Survival, Population Size, and Gonotrophic Cycle Duration of Nyssomyia neivai (Diptera: Psychodidae) at an Endemic Area of American Cutaneous Leishmaniasis in Southeastern Brazil

The survival, absolute population size, gonotrophic cycle duration, and temporal and spatial abundance of Nyssomyia neivai (Pinto) were studied in a rural area endemic for American cutaneous leishmaniasis (ACL) in Conchal, Sao Paulo State, southeastern Brazil, using mark-release-recapture techniques and by monitoring population fluctuation. The monthly abundance exhibited a unimodal pattern, with forest and domicile habitats having the highest relative abundances. A total of 1,873 males and 3,557 females were marked and released during the six experiments, of which 4.1-13.0% of males and 4.1-11.8% of females were recaptured. Daily survivorship estimated from the decline in recaptures per day was 0.681 for males and 0.667 for females. Gonotrophic cycle duration was estimated to be 4.0 d. Absolute population size was calculated using the Lincoln Index and ranged from 861 to 4,612 males and from 2,187 to 19,739 females. The low proportion of females that reach the age when they are potentially infective suggests that N. neivai has a low biological capacity to serve as a vector and that factors such as high biting rates and opportunistic feeding behavior would be needed to enable Leishmania (Viannia) braziliensis Vianna transmission. This agreed with the epidemiological pattern of ACL in southeastern Brazil that is characterized by low incidence, with isolated cases acquired principally within domiciliary habitats.

Observations on the feeding habits of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & Neiva, 1912) (Diptera: Psychodidae: Phlebotominae) in Campo Grande, an endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis in Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

Sand flies were captured weekly with CDC light traps from December 2003 to November 2005 in three areas of Campo Grande, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso do Sul. These areas incorporated two patches of remnant forest and five houses. The blood meals of engorged female sand flies were identified using the avidin-biotin system of immunoenzymatic ELISA capture. Most (327/355) of the females analysed were Lutzomyia longipalpis, of which 66.4% reacted with human blood, 64.8% with that of birds and 8.9% with that of dogs. Females that had taken human blood predominated in the residential areas and two forest patches. The following combinations of blood were also detected for L. longipalpis in some of the samples analysed: bird + human (43.4%), bird + human + dog (6.1%). The combination bird + human + dog + pig was also found for Nyssomyia whitmani. Dogs and pigs appear to have little attractiveness for L. longipalpis. The results obtained demonstrate the eclecticism and high anthropophily of L. longipalpis and raise new questions with regard to the importance of dogs in VL epidemiology and the possible role of man as a source of infection for sand flies. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Seasonal variation of Lutzomyia longipalpis (Lutz & neiva, 1912) (Diptera : Psychodidae : Phlebotominae) in endemic area of visceral leishmaniasis, Campo Grande, state of Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil

The seasonal distribution of Lutzomyia longipalpis was studied in two forested and five domiciliary areas of the urban area of Campo Grande; MS, from December 2003 to November 2005. Weekly captures were carried out with CDC light traps positioned on ground and in the canopy inside a residual forest and on the edge (ground) of a woodland and in at least one of the following ecotopes in peridomiciles-a cultivated area, a chicken coop, a pigsty, a kennel, a goat and sheep shelter and an intradomicile. A total of 9519 sand flies were collected, 2666 during the first year and 6853 during the second. L. longipalpis was found throughout the 2-year period, presenting smaller peaks at intervals of 2-3 months and two greater peaks, the first in February and the second in April 2005, soon after periods of heavy rain. Only In one of the woodlands was a significant negative correlation (p < 0.05) between the number of insects and temperature during the first year and the climatic factors (temperature, RHA and rain) was observed. In the domiciliary areas in four domiciles some positive correlations (p < 0.05) occurred in relation to one or more climatic factors; however, the species shows a clear tendency to greater frequency (72%) in the rainy season than in the dry (28%). Thus, we recommend an intensification of the VL control measures applied in Campo Grande, MS, during the rainy season with a view to reducing the risk of the transmission of the disease. (C) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All fights reserved.

Henneguya pseudoplatystoma n. sp causing reduction in epithelial area of gills in the farmed pintado, a South American catfish: Histopathology and ultrastructure

The present study is part of an ongoing investigation into the characteristics of Myxozoan parasites of Brazilian freshwater fish and was carried out using morphology, histopathology and electron microscopy analysis. A new Myxosporea species (Henneguya pseudoplatystoma) is described causing an important reduction in gill function in the farmed pintado (a hybrid fish from a cross between Pseudoplatystoma corruscans and Pseudoplatystoma fasciatum), which is a commercially important South American catfish. From a total of 98 pintado juveniles from fish farms in the states of Sao Paulo and Mato Grosso do Sul (Brazil), 36 samples (36.7%) exhibited infection of the gill filaments. infection was intense, with several plasmodia occurring on a same gill filament. The plasmodia were white and measured up to 0.5 mm in length; mature spores were ellipsoidal in the frontal view, measuring 33.2 +/- 1.9 mu m in total length, 10.4 +/- 0.6 mu m in body length, 3.4 +/- 0.4 mu m in width and 22.7 +/- 1.7 mu m in the caudal process. The polar capsules were elongated, measuring 3.3 +/- 0.4 mu m in length and 1.0 +/- 0.1 mu m in width and the polar filaments had six to seven turns. Histopathological analysis revealed the parasite in the connective tissue of the gill filaments and lamella. No inflammatory process was observed, but the development of the plasmodia reduced the area of functional epithelium. Ultrastructural analyses revealed a single plasmodial wall, which was in direct contact with the host cells and had numerous projections in direction of the host cells as well as extensive pinocytotic canals. A thick layer (2-6 mu m) of fibrous material and numerous mitochondria were found in the ectoplasm. Generative cells and the earliest stage of sporogenesis were seen more internally. Advanced spore developmental stages and mature spores were found in the central portion of the plasmodia. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Effects of detectability on estimates of geographic range size in bignonieae

Extinction risk has not been evaluated for 96% of all described plant species. Given that the Global Strategy for Plant Conservation proposes preliminary conservation assessments of all described plant species by 2010, herbarium specimens (i.e., primary occurrence data) are increasingly being used to infer threat components from estimates of geographic range size. Nevertheless, estimates of range size based on herbarium data may be inaccurate due to collection bias associated with interspecific variation in detectability. We used data on 377 species of Bignonieae to test the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between detectability and estimates of geographic range size derived from herbarium specimens. This relationship is expected if the proportion of the true geographic range size of a species that is documented by herbarium specimens is given by the product of the true geographic range size and the detectability of the species, assuming no relationship between true geographic range size and detectability. We developed 4 measures of detectability that can be estimated from herbarium data and examined the relationship between detectability and 2 types of estimates of geographic range size: area of occupancy and extent of occurrence. Our results from regressing estimates of extent of occurrence and area of occupancy on detectability across genera provided no support for this hypothesis. The same was true for regressions of estimated extent of occurrence on detectability across species within genera. Nevertheless, regressions of estimated area of occupancy on detectability across species within genera provided partial support for our hypothesis. We considered 3 possible explanations for this mixed outcome: violation of the assumption of no relationship between true geographic range size and detectability; the relationships between estimated geographic range size and detectability may be an artifact of a negative relationship between estimated area of occupancy and the sampling variance of detectability; detectability may have had 2 opposite effects on estimated species range sizes: one determines the proportion of the true range of a species documented by herbarium specimens and the other determines the distribution of true range size for the species actually observed with herbarium data. Our findings should help improve understanding of the potential biases incurred with the use of herbarium data.

Behavioural and morphological observations of the Collared Crescentchest (Melanopareia torquata) in a Cerrado area of south-eastern Brazil

The Collared Crescentchest (Melanopareia torquata) is endemic to the Cerrado Biome, and distributed mainly in Brazil, but extending to Bolivia and Paraguay. Although considered of least concern globally, it is threatened in the state of Sao Paulo in south-eastern Brazil. In this study we examined the morphology and some aspects of behaviour of the Collared Crescentchest. Birds were captured with mist-nets using playback in September-December 2006 and October-November 2007. For each captured bird, we took a range of morphological measurements, looked for brood-patches and moult, and took a blood sample for genetic determination of sex. Of the 35 individuals captured, only five were female, probably as a result of behavioural differences between sexes, with males apparently responding more readily to the playback. Furthermore, birds with white dorsal patches exhibited more aggression or risk taking behaviour than birds without patches. However, there was no sexual dimorphism in any of the morphological or colour traits measured ( although the female sample was small). Brood-patches were present mainly in October and November, but we did not detect any cloacal protuberance. Among the four species that comprise the family Melanopareiidae, this is the first record of brood-patches in males.

Metformin reduces the stimulatory effect of obesity on in vivo Walker-256 tumor development and increases the area of tumor necrosis

Aims: The objective of this study was to analyze the influence of obesity and insulin resistance on tumor development and, in turn, the effect of insulin sensitizing agents. Main methods: Male offspring of Wistar rats received monosodium glutamate (400 mg/kg) (obese) or saline (control) from the second to sixth day after birth. Sixteen-week-old control and obese rats received 5 x 10(5) Walker-256 tumor cells, subcutaneously injected into the right flank. Some of the obese and control rats received concomitant treatment with metformin (300 mg/kg) by gavage. At the 18th week, obesity was characterized. The percentage of rats that developed tumors, the tumor relative weight and the percentage of cachexia incidence were analyzed. The tumor tissue was evaluated histologically by means of hematoxylin and eosin staining. Key findings: Metformin did not correct the insulin resistance in obese rats. The tumor development was significantly higher in the obese group, whereas metformin treatment reduced it. After pathological analysis, we observed that the tumor tissues were similar in all groups except for adipocytes, which were found in greater quantity in the obese and metformin-treated obese groups. The area of tumor necrosis was higher in the group treated with metformin when compared with the untreated one. Significance: Metformin reduced Walker-256 tumor development but not cachexia in obese rats. The reduction occurred independently of the correction of insulin resistance. Metformin increased the area of necrosis in tumor tissues, which may have contributed to the reduced tumor development. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.