We evaluated human risk for infection with Babesia microti at a site in eastern Switzerland where several B. microti-infected nymphal Ixodes ricinus ticks had been found. DNA from pooled nymphal ticks amplified by polymerase chain reaction was highly homologous to published B. microti sequences. More ticks carried babesial infection in the lower portion of the rectangular 0.7-ha grid than in th...

The effects of nine temperatures (22.5, 25.0, 27.5, 30.0, 32.5, 35.0, 37.5, 40.0, and 42.5 °C) four relative humidities (RHs; 43, 55, 63, 75%) on the population growth development parthenogenetic Liposcelis obscura Broadhead (Psocodea: Liposcelididae) were investigated in laboratory studies. Results showed that L. did not survive at 43% RH all tested. At 55% RH, survived 22.5, 25, 27.5 °C; none...

BACKGROUND Grasshopper serves as important model system in neuroscience, development and evolution. Representatives of this primitive insect group are also highly relevant targets of pest control efforts. Unfortunately, the lack of genetics or gene specific molecular manipulation imposes major limitations to the study of grasshopper biology. RESULTS We investigated whether juvenile instars of...

The egg and five nymphal stages, of the Neotropical species Potamobates anchicaya are described and illustrated for the first time. Intra- and intersexual variation in the abdominal terminalia of apterous adults is also illustrated. Adults and nymphs were collected from three populations in southwestern Colombia. 

Nymphal Ixodes dammini transmitted Borrelia burgdorferi to 1 of 14 rodents exposed for 24 h, 5 of 14 rodents exposed for 48 h, and 13 of 14 rodents exposed for greater than or equal to 72 h. Prompt removal of attached ticks is a prudent public health measure, especially in regions where Lyme disease is endemic.

Ticks transmit a variety of infectious diseases. Diagnosis requires verification of a tick's presence. Here, we describe a 61-year-old woman bitten by an eight-legged nymphal Amblyomma testudinarium. We re-emphasize the usefulness of dermoscopy for identifying signs of the bite and determining the species of the biting tick.

The defense of o}spring from predators is an important aspect of maternal care in the treehopper Umbonia crassicornis[ Nymphal o}spring develop in a dense cluster around a host plant stem\ and laboratory studies show that they can solicit maternal defense using synchronized vibrational signals[ Understanding the function of communication\ however\ requires not only an experimental inves! tigati...

Introduction: The brown planthopper (BPH), Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) (Hemiptera: Delphacidae), is a notorious insect pest of rice. Nutrient supplementation can alter plant biochemical compositions which may indirectly affect on ecological fitness parameters of its insect pest. However, few findings are available on nutrient-induced ecological fitness of BPH and relationship of BPH fitness param...