Search results for "spotted"
showing 10 items of 41 documents
Structural and transcriptional evidence of mechanotransduction in the Drosophila suzukii ovipositor
2020
Drosophila suzukii is an invasive pest that prefers to lay eggs in ripening fruits, whereas most closely related Drosophila species exclusively use rotten fruit as oviposition site. This behaviour is allowed by an enlarged and serrated ovipositor that can pierce intact fruit skin, and by multiple contact sensory systems (mechanosensation and taste) that detect the optimal egg-laying substrates. Here, we tested the hypothesis that bristles present in the D. suzukii ovipositor tip contribute to these sensory modalities. Analysis of the bristle ultrastructure revealed that four different types of cuticular elements (conical pegs type 1 and 2, chaetic and trichoid sensilla) are present on the t…
Reproductive site selection: evidence of an oviposition cue in a highly adaptive dipteran, Drosophila suzukii (Diptera: Drosophilidae)
2020
Abstract Drosophila suzukii (Matsumura) is a vinegar fly species that originates from Eastern Asia and has spread throughout Europe and the Americas since its initial detection in United States in 2008. Its relatively large, sclerotized, and serrated ovipositor enables the ability to penetrate ripening fruits, providing a protected environment for its egg and larval stages. Because the mechanism of oviposition site selection of D. suzukii is a matter of hypothesis, the aim of the present study was to elucidate behavioral and chemical aspects of short-range ovipositional site selection within the context of D. suzukii reproductive biology. The preference of D. suzukii to lay eggs on artifici…
Myocarditis in Mediterranean spotted fever: a case report and a review of the literature
2016
Introduction: Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is a tick-borne acute febrile disease caused by Rickettsia conorii. Most cases follow a benign course, with a case fatality rate of 3–7 % among hospitalized patients. Complications are described mainly in adult patients and include hepatic, renal, neurological and cardiac impairment. Among cardiac complications, pericarditis, myocarditis and heart rhythm disorders are uncommon complications in MSF and only a few cases have been reported in the literature. Case Presentation: We describe a new case of acute myocarditis complicating MSF in an immunocompetent adult patient without risk factors for severe MSF. Conclusion: Myocarditis is an uncommon…
Multiple organ failure as onset of Mediterranean spotted fever: a review based on a case
2016
Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is an infectious disease endemic in the southern regions of Italy, with an incidence of about 400 cases/year. The bacteria responsible of the disease is <em>Rickettsia conorii</em>, transmitted to humans by <em>Rhipicephalus sanguineus</em>, the common dog tick. The infection usually manifests with a characteristic symptomatologic triad: fever, exanthema and the so called <em>tache noire</em>, which is the typical eschar at the site of the tick bite. Immunoglobulin M (IgM) and IgG enzymelinked immunosorbent assay and the gold standard micro-immunofluorescent assay, allow serological diagnosis. We report the case of a man …
A retrospective study of the characterization of Rickettsia species in ticks collected from humans
2017
Rickettsiae (family Rickettsiaceae, order Rickettsiales) are obligate intracellular bacteria transmitted by arthropod vectors. Several Rickettsia species causing vector-borne rickettsioses belong to the spotted fever group (SFG). Traditionally, Rickettsia conorii has been considered as the main etiologic agent of Mediterranean spotted fever. However, the molecular characterization of rickettsiae allowed identifying other species involved in spotted fever in the Mediterranean region. In this study, 42 ticks collected from humans were subjected to morphological identification and molecular characterization of Rickettsia species potentially involved in human rickettsiosis in Sicily. Fourteen t…
Epidemiology and clinical features of Mediterranean spotted fever in Italy
2006
Mediterranean Spotted Fever is caused by Rickettsia conorii and is transmitted to humans by Rhipicephalus sanguineus, the common dog tick. It is characterized by the symptomatologic triad: fever, exanthema and "tache noire", the typical eschar at the site of the tick bite. In Italy the most affected region is Sicily. The seasonal peak of the disease (from June through September) occurs during maximal activity of immature stage ticks. Severe forms of the disease have been reported in 6% of patients, especially adults with one of the following conditions: diabetes, cardiac disease, chronic alcoholism, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase deficiency, end stage kidney disease. The mortality rate m…
Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato detected in the blood of Norwegian patients with erythema migrans
2017
The most common tick-borne human disease in Norway is Lyme borreliosis. Ticks in Norway also harbour less known disease-causing agents such as Candidatus Neoehrlichia mikurensis, Borrelia miyamotoi and Rickettsia helvetica. However, human infections caused by these pathogens have never been described in Norway. The main aims of the study were to evaluate the contribution of several tick-borne bacterial agents, other than Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, to zoonotic diseases in Norway and to determine their clinical pictures. Blood samples from 70 symptomatic tick-bitten adults from the Agder counties in southern Norway were screened for seven tick-borne pathogens by using a commercial multi…
Relevance of gamma interferon, tumor necrosis factor alpha, and interleukin-10 gene polymorphisms to susceptibility to Mediterranean spotted fever.
2009
Several studies have demonstrated that cellular immunity plays a critical role in the protective immune response against Rickettsia conorii. Immune CD4+ and CD8+ T cells are both involved in the control of rickettsial infection (38). Perivascular infiltrated CD4+ and CD8+ T lymphocytes, macrophages, and natural killer cells produce chemokines and cytokines that activate endothelial rickettsicidal activities. Infected human cells, including endothelial cells, hepatocytes, and macrophages, activated by gamma interferon (IFN-γ), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β), kill intracellular rickettsiae by one or a combination of three mechanisms, involving nitric oxide syn…
Presence of Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis , the Causative Agent of Israeli Spotted Fever, in Sicily, Italy, Ascertained in a Retrospective St…
2005
ABSTRACT A retrospective analysis by molecular-sequence-based techniques was performed to correctly identify the etiological agent of 24 Mediterranean spotted fever cases occurring in Western Sicily, Italy, from 1987 to 2001. Restriction analysis of a 632-bp PCR-amplified portion of the ompA gene allowed presumptive identification of five clinical isolates as belonging to Rickettsia conorii subsp. israelensis , the etiological agent of Israeli spotted fever (ISF). The remaining 19 rickettsial isolates were Rickettsia conorii subsp. conorii , the only pathogenic rickettsia of the spotted fever group reported in Italy until the present. Sequence analysis of the ompA gene confirmed the identif…
Israeli Spotted Fever in Sicily. Description of two cases and minireview
2017
Mediterranean spotted fever (MSF) is endemic in Italy, where Rickettsia conorii subsp. conorii was thought to be the only pathogenic rickettsia and Rhipicephalus sanguineus the vector and main reservoir. R. conorii subsp. israelensis, which belongs to the R. conorii complex, is the agent of Israeli spotted fever (ISF); apart from Israel, it has also been found in Italy (Sicily and Sardinia) and in different regions of Portugal. We describe here two severe cases of ISF which occurred in otherwise healthy Italian adults. Their characteristics are analyzed and discussed in the light of other 91 cases found through a systematic review of international literature.