Potential for entomopathogenic fungi to control Triatoma dimidiata (Hemiptera: Reduviidae), a vector of Chagas disease in Mexico

Introduction The use of entomopathogenic fungi to control disease vectors has become relevant because traditional chemical control methods have caused damage to the environment and led to the development of resistance among vectors. Thus, this study assessed the pathogenicity of entomopathogenic fungi in Triatoma dimidiata. Methods Preparations of 108 conidia/ml of Gliocladium virens, Talaromyces flavus, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae were applied topically on T. dimidiata nymphs and adults. Controls were treated with the 0.0001% Tween-80 vehicle. Mortality was evaluated and recorded daily for 30 days. The concentration required to kill 50% of T. dimidiata (LC50) was then calculated for the most pathogenic isolate. Results Pathogenicity in adults was similar among B. bassiana, G. virens and T. flavus (p>0.05) and differed from that in triatomine nymphs (p=0.009). The most entomopathogenic strains in adult triatomines were B. bassiana and G. virens, which both caused 100% mortality. In nymphs, the most entomopathogenic strain was B. bassiana, followed by G. virens. The native strain with the highest pathogenicity was G. virens, for which the LC50 for T. dimidiata nymphs was 1.98 x108 conidia/ml ...

The Path to Clinical Proteomics Research: Integration of Proteomics, Genomics, Clinical Laboratory and Regulatory Science / 대한진단검사의학회지

Better biomarkers are urgently needed to cancer detection, diagnosis, and prognosis. While the genomics community is making significant advances in understanding the molecular basis of disease, proteomics will delineate the functional units of a cell, proteins and their intricate interaction network and signaling pathways for the underlying disease. Great progress has been made to characterize thousands of proteins qualitatively and quantitatively in complex biological systems by utilizing multi-dimensional sample fractionation strategies, mass spectrometry and protein microarrays. Comparative/quantitative analysis of high-quality clinical biospecimen (e.g., tissue and biofluids) of human cancer proteome landscape has the potential to reveal protein/peptide biomarkers responsible for this disease by means of their altered levels of expression, post-translational modifications as well as different forms of protein variants. Despite technological advances in proteomics, major hurdles still exist in every step of the biomarker development pipeline. The National Cancer Institute's Clinical Proteomic Technologies for Cancer initiative (NCI-CPTC) has taken a critical step to close the gap between biomarker discovery and qualification by introducing a pre-clinical "verification" stage in the pipeline, partnering with clinical laboratory organizations to develop and implement common standards, and developing regulatory science documents with the US Food and Drug Administration to educate the proteomics community on analytical evaluation requirements for multiplex assays in order to ensure the safety and effectiveness of these tests for their intended use.

Knowledge and beliefs about malaria transmission and practices for vector control in Southern Mexico

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the knowledge and beliefs about malaria transmission and practices for vector control in eight villages on the coastal plain of Chiapas, Mexico. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted during May and June 1995 in Chiapas, Mexico. A questionnaire to investigate family structure, knowledge on malaria transmission, preventive measures and attitudes towards seeking treatment was applied to both family heads of a sample of households. Associations were analyzed by estimating odds ratios with confidence intervals and p values, using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression methods. RESULTS: Malaria knowledge was poor and only 48 percent associated malaria with mosquito bites. The perceived benefit of indoor residual spraying was associated to a reduction of mosquitoes, a reduction in the numbers of cockroaches and rats, but only 3 percent associated it directly with the prevention of malaria transmission. Most villagers (97.6 percent) agreed with the indoor residual spraying of insecticides. Ninety nine percent of villagers had mosquito bednets, 75.7 percent used them all year round. Other measures used by villagers to prevent mosquito bites were smoke and mosquito coils. Above 40 percent of villagers self-medicated when any member of the family had a fever episode, but 51 percent attended proper health services (community dispensary, private physician, health worker). About 61 percent used pesticides for agricultural or livestock purposes and 55 percent applied them themselves. Women had a greater participation as family health promoters, with 70 percent of the housewives being in charge of the application of self-protection preventive measures. CONCLUSIONS: Educational programs aimed at increasing awareness on the participation of mosquitoes on malaria transmission could promote community participation in malaria control in the region

La incorporación de las pruebas moleculares en la práctica de la salud pública / The incorporation of molecular trials in public health practice

La salud pública ha evolucionado como disciplina en paralelo a los avances tecnológicos y científicos de las disciplinas básicas. El campo de la biología molecular ha provisto a la salud pública con técnica de laboratorio más sofisticadas y herramientas diagnósticas más refinadas que permiten profundizar en el estudio de la historia natural de las enfermedades, identificar las poblaciones en riesgo, diagnósticar las patologías de manera más temprana y limitar el daño asociado a un diagnóstico tardío. El espacio de acción de las técnicas modernas de biología molecular se ubica en la detección y medición de las estructuras moleculares asociadas al proceso patológico, la identificación genotípica de agentes patógenos, el grado de exposición, el efecto sobre estructuras específicas y la susceptibilidad individual y poblacional. En este trabajo se describen sus aplicaciones y se señalan los límites y riesgos en su aplicación en el campo de la salud pública