bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Uptake and fate of specific antibody in feeding larvae of the sheep blowfly, Lucilia cuprina
Authors: EISEMANN C. H. , PEARSON R. D. , DONALDSON R. A. , CADOGAN L. C. , VUOCOLO T.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The quantity of specific antibody ingested by larvae of Lucilia cuprina and its fate after ingestion were studied in larvae grown on sheep and on an artificial diet. Larvae grown to late first or early second instar on sheep vaccinated with horse myoglobin contained 66% less specific antibody detected by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay than larvae grown to a similar stage on an artificial diet containing 75% serum from the same sheep. A similar result was obtained when larvae were grown to mid‐third instar. Larvae grown on sheep to first or second instar contained approximately the same quantity of specific antibody per unit weight of larvae as those grown to third instar. Larvae grown on diet to third instar contained 22% less specific antibody per unit weight than those grown to first or second instar. In larvae grown on diet to late third instar, ingested diet retained 91 ± 12% of its original specific antibody activity in the crop, 50 ± 11% in the anterior midgut, 8 ± 2% in the posterior midgut and 13 ± 6% in the hindgut. The mean concentration of total immunoglobulin detectable in the haemolymph of individual third instar larvae grown on diet was 1.7 ± 2.8 ug/ml. Assays of specific antibody in the haemolymph of similarly reared larvae indicated that all or most of this immunoglobulin remained functional. The implications of the quantities and distribution of ingested functional antibody found in feeding larvae of L.cuprina are discussed in relation to the possibility of vaccinating sheep against these larvae and the selection of likely internal targets as sources of potential protective antigens.
Host feeding preference of Phlebotomus guggisbergi, a vector of Leishmania tropica in Kenya
Authors: JOHNSON RICHARD N. , NGUMBI PHILIP M. , MWANYUMBA J. PANWEL , ROBERTS CLIFFORD R.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Recently the sandfly Phlebotomus guggisbergi was found to be a vector of Leishmania tropica causing cutaneous leishmaniasis in the Laikipia focus, Kenya, but extensive searches have shed no light on the identity of the rural reservoir host(s). In order to discover more about the biology of the vector, a host feeding preference study was conducted on wild sandflies in their natural cave environment over a 6‐month period. Solid state Army miniature (SSAM) traps, without light bulb, were suspended over cages with potential hosts or an empty cage control. The animals tested included sheep, goat, dog, cat, hamster, rabbit, giant rat (Cricetomys gambianus), crested rat (Lophiomys imhausi) and rock hyrax (Procavia capensis), all of which (except hamsters) are normally found in the vicinity of the study site. Sandfly collections from traps baited with goat, sheep, cat, dog, rabbit, or wild rodent species were significantly higher than the control, whereas trap collections with hamster and rock hyrax were not significantly different from the control. Numbers of sandflies collected from the goat, sheep and cat were significantly greater than from the rabbit and rodents. The sex ratio also varied between collections: larger animals attracted a higher proportion of female P.guggisbergi than did the smaller animals (P>0.05). Therefore greater emphasis should be placed on surveying larger animals to assess their status as reservoir hosts for L.tropica in Kenya.
Semiochemical mediation of oviposition by the phlebotomine sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis
Authors: DOUGHERTY M. J. , HAMILTON J. G. C. , WARD R. D.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Extracts of rabbit food, hay and rabbit faeces elicited a positive oviposition response from gravid female Lutzomyia longipalpis sandflies (Diptera: Phlebotominae). Combined extract of rabbit food and oviposition pheromone had a synergistic effect on sandfly egg‐laying, greatly increasing the number of eggs laid and resulting in a highly targeted response. Individually tubed flies, exposed to the combined extract, were shown to be 3.5 times more likely to survive oviposition and laid 2.5 times more eggs than control flies. A laboratory oviposition trap baited with the combined extract was tested in a cage and caught 31 (62%) of 50 gravid L.longipalpis over a 72h period.
Comparison of five tests for the serologic diagnosis of myiasis by Gasterophilus spp. larvae (Diptera: Gasterophilidae) in horses and donkeys: a preliminary study
Authors: ESCARTIN‐PEÑA MARIO , BAUTISTA‐GARFIAS CARLOS R.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Sera from 41 horses and 159 donkeys, from twelve States of México, were tested to ascertain anti‐Gasterophilus circulating antibodies by double immunodiffusion (DD), counterimmunoelectrophoresis (CIE), indirect haemagglutination (IH), thin layer immunoassay (TIA) and diffusion‐in‐gel ELISA (DIG‐ELISA) methods using crude somatic antigen from third instar larvae of G.intestinalis (DeGeer). At necropsy, 33/41 horses and 24/159 donkeys were found to be parasitized by G.intestinalis and/or G.nasalis (L.). Gasterophilus intestinalis was the species most commonly found in the equines. Analysis of the sera from the infested animals by DD showed positive results of 21.2% in horses and of 8% in donkeys. Screening the sera with CIE gave sensitivities of 69.7% in horses and of 32% in donkeys. Examination of the sera by IH showed positive results of 87.9% and of 48% in horses and donkeys, respectively. Testing the sera with TIA gave sensitivities of 93.9% in horses and of 96% in donkeys. Analysis of horses' sera by DIG‐ELISA showed a sensitivity of 93.9%.
Diethylphenylacetamide: a new insect repellent against stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans
Authors: PARASHAR B. D. , GUPTA G. P. , SIKDER N. , RAO K. M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. This paper reports the results of a laboratory study showing effectiveness of a new insect repellent N,N‐diethylphenylacetamide (DEPA) against stable fly, Stomoxys calcitrans, and compared to N,N‐diethyl‐m‐toluamide (DEET) and dimethyl‐phthalate (DMP). DEPA gave maximum protection time of more than 6h at 3% concentration followed by DEET and DMP.
Characterization and description of a virus causing salivary gland hyperplasia in the housefly, Musca domestica
Authors: COLER R. R. , BOUCIAS D. G. , FRANK J. H. , MARUNIAK J. E. , GARCIA‐CANEDO A. , PENDLAND J. C.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. A double‐stranded DNA virus was isolated from hyperplasic salivary glands of male and female houseflies, Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae), collected from a dairy in Alachua County, Florida, U.S.A.

Sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS)–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (PAGE) of this housefly salivary gland hyperplasia (SGH) virus revealed the presence of two major and eight minor structural polypeptides. Restriction endonuclease analysis indicated that the c. 137 kilobase pair DNA was double‐stranded.

Weekly sweep‐net sampling of the fly population throughout the season (May‐October, 1991) showed that 1.5‐18.5% of the dissected flies possessed hyperplasic salivary glands. The virus replicated within the nuclei of the salivary gland cells and was transmitted per os to newly‐emerged healthy adult flies.
Barrier spraying to control the malaria vector Anopheles albimanus: laboratory and field evaluation in the Dominican Republic
Authors: PERICH M. J. , TIDWELL M. A. , DOBSON S. E. , SARDELIS M. R. , ZAGLUL A. , WILLIAMS D. C.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. To develop a new strategy for control of exophilic/exophagic malaria vectors which rest on peridomestic foliage, Anopheles albimanus was used for laboratory bioassays of mosquito adulticides applied to various vegetation types. Of the three classes of insecticide tested, the pyrethroid (permethrin at 112 g/ha) showed greater foliar persistence than either the carbamate (bendiocarb at 340g/ha) or the organophosphorus compound (malathion at 277g/ha).

Field evaluation of barrier spraying against An.albimanus was evaluated in rural villages of southwest Dominican Republic during 1989. The pyrethroid deltamethrin was sprayed aerially for ultra‐low volume application at treatment rates of 17‐19ga.i./ha in a radius of 500m around two villages. An.albimanus were monitored by light‐traps and human bait collections at both treated villages, compared with two similar untreated villages, up to 9 nights post‐treatment. Densities of female An.albimanus were significantly reduced in the sprayed villages for at least 8 or 9 nights. Further evaluation of barrier spraying is recommended to determine optimal pyrethroid formulations and applications rates, their impact on non‐target fauna and efficacy against malaria transmission.
Phylogenetically distant symbiotic microorganisms reside in Glossina midgut and ovary tissues
Authors: O'NEILL SCOTT L. , GOODING RON H. , AKSOY SERAP
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Many blood‐feeding insects, including tsetse flies (Diptera: Glossinidae), harbour intracellular bacterial symbionts. Using isolates from tissues of several Glossina species and diagnostic DNA oligonucleotide primers, a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) based assay was designed to identify symbiotic bacteria. Those inhabiting the midgut of Glossina were found to belong to the gamma subdivision, whereas ovarian Proteobacteria were of the alpha subdivision ‐ probably genus Wolbachia (Rickettsiaceae). The presence of Wolbachia‐like Rickettsia in the ovaries of G. morsitans subspecies may help to explain the maternally inherited incompatibility of some crosses within this species.
Responses of the sheep blowflies Lucilia sericata and Lcuprina to odour and the development of semiochemical baits
Authors: ASHWORTH JEREMY R. , WALL RICHARD
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The literature relating to the attraction of the sheep blowflies Lucilia sericata and Lucilia cuprina to their ovine hosts is reviewed. The responses of the two species are similar and different components of the behaviour leading to host location and oviposition appear to involve at least two distinct sets of semiochemical cues. Activation, upwind orientation and landing appear to occur in response to putrefactive sulphur‐rich volatiles, originating from bacterial decomposition products. Oviposition is elicited primarily by the presence of ammonia‐rich compounds; moisture, pheromones and tactile stimuli may also act as oviposition stimuli. There is a pronounced sex difference in the response of Lucilia to semiochemicals with a higher proportion of females attracted than males and a higher proportion of gravid than non‐gravid females. While the mechanisms of host location by Lucilia are of intrinsic interest, understanding the responses to semiochemicals is important in the attempt to develop powerful synthetic baits for deployment with the traps or targets used for population sampling or suppression. The literature is discussed with respect to the development of synthetic semiochemical baits.
Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni (Diptera: Psychodidae) in relation to vesicular stomatitis virus on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A.
Authors: COMER JAMES A. , IRBY WILLIAM S. , KAVANAUGH DARRELL M.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Hosts of Lutzomyia shannoni Dyar, a suspected biological vector of the New Jersey serotype of vesicular stomatitis (VSNJ) virus, were determined using an indirect enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of 333 blood‐fed female sandflies collected from their diurnal resting shelters on Ossabaw Island, Georgia, U.S.A. Sandflies had fed primarily on white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) (81%) and to a lesser extent on feral swine (Sus scrofa) (16%), two species of host infected annually with VSNJ. Other hosts were raccoons (Procyon lotor) and horses (Equus caballus) or donkeys (E. asinus), with only two (<1%) mixed bloodmeals from deer/raccoon and deer/swine. A larger proportion of feedings on feral swine was detected in maritime live oak forests than in mixed hardwood forests. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that L. shannoni is a primary vector of VSNJ virus on Ossabaw Island.
A study on the maturation of procyclic Trypanosoma brucei brucei in Glossina morsitans centralis and G. brevipalpis
Authors: MOLOO S. K. , KABATA J. M. , SABWA C. L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Teneral Glossina morsitans centralis and G. brevipalpis were fed in vitro upon medium containing procyclic Trypanosoma brucei brucei derived from the midguts of G. m. centralis or G. brevipalpis which had immature trypanosome infections. The tsetse were then maintained on rabbits and, on day 31, were dissected to determine the infection rates. In G. m. centralis the midgut and salivary gland infection rates by T. b. brucei were 46.0% and 27.0% with procyclic trypanosomes from G. m. centralis, and 45.4% and 24.7% with procyclic trypanosomes from G. brevipalpis, respectively. In G. brevipalpis the rates were 20.2% and 0.0% with procyclic trypanosomes from G. m. centralis, and 28.0% and 0.0% with procyclic trypanosomes from G. brevipalpis, respectively. Teneral G. m. centralis and G. brevipalpis were also fed similarly upon procyclic T. b. brucei derived from G.m.centralis or G. brevipalpis on day 31 of infection, the former tsetse species had mature infections while the latter were without infections in the salivary glands. In G.m.centralis the infection rates in the midgut and salivary glands were 48.9% and 17.0%, and 38.0% and 17.0% when fed on procyclic trypanosomes from G.m.centralis and G. brevipalpis, respectively. In G. brevipalpis the rates were 21.5% and 0.0%, and 10.7% and 0.0% with procyclic trypanosomes of G.m.centralis and G. brevipalpis origin, respectively. Thus, procyclic T. b. brucei from susceptible G.m.centralis could not complete cyclical development in refractory G. brevipalpis, whereas those from G. brevipalpis developed to metatrypanosomes in the salivary glands of G.m.centralis. Teneral and 15‐day‐old non‐teneral G.m.centralis were fed in vitro upon heparinized goat's blood containing T. b. brucei bloodstream trypomastigotes, or upon medium containing procyclic T. b. brucei derived from G.m.centralis with mature infections. On day 31 their infection rates were determined. The infection rates by T. b. brucei in the midgut and salivary glands of G.m.centralis fed on the infected blood were 70.4% and 40.4% when fed as teneral tsetse, as against 15.3% and 4.0% when fed as non‐teneral tsetse. Those tsetse which were fed on the medium containing procyclic trypanosomes showed rates of 50.0% and 25.6%, as against 11.6% and 2.5%, respectively. It would appear, therefore, that maturation of T. b. brucei in tsetse is probably not determined simply by an interaction between lectin and procyclic trypanosomes in the midgut of non‐teneral tsetse, but it is the result of a complex interaction between many interrelated physiological factors of both the trypanosome and the tsetse vector.
Attraction of Lutzomyia longipalpis to human skin odours
Authors: HAMILTON J. G. C. , RAMSOONDAR T. M. C.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Male and female Lutzomyia longipalpis sandflies showed attraction to human skin emanations placed on warmed glass Petri dishes. Unfed virgin females were more strongly attracted than males, which also showed attraction. Four human subjects were tested and significant variation was found between the numbers of sandflies attracted to their skin emanations. This suggests that some individuals were more attractive than others. There was a significant difference between the response shown by sandflies from the Jacobina and Lapinha regions of Brazil, suggesting that sandflies from the Jacobina region were more anthropophilic. In addition, sandflies from Jacobina had a significantly higher level of activity than those from Lapinha. The role of sandfly attraction to humans as a risk factor in Leishmania transmission is considered.
Immunization of rabbits with a midgut extract of the human body louse Pediculus humanus humanus: the effect of induced resistance on the louse population
Authors: BEN‐YAKIR D. , MUMCUOGLU K. Y. , MANOR O. , OCHANDA J. , GALUN R.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Resistance to human body lice, Pediculus humanus humanus L, induced by feeding on rabbits immunized with an extract of louse gut was studied. The mortality of lice fed on immunized rabbits was 73%, significantly higher than that of lice fed on control rabbits (52%) (P < 0.01). The proportion of dead nymphs and female lice with ruptured guts was significantly higher in lice fed on immunized rabbits (P<0.01). The size of the bloodmeal was 35% greater in female lice fed on control rabbits than on immunized rabbits. Lice fed on immunized rabbits laid 40% less eggs than those fed on the controls, they also demonstrated a significant decrease in the number of eggs per female over time (P<0.01). 86% of the eggs laid by lice fed on immunized animals hatched, compared with 92% hatching of eggs laid by the lice fed on control animals (P< 0.01). With the exception of the first bloodmeal the percentage of hatched eggs which were laid between any two bloodmeals was significantly smaller (p<0.01) in the lice fed on immunized rabbits than in the control group. The first nymphal stage of lice fed on immunized rabbits took an average of 5.2 days to moult to the second stage, compared with 4 days for those fed on control rabbits.
Isolation of oviposition pheromone from the eggs of the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis
Authors: DOUGHERTY M. J. , HAMILTON J. G. C. , WARD R. D.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Semiochemical components of eggs of the sandfly Lutzomyia longipalpis (Diptera: Psychodidae) were separated by high performance liquid chromatography. HPLC fractions were examined quantitatively and qualitatively by gas chromatography (GC). A bioassay was used to determine the oviposition attraction of gravid L. longipalpis to each of the fractions separately and a peak responsible for the semiochemical activity was identified. Gravid flies were placed in individual oviposition tubes to determine if the peak of interest was an oviposition stimulant. The active semiochemical fraction attracted gravid flies for oviposition. Furthermore, egg laying was enhanced: gravid flies exposed to the pheromone oviposited earlier and laid more eggs than control flies. GC analysis indicated that 1200 eggs (2 days old) gave a yield of 12.75 ug of active pheromone. This fraction had similar HPLC and GC retention times to caryophyllene oxide, suggesting comparable polarity and molecular weight.
Factors influencing nuisance blackfly (Diptera: Simuliidae) activity in the Scottish Highlands
Authors: COUPLAND J. B.
Published: March 2008

Abstract.The nuisance activity of blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) was investigated in several habitats on Speyside, near Kincraig (57o08'N, 3o56'W), Invernesshire, in central Scotland during May‐October 1987‐89.

The main blackfly species caught landing/biting on humans wereSimulium reptans, S. argyreatum, S. variegetumand theS. tuberosumcomplex, in order of prevalence. Blackfly biting activity occurred from mid‐May to mid‐September. Numbers of female blackflies attracted to volunteers were correlated with their body posture, habitat and the season. Overall,Simuliumactivity was greatest in mixed birch/juniper forest, least in spruce plantations and at intermediate levels on pasture, moorland and in Scots Pine forest.

Compared with an adult, a child experienced twice as manySimuliumbites per hour (12.2 v 6.3) in the birch forest. On the child's body, 69% of blackfiies landed on the head, neck and back, whereas the majority landed on the legs (48%) and arms (28%) of adults. Bending over, especially during the exertion of gardening, was more attractive to anthropophilic blackfiies than standing or kneeling.
Identification of electrophysiologically‐active compounds for New World screwworm, Cochliomyia hominivorax, in larval wound fluid
Authors: CORK ALAN
Published: March 2008

Abstract Acidic and non‐acidic fractions from extracts of fluid from sheep wounds infested with larvae of Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel) were analysed by linked gas chromatography and electroantennography in order to detect electrophysiologically‐active compounds that could be potential attractants. Responses to twenty‐six electrophysiologically‐active compounds were observed and, on the basis of electron impact and chemical ionization mass spectrometry and co‐chromatography with authentic compounds, twenty‐five of these compounds were characterized. The most abundant compounds identified in the larval wound fluid were straight and methyl‐branched aliphatic carboxylic acids, ranging from C2‐ to C5‐carbon chain length. Butanoic acid, for example, was found to be present at approximately 0.45mg/ml. Aliphatic carboxylic acids with longer chain lengths were also observed but in trace amounts. Three aromatic carboxylic acids, benzoic, phenylethanoic and 3‐phenylpropanoic acids were also present but only phenylethanoic and 3‐phenylpropanoic acids elicited electroantennographic responses. Phenol and indole were by far the most abundant components of the non‐acid fraction of the larval wound fluid with all other components, except δ‐valerolactam, present at levels of less than 5% that of phenol which was present at a concentration of 0.05 mg/ml.

Electroantennographic studies of straight‐chain aliphatic carboxylic acids showed that pentanoic acid elicited the strongest response from C. hominivorax. Similar studies showed that 1‐octen‐3‐ol elicited stronger responses than 3‐methylphenol, indole, phenol or dimethyldisulphide. 3‐Methylindole, which was not found in the wound fluid, also elicited a strong response.

The potential behavioural significance of these compounds is discussed in relation to that of known attractants of C. hominivorax and other dipteran pests of mammals.
Problems of isolating Borrelia burgdorferi from ticks collected in United Kingdom foci of Lyme disease
Authors: LIVESLEY M. ANNE , CAREY DOROTHY , GERN LISE , NUTTALL PATRICIA A.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Many isolates of Borrelia burgdorferi have been obtained from ticks and vertebrate tissues collected in North America and continental Europe but only one established culture of United Kingdom Borrelia burgdorferi has been recorded. In this paper we report the isolation of B.burgdorferi from one of 108 tick pools representing 733 ticks and eighty‐four tissue samples from twenty‐six rodents collected in the U.K., and the subsequent failure to establish the isolate (from ticks collected in Fordingbridge) in culture. In contrast, using identical techniques and culture medium, B.burgdorferi was isolated from one of seven tick pools collected in Switzerland, and from a single pool of ticks collected in Slovakia, and both isolates were successfully passaged. Analysis of questing I.ricinus collected from Fordingbridge by direct immunofluorescence showed 6/32 (19%) of adults and 8/108 (7%) of nymphs were positive for B. burgdorferi, although only one nymph contained ≥ 1000 spirochaetes. To examine further the problem of isolating U.K. B.burgdorferi, twelve Ixodes ricinus tick samples from Fordingbridge, a recognized focus of Lyme disease, were subjected to isolation and culturing techniques, and the procedures monitored by use of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Whereas 11/12 samples were PCR positive after 2 weeks in culture, only one was PCR positive after 4 weeks. Motile spirochaetes were not visible by dark‐field microscopy in any of the cultures. The results indicate that the standard BSK II medium routinely used to isolate and culture B. burgdorferi does not readily support the replication of the Borrelia species endemic to the U.K.
Culicoides aspirated from cattle in Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Puerto Rico, and their role as potential vectors of bluetongue viruses
Authors: SÁENZ MARÍA R. , GREINER ELLIS C. ,   The Regional Bluetongue Team
Published: March 2008

Abstract. In 1991, as part of an epidemiological study of bluetongue viruses (BTV) in the Central American and Caribbean region, eight farms located in Costa Rica, Honduras, Panama and Puerto Rico were sampled for Culicoides spp. attacking cattle. Using cattle bait, 3884 biting midges were collected with an electric aspirator during both crepuscular periods. The predominant species captured was Culicoides insignis Lutz (95%), followed by C.furens (Poey) (3.4%), C.filarifer Hoffman/C.ocumarensis Ortiz (0.9%), C.lahillei (Iches) (0.7%), C.arubae Fox and Hoffman (<0.1%) and C.gorgasi Wirth and Blanton (<0.1%). Blood‐engorged specimens from some of these species were collected and comprised: 18% of all C.insignis, 36% of C.furens, 37% of filarifer/ocumarensis and 25% of C.lahillei. No engorged C.arubae or C.gorgasi were caught. These results confirm earlier findings pointing to C.insignis, C.furens and C.filarifer/ ocumarensis as potential vectors of BTV in the region.
Blowfly strike in England and Wales: the relationship between prevalence and farm and management factors
Authors: FRENCH N. , WALL R. , CRIPPS P. J. , MORGAN K. L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. In order to develop and evaluate control strategies for blowfly strike, a greater understanding of the epidemiology is essential. A postal survey of sheep farmers yielded information about ten farm and management factors and their relationship to blowfly strike prevalence. The risk of a farm reporting at least one case of blowfly strike increased as flock size and stocking density increased (adjusted odds ratio of 1.13 for an increase in flock size of 100 sheep and 1.38 for an increase in stocking density of ten sheep per hectare). As farm altitude increased, the risk of blowfly strike decreased (adjusted odds ratio 0.67 for an increase in farm altitude of 100 m). The risk of high strike prevalence (more than 2% of sheep struck) decreased as both farm altitude and flock size increased. High strike prevalence was also associated with on‐farm sheep carcase disposal (odds ratio 1.35). Farmers in the south‐west of England were more likely to report at least one case of blowfly strike and high strike prevalence compared to all other regions.
Cattle‐tsetse contact in relation to the daily activity patterns of Glossina morsitans submorsitans in The Gambia
Authors: RAWLINGS P. , WACHER T. J. , SNOW W. F.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The daily flight activity patterns of one of the main vectors of animal trypanosomiasis in West Africa, Glossina morsitans submorsitans, were assessed using four different methods. Results from all the methods showed that there was some flight activity nearly every hour in all seasons but they differed in the level of contact between grazing cattle herds and G.m.submorsitans. In the late dry season, trap data indicated that there was negligible activity from midday to late afternoon, whereas observations of tsetse contact with cattle herds or hand‐net collections on herd followings showed no fall in attack rates on the cattle by G.m.submorsitans.

Differences between trap and animal‐baited collection data may be attributable to the type of G.m.submorsitans sampled by each method. Male G.m.submorsitans captured by traps were more fat depleted than those caught on ox‐baited flyrounds or by hand‐net collections on herd followings. All methods showed that male G.m.submorsitans were most fat depleted in the late dry season and least in the early dry season. It was concluded that the traps were mainly sampling the spontaneous flights of G.m.submorsitans. Hunger and endogenous rhythms increase the likelihood of spontaneous flights towards dusk, particularly in conditions such as those at midday in the very hot, late dry season. However, the presence of cattle herds in infested habitats probably activated nearby G.m.submorsitans and the continual movement through the grazing areas ensured contact with tsetse throughout grazing.

The data indicated that strategic management of herd grazing times cannot eliminate the risk of trypanosomiasis transmission occurring, irrespective of the harshness of the dry season climate. An assessment of the level of this risk could only be measured suitably by collecting tsetse using animal‐baited methods, not from trap data.
Morphological and chromosomal descriptions of new species in the Anopheles subpictus complex
Authors: SUGUNA S. G. , RATHINAM K. GOPALA , RAJAVEL A. R. , DA V. D HAN
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Anopheles subpictus Grassi is shown to comprise four reproductively distinct species, designated A, B, C and D, occurring sympatrically in villages of Pondicherry, southeast India.

Adult females were reared individually from wild larvae and examined for their morphological and chromosomal characters. Paracentric fixed inversions on the X‐chromosome serve to distinguish the species cytogenetically, with no inversion heterozygotes (i.e. no interspecific hybrids) among totals of 717 species A (X+a,+b), 1863 species B (Xa, b), 869 species C (Xa,+b) and 1365 species D (X +a,b) identified.

Morphologically, diagnostic characters for each of the four species are seen in the egg float ridge number, larval mesothoracic seta 4, pupal seta 7‐1 and the palpi of female adults. Species A. C and D immatures inhabit freshwater, whereas the malaria vector species B breeds in saltwater and was found only in coastal villages.
A comparison of sampling methods with respect to cattle‐visiting Muscidae and their nematode infections
Authors: CHIRICO JAN
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Cattle‐visiting Muscidae were sampled with a handnet from a blood‐smeared Masonite panel as well as grazing heifers and dairy cows in south‐central Sweden. All flies were examined in search of nematodes. Only Musca autumnalis was infected with nematodes (Parafilaria bovicola, Thelazia spp. and Hetero‐tylenchus autumnalis). The only mixed infections found involved P.bovicola and Thelazia spp. Most M.autumnalis infected with P.bovicola and Thelazia spp. were found during the two first months of the grazing season, whereas the prevalence of specimens infected with H.autumnalis remained about the same throughout the sampling period. Musca autumnalis was caught in significantly smaller numbers from heifers (P< 0.05) than from panel and cows. The catches of nematode‐infected M.autumnalis were similarly distributed. Catches of other cattle‐visiting Muscidae did not differ significantly among the methods used. Handnet sampling off a panel is therefore considered to be a convenient and accurate method when investigating the abundance of cattle‐visiting Muscidae and the prevalence of their nematode infections.
Immunological response in rabbits infested with Rhipicephalus sanguineus
Authors: HERNANDEZ R. MARTIN , HOYO C. CUELLAR DEL , GARCIA A. S. OLMEDA , RODRIGUEZ J. A. RODRIGUEZ
Published: March 2008

Abstract. In order to clarify the importance of humoral antibody in host resistance to ticks, in the present work we studied the immunological response of rabbits infested with larvae, nymphs or adults of Rhipicephalus sanguineus, using extracts of eggs (EE), larvae (LE), nymphs (NE), male salivary glands (MSGE), male midguts (MME), female salivary glands (FSGE) and female midguts (FME). When serum from rabbits infested with larvae or nymphs was tested using enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay, no reactions were observed with any of the extracts including the homologous LE or NE. In sera from rabbits infested with adult ticks, the reactions were observed in both homologous (MSGE, MME, FSGE and FME) and heterologous (EE, LE and NE) system. However, differences were seen regarding the type of antigen used. When the experiment was carried out using extracts from adults higher responses were found. With FSGE and FME antigens, antibody levels were systematically higher than those observed when MSGE and MME were used.
Development rates of some pre‐adult stages in blowflies with reference to low temperatures
Authors: DAVIES L. , RATCLIFFE G. G.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Duration of some pre‐adult stages of Calliphora vicina Robineau‐Desvoidy, C.alpina Zett., C.vomitoria Linn., Phormia terraenovae R.‐D. and Lucilia sericata Meig. were determined at 3.5–26oC, in the context of use of these insects in forensic estimates of post‐mortem intervals. Egg development in C. vicina occurs down to at least 3.5oC, larval growth to 4oC and puparial formation, development and perfect adult emergence to 5oC. Growth curves by successive weighing of individual larvae showed specific differences in rates of development of the above species at constant temperatures. Alternating temperatures for 12 h periods (such as 10oC and 20oC) to simulate diurnal changes, usually, but not at all temperature pairs tested, caused acceleration of growth relative to the corresponding constant temperature (15oC in the above case), in C.vomitoria, P.terraenovae and L.sericata, but usually caused retardation of larval growth in C.vicina. In this species, larvae as single individuals on beef liver in small tubes grew on average at the same rates as those (50–100 larvae) growing communally. All species showed variation in larval growth between individuals, more marked in C.vicina, and slower‐growing larvae showed increased unexplained mortality. Because of this and to avoid complication by fast‐growing larvae from later laid egg batches on a carcass, growth curves given are those of mean weights of the heaviest 25% (upper quartile) of groups of 40–90 feeding larvae. Variation in growth rates, and acceleration or retardation of growth in different species under alternating temperatures, thus affect suggested procedures in obtaining estimates of post‐mortem intervals using these insects.
Seasonal abundance, biting cycle and parity of the mosquito Haemagogus leucocelaenus in Trinidad, West Indies
Authors: CHADEE DAVE D. , GANESH R. , HINGWAN J. O. , TIKASINGH E. S.
Published: March 2008

Adult female populations of Haemagogus leucocelaenus (Dyar and Shannon), the sylvan vector of yellow fever, were monitored weekly during 1981–82 by human collectors on the ground at Point Gourde in Chaguaramas Forest, 16 km west of Port of Spain, Trinidad.

Hg.leucocelaenus showed only diurnal landing activity, from 06.00 to 18.00 hours (sunrise to sunset, universal time), with a single peak of activity between 10.00 and 14.00 hours.

Densities of Hg.leucocelaenus during the wet season (May–November) were about double the level recorded during the dry season (December–April).

Monthly parous rates averaged 53.9% (range 25–90%) and some females were up to five‐pars. Retained eggs (range 2–6, mean 4/female) were found in the ovaries of 0.34% of landing females, all of which had stage 1 ovarian follicles for the next gonotrophic cycle. Therefore blood‐feeding is not inhibited by egg retention. Hg. leucocelaenus vector potential is reappraised in the light of these findings.
Incrimination of Phiebotomus papatasi as vector of Leishmania major in the southern Jordan Valley
Authors: JANINI RENÉE , SALIBA ELIAS , KHOURY SAMI , OUMEISH OUMEISH , ADWAN SALEH , KAMAHAWI SHADEN
Published: March 2008

he status of sandflies as vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in the southern Jordan Valley was investigated during 1992. Sandflies were collected from domestic habitats and from burrows of Psammomys obesus. Of 686 Phlebotomus papatasi females collected from burrows, fourteen harboured promastigotes in their guts. On the other hand, none of 1446 P.papatasi females collected from domestic habitats were found infected. The highest infection rate (5.5%) was recorded in November at the end of the sandfly season. Six leishmanial stocks isolated from P.papatasi females were typed by cellulose acetate electrophoresis using the six enzymes G6PDH, 6PGDH, PGI, PGM, FK and ME. Five of the leishmanial stocks were identical to a Leishmania major reference strain (MHOMISU/73/5‐ASKH). The sixth isolate was a 6PGDH variant of L.major. These findings present the first direct evidence of the role of P.papatasi as a vector of L.major in Jordan.
The seasonal pattern of sheep blowfly strike in England and Wales
Authors: FRENCH N. P. , WALL R. , MORGAN K. L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Information on 4049 cases of sheep blowfly strike on 495 farms in England and Wales was gathered in a longitudinal survey conducted in 1991. The breech was the most commonly infested area, accounting for 70.9% of all strikes recorded. Body strikes accounted for 19.7% and foot strikes 11.4% of all strikes. Early in the season the incidences of both breech and body strikes were higher in ewes than in lambs, but from June to October lamb strikes predominated. The incidence of foot strike was greater in ewes than lambs throughout the year, with a peak incidence in September. Regional differences in strike incidence were evident; the highest overall incidences were recorded in the southern regions of England where peak incidence occurred earlier in the year. The highest monthly incidence risk was recorded in August in the south‐east of England where there were 14.2 strikes per 1000 lambs and 4.0 strikes per 1000 ewes at risk. The importance of faecal soiling and ambient temperature are discussed.
Development of combined use of neem (Azadirachta indica) and water management for the control of culicine mosquitoes in rice fields
Authors: RAO D. R. , REUBEN R. , NAGASAMPAGI B. A.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Crude neem products have earlier shown considerable promise for control of culicine mosquito vectors in rice fields as a by‐product of their agricultural use as fertilizers, but suffer from disadvantages of bulkiness and lack of stability in storage. Relatively stable lipid‐rich fractions of neem were shown to be as effective as good‐quality crude neem products in control of breeding of culicine vectors of Japanese encephalitis, and also produced a slight but significant reduction in populations of anopheline pupae. Neem‐based formulations coated over urea significantly increased grain yield, but used alone did not, whereas combining the use of neem‐coated urea and water management by intermittent irrigation had a greater effect on grain yield than that of water management alone. The neem fractions were relatively cost‐effective, and the combined water management and neem‐coated urea strategy is acceptable to farmers, who are already aware of the benefits of the use of neem‐coated urea, and of water management. This technology therefore has considerable promise as an environmentally benign method of rice‐field mosquito control that could be sustainably implemented by farmers.
Cytogenetical analysis of the Simulium damnosum complex (Diptera: Simuliidae) in Guinea Bissau
Authors: CHARALAMBOUS M. , SHELLEY A. J. , GRÁCIO A. J. DOS SANTOS , RAYBOULD J. N.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. In a 3‐year study during 1990–92, larval collections of the Simulium damnosum complex from the River Corubal system in Guinea Bissau revealed that the only sibling species present were S. sirbanum and the Konkouré form of S. konkourense, but not S. damnosum s.s. which had been found at some of the localities (Saltinho and Cusselinta) in a previous survey by Quillévéréet at. (1981). Their differential distributions were seasonally consistent between years. S. sirbanum was concentrated in the upper reaches of the Corubal, moving downstream at the end of the dry season to exploit new breeding grounds, whereas S. konkourense seemed to be concentrated in the lower reaches and moved upstream in the middle of the dry season.

Since the previous survey, it appears that S. konkourense has largely replaced S. sirbanum and S. damnosum s.s. in the lower reaches of the Corubal. S. sirbanum was consistently associated with man‐biting behaviour and, although infection studies were not performed, it is likely that S. sirbanum is the main vector of onchocerciasis in Guinea Bissau as S. konkourense does not seen to be anthropophilic.

Among five polymorphic inversions in S. sirbanum, the frequency of inversion IL‐B increased during the dry season; IL‐2 and IIL‐7 showed homozygous disadvantage whereas IIL‐3 and IIIL‐6 did not; IS‐2 tended to be fixed in all populations. Simulium konkourense populations in the River Corubal differ from those found upstream in its tributary the River Koumba, in the Fouta Djallon of Guinea, by their sex chromosomes (having no sex‐linked inversions) and biting preferences, indicating that the populations are not freely interbreeding. Inversion IIIL‐X was found for the first time in populations of S. konkourense outside the Fouta Djallon area and a new inversion IIL‐Y was identified in samples from the Rivers Corubal and Féfiné.
Phlebotomine sandflies associated with a focus of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Valle del Cauca, Colombia
Authors: ALEXANDER B. , USMA M. C. , CADENA H. , QUESADA B. L. , SOLARTE Y. , ROA W. , MONTOYA J. , JARAMILLO C. , TRAVI B. L.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. A survey was made of the phlebotomine sandfly fauna of La Guaira, a village with coffee plantations near Cali, Colombia, from which cases of American cutaneous leishmaniasis had been reported due to Leishmania (Viannia) panamensis and Le. (V.) braziliensis. Among six species of sandfly collected on human bait, Lutzomyia youngi was most important in terms of biting nuisance. Lu. columbiana, Lu. lichyi and Lu. scorzai as well as Lu. youngi adults occurred throughout the year. Sandfly man‐biting activity occurred throughout the night and was highest within 2 h of sunset. Despite its abundance in nocturnal samples, Lu. youngi was rarely taken in diurnal resting site collections. In contrast, Lu. lichyi was collected on tree‐trunks during the day in large numbers and was the only species biting in daylight. The implications of these and other findings for leishmaniasis control measures in La Guaira are considered.
A study of the diapausing behaviour of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus and R. zambeziensis under quasi‐natural conditions in Zambia
Authors: BERKVENS D. L. , PEGRAM R. G. , BRANDT J. R. A.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The diapausing behaviour of Rhipicephalus appendiculatus was studied under quasi‐natural conditions in the Eastern Province of Zambia. Newly‐moulted adults of ticks indigenous to the study area entered a behavioural diapause when exposed to daylengths below a critical photoperiod, provisionally a daylength between 11 h 20min and 11 h 45min. In the Eastern Province of Zambia the diapause was apparently not terminated by a long‐day signal, but by a weakening of the photoperiodic maintenance of the diapause because of increasing age of the ticks. Adults of a reference stock indigenous to Kenya also entered a diapause when exposed to daylengths below the same threshold and maintained this diapause for the same length of time. Adults of a reference stock of Rhipicephalus zambeziensis indigenous to Zimbabwe did not enter a diapause when exposed to the same daylengths. The relevance of the findings is discussed in relation to the distributions of the two species.
Oviposition aggregation pheromone in the Simulium damnosum complex
Authors: McCALL P. J.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. Communal oviposition by the Simulium damnosum complex of Afrotropical blackflies (Diptera: Simuliidae) was investigated under controlled laboratory conditions, using wild‐caught flies in Sierra Leone. Volatile compounds emitted by Simulium eggs were trapped using a closed collection system, and their attractiveness to gravid flies was tested in a two‐choice behavioural bioassay. Significantly more female blackflies oviposited on substrates baited with freshly laid eggs (100% chose the baited substrate), or with the volatiles collected from freshly laid eggs (85% chose the baited substrate), in preference to the relevant control substrates. Substrates baited with volatiles from 12‐h‐old eggs were not significantly more attractive than controls (only 31% chose the baited substrates; P = 0.33). Gas chromatographic analysis of the egg volatiles consistently showed two peaks emanating from fresh eggs, but significantly lower amounts from 12‐h‐old eggs (P<0.05). A novel system for collecting the volatiles from this and other blackfly species, as they laid eggs on a substrate in flowing water, is described. Volatiles collected using this method showed identical gas chromatographic profiles to those of fresh eggs alone, indicating that the flies themselves produced no other volatile chemical signals during oviposition. Evidently communal oviposition by S. damnosum s.l. was mediated by a pheromone emanating from fresh eggs. The role of pheromone‐mediated egg aggregation in blackfly ecology is discussed, and its possible manipulation is considered.
Isolation and characterization of a trypsin‐like enzyme from the buffalo fly, Haematobia irritans exigua
Authors: EAST I. J. , ALLINGHAM P. G. , BUNCH R. J. , MATHESON J.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The incorporation of soybean trypsin inhibitor (SBTI) into the diet of the buffalo fly, Haematobia irritans exigua (De Meijere), results in increased mortality and reduced fecundity. A trypsin‐like enzyme which binds to SBTI was isolated by affinity chromatography on a Sepharose‐SBTI column followed by ion‐exchange chromatography. The enzyme was inhibited by benzamidine, phenylmethylsulfonyl fluoride, ovomucoid, leupeptin and a‐2 macroglobulin. The enzyme was not inhibited by EDTA or p‐chloromecuribenzoic acid and had a broad pH optimum of pH 7–9. Vaccination of sheep produced antibodies specific for the trypsin‐like enzyme which inhibited enzyme activity in vitro but did not affect the survival of flies maintained in in vitro culture.
An association between phlebotomine sandflies and aphids in the Peruvian Andes
Authors: CAMERON M. M. , MILLIGAN P. J. M. , LLANOS‐CUENTAS A. , DAVIES C. R.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. As the composition of natural sugars in the diet of adult sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) may affect the development of Leishmania (Kinetoplastida: Trypanosomatidae) in sandfly guts, and so play an important role in the epidemiology of leishmaniasis, there is increasing interest in the sources of sugars for wild sandflies. Advanced chromatography techniques have provided indirect evidence that wild sandflies feed on honeydew, a substance released by aphids (Hemiptera: Aphididae) when feeding. Our objective was to determine whether sandfly density can be influenced directly by the local density of aphids. Aphid density was determined by counting absolute numbers of aphids on alfalfa stems in Purisima Valley, Peru, where sandflies transmit Leishmania peruviana causing Andean cutaneous leishmaniasis (uta). Sandfly relative abundance was measured using sticky trap sampling repeatedly in alfalfa fields. Lutzomyia verrucarum accounted for 92% of the total sandflies collected. As there was a female bias in sandflies collected close to houses, only the numbers of male sandflies were used in analysis. Most of the adult aphids found feeding on alfalfa were either Therioaphis trifolii forma maculata (97%) or Acyrthosiphon pisum (3%). By regression analysis, a significant relationship was found between the density of Lu. verrucarum males and the density of adults of both aphid species. This is the first ecological study to support the hypothesis that aphid honeydew may be a source of sugar for sandflies.
Immunosuppression and feeding success of Ixodes ricinus nymphs on BALB/c mice
Authors: DUSBÁBEK F. , BORSKÝ I. , JELÍNEK F. , UHLÍŘ J.
Published: March 2008

Abstract. The effect of repeated infestations of Ixodes ricinus (L.) nymphs on BALB/c mice was studied. Four successive infectations resulted in an increase of tick feeding success. Tick yield and mean engorged weight increased and the length of the feeding period was reduced significantly (P <0.05‐0.01). The increase of specific anti‐tick antibodies was not significant (P > 0.05). The blastogenic response of spleen lymphocytes to T‐cell mitogens (Con A and PHA‐P) was unimpaired or slightly enhanced, whereas the response to B‐cell activators (LPS and PWM) was suppressed, as was the total antibody generation in vitro. The numbers of mast cells in murine skin at the tick attachment sites slightly decreased during the third infestation. The suppression of B‐cell competence and of antibody generation, together with decrease of skin mast cell numbers in tick attachment sites, are considered to be responsible for enhancement of tick feeding success.