1,4) son los insecticidas que tienen mayor efecto irritante (p<0,05); la bifentrina requiere dosis 20 veces más alta para lograr efectos similares. En repelencia espacial, los tres insecticidas evaluados producen respuestas similares en todas las concentraciones; para DDT de 7 a 14%; permetrina de 9 a 15% y bifentrina de 19 a 27%. La permetrina y bifentrina a concentraciones 0,025 nmol/cm2, producen efectos knockdown superiores a 34%, con una mortalidad 19%, el DDT requiere concentraciones diez veces más alta para lograr efectos similares. Conclusiones. El sistema HITTS puede ser usado para evaluar la respuesta conductual frente a insecticidas

Universal primers for the amplification and sequence analysis pf actin-1 from diverse mosquito species

We report the development of universal primers for the reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) amplification and nucleotide sequence analysis of actin cDNAs from taxonomically diverse mosquito species. Primers specific to conserved regions of the invertebrate actin-1 gene were designed after actin cDNA sequences of Anopheles gambiae, Bombyx mori, Drosophila melanogaster, and Caenorhabditis elegans. The efficacy of these primers was determined by RT-PCR with the use of total RNA from mosquitoes belonging to 30 species and 8 genera (Aedes, Anopheles, Culex, Deinocerites, Mansonia, Psorophora, Toxorhynchites, and Wyeomyia). The RT-PCR products were sequenced, and sequence data were used to design additional primers. One primer pair, denoted as Act-2F (5′-ATGGTCGGYATGGGNCAGAAGGACTC-3′) and Act-8R (5′-GATTCCATACCCAGGAAG-GADGG-3′), successfully amplified an RT-PCR product of the expected size (683-nt) in all mosquito spp. tested. We propose that this primer pair can be used as an internal control to test the quality of RNA from mosquitoes collected in vector surveillance studies. These primers can also be used in molecular experiments in which the detection, amplification or silencing of a ubiquitously expressed mosquito housekeeping gene is necessary. Sequence and phylogenetic data are also presented in this report

Detection of West Nile virus-specific antibodies and nucleic acid in horses and mosquitoes, respectively, in Nuevo Leon State, northern Mexico, 2006–2007

Abstract. In the last 5 years, there has been only one reported human case of West Nile virus (WNV) disease in northern Mexico. To determine if the virus was still circulating in this region, equine and entomological surveillance for WNV was conducted in the state of Nuevo Leon in northern Mexico in 2006 and 2007. A total of 203 horses were serologically assayed for antibodies to WNV using an epitope-blocking enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (bELISA). Seroprevalences for WNV in horses sampled in 2006 and 2007 were 26% and 45%, respectively. Mosquito collections in 2007 produced 7365 specimens representing 15 species. Culex mosquitoes were screened for WNV RNA and other genera (Mansonia, Anopheles, Aedes, Psorophora and Uranotaenia) were screened for flaviviruses using reversetranscription (RT)-PCR. Two pools consisting of Culex spp. mosquitoes contained WNV RNA. Molecular species identification revealed that neither pool included Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) (Diptera:Culicidae) complex mosquitoes. No evidence of flaviviruses was found in the other mosquito genera examined. These data provide evidence that WNV is currently circulating in northern Mexico and that non-Cx. quinquefasciatus spp. mosquitoes may be participating in the WNV transmission cycle in this region

Detection of aedes aegypti mosquitoes infected with dengue virus as a complementary method for increasing the sensitivity of surveillance: identification of serotypes 1, 2, and 4 by rt-pcr in Quintana Roo, Mexico

Abstract. Sensitivity of monitoring Aedes aegypti (L.) populations was determined to identify the distribution of dengue virus (DENV) during epidemics in Quintana Roo. From September to November 2012, we used a motorized aspirator to collect 2,144 female Ae. aegypti from 569 homes. These were grouped into 220 to use semi-nested RT-PCR for DENV, and positive groups were analyzed individually. Five groups (2.27%) were positive for DENV. Individual analysis yielded eight groups that tested positive, six with DENV-2, one DENV-1, and one DENV-4. The latter was not reported by the surveillance system that year. The mean number of female mosquitoes per household was 3.77 ± 5.71, and the rate of viral infection of Ae. aegypti was 0.4%. Most infected mosquitoes (49%) were concentrated in 10% of the houses. Monitoring Ae. aegypti infected with DENV has the potential to complement the current system of clinical and entomological surveillance

West Nile Virus Survey of Birds, Horses, and Mosquitoes of the Pacific Coast, Southern Mexico

Abstract. Serology of West Nile virus vectors and non-human reservoirs was surveyed at Acapulco, Jose Azueta, and Ometepec, three Pacific Coast localities of Guerrero State, Mexico. The objectives of this study were to use enzyme-linked immnosorbent assay (ELISA) to assess West Nile virus antibodies of bird and equine serum samples and use reverse transcription of polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to detect the virus in field-collected resting mosquitoes. Forty birds trapped using mist nets yielded 10% seroprevalence. Similarly, 18.6% of 102 equine blood samples had West Nile virus. In addition, 4,854 mosquitoes were caught using motorized backpack aspirators and grouped into 116 pools. Of the 16 species and seven genera, no mosquito was positive for West Nile virus. Our study demonstrated West Nile virus seroprevalence on resident birds and equines in Guerrero State, Mexico

Detection of dengue virus serotype 2 in aedes aegypti in Quintana Roo, Mexico, 2011

Abstract. In October 2011, the State Health Department announced that several laboratory-confirmed cases of dengue had occurred among residents in two neighborhoods of Benito Juarez, Quintana Roo State, Mexico. To identify the dengue virus serotype(s) temporally and spatially associated with the cases, entomologic-based virus surveillance was initiated in October 2011 in both neighborhoods. Adult mosquitoes were collected from 88 houses by CDCbackpack aspirator, and all female Aedes aegypti L. (n = 419) were individually homogenized and assayed in pools of as many as 10 by reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) using dengue virus-specific primers. Five (12%) of 41 pools were positive for dengue virus RNA. The individual mosquitoes that comprised the pools were analyzed separately by RT-PCR using dengue virus serotype-specific primers. Six mosquitoes were positive for dengue virus serotype-2 (DENV-2) RNA, three of which were collected in the same house. The mean number of female Ae. aegypti collected in each house was 4.76 ± 6.19. The overall dengue virus-infection rate in female Ae. aegypti was 1.4%. Interestingly, most (60%) of mosquito females were collected only from 15 (17%) houses. In summary, we provide evidence of recent DENV-2 transmission in Quintana Roo State

Epidemiological trends of HIV/HCV coinfection in Spain, 2015-2019

Altres ajuts: Spanish AIDS Research Network; European Funding for Regional Development (FEDER).Objectives: We assessed the prevalence of anti-hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibodies and active HCV infection (HCV-RNA-positive) in people living with HIV (PLWH) in Spain in 2019 and compared the results with those of four similar studies performed during 2015-2018. Methods: The study was performed in 41 centres. Sample size was estimated for an accuracy of 1%. Patients were selected by random sampling with proportional allocation. Results: The reference population comprised 41 973 PLWH, and the sample size was 1325. HCV serostatus was known in 1316 PLWH (99.3%), of whom 376 (28.6%) were HCV antibody (Ab)-positive (78.7% were prior injection drug users); 29 were HCV-RNA-positive (2.2%). Of the 29 HCV-RNA-positive PLWH, infection was chronic in 24, it was acute/recent in one, and it was of unknown duration in four. Cirrhosis was present in 71 (5.4%) PLWH overall, three (10.3%) HCV-RNA-positive patients and 68 (23.4%) of those who cleared HCV after anti-HCV therapy (p = 0.04). The prevalence of anti-HCV antibodies decreased steadily from 37.7% in 2015 to 28.6% in 2019 (p < 0.001); the prevalence of active HCV infection decreased from 22.1% in 2015 to 2.2% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Uptake of anti-HCV treatment increased from 53.9% in 2015 to 95.0% in 2019 (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In Spain, the prevalence of active HCV infection among PLWH at the end of 2019 was 2.2%, i.e. 90.0% lower than in 2015. Increased exposure to DAAs was probably the main reason for this sharp reduction. Despite the high coverage of treatment with direct-acting antiviral agents, HCV-related cirrhosis remains significant in this population