We used a recombinant of Helicoverpa zea S nucleopolyhedrovirus containing the hsp70/lacZ reporter cassette (HzSNPV-hsp70/lacZ) to quantify mortality relationships and to elucidate early pathogenesis in two permissive hosts, Heliothis virescens and Helicoverpa zea, and one semi-permissive host, Trichoplusia ni. Fourth instar T. ni were highly resistant to fatal infection both by oral injection ...

Six gene markers have been used to map the progress of the innate immune response of the mosquito vector, Anopheles gambiae, upon infection by the malaria parasite, Plasmodium berghei. In addition to four previously reported genes, the set of markers included NOS (a nitric oxide synthase gene fragment) and ICHIT (a gene encoding two putative chitin-binding domains separated by a polythreonine-r...

Mosquito midgut plays a crucial role in its vector susceptibility and pathogen interaction. Identification of the sustainable microflora of the midgut environment can therefore help in evaluating its contribution in mosquito-pathogen interaction and in turn vector competence. To understand the bacterial diversity in the midgut of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, we conducted a screening study of the g...

There is a resurgence of interest in the Drosophila midgut on account of its potential value in understanding the structure, development and function of digestive organs and related epithelia. The recent identification of regenerative or stem cells in the adult gut of Drosophila has opened up new avenues for understanding development and turnover of cells in insect and mammalian gastrointestina...

BACKGROUND The extensive mesenteric lymphadenopathy associated with midgut carcinoids often causes lymphatic obstruction and leads to the development of alternative lymphatic drainage pathways. We hypothesized that altered lymphatic drainage makes traditional determination of resection margins inadequate. METHODS One hundred and seventy patients underwent cytoreductive surgery for neuroendocr...

Background Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) toxin Cry4Ba specifically targets the mosquito larval midgut epithelial cells for its insecticidal toxicity. Prior to reaching the midgut cells, the toxin must penetrate the midgut peritrophic membrane (PM), an acellular gut protective structure lining the midgut epithelium. However, the mechanism of toxin passage through the PM is currently unknown. To ex...

Aminopeptidase N purified from whole Manduca sexta midgut binds the Cry1Ac insecticidal toxin from Bacillus thuringiensis and this binding is inhibited by N-acetylgalactosamine (GalNAc). We have examined the membrane permeabilising activity of the Cry1Ac toxin using brush border membrane vesicles (BBMV) prepared from the anterior (A-BBMV) and posterior (P-BBMV) subregions of the M. sexta midgut...

Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) is an alphavirus transmitted by Aedes albopictus and Aedes aegypti mosquitoes in tropical areas of Africa, Asia, and the islands of the Indian Ocean. In 2007 and 2009, CHIKV was transmitted outside these tropical areas and caused geographically localized infections in people in Italy and France. To temporally and spatially characterize CHIKV infection of Ae. albopictus...