BACKGROUND Bed bugs (Cimex lectularius L.) have returned as a nuisance pest worldwide. Their ability to withstand different types of environmental stress should be explored in order potentially to increase the efficiency of control methods. RESULTS Immediate and long-term effects of exposure to temperatures from 0 to -10 °C for 1, 2 and 3 weeks are reported. Fifth-instar nymphs and adults wer...

Data from European studies indicate that in humans, particular Borrelia burgdorferi genospecies may be associated with specific clinical manifestations of Lyme disease. Infections by B. burgdorferi sensu stricto tend to lead to arthritic symptoms, whereas infections by B. garinii appear to cause neurologic complications. Late cutaneous manifestations (acrodermatitis) appear to be associated wit...

the protective capacity of the crude extracts from larval and nymphal stages of hyalomma anatolicum anatolicum was examined in the new zealand white rabbits. the rabbits were randomly divided into 3 groups of five animals. the rabbits in groups 1 and 2 were immunized with crude extracts of larval and nymphal antigens, respectively and group 3 was served as control. following challenge of each r...

The Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) is the insect vector responsible for the worldwide spread of 'Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus' (CLas), the bacterial pathogen associated with citrus greening disease. Developmental changes in the insect vector impact pathogen transmission, such that D. citri transmission of CLas is more efficient when bacteria are acquired by nymphs when compared wi...

Nutritional regulatory responses were compared for the cryptic 'solitarious' and the conspicuously coloured, aggregating 'gregarious' phases of the desert locust Schistocerca gregaria. The desert locust has the genetic potential to exist in either phase, changing between them within a lifetime and epigenetically across generations. Our aim was to compare final-instar nymphs of the two phases wi...

BACKGROUND The brown planthopper (BPH) Nilaparvata lugens (Stål) is one of the most serious insect pests of rice in Asia. However, little is known about the mechanisms responsible for the development, wing dimorphism and sex difference in this species. Genomic information for BPH is currently unavailable, and, therefore, transcriptome and expression profiling data for this species are needed as...

First-instar nymphs of periodical cicadas (Homoptera: Cicadidae: Magicicada) were introduced into a 500-cm plot in a relatively pure stand of loblolly pines and into an 1800-cm plot on a mowed grassy lawn to determine whether they could feed on pine and grass roots, respectively. Nymphs and their associated roots were excavated within a 2-year period after introduction. Serial root sections fro...

In contrast to previous studies of rapid cold-hardening (RCH), which have investigated the responses of insects maintained under 'summer conditions' (20 degrees to 25 degrees C), this study focuses on the ability of low-temperature acclimated insects to undergo RCH. When the grain aphid Sitobion avenae Fabricus was low-temperature acclimated by rearing for three generations at 10 degrees C, the...

Twenty-nine cDNAs encoding Ras-like family small GTPases (RSGs) were cloned and sequenced from Nilaparvata lugens. Twenty-eight proteins are described here: 3 from Rho, 2 from Ras, 9 from Arf and 14 from Rabs. These RSGs from N.lugens have five conserved G-loop motifs and displayed a higher degree of sequence conservation with orthologues from insects. RT-qPCR analysis revealed NlRSGs expressed...

BACKGROUND Linguatula serrata, one of the parasitic zoonoses, inhabits the canine respiratory system (final hosts). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence rate of L. serrata nymphs in mesenteric lymph nodes (MLNs) of cattle and buffaloes (intermediate hosts) that were processed in the Ahvaz, Iran abattoir. METHODS During November 2010 to March 2011, 223 animals (119 cattl...