Edad fisiológica de poblaciones de Lutzomyia youngi (Diptera: Psychodidae) de una área endémica de leishmaniasis cutánea

Batches of sylvatic females of Lutzomyia youngi (Phlebotominae) captured in a Shannon trap on twelve occasions over one year in a locality where subcutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic, near the city of Trujillo, Venezuela, were used to study: 1) the percentages of parous females according to previously established criteria and 2) the average number of eggs laid spontaneously by isolated females during 7 days after feeding on hamsters. The data on the batches of females captured on nights previous to the rainy period (prepluvial) were compared with those on females captured after the rains (postpluvial) . Significant differences were detected by variation analysis for two variables and different number of N, as also were consistent groupings by Duncan's Test for pre-and postpluvial lots of females. The females captured on nights prior to the rainy periods (January-March and August-September) presented higher rates of nulliparity (86-72%) and contained or laid a greater number of eggs (71-67) than those captured after the rains (March-June and November-December) which presented lower rates of nulliparity (60-24%) and a smaller number of eggs (50-30). The rainfall peaks occurred in April and September-October, respectively. It is considered that these differences can be used by epidemiological studies as a means of estimating the physiological age of female populations of L. youngy.Con lotes de hembras silvestres de Lutzomyia youngi (Phlebotominae) capturadas con trampa de Shannon en doce ocasiones a lo largo de un año, en una localidad endémica para leishmaniasis tegumentaria, próxima a la ciudad de Trujillo, Venezuela, se estudio: 1) los percentajes de hembras paridas según criterios previamente establecidos y 2) el número medio de huevos puestos espontaneamente por hembras aisladas, en el curso de 7 días postigestión, ingurgitadas también sobre hámsteres. Se comparó la data de lotes de hembras capturadas, en noches de días anteriores a los períodos de lluvias (prepluviales) con las de hembras capturadas después de las lluvias (postpluviales). Se detectó diferencias significativas por análisis de varianza para dos variables y diferente número de N, y también consistentes agrupaciones con la prueba de Duncan para lotes de hembras pre y postpluviales. Las hembras capturadas en noches previas a los periodos de lluvias (Enero - Marzo y Agosto - Septiembre) exhibieron más altas tasas de nuliparidad (86-72%) y contuvieron o eliminaron mayor número de huevos (71-67), que las hembras capturadas después de las lluvias (Marzo-Junio y Noviembre - Diciembre), con mas bajas tasas de nuliparidad (60-24%) y menores números de huevos (50-30). Los picos de lluvias ocurrieron en Abril y Septiembre - Octubre, respectivamente. Se considera que estas diferencias puedan ser utilizadas, como una estimativa de la edad fisiológica de problaciones de hembras de L. youngi, en estudios epidemiológicos

Leishmania braziliensis: aislamiento de lesiones por inoculación de hámsteres con o sin adición de lisado de glándulas salivares de Lutzomyia youngi

Homogenized biopsy tissue from the cutaneous leishmaniasis lesions of 50 patients from Trujillo, Venezuela, were inoculated subcutaneously into the tarsi of male hamsters. Homogenized tissue either alone or mixed with salivary gland lysates of Lutzomyia youngi were used for inoculation. Homogenized tissue alone yielded 58.5% of infections with a mean of twelve weeks for prepatency, while those mixed with sandfly lysate resulted in 92% of infections with a mean prepatency of three weeks.Homogeneizados de biopsias de lesiones cutáneas de 50 casos de leishmaniasis tegumentaria de Trujillo, Venezuela, han sido inoculados en hámsteres machos. Se ha comparado la infectvidad de Leishamania braziliensis, de homogeneizados simples, con la de los mezclados con lisado de glándula salival de Lutzomyia youngi, registrandose un 58,5% de infecciones para una media de 12 semanas de prepatencia con los homogeneizados simples, contra 92% de infecciones con una media de 3 semanas de prepatencia, cuando cada uno de los inóculos de homogeneizado se mezcló con lisado equivalente al de una glándula salival de flebótomo

Development and evaluation of a 9K SNP array for peach by internationally coordinated SNP detection and validation in breeding germplasm

Although a large number of single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers covering the entire genome are needed to enable molecular breeding efforts such as genome wide association studies, fine mapping, genomic selection and marker-assisted selection in peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] and related Prunus species, only a limited number of genetic markers, including simple sequence repeats (SSRs), have been available to date. To address this need, an international consortium (The International Peach SNP Consortium; IPSC) has pursued a coordinated effort to perform genome-scale SNP discovery in peach using next generation sequencing platforms to develop and characterize a high-throughput Illumina Infinium® SNP genotyping array platform. We performed whole genome re-sequencing of 56 peach breeding accessions using the Illumina and Roche/454 sequencing technologies. Polymorphism detection algorithms identified a total of 1,022,354 SNPs. Validation with the Illumina GoldenGate® assay was performed on a subset of the predicted SNPs, verifying ∼75% of genic (exonic and intronic) SNPs, whereas only about a third of intergenic SNPs were verified. Conservative filtering was applied to arrive at a set of 8,144 SNPs that were included on the IPSC peach SNP array v1, distributed over all eight peach chromosomes with an average spacing of 26.7 kb between SNPs. Use of this platform to screen a total of 709 accessions of peach in two separate evaluation panels identified a total of 6,869 (84.3%) polymorphic SNPs.The almost 7,000 SNPs verified as polymorphic through extensive empirical evaluation represent an excellent source of markers for future studies in genetic relatedness, genetic mapping, and dissecting the genetic architecture of complex agricultural traits. The IPSC peach SNP array v1 is commercially available and we expect that it will be used worldwide for genetic studies in peach and related stone fruit and nut species

Association of a non-synonymous functional variant of the ITGAM gene with systemic sclerosis.

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a chronic fibrotic autoimmune disease of complex aetiology which shares genetic similarities with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).1 2 One of the novel risk loci that have been recently associated with SLE is the integrin α M (ITGAM) gene, which encodes the α subunit of the αMβ2-integrin.3 4 The most likely causal polymorphism that best explains this association is a non-synonymous single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) at the exon 3, rs1143679, which changes the 77th amino acid residue arginine to histidine (R77H). This functional SNP represents one of the highest associated signals with SLE and is predicted to alter the structure and function of the integrin.4 5 To determine whether ITGAM rs1143679 is also associated with SSc susceptibility and clinical manifestations, we genotyped a total of 3735 SSc patients and 3930 matched healthy individuals from seven independent European cohorts of Caucasian origin (Spain, Germany, The Netherlands, Italy, Norway, Sweden and UK) using a predesigned TaqMan® assay (ID: C___2847895_1_) in an ABI 7900HT (both from Applied Biosystems, Foster City, California, USA). Case …Peer Reviewe

Presencia de nectomonadas metaciclicas de L. pifanoi en la hipofaringe de Lutzomyia youngi y la ingestion de azúcares

Se evidencia la presencia de promastigotos metacíclicos de Leishmania pifanoi en el conducto hipofaríngeo de Lutzomyia youngi infectados experimentalmente por ingurgitación sobre lesiones tarsales de hámsteres. La aparición de metacíclicos en la hipofaringe, cuya morfología se ilustra, ocurre entre los 5 y 9 días de desarrollo postprandial y es más frecuente en insectos alimentados con sacarosa comercial no refinada. Se investiga el papel de derivados aminados de glucosa y galactosa y también de aminoácidos, en la promoción y migración de los metacíclicos

Physiological age in Lutzomyia youngi (Diptera: Psychodidae) populations from an endemic area for cutaneous leishmaniasis, Venezuela

Batches of sylvatic females of Lutzomyia youngi (Phlebotominae) captured in a Shannon trap on twelve occasions over one year in a locality where subcutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic, near the city of Trujillo, Venezuela, were used to study: 1) the percentages of parous females according to previously established criteria and 2) the average number of eggs laid spontaneously by isolated females during 7 days after feeding on hamsters. The data on the batches of females captured on nights previous to the rainy period (prepluvial) were compared with those on females captured after the rains (postpluvial) . Significant differences were detected by variation analysis for two variables and different number of N, as also were consistent groupings by Duncan's Test for pre-and postpluvial lots of females. The females captured on nights prior to the rainy periods (January-March and August-September) presented higher rates of nulliparity (86-72%) and contained or laid a greater number of eggs (71-67) than those captured after the rains (March-June and November-December) which presented lower rates of nulliparity (60-24%) and a smaller number of eggs (50-30). The rainfall peaks occurred in April and September-October, respectively. It is considered that these differences can be used by epidemiological studies as a means of estimating the physiological age of female populations of L. youngy