Na(+), K(+)-ATPases is a heterodimer protein consisting of α- and β-subunits that control the ion transport through cell membranes. In insects the β-subunit of the Na(+), K(+)-ATPase, known as Nervana, was characterized as a nervous system-specific glycoprotein antigen from adult Drosophila melanogaster heads. Nervana is expressed ubiquitously in all insect tissues, and in epithelial cells appe...

Although a number of species live syanthropically with humans, few rely entirely on humans for their survival and distribution. Unlike other cosmopolitan human commensals, the German cockroach (Blattella germanica), an insect of both public and livestock health concern, is considered incapable of dispersal outside human dwellings. Patterns of genetic association are therefore constrained and ma...

INTRODUCTION Asthma affects approximately 10% of the world's population. Sensitization to allergens is an important risk factor, and exposure to allergens is associated with disease severity. METHODS We performed skin tests to evaluate allergen sensitization to mites, cockroaches, cats, dogs, and molds in 73 asthmatic patients. Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay was used to assay the mite and ...

Several insecticide bait formulations were evaluated for their attractiveness to cockroaches in olfactometer assays in the laboratory and in trapping experiments in the field. Included in the assays were bait stations, gels, pastes, and a powder that contained one of the following active ingredients: abamectin, boric acid, chlorpyrifos, or hydramethylnon. There were significant differences amon...

Abstract Patterns of juvenile hormone have been intensively studied in the cockroach Blattella germanica under different physiological situations. However, data have been mainly obtained in vitro, and refer to hormone synthesized by isolated corpora allata, whereas information available on hormone concentration in the hemolymph is restricted to adult females. In order to complement our studies ...

Juvenile Hormone (JH) represses metamorphosis of young instars in insects. One of the main players in hormonal signalling is Methoprene-tolerant (Met), which plays the role of JH receptor. Using the Polyneopteran insect Blattella germanica as the model and RNAi for transcript depletion, we have confirmed that Met transduces the antimetamorphic signal of JH in young nymphs and plays a role in th...

Levels of mRNA for the two 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A (HMG-CoA) synthases, (HMG-S1 and HMG-S2), and for HMG-CoA reductase (HMG-R) of Blattella germanica were analyzed in the fat body during the first gonadotrophic cycle. HMG-S2 and HMG-R showed the highest mRNA levels on day 0 and decreased thereafter, whereas HMG-S1, showed faint expression. Western blot using specific antibodies fo...

background: the german cockroach, blattella germanica (l), is a world wide hygienic pest that is very difficult to control. extensive usage of insecticides may develop resistance to a variety of insecticides, causing failure to control. this study was designed to determine resistance of hospital-collected strains of the german cockroach to carbamate and organophosphorous insecticides. methods: ...