In vitro acaricidal activity of several natural products against ibex-derived Sarcoptes scabiei

In this study we analysed the effect of the temperature, diverse strains of Bacillus thuringiensis, Lysinibacillus sphaericus and nanoformulations with essential plant oils (EONP) on the survival of Sarcoptes scabiei mites derived from naturally-infested Iberian ibex (Capra pyrenaica). In general, mites maintained at 12ºC survived more than those maintained at 35ºC (40.7 hr and 31.2 hr, respectively). Mites with no treatment survived 27.6 h on average. Mites treated with B. thuringiensis serovar. konkukian and geranium EONP showed significant reduction in their survival. Despite the fact that these agents seem to be promising candidates for controlling sarcoptic mange in the field, further research is still needed to get stable, efficient and eco-friendly acaricides

Universal conventional and real-time PCR diagnosis tools for Sarcoptes scabiei

[Background] The mite Sarcoptes scabiei has a known host-range of over 100 mammal species including humans. One of the prime objectives of the Sarcoptes-World Molecular Network (WMN) is to design and develop universal Sarcoptes PCR-based diagnosis methods.[Methods] We describe here for the first time two universal mitochondrial-based diagnosis methods: (i) conventional end-point PCR and (ii) TaqMan real-time PCR. The design of both of these universal diagnosis methods was based on Sarcoptes samples collected from 23 host species in 14 countries.[Results] These methods, based on skin scrapings, were successfully used to etiologically confirm the diagnosis of different clinical degrees of sarcoptic mange in 48 animals belonging to six species. These universal PCR-based diagnosis methods are highly specific, technically sensitive and simple, and are based on the amplification of 135 bp from the Mitochondrial 16S rDNA. The method based on TaqMan real-time qPCR was more sensitive than the conventional end-point PCR.[Conclusions] Two universal PCR-based diagnosis methods for S. scabiei were successfully designed and applied; one based on conventional end-point PCR and the other on TaqMan real-time PCR. We recommend further testing and the application of these new universal methods worldwide.This study was funded by i. the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), ii. the Project PRIN Genomics and host-pathogen interactions: a model study in the One-Health perspective, and iii. the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University through the research group (project number RGP_020).Peer reviewe

Outcome of intensive rehabilitation following single-event multilevel surgery for crouch gait in children with cerebral palsy

Background Crouch gait is one of the most common gait patterns in ambulatory children with cerebral palsy (CP) and is contributed by several factors. The literature reports wide variations in surgical practice and rehabilitation programs following single-event multilevel surgeries. Objective To evaluate the outcome of rehabilitation after single-event multilevel orthopedic surgery for crouch gait in children with CP. Patients and methods A total of 20 children with bilateral spastic CP and walked with a crouch gait, with gross motor function classification system levels II, III, and IV, were subjected to single-event multilevel surgery. Ten (20 limbs) patients were men and eight (14 limbs) were women. Their age ranged from 5.5 to 19 years. To assess the outcome of our rehabilitation program, we used clinical couch examination parameters, functional mobility scale, and instrumented three-dimensional gait analysis. Rehabilitation program included preoperative and postoperative rehabilitation at 1-year postoperatively. Results Highly statistically significant improvements in clinical parameters, which include hip abduction, femoral anteversion, fixed flexion deformity, popliteal angle, and extension lag, were demonstrated (P<0.01), whereas tibial torsion showed a statistically significant improvement (P<0.05). Functional mobility scale at 5, 50, and 500 m improved in 10 (55.6%) cases, 13 (72.2%) cases, and 11 (61.1%) cases, respectively. Instrumented gait laboratory parameters, namely, stride length, crouch angle at initial stance, and peak knee flexion in mid-swing, showed improvement but did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion The rehabilitation program we offered improves clinical and functional mobility of children with CP with crouch gait. Thus, it is viewed as an important contributor to the overall outcome together with multilevel orthopedic surgery

Erratum: Universal conventional and realtime PCR diagnosis tools for Sarcoptes scabiei

After the publication of this work [1], we noticed an error in the Methods Section. The reported sequence of the ProSc “5′-GGTAACTTGTATGAAGGGACTAACTAAA-3′” is not the correct one. The correct one is “ProSc: 5′-GGTAACTTGTATGAAGGRAYTAACTAAA-3′”.This study was funded by i. the Italian Ministry of University and Research (MIUR), ii. the Project PRIN Genomics and host-pathogen interactions: a model study in the One-Health perspective, and iii. the Deanship of Scientific Research at King Saud University through the research group (project number RGP_020).Peer reviewe