Should the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae be of wider concern for veterinary and medical science?

The poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae is best known as a threat to the laying-hen industry; adversely affecting production and hen health and welfare throughout the globe, both directly and through its role as a disease vector. Nevertheless, D. gallinae is being increasingly implemented in dermatological complaints in non-avian hosts, suggesting that its significance may extend beyond poultry. The main objective of the current work was to review the potential of D. gallinae as a wider veterinary and medical threat. Results demonstrated that, as an avian mite, D. gallinae is unsurprisingly an occasional pest of pet birds. However, research also supports that these mites will feed from a range of other animals including: cats, dogs, rodents, rabbits, horses and man. We conclude that although reported cases of D. gallinae infesting mammals are relatively rare, when coupled with the reported genetic plasticity of this species and evidence of permanent infestations on non-avian hosts, potential for host-expansion may exist. The impact of, and mechanisms and risk factors for such expansion are discussed, and suggestions for further work made. Given the potential severity of any level of host-expansion in D. gallinae, we conclude that further research should be urgently conducted to confirm the full extent of the threat posed by D. gallinae to (non-avian) veterinary and medical sectors

Laboratory Study on Biological Control of Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) by Entomopathogenic Indigenous Fungi (Beauveria bassiana)

Background: Chemical control method using different acaricides as spray, dipping solution or pour-on is routinely used for controlling ticks. Biological control agents are favorable due to their safety for animals and environment. Entomopathogenic fungi such as Beauveria bassiana are well known for controlling ticks. In this study, two Iranian indigenous strains of B. bassiana (B. bassiana 5197 and B. bassiana Evin) were selected and grown on specific me­dia. The pathogenic effects of these strains were evaluated on adult stages of two Iranian Ixodidae members (H. anatolicum anatolicum Koch 1844, and H. marginatum Koch 1844) by dipping method. Methods: Two Iranian strains of Beauveria bassiana (Beauveria bassiana 5197 and Beauveria bassiana Evin) were selected and were grown successfully on specific media. The pathogenic effects of these strains were evaluated on adult stages of Iranian Ixodidae members such as, Hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum and H. marginatum by dipping method (these ticks were grown up at laboratory conditions during 2002 up to 2003 and still it is continued) . Results: There was no effect of strain 5197 on mortality or fecundity rates for ticks. There was acute phase sign of paralysis in test group after dipping ticks in suspension made from Evin strain of B. bassiana. In addition, the test groups were totally died after four months, but the control groups survived for six months. Conclusion: High concentration of fungal spores is needed for inducing fungal infection. Additional study using different strains and fungi on Iranian ticks is proposed.

Morphometric Study on Male Specimens of Hyalomma Anatolicum (Acari: Ixodidae) in West of Iran

Background: Hyalomma anatolicum is the well-known hard tick, which is one of the most important livestock and hu­man pathogens vector, wide range in host and distributed in all over the Hyalomma geographic fauna as well as in Iran. Taxonomy of the Hyalomma ssp. is debatable whereas their identification is a problematic work. The reasons for this claim is time consuming Delpy’s researches in Iran also Schulze School, Feldman-Muhsam and the Russian tick workers. We would like to understand morphometric variation in the field collected H. anatolicum in Iran also validat­ing some morphologic quantitative and qualitative characters.Methods: A total 247 field-collected tick specimens from different geographical regions in west of Iran includes Khuzestan and Lorestan Provinces were studied. The morphologic characters of the ticks were measured by the cali­brated stereomicroscope ‎armed scaled lens. The measurements were analyzed using SPSS ‎for windows, version 16 on an IBM PC, ‎so varied shapes of species in different geographic ‎regions were drawn by the ‎aid of a drawing tube con­nected to a light stereomicroscope.‎Results: One way ANOVA test revealed significant differences among the quantitative parameters in five zones (P<‎‎ 0.‎‎00‎‎1‎) also each zone to other zone by Post Hoc Tests e.g. LSD. No significant differences in the lateral grooves length/conscutum length ratio parameter were found.Conclusion: Morphometric variation in Hyalomma spp is poorly studied. The variation in range and quantity of the mor­phometric parameters of H.anatolicum ‎underlies that the correct recognition and key construction for Hyalomma spe­cies dependes ‎on a complement morphometric study on the other species

Comparison of Excretory-Secretory and Somatic Antigens of Ornithobilharzia turkestanicum in Agar Gel Diffusion Test

Background: Ornithobilharziosis as one of the parasitic infections may give rise to serious economic problems in animal husbandry. The Aim of the study was to prepare and compare the somatic and excretory-secretory (ES) antigens of O. tur­kestanicum in gel diffusion test. Methods: Excretory-secretory (ES) and somatic antigens of Ornithobilharzia turkestanicum were prepared from collected worms from mesentric blood vessels of infected sheep. The laboratory bred rabbits were immunized with antigens and then antisera were prepared. The reaction of antigens and antisera was observed in gel diffusion test. Results: ES antigens of this species showed positive reaction with antisera raised against ES and also somatic antigens. Somatic antigens also showed positive reaction with antisera raised against somatic and also ES antigens. Conclusion: The antigenicity of O. turkestanicum ES and somatic antigens is the same in gel diffusion test

rDNA-ITS2 Identification of Hyalomma, Rhipicephalus, Dermacentor and Boophilus spp. (Acari: Ixodidae) Collected from Different Geographical Regions of Iran

Abstract Hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are important obligatory blood feeding external parasites of human and animals. There have been a lot of studies on taxonomy of Iranian ixodidae. On the basis of morphological features found basically in adult male. There are problems in tick identification due to their intraspecific variations and morphological changes of the surface body of ticks after blood feeding. Molecular taxonomic tools have been regarded and internal transcribed spacer2 has been selected to amplify the specific part of the genome of ticks. Then using sequence variations of this marker to drive a molecular phylogeny for collected ticks from Iran. Ticks have been collected during favorable seasons in 2007. They have been diagnosed and DNA was extracted. After PCR amplification of the specific segment, fifty two specific bands have shown related to fifty two individuals. Thirty clear bands have been purified and prepared for sequencing. The sequences have been aligned and released in PubMed and their accession numbers are listed. The levels of intraspecific and interspecific variations have been analyzed using suitable soft wares. These variations yielded different phylogenetic arrangement of ITS2 sequences. The level of intraspecific variability of sequences within H. anatolicum anatolicum was high but for D. marginatus and R. turanicus appeared to be low. All D. marginatus sequences were at the same branch, H. dromedarii was most resembled to H. anatolicum anatolicum, and the sequence of R. bursa differed only by 16 fixed bp from the sequence of R. turanicus. These results indicate the advantage of ITS2-rDNA an alysis in phylogeny of hard ticks and additional trials to collect more ticks from different places of Iran is going to be done to promote the results

Capture and release of traveling intrinsic localized mode in coupled cantilever array

A method to manipulate intrinsic localized mode (ILM) is numerically discussed in a nonlinear coupled oscillator array, which is obtained by modeling a microcantilever array. Prior to the manipulation, coexistence and dynamical stability of standing ILMs are first investigated. The stability of coexisting ILMs is determined by a nonlinear coupling coefficient of the array. In addition, the global phase structure, which dominates traveling ILMs, is also changed with the stability. It makes possible to manipulate a traveling ILM by adjusting the nonlinear coupling coefficient. The capture and release manipulation of the traveling ILM is shown numerically