Construction of the Itaipu Dam, 150 km downstream from Sete Quedas Falls, resulted in the drowning of that natural geographic barrier, with consequent invasion of Serrasalmus marginatus in the upper stream. This event was followed by the reduction in the abundance of the native species, S. spilopleura. Analyzes of reproductive activity these species revealed that in lotic waters S. marginatus h...

BACKGROUND Matrix Assisted Laser Desorption/Ionization Time-of-Flight Mass Spectrometry (MALDI-TOF MS) has been shown to be an effective tool for the rapid identification of arthropods, including tick vectors of human diseases. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS The objective of the present study was to evaluate the use of MALDI-TOF MS to identify tick species, and to determine the presence of ri...

BACKGROUND Ticks are vectors and important reservoirs for microbial agents that cause disease in humans and animals. Among these pathogens, the members of Rickettsia species play an important role in public health. AIM AND METHODS One hundred twenty-nine ticks belonging to four tick species (Ixodes ricinus, Rhipicephalus turanicus, Dermacentor marginatus, and Haemaphysalis punctata) were coll...

INTRODUCTION This study represents a preliminary inquiry on tick fauna composition carried out in Maremma, Central Italy, where very few data are available. MATERIALS AND METHODS The study area was selected in the limestone hills surrounding Tarquinia town, on the base of suitable elements directly affecting the tick occurrence and the possible circulation of tick-borne pathogens, such as wil...

Crimean-Congo hemorrhagic fever (CCHF) is an emerging tick-borne zoonotic disease caused by the CCHF virus (CCHFV). In this study, an experimental approach combining RT-PCR and proteomics was used for the identification and characterization of CCHFV in 106 ticks from 7 species that were collected from small ruminants in Greece. The methodological approach included an initial screening for CCHFV...

BACKGROUND Ticks are the main vectors for transmission of different pathogens to human and animals. This survey was performed to find out distribution of ticks, which infested the domestic ruminants in Yazd Province, central Iran during year 2008-2009. METHODS A total number of 30 villages from both mountainous (20%) and plateau (80%) regions of the province were selected randomly. Ticks were...

Serrasalmus marginatus invaded the Upper Paraná River after construction of the Itaipu Dam in November 1982. This was followed by a reduction in abundance of the native species S. spilopleura. Analysis of the pattern of food resource use revealed that both species employ the same feeding strategy, eating mainly fish (whole fish or muscle fragments) and fins bitten off their prey. The diurnal ac...

Tick-borne diseases are widespread in tropical and temperate regions and are responsible for important economic losses in those areas. In order to assess the presence and prevalence of various pathogens in southern Italy, we retrospectively analyzed cattle blood samples collected for a previous study in 2000 using reverse line blot (RLB) hybridization. The study had been carried out in three re...

Ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) are bloodsucking arthropods involved in pathogen transmission in animals and humans. Tick activity depends on various ecological factors such as vegetation, hosts, and temperature. The aim of this study was to analyse the spatial/temporal distribution of ticks in six sites within a peri-urban area of Palermo (Natural Reserve of Monte Pellegrino) and correlate it with fie...