No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Noctiliostrebla Wenzel, 1966 pertence a Streblidae, uma família de moscas parasitas exclusivas de morcegos, e compreende atualmente quatro espécies divididas em dois grupos, grupo A: Noctiliostrebla dúbia (Rudow, 1871) e N. traubi Wenzel, 1966; e grupo B: N. aitkeni Wenzel, 1966 e N. maai Wenzel, 1966. O gênero está incluído dentro da subfamília Trichobiinae, junto com Paradyschiria Speiser, 1900, sugerido como seu grupo-irmão hipotético. Com uma classificação sistemática complicada e poucos estudos taxonômicos, Noctiliostrebla caracteriza-se como um grupo muito homogêneo e de difícil distinção entre suas espécies. Restrito ao continente americano, exibe um alto grau de especificidade em relação às duas únicas espécies de morcegos do gênero Noctilio Linnaeus, 1766, N. albiventris Desmarest, 1818 e N. leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758). Não existem trabalhos filogenéticos para Noctiliostrebla, sendo que, os únicos estudos envolvendo Streblidae foram feitos para propor uma hipótese de relacionamentos entre as famílias de Hippoboscoidea. O projeto tem como objetivos realizar a revisão taxonômica do gênero Noctilostrebla e reconstruir uma hipótese de relacionamento entre as espécies do gênero, utilizando caracteres morfológicos e um conjunto de dados moleculares composto por três genes mitocondriais (12S, COI e cytB) e um gene nuclear (CAD). Dois métodos de análise foram empregados: análise de parcimônia, com pesagem igual dos caracteres, e análise de máxima verossimillhança. As análises foram realizadas com dados morfológicos e moleculares separados, enquanto os dados moleculares foram analisados com genes concatenados e separados em mitocondriais e nucleares. Como resultados, as quatro espécies já descritas foram consideradas válidas, sendo aqui redescritas, e outras seis novas espécies foram descritas. Do total de onze espécies, cinco são parasitas restritos de N. albiventris e seis de N. leporinus. As estruturas abdominais forneceram os únicos caracteres diagnósticos encontrados para separação entre as espécies. Tanto a análise morfológica como a molecular recuperaram Noctiliostrebla como monofilético e corroboraram a divisão do gênero em dois clados morfologicamente distintos. As análises com genes mitocondriais e nucleares foram incongruentes com relação a alguns clados, o que pode ser um indicativo de histórias filogenéticas diferentes. Os resultados obtidos para Noctiliostrebla apresentaram semelhanças com as hipóteses consideradas para os hospedeiros / Noctiliostrebla Wenzel 1966 belongs to Streblida, a family of batflies, and currently comprises four species divided into two groups, group A: Noctiliostrebla dubia (Rudow, 1871) and N. traubi Wenzel, 1966; Group B: N. aitkeni. Wenzel, 1966 and N. maai Wenzel, 1966. The genus is included within the Trichobiinae subfamily, along with Paradyschiria Speiser, 1900, suggested as your hypothetical sister group. With a complicated systematic classification and a few taxonomic studies, Noctiliostrebla is characterized as a very homogeneous group and difficult to distinguish between their species. Restricted to the American continent, exhibits a high degree of specificity with the only two bats species of the genus Noctilio Linnaeus, 1766, N. albiventris Desmarest, 1818 and N. leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758). There are no phylogenetic works with Noctiliostrebla and the only studies involving Streblidae were made to propose a relationship hypothesis among Hippoboscoidea families. The project aims to conduct a taxonomic revision of the Noctilostrebla genus and to rebuild a relationship hypothesis among Noctilostrebla species using morphological and molecular data set, with three mitochondrial genes (12S, COI and cytB) and one nuclear gene (CAD). Two analysis methods were used: parsimony with equal weighting of characters and lielihood. The analyses were performed using morphological and molecular data separate, while the molecular data were analyzed with concatenated genes and separated into mitochondrial and nuclear genes. As a result, the four described species were considered valid being here redescribed, and six new species have been described. Of all eleven species, five are restricted parasites of N. albiventris and six are restricted parasites of N. leporinus. The abdominal structures provided the only diagnostic characters found for separation of the species. Both morphological and molecular analysis recovered a monophyletic Noctiliostrebla and supported the division of the genus into two distinct clades. The analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear genes showed inconsistent clades, which may be indicative of different phylogenetic histories. The results obtained for Noctiliostrebla showed similarities with the assumptions for the hosts

The aim of this study was to develop a sensitive and specific method of detecting Toxoplasma gondii in the immunocompromised host which would reduce the need for other tests and would ensure the prompt initiation of the appropriate treatment, the effects of which could be monitored. Such a system would also be of benefit in theinvestigation of parasite/host interaction. Initial work investigated an antigen ELISA and the PCR using two different gene targets CB 1 and P30) to find the most sensitive system. The ELISA was insensitive but both PCR systems were capable of detecting parasite in blood, lymph and tissue samples from experimentally infected sheep. The B 1 PCR detected parasite earlier and over a significantly longer period than the P30 PCR, this greater sensitivity being due to the higher copy number of the B 1 gene. The PCR was applied to samples from patients with AIDS with the aim of finding an ideal sample for the diagnosis of infection. Parasite was detected in blood up to a month prior to clinical signs of infection, and therefore blood samples are ideal for monitoringpatients at risk of recrudescence of a chronic infection. This result indicates that recrudescence is not due to local reactivation, but is due to a more widespread parasitaemia. However, as parasitaemia was shown to be transient in cases of recrudescence, sampling time may be critical. Parasite was also detected in urine, biopsytissue and post mortem material, but was not detected in CSF.Dexamethasone was used to create a mouse model of recrudescence in the immunocompromised patient to further investigate interaction between the parasite and host. The PCR detected parasite in blood, brain and heart of chronically infected animals, however the detection rate was significantly higher in groups receiveing immunosuppressive therapy. Dexamethasone treatment mimicked the effects seen in the AIDS population where 30-35% of chronically infected individuals showed clinical signsof toxoplasmosis. However the PCR may also be detecting latent cysts in tissue samples, and blood samples were occasionally positive without clinical evidence of infection. This could be due to small amounts of parasite circulating intermittently, or to breakdownproducts from parasite degradation. There was therefore a need to differentiate between active and chronic infection, and this was carried out by developing a quantitative PCR based on competitive amplification. A novel Sma I restriction site was created within the P30 gene, and known amounts were co-amplified with samples. The amplified products were then digested with Sma I to differentiate between mutated and T. gondii DNA and the point at which product yield was equalled indicated the amount of original DNA present in the sample. The system was shown to work using human PM samples, and could be adapted to indicate a cut-off point where parasite DNA levels reveal active infection. In conclusion the B 1 PCR is the method of choice in detecting T. gondii in AIDS patients. Any patient in which active parasite is detected should be treated and closely monitored using the qPCR for any evidence of reactivation.

Noctiliostrebla Wenzel, 1966 pertence a Streblidae, uma família de moscas parasitas exclusivas de morcegos, e compreende atualmente quatro espécies divididas em dois grupos, grupo A: Noctiliostrebla dúbia (Rudow, 1871) e N. traubi Wenzel, 1966; e grupo B: N. aitkeni Wenzel, 1966 e N. maai Wenzel, 1966. O gênero está incluído dentro da subfamília Trichobiinae, junto com Paradyschiria Speiser, 1900, sugerido como seu grupo-irmão hipotético. Com uma classificação sistemática complicada e poucos estudos taxonômicos, Noctiliostrebla caracteriza-se como um grupo muito homogêneo e de difícil distinção entre suas espécies. Restrito ao continente americano, exibe um alto grau de especificidade em relação às duas únicas espécies de morcegos do gênero Noctilio Linnaeus, 1766, N. albiventris Desmarest, 1818 e N. leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758). Não existem trabalhos filogenéticos para Noctiliostrebla, sendo que, os únicos estudos envolvendo Streblidae foram feitos para propor uma hipótese de relacionamentos entre as famílias de Hippoboscoidea. O projeto tem como objetivos realizar a revisão taxonômica do gênero Noctilostrebla e reconstruir uma hipótese de relacionamento entre as espécies do gênero, utilizando caracteres morfológicos e um conjunto de dados moleculares composto por três genes mitocondriais (12S, COI e cytB) e um gene nuclear (CAD). Dois métodos de análise foram empregados: análise de parcimônia, com pesagem igual dos caracteres, e análise de máxima verossimillhança. As análises foram realizadas com dados morfológicos e moleculares separados, enquanto os dados moleculares foram analisados com genes concatenados e separados em mitocondriais e nucleares. Como resultados, as quatro espécies já descritas foram consideradas válidas, sendo aqui redescritas, e outras seis novas espécies foram descritas. Do total de onze espécies, cinco são parasitas restritos de N. albiventris e seis de N. leporinus. As estruturas abdominais forneceram os únicos caracteres diagnósticos encontrados para separação entre as espécies. Tanto a análise morfológica como a molecular recuperaram Noctiliostrebla como monofilético e corroboraram a divisão do gênero em dois clados morfologicamente distintos. As análises com genes mitocondriais e nucleares foram incongruentes com relação a alguns clados, o que pode ser um indicativo de histórias filogenéticas diferentes. Os resultados obtidos para Noctiliostrebla apresentaram semelhanças com as hipóteses consideradas para os hospedeiros / Noctiliostrebla Wenzel 1966 belongs to Streblida, a family of batflies, and currently comprises four species divided into two groups, group A: Noctiliostrebla dubia (Rudow, 1871) and N. traubi Wenzel, 1966; Group B: N. aitkeni. Wenzel, 1966 and N. maai Wenzel, 1966. The genus is included within the Trichobiinae subfamily, along with Paradyschiria Speiser, 1900, suggested as your hypothetical sister group. With a complicated systematic classification and a few taxonomic studies, Noctiliostrebla is characterized as a very homogeneous group and difficult to distinguish between their species. Restricted to the American continent, exhibits a high degree of specificity with the only two bats species of the genus Noctilio Linnaeus, 1766, N. albiventris Desmarest, 1818 and N. leporinus (Linnaeus, 1758). There are no phylogenetic works with Noctiliostrebla and the only studies involving Streblidae were made to propose a relationship hypothesis among Hippoboscoidea families. The project aims to conduct a taxonomic revision of the Noctilostrebla genus and to rebuild a relationship hypothesis among Noctilostrebla species using morphological and molecular data set, with three mitochondrial genes (12S, COI and cytB) and one nuclear gene (CAD). Two analysis methods were used: parsimony with equal weighting of characters and lielihood. The analyses were performed using morphological and molecular data separate, while the molecular data were analyzed with concatenated genes and separated into mitochondrial and nuclear genes. As a result, the four described species were considered valid being here redescribed, and six new species have been described. Of all eleven species, five are restricted parasites of N. albiventris and six are restricted parasites of N. leporinus. The abdominal structures provided the only diagnostic characters found for separation of the species. Both morphological and molecular analysis recovered a monophyletic Noctiliostrebla and supported the division of the genus into two distinct clades. The analyses of mitochondrial and nuclear genes showed inconsistent clades, which may be indicative of different phylogenetic histories. The results obtained for Noctiliostrebla showed similarities with the assumptions for the hosts

This study was conducted to elucidate and to compare some factors which influence the host-seeking behaviour of adult female simuliids in two geographically isolated regions. Various observations and experiments were performed with the knowledge of a mechanism inherent in the feeding behaviour of simuliids. This approach has helped to clarify the orientation of simuliids to their hosts and has enhanced the understanding of the transmission of parasites by these flies. Further, it was found valuable to determine whether the behaviour state of simuliids influenced their reaction to visual stimuli. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Unionoid mussels are globally threatened and their conservation requires species-specific knowledge on their ecology and parasite-host interaction. Unio crassus is one of Europe’s most threatened unionoid species and has a temporary obligate parasitic life stage (glochidia) on fish. A lack of suitable hosts is probably a major limitation for mussel recruitment, but host species composition, suitability and availability in time and space have yet to be fully explored. This thesis examines different aspects of the host fish species, including their composition, suitability and ecological importance, in relation to U. crassus, using both field and laboratory studies. The effects of mussel and host density on mussel reproductive potential were considered, as were aspects of evolutionary adaptations between mussels and fish and how climate change may affect their interaction. The results show that U. crassus is a host generalist, parasitizing a variety of fish species. Host suitability and density, which varied among fish species and rivers, affected the level of glochidia encapsulation, hence mussel reproductive potential, more so than the density of mussels taking part in reproduction. Ecologically important hosts included both highly suitable primary hosts, and less suitable hosts that were highly abundant. Whether or not U. crassus has specific adaptations to its hosts to enhance juvenile transformation remains unclear. No distinct pattern of local adaptation was found, nor was there an effect of host fish presence on the timing of glochidia release by adult mussels. Instead, temperature played a major role, with results suggesting that changes in spring water temperature regimes can cause temporal and spatial mismatches in the mussel-host interaction. This thesis indicates that investigations of local mussel-host interactions help in identifying mechanisms important for unionoid conservation management and prioritization. / Många sötvattenmusslor har en komplex livscykel där larverna (glochidier) under sin utveckling till frilevande musslor parasiterar på gälarna hos lämpliga värdfiskar. Flera av våra musslor, såsom den tjockskaliga målarmusslan (Unio crassus), är globalt hotade och för att kunna bevara och förvalta dessa arter på bästa sätt behöver vi lära oss mer om deras ekologi och samspelet mellan musslan och dess värdfiskar. Avsaknaden av värdfiskar innebär förmodligen en stor begränsning för rekryteringen av juvenila musslor, men det finns trots detta en begränsad kunskap om hur artsammansättningen i fisksamhället och dess tillgänglighet påverkar musselpopulationer.  Min avhandling undersöker olika aspekter av interaktioner mellan U. crassus och dess värdfiskar, som hur värdfisksamhällen och fiskarters värdlämplighet påverkar musslans reproduktionspotential. Jag har även studerat hur tätheter av olika fiskarter och vuxna musslor påverkar rekryteringen, eventuella evolutionära anpassningar samt om en förhöjd temperatur skulle kunna påverka interaktionen mellan U. crassus och dess värdfiskar. Resultaten visar att U. crassus är en generalist som parasiterar på en mängd olika fiskarter. Jag fann dock en stor variation i dominerande fiskarter och lämpliga värdar mellan olika åar, vilket påverkade reproduktionspotentialen hos musslorna mer än vad tätheten vuxna musslor som deltog i reproduktionen gjorde. Som ekologiskt viktiga värdar fanns således både särskilt lämpliga, primära värdarter, men också mindre lämpliga arter som förekom i höga tätheter. Ingen tydlig lokal anpassning kunde observeras, och fiskens närvaro påverkade inte tidpunkten för när de vuxna musslorna släppte sina glochidielarver. Däremot fann jag att temperaturen spelade en viktig roll för musslans reproduktion, där ökad temperatur föreslås ha negativa effekter på interaktionen mellan musslan och dess värdfiskar. Avhandlingen visar på vikten av att studera interaktioner mellan den tjockskaliga målarmusslan och dess värdar på lokal skala för att bättre kunna identifiera och prioritera viktiga naturvårdsåtgärder. / UnioCrassusforLIFE (European LIFE+ project: LIFE10 NAT/SE/000046)

Bat flies (Streblidae) are obligate blood-feeding ectoparasites of bats that display varying degrees of host specificity. A total of 265 streblid bat flies were collected from 122 bats belonging to the families Phyllostomidae and Natalidae from Utila, the smallest bay island of Honduras. Out of four host-parasite associations, three were considered primary. Out of the three bat species analyzed, one had significantly lower parasite prevalence and another had significantly higher parasite load and intensity. Both male and female bats were equally likely to be infested and variables of parasite density did not differ amongst host sex for any species. However, one species of bat had a significantly larger number of male parasites than female parasites. No significant relationships were found between variables of parasite density and host body mass or bat health (indicated by the ratio of mass to forearm length). The roosting ecology of the two cave roosting species in the study was considered and despite no apparent lack of dispersal barriers, the bat flies exhibited consistent primary associations. Examination of similar host-parasite relationship has many implications in parasite-host relationships and coevolution.