Disease relevance of Psychodidae

• Mitochondrial cytochrome b variation in populations of the visceral leishmaniasis vector Lutzomyia longipalpis across eastern Brazil [1].
• Parasporal inclusions of a Bacillus thuringiensis isolate designated 92-KU-105-9 (H14/19) exhibited unusual larvicidal activity, specific for the moth-fly, Telmatoscopus albipunctatus (Diptera: Psychodidae), similar to that of a previously reported B. thuringiensis serovar leesis (H33) strain [2].
• The comparative hourly activity of Lutzomyia ovallesi (Ortiz) and L. gomezi (Nitzulescu), vectors of cutaneous leishmaniasis in Miranda State, Venezuela, was studied between November and March during 1991-1994 using a Shannon trap with a fluorescent light [3].
• Phlebotomine sand flies (Diptera: Psychodidae) of the Palestinian West Bank: potential vectors of leishmaniasis [4].

High impact information on Psychodidae

• The requirement for IL-10 in establishing latency associated with natural infection was confirmed in IL-10-deficient mice challenged by bite of infected sand flies [5].
• Saliva from Lutzomyia longipalpis induces CC chemokine ligand 2/monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 expression and macrophage recruitment [6].
• Maxadilan is a vasodilatory peptide derived from sand flies that is an agonist at the pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP) type 1 receptor [7].
• Maxadilan, the vasodilator from sand flies, is a specific pituitary adenylate cyclase activating peptide type I receptor agonist [8].
• Genetic divergence in the cacophony IVS6 intron among five Brazilian populations of Lutzomyia longipalpis [9].

Chemical compound and disease context of Psychodidae

• A study was designed to examine the effect of 65% permethrin spot-on on the prevalence of canine visceral leishmaniasis and the abundance of sand flies in two neighborhoods in Corumbá, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil known to have a high prevalence of visceral leishmaniasis [10].
• In a visceral leishmaniasis endemic locality of northeast of Brasil where all settlements were treated with cypermethrin, a follow-up of Lutzomyia longipalpis populations was carried out by regular collections [11].

Biological context of Psychodidae

• Molecular evolution of the cacophony IVS6 region in sandflies [12].
• Only AAT-class repeats were specifically isolated from a phagemid library of Lutzomyia whitmani, even though other microsatellites had similar abundances [13].
• Phlebotomine sandflies (Diptera: Psychodidae) also produce acoustic stimuli during courtship and therefore cacophony can be used as an interesting molecular marker in evolutionary studies in these important disease vectors [12].
• Polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis was used to elucidate genetic variation at 13 isozyme loci among forest populations of Lutzomyia shannoni from three widely separated locations in Colombia: Palambí (Nariño Department), Cimitarra (Santander Department) and Chinácota (Norte de Santander Department) [14].
• In choice chambers, Lutzomyia longipalpis females were attracted and/or stimulated to lay eggs on sites containing hexane extracts of conspecific eggs, a result which supported previous findings on the presence of an oviposition pheromone on the eggs [15].

Anatomical context of Psychodidae

• In this study, we report the expression and ADA enzymatic activity of a cDNA from the salivary glands of Lutzomyia longipalpis, a blood-sucking insect, with substantial similarity to insect growth factors and to human CECR1 [16].
• 309 P. papatasi among 364 female sandflies squashed on to nylon Gene Screen DNA transfer membranes, were identified using the 3.2 kb ribosomal P. papatasi specific DNA probe described by Ready et al [17].
• Biosynthesis and metabolism of juvenile hormone III from methyl farnesoate by exposed corpora allata of Lutzomyia anthophora [18].
• The morphology of the clypeus, labrum, mandible, maxilla, mentum, and antennae were compared for Phlebotomus argentipes Annandale & Brunetti, P. papatasin (Scopoli), Sergentomyia babu babu (Annandale), and S. bailyi (Sinton) [19].

Associations of Psychodidae with chemical compounds

• The differences in rate were higher in the sequences flanking the Thr-Gly repetitive domain, a region that has expanded in Drosophila but remained stable and short in sandflies, a result consistent with the coevolutionary scenario proposed for this region of the gene [20].
• The repellency and insecticidal efficacy of Nopikex, a soap formulation containing 20% diethyl toluamide and 0.5% permethrin, was evaluated against a laboratory colony of phlebotomine sand flies (Lutzomyia longipalpis) [21].
• Three hundred twenty-two pools were established from a population of 33,917 sand flies caught in CO2 light traps in the Ferlo Sahelian region of Senegal from November 1991 to December 1992 [22].
• Three personal protection methods were evaluated against phlebotomine sand flies in Panama. Skin applications of five selected repellents including deet (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide) provided a mean coefficient of protection (CP) of 99.2% against the attack of at least three sand fly species [23].
• Sugar-deprived Lutzomyia youngi were exposed to each of the five most numerous plant species in a Colombian coffee plantation for 24 h and then tested for the presence of fructose by the cold anthrone assay [24].

Gene context of Psychodidae

• The putative product of TAg5 shows extensive similarities to cDNAs characterized from Drosophila (Agr and Agr2) and sandfly Lutzomyia (LuLoAG5) [25].
• Maxadilan, a vasodilator peptide from the salivary gland of the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis also specifically bound to SH-SY5Y cells, and was equipotent to PACAP in [(125)I]PACAP and [(125)I]maxadilan binding inhibition, and stimulation of cAMP accumulation [26].
• The 6PGDH and FUM data and those from 6-phospho-fructokinase and phosphoglucomutase distinguish Lutzomyia sp., a new species from Columbia to be described and named later [27].
• The alleles of MDH-1 were 100 and 95 in genus Phlebotomus and Sergentomyia respectively, meanwhile in alpha-GPD the alleles were at 100 and 97 respectively except S. squamirostris [28].
• Vector-host-parasite inter-relationships in leishmaniasis. III. Impact of blood meal from natural vertebrate hosts on the survival and the development of Leishmania infantum and L. major in Phlebotomus langeroni (Diptera: Psychodidae) [29].

Analytical, diagnostic and therapeutic context of Psychodidae

• Using degenerate-primers PCR we isolated and sequenced fragments from the sand fly Lutzomyia longipalpis homologous to two behavioural genes in Drosophila, cacophony and period [30].
• The mortality rates of Lutzomyia verrucarum measured with WHO contact bioassay cones set on adobe walls characteristic of the endemic region indicated an LD95 for lambda-cyhalothrin of about 20 mg/m2, and no reduction in effectiveness for at least 6 months on indoor adobe walls sprayed with 25 mg/m2 [31].
• Here we describe the molecular cloning and partial characterization of a complete cDNA from a putative gut-specific, blood-induced chitinase from the sand fly vector Lutzomyia longipalpis [32].
• The patterns of exochorion ornaments on eggs of seven South American Lutzomyia sand fly species were analyzed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM): Lutzomyia (Lutzomyia) cruzi (Mangabeira 1938), Lutzomyia (Micropygomyia) evandroi (Costa Lima and Antunes 1936), L [33].

References