Detection of tick blood parasites in Egypt using PCR assay II- Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato

The prevalence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato [s.l.], the etiologic agent of Lyme borrelosis [LB], was determined for the first time in Egypt by using polymerase chain reaction [PCR]. Questing 5243 hard and soft ticks were collected from animal farms throughout Giza Governorate. DNA from 500 individual tick species was extracted and PCR was performed. Primers verified from the sequence of German strain Pko of Borrelia afzelii were used. Fragments of 642 bp were generated and sequenced. The prevalence of B. burgdorferi sensu lato [s.l.] was 28 % of examined soft and hard ticks. High infection rate [66%] of B. burgdorferi s.l. was observed in both nymph and adult soft ticks Ornithodoros savignyi. Besides, the role of hard ticks as potential vectors of Lyme disease in Egypt, where the infection rate was between 0.0-50.0%. Sequence analysis of PCR product of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato shares high degree of similarity in sequence compared to similar species in GenBank

Sarcosaprophagous flies in Suez gvernorate, Egypt IV- persistence of human pathogenic bacteria in the developmental stages

The persistence of three species of human pathogenic bacteria [Escherichia coli, Shigella sonnei and Staphylococcus epidermidis] in sterile artificially fed larvae was examined till adult emergence after ingestion by three species of sarcosaprophagous flies [House fly, Musca domestica, Oriental latrine blow fly, Chrysomya megacephala and Australian cheep blow fly, Lucilia cuprina]. The number of bacteria present in mature maggots, pupae and emerging adults declined significantly [P<0.05]. Each human pathogenic bacteria when introduced into a sterilized larval medium, was routinely recovered from larvae [10[5], pupae [ranged from 10[3] to l0[4] and the majority of emerging flies retain 10[2] bacteria, whereas some are sterile. The potentiality of emerged flies to harbor bacteria is clearly different [M. domestica > C. megacephala > L cuprina]. No detection for S. epidermidis from emerged C. megacephala and L. cuprina flies, moreover S. sonnei was not detected in the emerged flies of L cuprina

Experimental transmission of hepatozoon gracilis [wenyon, 1909] com. nov., in ts natural host the bean skink lizard [Mabuya quinquetaeniata quinquetaeniata] and vector culex [c.] pipiens [diptera: culicidae]

The bean skink lizard Mabuya quinquetaeniata quinquetaeniata [Family: Scincidae] collected from Abu-Rawash, Giza was infected with the protozoon Hepatozoon gracilis. The mean percent of infection rate all over the year was 12.57% with the highest peak was in October [33%], meanwhile the lowest infection rate was detected in June [2.1%] and no infection was detected in February. Microscopical examination of experimentally infected Culex / [C.] pipiens L smears revealed the presence of gamogony and sporogony stages of H. gracilis in their haemoceal. Cx. pipiens was capable to transmit H. gracilis to non-infected M. q. quinquetaeniata under laboratory conditions [21 +/- 1 and 60-70% R.H.] after a prepatent period of 32 +/- 1 days from the infective bite. Various developmental schizogony stages were detected both in the lung endothelial cells and liver parenchymal cells. Developmental stages of H. gracilis in both vector or vertebrate host were described. Cx.pipiens was unable to transmit H. gracilis to snake, Psammophis schokari present in the same area of the bean skink lizard

Sarcosaprophagous flies in Suez province, Egypt. seasonal distribution and sex-ratio

Seasonal field studies on four bait traps [fish, bovine-lung, grapes and molasses] were conducted in El-Arbaeen Fish Market, El-Arbaeen District, Suez Governorate, Egypt in 1999 and 2000 to describe the pattern and sex ratio of sarcosaprophagous flies. The presence of sarcosaprophagous flies [Calliphoridae, Muscidae and Sarcophagidae] revealed that Chrysomya megacephala [Fabricius], Lucilia cuprina [Wiedemann] and Musca domestica [Linnaeus] were the most dominant flies. Almost equal number of male and female flies of C. megacephala, L. cuprina and M. domestica trapped on baits of grapes and molasses representing real proportion of male and female population of these flies. The number of female flies recorded on fish and bovine-lung baits was significantly higher than those recorded on grapes and molasses. As row fish and bovine-lung are important breeding media for flies, they may have attracted a larger number of female flies for ovary maturation and oviposition