We have evaluated the binding of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry toxins to aminopeptidase N (APN) purified from Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth) brush border membrane vesicle (BBMV). CryIAc toxin bound strongly to APN, while either the structurally related CryIAa and CryIAb toxins or CryIC, CryIIA, and CryIIIA toxins showed weak binding to APN. An in vitro competition binding study demonstrated that th...

Entamoeba histolytica is a protozoan parasite that causes colitis and liver abscesses. Several Entamoeba species and strains with differing levels of virulence have been identified. E. histolytica HM-1:IMSS is a virulent strain, E. histolytica Rahman is a nonvirulent strain, and Entamoeba dispar is a nonvirulent species. We used an E. histolytica DNA microarray consisting of 2,110 genes to asse...

The Triage parasite panel (BIOSITE Diagnostics, San Diego, Calif.) is a new qualitative enzyme immunoassay (EIA) panel for the detection of Giardia lamblia, Entamoeba histolytica/E. dispar, and Cryptosporidium parvum in fresh or fresh, frozen, unfixed human fecal specimens. By using specific antibodies, antigens specific for these organisms are captured and immobilized on a membrane. Panel perf...

A prospective, comparative study of the prevalence of enteric protozoa was determined among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)- positive and HIV-negative men who have sex with men (MSM) in Sydney, Australia. A total of 1,868 patients submitted stool specimens; 1,246 were from MSM (628 HIV positive and 618 HIV positive) and 622 from non-MSM were examined over a 36-month period. A total of 651 (5...

Microvitellogenin and vitellogenin cDNA from Manduca sexta (tobacco hornworm) were tested for use as molecular probes to investigate the expression of genes coding for vitellogenins in Spodoptera frugiperda (fall armyworm) and Lymantria dispar (gypsy moth). Cross-hybridization was not observed between the M. sexta cDNAs and S. frugiperda DNA and mRNA. Vitellogenin cDNA from M. sexta did not hyb...

The present study was conducted to compare two stool antigen detection kits with PCR for the diagnosis of Entamoeba histolytica infections by using fecal specimens submitted to the Department of Microbiology at St. Vincent's Hospital, Sydney, and the Institute of Medical and Veterinary Science, Adelaide, Australia. A total of 279 stool samples containing the E complex (E. histolytica, Entamoeba...

BACKGROUND New efforts are being made to improve understanding of the epidemiology of the helminths and intensifying the control efforts against these parasites. In contrast, relatively few studies are being carried out in this direction for the intestinal protozoa. To contribute to a better comprehension of the epidemiology of the intestinal protozoa, prevalence, and spatial distribution of En...

The purpose of this study was to determine the susceptibility of various strains of Mycoplasma bovis, Mycoplasma dispar, and Ureaplasma diversum, which are prevalent causes of pneumonia in calves, to 16 antimicrobial agents in vitro. The MICs of the antimicrobial agents were determined by a serial broth dilution method for 16 field strains and the type strain of M. bovis, for 19 field strains a...

The cytogenetic analysis of Frieseomelitta dispar and F. francoi revealed the chromosome numbers 2n = 30 and n = 15 and a karyotypic formula 2K = 4M+2M(t)+4A+20A(M). The number of chromosomes observed was consistent with those reported for other Frieseomelitta species. The occurrence of the M(t) chromosome and other features of the karyotype formulae suggest a close relationship between F. disp...

1. When an invasive species first colonizes an area, there is an interval before any host-specific natural enemies arrive at the new location. Population densities of newly invading species are low, and the spatial and temporal interactions between spreading invasive species and specific natural enemies that follow are poorly understood. 2. We measured infection rates of two introduced host-spe...