Treatment outcome of Paederus dermatitis due to rove beetles (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) on guinea pigs

Linear dermatitis (or dermatitis linearis, DL) is a skin blistering inflammatory lesion caused by exposure to the pederin toxin from rove beetles. Although it is prevalent in many countries of the Middle East region, this is not a notifiable disease. In recent years, a number of clinical symptoms outbreaks of DL has been reported from a few neighboring countries of Iran, but no report of experimental treatment among small laboratory rodents is known. This is a prerequisite to ascertain the nature of the best treatment strategy in cases of infestation with these beetles, as it occurs among local settlers during hot seasons in certain parts of the southern Iranian province of Fars. Live Paederus beetles were collected, identified to species level, sexed apart and partly processed to obtain their hemolymph toxin pederin in ethanol for dermal application on guinea pigs. Two Paederus species were found. Paederus ilsae (Bernhauer) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) was more abundant than P. iliensis (Coiffait). Recovery from DL due to live P. ilsae beetles was quicker and less complex than that of pederin in ethanol on guinea pigs. The application of potassium permanganate with calamine to heal DL was also more effective than fluocinolone treatment. This topical corticosteroid is thus considered less able to avert the cytotoxic action of pederin on the skin of guinea pigs than the antipruritic and cleansing agents. It seems likely that fluocinolone has certain effects which delays the recovery period for the treated skin.

Efficacy of piperonyl butoxide (PBO) as a synergist with deltamethrin on five species of mosquitoes.

Development of insecticide resistance has been a challenging problem for a long time and new solutions are yet to emerge. In this regard, the use of synergist with the insecticide is thought to play a key role in reducing the resistance levels. Present study demonstrates the efficacy of PBO with deltamethrin against the field collected mosquito larvae of five species of Aedes, Anopheles and Culexfrom in and around Mysore.

Variation in morphological characters of Culex tritaeniorhynchus (Diptera: Culicidae), a Japanese encephalitis vector at Mysore, India.

Studies on Culex tritaeniorhynchus Giles, were undertaken to find deviation if any, on the mean of siphonal index, comb scales, pecten teeth, denticles on apical pecten tooth, anal gills index and length of basal hair tufts on siphon in the fourth instar larvae from ground pools of Mysore city and paddy fields outside Mysore. A total of 344 larvae including 172 samples from Mysore and 172 samples from a 26 km radius outside Mysore were collected. Analysis of variance demonstrated significant differences between the two populations on 7 parameters based on morphological characteristics such as comb scales, length of siphon, width of siphon at the middle, length of anal gills, siphonal index, anal gills index and the length of basal hair tufts. So Cx. tritaeniorhynchus from different breeding places in and around Mysore city in south India can be different varieties. One variety comparatively has shorter siphon index ratio, less comb scales, less anal gills index ratio and longer basal hair tufts on siphon than the other one. Mating behavior of these varieties show that, variety from the city pools was moderate eurygamous and the one from mainly paddy fields, moderate stenogamous.