Organophosphorous Pesticides in Surface Water of Iran

Abstract This research aims to evaluate the presence and distribution of pesticides in Babolrood River of Mazandaran Province in Iran. Mean diazinon levels in surface water ranged from 77.6 to 101.6 lg L-1 with maximum level of 768.9 lg L-1 and mean malathion levels ranged from 55.7 to 75.9 lg L-1 with maximum level of 506.6 lg L-1 . The residues of malathion and diazinon pesticides in all of the stations, 2 weeks after spraying, were more than allowed limits

Infantile Nosocomial Myiasis in Iran

Myiasis, the invasion of live human tissue by larva of Diptera, is reported in the nasal cavity of a 5.5-year-old Iranian girl. She was referred from Golestan Province to the Shaheed Rajaei Heart Center in Tehran. In the 41th day after admission, a live parasite was found in her nasal secretions suction identified presumably as a second instar larvae of a facultative myiasis, Woholfartia nuba (Diptera: Sarcophagidae),on the basis of mtDNA-COI and morphological characteristics. Since presence of the larva was recordedafter hospitalization, by definition, this infestation is considered a nosocomial myiasis

Molecular Characterization and Phylogenetic Congruence of Hydropsyche sciligra (Tricoptera: Hydropsychidae) Using Mitochondrial and Nuclear Markers

Background: Caddisflies have significant roles in freshwater ecosystems. Morphological identification is the major impediment in accurate species identification of Hydropsychids. Mitochondrial and nuclear markers are suitable for molecular systematics of these group of arthropods. Methods: Trichopteran specimens of Lavasan District in northeastern Tehran, Iran were collected in 2012, and de­scribed using the morphological and molecular characters of mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (mt-COI) and three expansion fragments of large subunit (LSU) nuclear ribosomal DNA (28S rDNA) D1, D2, and D3. The resemblance of the specimen sequences was obtained by conducting BLAST searches against the GenBank database and by using simple maximum likelihood clustering using COI, D1, D2, D3, and combination of D1-D2-D3 se­quence data sets. Results: Based on morphological traits the specimens were resembled to Hydropsyche sciligra however there were no its counterpart sequences in the GenBank. Due to lack of unique group of data set for each gene fragment, the specimens were associated with different taxa on molecular phylograms. The sequence contents of the COI, D1, D2, D3, and D1-D3 regions clustered H. sciligra with H. brevis, H. angustipennis, H. occidentalis, H. hedini, H. gra­hami, and H. longifurca/H. naumanni, respectively. Conclusion: Phylogenies obtained from combination of D1-D3 showed the highest bootstrap values for most of clades suggesting that long LSU-rDNA potentially is more useful for understanding phylogenetic relationships of caddisflies. A large-scale molecular and zoogeographic study on trichopteran species is suggested to revise and to develop the current knowledge of the caddisfly fauna and distributions in the country

Chemical Composition and Repellent Activity of Achillea vermiculata and Satureja hortensis against Anopheles stephensi

Background: One of the best ways to control the malaria disease and to be protected human against Anopheles mos­quito biting is the use of repellents. Throughout repellents, herbal ones may be an appropriate and safe source for protection. Methods: Chemical constituents of Achillea vermiculata and Satoreja hortensis were determined by using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Efficacy and the protection time of these plants were assessed on Anopheles stephensi under the laboratory condition. Results: The mean assessed protection time and efficacy for A. vermiculata was 2.16 and 3.16 hours respectively and the obtained ED50 and ED90 for this plant was 5.67 and 63 µl/cm2 respectively. The figured for S. hortensis was 4.16 and 5 hours respectively.  ED50 and ED90 for this plant were 5.63 and 45.75µl/cm2 respectively. Conclusion: Results of investigation showed that S. hortensis plant has an acceptable protection time, therefore, this plant could be considered as a good herbal repellent against anopheles mosquitoes

Assessing the Fauna of Aquatic Insects for Possible Use for Malaria Vector Control in Large River, Central Iran

Insects with over 30,000 aquatic species are known as very successful arthropods in freshwater habitats. Some of them are applied as biological indicators for water quality control, as well as the main food supply for fishes and amphibians. The faunistic studies are the basic step in entomological researches; the current study was carried out emphasizing on the fauna of aquatic insects in Karaj River, northern Iran. A field study was carried out in six various sampling site of Karaj River during spring 2013. The aquatic insects were collected using several methods such as D-frame nets, dipping and direct search on river floor stones. Specimens were collected and preserved in Ethanol and identified by standard identification keys. Totally, 211 samples were collected belonging to three orders; Plecoptera, Trichoptera and Ephemeroptera. Seven genuses (Perla, Isoperla, Hydropsyche, Cheumatopsyche, Baetis, Heptagenia and Maccafferium) from five families (Perlidae, Perlodidae, Hydropsychidae, Batidae, Heptagenidae) were identified. The most predominant order was Plecoptera followed by Trichoptera. Karaj River is a main and important river, which provides almost all of water of Karaj dam. So, identification of aquatic species which exist in this river is vital and further studies about systematic and ecological investigations should be performed. Also, monitoring of aquatic biota by trained health personnel can be a critical step to describe water quality in this river. Understanding the fauna of aquatic insects will provide a clue for possible biological control of medically important aquatic insects such as Anopheles as the malaria vectors