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Risk factors associated with Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in California horses.

A case-control study was designed using equine medical records from the UC Davis Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) and data derived through a mailed survey. The objective was to evaluate the associations between horse demographics, horse-management factors, and equine Corynebacterium pseudotuberculosis infection in California. Horses admitted to the VMTH between July 1 1992 and June 30 1994 served as the study base for case identification and simple random sampling of 800 controls. A questionnaire was mailed to the owners of all horses enrolled in the study to collect data on demographics, management and health-related questions. A logistic-regression model containing age, outdoor activity level, other locations in California, insect-control measures, contact with other horses, and summer pasture was developed. The final model was adjusted for the suspected confounding variables admission type, regular teaching hospital patient and breed. Horses of age between 1 and 2 yrs and between 3 and 5 yrs, and horses in contact with other horses or horses on summer pasture had significantly increased odds (p < 0.05) of being diagnosed with C. pseudotuberculosis infection. The results support the hypotheses that the disease predominantly affects young-adult horses of all breeds and both sexes, and that management factors play an important role in occurrence of the disease. Since the existing serological test system is not reliable and destruction of infected animals is not feasible, the most-logical approach for disease prevention is the early identification and isolation of clinical cases and the implementation of management changes like improvement of stable hygiene and insect control and change of pasture practices.

Animals↗

Control of insects and mites in grain using a high temperature/short time (HTST) technique.

Wheat infested with grain mites (Acari) and Sitophilus granarius, and maize infested with Prostephanus truncatus, were exposed to hot air in a CIMBRIA HTST Microline toaster((R)). Inlet temperatures of the hot air were in the range of 150-750 degrees C decreasing to outlet temperatures in the range of 100-300 degrees C during the exposure period. A rotating drum, connected to a natural-gas burner was fed with grain which was in constant movement along the drum and thereby mixed thoroughly during the process. The capacity of the toaster was 1000 kg per hour.Complete control of grain mites and adult S. granarius in wheat was obtained with an inlet temperature of 300-350 degrees C and an average residence time in the drum of 6 s. More than 99% mortality was obtained for all stages of S. granarius with an inlet temperature of 300-350 degrees C and an average exposure period of 40 s. For control of P. truncatus in maize, an inlet temperature of 700 degrees C resulted in a complete disinfestation when the exposure time was 19 s.The reduction in grain moisture content was 0.5-1% at treatments giving 100% control. Germination tests indicate that it is possible to choose a combination of inlet temperatures and exposure periods which effectively kills mites and insects in small grains, without harming the functional properties of the grain.Economy of the method was considered to be competitive with fumigation using phosphine.

Journal Article↗

A bifunctional heterodimeric insect neuropeptide analog.

The synthesis and biological activity of a bifunctional, heterodimeric insect neuropeptide analog are described. The heterodimer is composed of the C-terminal pentapeptide active core regions of the leucokinin/achetakinin and pyrokinin neuropeptide families linked via their N-terminal amino groups with a succinyl diacid moiety. Members of the leucokinin/achetakinin family can induce fluid secretion in malpighian tubules of the house cricket, Acheta domesticus, whereas the pyrokinins demonstrate activity in a cricket oviduct myotropic bioassay. No cross-activity is observed for the two neuropeptide families in these bioassays. However, the heterodimer elicits responses in both Acheta bioassays. Such a bifunctional analog may in future serve as a template for the design of stable, bifunctional pest insect control agents of greater efficiency.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Male-linked translocations and the control of insect pest populations.

Published data on an experimental release of Culex pipiens carrying a male-linked translocation are re-examined and it is shown that the steady decline in translocation frequency after termination of releases agrees with theoretical expectations, because of the selective disadvantage of translocation heterozygote males. Systems based on negative heterosis or meiotic drive are considered whereby it might be possible to prolong the population control which would be achieved by a short term release.

Animals↗

Insect neuropeptides: discovery and application in insect management.

New approaches to the development of insect control agents have been revealed through the molecular description of neuropeptides, their biogenesis, action, and degradation. Prerequisite to the exploitation of a neuropeptide as a lead to control agent development is a thorough understanding of the biochemistry of the neuropeptide and appreciation of its physiological impact. Reliable bioassays must be coupled with advanced biochemical and molecular genetic technologies to overcome limitations imposed by the typically low endogenous levels of individual neuropeptides. Purification, amino acid sequencing, and gene cloning provide the molecular tools necessary for studies on neuropeptide synthesis, processing, secretion, receptor binding, and inactivation. Each of these areas consists of a number of amino acid sequence-, and enzyme-dependent steps which may be considered as targets for the development of highly specific control agents. These agents will include antagonist and superagonists, peptidomimetics, recombinant peptides delivered through the baculovirus technology, receptor blockers, and enzyme inhibitors.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Insect repellants in urban settings.

Why kill bugs when you can just make them go away? Used primarily for biting-insect control, repellants may control household pests as well, once their potential is fully realized. Repellents may provide low-dose, specific and low-toxicity augmentations to conventional pesticides applied around the home and workplace.

Animals↗

Fighting the global pest problem: preface to the special Toxicon issue on insecticidal toxins and their potential for insect pest control.

Arthropod pests are responsible for major crop devastation and are vectors for the transmission of new and re-emerging diseases in humans and livestock. Despite many years of effective control by conventional agrochemical insecticides, a number of factors are threatening the effectiveness and continued use of these agents. These include the development of insecticide resistance and use-cancellation or de-registration of some insecticides due to human health and environmental concerns. Several approaches are being investigated for the design of new (bio)pesticides. These include the development of transgenic plants and recombinant baculoviruses as delivery systems for a variety of insect-selective toxins. Additional approaches for the development of foliar sprays include the rational design of peptidomimetics based on the key residues of these toxins that interact with the insect target. This special issue provides an overview of these phyletically selective animal, plant and microbial toxins and their diverse mechanisms of action to paralyze or kill arthropods. In addition, it reviews their potential for biopesticide discovery and validation of novel insecticide targets and provides an overview of the strengths and weaknesses of biopesticides in the global control of arthropod pests.

Animals↗

Management of plant viral diseases through chemical control of insect vectors.

In this article we consider the role of epidemiological factors and transmission processes of insect-vectored viruses on the effectiveness of insecticides in a disease management program. We also discuss the use of insecticides within the broader framework of the chemical environment surrounding vectors, and how chemical-induced alterations in the behavior of vectors can influence transmission. Our analysis confirms the belief of Heathcote, who stated in 1973, that "no one method of control is likely to keep crops entirely free from virus infection and as many preventative measures should be taken as are economically justified."

Journal Article↗

Evolution and structural conservation of the control region of insect mitochondrial DNA.

The control regions of mitochondrial DNA of two insects, Schistocerca gregaria and Chorthippus parallelus, have been isolated and sequenced. Their sizes are 752 bp and 1,512 bp, respectively, with the presence of a tandem repeat in C. parallelus. (The sequences of the two repeats are highly conserved, having a homology of 97.5%.) Comparison of their nucleotide sequences revealed the presence of several conserved sequence blocks dispersed through the whole control region, showing a different evolutionary pattern of this region in these insects as compared to that in Drosophila. A highly conserved secondary structure, located in the 3' region near the small rRNA gene, has been identified. Sequences immediately flanking this hairpin structure rather than the sequences of this structure themselves are conserved between S. gregaria/C. parallelus and Drosophila, having a sequence consensus of "TATA" at 5' and "GAA(A)T" at 3'. The motif "G(A)nT" is also present in the 3' flanking sequences of mammalian, amphibian, and fish mitochondrial L-strand replication origins and a potential plant mitochondrial second-strand-replication origin, indicating its universal conservation and functional importance related to replication origins. The stem-and-loop structure in S. gregaria/C. parallelus appears to be closely related to that found in Drosophila despite occupying a different position, and may be potentially associated with a second-strand-replication origin. This in turn suggests that such a secondary structure might be widely conserved across invertebrates while their location in the control region may be variable. We have looked for such a conserved structure in the control regions of two other insects, G. firmus and A. mellifera, whose DNA sequences have been published, and their possible presence is discussed. Mitochondrial control regions characterized to date in five different insect taxa (Drosophila, G. firmus, A. mellifera, S. gregaria, and C. parallelus) may be classed into two distinct groups having different evolutionary patterns. It is observed that tandem repetition of regions containing a probable replication origin occurred in some species from disjunct lineages in both groups, which would be the result of convergent evolution. We also discuss the possibility of a mechanism of "parahomologous recombination by unequal crossing-over" in mitochondria, which can explain the generation of such tandemly repeated sequences (especially the first critical repetition) in the control region of mtDNA, and also their convergent evolution in disjunct biological lineages during evolution.

Animals↗

Effects of red-headed in sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei, nuclear polyhedrosis virus on rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, and Daphnia pulex.

The effects of a nuclear polyhedrosis virus (NPV) of the red-headed pine sawfly, Neodiprion lecontei, on rainbow trout, Salmo gairdneri, were investigated. The fish were exposed to this virus by intubation and topical application and no ill-effects were observed. Similarly, no ill-effects were detected in Daphnia pulex when the same NPV was added to their culture medium. The materials were lyophilized, NPV-infected sawfly larvae (normally used for insect control), lyophilized, uninfected larvae and purified, polyhedral inclusion bodies. On the basis of these laboratory tests, this virus, when disseminated as a biocontrol agent, should present no hazard to rainbow trout or to the aquatic invertebrate Daphnia pulex, two species frequently used in toxicity tests of chemical pesticides.

Animals↗

VSG gene expression site control in insect form Trypanosoma brucei.

When the African trypanosome Trypanosoma brucei is taken up from mammals by a tse-tse fly, it replaces its variant surface glycoprotein (VSG) coat by a procyclin coat. Transcription of VSG genes stops in the fly, but transcription of sequences derived from the promoter area of the VSG expression site(s) remains high. Whether this is due to continuing high activity of one promoter or to low activity of many promoters was unclear. We have used the small differences between the sequences of different expression sites to show that multiple expression site promoters are active in insect form trypanosomes. This is confirmed by the low expression of single copy marker genes introduced into the transcribed area. However, if the expression site promoter is removed from the genomic location of the expression site and inserted in the non-transcribed spacer of the ribosomal DNA (rDNA), it is derepressed. Derepression of transcription can also be accomplished by replacing the promoter of an expression site by an rDNA promoter. We conclude that the down-regulation of VSG gene expression site promoters in insect form trypanosomes is affected by both the DNA sequence of the promoter and the genomic context in which it resides.

Animals↗

Novel insect resistance in Brassica napus developed by transformation of chitinase and scorpion toxin genes.

Transgenic plants with introduced pest-resistant gene offer an efficient alternative insect control. The novel insect-resistant gene combination, chitinase(chi) and BmkIT(Bmk), containing an insect-specific chitinase gene and a scorpion insect toxin gene was introduced into Brassica napus cultivar via Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. Fifty-seven regenerated plantlets with kanamycin-resistance were obtained. Transgenic plants were verified by Southern blot analysis. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and bioassay of artificial inoculation with diamondback moth (Plutella maculipenis) (DBM) larvae indicated that some of the transgenic plants were high-level expression for both chitinase and scorpion toxin proteins and performed high resistance against the tested pest infestation. The genetic analysis of T(1) progeny confirmed that the inheritance of introduced genes followed the Mendelian rules.

Animals↗