Complete Genome Sequence of Houston Virus, a Newly Discovered Mosquito-Specific Virus Isolated from Culex quinquefasciatus in Mexico

ABSTRACT We fully sequenced the genome of Houston virus, a recently discovered mosquito-associated virus belonging to the newly established family Mesoniviridae. The isolate was recovered from Culex quinquefasciatus in southern Mexico, which shows that the geographic range of Houston virus is not restricted to the United States in North America

Fecundity and morphological description of the eggs of Psorophora cyanescens (Coquillett, 1902) (Diptera: Culicidae) by scanning electron microscopy

Taxonomic studies on mosquitoes are based on the morphological description of larvae and adults. However, few studies have focused on the morphological description of eggs despite their taxonomic value. The description of mosquito eggs by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) allows more detailed descriptions of the ornamentation of the egg, which can provide diagnostic characters of the species. The objective of the work was to describe the eggs of Psorophora cyanescens by SEM and provide fecundity data for the species. In general, Ps. cyanescens eggs are elliptical and very wide. The exochorion is characterized by polygon pattern, where each polygon consists of longitudinal ridges joined by cross-ridges defining regular "hexagonal" areas. Each longitudinal ridge consisting by a small tubercle. The small tubercles are irregular, rectangular, rounded, or tubular. The ornamentation of the exochorion also has long and conical tubercles throughout the egg region. The micropylar apparatus located in the anterior region of the egg has a prominent, continuous and thickness collar. Psorophora cyanescens laid mature eggs at 2.5 days post-feeding. The mean number of eggs per female was 82.20 (± 13.31). This is the first study that describes the ultrastructure of the morphology of the eggs of Ps. cyanescens by SEM. With the contribution of the present work, there are five species of the genus Psorophora whose eggs morphology is described by SEM: Ps. albigenu, Ps. albipes, Ps. columbiae, Ps. cyanescens, and Ps. ferox.Los estudios taxonómicos sobre mosquitos se basan en la descripción morfológica de larvas y adultos. Sin embargo, son pocos los estudios enfocados en la descripción morfológica de los huevos a pesar de su valor taxonómico. La descripción de los huevos de mosquitos mediante microscopía electrónica de barrido (MEB) permite obtener imágenes más detalladas de la ornamentación del huevo, los cuales pueden proporcionar caracteres diagnósticos de la especie. El objetivo del trabajo fue describir los huevos de Psorophora cyanescens por MEB y proporcionar datos de fecundidad de la especie. En general, los huevos de Ps. cyanescens son de forma elíptica y muy anchos. El exocorión se caracteriza por un patrón de polígono, donde cada polígono consta de crestas longitudinales unidas por crestas cruzadas que definen áreas "hexagonales" regulares. Cada cresta longitudinal consiste en un pequeño tubérculo. Los pequeños tubérculos son irregulares, rectangulares, redondeados o tubulares. La ornamentación del exocorión también presenta largos tubérculos cónicos en toda la región del huevo. El aparato micropilar ubicado en la región anterior del huevo tiene un collar prominente, continuo y grueso. Psorophora cyanescens puso huevos maduros a los 2.5 días después de la alimentación sanguínea. El número promedio de huevos por hembra fue de 82.20 (± 13.31). Este es el primer estudio que describe la ultraestructura de la morfología de los huevos de Ps. cyanescens mediante MEB. Con el aporte del presente trabajo, son cinco las especies del género Psorophora que cuentan con la descripción de la morfología de los huevos mediante MEB: Ps. albigenu, Ps. albipes, Ps. columbiae, Ps. cyanescens, and Ps. ferox

Orthobunyavirus Antibodies in Humans, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico

We performed a serologic investigation to determine whether orthobunyaviruses commonly infect humans in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. Orthobunyavirus-specific antibodies were detected by plaque reduction neutralization test in 146 (18%) of 823 persons tested. Further studies are needed to determine health risks for humans from this potentially deadly group of viruses

Detection of hand, foot and mouth disease in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico

We report a case of hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) in a 5-year-old male from Merida City in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico. A clinical and physical examination revealed that the patient had symptoms typical of HFMD, including fever, fatigue, odynophagia, throat edema, hyperemia, lesions on the hands and feet, and blisters in the oral cavity. The patient fully recovered after a convalescence period of almost three weeks. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and nucleotide sequencing revealed that the etiological agent was enterovirus 71 (EV71). The sequence has greatest (90.4%) nucleotide identity to the corresponding regions of EV71 isolates from the Netherlands and Singapore. Although HFMD is presumably common in Mexico, surprisingly there are no data in the PubMed database to support this. This case report provides the first peer-reviewed evidence of HFMD in Mexico

The Use of Insecticide-Treated Curtains for Control of Aedes aegypti and Dengue Virus Transmission in “Fraccionamiento” Style Houses in México

Dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever, and Zika viruses transmitted by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes are major public health threats in the tropical and subtropical world. In México, construction of large tracts of “fraccionamientos” high density housing to accommodate population growth and urbanization has provided fertile ground for Ae. aegypti-transmitted viruses. We investigated the utility of pyrethroid-treated window curtains to reduce both the abundance of Ae. aegypti and to prevent dengue virus (DENV) transmission in fraccionamiento housing. Windows and doors of fraccionamiento homes in urban/suburban areas, where Ae. aegypti pyrethroid resistance associated with the Ile1016 knock down resistance (kdr) mutation in the voltage gated sodium channel gene was high, and in rural areas, where kdr resistance was low, were fitted with either insecticide-treated curtains (ITCs) or non-treated curtains (NTCs). The homes were monitored for mosquito abundance and DENV infection. ITCs reduced the indoor abundance of Ae. aegypti and the number of DENV-infected mosquitoes in homes in rural but not in urban/suburban study sites. The presence of non-treated screens also was associated with reduced numbers of mosquitoes in homes. “Super-infested” homes, yielding more than 50 mosquitoes, including DENV-infected mosquitoes, provide a significant public health risk to occupants, visitors, and people in neighboring homes