Search results for "Louse"

Host-ectoparasite associations; the role of host traits, season and habitat on parasitism interactions of the rodents of northeastern Iran

2021

Abstract Background Rodents play a significant role as reservoirs of zoonotic diseases. Nevertheless, their ectoparasite assemblage and host-ectoparasite associations are poorly known. This study intended to give new insights on the relationships between ectoparasites and rodents in northeastern Iran. Methods Rodents were captured using live traps during the year of 2016–2020 and their ectoparasites were collected. Parasitological indices such as infestation rate, prevalence and mean intensity of infestation were analyzed. Results A total of 284 rodents, belonging to 17 species, were trapped which infested by 178 ectoparasites from five orders Siphonaptera, Phthiraptera, Ixodida, Mesostigma…

Living in a harsh habitat: epidemiology of the whale louse, Syncyamus aequus (Cyamidae), infecting striped dolphins in the Western Mediterranean

2017

Whale lice (Cyamidae) are ectoparasitic amphipods exclusive to cetaceans. Data on their epidemiology usually come from species infecting baleen whales, which are large, slow-moving hosts. In this study, we provide data on infection parameters, population structure and microhabitat selection in a whale louse exclusive to delphinids, Syncyamus aequus, with the aim of comparing them with those from cyamid species from large whales. A total of 176 striped dolphins Stenella coeruleoalba stranded along the Mediterranean coast of Spain during 1980–2016 were examined. The prevalence of S. aequus was 27.3% (95% CI: 20.9–34.3), and populations were sparse, with a mean number of whale lice per infecte…

Impacts of chitinase-transformed silver birch on leaf decomposition and soil organisms

2004

Genetically manipulated silver birch (Betula pendula) leaves were used in microcosms experiments to evaluate their impacts on different groups of decomposing soil fauna. Birches were transformed to produce chitinase IV from sugar beet. We compared decomposition rates of leaves, growth and reproduction of soil fauna deriving nutrition from these leaves. Population numbers of collembolans (Folsomia candida and Lepidocyrtus lignorum) and nematodes were measured and decomposition rates of the birch leaves were recorded. Woodlice (Porcellio scaber) juveniles living in the microcosms were weighed at 2- to 4-week intervals to determine growth rate. This study revealed that birch leaves manipulated…

Male mating success during parturial intermoults in the terrestrial isopod Armadillidium vulgare revealed by the use of a microsatellite locus

2007

3 pages; International audience; We investigated the value of microsatellite DNA markers to improve our knowledge of mating strategy with inference to sperm competition in particular, in the woodlouse Armadillidium vulgare. In terrestrial isopods, mature females develop a brood pouch or marsupium before egg laying, the pouch being formed by overlapping oöstegites during a special moult called parturial moult. Under laboratory conditions, we show that Armadillidium vulgare females are able to mate during parturial intermoults, even in the presence of a physical barrier such as that represented by the ventral marsupial plates. Our results reveal that the contribution of a second male mating w…

Rickettsia typhi and Haemophagocytic Syndrome

2017

Appropriate therapy (dexamethasone, cyclosporin, and etoposide) could save the patient in those cases in which the pathogen-direct therapy has not been sufficient by itself to control the disease.

A NEW CASE OF LOUSE-BORNE RELAPSING FEVER IN SICILY: CASE REPORT AND MINI REVIEW

2017

Body lice transport B. recurrentis from man to man and humans are the only host. The presence of lice in Italy and an increasing number of cases in migrants can contribute to the onset of autochthonous cases. In this paper, we report a new case of Louse-borne Relapsing Fever (LBRF) diagnosed among migrants in Sicily exactly one year after the first case was recorded. We reviewed all cases reported in Europe from February 2016 until now. Our study identified two new cases of LBRF in migrants arrived in Europe: one who came from Somalia and one from Mali. Here we report data on a new case in Sicily. The number of migrants and refugees to transit in Sicily has increased, and this has led to th…

Tilinpäätösinformaatiosta tunnuslukuanalyysiin : Balance Consulting oy:n ja Talouselämän tilinpäätösanalyysien vertailu 1999-2001

2003

Is activated hemocyanin instead of phenoloxidase involved in immune response in woodlice?

2008

In the Common woodlouse Porcellio scaber (Crustacea: Isopoda: Oniscidea), experimental immune challenge did not induce the expression of pro-phenoloxidase that, in most other invertebrates studied thus far, can be activated into phenoloxidase via an activation cascade upon immune challenge. Instead, Porcellio hemocyanin proved to exhibit catecholoxidase activity upon activation. However, none of the activating factors known from other invertebrates other than SDS-treatment resulted in activation of hemocyanin into a functional phenoloxidase in vitro. The distinct characteristics of isopod hemocyanin are reflected by the quaternary structure of the hemocyanin dodecamers that differs from tha…

Living Together: The Parasites of Marine Mammals

2002

The reader may wonder why, within a book of biology and conservation of marine mammals, a chapter should be devoted to their parasites. There are four fundamental reasons. First, parasites represent a substantial but neglected facet of biodiversity that still has to be evaluated in detail (Windsor, 1995; Hoberg, 1997; Brooks and Hoberg, 2000. Perception of parasites among the public are negative and, thus, it may be hard for politicians to justify expenditure in conservation programmes of such organisms. However, many of the reasons advanced for conserving biodiversity or saving individual species also apply to parasites (Marcogliese and Price, 1997; Gompper and Williams, 1998). One fundame…

Aggregation ofArgulus coregoni(Crustacea: Branchiura) on rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss): a consequence of host susceptibility or exposure?

2005

By sampling individual rainbow trout,Oncorhynchus mykiss, at a fish farm we showed thatArgulus coregoniwere aggregated within their host population. The relative significance of susceptibility and exposure generating the observed pattern was tested using experimental infections. We examined, whether rainbow trout developed protective resistance mechanisms against the louse following a challenge infection and if there was variation between individual trout in their susceptibility toA. coregonimetanauplii. Fish were exposed to 20A. coregonifor 5, 25, 50, 85 or 120 min and the numbers attaching recorded. Three weeks later, developing argulids were removed and the experiment repeated with a sta…