Soldier-producing polyembryonic waSPS are the only social animals that develop as parasites inside the bodies of other insects. Characterizing the kin composition of broods is central to understanding the evolution of the soldier caste in these unique social insects. Here we studied the role of soldiers in mediating the outcome of competition among clones of the polyembryonic wasp Copidosoma fl...

conclusions it is concluded that cryptosporidium spp. should be considered in immunocompromised diarrheal patients and elisa must be chosen for detection of this parasite. modified acid fast staining and cassette kit techniques could be performed if elisa is not available. the single use of the cassette kit will be inadequate for the diagnosis of cryptosporidiosis. background cryptosporidiosis ...

fauna of the aphidiinae (hymenoptera: braconidae) of iran is reviewed and the data on their host aphid associations are summarized. seventy-eight species belonging to 17 genera of aphidiinae are listed in the associations with 193 aphid species. a total of 491 parasitoid-aphid associations are presented. the distribution of the aphidiinae species in different parts of iran and other countries i...

chromatomyia horticola (goureau) (diptera: agromyzidae) is a highly polyphagous leaf miner that causes severe damage to different crops. sampling on the alysiinae (braconidae) parasitoids of c. horticola was performed at various locations of kermanshah province during 2009–2010. infested leaves of host plants bearing the larvae and puparia of c. horticola were collected and placed inside the pl...

Semen analysis, sperm DNA fragmentation (SDF) and hypo-osmotic swelling test (HOST) are usually performed for the evaluation of sperm fertilizing ability. There are some debates over the necessity of SDF and HOST incorporation in male infertility work-up.Semen of 77 men was evaluated by SDF and HOST through three semen analyses. Sperm parameters were arranged into different categories: <5%, 5-1...

hyalomma dromedarii (h. dromedarii) is a very characteristic tick with a cosmopolitan distribution, which is closely associated with camels. it is well adapted to extreme dryness of habitat and to camel hosts. in this study, we studied rural husbandry of one-humped camels (dromedaries) in a village in south-west of semnan (biabanak). a total of 163 ticks (94 adults and 67 nymphs) were found on ...

in the current study, the information on occurrence, distribution and host aphid-plant associations for the species of praon haliday in iran are presented. eight species of praon were found in the areas under study, which include four previously reported species, viz. praon absinthi bignell, praon barbatum mackauer, praon exsoletum (nees) and praon volucre (haliday), and four new records, praon...