Evaluation of Mesocyclops annulatus (Copepoda: Cyclopoidea) as a control agent of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Argentina.

We evaluated the potential of Mesocyclops annulatus as a control agent of Aedes aegypti in La Plata city (Argentina). Mosquito larval survivorship due to predation by these copepods was estimated at weekly intervals during the oviposition period of A. aegypti. Mean weekly A. aegypti larval survivorship in cylindrical plastic containers (12 cm height and 11 cm diameter) with copepods was significantly lower than in control containers. Furthermore, weekly larval survival was negatively correlated with M. annulatus adult density, and approximately 23 adult copepods/container would be a threshold density over which the weekly mosquito larval survivorship approached zero. The copepods were able to persist in all containers during approximately 100 days (in three of them until the end of the experiment: 155 days) without the resource represented by A. aegypti larvae. The predation and persistence observed suggest that M. annulatus is a potential control agent to be considered in biological control programs.Fil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Micieli, Maria Victoria. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Scorsetti, Ana Clara. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Liljesthrom, Gerardo Gustavo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentin

Latino Protestants and Their Political and Social Engagement (Chapter Six of Latino Protestants in America: Growing and Diverse)

Excerpt: On a rainy early spring morning in a modest brick Presbyterian church just outside the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California, sixtyfour worshippers gather. The entire worship is in Spanish. During the sermon, the pastor makes a passing reference to how few of the attenders now live in Oakland proper, that many have to drive farther than ever for church services. The implicit message: the leadership of the church realizes that gentrification of San Francisco has spilled over the Bay Bridge and now threatens the availability of affordable housing throughout Oakland. In response, the congregation has started programs that offer legal advice for responding to rent-hiking landlords and identifying housing options around the city. Though resources and attenders tend to be somewhat scarce, the leadership has creatively organized in an effort to address the structural and policy concerns of housing. Beyond that, the pastor proudly notes that this church readily offers immigration status services, computer classes, and English classes

First record of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) infected by the parasite Ascogregarina culicis (Ross) (Apicomplexa: Lecudinidae) in Argentina

n a survey for parasites and pathogens of Aedes aegypti conducted in La Plata, Argentina, an aseptate gregarine was found parasitizing larvae, pupae and adults of this mosquito species. This gregarine species was identified as Ascogregarina culicis based on the morphology and size of gamonts, gametocysts and oocysts. It is the first record of gregarine infections in culicids from ArgentinaFil: Dellapé, Mariana E.. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Tranchida, Maria Cecilia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Garcia, Juan Jose. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentin

Phylogenetics based on partial ORF2 of Triatoma Virus in Triatomines Collected Over a Decade from Domiciliary Habitats

The only virus sequenced and studied in triatomines is the Triatoma virus (TrV), from the the Dicistroviridae family which causes delayed development, reduced oviposition and premature death of infected insects. With the goal of expanding the sequences already obtained in previous years and verify if any changes occurred in their genomic sequences, 68 samples of triatomines from several provinces of Argentina were analyzed. Sixteen positive samples were obtained by RT-PCR using the VP3-VP1 subregion of ORF2 as a diagnostic method; after sequencing, 11 samples were obtained from T. infestans. These new sequences showed no significant differences in the analyzed regions, which were not grouped by species or habitat or geographical distribution. There were no differences when compared to the sequences found during 2002-2012, all obtained from the wild. We conclude that despite being an RNA virus, the different sequences show high homology.Fil: Susevich, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); ArgentinaFil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); ArgentinaFil: Balsalobre, Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); ArgentinaFil: Echeverria, Maria Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Microbiología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; Argentin

Molecular techniques for Dicistrovirus detection without RNA extraction and purification

Dicistroviridae is a new family of small, nonenveloped, and +ssRNA viruses pathogenic to both beneficial arthropods and insect pests as well. Triatoma virus (TrV), a dicistrovirus, is a pathogen of Triatoma infestans (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), one of the main vectors of Chagas disease. In this work, we report a single-step method to identify TrV, a dicistrovirus, isolated from fecal samples of triatomines.The identification method proved to be quite sensitive, even without the extraction and purification of RNA virus.Fil: Querido, Jailson F. B.. Universidade Nova de Lisboa; PortugalFil: Agirre, Jon. Universidad del Pais Vasco; EspañaFil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Guerin, Diego M. A.. Universidad del Pais Vasco; EspañaFil: Silva, Marcelo Sousa . Universidade Nova de Lisboa; Portuga

Modelling the potential geographic distribution of triatomines infected by Triatoma virus in the southern cone of South America

Background: Triatoma virus (TrV) is the only entomopathogenous virus identified in triatomines. We estimated the potential geographic distribution of triatomine species naturally infected by TrV, using remotely sensed and meteorological environmental variables, to predict new potential areas where triatomines infected with TrV may be found. Methods: Detection of TrV infection in samples was performed with RT-PCR. Ecological niche models (ENM) were constructed using the MaxEnt software. We used 42 environmental variables derived from remotely sensed imagery (AVHRR) and 19 bioclimatic variables (Bioclim). The MaxEnt Jackknife procedure was used to minimize the number of environmental variables that showed an influence on final models. The goodness of fit of the model predictions was evaluated by the mean area under the curve (AUC). Results: We obtained 37 samples of 7 species of triatomines naturally infected with TrV. Of the TrV positive samples, 32% were from sylvatic habitat, 46% came from peridomicile habitats and 22% from domicile habitats. Five of the seven infected species were found only in the sylvatic habitat, one species only in the domicile and only Triatoma infestans was found in the three habitats. The MaxEnt model estimated with the Bioclim dataset identified five environmental variables as best predictors: temperature annual range, mean diurnal range, mean temperature of coldest quarter, temperature seasonality and annual mean temperature. The model using the AVHRR dataset identified six environmental variables: minimum Land Surface Temperature (LST), minimum Middle Infrared Radiation (MIR), LST annual amplitude, MIR annual amplitude annual, LST variance and MIR variance. The potential geographic distribution of triatomine species infected by TrV coincides with the Chaco and the Monte ecoregions either modelled by AVHRR or Bioclim environmental datasets. Conclusions: Our results show that the conditions of the Dry Chaco ecoregion in Argentina are favourable for the infection of triatomine species with TrV, and open the possibility of its use as a potential agent for the biological control of peridomestic and/or sylvatic triatomine species. Results identify areas of potential occurrence that should be verified in the field.Fil: Ceccarelli, Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Balsalobre, Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Susevich, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; ArgentinaFil: Echeverria, Maria Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de la Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Microbiología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Gorla, David Eladio. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Regional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Transferencia Tecnológica de Anillaco; ArgentinaFil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico la Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (i); Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo; Argentin

Distinctive gastrointestinal motor dysfunction in patients with MNGIE

Intestinal manometry; Intestinal pseudo-obstruction; Small bowel motilityManometria intestinal; Pseudo-obstrucció intestinal; Motilitat de l'intestí primManometría intestinal; Pseudo-obstrucción intestinal; Motilidad del intestino delgadoBackground Mitochondrial neurogastrointestinal encephalomyopathy (MNGIE) is a rare mitochondrial disease caused by mutations in TYMP, encoding thymidine phosphorylase. Clinically it is characterized by severe gastrointestinal dysmotility associated with cachexia and a demyelinating sensorimotor polyneuropathy. Even though digestive manifestations are progressive and invariably lead to death, the features of gastrointestinal motor dysfunction have not been systematically evaluated. The objective of this study was to describe gastrointestinal motor dysfunction in MNGIE using state-of-the art techniques and to evaluate the relationship between motor abnormalities and symptoms. Methods Prospective study evaluating gastrointestinal motor function and digestive symptoms in all patients with MNGIE attended at a national referral center in Spain between January 2018 and July 2022. Key Results In this period, five patients diagnosed of MNGIE (age range 16–46 years, four men) were evaluated. Esophageal motility by high-resolution manometry was abnormal in four patients (two hypoperistalsis, two aperistalsis). Gastric emptying by scintigraphy was mildly delayed in four and indicative of gastroparesis in one. In all patients, small bowel high-resolution manometry exhibited a common, distinctive dysmotility pattern, characterized by repetitive bursts of spasmodic contractions, without traces of normal fasting and postprandial motility patterns. Interestingly, objective motor dysfunctions were detected in the absence of severe digestive symptoms. Conclusions and Inferences MNGIE patients exhibit a characteristic motor dysfunction, particularly of the small bowel, even in patients with mild digestive symptoms and in the absence of morphological signs of intestinal failure. Since symptoms are not predictive of objective findings, early investigation is indicated.This work was supported by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III and co-financed by the European Union (FEDER/FSE) [PI17/01794]; Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (Dirección General de Investigación Científica y Técnica, PID2021-122295OB-I00); Ciberehd is funded by the Instituto de Salud Carlos III. LA was supported by scholarship from the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (CM20/00182)

Analysis of Chagas disease vectors occurrence data: the Argentinean triatomine species database

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease and Trypanosoma cruzi (its etiological agent) is mainly transmitted by triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae). All triatomine species are considered as potential vectors; thus, their geographic distribution and habitat information should be a fundamental guide for the surveillance and control of Chagas disease. Currently, of the 137 species distributed in the Americas (Justi and Galvão 2017), 17 species are cited for Argentina: Panstrongylus geniculatus, P. guentheri, P. megistus, P. rufotuberculatus, Psammolestes coreodes, Triatoma breyeri, T. delpontei, T. eratyrusiformis, T. garciabesi, T. guasayana, T. infestans, T. limai, T. patagonica, T. platensis, T. rubrofasciata, T. rubrovaria and T. sordida. Almost 20 years have passed since the publication of the “Atlas of the Triatominae” by Carcavallo et al. (1998) and no work has been done to provide an updated complete integration and analysis of the existing information for Argentinean triatomine species. Here we provide a detailed temporal, spatial and ecological analysis of updated occurrence data for triatomines present in Argentina.Fil: Ceccarelli, Soledad. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Balsalobre, Agustin. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Cano, María Eugenia. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Canale, Delmi Margarita. Ministerio de Salud. Dirección de Enfermedades Transmisibles por Vectores. Centro de Referencia de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Lobbia, Patricia Alejandra. Ministerio de Salud. Dirección de Enfermedades Transmisibles por Vectores. Centro de Referencia de Vectores; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Stariolo, Raúl Luis. Ministerio de Salud. Dirección de Enfermedades Transmisibles por Vectores. Centro de Referencia de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Rabinovich, Jorge Eduardo. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; ArgentinaFil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentin

First IAPV finding in Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae)

Se llevó a cabo un relevamiento de virus patógenos de abejas en ejemplares de chinche verde Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae) en el Cinturón Hortícola Platense (CHP). Se detectó la presencia del Virus israelí de la parálisis aguda (IAPV) mediante técnicas moleculares. Estos resultados permitirían inferir que las infecciones virales en los insectos son de gran importancia ya que podrían actuar como reservorios virales, información que podría ser útil para conocer la dinámica del virus en la naturaleza. Este trabajo detecta por primera vez la presencia de IAPV en N. viridula. Serán necesarios estudios adicionales para entender la ecología de estos virus en las comunidades de artrópodos del CHP y determinar el rol que cumplen las chinches como posibles reservorios de estos virus en el ambiente.In the La Plata Horticultural Belt (CHP, in Spanish), bee viruses were searched for the first time in green bug Nezara viridula (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae). The presence of the Israeli acute paralysis virus (IAPV) was detected using PCR technique. These results would allow to infer that knowledge of viral infections in insects could be of great importance since they could act as viral reservoirs, resulting in the spilling of pathogens to honey bees and other pollinators. This study made it possible to detect IAPV for the first time in N. viridula. Future studies are needed to understand the ecology of these viruses in arthropod communities of CHP and to determine the role that green bugs play as possible reservoirs of these viruses in the environment.Fil: Susevich, Maria Laura. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Microbiología. Cátedra de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Reynaldi, Francisco José. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Microbiología. Cátedra de Virología; ArgentinaFil: Marti, Gerardo Anibal. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Echeverria, Maria Gabriela. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Veterinarias. Departamento de Microbiología. Cátedra de Virología; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentin