Blood meal analysis: host-feeding patterns of biting midges (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Culicoides Latreille) in Slovakia.

Biting midges of the genus Culicoides are vectors of important pathogens affecting domestic and wild animals and have played a major role in the re-emergence of new outbreaks of bluetongue (BTV) and Schmallenberg (SBV) viruses in Europe. To determine vector-host specificity, trophic preference from blood meal analysis is of major importance in the surveillance of arthropod-borne diseases. Of 28,752 specimens collected, we identified 17 Culicoides species and investigated a total of 48 host sequences from the blood meals. Culicoides obsoletus/C. scoticus, C. dewulfi, C. pulicaris, C. lupicaris, C. punctatus, C. newsteadi, C. riethi, and C. furcillatus were found to feed on mammals (cattle, horses, and humans), birds (domestic chickens), small rodents (Apodemus flavicollis), and hares (Lepus europaeus). To our knowledge, this is the first study investigating trophic preferences of Culicoides spp. in Slovakia. This study demonstrated that Culicoides species are able to feed on domesticated host vertebrates as well as birds, rodents, and humans.

TITLE: Analyse des repas sanguins : modes d'alimentation des hôtes des ceratopogonidés (Diptera, Ceratopogonidae, Culicoides Latreille) en Slovaquie. ABSTRACT: Les moucherons piqueurs du genre Culicoides sont des vecteurs d'agents pathogènes importants affectant les animaux domestiques et sauvages et ont joué un rôle majeur dans la réémergence de nouvelles épidémies de la fièvre catarrhale ovine (FCO) et de la maladie à virus Schmallenberg (SBV) en Europe. Pour déterminer la spécificité vecteur-hôte, la préférence trophique issue de l'analyse des repas sanguins est d'une importance majeure dans la surveillance des maladies transmises par les arthropodes. À partir de 28 752 spécimens collectés, nous avons identifié 17 espèces de Culicoides et étudié un total de 48 séquences d'hôtes à partir des repas de sang. Nous avons trouvé que Culicoides obsoletus / C. scoticus, C. dewulfi, C. pulicaris, C. lupicaris, C. punctatus, C. newsteadi, C. riethi et C. furcillatus se nourrissent à partir de mammifères (bovins, chevaux et humains), oiseaux (poulets domestiques), petits rongeurs (Apodemus flavicollis) et lièvres (Lepus europaeus). À notre connaissance, il s'agit de la première étude portant sur les préférences trophiques de Culicoides spp. en Slovaquie. Cette étude a démontré que des espèces de Culicoides sont capables de se nourrir d'hôtes vertébrés domestiqués ainsi que d'oiseaux, de rongeurs et d'humains.

Phytochemical profiling of several Hypericum species identified using genetic markers.

In the present study, we performed phytochemical profiling of several under-exploited Hypericum representatives taxonomically belonging to the sections Ascyreia, Androsaemum, Inodora, Hypericum, Coridium, Myriandra, and Adenosepalum. The authenticity of the starting plant material was confirmed using the nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer as a molecular marker, DNA content and chromosome number. Phenolic constituents were analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography to complement species-specific metabolic profiles. In several Hypericum representatives, the pharmacologically important compounds, including naphthodianthrones; phloroglucinol derivatives; chlorogenic acid; and some classes of flavonoids, particularly the flavonols rutin and hyperoside, flavanol catechin, and flavanones naringenin and naringin, were reported for the first time. Comparative multivariate analysis of chemometric data for seedlings cultured in vitro and acclimated to the outdoor conditions revealed a strong genetically predetermined interspecific variability in phenolic compound content. In addition to hypericins, which are the most abundant chemomarkers for the genus Hypericum, rarely employed phenolic metabolites, including phloroglucinol derivatives, chlorogenic acid, catechin, naringenin, naringin, and kaempferol-3-O-glucoside, were shown to be useful for discriminating between closely related species. Given the increasing interest in natural products of the genus Hypericum, knowledge of the spectrum of phenolic compounds in shoot cultures is a prerequisite for future biotechnological applications. In addition, phytochemical profiling should be considered as an additional part of the integrated plant authentication system, which predominantly relies upon genetic markers.

Phenotyping the genus Hypericum by secondary metabolite profiling: emodin vs. skyrin, two possible key intermediates in hypericin biosynthesis.

A wide range of compounds that occur in the genus Hypericum are listed as effective drugs of natural origin. The main biological activities of several Hypericum representatives are due to the presence of naphthodianthrones, phloroglucinols, and other diverse groups of secondary metabolites that synergistically contribute to their therapeutic effects. The regulation of biosynthesis of hypericin as the key bioactive naphthodianthrone remains uncertain. Here, we present liquid chromatography mass spectrometry-based phenotyping of 17 Hypericum species, the results of which suggest an important role for skyrin and its derivatives in the polyketide pathway that leads to hypericin formation. Moreover, we report for the first time the presence of new metabolites in the genus Hypericum that are related to classes of anthraquinones, their derivatives, and phloroglucinols. As skyrin and other species of anthraquinones are rarely found in higher plants but frequently occur in fungal microorganisms, the obtained results suggest that further research on the synthesis pathways of hypericin and the role of anthraquinone derivatives in plant metabolism should be carried out. The fact that these compounds are commonly synthesized in endophytic fungi and perhaps there is some similarity in the metabolic pathways between these organisms should also be investigated.