Sample records for aegypti salivary transcriptome

  1. Effects of Aedes aegypti salivary components on dendritic cell and lymphocyte biology

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Saliva is a key element of interaction between hematophagous mosquitoes and their vertebrate hosts. In addition to allowing a successful blood meal by neutralizing or delaying hemostatic responses, the salivary cocktail is also able to modulate the effector mechanisms of host immune responses facilitating, in turn, the transmission of several types of microorganisms. Understanding how the mosquito uses its salivary components to circumvent host immunity might help to clarify the mechanisms of transmission of such pathogens and disease establishment. Methods Flow cytometry was used to evaluate if increasing concentrations of A. aegypti salivary gland extract (SGE) affects bone marrow-derived DC differentiation and maturation. Lymphocyte proliferation in the presence of SGE was estimated by a colorimetric assay. Western blot and Annexin V staining assays were used to assess apoptosis in these cells. Naïve and memory cells from mosquito-bite exposed mice or OVA-immunized mice and their respective controls were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results Concentration-response curves were employed to evaluate A. aegypti SGE effects on DC and lymphocyte biology. DCs differentiation from bone marrow precursors, their maturation and function were not directly affected by A. aegypti SGE (concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 40 μg/mL). On the other hand, lymphocytes were very sensitive to the salivary components and died in the presence of A. aegypti SGE, even at concentrations as low as 0.1 μg/mL. In addition, A. aegypti SGE was shown to induce apoptosis in all lymphocyte populations evaluated (CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and B cells) through a mechanism involving caspase-3 and caspase-8, but not Bim. By using different approaches to generate memory cells, we were able to verify that these cells are resistant to SGE effects. Conclusion Our results show that lymphocytes, and not DCs, are the primary target of A. aegypti salivary components. In the presence of A. aegypti SGE

  2. Effects of Aedes aegypti salivary components on dendritic cell and lymphocyte biology.

    PubMed

    Bizzarro, Bruna; Barros, Michele S; Maciel, Ceres; Gueroni, Daniele I; Lino, Ciro N; Campopiano, Júlia; Kotsyfakis, Michalis; Amarante-Mendes, Gustavo P; Calvo, Eric; Capurro, Margareth L; Sá-Nunes, Anderson

    2013-11-15

    Saliva is a key element of interaction between hematophagous mosquitoes and their vertebrate hosts. In addition to allowing a successful blood meal by neutralizing or delaying hemostatic responses, the salivary cocktail is also able to modulate the effector mechanisms of host immune responses facilitating, in turn, the transmission of several types of microorganisms. Understanding how the mosquito uses its salivary components to circumvent host immunity might help to clarify the mechanisms of transmission of such pathogens and disease establishment. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate if increasing concentrations of A. aegypti salivary gland extract (SGE) affects bone marrow-derived DC differentiation and maturation. Lymphocyte proliferation in the presence of SGE was estimated by a colorimetric assay. Western blot and Annexin V staining assays were used to assess apoptosis in these cells. Naïve and memory cells from mosquito-bite exposed mice or OVA-immunized mice and their respective controls were analyzed by flow cytometry. Concentration-response curves were employed to evaluate A. aegypti SGE effects on DC and lymphocyte biology. DCs differentiation from bone marrow precursors, their maturation and function were not directly affected by A. aegypti SGE (concentrations ranging from 2.5 to 40 μg/mL). On the other hand, lymphocytes were very sensitive to the salivary components and died in the presence of A. aegypti SGE, even at concentrations as low as 0.1 μg/mL. In addition, A. aegypti SGE was shown to induce apoptosis in all lymphocyte populations evaluated (CD4+ and CD8+ T cells, and B cells) through a mechanism involving caspase-3 and caspase-8, but not Bim. By using different approaches to generate memory cells, we were able to verify that these cells are resistant to SGE effects. Our results show that lymphocytes, and not DCs, are the primary target of A. aegypti salivary components. In the presence of A. aegypti SGE, naïve lymphocyte populations die by

  3. Dengue virus replicates and accumulates in Aedes aegypti salivary glands

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Raquin, Vincent, E-mail: vincent.raquin@univ-lyon1

    Dengue virus (DENV) is an RNA virus transmitted among humans by mosquito vectors, mainly Aedes aegypti. DENV transmission requires viral dissemination from the mosquito midgut to the salivary glands. During this process the virus undergoes several population bottlenecks, which are stochastic reductions in population size that restrict intra-host viral genetic diversity and limit the efficiency of natural selection. Despite the implications for virus transmission and evolution, DENV replication in salivary glands has not been directly demonstrated. Here, we used a strand-specific quantitative RT-PCR assay to demonstrate that negative-strand DENV RNA is produced in Ae. aegypti salivary glands, providing conclusive evidencemore » that viral replication occurs in this tissue. Furthermore, we showed that the concentration of DENV genomic RNA in salivary glands increases significantly over time, indicating that active replication likely replenishes DENV genetic diversity prior to transmission. These findings improve our understanding of the biological determinants of DENV fitness and evolution. - Highlights: •Strand-specific RT-qPCR allows accurate quantification of DENV (-) RNA in mosquito tissues. •Detection of DENV (-) RNA in salivary glands provides evidence of viral replication in this tissue. •Viral replication in salivary glands likely replenishes DENV genetic diversity prior to transmission.« less

  4. Dengue Virus Infection of the Aedes aegypti Salivary Gland and Chemosensory Apparatus Induces Genes that Modulate Infection and Blood-Feeding Behavior

    PubMed Central

    Sim, Shuzhen; Ramirez, José L.; Dimopoulos, George

    2012-01-01

    The female Aedes aegypti salivary gland plays a pivotal role in bloodmeal acquisition and reproduction, and thereby dengue virus (DENV) transmission. It produces numerous immune factors, as well as immune-modulatory, vasodilatory, and anti-coagulant molecules that facilitate blood-feeding. To assess the impact of DENV infection on salivary gland physiology and function, we performed a comparative genome-wide microarray analysis of the naïve and DENV infection-responsive A. aegypti salivary gland transcriptomes. DENV infection resulted in the regulation of 147 transcripts that represented a variety of functional classes, including several that are essential for virus transmission, such as immunity, blood-feeding, and host-seeking. RNAi-mediated gene silencing of three DENV infection-responsive genes - a cathepsin B, a putative cystatin, and a hypothetical ankyrin repeat-containing protein - significantly modulated DENV replication in the salivary gland. Furthermore, silencing of two DENV infection-responsive odorant-binding protein genes (OBPs) resulted in an overall compromise in blood acquisition from a single host by increasing the time for initiation of probing and the probing time before a successful bloodmeal. We also show that DENV established an extensive infection in the mosquito's main olfactory organs, the antennae, which resulted in changes of the transcript abundance of key host-seeking genes. DENV infection, however, did not significantly impact probing initiation or probing times in our laboratory infection system. Here we show for the first time that the mosquito salivary gland mounts responses to suppress DENV which, in turn, modulates the expression of chemosensory-related genes that regulate feeding behavior. These reciprocal interactions may have the potential to affect DENV transmission between humans. PMID:22479185

  5. Transcriptomic Analysis of the Salivary Glands of an Invasive Whitefly

    PubMed Central

    Su, Yun-Lin; Li, Jun-Min; Li, Meng; Luan, Jun-Bo; Ye, Xiao-Dong; Wang, Xiao-Wei; Liu, Shu-Sheng

    2012-01-01

    Background Some species of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci complex cause tremendous losses to crops worldwide through feeding directly and virus transmission indirectly. The primary salivary glands of whiteflies are critical for their feeding and virus transmission. However, partly due to their tiny size, research on whitefly salivary glands is limited and our knowledge on these glands is scarce. Methodology/Principal Findings We sequenced the transcriptome of the primary salivary glands of the Mediterranean species of B. tabaci complex using an effective cDNA amplification method in combination with short read sequencing (Illumina). In a single run, we obtained 13,615 unigenes. The quantity of the unigenes obtained from the salivary glands of the whitefly is at least four folds of the salivary gland genes from other plant-sucking insects. To reveal the functions of the primary glands, sequence similarity search and comparisons with the whole transcriptome of the whitefly were performed. The results demonstrated that the genes related to metabolism and transport were significantly enriched in the primary salivary glands. Furthermore, we found that a number of highly expressed genes in the salivary glands might be involved in secretory protein processing, secretion and virus transmission. To identify potential proteins of whitefly saliva, the translated unigenes were put into secretory protein prediction. Finally, 295 genes were predicted to encode secretory proteins and some of them might play important roles in whitefly feeding. Conclusions/Significance: The combined method of cDNA amplification, Illumina sequencing and de novo assembly is suitable for transcriptomic analysis of tiny organs in insects. Through analysis of the transcriptome, genomic features of the primary salivary glands were dissected and biologically important proteins, especially secreted proteins, were predicted. Our findings provide substantial sequence information for the primary salivary glands

  6. Analysis of the Salivary Gland Transcriptome of Frankliniella occidentalis

    PubMed Central

    Stafford-Banks, Candice A.; Rotenberg, Dorith; Johnson, Brian R.; Whitfield, Anna E.; Ullman, Diane E.

    2014-01-01

    Saliva is known to play a crucial role in insect feeding behavior and virus transmission. Currently, little is known about the salivary glands and saliva of thrips, despite the fact that Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (the western flower thrips) is a serious pest due to its destructive feeding, wide host range, and transmission of tospoviruses. As a first step towards characterizing thrips salivary gland functions, we sequenced the transcriptome of the primary salivary glands of F. occidentalis using short read sequencing (Illumina) technology. A de novo-assembled transcriptome revealed 31,392 high quality contigs with an average size of 605 bp. A total of 12,166 contigs had significant BLASTx or tBLASTx hits (E≤1.0E−6) to known proteins, whereas a high percentage (61.24%) of contigs had no apparent protein or nucleotide hits. Comparison of the F. occidentalis salivary gland transcriptome (sialotranscriptome) against a published F. occidentalis full body transcriptome assembled from Roche-454 reads revealed several contigs with putative annotations associated with salivary gland functions. KEGG pathway analysis of the sialotranscriptome revealed that the majority (18 out of the top 20 predicted KEGG pathways) of the salivary gland contig sequences match proteins involved in metabolism. We identified several genes likely to be involved in detoxification and inhibition of plant defense responses including aldehyde dehydrogenase, metalloprotease, glucose oxidase, glucose dehydrogenase, and regucalcin. We also identified several genes that may play a role in the extra-oral digestion of plant structural tissues including β-glucosidase and pectin lyase; and the extra-oral digestion of sugars, including α-amylase, maltase, sucrase, and α-glucosidase. This is the first analysis of a sialotranscriptome for any Thysanopteran species and it provides a foundational tool to further our understanding of how thrips interact with their plant hosts and the viruses

  7. Analysis of the salivary gland transcriptome of Frankliniella occidentalis.

    PubMed

    Stafford-Banks, Candice A; Rotenberg, Dorith; Johnson, Brian R; Whitfield, Anna E; Ullman, Diane E

    2014-01-01

    Saliva is known to play a crucial role in insect feeding behavior and virus transmission. Currently, little is known about the salivary glands and saliva of thrips, despite the fact that Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (the western flower thrips) is a serious pest due to its destructive feeding, wide host range, and transmission of tospoviruses. As a first step towards characterizing thrips salivary gland functions, we sequenced the transcriptome of the primary salivary glands of F. occidentalis using short read sequencing (Illumina) technology. A de novo-assembled transcriptome revealed 31,392 high quality contigs with an average size of 605 bp. A total of 12,166 contigs had significant BLASTx or tBLASTx hits (E≤1.0E-6) to known proteins, whereas a high percentage (61.24%) of contigs had no apparent protein or nucleotide hits. Comparison of the F. occidentalis salivary gland transcriptome (sialotranscriptome) against a published F. occidentalis full body transcriptome assembled from Roche-454 reads revealed several contigs with putative annotations associated with salivary gland functions. KEGG pathway analysis of the sialotranscriptome revealed that the majority (18 out of the top 20 predicted KEGG pathways) of the salivary gland contig sequences match proteins involved in metabolism. We identified several genes likely to be involved in detoxification and inhibition of plant defense responses including aldehyde dehydrogenase, metalloprotease, glucose oxidase, glucose dehydrogenase, and regucalcin. We also identified several genes that may play a role in the extra-oral digestion of plant structural tissues including β-glucosidase and pectin lyase; and the extra-oral digestion of sugars, including α-amylase, maltase, sucrase, and α-glucosidase. This is the first analysis of a sialotranscriptome for any Thysanopteran species and it provides a foundational tool to further our understanding of how thrips interact with their plant hosts and the viruses they

  8. First Attempt To Validate Human IgG Antibody Response to Nterm-34kDa Salivary Peptide as Biomarker for Evaluating Exposure to Aedes aegypti Bites

    PubMed Central

    Elanga Ndille, Emmanuel; Doucoure, Souleymane; Damien, Georgia; Mouchet, François; Drame, Papa Makhtar; Cornelie, Sylvie; Noukpo, Herbert; Yamadjako, Sandra; Djenontin, Armel; Moiroux, Nicolas; Misse, Dorothee; Akogbeto, Martin; Corbel, Vincent; Henry, Marie-Claire; Chandre, Fabrice; Baldet, Thierry; Remoue, Franck

    2012-01-01

    Background Much effort is being devoted for developing new indicators to evaluate the human exposure to Aedes mosquito bites and the risk of arbovirus transmission. Human antibody (Ab) responses to mosquito salivary components could represent a promising tool for evaluating the human-vector contact. Methodology/Principal findings To develop a specific biomarker of human exposure to Aedes aegypti bites, we measured IgG Ab response to Ae. aegypti Nterm-34 kDa salivary peptide in exposed children in 7 villages of Southern Benin (West Africa). Results showed that specific IgG response presented high inter-individual heterogeneity between villages. IgG response was associated with rainfall and IgG level increased from dry (low exposure) to rainy (high exposure) seasons. These findings indicate that IgG Ab to Nterm-34 kDa salivary peptide may represent a reliable biomarker to detect variation in human exposure to Ae. aegypti bites. Conclusion/Significance This preliminary study highlights the potential use of Ab response to this salivary peptide for evaluating human exposure to Ae. aegypti. This biomarker could represent a new promising tool for assessing the risk of arbovirus transmission and for evaluating the efficacy of vector control interventions. PMID:23166852

  9. Aedes aegypti anti-salivary gland antibody concentration and dengue virus exposure history in healthy individuals living in an endemic area in Colombia.

    PubMed

    Londoño-Rentería, Berlín; Cárdenas, Jenny C; Giovanni, Jennifer E; Cárdenas, Lucio; Villamizar, Paloma; Rolón, Jennifer; Chisenhall, Daniel M; Christofferson, Rebecca C; Carvajal, Daisy J; Pérez, Omar G; Wesson, Dawn M; Mores, Christopher N

    2015-01-01

    Mosquito salivary proteins are able to induce an antibody response that reflects the level of human-vector contact. IgG antibodies against dengue virus (DENV-IgG) are indicators of previous exposure. The risk of DENV transmission is not only associated to mosquito or dengue factors, but also to socioeconomic factors that may play an important role in the disease epidemiology. To determine the effect of the presence of Aedes aegypti mosquitos in different stages in households and the history of dengue exposure on vector-human contact determined by the level of anti-salivary protein antibodies in people living in a Colombian endemic area. A pilot study of 58 households and 55 human subjects was conducted in Norte de Santander, Colombia. A questionnaire for socioeconomic factors was administered and houses were examined for the presence of Ae. aegypti specimens in the aquatic stages. The level of DENV-IgG antibodies (DENV-IgG), in addition to IgG and IgM anti- Ae. aegypti salivary gland extract (SGE) antibodies (SGE-IgG, SGE-IgM) were evaluated by ELISA using blood collected in filter paper. We found a significant higher level of SGE-IgG antibodies in subjects living in houses with Ae. aegypti in aquatic stages. We also found a higher concentration of SGE-IgG antibodies in people exposed to DENV, a positive correlation between IgM-SGE and IgG-DENV and a negative correlation with IgG-SGE. Anti-salivary proteins antibodies are consistent with the presence of Ae. aegypti aquatic stages inside houses and DENV-IgG antibodies concentrations.

  10. Integrated proteomic and transcriptomic analysis of the Aedes aegypti eggshell

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Mosquito eggshells show remarkable diversity in physical properties and structure consistent with adaptations to the wide variety of environments exploited by these insects. We applied proteomic, transcriptomic, and hybridization in situ techniques to identify gene products and pathways that participate in the assembly of the Aedes aegypti eggshell. Aedes aegypti population density is low during cold and dry seasons and increases immediately after rainfall. The survival of embryos through unfavorable periods is a key factor in the persistence of their populations. The work described here supports integrated vector control approaches that target eggshell formation and result in Ae. aegypti drought-intolerant phenotypes for public health initiatives directed to reduce mosquito-borne diseases. Results A total of 130 proteins were identified from the combined mass spectrometric analyses of eggshell preparations. Conclusions Classification of proteins according to their known and putative functions revealed the complexity of the eggshell structure. Three novel Ae. aegypti vitelline membrane proteins were discovered. Odorant-binding and cysteine-rich proteins that may be structural components of the eggshell were identified. Enzymes with peroxidase, laccase and phenoloxidase activities also were identified, and their likely involvements in cross-linking reactions that stabilize the eggshell structure are discussed. PMID:24707823

  11. Proteomics informed by transcriptomics for characterising active transposable elements and genome annotation in Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Maringer, Kevin; Yousuf, Amjad; Heesom, Kate J; Fan, Jun; Lee, David; Fernandez-Sesma, Ana; Bessant, Conrad; Matthews, David A; Davidson, Andrew D

    2017-01-19

    Aedes aegypti is a vector for the (re-)emerging human pathogens dengue, chikungunya, yellow fever and Zika viruses. Almost half of the Ae. aegypti genome is comprised of transposable elements (TEs). Transposons have been linked to diverse cellular processes, including the establishment of viral persistence in insects, an essential step in the transmission of vector-borne viruses. However, up until now it has not been possible to study the overall proteome derived from an organism's mobile genetic elements, partly due to the highly divergent nature of TEs. Furthermore, as for many non-model organisms, incomplete genome annotation has hampered proteomic studies on Ae. aegypti. We analysed the Ae. aegypti proteome using our new proteomics informed by transcriptomics (PIT) technique, which bypasses the need for genome annotation by identifying proteins through matched transcriptomic (rather than genomic) data. Our data vastly increase the number of experimentally confirmed Ae. aegypti proteins. The PIT analysis also identified hotspots of incomplete genome annotation, and showed that poor sequence and assembly quality do not explain all annotation gaps. Finally, in a proof-of-principle study, we developed criteria for the characterisation of proteomically active TEs. Protein expression did not correlate with a TE's genomic abundance at different levels of classification. Most notably, long terminal repeat (LTR) retrotransposons were markedly enriched compared to other elements. PIT was superior to 'conventional' proteomic approaches in both our transposon and genome annotation analyses. We present the first proteomic characterisation of an organism's repertoire of mobile genetic elements, which will open new avenues of research into the function of transposon proteins in health and disease. Furthermore, our study provides a proof-of-concept that PIT can be used to evaluate a genome's annotation to guide annotation efforts which has the potential to improve the

  12. Global Transcriptome Analysis of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes in Response to Zika Virus Infection

    PubMed Central

    Etebari, Kayvan; Hegde, Shivanand; Saldaña, Miguel A.; Widen, Steven G.; Wood, Thomas G.

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT Zika virus (ZIKV) of the Flaviviridae family is a recently emerged mosquito-borne virus that has been implicated in the surge of the number of microcephaly instances in South America. The recent rapid spread of the virus led to its declaration as a global health emergency by the World Health Organization. The virus is transmitted mainly by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, which is also the vector of dengue virus; however, little is known about the interactions of the virus with the mosquito vector. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome profiles of whole A. aegypti mosquitoes in response to ZIKV infection at 2, 7, and 14 days postinfection using transcriptome sequencing. Results showed changes in the abundance of a large number of transcripts at each time point following infection, with 18 transcripts commonly changed among the three time points. Gene ontology analysis revealed that most of the altered genes are involved in metabolic processes, cellular processes, and proteolysis. In addition, 486 long intergenic noncoding RNAs that were altered upon ZIKV infection were identified. Further, we found changes of a number of potential mRNA target genes correlating with those of altered host microRNAs. The outcomes provide a basic understanding of A. aegypti responses to ZIKV and help to determine host factors involved in replication or mosquito host antiviral response against the virus. IMPORTANCE Vector-borne viruses pose great risks to human health. Zika virus has recently emerged as a global threat, rapidly expanding its distribution. Understanding the interactions of the virus with mosquito vectors at the molecular level is vital for devising new approaches in inhibiting virus transmission. In this study, we embarked on analyzing the transcriptional response of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to Zika virus infection. Results showed large changes in both coding and long noncoding RNAs. Analysis of these genes showed similarities with other flaviviruses

  13. Global Transcriptome Analysis of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes in Response to Zika Virus Infection.

    PubMed

    Etebari, Kayvan; Hegde, Shivanand; Saldaña, Miguel A; Widen, Steven G; Wood, Thomas G; Asgari, Sassan; Hughes, Grant L

    2017-01-01

    Zika virus (ZIKV) of the Flaviviridae family is a recently emerged mosquito-borne virus that has been implicated in the surge of the number of microcephaly instances in South America. The recent rapid spread of the virus led to its declaration as a global health emergency by the World Health Organization. The virus is transmitted mainly by the mosquito Aedes aegypti , which is also the vector of dengue virus; however, little is known about the interactions of the virus with the mosquito vector. In this study, we investigated the transcriptome profiles of whole A. aegypti mosquitoes in response to ZIKV infection at 2, 7, and 14 days postinfection using transcriptome sequencing. Results showed changes in the abundance of a large number of transcripts at each time point following infection, with 18 transcripts commonly changed among the three time points. Gene ontology analysis revealed that most of the altered genes are involved in metabolic processes, cellular processes, and proteolysis. In addition, 486 long intergenic noncoding RNAs that were altered upon ZIKV infection were identified. Further, we found changes of a number of potential mRNA target genes correlating with those of altered host microRNAs. The outcomes provide a basic understanding of A. aegypti responses to ZIKV and help to determine host factors involved in replication or mosquito host antiviral response against the virus. IMPORTANCE Vector-borne viruses pose great risks to human health. Zika virus has recently emerged as a global threat, rapidly expanding its distribution. Understanding the interactions of the virus with mosquito vectors at the molecular level is vital for devising new approaches in inhibiting virus transmission. In this study, we embarked on analyzing the transcriptional response of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes to Zika virus infection. Results showed large changes in both coding and long noncoding RNAs. Analysis of these genes showed similarities with other flaviviruses, including

  14. Transcriptome analysis of Aedes aegypti in response to mono-infections and co-infections of dengue virus-2 and chikungunya virus.

    PubMed

    Shrinet, Jatin; Srivastava, Pratibha; Sunil, Sujatha

    2017-10-28

    Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Dengue virus (DENV) spread via the bite of infected Aedes mosquitoes. Both these viruses exist as co-infections in the host as well as the vector and are known to exploit their cellular machinery for their replication. While there are studies reporting the changes in Aedes transcriptome when infected with DENV and CHIKV individually, the effect both these viruses have on the mosquitoes when present as co-infections is not clearly understood. In the present study, we infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes with DENV and CHIKV individually and as co-infection through nanoinjections. We performed high throughput RNA sequencing of the infected Aedes aegypti to understand the changes in the Aedes transcriptome during the early stages of infection, i.e., 24 h post infection and compared the transcriptome profiles during DENV and CHIKV mono-infections with that of co-infections. We identified 190 significantly regulated genes identified in CHIKV infected library, 37 genes from DENV library and 100 genes from co-infected library and they were classified into different pathways. Our study reveal that distinct pathways and transcripts are being regulated during the three types of infection states in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  15. Complex modulation of the Aedes aegypti transcriptome in response to dengue virus infection.

    PubMed

    Bonizzoni, Mariangela; Dunn, W Augustine; Campbell, Corey L; Olson, Ken E; Marinotti, Osvaldo; James, Anthony A

    2012-01-01

    Dengue fever is the most important arboviral disease world-wide, with Aedes aegypti being the major vector. Interactions between the mosquito host and dengue viruses (DENV) are complex and vector competence varies among geographically-distinct Ae. aegypti populations. Additionally, dengue is caused by four antigenically-distinct viral serotypes (DENV1-4), each with multiple genotypes. Each virus genotype interacts differently with vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Analyses of alterations in mosquito transcriptional profiles during DENV infection are expected to provide the basis for identifying networks of genes involved in responses to viruses and contribute to the molecular-genetic understanding of vector competence. In addition, this knowledge is anticipated to support the development of novel disease-control strategies. RNA-seq technology was used to assess genome-wide changes in transcript abundance at 1, 4 and 14 days following DENV2 infection in carcasses, midguts and salivary glands of the Ae. aegypti Chetumal strain. DENV2 affected the expression of 397 Ae. aegypti genes, most of which were down-regulated by viral infection. Differential accumulation of transcripts was mainly tissue- and time-specific. Comparisons of our data with other published reports reveal conservation of functional classes, but limited concordance of specific mosquito genes responsive to DENV2 infection. These results indicate the necessity of additional studies of mosquito-DENV interactions, specifically those focused on recently-derived mosquito strains with multiple dengue virus serotypes and genotypes.

  16. Complex Modulation of the Aedes aegypti Transcriptome in Response to Dengue Virus Infection

    PubMed Central

    Bonizzoni, Mariangela; Dunn, W. Augustine; Campbell, Corey L.; Olson, Ken E.; Marinotti, Osvaldo; James, Anthony A.

    2012-01-01

    Dengue fever is the most important arboviral disease world-wide, with Aedes aegypti being the major vector. Interactions between the mosquito host and dengue viruses (DENV) are complex and vector competence varies among geographically-distinct Ae. aegypti populations. Additionally, dengue is caused by four antigenically-distinct viral serotypes (DENV1–4), each with multiple genotypes. Each virus genotype interacts differently with vertebrate and invertebrate hosts. Analyses of alterations in mosquito transcriptional profiles during DENV infection are expected to provide the basis for identifying networks of genes involved in responses to viruses and contribute to the molecular-genetic understanding of vector competence. In addition, this knowledge is anticipated to support the development of novel disease-control strategies. RNA-seq technology was used to assess genome-wide changes in transcript abundance at 1, 4 and 14 days following DENV2 infection in carcasses, midguts and salivary glands of the Ae. aegypti Chetumal strain. DENV2 affected the expression of 397 Ae. aegypti genes, most of which were down-regulated by viral infection. Differential accumulation of transcripts was mainly tissue- and time-specific. Comparisons of our data with other published reports reveal conservation of functional classes, but limited concordance of specific mosquito genes responsive to DENV2 infection. These results indicate the necessity of additional studies of mosquito-DENV interactions, specifically those focused on recently-derived mosquito strains with multiple dengue virus serotypes and genotypes. PMID:23209765

  17. Transgene-mediated suppression of dengue viruses in the salivary glands of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Mathur, G; Sanchez-Vargas, I; Alvarez, D; Olson, K E; Marinotti, O; James, A A

    2010-12-01

    Controlled sex-, stage- and tissue-specific expression of antipathogen effector molecules is important for genetic engineering strategies to control mosquito-borne diseases. Adult female salivary glands are involved in pathogen transmission to human hosts and are target sites for expression of antipathogen effector molecules. The Aedes aegypti 30K a and 30K b genes are expressed exclusively in adult female salivary glands and are transcribed divergently from start sites separated by 263 nucleotides. The intergenic, 5'- and 3'-end untranslated regions of both genes are sufficient to express simultaneously two different transgene products in the distal-lateral lobes of the female salivary glands. An antidengue effector gene, membranes no protein (Mnp), driven by the 30K b promoter, expresses an inverted-repeat RNA with sequences derived from the premembrane protein-encoding region of the dengue virus serotype 2 genome and reduces significantly the prevalence and mean intensities of viral infection in mosquito salivary glands and saliva. © 2010 The Authors. Insect Molecular Biology © 2010 The Royal Entomological Society.

  18. Exposure to Aedes aegypti Bites Induces a Mixed-Type Allergic Response following Salivary Antigens Challenge in Mice

    PubMed Central

    Barros, Michele S.; Gomes, Eliane; Gueroni, Daniele I.; Ramos, Anderson D.; Mirotti, Luciana; Florsheim, Esther; Bizzarro, Bruna; Lino, Ciro N. R.; Maciel, Ceres; Lino-Dos-Santos-Franco, Adriana; Tavares-de-Lima, Wothan; Capurro, Margareth L.; Russo, Momtchilo

    2016-01-01

    Classical studies have shown that Aedes aegypti salivary secretion is responsible for the sensitization to mosquito bites and many of the components present in saliva are immunogenic and capable of inducing an intense immune response. Therefore, we have characterized a murine model of adjuvant-free systemic allergy induced by natural exposure to mosquito bites. BALB/c mice were sensitized by exposure to A. aegypti mosquito bites and intranasally challenged with phosphate-buffered saline only or the mosquito’s salivary gland extract (SGE). Blood, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) and lung were collected and evaluated for cellularity, histopathological analyses, cytokines and antibody determination. Respiratory pattern was analyzed by Penh measurements and tracheal segments were obtained to study in vitro reactivity to methacholine. BAL recovered from sensitized mice following challenge with SGE showed an increased number of eosinophils and Th2 cytokines such as IL-4, IL-5 and IL-13. Peribronchoalveolar eosinophil infiltration, mucus and collagen were also observed in lung parenchyma of sensitized mice, suggesting the development of a typical Th2 response. However, the antibody profile in serum of these mice evidenced a mixed-type response with presence of both, IgG1/IgE (Th2-related) and IgG2a (Th1-related) isotypes. In addition, changes in breathing pattern and tracheal reactivity to methacholine were not found. Taken together, our results show that A. aegypti bites trigger an atypical allergic reaction, with some classical cellular and soluble Th2 components in the lung, but also systemic Th1 and Th2 antibody isotypes and no change in either the respiratory pattern or the trachea responsiveness to agonist. PMID:27203689

  19. Host plant driven transcriptome plasticity in the salivary glands of the cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni)

    PubMed Central

    Galbraith, David A.; Grozinger, Christina M.; Felton, Gary W.

    2017-01-01

    Generalist herbivores feed on a wide array of plants and need to adapt to varying host qualities and defenses. One of the first insect derived secretions to come in contact with the plant is the saliva. Insect saliva is potentially involved in both the pre-digestion of the host plant as well as induction/suppression of plant defenses, yet how the salivary glands respond to changes in host plant at the transcriptional level is largely unknown. The objective of this study was to determine how the labial salivary gland transcriptome varies according to the host plant on which the insect is feeding. In order to determine this, cabbage looper (Trichoplusia ni) larvae were reared on cabbage, tomato, and pinto bean artificial diet. Labial glands were dissected from fifth instar larvae and used to extract RNA for RNASeq analysis. Assembly of the resulting sequencing reads resulted in a transcriptome library for T. ni salivary glands consisting of 14,037 expressed genes. Feeding on different host plant diets resulted in substantial remodeling of the gland transcriptomes, with 4,501 transcripts significantly differentially expressed across the three treatment groups. Gene expression profiles were most similar between cabbage and artificial diet, which corresponded to the two diets on which larvae perform best. Expression of several transcripts involved in detoxification processes were differentially expressed, and transcripts involved in the spliceosome pathway were significantly downregulated in tomato-reared larvae. Overall, this study demonstrates that the transcriptomes of the salivary glands of the cabbage looper are strongly responsive to diet. It also provides a foundation for future functional studies that can help us understand the role of saliva of chewing insects in plant-herbivore interactions. PMID:28792546

  20. Strain Variation in the Transcriptome of the Dengue Fever Vector, Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Bonizzoni, Mariangela; Dunn, W Augustine; Campbell, Corey L; Olson, Ken E; Marinotti, Osvaldo; James, Anthony A

    2012-01-01

    Studies of transcriptome dynamics provide a basis for understanding functional elements of the genome and the complexity of gene regulation. The dengue vector mosquito, Aedes aegypti, exhibits great adaptability to diverse ecological conditions, is phenotypically polymorphic, and shows variation in vectorial capacity to arboviruses. Previous genome sequencing showed richness in repetitive DNA and transposable elements that can contribute to genome plasticity. Population genetic studies revealed a varying degree of worldwide genetic polymorphism. However, the extent of functional genetic polymorphism across strains is unknown. The transcriptomes of three Ae. aegypti strains, Chetumal (CTM), Rexville D-Puerto Rico (Rex-D) and Liverpool (LVP), were compared. CTM is more susceptible than Rex- D to infection by dengue virus serotype 2. A total of 4188 transcripts exhibit either no or small variation (<2-fold) among sugar-fed samples of the three strains and between sugar- and blood-fed samples within each strain, corresponding most likely to genes encoding products necessary for vital functions. Transcripts enriched in blood-fed mosquitoes encode proteins associated with catalytic activities, molecular transport, metabolism of lipids, carbohydrates and amino acids, and functions related to blood digestion and the progression of the gonotropic cycle. Significant qualitative and quantitative differences were found in individual transcripts among strains including differential representation of paralogous gene products. The majority of immunity-associated transcripts decreased in accumulation after a bloodmeal and the results are discussed in relation to the different susceptibility of CTM and Rex-D mosquitoes to DENV2 infection.

  1. Comparative Analysis of Salivary Gland Transcriptomes of Phlebotomus orientalis Sand Flies from Endemic and Non-endemic Foci of Visceral Leishmaniasis

    PubMed Central

    Vlkova, Michaela; Sima, Michal; Rohousova, Iva; Kostalova, Tatiana; Sumova, Petra; Volfova, Vera; Jaske, Erin L.; Barbian, Kent D.; Gebre-Michael, Teshome; Hailu, Asrat; Warburg, Alon; Ribeiro, Jose M. C.; Valenzuela, Jesus G.; Jochim, Ryan C.; Volf, Petr

    2014-01-01

    Background In East Africa, Phlebotomus orientalis serves as the main vector of Leishmania donovani, the causative agent of visceral leishmaniasis (VL). Phlebotomus orientalis is present at two distant localities in Ethiopia; Addis Zemen where VL is endemic and Melka Werer where transmission of VL does not occur. To find out whether the difference in epidemiology of VL is due to distant compositions of P. orientalis saliva we established colonies from Addis Zemen and Melka Werer, analyzed and compared the transcriptomes, proteomes and enzymatic activity of the salivary glands. Methodology/Principal Findings Two cDNA libraries were constructed from the female salivary glands of P. orientalis from Addis Zemen and Melka Werer. Clones of each P. orientalis library were randomly selected, sequenced and analyzed. In P. orientalis transcriptomes, we identified members of 13 main protein families. Phylogenetic analysis and multiple sequence alignments were performed to evaluate differences between the P. orientalis colonies and to show the relationship with other sand fly species from the subgenus Larroussius. To further compare both colonies, we investigated the humoral antigenicity and cross-reactivity of the salivary proteins and the activity of salivary apyrase and hyaluronidase. Conclusions This is the first report of the salivary components of P. orientalis, an important vector sand fly. Our study expanded the knowledge of salivary gland compounds of sand fly species in the subgenus Larroussius. Based on the phylogenetic analysis, we showed that P. orientalis is closely related to Phlebotomus tobbi and Phlebotomus perniciosus, whereas Phlebotomus ariasi is evolutionarily more distinct species. We also demonstrated that there is no significant difference between the transcriptomes, proteomes or enzymatic properties of the salivary components of Addis Zemen (endemic area) and Melka Werer (non-endemic area) P. orientalis colonies. Thus, the different epidemiology of VL

  2. Comparative transcriptome analysis of salivary glands of two populations of rice brown planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, that differ in virulence.

    PubMed

    Ji, Rui; Yu, Haixin; Fu, Qiang; Chen, Hongdan; Ye, Wenfeng; Li, Shaohui; Lou, Yonggen

    2013-01-01

    The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), a destructive rice pest in Asia, can quickly overcome rice resistance by evolving new virulent populations. Herbivore saliva plays an important role in plant-herbivore interactions, including in plant defense and herbivore virulence. However, thus far little is known about BPH saliva at the molecular level, especially its role in virulence and BPH-rice interaction. Using cDNA amplification in combination with Illumina short-read sequencing technology, we sequenced the salivary-gland transcriptomes of two BPH populations with different virulence; the populations were derived from rice variety TN1 (TN1 population) and Mudgo (M population). In total, 37,666 and 38,451 unigenes were generated from the salivary glands of these populations, respectively. When combined, a total of 43,312 unigenes were obtained, about 18 times more than the number of expressed sequence tags previously identified from these glands. Gene ontology annotations and KEGG orthology classifications indicated that genes related to metabolism, binding and transport were significantly active in the salivary glands. A total of 352 genes were predicted to encode secretory proteins, and some might play important roles in BPH feeding and BPH-rice interactions. Comparative analysis of the transcriptomes of the two populations revealed that the genes related to 'metabolism,' 'digestion and absorption,' and 'salivary secretion' might be associated with virulence. Moreover, 67 genes encoding putative secreted proteins were differentially expressed between the two populations, suggesting these genes may contribute to the change in virulence. This study was the first to compare the salivary-gland transcriptomes of two BPH populations having different virulence traits and to find genes that may be related to this difference. Our data provide a rich molecular resource for future functional studies on salivary glands and will be useful for elucidating the

  3. Mating-Induced Transcriptome Changes in the Reproductive Tract of Female Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    Degner, Ethan C.; Avila, Frank W.; Villarreal, Susan M.; Pleiss, Jeffrey A.; Wolfner, Mariana F.; Harrington, Laura C.

    2016-01-01

    The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a significant public health threat, as it is the main vector of dengue and chikungunya viruses. Disease control efforts could be enhanced through reproductive manipulation of these vectors. Previous work has revealed a relationship between male seminal fluid proteins transferred to females during mating and female post-mating physiology and behavior. To better understand this interplay, we used short-read RNA sequencing to identify gene expression changes in the lower reproductive tract of females in response to mating. We characterized mRNA expression in virgin and mated females at 0, 6 and 24 hours post-mating (hpm) and identified 364 differentially abundant transcripts between mating status groups. Surprisingly, 60 transcripts were more abundant at 0hpm compared to virgin females, suggesting transfer from males. Twenty of these encode known Ae. aegypti seminal fluid proteins. Transfer and detection of male accessory gland-derived mRNA in females at 0hpm was confirmed by measurement of eGFP mRNA in females mated to eGFP-expressing males. In addition, 150 transcripts were up-regulated at 6hpm and 24hpm, while 130 transcripts were down-regulated at 6hpm and 24hpm. Gene Ontology (GO) enrichment analysis revealed that proteases, a protein class broadly known to play important roles in reproduction, were among the most enriched protein classes. RNAs associated with immune system and antimicrobial function were also up-regulated at 24hpm. Collectively, our results suggest that copulation initiates broad transcriptome changes across the mosquito female reproductive tract, “priming” her for important subsequent processes of blood feeding, egg development and immune defense. Our transcriptome analysis provides a vital foundation for future studies of the consequences of mating on female biology and will aid studies seeking to identify specific gene families, molecules and pathways that support key reproductive processes in the female

  4. Expression, purification, characterization and clinical relevance of rAed a 1--a 68-kDa recombinant mosquito Aedes aegypti salivary allergen.

    PubMed

    Peng, Z; Xu, W; James, A A; Lam, H; Sun, D; Cheng, L; Simons, F E

    2001-12-01

    Accurate diagnosis of mosquito allergy has been precluded by the difficulty of obtaining salivary allergens. In this study, we expressed, purified, characterized and investigated the clinical relevance of a recombinant Aedes aegypti salivary allergen, rAed a 1. Two cDNA segments were ligated together to form the full-length Aed a 1 gene. rAed a 1 was expressed using a baculovirus/insect cell system, and purified using a combination of anion-exchange and gel-filtration chromatography. The purified rAed a 1 bound to human IgE, as detected by ELISA, ELISA inhibition tests and immunoblot analyses. Epicutaneous tests with rAed a 1 and a commercial whole-body AE: aegypti extract, and AE: aegypti bite tests were performed in 48 subjects. Nine of 31 (29%) of the subjects with positive immediate bite tests also had a positive rAed a 1 immediate skin reaction and 32% had an positive immediate test to the commercial extract. Six of 33 (18%) of the subjects with positive delayed bite tests also had a positive rAed a 1 delayed skin reaction and 6% had a positive delayed test to the commercial extract. Furthermore, rAed a 1-induced flare sizes significantly correlated with mosquito bite-induced flare sizes. None of the subjects with negative bite tests had a positive skin test to rAed a 1 or to commercial extract. We conclude that the rAed a 1 has identical antigenicity and biological activity to native Aed a 1, can be used in the in vitro and in vivo diagnosis of mosquito allergy, and is more sensitive than mosquito whole-body extract for detecting delayed skin reactions.

  5. rAed a 4: A New 67-kDa Aedes aegypti Mosquito Salivary Allergen for the Diagnosis of Mosquito Allergy.

    PubMed

    Peng, Zhikang; Caihe, Li; Beckett, Andrew N; Guan, Qingdong; James, Anthony A; Simons, F Estelle R

    2016-01-01

    Accurate diagnosis of mosquito allergy has been hampered by the laborious task of obtaining mosquito salivary allergens. We have previously studied 3 recombinant (r) Aedes aegypti mosquito salivary allergens: rAed a 1, rAed a 2 and rAed a 3. Here, we report the expression, purification, identification and evaluation of rAed a 4, a 67-kDa α-glucosidase. rAed a 4 was expressed using a baculovirus/insect cell system, purified by a combination of anion- and cation-exchange chromatography, and identified by immunoblotting. A. aegypti saliva extract was prepared in our laboratory. An indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was developed to measure rAed a 4-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) and IgG antibodies in sera from 13 individuals with a positive mosquito-bite test from a laboratory-reared mosquito. Sera from 18 individuals with a negative bite test served as controls. Purified rAed a 4 bound to the IgE in mosquito-allergic sera, as detected by ELISA and immunoblotting. The binding of rAed a 4 to IgE could be inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by the addition of an A. aegypti extract. Mosquito-allergic individuals had significantly higher mean levels of rAed a 4-specific IgE and IgG than controls. Using the mean of the controls ± 2 SD as a cut-off level, 46% of the 13 allergic individuals had a positive IgE, while none of the controls was positive (p < 0.001). Aed a 4 is a major allergen in mosquito saliva. Its recombinant form has the hydrolase function and can be used for the diagnosis of mosquito allergy. © 2016 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  6. Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of Salivary Glands of Two Populations of Rice Brown Planthopper, Nilaparvata lugens, That Differ in Virulence

    PubMed Central

    Chen, Hongdan; Ye, Wenfeng; Li, Shaohui; Lou, Yonggen

    2013-01-01

    Background The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål), a destructive rice pest in Asia, can quickly overcome rice resistance by evolving new virulent populations. Herbivore saliva plays an important role in plant–herbivore interactions, including in plant defense and herbivore virulence. However, thus far little is known about BPH saliva at the molecular level, especially its role in virulence and BPH–rice interaction. Methodology/Principal Findings Using cDNA amplification in combination with Illumina short-read sequencing technology, we sequenced the salivary-gland transcriptomes of two BPH populations with different virulence; the populations were derived from rice variety TN1 (TN1 population) and Mudgo (M population). In total, 37,666 and 38,451 unigenes were generated from the salivary glands of these populations, respectively. When combined, a total of 43,312 unigenes were obtained, about 18 times more than the number of expressed sequence tags previously identified from these glands. Gene ontology annotations and KEGG orthology classifications indicated that genes related to metabolism, binding and transport were significantly active in the salivary glands. A total of 352 genes were predicted to encode secretory proteins, and some might play important roles in BPH feeding and BPH–rice interactions. Comparative analysis of the transcriptomes of the two populations revealed that the genes related to ‘metabolism,’ ‘digestion and absorption,’ and ‘salivary secretion’ might be associated with virulence. Moreover, 67 genes encoding putative secreted proteins were differentially expressed between the two populations, suggesting these genes may contribute to the change in virulence. Conclusions/Significance This study was the first to compare the salivary-gland transcriptomes of two BPH populations having different virulence traits and to find genes that may be related to this difference. Our data provide a rich molecular resource for

  7. The salivary gland transcriptome of the eastern tree hole mosquito, Ochlerotatus triseriatus.

    PubMed

    Calvo, Eric; Sanchez-Vargas, Irma; Kotsyfakis, Michalis; Favreau, Amanda J; Barbian, Kent D; Pham, Van M; Olson, Kenneth E; Ribeiro, José M C

    2010-05-01

    Saliva of blood-sucking arthropods contains a complex mixture of peptides that affect their host's hemostasis, inflammation, and immunity. These activities can also modify the site of pathogen delivery and increase disease transmission. Saliva also induces hosts to mount an antisaliva immune response that can lead to skin allergies or even anaphylaxis. Accordingly, knowledge of the salivary repertoire, or sialome, of a mosquito is useful to provide a knowledge platform to mine for novel pharmacological activities, to develop novel vaccine targets for vector-borne diseases, and to develop epidemiological markers of vector exposure and candidate desensitization vaccines. The mosquito Ochlerotatus triseriatus is a vector of La Crosse virus and produces allergy in humans. In this work, a total of 1,575 clones randomly selected from an adult female O. triseriatus salivary gland cDNA library was sequenced and used to assemble a database that yielded 731 clusters of related sequences, 560 of which were singletons. Primer extension experiments were performed in selected clones to further extend sequence coverage, allowing for the identification of 159 protein sequences, 66 of which code for putative secreted proteins. Supplemental spreadsheets containing these data are available at http://exon.niaid.nih.gov/transcriptome/Ochlerotatus_triseriatus/S1/Ot-S1.xls and http://exon.niaid. nih.gov/transcriptome/Ochlerotatus_triseriatus/S2/Ot-S2.xls.

  8. Alterations in the Aedes aegypti Transcriptome during Infection with West Nile, Dengue and Yellow Fever Viruses

    PubMed Central

    Colpitts, Tonya M.; Cox, Jonathan; Vanlandingham, Dana L.; Feitosa, Fabiana M.; Cheng, Gong; Kurscheid, Sebastian; Wang, Penghua; Krishnan, Manoj N.; Higgs, Stephen; Fikrig, Erol

    2011-01-01

    West Nile (WNV), dengue (DENV) and yellow fever (YFV) viruses are (re)emerging, mosquito-borne flaviviruses that cause human disease and mortality worldwide. Alterations in mosquito gene expression common and unique to individual flaviviral infections are poorly understood. Here, we present a microarray analysis of the Aedes aegypti transcriptome over time during infection with DENV, WNV or YFV. We identified 203 mosquito genes that were ≥5-fold differentially up-regulated (DUR) and 202 genes that were ≥10-fold differentially down-regulated (DDR) during infection with one of the three flaviviruses. Comparative analysis revealed that the expression profile of 20 DUR genes and 15 DDR genes was quite similar between the three flaviviruses on D1 of infection, indicating a potentially conserved transcriptomic signature of flaviviral infection. Bioinformatics analysis revealed changes in expression of genes from diverse cellular processes, including ion binding, transport, metabolic processes and peptidase activity. We also demonstrate that virally-regulated gene expression is tissue-specific. The overexpression of several virally down-regulated genes decreased WNV infection in mosquito cells and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Among these, a pupal cuticle protein was shown to bind WNV envelope protein, leading to inhibition of infection in vitro and the prevention of lethal WNV encephalitis in mice. This work provides an extensive list of targets for controlling flaviviral infection in mosquitoes that may also be used to develop broad preventative and therapeutic measures for multiple flaviviruses. PMID:21909258

  9. Alterations in the Aedes aegypti transcriptome during infection with West Nile, dengue and yellow fever viruses.

    PubMed

    Colpitts, Tonya M; Cox, Jonathan; Vanlandingham, Dana L; Feitosa, Fabiana M; Cheng, Gong; Kurscheid, Sebastian; Wang, Penghua; Krishnan, Manoj N; Higgs, Stephen; Fikrig, Erol

    2011-09-01

    West Nile (WNV), dengue (DENV) and yellow fever (YFV) viruses are (re)emerging, mosquito-borne flaviviruses that cause human disease and mortality worldwide. Alterations in mosquito gene expression common and unique to individual flaviviral infections are poorly understood. Here, we present a microarray analysis of the Aedes aegypti transcriptome over time during infection with DENV, WNV or YFV. We identified 203 mosquito genes that were ≥ 5-fold differentially up-regulated (DUR) and 202 genes that were ≥ 10-fold differentially down-regulated (DDR) during infection with one of the three flaviviruses. Comparative analysis revealed that the expression profile of 20 DUR genes and 15 DDR genes was quite similar between the three flaviviruses on D1 of infection, indicating a potentially conserved transcriptomic signature of flaviviral infection. Bioinformatics analysis revealed changes in expression of genes from diverse cellular processes, including ion binding, transport, metabolic processes and peptidase activity. We also demonstrate that virally-regulated gene expression is tissue-specific. The overexpression of several virally down-regulated genes decreased WNV infection in mosquito cells and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. Among these, a pupal cuticle protein was shown to bind WNV envelope protein, leading to inhibition of infection in vitro and the prevention of lethal WNV encephalitis in mice. This work provides an extensive list of targets for controlling flaviviral infection in mosquitoes that may also be used to develop broad preventative and therapeutic measures for multiple flaviviruses.

  10. An insight into the transcriptome and proteome of the salivary gland of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans.

    PubMed

    Wang, Xuyong; Ribeiro, José M C; Broce, Alberto B; Wilkerson, Melinda J; Kanost, Michael R

    2009-09-01

    Adult stable flies are blood feeders, a nuisance, and mechanical vectors of veterinary diseases. To enable efficient feeding, blood sucking insects have evolved a sophisticated array of salivary compounds to disarm their host's hemostasis and inflammatory reaction. While the sialomes of several blood sucking Nematocera flies have been described, no thorough description has been made so far of any Brachycera, except for a detailed proteome analysis of a tabanid (Xu et al., 2008). In this work we provide an insight into the sialome of the muscid Stomoxys calcitrans, revealing a complex mixture of serine proteases, endonucleases, Kazal-containing peptides, anti-thrombins, antigen 5 related proteins, antimicrobial peptides, and the usual finding of mysterious secreted peptides that have no known partners, and may reflect the very fast evolution of salivary proteins due to the vertebrate host immune pressure. Supplemental Tables S1 and S2 can be downloaded from http://exon.niaid.nih.gov/transcriptome/S_calcitrans/T1/Sc-tb1-web.xls and http://exon.niaid.nih.gov/transcriptome/S_calcitrans/T2/Sc-tb2-web.xls.

  11. An insight into the transcriptome and proteome of the salivary gland of the stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xuyong; Ribeiro, José M. C.; Broce, Alberto B.; Wilkerson, Melinda J.; Kanost, Michael R.

    2009-01-01

    Adult stable flies are blood feeders, a nuisance, and mechanical vectors of veterinary diseases. To enable efficient feeding, blood sucking insects have evolved a sophisticated array of salivary compounds to disarm their host's hemostasis and inflammatory reaction. While the sialomes of several blood sucking Nematocera flies have been described, no thorough description has been made so far of any Brachycera, except for a detailed proteome analysis of a tabanid (Xu et al., 2008). In this work we provide an insight into the sialome of the muscid Stomoxys calcitrans, revealing a complex mixture of serine proteases, endonucleases, Kazal-containing peptides, anti-thrombins, antigen-5 related proteins, antimicrobial peptides, and the usual finding of mysterious secreted peptides that have no known partners, and may reflect the very fast evolution of salivary proteins due to the vertebrate host immune pressure. Supplemental tables S1 and S2 can be downloaded from http://exon.niaid.nih.gov/transcriptome/S_calcitrans/T1/Sc-tb1-web.xls and http://exon.niaid.nih.gov/transcriptome/S_calcitrans/T2/Sc-tb2-web.xls. PMID:19576987

  12. Feasibility of the salivary transcriptome as a novel biomarker in determining disease susceptibility.

    PubMed

    Hidayat, M F H; Milne, T; Cullinan, M P; Seymour, G J

    2018-06-01

    The salivary transcriptome may present as a readily available and non-invasive source of potential biomarkers. The development of chronic periodontitis is determined by individual patient susceptibility; hence, the aim of this study was to determine the potential of the salivary transcriptome as a biomarker of disease susceptibility using chronic periodontitis as an example. Using an Oragene ® RNA kit, the total RNA was purified from the saliva of 10 patients with chronic periodontitis and 10 patients without chronic periodontitis. The quantity and quality of the total RNA was determined, and a measure of gene expression via cDNA was undertaken using the Affymetrix microarray system. The microarray profiling result was further validated by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Spectrophotometric analysis showed the total RNA purified from each participant ranged from 0.92 μg/500 μL to 62.85 μg/500 μL. There was great variability in the quantity of total RNA obtained from the 2 groups in the study with a mean of 10.21 ± 12.71 μg/500 μL for the periodontitis group and 15.97 ± 23.47 μg/500 μL for the control group. Further the RNA purity (based on the A 260 /A 280 ratio) for the majority of participants (9 periodontitis and 6 controls) were within the acceptable limits for downstream analysis (2.0 ± 0.1). The study samples, showed 2 distinct bands at 23S (3800 bp) and 16S (1500 bp) characteristic of bacterial rRNA. Preliminary microarray analysis was performed for 4 samples (P2, P6, H5 and H9). The percentage of genes present in each of the 4 samples was not consistent with about 1.8%-18.7% of genes being detected. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction confirmed that the total RNA purified from each sample was mainly bacterial RNA (Uni 16S) with minimal human mRNA. This study showed that minimal amounts of human RNA were able to be isolated from the saliva of patients with periodontitis as well as controls. Further

  13. Gene discovery in Boophilus microplus, the cattle tick: the transcriptomes of ovaries, salivary glands, and hemocytes.

    PubMed

    Santos, Isabel K F de Miranda; Valenzuela, Jesus G; Ribeiro, José Marcos C; de Castro, Marilia; Costa, Juliana Nardelli; Costa, Ana Maria; da Silva, Edson Ramiro; Neto, Olavo Bilac Rego; Rocha, Clarisse; Daffre, Sirlei; Ferreira, Beatriz R; da Silva, João Santana; Szabó, Matias Pablo; Bechara, Gervasio Henrique

    2004-10-01

    The quest for new control strategies for ticks can profit from high throughput genomics. In order to identify genes that are involved in oogenesis and development, in defense, and in hematophagy, the transcriptomes of ovaries, hemocytes, and salivary glands from rapidly ingurgitating females, and of salivary glands from males of Boophilus microplus were PCR amplified, and the expressed sequence tags (EST) of random clones were mass sequenced. So far, more than 1,344 EST have been generated for these tissues, with approximately 30% novelty, depending on the the tissue studied. To date approximately 760 nucleotide sequences from B. microplus are deposited in the NCBI database. Mass sequencing of partial cDNAs of parasite genes can build up this scant database and rapidly generate a large quantity of useful information about potential targets for immunobiological or chemical control.

  14. De novo sequencing, assembly and analysis of salivary gland transcriptome of Haemaphysalis flava and identification of sialoprotein genes.

    PubMed

    Xu, Xing-Li; Cheng, Tian-Yin; Yang, Hu; Yan, Fen; Yang, Ya

    2015-06-01

    Saliva plays an important role in feeding and pathogen transmission, identification and analysis of tick salivary gland (SG) proteins is considered as a hot spot in anti-tick researching area. Herein, we present the first description of SG transcriptome of Haemaphysalis flava using next-generation sequencing (NGS). A total of over 143 million high-quality reads were assembled into 54,357 unigenes, of which 20,145 (37.06%) had significant similarities to proteins in the Swiss-Prot database. 13,513 annotated sequences were associated with GO terms. Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis showed that 14,280 unigenes were assigned to 279 KEGG pathways in total. Reads per kb per million reads (RPKM) analysis showed that there were 3035 down-regulated unigenes and 2260 up-regulated unigenes in the engorged ticks (ET) compared with the semi-engorged one (SET). Several important genes are associated with blood feeding and ingestion as secreted salivary proteins, concluding cysteine, longipain, 4D8, calreticulin, metalloproteases, serine protease inhibitor, enolase, heat shock protein and AV422 in SG, were identified. The qRT-PCR results confirmed that patterns of these genes (except for the longipain gene) expression were consistent with RNA-seq results. This de novo assembly of SG transcriptome of H. flava not only provides more chance for screening and cloning functional genes, but also forms a solid basis for further insight into the changes of salivary proteins during blood-feeding. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Mosquito salivary allergen Aed a 3: cloning, comprehensive molecular analysis, and clinical evaluation.

    PubMed

    Peng, Z; Xu, W W; Sham, Y; Lam, H; Sun, D; Cheng, L; Rasic, N F; Guan, Q; James, A A; Simons, F E R

    2016-05-01

    Allergic reactions to mosquito bites are an increasing clinical concern. Due to the lack of availability of mosquito salivary allergens, they are underdiagnosed. Here, we reported a newly cloned mosquito Aedes (Ae.) aegypti salivary allergen. A cDNA encoding a 30-kDa Ae. aegypti salivary protein, designated Aed a 3, was isolated from an expression library. The full-length cDNA was cloned into a baculovirus expression vector, and recombinant Aed a 3 (rAed a 3) was expressed, purified, and characterized. Skin prick tests with purified rAed a 3 and Ae. aegypti bite tests were performed in 43 volunteers. Serum rAed a 3-specific IgE levels were measured in 28 volunteers. The primary nucleotide sequence, deduced amino acid sequence, and IgE-binding sites of Aed a 3 were identified. rAed a 3-selected antibodies recognized a 30-kDa Ae. aegypti saliva protein. rAed a 3 bound IgE in mosquito-allergic volunteers and the binding could be inhibited by the addition of natural mosquito extract dose dependently. Immediate skin test reactions to rAed a 3 correlated significantly with mosquito bite-induced reactions. Of the bite test-positive volunteers, 32% had a positive rAed a 3 skin test and 46% had specific IgE. No bite test-negative volunteers reacted to rAed a 3 in either the skin tests or the IgE assays, confirming the specificity of the assay. Aed a 3 that corresponds to the Aegyptin protein is a major mosquito salivary allergen. Its recombinant form has biological activity and is suitable for use in skin tests and specific IgE assays in mosquito-allergic individuals. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. A Deep Insight into the Sialome of Male and Female Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

    PubMed Central

    Ribeiro, José M. C.; Martin-Martin, Ines; Arcà, Bruno; Calvo, Eric

    2016-01-01

    Only adult female mosquitoes feed on blood, while both genders take sugar meals. Accordingly, several compounds associated with blood feeding (i.e. vasodilators, anti-clotting, anti-platelets) are found only in female glands, while enzymes associated with sugar feeding or antimicrobials (such as lysozyme) are found in the glands of both sexes. We performed de novo assembly of reads from adult Aedes aegypti female and male salivary gland libraries (285 and 90 million reads, respectively). By mapping back the reads to the assembled contigs, plus mapping the reads from a publicly available Ae. aegypti library from adult whole bodies, we identified 360 transcripts (including splice variants and alleles) overexpressed tenfold or more in the glands when compared to whole bodies. Moreover, among these, 207 were overexpressed fivefold or more in female vs. male salivary glands, 85 were near equally expressed and 68 were overexpressed in male glands. We call in particular the attention to C-type lectins, angiopoietins, female-specific Antigen 5, the 9.7 kDa, 12–14 kDa, 23.5 kDa, 62/34 kDa, 4.2 kDa, proline-rich peptide, SG8, 8.7 kDa family and SGS fragments: these polypeptides are all of unknown function, but due to their overexpression in female salivary glands and putative secretory nature they are expected to affect host physiology. We have also found many transposons (some of which novel) and several endogenous viral transcripts (probably acquired by horizontal transfer) which are overexpressed in the salivary glands and may play some role in tissue-specific gene regulation or represent a mechanism of virus interference. This work contributes to a near definitive catalog of male and female salivary gland transcripts from Ae. aegypti, which will help to direct further studies aiming at the functional characterization of the many transcripts with unknown function and the understanding of their role in vector-host interaction and pathogen transmission. PMID:26999592

  17. Genome Investigations of Vector Competence in Aedes aegypti to Inform Novel Arbovirus Disease Control Approaches

    PubMed Central

    Severson, David W.; Behura, Susanta K.

    2016-01-01

    Dengue (DENV), yellow fever, chikungunya, and Zika virus transmission to humans by a mosquito host is confounded by both intrinsic and extrinsic variables. Besides virulence factors of the individual arboviruses, likelihood of virus transmission is subject to variability in the genome of the primary mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. The “vectorial capacity” of A. aegypti varies depending upon its density, biting rate, and survival rate, as well as its intrinsic ability to acquire, host and transmit a given arbovirus. This intrinsic ability is known as “vector competence”. Based on whole transcriptome analysis, several genes and pathways have been predicated to have an association with a susceptible or refractory response in A. aegypti to DENV infection. However, the functional genomics of vector competence of A. aegypti is not well understood, primarily due to lack of integrative approaches in genomic or transcriptomic studies. In this review, we focus on the present status of genomics studies of DENV vector competence in A. aegypti as limited information is available relative to the other arboviruses. We propose future areas of research needed to facilitate the integration of vector and virus genomics and environmental factors to work towards better understanding of vector competence and vectorial capacity in natural conditions. PMID:27809220

  18. RNA-seq based transcriptomic map reveals new insights into mouse salivary gland development and maturation.

    PubMed

    Gluck, Christian; Min, Sangwon; Oyelakin, Akinsola; Smalley, Kirsten; Sinha, Satrajit; Romano, Rose-Anne

    2016-11-16

    Mouse models have served a valuable role in deciphering various facets of Salivary Gland (SG) biology, from normal developmental programs to diseased states. To facilitate such studies, gene expression profiling maps have been generated for various stages of SG organogenesis. However these prior studies fall short of capturing the transcriptional complexity due to the limited scope of gene-centric microarray-based technology. Compared to microarray, RNA-sequencing (RNA-seq) offers unbiased detection of novel transcripts, broader dynamic range and high specificity and sensitivity for detection of genes, transcripts, and differential gene expression. Although RNA-seq data, particularly under the auspices of the ENCODE project, have covered a large number of biological specimens, studies on the SG have been lacking. To better appreciate the wide spectrum of gene expression profiles, we isolated RNA from mouse submandibular salivary glands at different embryonic and adult stages. In parallel, we processed RNA-seq data for 24 organs and tissues obtained from the mouse ENCODE consortium and calculated the average gene expression values. To identify molecular players and pathways likely to be relevant for SG biology, we performed functional gene enrichment analysis, network construction and hierarchal clustering of the RNA-seq datasets obtained from different stages of SG development and maturation, and other mouse organs and tissues. Our bioinformatics-based data analysis not only reaffirmed known modulators of SG morphogenesis but revealed novel transcription factors and signaling pathways unique to mouse SG biology and function. Finally we demonstrated that the unique SG gene signature obtained from our mouse studies is also well conserved and can demarcate features of the human SG transcriptome that is different from other tissues. Our RNA-seq based Atlas has revealed a high-resolution cartographic view of the dynamic transcriptomic landscape of the mouse SG at

  19. Identification and initial characterization of matrix metalloproteinases in the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Kantor, A M; Dong, S; Held, N L; Ishimwe, E; Passarelli, A L; Clem, R J; Franz, A W E

    2017-02-01

    Aedes aegypti is a major vector for arboviruses such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. During acquisition of a viremic bloodmeal, an arbovirus infects mosquito midgut cells before disseminating to secondary tissues, including the salivary glands. Once virus is released into the salivary ducts it can be transmitted to another vertebrate host. The midgut is surrounded by a basal lamina (BL) in the extracellular matrix, consisting of a proteinaceous mesh composed of collagen IV and laminin. BL pore size exclusion limit prevents virions from passing through. Thus, the BL probably requires remodelling via enzymatic activity to enable efficient virus dissemination. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are extracellular endopeptidases that are involved in remodelling of the extracellular matrix. Here, we describe and characterize the nine Ae. aegypti encoded MMPs, AeMMPs 1-9, which share common features with other invertebrate and vertebrate MMPs. Expression profiling in Ae. aegypti revealed that Aemmp4 and Aemmp6 were upregulated during metamorphosis, whereas expression of Aemmp1 and Aemmp2 increased during bloodmeal digestion. Aemmp1 expression was also upregulated in the presence of a bloodmeal containing chikungunya virus. Using polyclonal antibodies, AeMMP1 and AeMMP2 were specifically detected in tissues associated with the mosquito midgut. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.

  20. Infection with dengue-2 virus alters proteins in naturally expectorated saliva of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Dengue virus (DENV) is responsible for up to approximately 300 million infections and an increasing number of deaths related to severe manifestations each year in affected countries throughout the tropics. It is critical to understand the drivers of this emergence, including the role of vector-virus interactions. When a DENV-infected Aedes aegypti mosquito bites a vertebrate, the virus is deposited along with a complex mixture of salivary proteins. However, the influence of a DENV infection upon the expectorated salivary proteome of its vector has yet to be determined. Methods Therefore, we conducted a proteomic analysis using 2-D gel electrophoresis coupled with mass spectrometry based protein identification comparing the naturally expectorated saliva of Aedes aegypti infected with DENV-2 relative to that of uninfected Aedes aegypti. Results Several proteins were found to be differentially expressed in the saliva of DENV-2 infected mosquitoes, in particular proteins with anti-hemostatic and pain inhibitory functions were significantly reduced. Hypothetical consequences of these particular protein reductions include increased biting rates and transmission success, and lead to alteration of transmission potential as calculated in our vectorial capacity model. Conclusions We present our characterizations of these changes with regards to viral transmission and mosquito blood-feeding success. Further, we conclude that our proteomic analysis of Aedes aegypti saliva altered by DENV infection provides a unique opportunity to identify pro-viral impacts key to virus transmission. PMID:24886023

  1. Characterization of the antigen distribution and tissue tropisms of three phenotypically distinct yellow fever virus variants in orally infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

    PubMed

    McElroy, Kate L; Girard, Yvette A; McGee, Charles E; Tsetsarkin, Konstantin A; Vanlandingham, Dana L; Higgs, Stephen

    2008-10-01

    Arbovirus dissemination from the midgut of a vector mosquito is a critical step in facilitating virus transmission to a susceptible host. We previously characterized the genetic determinants of yellow fever virus (YFV) dissemination from the Aedes aegypti mosquito midgut using 2 genetically and phenotypically distinct strains of YFV: the wild-type, disseminating YFV Asibi strain and the attenuated, midgut-restricted YFV 17D vaccine strain. We examined the process of viral dissemination in YFV-infected Ae. aegypti by characterizing the tissue tropisms of 3 YF viruses in Ae. aegypti: Asibi, 17D, and a chimeric virus (17D/Asibi M-E) containing the Asibi membrane (M) and envelope (E) structural protein genes and 17D nonstructural genes. Ae. aegypti were infected orally, and whole, sectioned mosquitoes were evaluated for antigen distribution at 3, 7, 10, 14, and 21 days postinfection by immunohistochemical staining. Virus antigen was consistently observed in the posterior and anterior midgut, cardial epithelium, salivary glands, fat body, and nervous tissues in Asibi- and 17D/Asibi M-E-infected Ae. aegypti following 10 or 14-day extrinsic incubation, respectively. Amplification of virus in the abdominal and thoracic fat body is hypothesized to facilitate YFV infection of the Ae. aegypti salivary glands. As expected, 17D infection was generally limited to the midgut following oral infection. However, there did not appear to be a direct correlation between distribution of infection in the midgut and dissemination to the secondary tissues.

  2. The midgut transcriptome of Aedes aegypti fed with saline or protein meals containing chikungunya virus reveals genes potentially involved in viral midgut escape.

    PubMed

    Dong, Shengzhang; Behura, Susanta K; Franz, Alexander W E

    2017-05-15

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector for medically important arthropod-borne viruses, including chikungunya virus (CHIKV). Following oral acquisition, an arbovirus has to persistently infect several organs in the mosquito before becoming transmissible to another vertebrate host. A major obstacle an arbovirus has to overcome during its infection cycle inside the mosquito is the midgut escape barrier, representing the exit mechanism arboviruses utilize when disseminating from the midgut. To understand the transcriptomic basis of midgut escape and to reveal genes involved in the process, we conducted a comparative transcriptomic analysis of midgut samples from mosquitoes which had received a saline meal (SM) or a protein meal (PM) (not) containing CHIKV. CHIKV which was orally acquired by a mosquito along with a SM or PM productively infected the midgut epithelium and disseminated to secondary tissues. A total of 27 RNA-Seq libraries from midguts of mosquitoes that had received PM or SM (not) containing CHIKV at 1 and 2 days post-feeding were generated and sequenced. Fewer than 80 genes responded differentially to the presence of CHIKV in midguts of mosquitoes that had acquired the virus along with SM or PM. SM feeding induced differential expression (DE) of 479 genes at day 1 and 314 genes at day 2 when compared to midguts of sugarfed mosquitoes. By comparison, PM feeding induced 6029 DE genes at day 1 and 7368 genes at day 2. Twenty-three DE genes encoding trypsins, metalloproteinases, and serine-type endopeptidases were significantly upregulated in midguts of mosquitoes at day 1 following SM or PM ingestion. Two of these genes were Ae. aegypti late trypsin (AeLT) and serine collagenase 1 precursor (AeSP1). In vitro, recombinant AeLT showed strong matrix metalloproteinase activity whereas recombinant AeSP1 did not. By substituting a bloodmeal for SM, we identified midgut-expressed genes not involved in blood or protein digestion. These included genes

  3. Use of Anti-Aedes aegypti Salivary Extract Antibody Concentration to Correlate Risk of Vector Exposure and Dengue Transmission Risk in Colombia

    PubMed Central

    Londono-Renteria, Berlin; Cardenas, Jenny C.; Cardenas, Lucio D.; Christofferson, Rebecca C.; Chisenhall, Daniel M.; Wesson, Dawn M.; McCracken, Michael K.; Carvajal, Daisy; Mores, Christopher N.

    2013-01-01

    Norte de Santander is a region in Colombia with a high incidence of dengue virus (DENV). In this study, we examined the serum concentration of anti-Aedes salivary gland extract (SGE) antibodies as a biomarker of DENV infection and transmission, and assessed the duration of anti-SGE antibody concentration after exposure to the vector ceased. We also determined whether SGE antibody concentration could differentiate between positive and negative DENV infected individuals and whether there are differences in exposure for each DENV serotype. We observed a significant decrease in the concentration of IgG antibodies at least 40 days after returning to an “Ae. aegypti-free” area. In addition, we found significantly higher anti-SGE IgG concentrations in DENV positive patients with some difference in exposure to mosquito bites among DENV serotypes. We conclude that the concentration of IgG antibodies against SGE is an accurate indicator of risk of dengue virus transmission and disease presence. PMID:24312537

  4. Not All Biofluids Are Created Equal: Chewing Over Salivary Diagnostics and the Epigenome

    PubMed Central

    Wren, M.E.; Shirtcliff, E.A.; Drury, Stacy S.

    2015-01-01

    Purpose This article describes progress to date in the characterization of the salivary epigenome and considers the importance of previous work in the salivary microbiome, proteome, endocrine analytes, genome, and transcriptome. Methods PubMed and Web of Science were used to extensively search the existing literature (original research and reviews) related to salivary diagnostics and bio-marker development, of which 125 studies were examined. This article was derived from the most relevant 73 sources highlighting the recent state of the evolving field of salivary epigenomics and contributing significantly to the foundational work in saliva-based research. Findings Validation of any new saliva-based diagnostic or analyte will require comparison to previously accepted standards established in blood. Careful attention to the collection, processing, and analysis of salivary analytes is critical for the development and implementation of newer applications that include genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic markers. All these factors must be integrated into initial study design. Implications This commentary highlights the appeal of the salivary epigenome for translational applications and its utility in future studies of development and the interface among environment, disease, and health. PMID:25778408

  5. Not all biofluids are created equal: chewing over salivary diagnostics and the epigenome.

    PubMed

    Wren, Michael E; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A; Drury, Stacy S

    2015-03-01

    This article describes progress to date in the characterization of the salivary epigenome and considers the importance of previous work in the salivary microbiome, proteome, endocrine analytes, genome, and transcriptome. PubMed and Web of Science were used to extensively search the existing literature (original research and reviews) related to salivary diagnostics and biomarker development, of which 125 studies were examined. This article was derived from the most relevant 74 sources highlighting the recent state of the evolving field of salivary epigenomics and contributing significantly to the foundational work in saliva-based research. Validation of any new saliva-based diagnostic or analyte will require comparison to previously accepted standards established in blood. Careful attention to the collection, processing, and analysis of salivary analytes is critical for the development and implementation of newer applications that include genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic markers. All these factors must be integrated into initial study design. This commentary highlights the appeal of the salivary epigenome for translational applications and its utility in future studies of development and the interface among environment, disease, and health. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier HS Journals, Inc. All rights reserved.

  6. Salivary biomarker development using genomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    The use of saliva as a diagnostic sample provides a non-invasive, cost-efficient method of sample collection for disease screening without the need for highly trained professionals. Saliva collection is far more practical and safe compared with invasive methods of sample collection, because of the infection risk from contaminated needles during, for example, blood sampling. Furthermore, the use of saliva could increase the availability of accurate diagnostics for remote and impoverished regions. However, the development of salivary diagnostics has required technical innovation to allow stabilization and detection of analytes in the complex molecular mixture that is saliva. The recent development of cost-effective room temperature analyte stabilization methods, nucleic acid pre-amplification techniques and direct saliva transcriptomic analysis have allowed accurate detection and quantification of transcripts found in saliva. Novel protein stabilization methods have also facilitated improved proteomic analyses. Although candidate biomarkers have been discovered using epigenetic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches, transcriptomic analyses have so far achieved the most progress in terms of sensitivity and specificity, and progress towards clinical implementation. Here, we review recent developments in salivary diagnostics that have been accomplished using genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and metabolomic approaches. PMID:23114182

  7. Co-Infection of Mosquitoes with Chikungunya and Dengue Viruses Reveals Modulation of the Replication of Both Viruses in Midguts and Salivary Glands of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes

    PubMed Central

    Le Coupanec, Alain; Tchankouo-Nguetcheu, Stéphane; Roux, Pascal; Khun, Huot; Huerre, Michel; Morales-Vargas, Ronald; Enguehard, Margot; Lavillette, Dimitri; Missé, Dorothée

    2017-01-01

    Arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections cause several emerging and resurgent infectious diseases in humans and animals. Chikungunya-affected areas often overlap with dengue-endemic areas. Concurrent dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections have been detected in travelers returning from regions of endemicity. CHIKV and DENV co-infected Aedes albopictus have also been collected in the vicinity of co-infected human cases, emphasizing the need to study co-infections in mosquitoes. We thus aimed to study the pathogen-pathogen interaction involved in these co-infections in DENV/CHIKV co-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In mono-infections, we detected CHIKV antigens as early as 4 days post-virus exposure in both the midgut (MG) and salivary gland (SG), whereas we detected DENV serotype 2 (DENV-2) antigens from day 5 post-virus exposure in MG and day 10 post-virus exposure in SG. Identical infection rates were observed for singly and co-infected mosquitoes, and facilitation of the replication of both viruses at various times post-viral exposure. We observed a higher replication for DENV-2 in SG of co-infected mosquitoes. We showed that mixed CHIKV and DENV infection facilitated viral replication in Ae. aegypti. The outcome of these mixed infections must be further studied to increase our understanding of pathogen-pathogen interactions in host cells. PMID:28777313

  8. Co-Infection of Mosquitoes with Chikungunya and Dengue Viruses Reveals Modulation of the Replication of Both Viruses in Midguts and Salivary Glands of Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes.

    PubMed

    Le Coupanec, Alain; Tchankouo-Nguetcheu, Stéphane; Roux, Pascal; Khun, Huot; Huerre, Michel; Morales-Vargas, Ronald; Enguehard, Margot; Lavillette, Dimitri; Missé, Dorothée; Choumet, Valérie

    2017-08-04

    Arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) infections cause several emerging and resurgent infectious diseases in humans and animals. Chikungunya-affected areas often overlap with dengue-endemic areas. Concurrent dengue virus (DENV) and chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infections have been detected in travelers returning from regions of endemicity. CHIKV and DENV co-infected Aedes albopictus have also been collected in the vicinity of co-infected human cases, emphasizing the need to study co-infections in mosquitoes. We thus aimed to study the pathogen-pathogen interaction involved in these co-infections in DENV/CHIKV co-infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. In mono-infections, we detected CHIKV antigens as early as 4 days post-virus exposure in both the midgut (MG) and salivary gland (SG), whereas we detected DENV serotype 2 (DENV-2) antigens from day 5 post-virus exposure in MG and day 10 post-virus exposure in SG. Identical infection rates were observed for singly and co-infected mosquitoes, and facilitation of the replication of both viruses at various times post-viral exposure. We observed a higher replication for DENV-2 in SG of co-infected mosquitoes. We showed that mixed CHIKV and DENV infection facilitated viral replication in Ae. aegypti . The outcome of these mixed infections must be further studied to increase our understanding of pathogen-pathogen interactions in host cells.

  9. Salivary Biomarkers in Cancer Detection

    PubMed Central

    Wang, Xiaoqian; Kaczor-Urbanowicz, Karolina Elżbieta; Wong, David T.W.

    2017-01-01

    Cancer is the second most common cause of death in the United States. Its symptoms are often not specific and absent, until the tumors have already metastasized. Therefore, there is an urgent demand for developing rapid, highly accurate and non-invasive tools for cancer screening, early detection, diagnostics, staging and prognostics. Saliva as a multi-constituent oral fluid, comprises secretions from the major and minor salivary glands, extensively supplied by blood. Molecules such as DNAs, RNAs, proteins, metabolites, and microbiota, present in blood, could be also found in saliva. Recently, salivary diagnostics has drawn significant attention for the detection of specific biomarkers, since the sample collection and processing are simple, cost-effective, precise and do not cause patient discomfort. Here, we review recent salivary candidate biomarkers for systemic cancers by dividing them according to their origin into: genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic, metabolomic and microbial types. PMID:27943101

  10. Zika Virus in Salivary Glands of Five Different Species of Wild-Caught Mosquitoes from Mexico.

    PubMed

    Elizondo-Quiroga, Darwin; Medina-Sánchez, Aarón; Sánchez-González, Jorge M; Eckert, Kristen Allison; Villalobos-Sánchez, Erendira; Navarro-Zúñiga, Antonio Rigoberto; Sánchez-Tejeda, Gustavo; Correa-Morales, Fabián; González-Acosta, Cassandra; Arias, Carlos F; López, Susana; Del Ángel, Rosa María; Pando-Robles, Victoria; Elizondo-Quiroga, Armando E

    2018-01-16

    Zika virus (ZIKV) is a mosquito-borne pathogen, and Aedes aegypti has been identified as the main vector of the disease. Other mosquito species in the Aedes and Culex genera have been suggested to have the potential for being competent vectors based on experimental exposition of mosquitoes to an infectious blood meal containing ZIKV. Here, we report the isolation in cell culture of ZIKV obtained from different body parts of wild-caught female mosquitoes (Ae. aegypti, Ae. vexans, Cx. quinquefasciatus, Cx. coronator, and Cx. tarsalis) and whole male mosquitoes (Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus) in Mexico. Importantly, this is the first report that shows the presence of the virus in the salivary glands of the wild-caught female mosquitoes species, Cx. coronator, Cx. tarsalis, and Ae. vexans. Our findings strongly suggest that all the species reported herein are potential vectors for ZIKV.

  11. Analysis of salivary transcripts and antigens of the sand fly Phlebotomus arabicus

    PubMed Central

    Hostomská, Jitka; Volfová, Věra; Mu, Jianbing; Garfield, Mark; Rohoušová, Iva; Volf, Petr; Valenzuela, Jesus G; Jochim, Ryan C

    2009-01-01

    Background Sand fly saliva plays an important role in blood feeding and Leishmania transmission as it was shown to increase parasite virulence. On the other hand, immunity to salivary components impedes the establishment of infection. Therefore, it is most desirable to gain a deeper insight into the composition of saliva in sand fly species which serve as vectors of various forms of leishmaniases. In the present work, we focused on Phlebotomus (Adlerius) arabicus, which was recently shown to transmit Leishmania tropica, the causative agent of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Israel. Results A cDNA library from salivary glands of P. arabicus females was constructed and transcripts were sequenced and analyzed. The most abundant protein families identified were SP15-like proteins, ParSP25-like proteins, D7-related proteins, yellow-related proteins, PpSP32-like proteins, antigen 5-related proteins, and 34 kDa-like proteins. Sequences coding for apyrases, hyaluronidase and other putative secreted enzymes were also represented, including endonuclease, phospholipase, pyrophosphatase, amylase and trehalase. Mass spectrometry analysis confirmed the presence of 20 proteins predicted to be secreted in the salivary proteome. Humoral response of mice bitten by P. arabicus to salivary antigens was assessed and many salivary proteins were determined to be antigenic. Conclusion This transcriptomic analysis of P. arabicus salivary glands is the first description of salivary proteins of a sand fly in the subgenus Adlerius. Proteomic analysis of P. arabicus salivary glands produced the most comprehensive account in a single sand fly species to date. Detailed information and phylogenetic relationships of the salivary proteins are provided, expanding the knowledge base of molecules that are likely important factors of sand fly-host and sand fly-Leishmania interactions. Enzymatic and immunological investigations further demonstrate the value of functional transcriptomics in advancing

  12. Combined Transcriptomic and Proteomic Analysis of the Posterior Salivary Gland from the Southern Blue-Ringed Octopus and the Southern Sand Octopus.

    PubMed

    Whitelaw, Brooke L; Strugnell, Jan M; Faou, Pierre; da Fonseca, Rute R; Hall, Nathan E; Norman, Mark; Finn, Julian; Cooke, Ira R

    2016-09-02

    This study provides comprehensive proteomic profiles from the venom producing posterior salivary glands of octopus (superorder Octopodiformes) species. A combined transcriptomic and proteomic approach was used to identify 1703 proteins from the posterior salivary gland of the southern blue-ringed octopus, Hapalochlaena maculosa and 1300 proteins from the posterior salivary gland of the southern sand octopus, Octopus kaurna. The two proteomes were broadly similar; clustering of proteins into orthogroups revealed 937 that were shared between species. Serine proteases were particularly diverse and abundant in both species. Other abundant proteins included a large number of secreted proteins, many of which had no known conserved domains, or homology to proteins with known function. On the basis of homology to known venom proteins, 23 putative toxins were identified in H. maculosa and 24 in O. kaurna. These toxins span nine protein families: CAP (cysteine rich secretory proteins, antigen 5, parthenogenesis related), chitinase, carboxylesterase, DNase, hyaluronidase, metalloprotease, phospholipase, serine protease and tachykinin. Serine proteases were responsible for 70.9% and 86.3% of putative toxin expression in H. maculosa and O. kaurna, respectively, as determined using intensity based absolute quantification (iBAQ) measurements. Phylogenetic analysis of the putative toxin serine proteases revealed a similar suite of diverse proteins present in both species. Posterior salivary gland composition of H. maculosa and O. kaurna differ in several key aspects. While O. kaurna expressed the proteinaceous neurotoxin, tachykinin, this was absent from H. maculosa, perhaps reflecting the acquisition of a potent nonproteinaceous neurotoxin, tetrodotoxin (TTX) produced by bacteria in the salivary glands of that species. The dispersal factor, hyaluronidase was particularly abundant in H. maculosa. Chitinase was abundant in both species and is believed to facilitate

  13. A Systems Level Analysis Reveals Transcriptomic and Proteomic Complexity in Ixodes Ricinus Midgut and Salivary Glands During Early Attachment and Feeding*

    PubMed Central

    Schwarz, Alexandra; Tenzer, Stefan; Hackenberg, Michael; Erhart, Jan; Gerhold-Ay, Aslihan; Mazur, Johanna; Kuharev, Jörg; Ribeiro, José M. C.; Kotsyfakis, Michail

    2014-01-01

    Although pathogens are usually transmitted within the first 24–48 h of attachment of the castor bean tick Ixodes ricinus, little is known about the tick's biological responses at these earliest phases of attachment. Tick midgut and salivary glands are the main tissues involved in tick blood feeding and pathogen transmission but the limited genomic information for I. ricinus delays the application of high-throughput methods to study their physiology. We took advantage of the latest advances in the fields of Next Generation RNA-Sequencing and Label-free Quantitative Proteomics to deliver an unprecedented, quantitative description of the gene expression dynamics in the midgut and salivary glands of this disease vector upon attachment to the vertebrate host. A total of 373 of 1510 identified proteins had higher expression in the salivary glands, but only 110 had correspondingly high transcript levels in the same tissue. Furthermore, there was midgut-specific expression of 217 genes at both the transcriptome and proteome level. Tissue-dependent transcript, but not protein, accumulation was revealed for 552 of 885 genes. Moreover, we discovered the enrichment of tick salivary glands in proteins involved in gene transcription and translation, which agrees with the secretory role of this tissue; this finding also agrees with our finding of lower tick t-RNA representation in the salivary glands when compared with the midgut. The midgut, in turn, is enriched in metabolic components and proteins that support its mechanical integrity in order to accommodate and metabolize the ingested blood. Beyond understanding the physiological events that support hematophagy by arthropod ectoparasites, we discovered more than 1500 proteins located at the interface between ticks, the vertebrate host, and the tick-borne pathogens. Thus, our work significantly improves the knowledge of the genetics underlying the transmission lifecycle of this tick species, which is an essential step for

  14. Molecular Diversity between Salivary Proteins from New World and Old World Sand Flies with Emphasis on Bichromomyia olmeca, the Sand Fly Vector of Leishmania mexicana in Mesoamerica

    PubMed Central

    Townsend, Shannon; Pasos-Pinto, Silvia; Sanchez, Laura; Rasouli, Manoochehr; B. Guimaraes-Costa, Anderson; Aslan, Hamide; Francischetti, Ivo M. B.; Oliveira, Fabiano; Becker, Ingeborg; Kamhawi, Shaden; Ribeiro, Jose M. C.; Jochim, Ryan C.; Valenzuela, Jesus G.

    2016-01-01

    Background Sand fly saliva has been shown to have proteins with potent biological activities, salivary proteins that can be used as biomarkers of vector exposure, and salivary proteins that are candidate vaccines against different forms of leishmaniasis. Sand fly salivary gland transcriptomic approach has contributed significantly to the identification and characterization of many of these salivary proteins from important Leishmania vectors; however, sand fly vectors in some regions of the world are still neglected, as Bichromomyia olmeca (formerly known as Lutzomyia olmeca olmeca), a proven vector of Leishmania mexicana in Mexico and Central America. Despite the importance of this vector in transmitting Leishmania parasite in Mesoamerica there is no information on the repertoire of B. olmeca salivary proteins and their relationship to salivary proteins from other sand fly species. Methods and Findings A cDNA library of the salivary glands of wild-caught B. olmeca was constructed, sequenced, and analyzed. We identified transcripts encoding for novel salivary proteins from this sand fly species and performed a comparative analysis between B. olmeca salivary proteins and those from other sand fly species. With this new information we present an updated catalog of the salivary proteins specific to New World sand flies and salivary proteins common to all sand fly species. We also report in this work the anti-Factor Xa activity of Lofaxin, a salivary anticoagulant protein present in this sand fly species. Conclusions This study provides information on the first transcriptome of a sand fly from Mesoamerica and adds information to the limited repertoire of salivary transcriptomes from the Americas. This comparative analysis also shows a fast degree of evolution in salivary proteins from New World sand flies as compared with Old World sand flies. PMID:27409591

  15. The developmental transcriptome of the mosquito Aedes aegypti, an invasive species and major arbovirus vector.

    PubMed

    Akbari, Omar S; Antoshechkin, Igor; Amrhein, Henry; Williams, Brian; Diloreto, Race; Sandler, Jeremy; Hay, Bruce A

    2013-09-04

    Mosquitoes are vectors of a number of important human and animal diseases. The development of novel vector control strategies requires a thorough understanding of mosquito biology. To facilitate this, we used RNA-seq to identify novel genes and provide the first high-resolution view of the transcriptome throughout development and in response to blood feeding in a mosquito vector of human disease, Aedes aegypti, the primary vector for Dengue and yellow fever. We characterized mRNA expression at 34 distinct time points throughout Aedes development, including adult somatic and germline tissues, by using polyA+ RNA-seq. We identify a total of 14,238 novel new transcribed regions corresponding to 12,597 new loci, as well as many novel transcript isoforms of previously annotated genes. Altogether these results increase the annotated fraction of the transcribed genome into long polyA+ RNAs by more than twofold. We also identified a number of patterns of shared gene expression, as well as genes and/or exons expressed sex-specifically or sex-differentially. Expression profiles of small RNAs in ovaries, early embryos, testes, and adult male and female somatic tissues also were determined, resulting in the identification of 38 new Aedes-specific miRNAs, and ~291,000 small RNA new transcribed regions, many of which are likely to be endogenous small-interfering RNAs and Piwi-interacting RNAs. Genes of potential interest for transgene-based vector control strategies also are highlighted. Our data have been incorporated into a user-friendly genome browser located at www.Aedes.caltech.edu, with relevant links to Vectorbase (www.vectorbase.org).

  16. The impact of temperature and Wolbachia infection on vector competence of potential dengue vectors Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in the transmission of dengue virus serotype 1 in southern Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Cheng-Hui; Chen, Tien-Huang; Lin, Cheo; Shu, Pei-Yun; Su, Chien-Ling; Teng, Hwa-Jen

    2017-11-07

    We evaluated the impact of temperature and Wolbachia infection on vector competence of the local Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus populations of southern Taiwan in the laboratory. After oral infection with dengue serotype 1 virus (DENV-1), female mosquitoes were incubated at temperatures of 10, 16, 22, 28 and 34 °C. Subsequently, salivary gland, head, and thorax-abdomen samples were analyzed for their virus titer at 0, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25 and 30 days post-infection (dpi) by real-time RT-PCR. The results showed that Ae. aegypti survived significantly longer and that dengue viral genome levels in the thorax-abdomen (10 3.25 ± 0.53 -10 4.09 ± 0.71 PFU equivalents/ml) and salivary gland samples (10 2.67 ± 0.33 -10 3.89 ± 0.58 PFU equivalents/ml) were significantly higher at high temperature (28-34 °C). The survival of Ae. albopictus was significantly better at 16 or 28 °C, but the virus titers from thorax-abdomen (10 0.70 -10 2.39 ± 1.31 PFU equivalents/ml) and salivary gland samples (10 0.12 ± 0.05 -10 1.51 ± 0.31 PFU equivalents/ml) were significantly higher at 22-28 °C. Within viable temperature ranges, the viruses were detectable after 10 dpi in salivary glands and head tissues in Ae. aegypti and after 5-10 dpi in Ae. albopictus. Vector competence was measured in Ae. albopictus with and without Wolbachia at 28 °C. Wolbachia-infected mosquitoes survived significantly better and carried lower virus titers than Wolbachia-free mosquitoes. Wolbachia coinfections (92.8-97.2%) with wAlbA and wAlbB strains were commonly found in a wild population of Ae. albopictus. In southern Taiwan, Ae. aegypti is the main vector of dengue and Ae. albopictus has a non-significant role in the transmission of dengue virus due to the high prevalence of Wolbachia infection in the local mosquito population of southern Taiwan.

  17. Transcriptome Sequencing Reveals Large-Scale Changes in Axenic Aedes aegypti Larvae

    PubMed Central

    Vogel, Kevin J.; Valzania, Luca; Coon, Kerri L.; Brown, Mark R.; Strand, Michael R.

    2017-01-01

    Mosquitoes host communities of microbes in their digestive tract that consist primarily of bacteria. We previously reported that Aedes aegypti larvae colonized by a native community of bacteria and gnotobiotic larvae colonized by only Escherichia coli develop very similarly into adults, whereas axenic larvae never molt and die as first instars. In this study, we extended these findings by first comparing the growth and abundance of bacteria in conventional, gnotobiotic, and axenic larvae during the first instar. Results showed that conventional and gnotobiotic larvae exhibited no differences in growth, timing of molting, or number of bacteria in their digestive tract. Axenic larvae in contrast grew minimally and never achieved the critical size associated with molting by conventional and gnotobiotic larvae. In the second part of the study we compared patterns of gene expression in conventional, gnotobiotic and axenic larvae by conducting an RNAseq analysis of gut and nongut tissues (carcass) at 22 h post-hatching. Approximately 12% of Ae. aegypti transcripts were differentially expressed in axenic versus conventional or gnotobiotic larvae. However, this profile consisted primarily of transcripts in seven categories that included the down-regulation of select peptidases in the gut and up-regulation of several genes in the gut and carcass with roles in amino acid transport, hormonal signaling, and metabolism. Overall, our results indicate that axenic larvae exhibit alterations in gene expression consistent with defects in acquisition and assimilation of nutrients required for growth. PMID:28060822

  18. Adult Survivorship of the Dengue Mosquito Aedes aegypti Varies Seasonally in Central Vietnam

    PubMed Central

    Hugo, Leon E.; Jeffery, Jason A. L.; Trewin, Brendan J.; Wockner, Leesa F.; Thi Yen, Nguyen; Le, Nguyen Hoang; Nghia, Le Trung; Hine, Emma; Ryan, Peter A.; Kay, Brian H.

    2014-01-01

    The survival characteristics of the mosquito Aedes aegypti affect transmission rates of dengue because transmission requires infected mosquitoes to survive long enough for the virus to infect the salivary glands. Mosquito survival is assumed to be high in tropical, dengue endemic, countries like Vietnam. However, the survival rates of wild populations of mosquitoes are seldom measured due the difficulty of predicting mosquito age. Hon Mieu Island in central Vietnam is the site of a pilot release of Ae. aegypti infected with a strain of Wolbachia pipientis bacteria (wMelPop) that induces virus interference and mosquito life-shortening. We used the most accurate mosquito age grading approach, transcriptional profiling, to establish the survival patterns of the mosquito population from the population age structure. Furthermore, estimations were validated on mosquitoes released into a large semi-field environment consisting of an enclosed house, garden and yard to incorporate natural environmental variability. Mosquito survival was highest during the dry/cool (January-April) and dry/hot (May-August) seasons, when 92 and 64% of Hon Mieu mosquitoes had survived to an age that they were able to transmit dengue (12 d), respectively. This was reduced to 29% during the wet/cool season from September to December. The presence of Ae. aegypti older than 12 d during each season is likely to facilitate the observed continuity of dengue transmission in the region. We provide season specific Ae. aegypti survival models for improved dengue epidemiology and evaluation of mosquito control strategies that aim to reduce mosquito survival to break the dengue transmission cycle. PMID:24551251

  19. Functional Transcriptomics of Wild-Caught Lutzomyia intermedia Salivary Glands: Identification of a Protective Salivary Protein against Leishmania braziliensis Infection

    PubMed Central

    Carneiro, Marcia W.; Miranda, José Carlos; Clarêncio, Jorge; Barral-Netto, Manoel; Brodskyn, Cláudia; Barral, Aldina; Ribeiro, José M. C.; Valenzuela, Jesus G.; de Oliveira, Camila I.

    2013-01-01

    Background Leishmania parasites are transmitted in the presence of sand fly saliva. Together with the parasite, the sand fly injects salivary components that change the environment at the feeding site. Mice immunized with Phlebotomus papatasi salivary gland (SG) homogenate are protected against Leishmania major infection, while immunity to Lutzomyia intermedia SG homogenate exacerbated experimental Leishmania braziliensis infection. In humans, antibodies to Lu. intermedia saliva are associated with risk of acquiring L. braziliensis infection. Despite these important findings, there is no information regarding the repertoire of Lu. intermedia salivary proteins. Methods and Findings A cDNA library from the Salivary Glands (SGs) of wild-caught Lu. intermedia was constructed, sequenced, and complemented by a proteomic approach based on 1D SDS PAGE and mass/mass spectrometry to validate the transcripts present in this cDNA library. We identified the most abundant transcripts and proteins reported in other sand fly species as well as novel proteins such as neurotoxin-like proteins, peptides with ML domain, and three small peptides found so far only in this sand fly species. DNA plasmids coding for ten selected transcripts were constructed and used to immunize BALB/c mice to study their immunogenicity. Plasmid Linb-11—coding for a 4.5-kDa protein—induced a cellular immune response and conferred protection against L. braziliensis infection. This protection correlated with a decreased parasite load and an increased frequency of IFN-γ-producing cells. Conclusions We identified the most abundant and novel proteins present in the SGs of Lu. intermedia, a vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Americas. We also show for the first time that immunity to a single salivary protein from Lu. intermedia can protect against cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. braziliensis. PMID:23717705

  20. Functional transcriptomics of wild-caught Lutzomyia intermedia salivary glands: identification of a protective salivary protein against Leishmania braziliensis infection.

    PubMed

    de Moura, Tatiana R; Oliveira, Fabiano; Carneiro, Marcia W; Miranda, José Carlos; Clarêncio, Jorge; Barral-Netto, Manoel; Brodskyn, Cláudia; Barral, Aldina; Ribeiro, José M C; Valenzuela, Jesus G; de Oliveira, Camila I

    2013-01-01

    Leishmania parasites are transmitted in the presence of sand fly saliva. Together with the parasite, the sand fly injects salivary components that change the environment at the feeding site. Mice immunized with Phlebotomus papatasi salivary gland (SG) homogenate are protected against Leishmania major infection, while immunity to Lutzomyia intermedia SG homogenate exacerbated experimental Leishmania braziliensis infection. In humans, antibodies to Lu. intermedia saliva are associated with risk of acquiring L. braziliensis infection. Despite these important findings, there is no information regarding the repertoire of Lu. intermedia salivary proteins. A cDNA library from the Salivary Glands (SGs) of wild-caught Lu. intermedia was constructed, sequenced, and complemented by a proteomic approach based on 1D SDS PAGE and mass/mass spectrometry to validate the transcripts present in this cDNA library. We identified the most abundant transcripts and proteins reported in other sand fly species as well as novel proteins such as neurotoxin-like proteins, peptides with ML domain, and three small peptides found so far only in this sand fly species. DNA plasmids coding for ten selected transcripts were constructed and used to immunize BALB/c mice to study their immunogenicity. Plasmid Linb-11--coding for a 4.5-kDa protein--induced a cellular immune response and conferred protection against L. braziliensis infection. This protection correlated with a decreased parasite load and an increased frequency of IFN-γ-producing cells. We identified the most abundant and novel proteins present in the SGs of Lu. intermedia, a vector of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Americas. We also show for the first time that immunity to a single salivary protein from Lu. intermedia can protect against cutaneous leishmaniasis caused by L. braziliensis.

  1. Role of Pancreatic Cancer-derived Exosomes in Salivary Biomarker Development*

    PubMed Central

    Lau, Chang; Kim, Yong; Chia, David; Spielmann, Nadine; Eibl, Guido; Elashoff, David; Wei, Fang; Lin, Yi-Ling; Moro, Aune; Grogan, Tristan; Chiang, Samantha; Feinstein, Eric; Schafer, Christopher; Farrell, James; Wong, David T. W.

    2013-01-01

    Recent studies have demonstrated that discriminatory salivary biomarkers can be readily detected upon the development of systemic diseases such as pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, lung cancer, and ovarian cancer. However, the utility of salivary biomarkers for the detection of systemic diseases has been undermined due to the absence of the biological and mechanistic rationale as to why distal diseases from the oral cavity would lead to the development of discriminatory biomarkers in saliva. Here, we examine the hypothesis that pancreatic tumor-derived exosomes are mechanistically involved in the development of pancreatic cancer-discriminatory salivary transcriptomic biomarkers. We first developed a pancreatic cancer mouse model that yielded discriminatory salivary biomarkers by implanting the mouse pancreatic cancer cell line Panc02 into the pancreas of the syngeneic host C57BL/6. The role of pancreatic cancer-derived exosomes in the development of discriminatory salivary biomarkers was then tested by engineering a Panc02 cell line that is suppressed for exosome biogenesis, implanting into the C56BL/6 mouse, and examining whether the discriminatory salivary biomarker profile was ablated or disrupted. Suppression of exosome biogenesis results in the ablation of discriminatory salivary biomarker development. This study supports that tumor-derived exosomes provide a mechanism in the development of discriminatory biomarkers in saliva and distal systemic diseases. PMID:23880764

  2. Functional characterization of a serine protease inhibitor modulated in the infection of the Aedes aegypti with dengue virus.

    PubMed

    Soares, Tatiane Sanches; Rodriguez Gonzalez, Boris Luis; Torquato, Ricardo José Soares; Lemos, Francisco Jose Alves; Costa-da-Silva, André L; Capurro Guimarães, Margareth de Lara; Tanaka, Aparecida Sadae

    2018-01-01

    During feeding with blood meal, female Aedes aegypti can transmit infectious agents, such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and Zika viruses. Dengue virus causes human mortality in tropical regions of the world, and there is no specific treatment or vaccine with maximum efficiency being used for these infections. In the vector-virus interaction, the production of several molecules is modulated by both mosquitoes and invading agents. However, little information is available about these molecules in the Ae. aegypti mosquito during dengue infection. Inhibitors of the pacifastin family have been described to participate in the immune response of insects and Pac2 is the only gene of this family present in Ae. aegypti being then chosen for investigation. Pac2 was expressed in E. coli, purified and analyzed by mass spectrometry and SDS-PAGE. The Pac2 transcript was detected by qPCR, and its protein levels were assessed by Western blotting. The inhibitory activity of Pac2 was measured using its K i , IC 50 and zymography. Mosquito infections with DENV were introduced with the Brazilian ACS-46 DENV-2 strain propagated in C6/36 cells. In the present work, we showed that it is possibly involved in the interaction of the mosquitoes with the dengue virus. The Pac2 transcript was detected in larvae and in both the salivary gland and midgut of Ae. aegypti females, while the native protein was identified in females 3 h post-blood meal. Pac2 is a strong inhibitor of trypsin-like and thrombin-like proteases, which are present in 4th instar larvae midgut and females 24 h after blood meal. During DENV infection, up regulation of Pac2 expression occurs in the salivary gland and midgut. Pac2 is the first Pacifastin inhibitor member described in mosquitoes. Our results suggest that Pac2 acts on mosquito serine proteases, mainly the trypsin-like type, and is under transcriptional control by virus infection signals to allow its survival in the vector or by the mosquito as a defense

  3. Insecticide resistance is mediated by multiple mechanisms in recently introduced Aedes aegypti from Madeira Island (Portugal).

    PubMed

    Seixas, Gonçalo; Grigoraki, Linda; Weetman, David; Vicente, José Luís; Silva, Ana Clara; Pinto, João; Vontas, John; Sousa, Carla Alexandra

    2017-07-01

    Aedes aegypti is a major mosquito vector of arboviruses, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika. In 2005, Ae. aegypti was identified for the first time in Madeira Island. Despite an initial insecticide-based vector control program, the species expanded throughout the Southern coast of the island, suggesting the presence of insecticide resistance. Here, we characterized the insecticide resistance status and the underlying mechanisms of two populations of Ae. aegypti from Madeira Island, Funchal and Paúl do Mar. WHO susceptibility bioassays indicated resistance to cyfluthrin, permethrin, fenitrothion and bendiocarb. Use of synergists significantly increased mortality rates, and biochemical assays indicated elevated activities of detoxification enzymes, suggesting the importance of metabolic resistance. Microarray-based transcriptome analysis detected significant upregulation in both populations of nine cytochrome P450 oxidase genes (including four known pyrethroid metabolizing enzymes), the organophosphate metabolizer CCEae3a, Glutathione-S-transferases, and multiple putative cuticle proteins. Genotyping of knockdown resistance loci linked to pyrethroid resistance revealed fixation of the 1534C mutation, and presence with moderate frequencies of the V1016I mutation in each population. Significant resistance to three major insecticide classes (pyrethroid, carbamate and organophosphate) is present in Ae. aegypti from Madeira Island, and appears to be mediated by multiple mechanisms. Implementation of appropriate resistance management strategies including rotation of insecticides with alternative modes of action, and methods other than chemical-based vector control are strongly advised to delay or reverse the spread of resistance and achieve efficient control.

  4. Global genetic diversity of Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Ayala, Diego; Bheecarry, Ambicadutt; Calderon-Arguedas, Olger; Chadee, Dave D; Chiappero, Marina; Coetzee, Maureen; Elahee, Khouaildi Bin; Fernandez-Salas, Ildefonso; Kamal, Hany A; Kamgang, Basile; Khater, Emad I M; Kramer, Laura D; Kramer, Vicki; Lopez-Solis, Alma; Lutomiah, Joel; Martins, Ademir; Micieli, Maria Victoria; Paupy, Christophe; Ponlawat, Alongkot; Rahola, Nil; Rasheed, Syed Basit; Richardson, Joshua B; Saleh, Amag A; Sanchez-Casas, Rosa Maria; Seixas, Gonçalo; Sousa, Carla A; Tabachnick, Walter J; Troyo, Adriana; Powell, Jeffrey R

    2016-11-01

    Mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti, are becoming important models for studying invasion biology. We characterized genetic variation at 12 microsatellite loci in 79 populations of Ae. aegypti from 30 countries in six continents, and used them to infer historical and modern patterns of invasion. Our results support the two subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus and Ae. aegypti aegypti as genetically distinct units. Ae. aegypti aegypti populations outside Africa are derived from ancestral African populations and are monophyletic. The two subspecies co-occur in both East Africa (Kenya) and West Africa (Senegal). In rural/forest settings (Rabai District of Kenya), the two subspecies remain genetically distinct, whereas in urban settings, they introgress freely. Populations outside Africa are highly genetically structured likely due to a combination of recent founder effects, discrete discontinuous habitats and low migration rates. Ancestral populations in sub-Saharan Africa are less genetically structured, as are the populations in Asia. Introduction of Ae. aegypti to the New World coinciding with trans-Atlantic shipping in the 16th to 18th centuries was followed by its introduction to Asia in the late 19th century from the New World or from now extinct populations in the Mediterranean Basin. Aedes mascarensis is a genetically distinct sister species to Ae. aegypti s.l. This study provides a reference database of genetic diversity that can be used to determine the likely origin of new introductions that occur regularly for this invasive species. The genetic uniqueness of many populations and regions has important implications for attempts to control Ae. aegypti, especially for the methods using genetic modification of populations. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Global Genetic Diversity of Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Ayala, Diego; Bheecarry, Ambicadutt; Calderon-Arguedas, Olger; Chadee, Dave D.; Chiappero, Marina; Coetzee, Maureen; Elahee, Khouaildi bin; Fernandez-Salas, Ildefonso; Kamal, Hany A.; Kamgang, Basile; Khater, Emad I. M.; Kramer, Laura D.; Kramer, Vicki; Lopez-Solis, Alma; Lutomiah, Joel; Martins, Ademir; Micieli, Maria Victoria; Paupy, Christophe; Ponlawat, Alongkot; Rahola, Nil; Rasheed, Syed Basit; Richardson, Joshua B.; Saleh, Amag A.; Sanchez-Casas, Rosa Maria; Seixas, Gonçalo; Sousa, Carla A.; Tabachnick, Walter J.; Troyo, Adriana; Powell, Jeffrey R.

    2016-01-01

    Mosquitoes, especially Aedes aegypti, are becoming important models for studying invasion biology. We characterized genetic variation at 12 microsatellite loci in 79 populations of Ae. aegypti, from 30 countries in six continents and used them to infer historical and modern patterns of invasion. Our results support the two subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus and Ae. aegypti aegypti as genetically distinct units. Ae. aegypti aegypti populations outside Africa are derived from ancestral African populations and are monophyletic. The two subspecies co-occur in both East Africa (Kenya) and West Africa (Senegal). In rural/forest settings (Rabai District of Kenya) the two subspecies remain genetically distinct whereas in urban settings they introgress freely. Populations outside Africa are highly genetically structured likely due to a combination of recent founder effects, discrete discontinuous habitats, and low migration rates. Ancestral populations in sub-Saharan Africa are less genetically structured, as are the populations in Asia. Introduction of Ae. aegypti to the New World coinciding with trans-Atlantic shipping in the 16th to 18th Centuries was followed by its introduction to Asia in the late 19th Century from the New World or from now extinct populations in the Mediterranean Basin. Aedes mascarensis is a genetically distinct sister species to Ae. aegypti s.l.. This study provides a reference database of genetic diversity that can be used to determine the likely origin of new introductions that occur regularly for this invasive species. The genetic uniqueness of many populations and regions has important implications for attempts to control Ae. aegypti, especially for methods using genetic modification of populations. PMID:27671732

  6. First report of Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) in Mexico City, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Kuri-Morales, P; Correa-Morales, F; González-Acosta, C; Sánchez-Tejeda, G; Dávalos-Becerril, E; Fernanda Juárez-Franco, M; Díaz-Quiñonez, A; Huerta-Jimenéz, H; Mejía-Guevara, M D; Moreno-García, M; González-Roldán, J F

    2017-06-01

    Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) (Diptera: Culicidae) is a species of mosquito that is currently widespread in Mexico. Historically, the mosquito has been distributed across most tropical and subtropical areas lower than 1700 m a.s.l. Currently, populations that are found at higher altitudes in regions with cold and dry climates suggest that these conditions do not limit the colonization and population growth of S. aegypti. During a survey of mosquitoes in September 2015, larvae of S. aegypti mosquitoes were found in two different localities in Mexico City, which is located at about 2250 m a.s.l. Mexico City is the most populous city in Mexico and has inefficient drainage and water supply systems. These factors may result in the provision of numerous larval breeding sites. Mosquito monitoring and surveillance are now priorities for the city. © 2017 The Royal Entomological Society.

  7. Temporal genetic stability of Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) populations.

    PubMed

    Gloria-Soria, A; Kellner, D A; Brown, J E; Gonzalez-Acosta, C; Kamgang, B; Lutwama, J; Powell, J R

    2016-06-01

    The mosquito Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) (Diptera: Culicidae) is the primary vector of viruses that cause yellow fever, dengue and Chikungunya fever. In the absence of effective vaccines, the reduction of these diseases relies on vector control strategies. The success of these strategies is tightly linked to the population dynamics of target populations. In the present study, 14 collections from St. aegypti populations separated by periods of 1-13 years were analysed to determine their temporal genetic stability. Although temporal structure is discernible in most populations, the degree of temporal differentiation is dependent on the population and does not obscure the geographic structure of the various populations. The results suggest that performing detailed studies in the years prior to and after population reduction- or modification-based control interventions at each target field site may be useful in assessing the probability of success. © 2016 The Royal Entomological Society.

  8. Insecticide resistance is mediated by multiple mechanisms in recently introduced Aedes aegypti from Madeira Island (Portugal)

    PubMed Central

    Seixas, Gonçalo; Grigoraki, Linda; Weetman, David; Vicente, José Luís; Silva, Ana Clara; Pinto, João; Vontas, John

    2017-01-01

    Background Aedes aegypti is a major mosquito vector of arboviruses, including dengue, chikungunya and Zika. In 2005, Ae. aegypti was identified for the first time in Madeira Island. Despite an initial insecticide-based vector control program, the species expanded throughout the Southern coast of the island, suggesting the presence of insecticide resistance. Here, we characterized the insecticide resistance status and the underlying mechanisms of two populations of Ae. aegypti from Madeira Island, Funchal and Paúl do Mar. Methodology/Principal findings WHO susceptibility bioassays indicated resistance to cyfluthrin, permethrin, fenitrothion and bendiocarb. Use of synergists significantly increased mortality rates, and biochemical assays indicated elevated activities of detoxification enzymes, suggesting the importance of metabolic resistance. Microarray-based transcriptome analysis detected significant upregulation in both populations of nine cytochrome P450 oxidase genes (including four known pyrethroid metabolizing enzymes), the organophosphate metabolizer CCEae3a, Glutathione-S-transferases, and multiple putative cuticle proteins. Genotyping of knockdown resistance loci linked to pyrethroid resistance revealed fixation of the 1534C mutation, and presence with moderate frequencies of the V1016I mutation in each population. Conclusions/Significance Significant resistance to three major insecticide classes (pyrethroid, carbamate and organophosphate) is present in Ae. aegypti from Madeira Island, and appears to be mediated by multiple mechanisms. Implementation of appropriate resistance management strategies including rotation of insecticides with alternative modes of action, and methods other than chemical-based vector control are strongly advised to delay or reverse the spread of resistance and achieve efficient control. PMID:28742096

  9. Malathion resistance in Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus after its use in Aedes aegypti control programs.

    PubMed

    Coto, M M; Lazcano, J A; de Fernández, D M; Soca, A

    2000-12-01

    The continued widespread use of malathion in Aedes aegypti control programs in Latin America has generated insecticide resistance to this chemical in Culex quinquefasciatus but not in Ae. aegypti. To determine the extent of this resistance, the susceptibility of Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti from several countries to malathion was evaluated. Bioassay results indicated that all Ae. aegypti strains evaluated from Cuba, Venezuela, Costa Rica, and Jamaica were susceptible to malathion in spite of the historical use of this insecticide in Ae. aegypti control programs in these countries. In contrast, a high level of resistance to this insecticide was found in Cx. quinquefasciatus from Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, and Cuba. Synergist assays indicated that neither esterases nor mixed-function oxidases (MFOs) were involved as the resistance mechanism to malathion in any of the Ae. aegypti strains tested. In Cx. quinquefasciatus, synergist assays confirmed that esterases played an important role in malathion resistance but MFOs were not involved in causing malathion resistance in this species. Biochemical assays showed that both resistance mechanisms were present in the Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus populations. Acrylamide electrophoresis gels revealed that all Ae. aegypti strains had a strongly staining, clear band, named A4, and had a relative mobility (Rm) value of 0.7. Analysis if the results of this study suggested that malathion could continue to be used for the emergency control of Ae. aegypti, the mosquito vector for dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever in the Americas, but that malathion is probably not effective for the control of adult Cx. quinquefasciatus in urban areas. Therefore, control operations should integrate nonorganophosphate insecticides such as pyrethroids for control of these 2 species found in the urban environment.

  10. Dengue virus type 2: replication and tropisms in orally infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes

    PubMed Central

    Salazar, Ma Isabel; Richardson, Jason H; Sánchez-Vargas, Irma; Olson, Ken E; Beaty, Barry J

    2007-01-01

    Background To be transmitted by its mosquito vector, dengue virus (DENV) must infect midgut epithelial cells, replicate and disseminate into the hemocoel, and finally infect the salivary glands, which is essential for transmission. The extrinsic incubation period (EIP) is very relevant epidemiologically and is the time required from the ingestion of virus until it can be transmitted to the next vertebrate host. The EIP is conditioned by the kinetics and tropisms of virus replication in its vector. Here we document the virogenesis of DENV-2 in newly-colonized Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from Chetumal, Mexico in order to understand better the effect of vector-virus interactions on dengue transmission. Results After ingestion of DENV-2, midgut infections in Chetumal mosquitoes were characterized by a peak in virus titers between 7 and 10 days post-infection (dpi). The amount of viral antigen and viral titers in the midgut then declined, but viral RNA levels remained stable. The presence of DENV-2 antigen in the trachea was positively correlated with virus dissemination from the midgut. DENV-2 antigen was found in salivary gland tissue in more than a third of mosquitoes at 4 dpi. Unlike in the midgut, the amount of viral antigen (as well as the percent of infected salivary glands) increased with time. DENV-2 antigen also accumulated and increased in neural tissue throughout the EIP. DENV-2 antigen was detected in multiple tissues of the vector, but unlike some other arboviruses, was not detected in muscle. Conclusion Our results suggest that the EIP of DENV-2 in its vector may be shorter that the previously reported and that the tracheal system may facilitate DENV-2 dissemination from the midgut. Mosquito organs (e.g. midgut, neural tissue, and salivary glands) differed in their response to DENV-2 infection. PMID:17263893

  11. Dengue virus type 2: replication and tropisms in orally infected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

    PubMed

    Salazar, Ma Isabel; Richardson, Jason H; Sánchez-Vargas, Irma; Olson, Ken E; Beaty, Barry J

    2007-01-30

    To be transmitted by its mosquito vector, dengue virus (DENV) must infect midgut epithelial cells, replicate and disseminate into the hemocoel, and finally infect the salivary glands, which is essential for transmission. The extrinsic incubation period (EIP) is very relevant epidemiologically and is the time required from the ingestion of virus until it can be transmitted to the next vertebrate host. The EIP is conditioned by the kinetics and tropisms of virus replication in its vector. Here we document the virogenesis of DENV-2 in newly-colonized Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from Chetumal, Mexico in order to understand better the effect of vector-virus interactions on dengue transmission. After ingestion of DENV-2, midgut infections in Chetumal mosquitoes were characterized by a peak in virus titers between 7 and 10 days post-infection (dpi). The amount of viral antigen and viral titers in the midgut then declined, but viral RNA levels remained stable. The presence of DENV-2 antigen in the trachea was positively correlated with virus dissemination from the midgut. DENV-2 antigen was found in salivary gland tissue in more than a third of mosquitoes at 4 dpi. Unlike in the midgut, the amount of viral antigen (as well as the percent of infected salivary glands) increased with time. DENV-2 antigen also accumulated and increased in neural tissue throughout the EIP. DENV-2 antigen was detected in multiple tissues of the vector, but unlike some other arboviruses, was not detected in muscle. Our results suggest that the EIP of DENV-2 in its vector may be shorter that the previously reported and that the tracheal system may facilitate DENV-2 dissemination from the midgut. Mosquito organs (e.g. midgut, neural tissue, and salivary glands) differed in their response to DENV-2 infection.

  12. Salivary mucoceles.

    PubMed

    Waldron, D R; Smith, M M

    1991-06-01

    The overall incidence of salivary gland disease in dogs and cats is low. Salivary mucocele is the most frequently diagnosed disease of salivary glands. Mucoceles consist of collections of saliva in subcutaneous, sublingual, pharyngeal, or periorbital locations. Definitive therapy of salivary mucoceles consists of excision of the affected salivary gland and mucocele drainage.

  13. Dengue subgenomic flaviviral RNA disrupts immunity in mosquito salivary glands to increase virus transmission

    PubMed Central

    Manuel, Menchie; Shan, Chao; Manokaran, Gayathri; Bradrick, Shelton S.; Missé, Dorothée; Shi, Pei-Yong

    2017-01-01

    Globally re-emerging dengue viruses are transmitted from human-to-human by Aedes mosquitoes. While viral determinants of human pathogenicity have been defined, there is a lack of knowledge of how dengue viruses influence mosquito transmission. Identification of viral determinants of transmission can help identify isolates with high epidemiological potential. Additionally, mechanistic understanding of transmission will lead to better understanding of how dengue viruses harness evolution to cycle between the two hosts. Here, we identified viral determinants of transmission and characterized mechanisms that enhance production of infectious saliva by inhibiting immunity specifically in salivary glands. Combining oral infection of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and reverse genetics, we identified two 3’ UTR substitutions in epidemic isolates that increased subgenomic flaviviral RNA (sfRNA) quantity, infectious particles in salivary glands and infection rate of saliva, which represents a measure of transmission. We also demonstrated that various 3’UTR modifications similarly affect sfRNA quantity in both whole mosquitoes and human cells, suggesting a shared determinism of sfRNA quantity. Furthermore, higher relative quantity of sfRNA in salivary glands compared to midgut and carcass pointed to sfRNA function in salivary glands. We showed that the Toll innate immune response was preferentially inhibited in salivary glands by viruses with the 3’UTR substitutions associated to high epidemiological fitness and high sfRNA quantity, pointing to a mechanism for higher saliva infection rate. By determining that sfRNA is an immune suppressor in a tissue relevant to mosquito transmission, we propose that 3’UTR/sfRNA sequence evolution shapes dengue epidemiology not only by influencing human pathogenicity but also by increasing mosquito transmission, thereby revealing a viral determinant of epidemiological fitness that is shared between the two hosts. PMID:28753642

  14. Updating the salivary gland transcriptome of Phlebotomus papatasi (Tunisian strain): the search for sand fly-secreted immunogenic proteins for humans.

    PubMed

    Abdeladhim, Maha; Jochim, Ryan C; Ben Ahmed, Melika; Zhioua, Elyes; Chelbi, Ifhem; Cherni, Saifedine; Louzir, Hechmi; Ribeiro, José M C; Valenzuela, Jesus G

    2012-01-01

    Sand fly saliva plays an important role in both blood feeding and outcome of Leishmania infection. A cellular immune response against a Phlebotomus papatasi salivary protein was shown to protect rodents against Leishmania major infection. In humans, P. papatasi salivary proteins induce a systemic cellular immune response as well as a specific antisaliva humoral immune response, making these salivary proteins attractive targets as markers of exposure for this Leishmania vector. Surprisingly, the repertoire of salivary proteins reported for P. papatasi-a model sand fly for Leishmania-vector-host molecular interactions-is very limited compared with other sand fly species. We hypothesize that a more comprehensive study of the transcripts present in the salivary glands of P. papatasi will provide better knowledge of the repertoire of proteins of this important vector and will aid in selection of potential immunogenic proteins for humans and of those proteins that are highly conserved between different sand fly strains. A cDNA library from P. papatasi (Tunisian strain) salivary glands was constructed, and randomly selected transcripts were sequenced and analyzed. The most abundant transcripts encoding secreted proteins were identified and compared with previously reported sequences. Importantly, we identified salivary proteins not described before in this sand fly species. Comparative analysis between the salivary proteins of P. papatasi from Tunisia and Israel strains shows a high level of identity, suggesting these proteins as potential common targets for markers of vector exposure or inducers of cellular immune responses in humans for different geographic areas.

  15. Estimation of salivary glucose, salivary amylase, salivary total protein and salivary flow rate in diabetics in India.

    PubMed

    Panchbhai, Arati S; Degwekar, Shirish S; Bhowte, Rahul R

    2010-09-01

    Diabetes is known to influence salivary composition and function, eventually affecting the oral cavity. We thus evaluated saliva samples for levels of glucose, amylase and total protein, and assessed salivary flow rate in diabetics and healthy non-diabetics. We also analyzed these parameters with regard to duration and type of diabetes mellitus and gender, and aimed to assess the interrelationships among the variables included in the study. A total of 120 age- and sex-matched participants were divided into 3 groups of 40 each; the uncontrolled diabetic group, the controlled diabetic group and the healthy non-diabetic group. Salivary investigations were performed using unstimulated whole saliva. Mean salivary glucose levels were found to be significantly elevated in both uncontrolled and controlled diabetics, as compared to healthy non-diabetics. There were significant decreases in mean salivary amylase levels in controlled diabetics when compared to healthy non-diabetics. Other than salivary glucose, no other parameters were found to be markedly affected in diabetes mellitus. Further research is needed to explore the clinical implications of these study results.

  16. Relationship between exposure to vector bites and antibody responses to mosquito salivary gland extracts.

    PubMed

    Fontaine, Albin; Pascual, Aurélie; Orlandi-Pradines, Eve; Diouf, Ibrahima; Remoué, Franck; Pagès, Frédéric; Fusaï, Thierry; Rogier, Christophe; Almeras, Lionel

    2011-01-01

    Mosquito-borne diseases are major health problems worldwide. Serological responses to mosquito saliva proteins may be useful in estimating individual exposure to bites from mosquitoes transmitting these diseases. However, the relationships between the levels of these IgG responses and mosquito density as well as IgG response specificity at the genus and/or species level need to be clarified prior to develop new immunological markers to assess human/vector contact. To this end, a kinetic study of antibody levels against several mosquito salivary gland extracts from southeastern French individuals living in three areas with distinct ecological environments and, by implication, distinct Aedes caspius mosquito densities were compared using ELISA. A positive association was observed between the average levels of IgG responses against Ae. caspius salivary gland extracts and spatial Ae. caspius densities. Additionally, the average level of IgG responses increased significantly during the peak exposure to Ae. caspius at each site and returned to baseline four months later, suggesting short-lived IgG responses. The species-specificity of IgG antibody responses was determined by testing antibody responses to salivary gland extracts from Cx. pipiens, a mosquito that is present at these three sites at different density levels, and from two other Aedes species not present in the study area (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). The IgG responses observed against these mosquito salivary gland extracts contrasted with those observed against Ae. caspius salivary gland extracts, supporting the existence of species-specific serological responses. By considering different populations and densities of mosquitoes linked to environmental factors, this study shows, for the first time, that specific IgG antibody responses against Ae. caspius salivary gland extracts may be related to the seasonal and geographical variations in Ae. caspius density. Characterisation of such immunological

  17. Relationship between Exposure to Vector Bites and Antibody Responses to Mosquito Salivary Gland Extracts

    PubMed Central

    Orlandi-Pradines, Eve; Diouf, Ibrahima; Remoué, Franck; Pagès, Frédéric; Fusaï, Thierry; Rogier, Christophe; Almeras, Lionel

    2011-01-01

    Mosquito-borne diseases are major health problems worldwide. Serological responses to mosquito saliva proteins may be useful in estimating individual exposure to bites from mosquitoes transmitting these diseases. However, the relationships between the levels of these IgG responses and mosquito density as well as IgG response specificity at the genus and/or species level need to be clarified prior to develop new immunological markers to assess human/vector contact. To this end, a kinetic study of antibody levels against several mosquito salivary gland extracts from southeastern French individuals living in three areas with distinct ecological environments and, by implication, distinct Aedes caspius mosquito densities were compared using ELISA. A positive association was observed between the average levels of IgG responses against Ae. caspius salivary gland extracts and spatial Ae. caspius densities. Additionally, the average level of IgG responses increased significantly during the peak exposure to Ae. caspius at each site and returned to baseline four months later, suggesting short-lived IgG responses. The species-specificity of IgG antibody responses was determined by testing antibody responses to salivary gland extracts from Cx. pipiens, a mosquito that is present at these three sites at different density levels, and from two other Aedes species not present in the study area (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). The IgG responses observed against these mosquito salivary gland extracts contrasted with those observed against Ae. caspius salivary gland extracts, supporting the existence of species-specific serological responses. By considering different populations and densities of mosquitoes linked to environmental factors, this study shows, for the first time, that specific IgG antibody responses against Ae. caspius salivary gland extracts may be related to the seasonal and geographical variations in Ae. caspius density. Characterisation of such immunological

  18. Updating the Salivary Gland Transcriptome of Phlebotomus papatasi (Tunisian Strain): The Search for Sand Fly-Secreted Immunogenic Proteins for Humans

    PubMed Central

    Ben Ahmed, Melika; Zhioua, Elyes; Chelbi, Ifhem; Cherni, Saifedine; Louzir, Hechmi; Ribeiro, José M. C.; Valenzuela, Jesus G.

    2012-01-01

    Introduction Sand fly saliva plays an important role in both blood feeding and outcome of Leishmania infection. A cellular immune response against a Phlebotomus papatasi salivary protein was shown to protect rodents against Leishmania major infection. In humans, P. papatasi salivary proteins induce a systemic cellular immune response as well as a specific antisaliva humoral immune response, making these salivary proteins attractive targets as markers of exposure for this Leishmania vector. Surprisingly, the repertoire of salivary proteins reported for P. papatasi–a model sand fly for Leishmania-vector-host molecular interactions–is very limited compared with other sand fly species. We hypothesize that a more comprehensive study of the transcripts present in the salivary glands of P. papatasi will provide better knowledge of the repertoire of proteins of this important vector and will aid in selection of potential immunogenic proteins for humans and of those proteins that are highly conserved between different sand fly strains. Methods and Findings A cDNA library from P. papatasi (Tunisian strain) salivary glands was constructed, and randomly selected transcripts were sequenced and analyzed. The most abundant transcripts encoding secreted proteins were identified and compared with previously reported sequences. Importantly, we identified salivary proteins not described before in this sand fly species. Conclusions Comparative analysis between the salivary proteins of P. papatasi from Tunisia and Israel strains shows a high level of identity, suggesting these proteins as potential common targets for markers of vector exposure or inducers of cellular immune responses in humans for different geographic areas. PMID:23139741

  19. Full-genome dengue virus sequencing in mosquito saliva shows lack of convergent positive selection during transmission by Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    Cao-Lormeau, Van-Mai; Lambrechts, Louis

    2017-01-01

    Abstract Like other pathogens with high mutation and replication rates, within-host dengue virus (DENV) populations evolve during infection of their main mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti. Within-host DENV evolution during transmission provides opportunities for adaptation and emergence of novel virus variants. Recent studies of DENV genetic diversity failed to detect convergent evolution of adaptive mutations in mosquito tissues such as midgut and salivary glands, suggesting that convergent positive selection is not a major driver of within-host DENV evolution in the vector. However, it is unknown whether this conclusion extends to the transmitted viral subpopulation because it is technically difficult to sequence DENV genomes in mosquito saliva. Here, we achieved DENV full-genome sequencing by pooling saliva samples collected non-sacrificially from 49 to 163 individual Ae. aegypti mosquitoes previously infected with one of two DENV-1 genotypes. We compared the transmitted viral subpopulations found in the pooled saliva samples collected in time series with the input viral population present in the infectious blood meal. In all pooled saliva samples examined, the full-genome consensus sequence of the input viral population was unchanged. Although the pooling strategy prevents analysis of individual saliva samples, our results demonstrate the lack of strong convergent positive selection during a single round of DENV transmission by Ae. aegypti. This finding reinforces the idea that genetic drift and purifying selection are the dominant evolutionary forces shaping within-host DENV genetic diversity during transmission by mosquitoes. PMID:29497564

  20. Vector competence of the Aedes aegypti population from Santiago Island, Cape Verde, to different serotypes of dengue virus.

    PubMed

    da Moura, Aires Januário Fernandes; de Melo Santos, Maria Alice Varjal; Oliveira, Claudia Maria Fontes; Guedes, Duschinka Ribeiro Duarte; de Carvalho-Leandro, Danilo; da Cruz Brito, Maria Lidia; Rocha, Hélio Daniel Ribeiro; Gómez, Lara Ferrero; Ayres, Constância Flávia Junqueira

    2015-02-19

    Dengue is an arboviral disease caused by dengue virus (DENV), whose main vectors are the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. A. aegypti is the only DENV vector in Cape Verde, an African country that suffered its first outbreak of dengue in 2009. However, little is known about the variation in the level of vector competence of this mosquito population to the different DENV serotypes. This study aimed to evaluate the vector competence of A. aegypti from the island of Santiago, Cape Verde, to four DENV serotypes and to detect DENV vertical transmission. Mosquitoes were fed on blood containing DENV serotypes and were dissected at 7, 14 and 21 days post-infection (dpi) to detect the virus in the midgut, head and salivary glands (SG) using RT-PCR. Additionally, the number of copies of viral RNA present in the SG was determined by qRT-PCR. Furthermore, eggs were collected in the field and adult mosquitoes obtained were analyzed by RT-PCR and the platelia dengue NS1 antigen kit to detect transovarial transmission. High rates of SG infection were observed for DENV-2 and DENV-3 whereas for DENV-1, viral RNA was only detected in the midgut and head. DENV-4 did not spread to the head or SG, maintaining the infection only in the midgut. The number of viral RNA copies in the SG did not vary significantly between DENV-2 and DENV-3 or among the different periods of incubation and the various titers of DENV tested. With respect to DENV surveillance in mosquitoes obtained from the eggs collected in the field, no samples were positive. Although no DENV positive samples were collected from the field in 2014, it is important to highlight that the A. aegypti population from Santiago Islands exhibited different degrees of susceptibility to DENV serotypes. This population showed a high vector competence for DENV-2 and DENV-3 strains and a low susceptibility to DENV-1 and DENV-4. Viral RNA copies in the SG remained constant for at least 21 dpi, which may enhance the vector

  1. Dispersal of Engineered Male Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes.

    PubMed

    Winskill, Peter; Carvalho, Danilo O; Capurro, Margareth L; Alphey, Luke; Donnelly, Christl A; McKemey, Andrew R

    2015-11-01

    Aedes aegypti, the principal vector of dengue fever, have been genetically engineered for use in a sterile insect control programme. To improve our understanding of the dispersal ecology of mosquitoes and to inform appropriate release strategies of 'genetically sterile' male Aedes aegypti detailed knowledge of the dispersal ability of the released insects is needed. The dispersal ability of released 'genetically sterile' male Aedes aegypti at a field site in Brazil has been estimated. Dispersal kernels embedded within a generalized linear model framework were used to analyse data collected from three large scale mark release recapture studies. The methodology has been applied to previously published dispersal data to compare the dispersal ability of 'genetically sterile' male Aedes aegypti in contrasting environments. We parameterised dispersal kernels and estimated the mean distance travelled for insects in Brazil: 52.8 m (95% CI: 49.9 m, 56.8 m) and Malaysia: 58.0 m (95% CI: 51.1 m, 71.0 m). Our results provide specific, detailed estimates of the dispersal characteristics of released 'genetically sterile' male Aedes aegypti in the field. The comparative analysis indicates that despite differing environments and recapture rates, key features of the insects' dispersal kernels are conserved across the two studies. The results can be used to inform both risk assessments and release programmes using 'genetically sterile' male Aedes aegypti.

  2. Vector competence of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) for the DEN2-FJ10 and DEN2-FJ11 strains of the dengue 2 virus in Fujian, China.

    PubMed

    Guo, Xiao-Xia; Li, Chun-Xiao; Zhang, Ying-Mei; Xing, Dan; Dong, Yan-De; Zhang, Heng-Duan; Qin, Cheng-Feng; Zhao, Tong-Yan

    2016-09-01

    Dengue is an acute, emerging, infectious disease transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes that has become a serious global public health problem. The DEN2-FJ10 and DEN2-FJ11 strains of the dengue 2 virus were originally isolated from the serum of a patient with dengue fever in Fujian Province, China, in 1999. Our data provide the first assessment of the vector competence of Aedes mosquitoes with respect to the DEN2-FJ10 and DEN2-FJ11 strains of the dengue virus. There were significant differences in the replication rates of these two viral strains in Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti (P<0.05); replication of the DEN2-FJ10 strain was greater in Ae. aegypti than in Ae. albopictus 5 days post infection whereas replication of the DEN2-FJ11 was greater in Ae. albopictus than in Ae. aegypti 7 days post infection. The replicative ability of the DEN2-FJ11 strain was greater than that of the DEN2-FJ10 strain in infected Ae. albopictus. In infected Ae. aegypti, rapid proliferation of the DEN2-FJ10 strain occurred earlier than in the DEN2-FJ11 strain. There were no significant differences in the midgut and salivary gland infection rates of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti with respect to either viral strain. Although the DEN2-FJ10 and DEN2-FJ11 strains differ in their virulence to neonatal rats, there was no significant difference in the ability of either Ae. albopictus or Ae. aegypti to transmit the DEN2-FJ10 and DEN2-FJ10 strains of the dengue 2 virus (P>0.05). In summary, our results indicate that Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti mosquitoes are moderately competent vectors of the DEN2-FJ10 and DEN2-FJ11 strains of the dengue virus and provide the first evidence of the effect of these two viral strains on the vector competence of mosquitoes in China. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  3. Substrate prediction of Ixodes ricinus salivary lipocalins differentially expressed during Borrelia afzelii infection

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Valdés, James J.; Cabezas-Cruz, Alejandro; Sima, Radek; Butterill, Philip T.; Růžek, Daniel; Nuttall, Patricia A.

    2016-09-01

    Evolution has provided ticks with an arsenal of bioactive saliva molecules that counteract host defense mechanisms. This salivary pharmacopoeia enables blood-feeding while enabling pathogen transmission. High-throughput sequencing of tick salivary glands has thus become a major focus, revealing large expansion within protein encoding gene families. Among these are lipocalins, ubiquitous barrel-shaped proteins that sequester small, typically hydrophobic molecules. This study was initiated by mining the Ixodes ricinus salivary gland transcriptome for specific, uncharacterized lipocalins: three were identified. Differential expression of these I. ricinus lipocalins during feeding at distinct developmental stages and in response to Borrelia afzelii infection suggests a role in transmission of this Lyme disease spirochete. A phylogenetic analysis using 803 sequences places the three I. ricinus lipocalins with tick lipocalins that sequester monoamines, leukotrienes and fatty acids. Both structural analysis and biophysical simulations generated robust predictions showing these I. ricinus lipocalins have the potential to bind monoamines similar to other tick species previously reported. The multidisciplinary approach employed in this study characterized unique lipocalins that play a role in tick blood-feeding and transmission of the most important tick-borne pathogen in North America and Eurasia.

  4. Somatosensory Modulation of Salivary Gene Expression and Oral Feeding in Preterm Infants: Randomized Controlled Trial

    PubMed Central

    Maron, Jill Lamanna; Alterovitz, Gil; Song, Dongli; Wilson, Bernard Joseph; Jegatheesan, Priya; Govindaswami, Balaji; Lee, Jaehoon; Rosner, Austin Oder

    2017-01-01

    Background Despite numerous medical advances in the care of at-risk preterm neonates, oral feeding still represents one of the first and most advanced neurological challenges facing this delicate population. Objective, quantitative, and noninvasive assessment tools, as well as neurotherapeutic strategies, are greatly needed in order to improve feeding and developmental outcomes. Pulsed pneumatic orocutaneous stimulation has been shown to improve nonnutritive sucking (NNS) skills in preterm infants who exhibit delayed or disordered nipple feeding behaviors. Separately, the study of the salivary transcriptome in neonates has helped identify biomarkers directly linked to successful neonatal oral feeding behavior. The combination of noninvasive treatment strategies and transcriptomic analysis represents an integrative approach to oral feeding in which rapid technological advances and personalized transcriptomics can safely and noninvasively be brought to the bedside to inform medical care decisions and improve care and outcomes. Objective The study aimed to conduct a multicenter randomized control trial (RCT) to combine molecular and behavioral methods in an experimental conceptualization approach to map the effects of PULSED somatosensory stimulation on salivary gene expression in the context of the acquisition of oral feeding habits in high-risk human neonates. The aims of this study represent the first attempt to combine noninvasive treatment strategies and transcriptomic assessments of high-risk extremely preterm infants (EPI) to (1) improve oral feeding behavior and skills, (2) further our understanding of the gene ontology of biologically diverse pathways related to oral feeding, (3) use gene expression data to personalize neonatal care and individualize treatment strategies and timing interventions, and (4) improve long-term developmental outcomes. Methods A total of 180 extremely preterm infants from three neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) will be

  5. Genome-wide SNPs lead to strong signals of geographic structure and relatedness patterns in the major arbovirus vector, Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Rašić, Gordana; Filipović, Igor; Weeks, Andrew R; Hoffmann, Ary A

    2014-04-11

    Genetic markers are widely used to understand the biology and population dynamics of disease vectors, but often markers are limited in the resolution they provide. In particular, the delineation of population structure, fine scale movement and patterns of relatedness are often obscured unless numerous markers are available. To address this issue in the major arbovirus vector, the yellow fever mosquito (Aedes aegypti), we used double digest Restriction-site Associated DNA (ddRAD) sequencing for the discovery of genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). We aimed to characterize the new SNP set and to test the resolution against previously described microsatellite markers in detecting broad and fine-scale genetic patterns in Ae. aegypti. We developed bioinformatics tools that support the customization of restriction enzyme-based protocols for SNP discovery. We showed that our approach for RAD library construction achieves unbiased genome representation that reflects true evolutionary processes. In Ae. aegypti samples from three continents we identified more than 18,000 putative SNPs. They were widely distributed across the three Ae. aegypti chromosomes, with 47.9% found in intergenic regions and 17.8% in exons of over 2,300 genes. Pattern of their imputed effects in ORFs and UTRs were consistent with those found in a recent transcriptome study. We demonstrated that individual mosquitoes from Indonesia, Australia, Vietnam and Brazil can be assigned with a very high degree of confidence to their region of origin using a large SNP panel. We also showed that familial relatedness of samples from a 0.4 km2 area could be confidently established with a subset of SNPs. Using a cost-effective customized RAD sequencing approach supported by our bioinformatics tools, we characterized over 18,000 SNPs in field samples of the dengue fever mosquito Ae. aegypti. The variants were annotated and positioned onto the three Ae. aegypti chromosomes. The new SNP set provided much

  6. Patterns of Geographic Expansion of Aedes aegypti in the Peruvian Amazon

    PubMed Central

    Guagliardo, Sarah Anne; Barboza, José Luis; Morrison, Amy C.; Astete, Helvio; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo; Kitron, Uriel

    2014-01-01

    Background and Objectives In the Peruvian Amazon, the dengue vector Aedes aegypti is abundant in large urban centers such as Iquitos. In recent years, it has also been found in a number of neighboring rural communities with similar climatic and socioeconomic conditions. To better understand Ae. aegypti spread, we compared characteristics of communities, houses, and containers in infested and uninfested communities. Methods We conducted pupal-demographic surveys and deployed ovitraps in 34 communities surrounding the city of Iquitos. Communities surveyed were located along two transects: the Amazon River and a 95km highway. We calculated entomological indices, mapped Ae. aegypti presence, and developed univariable and multivariable logistic regression models to predict Ae. aegypti presence at the community, household, or container level. Results Large communities closer to Iquitos were more likely to be infested with Ae. aegypti. Within infested communities, houses with Ae. aegypti had more passively-filled containers and were more often infested with other mosquito genera than houses without Ae. aegypti. For containers, large water tanks/drums and containers with solar exposure were more likely to be infested with Ae. aegypti. Maps of Ae. aegypti presence revealed a linear pattern of infestation along the highway, and a scattered pattern along the Amazon River. We also identified the geographical limit of Ae. aegypti expansion along the highway at 19.3 km south of Iquitos. Conclusion In the Peruvian Amazon, Ae. aegypti geographic spread is driven by human transportation networks along rivers and highways. Our results suggest that urban development and oviposition site availability drive Ae. aegypti colonization along roads. Along rivers, boat traffic is likely to drive long-distance dispersal via unintentional transport of mosquitoes on boats. PMID:25101786

  7. Patterns of geographic expansion of Aedes aegypti in the Peruvian Amazon.

    PubMed

    Guagliardo, Sarah Anne; Barboza, José Luis; Morrison, Amy C; Astete, Helvio; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo; Kitron, Uriel

    2014-08-01

    In the Peruvian Amazon, the dengue vector Aedes aegypti is abundant in large urban centers such as Iquitos. In recent years, it has also been found in a number of neighboring rural communities with similar climatic and socioeconomic conditions. To better understand Ae. aegypti spread, we compared characteristics of communities, houses, and containers in infested and uninfested communities. We conducted pupal-demographic surveys and deployed ovitraps in 34 communities surrounding the city of Iquitos. Communities surveyed were located along two transects: the Amazon River and a 95 km highway. We calculated entomological indices, mapped Ae. aegypti presence, and developed univariable and multivariable logistic regression models to predict Ae. aegypti presence at the community, household, or container level. Large communities closer to Iquitos were more likely to be infested with Ae. aegypti. Within infested communities, houses with Ae. aegypti had more passively-filled containers and were more often infested with other mosquito genera than houses without Ae. aegypti. For containers, large water tanks/drums and containers with solar exposure were more likely to be infested with Ae. aegypti. Maps of Ae. aegypti presence revealed a linear pattern of infestation along the highway, and a scattered pattern along the Amazon River. We also identified the geographical limit of Ae. aegypti expansion along the highway at 19.3 km south of Iquitos. In the Peruvian Amazon, Ae. aegypti geographic spread is driven by human transportation networks along rivers and highways. Our results suggest that urban development and oviposition site availability drive Ae. aegypti colonization along roads. Along rivers, boat traffic is likely to drive long-distance dispersal via unintentional transport of mosquitoes on boats.

  8. Sialome of a Generalist Lepidopteran Herbivore: Identification of Transcripts and Proteins from Helicoverpa armigera Labial Salivary Glands

    PubMed Central

    Celorio-Mancera, Maria de la Paz; Courtiade, Juliette; Muck, Alexander; Heckel, David G.; Musser, Richard O.; Vogel, Heiko

    2011-01-01

    Although the importance of insect saliva in insect-host plant interactions has been acknowledged, there is very limited information on the nature and complexity of the salivary proteome in lepidopteran herbivores. We inspected the labial salivary transcriptome and proteome of Helicoverpa armigera, an important polyphagous pest species. To identify the majority of the salivary proteins we have randomly sequenced 19,389 expressed sequence tags (ESTs) from a normalized cDNA library of salivary glands. In parallel, a non-cytosolic enriched protein fraction was obtained from labial salivary glands and subjected to two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (2-DE) and de novo peptide sequencing. This procedure allowed comparison of peptides and EST sequences and enabled us to identify 65 protein spots from the secreted labial saliva 2DE proteome. The mass spectrometry analysis revealed ecdysone, glucose oxidase, fructosidase, carboxyl/cholinesterase and an uncharacterized protein previously detected in H. armigera midgut proteome. Consistently, their corresponding transcripts are among the most abundant in our cDNA library. We did find redundancy of sequence identification of saliva-secreted proteins suggesting multiple isoforms. As expected, we found several enzymes responsible for digestion and plant offense. In addition, we identified non-digestive proteins such as an arginine kinase and abundant proteins of unknown function. This identification of secreted salivary gland proteins allows a more comprehensive understanding of insect feeding and poses new challenges for the elucidation of protein function. PMID:22046331

  9. Salivary Gland Secretion.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Dorman, H. L.; And Others

    1981-01-01

    Describes materials and procedures for an experiment utilizing a live dog to demonstrate: (1) physiology of the salivary gland; (2) parasympathetic control of the salivary gland; (3) influence of varying salivary flow rates on sodium and potassium ions, osmolarity and pH; and (4) salivary secretion as an active process. (DS)

  10. Workbook on Identification of Aedes Aegypti Larvae.

    ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

    Pratt, Harry D.; And Others

    This self-instructional booklet is designed to enable yellow fever control workers to identify the larvae of "Aedes aegypti." The morphological features of mosquito larvae are illustrated in this partially programed text, and the distinguishing features of "A. aegypti" indicated. A glossary is included. (AL)

  11. Salivary Chemical Factors in Relation with Oral Cancer in Smokers and Non-Smokers: a Literature Review

    PubMed Central

    Nosratzehi, Tahereh

    2017-01-01

    Squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity is of malignant tumors, which causes cancerous complications. DNA damage, mainly because of products of oxidative stress like reactive oxygen species, is a frequent mutagenic that triggers carcinoma. Smoking increases the probability of cancer incidence. Saliva is the first biological medium to interact with external compounds, especially smoking substances. The present study overviews the salivary level of some remarkable compounds in relation with smoking and squamous cell carcinoma. To collect data, English literature was searched in databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. The keywords used for search were as follows: ‘Carcinoma, Squamous Cell’, ‘Smoking’, ‘Saliva’, and ‘Biomarkers‘. The inclusion criteria were the presence of salivary chemical factors in relation with oral cancer and influence by smoking. Out of 239 found articles, only 56 were selected. Our results demonstrated the potential role of salivary biochemistry to predict and/or treat complications with cancer in both smoker and non-smoker individuals. Changes in concentrations of salivary chemicals including antioxidants, total antioxidant, glutathione and uric acid, epithelial growth factor, cytokine biomarkers, superoxide dismutase activity, and transcriptome were related to squamous cell carcinoma and could be used as potential biomarkers for cancer prognosis; moreover, enhancement of antioxidant level might be a potential treatment. PMID:29201965

  12. Salivary Chemical Factors in Relation with Oral Cancer in Smokers and Non-Smokers: a Literature Review.

    PubMed

    Nosratzehi, Tahereh

    2017-12-01

    Squamous cell carcinoma of oral cavity is of malignant tumors, which causes cancerous complications. DNA damage, mainly because of products of oxidative stress like reactive oxygen species, is a frequent mutagenic that triggers carcinoma. Smoking increases the probability of cancer incidence. Saliva is the first biological medium to interact with external compounds, especially smoking substances. The present study overviews the salivary level of some remarkable compounds in relation with smoking and squamous cell carcinoma. To collect data, English literature was searched in databases including PubMed, ScienceDirect and Google Scholar. The keywords used for search were as follows: 'Carcinoma, Squamous Cell', 'Smoking', 'Saliva', and 'Biomarkers'. The inclusion criteria were the presence of salivary chemical factors in relation with oral cancer and influence by smoking. Out of 239 found articles, only 56 were selected. Our results demonstrated the potential role of salivary biochemistry to predict and/or treat complications with cancer in both smoker and non-smoker individuals. Changes in concentrations of salivary chemicals including antioxidants, total antioxidant, glutathione and uric acid, epithelial growth factor, cytokine biomarkers, superoxide dismutase activity, and transcriptome were related to squamous cell carcinoma and could be used as potential biomarkers for cancer prognosis; moreover, enhancement of antioxidant level might be a potential treatment.

  13. Comparative efficacy of existing surveillance tools for Aedes aegypti in Western Kenya.

    PubMed

    Yalwala, Sancto; Clark, Jeffrey; Oullo, David; Ngonga, Daniel; Abuom, David; Wanja, Elizabeth; Bast, Joshua

    2015-12-01

    All traditional surveillance techniques for Aedes aegypti have been developed for the cosmopolitan domestic subspecies Ae. aegypti aegypti, and not the sylvatic subspecies, Ae. aegypti formosus. The predominant form in Western Kenya is Ae. aegypti formosus that is rarely associated with human habitations but is linked to transmission of sylvatic dengue virus strains. We compared five surveillance methods for their effectiveness in sampling Ae. aegypti formosus with the goal of determining a sustainable surveillance strategy in Kenya. The methods included larval and pupal surveys, oviposition trapping, BG-Sentinel trapping, resting boxes, and backpack aspirations. Larval and pupal surveys collected the highest number of Ae. aegypti formosus (51.3%), followed by oviposition traps (45.7%), BG-Sentinel traps (3.0%), and zero collected with either backpack aspiration or resting box collections. No Ae. aegypti formosus larvae or pupae were found indoors. The results indicate that oviposition traps and outdoor larval and pupal surveys were better surveillance methods for Ae. aegypti formosus in Western Kenya. © 2015 The Society for Vector Ecology.

  14. Correlation between salivary secretion and salivary AQP5 levels in health and disease.

    PubMed

    Wang, Di; Iwata, Fusako; Muraguchi, Masahiro; Ooga, Keiko; Ohmoto, Yasukazu; Takai, Masaaki; Mori, Toyoki; Ishikawa, Yasuko

    2009-01-01

    Saliva samples are useful for noninvasive diagnosis of oral and systemic diseases. The water channel protein aquaporin-5 (AQP5) is released into human saliva. Salivary AQP5 levels show a diurnal variation with the secretion of high levels during the waking hours. An age-related decrease in salivary AQP5 levels parallels a decrease in the volume of saliva. Cevimeline, a muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) agonist, induces the release of AQP5. Changes in salivary AQP5 levels after cevimeline administration occur simultaneously with changes in saliva flow rate. AQP5 and lipid rafts are released separately from human salivary glands upon M(3) mAChR stimulation. In patients with diabetes mellitus or Sjögren's syndrome, a decrease in salivary secretion occurs concomitantly with low salivary AQP5 levels. Salivary AQP5 levels correlate with salivary secretion in both healthy and disease states, suggesting that changes in salivary AQP5 levels can be used as an indicator of salivary flow rate and the effect of M(3) mAChR agonists on human salivary glands.

  15. Salivary gland disease.

    PubMed

    Thomas, Bethan L; Brown, Jackie E; McGurk, Mark

    2010-01-01

    Salivary gland disease covers a wide range of pathological entities, including salivary gland-specific disease, as well as manifestations of systemic diseases. This chapter discusses the recent advances in managing obstructive salivary gland disease, the move from gland excision to gland preservation, the dilemmas in diagnosing and managing tumours of the salivary glands, and the international data collection to understand the aetiology and progression of Sjögren's disease. Copyright 2010 S. Karger AG, Basel.

  16. In-depth characterization of the salivary adenoid cystic carcinoma transcriptome with emphasis on dominant cell type.

    PubMed

    Bell, Diana; Bell, Achim H; Bondaruk, Jolanta; Hanna, Ehab Y; Weber, Randall S

    2016-05-15

    Adenoid cystic carcinoma (ACC), 1 of the most common salivary gland malignancies, arises from the intercalated ducts, which are composed of inner ductal epithelial cells and outer myoepithelial cells. The objective of this study was to determine the genomic subtypes of ACC with emphasis on dominant cell type to identify potential specific biomarkers for each subtype and to improve the understanding of this disease. A whole-genome expression study was performed based on 42 primary salivary ACCs and 5 normal salivary glands. RNA from these specimens was subjected to expression profiling with RNA sequencing, and results were analyzed to identify transcripts in epithelial-dominant ACC (E-ACC), myoepithelial-dominant ACC (M-ACC), and all ACC that were expressed differentially compared with the transcripts in normal salivary tissue. In total, the authors identified 430 differentially expressed transcripts that were unique to E-ACC, 392 that were unique to M-ACC, and 424 that were common to both M-ACC and E-ACC. The sets of E-ACC-specific and M-ACC-specific transcripts were sufficiently large to define and differentiate E-ACC from M-ACC. Ingenuity pathway analysis identified known cancer-related genes for 60% of the E-ACC transcripts, 69% of the M-ACC transcripts, and 68% of the transcripts that were common in both E-ACC and M-ACC. Three sets of highly expressed candidate genes-distal-less homeobox 6 (DLX6) for E-ACC; protein keratin 16 (KRT16), SRY box 11 (SOX11), and v-myb avian myeloblastosis viral oncogene homolog (MYB) for M-ACC; and engrailed 1 (EN1) and statherin (STATH), which are common to both E-ACC and M-ACC)-were further validated at the protein level. The current results enabled the authors to identify novel potential therapeutic targets and biomarkers in E-ACC and M-ACC individually, with the implication that EN1, DLX6, and OTX1 (orthodenticle homeobox 1) are potential drivers of these cancers. Cancer 2016;122:1513-22. © 2016 American Cancer Society.

  17. Transcriptomic analyses of the secreted proteins from the salivary glands of the wheat midge larvae

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Both the wheat midge (Sitodiplosis mosellana) and the Hessian fly (Mayetiola destructor) belong to a group of insects called gall midges (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) and both are destructive pests of wheat. From Hessian fly larvae, a large number of genes have been identified to encode Secreted Salivary...

  18. Spatial and temporal patterns of abundance of Aedes aegypti L. (Stegomyia aegypti) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) [Stegomyia albopictus (Skuse)] in southern Florida.

    PubMed

    Reiskind, M H; Lounibos, L P

    2013-12-01

    Invasion by mosquito vectors of disease may impact the distribution of resident mosquitoes, resulting in novel patterns of vectors and concomitant risk for disease. One example of such an impact is the invasion by Aedes albopictus (Skuse) [Stegomyia albopictus (Skuse)] (Diptera: Culicidae) of North America and this species' interaction with Aedes aegypti L. (Stegomyia aegypti L). We hypothesized that Ae. aegypti would be found in urban, coastal areas that experience hotter and drier conditions, whereas Ae. albopictus would be more commonly found in suburban and rural areas that are cooler and wetter. In addition, we hypothesized that Ae. aegypti would be more abundant early in the wet season, whereas Ae. albopictus would be more abundant later in the wet season. Urban areas were drier, hotter and contained more Ae. aegypti than suburban or rural areas. Aedes aegypti was relatively more abundant early in the wet season, whereas Ae. albopictus was more abundant in both the late wet season and the dry season. The spatial patterns of inter- and intraspecific encounters between these species were also described. The distribution of these mosquitoes is correlated with abiotic conditions, and with temperature, humidity and the relative availability of rain-filled containers. Understanding the ecological determinants of species distribution can provide insight into the biology of these vectors and important information for their appropriate control. © 2012 The Royal Entomological Society.

  19. Isolation of midgut escape mutants of two American genotype dengue 2 viruses from Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Several studies have shown that American genotype dengue 2 viruses (DENV2) have reduced viral fitness in the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti, compared to other DENV2 genotypes. Diminished replication efficiency or inability to efficiently traverse membrane barriers encompassing organs such as the midgut or salivary glands are considered major factors negatively impacting viral fitness in the mosquito. Results We analyzed the vector competence of Ae. aegypti for two American DENV2 strains, QR94 and PR159 originating from Mexico and Puerto-Rico, respectively. Both strains infected mosquito midguts following acquisition of infectious bloodmeals. However, DENV2-QR94 and DENV2-PR159 poorly disseminated from the midgut at 7 or 14 days post-bloodmeal (pbm). We detected one virus isolate, EM33, among 31 DENV2-QR94 infected mosquitoes, and one isolate, EM41, among 121 DENV2-PR159 infected mosquitoes, generating high virus titers in mosquito carcasses at 7 days pbm. In oral challenge experiments, EM33 and EM41 showed midgut dissemination rates of 40-50%. Replication efficiency of EM41 in secondary mosquito tissue was similar to that of a dissemination-competent control strain, whereas the replication efficiency of EM33 was significantly lower than that of the control virus. The genome sequence of DENV2-QR94 encoded seven unique amino acids (aa), which were not found in 100 of the most closely related DENV2 strains. EM33 had one additional aa change, E202K, in the E protein. DENV2-PR159 encoded four unique aa residues, one of them E202K, whereas EM41 had two additional aa substitutions, Q77E in the E protein and E93D in NS3. Conclusions Our results indicate that the midgut of Ae. aegypti acts as a selective sieve for DENV2 in which genetically distinct, dissemination-competent virus variants are rapidly selected from the viral quasispecies to be transmitted to vertebrates. PMID:23937713

  20. Analysis of early dengue virus infection in mice as modulated by Aedes aegypti probing.

    PubMed

    McCracken, M K; Christofferson, R C; Chisenhall, D M; Mores, C N

    2014-02-01

    Dengue virus (DENV), the etiologic agent of dengue fever, is transmitted during probing of human skin by infected-mosquito bite. The expectorated viral inoculum also contains an assortment of mosquito salivary proteins that have been shown to modulate host hemostasis and innate immune responses. To examine the potential role of mosquito probing in DENV establishment within the vertebrate host, we inoculated mice intradermally with DENV serotype 2 strain 1232 at sites where Aedes aegypti had or had not probed immediately prior. We assayed these sites 3 h postinoculation with transcript arrays for the Toll-like receptor (TLR), RIG-I-like receptor, and NOD-like receptor signaling pathways of the innate immune system. We then chose TLR7, transcription factor p65 (RelA), gamma interferon (IFN-γ), and IFN-γ-inducible protein 10 (IP-10) from the arrays for further investigation and assayed these transcripts at 10 min, 3 h, and 6 h postinoculation. The transcripts for TLR7, RelA, IFN-γ, and IP-10 were significantly downregulated between 2- and 3-fold in the group subjected to mosquito probing relative to the virus-only inoculation group at 3 h postinoculation. A reduction in these transcripts could indicate reduced DENV recognition and antigen presentation and diminished inhibition of viral replication and spread. Further, mosquito probing resulted in viremia titers significantly higher than those in mice that did not receive probing. A. aegypti probing has a significant effect on the innate immune response to DENV infection and generates an early immune environment more permissive to the establishment of infection.

  1. Deltamethrin resistance in Aedes aegypti results in treatment failure in Merida, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo M; Medina-Barreiro, Anuar; Che-Mendoza, Azael; Dzul-Manzanilla, Felipe; Correa-Morales, Fabian; Guillermo-May, Guillermo; Bibiano-Marín, Wilbert; Uc-Puc, Valentín; Geded-Moreno, Eduardo; Vadillo-Sánchez, José; Palacio-Vargas, Jorge; Ritchie, Scott A; Lenhart, Audrey; Manrique-Saide, Pablo

    2017-06-01

    The operational impact of deltamethrin resistance on the efficacy of indoor insecticide applications to control Aedes aegypti was evaluated in Merida, Mexico. A randomized controlled trial quantified the efficacy of indoor residual spraying (IRS) against adult Ae. aegypti in houses treated with either deltamethrin (to which local Ae. aegypti expressed a high degree of resistance) or bendiocarb (to which local Ae. aegypti were fully susceptible) as compared to untreated control houses. All adult Ae. aegypti infestation indices during 3 months post-spraying were significantly lower in houses treated with bendiocarb compared to untreated houses (odds ratio <0.75; incidence rate ratio < 0.65) whereas no statistically significant difference was detected between the untreated and the deltamethrin-treated houses. On average, bendiocarb spraying reduced Ae. aegypti abundance by 60% during a 3-month period. Results demonstrate that vector control efficacy can be significantly compromised when the insecticide resistance status of Ae. aegypti populations is not taken into consideration.

  2. Salivary Glands

    MedlinePlus

    ... salivary gland tumors usually show up as painless enlargements of these glands. Tumors rarely involve more than ... otolaryngologist-head and neck surgeon should check these enlargements. Malignant tumors of the major salivary glands can ...

  3. Aedes aegypti ML and Niemann-Pick type C family members are agonists of dengue virus infection

    PubMed Central

    Jupatanakul, Natapong; Sim, Shuzhen; Dimopoulos, George

    2014-01-01

    Upon exposure to dengue virus, the Aedes aegypti mosquito vector mounts an anti-viral immune defense by activating the Toll, JAK/STAT, and RNAi pathways, thereby limiting infection. While these pathways and several other factors have been identified as dengue virus antagonists, our knowledge of factors that facilitate dengue virus infection is limited. Previous dengue virus infection-responsive transcriptome analyses have revealed an increased mRNA abundance of members of the myeloid differentiation 2-related lipid recognition protein (ML) and the Niemann Pick-type C1 (NPC1) families upon dengue virus infection. These genes encode lipid-binding proteins that have been shown to play a role in host-pathogen interactions in other organisms. RNAi-mediated gene silencing of a ML and a NPC1 gene family member in both laboratory strain and field-derived Ae. aegypti mosquitoes resulted in significantly elevated resistance to dengue virus in mosquito midguts, suggesting that these genes play roles as dengue virus agonists. In addition to their possible roles in virus cell entry and replication, gene expression analyses suggested that ML and NPC1 family members also facilitate viral infection by modulating the mosquito’s immune competence. Our study suggests that the dengue virus influences the expression of these genes to facilitate its infection of the mosquito host. PMID:24135719

  4. Productivity and population density estimates of the dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti (Stegomyia aegypti) in Australia.

    PubMed

    Williams, C R; Johnson, P H; Ball, T S; Ritchie, S A

    2013-09-01

    New mosquito control strategies centred on the modifying of populations require knowledge of existing population densities at release sites and an understanding of breeding site ecology. Using a quantitative pupal survey method, we investigated production of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (L.) (Stegomyia aegypti) (Diptera: Culicidae) in Cairns, Queensland, Australia, and found that garden accoutrements represented the most common container type. Deliberately placed 'sentinel' containers were set at seven houses and sampled for pupae over 10 weeks during the wet season. Pupal production was approximately constant; tyres and buckets represented the most productive container types. Sentinel tyres produced the largest female mosquitoes, but were relatively rare in the field survey. We then used field-collected data to make estimates of per premises population density using three different approaches. Estimates of female Ae. aegypti abundance per premises made using the container-inhabiting mosquito simulation (CIMSiM) model [95% confidence interval (CI) 18.5-29.1 females] concorded reasonably well with estimates obtained using a standing crop calculation based on pupal collections (95% CI 8.8-22.5) and using BG-Sentinel traps and a sampling rate correction factor (95% CI 6.2-35.2). By first describing local Ae. aegypti productivity, we were able to compare three separate population density estimates which provided similar results. We anticipate that this will provide researchers and health officials with several tools with which to make estimates of population densities. © 2012 The Royal Entomological Society.

  5. Human IgG Antibody Response to Aedes Nterm-34kDa Salivary Peptide, an Epidemiological Tool to Assess Vector Control in Chikungunya and Dengue Transmission Area.

    PubMed

    Elanga Ndille, Emmanuel; Doucoure, Souleymane; Poinsignon, Anne; Mouchet, François; Cornelie, Sylvie; D'Ortenzio, Eric; DeHecq, Jean Sébastien; Remoue, Franck

    2016-12-01

    Arboviral diseases are an important public health concerns. Vector control remains the sole strategy to fight against these diseases. Because of the important limits of methods currently used to assess human exposure to Aedes mosquito bites, much effort is being devoted to develop new indicators. Recent studies have reported that human antibody (Ab) responses to Aedes aegypti Nterm-34kDa salivary peptide represent a promising biomarker tool to evaluate the human-Aedes contact. The present study aims investigate whether such biomarker could be used for assessing the efficacy of vector control against Aedes. Specific human IgG response to the Nterm-34kDa peptide was assessed from 102 individuals living in urban area of Saint-Denis at La Reunion Island, Indian Ocean, before and after the implementation of vector control against Aedes mosquitoes. IgG response decreased after 2 weeks (P < 0.0001), and remained low for 4 weeks post-intervention (P = 0.0002). The specific IgG decrease was associated with the decline of Aedes mosquito density, as estimated by entomological parameters and closely correlated to vector control implementation and was not associated with the use of individual protection, daily commuting outside of the house, sex and age. Our findings indicate a probable short-term decrease of human exposure to Aedes bites just after vector control implementation. Results provided in the present study indicate that IgG Ab response to Aedes aegypti Nterm-34kDa salivary peptide could be a relevant short-time indicator for evaluating the efficacy of vector control interventions against Aedes species.

  6. Anti-thrombosis Repertoire of Blood-feeding Horsefly Salivary Glands*

    PubMed Central

    Ma, Dongying; Wang, Yipeng; Yang, Hailong; Wu, Jing; An, Shu; Gao, Li; Xu, Xueqing; Lai, Ren

    2009-01-01

    Blood-feeding arthropods rely heavily on the pharmacological properties of their saliva to get a blood meal and suppress immune reactions of hosts. Little information is available on antihemostatic substances in horsefly salivary glands although their saliva has been thought to contain wide range of physiologically active molecules. In traditional Eastern medicine, horseflies are used as anti-thrombosis material for hundreds of years. By proteomics coupling transcriptome analysis with pharmacological testing, several families of proteins or peptides, which exert mainly on anti-thrombosis functions, were identified and characterized from 60,000 pairs of salivary glands of the horsefly Tabanus yao Macquart (Diptera, Tabanidae). They are: (I) ten fibrin(ogen)olytic enzymes, which hydrolyze specially alpha chain of fibrin(ogen) and are the first family of fibrin(ogen)olytic enzymes purified and characterized from arthropods; (II) another fibrin(ogen)olytic enzyme, which hydrolyzes both alpha and beta chain of fibrin(ogen); (III) ten Arg-Gly-Asp-motif containing proteins acting as platelet aggregation inhibitors; (IV) five thrombin inhibitor peptides; (V) three vasodilator peptides; (VI) one apyrase acting as platelet aggregation inhibitor; (VII) one peroxidase with both platelet aggregation inhibitory and vasodilator activities. The first three families are belonging to antigen five proteins, which show obvious similarity with insect allergens. They are the first members of the antigen 5 family found in salivary glands of blood sucking arthropods to have anti-thromobosis function. The current results imply a possible evolution from allergens of blood-sucking insects to anti-thrombosis agents. The extreme diversity of horsefly anti-thrombosis components also reveals the anti-thrombosis molecular mechanisms of the traditional Eastern medicine insect material. PMID:19531497

  7. Shifting Patterns of Aedes aegypti Fine Scale Spatial Clustering in Iquitos, Peru

    PubMed Central

    LaCon, Genevieve; Morrison, Amy C.; Astete, Helvio; Stoddard, Steven T.; Paz-Soldan, Valerie A.; Elder, John P.; Halsey, Eric S.; Scott, Thomas W.; Kitron, Uriel; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo M.

    2014-01-01

    Background Empiric evidence shows that Aedes aegypti abundance is spatially heterogeneous and that some areas and larval habitats produce more mosquitoes than others. There is a knowledge gap, however, with regards to the temporal persistence of such Ae. aegypti abundance hotspots. In this study, we used a longitudinal entomologic dataset from the city of Iquitos, Peru, to (1) quantify the spatial clustering patterns of adult Ae. aegypti and pupae counts per house, (2) determine overlap between clusters, (3) quantify the temporal stability of clusters over nine entomologic surveys spaced four months apart, and (4) quantify the extent of clustering at the household and neighborhood levels. Methodologies/Principal Findings Data from 13,662 household entomological visits performed in two Iquitos neighborhoods differing in Ae. aegypti abundance and dengue virus transmission was analyzed using global and local spatial statistics. The location and extent of Ae. aegypti pupae and adult hotspots (i.e., small groups of houses with significantly [p<0.05] high mosquito abundance) were calculated for each of the 9 entomologic surveys. The extent of clustering was used to quantify the probability of finding spatially correlated populations. Our analyses indicate that Ae. aegypti distribution was highly focal (most clusters do not extend beyond 30 meters) and that hotspots of high vector abundance were common on every survey date, but they were temporally unstable over the period of study. Conclusions/Significance Our findings have implications for understanding Ae. aegypti distribution and for the design of surveillance and control activities relying on household-level data. In settings like Iquitos, where there is a relatively low percentage of Ae. aegypti in permanent water-holding containers, identifying and targeting key premises will be significantly challenged by shifting hotspots of Ae. aegypti infestation. Focusing efforts in large geographic areas with historically

  8. Shifting patterns of Aedes aegypti fine scale spatial clustering in Iquitos, Peru.

    PubMed

    LaCon, Genevieve; Morrison, Amy C; Astete, Helvio; Stoddard, Steven T; Paz-Soldan, Valerie A; Elder, John P; Halsey, Eric S; Scott, Thomas W; Kitron, Uriel; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo M

    2014-08-01

    Empiric evidence shows that Aedes aegypti abundance is spatially heterogeneous and that some areas and larval habitats produce more mosquitoes than others. There is a knowledge gap, however, with regards to the temporal persistence of such Ae. aegypti abundance hotspots. In this study, we used a longitudinal entomologic dataset from the city of Iquitos, Peru, to (1) quantify the spatial clustering patterns of adult Ae. aegypti and pupae counts per house, (2) determine overlap between clusters, (3) quantify the temporal stability of clusters over nine entomologic surveys spaced four months apart, and (4) quantify the extent of clustering at the household and neighborhood levels. Data from 13,662 household entomological visits performed in two Iquitos neighborhoods differing in Ae. aegypti abundance and dengue virus transmission was analyzed using global and local spatial statistics. The location and extent of Ae. aegypti pupae and adult hotspots (i.e., small groups of houses with significantly [p<0.05] high mosquito abundance) were calculated for each of the 9 entomologic surveys. The extent of clustering was used to quantify the probability of finding spatially correlated populations. Our analyses indicate that Ae. aegypti distribution was highly focal (most clusters do not extend beyond 30 meters) and that hotspots of high vector abundance were common on every survey date, but they were temporally unstable over the period of study. Our findings have implications for understanding Ae. aegypti distribution and for the design of surveillance and control activities relying on household-level data. In settings like Iquitos, where there is a relatively low percentage of Ae. aegypti in permanent water-holding containers, identifying and targeting key premises will be significantly challenged by shifting hotspots of Ae. aegypti infestation. Focusing efforts in large geographic areas with historically high levels of transmission may be more effective than targeting Ae

  9. Suppressing dengue-2 infection by chemical inhibition of Aedes aegypti host factors.

    PubMed

    Kang, Seokyoung; Shields, Alicia R; Jupatanakul, Natapong; Dimopoulos, George

    2014-08-01

    Dengue virus host factors (DENV HFs) that are essential for the completion of the infection cycle in the mosquito vector and vertebrate host represent potent targets for transmission blocking. Here we investigated whether known mammalian DENV HF inhibitors could influence virus infection in the arthropod vector A. aegypti. We evaluated the potency of bafilomycin (BAF; inhibitor of vacuolar H+-ATPase (vATPase)), mycophenolic acid (MPA; inhibitor of inosine-5'-monophosphate dehydrogenase (IMPDH)), castanospermine (CAS; inhibitor of glucosidase), and deoxynojirimycin (DNJ; inhibitor of glucosidase) in blocking DENV infection of the mosquito midgut, using various treatment methods that included direct injection, ingestion by sugar feeding or blood feeding, and silencing of target genes by RNA interference (RNAi). Injection of BAF (5 µM) and MPA (25 µM) prior to feeding on virus-infected blood inhibited DENV titers in the midgut at 7 days post-infection by 56% and 60%, and in the salivary gland at 14 days post-infection by 90% and 83%, respectively, while treatment of mosquitoes with CAS or DNJ did not affect susceptibility to the virus. Ingestion of BAF and MPA through a sugar meal or together with an infectious blood meal also resulted in various degrees of virus inhibition. RNAi-mediated silencing of several vATPase subunit genes and the IMPDH gene resulted in a reduced DENV infection, thereby indicating that BAF- and MPA-mediated virus inhibition in adult mosquitoes most likely occurred through the inhibition of these DENV HFs. The route and timing of BAF and MPA administration was essential, and treatment after exposure to the virus diminished the antiviral effect of these compounds. Here we provide proof-of-principle that chemical inhibition or RNAi-mediated depletion of the DENV HFs vATPase and IMPDH can be used to suppress DENV infection of adult A. aegypti mosquitoes, which may translate to a reduction in DENV transmission.

  10. Humoral response of captive zebra sharks Stegostoma fasciatum to salivary gland proteins of the leech Branchellion torpedinis.

    PubMed

    Marancik, David P; Leary, John H; Fast, Mark M; Flajnik, Martin F; Camus, Alvin C

    2012-10-01

    Parasitism by the marine leech Branchellion torpedinis is known to cause disease and mortality in captive elasmobranchs and is difficult to control when inadvertently introduced into public aquaria. Preliminary characterization of the salivary gland transcriptome of B. torpedinis has identified anticoagulants, proteases, and immunomodulators that may be secreted into host tissues to aid leech feeding. This retrospective study examined antigen-specific serum IgM responses in captive zebra sharks Stegostoma fasciatum to leech salivary gland extract. Antibody response was examined by ELISA and Western blot assays in 20 serum samples from six zebra sharks, with a 5 year history of leech infection, and 18 serum samples from 8 captive bred zebra sharks, with no history of leech exposure. ELISA demonstrated significantly higher serum IgM titers to salivary gland extract in exposed zebra sharks compared to the non-exposed population. No obvious trends in antibody titers were appreciated in exposed zebra sharks over a four-year period. One-dimensional and two-dimensional Western blot assays revealed IgM targeted specific salivary gland proteins within the 40, 55, 70 and 90 kD range. Antigenic proteins identified by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry and de novo peptide sequencing include a secreted disintegrin, metalloproteinase and thrombospondin motif containing protein (ADAMTS), tubulin, aldehyde dehydrogenase and two unknown proteins. Humoral immune responses to leech salivary gland proteins warrants further investigation as there may be options to exploit immune mechanisms to reduce parasite burdens in aquaria. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Recent advances in salivary cancer diagnostics enabled by biosensors and bioelectronics.

    PubMed

    Mishra, Saswat; Saadat, Darius; Kwon, Ohjin; Lee, Yongkuk; Choi, Woon-Seop; Kim, Jong-Hoon; Yeo, Woon-Hong

    2016-07-15

    There is a high demand for a non-invasive, rapid, and highly accurate tool for disease diagnostics. Recently, saliva based diagnostics for the detection of specific biomarkers has drawn significant attention since the sample extraction is simple, cost-effective, and precise. Compared to blood, saliva contains a similar variety of DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and microbiota that can be compiled into a multiplex of cancer detection markers. The salivary diagnostic method holds great potential for early-stage cancer diagnostics without any complicated and expensive procedures. Here, we review various cancer biomarkers in saliva and compare the biomarkers efficacy with traditional diagnostics and state-of-the-art bioelectronics. We summarize biomarkers in four major groups: genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics/microbiota. Representative bioelectronic systems for each group are summarized based on various stages of a cancer. Systematic study of oxidative stress establishes the relationship between macromolecules and cancer biomarkers in saliva. We also introduce the most recent examples of salivary diagnostic electronics based on nanotechnologies that can offer rapid, yet highly accurate detection of biomarkers. A concluding section highlights areas of opportunity in the further development and applications of these technologies. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Chikungunya virus dissemination from the midgut of Aedes aegypti is associated with temporal basal lamina degradation during bloodmeal digestion

    PubMed Central

    Dong, Shengzhang; Balaraman, Velmurugan; Kantor, Asher M.; Lin, Jingyi; Grant, DeAna G.; Held, Nicole L.

    2017-01-01

    In the mosquito, the midgut epithelium is the initial tissue to become infected with an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) that has been acquired from a vertebrate host along with a viremic bloodmeal. Following its replication in midgut epithelial cells, the virus needs to exit the midgut and infect secondary tissues including the salivary glands before it can be transmitted to another vertebrate host. The viral exit mechanism from the midgut, the midgut escape barrier (MEB), is poorly understood although it is an important determinant of mosquito vector competence for arboviruses. Using chikungunya virus (CHIKV) as a model in Aedes aegypti, we demonstrate that the basal lamina (BL) of the extracellular matrix (ECM) surrounding the midgut constitutes a potential barrier for the virus. The BL, predominantly consisting of collagen IV and laminin, becomes permissive during bloodmeal digestion in the midgut lumen. Bloodmeal digestion, BL permissiveness, and CHIKV dissemination are coincident with increased collagenase activity, diminished collagen IV abundance, and BL shredding in the midgut between 24–32 h post-bloodmeal. This indicates that there may be a window-of-opportunity during which the MEB in Ae. aegypti becomes permissive for CHIKV. Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) are the principal extracellular endopeptidases responsible for the degradation/remodeling of the ECM including the BL. We focused on Ae. aegypti (Ae)MMP1, which is expressed in midgut epithelial cells, is inducible upon bloodfeeding, and shows collagenase (gelatinase) activity. However, attempts to inhibit AeMMP activity in general or specifically that of AeMMP1 did not seem to affect its function nor produce an altered midgut escape phenotype. As an alternative, we silenced and overexpressed the Ae. aegypti tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases (AeTIMP) in the mosquito midgut. AeTIMP was highly upregulated in the midgut during bloodmeal digestion and was able to inhibit MMP activity in vitro

  13. Experimental Transmission of Mayaro Virus by Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    Long, Kanya C.; Ziegler, Sarah A.; Thangamani, Saravanan; Hausser, Nicole L.; Kochel, Tadeusz J.; Higgs, Stephen; Tesh, Robert B.

    2011-01-01

    Outbreaks of Mayaro fever have been associated with a sylvatic cycle of Mayaro virus (MAYV) transmission in South America. To evaluate the potential for a common urban mosquito to transmit MAYV, laboratory vector competence studies were performed with Aedes aegypti from Iquitos, Peru. Oral infection in Ae. aegypti ranged from 0% (0/31) to 84% (31/37), with blood meal virus titers between 3.4 log10 and 7.3 log10 plaque-forming units (PFU)/mL. Transmission of MAYV by 70% (21/30) of infected mosquitoes was shown by saliva collection and exposure to suckling mice. Amount of viral RNA in febrile humans, determined by real-time polymerase chain reaction, ranged from 2.7 to 5.3 log10 PFU equivalents/mL. Oral susceptibility of Ae. aegypti to MAYV at titers encountered in viremic humans may limit opportunities to initiate an urban cycle; however, transmission of MAYV by Ae. aegypti shows the vector competence of this species and suggests potential for urban transmission. PMID:21976583

  14. [The pathology of salivary glands. Tumors of the salivary glands].

    PubMed

    Mahy, P; Reychler, H

    2006-01-01

    The management of benign and malignant neoplasms of the salivary glands requires precise knowledge of tumor histogenesis and classification as well as surgical skills. Pleomorphic adenoma and Whartin's tumor are the most frequent tumors in parotid glands while the probability for malignant tumors is higher in other glands, especially in sublingual and minor salivary glands. Those malignant salivary glands tumors are rare and necessitate multidisciplinar staging and management in close collaboration with the pathologist and the radiation oncologist.

  15. Computational Gene Expression Modeling Identifies Salivary Biomarker Analysis that Predict Oral Feeding Readiness in the Newborn

    PubMed Central

    Maron, Jill L.; Hwang, Jooyeon S.; Pathak, Subash; Ruthazer, Robin; Russell, Ruby L.; Alterovitz, Gil

    2014-01-01

    Objective To combine mathematical modeling of salivary gene expression microarray data and systems biology annotation with RT-qPCR amplification to identify (phase I) and validate (phase II) salivary biomarker analysis for the prediction of oral feeding readiness in preterm infants. Study design Comparative whole transcriptome microarray analysis from 12 preterm newborns pre- and post-oral feeding success was used for computational modeling and systems biology analysis to identify potential salivary transcripts associated with oral feeding success (phase I). Selected gene expression biomarkers (15 from computational modeling; 6 evidence-based; and 3 reference) were evaluated by RT-qPCR amplification on 400 salivary samples from successful (n=200) and unsuccessful (n=200) oral feeders (phase II). Genes, alone and in combination, were evaluated by a multivariate analysis controlling for sex and post-conceptional age (PCA) to determine the probability that newborns achieved successful oral feeding. Results Advancing post-conceptional age (p < 0.001) and female sex (p = 0.05) positively predicted an infant’s ability to feed orally. A combination of five genes, NPY2R (hunger signaling), AMPK (energy homeostasis), PLXNA1 (olfactory neurogenesis), NPHP4 (visual behavior) and WNT3 (facial development), in addition to PCA and sex, demonstrated good accuracy for determining feeding success (AUROC = 0.78). Conclusions We have identified objective and biologically relevant salivary biomarkers that noninvasively assess a newborn’s developing brain, sensory and facial development as they relate to oral feeding success. Understanding the mechanisms that underlie the development of oral feeding readiness through translational and computational methods may improve clinical decision making while decreasing morbidities and health care costs. PMID:25620512

  16. Benign Pediatric Salivary Gland Lesions.

    PubMed

    Carlson, Eric R; Ord, Robert A

    2016-02-01

    Salivary gland lesions are rare in pediatric patients. In addition, the types of salivary gland tumors are different in their distribution in specific sites in the major and minor salivary glands in children compared with adults. This article reviews benign neoplastic and nonneoplastic salivary gland disorders in pediatric patients to help clinicians to develop an orderly differential diagnosis that will lead to expedient treatment of pediatric patients with salivary gland lesions. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Genetic Diversity of Brazilian Aedes aegypti: Patterns following an Eradication Program

    PubMed Central

    Monteiro, Fernando A.; Shama, Renata; Martins, Ademir J.; Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Brown, Julia E.; Powell, Jeffrey R.

    2014-01-01

    Background Aedes aegypti is the most important vector of dengue fever in Brazil, where severe epidemics have recently taken place. Ae. aegypti in Brazil was the subject of an intense eradication program in the 1940s and 50s to control yellow fever. Brazil was the largest country declared free of this mosquito by the Pan-American Health Organization in 1958. Soon after relaxation of this program, Ae. aegypti reappeared in this country, and by the early 1980s dengue fever had been reported. The aim of this study is to analyze the present-day genetic patterns of Ae. aegypti populations in Brazil. Methodology/Principal Findings We studied the genetic variation in samples of 11 widely spread populations of Ae. aegypti in Brazil based on 12 well-established microsatellite loci. Our principal finding is that present-day Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations form two distinct groups, one in the northwest and one in the southeast of the country. These two groups have genetic affinities to northern South American countries and the Caribbean, respectively. This is consistent with what has been reported for other genetic markers such as mitochondrial DNA and allele frequencies at the insecticide resistance gene, kdr. Conclusions/Significance We conclude that the genetic patterns in present day populations of Ae. aegypti in Brazil are more consistent with a complete eradication of the species in the recent past followed by re-colonization, rather than the alternative possibility of expansion from residual pockets of refugia. At least two colonizations are likely to have taken place, one from northern South American countries (e.g., Venezuela) that founded the northwestern group, and one from the Caribbean that founded the southeastern group. The proposed source areas were never declared free of Ae. aegypti. PMID:25233218

  18. Human IgG Antibody Response to Aedes Nterm-34kDa Salivary Peptide, an Epidemiological Tool to Assess Vector Control in Chikungunya and Dengue Transmission Area

    PubMed Central

    Elanga Ndille, Emmanuel; Doucoure, Souleymane; Poinsignon, Anne; Mouchet, François; Cornelie, Sylvie; D’Ortenzio, Eric; DeHecq, Jean Sébastien; Remoue, Franck

    2016-01-01

    Background Arboviral diseases are an important public health concerns. Vector control remains the sole strategy to fight against these diseases. Because of the important limits of methods currently used to assess human exposure to Aedes mosquito bites, much effort is being devoted to develop new indicators. Recent studies have reported that human antibody (Ab) responses to Aedes aegypti Nterm-34kDa salivary peptide represent a promising biomarker tool to evaluate the human-Aedes contact. The present study aims investigate whether such biomarker could be used for assessing the efficacy of vector control against Aedes. Methodology/Principal findings Specific human IgG response to the Nterm-34kDa peptide was assessed from 102 individuals living in urban area of Saint-Denis at La Reunion Island, Indian Ocean, before and after the implementation of vector control against Aedes mosquitoes. IgG response decreased after 2 weeks (P < 0.0001), and remained low for 4 weeks post-intervention (P = 0.0002). The specific IgG decrease was associated with the decline of Aedes mosquito density, as estimated by entomological parameters and closely correlated to vector control implementation and was not associated with the use of individual protection, daily commuting outside of the house, sex and age. Our findings indicate a probable short-term decrease of human exposure to Aedes bites just after vector control implementation. Conclusion/Significance Results provided in the present study indicate that IgG Ab response to Aedes aegypti Nterm-34kDa salivary peptide could be a relevant short-time indicator for evaluating the efficacy of vector control interventions against Aedes species. PMID:27906987

  19. Salivary lipids: A review.

    PubMed

    Matczuk, Jan; Żendzian-Piotrowska, Małgorzata; Maciejczyk, Mateusz; Kurek, Krzysztof

    2017-09-01

    Saliva is produced by both large and small salivary glands and may be considered one of the most important factors influencing the behavior of oral cavity homeostasis. Secretion of saliva plays an important role in numerous significant biological processes. Saliva facilitates chewing and bolus formation as well as performs protective functions and determines the buffering and antibacterial prosperities of the oral environment. Salivary lipids appear to be a very important component of saliva, as their qualitative and quantitative composition can be changed in various pathological states and human diseases. It has been shown that disturbances in salivary lipid homeostasis are involved in periodontal diseases as well as various systemic disorders (e.g. cystic fibrosis, diabetes and Sjögren's syndrome). However, little is known about the role and composition of salivary lipids and their interaction with other important ingredients of human saliva, including proteins, glycoproteins and salivary mucins. The purpose of this review paper is to present the latest knowledge on salivary lipids in healthy conditions and in oral and systemic diseases.

  20. Stage-Structured Population Dynamics of AEDES AEGYPTI

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yusoff, Nuraini; Budin, Harun; Ismail, Salemah

    Aedes aegypti is the main vector in the transmission of dengue fever, a vector-borne disease affecting world population living in tropical and sub-tropical countries. Better understanding of the dynamics of its population growth will help in the efforts of controlling the spread of this disease. In looking at the population dynamics of Aedes aegypti, this paper explored the stage-structured modeling of the population growth of the mosquito using the matrix population model. The life cycle of the mosquito was divided into five stages: eggs, larvae, pupae, adult1 and adult2. Developmental rates were obtained for the average Malaysian temperature and these were used in constructing the transition matrix for the matrix model. The model, which was based only on temperature, projected that the population of Aedes aegypti will blow up with time, which is not realistic. For further work, other factors need to be taken into account to obtain a more realistic result.

  1. Establishment of immortal multipotent rat salivary progenitor cell line toward salivary gland regeneration.

    PubMed

    Yaniv, Adi; Neumann, Yoav; David, Ran; Stiubea-Cohen, Raluca; Orbach, Yoav; Lang, Stephan; Rotter, Nicole; Dvir-Ginzberg, Mona; Aframian, Doron J; Palmon, Aaron

    2011-01-01

    Adult salivary gland stem cells are promising candidates for cell therapy and tissue regeneration in cases of irreversible damage to salivary glands in head and neck cancer patients undergoing irradiation therapy. At present, the major restriction in handling such cells is their relatively limited life span during in vitro cultivation, resulting in an inadequate experimental platform to explore the salivary gland-originated stem cells as candidates for future clinical application in therapy. We established a spontaneous immortal integrin α6β1-expressing cell line of adult salivary progenitor cells from rats (rat salivary clone [RSC]) and investigated their ability to sustain cellular properties. This line was able to propagate for more than 400 doublings without loss of differentiation potential. RSC could differentiate in vitro to both acinar- and ductal-like structures and could be further manipulated upon culturing on a 3D scaffolds with different media supplements. Moreover, RSC expressed salivary-specific mRNAs and proteins as well as epithelial stem cell markers, and upon differentiation process their expression was changed. These results suggest RSC as a good model for further studies exploring cellular senescence, differentiation, and in vitro tissue engineering features as a crucial step toward reengineering irradiation-impaired salivary glands.

  2. The "trouble" with salivary testosterone.

    PubMed

    Granger, Douglas A; Shirtcliff, Elizabeth A; Booth, Alan; Kivlighan, Katie T; Schwartz, Eve B

    2004-11-01

    In a series of studies, we identify several specific issues that can limit the value of integrating salivary testosterone in biosocial research. Salivary testosterone measurements can be substantially influenced during the process of sample collection, are susceptible to interference effects caused by the leakage of blood (plasma) into saliva, and are sensitive to storage conditions when samples have been archived. There are gender differences in salivary testosterone levels and variance, the serum-saliva association, the relationship of salivary testosterone to age and pubertal development, and the stability of individual differences in salivary testosterone levels over time. The findings have important implications at several levels of analysis for research that aims to test biosocial models of testosterone--behavior relationships. Recommendations are provided to steer investigators around these "troubles" with salivary testosterone.

  3. [Specificity of the Adultrap for capturing females of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)].

    PubMed

    Gomes, Almério de Castro; da Silva, Nilza Nunes; Bernal, Regina Tomie Ivata; Leandro, André de Souza; de Camargo, Natal Jataí; da Silva, Allan Martins; Ferreira, Adão Celestino; Ogura, Luis Carlos; de Oliveira, Sebastião José; de Moura, Silvestre Marques

    2007-01-01

    The Adultrap is a new trap built for capturing females of Aedes aegypti. Tests were carried out to evaluate the specificity of this trap in comparison with the technique of aspiration of specimens in artificial shelters. Adultraps were kept for 24 hours inside and outside 120 randomly selected homes in two districts of the city of Foz do Iguaçú, State of Paraná. The statistical test was Poissons log-linear model. The result was 726 mosquitoes captured, of which 80 were Aedes aegypti. The Adultrap captured only females of this species, while the aspiration method captured both sexes of Aedes aegypti and another five species. The Adultrap captured Aedes aegypti inside and outside the homes, but the analysis indicated that, outside the homes, this trap captured significantly more females than aspiration did. The sensitivity of the Adultrap for detecting females of Aedes aegypti in low-frequency situations was also demonstrated.

  4. Dengue Infection Increases the Locomotor Activity of Aedes aegypti Females

    PubMed Central

    Luz, Paula M.; Castro, Márcia G.; Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Ricardo; Sorgine, Marcos H. F.; Peixoto, Alexandre A.

    2011-01-01

    Background Aedes aegypti is the main vector of the virus causing Dengue fever, a disease that has increased dramatically in importance in recent decades, affecting many tropical and sub-tropical areas of the globe. It is known that viruses and other parasites can potentially alter vector behavior. We investigated whether infection with Dengue virus modifies the behavior of Aedes aegypti females with respect to their activity level. Methods/Principal Findings We carried out intrathoracic Dengue 2 virus (DENV-2) infections in Aedes aegypti females and recorded their locomotor activity behavior. We observed an increase of up to ∼50% in the activity of infected mosquitoes compared to the uninfected controls. Conclusions Dengue infection alters mosquito locomotor activity behavior. We speculate that the higher levels of activity observed in infected Aedes aegypti females might involve the circadian clock. Further studies are needed to assess whether this behavioral change could have implications for the dynamics of Dengue virus transmission. PMID:21408119

  5. Imidacloprid impairs the post-embryonic development of the midgut in the yellow fever mosquito Stegomyia aegypti (=Aedes aegypti).

    PubMed

    Fernandes, K M; Gonzaga, W G; Pascini, T V; Miranda, F R; Tomé, H V V; Serrão, J E; Martins, G F

    2015-09-01

    The mosquito Stegomyia aegypti (=Aedes aegypti) (Diptera: Culicidae) is a vector for the dengue and yellow fever viruses. As blood digestion occurs in the midgut, this organ constitutes the route of entry of many pathogens. The effects of the insecticide imidacloprid on the survival of St. aegypti were investigated and the sub-lethal effects of the insecticide on midgut development were determined. Third instar larvae were exposed to different concentrations of imidacloprid (0.15, 1.5, 3.0, 6.0 and 15.0 p.p.m.) and survival was monitored every 24 h for 10 days. Midguts from imidacloprid-treated insects at different stages of development were dissected and processed for analyses by transmission electron microscopy, immunofluorescence microscopy and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labelling (TUNEL) assays. Imidacloprid concentrations of 3.0 and 15.0 p.p.m. were found to affect midgut development similarly. Digestive cells of the fourth instar larvae (L4) midgut exposed to imidacloprid had more multilamellar bodies, abundantly found in the cell apex, and more electron-lucent vacuoles in the basal region compared with those from untreated insects. Moreover, imidacloprid interfered with the differentiation of regenerative cells, dramatically reducing the number of digestive and endocrine cells and leading to malformation of the midgut epithelium in adults. The data demonstrate that imidacloprid can reduce the survival of mosquitoes and thus indicate its potentially high efficacy in the control of St. aegypti populations. © 2015 The Royal Entomological Society.

  6. Salivary Gland Cancer

    MedlinePlus

    ... contains antibodies that can kill germs. Salivary gland cancer is a type of head and neck cancer. It is rare. It may not cause any ... pain in your face Doctors diagnose salivary gland cancer using a physical exam, imaging tests, and a ...

  7. Role of plaque in the clearance of salivary sucrose and its influence on salivary ph.

    PubMed

    Kumar, A; Hedge, R; Dixit, U

    2011-01-01

    The prevalence of dental caries in children, in India, is higher than many of the industrialized countries. The sugar most commonly associated with dental caries is sucrose, as the microorganisms in the dental plaque have the ability to convert this dietary constituent into various organic acids. This study was conducted to study the effect of the presence of plaque on the salivary clearance of sucrose and to study the effect of the presence of plaque on salivary pH, following sucrose clearance. Salivary sucrose determination was done by using the anthrone technique. A Digital MHOS pH meter estimated the salivary pH. Presence of plaque increased the salivary sucrose clearance time and decreased the salivary pH at various time intervals. The microbial etiology of dental caries is the dynamic relationship among the dental plaque microbiota, dietary carbohydrates, saliva and pH lowering, and the cariogenic potential of the dental plaque. Caries occur preferentially in the dentition sites characterized by high exposure to carbohydrate and diminished salivary effect.

  8. Vector competence in West African Aedes aegypti Is Flavivirus species and genotype dependent.

    PubMed

    Dickson, Laura B; Sanchez-Vargas, Irma; Sylla, Massamba; Fleming, Karen; Black, William C

    2014-10-01

    Vector competence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is a quantitative genetic trait that varies among geographic locations and among different flavivirus species and genotypes within species. The subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus, found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, is considered to be refractory to both dengue (DENV) and yellow fever viruses (YFV) compared to the more globally distributed Ae. aegypti aegypti. Within Senegal, vector competence varies with collection site and DENV-2 viral isolate, but knowledge about the interaction of West African Ae. aegypti with different flaviviruses is lacking. The current study utilizes low passage isolates of dengue-2 (DENV-2-75505 sylvatic genotype) and yellow fever (YFV BA-55 -West African Genotype I, or YFV DAK 1279-West African Genotype II) from West Africa and field derived Ae. aegypti collected throughout Senegal to determine whether vector competence is flavivirus or virus genotype dependent. Eight collections of 20-30 mosquitoes from different sites were fed a bloodmeal containing either DENV-2 or either isolate of YFV. Midgut and disseminated infection phenotypes were determined 14 days post infection. Collections varied significantly in the rate and intensity of midgut and disseminated infection among the three viruses. Overall, vector competence was dependent upon both viral and vector strains. Importantly, contrary to previous studies, sylvatic collections of Ae. aegypti showed high levels of disseminated infection for local isolates of both DENV-2 and YFV.

  9. The immune strategies of mosquito Aedes aegypti against microbial infection.

    PubMed

    Wang, Yan-Hong; Chang, Meng-Meng; Wang, Xue-Li; Zheng, Ai-Hua; Zou, Zhen

    2018-06-01

    Yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti transmits many devastating arthropod-borne viruses (arboviruses), such as dengue virus, yellow fever virus, Chikungunya virus, and Zika virus, which cause great concern to human health. Mosquito control is an effective method to block the spread of infectious diseases. Ae. aegypti uses its innate immune system to fight against arboviruses, parasites, and fungi. In this review, we briefly summarize the recent findings in the immune response of Ae. aegypti against arboviral and entomopathogenic infections. This review enriches our understanding of the mosquito immune system and provides evidence to support the development of novel mosquito control strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  10. Effects of gustatory stimulants of salivary secretion on salivary pH and flow: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    da Mata, A D S P; da Silva Marques, D N; Silveira, J M L; Marques, J R O F; de Melo Campos Felino, E T; Guilherme, N F R P M

    2009-04-01

    To compare salivary pH changes and stimulation efficacy of two different gustatory stimulants of salivary secretion (GSSS). Portuguese Dental Faculty Clinic. Double blind randomized controlled trial. One hundred and twenty volunteers were randomized to two intervention groups. Sample sized was calculated using an alpha error of 0.05 and a beta of 0.20. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a new gustatory stimulant of secretory secretion containing a weaker malic acid, fluoride and xylitol or a traditionally citric acid-based one. Saliva collection was obtained by established methods at different times. The salivary pH of the samples was determined with a pH meter and a microelectrode. Salivary pH variations and counts of subjects with pH below 5.5 for over 1 min and stimulated salivary flow were the main outcome measures. Both GSSS significantly stimulated salivary output without significant differences between the two groups. The new gustatory stimulant of salivary secretion presented a risk reduction of 80 +/- 10.6% (95% CI) when compared with the traditional one. Gustatory stimulants of salivary secretion with fluoride, xylitol and lower acid content maintain similar salivary stimulation capacity while reducing significantly the dental erosion predictive potential.

  11. Larvicidal activity of Cybistax antisyphilitica against Aedes aegypti larvae.

    PubMed

    Rodrigues, A M S; de Paula, J E; Roblot, F; Fournet, A; Espíndola, L S

    2005-12-01

    The larvicidal activity against Aedes aegypti larvae of a stem wood hexane extract of Cybistax antisyphilitica was evaluated. Bioassay-guided fractionation of the crude extract, monitored by larvicidal assay, led to the isolation of a natural quinone identified as 2-hydroxy-3-(3-methyl-2-butenyl)-1.4-naphthoquinone (lapachol). This compound was quite potent against A. aegypti larvae (LC50 26.3 microg/ml).

  12. Burchellin: study of bioactivity against Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background The dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti Linnaeus, 1762 is a widespread insect pest of serious medical importance. Since no effective vaccine is available for treating dengue, the eradication or control of the main mosquito vector is regarded as essential. Since conventional insecticides have limited success, plants may be an alternative source of larvicidal agents, since they contain a rich source of bioactive chemicals. The aim of this study was to evaluate the larvicidal activity of the neolignan burchellin isolated from Ocotea cymbarum (Lauraceae), a plant from the Amazon region, against third instar larvae of A. aegypti. Methods Burchellin obtained from O. cymbarum was analyzed. The inhibitory activity against A. aegypti eggs and larvae and histological changes in the digestive system of treated L3 larvae were evaluated. In addition, nitric oxide synthase activity and nitric oxide levels were determined, and cytotoxicity bioassays performed. Results The data showed that burchellin interfered with the development cycle of the mosquito, where its strongest toxic effect was 100% mortality in larvae (L3) at concentrations ≥ 30 ppm. This compound did not show target cell toxicity in peritoneal macrophages from BALB/c mice, and proved to have molecular stability when dissolved in water. The L3 and L4 larvae treated with the compound showed cellular destruction and disorganization, cell spacing, and vacuolization of epithelial cells in small regions of the midgut. Conclusion The neolignan burchellin proved to be a strong candidate for a natural, safe and stable phytolarvicidal to be used in population control of A. aegypti. PMID:24713267

  13. Efficacy of herbal toothpastes on salivary pH and salivary glucose - A preliminary study.

    PubMed

    Khairnar, Mahesh R; Dodamani, Arun S; Karibasappa, G N; Naik, Rahul G; Deshmukh, Manjiri A

    Due to dearth of literature on the effect of herbal toothpaste on saliva and salivary constituents, the present study was undertaken to evaluate and compare the effect of three different herbal toothpastes with the focus on on salivary pH and salivary glucose. Forty five subjects in the age group of 19-21 years were randomly divided into 3 groups (15 in each group) and were randomly intervened with three different herbal toothpastes (Dant Kanti, Himalaya Complete Care and Vicco Vajradanti). Unstimulated saliva samples were collected before and after brushing and salivary glucose and pH levels were assessed at an interval of one week each for a period of 4 weeks starting from day 1. All the three toothpastes were effective in reducing the overall (p < 0.05) levels as well as levels of salivary glucose from pre-brushing to post-brushing at each interval (p < 0.05) and in increasing the overall levels as well as levels of salivary pH (p < 0.05) from pre-brushing to post-brushing at each interval. Herbal toothpastes were effective in reducing salivary levels of glucose and improving pH of the saliva. Copyright © 2016 Transdisciplinary University, Bangalore and World Ayurveda Foundation. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  14. Salivary gland diseases in children

    PubMed Central

    Iro, Heinrich; Zenk, Johannes

    2014-01-01

    Salivary gland diseases in children are rare, apart from viral-induced diseases. Nevertheless, it is essential for the otolaryngologist to recognize these uncommon findings in children and adolescents and to diagnose and initiate the proper treatment. The present work provides an overview of the entire spectrum of congenital and acquired diseases of the salivary glands in childhood and adolescence. The current literature was reviewed and the results discussed and summarized. Besides congenital diseases of the salivary glands in children, the main etiologies of viral and bacterial infections, autoimmune diseases and tumors of the salivary glands were considered. In addition to the known facts, new developments in diagnostics, imaging and therapy, including sialendoscopy in obstructive diseases and chronic recurrent juvenile sialadenitis were taken into account. In addition, systemic causes of salivary gland swelling and the treatment of sialorrhoea were discussed. Although salivary gland diseases in children are usually included in the pathology of the adult, they differ in their incidence and some­times in their symptoms. Clinical diagnostics and especially the surgical treatment are influenced by a stringent indications and a less invasive strategy. Due to the rarity of tumors of the salivary glands in children, it is recommended to treat them in a specialized center with greater surgical experience. Altogether the knowledge of the differential diagnoses in salivary gland diseases in children is important for otolaryngologists, to indicate the proper therapeutic approach. PMID:25587366

  15. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Habitat Preferences in South Texas, USA

    PubMed Central

    Champion, Samantha R; Vitek, Christopher J

    2014-01-01

    The South Texas region has a historical record of occasional dengue outbreaks. The recent introduction of chikungunya virus to the Caribbean suggests that this disease may be a concern as well. Six different cities and three field habitat types (residential, tire shops, and cemeteries) were examined for evidence of habitat and longitudinal preference of two vector species, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. A. aegypti was more prevalent in tire shop sites, while A. albopictus was more prevalent in cemetery sites. In residential sites, the relative abundance of the two species varied with longitude, with A. albopictus being more abundant near the coast, and A. aegypti being more abundant inland. There was also a temporal variation, with A. aegypti declining in frequency over time in residential sites. These results have implications for control strategies and disease risk and suggest a greater need for increased surveillance and research in the region. PMID:25520559

  16. Role of Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in local dengue epidemics in Taiwan.

    PubMed

    Tsai, Pui-Jen; Teng, Hwa-Jen

    2016-11-09

    Aedes mosquitoes in Taiwan mainly comprise Aedes albopictus and Ae. aegypti. However, the species contributing to autochthonous dengue spread and the extent at which it occurs remain unclear. Thus, in this study, we spatially analyzed real data to determine spatial features related to local dengue incidence and mosquito density, particularly that of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti. We used bivariate Moran's I statistic and geographically weighted regression (GWR) spatial methods to analyze the globally spatial dependence and locally regressed relationship between (1) imported dengue incidences and Breteau indices (BIs) of Ae. albopictus, (2) imported dengue incidences and BI of Ae. aegypti, (3) autochthonous dengue incidences and BI of Ae. albopictus, (4) autochthonous dengue incidences and BI of Ae. aegypti, (5) all dengue incidences and BI of Ae. albopictus, (6) all dengue incidences and BI of Ae. aegypti, (7) BI of Ae. albopictus and human population density, and (8) BI of Ae. aegypti and human population density in 348 townships in Taiwan. In the GWR models, regression coefficients of spatially regressed relationships between the incidence of autochthonous dengue and vector density of Ae. aegypti were significant and positive in most townships in Taiwan. However, Ae. albopictus had significant but negative regression coefficients in clusters of dengue epidemics. In the global bivariate Moran's index, spatial dependence between the incidence of autochthonous dengue and vector density of Ae. aegypti was significant and exhibited positive correlation in Taiwan (bivariate Moran's index = 0.51). However, Ae. albopictus exhibited positively significant but low correlation (bivariate Moran's index = 0.06). Similar results were observed in the two spatial methods between all dengue incidences and Aedes mosquitoes (Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus). The regression coefficients of spatially regressed relationships between imported dengue cases and Aedes mosquitoes

  17. Vector Competence in West African Aedes aegypti Is Flavivirus Species and Genotype Dependent

    PubMed Central

    Dickson, Laura B.; Sanchez-Vargas, Irma; Sylla, Massamba; Fleming, Karen; Black, William C.

    2014-01-01

    Background Vector competence of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes is a quantitative genetic trait that varies among geographic locations and among different flavivirus species and genotypes within species. The subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus, found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa, is considered to be refractory to both dengue (DENV) and yellow fever viruses (YFV) compared to the more globally distributed Ae. aegypti aegypti. Within Senegal, vector competence varies with collection site and DENV-2 viral isolate, but knowledge about the interaction of West African Ae. aegypti with different flaviviruses is lacking. The current study utilizes low passage isolates of dengue-2 (DENV-2-75505 sylvatic genotype) and yellow fever (YFV BA-55 -West African Genotype I, or YFV DAK 1279-West African Genotype II) from West Africa and field derived Ae. aegypti collected throughout Senegal to determine whether vector competence is flavivirus or virus genotype dependent. Methodology/Principal Findings Eight collections of 20–30 mosquitoes from different sites were fed a bloodmeal containing either DENV-2 or either isolate of YFV. Midgut and disseminated infection phenotypes were determined 14 days post infection. Collections varied significantly in the rate and intensity of midgut and disseminated infection among the three viruses. Conclusions/Significance Overall, vector competence was dependent upon both viral and vector strains. Importantly, contrary to previous studies, sylvatic collections of Ae. aegypti showed high levels of disseminated infection for local isolates of both DENV-2 and YFV. PMID:25275366

  18. Population dynamics of Aedes aegypti from a dengue hyperendemic urban setting in Colombia.

    PubMed

    Ocampo, Clara B; Wesson, Dawn M

    2004-10-01

    This study evaluated if the Aedes aegypti population in the city of Cali, Colombia was composed of genetically distinct local populations with different levels of insecticide resistance and dengue vector competence. Insecticide resistance was assayed biochemically and was associated with varying levels of mixed-function oxidases and non-specific esterases. The genes encoding those enzymes were under selective pressure from insecticides used to suppress Ae. aegypti populations. Vector competence showed heterogeneity among the vector populations ranging from 19% to 60%. Population genetic analysis of random amplified polymorphic DNA-polymerase chain reaction products, expressed as genetic distance, Wright's F(st), and migration rate (Nm), demonstrated moderate genetic differentiation among Ae. aegypti from four sites (F(st) = 0.085). The results from all characteristics evaluated in the study demonstrated spatial and temporal variation between Ae. aegypti populations. At any specific time, the local populations of Ae. aegypti were genetically differentiated and unique with respect to insecticide resistance and vector competence. Both characteristics changed independently.

  19. Evolutionary analysis of the kinesin light chain genes in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti: gene duplication as a source for novel early zygotic genes.

    PubMed

    Biedler, James K; Tu, Zhijian

    2010-07-08

    The maternal zygotic transition marks the time at which transcription from the zygotic genome is initiated and a subset of maternal RNAs are progressively degraded in the developing embryo. A number of early zygotic genes have been identified in Drosophila melanogaster and comparisons to sequenced mosquito genomes suggest that some of these early zygotic genes such as bottleneck are fast-evolving or subject to turnover in dipteran insects. One objective of this study is to identify early zygotic genes from the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti to study their evolution. We are also interested in obtaining early zygotic promoters that will direct transgene expression in the early embryo as part of a Medea gene drive system. Two novel early zygotic kinesin light chain genes we call AaKLC2.1 and AaKLC2.2 were identified by transcriptome sequencing of Aedes aegypti embryos at various time points. These two genes have 98% nucleotide and amino acid identity in their coding regions and show transcription confined to the early zygotic stage according to gene-specific RT-PCR analysis. These AaKLC2 genes have a paralogous gene (AaKLC1) in Ae. aegypti. Phylogenetic inference shows that an ortholog to the AaKLC2 genes is only found in the sequenced genome of Culex quinquefasciatus. In contrast, AaKLC1 gene orthologs are found in all three sequenced mosquito species including Anopheles gambiae. There is only one KLC gene in D. melanogaster and other sequenced holometabolous insects that appears to be similar to AaKLC1. Unlike AaKLC2, AaKLC1 is expressed in all life stages and tissues tested, which is consistent with the expression pattern of the An. gambiae and D. melanogaster KLC genes. Phylogenetic inference also suggests that AaKLC2 genes and their likely C. quinquefasciatus ortholog are fast-evolving genes relative to the highly conserved AaKLC1-like paralogs. Embryonic injection of a luciferase reporter under the control of a 1 kb fragment upstream of the AaKLC2.1 start

  20. Toxicity of Thiophenes from Echinops transiliensis (Asteraceae) against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Larvae

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-01-01

    Toxicity of Thiophenes from Echinops transiliensis (Asteraceae) against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Larvae by Hiroshi Nakano*a)b)c), Abbas...larvicides against Aedes aegypti. Structural differences among compounds 3, 5, and 8 consisted in differing AcO and OH groups attached to C(3’’) and C(4...serious human diseases including malaria, Japanese encephalitis, yellow fever, dengue, and filariasis. The urban-adapted Aedes aegypti mosquito has become

  1. Evidence that a laminin-like insect protein mediates early events in the interaction of a Phytoparasite with its vector's salivary gland.

    PubMed

    de Almeida Dias, Felipe; Souza dos Santos, Andre Luis; Santos Lery, Letícia Miranda; Alves e Silva, Thiago Luiz; Oliveira, Mauricio Martins; Bisch, Paulo Mascarello; Saraiva, Elvira Maria; Souto-Padrón, Thaïs Cristina; Lopes, Angela Hampshire

    2012-01-01

    Phytomonas species are plant parasites of the family Trypanosomatidae, which are transmitted by phytophagous insects. Some Phytomonas species cause major agricultural damages. The hemipteran Oncopeltus fasciatus is natural and experimental host for several species of trypanosomatids, including Phytomonas spp. The invasion of the insect vectors' salivary glands is one of the most important events for the life cycle of Phytomonas species. In the present study, we show the binding of Phytomonas serpens at the external face of O. fasciatus salivary glands by means of scanning electron microscopy and the in vitro interaction of living parasites with total proteins from the salivary glands in ligand blotting assays. This binding occurs primarily through an interaction with a 130 kDa salivary gland protein. The mass spectrometry of the trypsin-digest of this protein matched 23% of human laminin-5 β3 chain precursor sequence by 16 digested peptides. A protein sequence search through the transcriptome of O. fasciatus embryo showed a partial sequence with 51% similarity to human laminin β3 subunit. Anti-human laminin-5 β3 chain polyclonal antibodies recognized the 130 kDa protein by immunoblotting. The association of parasites with the salivary glands was strongly inhibited by human laminin-5, by the purified 130 kDa insect protein, and by polyclonal antibodies raised against the human laminin-5 β3 chain. This is the first report demonstrating that a laminin-like molecule from the salivary gland of O. fasciatus acts as a receptor for Phytomonas binding. The results presented in this investigation are important findings that will support further studies that aim at developing new approaches to prevent the transmission of Phytomonas species from insects to plants and vice-versa.

  2. Evidence That a Laminin-Like Insect Protein Mediates Early Events in the Interaction of a Phytoparasite with Its Vector's Salivary Gland

    PubMed Central

    Dias, Felipe de Almeida; dos Santos, Andre Luis Souza; Lery, Letícia Miranda Santos; Alves e Silva, Thiago Luiz; Oliveira, Mauricio Martins; Bisch, Paulo Mascarello; Saraiva, Elvira Maria; Souto-Padrón, Thaïs Cristina; Lopes, Angela Hampshire

    2012-01-01

    Phytomonas species are plant parasites of the family Trypanosomatidae, which are transmitted by phytophagous insects. Some Phytomonas species cause major agricultural damages. The hemipteran Oncopeltus fasciatus is natural and experimental host for several species of trypanosomatids, including Phytomonas spp. The invasion of the insect vectors' salivary glands is one of the most important events for the life cycle of Phytomonas species. In the present study, we show the binding of Phytomonas serpens at the external face of O. fasciatus salivary glands by means of scanning electron microscopy and the in vitro interaction of living parasites with total proteins from the salivary glands in ligand blotting assays. This binding occurs primarily through an interaction with a 130 kDa salivary gland protein. The mass spectrometry of the trypsin-digest of this protein matched 23% of human laminin-5 β3 chain precursor sequence by 16 digested peptides. A protein sequence search through the transcriptome of O. fasciatus embryo showed a partial sequence with 51% similarity to human laminin β3 subunit. Anti-human laminin-5 β3 chain polyclonal antibodies recognized the 130 kDa protein by immunoblotting. The association of parasites with the salivary glands was strongly inhibited by human laminin-5, by the purified 130 kDa insect protein, and by polyclonal antibodies raised against the human laminin-5 β3 chain. This is the first report demonstrating that a laminin-like molecule from the salivary gland of O. fasciatus acts as a receptor for Phytomonas binding. The results presented in this investigation are important findings that will support further studies that aim at developing new approaches to prevent the transmission of Phytomonas species from insects to plants and vice-versa. PMID:23118944

  3. The relationship between entomological indicators of Aedes aegypti abundance and dengue virus infection

    PubMed Central

    Stoddard, Steven T.; Barker, Christopher M.; Van Rie, Annelies; Messer, William B.; Meshnick, Steven R.; Morrison, Amy C.; Scott, Thomas W.

    2017-01-01

    Routine entomological monitoring data are used to quantify the abundance of Ae. aegypti. The public health utility of these indicators is based on the assumption that greater mosquito abundance increases the risk of human DENV transmission, and therefore reducing exposure to the vector decreases incidence of infection. Entomological survey data from two longitudinal cohort studies in Iquitos, Peru, linked with 8,153 paired serological samples taken approximately six months apart were analyzed. Indicators of Ae. aegypti density were calculated from cross-sectional and longitudinal entomological data collected over a 12-month period for larval, pupal and adult Ae. aegypti. Log binomial models were used to estimate risk ratios (RR) to measure the association between Ae. aegypti abundance and the six-month risk of DENV seroconversion. RRs estimated using cross-sectional entomological data were compared to RRs estimated using longitudinal data. Higher cross-sectional Ae. aegypti densities were not associated with an increased risk of DENV seroconversion. Use of longitudinal entomological data resulted in RRs ranging from 1.01 (95% CI: 1.01, 1.02) to 1.30 (95% CI: 1.17, 1.46) for adult stage density estimates and RRs ranging from 1.21 (95% CI: 1.07, 1.37) to 1.75 (95% CI: 1.23, 2.5) for categorical immature indices. Ae. aegypti densities calculated from longitudinal entomological data were associated with DENV seroconversion, whereas those measured cross-sectionally were not. Ae. aegypti indicators calculated from cross-sectional surveillance, as is common practice, have limited public health utility in detecting areas or populations at high risk of DENV infection. PMID:28333938

  4. Structural Activity of Bovidic Acid and Related Compounds as Feeding Deterrents against Aedes aegypti

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2007-01-01

    fatty acid analogues were evaluated against Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes and results indicate that this may generate class of topical repellents for use...duced risk to humans, pets and environment, natu- Structural Activity of Bovidic Acid and Related Compounds as Feeding Deterrents against Aedes aegypti K...against insects that transmit pathogens to humans. KEY WORDS : Bovidic acid , feeding deterrents , Aedes aegypti , hydroxy furanoid

  5. Salivary cortisol and cortisone in the clinical setting.

    PubMed

    Blair, Joanne; Adaway, Jo; Keevil, Brian; Ross, Richard

    2017-06-01

    A resurgence of interest in salivary biomarkers has generated evidence for their value in assessing adrenal function. The advantages of salivary measurements include only free hormone is detected, samples can be collected during normal daily routines and stress-induced cortisol release is less likely to occur than during venepuncture. We review the use of salivary biomarkers to diagnose and monitor patients for conditions of cortisol excess and deficiency and discuss the value of measuring salivary cortisone versus salivary cortisol. Developments in laboratory techniques have enabled the measurement of salivary hormones with a high level of sensitivity and specificity. In states of altered cortisol binding, salivary biomarkers are more accurate measures of adrenal reserve than serum cortisol. Salivary cortisone is a superior marker of serum cortisol compared with salivary cortisol, specifically when serum cortisol is low and during hydrocortisone therapy when contamination of saliva may result in misleading salivary cortisol concentrations. Salivary cortisol and cortisone can be used to assess cortisol excess, deficiency and hydrocortisone replacement, with salivary cortisone having the advantage of detection when serum cortisol levels are low and there is no interference from oral hydrocortisone.

  6. Swarming Mechanisms in the Yellow Fever Mosquito: Aggregation Pheromones are Involved in the Mating Behavior of Aedes aegypti

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2014-12-01

    behavior of Aedes aegypti Emadeldin Y. Fawaz1, Sandra A. Allan2, Ulrich R. Bernier2, Peter J. Obenauer3, and Joseph W. Diclaro II1 1Vector Biology... Aedes aegypti swarming behavior and identified associated chemical cues. Novel evidence is provided that Ae. aegypti females aggregate by means of...the isolated aggregation pheromones in controlling Ae. aegypti. Journal of Vector Ecology 39 (2): 347-354. 2014. Keyword Index: Aedes aegypti, swarm

  7. Salivary Mucin 19 Glycoproteins

    PubMed Central

    Culp, David J.; Robinson, Bently; Cash, Melanie N.; Bhattacharyya, Indraneel; Stewart, Carol; Cuadra-Saenz, Giancarlo

    2015-01-01

    Saliva functions in innate immunity of the oral cavity, protecting against demineralization of teeth (i.e. dental caries), a highly prevalent infectious disease associated with Streptococcus mutans, a pathogen also linked to endocarditis and atheromatous plaques. Gel-forming mucins are a major constituent of saliva. Because Muc19 is the dominant salivary gel-forming mucin in mice, we studied Muc19−/− mice for changes in innate immune functions of saliva in interactions with S. mutans. When challenged with S. mutans and a cariogenic diet, total smooth and sulcal surface lesions are more than 2- and 1.6-fold higher in Muc19−/− mice compared with wild type, whereas the severity of lesions are up to 6- and 10-fold higher, respectively. Furthermore, the oral microbiota of Muc19−/− mice display higher levels of indigenous streptococci. Results emphasize the importance of a single salivary constituent in the innate immune functions of saliva. In vitro studies of S. mutans and Muc19 interactions (i.e. adherence, aggregation, and biofilm formation) demonstrate Muc19 poorly aggregates S. mutans. Nonetheless, aggregation is enhanced upon adding Muc19 to saliva from Muc19−/− mice, indicating Muc19 assists in bacterial clearance through formation of heterotypic complexes with salivary constituents that bind S. mutans, thus representing a novel innate immune function for salivary gel-forming mucins. In humans, expression of salivary MUC19 is unclear. We find MUC19 transcripts in salivary glands of seven subjects and demonstrate MUC19 glycoproteins in glandular mucous cells and saliva. Similarities and differences between mice and humans in the expression and functions of salivary gel-forming mucins are discussed. PMID:25512380

  8. Comparative Transcriptomic Analyses of Three Species of Placobdella (Rhynchobdellida: Glossiphoniidae) Confirms a Single Origin of Blood Feeding in Leeches.

    PubMed

    Siddall, Mark E; Brugler, Mercer R; Kvist, Sebastian

    2016-02-01

    One of the recalcitrant questions regarding the evolutionary history of clitellate annelids involves the feeding preference of the common ancestor of extant rhynchobdellid (proboscis bearing) and arhynchobdellid (jaw bearing) leeches. Whereas early evidence, based on morphological data, pointed towards independent acquisitions of blood feeding in the 2 orders, molecular-based phylogenetic data suggest that the ancestor of modern leeches was a sanguivore. Here, we use a comparative transcriptomic approach in order to increase our understanding of the diversity of anticoagulation factors for 3 species of the genus Placobdella, for which comparative data have been lacking, and inspect these in light of archetypal anticoagulant data for both arhynchobdellid and other rhynchobdellid species. Notwithstanding the varying levels of host specificity displayed by the 3 different species of Placobdella, transcriptomic profiles with respect to anticoagulation factors were largely similar -this despite the fact that Placobdella kwetlumye only retains a single pair of salivary glands, as opposed to the 2 pairs more common in the genus. Results show that 9 different anticoagulant proteins and an additional 5 putative antihemostasis proteins are expressed in salivary secretions of the 3 species. In particular, an ortholog of the archetypal, single-copy, anticoagulant hirudin (not previously available as comparative data for rhynchobdellids) is present in at least 2 of 3 species examined, corroborating the notion of a single origin of blood feeding in the ancestral leech.

  9. Sensitivity of Salivary Glands to Radiation

    PubMed Central

    Grundmann, O.; Mitchell, G.C.; Limesand, K.H.

    2009-01-01

    Radiation therapy for head and neck cancer causes significant secondary side-effects in normal salivary glands, resulting in diminished quality of life for these individuals. Salivary glands are exquisitely sensitive to radiation and display acute and chronic responses to radiotherapy. This review will discuss clinical implications of radiosensitivity in normal salivary glands, compare animal models used to investigate radiation-induced salivary gland damage, address therapeutic advances, and project future directions in the field. PMID:19783796

  10. Salivary stones: symptoms, aetiology, biochemical composition and treatment.

    PubMed

    Kraaij, S; Karagozoglu, K H; Forouzanfar, T; Veerman, E C I; Brand, H S

    2014-12-05

    Salivary stones, also known as sialoliths, are calcified concrements in the salivary glands. Sialoliths are more frequently located in the submandibular gland (84%), than in the parotid gland (13%). The majority of the submandibular stones are located in Wharton's duct (90%), whereas parotid stones are more often located in the gland itself. Salivary stones consist of an amorphous mineralised nucleus, surrounded by concentric laminated layers of organic and inorganic substances. The organic components of salivary stones include collagen, glycoproteins, amino acids and carbohydrates. The major inorganic components are hydroxyapatite, carbonate apatite, whitlockite and brushite. The management of salivary stones is focused on removing the salivary stones and preservation of salivary gland function which depends on the size and location of the stone. Conservative management of salivary stones consists of salivary gland massage and the use of sialogogues. Other therapeutic options include removal of the stone or in some cases surgical removal of the whole salivary gland.

  11. Diversity of anti-haemostatic proteins in the salivary glands of Rhodnius species transmitters of Chagas disease in the greater Amazon.

    PubMed

    Bussacos, Ana C M; Nakayasu, Ernesto S; Hecht, Mariana M; Parente, Juliana A; Soares, Célia M A; Teixeira, Antônio R L; Almeida, Igor C

    2011-08-24

    The triatomines in the tribe Rhodniini are the main vectors of the Trypanosoma cruzi to humans in recent outbreaks of acute Chagas disease in the Amazon. These insects dwelling in palm trees do not colonize the human domicile. Their success to transmit the infection relies partially on the efficacy of their salivary gland apparatuses. Here we show the transcriptome of the Rhodnius brethesi and Rhodnius robustus salivary glands, comprising 56 and 122 clusters, respectively. Approximately one third of these clusters are described for the first time. The LC-MS/MS analysis identified 123 and 111 proteins in R. brethesi and R. robustus sialome, respectively. Noteworthy, lipocalin platelet aggregation inhibitors, inositol polyphosphate 5-phosphatases, and Kazal domain proteins, which are essential for the insect's successful acquisition of blood meals, were found in our analysis. Moreover, glutathione S transferase and antigen-5, which play roles in the insect's defense and resistance against insecticide, were also observed. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Circulation of Chikungunya virus in Aedes aegypti in Maranhão, Northeast Brazil.

    PubMed

    Aragão, Carine Fortes; Cruz, Ana Cecília Ribeiro; Neto, Joaquim Pinto Nunes; Monteiro, Hamilton Antonio de Oliveira; da Silva, Eliana Vieira Pinto; da Silva, Sandro Patroca; Andrade, Aylane Tamara Dos Santos; Tadei, Wanderli Pedro; Pinheiro, Valéria Cristina Soares

    2018-06-19

    The simultaneous circulation of Dengue virus (DENV), Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Zika virus (ZIKV) arboviruses have placed Brazil among the main worldwide endemic areas. Brazilian Northeast region concentrates the highest incidence of infections caused by CHIKV and ZIKV. In Maranhão, the second biggest northeastern state, there are cases of human infections caused by these three arboviruses and presence of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus vectors. In this context, this study aimed to investigate the circulation of CHIKV, DENV and ZIKV in Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus mosquitoes collected in urban areas of Barra do Corda, Caxias, Codó, São Luís and São Mateus do Maranhão municipalities in the state of Maranhão through Quantitative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-qPCR) technique. 428 Ae. aegypti and 1 Ae. albopictus were collected, which formed 44 pools. Three of these showed positive results for CHIKV: AR832767 (five Ae. aegypti female collected in Caxias), AR832784 and AR832785 (both composed of 20 Ae. aegypti female collected in São Mateus do Maranhão). This study consolidates information about CHIKV circulation in state of Maranhão, as well as the role of Ae. aegypti in the transmission of CHIKV in urban area. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

  13. Dengue-1 virus and vector competence of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) populations from New Caledonia.

    PubMed

    Calvez, Elodie; Guillaumot, Laurent; Girault, Dominique; Richard, Vaea; O'Connor, Olivia; Paoaafaite, Tuterarii; Teurlai, Magali; Pocquet, Nicolas; Cao-Lormeau, Van-Mai; Dupont-Rouzeyrol, Myrielle

    2017-08-09

    Dengue virus (DENV) is the arbovirus with the highest incidence in New Caledonia and in the South Pacific region. In 2012-2014, a major DENV-1 outbreak occurred in New Caledonia. The only known vector of DENV in New Caledonia is Aedes aegypti but no study has yet evaluated the competence of New Caledonia Ae. aegypti populations to transmit DENV. This study compared the ability of field-collected Ae. aegypti from different locations in New Caledonia to transmit the DENV-1 responsible for the 2012-2014 outbreak. This study also aimed to compare the New Caledonia results with the vector competence of Ae. aegypti from French Polynesia as these two French countries have close links, including arbovirus circulation. Three wild Ae. aegypti populations were collected in New Caledonia and one in French Polynesia. Female mosquitoes were orally exposed to DENV-1 (10 6 FFU/ml). Mosquito bodies (thorax and abdomen), heads and saliva were analyzed to measure infection, dissemination, transmission rates and transmission efficiency, at 7, 14 and 21 days post-infection (dpi), respectively. DENV-1 infection rates were heterogeneous, but dissemination rates were high and homogenous among the three Ae. aegypti populations from New Caledonia. Despite this high DENV-1 dissemination rate, the transmission rate, and therefore the transmission efficiency, observed were low. Aedes aegypti population from New Caledonia was less susceptible to infection and had lower ability to transmit DENV-1 than Ae. aegypti populations from French Polynesia. This study suggests that even if susceptible to infection, the New Caledonian Ae. aegypti populations were moderately competent vectors for DENV-1 strain from the 2012-2014 outbreak. These results strongly suggest that other factors might have contributed to the spread of this DENV-1 strain in New Caledonia and in the Pacific region.

  14. Salivary gland diseases: infections, sialolithiasis and mucoceles.

    PubMed

    Delli, Konstantina; Spijkervet, Fred K L; Vissink, Arjan

    2014-01-01

    The three most frequently diagnosed salivary gland diseases are salivary gland infections, sialolithiasis and mucoceles. Salivary gland infections are usually of bacterial or viral etiology and can be divided into acute and chronic types. Occasionally they can result from obstruction of the salivary duct, an autoimmmune disease or cancer therapy. Infections can occur in all types of salivary glands and are observed at all ages. Sialolithiasis is characterized by the development of calcified structures in the salivary glands, especially in the submandibular gland. Sialoliths are generally attributed to retention of saliva and are usually accompanied by swelling and pain when a salivary stimulus is applied. Mucoceles can be differentiated into mucus extravasation phenomenon or mucus escape reaction, mucus retention cysts and ranulas. They result from extravasation of saliva into the surrounding soft tissues or from retention of saliva within the duct.

  15. Male accessory gland substances from Aedes albopictus affect the locomotor activity of Aedes aegypti females

    PubMed Central

    Lima-Camara, Tamara Nunes; Codeço, Claudia Torres; Honório, Nildimar Alves; Bruno, Rafaela Vieira; Peixoto, Alexandre Afranio; Lounibos, Leon Philip

    2013-01-01

    Dengue is one of the world’s most important mosquito-borne diseases and is usually transmitted by one of two vector species: Aedes aegypti or Aedes albopictus . These two diurnal mosquitoes are frequently found coexisting in similar habitats, enabling interactions between adults, such as cross-mating. The objective of this study was to assess cross-mating between Ae. aegypti females and Ae. albopictus males under artificial conditions and evaluate the locomotor activity of Ae. aegypti virgin females injected with male accessory gland (MAG) homogenates to infer the physiological and behavioural responses to interspecific mating. After seven days of exposure, 3.3-16% of Ae. aegypti females mated with Ae. albopictus males. Virgin Ae. aegypti females injected with conspecific and heterospecific MAGs showed a general decrease in locomotor activity compared to controls and were refractory to mating with conspecific males. The reduction in diurnal locomotor activity induced by injections of conspecific or heterospecific MAGs is consistent with regulation of female reproductive activities by male substances, which are capable of sterilising female Ae. aegypti through satyrisation by Ae. albopictus . PMID:24473799

  16. Insecticide susceptibility of Aedes aegypti populations from Senegal and Cape Verde Archipelago.

    PubMed

    Dia, Ibrahima; Diagne, Cheikh Tidiane; Ba, Yamar; Diallo, Diawo; Konate, Lassana; Diallo, Mawlouth

    2012-10-22

    Two concomitant dengue 3 (DEN-3) epidemics occurred in Cape Verde Archipelago and Senegal between September and October 2009. Aedes aegypti was identified as the vector of these epidemics as several DEN-3 virus strains were isolated from this species in both countries. The susceptibility to pyrethroids, organochlorine, organophosphates and carbamate was investigated in two field strains of Aedes aegypti from both countries using WHO diagnostic bioassay kits in order to monitor their the current status of insecticide susceptibility. The two tested strains were highly resistant to DDT. The Cape Verde strain was found to be susceptible to all others tested insecticides except for propoxur 0.1%, which needs further investigation. The Dakar strain was susceptible to fenitrothion 1% and permethrin 0.75%, but displayed reduced susceptibility to deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and propoxur. As base-line results, our observations stress a careful management of insecticide use for the control of Ae. aegypti. Indeed, they indicate that DDT is no longer efficient for the control of Ae. aegypti populations in Cape Verde and Dakar and further suggest a thorough follow-up of propoxur susceptibility status in both sites and that of deltamethrin and lambda-cyhalothrin in Ae. aegypti populations in Dakar. Thus, regular monitoring of susceptibility is greatly needed as well as the knowing if this observed resistance/susceptibility is focal or not and for observed resistance, the use of biochemical methods is needed with detailed comparison of resistance levels over a large geographic area. Aedes aegypti, Insecticides, Susceptibility, Cape Verde, Senegal.

  17. Diversity of containers and buildings infested with Aedes aegypti in Puerto Iguazú, Argentina.

    PubMed

    Costa, Federico; Fattore, Gladys; Abril, Marcelo

    2012-09-01

    Aedes aegypti is the main domestic vector of the dengue virus. Control measures to prevent dengue transmission focus on the treatment and elimination of this vector's oviposition sites. There is limited biological information on Ae. aegypti in Argentina. The aim of this study was to characterize Ae. aegypti oviposition sites in the city of Puerto Iguazú, Argentina. We surveyed an area covering nine neighborhoods in 2005. We identified 191 premises as positive for Ae. aegypti, giving a general house index of 9.6%. Premises classified as residential and vacant lots presented the highest number of infested premises, with 9% and 22% respectively. The total number of surveyed containers was 29,600. The overall container index (CI) was 1.1. The most frequently infested containers were water tanks (CI = 37). These preliminary results suggest that vacant lots and water tanks provide suitable breeding areas and environmental conditions, improving the chances of Ae. aegypti survival in Puerto Iguazú.

  18. The wMel strain of Wolbachia Reduces Transmission of Zika virus by Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Aliota, Matthew T; Peinado, Stephen A; Velez, Ivan Dario; Osorio, Jorge E

    2016-07-01

    Zika virus (ZIKV) is causing an explosive outbreak of febrile disease in the Americas. There are no effective antiviral therapies or licensed vaccines for this virus, and mosquito control strategies have not been adequate to contain the virus. A promising candidate for arbovirus control and prevention relies on the introduction of the intracellular bacterium Wolbachia into Aedes aegypti mosquitoes. This primarily has been proposed as a tool to control dengue virus (DENV) transmission; however, evidence suggests Wolbachia infections confer protection for Ae. aegypti against other arboviruses. At present, it is unknown whether or not ZIKV can infect, disseminate, and be transmitted by Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti. Using Ae. aegypti infected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia that are being released in Medellin, Colombia, we report that these mosquitoes have reduced vector competence for ZIKV. These results support the use of Wolbachia biocontrol as a multivalent strategy against Ae. aegypti-transmitted viruses.

  19. Exome and Transcriptome Sequencing of Aedes aegypti Identifies a Locus That Confers Resistance to Brugia malayi and Alters the Immune Response

    PubMed Central

    Juneja, Punita; Ariani, Cristina V.; Ho, Yung Shwen; Akorli, Jewelna; Palmer, William J.; Pain, Arnab; Jiggins, Francis M.

    2015-01-01

    Many mosquito species are naturally polymorphic for their abilities to transmit parasites, a feature which is of great interest for controlling vector-borne disease. Aedes aegypti, the primary vector of dengue and yellow fever and a laboratory model for studying lymphatic filariasis, is genetically variable for its capacity to harbor the filarial nematode Brugia malayi. The genome of Ae. aegypti is large and repetitive, making genome resequencing difficult and expensive. We designed exome captures to target protein-coding regions of the genome, and used association mapping in a wild Kenyan population to identify a single, dominant, sex-linked locus underlying resistance. This falls in a region of the genome where a resistance locus was previously mapped in a line established in 1936, suggesting that this polymorphism has been maintained in the wild for the at least 80 years. We then crossed resistant and susceptible mosquitoes to place both alleles of the gene into a common genetic background, and used RNA-seq to measure the effect of this locus on gene expression. We found evidence for Toll, IMD, and JAK-STAT pathway activity in response to early stages of B. malayi infection when the parasites are beginning to die in the resistant genotype. We also found that resistant mosquitoes express anti-microbial peptides at the time of parasite-killing, and that this expression is suppressed in susceptible mosquitoes. Together, we have found that a single resistance locus leads to a higher immune response in resistant mosquitoes, and we identify genes in this region that may be responsible for this trait. PMID:25815506

  20. Larvicidal and repellent activity of tetradecanoic acid against Aedes aegypti (Linn.) and Culex quinquefasciatus (Say.) (Diptera:Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Sivakumar, R; Jebanesan, A; Govindarajan, M; Rajasekar, P

    2011-09-01

    To investigate the larvicidal and repellent efficacy of tetradecanoic acid against Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) L. and Culex quinquefasciatus (Cx. quinquefasciatus) Say (Diptera: Culicidae). Larvicidal efficacy of tetradecanoic acid was tested at various concentrations against the early third instar larvae of Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. The repellent activity was determined against two mosquito species at three concentrations viz., 1.0,2.5 and 5.0 ppm under the laboratory conditions. The tetradecanoic acid was found to be more effective against Cx. quinquefasciatus than Ae. aegypti larvae. The LC(50) values were 14.08 ppm and 25.10 ppm, respectively. Tetradecanoic acid showed lesser repellency against Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus. The highest repellency was observed in higher concentration of 5.0 mg/cm(2) provided 100% protection up to 60 and 90 min against Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus respectively. From the results it can be concluded the tetradecanoic acid is a potential for controlling Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Copyright © 2011 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  1. First Report of Aedes aegypti Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in the Americas

    PubMed Central

    Díaz-González, Esteban E.; Kautz, Tiffany F.; Dorantes-Delgado, Alicia; Malo-García, Iliana R.; Laguna-Aguilar, Maricela; Langsjoen, Rose M.; Chen, Rubing; Auguste, Dawn I.; Sánchez-Casas, Rosa M.; Danis-Lozano, Rogelio; Weaver, Scott C.; Fernández-Salas, Ildefonso

    2015-01-01

    During a chikungunya fever outbreak in late 2014 in Chiapas, Mexico, entomovirological surveillance was performed to incriminate the vector(s). In neighborhoods, 75 households with suspected cases were sampled for mosquitoes, of which 80% (60) harbored Aedes aegypti and 2.7% (2) Aedes albopictus. A total of 1,170 Ae. aegypti and three Ae. albopictus was collected and 81 pools were generated. Although none of the Ae. albopictus pools were chikungunya virus (CHIKV)–positive, 18 Ae. aegypti pools (22.8%) contained CHIKV, yielding an infection rate of 32.3/1,000 mosquitoes. A lack of herd immunity in conjunction with high mosquito populations, poor vector control services in this region, and targeted collections in locations of human cases may explain the high infection rate in this vector. Consistent with predictions from experimental studies, Ae. aegypti appears to be the principal vector of CHIKV in southern Mexico, while the role of Ae. albopictus remains unknown. PMID:26416113

  2. Susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) to temephos in Venezuela.

    PubMed

    Alvarez, Leslie C; Ponce, Gustavo; Oviedo, Milagros; Lopez, Beatriz; Flores, Adriana E

    2014-08-01

    Temephos is an insecticide widely used in Venezuela to control the proliferation of the larvae of Aedes aegypti (L.), the principal vector of dengue virus. The aim of this study was to identify the susceptibility to temephos of Ae. aegypti in four locations in western Venezuela: Lara, Tres Esquinas, Ureña and Pampanito. Larval bioassays were conducted on samples collected in 2008 and 2010, and the levels of α- and β-esterases, mixed-function oxidases, glutathione-S-transferase and insensitive acethyl cholinesterase were determined. Larval populations from western Venezuela obtained during 2008 and 2010 were found to be susceptible to temephos, with low resistance ratios and without overexpression of enzymes. The low RR values reveal the effectiveness of temephos in controlling the larval populations of Ae. aegypti. Control strategies must be vigorously monitored to maintain the susceptibility to temephos of these populations of Ae. aegypti. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry.

  3. Dispersal of Male Aedes aegypti in a Coastal Village in Southern Mexico

    PubMed Central

    Valerio, Laura; Facchinelli, Luca; Ramsey, Janine M.; Scott, Thomas W.

    2012-01-01

    Most Aedes aegypti dispersal studies have focused on females because of their central role in dengue virus transmission. Only a few mark-release-recapture (MRR) studies provided insights into male Ae. aegypti dispersal. To fill this knowledge gap, we conducted five male Ae. aegypti MRR experiments in a coastal village in southern Mexico. Small and large male cohorts were marked with fluorescent dusts, released outside buildings, and recaptures were carried out by using backpack aspirators. Recapture rates ranged between 0.35% and 6.55% and median distance traveled was 12–166 meters. A statistically significant difference in median distance traveled with large males dispersing farther than small ones was detected only in one experiment (MRR5: U = 3.5, P < 0.01). Male dispersal data will be useful for constructing and estimating parameter values and validating models that will be used to plan the most effective release strategies for genetically modified male Ae. aegypti. PMID:22492152

  4. First Report of Aedes aegypti Transmission of Chikungunya Virus in the Americas.

    PubMed

    Díaz-González, Esteban E; Kautz, Tiffany F; Dorantes-Delgado, Alicia; Malo-García, Iliana R; Laguna-Aguilar, Maricela; Langsjoen, Rose M; Chen, Rubing; Auguste, Dawn I; Sánchez-Casas, Rosa M; Danis-Lozano, Rogelio; Weaver, Scott C; Fernández-Salas, Ildefonso

    2015-12-01

    During a chikungunya fever outbreak in late 2014 in Chiapas, Mexico, entomovirological surveillance was performed to incriminate the vector(s). In neighborhoods, 75 households with suspected cases were sampled for mosquitoes, of which 80% (60) harbored Aedes aegypti and 2.7% (2) Aedes albopictus. A total of 1,170 Ae. aegypti and three Ae. albopictus was collected and 81 pools were generated. Although none of the Ae. albopictus pools were chikungunya virus (CHIKV)-positive, 18 Ae. aegypti pools (22.8%) contained CHIKV, yielding an infection rate of 32.3/1,000 mosquitoes. A lack of herd immunity in conjunction with high mosquito populations, poor vector control services in this region, and targeted collections in locations of human cases may explain the high infection rate in this vector. Consistent with predictions from experimental studies, Ae. aegypti appears to be the principal vector of CHIKV in southern Mexico, while the role of Ae. albopictus remains unknown. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  5. Dengue serotype-specific immune response in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus

    PubMed Central

    Smartt, Chelsea T; Shin, Dongyoung; Alto, Barry W

    2017-01-01

    BACKGROUND Dengue viruses (DENV) are considered one of the most important emerging pathogens and dengue disease is a global health threat. The geographic expansion of dengue viruses has led to co-circulation of all four dengue serotypes making it imperative that new DENV control strategies be devised. OBJECTIVES Here we characterize dengue serotype-specific innate immune responses in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus using DENV from Puerto Rico (PR). METHODS Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were infected with dengue serotype 1 and 2 isolated from Puerto Rico. DENV infected mosquito samples were collected and temporal change in expression of selected innate immune response pathway genes analyzed by quantitative real time PCR. FINDINGS The Toll pathway is involved in anti-dengue response in Ae. aegypti, and Ae. albopictus. Infections with PR DENV- 1 elicited a stronger response from genes of the Toll immune pathway than PR DENV-2 in Ae. aegypti but in infected Ae. albopictus expression of Toll pathway genes tended to be similar between the serotypes. Two genes (a ribosomal S5 protein gene and a nimrod-like gene) from Ae. albopictus were expressed in response to DENV. MAIN CONCLUSIONS These studies revealed a role for antiviral genes in DENV serotype-specific interactions with DENV vectors, demonstrated that infections with DENV-2 can modulate the Toll immune response pathway in Ae. aegypti and elucidated candidate molecules that might be used to interfere with serotype specific vector-virus interactions. PMID:29211244

  6. Dengue serotype-specific immune response in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

    PubMed

    Smartt, Chelsea T; Shin, Dongyoung; Alto, Barry W

    2017-12-01

    Dengue viruses (DENV) are considered one of the most important emerging pathogens and dengue disease is a global health threat. The geographic expansion of dengue viruses has led to co-circulation of all four dengue serotypes making it imperative that new DENV control strategies be devised. Here we characterize dengue serotype-specific innate immune responses in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus using DENV from Puerto Rico (PR). Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were infected with dengue serotype 1 and 2 isolated from Puerto Rico. DENV infected mosquito samples were collected and temporal change in expression of selected innate immune response pathway genes analyzed by quantitative real time PCR. The Toll pathway is involved in anti-dengue response in Ae. aegypti, and Ae. albopictus. Infections with PR DENV- 1 elicited a stronger response from genes of the Toll immune pathway than PR DENV-2 in Ae. aegypti but in infected Ae. albopictus expression of Toll pathway genes tended to be similar between the serotypes. Two genes (a ribosomal S5 protein gene and a nimrod-like gene) from Ae. albopictus were expressed in response to DENV. These studies revealed a role for antiviral genes in DENV serotype-specific interactions with DENV vectors, demonstrated that infections with DENV-2 can modulate the Toll immune response pathway in Ae. aegypti and elucidated candidate molecules that might be used to interfere with serotype specific vector-virus interactions.

  7. [Aedes aegypti control strategies: a review].

    PubMed

    Zara, Ana Laura de Sene Amâncio; Santos, Sandra Maria Dos; Fernandes-Oliveira, Ellen Synthia; Carvalho, Roberta Gomes; Coelho, Giovanini Evelim

    2016-01-01

    to describe the main strategies to control Aedes aegypti, with emphasis on promising technological innovations for use in Brazil. this study is a non-systematic review of the literature. several technologies have been developed as alternatives in the control of Ae. aegypti, using different mechanisms of action, such as selective monitoring of the infestation, social interventions, dispersing insecticides, new biological control agents and molecular techniques for population control of mosquitoes, also considering the combination between them. Evolving technologies require evaluation of the effectiveness, feasibility and costs of implementation strategies as complementary to the actions already recommended by the National Program for Dengue Control. the integration of different compatible and effective vector control strategies, considering the available technologies and regional characteristics, appears to be a viable method to try to reduce the infestation of mosquitoes and the incidence of arbovirus transmitted by them.

  8. Species Distribution Modelling of Aedes aegypti in two dengue-endemic regions of Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Fatima, Syeda Hira; Atif, Salman; Rasheed, Syed Basit; Zaidi, Farrah; Hussain, Ejaz

    2016-03-01

    Statistical tools are effectively used to determine the distribution of mosquitoes and to make ecological inferences about the vector-borne disease dynamics. In this study, we utilised species distribution models to understand spatial patterns of Aedes aegypti in two dengue-prevalent regions of Pakistan, Lahore and Swat. Species distribution models can potentially indicate the probability of suitability of Ae. aegypti once introduced to new regions like Swat, where invasion of this species is a recent phenomenon. The distribution of Ae. aegypti was determined by applying the MaxEnt algorithm on a set of potential environmental factors and species sample records. The ecological dependency of species on each environmental variable was analysed using response curves. We quantified the statistical performance of the models based on accuracy assessment and spatial predictions. Our results suggest that Ae. aegypti is widely distributed in Lahore. Human population density and urban infrastructure are primarily responsible for greater probability of mosquito occurrence in this region. In Swat, Ae. aegypti has clumped distribution, where urban patches provide refuge to the species in an otherwise hostile heterogeneous environment and road networks are assumed to have facilitated in passive-mediated dispersal of species. In Pakistan, Ae. aegypti is expanding its range northwards; this could be associated with rapid urbanisation, trade and travel. The main implication of this expansion is that more people are at risk of dengue fever in the northern highlands of Pakistan. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  9. Proof of concept for a novel insecticide bioassay based on sugar feeding by adult Aedes aegypti (Stegomyia aegypti).

    PubMed

    Stell, F M; Roe, R M; Arellano, C; Kennedy, L; Thornton, H; Saavedra-Rodriguez, K; Wesson, D M; Black, W C; Apperson, C S

    2013-09-01

    Aedes aegypti L. (Stegomyia aegypti) (Diptera: Culicidae) is the principal vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses in tropical and subtropical regions of the world. Disease management is largely based on mosquito control achieved by insecticides applied to interior resting surfaces and through space sprays. Population monitoring to detect insecticide resistance is a significant component of integrated disease management programmes. We developed a bioassay method for assessing insecticide susceptibility based on the feeding activity of mosquitoes on plant sugars. Our prototype sugar-insecticide feeding bioassay system was composed of inexpensive, disposable components, contained minimal volumes of insecticide, and was compact and highly transportable. Individual mosquitoes were assayed in a plastic cup that contained a sucrose-permethrin solution. Trypan blue dye was added to create a visual marker in the mosquito's abdomen for ingested sucrose-permethrin solution. Blue faecal spots provided further evidence of solution ingestion. With the sugar-insecticide feeding bioassay, the permethrin susceptibility of Ae. aegypti females from two field-collected strains was characterized by probit analysis of dosage-response data. The field strains were also tested by forced contact of females with permethrin residues on filter paper. Dosage-response patterns were similar, indicating that the sugar-insecticide feeding bioassay had appropriately characterized the permethrin susceptibility of the two strains. © 2012 The Royal Entomological Society.

  10. Differentiation of Aedes aegypti and Aedes notoscriptus (Diptera: Culicidae) eggs using scanning electron microscopy.

    PubMed

    Faull, Katherine J; Williams, Craig R

    2016-05-01

    Aedes notoscriptus and Aedes aegypti are both peri-domestic, invasive container-breeding mosquitoes. While the two potential arboviral vectors are bionomically similar, their sympatric distribution in Australia is limited. In this study, analyses of Ae. aegypti and Ae. notoscriptus eggs were enabled using scanning electron microscopy. Significant variations in egg length to width ratio and outer chorionic cell field morphology between Ae. aegypti and Ae. notoscriptus enabled distinction of the two species. Intraspecific variations in cell field morphology also enabled differentiation of the separate populations of both species, highlighting regional and global variation. Our study provides a comprehensive comparative analysis of inter- and intraspecific egg morphological and morphometric variation between two invasive container-breeding mosquitoes. The results indicate a high degree of intraspecific variation in Ae. notoscriptus egg morphology when compared to the eggs of Ae. aegypti. Comparative morphological analyses of Ae. aegypti and Ae. notoscriptus egg attributes using SEM allows differentiation of the species and may be helpful in understanding egg biology in relation to biotope of origin. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. The Role of Salivary Gland Scintigraphy in the Evaluation of Salivary Gland Dysfunction in Uncontrolled Type II Diabetic Patients.

    PubMed

    Senthilkumar, B; Sathasivasubramanian, S

    2013-09-01

    The aim of the present study was to evaluate the salivary gland dysfunction in patients with uncontrolled type II diabetes using salivary gland scintigraphy and then to compare these ratios with quantitative whole salivary secretion rates. Using a gamma camera (siemens-diacam) equipped with a low energy all-purpose collimator, 32 uncontrolled type II diabetic patients and 30 normal healthy patients were studied by injecting a radio isotope (technetium 99m pertechnetate) about 5 mCi was injected intravenously in to anticubital vein and the activity was measured for the 1(st), 20(th) and 40(th) min. At 20 min after injection, vitamin C chewable tablet was given to stimulate the secretion and continued until the end of the study period (40 min). Before scintigraphy, salivary sampling was carried out in both diabetic and normal individuals in a quiet room, saliva was allowed to accumulate and was expectorated into the collecting vessel approximately once a minute for 15 min and the volume was recorded as Unstimulated salivary flow rate and after 5 min break vitamin C chewable tablet was given to stimulate the secretion and the patient was asked to expectorate the saliva in the collecting vessel for 5 min. The expectorated volume was recorded as stimulated salivary flow rate. The mean of the measurements of scintigraphic ratio and salivary secretion rates were compared using the paired Student's t-test. The scintigraphic mean uptake and excretory ratio (ER) and the salivary flow rates were correlated. The result shows that there was a significant correlation between salivary flow rate and scintigraphic uptake and ER. However, statistically significant result could not be derived as it may be due to smaller sample size and marginal difference in the scintigraphic values between the groups. Salivary gland scintigraphy plays a significant role in the evaluation of salivary gland dysfunction. However, its role as an independent investigative procedure in the evaluation of

  12. RNA-Seq Comparison of Larval and Adult Malpighian Tubules of the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti Reveals Life Stage-Specific Changes in Renal Function.

    PubMed

    Li, Yiyi; Piermarini, Peter M; Esquivel, Carlos J; Drumm, Hannah E; Schilkey, Faye D; Hansen, Immo A

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: The life history of Aedes aegypti presents diverse challenges to its diuretic system. During the larval and pupal life stages mosquitoes are aquatic. With the emergence of the adult they become terrestrial. This shifts the organism within minutes from an aquatic environment to a terrestrial environment where dehydration has to be avoided. In addition, female mosquitoes take large blood meals, which present an entirely new set of challenges to salt and water homeostasis. Methods: To determine differences in gene expression associated with these different life stages, we performed an RNA-seq analysis of the main diuretic tissue in A. aegypti , the Malpighian tubules. We compared transcript abundance in 4th instar larvae to that of adult females and analyzed the data with a focus on transcripts that encode proteins potentially involved in diuresis, like water and solute channels as well as ion transporters. We compared our results against the model of potassium- and sodium chloride excretion in the Malpighian tubules proposed by Hine et al. (2014), which involves at least eight ion transporters and a proton-pump. Results: We found 3,421 of a total number of 17,478 (19.6%) unique transcripts with a P < 0.05 and at least a 2.5 fold change in expression levels between the two groups. We identified two novel transporter genes that are highly expressed in the adult Malpighian tubules, which have not previously been part of the transport model in this species and may play important roles in diuresis. We also identified candidates for hypothesized sodium and chloride channels. Detoxification genes were generally higher expressed in larvae. Significance: This study represents the first comparison of Malpighian tubule transcriptomes between larval and adult A. aegypti mosquitoes, highlighting key differences in their renal systems that arise as they transform from an aquatic filter-feeding larval stage to a terrestrial, blood-feeding adult stage.

  13. Anopheles salivary gland proteomes from major malaria vectors

    PubMed Central

    2012-01-01

    Background Antibody responses against Anopheles salivary proteins can indicate individual exposure to bites of malaria vectors. The extent to which these salivary proteins are species-specific is not entirely resolved. Thus, a better knowledge of the diversity among salivary protein repertoires from various malaria vector species is necessary to select relevant genus-, subgenus- and/or species-specific salivary antigens. Such antigens could be used for quantitative (mosquito density) and qualitative (mosquito species) immunological evaluation of malaria vectors/host contact. In this study, salivary gland protein repertoires (sialomes) from several Anopheles species were compared using in silico analysis and proteomics. The antigenic diversity of salivary gland proteins among different Anopheles species was also examined. Results In silico analysis of secreted salivary gland protein sequences retrieved from an NCBInr database of six Anopheles species belonging to the Cellia subgenus (An. gambiae, An. arabiensis, An. stephensi and An. funestus) and Nyssorhynchus subgenus (An. albimanus and An. darlingi) displayed a higher degree of similarity compared to salivary proteins from closely related Anopheles species. Additionally, computational hierarchical clustering allowed identification of genus-, subgenus- and species-specific salivary proteins. Proteomic and immunoblot analyses performed on salivary gland extracts from four Anopheles species (An. gambiae, An. arabiensis, An. stephensi and An. albimanus) indicated that heterogeneity of the salivary proteome and antigenic proteins was lower among closely related anopheline species and increased with phylogenetic distance. Conclusion This is the first report on the diversity of the salivary protein repertoire among species from the Anopheles genus at the protein level. This work demonstrates that a molecular diversity is exhibited among salivary proteins from closely related species despite their common pharmacological

  14. Oral infection of Aedes aegypti with yellow fever virus: geographic variation and genetic considerations.

    PubMed

    Tabachnick, W J; Wallis, G P; Aitken, T H; Miller, B R; Amato, G D; Lorenz, L; Powell, J R; Beaty, B J

    1985-11-01

    Twenty-eight populations representing a worldwide distribution of Aedes aegypti were tested for their ability to become orally infected with yellow fever virus (YFV). Populations had been analyzed for genetic variations at 11 isozyme loci and assigned to one of 8 genetic geographic groups of Ae. aegypti. Infection rates suggest that populations showing isozyme genetic relatedness also demonstrate similarity to oral infection rates with YFV. The findings support the hypothesis that genetic variation exists for oral susceptibility to YFV in Ae. aegypti.

  15. The Aquaporin gene family of the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Drake, Lisa L; Boudko, Dmitri Y; Marinotti, Osvaldo; Carpenter, Victoria K; Dawe, Angus L; Hansen, Immo A

    2010-12-29

    The mosquito, Aedes aegypti, is the principal vector of the Dengue and yellow fever viruses. During feeding, an adult female can take up more than its own body weight in vertebrate blood. After a blood meal females excrete large amounts of urine through their excretion system, the Malpighian tubules (MT). Diuresis starts within seconds after the mosquito starts feeding. Aquaporins (AQPs) are a family of membrane transporters that regulate the flow of water, glycerol and other small molecules across cellular membranes in both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Our aim was to identify aquaporins that function as water channels, mediating transcellular water transport in MTs of adult female Ae. aegypti. Using a bioinformatics approach we screened genome databases and identified six putative AQPs in the genome of Ae. aegypti. Phylogenetic analysis showed that five of the six Ae. aegypti AQPs have high similarity to classical water-transporting AQPs of vertebrates. Using microarray, reverse transcription and real time PCR analysis we found that all six AQPs are expressed in distinct patterns in mosquito tissues/body parts. AaAQP1, 4, and 5 are strongly expressed in the adult female MT. RNAi-mediated knockdown of the MT-expressed mosquito AQPs resulted in significantly reduced diuresis. Our results support the notion that AQP1, 4, and 5 function as water transporters in the MTs of adult female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Our results demonstrate the importance of these AQPs for mosquito diuresis after blood ingestion and highlight their potential as targets for the development of novel vector control strategies.

  16. Mosquito Infestation and Dengue Virus Infection in Aedes aegypti Females in Schools in Mérida, México

    PubMed Central

    García-Rejón, Julián E.; Loroño-Pino, María Alba; Farfán-Ale, José Arturo; Flores-Flores, Luis F.; López-Uribe, Mildred P.; del Rosario Najera-Vazquez, Maria; Nuñez-Ayala, Guadalupe; Beaty, Barry J.; Eisen, Lars

    2011-01-01

    We determined abundance of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes and presence of dengue virus (DENV) in females collected from schools in Mérida, México, during 2008 and 2009. Backpack aspiration from 24 schools produced 468 females of Ae. aegypti and 1,676 females of another human biter, Culex quinquefasciatus. Ae. aegypti females were collected most commonly from classrooms followed by offices and bathrooms. Of these females, 24.7% were freshly fed. Examination of 118 pools of Ae. aegypti females (total of 415 females) for presence of DENV RNA produced 19 positive pools (16.1%). DENV-infected pools were detected from 11 (45.8%) of 24 schools and came from different room types, including classrooms, offices, and bathrooms. The overall rate of DENV infection per 100 Ae. aegypti females was 4.8. We conclude that schools in Mérida present a risk environment for students, teachers, and other personnel to be exposed to mosquitoes and bites of DENV-infected Ae. aegypti females. PMID:21363990

  17. The global compendium of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus occurrence

    PubMed Central

    Kraemer, Moritz U. G.; Sinka, Marianne E.; Duda, Kirsten A.; Mylne, Adrian; Shearer, Freya M.; Brady, Oliver J.; Messina, Jane P.; Barker, Christopher M.; Moore, Chester G.; Carvalho, Roberta G.; Coelho, Giovanini E.; Van Bortel, Wim; Hendrickx, Guy; Schaffner, Francis; Wint, G. R. William; Elyazar, Iqbal R. F.; Teng, Hwa-Jen; Hay, Simon I.

    2015-01-01

    Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are the main vectors transmitting dengue and chikungunya viruses. Despite being pathogens of global public health importance, knowledge of their vectors’ global distribution remains patchy and sparse. A global geographic database of known occurrences of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus between 1960 and 2014 was compiled. Herein we present the database, which comprises occurrence data linked to point or polygon locations, derived from peer-reviewed literature and unpublished studies including national entomological surveys and expert networks. We describe all data collection processes, as well as geo-positioning methods, database management and quality-control procedures. This is the first comprehensive global database of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus occurrence, consisting of 19,930 and 22,137 geo-positioned occurrence records respectively. Both datasets can be used for a variety of mapping and spatial analyses of the vectors and, by inference, the diseases they transmit. PMID:26175912

  18. The global compendium of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus occurrence

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kraemer, Moritz U. G.; Sinka, Marianne E.; Duda, Kirsten A.; Mylne, Adrian; Shearer, Freya M.; Brady, Oliver J.; Messina, Jane P.; Barker, Christopher M.; Moore, Chester G.; Carvalho, Roberta G.; Coelho, Giovanini E.; van Bortel, Wim; Hendrickx, Guy; Schaffner, Francis; Wint, G. R. William; Elyazar, Iqbal R. F.; Teng, Hwa-Jen; Hay, Simon I.

    2015-07-01

    Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus are the main vectors transmitting dengue and chikungunya viruses. Despite being pathogens of global public health importance, knowledge of their vectors’ global distribution remains patchy and sparse. A global geographic database of known occurrences of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus between 1960 and 2014 was compiled. Herein we present the database, which comprises occurrence data linked to point or polygon locations, derived from peer-reviewed literature and unpublished studies including national entomological surveys and expert networks. We describe all data collection processes, as well as geo-positioning methods, database management and quality-control procedures. This is the first comprehensive global database of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus occurrence, consisting of 19,930 and 22,137 geo-positioned occurrence records respectively. Both datasets can be used for a variety of mapping and spatial analyses of the vectors and, by inference, the diseases they transmit.

  19. Embryonic desiccation resistance in Aedes aegypti: presumptive role of the chitinized Serosal Cuticle

    PubMed Central

    Rezende, Gustavo Lazzaro; Martins, Ademir Jesus; Gentile, Carla; Farnesi, Luana Cristina; Pelajo-Machado, Marcelo; Peixoto, Alexandre Afrânio; Valle, Denise

    2008-01-01

    Background One of the major problems concerning dengue transmission is that embryos of its main vector, the mosquito Aedes aegypti, resist desiccation, surviving several months under dry conditions. The serosal cuticle (SC) contributes to mosquito egg desiccation resistance, but the kinetics of SC secretion during embryogenesis is unknown. It has been argued that mosquito SC contains chitin as one of its components, however conclusive evidence is still missing. Results We observed an abrupt acquisition of desiccation resistance during Ae. aegypti embryogenesis associated with serosal cuticle secretion, occurring at complete germ band extension, between 11 and 13 hours after egglaying. After SC formation embryos are viable on dry for at least several days. The presence of chitin as one of the SC constituents was confirmed through Calcofluor and WGA labeling and chitin quantitation. The Ae. aegypti Chitin Synthase A gene (AaCHS1) possesses two alternatively spliced variants, AaCHS1a and AaCHS1b, differentially expressed during Ae. aegypti embryonic development. It was verified that at the moment of serosal cuticle formation, AaCHS1a is the sole variant specifically expressed. Conclusion In addition to the peritrophic matrix and exoskeleton, these findings confirm chitin is also present in the mosquito serosal cuticle. They also point to the role of the chitinized SC in the desiccation resistance of Ae. aegypti eggs. AaCHS1a expression would be responsible for SC chitin synthesis. With this embryological approach we expect to shed new light regarding this important physiological process related to the Ae. aegypti life cycle. PMID:18789161

  20. Evidence for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Oviposition on Boats in the Peruvian Amazon.

    PubMed

    Guagliardo, Sarah Anne; Morrison, Amy C; Luis Barboza, Jose; Wesson, Dawn M; Ponnusamy, Loganathan; Astete, Helvio; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo; Kitron, Uriel

    2015-07-01

    Dengue vector Aedes aegypti L. is invading peri-urban and rural areas throughout Latin America. Our previous research in the Peruvian Amazon has shown that river boats are heavily infested with immature and adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, likely playing a major role in their long-distance dispersal and successful invasion. However, the presence of immature mosquitoes provides no information about the timing of oviposition, and whether it took place in the boats. Here, we used baited ovitraps deployed on river boats to test the hypothesis that Ae. aegypti oviposition occurs during boat travel. We deployed 360 ovitraps on 60 different barges during August and October of 2013, and February 2014 (with 20 barges sampled during each month). We found that Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in 22 individual ovitraps from 15 of the 60 barges (premise index 25%) across all sampling dates. Further, the distribution of Ae. aegypti egg abundance was highly aggregated: 2.6% of traps (N=7) were responsible for 71.8% of eggs found, and 1.5% of traps (N=4) were responsible for all (100%) of the larvae found. Similarly, 5% of boats were responsible for the 71.47% of eggs. Our results provide strong evidence that Ae. aegypti oviposition commonly occurs during boat travel. Baited ovitraps could represent a cost-effective means of monitoring and controlling mosquito populations on boats. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Epidemiology of salivary gland infections.

    PubMed

    Cascarini, Luke; McGurk, Mark

    2009-08-01

    This article approaches sialadenitis from a personal perspective based on 15 years of clinical practice limited mainly to salivary gland diseases. Disorders of the salivary glands are uncommon. When they occur, experience in managing the process is diluted over a range of disciplines. The result is that traditional views go unchallenged and are recast unchanged from one textbook to another. Sialadenitis of bacterial origin is a relatively uncommon occurrence today and is normally associated with sialoliths. The most common viral infection of the salivary glands is mumps.

  2. Anatomy and histology of rodent and human major salivary glands: -overview of the Japan salivary gland society-sponsored workshop-.

    PubMed

    Amano, Osamu; Mizobe, Kenichi; Bando, Yasuhiko; Sakiyama, Koji

    2012-10-31

    MAJOR SALIVARY GLANDS OF BOTH HUMANS AND RODENTS CONSIST OF THREE PAIRS OF MACROSCOPIC GLANDS: parotid, submandibular, and sublingual. These glands secrete serous, mucous or mixed saliva via the proper main excretory ducts connecting the glandular bodies with the oral cavity. A series of discoveries about the salivary ducts in the 17th century by Niels Stensen (1638-1686), Thomas Wharton (1614-1673), and Caspar Bartholin (1655-1738) established the concept of exocrine secretion as well as salivary glands. Recent investigations have revealed the endocrine functions of parotin and a variety of cell growth factors produced by salivary glands.The present review aims to describe macroscopic findings on the major salivary glands of rodents and the microscopic differences between those of humans and rodents, which review should be of interest to those researchers studying salivary glands.

  3. TALEN-Based Gene Disruption in the Dengue Vector Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    Aryan, Azadeh; Anderson, Michelle A. E.; Myles, Kevin M.; Adelman, Zach N.

    2013-01-01

    In addition to its role as the primary vector for dengue viruses, Aedes aegypti has a long history as a genetic model organism for other bloodfeeding mosquitoes, due to its ease of colonization, maintenance and reproductive productivity. Though its genome has been sequenced, functional characterization of many Ae. aegypti genes, pathways and behaviors has been slow. TALE nucleases (TALENs) have been used with great success in a number of organisms to generate site-specific DNA lesions. We evaluated the ability of a TALEN pair to target the Ae. aegypti kmo gene, whose protein product is essential in the production of eye pigmentation. Following injection into pre-blastoderm embryos, 20–40% of fertile survivors produced kmo alleles that failed to complement an existing khw mutation. Most of these individuals produced more than 20% white-eyed progeny, with some producing up to 75%. Mutant alleles were associated with lesions of 1–7 bp specifically at the selected target site. White-eyed individuals could also be recovered following a blind intercross of G1 progeny, yielding several new white-eyed strains in the genetic background of the sequenced Liverpool strain. We conclude that TALENs are highly active in the Ae. aegypti germline, and have the potential to transform how reverse genetic experiments are performed in this important disease vector. PMID:23555893

  4. Measurement of salivary adiponectin concentrations in dogs.

    PubMed

    Tvarijonaviciute, Asta; Carrillo-Sanchez, Juana D; García-Martinez, Juan D; Tecles, Fernando; Martinez-Subiela, Silvia; German, Alexander J; Ceron, Jose J

    2014-09-01

    Measurement of salivary adiponectin could improve understanding of this adipokine's physiology, and its role in various clinical conditions. The purpose of the study was to evaluate the utility of a human adiponectin ELISA kit for measurement of salivary adiponectin in dogs, to compare serum and salivary adiponectin concentrations in a healthy dog population, and to evaluate possible effects of tooth-cleaning on serum and salivary adiponectin concentrations in dogs. For analytical validation, precision, accuracy, and lower limit of quantification of the assay were determined with saliva samples. In addition, adiponectin concentrations were quantified in serum and saliva samples from 24 healthy dogs, and from 7 dogs with mild gingivitis before and after a tooth-cleaning procedure. The validation assays for salivary adiponectin had all coefficients of variation <15%, and recovery ranged from 85% to 120%. In the linearity test, interference was observed when measuring adiponectin in saliva, but this was solved by diluting samples 1:4. In healthy dogs, salivary and serum adiponectin concentrations were positively correlated (r = .650; P = .009). After the tooth-cleaning procedure, salivary adiponectin concentration increased on day 0 (P = .004), but by day 14, concentrations were less than prior to the procedure (P = .041). The human adiponectin ELISA kit can be used for precise and accurate salivary adiponectin measurement in dogs. Salivary adiponectin increased 24 hours after tooth-cleaning, possibly due to acute inflammation or adiponectin leakage from the blood after gingival trauma. © 2014 American Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology and European Society for Veterinary Clinical Pathology.

  5. Winter Refuge for Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus Mosquitoes in Hanoi during Winter

    PubMed Central

    Tsunoda, Takashi; Cuong, Tran Chi; Dong, Tran Duc; Yen, Nguyen Thi; Le, Nguyen Hoang; Phong, Tran Vu; Minakawa, Noboru

    2014-01-01

    Dengue occurs throughout the year in Hanoi, Vietnam, despite winter low temperatures <10°C. During July 2010 to March 2012, we surveyed monthly for Aedes larvae and pupae in 120 houses in 8 Hanoi districts. Aedes albopictus preferred discarded containers in summer and pupal density drastically decreased in winter. Aedes aegypti preferred concrete tanks and this preference increased in winter. Even in winter, the lowest water temperature found in concrete tanks was >14°C, exceeding the developmental zero point of Ae. aegypti. Although jars, drums and concrete tanks were the dominant containers previously (1994–97) in Hanoi, currently the percentage of residences with concrete tanks was still high while jars and drums were quite low. Our study showed that concrete tanks with broken lids allowing mosquitoes access were important winter refuge for Ae. aegypti. We also indicate a concern about concrete tanks serving as foci for Ae. aegypti to expand their distribution in cooler regions. PMID:24752230

  6. The Dengue Virus Mosquito Vector Aedes aegypti at High Elevation in México

    PubMed Central

    Lozano-Fuentes, Saul; Hayden, Mary H.; Welsh-Rodriguez, Carlos; Ochoa-Martinez, Carolina; Tapia-Santos, Berenice; Kobylinski, Kevin C.; Uejio, Christopher K.; Zielinski-Gutierrez, Emily; Monache, Luca Delle; Monaghan, Andrew J.; Steinhoff, Daniel F.; Eisen, Lars

    2012-01-01

    México has cities (e.g., México City and Puebla City) located at elevations > 2,000 m and above the elevation ceiling below which local climates allow the dengue virus mosquito vector Aedes aegypti to proliferate. Climate warming could raise this ceiling and place high-elevation cities at risk for dengue virus transmission. To assess the elevation ceiling for Ae. aegypti and determine the potential for using weather/climate parameters to predict mosquito abundance, we surveyed 12 communities along an elevation/climate gradient from Veracruz City (sea level) to Puebla City (∼2,100 m). Ae. aegypti was commonly encountered up to 1,700 m and present but rare from 1,700 to 2,130 m. This finding extends the known elevation range in México by > 300 m. Mosquito abundance was correlated with weather parameters, including temperature indices. Potential larval development sites were abundant in Puebla City and other high-elevation communities, suggesting that Ae. aegypti could proliferate should the climate become warmer. PMID:22987656

  7. 5-Fluorouracil induces inflammation and oxidative stress in the major salivary glands affecting salivary flow and saliva composition.

    PubMed

    Bomfin, Luana E; Braga, Cíntia M; Oliveira, Thais A; Martins, Conceição S; Foschetti, Danielle A; Santos, Ana A Q A; Costa, Deiziane V S; Leitão, Renata F C; Brito, Gerly A C

    2017-12-01

    This study aimed to elucidate the effect of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on the histological aspects of the major salivary glands, salivary flow and saliva composition using an established oral mucositis model in hamsters. Oral mucositis was induced by two intraperitoneal administrations of 5-FU in two consecutive days (60 and 40mg/kg), followed by cheek pouch mucosa scratch, on day 4. The Pilocarpine-stimulated salivary flow was measured 4 and 10days after the first 5-FU injection. Salivary glands were harvested for histopathological analysis, measurement of inflammatory cells, quantification of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-1β), investigation of cell death and cell proliferation. Oxidative stress and oxidative defense system were also investigated in the salivary gland tissues using MDA (malondialdehyde), nitrite, non-protein sulfhydryl groups (NP-SH), SOD (superoxide dismutase) and CAT (catalase). In addition, the CAT and lysozyme activities and the IgA and SOD levels were evaluated in the saliva samples. 5-FU significantly reduced the pilocarpine-stimulated salivary flow rate on the 4th experimental day, associated with an increase in the SOD levels in saliva. Recovery of the salivary flow and SOD were observed on day 10, when an increase in the saliva lysozyme levels was detected. In addition, 5-FU promoted vacuolization in parotid (P) and periductal edema in submandibular (SM) gland, combined with an increase in the inflammatory cells influx, mostly observed on the 4th day in SM gland and on 4th and 10th days in P. Oxidative stress was found mostly on day 10 in SM, SL and P glands, associated with release of proinflammatory cytokines, observed in SM and SL glands, but not in P. 5-FU induces an inflammatory response in the major salivary glands, most observed ten days after its first injection, which may contribute to the major salivary glands hypofunction, leading to alterations in the salivary flow rate and composition. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc

  8. Ecological Modeling of Aedes aegypti (L.) Pupal Production in Rural Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand

    PubMed Central

    Aldstadt, Jared; Koenraadt, Constantianus J. M.; Fansiri, Thanyalak; Kijchalao, Udom; Richardson, Jason; Jones, James W.; Scott, Thomas W.

    2011-01-01

    Background Aedes aegypti (L.) is the primary vector of dengue, the most important arboviral infection globally. Until an effective vaccine is licensed and rigorously administered, Ae. aegypti control remains the principal tool in preventing and curtailing dengue transmission. Accurate predictions of vector populations are required to assess control methods and develop effective population reduction strategies. Ae. aegypti develops primarily in artificial water holding containers. Release recapture studies indicate that most adult Ae. aegypti do not disperse over long distances. We expect, therefore, that containers in an area of high development site density are more likely to be oviposition sites and to be more frequently used as oviposition sites than containers that are relatively isolated from other development sites. After accounting for individual container characteristics, containers more frequently used as oviposition sites are likely to produce adult mosquitoes consistently and at a higher rate. To this point, most studies of Ae. aegypti populations ignore the spatial density of larval development sites. Methodology Pupal surveys were carried out from 2004 to 2007 in rural Kamphaeng Phet, Thailand. In total, 84,840 samples of water holding containers were used to estimate model parameters. Regression modeling was used to assess the effect of larval development site density, access to piped water, and seasonal variation on container productivity. A varying-coefficients model was employed to account for the large differences in productivity between container types. A two-part modeling structure, called a hurdle model, accounts for the large number of zeroes and overdispersion present in pupal population counts. Findings The number of suitable larval development sites and their density in the environment were the primary determinants of the distribution and abundance of Ae. aegypti pupae. The productivity of most container types increased significantly as

  9. Effect of confertifolin from Polygonum hydropiper L. against dengue vector mosquitoes Aedes aegypti L.

    PubMed

    Maheswaran, Rajan; Ignacimuthu, Savarimuthu

    2015-06-01

    The essential oil from the leaves of Polygonum hydropiper L. (Polygonaceae) was tested against Aedes aegypti L. The LC50 values were 190.72 and 234.37 ppm against second and fourth instar larvae of A. aegypti, respectively. Confertifolin (6,6,9a-trimethy l-4,5,5a,6,7,8,9,9a-octahydronaphtho [1,2-c] furan-3 (1H)-one) was isolated from the essential oil of P. hydropiper leaves using silica gel column chromatography. The LC50 values were 2.90 and 2.96 ppm for second and fourth instar larvae of A. aegypti, respectively. At 10 ppm, the concentration of confertifolin showed ovicidal activity of 100, 100, and 77.6 % on 0-6, 6-12, and 12-18 h old eggs; the repellent activity was 323.2 min; and oviposition deterrent activity was 97.52 % and adulticidal activity was 100 % against A. aegypti. The results were statistically significant at P < 0.05 level. The results suggested that confertifolin as an effective major constituent against A. aegypti and might be considered as a potent source for the production of superior natural mosquitocides.

  10. Mathematical model of temephos resistance in Aedes aegypti mosquito population

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Aldila, D.; Nuraini, N.; Soewono, E.; Supriatna, A. K.

    2014-03-01

    Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue disease in many tropical and sub-tropical countries. Dengue became major public concern in these countries due to the unavailability of vaccine or drugs for dengue disease in the market. Hence, the only way to control the spread of DF and DHF is by controlling the vectors carrying the disease, for instance with fumigation, temephos or genetic manipulation. Many previous studies conclude that Aedes aegypti may develop resistance to many kind of insecticide, including temephos. Mathematical model for transmission of temephos resistance in Aedes aegypti population is discussed in this paper. Nontrivial equilibrium point of the system and the corresponding existence are shown analytically. The model analysis have shown epidemiological trends condition that permits the coexistence of nontrivial equilibrium is given analytically. Numerical results are given to show parameter sensitivity and some cases of worsening effect values for illustrating possible conditions in the field.

  11. Effect of temperature on the population dynamics of Aedes aegypti

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Yusoff, Nuraini; Tokachil, Mohd Najir

    2015-10-01

    Aedes aegypti is one of the main vectors in the transmission of dengue fever. Its abundance may cause the spread of the disease to be more intense. In the study of its biological life cycle, temperature was found to increase the development rate of each stage of this species and thus, accelerate the process of the development from egg to adult. In this paper, a Lefkovitch matrix model will be used to study the stage-structured population dynamics of Aedes aegypti. In constructing the transition matrix, temperature will be taken into account. As a case study, temperature recorded at the Subang Meteorological Station for year 2006 until 2010 will be used. Population dynamics of Aedes aegypti at maximum, average and minimum temperature for each year will be simulated and compared. It is expected that the higher the temperature, the faster the mosquito will breed. The result will be compared to the number of dengue fever incidences to see their relationship.

  12. Aedes aegypti uses RNA interference in defense against Sindbis virus infection.

    PubMed

    Campbell, Corey L; Keene, Kimberly M; Brackney, Douglas E; Olson, Ken E; Blair, Carol D; Wilusz, Jeffrey; Foy, Brian D

    2008-03-17

    RNA interference (RNAi) is an important anti-viral defense mechanism. The Aedes aegypti genome encodes RNAi component orthologs, however, most populations of this mosquito are readily infected by, and subsequently transmit flaviviruses and alphaviruses. The goal of this study was to use Ae. aegypti as a model system to determine how the mosquito's anti-viral RNAi pathway interacts with recombinant Sindbis virus (SINV; family Togaviridae, genus Alphavirus). SINV (TR339-eGFP) (+) strand RNA, infectious virus titers and infection rates transiently increased in mosquitoes following dsRNA injection to cognate Ago2, Dcr2, or TSN mRNAs. Detection of SINV RNA-derived small RNAs at 2 and 7 days post-infection in non-silenced mosquitoes provided important confirmation of RNAi pathway activity. Two different recombinant SINV viruses (MRE16-eGFP and TR339-eGFP) with significant differences in infection kinetics were used to delineate vector/virus interactions in the midgut. We show virus-dependent effects on RNAi component transcript and protein levels during infection. Monitoring midgut Ago2, Dcr2, and TSN transcript levels during infection revealed that only TSN transcripts were significantly increased in midguts over blood-fed controls. Ago2 protein levels were depleted immediately following a non-infectious bloodmeal and varied during SINV infection in a virus-dependent manner. We show that silencing RNAi components in Ae. aegypti results in transient increases in SINV replication. Furthermore, Ae. aegypti RNAi is active during SINV infection as indicated by production of virus-specific siRNAs. Lastly, the RNAi response varies in a virus-dependent manner. These data define important features of RNAi anti-viral defense in Ae. aegypti.

  13. Behavioral Response of Aedes aegypti Mosquito towards Essential Oils Using Olfactometer

    PubMed Central

    Uniyal, Ashish; Tikar, Sachin N; Mendki, Murlidhar J; Singh, Ram; Shukla, Shakti V; Agrawal, Om P; Veer, Vijay; Sukumaran, Devanathan

    2016-01-01

    Background: Aedes aegypti mosquito is responsible for transmitting human diseases like dengue and chikungunya. Personal or space protection with insect repellents is a practical approach to reducing human mosquito contact, thereby minimizing disease transmission. Essential oils are natural volatile substances from plants used as protective measure against blood-sucking mosquitoes. Methods: Twenty-three essential oils were evaluated for their repellent effect against Ae. aegypti female mosquito in laboratory conditions using Y-tube olfactometer. Results: The essential oils exhibited varying degree of repellency. Litsea oil showed 50.31%, 60.2 %, and 77.26% effective mean repellency at 1 ppm, 10 ppm and 100 ppm respectively, while DEET exhibited 59.63%, 68.63%, 85.48% and DEPA showed 57.97%, 65.43%, and 80.62% repellency at respective above concentrations. Statistical analysis revealed that among the tested essential oils, litsea oil had effective repellency in comparison with DEET and DEPA against Ae. aegypti mosquito at all concentration. Essential oils, DEET and DEPA showed significant repellence against Ae. aegypti (P< 0.05) at all 3 concentration tested. Conclusion: Litsea oil exhibited effective percentage repellency similar to DEET and DEPA. The essential oils are natural plant products that may be useful for developing safer and newer herbal based effective mosquito repellents. PMID:27308295

  14. Spread, establishment & prevalence of dengue vector Aedes aegypti (L.) in Konkan region, Maharashtra, India.

    PubMed

    Fulmali, P V; Walimbe, A; Mahadev, P V M

    2008-06-01

    Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) was surveyed in the residential biotopes of Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigadh districts, Maharashtra State during dry (January-May & November- December) and wet (June-October) months in 2002 to update information on its distribution, to analyse post invasion establishment, and to study its prevalence. The survey was designed to unfold Ae. aegypti distributions at landscape, habitat and micro-habitat levels. Risks of distribution and establishment due to differences amongst settlements, households and habitat attributes were analysed by univariate and multivariate methods. Demographic/transport changes were surveyed for its breeding refugia during dry months and prevalence during the wet seasons. Chi square tests for difference and relative risks of container types were applied to assess container habitats preferences for Ae. aegypti breeding, thus contributing to the risk of establishment and prevalence through seasons. Ae. aegypti was present in 16 out of total 28 settlements in dry season and 22 of 25 in wet season; the Breteau index (BI) varied from 1.25 to 57.33 and the container index (CI) was 0.6 to 25.81 in the dry season and BI from 1.25 to 110-00 and CI - 0.2 to 11.37 in the wet season, respectively. At macro-level, rural settlements and ports showed higher odds ratios (OR>1) for presence of Ae. aegypti. At meso-level, OR were 65.8, 24.8 and 4.9 for Ae. aegypti breeding in compact houses, clustered housing and in houses with tap water source respectively. At micro-level the plastic drums and small plastic containers were the important key habitats of its breeding. In the non-residential areas Ae. aegypti breeding was noted in one port during dry season; 10-road transport tyre dumps and scrap, 5 of 7 seaports and none of the two railway station areas during wet season. At macro-geographic level Ae. aegypti distribution increased in 3 settlements, new establishment was seen in 7, new records in ten settlements and two

  15. Superinfection interference between dengue-2 and dengue-4 viruses in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.

    PubMed

    Muturi, Ephantus J; Buckner, Eva; Bara, Jeffrey

    2017-04-01

    Dengue virus consists of four antigenically distinct serotypes (DENV 1-4) that are transmitted to humans by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. In many dengue-endemic regions, co-circulation of two or more DENV serotypes is fairly common increasing the likelihood for exposure of the two vectors to multiple serotypes. We used a model system of DENV-2 and DENV-4 to investigate how prior exposure of Aedes aegypti to one DENV serotype affects its susceptibility to another serotype. Aedes aegypti mosquitoes were sequentially infected with DENV-2 and DENV-4 and the infection and dissemination rates for each virus determined. We found that prior infection of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes with DENV-4 rendered them significantly less susceptible to secondary infection with DENV-2. Although the results were not statistically significant, mosquitoes infected with DENV-2 were also less susceptible to secondary infection with DENV-4. The midgut dissemination and population dissemination rates for DENV-2 were significantly higher than those of DENV-4 when either virus was administered 7 days after administration of either a non-infectious blood meal or a blood meal containing a heterologous dengue serotype. These results demonstrate that superinfection interference between DENV serotypes is possible within Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, but its effect on DENV epidemiology may be dependent on the fitness of interacting serotypes. © 2017 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. Pediatric Salivary Gland Malignancies.

    PubMed

    Ord, Robert A; Carlson, Eric R

    2016-02-01

    Pediatric malignant salivary gland tumors are extremely rare. The percentage of malignant tumors is higher than that seen in adults, although the outcomes in terms of survival are better in pediatric patients. The mainstay of treatment is surgical excision with negative margins. This article reviews current concepts in demographics, etiology, management, and outcomes of malignant salivary tumors in children. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  17. Mucoepidermoid carcinoma in a salivary duct cyst of the parotid gland. Contribution to the development of tumours in salivary gland cysts.

    PubMed

    Seifert, G

    1996-12-01

    Concerning the hypothesis that distinct types of salivary gland cysts may be the starting point of a salivary gland tumour, a histological examination of 1,661 salivary gland cysts was performed in order to analyse the cell types and their proliferative activity. Epithelial alterations were found especially in salivary duct cysts of parotid gland and in mucous retention cysts of minor salivary glands. Characteristic cellular changes were epithelial metaplasias (goblet cells, clear cells, squamous cells) and focal epithelial proliferations with plump or papillary plaques projecting into the cyst lumen. Only in one case had a mucoepidermoid carcinoma developed in the wall of a parotid duct cyst. The epithelial metaplasia and focal proliferative activity in salivary duct cysts is comparable to similar alterations in odontogenic cysts as possible early manifestation of a tumour, especially of an ameloblastoma or mucoepidermoid carcinoma. The differential diagnosis of salivary duct cysts must take primarily cystadenomas and cystic mucoepidermoid carcinomas of well-differentiated type into account.

  18. Development of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm in preterm infants.

    PubMed

    Ivars, Katrin; Nelson, Nina; Theodorsson, Annette; Theodorsson, Elvar; Ström, Jakob O; Mörelius, Evalotte

    2017-01-01

    To investigate at what age preterm infants develop a salivary cortisol circadian rhythm and identify whether it is dependent on gestational age and/or postnatal age. To evaluate whether salivary cortisol circadian rhythm development is related to behavioral regularity. To elucidate salivary cortisol levels in preterm infants during the first year of life. This prospective, longitudinal study included 51 preterm infants. 130 healthy full-term infants served as controls. Monthly salivary cortisol levels were obtained in the morning (07:30-09:30), at noon (10:00-12:00), and in the evening (19:30-21:30), beginning at gestational age week 28-32 and continuing until twelve months corrected age. Behavioral regularity was studied using the Baby Behavior Questionnaire. A salivary cortisol circadian rhythm was established by one month corrected age and persisted throughout the first year. The preterm infants showed a cortisol pattern increasingly more alike the full-term infants as the first year progressed. The preterm infants increase in behavioral regularity with age but no correlation was found between the development of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm and the development of behavior regularity. The time to establish salivary cortisol circadian rhythm differed between preterm and full-term infants according to postnatal age (p = 0.001) and was dependent on gestational age. Monthly salivary cortisol levels for preterm infants from birth until twelve months are presented. Additional findings were that topical corticosteroid medication was associated with higher concentrations of salivary cortisol (p = 0.02) and establishment of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm occurred later in infants treated with topical corticosteroid medication (p = 0.02). Salivary cortisol circadian rhythm is established by one month corrected age in preterm infants. Establishment of salivary cortisol circadian rhythm is related to gestational age rather than to postnatal age. Salivary cortisol

  19. Characterization of a Western Pacific Zika Virus Strain in Australian Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Hall-Mendelin, Sonja; Pyke, Alyssa T; Moore, Peter R; Ritchie, Scott A; Moore, Frederick A J; van den Hurk, Andrew F

    2018-06-01

    Zika virus (ZIKV) is a globally emerging arbovirus responsible for widespread epidemics in the western Pacific, the Americas, and Asia. The virus predominately circulates in urban transmission cycles between Aedes aegypti and humans. Australia is considered at risk to outbreaks of ZIKV due to the presence of A. aegypti populations in northern areas of the state of Queensland. Furthermore, close proximity to epidemic regions has led to almost 50% of imported cases reported since 2012 originating in the Pacific region. We conducted the first vector competence experiments with A. aegypti from three Australian populations for a western Pacific strain of ZIKV. When exposed to bloodmeals containing between 10 5 and 10 8 tissue culture infectious dose (TCID) 50 /mL of virus, infection, dissemination, and transmission, rates were <10%. In comparison to using frozen virus stock, exposing mosquitoes to freshly cultured virus also did not increase infection or transmission rates. It was only when bloodmeal titers exceeded 10 8 TCID 50 /mL that infection rates approached 50% and transmission rates increased to >20%. However, this concentration of virus is considerably higher than levels previously reported in blood samples from viremic humans. The Australian A. aegypti tested appear to express a midgut barrier to ZIKV infection, as 50% of mosquitoes that became infected developed a disseminated infection, and 50% of those mosquitoes transmitted the virus. Overall, these results suggest that while Australian A. aegypti strains are able to transmit the western Pacific ZIKV strain, they are relatively inefficient vectors of the virus.

  20. Novel Wolbachia-transinfected Aedes aegypti mosquitoes possess diverse fitness and vector competence phenotypes.

    PubMed

    Fraser, Johanna E; De Bruyne, Jyotika Taneja; Iturbe-Ormaetxe, Iñaki; Stepnell, Justin; Burns, Rhiannon L; Flores, Heather A; O'Neill, Scott L

    2017-12-01

    Wolbachia pipientis from Drosophila melanogaster (wMel) is an endosymbiotic bacterium that restricts transmission of human pathogenic flaviviruses and alphaviruses, including dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses, when introduced into the mosquito vector Aedes aegypti. To date, wMel-infected Ae. aegypti have been released in field trials in 5 countries to evaluate the effectiveness of this strategy for disease control. Despite the success in establishing wMel-infected mosquitoes in wild populations, and the well-characterized antiviral capabilities of wMel, transinfecting different or additional Wolbachia strains into Ae. aegypti may improve disease impact, and perhaps more importantly, could provide a strategy to account for the possible evolution of resistant arboviruses. Here, we report the successful transinfection of Ae. aegypti with the Wolbachia strains wMelCS (D. melanogaster), wRi (D. simulans) and wPip (Culex quinquefasciatus) and assess the effects on Ae. aegypti fitness, cytoplasmic incompatibility, tissue tropism and pathogen blocking in a laboratory setting. The results demonstrate that wMelCS provides a similar degree of protection against dengue virus as wMel following an infectious blood meal, and significantly reduces viral RNA levels beyond that of wMel following a direct challenge with infectious virus in mosquitoes, with no additional fitness cost to the host. The protection provided by wRi is markedly weaker than that of wMelCS, consistent with previous characterisations of these lines in Drosophila, while wPip was found to substantially reduce the fitness of Ae. aegypti. Thus, we determine wMelCS as a key candidate for further testing in field-relevant fitness tests and viremic blood feeding challenges in a clinical setting to determine if it may represent an alternative Wolbachia strain with more desirable attributes than wMel for future field testing.

  1. Oviposition and Embryotoxicity of Indigofera suffruticosa on Early Development of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

    PubMed Central

    Vieira, Jeymesson Raphael Cardoso; Leite, Roberta Maria Pereira; Lima, Izabela Rangel; Navarro, Daniela do Amaral Ferraz; Bianco, Everson Miguel; Leite, Sônia Pereira

    2012-01-01

    Aqueous extract of Indigofera suffruticosa leaves obtained by infusion was used to evaluate the oviposition, its effect on development of eggs and larvae, and morphological changes in larvae of Aedes aegypti. The bioassays were carried out with aqueous extract in different concentrations on eggs, larvae, and female mosquitoes, and the morphological changes were observed in midgut of larvae. The extract showed repellent activity on A. aegypti mosquitoes, reducing significantly the egg laying by females with control substrate (343 (185–406)) compared with the treated substrate (88 (13–210)). No eclosion of A. aegypti eggs at different concentrations studied was observed. The controleclodedin 35%. At concentration of 250 μg/mL, 93.3% of larvae remained in the second instar of development and at concentrations of 500, 750, and 1000 μg/mL the inhibitory effect was lower with percentages of 20%, 53.3%, and 46.6%, respectively. Morphological changes like disruption on the peritrophic envelope (PE), discontinued underlying epithelium, increased gut lumen, and segments with hypertrophic aspects were observed in anterior region of medium midgut of larvae of A. aegypti. The results showed repellent activity, specific embryotoxicity, and general growth retardation in A. aegypti by medium containing aqueous extract of I. suffruticosa leaves. PMID:21822443

  2. The risk of Aedes aegypti breeding and premises condition in South Mexico.

    PubMed

    Manrique-Saide, Pablo; Davies, Clive R; Coleman, Paul G; Che-Mendoza, Azael; Dzul-Manzanilla, Felipe; Barrera-Pérez, Mario; Hernández-Betancourt, Silvia; Ayora-Talavera, Guadalupe; Pinkus-Rendón, Miguel; Burciaga-Zúñiga, Pierre; Sánchez Tejeda, Gustavo; Arredondo-Jiménez, Juan I

    2013-12-01

    A recent innovation instrumented for the Dengue Prevention and Control program in Mexico is the use of the premises condition index (PCI) as an indicator of risk for the vector Aedes aegypti infestation in dengue-endemic localities of Mexico. This paper addresses whether further improvements for the dengue control program could be made if the prevalence and productivity of Ae. aegypti populations could be reliably predicted using PCI at the household level, as well as medium-sized neighborhoods. We evaluated the use of PCI to predict the infestation with Aedes aegypti (breeding sites and immature productivity) in Merida, Mexico. The study consisted of a cross-sectional survey based on a cluster-randomized sampling design. We analyzed the statistical association between Aedes infestation and PCI, the extent to which the 3 components of PCI (house maintenance, and tidiness and shading of the patio) contributed to the association between PCI and infestation and whether infestation in a given premises was also affected by the PCI of the surrounding ones. Premises with the lowest PCI had significantly lower Aedes infestation and productivity; and as PCI scores increased infestation levels also tended to increase. Household PCI was significantly associated with Ae. aegypti breeding, largely due to the effect of patio untidiness and patio shade. The mean PCI within the surroundings premises also had a significant and independent explanatory power to predict the risk for infestation, in addition to individual PCI. This is the 1st study in Mexico showing evidence that premises condition as measured by the PCI is related to Ae. aegypti breeding sites and immature productivity. Results suggest that PCI could be used to streamline surveys to inform control efforts at least where Ae. aegypti breeds outdoors, as in Merida. The effect of individual premises, neighborhood condition, and the risk of Aedes infestation imply that the risk for dengue vector infestation can only be

  3. Genetic structure and phylogeography of Aedes aegypti, the dengue and yellow-fever mosquito vector in Bolivia.

    PubMed

    Paupy, Christophe; Le Goff, Gilbert; Brengues, Cécile; Guerra, Mabel; Revollo, Jimmy; Barja Simon, Zaïra; Hervé, Jean-Pierre; Fontenille, Didier

    2012-08-01

    Between the 16th and 18th centuries, Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), a mosquito native to Africa, invaded the Americas, where it was successively responsible for the emergence of yellow fever (YF) and dengue (DEN). The species was eradicated from numerous American countries in the mid-20th century, but re-invaded them in the 1970s and 1980s. Little is known about the precise identities of Ae. aegypti populations which successively thrived in South America, or their relation with the epidemiological changes in patterns of YF and DEN. We examined these questions in Bolivia, where Ae. aegypti, eradicated in 1943, re-appeared in the 1980s. We assessed the genetic variability and population genetics of Ae. aegypti samples in order to deduce their genetic structure and likely geographic origin. Using a 21-population set covering Bolivia, we analyzed the polymorphism at nine microsatellite loci and in two mitochondrial DNA regions (COI and ND4). Microsatellite markers revealed a significant genetic structure among geographic populations (F(ST)=0.0627, P<0.0001) in relation with the recent re-expansion of Ae. aegypti in Bolivia. Analysis of mtDNA sequences revealed the existence of two genetic lineages, one dominant lineage recovered throughout Bolivia, and the second restricted to rural localities in South Bolivia. Phylogenic analysis indicated that this minority lineage was related to West African Ae. aegypti specimens. In conclusion, our results suggested a temporal succession of Ae. aegypti populations in Bolivia, that potentially impacted the epidemiology of dengue and yellow fever. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  4. Detritus Type Alters the Outcome of Interspecific Competition Between Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae)

    PubMed Central

    MURRELL, EBONY G.; JULIANO, STEVEN A.

    2008-01-01

    Many studies of interspecific competition between Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) larvae show that Ae. albopictus are superior resource competitors to Ae. aegypti. Single-species studies indicate that growth and survival of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti larvae are affected by the type of detritus present in containers, which presumably affects the amount and quality of microorganisms that the mosquito larvae consume. We tested whether different detritus types alter the intensity of larval competition by raising 10 different density/species combinations of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti larvae under standard laboratory conditions, with one of four detritus types (oak, pine, grass, or insect) provided as a nutrient base. Intraspecific competitive effects on survival were present with all detritus types. Ae. albopictus survivorship was unaffected by interspecific competition in all treatments. Negative interspecific effects on Ae. aegypti survivorship were present with three of four detritus types, but absent with grass. Estimated finite rate of increase (λ’) was lower with pine detritus than with any other detritus type for both species. Furthermore, Ae. aegypti λ’ was negatively affected by high interspecific density in all detritus types except grass. Thus, our experiment confirms competitive asymmetry in favor of Ae. albopictus with oak, pine, or insect detritus, but also demonstrates that certain detritus types may eliminate interspecific competition among the larvae of these species, which may allow for stable coexistence. Such variation in competitive outcome with detritus type may help to account for observed patterns of coexistence/exclusion of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti in the field. PMID:18533429

  5. Spatial patterns of high Aedes aegypti oviposition activity in northwestern Argentina.

    PubMed

    Estallo, Elizabet Lilia; Más, Guillermo; Vergara-Cid, Carolina; Lanfri, Mario Alberto; Ludueña-Almeida, Francisco; Scavuzzo, Carlos Marcelo; Introini, María Virginia; Zaidenberg, Mario; Almirón, Walter Ricardo

    2013-01-01

    In Argentina, dengue has affected mainly the Northern provinces, including Salta. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial patterns of high Aedes aegypti oviposition activity in San Ramón de la Nueva Orán, northwestern Argentina. The location of clusters as hot spot areas should help control programs to identify priority areas and allocate their resources more effectively. Oviposition activity was detected in Orán City (Salta province) using ovitraps, weekly replaced (October 2005-2007). Spatial autocorrelation was measured with Moran's Index and depicted through cluster maps to identify hot spots. Total egg numbers were spatially interpolated and a classified map with Ae. aegypti high oviposition activity areas was performed. Potential breeding and resting (PBR) sites were geo-referenced. A logistic regression analysis of interpolated egg numbers and PBR location was performed to generate a predictive mapping of mosquito oviposition activity. Both cluster maps and predictive map were consistent, identifying in central and southern areas of the city high Ae. aegypti oviposition activity. A logistic regression model was successfully developed to predict Ae. aegypti oviposition activity based on distance to PBR sites, with tire dumps having the strongest association with mosquito oviposition activity. A predictive map reflecting probability of oviposition activity was produced. The predictive map delimitated an area of maximum probability of Ae. aegypti oviposition activity in the south of Orán city where tire dumps predominate. The overall fit of the model was acceptable (ROC=0.77), obtaining 99% of sensitivity and 75.29% of specificity. Distance to tire dumps is inversely associated with high mosquito activity, allowing us to identify hot spots. These methodologies are useful for prevention, surveillance, and control of tropical vector borne diseases and might assist National Health Ministry to focus resources more effectively.

  6. Raw sewage as breeding site to Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Diptera, culicidae).

    PubMed

    Chitolina, R F; Anjos, F A; Lima, T S; Castro, E A; Costa-Ribeiro, M C V

    2016-12-01

    The selection of oviposition sites by females of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti is a key factor for the larval survival and egg dispersion and has a direct influence in vector control programs. In this study, we evaluated the aspects of reproductive physiology of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes tested in the presence of raw sewage. Ae. aegypti females were used in oviposition bioassays according to two methodologies: (i) choice assay, in which three oviposition substrates were offered in the same cage: treatment (raw sewage), positive control (distilled water) and negative control (1% sodium hypochlorite) and; (ii) no choice assay, in which only one substrate was available. The physicochemical and microbiological analysis of the raw sewage used in this study indicated virtually no levels of chlorine, low levels of dissolved oxygen and high levels of nitrogenous compounds as well as the presence of Escherichia coli and total fecal coliforms. After 72h of oviposition, the eggs were counted and there was no statistically significant difference (p>0.05) in the oviposition rate between raw sewage and positive control in both methodologies. In addition, females were dissected to evaluate egg-retention and also there were no appreciable differences in egg retention even when raw sewage was the only substrate offered. The data also showed that egg hatching and larvae development occurred normally in the raw sewage. Therefore, the present study suggests that Ae. aegypti can adapt to new sites and lay eggs in polluted water, such as the raw sewage. These findings are of particular importance for the control and surveillance programs against Ae. aegypti in countries where the conditions of poor infrastructure and lack of basic sanitation are still an issue. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  7. Spatial Patterns of High Aedes aegypti Oviposition Activity in Northwestern Argentina

    PubMed Central

    Estallo, Elizabet Lilia; Más, Guillermo; Vergara-Cid, Carolina; Lanfri, Mario Alberto; Ludueña-Almeida, Francisco; Scavuzzo, Carlos Marcelo; Introini, María Virginia; Zaidenberg, Mario; Almirón, Walter Ricardo

    2013-01-01

    Background In Argentina, dengue has affected mainly the Northern provinces, including Salta. The objective of this study was to analyze the spatial patterns of high Aedes aegypti oviposition activity in San Ramón de la Nueva Orán, northwestern Argentina. The location of clusters as hot spot areas should help control programs to identify priority areas and allocate their resources more effectively. Methodology Oviposition activity was detected in Orán City (Salta province) using ovitraps, weekly replaced (October 2005–2007). Spatial autocorrelation was measured with Moran’s Index and depicted through cluster maps to identify hot spots. Total egg numbers were spatially interpolated and a classified map with Ae. aegypti high oviposition activity areas was performed. Potential breeding and resting (PBR) sites were geo-referenced. A logistic regression analysis of interpolated egg numbers and PBR location was performed to generate a predictive mapping of mosquito oviposition activity. Principal Findings Both cluster maps and predictive map were consistent, identifying in central and southern areas of the city high Ae. aegypti oviposition activity. A logistic regression model was successfully developed to predict Ae. aegypti oviposition activity based on distance to PBR sites, with tire dumps having the strongest association with mosquito oviposition activity. A predictive map reflecting probability of oviposition activity was produced. The predictive map delimitated an area of maximum probability of Ae. aegypti oviposition activity in the south of Orán city where tire dumps predominate. The overall fit of the model was acceptable (ROC = 0.77), obtaining 99% of sensitivity and 75.29% of specificity. Conclusions Distance to tire dumps is inversely associated with high mosquito activity, allowing us to identify hot spots. These methodologies are useful for prevention, surveillance, and control of tropical vector borne diseases and might assist National Health

  8. Salivary hypofunction and xerostomia: diagnosis and treatment.

    PubMed

    Atkinson, Jane C; Grisius, Margaret; Massey, Ward

    2005-04-01

    Salivary gland hypofunction and complaints of xerostomia are common in elderly patients, irrespective of their living situation. Medication use is frequently related to dry mouth symptoms and reductions in salivary flow rates. Patients with reduced salivary flow are at increased risk for caries, oral fungal infections, swallowing problems, and diminished or altered taste. Oral health care providers should institute aggressive preventive measures and recommend palliative care for patients with significant reduction in salivary gland function. The systemic agents pilocarpine and cevimeline may help selected patients. Selective use of fluoride-releasing restorative materials and conservative treatment plans are recommended for this patient group.

  9. Molecular characterization of genes encoding trypsin-like enzymes from Aedes aegypti larvae and identification of digestive enzymes.

    PubMed

    Soares, Tatiane S; Watanabe, Renata M O; Lemos, Francisco J A; Tanaka, Aparecida S

    2011-12-10

    Trypsin-like enzymes play an important role in the Aedes aegypti digestive process. The trypsin-like enzymes present in adults were characterized previously, but little is known about trypsins in larvae. In the present work, we identified one of the trypsin enzymes from Ae. aegypti larval midgut using a library of trypsin gene fragments, which was the sequence known as AAEL005607 from the Ae. aegypti genome. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that AAEL005607 was transcribed in all larval instars, but it was not present in adult midgut. In order to confirm transcription data, the trypsin-like enzymes from 4th instar larvae of Ae. aegypti midgut were purified and sequenced. Purified trypsin showed identity with the amino-terminal sequence of AAEL005607, AAEL005609 and AAEL005614. These three trypsins have high amino acids identity, and could all be used as a template for the design of inhibitors. In conclusion, for the first time, digestive enzymes of 4th larval instar of Ae. aegypti were purified and characterized. The knowledge of digestive enzymes present in Ae. aegypti larvae may be helpful in the development of a larvicide. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  10. Age-Stage, Two-Sex Life Table Characteristics of Aedes albopictus and Aedes Aegypti in Penang Island, Malaysia.

    PubMed

    Maimusa, Hamisu A; Ahmad, Abu Hassan; Kassim, Nur Faeza A; Rahim, Junaid

    2016-03-01

    The life table developmental attributes of laboratory colonies of wild strains of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti were analyzed and compared based on the age-stage, two-sex life table. Findings inclusive in this study are: adult preoviposition periods, total preoviposition period, mean intrinsic rate of increase (r), mean finite rate of increase (λ), net reproductive rates (R0), and mean generation time (T). The total preadult development time was 9.47 days for Ae. albopictus and 8.76 days for Ae. aegypti. The life expectancy was 19.01 days for Ae. albopictus and 19.94 days for Ae. aegypti. Mortality occurred mostly during the adult stage. The mean development time for each stage insignificantly correlated with temperature for Ae. albopictus (r  =  -0.208, P > 0.05) and (r  =  -0.312, P > 0.05) for Ae. aegypti. The population parameters suggest that Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti populations are r-strategists characterized by a high r, a large R0, and short T. This present study provides the first report to compare the life parameters of Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti strains from Penang island, Malaysia.

  11. Alternative control of Aedes aegypti resistant to pyrethroids: lethal and sublethal effects of monoterpene bioinsecticides.

    PubMed

    Silva, Indira Ma; Martins, Gustavo F; Melo, Carlisson R; Santana, Alisson S; Faro, Ruan Rn; Blank, Arie F; Alves, Péricles B; Picanço, Marcelo C; Cristaldo, Paulo F; Araújo, Ana Paula A; Bacci, Leandro

    2018-04-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is intensively controlled because it is a vector of viruses that cause numerous diseases, especially in tropical regions. As a consequence of the indiscriminate use of insecticides, populations from different regions have become resistant to pyrethroids. Here, we analyzed the lethal and sublethal effects of essential oil of Aristolochia trilobata and its major compounds on A. aegypti from susceptible and pyrethroid-resistant populations. Our results showed that the toxicity of the different compounds and behavioral changes in response to them are dependent on the stage of the insect life cycle. The monoterpene ρ-cymene caused high mortality in both larvae and adult females of A. aegypti, including those from the pyrethroid-resistant population. The monoterpenes limonene and linalool caused a sublethal effect in the larvae, triggering changes in the swimming pattern. This study highlights the potential of the essential oil of A. trilobata and its major compounds ρ-cymene and limonene for the control of A. aegypti and reveals the importance of analyzing sublethal effects on the population dynamics of the A. aegypti mosquito. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry. © 2017 Society of Chemical Industry.

  12. Dental caries and salivary alterations in Type I Diabetes.

    PubMed

    Rai, K; Hegde, A M; Kamath, A; Shetty, S

    2011-01-01

    Insulin dependent diabetes mellitus is a severe disease that raises blood glucose levels because of hyperglycemia and insulinopenia. Fluctuations in water and electrolyte levels may result in xerostomia and other changes in the salivary composition. Since diabetes has an influence on oral health, it is important for the dentist to be aware of newer advances in the field of diabetes and to recognize specific oral problems related to diabetes. Thus, the dentist becomes an important part of the health care team for the patients with diabetes. The present study correlated salivary flow rate, salivary pH and total salivary antioxidant levels and dental caries in type I diabetic patients. A total of 200 children that included 100 known diabetic children (study group) and 100 healthy children (controls) of both the sexes and from similar socioeconomic backgrounds formed the part of this study. Dental caries was assessed using DMFT index. The salivary total anti-oxidant level was estimated using phospho molybdic acid using spectrophotometric method. The salivary flow rate was recorded using the Zunt method and the salivary pH using the pH indicating paper. The results were statistically analyzed using t-test. The analyzed parameters showed increase in salivary anti-oxidant levels, reduced salivary flow rate, increase incidence of dental caries, salivary pH was decreased when compared to the control group.

  13. Interaction between the predator Toxorhynchites brevipalpis and its prey Aedes aegypti1

    PubMed Central

    Trpis, Milan

    1973-01-01

    In a circumscribed area in Tanzania where the predacious larvae of Toxorhynchites brevipalpis were particularly abundant, it was found that water-filled tires and tins containing Toxorhynchites larvae had fewer larvae of Aedes aegypti than those without the predator larvae. The peaks of infestation with Toxorhynchites larvae occurred almost a month later than the peaks of A. aegypti infestation. Cannibalism was observed among the predator larvae in these containers. PMID:4152925

  14. Phylogenetic Analysis of Aedes aegypti Based on Mitochondrial ND4 Gene Sequences in Almadinah, Saudi Arabia.

    PubMed

    Ali, Khalil H Al; El-Badry, Ayman A; Ali, Mouhanad Al; El-Sayed, Wael S M; El-Beshbishy, Hesham A

    2016-06-01

    Aedes aegypti is the main vector of the yellow fever and dengue virus. This mosquito has become the major indirect cause of morbidity and mortality of the human worldwide. Dengue virus activity has been reported recently in the western areas of Saudi Arabia. There is no vaccine for dengue virus until now, and the control of the disease depends on the control of the vector. The present study has aimed to perform phylogenetic analysis of Aedes aegypti based on mitochondrial NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 ( ND4 ) gene at Almadinah, Saudi Arabia in order to get further insight into the epidemiology and transmission of this vector. Mitochondrial ND4 gene was sequenced in the eight isolated Aedes aegypti mosquitoes from Almadinah, Saudi Arabia, sequences were aligned, and phylogenetic analysis were performed and compared with 54 sequences of Aedes reported in the previous studies from Mexico, Thailand, Brazil, and Africa. Our results suggest that increased gene flow among Aedes aegypti populations occurs between Africa and Saudi Arabia. Phylogenetic relationship analysis showed two genetically distinct Aedes aegypti in Saudi Arabia derived from dual African ancestor.

  15. Smoking influences salivary histamine levels in periodontal disease.

    PubMed

    Bertl, K; Haririan, H; Laky, M; Matejka, M; Andrukhov, O; Rausch-Fan, X

    2012-05-01

    Histamine, a potent vasoactive amine, is increased in saliva of periodontitis patients. The present study aimed to further investigate the diagnostic potential of histamine for periodontal disease and assessed smoking, a major risk factor of periodontitis, as a possible influencing factor. Salivary and serum samples of 106 participants (60 periodontitis patients, 46 controls) were collected. Salivary histamine was determined by a commercially available ELISA kit, and serum C-reactive protein was measured by a routine laboratory test. Cigarettes per day and packyears were assessed as smoking exposure parameters. Statistically significantly increased levels of salivary histamine and serum C-reactive protein were detected between the patient and control group (P = 0.022 and P = 0.001). Salivary histamine levels were significantly higher in smoking compared with non-smoking patients (P < 0.001), and salivary histamine as well as serum C-reactive protein correlated significantly positively with smoking exposure parameters (P < 0.05). Smoking, an established and common risk factor of periodontitis, was assessed as a possible influencing factor for salivary histamine. Most interestingly, salivary histamine differed highly significantly between smoking and non-smoking periodontitis patients. Our results suggest a possible involvement of histamine in tobacco-exacerbated periodontal disease, but do not suggest salivary histamine as a reliable diagnostic marker for periodontitis. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  16. Anaerobic Threshold and Salivary α-amylase during Incremental Exercise.

    PubMed

    Akizuki, Kazunori; Yazaki, Syouichirou; Echizenya, Yuki; Ohashi, Yukari

    2014-07-01

    [Purpose] The purpose of this study was to clarify the validity of salivary α-amylase as a method of quickly estimating anaerobic threshold and to establish the relationship between salivary α-amylase and double-product breakpoint in order to create a way to adjust exercise intensity to a safe and effective range. [Subjects and Methods] Eleven healthy young adults performed an incremental exercise test using a cycle ergometer. During the incremental exercise test, oxygen consumption, carbon dioxide production, and ventilatory equivalent were measured using a breath-by-breath gas analyzer. Systolic blood pressure and heart rate were measured to calculate the double product, from which double-product breakpoint was determined. Salivary α-amylase was measured to calculate the salivary threshold. [Results] One-way ANOVA revealed no significant differences among workloads at the anaerobic threshold, double-product breakpoint, and salivary threshold. Significant correlations were found between anaerobic threshold and salivary threshold and between anaerobic threshold and double-product breakpoint. [Conclusion] As a method for estimating anaerobic threshold, salivary threshold was as good as or better than determination of double-product breakpoint because the correlation between anaerobic threshold and salivary threshold was higher than the correlation between anaerobic threshold and double-product breakpoint. Therefore, salivary threshold is a useful index of anaerobic threshold during an incremental workload.

  17. Molecular cues for development and regeneration of salivary glands

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Fei; Wang, Songlin

    2015-01-01

    The hypofunction of salivary glands caused by Sjögren’s Syndrome or radiotherapy for head and neck cancer significantly compromises the quality of life of millions patients. Currently no curative treatment is available for the irreversible hyposalivation, whereas regenerative strategies targeting salivary stem/progenitor cells are promising. However, the success of these strategies is constrained by the lack of insights on the molecular cues of salivary gland regeneration. Recent advances in the molecular controls of salivary gland morphogenesis provided valuable clues for identifying potential regenerative cues. A complicated network of signaling molecules between epithelia, mesenchyme, endothelia, extracellular matrix and innervating nerves orchestrate the salivary gland organogenesis. Here we discuss the roles of several cross-talking intercellular signaling pathways, i.e., FGF, Wnt, Hedgehog, Eda, Notch, Chrm1/HB-EGF and Laminin/Integrin pathways, in the development of salivary glands and their potentials to promote salivary regeneration. PMID:24189993

  18. Gingivitis and salivary osmolality in children with cerebral palsy.

    PubMed

    Santos, Maria Teresa Botti Rodrigues; Ferreira, Maria Cristina Duarte; Guaré, Renata Oliveira; Diniz, Michele Baffi; Rösing, Cassiano Kuchenbecker; Rodrigues, Jonas Almeida; Duarte, Danilo Antonio

    2016-11-01

    To investigate the influence of salivary osmolality on the occurrence of gingivitis in children with cerebral palsy (CP). A total of 82 children with spastic CP were included in this cross-sectional study. Oral motor performance and gingival conditions were evaluated. Unstimulated saliva was collected using cotton swabs, and salivary osmolality was measured using a freezing point depression osmometer. Spearman's coefficient, receiver operating characteristic (ROC), and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed. Strong correlation (r > 0.7) was determined among salivary osmolality, salivary flow rate, visible plaque, dental calculus, and the occurrence of gingivitis. The area under the ROC to predict the influence of salivary osmolality on the occurrence of gingivitis was 0.88 (95% CI 0.81-0.96; P < 0.001). The cutoff value of 84.5 for salivary osmolality presented good sensitivity and specificity, both higher than 77%. The proportion of children presenting salivary osmolality ≤84.5 mOsm/kgH 2 O and gingivitis was 22.5%, whereas for the group presenting osmolality >84.5 mOsm/kgH 2 O, the proportion of children with gingivitis was 77.5%. Salivary osmolality above 84.5 increased the likelihood of gingivitis fivefold, whereas each additional 0.1 mL of salivary flow reduced the likelihood of gingivitis by 97%. Gingivitis occurs more frequently in children with CP showing increased values of salivary osmolality. © 2016 BSPD, IAPD and John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  19. Characteristics of Aedes aegypti adult mosquitoes in rural and urban areas of western and coastal Kenya

    PubMed Central

    Ndenga, Bryson Alberto; Mutuku, Francis Maluki; Ngugi, Harun Njenga; Mbakaya, Joel Omari; Aswani, Peter; Musunzaji, Peter Siema; Vulule, John; Mukoko, Dunstan; Kitron, Uriel; LaBeaud, Angelle Desiree

    2017-01-01

    Aedes aegypti is the main vector for yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. Recent outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya have been reported in Kenya. Presence and abundance of this vector is associated with the risk for the occurrence and transmission of these diseases. This study aimed to characterize the presence and abundance of Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes from rural and urban sites in western and coastal regions of Kenya. Presence and abundance of Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes were determined indoors and outdoors in two western (urban Kisumu and rural Chulaimbo) and two coastal (urban Ukunda and rural Msambweni) sites in Kenya. Sampling was performed using quarterly human landing catches, monthly Prokopack automated aspirators and monthly Biogents-sentinel traps. A total of 2,229 adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected: 785 (35.2%) by human landing catches, 459 (20.6%) by Prokopack aspiration and 985 (44.2%) by Biogents-sentinel traps. About three times as many Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected in urban than rural sites (1,650 versus 579). Comparable numbers were collected in western (1,196) and coastal (1,033) sites. Over 80% were collected outdoors through human landing catches and Prokopack aspiration. The probability of collecting Ae. aegypti mosquitoes by human landing catches was significantly higher in the afternoon than morning hours (P<0.001), outdoors than indoors (P<0.001) and in urban than rural sites (P = 0.008). Significantly more Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected using Prokopack aspiration outdoors than indoors (P<0.001) and in urban than rural areas (P<0.001). Significantly more mosquitoes were collected using Biogents-sentinel traps in urban than rural areas (P = 0.008) and in western than coastal sites (P = 0.006). The probability of exposure to Ae. aegypti bites was highest in urban areas, outdoors and in the afternoon hours. These characteristics have major implications for the possible transmission of arboviral

  20. Characteristics of Aedes aegypti adult mosquitoes in rural and urban areas of western and coastal Kenya.

    PubMed

    Ndenga, Bryson Alberto; Mutuku, Francis Maluki; Ngugi, Harun Njenga; Mbakaya, Joel Omari; Aswani, Peter; Musunzaji, Peter Siema; Vulule, John; Mukoko, Dunstan; Kitron, Uriel; LaBeaud, Angelle Desiree

    2017-01-01

    Aedes aegypti is the main vector for yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses. Recent outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya have been reported in Kenya. Presence and abundance of this vector is associated with the risk for the occurrence and transmission of these diseases. This study aimed to characterize the presence and abundance of Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes from rural and urban sites in western and coastal regions of Kenya. Presence and abundance of Ae. aegypti adult mosquitoes were determined indoors and outdoors in two western (urban Kisumu and rural Chulaimbo) and two coastal (urban Ukunda and rural Msambweni) sites in Kenya. Sampling was performed using quarterly human landing catches, monthly Prokopack automated aspirators and monthly Biogents-sentinel traps. A total of 2,229 adult Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected: 785 (35.2%) by human landing catches, 459 (20.6%) by Prokopack aspiration and 985 (44.2%) by Biogents-sentinel traps. About three times as many Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected in urban than rural sites (1,650 versus 579). Comparable numbers were collected in western (1,196) and coastal (1,033) sites. Over 80% were collected outdoors through human landing catches and Prokopack aspiration. The probability of collecting Ae. aegypti mosquitoes by human landing catches was significantly higher in the afternoon than morning hours (P<0.001), outdoors than indoors (P<0.001) and in urban than rural sites (P = 0.008). Significantly more Ae. aegypti mosquitoes were collected using Prokopack aspiration outdoors than indoors (P<0.001) and in urban than rural areas (P<0.001). Significantly more mosquitoes were collected using Biogents-sentinel traps in urban than rural areas (P = 0.008) and in western than coastal sites (P = 0.006). The probability of exposure to Ae. aegypti bites was highest in urban areas, outdoors and in the afternoon hours. These characteristics have major implications for the possible transmission of arboviral

  1. Salivary exoglycosidases in gestational diabetes .

    PubMed

    Zalewska, Anna; Knaś, Małgorzata; Gumiężny, Grzegorz; Niczyporuk, Marek; Waszkiel, Danuta; Przystupa, Adrian Wojciech; Zarzycki, Wiesław

    2013-04-19

    As exoglycosidases have been described as potential markers of salivary gland pathology, we decided to check the possibility of the use of these enzymes in the detection of salivary gland involvement in gestational diabetes. For this purpose diabetic pregnant women were compared to pregnant and non-pregnant healthy women. The activities of total HEX as well as GLU in the saliva were determined in duplicate according to Marciniak et al. The activities of GAL, FUC, and MAN in the saliva were determined in duplicate according to Zwierz et al. It was found that the specific activities of exoglycosidases in the saliva of diabetic pregnant women significantly increased in comparison to healthy pregnant and non-pregnant women. Increased specific activity of exoglycosidases suggests that gestational diabetes provokes structural/functional alterations in salivary glands and changes in the salivary glycoconjugates metabolism.

  2. Effect of Quorum Sensing by Staphylococcus epidermidis on the Attraction Response of Female Adult Yellow Fever Mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae), to a Blood-Feeding Source

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Xinyang; Crippen, Tawni L.; Coates, Craig J.; Wood, Thomas K.; Tomberlin, Jeffery K.

    2015-01-01

    Aedes aegypti, the principal vector of yellow fever and dengue fever, is responsible for more than 30,000 deaths annually. Compounds such as carbon dioxide, amino acids, fatty acids and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs) have been widely studied for their role in attracting Ae. aegypti to hosts. Many VOCs from humans are produced by associated skin microbiota. Staphyloccocus epidermidis, although not the most abundant bacteria according to surveys of relative 16S ribosomal RNA abundance, commonly occurs on human skin. Bacteria demonstrate population level decision-making through quorum sensing. Many quorum sensing molecules, such as indole, volatilize and become part of the host odor plum. To date, no one has directly demonstrated the link between quorum sensing (i.e., decision-making) by bacteria associated with a host as a factor regulating arthropod vector attraction. This study examined this specific question with regards to S. epidermidis and Ae. aegypti. Pairwise tests were conducted to examine the response of female Ae. aegypti to combinations of tryptic soy broth (TSB) and S. epidermidis wildtype and agr- strains. The agr gene expresses an accessory gene regulator for quorum sensing; therefore, removing this gene inhibits quorum sensing of the bacteria. Differential attractiveness of mosquitoes to the wildtype and agr- strains was observed. Both wildtype and the agr- strain of S. epidermidis with TSB were marginally more attractive to Ae. aegypti than the TSB alone. Most interestingly, the blood-feeder treated with wildtype S. epidermidis/TSB attracted 74% of Ae. aegypti compared to the agr- strain of S. epidermidis/TSB (P ≤ 0.0001). This study is the first to suggest a role for interkingdom communication between host symbiotic bacteria and mosquitoes. This may have implications for mosquito decision-making with regards to host detection, location and acceptance. We speculate that mosquitoes “eavesdrop” on the chemical discussions occurring

  3. History of domestication and spread of Aedes aegypti--a review.

    PubMed

    Powell, Jeffrey R; Tabachnick, Walter J

    2013-01-01

    The adaptation of insect vectors of human diseases to breed in human habitats (domestication) is one of the most important phenomena in medical entomology. Considerable data are available on the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti in this regard and here we integrate the available information including genetics, behaviour, morphology, ecology and biogeography of the mosquito, with human history. We emphasise the tremendous amount of variation possessed by Ae. aegypti for virtually all traits considered. Typological thinking needs to be abandoned to reach a realistic and comprehensive understanding of this important vector of yellow fever, dengue and Chikungunya.

  4. History of domestication and spread of Aedes aegypti - A Review

    PubMed Central

    Powell, Jeffrey R; Tabachnick, Walter J

    2013-01-01

    The adaptation of insect vectors of human diseases to breed in human habitats (domestication) is one of the most important phenomena in medical entomology. Considerable data are available on the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti in this regard and here we integrate the available information including genetics, behaviour, morphology, ecology and biogeography of the mosquito, with human history. We emphasise the tremendous amount of variation possessed by Ae. aegypti for virtually all traits considered. Typological thinking needs to be abandoned to reach a realistic and comprehensive understanding of this important vector of yellow fever, dengue and Chikungunya. PMID:24473798

  5. A cross-sectional survey of Aedes aegypti immature abundance in urban and rural household containers in central Colombia.

    PubMed

    Overgaard, Hans J; Olano, Víctor Alberto; Jaramillo, Juan Felipe; Matiz, María Inés; Sarmiento, Diana; Stenström, Thor Axel; Alexander, Neal

    2017-07-27

    Aedes aegypti, the major vector of dengue, breeds in domestic water containers. The development of immature mosquitoes in such containers is influenced by various environmental, ecological and socioeconomic factors. Urban and rural disparities in water storage practices and water source supply may affect mosquito immature abundance and, potentially, dengue risk. We evaluated the effect of water and container characteristics on A. aegypti immature abundance in urban and rural areas. Data were collected in the wet season of 2011 in central Colombia from 36 urban and 35 rural containers, which were either mosquito-positive or negative. Immature mosquitoes were identified to species. Data on water and container characteristics were collected from all containers. A total of 1452 Aedes pupae and larvae were collected of which 81% were A. aegypti and 19% A. fluviatilis. Aedes aegypti immatures were found in both urban and rural sites. However, the mean number of A. aegypti pupae was five times higher in containers in the urban sites compared to those in the rural sites. One of the important factors associated with A. aegypti infestation was frequency of container washing. Monthly-washed or never-washed containers were both about four times more likely to be infested than those washed every week. There were no significant differences between urban and rural sites in frequency of washing containers. Aedes aegypti immature infestation was positively associated with total dissolved solids, but negatively associated with dissolved oxygen. Water temperature, total dissolved solids, ammonia, nitrate, and organic matter were significantly higher in urban than in rural containers, which might explain urban-rural differences in breeding of A. aegypti. However, many of these factors vary substantially between studies and in their degree of association with vector breeding, therefore they may not be reliable indices for vector control interventions. Although containers in urban areas

  6. Aedes aegypti on Madeira Island (Portugal): genetic variation of a recently introduced dengue vector

    PubMed Central

    Seixas, Gonçalo; Salgueiro, Patrícia; Silva, Ana Clara; Campos, Melina; Spenassatto, Carine; Reyes-Lugo, Matías; Novo, Maria Teresa; Ribolla, Paulo Eduardo Martins; Pinto, João Pedro Soares da Silva; Sousa, Carla Alexandra

    2013-01-01

    The increasing population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes on Madeira Island (Portugal) resulted in the first autochthonous dengue outbreak, which occurred in October 2012. Our study establishes the first genetic evaluation based on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes [cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4)] and knockdown resistance ( kdr ) mutations exploring the colonisation history and the genetic diversity of this insular vector population. We included mosquito populations from Brazil and Venezuela in the analysis as putative geographic sources. The Ae. aegypti population from Madeira showed extremely low mtDNA genetic variability, with a single haplotype for COI and ND4. We also detected the presence of two important kdr mutations and the quasi-fixation of one of these mutations (F1534C). These results are consistent with a unique recent founder event that occurred on the island of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes that carry kdr mutations associated with insecticide resistance. Finally, we also report the presence of the F1534C kdr mutation in the Brazil and Venezuela populations. To our knowledge, this is the first time this mutation has been found in South American Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Given the present risk of Ae. aegypti re-invading continental Europe from Madeira and the recent dengue outbreaks on the island, this information is important to plan surveillance and control measures. PMID:24473797

  7. Aedes aegypti on Madeira Island (Portugal): genetic variation of a recently introduced dengue vector.

    PubMed

    Seixas, Gonçalo; Salgueiro, Patrícia; Silva, Ana Clara; Campos, Melina; Spenassatto, Carine; Reyes-Lugo, Matías; Novo, Maria Teresa; Ribolla, Paulo Eduardo Martins; Silva Pinto, João Pedro Soares da; Sousa, Carla Alexandra

    2013-01-01

    The increasing population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes on Madeira Island (Portugal) resulted in the first autochthonous dengue outbreak, which occurred in October 2012. Our study establishes the first genetic evaluation based on the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) genes [cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI) and NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 (ND4)] and knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations exploring the colonisation history and the genetic diversity of this insular vector population. We included mosquito populations from Brazil and Venezuela in the analysis as putative geographic sources. The Ae. aegypti population from Madeira showed extremely low mtDNA genetic variability, with a single haplotype for COI and ND4. We also detected the presence of two important kdr mutations and the quasi-fixation of one of these mutations (F1534C). These results are consistent with a unique recent founder event that occurred on the island of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes that carry kdr mutations associated with insecticide resistance. Finally, we also report the presence of the F1534C kdr mutation in the Brazil and Venezuela populations. To our knowledge, this is the first time this mutation has been found in South American Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Given the present risk of Ae. aegypti re-invading continental Europe from Madeira and the recent dengue outbreaks on the island, this information is important to plan surveillance and control measures.

  8. Larvicidal activity of Tagetes minuta (marigold) toward Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Green, M M; Singer, J M; Sutherland, D J; Hibben, C R

    1991-06-01

    The steam distilled oils of 3 species of marigold, Tagetes patula, T. erecta and T. minuta, were tested for larvicidal activity toward third instar Aedes aegypti; activity at 10 ppm was demonstrated only for T. minuta. The larvicidal property of the whole oil dispersed in water persisted for at least 9 days. The terpene, ocimenone, which is a part of the whole oil, was found to be larvicidal only at a higher concentration than the whole oil and to lose its activity within 24 h after dispersal in water. These results suggest a potential utilization of oil of T. minuta or its components for the control of Ae. aegypti and other species of mosquitoes.

  9. The salivary microbiome is altered in the presence of a high salivary glucose concentration

    PubMed Central

    Hartman, Mor-Li; Shi, Ping; Hasturk, Hatice; Yaskell, Tina; Vargas, Jorel; Song, Xiaoqing; Cugini, Maryann; Barake, Roula; Alsmadi, Osama; Al-Mutawa, Sabiha; Ariga, Jitendra; Soparkar, Pramod; Behbehani, Jawad; Behbehani, Kazem

    2017-01-01

    Background Type II diabetes (T2D) has been associated with changes in oral bacterial diversity and frequency. It is not known whether these changes are part of the etiology of T2D, or one of its effects. Methods We measured the glucose concentration, bacterial counts, and relative frequencies of 42 bacterial species in whole saliva samples from 8,173 Kuwaiti adolescents (mean age 10.00 ± 0.67 years) using DNA probe analysis. In addition, clinical data related to obesity, dental caries, and gingivitis were collected. Data were compared between adolescents with high salivary glucose (HSG; glucose concentration ≥ 1.0 mg/d, n = 175) and those with low salivary glucose (LSG, glucose concentration < 0.1 mg/dL n = 2,537). Results HSG was associated with dental caries and gingivitis in the study population. The overall salivary bacterial load in saliva decreased with increasing salivary glucose concentration. Under HSG conditions, the bacterial count for 35 (83%) of 42 species was significantly reduced, and relative bacterial frequencies in 27 species (64%) were altered, as compared with LSG conditions. These alterations were stronger predictors of high salivary glucose than measures of oral disease, obesity, sleep or fitness. Conclusions HSG was associated with a reduction in overall bacterial load and alterations to many relative bacterial frequencies in saliva when compared with LSG in samples from adolescents. We propose that hyperglycemia due to obesity and/or T2D results in HSG and subsequent acidification of the oral environment, leading to a generalized perturbation in the oral microbiome. This suggests a basis for the observation that hyperglycemia is associated with an increased risk of dental erosion, dental caries, and gingivitis. We conclude that HSG in adolescents may be predicted from salivary microbial diversity or frequency, and that the changes in the oral microbial composition seen in adolescents with developing metabolic disease may the consequence

  10. Salivary exoglycosidases as markers of alcohol dependence.

    PubMed

    Waszkiewicz, Napoleon; Chojnowska, Sylwia; Zalewska, Anna; Zwierz, Krzysztof; Szulc, Agata; Szajda, Sławomir Dariusz

    2014-01-01

    Some salivary markers of alcohol abuse/dependence have been proposed so far: aminotransferases, gamma-glutamyltransferase, ethanol, ethyl glucuronide, ethyl sulfate, sialic acid, β-hexosaminidase A, oral peroxidase, methanol, diethylene/ethylene glycol, α-amylase, clusterin, haptoglobin, heavy/light chains of immunoglobulins and transferrin. To investigate the effect of chronic alcohol drinking and smoking on the activity (pKat/ml) and output (pKat/min) of salivary lysosomal exoglycosidases: α-fucosidase (FUC), α-mannosidase (MAN), β-galactosidase (GAL), and β-glucuronidase (GLU), and their applicability as markers of alcohol dependence. The activity of FUC, MAN, GAL and GLU was measured colorimetrically in the saliva of healthy social drinkers, alcohol-dependent non-smokers and alcohol-dependent smokers. We observed an increased salivary activity of FUC, GAL, GLU and MAN, as well as an increased output of GAL and GLU, in comparison with controls. The highest increase in the activity/output was found in salivary GLU and MAN (GLU, even 7- to 18-fold), and the least in GAL. We found an excellent sensitivity and specificity and a high accuracy (measured by the area under the ROC curve) for salivary FUC, GLU and MAN activities. The salivary GLU activity positively correlated with the number of days of last alcohol intoxication. Salivary activity of FUC, GAL and MAN, but not GLU, positively correlated with the periodontal parameters such as gingival index and papilla bleeding index. Although we found an excellent sensitivity and specificity as well as a high accuracy for the salivary activity of FUC, GLU and MAN, the GLU activity seems to be mostly applicable as a marker of chronic alcohol drinking (alcohol dependence). © The Author 2014. Medical Council on Alcohol and Oxford University Press. All rights reserved.

  11. On the analysis of parasite effect for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus population

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Kallista, Meta; Aldila, Dipo; Nuraini, Nuning; Soewono, Edy

    2014-03-01

    It has been reported in some countries that the population of Aedes aegypti has been significantly reduced by the invasion of Aedes albopictus. There has been a hypothesis explaining this phenomenon of which investigated the influence of parasites pathogenesis to the competition between these two mosquito species in the fields. Ascogregarina taiwanensis and Ascogregarina culicis are known as parasites that infect Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti, respectively. Several studies have concluded that Ascogregarina taiwanensis caused high fatality for Aedes aegypti larvae, but Ascogregarina culicis was not pathogenic to Aedes albopictus larvae. Therefore, Ascogregarina taiwanensis may contribute to reduce the number of populations Aedes aegypti in the fields. Inspired by these facts, a mathematical model depicting interaction between parasites and mosquitoes is constructed in this paper. In this model are included six dynamic mosquito compartments, i.e. egg, larvae, infected larvae, adult, infected adult and one dynamic compartment for parasite. Derivation of the existence criteria and the stability analysis of parasite-free equilibrium as well as the basic offspring for the model are presented. Numerical simulations for sensitivity analysis indicating the invasive species for variation parameters are shown.

  12. Insecticidal and Repellent Activity of Several Plant-Derived Essential Oils Against Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Castillo, Ruth M; Stashenko, Elena; Duque, Jonny E

    2017-03-01

    We examined the pupicidal, adulticidal, repellent, and oviposition-deterrent activities of essential oils (EOs) from Lippia alba, L. origanoides, Eucalyptus citriodora, Cymbopogon citratus, Cymbopogon flexuosus, Citrus sinensis , Cananga odorata , Swinglea glutinosa, and Tagetes lucida plants against Aedes aegypti under laboratory conditions. Pupicidal and adulticidal activities were assessed at exploratory concentrations of 250, 310, and 390 parts per million (ppm); and 30, 300, and 1,000 ppm, respectively. The greatest pupicidal activity was exhibited at 390 ppm with a 24-h exposure by L. origanoides, and 390 ppm with a 48-h exposure by Citrus sinensis . Lippia origanoides killed all adult mosquitoes at 300 ppm after 120 min of exposure. Only L. origanoides and E. citriodora EOs, applied at 1,000 ppm to human skin, produced the greatest repellency (100%) to host-seeking Ae. aegypti after 2 min of exposure; the repellency decreased between 12% and 10% after 15 min. Complete oviposition deterrence by gravid Ae. aegypti was observed for E. citriodora EOs at 200 ppm with an oviposition activity index of -1.00. These results confirm that the EOs assessed in this study have insecticidal, repellent, and oviposition-deterrent activities against the dengue vector, Ae. aegypti.

  13. Knockdown resistance (kdr) of the voltage-gated sodium channel gene of Aedes aegypti population in Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia.

    PubMed

    Hamid, Penny Humaidah; Prastowo, Joko; Widyasari, Anis; Taubert, Anja; Hermosilla, Carlos

    2017-06-05

    Aedes aegypti is the main vector of several arthropod-borne viral infections in the tropics profoundly affecting humans, such as dengue fever (DF), West Nile (WN), chikungunya and more recently Zika. Eradication of Aedes still largely depends on insecticides, which is the most cost-effective strategy, and often inefficient due to resistance development in exposed Aedes populations. We here conducted a study of Ae. aegypti resistance towards several insecticides regularly used in the city of Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia. Aedes aegypti egg samples were collected with ovitraps and thereafter hatched in the insectary of the Gadjah Mada University. The F0 generation was used for all bioassay-related experiments and knockdown resistance (kdr) assays. Results clearly showed resistance development of Ae. aegypti against tested insecticides. Mortalities of Ae. aegypti were less than 90% with highest resistance observed against 0.75% permethrin. Mosquitoes from the southern parts of Denpasar presented high level of resistance pattern in comparison to those from the western and northern parts of Denpasar. Kdr analysis of voltage-gated sodium channel (Vgsc) gene showed significant association to S989P and V1016G mutations linked to resistance phenotypes against 0.75% permethrin. Conversely, Ae. aegypti F1534C gene mutation did not result in any significant correlation to resistance development. Periodically surveillance of insecticide resistances in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes will help local public health authorities to set better goals and allow proper evaluation of on-going mosquito control strategies. Initial detection of insecticide resistance will contribute to conduct proper actions in delaying mosquito resistance development such as insecticide rotation or combination of compounds in order to prolong chemical efficacy in combating Ae. aegypti vectors in Indonesia.

  14. Salivary Glands

    MedlinePlus

    ... in autoimmune diseases such as HIV and Sjögren's syndrome where the body's immune system attacks the salivary glands causing significant inflammation. Dry mouth or dry eyes are common. This may occur with other systemic ...

  15. Salivary Exosomes: Emerging Roles in Systemic Disease

    PubMed Central

    Han, Yineng; Jia, Lingfei; Zheng, Yunfei; Li, Weiran

    2018-01-01

    Saliva, which contains biological information, is considered a valuable diagnostic tool for local and systemic diseases and conditions because, similar to blood, it contains important molecules like DNA, RNA, and proteins. Exosomes are cell-derived vesicles 30-100 nm in diameter with substantial biological functions, including intracellular communication and signalling. These vesicles, which are present in bodily fluids, including saliva, are released upon fusion of multivesicular bodies (MVBs) with the cellular plasma membrane. Salivary diagnosis has notable advantages, which include noninvasiveness, ease of collection, absence of coagulation, and a similar content as plasma, as well as increased patient compliance compared to other diagnostic approaches. However, investigation of the roles of salivary exosomes is still in its early years. In this review, we first describe the characteristics of endocytosis and secretion of salivary exosomes, as well as database and bioinformatics analysis of exosomes. Then, we describe strategies for the isolation of exosomes from human saliva and the emerging role of salivary exosomes as potential biomarkers of oral and other systemic diseases. Given the ever-growing role of salivary exosomes, defining their functions and understanding their specific mechanisms will provide novel insights into possible applications of salivary exosomes in the diagnosis and treatment of systemic diseases. PMID:29904278

  16. Mesocyclops longisetus effects on survivorship of Aedes aegypti immature stages in car tyres.

    PubMed

    Manrique-Saide, P; Ibáñez-Bernal, S; Delfín-González, H; Parra Tabla, V

    1998-10-01

    The effect of the introduction of the entomophagous copepod Mesocyclops longisetus (Acuacultura F.C.B. strain) on the survival of Aedes aegypti immature stages in car tyres was evaluated under semi-natural conditions in the municipality of Merida, Yucatan, Mexico. Life tables were constructed for the immature stages of the mosquito in the presence and absence of M. longisetus, and the survival data were compared using log-linear models. The data set was adjusted using the GLIM statistical package and the quality of adjustment was evaluated with a chi-squared test. Survivorship curves were constructed for each treatment. In the absence of M. longisetus, the survivorship of Ae. aegypti immature stages averaged 9%. The highest mortality rate was observed during the fourth larval instar (54%) and the resulting survival pattern corresponded to a type II survivorship curve. The mortality rate of Ae. aegypti first-instar larvae (fifty per tyre) increased more than 200-fold in the presence of M. longisetus (twenty per tyre) and the highest mortality was during the first two larval instars, where it reached 98.9%, with a resulting survivorship of 0.2%. Overall mortality was sixfold greater in the presence of the copepod than in its absence. The survival pattern of immature stages of Ae. aegypti in the presence of the copepod corresponded to a type III survivorship curve. As M. longisetus was so effective against Ae. aegypti immature stages in tyres under seminatural conditions, its long-term effectiveness should be evaluated under socially and ecologically realistic field conditions in Mexico.

  17. Salivary Cortisol, Salivary Alpha Amylase, and the Dental Anxiety Scale

    PubMed Central

    Sadi, Hana; Finkelman, Matthew; Rosenberg, Morton

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between dental anxiety, salivary cortisol, and salivary alpha amylase (sAA) levels. Furthermore, the aim was to look into individual differences such as age, race, gender, any existing pain, or traumatic dental experience and their effect on dental anxiety. This study followed a cross-sectional design and included a convenience sample of 46. Every patient was asked to complete the Dental Anxiety Scale (DAS) and a basic demographic/dental history questionnaire. A saliva sample, utilizing the method of passive drooling, was then collected in 2-mL cryovials. Samples were analyzed for salivary cortisol and sAA levels by Salimetrics. Significant associations were observed between DAS scores and presence of pain and history of traumatic dental experience. However, no significant correlations were observed between DAS, cortisol, and sAA levels. Our study reconfirms that dental anxiety is associated with presence of pain and a history of traumatic dental experience. On the other hand, our study was the first to our knowledge to test the correlation between the DAS and sAA; nevertheless, our results failed to show any significant correlation between dental anxiety, cortisol, and sAA levels. PMID:23763559

  18. Susceptibility profile of Aedes aegypti from Santiago Island, Cabo Verde, to insecticides.

    PubMed

    Rocha, Hélio Daniel Ribeiro; Paiva, Marcelo Henrique Santos; Silva, Norma Machado; de Araújo, Ana Paula; Camacho, Denise Dos Reis da Rosa de Azevedo; Moura, Aires Januário Fernandes da; Gómez, Lara Ferrero; Ayres, Constância Flávia Junqueira; Santos, Maria Alice Varjal de Melo

    2015-12-01

    In 2009, Cabo Verde diagnosed the first dengue cases, with 21,137 cases reported and Aedes aegypti was identified as the vector. Since the outbreak, chemical insecticides and source reduction were used to control the mosquito population. This study aimed to assess the susceptibility of A. aegypti populations from Santiago, Cabo Verde to insecticides and identify the mechanisms of resistance. Samples of A. aegypti eggs were obtained at two different time periods (2012 and 2014), using ovitraps in different locations in Santiago Island to establish the parental population. F1 larvae were exposed to different concentrations of insecticides (Bacillus thuringiensis var israelensis (Bti), diflubenzuron and temephos) to estimate the lethal concentrations (LC90) and calculate the respective rate of resistance (RR90). Semi-field tests using temephos-ABATE(®) were performed to evaluate the persistence of the product. Bottle tests using female mosquitoes were carried out to determine the susceptibility to the adulticides malathion, cypermethrin and deltamethrin. Biochemical and molecular tests were performed to investigate the presence of metabolic resistance mechanisms, associated with the enzymes glutathione S-transferases (GSTs), esterases and mixed-function oxidases (MFO) and to detect mutations or alterations in the sodium channel and acetylcholinesterase genes. A. aegypti mosquitoes from Santiago exhibited resistance to deltamethrin, cypermethrin (mortality<80%) and temephos (RR90=4.4) but susceptibility to malathion (mortality≥98%), Bti and diflubenzuron. The low level of resistance to temephos did not affect the effectiveness of Abate(®). The enzymatic analysis conducted in 2012 revealed slight changes in the activities of GST (25%), MFO (18%), α-esterase (19%) and β-esterase (17%), but no significant changes in 2014. Target site resistance mutations were not detected. Our results suggest that the A. aegypti population from Santiago is resistant to two major

  19. Parotid salivary duct stenosis following caudal maxillectomy.

    PubMed

    Mestrinho, Lisa A; Faísca, Pedro B; Niza, Maria M R E

    2014-01-01

    Parotid salivary duct dilation was diagnosed in a 9-year-old male dog. The dog had undergone caudal maxillectomy on the ipsilateral side 2-years prior to presentation. Treatment consisted of parotid salivary duct excision and superficial parotidectomy that lead to the resolution of clinical signs. Transient facial neuropraxia was observed immediately after surgery and resolved spontaneously after 2-weeks. Parotid salivary duct dilation should be considered as a chronic postoperative complication following caudal maxillectomy.

  20. Aedes aegypti in south Vietnam: ecology, genetic structure, vectorial competence and resistance to insecticides.

    PubMed

    Huber, Karine; Le Loan, Luu; Hoang, Tran Huu; Tien, Tran Khanh; Rodhain, François; Failloux, Anna-Bella

    2003-03-01

    In Vietnam, dengue hemorrhagic fever has been detected since the 1950s. In Southeast Asia, urban centers expanded rapidly in an uncontrolled and unplanned way. The Aedes aegypti populations and dengue viruses thrived in these new ecological and demographic settings. The result of these changes was a greatly extended geographic distribution, increased densities of Ae. aegypti and the maintenance of the four dengue serotypes leading to a dramatic increase in dengue transmission. To assess the role of the vector in the changing pattern of the disease in Southeast Asia, we studied the ecology of Ae. aegypti, genetic differentiation, variability in competence as a vector for dengue 2 virus, and resistance to insecticides.

  1. Local evolution of pyrethroid resistance offsets gene flow among Aedes aegypti collections in Yucatan State, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Saavedra-Rodriguez, Karla; Beaty, Meaghan; Lozano-Fuentes, Saul; Denham, Steven; Garcia-Rejon, Julian; Reyes-Solis, Guadalupe; Machain-Williams, Carlos; Loroño-Pino, Maria Alba; Flores-Suarez, Adriana; Ponce-Garcia, Gustavo; Beaty, Barry; Eisen, Lars; Black, William C

    2015-01-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the major vector of the four serotypes of dengue virus (DENV1-4). Previous studies have shown that Ae. aegypti in Mexico have a high effective migration rate and that gene flow occurs among populations that are up to 150 km apart. Since 2000, pyrethroids have been widely used for suppression of Ae. aegypti in cities in Mexico. In Yucatan State in particular, pyrethroids have been applied in and around dengue case households creating an opportunity for local selection and evolution of resistance. Herein, we test for evidence of local adaptation by comparing patterns of variation among 27 Ae. aegypti collections at 13 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs): two in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene para known to confer knockdown resistance, three in detoxification genes previously associated with pyrethroid resistance, and eight in putatively neutral loci. The SNPs in para varied greatly in frequency among collections, whereas SNPs at the remaining 11 loci showed little variation supporting previous evidence for extensive local gene flow. Among Ae. aegypti in Yucatan State, Mexico, local adaptation to pyrethroids appears to offset the homogenizing effects of gene flow. © The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

  2. RNA-Seq Comparison of Larval and Adult Malpighian Tubules of the Yellow Fever Mosquito Aedes aegypti Reveals Life Stage-Specific Changes in Renal Function

    PubMed Central

    Li, Yiyi; Piermarini, Peter M.; Esquivel, Carlos J.; Drumm, Hannah E.; Schilkey, Faye D.; Hansen, Immo A.

    2017-01-01

    Introduction: The life history of Aedes aegypti presents diverse challenges to its diuretic system. During the larval and pupal life stages mosquitoes are aquatic. With the emergence of the adult they become terrestrial. This shifts the organism within minutes from an aquatic environment to a terrestrial environment where dehydration has to be avoided. In addition, female mosquitoes take large blood meals, which present an entirely new set of challenges to salt and water homeostasis. Methods: To determine differences in gene expression associated with these different life stages, we performed an RNA-seq analysis of the main diuretic tissue in A. aegypti, the Malpighian tubules. We compared transcript abundance in 4th instar larvae to that of adult females and analyzed the data with a focus on transcripts that encode proteins potentially involved in diuresis, like water and solute channels as well as ion transporters. We compared our results against the model of potassium- and sodium chloride excretion in the Malpighian tubules proposed by Hine et al. (2014), which involves at least eight ion transporters and a proton-pump. Results: We found 3,421 of a total number of 17,478 (19.6%) unique transcripts with a P < 0.05 and at least a 2.5 fold change in expression levels between the two groups. We identified two novel transporter genes that are highly expressed in the adult Malpighian tubules, which have not previously been part of the transport model in this species and may play important roles in diuresis. We also identified candidates for hypothesized sodium and chloride channels. Detoxification genes were generally higher expressed in larvae. Significance: This study represents the first comparison of Malpighian tubule transcriptomes between larval and adult A. aegypti mosquitoes, highlighting key differences in their renal systems that arise as they transform from an aquatic filter-feeding larval stage to a terrestrial, blood-feeding adult stage. PMID:28536536

  3. Na+-glucose cotransporter SGLT1 protein in salivary glands: potential involvement in the diabetes-induced decrease in salivary flow.

    PubMed

    Sabino-Silva, R; Freitas, H S; Lamers, M L; Okamoto, M M; Santos, M F; Machado, U F

    2009-03-01

    Oral health complications in diabetes include decreased salivary secretion. The SLC5A1 gene encodes the Na(+)-glucose cotransporter SGLT1 protein, which not only transports glucose, but also acts as a water channel. Since SLC5A1 expression is altered in kidneys of diabetic subjects, we hypothesize that it could also be altered in salivary glands, contributing to diabetic dysfunction. The present study shows a diabetes-induced decrease (p < 0.001) in salivary secretion, which was accompanied by enhanced (p < 0.05) SGLT1 mRNA expression in parotid (50%) and submandibular (30%) glands. Immunohistochemical analysis of parotid gland of diabetic rats revealed that SGLT1 protein expression increased in the luminal membrane of ductal cells, which can stimulate water reabsorption from primary saliva. Furthermore, SGLT1 protein was reduced in myoepithelial cells of the parotid from diabetic animals, and that, by reducing cellular contractile activity, might also be related to reduced salivary flux. Six-day insulin-treated diabetic rats reversed all alterations. In conclusion, diabetes increases SLC5A1 gene expression in salivary glands, increasing the SGLT1 protein content in the luminal membrane of ductal cells, which, by increasing water reabsorption, might explain the diabetes-induced decrease in salivary secretion.

  4. Field validation of the gravid Aedes trap (GAT) for collection of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Ritchie, Scott A; Buhagiar, Tamara S; Townsend, Michael; Hoffmann, Ary; Van Den Hurk, Andrew F; McMahon, Jamie L; Eiras, Alvaro E

    2014-01-01

    Current surveillance methods for adult Aedes aegypti (L.) are expensive, require electrical power (e.g., the BG-Sentinel trap, BGS), are labor intensive (aspirators), or require difficult to use and costly adhesives (sticky ovitraps). Field trials were conducted in Cairns (Australia) to compare the efficacy of the newly designed Gravid Aedes Trap (GAT) against existing sticky ovitraps (MosquiTRAP and double sticky ovitrap) and the BGS. Latin square design trials confirmed that alarge GAT using a 9.2-liters bucket treated with Mortein Barrier Outdoor Surface Spray ([AI] 0.3 g/kg imiprothrin and 0.6 g/kg deltamethrin) outperformed a smaller 1.2-liters GAT and collected, on average, 3.7x and 2.4X more female Ae. aegypti than the MosquiTRAP and double sticky ovitrap, respectively. Field trials showed that the GAT collected 10-50% less female Ae. aegypti than the BGS trap but 30% more gravid mosquitoes than the BGS. Trials using the BGS and the GAT indicated that there was no difference in capture rates between female Ae. aegypti uninfected and infected with the wMel strain of Wolbachia, and wMel infection rates were nearly identical at >90% to field captured Ae. aegypti. The potential for the GAT to be used for dengue virus surveillance was also demonstrated with dengue virus type 3 RNA detected in five-sixths and six-sixths pools ofAe. aegypti stored in a GAT held at 28 degreeC and 60% relative humidity for 7 and 14 d, respectively. Mosquito knock down in GATs treated with Mortein surface spray set in 30, 70, and 99% shade was comparable for up to 2 mo, with only approximately 10% of adults escaping. The GAT is therefore a useful tool for capturing adult Ae. aegypti and may be suitable for other container-inhabiting species such as Aedes albopictus (Skuse) and Culex quinquefasciatus Say. The low cost and practicality of operation make the GAT suitable for vector surveillance and projects requiring monitoring of mosquitoes for Wolbachia and arboviruses, especially in

  5. Comparative evaluation and correlation of salivary total antioxidant capacity and salivary pH in caries-free and severe early childhood caries children.

    PubMed

    Muchandi, Sneha; Walimbe, Hrishikesh; Bijle, Mohammed Nadeem Ahmed; Nankar, Meenakshi; Chaturvedi, Srishti; Karekar, Priyanka

    2015-03-01

    Dental caries is a major problem in preschool children. The contribution of saliva in providing defense during caries process is of primary importance. pH buffer capacity through bicarbonate, phosphate and protein buffer systems have universal acceptance as a caries defense mechanism. Antioxidant capacity of saliva can constitute a first line of defense against chronic degenerative diseases including dental caries. Till date, no study is presented with salivary antioxidant capacity of younger children affected with severe early childhood caries with its salivary pH correlation. Hence, this study was carried out to compare, evaluate and correlate the salivary total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and salivary pH of children with caries-free and severe early childhood caries. Fifty children from ages 3 to 5 years divided into two study groups had undergone screening. Group I (n = 25) with severe early childhood caries (S-ECC) and group II (n = 25) who were caries free. Unstimulated whole saliva of subjects were in the collection during the study by draining method. Salivary pH determination of saliva samples was done using pH indicator paper strips. The TAC was done using an antioxidant assay with the help of a spectrophotometer at wavelength 532 nm. The means of salivary pH and TAC were subjected to analysis using unpaired student 't' test and correlation was determined using Pearsons correlation coefficient analysis. Mean salivary pH was higher in group II (7.46 ± 0.37). Mean TAC was greater in group I (1.82 ± 0.19). A statistically significant negative correlation as seen between TAC and salivary pH in S-ECC patients. The study concludes that salivary TAC increases in patients with S-ECC are by that showing a high indirect relationship with salivary pH.

  6. Multiple introductions of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, into California

    PubMed Central

    Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Evans, Benjamin R.; Kramer, Vicki; Bolling, Bethany G.; Tabachnick, Walter J.; Powell, Jeffrey R.

    2017-01-01

    The yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti inhabits much of the tropical and subtropical world and is a primary vector of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses. Breeding populations of A. aegypti were first reported in California (CA) in 2013. Initial genetic analyses using 12 microsatellites on collections from Northern CA in 2013 indicated the South Central US region as the likely source of the introduction. We expanded genetic analyses of CA A. aegypti by: (a) examining additional Northern CA samples and including samples from Southern CA, (b) including more southern US populations for comparison, and (c) genotyping a subset of samples at 15,698 SNPs. Major results are: (1) Northern and Southern CA populations are distinct. (2) Northern populations are more genetically diverse than Southern CA populations. (3) Northern and Southern CA groups were likely founded by two independent introductions which came from the South Central US and Southwest US/northern Mexico regions respectively. (4) Our genetic data suggest that the founding events giving rise to the Northern CA and Southern CA populations likely occurred before the populations were first recognized in 2013 and 2014, respectively. (5) A Northern CA population analyzed at multiple time-points (two years apart) is genetically stable, consistent with permanent in situ breeding. These results expand previous work on the origin of California A. aegypti with the novel finding that this species entered California on multiple occasions, likely some years before its initial detection. This work has implications for mosquito surveillance and vector control activities not only in California but also in other regions where the distribution of this invasive mosquito is expanding. PMID:28796789

  7. Multiple introductions of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, into California.

    PubMed

    Pless, Evlyn; Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Evans, Benjamin R; Kramer, Vicki; Bolling, Bethany G; Tabachnick, Walter J; Powell, Jeffrey R

    2017-08-01

    The yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti inhabits much of the tropical and subtropical world and is a primary vector of dengue, Zika, and chikungunya viruses. Breeding populations of A. aegypti were first reported in California (CA) in 2013. Initial genetic analyses using 12 microsatellites on collections from Northern CA in 2013 indicated the South Central US region as the likely source of the introduction. We expanded genetic analyses of CA A. aegypti by: (a) examining additional Northern CA samples and including samples from Southern CA, (b) including more southern US populations for comparison, and (c) genotyping a subset of samples at 15,698 SNPs. Major results are: (1) Northern and Southern CA populations are distinct. (2) Northern populations are more genetically diverse than Southern CA populations. (3) Northern and Southern CA groups were likely founded by two independent introductions which came from the South Central US and Southwest US/northern Mexico regions respectively. (4) Our genetic data suggest that the founding events giving rise to the Northern CA and Southern CA populations likely occurred before the populations were first recognized in 2013 and 2014, respectively. (5) A Northern CA population analyzed at multiple time-points (two years apart) is genetically stable, consistent with permanent in situ breeding. These results expand previous work on the origin of California A. aegypti with the novel finding that this species entered California on multiple occasions, likely some years before its initial detection. This work has implications for mosquito surveillance and vector control activities not only in California but also in other regions where the distribution of this invasive mosquito is expanding.

  8. Salivary enhancement: current status and future therapies.

    PubMed

    Atkinson, J C; Baum, B J

    2001-10-01

    Saliva provides the principal protective milieu for teeth by modulating oral microbial ecosystems and reversing the initial phases of caries development. Patients with inadequate salivary function are at increased risk for dental decay. Therefore, it is likely that therapies that increase overall fluid output of these individuals will reverse early carious lesions. The most common causes of salivary dysfunction are medication usage, Sjögren's syndrome, and damage of salivary parenchyma during therapeutic irradiation. For patients with remaining functional acinar tissue, treatment with the parasypathomimetic secretogogues pilocarpine and Cevimeline may provide relief. However, these medications do not benefit all patients. The possibilities of using gene therapy and tissue engineering to develop treatments for those with severe salivary dysfunction are discussed.

  9. [Effect of citric acid stimulation on salivary alpha-amylase, total protein, salivary flow rate and pH value in Pi deficiency children].

    PubMed

    Yang, Ze-min; Chen, Long-hui; Lin, Jing; Zhang, Min; Yang, Xiao-rong; Chen, Wei-wen

    2015-02-01

    To compare the effect of citric acid stimulation on salivary alpha-amylase (sAA), total protein (TP), salivary flow rate, and pH value between Pi deficiency (PD) children and healthy children, thereby providing evidence for Pi controlling saliva theory. Twenty PD children were recruited, and 29 healthy children were also recruited at the same time. Saliva samples from all subjects were collected before and after citric acid stimulation. The sAA activity and amount, TP contents, salivary flow rate, and pH value were determined and compared. (1) Citric acid stimulation was able to significantly increase salivary flow rate, pH value, sAA activities, sAA specific activity and sAA amount (including glycosylated and non-glycosylated sAA amount) in healthy children (P<0.05), while it could markedly increase salivary flow rate, pH value, and glycosylated sAA levels in PD children (P<0.05); (2) Although there was no statistical difference in determined salivary indices between the two groups (P>0.05), salivary indices except salivary flow rate and glycosylated sAA levels decreased more in PD children. There was statistical difference in sAA activity ratio, sAA specific activity ratio, and the ratio of glycosylated sAA levels between PD children and healthy children (P<0.05). PD children had decreased response to citric acid stimulation.

  10. A field test for competitive effects of Aedes albopictus on A. aegypti in South Florida: differences between sites of coexistence and exclusion?

    PubMed Central

    Juliano, Steven A.; Lounibos, L. Philip; O’Meara, George F.

    2007-01-01

    We tested whether interspecific competition from Aedes albopictus had measurable effects on A. aegypti at the typical numbers of larval mosquitoes found in cemetery vases in south Florida. We also tested whether the effect of interspecific competition from A. albopictus on A. aegypti differed between sites where A. aegypti either persists or went extinct following invasion by A. albopictus. Similar experiments manipulating numbers of A. albopictus in cemetery vases were conducted at three sites of A. aegypti persistence and three sites where A. aegypti was apparently extinct. The experiments were done using numbers of larvae that were determined by observed numbers of larvae for each site, and with resources (leaf detritus) that accumulated in experimental vases placed into each field site. In both the early rainy season (when number of mosquito larvae was low) and the late rainy season (when number of mosquito larvae was high), there was a significant effect of treatment on developmental progress of experimental A. aegypti. In the late rainy season, when numbers of larvae were high, there was also a significant effect of treatment on survivorship of A. aegypti. However, the competition treatment × site type (A. aegypti persists vs extinct) interaction was never significant, indicating that the competitive effect of A. albopictus on A. aegypti did not differ systematically between persistence versus extinction sites. Thus, although competition from A. albopictus is strong under field conditions at all sites, we find no evidence that variation in the impact of interspecific competition is associated with coexistence or exclusion. Interspecific competition among larvae is thus a viable explanation for exclusion or reduction of A. aegypti in south Florida, but variation in the persistence of A. aegypti following invasion does not seem to be primarily a product of variation in the conditions in the aquatic environments of cemetery vases. PMID:15024640

  11. Potential for dengue in South Africa: mosquito ecology with particular reference to Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Kemp, A; Jupp, P G

    1991-12-01

    Observations on prevalence, geographical distribution, utilization of artificial larval habitats and anthropophilism were made on diurnal mosquitoes at selected localities along the coast of Natal and inland in the Transvaal to identify potential vectors of dengue in South Africa. Larval collections made in artificial containers on the ground, the exposure of bamboo pots as ovitraps in trees and collection of mosquitoes biting man showed the following species as the most likely candidates for vectors: Aedes aegypti, Ae. demeilloni, Ae. simpsoni, Ae. strelitziae, Ae. furcifer, Ae. cordellieri and Eretmapodites quinquevittatus. The bamboo pots showed that Ae. aegypti and Ae. simpsoni were the most widespread species, occurring at 11 of 12 localities. Aedes aegypti was the most prevalent species with mean pot index of 60.3 +/- 9.8% (SE) and abundance index of 0.43 +/- 0.15 (SE). Aedes aegypti was frequently present as larvae in artificial containers at indices of 11-83% (mean 56.8 +/- 5.6%, SE) and was the most anthropophilic species with average biting rates of 10-29 per man-hour at 7 localities. Although Ae. aegypti was abundant in the pots at Ndumu (northern Natal) and at Skukuza (eastern Transvaal), the local populations were poorly anthropophilic at these localities. At some localities, populations of Ae. demeilloni, Ae. simpsoni and Ae. strelitziae had average biting rates of 5.4-9.6 per man-hour. Aedes furcifer was collected for the first time at Durban, extending its distribution southward to latitude 29 degrees 53' S.

  12. Ovicidal and repellent activities of botanical extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Govindarajan, M; Mathivanan, T; Elumalai, K; Krishnappa, K; Anandan, A

    2011-01-01

    To determine the ovicidal and repellent activities of methanol leaf extract of Ervatamia coronaria (E. coronaria) and Caesalpinia pulcherrima (C. pulcherrima) against Culex quinquefasciatus (Cx. quinquefasciatus), Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) and Anopheles stephensi (An. stephensi). The ovicidal activity was determined against three mosquito species at various concentrations ranging from 50-450 ppm under the laboratory conditions. The hatch rates were assessed 48 h after treatment. The repellent efficacy was determined against three mosquito species at three concentrations viz., 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/cm(2) under the laboratory conditions. The crude extract of E. coronaria exerted zero hatchability (100% mortality) at 250, 200 and 150 ppm for Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and An. stephensi, respectively. The crude extract of C. pulcherrima exerted zero hatchability (100% mortality) at 375, 300 and 225 ppm for Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and An. Stephensi, respectively. The methanol extract of E. coronaria found to be more repellenct than C. pulcherrima extract. A higher concentration of 5.0 mg/cm(2) provided 100% protection up to 150, 180 and 210 min against Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and An. stephensi, respectively. The results clearly showed that repellent activity was dose dependent. From the results it can be concluded the crude extracts of E. coronaria and C. pulcherrima are an excellent potential for controlling Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and An. stephensi mosquitoes.

  13. Development and Evaluation of a Pyriproxyfen-treated Device to Control the Dengue Vector, Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae)

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2013-03-01

    Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Fradin MS, Day JF. Comparative efficacy of insect repellents against mosquito bites. N Engl J Med 2002; 347: 13-8...control of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes , the vectors of these diseases, critically important. We developed and evaluated an Ae. aegypti control device...that is visually-attractive to mosquitoes . This pyriproxyfen-treated device was evaluated for its impact on Ae. aegypti egg production and population

  14. Functional Characterization of the Octenol Receptor Neuron on the Maxillary Palps of the Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2011-06-30

    Functional Characterization of the Octenol Receptor Neuron on the Maxillary Palps of the Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti Alan J. Grant, Joseph C...Dickens JC (2011) Functional Characterization of the Octenol Receptor Neuron on the Maxillary Palps of the Yellow Fever Mosquito, Aedes aegypti . PLoS...palps. Both sexes of mosquitoes possess basiconic sensilla that contain three neurons; in Aedes aegypti these sensilla number about 35 in females and 21

  15. In Vitro Identification of Histatin 5 Salivary Complexes

    PubMed Central

    Moffa, Eduardo B.; Machado, Maria A. A. M.; Mussi, Maria C. M.; Xiao, Yizhi; Garrido, Saulo S.; Giampaolo, Eunice T.; Siqueira, Walter L.

    2015-01-01

    With recent progress in the analysis of the salivary proteome, the number of salivary proteins identified has increased dramatically. However, the physiological functions of many of the newly discovered proteins remain unclear. Closely related to the study of a protein’s function is the identification of its interaction partners. Although in saliva some proteins may act primarily as single monomeric units, a significant percentage of all salivary proteins, if not the majority, appear to act in complexes with partners to execute their diverse functions. Coimmunoprecipitation (Co-IP) and pull-down assays were used to identify the heterotypic complexes between histatin 5, a potent natural antifungal protein, and other salivary proteins in saliva. Classical protein–protein interaction methods in combination with high-throughput mass spectrometric techniques were carried out. Co-IP using protein G magnetic Sepharose TM beads suspension was able to capture salivary complexes formed between histatin 5 and its salivary protein partners. Pull-down assay was used to confirm histatin 5 protein partners. A total of 52 different proteins were identified to interact with histatin 5. The present study used proteomic approaches in conjunction with classical biochemical methods to investigate protein–protein interaction in human saliva. Our study demonstrated that when histatin 5 is complexed with salivary amylase, one of the 52 proteins identified as a histatin 5 partner, the antifungal activity of histatin 5 is reduced. We expected that our proteomic approach could serve as a basis for future studies on the mechanism and structural-characterization of those salivary protein interactions to understand their clinical significance. PMID:26544073

  16. Human-Mediated Marine Dispersal Influences the Population Structure of Aedes aegypti in the Philippine Archipelago

    PubMed Central

    Fonzi, Eugenio; Higa, Yukiko; Bertuso, Arlene G.; Futami, Kyoko; Minakawa, Noboru

    2015-01-01

    Background Dengue virus (DENV) is an extraordinary health burden on global scale, but still lacks effective vaccine. The Philippines is endemic for dengue fever, but massive employment of insecticides favored the development of resistance mutations in its major vector, Aedes aegypti. Alternative vector control strategies consist in releasing artificially modified mosquitos in the wild, but knowledge on their dispersal ability is necessary for a successful implementation. Despite being documented that Ae. aegypti can be passively transported for long distances, no study to date has been aimed at understanding whether human marine transportation can substantially shape the migration patterns of this mosquito. With thousands of islands connected by a dense network of ships, the Philippines is an ideal environment to fill this knowledge gap. Methodology/principal findings Larvae of Ae. aegypti from 15 seaports in seven major islands of central-western Philippines were collected and genotyped at seven microsatellite loci. Low genetic structure and considerable gene flow was found in the area. Univariate and multivariate regression analyses suggested that anthropic factors (specifically the amount of processed cargo and human population density) can explain the observed population structure, while geographical distance was not correlated. Interestingly, cargo shipments seem to be more efficient than passenger ships in transporting Ae. aegypti. Bayesian clustering confirmed that Ae. aegypti from busy ports are more genetically similar, while populations from idle ports are relatively structured, regardless of the geographical distance that separates them. Conclusions/significance The results confirmed the pivotal role of marine human-mediated long-range dispersal in determining the population structure of Ae. aegypti. Hopefully corroborated by further research, the present findings could assist the design of more effective vector control strategies. PMID:26039311

  17. SOX10-positive salivary gland tumors: a growing list, including mammary analogue secretory carcinoma of the salivary gland, sialoblastoma, low-grade salivary duct carcinoma, basal cell adenoma/adenocarcinoma, and a subgroup of mucoepidermoid carcinoma.

    PubMed

    Hsieh, Min-Shu; Lee, Yi-Hsuan; Chang, Yih-Leong

    2016-10-01

    Transcription factor SRY-related HMG-box 10 (SOX10) is an important marker for melanocytic, schwannian, myoepithelial, and some salivary gland tumors. The aim of this study was to investigate SOX10 expression more thoroughly in the salivary gland neoplasms, including mammary analogue secretory carcinoma and hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma harboring specific genetic rearrangements. A new rabbit monoclonal anti-SOX10 antibody (clone EP268) was used to examine SOX10 expression in 14 different types of salivary gland tumors. We found that acinic cell carcinoma (AciCC), adenoid cystic carcinoma, mammary analogue secretory carcinoma (MASC), epithelial-myoepithelial carcinoma, low-grade salivary duct carcinoma, sialoblastoma, basal cell adenocarcinoma, basal cell adenoma, and pleomorphic adenoma were SOX10 positive. Salivary duct carcinoma, lymphoepithelial carcinoma, hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma, and oncocytoma were SOX10 negative. Earlier, mucoepidermoid carcinoma (MEC) was considered a SOX10-negative tumor. This study identified a subgroup of SOX10-positive MEC cases with characteristic polygonal epithelial cells, pale-to-eosinophilic cytoplasm, and colloid-like dense eosinophilic material. Our data show SOX10 expression can be observed in salivary gland tumors with either one of the 4 cell types: acinic cells, cuboidal ductal cells with low-grade cytologic features, basaloid cells, and myoepithelial cells. In this article we thoroughly evaluated SOX10 expression in salivary gland tumors. SOX10 is useful in the differential diagnosis between myoepithelial carcinoma with clear cell features and hyalinizing clear cell carcinoma. It can also be used to discriminate low-grade salivary duct carcinoma from high-grade ones. Pathologists should be cautious with the interpretation of SOX10 positivity in salivary gland tumors, and correlation with histologic feature is mandatory. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  18. Salivary factors in children and adolescents with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus.

    PubMed

    Karjalainen, K M; Knuuttila, M L; Käär, M L

    1996-01-01

    To determine whether hyperglycemia in IDDM (insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) could interfere with salivary secretion rates, salivary glucose levels, and salivary microbial counts, we studied salivary factors in two groups of children and adolescents with IDDM. One study group included 14 children with newly diagnosed IDDM )mean age 11 years, SD +/- 2.4 years). Samples of saliva were collected on admission to hospital and after 2 weeks on insulin treatment. The other study group were 50 IDDM children (mean age 14.4 years, SD +/- 1.7 years, mean duration of diabetes 6.2 years, SD +/- 1.4 years) visiting the outpatient diabetic clinic. Samples of saliva were collected during two visits, approximately 3 months apart. In the newly diagnosed IDDM cases, mean salivary glucose level decreased from 54.1 +/- 31.7 mg/l to 35.2 +/- 29.5 mg/l (P = 0.096) after beginning insulin treatment. During hyperglycemia, salivary glucose levels correlated with mean blood glucose levels for the day concerned (r = 0.65, P < 0.05). The results suggest that high blood glucose levels can increase salivary glucose levels. Stimulated saliva secretion increased significantly from 5.4 +/- 3.3 ml/5 min to 7.3 +/- 2.6 ml/5 min (P < 0.01) while glucose balance improved. In the long-term IDDM cases, salivary flow rates and salivary glucose levels were not significantly related to the glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1) values. Salivary glucose levels and salivary secretion rates were inversely correlated (P < 0.05). In conclusion, hyperglycemia was observed to be associated with decreased salivary secretion and high salivary glucose levels. As a consequence, salivary lactobacilli and yeast counts tended to increase.

  19. [Surgical management of minor salivary gland tumors].

    PubMed

    Zhou, Liang; Chen, Xiaoling; Huang, Weiting; Li, Kelan; Zhang, Xiaotong; Wang, Wei

    2007-11-01

    To study the clinical features of minor salivary gland tumors and to discuss the treatment modalities for these tumors. Retrospective analysis of 54 cases with minor salivary gland tumor operated in our hospital from 1997 to 2004. Among 54 cases with minor salivary gland tumors in this series, 16 patients lost of follow up. Among the remaining 38 patients, 2 patients with nasal cavity adenoid cystic carcinoma died of tumor recurrence 2 and 3 years after the surgery respectively, one patient with laryngeal myoepithelial carcinoma died of tumor recurrence 3 years after the surgery and one patient with paranasal sinus mucoepidermoid carcinoma died of recurrence 17 months after the surgery. Two patients with paranasal sinus adenoid cystic carcinoma recurred after the primary surgery and were survived without tumor after salvage surgery. The other patients survived with no tumor recurrence. While different histopathology of minor salivary gland tumors were found in this group, malignant tumors were predominant, accounting for 81.4%. The choice of treatment for minor salivary gland tumors depends upon the location and the histopathology of the tumors. The treatment policy for benign tumors is simple tumor excision, while that for malignant tumors is surgery combined with pre- or post-operative radiation therapy. Complete surgical resection of tumor masses and tumor free margin is essential for successful treatment of malignant minor salivary gland tumors.

  20. Vector competence of populations of Aedes aegypti from three distinct cities in Kenya for chikungunya virus.

    PubMed

    Agha, Sheila B; Chepkorir, Edith; Mulwa, Francis; Tigoi, Caroline; Arum, Samwel; Guarido, Milehna M; Ambala, Peris; Chelangat, Betty; Lutomiah, Joel; Tchouassi, David P; Turell, Michael J; Sang, Rosemary

    2017-08-01

    In April, 2004, chikungunya virus (CHIKV) re-emerged in Kenya and eventually spread to the islands in the Indian Ocean basin, South-East Asia, and the Americas. The virus, which is often associated with high levels of viremia in humans, is mostly transmitted by the urban vector, Aedes aegypti. The expansion of CHIKV presents a public health challenge both locally and internationally. In this study, we investigated the ability of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes from three distinct cities in Kenya; Mombasa (outbreak prone), Kisumu, and Nairobi (no documented outbreak) to transmit CHIKV. Aedes aegypti mosquito populations were exposed to different doses of CHIKV (105.6-7.5 plaque-forming units[PFU]/ml) in an infectious blood meal. Transmission was ascertained by collecting and testing saliva samples from individual mosquitoes at 5, 7, 9, and 14 days post exposure. Infection and dissemination were estimated by testing body and legs, respectively, for individual mosquitoes at selected days post exposure. Tissue culture assays were used to determine the presence of infectious viral particles in the body, leg, and saliva samples. The number of days post exposure had no effect on infection, dissemination, or transmission rates, but these rates increased with an increase in exposure dose in all three populations. Although the rates were highest in Ae. aegypti from Mombasa at titers ≥106.9 PFU/ml, the differences observed were not statistically significant (χ2 ≤ 1.04, DF = 1, P ≥ 0.31). Overall, about 71% of the infected mosquitoes developed a disseminated infection, of which 21% successfully transmitted the virus into a capillary tube, giving an estimated transmission rate of about 10% for mosquitoes that ingested ≥106.9 PFU/ml of CHIKV. All three populations of Ae. aegypti were infectious as early as 5-7 days post exposure. On average, viral dissemination only occurred when body titers were ≥104 PFU/ml in all populations. Populations of Ae. aegypti from Mombasa, Nairobi

  1. First report on invasion of yellow fever mosquito, Aedes aegypti, at Narita International Airport, Japan in August 2012.

    PubMed

    Sukehiro, Nayu; Kida, Nori; Umezawa, Masahiro; Murakami, Takayuki; Arai, Naoko; Jinnai, Tsunesada; Inagaki, Shunichi; Tsuchiya, Hidetoshi; Maruyama, Hiroshi; Tsuda, Yoshio

    2013-01-01

    The invasion of the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti at Narita International Airport, Japan was detected for the first time. During the course of routine vector surveillance at Narita International Airport, 27 Ae. aegypti adults emerged from larvae and pupae collected from a single larvitrap placed near No. 88 spot at passenger terminal 2 on August 8, 2012. After the appearance of Ae. aegypti in the larvitrap, we defined a 400-m buffer zone and started an intensive vector survey using an additional 34 larvitraps and 15 CO2 traps. International aircraft and passenger terminal 2 were also inspected, and one Ae. aegypti male was collected from the cargo space of an international aircraft from Darwin via Manila on August 28, 2012. Larvicide treatment with 1.5% fenitrothion was conducted in 64 catch basins and one ditch in the 400-m buffer zone. Twenty-four large water tanks were also treated at least once with 0.5% pyriproxyfen, an insect growth regulator. No Ae. aegypti eggs or adults were found during the 1-month intensive vector survey after finding larvae and pupae in the larvitrap. We concluded that Ae. aegypti had failed to establish a population at Narita International Airport.

  2. Comparison of BG-Sentinel® Trap and Oviposition Cups for Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Surveillance in Jacksonville, Florida, USA.

    PubMed

    Wright, Jennifer A; Larson, Ryan T; Richardson, Alec G; Cote, Noel M; Stoops, Craig A; Clark, Marah; Obenauer, Peter J

    2015-03-01

    The BG-Sentinel® (BGS) trap and oviposition cups (OCs) have both proven effective in the surveillance of Aedes species. This study aimed to determine which of the 2 traps could best characterize the relative population sizes of Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti in an urban section of Jacksonville, FL. Until 1986, Ae. aegypti was considered the dominant container-breeding species in urban northeastern Florida. Since the introduction of Ae. albopictus, Ae. aegypti has become almost completely extirpated. In 2011, a resurgence of Ae. aegypti was detected in the urban areas of Jacksonville; thus this study initially set out to determine the extent of Ae. aegypti reintroduction to the area. We determined that the BGS captured a greater number of adult Ae. aegypti than Ae. albopictus, while OCs did not monitor significantly different numbers of either species, even in areas where the BGS traps suggested a predominance of one species over the other. Both traps were effective at detecting Aedes spp.; however, the BGS proved more diverse by detecting over 20 other species as well. Our results show that in order to accurately determine vectorborne disease threats and the impact of control operations on these 2 species, multiple trapping techniques should be utilized when studying Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus population dynamics.

  3. Updated Reported Distribution of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) in the United States, 1995-2016.

    PubMed

    Hahn, Micah B; Eisen, Lars; McAllister, Janet; Savage, Harry M; Mutebi, John-Paul; Eisen, Rebecca J

    2017-09-01

    Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.) and Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse) are potential vectors of Zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses in the United States. A Zika virus outbreak in Florida in the summer of 2016, driven by Ae. aegypti and resulting in > 200 locally acquired cases of human illness, underscored the need for up-to-date information on the geographic distribution of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in the United States. In early 2016, we conducted a survey and literature review to compile county records for presence of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in the United States from 1995 to 2016. Surveillance for these vectors was intensified across the United States during the summer and fall of 2016. At the end of 2016, we therefore conducted a follow-up survey of mosquito control agencies, university researchers, and state and local health departments to document new collection records for Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. The repeated survey at the end of the year added Ae. aegypti collection records from 38 new counties and Ae. albopictus collection records from 127 new counties, representing a 21 and 10 percent increase, respectively, in the number of counties with reported presence of these mosquitoes compared with the previous report. Moreover, through our updated survey, 40 and 183 counties, respectively, added additional years of collection records for Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus from 1995 to 2016. Our findings underscore the continued need for systematic surveillance of Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America 2017. This work is written by US Government employees and is in the public domain in the US.

  4. First record of natural vertical transmission of dengue virus in Aedes aegypti from Cuba.

    PubMed

    Gutiérrez-Bugallo, Gladys; Rodriguez-Roche, Rosmari; Díaz, Gisell; Vázquez, Antonio A; Alvarez, Mayling; Rodríguez, Magdalena; Bisset, Juan A; Guzman, Maria G

    2017-10-01

    While horizontal transmission (human-mosquito-human) of dengue viruses largely determines the epidemiology of the disease, vertical transmission (infected female mosquito- infected offspring) has been suggested as a mechanism that ensures maintenance of the virus during adverse conditions for horizontal transmission to occur. The purpose of this study was to analyze the natural infection of larval stages of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) with the dengue virus (DENV) in Cuba. Here, we report vertical transmission of DENV-3 genotype III in natural populations of Ae. aegypti through RT-PCR detection and serotyping plus sequencing. Our report constitutes the first record of vertical transmission of DENV in Ae. aegypti from Cuba with details of its serotype and genotype. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  5. Modulation of Sodium/Iodide Symporter Expression in the Salivary Gland

    PubMed Central

    La Perle, Krista M.D.; Kim, Dong Chul; Hall, Nathan C.; Bobbey, Adam; Shen, Daniel H.; Nagy, Rebecca S.; Wakely, Paul E.; Lehman, Amy; Jarjoura, David

    2013-01-01

    Background Physiologic iodide-uptake, mediated by the sodium/iodide symporter (NIS), in the salivary gland confers its susceptibility to radioactive iodine–induced damage following 131I treatment of thyroid cancer. Subsequent quality of life for thyroid cancer survivors can be decreased due to recurrent sialoadenitis and persistent xerostomia. NIS expression at the three principal salivary duct components in various pathological conditions was examined to better our understanding of NIS modulation in the salivary gland. Methods NIS expression was evaluated by immunohistochemistry in human salivary gland tissue microarrays constructed of normal, inflamed, and neoplastic salivary tissue cores. Cumulative 123I radioactivity reflecting the combination of NIS activity with clearance of saliva secretion in submandibular and parotid salivary glands was evaluated by single-photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography imaging 24 hours after 123I administration in 50 thyroid cancer patients. Results NIS is highly expressed in the basolateral membranes of the majority of striated ducts, yet weakly expressed in few intercalated and excretory duct cells. The ratio of 123I accumulation between parotid and submandibular glands is 2.38±0.19. However, the corresponding ratio of 123I accumulation normalized by volume of interest is 1.19±0.06. The percentage of NIS-positive striated duct cells in submandibular salivary glands was statistically greater than in parotid salivary glands, suggesting a higher clearance rate of saliva secretion in submandibular salivary glands. NIS expression in striated ducts was heterogeneously decreased or absent in sialoadenitis. Most ductal salivary gland tumors did not express NIS. However, Warthin's tumors of striated duct origin exhibited consistent and intense NIS staining, corresponding with radioactive iodine uptake. Conclusions NIS expression is tightly modulated during the transition of intercalated to striated ducts and striated

  6. Effects of gustatory stimulants of salivary secretion on salivary pH and flow in patients with Sjögren's syndrome: a randomized controlled trial.

    PubMed

    da Silva Marques, Duarte Nuno; da Mata, António Duarte Sola Pereira; Patto, José Maria Vaz; Barcelos, Filipe Alexandre Duarte; de Almeida Rato Amaral, João Pedro; de Oliveira, Miguel Constantino Mendes; Ferreira, Cristina Gutierrez Castanheira

    2011-11-01

    To compare salivary pH changes and stimulation efficacy of two different gustatory stimulants of salivary secretion (GSSS) in patients with primary Sjögren syndrome. Portuguese Institute for Rheumatological Diseases. Double-blind randomized controlled trial. Eighty patients were randomized to two intervention groups. Sample size was calculated using an alpha error of 0.05 and a beta of 0.20. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a new GSSS containing a weaker malic acid, fluoride and xylitol or a traditionally citric acid-based one. Saliva collection was obtained by established methods at different times. The salivary pH of the samples was determined with a pH meter and a microelectrode. Salivary pH variations and counts of subjects with pH below 4.5 for over 1 min and stimulated salivary flow were the main outcome measures. Both GSSS significantly stimulated salivary output without significant differences between the two groups. The new gustatory stimulant of salivary secretion presented an absolute risk reduction of 52.78% [33.42-72.13 (95% CI)] when compared with the traditional one. In Xerostomic Primary Sjögren syndrome patients, gustatory stimulants of salivary secretion based on acid mail only with fluoride and xylitol present similar salivary stimulation capacity when compared to citric acid-based ones, besides significantly reducing the number of salivary pH drops below 4.5. This could be related to a diminished risk for dental erosion and should be confirmed with further studies. © 2011 John Wiley & Sons A/S.

  7. Extracellular Ca2+ Sensing in Salivary Ductal Cells*

    PubMed Central

    Bandyopadhyay, Bidhan C.; Swaim, William D.; Sarkar, Ankana; Liu, Xibao; Ambudkar, Indu S.

    2012-01-01

    Ca2+ is secreted from the salivary acinar cells as an ionic constituent of primary saliva. Ions such as Na+ and Cl− get reabsorbed whereas primary saliva flows through the salivary ductal system. Although earlier studies have shown that salivary [Ca2+] decreases as it flows down the ductal tree into the oral cavity, ductal reabsorption of Ca2+ remains enigmatic. Here we report a potential role for the G protein-coupled receptor, calcium-sensing receptor (CSR), in the regulation of Ca2+ reabsorption by salivary gland ducts. Our data show that CSR is present in the apical region of ductal cells where it is co-localized with transient receptor potential canonical 3 (TRPC3). CSR is activated in isolated salivary gland ducts as well as a ductal cell line (SMIE) by altering extracellular [Ca2+] or by aromatic amino acid, l-phenylalanine (l-Phe, endogenous component of saliva), as well as neomycin. CSR activation leads to Ca2+ influx that, in polarized cells grown on a filter support, is initiated in the luminal region. We show that TRPC3 contributes to Ca2+ entry triggered by CSR activation. Further, stimulation of CSR in SMIE cells enhances the CSR-TRPC3 association as well as surface expression of TRPC3. Together our findings suggest that CSR could serve as a Ca2+ sensor in the luminal membrane of salivary gland ducts and regulate reabsorption of [Ca2+] from the saliva via TRPC3, thus contributing to maintenance of salivary [Ca2+]. CSR could therefore be a potentially important protective mechanism against formation of salivary gland stones (sialolithiasis) and infection (sialoadenitis). PMID:22778254

  8. Salivary pH: A diagnostic biomarker.

    PubMed

    Baliga, Sharmila; Muglikar, Sangeeta; Kale, Rahul

    2013-07-01

    Saliva contains a variety of host defense factors. It influences calculus formation and periodontal disease. Different studies have been done to find exact correlation of salivary biomarkers with periodontal disease. With a multitude of biomarkers and complexities in their determination, the salivary pH may be tried to be used as a quick chairside test. The aim of this study was to analyze the pH of saliva and determine its relevance to the severity of periodontal disease. The study population consisted of 300 patients. They were divided into three groups of 100 patients each: Group A had clinically healthy gingiva, Group B who had generalized chronic gingivitis and Group C who had generalized chronic periodontitis. The randomized unstimulated saliva from each patient was collected and pH was tested. Data was analyzed statistically using analysis of variance technique. The salivary pH was more alkaline for patients with generalized chronic gingivitis as compared with the control group (P = 0.001) whereas patients with generalized chronic periodontitis had more acidic pH as compared with the control group (P = 0.001). These results indicate a significant change in the pH depending on the severity of the periodontal condition. The salivary pH shows significant changes and thus relevance to the severity of periodontal disease. Salivary pH may thus be used as a quick chairside diagnostic biomarker.

  9. Salivary carbonic anhydrase VI and its relation to salivary flow rate and buffer capacity in pregnant and non-pregnant women.

    PubMed

    Kivelä, Jyrki; Laine, Merja; Parkkila, Seppo; Rajaniemi, Hannu

    2003-08-01

    Previous studies have shown that pregnancy may have unfavourable effects on oral health. The pH and buffer capacity (BC) of paraffin-stimulated saliva, for example, have been found to decrease towards late pregnancy. Salivary carbonic anhydrase VI (CA VI) probably protects the teeth by accelerating the neutralization of hydrogen ions in the enamel pellicle on dental surfaces. Since estrogens and androgens are known to regulate CA expression in some tissues, we studied here whether salivary CA VI concentration shows pregnancy-related changes. Paraffin-stimulated salivary samples were collected from nine pregnant women 1 month before delivery and about 2 months afterwards and assayed for salivary CA VI concentration, BC and flow rate. The enzyme concentration was determined using a specific time-resolved immunofluorometric assay. The control group consisted of 17 healthy non-pregnant women. The results indicated that salivary CA VI levels varied markedly among individuals, but no significant differences in mean concentrations were seen between the samples collected during late pregnancy and postpartum. BC values were lower during pregnancy, however. Our findings suggest that CA VI secretion is not significantly affected by the hormonal alterations associated with pregnancy, and confirm the earlier reports that CA VI is not involved in the regulation of actual salivary BC.

  10. Population genetic structure of the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti in Venezuela.

    PubMed

    Herrera, Flor; Urdaneta, Ludmel; Rivero, José; Zoghbi, Normig; Ruiz, Johanny; Carrasquel, Gabriela; Martínez, José Antonio; Pernalete, Martha; Villegas, Patricia; Montoya, Ana; Rubio-Palis, Yasmin; Rojas, Elina

    2006-09-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue in Venezuela. The genetic structure of this vector was investigated in 24 samples collected from eight geographic regions separated by up to 1160 km. We examined the distribution of a 359-basepair region of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 mitochondrial gene among 1144 Ae. aegypti from eight collections. This gene was amplified by the polymerase chain reaction and tested for variation using single strand conformation polymorphism analysis. Seven haplotypes were detected throughout Venezuela and these were sorted into two clades. Significant differentiation was detected among collections and these were genetically isolated by distance.

  11. Aedes aegypti breeding site in an underground rainwater reservoir: a warning

    PubMed Central

    Bermudi, Patricia Marques Moralejo; Kowalski, Fernanda; Menzato, Marcela Mori; Ferreira, Millene da Cruz; dos Passos, Willian Brendo Silva; Oku, Vivian Janine Ambriola; Kumow, Aline; Lucio, Taís Vargas Freire Martins; Lima-Camara, Tamara Nunes; Urbinatti, Paulo Roberto; Chiaravalloti, Francisco

    2017-01-01

    ABSTRACT We describe the discovery of Aedes aegypti underground breeding site in the Pinheiros neighborhood of São Paulo, SP, during an entomological survey program performed in 2016. Even with intense surveillance and vector control, large numbers of mosquitoes were present in this area. A detailed investigation allowed for the detection of Ae. aegypti in an underground reservoir used for rainwater storage. After the implementation of protection screens in the accesses, the presence of the vector was no longer detected. In this study, we discuss the frequent use of this type of reservoir structure and its risk for mosquito production. PMID:29236877

  12. Genetics and morphology of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in septic tanks in Puerto Rico.

    PubMed

    Somers, Gerard; Brown, Julia E; Barrera, Roberto; Powell, Jeffrey R

    2011-11-01

    Dengue viruses, primarily transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.), affect an estimated 50-100 million people yearly. Traditional approaches to control mosquito population numbers, such as the use of pesticides, have had only limited success. Atypical mosquito behavior may be one reason why current vector control efforts have been less efficacious than expected. In Puerto Rico, for example, adult Ae. aegypti have been observed emerging from septic tanks. Interestingly, adults emerging from septic tanks are larger on average than adults collected from surface containers. To determine whether adults colonizing septic tanks constitute a separate Ae. aegypti population, we used 12 previously validated microsatellite loci to examine adult mosquitoes collected from both septic tanks and surface containers, but found no evidence to suggest genetic differentiation. Size differences between septic tank and surface mosquitoes were reduced when nutrient levels were held constant across experimental groups. Despite the absence of evidence suggesting a genetic difference between experimental groups in this study, Ae. aegypti emerging from septic tanks may still represent a more dangerous phenotype and should be given special consideration when developing vector control programs and designing public health interventions in the future.

  13. Genetics and Morphology of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Septic Tanks in Puerto Rico

    PubMed Central

    SOMERS, GERARD; BROWN, JULIA E.; BARRERA, ROBERTO; POWELL, JEFFREY R.

    2012-01-01

    Dengue viruses, primarily transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.), affect an estimated 50–100 million people yearly. Traditional approaches to control mosquito population numbers, such as the use of pesticides, have had only limited success. Atypical mosquito behavior may be one reason why current vector control efforts have been less efficacious than expected. In Puerto Rico, for example, adult Ae. aegypti have been observed emerging from septic tanks. Interestingly, adults emerging from septic tanks are larger on average than adults collected from surface containers. To determine whether adults colonizing septic tanks constitute a separate Ae. aegypti population, we used 12 previously validated microsatellite loci to examine adult mosquitoes collected from both septic tanks and surface containers, but found no evidence to suggest genetic differentiation. Size differences between septic tank and surface mosquitoes were reduced when nutrient levels were held constant across experimental groups. Despite the absence of evidence suggesting a genetic difference between experimental groups in this study, Ae. aegypti emerging from septic tanks may still represent a more dangerous phenotype and should be given special consideration when developing vector control programs and designing public health interventions in the future. PMID:22238867

  14. [Effectiveness of commercial repellents against Aedes aegypti (L.) in Yucatan, México].

    PubMed

    Uc-Puc, Valentín; Herrera-Bojórquez, Josué; Carmona-Carballo, Carolina; Che-Mendoza, Azael; Medina-Barreiro, Anuar; Chablé-Santos, Juan; Arredondo-Jiménez, Juan I; Flores-Suárez, Adriana E; Manrique-Saide, Pablo

    2016-08-01

    We assessed the efficacy of commercial repellents available in Yucatan against Aedes aegypti, vector of dengue, Chikungunya and Zika. Protection time was determined based on WHO/CTD/ WHOPES/IC y la NOM-032-SSA2-20I4. Products with DEET (N, N-diethyl-3-methylbenzamide) at 25% met the recommended protection. Efficacy was directly proportional to the concentration of DEET; botanicals repellents resulted no protective. Repellents with DEET provided more protection against Ae. aegypti and botanical repellents, including impregnated wristbands, provided no protection.

  15. Salivary antimicrobial defensins in pregnancy.

    PubMed

    Gürsoy, Mervi; Gürsoy, Ulvi K; Liukkonen, Anna; Kauko, Tommi; Penkkala, Saara; Könönen, Eija

    2016-10-01

    Susceptibility to and severity of gingival inflammation are enhanced during pregnancy; however, regulation of oral innate immune response, including antimicrobial peptides, during pregnancy is still unknown. We analysed salivary levels of human beta-defensin (hBD)-1, -2, -3, and human neutrophil peptide (HNP)-1 in pregnant women, and related those to their periodontal status. In this cohort study, 30 generally healthy, non-smoking Caucasian women without periodontitis were followed at three time points during pregnancy and twice post-partum. The non-pregnant group consisted of 24 women, who were examined three times at the following months. At each visit, periodontal status was recorded and stimulated saliva samples were collected. Salivary estradiol, progesterone, and defensin concentrations were measured by ELISA assays. After adjusting for visible plaque and gingival bleeding, reduced salivary concentrations of hBD-1, hBD-2, and HNP-1 were found especially during the third trimester, whereas hBD-3 concentrations did not change during pregnancy and post-partum visits. Weak associations were observed between salivary defensin and hormone concentrations and clinical parameters. There seems to be an independent regulation cascade for each antimicrobial defensin in the oral cavity during pregnancy, despite of the similarities between these antimicrobial peptides. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  16. The queenslandensis and the type Form of the Dengue Fever Mosquito (Aedes aegypti L.) Are Genomically Indistinguishable

    PubMed Central

    Filipović, Igor; Callahan, Ashley G.; Stanford, Darren; Chan, Abigail; Lam-Phua, Sai Gek; Tan, Cheong Huat; Hoffmann, Ary Anthony

    2016-01-01

    Background The mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.) is a major vector of viral diseases like dengue fever, Zika and chikungunya. Aedes aegypti exhibits high morphological and behavioral variation, some of which is thought to be of epidemiological significance. Globally distributed domestic Ae. aegypti have often been grouped into (i) the very pale variety queenslandensis and (ii) the type form. Because the two color forms co-occur across most of their range, there is interest in understanding how freely they interbreed. This knowledge is particularly important for control strategies that rely on mating compatibilities between the release and target mosquitoes, such as Wolbachia releases and SIT. To address this question, we analyzed nuclear and mitochondrial genome-wide variation in the co-occurring pale and type Ae. aegypti from northern Queensland (Australia) and Singapore. Methods/Findings We typed 74 individuals at a 1170 bp-long mitochondrial sequence and at 16,569 nuclear SNPs using a customized double-digest RAD sequencing. 11/29 genotyped individuals from Singapore and 11/45 from Queensland were identified as var. queenslandensis based on the diagnostic scaling patterns. We found 24 different mitochondrial haplotypes, seven of which were shared between the two forms. Multivariate genetic clustering based on nuclear SNPs corresponded to individuals’ geographic location, not their color. Several family groups consisted of both forms and three queenslandensis individuals were Wolbachia infected, indicating previous breeding with the type form which has been used to introduce Wolbachia into Ae. aegypti populations. Conclusion Aedes aegypti queenslandensis are genomically indistinguishable from the type form, which points to these forms freely interbreeding at least in Australia and Singapore. Based on our findings, it is unlikely that the presence of very pale Ae. aegypti will affect the success of Aedes control programs based on Wolbachia-infected, sterile or RIDL

  17. Contact irritant responses of Aedes aegypti Using sublethal concentration and focal application of pyrethroid chemicals.

    PubMed

    Manda, Hortance; Shah, Pankhil; Polsomboon, Suppaluck; Chareonviriyaphap, Theeraphap; Castro-Llanos, Fanny; Morrison, Amy; Burrus, Roxanne G; Grieco, John P; Achee, Nicole L

    2013-01-01

    Previous studies have demonstrated contact irritant and spatial repellent behaviors in Aedes aegypti following exposure to sublethal concentrations of chemicals. These sublethal actions are currently being evaluated in the development of a push-pull strategy for Ae. aegypti control. This study reports on mosquito escape responses after exposure to candidate chemicals for a contact irritant focused push-pull strategy using varying concentrations and focal application. Contact irritancy (escape) behavior, knockdown and 24 hour mortality rates were quantified in populations of female Ae. aegypti under laboratory conditions and validated in the field (Thailand and Peru) using experimental huts. Evaluations were conducted using varying concentrations and treatment surface area coverage (SAC) of three pyrethroid insecticides: alphacypermethrin, lambacyhalothrin and deltamethrin. Under laboratory conditions, exposure of Ae. aegypti to alphacypermethrin using the standard field application rate (FAR) resulted in escape responses at 25% and 50% SAC that were comparable with escape responses at 100% SAC. Significant escape responses were also observed at <100% SAC using ½FAR of all test compounds. In most trials, KD and 24 hour mortality rates were higher in mosquitoes that did not escape than in those that escaped. In Thailand, field validation studies indicated an early time of exit (by four hours) and 40% increase in escape using ½FAR of alphacypermethrin at 75% SAC compared to a matched chemical-free control. In Peru, however, the maximum increase in Ae. aegypti escape from alphacypermethrin-treated huts was 11%. Results presented here suggest a potential role for sublethal and focal application of contact irritant chemicals in an Ae. aegypti push-pull strategy to reduce human-vector contact inside treated homes. However, the impact of an increase in escape response on dengue virus transmission is currently unknown and will depend on rate of biting on human hosts prior

  18. The association of Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus in Allende, Nuevo León, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Mercado-Hernandez, Roberto; Aguilar-Gueta, Juan de Dios; Fernandez-Salas, Ildefoso; Earl, Paul R

    2006-03-01

    The recent appearance of Aedes Stegomyia albopictus (Skuse) in Nuevo León (NL) worries health officials. It is a vector of dengue fever in Asia and is more resistant to lower temperatures than Ae. aegypti. The objective of this study was to learn about some ecological parameters of Ae. albopictus and their association with Ae. aegypti, and other culicids in Allende, NL, Mexico, during 1999. Allende is a small town close to metropolitan Monterrey, which has 4 million inhabitants. The design was random with monthly sampling of 175 ovitraps. Chi-square analyses were performed with data of presence, absence, frequency, and relative abundances. During the study, the species Culex tarsalis (Coquillet), Cx. thriambus (Dyar), Cx. pipiens (Linnaeus), Cx. coronator (Dyar and Knab), Ae. albopictus, Ae. aegypti, Toxorhynchites rutilus (Coquillet), and Ae. triseriatus (Say) were found. April is the month for large numbers of mosquito species. September had the highest populations in positive ovitraps (66.67%), followed by July (63.27% of traps). Aedes aegypti was the most abundant (65.13%), followed by Ae. albopictus (19.71%). Both Ae. albopictus and Ae. aegypti were found from April until December. Aedes aegypti was more abundant than Ae. albopictus, except in August, when they were similar (chi2 = 0.197, P < 0.05). We found significant association between the presence of both species for every study month (chi2 = 9.837, P < 0.05), with a contingency coefficient of 0.247. September and November were the months having the most mosquitoes in this association. Only considering Ae. albopictus, more were found in ovitraps in July (34.6%), followed by September (33.3%). However, its presence was not significant throughout the year. Of 2 zones, in town and at the river, prevalence indicated that Ae. albopictus preferred the river. This mosquito is in its establishment phase in this area and requires further studies.

  19. Numerical modeling of mosquito population dynamics of Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Yamashita, William M S; Das, Shyam S; Chapiro, Grigori

    2018-04-16

    The global incidences of dengue virus have increased the interest in studying and understanding the mosquito population dynamics. It is predominantly spread by Aedes aegypti in the tropical and sub-tropical countries in the world. Understanding these dynamics is important for public health in countries where climatic and environmental conditions are favorable for the propagation of these diseases. For this reason, a new model has been proposed to investigate the population dynamics of mosquitoes in a city. The present paper discusses the numerical modeling of population dynamics of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes in an urban neighborhood of a city using the finite volume method. The model describes how populations spread through the city assisted by the wind. This model allows incorporating external factors (wind and chemical insecticides) and topography data (streets, building blocks, parks, forests and beach). The proposed model has been successfully tested in examples involving two Brazilian cities (City center, Juiz de Fora and Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro). Invasion phenomena of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes have been observed in each of the simulations. It was observed that, inside the blocks, the growth of the population for both winged and aquatic phase causes an infestation of Ae. aegypti in a short time. Within the blocks the mosquito population was concentrated and diffused slowly. In the streets, there was a long-distance spread, which was influenced by wind and diffusion with a low concentration of mosquito population. The model was also tested taking into account chemical insecticides spread in two different configurations. It has been observed that the insecticides have a significant effect on the mosquito population for both winged and aquatic phases when the chemical insecticides spread more uniformly along all the streets in a neighborhood of a city. The presented methodology can be employed to evaluate and to understand the epidemic risks in a specific

  20. Ovicidal and repellent activities of botanical extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi (Diptera: Culicidae)

    PubMed Central

    Govindarajan, M; Mathivanan, T; Elumalai, K; Krishnappa, K; Anandan, A

    2011-01-01

    Objective To determine the ovicidal and repellent activities of methanol leaf extract of Ervatamia coronaria (E. coronaria) and Caesalpinia pulcherrima (C. pulcherrima) against Culex quinquefasciatus (Cx. quinquefasciatus), Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) and Anopheles stephensi (An. stephensi). Methods The ovicidal activity was determined against three mosquito species at various concentrations ranging from 50-450 ppm under the laboratory conditions. The hatch rates were assessed 48 h after treatment. The repellent efficacy was determined against three mosquito species at three concentrations viz., 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/cm2 under the laboratory conditions. Results The crude extract of E. coronaria exerted zero hatchability (100% mortality) at 250, 200 and 150 ppm for Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and An. stephensi, respectively. The crude extract of C. pulcherrima exerted zero hatchability (100% mortality) at 375, 300 and 225 ppm for Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and An. Stephensi, respectively. The methanol extract of E. coronaria found to be more repellenct than C. pulcherrima extract. A higher concentration of 5.0 mg/cm2 provided 100% protection up to 150, 180 and 210 min against Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and An. stephensi, respectively. The results clearly showed that repellent activity was dose dependent. Conclusions From the results it can be concluded the crude extracts of E. coronaria and C. pulcherrima are an excellent potential for controlling Cx. quinquefasciatus, Ae. aegypti and An. stephensi mosquitoes. PMID:23569723

  1. Excito-repellency of essential oils against an Aedes aegypti (L.) field population in Thailand.

    PubMed

    Boonyuan, Wasana; Grieco, John P; Bangs, Michael J; Prabaripai, Atchariya; Tantakom, Siripun; Chareonviriyaphap, Theeraphap

    2014-06-01

    An investigation of the behavioral responses of Aedes aegypti (= Stegomyia aegypti) to various concentrations of essential oils (2.5, 5, and 10%) extracted from hairy basil (Ocimum americanum Linn), ginger (Zingiber officinale Roscoe), lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus Stapf), citronella grass (Cymbopogon nardus Rendle), and plai (Zingiber cassumunar Roxb) were performed using an excito-repellency test chamber. Results showed that Ae. aegypti exhibited varying levels of escape response in both the contact and noncontact chambers in response to different essential oils. The magnitude of the behaviors changed in a dose-response fashion depending on the percent volume to volume concentration of oil used. A 2.5% concentration of hairy basil oil produced a significantly greater escape response compared to the other extracts at the same concentration (P< 0.05). Oils of ginger, lemongrass, and citronella produced stronger irritant and repellent responses at the median 5% concentration compared to the lowest and highest concentrations. There was marked suppression of escape for both contact and noncontact tests using 10% concentrations of hairy basil, lemongrass, and citronella, with high knockdown for all three oils after 30 min. Hairy basil and lemongrass had the highest insecticidal activity to Ae. aegypti, with LC50 values of 6.3 and 6.7 percent, respectively. We conclude that the essential oils from native plants tested, and likely many other extracts found in plants, have inherent repellent and irritant qualities that should to be screened and optimized for their behavior-modifying properties against Ae. aegypti and other biting arthropods of public health and pest importance. © 2014 The Society for Vector Ecology.

  2. Spatial Clustering of Aedes aegypti Related to Breeding Container Characteristics in Coastal Ecuador: Implications for Dengue Control

    PubMed Central

    Schafrick, Nathaniel H.; Milbrath, Meghan O.; Berrocal, Veronica J.; Wilson, Mark L.; Eisenberg, Joseph N. S.

    2013-01-01

    Mosquito management within households remains central to the control of dengue virus transmission. An important factor in these management decisions is the spatial clustering of Aedes aegypti. We measured spatial clustering of Ae. aegypti in the town of Borbón, Ecuador and assessed what characteristics of breeding containers influenced the clustering. We used logistic regression to assess the spatial extent of that clustering. We found strong evidence for juvenile mosquito clustering within 20 m and for adult mosquito clustering within 10 m, and stronger clustering associations for containers ≥ 40 L than those < 40 L. Aedes aegypti clusters persisted after adjusting for various container characteristics, suggesting that patterns are likely attributable to short dispersal distances rather than shared characteristics of containers in cluster areas. These findings have implications for targeting Ae. aegypti control efforts. PMID:24002483

  3. Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Longevity and Differential Emergence of Dengue Fever in Two Cities in Sonora, Mexico

    PubMed Central

    Ernst, Kacey C.; Walker, Kathleen R.; Reyes-Castro, Pablo; Joy, Teresa K.; Castro-Luque, A. Lucia; Diaz-Caravantes, Rolando E.; Gameros, Mercedes; Haenchen, Steven; Hayden, Mary H.; Monaghan, Andrew; Jeffrey-Guttierez, Eileen; Carrière, Yves; Riehle, Michael R.

    2017-01-01

    Dengue virus, primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquito, has rapidly expanded in geographic extent over the past several decades. In some areas, however, dengue fever has not emerged despite established Ae. aegypti populations. The reasons for this are unclear and have sometimes been attributed to socio-economic differences. In 2013 we compared Ae. aegypti adult density and population age structure between two cities in Sonora, Mexico: Hermosillo, which has regular seasonal dengue virus transmission, and Nogales, which has minimal transmission. Larval and pupal abundance was greater in Nogales, and adult density was only higher in Hermosillo during September. Population age structure, however, was consistently older in Hermosillo. This difference in longevity may have been one factor that limited dengue virus transmission in Nogales in 2013, as a smaller proportion of Ae. aegypti females survived past the extrinsic incubation period. PMID:28082648

  4. Measurement of salivary resistin, visfatin and adiponectin levels.

    PubMed

    Mamali, Irene; Roupas, Nikolaos D; Armeni, Anastasia K; Theodoropoulou, Anastasia; Markou, Kostas B; Georgopoulos, Neoklis A

    2012-01-01

    Hormonal determination in saliva offers several advantages. Peptides enter the salivary glands either by active transport mechanisms or are expressed and secreted by the salivary glands themselves. The collection of saliva is a noninvasive, easily repeatable and less stressful technique than blood withdrawal. The purpose of the present study was to introduce a method for measuring salivary resistin, visfatin and adiponectin levels and to evaluate their associations with serum levels. Resistin, visfatin and adiponectin levels were measured in serum and saliva of 50 healthy adult volunteers (17 male and 33 female) using commercial enzyme immunoassay kits for serum with minor modifications. The present study documented the determination of resistin and adiponectin levels in saliva and the significant correlation of salivary levels with serum levels (r=0.441, p<0.01 and r=0.347, p<0.05, respectively). Moreover, the identification of visfatin in saliva was achieved, but no significant correlation with serum visfatin levels was observed. To our knowledge, this is the first study to report the determination of resistin and visfatin in saliva and the significant correlation of salivary resistin with serum levels, while it confirmed the significant association between salivary and serum adiponectin. The introduction of salivary determinations of adipokines could contribute to the elucidation of the physiology and the role of the specific adipokines in various clinical conditions (obesity, insulin resistance, inflammation, reproduction, energy imbalance and stress response). Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  5. Comparison of Vector Competence of Aedes mediovittatus and Aedes aegypti for Dengue Virus: Implications for Dengue Control in the Caribbean

    PubMed Central

    Poole-Smith, B. Katherine; Hemme, Ryan R.; Delorey, Mark; Felix, Gilberto; Gonzalez, Andrea L.; Amador, Manuel; Hunsperger, Elizabeth A.; Barrera, Roberto

    2015-01-01

    Background Aedes mediovittatus mosquitoes are found throughout the Greater Antilles in the Caribbean and often share the same larval habitats with Ae. Aegypti, the primary vector for dengue virus (DENV). Implementation of vector control measures to control dengue that specifically target Ae. Aegypti may not control DENV transmission in Puerto Rico (PR). Even if Ae. Aegypti is eliminated or DENV refractory mosquitoes are released, DENV transmission may not cease when other competent mosquito species like Ae. Mediovittatus are present. To compare vector competence of Ae. Mediovittatus and Ae. Aegypti mosquitoes, we studied relative infection and transmission rates for all four DENV serotypes. Methods To compare the vector competence of Ae. Mediovittatus and Ae. Aegypti, mosquitoes were exposed to DENV 1–4 per os at viral titers of 5–6 logs plaque-forming unit (pfu) equivalents. At 14 days post infectious bloodmeal, viral RNA was extracted and tested by qRT-PCR to determine infection and transmission rates. Infection and transmission rates were analyzed with a generalized linear model assuming a binomial distribution. Results Ae. Aegypti had significantly higher DENV-4 infection and transmission rates than Ae. mediovittatus. Conclusions This study determined that Ae. Mediovittatus is a competent DENV vector. Therefore dengue prevention programs in PR and the Caribbean should consider both Ae. Mediovittatus and Ae. Aegypti mosquitoes in their vector control programs. PMID:25658951

  6. Warthin tumor arising from the minor salivary gland.

    PubMed

    Iwai, Toshinori; Baba, Junichi; Murata, Shogo; Mitsudo, Kenji; Maegawa, Jiro; Nagahama, Kiyotaka; Tohnai, Iwai

    2012-09-01

    Warthin tumor (WT) accounts for 4% to 13% of all salivary gland tumors. This benign tumor, which commonly arises in the parotid gland, is the second most common tumor of the salivary gland. WT is multicentric in 12% to 20% of patients and is bilateral in 5% to 14%. The mean age at diagnosis is 62 years (range, 12-92 years), and it rarely presents (<6%) before age 40 years. Extraparotid WT, arising from the submandibular gland or cervical lymph node for example, is very infrequent, with corresponding incidences of 0.4% to 6.9% and 8%, respectively. Moreover, WT arising from the minor salivary gland is extremely rare, with a reported incidence of merely 0.1% to 1.2%. We report here WT arising from the minor salivary gland in the buccal mucosa in a 66-year-old woman and review cases of WT of the minor salivary gland reported in the English literature.

  7. How does competition among wild type mosquitoes influence the performance of Aedes aegypti and dissemination of Wolbachia pipientis?

    PubMed Central

    de Oliveira, Suellen; Villela, Daniel Antunes Maciel; Dias, Fernando Braga Stehling; Moreira, Luciano Andrade

    2017-01-01

    Background Wolbachia has been deployed in several countries to reduce transmission of dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. During releases, Wolbachia-infected females are likely to lay their eggs in local available breeding sites, which might already be colonized by local Aedes sp. mosquitoes. Therefore, there is an urgent need to estimate the deleterious effects of intra and interspecific larval competition on mosquito life history traits, especially on the duration of larval development time, larval mortality and adult size. Methodology/principal findings Three different mosquito populations were used: Ae. aegypti infected with Wolbachia (wMelBr strain), wild Ae. aegypti and wild Ae. albopictus. A total of 21 treatments explored intra and interspecific larval competition with varying larval densities, species proportions and food levels. Each treatment had eight replicates with two distinct food levels: 0.25 or 0.50 g of Chitosan and fallen avocado leaves. Overall, overcrowding reduced fitness correlates of the three populations. Ae. albopictus larvae presented lower larval mortality, shorter development time to adult and smaller wing sizes than Ae. aegypti. The presence of Wolbachia had a slight positive effect on larval biology, since infected individuals had higher survivorship than uninfected Ae. aegypti larvae. Conclusions/significance In all treatments, Ae. albopictus outperformed both wild Ae. aegypti and the Wolbachia-infected group in larval competition, irrespective of larval density and the amount of food resources. The major force that can slow down Wolbachia invasion is the population density of wild mosquitoes. Given that Ae. aegypti currently dominates in Rio, in comparison with Ae. albopictus frequency, additional attention must be given to the population density of Ae. aegypti during releases to increase the likelihood of Wolbachia invasion. PMID:28991902

  8. Ornamental bromeliads of Miami-Dade County, Florida are important breeding sites for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Wilke, André B B; Vasquez, Chalmers; Mauriello, Paul J; Beier, John C

    2018-05-17

    A major public health concern is the emergence and geographical spread of vector-borne diseases such as Zika and yellow fever. Ornamental bromeliads retaining water in their leaf axils represent potential breeding sites for mosquitoes. As the role of ornamental bromeliads in breeding Aedes aegypti in Miami-Dade County, Florida is unknown, we hypothesize that ornamental bromeliads are important breeding sites for Ae. aegypti. Our objective was to survey bromeliads in areas with high densities of adult Ae. aegypti, including those with 2016 local transmission of Zika virus. Ornamental bromeliads were surveyed for the presence of immature mosquitoes at 51 locations of Miami-Dade County, Florida. Bromeliads were sampled for the presence of immature stages of mosquitoes, their reservoirs were drained and screened for the presence of immature mosquitoes. Immature mosquitoes were stored in plastic containers and preserved in 70% ethanol until morphological identification. Biodiversity of species assemblages was assessed by Shannon's and Simpson's indices, and individual rarefaction curves and plots of cumulative abundance, Shannon's index and evenness profiles. Ornamental bromeliads were present in all surveyed areas, yielding a total of 765 immature mosquitoes, comprising five taxonomic units: Ae. aegypti, Wyeomyia mitchellii, Wyeomyia vanduzeei, Culex quinquefasciatus and Culex biscaynensis. The biodiversity indices point to a low diversity scenario with a highly dominant species, Ae. aegypti. Our findings suggest that ornamental bromeliads are contributing for the proliferation of Ae. aegypti in the County of Miami-Dade, which may indicate a shift in the paradigm of usage of bromeliads as breeding sites, highlighting that ornamental phytotelmata bromeliads are to be considered in future vector-control strategies to control Zika and other arboviruses.

  9. Septic tanks as larval habitats for the mosquitoes Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus in Playa-Playita, Puerto Rico.

    PubMed

    Burke, R; Barrera, R; Lewis, M; Kluchinsky, T; Claborn, D

    2010-06-01

    Adult Aedes aegypti (Linnaeus) (Diptera: Culicidae) were previously recovered from emergence traps on septic tanks in southeastern Puerto Rico. In this study we quantified immature mosquito abundance and its relationship with structural variables of the septic tanks and chemical properties of the water containing raw sewage. A miniaturized floating funnel trap was used to sample 89 septic tanks for larvae in the Puerto Rican community of Playa-Playita. Aedes aegypti larvae were recovered from 18% of the sampled tanks (10.3 larvae per septic tank per day). Larval presence was positively associated with cracking of the septic tank walls and uncovered access ports. Larval abundance was positively associated with cracking of the septic tank walls and larger tank surface areas, and inversely associated with the total dissolved solids (TDS). Culex quinquefasciatus (Say) larvae were also recovered from 74% of the septic tanks (129.6 larvae per septic tank per day). Larval presence was negatively associated with TDS in the water and larval abundance was positively associated with cracking of the septic tank walls. A screened, plastic emergence trap was used to sample 93 septic tanks within the community for Ae. aegypti and Cx. quinquefasciatus adults. Aedes aegypti adults were recovered from 49% of the sampled tanks (8.7 adults per septic tank per day) and Cx. quinquefasciatus adults were recovered from 97% of the sampled tanks (155.5 adults per septic tank per day). Aedes aegypti adult presence was positively associated with cracking, uncapped openings and septic water pH. The Ae. aegypti adult counts were positively associated with cracking and inversely associated with TDS and conductivity. This study marks the first published record of the recovery of Ae. aegypti larvae from holding tanks containing raw sewage in the Caribbean region. Our study indicates that Ae. aegypti larvae are present in sewage water and that septic tanks have at least the potential to maintain

  10. Salivary gland biopsy

    MedlinePlus

    ... biopsy References Miloro M, Kolokythas A. Diagnosis and management of salivary gland disorders. In: Hupp JR, Ellis E, Tucker MR, eds. Contemporary Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery . 6th ed. St Louis, ...

  11. Changing Domesticity of Aedes aegypti in Northern Peninsular Malaysia: Reproductive Consequences and Potential Epidemiological Implications

    PubMed Central

    Saifur, Rahman G. M.; Dieng, Hamady; Hassan, Ahmad Abu; Salmah, Md Rawi Che; Satho, Tomomitsu; Miake, Fumio; Hamdan, Ahmad

    2012-01-01

    Background The domestic dengue vector Aedes aegypti mosquitoes breed in indoor containers. However, in northern peninsular Malaysia, they show equal preference for breeding in both indoor and outdoor habitats. To evaluate the epidemiological implications of this peridomestic adaptation, we examined whether Ae. aegypti exhibits decreased survival, gonotrophic activity, and fecundity due to lack of host availability and the changing breeding behavior. Methodology/Principal Findings This yearlong field surveillance identified Ae. aegypti breeding in outdoor containers on an enormous scale. Through a sequence of experiments incorporating outdoors and indoors adapting as well as adapted populations, we observed that indoors provided better environment for the survival of Ae. aegypti and the observed death patterns could be explained on the basis of a difference in body size. The duration of gonotrophic period was much shorter in large-bodied females. Fecundity tended to be greater in indoor acclimated females. We also found increased tendency to multiple feeding in outdoors adapted females, which were smaller in size compared to their outdoors breeding counterparts. Conclusion/Significance The data presented here suggest that acclimatization of Ae. aegypti to the outdoor environment may not decrease its lifespan or gonotrophic activity but rather increase breeding opportunities (increased number of discarded containers outdoors), the rate of larval development, but small body sizes at emergence. Size is likely to be correlated with disease transmission. In general, small size in Aedes females will favor increased blood-feeding frequency resulting in higher population sizes and disease occurrence. PMID:22363516

  12. Changing domesticity of Aedes aegypti in northern peninsular Malaysia: reproductive consequences and potential epidemiological implications.

    PubMed

    Saifur, Rahman G M; Dieng, Hamady; Hassan, Ahmad Abu; Salmah, Md Rawi Che; Satho, Tomomitsu; Miake, Fumio; Hamdan, Ahmad

    2012-01-01

    The domestic dengue vector Aedes aegypti mosquitoes breed in indoor containers. However, in northern peninsular Malaysia, they show equal preference for breeding in both indoor and outdoor habitats. To evaluate the epidemiological implications of this peridomestic adaptation, we examined whether Ae. aegypti exhibits decreased survival, gonotrophic activity, and fecundity due to lack of host availability and the changing breeding behavior. This yearlong field surveillance identified Ae. aegypti breeding in outdoor containers on an enormous scale. Through a sequence of experiments incorporating outdoors and indoors adapting as well as adapted populations, we observed that indoors provided better environment for the survival of Ae. aegypti and the observed death patterns could be explained on the basis of a difference in body size. The duration of gonotrophic period was much shorter in large-bodied females. Fecundity tended to be greater in indoor acclimated females. We also found increased tendency to multiple feeding in outdoors adapted females, which were smaller in size compared to their outdoors breeding counterparts. The data presented here suggest that acclimatization of Ae. aegypti to the outdoor environment may not decrease its lifespan or gonotrophic activity but rather increase breeding opportunities (increased number of discarded containers outdoors), the rate of larval development, but small body sizes at emergence. Size is likely to be correlated with disease transmission. In general, small size in Aedes females will favor increased blood-feeding frequency resulting in higher population sizes and disease occurrence.

  13. QTL mapping of genome regions controlling temephos resistance in larvae of the mosquito Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Reyes-Solis, Guadalupe Del Carmen; Saavedra-Rodriguez, Karla; Suarez, Adriana Flores; Black, William C

    2014-10-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector of dengue and yellow fever flaviviruses. Temephos is an organophosphate insecticide used globally to suppress Ae. aegypti larval populations but resistance has evolved in many locations. Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) controlling temephos survival in Ae. aegypti larvae were mapped in a pair of F3 advanced intercross lines arising from temephos resistant parents from Solidaridad, México and temephos susceptible parents from Iquitos, Peru. Two sets of 200 F3 larvae were exposed to a discriminating dose of temephos and then dead larvae were collected and preserved for DNA isolation every two hours up to 16 hours. Larvae surviving longer than 16 hours were considered resistant. For QTL mapping, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified at 23 single copy genes and 26 microsatellite loci of known physical positions in the Ae. aegypti genome. In both reciprocal crosses, Multiple Interval Mapping identified eleven QTL associated with time until death. In the Solidaridad×Iquitos (SLD×Iq) cross twelve were associated with survival but in the reciprocal IqxSLD cross, only six QTL were survival associated. Polymorphisms at acetylcholine esterase (AchE) loci 1 and 2 were not associated with either resistance phenotype suggesting that target site insensitivity is not an organophosphate resistance mechanism in this region of México. Temephos resistance is under the control of many metabolic genes of small effect and dispersed throughout the Ae. aegypti genome.

  14. QTL Mapping of Genome Regions Controlling Temephos Resistance in Larvae of the Mosquito Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    Reyes-Solis, Guadalupe del Carmen; Saavedra-Rodriguez, Karla; Suarez, Adriana Flores; Black, William C.

    2014-01-01

    Introduction The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector of dengue and yellow fever flaviviruses. Temephos is an organophosphate insecticide used globally to suppress Ae. aegypti larval populations but resistance has evolved in many locations. Methodology/Principal Findings Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL) controlling temephos survival in Ae. aegypti larvae were mapped in a pair of F3 advanced intercross lines arising from temephos resistant parents from Solidaridad, México and temephos susceptible parents from Iquitos, Peru. Two sets of 200 F3 larvae were exposed to a discriminating dose of temephos and then dead larvae were collected and preserved for DNA isolation every two hours up to 16 hours. Larvae surviving longer than 16 hours were considered resistant. For QTL mapping, single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were identified at 23 single copy genes and 26 microsatellite loci of known physical positions in the Ae. aegypti genome. In both reciprocal crosses, Multiple Interval Mapping identified eleven QTL associated with time until death. In the Solidaridad×Iquitos (SLD×Iq) cross twelve were associated with survival but in the reciprocal IqxSLD cross, only six QTL were survival associated. Polymorphisms at acetylcholine esterase (AchE) loci 1 and 2 were not associated with either resistance phenotype suggesting that target site insensitivity is not an organophosphate resistance mechanism in this region of México. Conclusions/Significance Temephos resistance is under the control of many metabolic genes of small effect and dispersed throughout the Ae. aegypti genome. PMID:25330200

  15. [First evidence for breeding Aedes aegypti L in the area of Greater Sochi and in some towns of Abkhasia].

    PubMed

    Iunicheva, Iu V; Riabova, T E; Markovich, N Ia; Bezzhonova, O V; Ganushkina, L A; Semenov, V B; Tarkhov, G A; Vasilenko, L E; Guzeeva, T M; Shevereva, T V; Sergiev, V P

    2008-01-01

    A preliminary survey of some widely spaced settlements in Greater Sochi (and in the city of Sochi) in a period of late July to early October 2007 has revealed man-biting females and swarming males of Aedes aegypti females indoors and outdoors. Man-biting Ae. aegypti females, like males swarming nearby, were also present in the town of Gudauta under study in September (the males and females of this species were found on one-day youngsters in the animal houses) and in the suburbs of the town of Sukhumi (Republic of Abkhazia). Ae. aegypti breeding places and larvae were revealed at the back of houses in Gudauta. Detection of not only males, but also females and preimagoes of this species suggests that a local breeding Ae. aegypti population is available in this area. The findings show that a local breeding population of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes has reemerged in the inspected area of the Black Sea coast (Tuapse-Sukhumi) with a humid Mediterranean climate after 35-40-year absence. Prevention of outbreaks of menacing human arbovirus diseases in the importation of their pathogens to the health resort-tourist area of the Caucasian Black-Sea coast requires urgent organization of a continuous entomological service for environmental monitoring, organization, and implementation of measures to eradicate Ae. aegypti.

  16. Salivary Gland NK Cells Are Phenotypically and Functionally Unique

    PubMed Central

    Brossay, Laurent

    2011-01-01

    Natural killer (NK) cells and CD8+ T cells play vital roles in containing and eliminating systemic cytomegalovirus (CMV). However, CMV has a tropism for the salivary gland acinar epithelial cells and persists in this organ for several weeks after primary infection. Here we characterize a distinct NK cell population that resides in the salivary gland, uncommon to any described to date, expressing both mature and immature NK cell markers. Using RORγt reporter mice and nude mice, we also show that the salivary gland NK cells are not lymphoid tissue inducer NK-like cells and are not thymic derived. During the course of murine cytomegalovirus (MCMV) infection, we found that salivary gland NK cells detect the infection and acquire activation markers, but have limited capacity to produce IFN-γ and degranulate. Salivary gland NK cell effector functions are not regulated by iNKT or Treg cells, which are mostly absent in the salivary gland. Additionally, we demonstrate that peripheral NK cells are not recruited to this organ even after the systemic infection has been controlled. Altogether, these results indicate that viral persistence and latency in the salivary glands may be due in part to the presence of unfit NK cells and the lack of recruitment of peripheral NK cells. PMID:21249177

  17. Type 1 diabetes mellitus, xerostomia, and salivary flow rates.

    PubMed

    Moore, P A; Guggenheimer, J; Etzel, K R; Weyant, R J; Orchard, T

    2001-09-01

    The Oral Health Science Institute at the University of Pittsburgh has completed a cross-sectional epidemiologic study of 406 subjects with type 1 diabetes and 268 control subjects without diabetes that assessed the associations between oral health and diabetes. This report describes the prevalence of dry-mouth symptoms (xerostomia), the prevalence of hyposalivation in this population, and the possible interrelationships between salivary dysfunction and diabetic complications. The subjects with diabetes were participants in the Pittsburgh Epidemiology of Diabetes Complications study who were enrolled in an oral health substudy. Control subjects were spouses or best friends of participants or persons recruited from the community through advertisements in local newspapers. Assessments of salivary function included self-reported xerostomia measures and quantification of resting and stimulated whole saliva flow rates. Subjects with diabetes reported symptoms of dry mouth more frequently than did control subjects. Salivary flow rates were also impaired in the subjects with diabetes. Regression models of potential predictor variables were created for the 3 self-reported xerostomia measures and 4 salivary flow rate variables. Of the medical diabetic complications studied (ie, retinopathy, peripheral and autonomic neuropathy, nephropathy, and peripheral vascular disease), only neuropathy was found to be associated with xerostomia and decreased salivary flow measures. A report of dry-mouth symptoms was associated with current use of cigarettes, dysgeusia (report of a bad taste), and more frequent snacking behavior. Xerogenic medications and elevated fasting blood glucose concentrations were significantly associated with decreased salivary flow. Resting salivary flow rates less than 0.01 mL/min were associated with a slightly higher prevalence of dental caries. Subjects who reported higher levels of alcohol consumption were less likely to have lower rates of stimulated

  18. Interspecific Cross-Mating Between Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus Laboratory Strains: Implication of Population Density on Mating Behaviors.

    PubMed

    Marcela, P; Hassan, A Abu; Hamdan, A; Dieng, H; Kumara, T K

    2015-12-01

    Mating behavior between Aedes aegypti and Ae. albopictus, established colony strains were examined under laboratory conditions (30-cm(3) screened cages) for 5 consecutive days. The effect of selected male densities (30, 20, 10) and female density (20) on the number of swarming, mating pairs, eggs produced, and inseminated females were evaluated. Male densities significantly increased swarming behavior, mating pairs, and egg production of heterospecific females, but female insemination was reduced. Aedes aegypti males mate more readily with heterospecific females than do Ae. albopictus males. The current study suggests that Ae. aegypti males were not species-specific in mating, and if released into the field as practiced in genetically modified mosquito techniques, they may mate with both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus females, hence reducing populations of both species by producing infertile eggs.

  19. Seasonal Differences in Density But Similar Competitive Impact of Aedes albopictus (Skuse) on Aedes aegypti (L.) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    PubMed Central

    Camara, Daniel Cardoso Portela; Codeço, Claudia Torres; Juliano, Steven A.; Lounibos, L. Philip; Riback, Thais Irene Souza; Pereira, Glaucio Rocha; Honorio, Nildimar Alves

    2016-01-01

    Previous studies have shown that the negative effects of density of Ae. albopictus on Ae. aegypti exceed those of Ae. aegypti on Ae. albopictus for population growth, adult size, survivorship, and developmental rate. This competitive superiority has been invoked to explain the displacement of Ae. aegypti by Ae. albopictus in the southeastern USA. In Brazil, these species coexist in many vegetated suburban and rural areas. We investigated a related, but less-well-studied question: do effects of Ae. albopictus on Ae. aegypti larval development and survival occur under field conditions at realistic densities across multiple seasons in Brazil? We conducted additive competition experiments in a vegetated area of Rio de Janeiro where these species coexist. We tested the hypothesis that Ae. aegypti (the focal species, at a fixed density) suffers negative effects on development and survivorship across a gradient of increasing densities of Ae. albopictus (the associate species) in three seasons. The results showed statistically significant effects of both season and larval density on Ae. aegypti survivorship, and significant effects of season on development rate, with no significant season-density interactions. Densities of Aedes larvae in these habitats differed among seasons by a factor of up to 7x. Overall, Spring was the most favorable season for Ae. aegypti survivorship and development. Results showed that under natural conditions the negative competitive effects of Ae. albopictus on Ae. aegypti were expressed primarily as lower survivorship. Coexistence between Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in vegetated areas is likely affected by seasonal environmental differences, such as detrital resource levels or egg desiccation, which can influence competition between these species. Interactions between these Aedes are important in Brazil, where both species are well established and widely distributed and vector dengue, Zika and chikungunya viruses. PMID:27322537

  20. Neuropeptidomics of the Mosquito Aedes Aegypti

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2010-01-01

    translational processing ( pyroglutamate formation) was detected for AST-C and CAPA-PVK-2. For the first time in insects, we succeeded in the direct...hormones, trace DNA sequences generated by TIGR and the Broad Institute were first searched by TBLASTN24 using amino acid sequences of candidate peptides...previously described.1 TBLASTN searches, using the amino acid sequences of putative Ae. aegypti neuropeptide and peptide hormone orthologs identified in

  1. An inexpensive intervention for the control of larval Aedes aegypti assessed by an improved method of surveillance and analysis.

    PubMed

    Romero-Vivas, Claudia M E; Wheeler, Jeremy G; Falconar, Andrew K I

    2002-03-01

    A sampling method coupled with statistical calibration factors was developed to accurately assess the numbers of larvae and pupae of Aedes aegypti in large water-storage containers of variable capacities and water levels. Aedes aegypti productivity in different types of breeding sites found in an urban study area in central Colombia was assessed and compared. In this study, water-storage tanks and drums were found to comprise 79% of the containers positive for larval Ae. aegypti, which contributed to 93 and 92% of the total production of populations of 4th-stage larvae and pupae, respectively. These main breeding sites of Ae. aegypti were found at an indoor to outdoor ratio of 2.4:1 and no correlation was found between temporal fluctuation of populations of larval Ae. aegypti and monthly rainfall. Netted lids that used inexpensive local materials were designed to prevent oviposition by Ae. aegypti. During a 6-month trial period, 56% of inspected containers had netted lids correctly in place. Of these, 78% had no mosquito larvae. Because only 37% of uncovered containers were free of mosquito larvae, a significant difference was demonstrated when these inexpensive mechanical barriers were used (chi2 = 138.7; P < 0.001). These netted lids and the improved methods described to assess the productivity of larval and pupal Ae. aegypti in this study are now being used in combination with other strategies to assess and control these populations of dengue virus vectors in the main port city on the Atlantic Coast of Colombia.

  2. Ecdysis triggering hormone signaling in the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Dai, Li; Adams, Michael E

    2009-05-15

    At the end of each developmental stage, the yellow fever mosquito Aedes aegypti performs the ecdysis behavioral sequence, a precisely timed series of behaviors that culminates in shedding of the old exoskeleton. Here we describe ecdysis triggering hormone-immunoreactive Inka cells located at branch points of major tracheal trunks and loss of staining coincident with ecdysis. Peptides (AeaETH1, AeaETH2) purified from extracts of pharate 4th instar larvae have--PRXamide C-terminal amino acid sequence motifs similar to ETHs previously identified in moths and flies. Injection of synthetic AeaETHs induced premature ecdysis behavior in pharate larvae, pupae and adults. Two functionally distinct subtypes of ETH receptors (AeaETHR-A, AeaETHR-B) of A. aegypti are identified and show high sensitivity and selectivity to ETHs. Increased ETHR transcript levels and behavioral sensitivity to AeaETHs arising in the hours preceding the 4th instar larva-to-pupa ecdysis are correlated with rising ecdysteroid levels, suggesting steroid regulation of receptor gene expression. Our description of natural and ETH-induced ecdysis in A. aegypti should facilitate future approaches directed toward hormone-based interference strategies for control of mosquitoes as human disease vectors.

  3. Suppression of a Field Population of Aedes aegypti in Brazil by Sustained Release of Transgenic Male Mosquitoes

    PubMed Central

    Garziera, Luiza; Lacroix, Renaud; Donnelly, Christl A.; Alphey, Luke; Malavasi, Aldo; Capurro, Margareth L.

    2015-01-01

    The increasing burden of dengue, and the relative failure of traditional vector control programs highlight the need to develop new control methods. SIT using self-limiting genetic technology is one such promising method. A self-limiting strain of Aedes aegypti, OX513A, has already reached the stage of field evaluation. Sustained releases of OX513A Ae. aegypti males led to 80% suppression of a target wild Ae. aegypti population in the Cayman Islands in 2010. Here we describe sustained series of field releases of OX513A Ae. aegypti males in a suburb of Juazeiro, Bahia, Brazil. This study spanned over a year and reduced the local Ae. aegypti population by 95% (95% CI: 92.2%-97.5%) based on adult trap data and 81% (95% CI: 74.9-85.2%) based on ovitrap indices compared to the adjacent no-release control area. The mating competitiveness of the released males (0.031; 95% CI: 0.025-0.036) was similar to that estimated in the Cayman trials (0.059; 95% CI: 0.011 – 0.210), indicating that environmental and target-strain differences had little impact on the mating success of the OX513A males. We conclude that sustained release of OX513A males may be an effective and widely useful method for suppression of the key dengue vector Ae. aegypti. The observed level of suppression would likely be sufficient to prevent dengue epidemics in the locality tested and other areas with similar or lower transmission. PMID:26135160

  4. Anatomy and Histology of Rodent and Human Major Salivary Glands

    PubMed Central

    Amano, Osamu; Mizobe, Kenichi; Bando, Yasuhiko; Sakiyama, Koji

    2012-01-01

    Major salivary glands of both humans and rodents consist of three pairs of macroscopic glands: parotid, submandibular, and sublingual. These glands secrete serous, mucous or mixed saliva via the proper main excretory ducts connecting the glandular bodies with the oral cavity. A series of discoveries about the salivary ducts in the 17th century by Niels Stensen (1638–1686), Thomas Wharton (1614–1673), and Caspar Bartholin (1655–1738) established the concept of exocrine secretion as well as salivary glands. Recent investigations have revealed the endocrine functions of parotin and a variety of cell growth factors produced by salivary glands. The present review aims to describe macroscopic findings on the major salivary glands of rodents and the microscopic differences between those of humans and rodents, which review should be of interest to those researchers studying salivary glands. PMID:23209333

  5. Competence of Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus Mosquitoes as Zika Virus Vectors, China.

    PubMed

    Liu, Zhuanzhuan; Zhou, Tengfei; Lai, Zetian; Zhang, Zhenhong; Jia, Zhirong; Zhou, Guofa; Williams, Tricia; Xu, Jiabao; Gu, Jinbao; Zhou, Xiaohong; Lin, Lifeng; Yan, Guiyun; Chen, Xiao-Guang

    2017-07-01

    In China, the prevention and control of Zika virus disease has been a public health threat since the first imported case was reported in February 2016. To determine the vector competence of potential vector mosquito species, we experimentally infected Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes and determined infection rates, dissemination rates, and transmission rates. We found the highest vector competence for the imported Zika virus in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, some susceptibility of Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, but no transmission ability for Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Considering that, in China, Ae. albopictus mosquitoes are widely distributed but Ae. aegypti mosquito distribution is limited, Ae. albopictus mosquitoes are a potential primary vector for Zika virus and should be targeted in vector control strategies.

  6. Competence of Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus Mosquitoes as Zika Virus Vectors, China

    PubMed Central

    Liu, Zhuanzhuan; Zhou, Tengfei; Lai, Zetian; Zhang, Zhenhong; Jia, Zhirong; Zhou, Guofa; Williams, Tricia; Xu, Jiabao; Gu, Jinbao; Zhou, Xiaohong; Lin, Lifeng; Yan, Guiyun

    2017-01-01

    In China, the prevention and control of Zika virus disease has been a public health threat since the first imported case was reported in February 2016. To determine the vector competence of potential vector mosquito species, we experimentally infected Aedes aegypti, Ae. albopictus, and Culex quinquefasciatus mosquitoes and determined infection rates, dissemination rates, and transmission rates. We found the highest vector competence for the imported Zika virus in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes, some susceptibility of Ae. albopictus mosquitoes, but no transmission ability for Cx. quinquefasciatus mosquitoes. Considering that, in China, Ae. albopictus mosquitoes are widely distributed but Ae. aegypti mosquito distribution is limited, Ae. albopictus mosquitoes are a potential primary vector for Zika virus and should be targeted in vector control strategies. PMID:28430562

  7. The Endosymbiotic Bacterium Wolbachia Induces Resistance to Dengue Virus in Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    Bian, Guowu; Xu, Yao; Lu, Peng; Xie, Yan; Xi, Zhiyong

    2010-01-01

    Genetic strategies that reduce or block pathogen transmission by mosquitoes have been proposed as a means of augmenting current control measures to reduce the growing burden of vector-borne diseases. The endosymbiotic bacterium Wolbachia has long been promoted as a potential vehicle for introducing disease-resistance genes into mosquitoes, thereby making them refractory to the human pathogens they transmit. Given the large overlap in tissue distribution and intracellular localization between Wolbachia and dengue virus in mosquitoes, we conducted experiments to characterize their interactions. Our results show that Wolbachia inhibits viral replication and dissemination in the main dengue vector, Aedes aegypti. Moreover, the virus transmission potential of Wolbachia-infected Ae. aegypti was significantly diminished when compared to wild-type mosquitoes that did not harbor Wolbachia. At 14 days post-infection, Wolbachia completely blocked dengue transmission in at least 37.5% of Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. We also observed that this Wolbachia-mediated viral interference was associated with an elevated basal immunity and increased longevity in the mosquitoes. These results underscore the potential usefulness of Wolbachia-based control strategies for population replacement. PMID:20368968

  8. Household Dengue Prevention Interventions, Expenditures, and Barriers to Aedes aegypti Control in Machala, Ecuador.

    PubMed

    Heydari, Naveed; Larsen, David A; Neira, Marco; Beltrán Ayala, Efraín; Fernandez, Prissila; Adrian, Jefferson; Rochford, Rosemary; Stewart-Ibarra, Anna M

    2017-02-16

    The Aedes aegypti mosquito is an efficient vector for the transmission of Zika, chikungunya, and dengue viruses, causing major epidemics and a significant social and economic burden throughout the tropics and subtropics. The primary means of preventing these diseases is household-level mosquito control. However, relatively little is known about the economic burden of Ae. aegypti control in resource-limited communities. We surveyed residents from 40 households in a high-risk community at the urban periphery in the city of Machala, Ecuador, on dengue perceptions, vector control interventions, household expenditures, and factors influencing purchasing decisions. The results of this study show that households spend a monthly median of US$2.00, or 1.90% (range: 0.00%, 9.21%) of their family income on Ae. aegypti control interventions. Households reported employing, on average, five different mosquito control and dengue prevention interventions, including aerosols, liquid sprays, repellents, mosquito coils, and unimpregnated bed nets. We found that effectiveness and cost were the most important factors that influence people's decisions to purchase a mosquito control product. Our findings will inform the development and deployment of new Ae. aegypti control interventions by the public health and private sectors, and add to prior studies that have focused on the economic burden of dengue-like illness.

  9. Testing fungus impregnated cloths for the control of adult Aedes aegypti under natural conditions.

    PubMed

    Paula, Adriano R; Carolino, Aline T; Silva, Carlos P; Pereira, César R; Samuels, Richard I

    2013-09-08

    Entomopathogenic fungi could be useful tools for reducing populations of the dengue mosquito Aedes aegypti. Here the efficiency of fungus (Metarhizium anisopliae) impregnated cloths (with and without imidacloprid [IMI]) was evaluated against adult A. aegypti in simulated human dwellings. Behaviour of mosquitoes in the presence of black cloths was also investigated. When mosquitoes were released into the test rooms, the lowest survival rates (38%) were seen when five black cloths impregnated with conidia of ESALQ 818 + 10 ppm IMI were fixed under tables and chairs. This result was significantly lower than the survival rate recorded when cloths were impregnated with ESALQ 818 alone (44%) or ESALQ 818 + 0.1 ppm IMI (43%). Blood fed A. aegypti had lower landing frequencies on black cloths than sucrose fed insects during the first 24 h following feeding, which may have been due to reduced flight activity. Few mosquitoes (4-5%) were observed to land on the cloths during the hours of darkness. The landing pattern of sucrose-fed mosquitoes on non-treated and fungus-treated cloths was similar. The synergism between M. anisopliae and IMI significantly reduced Aedes survival in simulated field conditions. The use of fungus impregnated cloths is a promising point source application method for the control of adult A. aegypti.

  10. Household Dengue Prevention Interventions, Expenditures, and Barriers to Aedes aegypti Control in Machala, Ecuador

    PubMed Central

    Heydari, Naveed; Larsen, David A.; Neira, Marco; Beltrán Ayala, Efraín; Fernandez, Prissila; Adrian, Jefferson; Rochford, Rosemary; Stewart-Ibarra, Anna M.

    2017-01-01

    The Aedes aegypti mosquito is an efficient vector for the transmission of Zika, chikungunya, and dengue viruses, causing major epidemics and a significant social and economic burden throughout the tropics and subtropics. The primary means of preventing these diseases is household-level mosquito control. However, relatively little is known about the economic burden of Ae. aegypti control in resource-limited communities. We surveyed residents from 40 households in a high-risk community at the urban periphery in the city of Machala, Ecuador, on dengue perceptions, vector control interventions, household expenditures, and factors influencing purchasing decisions. The results of this study show that households spend a monthly median of US$2.00, or 1.90% (range: 0.00%, 9.21%) of their family income on Ae. aegypti control interventions. Households reported employing, on average, five different mosquito control and dengue prevention interventions, including aerosols, liquid sprays, repellents, mosquito coils, and unimpregnated bed nets. We found that effectiveness and cost were the most important factors that influence people’s decisions to purchase a mosquito control product. Our findings will inform the development and deployment of new Ae. aegypti control interventions by the public health and private sectors, and add to prior studies that have focused on the economic burden of dengue-like illness. PMID:28212349

  11. Seasonal changes in the larvel populations of Aedes aegypti in two biotopes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

    PubMed Central

    Trpis, Milan

    1972-01-01

    The seasonal dynamics of larval populations of Aedes aegypti was studied in two different biotopes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The first biotope was located on the Msasani peninsula on the coast 6 km north of Dar es Salaam, where A. aegypti breeds exclusively in coral rock holes. The population dynamics was studied during both the rainy and the dry season. Seasonal changes in the density of A. aegypti larvae depend primarily on variation in rainfall. The population of larvae dropped to zero only for a short time during the driest period while the adult population was maintained at a low level. The second biotope was in an automobile dump in a Dar es Salaam suburb, where A. aegypti breeds in artificial containers such as tires, automobile parts, tins, coconut shells, and snail shells. The greater part of the A. aegypti population of this biotope is maintained in the egg stage during the dry season. It serves as a focal point for breeding during the dry season: with the coming of the rains, the population expands into the surrounding residential areas. More than 70% of the larval population developed in tires, 20% in tins, 5% in coconut shells, and 1% in snail shells. PMID:4539415

  12. Wolbachia infection in Aedes aegypti mosquitoes alters blood meal excretion and delays oviposition without affecting trypsin activity.

    PubMed

    Pimenta de Oliveira, Sofia; Dantas de Oliveira, Caroline; Viana Sant'Anna, Mauricio Roberto; Carneiro Dutra, Heverton Leandro; Caragata, Eric Pearce; Moreira, Luciano Andrade

    2017-08-01

    Blood feeding in Aedes aegypti is essential for reproduction, but also permits the mosquito to act as a vector for key human pathogens such as the Zika and dengue viruses. Wolbachia pipientis is an endosymbiotic bacterium that can manipulate the biology of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, making them less competent hosts for many pathogens. Yet while Wolbachia affects other aspects of host physiology, it is unclear whether it influences physiological processes associated with blood meal digestion. To that end, we examined the effects of wMel Wolbachia infection in Ae. aegypti, on survival post-blood feeding, blood meal excretion, rate of oviposition, expression levels of key genes involved in oogenesis, and activity levels of trypsin blood digestion enzymes. We observed that wMel infection altered the rate and duration of blood meal excretion, delayed the onset of oviposition and was associated with a greater number of eggs being laid later. wMel-infected Ae. aegypti also had lower levels of key yolk protein precursor genes necessary for oogenesis. However, all of these effects occurred without a change in trypsin activity. These results suggest that Wolbachia infection may disrupt normal metabolic processes associated with blood feeding and reproduction in Ae. aegypti. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Molecular studies with Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Linnaeus, 1762), mosquito transmitting the dengue virus.

    PubMed

    Pereira, Luciana Patrícia Lima Alves; Brito, Maria Cristiane Aranha; Araruna, Felipe Bastos; de Andrade, Marcelo Souza; Moraes, Denise Fernandes Coutinho; Borges, Antônio Carlos Romão; do Rêgo Barros Pires Leal, Emygdia Rosa

    2017-08-01

    Dengue is an infectious viral disease, which can present a wide clinical picture, ranging from oligo or asymptomatic forms, to bleeding and shock, and can progress to death. The disease problem has increased in recent years, especially in urban and suburban areas of tropical and subtropical regions. There are five dengue viruses, called serotypes (DEN-1, DEN-2, DEN-3, DEN-4, and DEN-5), which belong to the Flaviviridae family and are transmitted to humans through infected mosquito bites, with the main vector the Aedes aegypti mosquito (Linnaeus, 1762). Studies performed with Ae. aegypti, aimed at their identification and analysis of their population structure, are fundamental to improve understanding of the epidemiology of dengue, as well for the definition of strategic actions that reduce the transmission of this disease. Therefore, considering the importance of such research to the development of programs to combat dengue, the present review considers the techniques used for the molecular identification, and evaluation of the genetic variability of Ae. aegypti.

  14. Oral vs. salivary diagnostics

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Marques, Joana; Corby, Patricia M.; Barber, Cheryl A.; Abrams, William R.; Malamud, Daniel

    2015-05-01

    The field of "salivary diagnostics" includes studies utilizing samples obtained from a variety of sources within the oral cavity. These samples include; whole unstimulated saliva, stimulated whole saliva, duct saliva collected directly from the parotid, submandibular/sublingual glands or minor salivary glands, swabs of the buccal mucosa, tongue or tonsils, and gingival crevicular fluid. Many publications state "we collected saliva from subjects" without fully describing the process or source of the oral fluid. Factors that need to be documented in any study include the time of day of the collection, the method used to stimulate and collect the fluid, and how much fluid is being collected and for how long. The handling of the oral fluid during and post-collection is also critical and may include addition of protease or nuclease inhibitors, centrifugation, and cold or frozen storage prior to assay. In an effort to create a standard protocol for determining a biomarker's origin we carried out a pilot study collecting oral fluid from 5 different sites in the mouth and monitoring the concentrations of pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines detected using MesoScaleDiscovery (MSD) electrochemiluminesence assays. Our data suggested that 3 of the cytokines are primarily derived from the submandibular gland, while 7 of the cytokines come from a source other than the major salivary glands such as the minor salivary glands or cells in the oral mucosae. Here we review the literature on monitoring biomarkers in oral samples and stress the need for determining the blood/saliva ratio when a quantitative determination is needed and suggest that the term oral diagnostic be used if the source of an analyte in the oral cavity is unknown.

  15. Histopathology of malignant salivary gland tumours.

    PubMed

    Seifert, G

    1992-07-01

    This report is based upon the Salivary Gland Register in Hamburg and on the second revised edition of the WHO Histological Typing of Salivary Gland Tumours. The group of malignant salivary gland tumours contains carcinomas, malignant non-epithelial tumours, malignant lymphomas and secondary tumours. The various carcinomas are classified in a continuous separate listing because the different types are distinguished not only by histopathology, but also by differences in prognosis and treatment. The term "tumour" is replaced by "carcinoma" in two entities: acinic cell carcinoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma. New entities are: polymorphous low-grade adenocarcinoma, basal cell adenocarcinoma, salivary duct carcinoma and malignant myoepithelioma. Carcinoma in pleomorphic adenoma can be distinguished as non-invasive and invasive carcinoma, and carcinosarcoma. Malignant non-epithelial tumours are mostly malignant fibrous histiocytoma, malignant schwannoma and rhabdomyosarcoma. The large majority of malignant lymphomas are non-Hodgkin-lymphomas with high differentiation. Many lymphomas are associated with chronic immunosialadenitis (Sjögren's syndrome). Secondary tumours are mostly metastases from primary squamous cell carcinomas or from melanomas of the skin (head and neck area). Haematogeneous metastases are very rare (mainly from lung, kidney or breast).

  16. Microclimate and human factors in the divergent ecology of Aedes aegypti along the Arizona, U.S./Sonora, MX border.

    PubMed

    Hayden, Mary H; Uejio, Christopher K; Walker, Kathleen; Ramberg, Frank; Moreno, Rafael; Rosales, Cecilia; Gameros, Mercedes; Mearns, Linda O; Zielinski-Gutierrez, Emily; Janes, Craig R

    2010-08-01

    This study examined the association of human and environmental factors with the presence of Aedes aegypti, the vector for dengue fever and yellow fever viruses, in a desert region in the southwest United States and northwest Mexico. Sixty-eight sites were longitudinally surveyed along the United States-Mexico border in Tucson, AZ, Nogales, AZ, and Nogales, Sonora during a 3-year period. Aedes aegypti presence or absence at each site was measured three times per year using standard oviposition traps. Maximum and minimum temperature and relative humidity were measured hourly at each site. Field inventories were conducted to measure human housing factors potentially affecting mosquito presence, such as the use of air-conditioning and evaporative coolers, outdoor vegetation cover, and access to piped water. The results showed that Ae. aegypti presence was highly variable across space and time. Aedes aegypti presence was positively associated with highly vegetated areas. Other significant variables included microclimatic differences and access to piped water. This study demonstrates the importance of microclimate and human factors in predicting Ae. aegypti distribution in an arid environment.

  17. Predictors of salivary fistula after total laryngectomy.

    PubMed

    Sousa, Alexandre de Andrade; Porcaro-Salles, José Maria; Soares, João Marcos Arantes; de Moraes, Gustavo Meyer; Carvalho, Jomar Rezende; Silva, Guilherme Souza; Savassi-Rocha, Paulo Roberto

    2013-01-01

    To evaluate the incidence of pharyngocutaneous fistula after total laryngectomy and try to identify its predictors. From May 2005 to April 2010, 93 patients underwent total laryngectomy. We evaluated complications during and after surgery and compared them with the following variables: gender, nutritional status, previous tracheotomy, tumor location, type of surgery, TNM staging, prior treatment with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy, use of flaps for reconstruction and surgical margin. All patients presented with advanced neoplastic disease according to TNM. 14 (15.1%) patients developed postoperative salivary fistula. The mean time to onset of salivary fistula was 3.5 days, with a standard deviation of 13.7 days. Comparing salivary fistula with TNM variables, type of operation and neck dissection, prior tracheotomy, use of flap, preoperative radio and chemotherapy and surgical margin, there was no statistically significant difference (p> 0,05). The incidence of salivary fistula was 15.1% and no predictive factor for its formation was found.

  18. Salivary glands abnormalities in oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum.

    PubMed

    Brotto, Davide; Manara, Renzo; Vio, Stefania; Ghiselli, Sara; Cantone, Elena; Mardari, Rodica; Toldo, Irene; Stritoni, Valentina; Castiglione, Alessandro; Lovo, Elisa; Trevisi, Patrizia; Bovo, Roberto; Martini, Alessandro

    2018-01-01

    Feeding and swallowing impairment are present in up to 80% of oculo-auriculo-vertebral spectrum (OAVS) patients. Salivary gland abnormalities have been reported in OAVS patients but their rate, features, and relationship with phenotype severity have yet to be defined. Parotid and submandibular salivary gland hypo/aplasia was evaluated on head MRI of 25 OAVS patients (16 with severe phenotype, Goldenhar syndrome) and 11 controls. All controls disclosed normal salivary glands. Abnormal parotid glands were found exclusively ipsilateral to facial microsomia in 21/25 OAVS patients (84%, aplasia in six patients) and showed no association with phenotype severity (14/16 patients with Goldenhar phenotype vs 7/9 patients with milder phenotype, p = 0.6). Submandibular salivary gland hypoplasia was detected in six OAVS patients, all with concomitant ipsilateral severe involvement of the parotid gland (p < 0.001). Submandibular salivary gland hypoplasia was associated to Goldenhar phenotype (p < 0.05). Parotid gland abnormalities were associated with ipsilateral fifth (p < 0.001) and seventh cranial nerve (p = 0.001) abnormalities. No association was found between parotid gland anomaly and ipsilateral internal carotid artery, inner ear, brain, eye, or spine abnormalities (p > 0.6). Salivary gland abnormalities are strikingly common in OAVS. Their detection might help the management of OAVS-associated swallowing and feeding impairment.

  19. Evaluation of Andrographis paniculata Burm.f. (Family:Acanthaceae) extracts against Culex quinquefasciatus (Say.) and Aedes aegypti (Linn.) (Diptera:Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Govindarajan, Marimuthu

    2011-03-01

    To investigate the larvicidal and ovicidal efficacy of different extracts of Andrographis paniculata (A. paniculata) against Culex quinquefasciatus (Cx. quinquefasciatus) Say and Aedes aegypti (Ae. aegypti) L. (Diptera: Culicidae). Larvicidal efficacy of the crude leaf extracts of A. paniculata with five different solvents like benzene, hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and chloroform was tested against the early third instar larvae of Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti. The ovicidal activity was determined against two mosquito species to various concentrations ranging from 50-300 ppm under the laboratory conditions. The benzene, hexane, ethyl acetate, methanol and chloroform leaf extract of A. paniculata was found to be more effective against Cx. quinquefasciatus than Ae. aegypti. The LC(50) values were 112.19, 137.48, 118.67, 102.05, 91.20 ppm and 119.58, 146.34, 124.24, 110.12, 99.54 ppm respectively. Among five tested solvent, methanol and ethyl acetate crude extract was found to be most effective for ovicidal activity against two mosquito species. The extract of methanol and ethyl acetate exerted 100% mortality at 200 ppm against Cx. quinquefasciatus and at 250 ppm against Ae. aegypti. From the results it can be concluded the crude extract of A. paniculata was a potential for controlling Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Copyright © 2011 Hainan Medical College. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  20. An In Vitro Culture System for Long-Term Expansion of Epithelial and Mesenchymal Salivary Gland Cells: Role of TGF-β1 in Salivary Gland Epithelial and Mesenchymal Differentiation

    PubMed Central

    Janebodin, Kajohnkiart; Buranaphatthana, Worakanya; Ieronimakis, Nicholas; Hays, Aislinn L.; Reyes, Morayma

    2013-01-01

    Despite a pivotal role in salivary gland development, homeostasis, and disease, the role of salivary gland mesenchyme is not well understood. In this study, we used the Col1a1-GFP mouse model to characterize the salivary gland mesenchyme in vitro and in vivo. The Col1a1-GFP transgene was exclusively expressed in the salivary gland mesenchyme. Ex vivo culture of mixed salivary gland cells in DMEM plus serum medium allowed long-term expansion of salivary gland epithelial and mesenchymal cells. The role of TGF-β1 in salivary gland development and disease is complex. Therefore, we used this in vitro culture system to study the effects of TGF-β1 on salivary gland cell differentiation. TGF-β1 induced the expression of collagen, and inhibited the formation of acini-like structures in close proximity to mesenchymal cells, which adapted a fibroblastic phenotype. In contrast, TGF-βR1 inhibition increased acini genes and fibroblast growth factors (Fgf-7 and Fgf-10), decreased collagen and induced formation of larger, mature acini-like structures. Thus, inhibition of TGF-β signaling may be beneficial for salivary gland differentiation; however, due to differential effects of TGF-β1 in salivary gland epithelial versus mesenchymal cells, selective inhibition is desirable. In conclusion, this mixed salivary gland cell culture system can be used to study epithelial-mesenchymal interactions and the effects of differentiating inducers and inhibitors. PMID:23841093

  1. Evaluation of salivary function in patients with burning mouth syndrome.

    PubMed

    Lee, Y C; Hong, I K; Na, S Y; Eun, Y G

    2015-04-01

    To investigate salivary function in patients with primary burning mouth syndrome (BMS) compared with control and to evaluate salivary hypofunction using salivary gland scintigraphy (SGS). A total of 33 patients with primary BMS and 30 control subjects were enrolled in our study. The severity of the pain and the burning sensation on a 10-cm visual analog scale (VAS) and the Oral Health Impact Profile-14 (OHIP-14) were assessed. Unstimulated and stimulated salivary flow rates (SFRs) were measured. (99m) Tc pertechnetate SGS was used to evaluate salivary gland function. Unstimulated SFR in patients with BMS was significantly lower than that in the control group (0.11 ± 0.15 vs 0.21 ± 0.16 ml min(-1) , P = 0.014). There was no significant difference in stimulated SFR between the two groups. The VAS scores for oral pain and burning sensation, the total OHIP-14 score, and salivary gland function by salivary scintigraphy were not significantly different between BMS patients with normal flow rate and hyposalivation. Patients with primary BMS exhibited a significant decrease in unstimulated SFR compared with control group. In addition, we could not find any difference in salivary gland function between BMS patients with or without hyposalivation. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  2. Bicluster Pattern of Codon Context Usages between Flavivirus and Vector Mosquito Aedes aegypti: Relevance to Infection and Transcriptional Response of Mosquito Genes

    PubMed Central

    Behura, Susanta K.; Severson, David W.

    2014-01-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of dengue virus (DENV) infection in most of the subtropical and tropical countries. Besides DENV, yellow fever virus (YFV) is also transmitted by A. aegypti. Susceptibility of A. aegypti to West Nile virus (WNV) has also been confirmed. Although studies have indicated correlation of codon bias between flaviviridae and their animal/insect hosts, it is not clear if codon sequences have any relation to susceptibility of A. aegypti to DENV, YFV and WNV. In the current study, usages of codon context sequences (codon pairs for neighboring amino acids) of the vector (A. aegypti) genome as well as the flaviviral genomes are investigated. We used bioinformatics methods to quantify codon context bias in a genome-wide manner of A. aegypti as well as DENV, WNV and YFV sequences. Mutual information statistics was applied to perform bicluster analysis of codon context bias between vector and flaviviral sequences. Functional relevance of the bicluster pattern was inferred from published microarray data. Our study shows that codon context bias of DENV, WNV and YFV sequences varies in a bicluster manner with that of specific sets of genes of A. aegypti. Many of these mosquito genes are known to be differentially expressed in response to flaviviral infection suggesting that codon context sequences of A. aegypti and the flaviviruses may play a role in the susceptible interaction between flaviviruses and this mosquito. The bias inusages of codon context sequences likely has a functional association with susceptibility of A. aegypti to flaviviral infection. The results from this study will allow us to conduct hypothesis driven tests to examine the role of codon contexts bias in evolution of vector-virus interactions at the molecular level. PMID:24838953

  3. Pre-treatment of Stegomyia aegypti mosquitoes with a sublethal dose of imidacloprid impairs behavioural avoidance induced by lemon oil and DEET.

    PubMed

    Thany, S H; Tong, F; Bloomquist, J R

    2015-03-01

    The present study was conducted to determine whether imidacloprid can impair the avoidance behaviour of the mosquito Stegomyia aegypti. Laboratory investigations using a T-maze apparatus showed that St. aegypti mosquitoes present long term avoidance behaviour when they are exposed to repetitive trials with lemon oil and DEET. The present study tested the effect of a sublethal dose of imidacloprid on the avoidance behaviour of St. aegypti mosquitoes over a 48 h period. Data suggest that 0.5 ng of imidacloprid/mosquito reduces the avoidance behaviour of mosquitoes exposed to lemon oil, on the first day of exposure, after the second trial; whereas imidacloprid affected DEET repellency only the first day of exposure, after the second trial. Imidacloprid was toxic against St. aegypti mosquitoes, and at sublethal doses was able to impair the repellency induced by lemon oil and DEET. The present data were consistent with the finding that St. aegypti mosquitoes exhibit long term avoidance behaviour, and treatment of mosquitoes with a sublethal dose of imidacloprid under DEET application can affect the repellency of DEET against St. aegypti. © 2014 The Royal Entomological Society.

  4. Toxicity of spinosad to temephos-resistant Aedes aegypti populations in Brazil.

    PubMed

    Dos Santos Dias, Luciana; Macoris, Maria de Lourdes da Graça; Andrighetti, Maria Teresa Macoris; Otrera, Vanessa Camargo Garbeloto; Dias, Adriana Dos Santos; Bauzer, Luiz Guilherme Soares da Rocha; Rodovalho, Cynara de Melo; Martins, Ademir Jesus; Lima, José Bento Pereira

    2017-01-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of different arboviruses and represents a major public health problem. Several Brazilian populations of Ae. aegypti have developed resistance to temephos, the most used organophosphate larvicide. New tools which are less harmful to the environment and safer for humans are becoming increasingly important to control this insect vector. Spinosad, an aerobic fermentation product of a soil actinobacteria, has a favorable environmental profile. It presents selective insecticide properties, a mechanism of action that differs from those of many synthetic chemical insecticides. The toxicity of spinosad and temephos to Aedes aegypti populations from Brazil, which were previously exposed to temephos, were investigated in this study. Larval susceptibility (LC50) to temephos varied from 3μg/L for Rockefeller up to 260 μg/L for Santana do Ipanema field derived population. Larval susceptibility (LC50) to spinosad varied from 23μg/L for Rockefeller up to 93μg/L for Marilia field derived population. In addition, a semi-field trial was performed to evaluate spinosad (NatularTM DT) initial efficacy and persistence toward four field-derived lineages and the Rockefeller lineage, used as an internal control. Spinosad was tested at 0.5mg active ingredient/L in 200L capacity water tanks. Mortality was recorded each 24 hours after exposition and tanks were further recolonized once per week with mortality being recorded daily for eight weeks. Spinosad provided a level equal or superior to 80% mortality during a seven to eight week evaluation period. The assessed populations did not present cross-resistance between spinosad and temephos in laboratory conditions. It demonstrates that spinosad may be a promising larvicide for the control of Ae. aegypti, especially for populations in which resistance to temephos has been detected.

  5. Toxicity of spinosad to temephos-resistant Aedes aegypti populations in Brazil

    PubMed Central

    dos Santos Dias, Luciana; Macoris, Maria de Lourdes da Graça; Andrighetti, Maria Teresa Macoris; Otrera, Vanessa Camargo Garbeloto; Dias, Adriana dos Santos; Bauzer, Luiz Guilherme Soares da Rocha; Rodovalho, Cynara de Melo; Martins, Ademir Jesus; Lima, José Bento Pereira

    2017-01-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the primary vector of different arboviruses and represents a major public health problem. Several Brazilian populations of Ae. aegypti have developed resistance to temephos, the most used organophosphate larvicide. New tools which are less harmful to the environment and safer for humans are becoming increasingly important to control this insect vector. Spinosad, an aerobic fermentation product of a soil actinobacteria, has a favorable environmental profile. It presents selective insecticide properties, a mechanism of action that differs from those of many synthetic chemical insecticides. The toxicity of spinosad and temephos to Aedes aegypti populations from Brazil, which were previously exposed to temephos, were investigated in this study. Larval susceptibility (LC50) to temephos varied from 3μg/L for Rockefeller up to 260 μg/L for Santana do Ipanema field derived population. Larval susceptibility (LC50) to spinosad varied from 23μg/L for Rockefeller up to 93μg/L for Marilia field derived population. In addition, a semi-field trial was performed to evaluate spinosad (NatularTM DT) initial efficacy and persistence toward four field-derived lineages and the Rockefeller lineage, used as an internal control. Spinosad was tested at 0.5mg active ingredient/L in 200L capacity water tanks. Mortality was recorded each 24 hours after exposition and tanks were further recolonized once per week with mortality being recorded daily for eight weeks. Spinosad provided a level equal or superior to 80% mortality during a seven to eight week evaluation period. The assessed populations did not present cross-resistance between spinosad and temephos in laboratory conditions. It demonstrates that spinosad may be a promising larvicide for the control of Ae. aegypti, especially for populations in which resistance to temephos has been detected. PMID:28301568

  6. Incidence and prevalence of salivary gland tumours in Valparaiso, Chile

    PubMed Central

    Araya, Juan; Martinez, René; Niklander, Sven; Marshall, Maureen

    2015-01-01

    Background To determine the incidence and prevalence of salivary gland tumours in the province of Valparaíso, Chile. Material and Methods Retrospective review of salivary gland tumours diagnosed between the years 2000 and 2011 from four local pathology services. Information on demographics and histopathology were retrieved from the medical records. Results The study sample consisted of 279 salivary gland tumours. Prevalence and incidence rates per 100.000 persons were 15.4 and 2.51, respectively. Most of the neoplasms corresponded to benign tumours (70.3%). The most affected gland was the parotid gland. Pleomorphic adenoma was the most common benign tumour (53.8%) and mucoepidermoid carcinoma was the most common malignant tumour (7.2%). Conclusions Salivary gland tumours are uncommon neoplasms that usually arise in the parotid gland. Pleomorphic adenoma and mucoepidermoid carcinoma were the most common benign and malignant tumours reported in this series. Key words:Salivary gland tumours, benign tumours, malignant tumours, salivary glands neoplasms, cancer, neoplasia. PMID:26034925

  7. Measurement of Salivary Cortisone to Assess the Adequacy of Hydrocortisone Replacement.

    PubMed

    Raff, Hershel

    2016-04-01

    This Commentary discusses the study of Debono et al (19) and focuses on the potential use of multiple salivary cortisone measurements to evaluate the adequacy of hydrocortisone replacement therapy. Salivary cortisone, typically measured using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry, accurately reflects plasma free cortisol because of the expression of 11-β -hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase in the salivary gland. Debono et al showed that multiple, sequential salivary cortisone measurements obtained over a 12-hour period correlated with plasma free cortisol in subjects receiving intravenous or oral hydrocortisone (authentic cortisol). Hopefully, these studies will lead to a simplified protocol with fewer samples for the measurement of salivary cortisone that can reliably assess the adequacy of hydrocortisone replacement in patients with adrenal insufficiency. This protocol has to be cost-effective and be feasible to obtain timed salivary samples accurately at home. It would be a significant advance to be able to monitor hydrocortisone replacement therapy with as few as one or two salivary cortisone measurements.

  8. Comparative assessment of the bacterial communities associated with Aedes aegypti larvae and water from domestic water storage containers.

    PubMed

    Dada, Nsa; Jumas-Bilak, Estelle; Manguin, Sylvie; Seidu, Razak; Stenström, Thor-Axel; Overgaard, Hans J

    2014-08-24

    Domestic water storage containers constitute major Aedes aegypti breeding sites. We present for the first time a comparative analysis of the bacterial communities associated with Ae. aegypti larvae and water from domestic water containers. The 16S rRNA-temporal temperature gradient gel electrophoresis (TTGE) was used to identify and compare bacterial communities in fourth-instar Ae. aegypti larvae and water from larvae positive and negative domestic containers in a rural village in northeastern Thailand. Water samples were cultured for enteric bacteria in addition to TTGE. Sequences obtained from TTGE and bacterial cultures were clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTUs) for analyses. Significantly lower OTU abundance was found in fourth-instar Ae. aegypti larvae compared to mosquito positive water samples. There was no significant difference in OTU abundance between larvae and mosquito negative water samples or between mosquito positive and negative water samples. Larval samples had significantly different OTU diversity compared to mosquito positive and negative water samples, with no significant difference between mosquito positive and negative water samples. The TTGE identified 24 bacterial taxa, belonging to the phyla Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes and TM7 (candidate phylum). Seven of these taxa were identified in larval samples, 16 in mosquito positive and 13 in mosquito negative water samples. Only two taxa, belonging to the phyla Firmicutes and Actinobacteria, were common to both larvae and water samples. Bacilli was the most abundant bacterial class identified from Ae. aegypti larvae, Gammaproteobacteria from mosquito positive water samples, and Flavobacteria from mosquito negative water samples. Enteric bacteria belonging to the class Gammaproteobacteria were sparsely represented in TTGE, but were isolated from both mosquito positive and negative water samples by selective culture. Few bacteria from water samples were

  9. Salivary Cortisone Reflects Cortisol Exposure Under Physiological Conditions and After Hydrocortisone.

    PubMed

    Debono, Miguel; Harrison, Robert F; Whitaker, Martin J; Eckland, David; Arlt, Wiebke; Keevil, Brian G; Ross, Richard J

    2016-04-01

    In this study we tested the use of salivary cortisol and cortisone as alternatives to serum cortisol. Salivary cortisol is often undetectable and contaminated by hydrocortisone. Salivary cortisone strongly reflects serum cortisol.

  10. Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti in the continental United States: a vector at the cool margin of its geographic range.

    PubMed

    Eisen, Lars; Moore, Chester G

    2013-05-01

    After more than a half century without recognized local dengue outbreaks in the continental United States, there were recent outbreaks of autochthonous dengue in the southern parts of Texas (2004-2005) and Florida (2009-2011). This dengue reemergence has provoked interest in the extent of the future threat posed by the yellow fever mosquito, Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.), the primary vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses in urban settings, to human health in the continental United States. Ae. aegypti is an intriguing example of a vector species that not only occurs in the southernmost portions of the eastern United States today but also is incriminated as the likely primary vector in historical outbreaks of yellow fever as far north as New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, from the 1690s to the 1820s. For vector species with geographic ranges limited, in part, by low temperature and cool range margins occurring in the southern part of the continental United States, as is currently the case for Ae. aegypti, it is tempting to speculate that climate warming may result in a northward range expansion (similar to that seen for Ixodes tick vectors of Lyme borreliosis spirochetes in Scandinavia and southern Canada in recent decades). Although there is no doubt that climate conditions directly impact many aspects of the life history of Ae. aegypti, this mosquito also is closely linked to the human environment and directly influenced by the availability of water-holding containers for oviposition and larval development. Competition with other container-inhabiting mosquito species, particularly Aedes (Stegomyia) albopictus (Skuse), also may impact the presence and local abundance of Ae. aegypti. Field-based studies that focus solely on the impact of weather or climate factors on the presence and abundance of Ae. aegypti, including assessments of the potential impact of climate warming on the mosquito's future range and abundance, do not consider the potential confounding

  11. Salivary gland tumors

    MedlinePlus

    ... BH, Lund V, et al, eds. Cummings Otolaryngology: Head & Neck Surgery . 6th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier Saunders; 2015: ... PDQ) - health professional version. www.cancer.gov/types/head-and-neck/hp/adult/salivary-gland-treatment-pdq . Updated January ...

  12. A review on symmetries for certain Aedes aegypti models

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Freire, Igor Leite; Torrisi, Mariano

    2015-04-01

    We summarize our results related with mathematical modeling of Aedes aegypti and its Lie symmetries. Moreover, some explicit, group-invariant solutions are also shown. Weak equivalence transformations of more general reaction diffusion systems are also considered. New classes of solutions are obtained.

  13. Differential Susceptibilities of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from the Americas to Zika Virus

    PubMed Central

    Vazeille, Marie; Yebakima, André; Girod, Romain; Goindin, Daniella; Dupont-Rouzeyrol, Myrielle; Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Ricardo; Failloux, Anna-Bella

    2016-01-01

    Background Since the major outbreak in 2007 in the Yap Island, Zika virus (ZIKV) causing dengue-like syndromes has affected multiple islands of the South Pacific region. In May 2015, the virus was detected in Brazil and then spread through South and Central America. In December 2015, ZIKV was detected in French Guiana and Martinique. The aim of the study was to evaluate the vector competence of the mosquito spp. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from the Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe), North America (southern United States), South America (Brazil, French Guiana) for the currently circulating Asian genotype of ZIKV isolated from a patient in April 2014 in New Caledonia. Methodology/Principal Findings Mosquitoes were orally exposed to an Asian genotype of ZIKV (NC-2014-5132). Upon exposure, engorged mosquitoes were maintained at 28°±1°C, a 16h:8h light:dark cycle and 80% humidity. 25–30 mosquitoes were processed at 4, 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi). Mosquito bodies (thorax and abdomen), heads and saliva were analyzed to measure infection, dissemination and transmission, respectively. High infection but lower disseminated infection and transmission rates were observed for both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Ae. aegypti populations from Guadeloupe and French Guiana exhibited a higher dissemination of ZIKV than the other Ae. aegypti populations examined. Transmission of ZIKV was observed in both mosquito species at 14 dpi but at a low level. Conclusions/Significance This study suggests that although susceptible to infection, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were unexpectedly low competent vectors for ZIKV. This may suggest that other factors such as the large naïve population for ZIKV and the high densities of human-biting mosquitoes contribute to the rapid spread of ZIKV during the current outbreak. PMID:26938868

  14. Differential Susceptibilities of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from the Americas to Zika Virus.

    PubMed

    Chouin-Carneiro, Thais; Vega-Rua, Anubis; Vazeille, Marie; Yebakima, André; Girod, Romain; Goindin, Daniella; Dupont-Rouzeyrol, Myrielle; Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Ricardo; Failloux, Anna-Bella

    2016-03-01

    Since the major outbreak in 2007 in the Yap Island, Zika virus (ZIKV) causing dengue-like syndromes has affected multiple islands of the South Pacific region. In May 2015, the virus was detected in Brazil and then spread through South and Central America. In December 2015, ZIKV was detected in French Guiana and Martinique. The aim of the study was to evaluate the vector competence of the mosquito spp. Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus from the Caribbean (Martinique, Guadeloupe), North America (southern United States), South America (Brazil, French Guiana) for the currently circulating Asian genotype of ZIKV isolated from a patient in April 2014 in New Caledonia. Mosquitoes were orally exposed to an Asian genotype of ZIKV (NC-2014-5132). Upon exposure, engorged mosquitoes were maintained at 28° ± 1 °C, a 16h:8h light:dark cycle and 80% humidity. 25-30 mosquitoes were processed at 4, 7 and 14 days post-infection (dpi). Mosquito bodies (thorax and abdomen), heads and saliva were analyzed to measure infection, dissemination and transmission, respectively. High infection but lower disseminated infection and transmission rates were observed for both Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus. Ae. aegypti populations from Guadeloupe and French Guiana exhibited a higher dissemination of ZIKV than the other Ae. aegypti populations examined. Transmission of ZIKV was observed in both mosquito species at 14 dpi but at a low level. This study suggests that although susceptible to infection, Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus were unexpectedly low competent vectors for ZIKV. This may suggest that other factors such as the large naïve population for ZIKV and the high densities of human-biting mosquitoes contribute to the rapid spread of ZIKV during the current outbreak.

  15. Evidence of Polyandry for Aedes aegypti in Semifield Enclosures

    PubMed Central

    Helinski, Michelle E. H.; Valerio, Laura; Facchinelli, Luca; Scott, Thomas W.; Ramsey, Janine; Harrington, Laura C.

    2012-01-01

    Female Aedes aegypti are assumed to be primarily monandrous (i.e., mate only once in their lifetime), but true estimates of mating frequency have not been determined outside the laboratory. To assess polyandry in Ae. aegypti with first-generation progeny from wild mosquitoes, stable isotope semen-labeled males (15N or 13C) were allowed to mate with unlabeled females in semifield enclosures (22.5 m3) in a dengue-endemic area in southern Mexico. On average, 14% of females were positive for both labels, indicating that they received semen from more than one male. Our results provide evidence of a small but potentially significant rate of multiple mating within a 48-hour period and provide an approach for future open-field studies of polyandry in this species. Polyandry has implications for understanding mosquito ecology, evolution, and reproductive behavior as well as genetic strategies for mosquito control. PMID:22492148

  16. Intermolecular interaction of thiosemicarbazone derivatives to solvents and a potential Aedes aegypti target

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    da Silva, João Bosco P.; Hallwass, Fernando; da Silva, Aluizio G.; Moreira, Diogo Rodrigo; Ramos, Mozart N.; Espíndola, José Wanderlan P.; de Oliveira, Ana Daura T.; Brondani, Dalci José; Leite, Ana Cristina L.; Merz, Kenneth M.

    2015-08-01

    DFT calculations were used to access information about structure, energy and electronic properties of series of phenyl- and phenoxymethyl-(thio)semicarbazone derivatives with demonstrated activity against the larvae of Aedes aegypti in stage L4. The way as the thiosemicarbazone derivatives can interact with solvents like DMSO and water were analyzed from the comparison between calculated and experimental 1H NMR chemical shifts. The evidences of thiosemicarbazone derivatives making H-bond interaction to solvent have provide us insights on how they can interact with a potential A. aegypti's biological target, the Sterol Carrier Protein-2.

  17. Childhood Salivary Gland Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

    Cancer.gov

    Salivary gland tumors in children are very rare and prognosis is usually good. Salivary gland tumors may occur after radiation therapy and chemotherapy for treatment of primary leukemia or solid tumors. Get detailed information about the incidence, histology, clinical presentation and treatment of salivary gland tumors in this summary for clinicians.

  18. Salivary Secretory Disorders, Inducing Drugs, and Clinical Management

    PubMed Central

    Miranda-Rius, Jaume; Brunet-Llobet, Lluís; Lahor-Soler, Eduard; Farré, Magí

    2015-01-01

    Background: Salivary secretory disorders can be the result of a wide range of factors. Their prevalence and negative effects on the patient's quality of life oblige the clinician to confront the issue. Aim: To review the salivary secretory disorders, inducing drugs and their clinical management. Methods: In this article, a literature search of these dysfunctions was conducted with the assistance of a research librarian in the MEDLINE/PubMed Database. Results: Xerostomia, or dry mouth syndrome, can be caused by medication, systemic diseases such as Sjögren's Syndrome, glandular pathologies, and radiotherapy of the head and neck. Treatment of dry mouth is aimed at both minimizing its symptoms and preventing oral complications with the employment of sialogogues and topical acting substances. Sialorrhea and drooling, are mainly due to medication or neurological systemic disease. There are various therapeutic, pharmacologic, and surgical alternatives for its management. The pharmacology of most of the substances employed for the treatment of salivary disorders is well-known. Nevertheless, in some cases a significant improvement in salivary function has not been observed after their administration. Conclusion: At present, there are numerous frequently prescribed drugs whose unwanted effects include some kind of salivary disorder. In addition, the differing pathologic mechanisms, and the great variety of existing treatments hinder the clinical management of these patients. The authors have designed an algorithm to facilitate the decision making process when physicians, oral surgeons, or dentists face these salivary dysfunctions. PMID:26516310

  19. Microbiota activates IMD pathway and limits Sindbis infection in Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Barletta, Ana Beatriz Ferreira; Nascimento-Silva, Maria Clara L; Talyuli, Octávio A C; Oliveira, José Henrique M; Pereira, Luiza Oliveira Ramos; Oliveira, Pedro L; Sorgine, Marcos Henrique F

    2017-02-23

    Aedes aegypti is the main vector of important arboviruses such as dengue, Zika and chikungunya. During infections mosquitoes can activate the immune pathways Toll, IMD and JAK/STAT to limit pathogen replication. Here, we evaluate the immune response profile of Ae. aegypti against Sindbis virus (SINV). We analyzed gene expression of components of Toll, IMD and JAK/STAT pathways and showed that a blood meal and virus infection upregulated aaREL2 in a microbiota-dependent fashion, since this induction was prevented by antibiotic. The presence of the microbiota activates IMD and impaired the replication of SINV in the midgut. Constitutive activation of the IMD pathway, by Caspar depletion, leads to a decrease in microbiota levels and an increase in SINV loads. Together, these results suggest that a blood meal is able to activate innate immune pathways, through a nutrient induced growth of microbiota, leading to upregulation of aaREL2 and IMD activation. Microbiota levels seemed to have a reciprocal interaction, where the proliferation of the microbiota activates IMD pathway that in turn controls bacterial levels, allowing SINV replication in Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. The activation of the IMD pathway seems to have an indirect effect in SINV levels that is induced by the microbiota.

  20. Knockdown Resistance Mutations in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) From Puerto Rico.

    PubMed

    Ponce-García, Gustavo; Del Río-Galvan, Samantha; Barrera, Roberto; Saavedra-Rodriguez, Karla; Villanueva-Segura, Karina; Felix, Gilberto; Amador, Manuel; Flores, Adriana E

    2016-11-01

    Permethrin resistance is widespread in Aedes aegypti (L.), the main dengue, zika, and chikungunya virus vector in Latin America and the Caribbean. A common mechanism of resistance to pyrethroids-knockdown resistance (kdr)-is conferred through mutations in the insect's voltage-dependent sodium channel. In this mosquito, around 10 replacement substitutions in the voltage-gated sodium channel gene (vgsc) have been reported in pyrethroid-resistant strains. Two of these mutations, named Ile1,016 and Cys1,534, are widespread in mosquito populations from Latin America and the Caribbean. This study assessed the levels of permethrin resistance and the frequency of two kdr mutations in eight Ae. aegypti populations collected in Puerto Rico in 2013. Permethrin resistance factors ranged from 33-214-fold relative to the New Orleans reference strain. The frequency of kdr mutation Ile1,016 ranged from 0.65 to fixation (1.0), and for Cys1,534 frequencies varied from 0.8 to fixation. Alarmingly, two populations-Carolina and Caguas-reached fixation at both loci. Our results suggest that permethrin effectiveness for Ae. aegypti control is compromised in these collections from Puerto Rico. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  1. Insecticidal and genotoxic potential of two semi-synthetic derivatives of dillapiole for the control of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Domingos, Pedro Rauel Cândido; da Silva Pinto, Ana Cristina; dos Santos, Joselita Maria Mendes; Rafael, Míriam Silva

    2014-09-15

    The effects of two semi-synthetic dillapiole derivatives, ethyl-ether dillapiole and n-butyl ether dillapiole, on eggs and larvae of Aedes aegypti were studied in view of the need for expansion and renovation of strategic action to control this mosquito - the vector of Dengue virus -, which currently shows a high resistance to chemical insecticides. Eggs and third-instar larvae of A. aegypti that had been exposed to different concentrations of these two compounds showed toxicity and susceptibility, with 100% mortality. Classical cytogenetic assays showed genotoxicity caused by the two compounds in A. aegypti from the cumulative effect of nuclear abnormalities, indicating that these derivatives may be potential alternatives to control A. aegypti. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  2. [Susceptibility of Aedes aegypti (L.) strains from Havana to a Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis].

    PubMed

    Menéndez Díaz, Zulema; Rodríguez Rodríguez, Jinnay; Gato Armas, René; Companioni Ibañez, Ariamys; Díaz Pérez, Manuel; Bruzón Aguila, Rosa Yirian

    2012-01-01

    the integration of chemical and biological methods is one of the strategies for the vector control, due to the existing environmental problems and the concerns of the community as a result of the synthetic organic insecticide actions. The bacterium called Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis in liquid formulation has been widely used in the vector control programs in several countries and has shown high efficacy at lab in Cuba. to determine the susceptibility of Aedes aegypti collected in the municipalities of La Habana province to Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis. fifteen Aedes aegypti strains, one from each municipality, were used including larvae and pupas collected in 2010 and one reference strain known as Rockefeller. The aqueous formulation of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bactivec, Labiofam, Cuba) was used. The bioassays complied with the World Health Organization guidelines for use of bacterial larvicides in the public health sector. The larval mortality was read after 24 hours and the results were processed by the statistical system SPSS (11.0) through Probit analysis. the evaluated mosquito strains showed high susceptibility to biolarvicide, there were no significant differences in LC50 values of Ae. aegypti strains, neither in the comparison of these values with those of the reference strain. the presented results indicate that the use of Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis continues to be a choice for the control of Aedes aegypti larval populations in La Habana province.

  3. Modern management of obstructive salivary diseases

    PubMed Central

    Capaccio, P; Torretta, S; Ottaviani, F; Sambataro, G; Pignataro, L

    2007-01-01

    Summary Over the last fifteen years, increasing public demand for minimally-invasive surgery and recent technological advances have led to the development of a number of conservative options for the therapeutic management of obstructive salivary disorders such as calculi and duct stenosis. These include extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy, sialoendoscopy, laser intra-corporeal lithotripsy, interventional radiology, the video-assisted conservative surgical removal of parotid and sub-mandibular calculi and botulinum toxin therapy. Each of these techniques may be used as a single therapeutic modality or in combination with one or more of the above-mentioned options, usually in day case or one-day case under local or general anaesthesia. The multi-modal approach is completely successful in about 80% of patients and reduces the need for gland removal in 3%, thus justifying the combination of, albeit, time-consuming and relatively expensive techniques as part of the modern and functional management of salivary calculi. With regard to the management of salivary duct anomalies, such as strictures and kinkings, interventional radiology with fluoroscopically controlled balloon ductoplasty seems to be the most suitable technique despite the use of radiation. Operative sialoendoscopy alone is the best therapeutic option for all mobile intra-luminal causes of obstruction, such as microliths, mucous plugs or foreign bodies, or for the local treatment of inflammatory conditions such as recurrent chronic parotitis or autoimmune salivary disorders. Finally, in the case of failure of one of the above techniques and regardless of the cause of obstruction, botulinum toxin injection into the parenchyma of the salivary glands using colour Doppler ultrasonographic monitoring should be considered before deciding on surgical gland removal. PMID:17957846

  4. Ecdysis period and rate deviations of dengue mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti reared in different artificial water-holding containers.

    PubMed

    Almanzor, Beatriz Louise J; Ho, Howell T; Carvajal, Thaddeus M

    2016-03-01

    Artificial water-holding containers (AWHCs) have been well-documented in many Aedes aegypti studies for dengue surveillance and developmental research. Hence, we investigated the role of different AHWCs on the development and ecdysis period of Ae. aegypti dengue vector, a container breeding mosquito. Nine types of AWHCs, namely glass, polystyrene foam, rubber, steel, porcelain, plastic, aluminum, clay and concrete, were chosen for the study. All AWHCs were subjected to the developmental assay for an observation period of 10 days. Regression and hazard analyses were employed to the developmental stages and the characteristics of the AWHCs. The observations revealed that Ae. aegypti development is fastest in glass and polystyrene containers while slowest in concrete containers. Moreover, pupal ecdysis appears to be the most affected by the characteristics of the AWHCs based on regression and hazard analyses. Characteristics of the container that can regulate water temperature seem to be the driving force with regards to the slow or fast development of Ae. aegypti, more notably in pupal ecdysis. The results of the study further strengthen our understanding on the dynamics of Ae. aegypti's developmental biology to different characteristics of artificial water containers. This, in turn, would aid in devising vector control strategies against dengue especially in endemic areas.

  5. Neutron therapy for salivary and thyroid gland cancer

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Gribova, O. V.; Musabaeva, L. I.; Choynzonov, E. L.; Lisin, V. A.; Novikov, V. A.

    2016-08-01

    The purpose of this study was to analyze the results of the combined modality treatment and radiation therapy using 6.3 MeV fast neutrons for salivary gland cancer and prognostically unfavorable thyroid gland cancer. The study group comprised 127 patients with salivary gland cancer and 46 patients with thyroid gland cancer, who received neutron therapy alone and in combination with surgery. The results obtained demonstrated that the combined modality treatment including fast neutron therapy led to encouraging local control in patients with salivary and thyroid gland cancers.

  6. Neutron therapy for salivary and thyroid gland cancer

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Gribova, O. V., E-mail: gribova79@mail.ru; Choynzonov, E. L., E-mail: nii@oncology.tomsk.ru; National Research Tomsk Polytechnic University, Lenina Avenue 30, Tomsk, 634050

    The purpose of this study was to analyze the results of the combined modality treatment and radiation therapy using 6.3 MeV fast neutrons for salivary gland cancer and prognostically unfavorable thyroid gland cancer. The study group comprised 127 patients with salivary gland cancer and 46 patients with thyroid gland cancer, who received neutron therapy alone and in combination with surgery. The results obtained demonstrated that the combined modality treatment including fast neutron therapy led to encouraging local control in patients with salivary and thyroid gland cancers.

  7. The Rapalogue, CCI-779, improves salivary gland function following radiation.

    PubMed

    Morgan-Bathke, Maria; Harris, Zoey I; Arnett, Deborah G; Klein, Rob R; Burd, Randy; Ann, David K; Limesand, Kirsten H

    2014-01-01

    The standard of care for head and neck cancer typically includes surgical resection of the tumor followed by targeted head and neck radiation. However depending on tumor location and stage, some cases may not require surgical resection while others may be treated with chemoradiation. Unfortunately, these radiation treatments cause chronic negative side effects for patients. These side effects are associated with damage to surrounding normal salivary gland tissue and include xerostomia, changes in taste and malnutrition. The underlying mechanisms of chronic radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction are unknown, however, in rodent models persistently elevated proliferation is correlated with reduced stimulated salivary flow. The rapalogue, CCI-779, has been used in other cell systems to induce autophagy and reduce proliferation, therefore the aim of this study was to determine if CCI-779 could be utilized to ameliorate chronic radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction. Four to six week old Atg5f/f; Aqp5-Cre, Atg5+/+; Aqp5-Cre and FVB mice were treated with targeted head and neck radiation. FVB mice were treated with CCI-779, chloroquine, or DMSO post-radiation. Stimulated salivary flow rates were determined and parotid and submandibular salivary gland tissues were collected for analyses. Mice with a defect in autophagy, via a conditional knockout of Atg5 in the salivary glands, display increased compensatory proliferation in the acinar cell compartment and hypertrophy at 24-72 hours following radiation. FVB mice treated with post-therapy CCI-779 have significant improvements in salivary gland physiology as determined by stimulated salivary flow rates, proliferation indices and amylase production and secretion. Consequently, post-radiation use of CCI-779 allows for improvement of salivary gland function and reestablishment of glandular homeostasis. As CCI-779 is already FDA approved for other uses, it could have a secondary use to alleviate the chronic side

  8. Insecticide resistance in two Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) strains from Costa Rica.

    PubMed

    Bisset, J A; Marín, R; Rodríguez, M M; Severson, D W; Ricardo, Y; French, L; Díaz, M; Pérez, O

    2013-03-01

    Dengue (family Flaviridae, genus Flavivirus, DENV) and dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF) are presently important public health problems in Costa Rica. The primary strategy for disease control is based on reducing population densities of the main mosquito vector Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae). This is heavily dependent on use of chemical insecticides, thus the development of resistance is a frequent threat to control program effectiveness. The objective of this study was to determine the levels of insecticide resistance and the metabolic resistance mechanisms involved in two Ae. aegypti strains collected from two provinces (Puntarenas and Limon) in Costa Rica. Bioassays with larvae were performed according to World Health Organization guidelines and resistance in adults was measured through standard bottle assays. The activities of beta-esterases, cytochrome P450 monooxygenases, and glutathione S-transferases (GST), were assayed through synergists and biochemical tests, wherein the threshold criteria for each enzyme was established using the susceptible Rockefeller strain. The results showed higher resistance levels to the organophosphate (OP) temephos and the pyrethroid deltamethrin in larvae. The efficacy of commercial formulations of temephos in controlling Ae. aegypti populations was 100% mortality up to 11 and 12 d posttreatment with daily water replacements in test containers. Temephos and deltamethrin resistance in larvae were associated with high esterase activity, but not to cytochrome P450 monooxygenase or GST activities. Adult mosquitoes were resistant to deltamethrin, and susceptible to bendiocarb, chlorpyrifos, and cypermethrin. Because temephos and deltamethrin resistance are emerging at the studied sites, alternative insecticides should be considered. The insecticides chlorpyrifos and cypermethrin could be good candidates to use as alternatives for Ae. aegypti control.

  9. Impact of Terminalia chebula Retz. against Aedes aegypti L. and non-target aquatic predatory insects.

    PubMed

    Thanigaivel, Annamalai; Vasantha-Srinivasan, Prabhakaran; Senthil-Nathan, Sengottayan; Edwin, Edward-Sam; Ponsankar, Athirstam; Chellappandian, Muthiah; Selin-Rani, Selvaraj; Lija-Escaline, Jalasteen; Kalaivani, Kandaswamy

    2017-03-01

    Aedes aegypti Linn is one of the most important mosquito species. The vectors are responsible for causing deadly diseases like dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever. Several chemical pesticides used to control these dengue vectors caused severe toxic significances on human health and other non-target beneficial insects. Therefore the current investigation has been made to access the bio-efficacy of the crude seed extracts of T. chebula against the dengue vector Ae. aegypti. The GC-MS analysis of crude seed extracts of T. chebula identified nine chemical compounds with major peak area in the 1,2,3-Benzenetriol (61.96%), followed by Tridecanoic acid (09.55%). Ae. aegypti larvae showed dose dependent mortality rate was observed between the treatments. Prominent protection rate at greater concentrations of 100ppm and moderate protection at 75 and 50ppm was observed in the repellent assay. Lethal concentration (LC 50 and LC 90 ) of fourth instar larvae of Ae. aegypti was observed in 138 and 220ppm concentration respectively. Similarly, the seed extracts showed 100% adulticidal activity at the concentration of 400ppm at 30min of exposure time. Phytochemicals present in the seed extracts of T. chebula significantly affects the major portions of the midgut tissues of Ae. aegypti at the concentration of 100ppm. The toxicological evaluation of seed extracts also proved non-toxic towards the A. bouvieri and Tx. splendens aquatic predatory insects. Hence, the present result suggest that bio-rational plant derived T. chebula could be incorporated in the dengue vector control and have no adverse effects on non-target beneficial insects. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  10. An eco-physiological model of the impact of temperature on Aedes aegypti life history traits.

    PubMed

    Padmanabha, Harish; Correa, Fabio; Legros, Mathieu; Nijhout, H Fredrick; Lord, Cynthia; Lounibos, L Philip

    2012-12-01

    Physiological processes mediate the impact of ecological conditions on the life histories of insect vectors. For the dengue/chikungunya mosquito, Aedes aegypti, three life history traits that are critical to urban population dynamics and control are: size, development rate and starvation mortality. In this paper we make use of prior laboratory experiments on each of these traits at 2°C intervals between 20 and 30°C, in conjunction with eco-evolutionary theory and studies on A.aegypti physiology, in order to develop a conceptual and mathematical framework that can predict their thermal sensitivity. Our model of reserve dependent growth (RDG), which considers a potential tradeoff between the accumulation of reserves and structural biomass, was able to robustly predict laboratory observations, providing a qualitative improvement over the approach most commonly used in other A.aegypti models. RDG predictions of reduced size at higher temperatures, but increased reserves relative to size, are supported by the available evidence in Aedes spp. We offer the potentially general hypothesis that temperature-size patterns in mosquitoes are driven by a net benefit of finishing the growing stage with proportionally greater reserves relative to structure at warmer temperatures. By relating basic energy flows to three fundamental life history traits, we provide a mechanistic framework for A.aegypti development to which ecological complexity can be added. Ultimately, this could provide a framework for developing and field testing hypotheses on how processes such as climate variation, density dependent regulation, human behavior or control strategies may influence A.aegypti population dynamics and disease risk. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  11. Ascogregarina taiwanensis infection in Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in Santa Catarina, South Brazil.

    PubMed

    Prophiro, Josiane Somariva; Pereira, Thiago Nunes; Oliveira, Joice Guilherme de; Dandolini, Guilherme Werner; Silva, Mario Antonio Navarro da; Silva, Onilda Santos da

    2017-01-01

    This study registers Ascogregarina spp. infection in field populations of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in a subtropical region of Brazil. Mosquito larvae collected in tires placed in four municipalities of Santa Catarina were identified morphologically and assessed for Ascogregarina sp. infection using morphological and molecular methods. Both mosquito species harbored Ascogregarina taiwanensis, whose genomic DNA was confirmed in both the Aedes species by PCR. DNA sequences were deposited in GenBank. Conclusion: Both Ae. albopictus e Ae. aegypti harbor Ascogregarina sp.

  12. Salivary biomarkers of neural hypervigilance in trauma-exposed women.

    PubMed

    Yoon, Seungyeon A; Weierich, Mariann R

    2016-01-01

    More than half of all adults will be exposed to a traumatic event at some point in their lives, yet we do not yet have reliable biomarkers to help predict who experiences trauma-related symptoms in response to exposure. We tested the utility of salivary cortisol and salivary alpha amylase as markers of (1) neural reactivity to negative affective information and (2) neural hypervigilance in the absence of threat. 20 women (mean age 23.6 +/- 5.8 years) with a history of trauma exposure. Salivary cortisol and alpha amylase reactivity were measured in response to a trauma reminder during a clinical interview. Neural reactivity to novel and familiar affective scenes was measured in a later session using functional magnetic resonance imaging. Salivary alpha amylase, but not cortisol, increased in response to the trauma reminder. Salivary alpha amylase reactivity was associated with neural reactivity in the salience network in response to novel negative scenes and neural hypervigilance as indexed by reactivity to novel neutral scenes. Salivary alpha amylase might serve as a more reliable marker of trauma-related reactivity to negative affective information, and also as a marker of hypervigilance in the absence of threatening information. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  13. Population genomics reveals that an anthropophilic population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in West Africa recently gave rise to American and Asian populations of this major disease vector.

    PubMed

    Crawford, Jacob E; Alves, Joel M; Palmer, William J; Day, Jonathan P; Sylla, Massamba; Ramasamy, Ranjan; Surendran, Sinnathamby N; Black, William C; Pain, Arnab; Jiggins, Francis M

    2017-02-28

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector of dengue, Zika, chikungunya and yellow fever viruses. This major disease vector is thought to have arisen when the African subspecies Ae. aegypti formosus evolved from being zoophilic and living in forest habitats into a form that specialises on humans and resides near human population centres. The resulting domestic subspecies, Ae. aegypti aegypti, is found throughout the tropics and largely blood-feeds on humans. To understand this transition, we have sequenced the exomes of mosquitoes collected from five populations from around the world. We found that Ae. aegypti specimens from an urban population in Senegal in West Africa were more closely related to populations in Mexico and Sri Lanka than they were to a nearby forest population. We estimate that the populations in Senegal and Mexico split just a few hundred years ago, and we found no evidence of Ae. aegypti aegypti mosquitoes migrating back to Africa from elsewhere in the tropics. The out-of-Africa migration was accompanied by a dramatic reduction in effective population size, resulting in a loss of genetic diversity and rare genetic variants. We conclude that a domestic population of Ae. aegypti in Senegal and domestic populations on other continents are more closely related to each other than to other African populations. This suggests that an ancestral population of Ae. aegypti evolved to become a human specialist in Africa, giving rise to the subspecies Ae. aegypti aegypti. The descendants of this population are still found in West Africa today, and the rest of the world was colonised when mosquitoes from this population migrated out of Africa. This is the first report of an African population of Ae. aegypti aegypti mosquitoes that is closely related to Asian and American populations. As the two subspecies differ in their ability to vector disease, their existence side by side in West Africa may have important implications for disease transmission.

  14. Evaluation of collection methods for Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes aegypti, and Aedes simpsoni in northeastern Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Thornton, Jonathan Harold; Batengana, Bernard Malongo; Eiras, Alvaro Eduardo; Irish, Seth Robert

    2016-12-01

    In East Africa, significant morbidity and mortality are caused by infections spread by Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti. Sticky traps have been shown to be effective tools for sampling populations of Aedes mosquitoes and have been found to catch Cx. quinquefasciatus. Thus, they could potentially be used to sample populations of this species. This study compared Sticky ovitraps (SO) and MosquiTraps (MQT) with the CDC Gravid trap (CDC-GT) for collection of Culex and Aedes mosquito populations in Tanzania. A follow-up experiment was carried out using traps set for a 24-h period to accommodate the oviposition habits of Aedes aegypti and Ae. simpsoni s.l. mosquitoes. The results showed that the CDC-GT caught significantly more Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. aegypti than the SO or MQT, but there was no significant difference in the number of mosquitoes caught between the two sticky traps or of Ae. simpsoni s.l. caught among the three trap types. The results suggest that CDC-GTs are the most appropriate in sampling of Cx. quinquefasciatus. Although CDC-GTs collected more Ae. aegypti than the sticky traps, the simplicity and cost benefit of sticky traps facilitates large scale studies. All three trap types should be considered for monitoring Aedes mosquitoes. © 2016 The Society for Vector Ecology.

  15. Assessment of glucocorticoid therapy with salivary cortisol in secondary adrenal insufficiency.

    PubMed

    Ceccato, Filippo; Albiger, Nora; Reimondo, Giuseppe; Frigo, Anna Chiara; Ferasin, Sergio; Occhi, Gianluca; Mantero, Franco; Terzolo, Massimo; Scaroni, Carla

    2012-12-01

    Appropriate glucocorticoid replacement therapy in adrenal insufficiency (AI) is crucial, given the risks of chronic under- or overtreatment, particularly in patients on multiple medications. Salivary sampling allows for non-invasive, stress-free cortisol measurement. To determine whether salivary cortisol measurement is helpful in assessing the adequacy of glucocorticoid therapy with cortisone acetate (CA) in patients with secondary AI. A prospective cohort study at the Endocrinology Unit of Padua University Hospital. Six samples of salivary cortisol were collected from 28 patients with secondary AI on CA treatment and from 36 healthy volunteers at fixed times of the day, and used to calculate salivary cortisol levels at each time point and the area under the curve (AUC) across the different sampling times. Salivary cortisol levels were lower in patients than in controls in the morning but no differences were found in the afternoon or at night before resting. Salivary cortisol levels were higher in patients immediately following CA administration. Ten patients showed an AUC above the 97.5th percentile of controls, without clinical signs of hypercortisolism, and salivary cortisol levels 90 min after each dose of CA predict the AUC. All patients had severe GH deficiency and there were no differences in salivary cortisol levels or AUC between patients treated or not with GH. Two salivary cortisol determinations, able to predict the daily AUC, may allow for assessing the adequacy of glucocorticoid replacement therapy in secondary AI and for identifying cases of over- or undertreatment.

  16. Comparison of the effects of pilocarpine and cevimeline on salivary flow.

    PubMed

    Braga, M A; Tarzia, O; Bergamaschi, C C; Santos, F A; Andrade, E D; Groppo, F C

    2009-05-01

    The aim of the present study was to compare the effect of low-dose pilocarpine and cevimeline as stimulants for salivary flow in healthy subjects. In this cross-over clinical trial with a 1-week washout period, 40 male volunteers were submitted to an oral dose of pilocarpine 1% (Salagen) -60 microg kg(-1) body-weight (Group 1) or Cevimeline (Evoxac) -30 mg (Group 2). Saliva samples were collected and the salivary flow rate was measured (ml min(-1)) at baseline and 20, 40, 60, 80, 140 and 200 min after administration of drugs. In addition, salivary secretion was also measured under mechanical stimulation to observe salivary gland function. The data were analyzed by Friedman and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests (significance level = 5%). Pilocarpine and cevimeline significantly increased salivary flow 140 min after intake. There was a significant higher secretion with cevimeline 140 and 200 min after administration. There were no differences seen among subjects in the salivary glands function by mechanical stimulation. Both drugs showed efficacy in increasing the salivary flow in healthy volunteers, but cevimeline was more effective than pilocarpine.

  17. Developing Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) as a tool Mosquito Control Districts can use for integrated Aedes aegypti control

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Uncontrolled populations of Aedes aegypti pose a significant public health-risk to humans as a vector of dangerous arboviruses in most of the tropical and much of the temperate regions of the world. Aedes aegypti are difficult to control because they exploit abundant artificial containers around ho...

  18. Salivary DNA and markers of oxidative stress in patients with chronic periodontitis.

    PubMed

    Baňasová, Lenka; Kamodyová, Natália; Janšáková, Katarína; Tóthová, Ľubomíra; Stanko, Peter; Turňa, Ján; Celec, Peter

    2015-03-01

    Previous observational studies have shown that periodontal status is associated with salivary markers of oxidative damage. A direct comparison of periodontitis patients and controls using a wide palette of salivary markers of oxidative stress is lacking. Characteristics of salivary DNA in periodontitis are unknown. The aim of this study was to compare the salivary markers of oxidative stress and characteristics of salivary DNA between patients with chronic periodontitis and periodontitis-free controls. Saliva was collected from 23 patients with chronic periodontitis and 19 periodontitis-free controls. All participants underwent a clinical periodontal examination. Markers of oxidative and carbonyl stress were measured in saliva. Human and bacterial DNA was quantified, and human DNA integrity was assessed. Salivary thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances were higher in patients than in controls; at least in men, the difference was significant (p < 0.01). In women, patients had significantly lower salivary antioxidant status (p < 0.001). No quantitative differences were found regarding salivary DNA. Tendencies towards reduced DNA integrity were found in periodontitis patients. The results confirmed the association of salivary thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances with periodontitis. Lipid peroxidation in periodontitis seems to be caused by increased production of reactive oxygen species in men and by decreased antioxidant status in women. Whether lower salivary DNA integrity is involved in the pathogenesis of periodontitis remains to be elucidated. Salivary thiobarbituric acid-reacting substances are associated with periodontitis at least on a population level. Sex-specific causes of lipid peroxidation might point towards different pathogenic mechanisms.

  19. Dietary Vitamin C, E and β-Carotene Intake Does Not Significantly Affect Plasma or Salivary Antioxidant Indices and Salivary C-Reactive Protein in Older Subjects

    PubMed Central

    Gawron-Skarbek, Anna; Prymont-Przymińska, Anna; Godala, Małgorzata; Kolmaga, Agnieszka; Nowak, Dariusz; Szatko, Franciszek; Kostka, Tomasz

    2017-01-01

    It is not clear whether habitual dietary intake influences the antioxidant or inflammatory status. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of antioxidative vitamins C, E, and β-carotene obtained from daily food rations on plasma and salivary Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), uric acid and salivary C-reactive protein (CRP). The study involved 80 older subjects (66.9 ± 4.3 years), divided into two groups: group 1 (n = 43) with lower and group 2 (n = 37) with higher combined vitamins C, E and β-carotene intake. A 24-h dietary recall was obtained from each individual. TAC was assessed simultaneously with two methods in plasma (Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma—FRAP, 2.2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl—DPPH) and in saliva (FRAS and DPPHS test). Lower vitamin C intake corresponded to higher FRAS. There were no other correlations between vitamins C, E or β-carotene intake and antioxidant indices. Salivary CRP was not related to any antioxidant indices. FRAS was decreased in group 2 (p < 0.01) but no other group differences for salivary or for plasma antioxidant parameters and salivary CRP were found. Habitual, not extra supplemented dietary intake does not significantly affect plasma or salivary TAC and salivary CRP. PMID:28698489

  20. Dietary Vitamin C, E and β-Carotene Intake Does Not Significantly Affect Plasma or Salivary Antioxidant Indices and Salivary C-Reactive Protein in Older Subjects.

    PubMed

    Gawron-Skarbek, Anna; Guligowska, Agnieszka; Prymont-Przymińska, Anna; Godala, Małgorzata; Kolmaga, Agnieszka; Nowak, Dariusz; Szatko, Franciszek; Kostka, Tomasz

    2017-07-09

    It is not clear whether habitual dietary intake influences the antioxidant or inflammatory status. The aim of the present study was to assess the impact of antioxidative vitamins C, E, and β-carotene obtained from daily food rations on plasma and salivary Total Antioxidant Capacity (TAC), uric acid and salivary C-reactive protein (CRP). The study involved 80 older subjects (66.9 ± 4.3 years), divided into two groups: group 1 ( n = 43) with lower and group 2 ( n = 37) with higher combined vitamins C, E and β-carotene intake. A 24-h dietary recall was obtained from each individual. TAC was assessed simultaneously with two methods in plasma (Ferric Reducing Ability of Plasma-FRAP, 2.2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-DPPH) and in saliva (FRAS and DPPHS test). Lower vitamin C intake corresponded to higher FRAS. There were no other correlations between vitamins C, E or β-carotene intake and antioxidant indices. Salivary CRP was not related to any antioxidant indices. FRAS was decreased in group 2 ( p < 0.01) but no other group differences for salivary or for plasma antioxidant parameters and salivary CRP were found. Habitual, not extra supplemented dietary intake does not significantly affect plasma or salivary TAC and salivary CRP.

  1. Salivary cortisol levels, but not salivary α-amylase levels, are elevated in patients with rheumatoid arthritis irrespective of depression.

    PubMed

    Kim, Hyoun-Ah; Jeon, Ja-Young; Koh, Bo-Ram; Park, Sat-Byul; Suh, Chang-Hee

    2016-02-01

    Stress is recognized as an important factor in the etiology of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Therefore, we explored multiple aspects of stress in RA patients. Salivary cortisol and α-amylase levels were measured as markers of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis activity and sympatho-adrenomedullary system activity, respectively. Depression was assessed by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and short-term analysis of the heart rate variability (HRV) was performed to evaluate the autonomic nervous system. The salivary cortisol levels of the RA patients were significantly higher than those of the normal controls (NC; 0.12 ± 0.162 μg/dL vs. 0.068 ± 0.052 μg/dL, P = 0.006). There was no difference in salivary α-amylase levels between the RA and the NC. The BDI levels of the RA patients were significantly higher than the NC (13.7 ± 8.9 vs. 6.4 ± 6.9, P < 0.001). Depression was more prevalent in RA patients than in the NC. The salivary cortisol levels were still significantly higher in the RA than the NC after controlling BDI by logistic regression analysis (P = 0.002). There was no significant difference in the HRV of RA patients and the NC. The evaluation of relationship between stress measures and disease activity markers of RA revealed that only BDI was positively correlated with the visual analogue pain scale. Salivary cortisol levels and the BDI of RA patients were higher than those of the NC, and elevated salivary cortisol levels were independent of depression. However, the level of stress may not be correlated with disease activity in RA. © 2013 Asia Pacific League of Associations for Rheumatology and Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

  2. Proteomics informed by transcriptomics identifies novel secreted proteins in Dermacentor andersoni saliva

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Mudenda, Lwiindi; Aguilar Pierle, Sebastian; Turse, Joshua E.

    2014-08-07

    Dermacentor andersoni, known as the Rocky Mountain wood tick, is found in the western United States and transmits pathogens that cause diseases of veterinary and public health importance including Rocky Mountain spotted fever, tularemia, Colorado tick fever and bovine anaplasmosis. Tick saliva is known to modulate both innate and acquired immune responses, enabling ticks to feed for several days without detection. During feeding ticks subvert host defences such as hemostasis and inflammation, which would otherwise result in coagulation, wound repair and rejection of the tick. Molecular characterization of the proteins and pharmacological molecules secreted in tick saliva offers an opportunitymore » to develop tick vaccines as an alternative to the use of acaricides, as well as new anti-inflammatory drugs. We performed proteomics informed by transcriptomics to identify D. andersoni saliva proteins that are secreted during feeding. The transcript data generated a database of 21,797 consensus sequences, which we used to identify 677 proteins secreted in the saliva of D. andersoni ticks fed for 2 and 5 days, following proteomic investigations of whole saliva using mass spectrometry. Salivary gland transcript levels of unfed ticks were compared with 2 and 5 day fed ticks to identify genes upregulated early during tick feeding. We cross-referenced the proteomic data with the transcriptomic data to identify 157 proteins of interest for immunomodulation and blood feeding. Proteins of unknown function as well as known immunomodulators were identified.« less

  3. Resistance of Aëdes aegypti to certain chlorinated hydrocarbon and organo-phosphorus insecticides in Puerto Rico*

    PubMed Central

    Fox, Irving

    1961-01-01

    Failure to control Aëdes aegypti in Puerto Rico has suggested resistance to the insecticides, particularly DDT. A laboratory colony (named Isla Verde strain) was established from material obtained near the International Airport. This strain proved highly resistant to DDT and dieldrin as well as various other insecticides. The scientific and practical significance of this is far-reaching. Heretofore, it was thought that populations of Aëdes aegypti could be resistant to the DDT group of insecticides or to the dieldrin group but not to both, and that one type of resistance involved biochemical, toxicological and genetic characteristics different from the other. This theory must now be modified or even abandoned. From the practical point of view, it is clear that the continued use of DDT or dieldrin for Aëdes aegypti control in Puerto Rico is questionable, for it is not wise to attempt to overcome high resistance by increasing the concentration or rate of application. Further, the situation demonstrated for Puerto Rico may also obtain in other islands of the Caribbean where Aëdes aegypti is known to be DDT-resistant. PMID:13701099

  4. Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Longevity and Differential Emergence of Dengue Fever in Two Cities in Sonora, Mexico.

    PubMed

    Ernst, Kacey C; Walker, Kathleen R; Reyes-Castro, Pablo; Joy, Teresa K; Castro-Luque, A Lucia; Diaz-Caravantes, Rolando E; Gameros, Mercedes; Haenchen, Steven; Hayden, Mary H; Monaghan, Andrew; Jeffrey-Guttierez, Eileen; Carrière, Yves; Riehle, Michael R

    2017-01-01

    Dengue virus, primarily transmitted by the Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquito, has rapidly expanded in geographic extent over the past several decades. In some areas, however, dengue fever has not emerged despite established Ae. aegypti populations. The reasons for this are unclear and have sometimes been attributed to socio-economic differences. In 2013 we compared Ae. aegypti adult density and population age structure between two cities in Sonora, Mexico: Hermosillo, which has regular seasonal dengue virus transmission, and Nogales, which has minimal transmission. Larval and pupal abundance was greater in Nogales, and adult density was only higher in Hermosillo during September. Population age structure, however, was consistently older in Hermosillo. This difference in longevity may have been one factor that limited dengue virus transmission in Nogales in 2013, as a smaller proportion of Ae. aegypti females survived past the extrinsic incubation period. © The Authors 2016. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  5. Correlation Between Body Movements and Salivary Secretion During Sedation.

    PubMed

    Sasaki, Yoko; Kato, Seiichi; Miura, Masaaki; Fukayama, Haruhisa

    2016-01-01

    During dental sedation, control of the cough reflex is crucial for a safe and smooth procedure. Accumulated saliva is one of the predisposing factors for coughing. Body movements during dental sedation appear to enhance salivation. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the difference in salivary secretion between the with-movements state and the without-movements state during sedation. Salivary weight for 1 min was measured 3 times in 27 patients with intellectual disability during dental treatment under deep sedation with midazolam and propofol. The observed variables were body movements, bispectral index (BIS), and predicted propofol effect-site concentration. A total of 81 measurements were classified into the with-movements state (n = 39; ie, measurements during which body movements were observed) or the without-movements state (n = 42; ie, measurements during which no body movements were observed). The median salivary weight was significantly smaller in the without-movements state compared with the with-movements state (0.03 vs 0.11 g, P < .0001). The BIS was significantly lower in the without-movements state. There was no significant difference in the predicted propofol effect-site concentration between the 2 states. Significant correlation was observed between salivary weight and BIS in the with-movements state (r = 0.44, P = .004). The findings indicate that salivary secretion decreased according to deep sedation. Furthermore, immobility also reduced salivary secretion. We concluded that one reason that immobility is beneficial is because of the resulting decreased salivary secretion during dental treatment under deep sedation.

  6. Correlation between Salivary Glucose and Blood Glucose and the Implications of Salivary Factors on the Oral Health Status in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients.

    PubMed

    Puttaswamy, Kavitha A; Puttabudhi, Jaishankar H; Raju, Shashidara

    2017-01-01

    The purpose of this study was to estimate and assess any correlation between random capillary blood glucose (RCBG) and unstimulated whole salivary glucose (UWSG), as well as to estimate various salivary parameters, such as flow rate, pH, buffering capacity, and the influence of these factors on the oral health status in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Sixty individuals suffering from type 2 DM and 40 healthy individuals in the age group of 30-60 years were included in the study. RCBG was estimated using glucometer and UWSG was estimated using photocolorimeter. Salivary parameters such as flow rate, pH, and buffering capacity were assessed using GC ® Saliva kit. Oral health status was recorded using the Russell's periodontal index (RPI) and the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16 was used for statistical analysis. Type 2 diabetics had higher mean values for RCBG levels and UWSG. Type 2 diabetics had low mean salivary flow rate, pH, and buffering capacity. Type 2 diabetics had higher mean values for RPI. Among the salivary factors studied, salivary glucose significantly influenced the periodontal status in Type 2 diabetics.

  7. Salivary Glands in Predatory Mollusks: Evolutionary Considerations.

    PubMed

    Ponte, Giovanna; Modica, Maria Vittoria

    2017-01-01

    Many marine mollusks attain or increase their predatory efficiency using complex chemical secretions, which are often produced and delivered through specialized anatomical structures of the foregut. The secretions produced in venom glands of Conus snails and allies have been extensively studied, revealing an amazing chemical diversity of small, highly constrained neuropeptides, whose characterization led to significant pharmacological developments. Conversely, salivary glands, the other main secretory structures of molluscan foregut, have been neglected despite their shared occurrence in the two lineages including predatory members: Gastropoda and Cephalopoda. Over the last few years, the interest for the chemistry of salivary mixtures increased based on their potential biomedical applications. Recent investigation with -omics technologies are complementing the classical biochemical descriptions, that date back to the 1950s, highlighting the high level of diversification of salivary secretions in predatory mollusks, and suggesting they can be regarded as a pharmaceutical cornucopia. As with other animal venoms, some of the salivary toxins are reported to target, for example, sodium and/or potassium ion channels or receptors and transporters for neurotransmitters such as, glutamate, serotonin, neurotensin, and noradrenaline, thus manipulating the neuromuscular system of the preys. Other bioactive components possess anticoagulant, anesthetic and hypotensive activities. Here, we overview available knowledge on the salivary glands of key predatory molluscan taxa, gastropods, and cephalopods, summarizing their anatomical, physiological and biochemical complexity in order to facilitate future comparative studies on main evolutionary trends and functional convergence in the acquisition of successful predatory strategies.

  8. Salivary Glands in Predatory Mollusks: Evolutionary Considerations

    PubMed Central

    Ponte, Giovanna; Modica, Maria Vittoria

    2017-01-01

    Many marine mollusks attain or increase their predatory efficiency using complex chemical secretions, which are often produced and delivered through specialized anatomical structures of the foregut. The secretions produced in venom glands of Conus snails and allies have been extensively studied, revealing an amazing chemical diversity of small, highly constrained neuropeptides, whose characterization led to significant pharmacological developments. Conversely, salivary glands, the other main secretory structures of molluscan foregut, have been neglected despite their shared occurrence in the two lineages including predatory members: Gastropoda and Cephalopoda. Over the last few years, the interest for the chemistry of salivary mixtures increased based on their potential biomedical applications. Recent investigation with -omics technologies are complementing the classical biochemical descriptions, that date back to the 1950s, highlighting the high level of diversification of salivary secretions in predatory mollusks, and suggesting they can be regarded as a pharmaceutical cornucopia. As with other animal venoms, some of the salivary toxins are reported to target, for example, sodium and/or potassium ion channels or receptors and transporters for neurotransmitters such as, glutamate, serotonin, neurotensin, and noradrenaline, thus manipulating the neuromuscular system of the preys. Other bioactive components possess anticoagulant, anesthetic and hypotensive activities. Here, we overview available knowledge on the salivary glands of key predatory molluscan taxa, gastropods, and cephalopods, summarizing their anatomical, physiological and biochemical complexity in order to facilitate future comparative studies on main evolutionary trends and functional convergence in the acquisition of successful predatory strategies. PMID:28848453

  9. Developing Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) as a tool Mosquito Control Districts can use for integrated Aedes aegypti control

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    New tools are clearly needed for integrated mosquito management of Ae. aegypti. We describe the sterile insect technique (SIT) that we are developing as a method to control Ae. aegypti by partnering with two prominent Florida mosquito control districts (MCD) and the FAO/IAEA Insect Pest Control Sub...

  10. Aquaporins in Salivary Glands: From Basic Research to Clinical Applications

    PubMed Central

    Delporte, Christine; Bryla, Angélic; Perret, Jason

    2016-01-01

    Salivary glands are involved in saliva secretion that ensures proper oral health. Aquaporins are expressed in salivary glands and play a major role in saliva secretion. This review will provide an overview of the salivary gland morphology and physiology of saliva secretion, and focus on the expression, subcellular localization and role of aquaporins under physiological and pathophysiological conditions, as well as clinical applications involving aquaporins. This review is highlighting expression and localization of aquaporins in human, rat and mouse, the most studied species and is pointing out possible difference between major salivary glands, i.e., parotid, submandibular and sublingual glands. PMID:26828482

  11. Salivary cotinine levels in children with otolaryngological disorders.

    PubMed

    Clark, Christine M; Printz, Jillian N; Stahl, Lauren E; Phillips, Brett E; Carr, Michele M

    2017-11-01

    To determine if salivary cotinine, a biomarker for tobacco smoke exposure, is elevated more often or to a higher degree in children meeting criteria for tonsillectomy or tympanostomy tube insertion. Saliva samples were obtained from 3 groups of children for salivary cotinine measurement. Group 1 served as healthy controls. Group 2 consisted of subjects meeting tympanostomy tube criteria. Group 3 consisted of patients meeting tonsillectomy criteria. Environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) exposure was defined as a salivary cotinine concentration ≥1.0 ng/mL. Demographic data, smoke exposure history, and co-morbidities were also determined. 331 patients were included, with 112 in Group 1, 111 in Group 2, and 108 in Group 3. No differences were encountered for smoke exposure by history or smoker's identity, salivary cotinine level, or frequency of positive cotinine results. 42.6% of Group 1 had positive salivary cotinine compared to 51.8% of Group 2 and 47.7% of Group 3. Group 1 had a mean salivary cotinine level of 2.42 ng/mL compared to 2.54 ng/mL in Group 2 and 2.60 ng/mL in Group 3. The frequency of positive cotinine levels was higher than expected based on parental history. Among subjects with positive cotinine levels, 93 had no ETS exposure, and 64 had ETS exposure by history. Approximately 50% of children who undergo tonsillectomy and tympanostomy tube insertion have objective evidence of ETS exposure. Parental history underestimates passive smoke exposure, which can impact perioperative care. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  12. Salivary Parameters (Salivary Flow, pH and Buffering Capacity) in Stimulated Saliva of Mexican Elders 60 Years Old and Older.

    PubMed

    Islas-Granillo, H; Borges-Yañez, S A; Medina-Solís, C E; Galan-Vidal, C A; Navarrete-Hernández, J J; Escoffié-Ramirez, M; Maupomé, G

    2014-12-01

    To compare a limited array of chewing-stimulated saliva features (salivary flow, pH and buffer capacity) in a sample of elderly Mexicans with clinical, sociodemographic and socio-economic variables. A cross-sectional study was carried out in 139 adults, 60 years old and older, from two retirement homes and a senior day care centre in the city of Pachuca, Mexico. Sociodemographic, socio-economic and behavioural variables were collected through a questionnaire. A trained and standardized examiner obtained the oral clinical variables. Chewing-stimulated saliva (paraffin method) was collected and the salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity were measured. The analysis was performed using non-parametric tests in Stata 9.0. Mean age was 79.1 ± 9.8 years. Most of the subjects included were women (69.1%). Mean chewing-stimulated salivary flow was 0.75 ± 0.80 mL/minute, and the pH and buffer capacity were 7.88 ± 0.83 and 4.20 ± 1.24, respectively. Mean chewing-stimulated salivary flow varied (p < 0.05) across type of retirement home, tooth brushing frequency, number of missing teeth and use of dental prostheses. pH varied across the type of retirement home (p < 0.05) and marginally by age (p = 0.087); buffer capacity (p < 0.05) varied across type of retirement home, tobacco consumption and the number of missing teeth. These exploratory data add to the body of knowledge with regard to chewing-stimulated salivary features (salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity) and outline the variability of those features across selected sociodemographic, socio-economic and behavioural variables in a group of Mexican elders.

  13. Acute effects of black currant consumption on salivary flow rate and secretion rate of salivary immunoglobulin a in healthy smokers.

    PubMed

    Konić-Ristić, Aleksandra; Šavikin, Katarina; Zdunić, Gordana; Besu, Irina; Menković, Nebojša; Glibetić, Marija; Srdić-Rajić, Tatjana

    2015-04-01

    The role of saliva in maintaining oral health and homeostasis is based on its physicochemical properties and biological activities of its components, including salivary immunoglobulin A (IgA). Both salivary rates and immunological status of saliva are found to be compromised in smokers. The aim of this study was to investigate the acute time-dependent effect of smoking and black currant consumption on the salivary flow rate (SFR) and salivary IgA secretion rate (sIgA SR) in healthy smokers. SFR, sIgA levels in saliva, and sIgA SRs were determined in healthy smokers (n=8) at eight times of assessment within three consecutive interventions: at the baseline; 5, 30, and 60 min after smoking; 5, 30, and 60 min after black currant consumption (100 g), followed by smoking; and 5 min after black currant consumption. Smoking induced a significant delayed effect on SFR measured 60 min after smoking (P=.03), while black currant consumption preceding smoking prevented that effect. Salivary IgA concentrations and sIgA flow rates were not acutely influenced by smoking. Black currant consumption preceding smoking induced a significant decrease in sIgA concentrations 5 min after the intervention compared with the baseline (P=.046), with a further increasing trend, statistically significant, 60 min after the intervention (P=.025). Although smoking cessation is the most important strategy in the prevention of chronic diseases, the obtained results suggest that the influence of black currant consumption on negative effects of tobacco smoke on salivary flow and immunological status of saliva could partly reduce the smoking-associated risk on oral health.

  14. Identification of germline transcriptional regulatory elements in Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Akbari, Omar S; Papathanos, Philippos A; Sandler, Jeremy E; Kennedy, Katie; Hay, Bruce A

    2014-02-04

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector for the yellow fever and dengue viruses, and is also responsible for recent outbreaks of the alphavirus chikungunya. Vector control strategies utilizing engineered gene drive systems are being developed as a means of replacing wild, pathogen transmitting mosquitoes with individuals refractory to disease transmission, or bringing about population suppression. Several of these systems, including Medea, UD(MEL), and site-specific nucleases, which can be used to drive genes into populations or bring about population suppression, utilize transcriptional regulatory elements that drive germline-specific expression. Here we report the identification of multiple regulatory elements able to drive gene expression specifically in the female germline, or in the male and female germline, in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. These elements can also be used as tools with which to probe the roles of specific genes in germline function and in the early embryo, through overexpression or RNA interference.

  15. Identification of germline transcriptional regulatory elements in Aedes aegypti

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Akbari, Omar S.; Papathanos, Philippos A.; Sandler, Jeremy E.; Kennedy, Katie; Hay, Bruce A.

    2014-02-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the principal vector for the yellow fever and dengue viruses, and is also responsible for recent outbreaks of the alphavirus chikungunya. Vector control strategies utilizing engineered gene drive systems are being developed as a means of replacing wild, pathogen transmitting mosquitoes with individuals refractory to disease transmission, or bringing about population suppression. Several of these systems, including Medea, UDMEL, and site-specific nucleases, which can be used to drive genes into populations or bring about population suppression, utilize transcriptional regulatory elements that drive germline-specific expression. Here we report the identification of multiple regulatory elements able to drive gene expression specifically in the female germline, or in the male and female germline, in the mosquito Aedes aegypti. These elements can also be used as tools with which to probe the roles of specific genes in germline function and in the early embryo, through overexpression or RNA interference.

  16. Habitat productivity and pyrethroid susceptibility status of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.

    PubMed

    Mathias, Leah; Baraka, Vito; Philbert, Anitha; Innocent, Ester; Francis, Filbert; Nkwengulila, Gamba; Kweka, Eliningaya J

    2017-06-09

    Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) is the main vector of the dengue virus globally. Dengue vector control is mainly based on reducing the vector population through interventions, which target potential breeding sites. However, in Tanzania, little is known about this vector's habitat productivity and insecticide susceptibility status to support evidence-based implementation of control measures. The present study aimed at assessing the productivity and susceptibility status of A. aegypti mosquitoes to pyrethroid-based insecticides in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. An entomological assessment was conducted between January and July 2015 in six randomly selected wards in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Habitat productivity was determined by the number of female adult A. aegypti mosquitoes emerged per square metre. The susceptibility status of adult A. aegypti females after exposure to 0.05% deltamethrin, 0.75% permethrin and 0.05% lambda-cyhalothrin was evaluated using the standard WHO protocols. Mortality rates were recorded after 24 h exposure and the knockdown effect was recorded at the time points of 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 60 min to calculate the median knockdown times (KDT 50 and KDT 95 ). The results suggest that disposed tyres had the highest productivity, while water storage tanks had the lowest productivity among the breeding habitats Of A. aegypti mosquitoes. All sites demonstrated reduced susceptibility to deltamethrin (0.05%) within 24 h post exposure, with mortalities ranging from 86.3 ± 1.9 (mean ± SD) to 96.8 ± 0.9 (mean ± SD). The lowest and highest susceptibilities were recorded in Mikocheni and Sinza wards, respectively. Similarly, all sites demonstrated reduced susceptibility permethrin (0.75%) ranging from 83.1 ± 2.1% (mean ± SD) to 96.2 ± 0.9% (mean ± SD), in Kipawa and Sinza, respectively. Relatively low mortality rates were observed in relation to lambda-cyhalothrin (0.05%) at all sites, ranging from 83.1 ± 0

  17. Tooth wear and the role of salivary measures in general practice patients

    PubMed Central

    Rothen, Marilynn; Scott, JoAnna; Cunha-Cruz, Joana

    2014-01-01

    Objectives The goal of this study was to investigate the association between tooth wear and salivary measures in a random sample of patients from practices of dentist members of a practice-based research network. Materials and methods Patients completed a questionnaire on oral self-care, health, dietary habits, medications, and socio-demographic variables. Six salivary characteristics (consistency, resting salivary flow, resting salivary pH, stimulated salivary flow, stimulated salivary pH, and buffering capacity) were measured, and a dental examination included categorizing patients according to the dentist’s judgment of the degree of tooth wear (i.e., none/minimal, some, or severe/extreme). Bivariate and multinomial logistic regression models were used to relate salivary characteristics and other factors to the outcome of tooth wear. Results Data are reported from 1,323 patients (age range 16–97 years) from 61 practices. Patient age, gender, number of teeth, and perception of dry mouth were associated with tooth wear, but salivary and dietary factors were either weakly or not related. Conclusions The findings of this cross-sectional assessment suggest that using these salivary tests and dietary assessments in real-life clinical settings is unlikely to be useful in assessing tooth wear risk. Suggestions are offered about risk assessment for tooth wear. Clinical relevance Assessing a dental patient’s risk of tooth wear using salivary measures and dietary assessments as described is not recommended for general dental practice until stronger evidence exists indicating its utility. PMID:24647789

  18. EFFICACY OF THAI NEEM OIL AGAINST AEDES AEGYPTI (L.) LARVAE.

    PubMed

    Silapanuntakul, Suthep; Keanjoom, Romnalin; Pandii, Wongdyan; Boonchuen, Supawadee; Sombatsiri, Kwanchai

    2016-05-01

    Trees with larvicidal activity may be found in Thailand. We conducted this study to evaluate the efficacy and length of efficacy of Thai neem (Azadirachta siamensis) oil emulsion and an alginate bead of Thai neem oil formulation against early fourth stage Aedes aegypti larvae using a dipping test. The Thai neem oil emulsion had significantly greater larvicidal activity than the alginate bead formulation at 12 to 60 hours post-exposure (p < 0.01). The Thai neem oil formulation resulted in 100% mortality among the early fourth stage Aedes aegypti larvae at 48 hours, while the alginate bead formulation resulted in 98% larval mortality at 84 hours and 100% mortality at 96 hours. The mean larval mortality using the Thai neem oil emulsion dropped to < 25% by 12 days and with the alginate beads dropped to < 25% by 15 days of exposure.

  19. Pyrethroid resistance alters the blood-feeding behavior in Puerto Rican Aedes aegypti mosquitoes exposed to treated fabric

    PubMed Central

    Bloomquist, Jeffrey R.; Bernier, Ulrich R.

    2017-01-01

    Emerging insecticide resistance is a major issue for vector control. It decreases the effectiveness of insecticides, thereby requiring greater quantities for comparable control with a net increase in risk of disease resurgence, product cost, and damage risk to the ecosystem. Pyrethroid resistance has been documented in Puerto Rican populations of Aedes aegypti (L.) mosquitoes. In this study, topical toxicity of five insecticides (permethrin, etofenprox, deltamethrin, DDT, transfluthrin) was determined for susceptible (Orlando—ORL) and resistant (Puerto Rico—PR) strains of Ae. aegypti. Resistance ratios were calculated using LD50 values, and high resistance ratios for permethrin (112) and etofenprox (228) were observed for the Puerto Rico strain. Behavioral differences in blood-feeding activity for pyrethroid-resistant and pyrethroid-susceptible strains of Ae. aegypti when exposed to pyrethroid-treated cloth were also explored. Strains were exposed for 15 min to a range of concentrations of pyrethroid-treated uniform fabric in a cage that contained 60 female Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. Interestingly, the resistance ratios for blood-feeding were similar for permethrin (61) and etofenprox (70), but were lower than their respective resistance ratios for topical toxicity, suggesting that knockdown resistance was the primary mechanism of resistance in the blood feeding assays. Results showed a rightward shift in the dose-response curves for blood-feeding that indicated higher concentrations of pyrethroids were necessary to deter blood-feeding behavior in the pyrethroid-resistant Puerto Rican strain of Ae. aegypti. PMID:28931018

  20. Insecticide resistance, associated mechanisms and fitness aspects in two Brazilian Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) populations.

    PubMed

    Viana-Medeiros, P F; Bellinato, D F; Martins, A J; Valle, D

    2017-12-01

    In Brazil, insecticide resistance in Stegomyia aegypti (= Aedes aegypti) (Diptera: Culicidae) populations to pyrethroids and to the organophosphate (OP) temephos is disseminated. Currently, insect growth regulators (IGRs) and the OP malathion are employed against larvae and adults, respectively. Bioassays with mosquitoes from two northeast municipalities, Crato and Aracaju, revealed, in both populations, susceptibility to IGRs and malathion (RR 95  ≤ 2.0), confirming the effectiveness of these compounds. By contrast, temephos and deltamethrin (pyrethroid) resistance levels were high (RR 95  > 10), which is consistent with the use of intense chemical control. In Crato, RR 95 values were > 50 for both compounds. Knock-down-resistant (kdr) mutants in the voltage-gated sodium channel, the pyrethroid target site, were found in 43 and 32%, respectively, of Aracaju and Crato mosquitoes. Biochemical assays revealed higher metabolic resistance activity (esterases, mixed function oxidases and glutathione-S-transferases) at Aracaju. With respect to fitness aspects, mating effectiveness was equivalently impaired in both populations, but Aracaju mosquitoes showed more damaging effects in terms of longer larval development, decreased bloodmeal acceptance, reduced engorgement and lower numbers of eggs laid per female. Compared with mosquitoes in Crato, Aracaju mosquitoes exhibited lower OP and pyrethroid RR 95 , increased activity of detoxifying enzymes and greater effect on fitness. The potential relationship between insecticide resistance mechanisms and mosquito viability is discussed. © 2017 The Authors. Medical and Veterinary Entomology published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of The Royal Entomological Society.

  1. Radiation-Induced Salivary Gland Dysfunction Results From p53-Dependent Apoptosis

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Avila, Jennifer L.; Grundmann, Oliver; Burd, Randy

    2009-02-01

    Purpose: Radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer causes adverse secondary side effects in the salivary glands and results in diminished quality of life for the patient. A previous in vivo study in parotid salivary glands demonstrated that targeted head-and-neck irradiation resulted in marked increases in phosphorylated p53 (serine{sup 18}) and apoptosis, which was suppressed in transgenic mice expressing a constitutively active mutant of Akt1 (myr-Akt1). Methods and Materials: Transgenic and knockout mouse models were exposed to irradiation, and p53-mediated transcription, apoptosis, and salivary gland dysfunction were analyzed. Results: The proapoptotic p53 target genes PUMA and Bax were induced in parotid salivary glandsmore » of mice at early time points after therapeutic radiation. This dose-dependent induction requires expression of p53 because no radiation-induced expression of PUMA and Bax was observed in p53-/- mice. Radiation also induced apoptosis in the parotid gland in a dose-dependent manner, which was p53 dependent. Furthermore, expression of p53 was required for the acute and chronic loss of salivary function after irradiation. In contrast, apoptosis was not induced in p53-/- mice, and their salivary function was preserved after radiation exposure. Conclusions: Apoptosis in the salivary glands after therapeutic head-and-neck irradiation is mediated by p53 and corresponds to salivary gland dysfunction in vivo.« less

  2. Effect of an intervention in storm drains to prevent Aedes aegypti reproduction in Salvador, Brazil.

    PubMed

    Souza, Raquel Lima; Mugabe, Vánio André; Paploski, Igor Adolfo Dexheimer; Rodrigues, Moreno S; Moreira, Patrícia Sousa Dos Santos; Nascimento, Leile Camila Jacob; Roundy, Christopher Michael; Weaver, Scott C; Reis, Mitermayer Galvão; Kitron, Uriel; Ribeiro, Guilherme Sousa

    2017-07-11

    Aedes aegypti, the principal vector for dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, is a synanthropic species that uses stagnant water to complete its reproductive cycle. In urban settings, rainfall water draining structures, such as storm drains, may retain water and serve as a larval development site for Aedes spp. reproduction. Herein, we describe the effect of a community-based intervention on preventing standing water accumulation in storm drains and their consequent infestation by adult and immature Ae. aegypti and other mosquitoes. Between April and May of 2016, local residents association of Salvador, Brazil, after being informed of water accumulation and Ae. aegypti infestation in the storm drains in their area, performed an intervention on 52 storm drains. The intervention consisted of placing concrete at the bottom of the storm drains to elevate their base to the level of the outflow tube, avoiding water accumulation, and placement of a metal mesh covering the outflow tube to avoid its clogging with debris. To determine the impact of the intervention, we compared the frequency at which the 52 storm drains contained water, as well as adult and immature mosquitoes using data from two surveys performed before and two surveys performed after the intervention. During the pre-intervention period, water accumulated in 48 (92.3%) of the storm drains, and immature Ae. aegypti were found in 11 (21.2%) and adults in 10 (19.2%). After the intervention, water accumulated in 5 (9.6%) of the storm drains (P < 0.001), none (0.0%) had immatures (P < 0.001), and 3 (5.8%) contained adults (P = 0.039). The total number of Ae. aegypti immatures collected decreased from 109 to 0 (P < 0.001) and adults decreased from 37 to 8 (P = 0.011) after the intervention. Collection of immature and adult non-Aedes mosquitoes (mainly Culex spp.) in the storm drains also decreased after the intervention. This study exemplifies how a simple intervention targeting storm drains can result

  3. Diseases of the salivary glands in infants and adolescents

    PubMed Central

    2010-01-01

    Background Diseases of the salivary glands are rare in infants and children (with the exception of diseases such as parotitis epidemica and cytomegaly) and the therapeutic regimen differs from that in adults. It is therefore all the more important to gain exact and extensive insight into general and special aspects of pathological changes of the salivary glands in these age groups. Etiology and pathogenesis of these entities is still not yet fully known for the age group in question so that general rules for treatment, based on clinical experience, cannot be given, particularly in view of the small number of cases of the different diseases. Swellings of the salivary glands may be caused by acute and chronic inflammatory processes, by autoimmune diseases, by duct translocation due to sialolithiasis, and by tumors of varying dignity. Clinical examination and diagnosis has also to differentiate between salivary gland cysts and inflammation or tumors. Conclusion Salivary gland diseases are rare in childhood and adolescence. Their pattern of incidence differs very much from that of adults. Acute and chronic sialadenitis not responding to conservative treatment requires an appropriate surgical approach. The rareness of salivary gland tumors is particularly true for the malignant parotid tumors which are more frequent in juvenile patients, a fact that has to be considered in diagnosis and therapy. PMID:20156335

  4. Association between crack cocaine use and reduced salivary flow.

    PubMed

    Antoniazzi, Raquel Pippi; Sari, Amanda Rodrigues; Casarin, Maísa; Moraes, Cristina Machado Bragança de; Feldens, Carlos Alberto

    2017-06-05

    Crack cocaine use appears to have an impact on oral conditions. However, changes in the salivary flow among crack users have not been fully clarified. The aim of this study was to compare stimulated salivary flow and the occurrence of hyposalivation between crack users and non-users. A cross-sectional study was conducted involving 40 crack users and 40 controls matched for sex, age, and smoking habits. Interviews were conducted to acquire data on the perception of dry mouth (xerostomia) and drug use. Stimulated salivary flow was determined using the spitting method. A significant reduction in stimulated salivary flow was found among crack users in comparison to non-users (1.02 vs. 1.59 ml/min). A total of 42.5% and 15% of crack users had very low and low stimulated salivary flow, respectively. Moreover, 65% of users reported xerostomia in comparison to 37.5% non-users (p < 0.012). No significant association was found between xerostomia and hyposalivation (p = 0.384). A multivariate analysis revealed that individuals older than 26 years of age, those with a low household income, and crack users (prevalence ratio: 2.59) had a significant association with the occurrence of hyposalivation. A significant association was found between the use of crack and reduced salivary flow. The use of crack was associated with the occurrence of hyposalivation in the multivariate analysis.

  5. Biology of two larval morphological phenotypes of Aedes aegypti in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.

    PubMed

    Guindo-Coulibaly, N; Diakite, N R; Adja, A M; Coulibaly, J T; Bassa, K F; Konan, Y L; N'Goran, K E

    2017-11-23

    Since 2008, several outbreaks of yellow fever and dengue occurred in Abidjan, the economic capital of Côte d'Ivoire. A better knowledge of the biology of Aedes aegypti populations, the main vector of yellow fever and dengue viruses, is necessary to tailor vector control strategies implemented in the city. This study was designed to determine some biological parameters, occurring during the life cycle of two morphological phenotypes of Ae. aegypti larvae. Mosquitoes were sampled in a suburb of Abidjan (Treichville) using the WHO layer-traps technique. Biological parameters were studied in laboratory under standard conditions of temperature (27°C ± 2°C) and relative humidity (80% ± 10%). Our results indicated that the mean eggs laid by females from 'brown larvae' (BL) (85.95, 95% confidence interval (CI 95%) 78.87-93.02) was higher than those from 'white larvae' (WL) (64.40%, CI 95% 55.27-73.54). The gonotrophic cycle was 3 and 4 days in females from BL and WL, respectively. The overall yield of breeding mosquitoes from BL (63.88%, CI 95% 62.61-65.14) was higher compared with those of mosquitoes from WL (59.73%, CI 95% 58.35-61.12). The sex ratio (male/female) was 0.95 and 1.68 in Ae. aegypti populations from BL and WL, respectively. Females from BL lived slightly longer than those from WL (t = -2.332; P = 0.021). This study shows that Ae. Aegypti populations from BL and WL present different biological parameters during their life cycle. This could have an implication on their ability to transmit human disease viruses such as dengue and yellow fever. Further molecular studies are needed to determine genetic divergence between these Ae. aegypti populations.

  6. Association between salivary serotonin and the social sharing of happiness

    PubMed Central

    Ishii, Keiko; Ohtsubo, Yohsuke; Noguchi, Yasuki; Ochi, Misaki; Yamasue, Hidenori

    2017-01-01

    Although human saliva contains the monoamine serotonin, which plays a key role in the modulation of emotional states, the association between salivary serotonin and empathic ability remains unclear. In order to elucidate the associations between salivary serotonin levels, trait empathy, and the sharing effect of emotions (i.e., sharing emotional experiences with others), we performed a vignette-based study. Participants were asked to evaluate their happiness when they experience several hypothetical life events, whereby we manipulated the valence of the imagined event (positive, neutral, or negative), as well as the presence of a friend (absent, positive, or negative). Results indicated that the presence of a happy friend significantly enhanced participants’ happiness. Correlation analysis demonstrated that salivary serotonin levels were negatively correlated with happiness when both the self and friend conditions were positive. Correlation analysis also indicated a negative relationship between salivary serotonin levels and trait empathy (particularly in perspective taking), which was measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Furthermore, an exploratory multiple regression analysis suggested that mothers’ attention during childhood predicted salivary serotonin levels. Our findings indicate that empathic abilities and the social sharing of happiness decreases as a function of salivary serotonin levels. PMID:28683075

  7. Association between salivary serotonin and the social sharing of happiness.

    PubMed

    Matsunaga, Masahiro; Ishii, Keiko; Ohtsubo, Yohsuke; Noguchi, Yasuki; Ochi, Misaki; Yamasue, Hidenori

    2017-01-01

    Although human saliva contains the monoamine serotonin, which plays a key role in the modulation of emotional states, the association between salivary serotonin and empathic ability remains unclear. In order to elucidate the associations between salivary serotonin levels, trait empathy, and the sharing effect of emotions (i.e., sharing emotional experiences with others), we performed a vignette-based study. Participants were asked to evaluate their happiness when they experience several hypothetical life events, whereby we manipulated the valence of the imagined event (positive, neutral, or negative), as well as the presence of a friend (absent, positive, or negative). Results indicated that the presence of a happy friend significantly enhanced participants' happiness. Correlation analysis demonstrated that salivary serotonin levels were negatively correlated with happiness when both the self and friend conditions were positive. Correlation analysis also indicated a negative relationship between salivary serotonin levels and trait empathy (particularly in perspective taking), which was measured by the Interpersonal Reactivity Index. Furthermore, an exploratory multiple regression analysis suggested that mothers' attention during childhood predicted salivary serotonin levels. Our findings indicate that empathic abilities and the social sharing of happiness decreases as a function of salivary serotonin levels.

  8. Long-term effect of tobacco on unstimulated salivary pH.

    PubMed

    Grover, Neeraj; Sharma, Jyoti; Sengupta, Shamindra; Singh, Sanjeet; Singh, Nishant; Kaur, Harjeet

    2016-01-01

    The aim of this study was to analyze and compare the effects of tobacco on salivary pH between tobacco chewers, smokers and controls. A total of 60 subjects (males and females) aged 25-40 years, were divided equally into three groups: Tobacco smokers (Group A), chewers (Group B) and controls (Group C). Saliva of each subject was collected under resting condition. Salivary pH was determined using the specific salivary pH meter. The mean (±standard deviation) pH for Group A was 6.75 (±0.11), Group B was 6.5 (±0.29) and Group C was 7.00 (±0.28) after comparison. The significant results showed lower salivary pH in Groups A and B as compared to controls. Salivary pH was lowest in Group B compared to Group A and Group C. This study indicates that a lower (acidic) salivary pH was observed in tobacco users as compared with control. These alterations in pH due to the long-term effect of tobacco use can render oral mucosa vulnerable to various oral and dental diseases.

  9. Detection of dengue virus in individual Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in Delhi, India.

    PubMed

    Vikram, Kumar; Nagpal, B N; Pande, Veena; Srivastava, Aruna; Saxena, Rekha; Singh, Himmat; Gupta, Sanjeev K; Tuli, N R; Yadav, N K; Olivier, Telle; Richard, Paul; Valecha, Neena

    2015-06-01

    Delhi, the capital city of India, has so far witnessed several outbreaks of dengue fever since 1967 (last one reported in 2013). Improved virological and entomological surveillance are the only tools that can help in prevention of dengue as well as in the development of dengue control programmes. The aim of the study was to conduct a prospective field study to detect dengue virus in adult Aedes aegypti mosquitoes collected from various localities represented by different socioeconomic groups in Delhi. The study areas were selected and categorized into high, medium and low income groups on the basis of socioeconomical characteristics of the resident population, where dengue cases were reported during the past three years by MCD. Dengue viral infection was detected in the head squash of each adult mosquito by immunofluorescent assay (IFA) employing monoclonal antibodies against dengue virus (DENV). A total of 2408 females and 1206 males of Ae. aegypti were collected and tested by IFA. Out of 2408 Ae. aegypti females, 14 were found positive, with minimum infection rate (MIR) of 5.8 per 1000 mosquitoes. Among the 18 study areas, 11 localities were found positive for dengue virus infection. Low income group (LIG) areas showed highest mosquito infectivity (9.8), followed by medium income group (MIG), i.e. 6.2; while least was observed in high income group (HIG), i.e. 1.3. No vertical transmission of dengue virus could be detected in 1206 Ae. aegypti males collected. The study concludes that there was high MIR in the identified localities of low and medium income groups. Estimation of MIR in a female Aedes mosquito in the existing arsenals for dengue surveillance would be an added advantage for early warning of dengue outbreak. The presence of infected mosquitoes in identified localities of Delhi was alarming and require rigorous vector surveillance so that the severe outbreaks can be prevented.

  10. Antimosquito property of Petroselinum crispum (Umbellifereae) against the pyrethroid resistant and susceptible strains of Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Intirach, J; Junkum, A; Lumjuan, N; Chaithong, U; Jitpakdi, A; Riyong, D; Wannasan, A; Champakaew, D; Muangmoon, R; Chansang, A; Pitasawat, B

    2016-12-01

    The increasing and widespread resistance to conventional synthetic insecticides in vector populations has underscored the urgent need to establish alternatives in the mosquito management system. This study was carried out with the aim to investigate the antimosquito property, larvicidal and adulticidal potential, of plant products against both the pyrethroid-susceptible and resistant strains of Aedes aegypti. Seventeen plant products, including essential oils and ethanolic extracts, were obtained by steam distillation and extraction with 95 % ethanol, respectively. Their larvicidal activity was screened, using World Health Organization (WHO) procedures against A. aegypti, Muang Chiang Mai-susceptible (MCM-S) strain. The most effective product was a candidate for investigating larvicidal and adulticidal potential against three laboratory strains of A. aegypti, comprising MCM-S, Pang Mai Dang-resistant (PMD-R), and Upakut-resistant (UPK-R). Potential toxicity of the plant candidate was compared with that of synthetic temephos, permethrin, and deltamethrin. Chemical constituents of the most effective plant product also were analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Results obtained from the preliminary screening revealed the varying larvicidal efficacy of plant-derived products against MCM-S A. aegypti, with mortality ranging from 0 to 100 %. The larvicidal activity of seven effective plant products was found to be dose dependent, with the highest efficacy established from Petroselinum crispum fruit oil, followed by oils of Foeniculum vulgare, Myristica fragrans, Limnophila aromatica, Piper sarmentosum, Curcuma longa, and M. fragrans ethanolic extract (LC 50 values of 43.22, 44.84, 47.42, 47.94, 49.19, 65.51, and 75.45 ppm, respectively). Essential oil of P. crispum was then investigated further and proved to be a promising larvicide and adulticide against all strains of A. aegypti. The pyrethroid-resistant strains of both PMD-R and UPK-R A. aegypti

  11. Lapatinib in Treating Patients With Recurrent and/or Metastatic Adenoid Cystic Cancer or Other Salivary Gland Cancers

    ClinicalTrials.gov

    2017-03-06

    High-grade Salivary Gland Carcinoma; High-grade Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma; Low-grade Salivary Gland Carcinoma; Low-grade Salivary Gland Mucoepidermoid Carcinoma; Recurrent Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma of the Oral Cavity; Recurrent Salivary Gland Cancer; Salivary Gland Acinic Cell Tumor; Salivary Gland Adenocarcinoma; Salivary Gland Adenoid Cystic Carcinoma; Salivary Gland Malignant Mixed Cell Type Tumor

  12. The elimination of the dengue vector, Aedes aegypti, from Brisbane, Australia: The role of surveillance, larval habitat removal and policy

    PubMed Central

    Darbro, Jonathan M.; Jansen, Cassie C.; Schellhorn, Nancy A.; Zalucki, Myron P.; Hurst, Tim P.; Devine, Gregor J.

    2017-01-01

    Aedes aegypti (L.) (Diptera: Culicidae) is a highly invasive mosquito whose global distribution has fluctuated dramatically over the last 100 years. In Australia the distribution of Ae. aegypti once spanned the eastern seaboard, for 3,000 km north to south. However, during the 1900s this distribution markedly reduced and the mosquito disappeared from its southern range. Numerous hypotheses have been proffered for this retraction, however quantitative evidence of the mechanisms driving the disappearance are lacking. We examine historical records during the period when Ae. aegypti disappeared from Brisbane, the largest population centre in Queensland, Australia. In particular, we focus on the targeted management of Ae. aegypti by government authorities, that led to local elimination, something rarely observed in large cities. Numerous factors are likely to be responsible including the removal of larval habitat, especially domestic rainwater tanks, in combination with increased mosquito surveillance and regulatory enforcement. This account of historical events as they pertain to the elimination of Ae. aegypti from Brisbane, will inform assessments of the risks posed by recent human responses to climate change and the reintroduction of 300,000 rainwater tanks into the State over the past decade. PMID:28846682

  13. Childhood Salivary Gland Tumors Treatment (PDQ®)—Patient Version

    Cancer.gov

    Childhood salivary gland tumor treatment usually includes surgery and radiation therapy. Learn more about the risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of newly diagnosed and recurrent salivary gland tumors in this expert-reviewed summary.

  14. Transcriptome analysis of the digestive system of a wood-feeding termite (Coptotermes formosanus) revealed a unique mechanism for effective biomass degradation.

    PubMed

    Geng, Alei; Cheng, Yanbing; Wang, Yongli; Zhu, Daochen; Le, Yilin; Wu, Jian; Xie, Rongrong; Yuan, Joshua S; Sun, Jianzhong

    2018-01-01

    Wood-feeding termite, Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki, represents a highly efficient system for biomass deconstruction and utilization. However, the detailed mechanisms of lignin modification and carbohydrate degradation in this system are still largely elusive. In order to reveal the inherent mechanisms for efficient biomass degradation, four different organs (salivary glands, foregut, midgut, and hindgut) within a complete digestive system of a lower termite, C. formosanus , were dissected and collected. Comparative transcriptomics was carried out to analyze these organs using high-throughput RNA sequencing. A total of 71,117 unigenes were successfully assembled, and the comparative transcriptome analyses revealed significant differential distributions of GH (glycosyl hydrolase) genes and auxiliary redox enzyme genes in different digestive organs. Among the GH genes in the salivary glands, the most abundant were GH9, GH22, and GH1 genes. The corresponding enzymes may have secreted into the foregut and midgut to initiate the hydrolysis of biomass and to achieve a lignin-carbohydrate co-deconstruction system. As the most diverse GH families, GH7 and GH5 were primarily identified from the symbiotic protists in the hindgut. These enzymes could play a synergistic role with the endogenous enzymes from the host termite for biomass degradation. Moreover, twelve out of fourteen genes coding auxiliary redox enzymes from the host termite origin were induced by the feeding of lignin-rich diets. This indicated that these genes may be involved in lignin component deconstruction with its redox network during biomass pretreatment. These findings demonstrate that the termite digestive system synergized the hydrolysis and redox reactions in a programmatic process, through different parts of its gut system, to achieve a maximized utilization of carbohydrates. The detailed unique mechanisms identified from the termite digestive system may provide new insights for advanced design of

  15. Enhancement of both salivary protein-enological tannin interactions and astringency perception by ethanol.

    PubMed

    Obreque-Slíer, Elías; Peña-Neira, Alvaro; López-Solís, Remigio

    2010-03-24

    Red wine astringency has been associated with interactions of tannins with salivary proteins. Tannins are active protein precipitants. Not much evidence exists demonstrating contribution of other wine components to astringency. We aimed to investigate an eventual role of ethanol both in astringency and salivary protein-enological tannin interactions. A trained sensory panel scored perceived astringency. Salivary protein-tannin interactions were assessed by observing both tannin-dependent changes in salivary protein diffusion on cellulose membranes and tannin-induced salivary protein precipitation. Proanthocyanidins and gallotannins in aqueous and hydroalcoholic solutions were assayed. A biphasic mode of diffusion on cellulose membranes displayed by salivary proteins was unaffected after dilution with water or enological concentrations of ethanol. At those concentrations ethanol was not astringent. In aqueous solution, tannins provoked both restriction of salivary protein diffusion, protein precipitation, and astringency. Those effects were exacerbated by 13% ethanol. In summary, enological concentrations of ethanol exacerbate astringency and salivary protein-tannin interactions.

  16. Correlation between Salivary Glucose and Blood Glucose and the Implications of Salivary Factors on the Oral Health Status in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients

    PubMed Central

    Puttaswamy, Kavitha A.; Puttabudhi, Jaishankar H.; Raju, Shashidara

    2017-01-01

    Aims and Objectives: The purpose of this study was to estimate and assess any correlation between random capillary blood glucose (RCBG) and unstimulated whole salivary glucose (UWSG), as well as to estimate various salivary parameters, such as flow rate, pH, buffering capacity, and the influence of these factors on the oral health status in type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM). Materials and Methods: Sixty individuals suffering from type 2 DM and 40 healthy individuals in the age group of 30–60 years were included in the study. RCBG was estimated using glucometer and UWSG was estimated using photocolorimeter. Salivary parameters such as flow rate, pH, and buffering capacity were assessed using GC® Saliva kit. Oral health status was recorded using the Russell's periodontal index (RPI) and the Decayed Missing Filled Teeth (DMFT) index. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 16 was used for statistical analysis. Results: Type 2 diabetics had higher mean values for RCBG levels and UWSG. Type 2 diabetics had low mean salivary flow rate, pH, and buffering capacity. Type 2 diabetics had higher mean values for RPI. Conclusion: Among the salivary factors studied, salivary glucose significantly influenced the periodontal status in Type 2 diabetics. PMID:28316946

  17. New procyanidin B3-human salivary protein complexes by mass spectrometry. Effect of salivary protein profile, tannin concentration, and time stability.

    PubMed

    Perez-Gregorio, Maria Rosa; Mateus, Nuno; De Freitas, Victor

    2014-10-15

    Several factors could influence the tannin-protein interaction such as the human salivary protein profile, the tannin tested, and the tannin/protein ratio. The goal of this study aims to study the effect of different salivas (A, B, and C) and different tannin concentrations (0.5 and 1 mg/mL) on the interaction process as well as the complex's stability over time. This study is focused on the identification of new procyanidin B3-human salivary protein complexes. Thus, 48 major B3-human salivary protein aggregates were identified regardless of the saliva and tannin concentration tested. A higher number of aggregates was found at lower tannin concentration. Moreover, the number of protein moieties involved in the aggregation process was higher when the tannin concentration was also higher. The selectivity of the different groups of proteins to bind tannin was also confirmed. It was also verified that the B3-human salivary protein complexes formed evolved over time.

  18. Salivary Parameters (Salivary Flow, pH and Buffering Capacity) in Stimulated Saliva of Mexican Elders 60 Years Old and Older

    PubMed Central

    Islas-Granillo, H; Borges-Yañez, SA; Medina-Solís, CE; Galan-Vidal, CA; Navarrete-Hernández, JJ; Escoffié-Ramirez, M; Maupomé, G

    2014-01-01

    ABSTRACT Objective: To compare a limited array of chewing-stimulated saliva features (salivary flow, pH and buffer capacity) in a sample of elderly Mexicans with clinical, sociodemographic and socio-economic variables. Subjects and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out in 139 adults, 60 years old and older, from two retirement homes and a senior day care centre in the city of Pachuca, Mexico. Socio-demographic, socio-economic and behavioural variables were collected through a questionnaire. A trained and standardized examiner obtained the oral clinical variables. Chewing-stimulated saliva (paraffin method) was collected and the salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity were measured. The analysis was performed using non-parametric tests in Stata 9.0. Results: Mean age was 79.1 ± 9.8 years. Most of the subjects included were women (69.1%). Mean chewing-stimulated salivary flow was 0.75 ± 0.80 mL/minute, and the pH and buffer capacity were 7.88 ± 0.83 and 4.20 ± 1.24, respectively. Mean chewing-stimulated salivary flow varied (p < 0.05) across type of retirement home, tooth brushing frequency, number of missing teeth and use of dental prostheses. pH varied across the type of retirement home (p < 0.05) and marginally by age (p = 0.087); buffer capacity (p < 0.05) varied across type of retirement home, tobacco consumption and the number of missing teeth. Conclusions: These exploratory data add to the body of knowledge with regard to chewing-stimulated salivary features (salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity) and outline the variability of those features across selected sociodemographic, socio-economic and behavioural variables in a group of Mexican elders. PMID:25867562

  19. Estimation of Salivary Parameters among Autoimmune Thyroiditis Patients.

    PubMed

    Syed, Yasmeen Amthul; Reddy, Bh Satheesh; Ramamurthy, T K; Rajendra, Kavitha; Nerella, Narendra Kumar; Krishnan, Meenakshi; Ramesh, M V; Mohammed, Rezwana Begum

    2017-07-01

    Saliva is a complex secretion that protects and lubricates the oral cavity. Various systemic diseases and their treatment alter the salivary gland function; one such disease is Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD). AITD has been postulated to exert its hormonal influence on the salivary glands, leading to reduced salivary output. There's a paucity of literature, verifying the stated conjunction in human subjects. The aim was to investigate the salivary profile in AITD patients and its comparison with controls. Descriptive cross-sectional comparative study was conducted using convenience sampling method for screening the presence of thyroid disorders. Two groups comprising of 30 patients in each group diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroiditis (n=30) and hyperthyroiditis (n=30) respectively and thirty healthy volunteers who were age and sex matched were included as controls. Saliva was collected and evaluated for Unstimulated Salivary Flow Rate (USSFR), pH and buffer capacity. ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test was performed to find the statistical significance and for pairwise comparison. Statistically significant difference was observed between autoimmune hypothyroiditis, autoimmune hyperthyroiditis and control group with respect to USSFR (p<0.007), pH (p<0.001) and buffer capacity (p<0.001). On pairwise comparisons statistically significant difference was observed between autoimmune hypothyroiditis and autoimmune hyperthyroiditis with respect to controls. We conclude that significant involvement of salivary glands may occur in cases of AITD. Our study showed significant reduction of sialometric values in AITD patients when compared to controls. A strong clinical suspicion of thyroid diseases should be considered when there is chronic hyposalivation; hence thyroid profile must also be done, if the known causes have been excluded.

  20. Estimation of Salivary Parameters among Autoimmune Thyroiditis Patients

    PubMed Central

    Reddy, BH Satheesh; Ramamurthy, TK; Rajendra, Kavitha; Nerella, Narendra Kumar; Krishnan, Meenakshi; Ramesh, MV; Mohammed, Rezwana Begum

    2017-01-01

    Introduction Saliva is a complex secretion that protects and lubricates the oral cavity. Various systemic diseases and their treatment alter the salivary gland function; one such disease is Autoimmune Thyroid Disease (AITD). AITD has been postulated to exert its hormonal influence on the salivary glands, leading to reduced salivary output. There’s a paucity of literature, verifying the stated conjunction in human subjects. Aim The aim was to investigate the salivary profile in AITD patients and its comparison with controls. Materials and Methods Descriptive cross-sectional comparative study was conducted using convenience sampling method for screening the presence of thyroid disorders. Two groups comprising of 30 patients in each group diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroiditis (n=30) and hyperthyroiditis (n=30) respectively and thirty healthy volunteers who were age and sex matched were included as controls. Saliva was collected and evaluated for Unstimulated Salivary Flow Rate (USSFR), pH and buffer capacity. ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test was performed to find the statistical significance and for pairwise comparison. Results Statistically significant difference was observed between autoimmune hypothyroiditis, autoimmune hyperthyroiditis and control group with respect to USSFR (p<0.007), pH (p<0.001) and buffer capacity (p<0.001). On pairwise comparisons statistically significant difference was observed between autoimmune hypothyroiditis and autoimmune hyperthyroiditis with respect to controls. Conclusion We conclude that significant involvement of salivary glands may occur in cases of AITD. Our study showed significant reduction of sialometric values in AITD patients when compared to controls. A strong clinical suspicion of thyroid diseases should be considered when there is chronic hyposalivation; hence thyroid profile must also be done, if the known causes have been excluded. PMID:28893031

  1. The genetics of chemoreception in the labella and tarsi of Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Sparks, Jackson T; Bohbot, Jonathan D; Dickens, Joseph C

    2014-05-01

    The yellow-fever mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major vector of human diseases, such as dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya and West Nile viruses. Chemoreceptor organs on the labella and tarsi are involved in human host evaluation and thus serve as potential foci for the disruption of blood feeding behavior. In addition to host detection, these contact chemoreceptors mediate feeding, oviposition and conspecific recognition; however, the molecular landscape of chemoreception in these tissues remains mostly uncharacterized. Here we report the expression profile of all putative chemoreception genes in the labella and tarsi of both sexes of adult Ae. aegypti and discuss their possible roles in the physiology and behavior of this important disease vector. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

  2. A new tent trap for monitoring the daily activity of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

    PubMed

    Casas Martínez, Mauricio; Orozco Bonilla, Arnoldo; Muñoz Reyes, Miguel; Ulloa García, Armando; Bond, J Guillermo; Valle Mora, Javier; Weber, Manuel; Rojas, Julio C

    2013-12-01

    In this study, we designed a new tent trap; the BioDiVector (BDV) tent trap, consisting of two rectangular tents that use human bait without endangering the technical personnel. The daily activity pattern of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus in intra, peri, and extradomiciliary sites was studied in an endemic area of dengue in southern Mexico by using the BDV tent trap. Totals of 3,128 individuals of Ae. aegypti and 833 Ae. albopictus were captured. More Ae. aegypti males than females were caught, while the opposite was true with Ae. albopictus. The activity of both mosquito species was affected by the interaction between the collection site and time of day. In general, more individuals of both mosquito species were captured at the extradomicillary sites than at the peri and intradomicillary sites. Mosquitoes showed two peaks of activity, one in the morning and the other in the afternoon, but in general this only occurred at the extradomicillary sites, whereas no peak of activity was observed at the intra and peridomicillary sites. Overall, Ae. aegypti had a higher indirect biting rate than Ae. albopictus. Finally, due to its efficiency, simplicity, and low cost, we suggest the use of this innovative tool for entomological surveillance, bionomics and vector incrimination studies in geographical areas where dengue and other arboviruses are present. © 2013 The Society for Vector Ecology.

  3. First report of naturally infected Aedes aegypti with chikungunya virus genotype ECSA in the Americas.

    PubMed

    Costa-da-Silva, André Luis; Ioshino, Rafaella Sayuri; Petersen, Vivian; Lima, Antonio Fernando; Cunha, Marielton Dos Passos; Wiley, Michael R; Ladner, Jason T; Prieto, Karla; Palacios, Gustavo; Costa, Danuza Duarte; Suesdek, Lincoln; Zanotto, Paolo Marinho de Andrade; Capurro, Margareth Lara

    2017-06-01

    The worldwide expansion of new emergent arboviruses such as Chikungunya and Zika reinforces the importance in understanding the role of mosquito species in spreading these pathogens in affected regions. This knowledge is essential for developing effective programs based on species specificity to avoid the establishment of endemic transmission cycles sustained by the identified local vectors. Although the first autochthonous transmission of Chikungunya virus was described in 2014 in the north of Brazil, the main outbreaks were reported in 2015 and 2016 in the northeast of Brazil. During 5 days of February 2016, we collected mosquitoes in homes of 6 neighborhoods of Aracaju city, the capital of Sergipe state. Four mosquito species were identified but Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti were the most abundant. Field-caught mosquitoes were tested for Chikungunya (CHIKV), Zika (ZIKV) and Dengue viruses (DENV) by qRT-PCR and one CHIKV-infected Ae. aegypti female was detected. The complete sequence of CHIKV genome was obtained from this sample and phylogenetic analysis revealed that this isolate belongs to the East-Central-South-African (ECSA) genotype. Our study describes the first identification of a naturally CHIKV-infected Ae. aegypti in Brazil and the first report of a CHIKV from ECSA genotype identified in this species in the Americas. These findings support the notion of Ae. aegypti being a vector involved in CHIKV outbreaks in northeast of Brazil.

  4. Daily rhythm of salivary and serum urea concentration in sheep

    PubMed Central

    Piccione, Giuseppe; Foà, Augusto; Bertolucci, Cristiano; Caola, Giovanni

    2006-01-01

    Background In domestic animals many biochemical and physiological processes exhibit daily rhythmicity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the rhythmic pattern of salivary and serum urea concentrations in sheep. Methods Six 3-year-old female sheep kept in the same environmental conditions were used. Sheep were sampled at 4 hour intervals for 48 consecutive hours starting at 08:00 of the first day and finishing at 04:00 of the second day. Blood samples were collected via intravenous cannulae inserted into the jugular vein; saliva samples were collected through a specific tube, the "Salivette". Salivary and serum urea concentrations were assayed by means of UV spectrophotometer. ANOVA was used to determine significant differences. The single Cosinor procedure was applied to the results showing significant differences over time. Results ANOVA showed a significant effect of time on salivary and serum urea concentrations. Serum and salivary urea peaked during the light phase. In the dark phase serum and salivary urea concentrations decreased, and the diurnal trough occurred at midnight. Cosinor analysis showed diurnal acrophases for salivary and serum urea concentrations. Daily mean levels were significantly higher in the serum than in the saliva. Conclusion In sheep both salivary and serum urea concentrations showed daily fluctuations. Urea is synthesized in the liver and its production is strongly influenced by food intake. Future investigation should clarify whether daily urea rhythms in sheep are endogenous or are simply the result of the temporal administration of food. PMID:17123442

  5. Effect of childhood malnutrition on salivary flow and pH.

    PubMed

    Psoter, Walter J; Spielman, Andrew L; Gebrian, Bette; St Jean, Rudolph; Katz, Ralph V

    2008-03-01

    While protein-energy malnutrition may have multiple effects on oral tissues and subsequent disease development, reports of the effect of malnutrition on the human salivary glands are sparse. A retrospective cohort study of the effect of early childhood protein-energy malnutrition (EC-PEM) and adolescent nutritional status on salivary flow and pH was conducted with rural Haitian children, ages 11-19 years (n=1017). Malnutrition strata exposure cohorts were based on 1988-1996 weight-for-age records which covered the birth through 5-year-old period for all subjects. Then, data on current anthropometrical defined nutritional status categories, stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rates, and salivary pH were collected for the same subjects of 11-19 years old during field examinations in the summer of 2005. Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used for the analyses. Stimulated and unstimulated salivary flow rates were reduced at statistically significant levels in subjects who had experienced severe malnutrition in their early childhood or who had continuing nutrition stress which resulted in delayed growth, as measured at ages 11-19 years. Salivary pH demonstrated little clinically meaningful variability between malnourished and nonmalnourished groups. This study is the first to report of a continuing effect on diminished salivary gland function into adolescence as a result of early childhood malnutrition (EC-PEM) and suggests that exocrine glandular systems may be compromised for extended periods following EC-PEM, which may have important implications for the body's systemic antimicrobial defences.

  6. Salivary Gland Cancer Treatment (PDQ®)—Health Professional Version

    Cancer.gov

    Salivary gland cancer treatment options include surgery with or without postoperative radiation therapy, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy. Get detailed information about the treatment for newly diagnosed and recurrent salivary gland cancer in this summary for clinicians.

  7. Tracking the return of Aedes aegypti to Brazil, the major vector of the dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses.

    PubMed

    Kotsakiozi, Panayiota; Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Caccone, Adalgisa; Evans, Benjamin; Schama, Renata; Martins, Ademir Jesus; Powell, Jeffrey R

    2017-07-01

    Aedes aegypti, commonly known as "the yellow fever mosquito", is of great medical concern today primarily as the major vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika viruses, although yellow fever remains a serious health concern in some regions. The history of Ae. aegypti in Brazil is of particular interest because the country was subjected to a well-documented eradication program during 1940s-1950s. After cessation of the campaign, the mosquito quickly re-established in the early 1970s with several dengue outbreaks reported during the last 30 years. Brazil can be considered the country suffering the most from the yellow fever mosquito, given the high number of dengue, chikungunya and Zika cases reported in the country, after having once been declared "free of Ae. aegypti". We used 12 microsatellite markers to infer the genetic structure of Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations, genetic variability, genetic affinities with neighboring geographic areas, and the timing of their arrival and spread. This enabled us to reconstruct their recent history and evaluate whether the reappearance in Brazil was the result of re-invasion from neighboring non-eradicated areas or re-emergence from local refugia surviving the eradication program. Our results indicate a genetic break separating the northern and southern Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations, with further genetic differentiation within each cluster, especially in southern Brazil. Based on our results, re-invasions from non-eradicated regions are the most likely scenario for the reappearance of Ae. aegypti in Brazil. While populations in the northern cluster are likely to have descended from Venezuela populations as early as the 1970s, southern populations seem to have derived more recently from northern Brazilian areas. Possible entry points are also revealed within both southern and northern clusters that could inform strategies to control and monitor this important arbovirus vector.

  8. Salivary immunoglobulin classes in Nigerian smokers with periodontitis.

    PubMed

    Olayanju, Olatunde A; Rahamon, Sheu K; Joseph, Ijeboime O; Arinola, Olatunbosun G

    2012-10-26

    To determine the levels of salivary immunoglobulin classes in Nigerian smokers and non-smokers with periodontitis. Sixty-nine individuals were recruited into this study after obtaining informed consent. They were subdivided into three groups that consisted of 20 (aged 46 ± 11 years) cigarette smokers with periodontitis (S+P); 24 (40 ± 12 years) smokers without periodontitis (S-P); and 25 (53 ± 11 years) non-smokers with periodontitis (NS+P). An oral and maxillofacial surgeon used radiographs for periodontal probing for the diagnosis of periodontitis. The smokers included subjects who smoked at least six cigarettes per day and all the periodontitis patients were newly diagnosed. About 5 mL of unstimulated saliva was expectorated by each subject into plain sample bottles. Salivary immunoglobulin levels were estimated using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Student's t test was used to determine significant differences between the means. Values of P < 0.05 were regarded as significant. No significant differences were observed in the mean salivary levels of the immunoglobulin classes (IgG, IgA, IgM and IgE) when S+P was compared with S-P. Mean salivary levels of IgA (520.0 ± 155.1 ng/mL vs 670.0 ± 110 ng/mL, P = 0.000) and IgM (644.5 ± 160.0 ng/mL vs 791.4 ± 43.7 ng/mL, P = 0.000) were significantly lower in the S+P compared with NS+P group. Salivary IgA (570.4 ± 145.6 ng/mL vs 670.0 ± 110 ng/mL, P = 0.008) and IgM (703.1 ± 169.3 ng/mL vs 791.4 ± 43.7 ng/mL, P = 0.012) levels were significantly lower in the S-P compared with NS+P group. Only one (5%) periodontal patient had detectable levels of salivary IgE (0.20 IU/mL). Similarly, only one smoker (4.17%) had detectable levels of salivary IgE (0.04 IU/mL) and two non-smokers (9.52%) had detectable levels of IgE (0.24 IU/mL). Our study suggests that reduced salivary IgA and IgM levels in smokers with periodontitis could enhance increased susceptibility to periodontitis.

  9. Modern management of salivary calculi.

    PubMed

    McGurk, M; Escudier, M P; Brown, J E

    2005-01-01

    The aim was to investigate the results of a minimally invasive approach to the management of salivary calculi. Four hundred and fifty-five salivary calculi (323 submandibular and 132 parotid) were treated using extracorporeal shock-wave lithotripsy (ECSWL), fluoroscopically guided basket retrieval or intraoral stone removal under general anaesthesia. The techniques were used either alone or in combination. ECSWL achieved complete success (stone and symptom free) in 87 (39.4 percent) of 221 patients (84 of 218 primary and all of three secondary procedures; 43 of 131 submandibular, 44 of 90 parotid). Basket retrieval cured 124 (74.7 percent) of 166 patients (103 of 136 primary and 21 of 30 secondary procedures; 80 of 109 submandibular, 44 of 57 parotid). Intraoral surgical removal was successful in a further 137 (95.8 percent) of 143 patients with submandibular stones (99 of 101 primary, 36 of 38 secondary and two of four tertiary procedures). The overall success rate for the three techniques was 348 (76.5 percent) of 455. A minimally invasive approach to the management of salivary calculi is to be encouraged. All three techniques described have low morbidity and afford the possibility of retaining a functional gland.

  10. Breeding of Aedes aegypti (L.) and Aedes albopictus (Skuse) in urban housing of Sibu town, Sarawak.

    PubMed

    Seng, C M; Jute, N

    1994-09-01

    An Aedes survey using various larval survey methods was conducted in 12 urban housing areas and 29 vacant lands in Sibu town proper. Aedes albopictus larvae were found in all areas surveyed while Aedes aegypti larvae were present in 10 localities and 4 vacant lands. There were no significant difference in the house index, breteau and larval density index of these two Aedes (Stegomyia) species from the survey areas. The proportion of containers positive with Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus in area outside the house compound and near the house fencing were 3.2 times higher than outdoor compound. The indoor/outdoor breeding ratio for Ae. aegypti alone is 1.6:1. The most preferred breeding habitats outdoor were plastic cups and used tires while indoor habitats were ant traps and flower vases. In the vacant lands, the average number of larvae per containers was significantly higher than in houses and over 51% of the containers inspected were positive. Shared breeding between Ae. aegypti and Ae. albopictus larvae accounted for 9% in house surveys and 4.5% in vacant land survey. The use of various methods in Aedes larval survey may provide essential information in the study of vector epidemiology in dengue and dengue hemorrhagic fever transmission.

  11. Vacant Lots: Productive Sites for Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Mérida City, México

    PubMed Central

    BAAK-BAAK, CARLOS M.; ARANA-GUARDIA, ROGER; CIGARROA-TOLEDO, NOHEMI; LOROÑO-PINO, MARÍA ALBA; REYES-SOLIS, GUADALUPE; MACHAIN-WILLIAMS, CARLOS; BEATY, BARRY J.; EISEN, LARS; GARCÍA-REJÓN, JULIÁN E.

    2014-01-01

    We assessed the potential for vacant lots and other non-residential settings to serve as source environments for Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.) in Mérida City, México. Mosquito immatures were collected, during November 2011 – June 2013, from residential premises (n = 156 site visits) and non-residential settings represented by vacant lots (50), parking lots (18), and streets/sidewalks (28). Collections totaled 46,025 mosquito immatures of 13 species. Ae. aegypti was the most commonly encountered species accounting for 81.0% of total immatures, followed by Culex quinquefasciatus Say (12.1%). Site visits to vacant lots (74.0%) were more likely to result in collection of Ae. aegypti immatures that residential premises (35.9%). Tires accounted for 75.5% of Ae. aegypti immatures collected from vacant lots. Our data suggest that vacant lots should be considered for inclusion in mosquito surveillance and control efforts in Mérida City, as they often are located near homes, commonly have abundant vegetation, and frequently harbor accumulations of small and large discarded water-holding containers that we now have demonstrated to serve as development sites for immature mosquitoes. Additionally, we present data for associations of immature production with various container characteristics, such as storage capacity, water quality and physical location in the environment. PMID:24724299

  12. [Inhibitory effect of turpentine oil on Aedes aegypti (Diptera:Culicidae) larvae growth].

    PubMed

    Leyva Silva, Maureen; Marquetti Fernández, Maria del Carmen; Tacoronte González, Juan E; Tiomno Tiomnovay, Olinka; Montada Dorta, Domingo

    2010-01-01

    in the fight for environmental protection, finding out alternative ways to control vectors that are important from the medical viewpoint is a must. Those plants having potent active principles and high chemical stability to act as pesticides can contribute to this end. to evaluate the possible inhibitory effect of photochemically-modified turpentine oil on Aedes aegypti larvae growth. Aedes aegypti larvae of an insecticide-sensitive strain from the insect breeding site located in the Institute of Tropical Medicine were used. During a week after the exposure to the lethal dose causing 90% mortality, the mortality indexes of larvae and pupas were recorded as well as the number of emerged adults and their sex in addition to adults stuck to the exuvias. high larval and pupal mortality was observed in the survivors to the lethal dose causing 90% mortality after one week of the exposure; mortality index was 39.46%. Larvae which managed to grow to become adults amounted to 60.54% of the surviving larvae. Female to male ratio was very similar in the control whereas the exposed group showed a higher number of male adults. On estimating the hatching inhibition percentage, it got 36.47%. the activity of turpentine oil as larvicide and Ae. aegypti growth inhibitor was demonstrated.

  13. Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) Biting Deterrence: Structure-Activity Relationship of Saturated and Unsaturated Fatty Acids

    DTIC Science & Technology

    2012-11-01

    rated fatty acids, including undecanoic acid were re- pellent to Ae. aegypti; and Reifenrath (2005) found that mixtures of unsaturated short chain acids...C18:0), oleic acid (C18:1), and linoleic acid (C18:2) were all purchased from SigmaÐAldrich (St. Louis, MO). Insects . Ae. aegypti used in Klun...Norridge, IL). The eggswere hatched by placing a piece of a paper towel with eggs in a cup Þlled with 100 ml de-ionized water containing a small quantity

  14. Germline Cas9 expression yields highly efficient genome engineering in a major worldwide disease vector, Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    Li, Ming; Bui, Michelle; Yang, Ting; Bowman, Christian S.; White, Bradley J.; Akbari, Omar S.

    2017-01-01

    The development of CRISPR/Cas9 technologies has dramatically increased the accessibility and efficiency of genome editing in many organisms. In general, in vivo germline expression of Cas9 results in substantially higher activity than embryonic injection. However, no transgenic lines expressing Cas9 have been developed for the major mosquito disease vector Aedes aegypti. Here, we describe the generation of multiple stable, transgenic Ae. aegypti strains expressing Cas9 in the germline, resulting in dramatic improvements in both the consistency and efficiency of genome modifications using CRISPR. Using these strains, we disrupted numerous genes important for normal morphological development, and even generated triple mutants from a single injection. We have also managed to increase the rates of homology-directed repair by more than an order of magnitude. Given the exceptional mutagenic efficiency and specificity of the Cas9 strains we engineered, they can be used for high-throughput reverse genetic screens to help functionally annotate the Ae. aegypti genome. Additionally, these strains represent a step toward the development of novel population control technologies targeting Ae. aegypti that rely on Cas9-based gene drives. PMID:29138316

  15. Germline Cas9 expression yields highly efficient genome engineering in a major worldwide disease vector, Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Li, Ming; Bui, Michelle; Yang, Ting; Bowman, Christian S; White, Bradley J; Akbari, Omar S

    2017-12-05

    The development of CRISPR/Cas9 technologies has dramatically increased the accessibility and efficiency of genome editing in many organisms. In general, in vivo germline expression of Cas9 results in substantially higher activity than embryonic injection. However, no transgenic lines expressing Cas9 have been developed for the major mosquito disease vector Aedes aegypti Here, we describe the generation of multiple stable, transgenic Ae. aegypti strains expressing Cas9 in the germline, resulting in dramatic improvements in both the consistency and efficiency of genome modifications using CRISPR. Using these strains, we disrupted numerous genes important for normal morphological development, and even generated triple mutants from a single injection. We have also managed to increase the rates of homology-directed repair by more than an order of magnitude. Given the exceptional mutagenic efficiency and specificity of the Cas9 strains we engineered, they can be used for high-throughput reverse genetic screens to help functionally annotate the Ae. aegypti genome. Additionally, these strains represent a step toward the development of novel population control technologies targeting Ae. aegypti that rely on Cas9-based gene drives. Copyright © 2017 the Author(s). Published by PNAS.

  16. Salivary flow and composition in diabetic and non-diabetic subjects.

    PubMed

    Lasisi, T J; Fasanmade, A A

    2012-06-07

    The study investigated the effects of type 2 diabetes mellitus on salivary flow and composition in humans compared to healthy sex and age matched controls. Forty adult human subjects divided into 20 diabetic and 20 non-diabetic healthy subjects were included. Saliva samples were collected and analysed for glucose, total protein, calcium, sodium, potassium, chloride and bicarbonate. Salivary flow rate was also determined. The results showed that salivary glucose and potassium levels were significantly higher (p = 0.01 and 0.002 respectively) in diabetic patients compared with non-diabetic participants. It was also found that the diabetic patients had significant reduction in salivary flow rate when compared with non-diabetic individuals. In contrast, there was no significant difference in levels of total protein, Na+, Ca++, Cl- and HCO3- between the two groups. These results suggest that some oral diseases associated with diabetes mellitus may be due to altered levels of salivary glucose, potassium and flow.

  17. Salivary Sialic Acid Levels in Smokeless Tobacco Users

    PubMed Central

    Farhad Mollashahi, Leila; Honarmand, Marieh; Nakhaee, Alireza; Mollashahi, Ghasem

    2016-01-01

    Background Smokeless tobacco chewing is one of the known risk factors for oral cancer. It is consumed widely by residents of southeastern Iran. Objectives In this study, salivary free and total sialic acid, and total protein were compared in paan consumers and non-consumers. Patients and Methods In this cross-sectional study, unstimulated saliva of 94 subjects (44 paan consumers and 50 non-consumers) who were referred to the oral medicine department of the dentistry school of Zahedan were collected. Salivary free and total sialic acid, and total protein concentration were measured by standard biochemical methods, and the obtained data were analyzed using SPSS 20 through the non-parametric Mann-Whitney test. Results The concentration of salivary free sialic acid (23.21 ± 18.98 mg/L) was significantly increased in paan consumers. The concentration of salivary Total sialic acid (TSA) (39.57 ± 26.58 mg/L) and total protein (0.77 ± 0.81 mg/mL) showed increases in paan consumers, however, the results were not statistically significant. Conclusions Salivary free and total sialic acid, and total protein were higher in the paan consumers compared to non-consumers. Due to the carcinogenic effect of smokeless tobacco, measurement of these parameters in saliva may be useful in early detection of oral cancer. PMID:27622172

  18. Characterization of the salivary microbiome in people with obesity

    PubMed Central

    Zhang, Qian

    2018-01-01

    Background The interactions between the gut microbiome and obesity have been extensively studied. Although the oral cavity is the gateway to the gut, and is extensively colonized with microbes, little is known about the oral microbiome in people with obesity. In the present study, we investigated the salivary microbiome in obese and normal weight healthy participants using metagenomic analysis. The subjects were categorized into two groups, obesity and normal weight, based on their BMIs. Methods We characterized the salivary microbiome of 33 adults with obesity and 29 normal weight controls using high-throughput sequencing of the V3–V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene (Illumina MiSeq). None of the selected participants had systemic, oral mucosal, or periodontal diseases. Results The salivary microbiome of the obesity group was distinct from that of the normal weight group. The salivary microbiome of periodontally healthy people with obesity had both significantly lower bacterial diversity and richness compared with the controls. The genus Prevotella, Granulicatella, Peptostreptococcus, Solobacterium, Catonella, and Mogibacterium were significantly more abundant in the obesity group; meanwhile the genus Haemophilus, Corynebacterium, Capnocytophaga, and Staphylococcus were less abundant in the obesity group. We also performed a functional analysis of the inferred metagenomes, and showed that the salivary community associated with obesity had a stronger signature of immune disease and a decreased functional signature related to environmental adaptation and Xenobiotics biodegradation compared with the normal weight controls. Discussion Our study demonstrates that the microbial diversity and structure of the salivary microbiome in people with obesity are significantly different from those of normal weight controls. These results suggested that changes in the structure and function of salivary microbiome in people with obesity might reflect their susceptibility to oral

  19. Salivary antioxidants and oral health in children with autism.

    PubMed

    Rai, Kavita; Hegde, Amitha M; Jose, Nijo

    2012-08-01

    Individuals with autism vary widely in abilities, intelligence, and behaviours. Autistic children have preferences for soft and sweetened food making them susceptible to caries. A wide spectrum of medical and behavioural symptoms is exhibited by children with autism, which makes routine dental care very difficult in them. Mental retardation is evident in approximately 70% of individuals with autism and most psychiatric disorders including autism are associated with increased oxidative stress. To evaluate the oral health status of children with autism and to determine the salivary pH and total salivary antioxidant concentration (TAC). 101 subjects with autism between age group of 6 and 12 year were part of the study and 50 normal healthy siblings of same age group were taken as control group. Oral health status was analysed using oral hygiene index-simplified and dentition status index. The salivary total anti-oxidant level was estimated using phosphomolybdic acid using spectrophotometric method and the salivary pH using the pH indicating paper. The results were statistically analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test. A statistically very highly significant difference was seen in the mean oral hygiene index scores (autistic group--1.2 and control group--1, P<0.001) and the mean salivary total antioxidant concentration (autistic group--5.7 μg/ml and control group--38 μg/ml, P<0.001). No statistical significant difference was observed in the dental caries status and the salivary pH of autistic group and the control group. Similar dental caries status was observed in children with autism and their healthy normal siblings. Oral hygiene was poor in children with autism whereas the Salivary TAC was significantly reduced in autistic children. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Correlation between salivary alpha-amylase and stress-related anxiety.

    PubMed

    Rashkova, Maya R; Ribagin, Lora S; Toneva, Nina G

    2012-01-01

    Salivary alpha-amylase is a useful biomarker that can be used in assessing human psychobiological and social behavioural processes. Studying it opens up possibilities for the creation of novel concepts concerning the interaction of biological and social processes and their impact on health and behaviour. The levels of salivary alpha-amylase and situation anxiety self-assessment using Spielberger test were measured twice in 30 individuals aged 21.37 +/- 0.96 yrs (18 females and 12 males): once during stressful situation (prior to examination) and, again a month later, in stress-free environment (during a training session). Salivary alpha-amylase was measured using kinetic reaction kit Salimetrics LLC--USA. The mean level of salivary alpha-amylase measured during the first measurement 156.0 +/- 93.33 U/ml. During the second measurement in the absence of intense stress, the levels were two times lower - 74.03 +/- 58.06 U/ml and the differences were statistically significant (P < 0.001). We found a statistically significant correlation between the levels of salivary alpha-amylase in both measurements (P < 0.01). The correlation coefficient was r = 0.472 (P < 0.01). The adapted version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory score (STAI) created by Spielberger is appropriate for assessment of stress-related anxiety in young individuals. Salivary alpha-amylase may be used as a biomarker for objective evaluation of the psychosomatic state of individuals in a stressful environment. The combination of psychological test and objective indicator such as salivary alpha-amylase is an excellent tool for objective evaluation of individual's state in stressful environment. Similar tests may be used in assessment of patients' behaviours at dental treatment that may be considered a stressor in most patients.

  1. Biomacromolecule conjugated nanofiber scaffold for salivary gland tissue engineering

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Jayarathanam, Kavitha

    Xerostomia or dry mouth, resulting from loss of salivary gland secretion can be alleviated by tissue engineering approaches to restore glandular cell function. Engineering an artificial salivary gland structure requires closely mimicking the natural environment, both physically and functionally, to promote epithelial cell proliferation, monolayer formation and apico-basal polarization. While the physical structure of the salivary gland extracellular matrix (ECM) can be reconstructed using biocompatible nanofiber scaffolds, the chemical signals from ECM macromolecules are equally involved in the gland morphogenesis. In these glands, Hyaluronic acid (HA), a biomacromolecule that is a major component of the ECM, plays a crucial role in recruiting growth factors to improve cell viability and growth in these glands. Another molecule of interest that improved salivary epithelial cell viability and apico-basal differentiation is laminin, a major protein found in the basement membrane. We hypothesize that these biomacromolecules, when conjugated nanofiber scaffolds, will provide the essential chemical signals that promote cell viability, proliferation, polarity in the salivary cell line of interest. These morphological changes will in turn promote the secretory function (salivary production). The nanofiber scaffold consisting of poly(lactic-co-glycolic)acid is conjugated with HA using a polyethylene glycol (PEG) diamine crosslinker. This conjugation was confirmed using fluorescence spectrometry, water contact angle test and immunocytochemistry analysis using confocal microscopy. The effect of HA in promoting cell survival in-vitro was established with MTT assay using SIMS (mouse submandibular immortalized ductal SIMS cells) cells. The effect of HA in improving the apico - basal polarity of SIMS cells will be assessed. Chemical modification of synthetic nanopolymeric scaffolds with ECM molecules e.g., HA, laminin are the next step towards developing "smart scaffolds", that

  2. The effects of saliva collection, handling and storage on salivary testosterone measurement.

    PubMed

    Durdiaková, Jaroslava; Fábryová, Helena; Koborová, Ivana; Ostatníková, Daniela; Celec, Peter

    2013-12-20

    Several endocrine parameters commonly measured in plasma, such as steroid hormones, can be measured in the oral fluid. However, there are several technical aspects of saliva sampling and processing that can potentially bias the validity of salivary testosterone measurement. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects caused by repeated sampling; 5 min centrifugation (at 2000, 6000 or 10,000g); the stimulation of saliva flow by a cotton swab soaked in 2% citric acid touching the tongue; different storage times and conditions as well as the impact of blood contamination on salivary testosterone concentration measured using a commercially available ELISA kit. Fresh, unprocessed, unstimulated saliva samples served as a control. Salivary testosterone concentrations were influenced neither by repeated sampling nor by stimulation of salivary flow. Testosterone levels determined in samples stored in various laboratory conditions for time periods up to 1 month did not differ in comparison with controls. For both genders, salivary testosterone levels were substantially reduced after centrifugation (men F=29.1; women F=56.17, p<0.0001). Blood contamination decreased salivary testosterone levels in a dose-dependent manner (men F=6.54, p<0.01, F=5.01, p<0.05). Salivary testosterone can be considered A robust and stable marker. However, saliva processing and blood leakage can introduce bias into measurements of salivary testosterone using ELISA. Our observations should be considered in studies focusing on salivary testosterone. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

  3. The use of Aedes aegypti larvae attractants to enhance the effectiveness of larvicides.

    PubMed

    Gonzalez, Paula V; Harburguer, Laura; González-Audino, Paola A; Masuh, Héctor M

    2016-06-01

    Aedes aegypti (L.) is an important dengue, chikungunya, and yellow fever vector. Immature stages of this species inhabit human-made containers placed in residential landscapes, and the application of larvicides inside containers that cannot be eliminated is still considered a priority in control programs. Larvicidal efficacy is influenced by several factors, including the formulation used, the water quality, and the susceptibility of larvae, among others. If an attractant can be incorporated into a slow-release larvicide formulation, it will be feasible to direct the larvae into the source of insecticide and thereby improving its efficacy. We studied the influence of 1-octen-3ol and 3-methylphenol on the rate of Ae. aegypti larvae mortality using the larvicides Bacillus thuringiensis var. israelensis (Bti), temephos, and spinosad. These chemicals were combined with the larvicides mixed with agar during the bioassays. Mortality was registered every 10 min, and a lethal time 50 (LT50) was calculated. The inclusion of the Ae. aegypti larvae attractants with the larvicides into a solid agar matrix improved their efficiency obtaining a strong and marked reduction in the LT50 compared with the use of larvicides alone.

  4. Historical environmental change in Africa drives divergence and admixture of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes: a precursor to successful worldwide colonization?

    PubMed

    Bennett, Kelly Louise; Shija, Fortunate; Linton, Yvonne-Marie; Misinzo, Gerald; Kaddumukasa, Martha; Djouaka, Rousseau; Anyaele, Okorie; Harris, Angela; Irish, Seth; Hlaing, Thaung; Prakash, Anil; Lutwama, Julius; Walton, Catherine

    2016-09-01

    Increasing globalization has promoted the spread of exotic species, including disease vectors. Understanding the evolutionary processes involved in such colonizations is both of intrinsic biological interest and important to predict and mitigate future disease risks. The Aedes aegypti mosquito is a major vector of dengue, chikungunya and Zika, the worldwide spread of which has been facilitated by Ae. aegypti's adaption to human-modified environments. Understanding the evolutionary processes involved in this invasion requires characterization of the genetic make-up of the source population(s). The application of approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) to sequence data from four nuclear and one mitochondrial marker revealed that African populations of Ae. aegypti best fit a demographic model of lineage diversification, historical admixture and recent population structuring. As ancestral Ae. aegypti were dependent on forests, this population history is consistent with the effects of forest fragmentation and expansion driven by Pleistocene climatic change. Alternatively, or additionally, historical human movement across the continent may have facilitated their recent spread and mixing. ABC analysis and haplotype networks support earlier inferences of a single out-of-Africa colonization event, while a cline of decreasing genetic diversity indicates that Ae. aegypti moved first from Africa to the Americas and then to Asia. ABC analysis was unable to verify this colonization route, possibly because the genetic signal of admixture obscures the true colonization pathway. By increasing genetic diversity and forming novel allelic combinations, divergence and historical admixture within Africa could have provided the adaptive potential needed for the successful worldwide spread of Ae. aegypti. © 2016 The Authors. Molecular Ecology Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

  5. Evaluation of BG-sentinel trap trapping efficacy for Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in a visually competitive environment.

    PubMed

    Ball, Tamara S; Ritchie, Scott R

    2010-07-01

    The BG-Sentinel (BGS) trap uses visual and olfactory cues as well as convection currents to attract Aedes aegypti (L.). The impact of the visual environment on trapping efficacy of the BGS trap for Ae. aegypti was investigated. Four- to 5-d nulliparous female and male Ae. aegypti were released into a semicontrolled room to evaluate the effect of the presence, reflectance, and distribution of surrounding harborage sites on BGS trapping efficacy. Low-reflective (dark) harborage sites near the BGS had a negative effect on both male and nulliparous female recapture rates; however, a more pronounced effect was observed in males. The distribution (clustered versus scattered) of dark harborage sites did not significantly affect recapture rates in either sex. In a subsequent experiment, the impact of oviposition sites on the recapture rate of gravid females was investigated. Although gravid females went to the oviposition sites and deposited eggs, the efficacy of the BGS in recapturing gravid females was not compromised. Ae. aegypti sampling in the field will mostly occur in the urban environment, whereby the BGS will be among oviposition sites and dark harborage areas in the form of household items and outdoor clutter. In addition to understanding sampling biases of the BGS, estimations of the adult population size and structure can be further adjusted based on an understanding of the impact of dark harborage sites on trap captures. Outcomes from this suite of experiments provide us with important considerations for trap deployment and interpretation of Ae. aegypti samples from the BGS trap.

  6. Regulation of Aedes aegypti Population Dynamics in Field Systems: Quantifying Direct and Delayed Density Dependence

    PubMed Central

    Walsh, Rachael K.; Aguilar, Cristobal L.; Facchinelli, Luca; Valerio, Laura; Ramsey, Janine M.; Scott, Thomas W.; Lloyd, Alun L.; Gould, Fred

    2013-01-01

    Transgenic strains of Aedes aegypti have been engineered to help control transmission of dengue virus. Although resources have been invested in developing the strains, we lack data on the ecology of mosquitoes that could impact the success of this approach. Although studies of intra-specific competition have been conducted using Ae. aegypti larvae, none of these studies examine mixed age cohorts at densities that occur in the field, with natural nutrient levels. Experiments were conducted in Mexico to determine the impact of direct and delayed density dependence on Ae. aegypti populations. Natural water, food, and larval densities were used to estimate the impacts of density dependence on larval survival, development, and adult body size. Direct and delayed density-dependent factors had a significant impact on larval survival, larval development, and adult body size. These results indicate that control methods attempting to reduce mosquito populations may be counteracted by density-dependent population regulation. PMID:23669230

  7. Does targeting key-containers effectively reduce Aedes aegypti population density?

    PubMed

    Maciel-de-Freitas, Rafael; Lourenço-de-Oliveira, Ricardo

    2011-08-01

    The elimination of Aedes aegypti breeding sites has been broadly adopted worldwide to keep vector population density below a critical threshold. We observed the effectiveness of targeting the most productive containers on adult A. aegypti females density, which was evaluated weekly. Adult mosquitoes were collected weekly over 55 weeks and pupal surveys were done in intervals of 4 months to determine container productivity and guidelines for interventions. Pupal surveys indicated that water tanks (72% of pupae in first survey) and metal drums (30.7% of pupae in second survey) were the most productive container types. We observed a dramatic but short-term decrease in weekly adult female A. aegypti density after covering 733 water tanks with nylon net. A long-term decrease in female adult population density was achieved only when we covered both water tanks and metal drums. Overall, pupae abundance and pupae standing crop diminished after netting water tanks and metal drums. Pupae per person, per hectare and per house decreased gradually between the first and the third pupal surveys, suggesting that targeting the most productive container types (water tanks and metal drums) produced a reduction in adult population density and infestation levels. Overall, targeting the most productive container types caused the adult mosquito density to decrease over time, supporting the assumption that this intervention is an effective tool for dengue control. However, this effect was observed only when both water tanks and metal drums were covered, possibly due to the functional similarity between these container types, which are large, often shaded, perennial water storage containers. © 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

  8. [Xerostomia, hyposialia, sicca syndrome--quantitative disturbances of the salivary flow rate].

    PubMed

    Slezák, R; Berglová, I; Krejsek, J

    2011-04-01

    Diseases of salivary glands may be associated with salivary flow rate disturbances. Production of the saliva is evaluated by sialometric tests. The stress is putted on salivary flow rate disturbances in Sjögren's syndrome, drug-induced and postirradiative sialopathy, and diabetes mellitus. The possibility of the stimulation and substitution of the saliva is discussed.

  9. Selective oviposition by Aedes aegypti (Diptera: culicidae) in response to Mesocyclops longisetus (Copepoda: Cyclopoidea) under laboratory and field conditions.

    PubMed

    Torres-Estrada, J L; Rodríguez, M H; Cruz-López, L; Arredondo-Jimenez, J I

    2001-03-01

    The influence of predacious Mesocyclops longisetus Thiebaud on the selection of oviposition sites by prey Aedes aegypti (L.) was studied under laboratory and field conditions. In both cases, gravid Ae. aegypti females were significantly more attracted to ovitraps containing copepods or to ovitraps with water in which copepods were held previously than to distilled water. Monoterpene and sesquiterpene compounds including 3-carene, alpha-terpinene, alpha-copaene, alpha-longipinene, alpha-cedrene, and delta-cadinene were found in hexane extracts of copepods by gas chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses. These compounds may be responsible for attracting gravid Ae. aegypti females and may increase the number of potential prey for the copepod.

  10. Human Common Salivary Protein 1 (CSP-1) Promotes Binding of Streptococcus mutans to Experimental Salivary Pellicle and Glucans Formed on Hydroxyapatite Surface

    PubMed Central

    Ambatipudi, Kiran S.; Hagen, Fred K.; Delahunty, Claire M.; Han, Xuemei; Shafi, Rubina; Hryhorenko, Jennifer; Gregoire, Stacy; Marquis, Robert E.; Melvin, James E.; Koo, Hyun; Yates, John R.

    2010-01-01

    Summary The saliva proteome includes host defense factors and specific bacterial-binding proteins that modulate microbial growth and colonization of tooth surface in the oral cavity. A multidimensional mass spectrometry approach identified the major host-derived salivary proteins which interacted with Streptococcus mutans (strain UA159), the primary microorganism associated with the pathogenesis of dental caries. Two abundant host proteins were found to tightly bind to S. mutans cells, common salivary protein-1 (CSP-1) and deleted in malignant brain tumor 1 (DMBT1, also known as salivary agglutinin or gp340). In contrast to gp340, limited functional information is available on CSP-1. The sequence of CSP-1 shares 38.1% similarity with rat CSP-1. Recombinant CSP-1 (rCSP-1) protein did not cause aggregation of S. mutans cells and was devoid of any significant biocidal activity (2.5 to 10 μg/ml). However, S. mutans cells exposed to rCSP-1 (10 μg/ml) in saliva displayed enhanced adherence to experimental salivary pellicle and to glucans in the pellicle formed on hydroxyapatite surfaces. Thus, our data demonstrate that the host salivary protein CSP-1 binds to S. mutans cells and may influence the initial colonization of this pathogenic bacterium onto tooth surface. PMID:20858015

  11. The Impact of Selection with Diflubenzuron, a Chitin Synthesis Inhibitor, on the Fitness of Two Brazilian Aedes aegypti Field Populations

    PubMed Central

    Belinato, Thiago Affonso; Valle, Denise

    2015-01-01

    Several Aedes aegypti field populations are resistant to neurotoxic insecticides, mainly organophoshates and pyrethroids, which are extensively used as larvicides and adulticides, respectively. Diflubenzuron (DFB), a chitin synthesis inhibitor (CSI), was recently approved for use in drinking water, and is presently employed in Brazil for Ae. aegypti control, against populations resistant to the organophosphate temephos. However, tests of DFB efficacy against field Ae. aegypti populations are lacking. In addition, information regarding the dynamics of CSI resistance, and characterization of any potential fitness effects that may arise in conjunction with resistance are essential for new Ae. aegypti control strategies. Here, the efficacy of DFB was evaluated for two Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations known to be resistant to both temephos and the pyrethroid deltamethrin. Laboratory selection for DFB resistance was then performed over six or seven generations, using a fixed dose of insecticide that inhibited 80% of adult emergence in the first generation. The selection process was stopped when adult emergence in the diflubenzuron-treated groups was equivalent to that of the control groups, kept without insecticide. Diflubenzuron was effective against the two Ae. aegypti field populations evaluated, regardless of their resistance level to neurotoxic insecticides. However, only a few generations of DFB selection were sufficient to change the susceptible status of both populations to this compound. Several aspects of mosquito biology were affected in both selected populations, indicating that diflubenzuron resistance acquisition is associated with a fitness cost. We believe that these results can significantly contribute to the design of control strategies involving the use of insect growth regulators. PMID:26107715

  12. The Impact of Selection with Diflubenzuron, a Chitin Synthesis Inhibitor, on the Fitness of Two Brazilian Aedes aegypti Field Populations.

    PubMed

    Belinato, Thiago Affonso; Valle, Denise

    2015-01-01

    Several Aedes aegypti field populations are resistant to neurotoxic insecticides, mainly organophoshates and pyrethroids, which are extensively used as larvicides and adulticides, respectively. Diflubenzuron (DFB), a chitin synthesis inhibitor (CSI), was recently approved for use in drinking water, and is presently employed in Brazil for Ae. aegypti control, against populations resistant to the organophosphate temephos. However, tests of DFB efficacy against field Ae. aegypti populations are lacking. In addition, information regarding the dynamics of CSI resistance, and characterization of any potential fitness effects that may arise in conjunction with resistance are essential for new Ae. aegypti control strategies. Here, the efficacy of DFB was evaluated for two Brazilian Ae. aegypti populations known to be resistant to both temephos and the pyrethroid deltamethrin. Laboratory selection for DFB resistance was then performed over six or seven generations, using a fixed dose of insecticide that inhibited 80% of adult emergence in the first generation. The selection process was stopped when adult emergence in the diflubenzuron-treated groups was equivalent to that of the control groups, kept without insecticide. Diflubenzuron was effective against the two Ae. aegypti field populations evaluated, regardless of their resistance level to neurotoxic insecticides. However, only a few generations of DFB selection were sufficient to change the susceptible status of both populations to this compound. Several aspects of mosquito biology were affected in both selected populations, indicating that diflubenzuron resistance acquisition is associated with a fitness cost. We believe that these results can significantly contribute to the design of control strategies involving the use of insect growth regulators.

  13. The impact of temperature on the bionomics of Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti, with special reference to the cool geographic range margins.

    PubMed

    Eisen, Lars; Monaghan, Andrew J; Lozano-Fuentes, Saul; Steinhoff, Daniel F; Hayden, Mary H; Bieringer, Paul E

    2014-05-01

    The mosquito Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (L.), which occurs widely in the subtropics and tropics, is the primary urban vector of dengue and yellow fever viruses, and an important vector of chikungunya virus. There is substantial interest in how climate change may impact the bionomics and pathogen transmission potential of this mosquito. This Forum article focuses specifically on the effects of temperature on the bionomics of Ae. aegypti, with special emphasis on the cool geographic range margins where future rising temperatures could facilitate population growth. Key aims are to: 1) broadly define intra-annual (seasonal) patterns of occurrence and abundance of Ae. aegypti, and their relation to climate conditions; 2) synthesize the existing quantitative knowledge of how temperature impacts the bionomics of different life stages of Ae. aegypti; 3) better define the temperature ranges for which existing population dynamics models for Ae. aegypti are likely to produce robust predictions; 4) explore potential impacts of climate warming on human risk for exposure to Ae. aegypti at its cool range margins; and 5) identify knowledge or data gaps that hinder our ability to predict risk of human exposure to Ae. aegypti at the cool margins of its geographic range now and in the future. We first outline basic scenarios for intra-annual occurrence and abundance patterns for Ae. aegypti, and then show that these scenarios segregate with regard to climate conditions in selected cities where they occur. We then review how near-constant and intentionally fluctuating temperatures impact development times and survival of eggs and immatures. A subset of data, generated in controlled experimental studies, from the published literature is used to plot development rates and survival of eggs, larvae, and pupae in relation to water temperature. The general shape of the relationship between water temperature and development rate is similar for eggs, larvae, and pupae. Once the lower

  14. The Effects of Tooth Brushing on Whole Salivary Flow Rate in Older Adults

    PubMed Central

    Trottier, K.; Garrick, R.; Mascarenhas, T.; Jang, Y.

    2018-01-01

    Objectives (1) To determine whether manual (MTB), or electric, tooth brushing (ETB) modulates whole salivary flow rate in older adults who are free of systemic disease. (2) To determine the duration of the brushing-related modulation of salivary flow rate. (3) To compare salivary flow rate modulation associated with MTB and ETB. Method Twenty-one adults aged 60 years and older participated in two experimental sessions during which they used a manual, or electric, toothbrush to brush their teeth, tongue, and palate. Whole salivary flow rates were determined using the draining method before, during, and after brushing. Differences in salivary flow rates across time periods, and between conditions, were examined using paired samples t-tests applying a Holm-Bonferroni sequential procedure (pcorr < 0.0045). The relationship between tooth brushing and age with respect to maximum salivary flow rate increase was examined using Pearson's correlation coefficient (p < 0.05). Results/Conclusion Whole salivary flow rates increased during, and for up to 5 minutes following, tooth brushing in adults aged 60 years and older who were free of systemic disease. The salivary effects of MTB and ETB were not significantly different. A moderate, positive correlation was observed between tooth-brushing-related maximum salivary flow rate increase and age. PMID:29682540

  15. Fast Evolution and Lineage-Specific Gene Family Expansions of Aphid Salivary Effectors Driven by Interactions with Host-Plants.

    PubMed

    Boulain, Hélène; Legeai, Fabrice; Guy, Endrick; Morlière, Stéphanie; Douglas, Nadine E; Oh, Jonghee; Murugan, Marimuthu; Smith, Michael; Jaquiéry, Julie; Peccoud, Jean; White, Frank F; Carolan, James C; Simon, Jean-Christophe; Sugio, Akiko

    2018-05-18

    Effector proteins play crucial roles in plant-parasite interactions by suppressing plant defenses and hijacking plant physiological responses to facilitate parasite invasion and propagation. Although effector proteins have been characterized in many microbial plant pathogens, their nature and role in adaptation to host plants are largely unknown in insect herbivores. Aphids rely on salivary effector proteins injected into the host plants to promote phloem sap uptake. Therefore, gaining insight into the repertoire and evolution of aphid effectors is key to unveiling the mechanisms responsible for aphid virulence and host plant specialization. With this aim in mind, we assembled catalogues of putative effectors in the legume specialist aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum, using transcriptomics and proteomics approaches. We identified 3603 candidate effector genes predicted to be expressed in A. pisum salivary glands (SGs), and 740 of which displayed up-regulated expression in SGs in comparison to the alimentary tract. A search for orthologs in 17 arthropod genomes revealed that SG-up-regulated effector candidates of A. pisum are enriched in aphid-specific genes and tend to evolve faster compared to the whole gene set. We also found that a large fraction of proteins detected in the A. pisum saliva belonged to three gene families, of which certain members show evidence consistent with positive selection. Overall, this comprehensive analysis suggests that the large repertoire of effector candidates in A. pisum constitutes a source of novelties promoting plant adaptation to legumes.

  16. What interactions drive the salivary mucosal pellicle formation?

    PubMed Central

    Gibbins, Hannah L.; Yakubov, Gleb E.; Proctor, Gordon B.; Wilson, Stephen; Carpenter, Guy H.

    2014-01-01

    The bound salivary pellicle is essential for protection of both the enamel and mucosa in the oral cavity. The enamel pellicle formation is well characterised, however the mucosal pellicle proteins have only recently been clarified and what drives their formation is still unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the salivary pellicle on particles with different surface properties (hydrophobic or hydrophilic with a positive or negative charge), to determine a suitable model to mimic the mucosal pellicle. A secondary aim was to use the model to test how transglutaminase may alter pellicle formation. Particles were incubated with resting whole mouth saliva, parotid saliva and submandibular/sublingual saliva. Following incubation and two PBS and water washes bound salivary proteins were eluted with two concentrations of SDS, which were later analysed using SDS-PAGE and Western blotting. Experiments were repeated with purified transglutaminase to determine how this epithelial-derived enzyme may alter the bound pellicle. Protein pellicles varied according to the starting salivary composition and the particle chemistry. Amylase, the single most abundant protein in saliva, did not bind to any particle indicating specific protein binding. Most proteins bound through hydrophobic interactions and a few according to their charges. The hydrophobic surface most closely matched the known salivary mucosal pellicle by containing mucins, cystatin and statherin but an absence of amylase and proline-rich proteins. This surface was further used to examine the effect of added transglutaminase. At the concentrations used only statherin showed any evidence of crosslinking with itself or another saliva protein. In conclusion, the formation of the salivary mucosal pellicle is probably mediated, at least in part, by hydrophobic interactions to the epithelial cell surface. PMID:24921197

  17. Relationship between frequency of pilocarpine administration and salivary IgA level.

    PubMed

    Smith, D J; Taubman, M A; Ebersole, J L; King, W

    1982-12-01

    The effect of repetitive administration of pilocarpine nitrate on the salivary volume and salivary IgA concentration was studied in the NIH white hamster. One and one-half to three-fold increases in salivary volume, coupled with decreases of 1/3 to 2/3 in IgA concentration, occurred as the frequency of administration of pilocarpine increased.

  18. The potential impacts of 21st century climatic and population changes on human exposure to the virus vector mosquito Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Monaghan, A J; Sampson, K M; Steinhoff, D F; Ernst, K C; Ebi, K L; Jones, B; Hayden, M H

    2018-02-01

    The mosquito Aedes (Ae). aegypti transmits the viruses that cause dengue and chikungunya, two globally-important vector-borne diseases. We investigate how choosing alternate emissions and/or socioeconomic pathways may modulate future human exposure to Ae. aegypti . Occurrence patterns for Ae. aegypti for 2061-2080 are mapped globally using empirically downscaled air temperature and precipitation projections from the Community Earth System Model, for the Representative Concentration Pathway (RCP) 4.5 and 8.5 scenarios. Population growth is quantified using gridded global population projections consistent with two Shared Socioeconomic Pathways (SSPs), SSP3 and SSP5. Change scenarios are compared to a 1950-2000 reference period. A global land area of 56.9 M km 2 is climatically suitable for Ae. aegypti during the reference period, and is projected to increase by 8% (RCP4.5) to 13% (RCP8.5) by 2061-2080. The annual average number of people exposed globally to Ae. aegypti for the reference period is 3794 M, a value projected to statistically significantly increase by 298-460 M (8-12%) by 2061-2080 if only climate change is considered, and by 4805-5084 M (127-134%) for SSP3 and 2232-2483 M (59-65%) for SSP5 considering both climate and population change (lower and upper values of each range represent RCP4.5 and RCP8.5 respectively). Thus, taking the lower-emissions RCP4.5 pathway instead of RCP8.5 may mitigate future human exposure to Ae. aegypti globally, but the effect of population growth on exposure will likely be larger. Regionally, Australia, Europe and North America are projected to have the largest percentage increases in human exposure to Ae. aegypti considering only climate change.

  19. Fragmentation of salivary stones with a 980nm diode laser.

    PubMed

    Luers, Jan Christoffer; Petry-Schmelzer, Jan Niklas; Hein, Wolfgang G; Gostian, Antoniu-Oreste; Hüttenbrink, Karl-Bernd; Beutner, Dirk

    2014-02-01

    Intraductal laser lithotripsy is a preferred method to fragment large, immobile intraglandular salivary stones. A number of different laser systems has been investigated for this purpose. It was our aim to study the effectiveness of a 980nm diode laser when fragmenting salivary stones in an experimental set up. In an experimental set up we used a 980nm diode laser for the lithotripsy of 9 salivary stones. The temperature circle around the laser fibre tip was measured and stone remnants were chemically analysed for their composition. The salivary stones had a mean diameter of 6.7mm×5.6mm×3.0mm. Laser fragmentation with the diode laser was successful at all stones. The temperature next to the salivary stone increased to around 30°C during the active lithotripsy with continuous rinsing (fluid temperature 21°C). At a distance of 2mm the temperature around the laser fibre's tip is reduced by already about 50%. The salivary stones mainly consisted of carbonate apatite, followed by β-calcium phosphate and other calcium phosphates. The fragmentation of salivary stones with a 980nm diode laser is possible in principle. Under a continuous irrigation with a positioning of the laser fibre's tip at the centre of the stone, no relevant temperature increase in the vicinity of the stone occurs. However, before the laser is used in humans, in vivo experiments on animal material seem to be advisable. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

  20. Reptilian Transcriptomes v2.0: An Extensive Resource for Sauropsida Genomics and Transcriptomics

    PubMed Central

    Tzika, Athanasia C.; Ullate-Agote, Asier; Grbic, Djordje; Milinkovitch, Michel C.

    2015-01-01

    Despite the availability of deep-sequencing techniques, genomic and transcriptomic data remain unevenly distributed across phylogenetic groups. For example, reptiles are poorly represented in sequence databases, hindering functional evolutionary and developmental studies in these lineages substantially more diverse than mammals. In addition, different studies use different assembly and annotation protocols, inhibiting meaningful comparisons. Here, we present the “Reptilian Transcriptomes Database 2.0,” which provides extensive annotation of transcriptomes and genomes from species covering the major reptilian lineages. To this end, we sequenced normalized complementary DNA libraries of multiple adult tissues and various embryonic stages of the leopard gecko and the corn snake and gathered published reptilian sequence data sets from representatives of the four extant orders of reptiles: Squamata (snakes and lizards), the tuatara, crocodiles, and turtles. The LANE runner 2.0 software was implemented to annotate all assemblies within a single integrated pipeline. We show that this approach increases the annotation completeness of the assembled transcriptomes/genomes. We then built large concatenated protein alignments of single-copy genes and inferred phylogenetic trees that support the positions of turtles and the tuatara as sister groups of Archosauria and Squamata, respectively. The Reptilian Transcriptomes Database 2.0 resource will be updated to include selected new data sets as they become available, thus making it a reference for differential expression studies, comparative genomics and transcriptomics, linkage mapping, molecular ecology, and phylogenomic analyses involving reptiles. The database is available at www.reptilian-transcriptomes.org and can be enquired using a wwwblast server installed at the University of Geneva. PMID:26133641

  1. Comparative assessment of salivary cotinine level and psychological dependence among tobacco users

    PubMed Central

    Patel, Vrushali D.; Jadhav, Kiran B.; Shah, Vandana S.; Gupta, Nidhi D.

    2017-01-01

    Background: The aim of the study was to assess the correlation between salivary cotinine level and psychological dependence measured through Fagerstrom test for nicotine dependence (FTND) questionnaire among tobacco users. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study, conducted on tobacco users. Participants with the present habit of tobacco chewing and smoking above the age of 16 years were included in the study. A standard questionnaire form of FTND revised version for smoking and smokeless form of tobacco were given to each participant. Each participant was asked to answer the questions as per their experience of tobacco consumption and calculate the total point score or FTND score. Salivary cotinine level assessment was done using commercial available NicAlert kit. Results: When salivary cotinine level was correlated with different variables of both groups, it was observed that weak correlation between salivary cotinine level and FTND scoring in smokers group (r = 0.083) and also in smokeless group (r = 0.081). When two groups were compared for salivary cotinine level, statistically significant difference (P = 0.021) was observed, with smokeless group showing high level of salivary cotinine level as compared to smokers group. Conclusion: Salivary cotinine and psychological dependence through FTND scoring are not strongly correlating with each other. This indicates that dependence over tobacco is a separate phenomenon and cannot be assessed by salivary cotinine level. It is well accepted that salivary cotinine level is influenced by age of individual, duration of habit, and type of tobacco consumption. PMID:28584536

  2. Interplay of biopharmaceutics, biopharmaceutics drug disposition and salivary excretion classification systems

    PubMed Central

    Idkaidek, Nasir M.

    2013-01-01

    The aim of this commentary is to investigate the interplay of Biopharmaceutics Classification System (BCS), Biopharmaceutics Drug Disposition Classification System (BDDCS) and Salivary Excretion Classification System (SECS). BCS first classified drugs based on permeability and solubility for the purpose of predicting oral drug absorption. Then BDDCS linked permeability with hepatic metabolism and classified drugs based on metabolism and solubility for the purpose of predicting oral drug disposition. On the other hand, SECS classified drugs based on permeability and protein binding for the purpose of predicting the salivary excretion of drugs. The role of metabolism, rather than permeability, on salivary excretion is investigated and the results are not in agreement with BDDCS. Conclusion The proposed Salivary Excretion Classification System (SECS) can be used as a guide for drug salivary excretion based on permeability (not metabolism) and protein binding. PMID:24493977

  3. Management of xerostomia and salivary gland hypofunction.

    PubMed

    Ram, Saravanan; Kumar, Satish; Navazesh, Mahvash

    2011-09-01

    Xerostomia and salivary gland hypofunction are conditions that have been associated with increased prevalence of caries, periodontitis, and candidiasis. Oral health care providers must be aware of the etiologies and clinical manifestations of salivary gland hypofunction in order to identify patients with this condition and to prevent its potential complications. The various modalities available to manage this condition range from frequent sips of water to the intake of systemic medications like pilocarpine or cevimeline.

  4. Aedes aegypti Global Suitability Maps Using a Water Container Energy Balance Model for Dengue Risk Applications

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Steinhoff, D.

    2015-12-01

    Dengue infections are estimated to total nearly 400 million per year worldwide, with both the geographic range and the magnitude of infections having increased in the past 50 years. The primary dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti is closely associated with humans. It lives exclusively in urban and semi-urban areas, preferentially bites humans, and spends its developmental stages in artificial water containers. Climate regulates the development of Ae. aegypti immature mosquitoes in artificial containers. Potential containers for Ae. aegypti immature development include, but are not limited to, small sundry items (e.g., bottles, cans, plastic containers), buckets, tires, barrels, tanks, and cisterns. Successful development of immature mosquitoes from eggs to larvae, pupae, and eventually adults is largely dependent on the availability of water and the thermal properties of the water in the containers. Recent work has shown that physics-based approaches toward modeling container water properties are promising for resolving the complexities of container water dynamics and the effects on immature mosquito development. An energy balance container model developed by the author, termed the Water Height And Temperature in Container Habitats Energy Model (WHATCH'EM), solves for water temperature and height for user-specified containers with readily available weather data. Here we use WHATCH'EM with NASA Earth Science products used as input to construct global suitability maps based on established water temperature ranges for immature Ae. aegypti mosquitoes. A proxy for dengue risk is provided from habitat suitability, but also population estimates, as Ae. aegypti is closely associated with human activity. NASA gridded Global Population of the World data is used to mask out rural areas with low dengue risk. Suitability maps are illustrated for a variety of containers (size, material, color) and shading scenarios.

  5. Water Level Flux in Household Containers in Vietnam - A Key Determinant of Aedes aegypti Population Dynamics

    PubMed Central

    Jeffery, Jason A. L.; Clements, Archie C. A.; Nguyen, Yen Thi; Nguyen, Le Hoang; Tran, Son Hai; Le, Nghia Trung; Vu, Nam Sinh; Ryan, Peter A.; Kay, Brian H.

    2012-01-01

    We examined changes in the abundance of immature Aedes aegypti at the household and water storage container level during the dry-season (June-July, 2008) in Tri Nguyen village, central Vietnam. We conducted quantitative immature mosquito surveys of 171 containers in the same 41 households, with replacement of samples, every two days during a 29-day period. We developed multi-level mixed effects regression models to investigate container and household variability in pupal abundance. The percentage of houses that were positive for I/II instars, III/IV instars and pupae during any one survey ranged from 19.5–43.9%, 48.8–75.6% and 17.1–53.7%, respectively. The mean numbers of Ae. aegypti pupae per house ranged between 1.9–12.6 over the study period. Estimates of absolute pupal abundance were highly variable over the 29-day period despite relatively stable weather conditions. Most variability in pupal abundance occurred at the container rather than the household level. A key determinant of Ae. aegypti production was the frequent filling of the containers with water, which caused asynchronous hatching of Ae. aegypti eggs and development of cohorts of immatures. We calculated the probability of the water volume of a large container (>500L) increasing or decreasing by ≥20% to be 0.05 and 0.07 per day, respectively, and for small containers (<500L) to be 0.11 and 0.13 per day, respectively. These human water-management behaviors are important determinants of Ae. aegypti production during the dry season. This has implications for choosing a suitable Wolbachia strain for release as it appears that prolonged egg desiccation does not occur in this village. PMID:22911683

  6. "Salivary exRNA biomarkers to detect gingivitis and monitor disease regression".

    PubMed

    Kaczor-Urbanowicz, Karolina Elżbieta; Trivedi, Harsh M; Lima, Patricia O; Camargo, Paulo M; Giannobile, William V; Grogan, Tristan R; Gleber-Netto, Frederico O; Whiteman, Yair; Li, Feng; Lee, Hyo Jung; Dharia, Karan; Aro, Katri; Carerras-Presas, Carmen Martin; Amuthan, Saarah; Vartak, Manjiri; Akin, David; Al-Adbullah, Hiba; Bembey, Kanika; Klokkevold, Perry R; Elashoff, David; Barnes, Virginia Monsul; Richter, Rose; DeVizio, William; Masters, James G; Wong, David

    2018-05-19

    This study tests the hypothesis that salivary extracellular RNA (exRNA) biomarkers can be developed for gingivitis detection and monitoring disease regression. Salivary exRNA biomarker candidates were developed from a total of 100 gingivitis and non-gingivitis individuals using Affymetrix's expression microarrays. The top ten differentially expressed exRNAs were tested in a clinical cohort to determine if the discovered salivary exRNA markers for gingivitis were associated with clinical gingivitis and disease regression. For this purpose, unstimulated saliva was collected from 30 randomly selected gingivitis subjects, the gingival and plaque indexes scores were taken at baseline, 3 & 6 weeks and salivary exRNAs were assayed by means of reverse transcription quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Eight salivary exRNA biomarkers developed for gingivitis were statistically significantly changed over time, consistent with disease regression. A panel of four salivary exRNAs [SPRR1A, lnc-TET3-2:1, FAM25A, CRCT1] can detect gingivitis with a clinical performance of 0.91 area under the curve (AUC), with 71% sensitivity and 100% specificity. The clinical values of the developed salivary exRNA biomarkers are associated with gingivitis regression. They offer strong potential to be advanced for definitive validation and clinical laboratory development test (LDT). This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

  7. Salivary characteristics and dental caries: Evidence from general dental practices

    PubMed Central

    Cunha-Cruz, Joana; Scott, JoAnna; Rothen, Marilynn; Mancl, Lloyd; Lawhorn, Timothy; Brossel, Kenneth; Berg, Joel

    2013-01-01

    Background Saliva is one of the intraoral host factors that influence caries development. The authors conducted a study to investigate whether salivary characteristics are associated with recent dental caries experience. Methods Dentist-investigators and dental staff members collected data pertaining to a two-year cumulative incidence of dental caries (previous 24 months) and salivary characteristics during baseline assessment in an ongoing longitudinal study. The systematic random sample consisted of patients (n = 1,763) visiting general dental practices (n = 63) within the Northwest Practice-based REsearch Collaborative in Evidence-based DENTistry (PRECEDENT). The authors estimated adjusted rate ratios (RRs) by using generalized estimating equations log-linear regression to relate salivary characteristics to coronal carious lesions into dentin. Results Low resting pH (≤ 6.0) in the overall sample and low stimulated salivary flow rate (≤ 0.6 milliliter/minute) in older adults (≥ 65 years old) were associated with increased dental caries (RR, 1.6; 95 percent confidence interval [CI], 1.1–2.2; RR, 2.4; 95 percent CI, 1.5–3.8, respectively). Low buffering capacity was associated with decreased dental caries in children and adolescents (RR, 0.3; 95 percent CI, 0.1–1.0; RR, 0.2; 95 percent CI, 0.1–0.7, respectively). A thick, sticky or frothy salivary consistency also was associated with decreased dental caries in adults (RR, 0.6; 95 percent CI, 0.4–1.0). Associations between other salivary characteristics and dental caries for the overall sample and within each age group were not statistically significant. Conclusions Salivary characteristics were associated weakly with previous dental caries experience, but the authors did not find consistent trends among the three age groups. Different salivary characteristics were associated with an increased caries experience in older adults and a lowered caries experience in children and adolescents and adults

  8. Differential transcription profiles in Aedes aegypti detoxification genes following temephos selection

    PubMed Central

    Saavedra-Rodriguez, Karla; Strode, Clare; Flores, Adriana E.; Garcia-Luna, Selene; Reyes-Solis, Guadalupe; Ranson, Hilary; Hemingway, Janet; Black, William C.

    2014-01-01

    The mosquito Aedes aegypti is the main vector of Dengue and Yellow Fever flaviviruses. The organophosphate insecticide temephos is a larvicide that is used globally to control Ae. aegypti populations; many of which have in turn evolved resistance. Target site alteration in the acetylcholine esterase of this species has not being identified. Instead, we tracked changes in transcription of metabolic detoxification genes using the Ae. aegypti ‘Detox Chip’ microarray during five generations of temephos selection. We selected for temephos resistance in three replicates in each of six collections, five from México, and one from Perú. The response to selection was tracked in terms of lethal concentrations (LC50). Uniform upregulation was seen in the epsilon class glutathione-S-transferase genes (eGSTs) in strains from México prior to laboratory selection, while eGSTs in the Iquitos Perú strain became upregulated following five generations of temephos selection. While expression of many esterase genes (CCE) increased with selection, no single esterase was consistently upregulated and this same pattern was noted in the cytochrome P450 genes (CYP) and in other genes involved in reduction or oxidation of xenobiotics. Bioassays using GST, CCE and CYP inhibitors suggest that various CCE instead of GSTs are the main metabolic mechanism conferring resistance to temephos. We show that temephos selected strains show no cross resistance to permethrin and that genes associated with temephos selection are largely independent of those selected with permethrin in a previous study. PMID:24299217

  9. Characterization of hemocytes from the mosquitoes Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Castillo, J C; Robertson, A E; Strand, M R

    2006-12-01

    Hemocytes are an essential component of the mosquito immune system but current knowledge of the types of hemocytes mosquitoes produce, their relative abundance, and their functions is limited. Addressing these issues requires improved methods for collecting and maintaining mosquito hemocytes in vitro, and comparative data that address whether important vector species produce similar or different hemocyte types. Toward this end, we conducted a comparative study with Anopheles gambiae and Aedes aegypti. Collection method greatly affected the number of hemocytes and contaminants obtained from adult females of each species. Using a collection method called high injection/recovery, we concluded that hemolymph from An. gambiae and Ae. aegypti adult females contains three hemocyte types (granulocytes, oenocytoids and prohemocytes) that were distinguished from one another by a combination of morphological and functional markers. Significantly more hemocytes were recovered from An. gambiae females than Ae. aegypti. However, granulocytes were the most abundant cell type in both species while oenocytoids and prohemocytes comprised less than 10% of the total hemocyte population. The same hemocyte types were collected from larvae, pupae and adult males albeit the absolute number and proportion of each hemocyte type differed from adult females. The number of hemocytes recovered from sugar fed females declined with age but blood feeding transiently increased hemocyte abundance. Two antibodies tested as potential hemocyte markers (anti-PP06 and anti-Dox-A2) also exhibited alterations in staining patterns following immune challenge with the bacterium Escherichia coli.

  10. Transcriptome of the adult female malaria mosquito vector Anopheles albimanus.

    PubMed

    Martínez-Barnetche, Jesús; Gómez-Barreto, Rosa E; Ovilla-Muñoz, Marbella; Téllez-Sosa, Juan; García López, David E; Dinglasan, Rhoel R; Ubaida Mohien, Ceereena; MacCallum, Robert M; Redmond, Seth N; Gibbons, John G; Rokas, Antonis; Machado, Carlos A; Cazares-Raga, Febe E; González-Cerón, Lilia; Hernández-Martínez, Salvador; Rodríguez López, Mario H

    2012-05-30

    Human Malaria is transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Anopheles. Transmission is a complex phenomenon involving biological and environmental factors of humans, parasites and mosquitoes. Among more than 500 anopheline species, only a few species from different branches of the mosquito evolutionary tree transmit malaria, suggesting that their vectorial capacity has evolved independently. Anopheles albimanus (subgenus Nyssorhynchus) is an important malaria vector in the Americas. The divergence time between Anopheles gambiae, the main malaria vector in Africa, and the Neotropical vectors has been estimated to be 100 My. To better understand the biological basis of malaria transmission and to develop novel and effective means of vector control, there is a need to explore the mosquito biology beyond the An. gambiae complex. We sequenced the transcriptome of the An. albimanus adult female. By combining Sanger, 454 and Illumina sequences from cDNA libraries derived from the midgut, cuticular fat body, dorsal vessel, salivary gland and whole body, we generated a single, high-quality assembly containing 16,669 transcripts, 92% of which mapped to the An. darlingi genome and covered 90% of the core eukaryotic genome. Bidirectional comparisons between the An. gambiae, An. darlingi and An. albimanus predicted proteomes allowed the identification of 3,772 putative orthologs. More than half of the transcripts had a match to proteins in other insect vectors and had an InterPro annotation. We identified several protein families that may be relevant to the study of Plasmodium-mosquito interaction. An open source transcript annotation browser called GDAV (Genome-Delinked Annotation Viewer) was developed to facilitate public access to the data generated by this and future transcriptome projects. We have explored the adult female transcriptome of one important New World malaria vector, An. albimanus. We identified protein-coding transcripts involved in biological processes that may

  11. Pyrethroid resistance is widespread among Florida populations of Aedes aegypti

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Aedes aegypti is an efficient vector of a number of diseases that affect man and is of increasing concern because of the reemergence of dengue and recent identification of locally acquired chikungunya in Florida. Pesticide resistance in this species has been demonstrated in several neighboring coun...

  12. Environmental Conditions in Water Storage Drums and Influences on Aedes aegypti inTrinidad, West Indies

    PubMed Central

    Hemme, Ryan R.; Tank, Jennifer L.; Chadee, Dave D.; Severson, David W.

    2014-01-01

    Water storage drums are often a primary breeding site for Aedes aegypti in developing countries. Habitat characteristics can impact both adult and larval fitness and survival, which may potentially influence arbovirus transmission. Our objective was to compare fundamental environmental differences in water drums based on the presence or absence of larvae in Trinidad. Drums were categorized according to the larval status, and if the drum was constructed of steel or plastic. Water samples were analyzed for ammonium, nitrate, and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Continuous surface water temperatures were also recorded. Nutrient concentrations were considerably lower than those reported for other container breeding mosquitoes. No nutrient measured differed in concentration between drums positive compared to those that were negative for the presence of Aedes aegypti larvae. Levels of SRP and ammonium in steel drums were significantly lower than in plastic water drums. Both maximum and minimum surface temperatures were significantly lower in drums positive for the presence of larvae than in drums without larvae. Water temperatures in March and May were warmer than during October sampling periods. Larval presence is likely dependent upon the interaction among multiple biotic and abiotic factors. Despite appearance, not all water storage drums are equally suitable for Aedes aegypti development. Exposing water storage drums to direct sunlight or increased heat may be used in conjunction with sealing containers to reduce production of Aedes aegypti when draining and chemical treatment are impractical. PMID:19539592

  13. Environmental conditions in water storage drums and influences on Aedes aegypti in Trinidad, West Indies.

    PubMed

    Hemme, Ryan R; Tank, Jennifer L; Chadee, Dave D; Severson, David W

    2009-10-01

    Water storage drums are often a primary breeding site for Aedes aegypti in developing countries. Habitat characteristics can impact both adult and larval fitness and survival, which may potentially influence arbovirus transmission. Our objective was to compare fundamental environmental differences in water drums based on the presence or absence of larvae in Trinidad. Drums were categorized according to the larval status, and if the drum was constructed of steel or plastic. Water samples were analyzed for ammonium, nitrate, and soluble reactive phosphorus (SRP). Continuous surface water temperatures were also recorded. Nutrient concentrations were considerably lower than those reported for other container breeding mosquitoes. No nutrient measured differed in concentration between drums positive compared to those that were negative for the presence of A. aegypti larvae. Levels of SRP and ammonium in steel drums were significantly lower than in plastic water drums. Both maximum and minimum surface temperatures were significantly lower in drums positive for the presence of larvae than in drums without larvae. Water temperatures in March and May were warmer than during October sampling periods. Larval presence is likely dependent upon the interaction among multiple biotic and abiotic factors. Despite appearance, not all water storage drums are equally suitable for A. aegypti development. Exposing water storage drums to direct sunlight or increased heat may be used in conjunction with sealing containers to reduce production of A. aegypti when draining and chemical treatment are impractical.

  14. First report of naturally infected Aedes aegypti with chikungunya virus genotype ECSA in the Americas

    PubMed Central

    Costa-da-Silva, André Luis; Ioshino, Rafaella Sayuri; Petersen, Vivian; Lima, Antonio Fernando; Cunha, Marielton dos Passos; Wiley, Michael R.; Ladner, Jason T.; Prieto, Karla; Palacios, Gustavo; Costa, Danuza Duarte; Suesdek, Lincoln; Zanotto, Paolo Marinho de Andrade

    2017-01-01

    Background The worldwide expansion of new emergent arboviruses such as Chikungunya and Zika reinforces the importance in understanding the role of mosquito species in spreading these pathogens in affected regions. This knowledge is essential for developing effective programs based on species specificity to avoid the establishment of endemic transmission cycles sustained by the identified local vectors. Although the first autochthonous transmission of Chikungunya virus was described in 2014 in the north of Brazil, the main outbreaks were reported in 2015 and 2016 in the northeast of Brazil. Methodology/Principal findings During 5 days of February 2016, we collected mosquitoes in homes of 6 neighborhoods of Aracaju city, the capital of Sergipe state. Four mosquito species were identified but Culex quinquefasciatus and Aedes aegypti were the most abundant. Field-caught mosquitoes were tested for Chikungunya (CHIKV), Zika (ZIKV) and Dengue viruses (DENV) by qRT-PCR and one CHIKV-infected Ae. aegypti female was detected. The complete sequence of CHIKV genome was obtained from this sample and phylogenetic analysis revealed that this isolate belongs to the East-Central-South-African (ECSA) genotype. Conclusions Our study describes the first identification of a naturally CHIKV-infected Ae. aegypti in Brazil and the first report of a CHIKV from ECSA genotype identified in this species in the Americas. These findings support the notion of Ae. aegypti being a vector involved in CHIKV outbreaks in northeast of Brazil. PMID:28614394

  15. Serial betamethasone administration: effect on maternal salivary estriol levels.

    PubMed

    Hendershott, C M; Dullien, V; Goodwin, T M

    1999-01-01

    Maternal salivary estriol levels are an indirect measure of fetal adrenal activity, which may be affected by administration of betamethasone. The objective was to compare sequential salivary estriol levels in patients receiving serial betamethasone therapy with those of healthy pregnant patients. Ten patients at high risk for preterm delivery were asked to obtain salivary specimens before and 1 to 2 days after each administration of weekly betamethasone treatments between 24 and 32 weeks' gestation. These values were compared with those of specimens obtained throughout gestation in healthy women who were not delivered preterm. Unconjugated salivary estriol was measured with a sensitive and specific enzyme-linked immunoassay (Biex, Inc, Dublin, Calif). The effect of betamethasone on salivary estriol levels did not change with time, showing an average of 23.1% drop from pretreatment to posttreatment levels but rebounding to the same starting level before the next dose. When weekly pretreatment values were looked at across time, the geometric mean of the individual patients' slopes did not differ significantly from no change. The same was true of the posttreatment values. The rate of change with advancing gestation was compared between 182 control subjects and the 10 study subjects. The average change was +8.8% per week in the control subjects and -1.3% per week in the study patients (P =.003). Maternal administration of betamethasone significantly suppressed salivary estriol levels. These levels returned to pretreatment values each week before the next dose; however, the rise normally associated with advancing gestational age was not observed.

  16. Variation in Aedes aegypti Mosquito Competence for Zika Virus Transmission.

    PubMed

    Roundy, Christopher M; Azar, Sasha R; Rossi, Shannan L; Huang, Jing H; Leal, Grace; Yun, Ruimei; Fernandez-Salas, Ildefonso; Vitek, Christopher J; Paploski, Igor A D; Kitron, Uriel; Ribeiro, Guilherme S; Hanley, Kathryn A; Weaver, Scott C; Vasilakis, Nikos

    2017-04-01

    To test whether Zika virus has adapted for more efficient transmission by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, leading to recent urban outbreaks, we fed mosquitoes from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the United States artificial blood meals containing 1 of 3 Zika virus strains (Senegal, Cambodia, Mexico) and monitored infection, dissemination, and virus in saliva. Contrary to our hypothesis, Cambodia and Mexica strains were less infectious than the Senegal strain. Only mosquitoes from the Dominican Republic transmitted the Cambodia and Mexica strains. However, blood meals from viremic mice were more infectious than artificial blood meals of comparable doses; the Cambodia strain was not transmitted by mosquitoes from Brazil after artificial blood meals, whereas 61% transmission occurred after a murine blood meal (saliva titers up to 4 log 10 infectious units/collection). Although regional origins of vector populations and virus strain influence transmission efficiency, Ae. aegypti mosquitoes appear to be competent vectors of Zika virus in several regions of the Americas.

  17. Variation in Aedes aegypti Mosquito Competence for Zika Virus Transmission

    PubMed Central

    Roundy, Christopher M.; Azar, Sasha R.; Rossi, Shannan L.; Huang, Jing H.; Leal, Grace; Yun, Ruimei; Fernandez-Salas, Ildefonso; Vitek, Christopher J.; Paploski, Igor A.D.; Kitron, Uriel; Ribeiro, Guilherme S.; Hanley, Kathryn A.

    2017-01-01

    To test whether Zika virus has adapted for more efficient transmission by Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, leading to recent urban outbreaks, we fed mosquitoes from Brazil, the Dominican Republic, and the United States artificial blood meals containing 1 of 3 Zika virus strains (Senegal, Cambodia, Mexico) and monitored infection, dissemination, and virus in saliva. Contrary to our hypothesis, Cambodia and Mexica strains were less infectious than the Senegal strain. Only mosquitoes from the Dominican Republic transmitted the Cambodia and Mexica strains. However, blood meals from viremic mice were more infectious than artificial blood meals of comparable doses; the Cambodia strain was not transmitted by mosquitoes from Brazil after artificial blood meals, whereas 61% transmission occurred after a murine blood meal (saliva titers up to 4 log10 infectious units/collection). Although regional origins of vector populations and virus strain influence transmission efficiency, Ae. aegypti mosquitoes appear to be competent vectors of Zika virus in several regions of the Americas. PMID:28287375

  18. Is salivary gland function altered in noninsulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and obesity-insulin resistance?

    PubMed

    Ittichaicharoen, Jitjiroj; Chattipakorn, Nipon; Chattipakorn, Siriporn C

    2016-04-01

    Salivary gland dysfunction in several systemic diseases has been shown to decrease the quality of life in patients. In non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM), inadequate salivary gland function has been evidenced to closely associate with this abnormal glycemic control condition. Although several studies demonstrated that NIDDM has a positive correlation with impaired salivary gland function, including decreased salivary flow rate, some studies demonstrated contradictory findings. Moreover, the changes of the salivary gland function in pre-diabetic stage known as insulin resistance are still unclear. The aim of this review is to comprehensively summarize the current evidence from in vitro, in vivo and clinical studies regarding the relationship between NIDDM and salivary gland function, as well as the correlation between obesity and salivary gland function. Consistent findings as well as controversial reports and the mechanistic insights regarding the effect of NIDDM and obesity-insulin resistance on salivary gland function are also presented and discussed. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  19. Salivary buffer effect in relation to late pregnancy and postpartum.

    PubMed

    Laine, M; Pienihäkkinen, K

    2000-02-01

    We studied the salivary pH, buffer effect (BE), and flow rates of unstimulated and paraffin-stimulated saliva of 8 women in their late pregnancy and postpartum. Salivary samples were collected about 1 month prior to and about 2 months after delivery. In non-pregnant control women, two paraffin-stimulated salivary samples were collected 1 month apart. The salivary BE increased significantly from late pregnancy to postpartum without exception. The increase was 2.04 +/- 1.17 pH units (P < 0.001) on average. The BE increased from 4.79 +/- 1.64 (final pH) to 6.82 +/- 1.01 (final pH). This change was not due to variation in salivary flow rates, since both unstimulated and paraffin-stimulated flow rates remained unchanged. In control women the difference between the 2 BE measurements was only 0.13 +/- 0.47 pH units on average. We concluded that women with high postpartum BE values may have moderate or even low BE values in late pregnancy. In control women, individual variation was found to be low in all variables studied.

  20. Salivary glucose concentration and excretion in normal and diabetic subjects.

    PubMed

    Jurysta, Cedric; Bulur, Nurdan; Oguzhan, Berrin; Satman, Ilhan; Yilmaz, Temel M; Malaisse, Willy J; Sener, Abdullah

    2009-01-01

    The present report aims mainly at a reevaluation of salivary glucose concentration and excretion in unstimulated and mechanically stimulated saliva in both normal and diabetic subjects. In normal subjects, a decrease in saliva glucose concentration, an increase in salivary flow, but an unchanged glucose excretion rate were recorded when comparing stimulated saliva to unstimulated saliva. In diabetic patients, an increase in salivary flow with unchanged salivary glucose concentration and glucose excretion rate were observed under the same experimental conditions. Salivary glucose concentration and excretion were much higher in diabetic patients than in control subjects, whether in unstimulated or stimulated saliva. No significant correlation between glycemia and either glucose concentration or glucose excretion rate was found in the diabetic patients, whether in unstimulated or stimulated saliva. In the latter patients, as compared to control subjects, the relative magnitude of the increase in saliva glucose concentration was comparable, however, to that of blood glucose concentration. The relationship between these two variables was also documented in normal subjects and diabetic patients undergoing an oral glucose tolerance test.

  1. Salivary Alpha-Amylase Correlates with Subjective Heat Pain Perception.

    PubMed

    Wittwer, Amrei; Krummenacher, Peter; La Marca, Roberto; Ehlert, Ulrike; Folkers, Gerd

    2016-06-01

    Self-reports of pain are important for an adequate therapy. This is a problem with patients and infants who are restricted in providing an accurate verbal estimation of their pain. Reliable, real-time, economical, and non-invasive physiological correlates might contribute to a more comprehensive description of pain. Salivary alpha-amylase constitutes one candidate biomarker, which reflects predominantly sympathetic nervous system alterations under stressful conditions and can be measured non-invasively. The current study investigated the effects of acute heat pain on salivary alpha-amylase activity. Heat pain tolerance was measured on the non-dominant forearm. Participants completed visual analog scales on pain intensity and unpleasantness. Saliva samples were collected directly after pain induction. Twenty-seven healthy volunteers were recruited for this study. While salivary alpha-amylase levels correlated positively with intensity and unpleasantness ratings in response to acute heat pain stimuli, there was no corresponding association with pain tolerance. Salivary alpha-amylase is suggested to be an indirect physiologic correlate of subjective heat pain perception. Future studies should address the role of salivary alpha-amylase depending on the origin of pain, the concerned tissue, and other pain assessment methods. © 2016 American Academy of Pain Medicine. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  2. Meta-analysis of studies on chemical, physical and biological agents in the control of Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Lima, Estelita Pereira; Goulart, Marília Oliveira Fonseca; Rolim Neto, Modesto Leite

    2015-09-04

    Aedes aegypti is a vector of international concern because it can transmit to humans three important arboviral diseases: yellow fever, dengue and chikungunya. Epidemics that are repeated year after year in a variety of urban centers indicate that there are control failures, allowing the vector to continue expanding. To identify the most effective vector control strategies and the factors that contributed to the success or failure of each strategy, we carried out a systematic review with meta-analysis of articles published in 12 databases, from 1974 to the month of December 2013. We evaluated the association between the use of whatever chemical substance, mechanical agent, biological or integrated actions against A. aegypti and the control of the vector, as measured by 10 indicators. We found 2,791 articles, but after careful selection, only 26 studies remained for analysis related to control interventions implemented in 15 countries, with 5 biological, 5 chemical, 3 mechanical and 13 integrated strategies. The comparison among all of them, indicated that the control of A. aegypti is significantly associated with the type of strategy used, and that integrated interventions consist of the most effective method for controlling A. aegypti. The most effective control method was the integrated approach, considering the influence of eco-bio-social determinants in the virus-vector-man epidemiological chain, and community involvement, starting with community empowerment as active agents of vector control.

  3. Pyrethroid Susceptibility Has Been Maintained in the Dengue Vector, Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae), in Queensland, Australia.

    PubMed

    Endersby-Harshman, Nancy M; Wuliandari, Juli Rochmijati; Harshman, Lawrence G; Frohn, Verena; Johnson, Brian J; Ritchie, Scott A; Hoffmann, Ary A

    2017-11-07

    Although pesticide resistance is common in insect vectors of human diseases, the evolution of resistance might be delayed if management practices are adopted that limit selection of resistance alleles. Outbreaks of dengue fever have occurred in Queensland, Australia, since the late 1800s, leading to ongoing attempts to control the mosquito vector, Aedes aegypti (L.). Since the 1990s, pyrethroid insecticides have been used for this purpose, but have been applied in a strategic manner with a variety of delivery methods including indoor residual spraying, lethal ovitraps, and use of insect growth regulators as larvicides. Separate selection experiments on mosquitoes from Queensland using Type I and Type II pyrethroids did not produce resistant lines of Ae. aegypti, and bioassays of field material from Queensland showed only weak tolerance in comparison with a susceptible line. There was no evidence of knockdown resistance (kdr) mutations in Ae. aegypti from Queensland, in stark contrast to the situation in nearby southeast Asia. We suspect that careful management of pyrethroid insecticide use combined with surveillance and interception of exotic incursions has helped to maintain pyrethroid (and particularly kdr-based) susceptibility in Ae. aegypti in Australia. © The Authors 2017. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  4. Contribution of Human Oral Cells to Astringency by Binding Salivary Protein/Tannin Complexes.

    PubMed

    Soares, Susana; Ferrer-Galego, Raúl; Brandão, Elsa; Silva, Mafalda; Mateus, Nuno; Freitas, Victor de

    2016-10-10

    The most widely accepted mechanism to explain astringency is the interaction and precipitation of salivary proteins by food tannins, in particular proline-rich proteins. However, other mechanisms have been arising to explain astringency, such as binding of tannins to oral cells. In this work, an experimental method was adapted to study the possible contribution of both salivary proteins and oral cells to astringency induced by grape seed procyanidin fractions. Overall, in the absence of salivary proteins, the extent of procyanidin complexation with oral cells increased with increasing procyanidin degree of polymerization (mDP). Procyanidin fractions rich in monomers were the ones with the lowest ability to bind to oral cells. In the presence of salivary proteins and for procyanidins with mDP 2 the highest concentrations (1.5 and 2.0 mM) resulted in an increased binding of procyanidins to oral cells. This was even more evident for fractions III and IV at 1.0 mM and upper concentrations. Regarding the salivary proteins affected, it was possible to observe a decrease of P-B peptide and aPRP proteins for fractions II and III. This decrease is greater as the procyanidins' mDP increases. In fact, for fraction IV an almost total depletion of all salivary proteins was observed. This decrease is due to the formation of insoluble salivary protein/procyanidin complexes. Altogether, these data suggest that some procyanidins are able to bind to oral cells and that the salivary proteins interact with procyanidins forming salivary protein/procyanidin complexes that are also able to link to oral cells. The procyanidins that remain unbound to oral cells are able to bind to salivary proteins forming a large network of salivary protein/procyanidin complexes. Overall, the results presented herein provide one more step to understand food oral astringency onset.

  5. Bioefficacy of Mentha piperita essential oil against dengue fever mosquito Aedes aegypti L

    PubMed Central

    Kumar, Sarita; Wahab, Naim; Warikoo, Radhika

    2011-01-01

    Objective To assess the larvicidal and repellent potential of the essential oil extracted from the leaves of peppermint plant, Mentha piperita (M. piperita) against the larval and adult stages of Aedes aegypti (Ae. Aegypti). Methods The larvicidal potential of peppermint oil was evaluated against early fourth instar larvae of Ae. aegypti using WHO protocol. The mortality counts were made after 24 and 48 h, and LC50 and LC90 values were calculated. The efficacy of peppermint oil as mosquito repellent was assessed using the human-bait technique. The measured area of one arm of a human volunteer was applied with the oil and the other arm was applied with ethanol. The mosquito bites on both the arms were recorded for 3 min after every 15 min. The experiment continued for 3 h and the percent protection was calculated. Results The essential oil extracted from M. piperita possessed excellent larvicidal efficiency against dengue vector. The bioassays showed an LC50 and LC90 value of 111.9 and 295.18 ppm, respectively after 24 h of exposure. The toxicity of the oil increased 11.8% when the larvae were exposed to the oil for 48 h. The remarkable repellent properties of M. piperita essential oil were established against adults Ae. aegypti. The application of oil resulted in 100% protection till 150 min. After next 30 min, only 1-2 bites were recorded as compared with 8-9 bites on the control arm. Conclusions The peppermint essential oil is proved to be efficient larvicide and repellent against dengue vector. Further studies are needed to identify the possible role of oil as adulticide, oviposition deterrent and ovicidal agent. The isolation of active ingredient from the oil could help in formulating strategies for mosquito control. PMID:23569733

  6. River boats contribute to the regional spread of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti in the Peruvian Amazon.

    PubMed

    Guagliardo, Sarah Anne; Morrison, Amy C; Barboza, Jose Luis; Requena, Edwin; Astete, Helvio; Vazquez-Prokopec, Gonzalo; Kitron, Uriel

    2015-04-01

    The dramatic range expansion of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti is associated with various anthropogenic transport activities, but little is known about the underlying mechanisms driving this geographic expansion. We longitudinally characterized infestation of different vehicle types (cars, boats, etc.) to estimate the frequency and intensity of mosquito introductions into novel locations (propagule pressure). Exhaustive adult and immature Ae. aegypti collections were performed on six different vehicle types at five ports and two bus/ taxi departure points in the Amazonian city of Iquitos, Peru during 2013. Aquatic vehicles included 32 large and 33 medium-sized barges, 53 water taxis, and 41 speed boats. Terrestrial vehicles sampled included 40 buses and 30 taxis traveling on the only highway in the region. Ae. aegypti adult infestation rates and immature indices were analyzed by vehicle type, location within vehicles, and sampling date. Large barges (71.9% infested) and medium barges (39.4% infested) accounted for most of the infestations. Notably, buses had an overall infestation rate of 12.5%. On large barges, the greatest number of Ae. aegypti adults were found in October, whereas most immatures were found in February followed by October. The vast majority of larvae (85.9%) and pupae (76.7%) collected in large barges were produced in puddles formed in cargo holds. Because larges barges provide suitable mosquito habitats (due to dark, damp cargo storage spaces and ample oviposition sites), we conclude that they likely serve as significant contributors to mosquitoes' propagule pressure across long distances throughout the Peruvian Amazon. This information can help anticipate vector population mixing and future range expansions of dengue and other viruses transmitted by Ae. aegypti.

  7. N-substituted methyl maleamates as larvicidal compounds against Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Harburguer, Laura; Gonzalez, Paula V; Gonzalez Audino, Paola; Zerba, Eduardo; Masuh, Héctor

    2018-02-01

    Severe human arboviral diseases can be transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti (L.), including dengue, chikungunya, zika, and yellow fever. The use of larvicides in containers that can result as potential breeding places and cannot be eliminated is the main alternative in control programs. However, their continuous and widespread use caused an increase in insecticide-resistant populations of this mosquito. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of three N-substituted methyl maleamates as larvicides on Ae. aegypti, the N-propyl methyl maleamate (PMM), N-butyl methyl maleamate (BMM), and N-hexyl methyl maleamate (HMM). These compounds could have a different mode of action from those larvicides known so far. We evaluated the larva mortality after 1 and 24 h of exposure and we found that mortality was fast and occurs within the first 60 min. HMM was slightly more effective with LC 50 values of 0.7 and 0.3 ppm for 1 and 24 h of exposure and LC 95 of 11 and 3 ppm. Our results demonstrate that N-substituted methyl maleamates have insecticidal properties for the control of Ae. aegypti larvae. These compounds could become useful alternatives to traditional larvicides after studying their insecticidal mechanism as well as their toxicity towards non target organisms.

  8. Effective population sizes of a major vector of human diseases, Aedes aegypti.

    PubMed

    Saarman, Norah P; Gloria-Soria, Andrea; Anderson, Eric C; Evans, Benjamin R; Pless, Evlyn; Cosme, Luciano V; Gonzalez-Acosta, Cassandra; Kamgang, Basile; Wesson, Dawn M; Powell, Jeffrey R

    2017-12-01

    The effective population size ( N e ) is a fundamental parameter in population genetics that determines the relative strength of selection and random genetic drift, the effect of migration, levels of inbreeding, and linkage disequilibrium. In many cases where it has been estimated in animals, N e is on the order of 10%-20% of the census size. In this study, we use 12 microsatellite markers and 14,888 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to empirically estimate N e in Aedes aegypti , the major vector of yellow fever, dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. We used the method of temporal sampling to estimate N e on a global dataset made up of 46 samples of Ae. aegypti that included multiple time points from 17 widely distributed geographic localities. Our N e estimates for Ae. aegypti fell within a broad range (~25-3,000) and averaged between 400 and 600 across all localities and time points sampled. Adult census size (N c ) estimates for this species range between one and five thousand, so the N e / N c ratio is about the same as for most animals. These N e values are lower than estimates available for other insects and have important implications for the design of genetic control strategies to reduce the impact of this species of mosquito on human health.

  9. Present Day and Future Population Dynamics of the Dengue Vector Mosquito Aedes aegypti Using a Water Container Energy Balance Model

    NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

    Steinhoff, D.

    2017-12-01

    Dengue infections are estimated to total nearly 400 million per year worldwide, with both the geographic range and the magnitude of infections having increased in the past 50 years. The primary dengue vector mosquito Aedes aegypti is closely associated with humans. It lives exclusively in urban and semi-urban areas, preferentially bites humans, and spends its developmental stages in artificial water containers. Climate regulates the development of Ae. aegypti immature mosquitoes in artificial containers. Potential containers for Ae. aegypti immature development include, but are not limited to, small sundry items (e.g., bottles, cans, plastic containers), buckets, tires, barrels, tanks, and cisterns. Successful development of immature mosquitoes from eggs to larvae, pupae, and adults is largely dependent on the availability of water and the thermal properties of the water in the containers. An energy balance container model termed the Water Height And Temperature in Container Habitats Energy Model (WHATCH'EM) solves for water temperature and height for user-specified containers with readily available meteorological data. Output from WHATCH'EM is used to estimate development parameters for the immature life stages of the Ae. aegypti mosquito, allowing for assessment of habitat suitability across varying natural environments. Variability amongst different artificial containers (e.g., size, color, material, shape), shading scenarios, and water availability scenarios is also addressed. WHATCH'EM is also coupled with an Ae. aegypti life cycle model to include the effects of the aforementioned factors on survival. Projections of future climate scenarios that take into account changes not only in temperature but also precipitation, humidity, and radiative effects are used in WHATCH'EM to estimate how Ae. aegypti population dynamics may change.

  10. Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Preserves Salivary Gland Function After Fractionated Radiation

    DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

    Limesand, Kirsten H., E-mail: limesank@u.arizona.ed; Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ; Avila, Jennifer L.

    Purpose: Radiotherapy for head-and-neck cancer consists of fractionated radiation treatments that cause significant damage to salivary glands leading to chronic salivary gland dysfunction with only limited prevention and treatment options currently available. This study examines the feasibility of IGF-1 in preserving salivary gland function following a fractionated radiation treatment regimen in a pre-clinical model. Methods and Materials: Mice were exposed to fractionated radiation, and salivary gland function and histological analyses of structure, apoptosis, and proliferation were evaluated. Results: In this study, we report that treatment with fractionated doses of radiation results in a significant level of apoptotic cells in FVBmore » mice after each fraction, which is significantly decreased in transgenic mice expressing a constitutively active mutant of Akt1 (myr-Akt1). Salivary gland function is significantly reduced in FVB mice exposed to fractionated radiation; however, myr-Akt1 transgenic mice maintain salivary function under the same treatment conditions. Injection into FVB mice of recombinant insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1), which activates endogenous Akt, suppressed acute apoptosis and preserved salivary gland function after fractionated doses of radiation 30 to 90 days after treatment. FVB mice exposed to fractionated radiation had significantly lower levels of proliferating cell nuclear antigen-positive salivary acinar cells 90 days after treatment, which correlated with a chronic loss of function. In contrast, FVB mice injected with IGF-1 before each radiation treatment exhibited acinar cell proliferation rates similar to those of untreated controls. Conclusion: These studies suggest that activation of IGF-1-mediated pathways before head-and-neck radiation could modulate radiation-induced salivary gland dysfunction and maintain glandular homeostasis.« less

  11. A salivary sheath protein essential for the interaction of the brown planthopper with rice plants.

    PubMed

    Huang, Hai-Jian; Liu, Cheng-Wen; Cai, Ye-Fang; Zhang, Min-Zhu; Bao, Yan-Yuan; Zhang, Chuan-Xi

    2015-11-01

    Salivary secretions, including gel saliva and watery saliva, play crucial roles in the interaction between the insect and plant during feeding. In this study, we identified a salivary gland-specific gene encoding a salivary sheath protein (NlShp) in Nilaparvata lugens. NlShp has two alternative splicing variants; both are expressed at high levels during the nymph and adult stages. Immunohistochemical staining showed that the NlShp were synthesized in the principal gland cells of the salivary gland. LC-MS/MS and western blot analysis confirmed that NlShp was one of the components of the salivary sheath. Simultaneously knocking down the two NlShp variants by RNA interference inhibited both salivary flange and salivary sheath formation and resulted in a lethal phenotype within four days for the brown planthopper (BPH) feeding on rice plants, indicating that the salivary sheath and salivary flanges were essential for plant-associated feeding. Despite the salivary sheath deficiency, no obvious phenotype was observed in the NlShp-knockdown BPHs fed on artificial diet. The electrical penetration graph (EPG) results showed that salivary sheath-deficient BPHs exhibited a prolonged nonpenetration period, scarce sap period, and increased stylet movement on rice plants and eventually starved to death. Our results provided evidence that the interaction between the salivary sheath and host plant might be a critical step in successful BPH feeding. According to present research, we propose a salivary sheath required feeding model for piercing-sucking insects and provide a potential target for rice planthopper management. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

  12. Mistakes in ultrasound examination of salivary glands

    PubMed Central

    Jakubowski, Wiesław

    2016-01-01

    Ultrasonography is the first imaging method applied in the case of diseases of the salivary glands. The article discusses basic mistakes that can be made during an ultrasound examination of these structures. The reasons for these mistakes may be examiner-dependent or may be beyond their control. The latter may include, inter alia, difficult conditions during examination (technical or patient-related), similarity of ultrasound images in different diseases, the lack of clinical and laboratory data as well as the lack of results of other examinations, their insufficient number or incorrectness. Doctor-related mistakes include: the lack of knowledge of normal anatomy, characteristics of ultrasound images in various salivary gland diseases and statistical incidence of diseases, but also attaching excessive importance to such statistical data. The complex anatomical structures of the floor of the oral cavity may be mistaken for benign or malignant tumors. Fragments of correct anatomical structures (bones, arterial wall fibrosis, air bubbles in the mouth) can be wrongly interpreted as deposits in the salivary gland or in its excretory duct. Correct lymph nodes in the parotid glands may be treated as pathologic structures. Lesions not being a simple cyst, e.g. lymphoma, benign or malignant tumors of the salivary glands or metastatic lymph nodes, can be mistaken for one. The image of disseminated focal changes, both anechoic and solid, is not pathognomonic for specific diseases in the salivary glands. However, in part, it occurs typically and requires an extended differential diagnosis. Small focal changes and infiltrative lesions pose a diagnostic problem because their etiology cannot be safely suggested on the basis of an ultrasound examination itself. The safest approach is to refer patients with abnormal focal changes for an ultrasoundguided fine-needle aspiration biopsy. PMID:27446603

  13. Unstimulated salivary flow rate, pH and buffer capacity of saliva in healthy volunteers.

    PubMed

    Fenoll-Palomares, C; Muñoz Montagud, J V; Sanchiz, V; Herreros, B; Hernández, V; Mínguez, M; Benages, A

    2004-11-01

    To assess the salivary flow rate, pH, and buffer capacity of healthy volunteers, and their relationships with age, gender, obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption, and to establish the lower-end value of normal salivary flow (oligosialia). A prospective study was conducted in 159 healthy volunteers (age > 18 years, absence of medical conditions that could decrease salivary flow). Unstimulated whole saliva was collected during ten minutes, and salivary flow rate (ml/min), pH, and bicarbonate concentration (mmol/l) were measured using a Radiometer ABL 520. The 5 percentile of salivary flow rate and bicarbonate concentration was considered the lower limit of normality. Median salivary flow rate was 0.48 ml/min (range: 0.1-2 ml/min). Age younger than 44 years was associated with higher flow rates (OR 2.10). Compared with women, men presented a higher flow rate (OR 3.19) and buffer capacity (OR 2.81). Bicarbonate concentration correlated with salivary flow rate. The lower-end values of normal flow rate and bicarbonate concentration were 0.15 ml/min and 1.800 mmol/l, respectively. The presence of obesity, smoking, and alcohol consumption did not influence salivary parameters. In healthy volunteers, salivary flow rate depends on age and gender, and correlates with buffer capacity. Obesity, smoking, and alcohol use do not influence salivary secretion.

  14. Aedes aegypti (L.) in Latin American and Caribbean region: With growing evidence for vector adaptation to climate change?

    PubMed

    Chadee, Dave D; Martinez, Raymond

    2016-04-01

    Within Latin America and the Caribbean region the impact of climate change has been associated with the effects of rainfall and temperature on seasonal outbreaks of dengue but few studies have been conducted on the impacts of climate on the behaviour and ecology of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes.This study was conducted to examine the adaptive behaviours currently being employed by A. aegypti mosquitoes exposed to the force of climate change in LAC countries. The literature on the association between climate and dengue incidence is small and sometimes speculative. Few laboratory and field studies have identified research gaps. Laboratory and field experiments were designed and conducted to better understand the container preferences, climate-associated-adaptive behaviour, ecology and the effects of different temperatures and light regimens on the life history of A. aegypti mosquitoes. A. aegypti adaptive behaviours and changes in container preferences demonstrate how complex dengue transmission dynamics is, in different ecosystems. The use of underground drains and septic tanks represents a major behaviour change identified and compounds an already difficult task to control A. aegypti populations. A business as usual approach will exacerbate the problem and lead to more frequent outbreaks of dengue and chikungunya in LAC countries unless both area-wide and targeted vector control approaches are adopted. The current evidence and the results from proposed transdisciplinary research on dengue within different ecosystems will help guide the development of new vector control strategies and foster a better understanding of climate change impacts on vector-borne disease transmission. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  15. Measurement of late-night salivary cortisol with an automated immunoassay system.

    PubMed

    Vogeser, Michael; Durner, Jürgen; Seliger, Ewald; Auernhammer, Christoph

    2006-01-01

    Measurement of late-night salivary cortisol concentrations is increasingly used as a screening test in suspected Cushing's syndrome. Cortisol concentrations are typically extremely low in late-night samples and discordant assay-specific reference ranges have been reported. Therefore, the aim of our study was to assess the analytical performance of the first automated cortisol immunoassay specified for salivary measurements and to establish late-night sampling reference-range data for this test. Salivary cortisol was measured using the Roche Cobas Cortisol assay (Roche Diagnostics). Five salivary pools in different concentration ranges were used to assess the inter-assay imprecision of this test in a two-centre evaluation protocol including two reagent lots. Linearity was tested by serial dilution. Salivary samples were obtained at 23:00 h from 100 apparently healthy volunteers using a commercially available salivary sampling device (Salivette, Sarstedt). A subset of 20 samples was used for method comparison with isotope dilution liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Inter-assay coefficients of variation (n=20) between 11.6% and 40.4% were found for mean cortisol concentrations between 12.9 and 2.6 nmol/L, with an estimated functional sensitivity of approximately 5.0 nmol/L. The test also gave linear results in the lowest concentration range between 1.0 and 8.3 nmol/L. Mean late-night salivary cortisol of 5.0 nmol/L was found for healthy individuals; the absolute range was 1.4-16.7 nmol/L, and the 95th percentile was 8.9 nmol/L. Substantially lower concentrations were found with isotope dilution LC-MS/MS compared to immunoassay results (mean concentrations 1.8 and 4.4 nmol/L, respectively). The automated assay investigated was found to offer acceptable analytical performance in the very low concentration range required for late-night salivary cortisol, despite a very short turn-around time. Using this assay, late-night salivary cortisol concentrations

  16. Mapping the spatial distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

    PubMed

    Ding, Fangyu; Fu, Jingying; Jiang, Dong; Hao, Mengmeng; Lin, Gang

    2018-02-01

    Mosquito-borne infectious diseases, such as Rift Valley fever, Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika, have caused mass human death with the transnational expansion fueled by economic globalization. Simulating the distribution of the disease vectors is of great importance in formulating public health planning and disease control strategies. In the present study, we simulated the global distribution of Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus at a 5×5km spatial resolution with high-dimensional multidisciplinary datasets and machine learning methods Three relatively popular and robust machine learning models, including support vector machine (SVM), gradient boosting machine (GBM) and random forest (RF), were used. During the fine-tuning process based on training datasets of A. aegypti and A. albopictus, RF models achieved the highest performance with an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.973 and 0.974, respectively, followed by GBM (AUC of 0.971 and 0.972, respectively) and SVM (AUC of 0.963 and 0.964, respectively) models. The simulation difference between RF and GBM models was not statistically significant (p>0.05) based on the validation datasets, whereas statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were observed for RF and GBM simulations compared with SVM simulations. From the simulated maps derived from RF models, we observed that the distribution of A. albopictus was wider than that of A. aegypti along a latitudinal gradient. The discriminatory power of each factor in simulating the global distribution of the two species was also analyzed. Our results provided fundamental information for further study on disease transmission simulation and risk assessment. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

  17. Genetic deviation in geographically close populations of the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae): influence of environmental barriers in South India.

    PubMed

    Vadivalagan, Chithravel; Karthika, Pushparaj; Murugan, Kadarkarai; Panneerselvam, Chellasamy; Paulpandi, Manickam; Madhiyazhagan, Pari; Wei, Hui; Aziz, Al Thabiani; Alsalhi, Mohamad Saleh; Devanesan, Sandhanasamy; Nicoletti, Marcello; Paramasivan, Rajaiah; Dinesh, Devakumar; Benelli, Giovanni

    2016-03-01

    Mosquitoes are vectors of devastating pathogens and parasites, causing millions of deaths every year. Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection found in tropical and subtropical regions around the world. Recently, dengue transmission has strongly increased in urban and semiurban areas, becoming a major international public health concern. Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) is a primary vector of dengue. Shedding light on genetic deviation in A. aegypti populations is of crucial importance to fully understand their molecular ecology and evolution. In this research, haplotype and genetic analyses were conducted using individuals of A. aegypti from 31 localities in the north, southeast, northeast and central regions of Tamil Nadu (South India). The mitochondrial DNA region of cytochrome c oxidase 1 (CO1) gene was used as marker for the analyses. Thirty-one haplotypes sequences were submitted to GenBank and authenticated. The complete haplotype set included 64 haplotypes from various geographical regions clustered into three groups (lineages) separated by three fixed mutational steps, suggesting that the South Indian Ae. aegypti populations were pooled and are linked with West Africa, Columbian and Southeast Asian lineages. The genetic and haplotype diversity was low, indicating reduced gene flow among close populations of the vector, due to geographical barriers such as water bodies. Lastly, the negative values for neutrality tests indicated a bottle-neck effect and supported for low frequency of polymorphism among the haplotypes. Overall, our results add basic knowledge to molecular ecology of the dengue vector A. aegypti, providing the first evidence for multiple introductions of Ae. aegypti populations from Columbia and West Africa in South India.

  18. Salivary pH as a marker of plasma adiponectin concentrations in Women.

    PubMed

    Tremblay, Monique; Loucif, Yacine; Methot, Julie; Brisson, Diane; Gaudet, Daniel

    2012-02-03

    Plasma adiponectin is a significant correlate of the pro-inflammatory cardiometabolic risk profile associated with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Salivary pH is influenced by several cardiometabolic risk components such as inflammation, oxidation and numerous oral and systemic health modulators, including the menopausal status. This study aimed to assess the association between plasma adiponectin concentrations and salivary pH in women according to the menopausal status. Unstimulated saliva collection was performed in 151 Caucasian women of French-Canadian origin (53 premenopausal women (PMW) and 98 menopausal women (MW)). Student's t test, ANOVA and linear regression models were used to assess the association between plasma adiponectin concentrations and salivary pH. Plasma adiponectin levels increased as a function of salivary pH in the whole sample and among MW (r = 0.29 and r = 0.36, p < 0.001). The proportion of the variance of plasma adiponectin levels explained by the salivary pH (R2) was 10.8% (p < 0.001). Plasma adiponectin levels progressively increased across salivary pH quartiles (p = 0.005). These results suggest that salivary pH is a significant correlate of plasma adiponectin levels in women. With the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes and obesity, new technologies should be developed to more easily monitor health status, disease onset and progression. Salivary pH, a simple, inexpensive and non-invasive measure, could be a very promising avenue.

  19. The combination of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae with the insecticide Imidacloprid increases virulence against the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae).

    PubMed

    Paula, Adriano R; Carolino, Aline T; Paula, Cátia O; Samuels, Richard I

    2011-01-25

    Dengue fever transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, is one of the most rapidly spreading insect borne diseases, stimulating the search for alternatives to current control measures. The dengue vector A. aegypti has received less attention than anophelene species, although more than 2.5 billion people are at risk of infection worldwide. Entomopathogenic fungi are emerging as potential candidates for the control of mosquitoes. Here we continue our studies on the pathogenicity of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae against adult A. aegypti females. With the aim of further reducing mean survival times of A. aegypti exposed to fungus impregnated surfaces, a sub-lethal concentration of the neonicotinoid insecticide Imidacloprid (IMI) was added to fungal suspensions. A sub-lethal concentration of IMI that did not significantly alter the daily survival rates or mean survival percentages of mosquitoes was identified to be 0.1 ppm. This sub-lethal concentration was combined with M. anisopliae conidia (1 × 10(9) conidia mL(-1)). Both the combined treatment and the conidia alone were able to reduce the survival of A. aegypti compared with untreated or IMI treated mosquitoes. Importantly, mosquito survival following exposure to the combined treatment for 6 and 12 hrs was significantly reduced when compared with mosquitoes exposed to conidia alone. This is the first time that a combination of an insecticide and an entomopathogenic fungus has been tested against A. aegypti. Firstly, the study showed the potential of IMI as an alternative to the currently employed pyrethroid adulticides. Secondly, as an alternative to applications of high concentrations of chemical insecticides, we suggest that adult A. aegypti could be controlled by surface application of entomopathogenic fungi and that the efficiency of these fungi could be increased by combining the fungi with ultra-low concentrations of insecticides, resulting in higher mortality following relatively short

  20. The combination of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae with the insecticide Imidacloprid increases virulence against the dengue vector Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

    PubMed Central

    2011-01-01

    Background Dengue fever transmitted by the mosquito Aedes aegypti, is one of the most rapidly spreading insect borne diseases, stimulating the search for alternatives to current control measures. The dengue vector A. aegypti has received less attention than anophelene species, although more than 2.5 billion people are at risk of infection worldwide. Entomopathogenic fungi are emerging as potential candidates for the control of mosquitoes. Here we continue our studies on the pathogenicity of the entomopathogenic fungus Metarhizium anisopliae against adult A. aegypti females. With the aim of further reducing mean survival times of A. aegypti exposed to fungus impregnated surfaces, a sub-lethal concentration of the neonicotinoid insecticide Imidacloprid (IMI) was added to fungal suspensions. Results A sub-lethal concentration of IMI that did not significantly alter the daily survival rates or mean survival percentages of mosquitoes was identified to be 0.1 ppm. This sub-lethal concentration was combined with M. anisopliae conidia (1 × 109 conidia mL-1). Both the combined treatment and the conidia alone were able to reduce the survival of A. aegypti compared with untreated or IMI treated mosquitoes. Importantly, mosquito survival following exposure to the combined treatment for 6 and 12 hrs was significantly reduced when compared with mosquitoes exposed to conidia alone. Conclusions This is the first time that a combination of an insecticide and an entomopathogenic fungus has been tested against A. aegypti. Firstly, the study showed the potential of IMI as an alternative to the currently employed pyrethroid adulticides. Secondly, as an alternative to applications of high concentrations of chemical insecticides, we suggest that adult A. aegypti could be controlled by surface application of entomopathogenic fungi and that the efficiency of these fungi could be increased by combining the fungi with ultra-low concentrations of insecticides, resulting in higher mortality

  1. Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP): Development of a novel system for detecting Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus.

    PubMed

    Montgomery, Brian L; Shivas, Martin A; Hall-Mendelin, Sonja; Edwards, Jim; Hamilton, Nicholas A; Jansen, Cassie C; McMahon, Jamie L; Warrilow, David; van den Hurk, Andrew F

    2017-03-01

    The globally important Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses are primarily transmitted by the invasive mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. In Australia, there is an increasing risk that these species may invade highly urbanized regions and trigger outbreaks. We describe the development of a Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP) system to expedite presence- absence surveys for both species. We developed a methodology that uses molecular assays to efficiently screen pooled ovitrap (egg trap) samples for traces of target species ribosomal RNA. Firstly, specific real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays were developed which detect a single Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus first instar larva in samples containing 4,999 and 999 non-target mosquitoes, respectively. ImageJ software was evaluated as an automated egg counting tool using ovitrap collections obtained from Brisbane, Australia. Qualitative assessment of ovistrips was required prior to automation because ImageJ did not differentiate between Aedes eggs and other objects or contaminants on 44.5% of ovistrips assessed, thus compromising the accuracy of egg counts. As a proof of concept, the RSVP was evaluated in Brisbane, Rockhampton and Goomeri, locations where Ae. aegypti is considered absent, present, and at the margin of its range, respectively. In Brisbane, Ae. aegypti was not detected in 25 pools formed from 477 ovitraps, comprising ≈ 54,300 eggs. In Rockhampton, Ae. aegypti was detected in 4/6 pools derived from 45 ovitraps, comprising ≈ 1,700 eggs. In Goomeri, Ae. aegypti was detected in 5/8 pools derived from 62 ovitraps, comprising ≈ 4,200 eggs. RSVP can rapidly detect nucleic acids from low numbers of target species within large samples of endemic species aggregated from multiple ovitraps. This screening capability facilitates deployment of ovitrap configurations of varying spatial scales, from a single residential block to entire suburbs or towns

  2. Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP): Development of a novel system for detecting Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus

    PubMed Central

    Montgomery, Brian L.; Shivas, Martin A.; Hall-Mendelin, Sonja; Edwards, Jim; Hamilton, Nicholas A.; Jansen, Cassie C.; McMahon, Jamie L.; Warrilow, David

    2017-01-01

    Background The globally important Zika, dengue and chikungunya viruses are primarily transmitted by the invasive mosquitoes, Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus. In Australia, there is an increasing risk that these species may invade highly urbanized regions and trigger outbreaks. We describe the development of a Rapid Surveillance for Vector Presence (RSVP) system to expedite presence- absence surveys for both species. Methodology/Principal findings We developed a methodology that uses molecular assays to efficiently screen pooled ovitrap (egg trap) samples for traces of target species ribosomal RNA. Firstly, specific real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assays were developed which detect a single Ae. aegypti or Ae. albopictus first instar larva in samples containing 4,999 and 999 non-target mosquitoes, respectively. ImageJ software was evaluated as an automated egg counting tool using ovitrap collections obtained from Brisbane, Australia. Qualitative assessment of ovistrips was required prior to automation because ImageJ did not differentiate between Aedes eggs and other objects or contaminants on 44.5% of ovistrips assessed, thus compromising the accuracy of egg counts. As a proof of concept, the RSVP was evaluated in Brisbane, Rockhampton and Goomeri, locations where Ae. aegypti is considered absent, present, and at the margin of its range, respectively. In Brisbane, Ae. aegypti was not detected in 25 pools formed from 477 ovitraps, comprising ≈ 54,300 eggs. In Rockhampton, Ae. aegypti was detected in 4/6 pools derived from 45 ovitraps, comprising ≈ 1,700 eggs. In Goomeri, Ae. aegypti was detected in 5/8 pools derived from 62 ovitraps, comprising ≈ 4,200 eggs. Conclusions/Significance RSVP can rapidly detect nucleic acids from low numbers of target species within large samples of endemic species aggregated from multiple ovitraps. This screening capability facilitates deployment of ovitrap configurations of varying spatial

  3. Effect of triflumuron, a chitin synthesis inhibitor, on Aedes aegypti, Aedes albopictus and Culex quinquefasciatus under laboratory conditions

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background Resistance to traditional insecticides represents a threat to the control of disease vectors. The insect growth regulators (IGR) are a potential alternative to control mosquitoes, including resistant populations. The chitin synthesis inhibitors (CSI) are IGRs, which interfere with the insect molting process and represent one major class of compounds against Aedes aegypti populations resistant to the larvicide organophosphate temephos. In the present study, we evaluated the efficacy of the CSI triflumuron on Culex quinquefasciatus, Aedes albopictus and against several Ae. aegypti field populations. Methods The efficacy of triflumuron, against Cx. quinquefasciatus and Ae. albopictus was evaluated with laboratory strains through dose–response assays. Additionaly, this CSI was tested against seven Ae. aegypti field populations exhibiting distinct resistance levels to both temephos and the pyrethroid deltamethrin. Aedes aegypti populations were exposed to both a dose that inhibits 99% of the adult emergence of mosquitoes from the susceptible reference strain, Rockefeller, (EI99 = 3.95 μg/L) and the diagnostic dose (DD), corresponding to twice the EI99. Results Our results indicate that triflumuron was effective in emergence inhibition (EI) of Cx. quinquefasciatus (EI50= 5.28 μg/L; EI90= 12.47 μg/L) and Ae. albopictus (EI50= 1.59 μg/L; EI90= 2.63 μg/L). Triflumuron was also effective against seven Ae. aegypti Brazilian populations resistant to both temephos and deltamethrin. Exposure of all the Ae. aegypti populations to the triflumuron EI99 of the susceptible reference strain, Rockefeller, resulted in complete inhibition of adult emergence, suggesting no cross-resistance among traditional insecticides and this CSI. However, a positive correlation between temephos resistance and tolerance to triflumuron was observed. Conclusion The results suggest that triflumuron represents a potential tool for the control of disease vectors in public

  4. Detection of multiple blood feeding in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) during a single gonotrophic cycle using a histologic technique.

    PubMed

    Scott, T W; Clark, G G; Lorenz, L H; Amerasinghe, P H; Reiter, P; Edman, J D

    1993-01-01

    We evaluated a histologic technique for its usefulness in detecting multiple blood feeding by Aedes aegypti (L.) in a single gonotrophic cycle. To standardize the procedure, we carried out a laboratory study in which 166 mosquitoes imbibed two blood meals at known intervals. Eighty percent (78/98) of the multiple meals were detected when the interval between meals was from 1 to < to = 24 h and the time from the second meal to fixation ranged from 0 to 12 hr. At intervals outside this range, only 34% (23/68) of the multiple meals were detected. Overall, 61% (101/166) of the double meals were detected. Examination of 96 engorged Ae. aegypti collected by aspiration from inside houses in San Juan, Puerto Rico, indicated that 50% had imbibed multiple meals. Most wild-caught mosquitoes took their last meal the day before capture, and most multiple feeders fed twice on consecutive days. A dark line of digested blood, or heme, around the first meal and a physical separation between meals were the most useful histologic parameters for detecting multiple feeding in wild Ae. aegypti. An association of multiple feeding with advanced stages of oocyte development suggests that, at the time of collection, most Ae. aegypti from the study site had fed twice in each gonotrophic cycle. We conclude that, although it is labor intensive, histologic examination is an appropriate technique for a longitudinal, community-wide survey of multiple feeding by Ae. aegypti.

  5. Population dynamics of Aedes aegypti and dengue as influenced by weather and human behavior in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    PubMed

    Barrera, Roberto; Amador, Manuel; MacKay, Andrew J

    2011-12-01

    Previous studies on the influence of weather on Aedes aegypti dynamics in Puerto Rico suggested that rainfall was a significant driver of immature mosquito populations and dengue incidence, but mostly in the drier areas of the island. We conducted a longitudinal study of Ae. aegypti in two neighborhoods of the metropolitan area of San Juan city, Puerto Rico where rainfall is more uniformly distributed throughout the year. We assessed the impacts of rainfall, temperature, and human activities on the temporal dynamics of adult Ae. aegypti and oviposition. Changes in adult mosquitoes were monitored with BG-Sentinel traps and oviposition activity with CDC enhanced ovitraps. Pupal surveys were conducted during the drier and wetter parts of the year in both neighborhoods to determine the contribution of humans and rains to mosquito production. Mosquito dynamics in each neighborhood was compared with dengue incidence in their respective municipalities during the study. Our results showed that: 1. Most pupae were produced in containers managed by people, which explains the prevalence of adult mosquitoes at times when rainfall was scant; 2. Water meters were documented for the first time as productive habitats for Ae. aegypti; 3. Even though Puerto Rico has a reliable supply of tap water and an active tire recycling program, water storage containers and discarded tires were important mosquito producers; 4. Peaks in mosquito density preceded maximum dengue incidence; and 5. Ae. aegypti dynamics were driven by weather and human activity and oviposition was significantly correlated with dengue incidence.

  6. Effect of Aedes aegypti exposure to spatial repellent chemicals on BG-Sentinel™ trap catches

    PubMed Central

    2013-01-01

    Background An integrated approach to reduce densities of adult Aedes aegypti inside homes is currently being evaluated under experimentally controlled field conditions. The strategy combines a spatial repellent (SR) treatment (applied indoors) with the Biogents Sentinel™ (BGS) mosquito trap positioned in the outdoor environment. In essence, when combined, the goal is to create a push-pull mechanism that will reduce the probability of human-vector contact. The current study measured BGS recapture rates of Ae. aegypti test cohorts that were exposed to either SR or control (chemical-free) treatments within experimental huts. The objective was to define what, if any, negative impact SR may have on BGS trap efficacy (i.e., reduced BGS collection). Methods Aedes aegypti females were exposed to SR compounds within experimental huts in the form of either treated fabric (DDT and transfluthrin) or mosquito coil (metofluthrin). Test cohorts were released within individual screen house cubicles, each containing 4 BGS traps, following SR exposure according to treatment. Two separate test cohorts were evaluated: (i) immediate release (IR) exposed from 06:00–12:00 hours and released at 12:00 hours and (ii) delayed release (DR) exposed from12:00–18:00 hours and released at 05:30 hours the following day. BGS recapture was monitored at 09:30, 13:30 and 15:30 hours and the cumulative recapture by time point quantified. Results Exposure of Ae. aegypti females to either DDT or metofluthrin did not significantly impact BGS capture as compared to cohorts of non-exposed females. This was true for both IR and DR exposure populations. IR cohorts exposed to transfluthrin resulted in significantly lower BGS recapture compared to matched controls but this effect was primarily due to high mosquito mortality during transfluthrin trials. Conclusion Our data indicate no more than minor and short-lived impacts (i.e., reduced attraction) on BGS trap catches following exposure to the

  7. Global diversity in the human salivary microbiome.

    PubMed

    Nasidze, Ivan; Li, Jing; Quinque, Dominique; Tang, Kun; Stoneking, Mark

    2009-04-01

    The human salivary microbiome may play a role in diseases of the oral cavity and interact with microbiomes from other parts of the human body (in particular, the intestinal tract), but little is known about normal variation in the salivary microbiome. We analyzed 14,115 partial ( approximately 500 bp) 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) sequences from saliva samples from 120 healthy individuals (10 individuals from each of 12 worldwide locations). These sequences could be assigned to 101 known bacterial genera, of which 39 were not previously reported from the human oral cavity; phylogenetic analysis suggests that an additional 64 unknown genera are present. There is high diversity in the salivary microbiome within and between individuals, but little geographic structure. Overall, approximately 13.5% of the total variance in the composition of genera is due to differences among individuals, which is remarkably similar to the fraction of the total variance in neutral genetic markers that can be attributed to differences among human populations. Investigation of some environmental variables revealed a significant association between the genetic distances among locations and the distance of each location from the equator. Further characterization of the enormous diversity revealed here in the human salivary microbiome will aid in elucidating the role it plays in human health and disease, and in the identification of potentially informative species for studies of human population history.

  8. Weather Variability Associated with Aedes (Stegomyia) aegypti (Dengue Vector) Oviposition Dynamics in Northwestern Argentina

    PubMed Central

    Estallo, Elizabet L.; Ludueña-Almeida, Francisco F.; Introini, María V.; Zaidenberg, Mario; Almirón, Walter R.

    2015-01-01

    This study aims to develop a forecasting model by assessing the weather variability associated with seasonal fluctuation of Aedes aegypti oviposition dynamic at a city level in Orán, in northwestern Argentina. Oviposition dynamics were assessed by weekly monitoring of 90 ovitraps in the urban area during 2005-2007. Correlations were performed between the number of eggs collected weekly and weather variables (rainfall, photoperiod, vapor pressure of water, temperature, and relative humidity) with and without time lags (1 to 6 weeks). A stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was performed with the set of meteorological variables from the first year of study with the variables in the time lags that best correlated with the oviposition. Model validation was conducted using the data from the second year of study (October 2006- 2007). Minimum temperature and rainfall were the most important variables. No eggs were found at temperatures below 10°C. The most significant time lags were 3 weeks for minimum temperature and rains, 3 weeks for water vapor pressure, and 6 weeks for maximum temperature. Aedes aegypti could be expected in Orán three weeks after rains with adequate min temperatures. The best-fit forecasting model for the combined meteorological variables explained 70 % of the variance (adj. R2). The correlation between Ae. aegypti oviposition observed and estimated by the forecasting model resulted in rs = 0.80 (P < 0.05). The forecasting model developed would allow prediction of increases and decreases in the Ae. aegypti oviposition activity based on meteorological data for Orán city and, according to the meteorological variables, vector activity can be predicted three or four weeks in advance. PMID:25993415

  9. Dual African Origins of Global Aedes aegypti s.l. Populations Revealed by Mitochondrial DNA

    PubMed Central

    Moore, Michelle; Sylla, Massamba; Goss, Laura; Burugu, Marion Warigia; Sang, Rosemary; Kamau, Luna W.; Kenya, Eucharia Unoma; Bosio, Chris; Munoz, Maria de Lourdes; Sharakova, Maria; Black, William Cormack

    2013-01-01

    Background Aedes aegypti is the primary global vector to humans of yellow fever and dengue flaviviruses. Over the past 50 years, many population genetic studies have documented large genetic differences among global populations of this species. These studies initially used morphological polymorphisms, followed later by allozymes, and most recently various molecular genetic markers including microsatellites and mitochondrial markers. In particular, since 2000, fourteen publications and four unpublished datasets have used sequence data from the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 4 mitochondrial gene to compare Ae. aegypti collections and collectively 95 unique mtDNA haplotypes have been found. Phylogenetic analyses in these many studies consistently resolved two clades but no comprehensive study of mtDNA haplotypes have been made in Africa, the continent in which the species originated. Methods and Findings ND4 haplotypes were sequenced in 426 Ae. aegypti s.l. from Senegal, West Africa and Kenya, East Africa. In Senegal 15 and in Kenya 7 new haplotypes were discovered. When added to the 95 published haplotypes and including 6 African Aedes species as outgroups, phylogenetic analyses showed that all but one Senegal haplotype occurred in a basal clade while most East African haplotypes occurred in a second clade arising from the basal clade. Globally distributed haplotypes occurred in both clades demonstrating that populations outside Africa consist of mixtures of mosquitoes from both clades. Conclusions Populations of Ae. aegypti outside Africa consist of mosquitoes arising from one of two ancestral clades. One clade is basal and primarily associated with West Africa while the second arises from the first and contains primarily mosquitoes from East Africa PMID:23638196

  10. Immunohistochemical Detection of Proliferative Marker Ki-67 in Benign and Malignant Salivary Gland Tumors.

    PubMed

    Bussari, Smita; Ganvir, Sindhu M; Sarode, Manish; Jeergal, Prabhakar A; Deshmukh, Anjum; Srivastava, Himanshu

    2018-04-01

    Introduction: Salivary gland tumors are the most histologically heterogeneous group of tumors with the greatest diversity of morphologic features among their cells and tissues. The present study was aimed at assessing the validity of Ki-67, a cell proliferation marker, as a prognostic factor in benign and malignant salivary gland tumors and to study whether it is related to age, sex, anatomical site, and size of the lesion in salivary gland tumors. Materials and methods: A retrospective study consisted of benign salivary gland tumors (BSGTs) (n = 15), malignant salivary gland tumors (n = 18), and normal salivary gland parenchyma (n = 15). Results: There was a significant difference of Ki-67 labeling index (LI, %) in normal salivary gland parenchyma, BSGTs, and malignant salivary gland tumors. The Ki-67 LI (%) in normal salivary gland parenchyma is negligible (0.27 ± 0.31%), whereas malignant salivary gland tumors showed very high Ki-67 LI (%) of 18.79 ± 18.06% compared with BSGTs being 0.76 ± 2.02%. There was a significant correlation statistically of mean ± standard deviation (SD) of Ki-67 LI (%) with the age of the patients being the maximum (32.68 ± 15.87%) in the 50 to 59 years age group, whereas sex, site of the lesion, and size of the lesion in salivary gland tumors had no significant correlation. Conclusion: The Ki-67 is a useful marker for assessing prolif-erative potential of tumors. Clinical significance: The Ki-67 LI% can be used as a reliable adjuvant diagnostic tool to differentiate between the subtypes and grading of certain malignant tumors, such as mucoepi-dermoid carcinoma (MEC), adenoid cystic carcinoma (AdCC), and acinic cell carcinoma (AcCC), which are usually difficult to diagnose on histopathological criteria alone. Keywords: Immunohistochemistry, Ki-67, Salivary gland neoplasms.

  11. Salivary Gland Hypofunction in tyrosylprotein sulfotransferase-2 Knockout Mice Is Due to Primary Hypothyroidism

    PubMed Central

    Westmuckett, Andrew D.; Siefert, Joseph C.; Tesiram, Yasvir A.; Pinson, David M.; Moore, Kevin L.

    2013-01-01

    Background Protein-tyrosine sulfation is a post-translational modification of an unknown number of secreted and membrane proteins mediated by two known Golgi tyrosylprotein sulfotransferases (TPST-1 and TPST-2). We reported that Tpst2-/- mice have mild-moderate primary hypothyroidism, whereas Tpst1-/- mice are euthyroid. While using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to look at the thyroid gland we noticed that the salivary glands in Tpst2-/- mice appeared smaller than in wild type mice. This prompted a detailed analysis to compare salivary gland structure and function in wild type, Tpst1-/-, and Tpst2 -/- mice. Methodology/Principal Findings Quantitative MRI imaging documented that salivary glands in Tpst2-/- females were ≈ 30% smaller than wild type or Tpst1-/- mice and that the granular convoluted tubules in Tpst2-/- submandibular glands were less prominent and were almost completely devoid of exocrine secretory granules compared to glands from wild type or Tpst1-/- mice. In addition, pilocarpine–induced salivary flow and salivary α-amylase activity in Tpst2-/- mice of both sexes was substantially lower than in wild type and Tpst1-/- mice. Anti-sulfotyrosine Western blots of salivary gland extracts and saliva showed no differences between wild type, Tpst1-/-, and Tpst2-/- mice, suggesting that the salivary gland hypofunction is due to factor(s) extrinsic to the salivary glands. Finally, we found that all indicators of hypothyroidism (serum T4, body weight) and salivary gland hypofunction (salivary flow, salivary α-amylase activity, histological changes) were restored to normal or near normal by thyroid hormone supplementation. Conclusions/Significance Our findings conclusively demonstrate that low body weight and salivary gland hypofunction in Tpst2-/- mice is due solely to primary hypothyroidism. PMID:23951251

  12. Protective effects of salivary factors in dental caries in diabetic patients of Pakistan.

    PubMed

    Jawed, Muhammad; Khan, Rashid N; Shahid, Syed M; Azhar, Abid

    2012-01-01

    Salivary factors have been studied for their effects on the process of dental caries in patients of diabetes mellitus type 2. In this study, protective role of salivary pH, salivary flow rate, and salivary calcium is assessed in the patients of diabetes mellitus type 2 with dental caries. The samples of saliva were collected from 400 patients of diabetes mellitus type 2 and 300 age- and sex- matched controls after getting informed consent. All the subjects were classified into four groups according to age. The severity of dental caries was counted by decayed, missed, and filled teeth (DMFT) score. The salivary pH, flow rate, and calcium levels were found to be low in patients as compared to controls. The levels of fasting blood sugar, HbA1c, and DMFT score were found to be significantly high in patients than controls. The glycemic factors were significantly correlated with salivary factors indicating their influence on progression of caries in diabetes. On the basis of findings, it is concluded that the suitable salivary pH and flow rate may be regarded as main protective factors against dental caries in diabetes. Optimum level of salivary calcium may be responsible for continuous supply of calcium to arrest the demineralization and help reduce the occurrence of dental caries.

  13. Influence of chewing rate on salivary stress hormone levels.

    PubMed

    Tasaka, Akinori; Tahara, Yasuaki; Sugiyama, Tetsuya; Sakurai, Kaoru

    2008-10-01

    The purpose of this study was to clarify the effect of different chewing rates on salivary cortisol levels as a stress indicator. The subject group consisted of 16 healthy males. They were required to rest for 30 min, and then given arithmetic calculations to perform for 30 min as stress loading. Immediately after, the first set of saliva specimens (S1) was collected over a period of 1 min to measure cortisol levels. Next, they were asked to chew a tasteless gum base for 10 min, and the second set of saliva specimens (S2) was collected in the same manner. They were then required to rest for 10 min, after which the third set of saliva specimens (S3) was collected. Chewing rates were set to slow, habitual, and fast in time with a metronome. Salivary cortisol levels were analyzed by radioimmunoassay. Changes in salivary cortisol levels comparing S1 with S2, and S1 with S3 were determined. Changes in salivary cortisol levels between S1 and S2 showed a reduction of 4.7%, 14.6%, and 16.2% with slow, habitual, and fast chewing, respectively. A significant difference was observed between slow and fast chewing. Changes in salivary cortisol levels between S1 and S3 showed a reduction of 14.4%, 22.2%, and 25.8% with slow, habitual, and fast chewing, respectively. A significant difference was observed between slow and fast chewing. This study showed that differences in chewing rate affected salivary cortisol levels as a stress indicator, and suggested that the effect on stress release with fast chewing is greater than that with slow chewing.

  14. A pilot study of a simple screening technique for estimation of salivary flow.

    PubMed

    Kanehira, Takashi; Yamaguchi, Tomotaka; Takehara, Junji; Kashiwazaki, Haruhiko; Abe, Takae; Morita, Manabu; Asano, Kouzo; Fujii, Yoshinori; Sakamoto, Wataru

    2009-09-01

    The purpose of this study was to develop a simple screening technique for estimation of salivary flow and to test the usefulness of the method for determining decreased salivary flow. A novel assay system comprising 3 spots containing 30 microg starch and 49.6 microg potassium iodide per spot on filter paper and a coloring reagent, based on the color reaction of iodine-starch and theory of paper chromatography, was designed. We investigated the relationship between resting whole salivary rates and the number of colored spots on the filter produced by 41 hospitalized subjects. A significant negative correlation was observed between the number of colored spots and the resting salivary flow rate (n = 41; r = -0.803; P < .01). For all complaints of decreased salivary flow (n = 9) having cutoff values <100 microL/min for the salivary flow rate, 3 colored spots appeared on the paper, whereas for healthy subjects there was < or =1 colored spot. This novel assay system might be effective for estimation of salivary flow not only in healthy but also in bedridden and disabled elderly people.

  15. A meta-analysis of the factors influencing development rate variation in Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae)

    PubMed Central

    2014-01-01

    Background Development rates of Aedes aegypti are known to vary with respect to many abiotic and biotic factors including temperature, resource availability, and intraspecific competition. The relative importance of these factors and their interactions are not well established across populations. We performed meta-analysis on a dataset of development rate estimates from 49 studies. Results Meta-analytic results indicated that the environmental factor of temperature is sufficient to explain development rate variability in Ae. aegypti. While diet and density may greatly impact other developmental phenotypes, these results suggest that for development rate these factors should never be considered to the exclusion of temperature. The effect of temperature on development rate is not homogenous or constant. The sources of heterogeneity of the effect of temperature are difficult to analyze due to lack of consistent reporting of larval rearing methods. Conclusions Temperature is the most important ecological determinant of development rate in Ae. aegypti, but its effect is heterogeneous. Ignoring this heterogeneity is problematic for models of vector population and vector-borne disease transmission. PMID:24495345

  16. Aedes aegypti (Diptera: Culicidae) in Mauritania: First Report on the Presence of the Arbovirus Mosquito Vector in Nouakchott.

    PubMed

    Mint Lekweiry, Khadijetou; Ould Ahmedou Salem, Mohamed Salem; Ould Brahim, Khyarhoum; Ould Lemrabott, Mohamed Aly; Brengues, Cécile; Faye, Ousmane; Simard, Frédéric; Ould Mohamed Salem Boukhary, Ali

    2015-07-01

    Aedes aegypti L. (Diptera: Culicidae) is a major vector of yellow fever, dengue, and chikungunya viruses throughout tropical and subtropical areas of the world. Although the southernmost part of Mauritania along the Senegal river has long been recognized at risk of yellow fever transmission, Aedes spp. mosquitoes had never been reported northwards in Mauritania. Here, we report the first observation of Aedes aegypti aegypti (L.) and Aedes (Ochlerotatus) caspius (Pallas, 1771) in the capital city, Nouakchott. We describe the development sites in which larvae of the two species were found, drawing attention to the risk for emergence of arbovirus transmission in the city. © The Authors 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Entomological Society of America. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

  17. Functional salivary gland regeneration by transplantation of a bioengineered organ germ

    PubMed Central

    Ogawa, Miho; Oshima, Masamitsu; Imamura, Aya; Sekine, Yurie; Ishida, Kentaro; Yamashita, Kentaro; Nakajima, Kei; Hirayama, Masatoshi; Tachikawa, Tetsuhiko; Tsuji, Takashi

    2013-01-01

    Salivary gland hypofunction, also known as xerostomia, occurs as a result of radiation therapy for head cancer, Sjögren’s syndrome or aging, and can cause a variety of critical oral health issues, including dental decay, bacterial infection, mastication dysfunction, swallowing dysfunction and reduced quality of life. Here we demonstrate the full functional regeneration of a salivary gland that reproduces the morphogenesis induced by reciprocal epithelial and mesenchymal interactions through the orthotopic transplantation of a bioengineered salivary gland germ as a regenerative organ replacement therapy. The bioengineered germ develops into a mature gland through acinar formations with a myoepithelium and innervation. The bioengineered submandibular gland produces saliva in response to the administration of pilocarpine and gustatory stimulation by citrate, protects against oral bacterial infection and restores normal swallowing in a salivary gland-defective mouse model. This study thus provides a proof-of-concept for bioengineered salivary gland regeneration as a potential treatment of xerostomia. PMID:24084982

  18. Influence of breeding site availability on the oviposition behaviour of Aedes aegypti

    PubMed Central

    de Abreu, Filipe Vieira Santos; Morais, Maira Moreira; Ribeiro, Sérvio Pontes; Eiras, Álvaro Eduardo

    2015-01-01

    Despite the importance of the mosquito Aedes aegypti in the transmission of arboviruses, such as yellow fever, Chikungunya fever and dengue fever, some aspects of their behaviour remain unknown. In the present study, the oviposition behaviour of Ae. aegypti females that were exposed to different densities of breeding sites (2, 4, 8 and 16) was evaluated in laboratory and semi-field conditions. The number of breeding sites that were used was proportional to the number available, but tended towards stabilisation. Females used four-six breeding sites on average, with a maximum of 11. A high percentage of eggs was observed in the water, along with the presence of a breeding site termed “favourite”, which received at least 40% of the eggs. The results are discussed in ecological, evolutionary and epidemiological approaches. PMID:26154742

  19. A Large Scale Biorational Approach Using Bacillus thuringiensis israeliensis (Strain AM65-52) for Managing Aedes aegypti Populations to Prevent Dengue, Chikungunya and Zika Transmission

    PubMed Central

    Pruszynski, Catherine A.; Hribar, Lawrence J.; Mickle, Robert; Leal, Andrea L.

    2017-01-01

    Background Aedes aegypti is a container-inhabiting mosquito and a vector of dengue, chikungunya, and Zika viruses. In 2009 several cases of autochthonous dengue transmission were reported in Key West, Florida, USA prompting a comprehensive response to control A. aegypti. In Key West, larvae of this mosquito develop in containers around human habitations which can be numerous and labor intensive to find and treat. Aerial applications of larvicide covering large areas in a short time can be an efficient and economical method to control A. aegypti. Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti) is a bacterial larvicide which is highly target specific and appropriate for wide area spraying over urban areas, but to date, there are no studies that evaluate aerial spraying of Bti to control container mosquitoes like A. aegypti. Methodology This paper examines the effectiveness of aerial larvicide applications using VectoBac® WG, a commercially available Bti formulation, for A. aegypti control in an urban setting in the USA. Droplet characteristics and spray drop deposition were evaluated in Key West, Florida, USA. The mortality of A. aegypti in containers placed under canopy in an urban environment was also evaluated. Efficacy of multiple larvicide applications on adult female A. aegypti population reduction was compared between an untreated control and treatment site. Conclusions Droplet characteristics showed that small droplets can penetrate through dense canopy to reach small containers. VectoBac WG droplets reached small containers under heavy canopy in sufficient amounts to cause > 55% mortality on all application days and >90% mortality on 3 of 5 application days while controls had <5% mortality. Aerial applications of VectoBac WG caused significant decrease in adult female populations throughout the summer and during the 38th week (last application) the difference in adult female numbers between untreated and treated sites was >50%. Aerial larvicide applications using

  20. Effect of radiation on female Ae. aegypti pupae for SIT

    USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

    Aedes aegypti is a vector mosquito that can transmit pathogens that can cause disease in humans and animals. However, it is difficult to control them through larvicides and/or source reduction because they can develop in a wide range of water holding containers. One method that has been explored is ...