Retention of lumpy skin disease virus in Stomoxys spp (Stomoxys calcitrans, Stomoxys sitiens, Stomoxys indica) following intrathoracic inoculation, Diptera: Muscidae.

Lumpy skin disease (LSD) is an emerging disease of cattle in Kazakhstan and the means of transmission remains uncertain. In the current study, retention of Lumpy Skin Disease Virus (LSDV) by three Stomoxys species following intrathoracic inoculation was demonstrated under laboratory conditions. A virulent LSDV strain was injected into the thorax of flies to bypass the midgut barrier. The fate of the pathogen in the hemolymph of the flies was examined using PCR and virus isolation tests. LSDV was isolated from all three Stomoxys species up to 24h post inoculation while virus DNA was detectable up to 7d post inoculation.

Livestock-associated MRSA survival on house flies (Musca domestica) and stable flies (Stomoxys calcitrans) after removal from a Danish pig farm.

We caught stable- and house flies on a Danish LA-MRSA positive pig farm. Stable- and house flies were housed together and culled over time to test for the presence of live LA-MRSA bacteria at 24 h intervals to establish the length of time for which LA-MRSA can persist on flies. On average, 7% of stable flies and 27% of house flies tested positive for LA-MRSA immediately upon removal from the farm. LA-MRSA prevalence decreased over time and estimates based on a Kaplan-Meier time-to-event analysis indicated that the probability of a stable- or house fly testing positive for LA-MRSA was 5.4% and 7.8% after 24 h, 3.5% and 4.3% after 48 h, 3.1% and 2.2% after 72 h and 0.4% and 0% after 96 h of removal from the pig farm, respectively. Simultaneously, we found that caged cultivated house flies became carriers of LA-MRSA, without direct contact with pigs, in the same proportions as wild flies inside the farm. We provide distance distributions of Danish pig farms and residential addresses as well as the calculated maximum dispersal potentials of stable- and house flies, which suggest that there is a potential for stable- and house flies dispersing live LA-MRSA bacteria into the surrounding environment of a pig farm. This potential should therefore be considered when modelling the spread between farms or the risk posed to humans living in close proximity to LA-MRSA pig farm sources.

Alien Invasion: Biology of Philornis Flies Highlighting Philornis downsi, an Introduced Parasite of Galápagos Birds.

The muscid genus Philornis comprises approximately 50 described species of flies, nearly all of which are obligate parasites of nestling birds. Philornis species are native to the Neotropics and widely distributed from Florida to Argentina. Most research on this group has focused on P. downsi, which was introduced to the Galápagos Islands in the late twentieth century. Although Philornis parasitism kills nestlings in several native host species, nowhere do the effects seem more severe than in P. downsi in the Galápagos. Here, we review studies of native and introduced Philornis in an attempt to identify factors that may influence virulence and consider implications for the conservation of hosts in the Galápagos.

Effects of Haematobia irritans infestation on weight gain of Nelore calves assessed with different antiparasitic treatment schemes.

Effects of Haematobia irritans infestation on weight gain of 18 to 20 months old non-castrated Nelore calves, were investigated, under field conditions, using different antiparasitic treatments. Sixty animals were divided in three groups, with 20 bovines each: T01 (untreated control); T02 (treated with Cypermethrin 15 g+Chlorpyriphos 25 g+Citronellal 1 g, as a whole body spray, on days 0, 30, 60, 90 and 120 post-treatment); and T03 (treated on day zero with an ear tag impregnated with Diazinon 6g on the left ear). Counts of H. irritans were conducted on day 30, 60, 90, 120 and 150 post-treatment (DPT). On the same experimental dates, animals were individually weighed, seeking to evaluate the effects of parasitism on the development of animals in each group. From this study it is concluded that T03 had significantly higher efficacy (>90%, till 90 DPT), based on H. irritans fly counts, compared to T02 which showed little or no effect. At the specific conditions of the present study, an average of approximately 90 flies (mean difference of flycounts between groups T01 and T03) was associated with a difference of 20 kg/animal in 150 days.

Competition between the filth fly parasitoids Muscidifurax raptor and M. raptorellus (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae).

Competition bioassays were conducted with the filth fly pupal parasitoids Muscidurax raptor (Girault & Sanders) and M. raptorellus (Kogan & Legner) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) using house fly Musca domestica L. (Diptera: Muscidae) hosts at different host densities. Muscidifurax raptor had a significant impact on M. raptorellus when hosts were limiting in sequential parasitism tests. Fewer than six M. raptorellus adult progeny emerged from groups of 50 fly pupae that were parasitized by M. raptor at the same time or when M. raptor parasitism preceded M. raptorellus by 48 h, respectively, compared with 42-55 M. raptorellus progeny produced when this species was tested alone. Production of M. raptor was significantly lower when parasitism by this species was preceded by M. raptorellus (25) than when M. raptor was tested alone (43). When the two species parasitized hosts at the same time in different proportions at low host:parasitoid densities (5:1), M. raptorellus produced 13 progeny per parent female when it was the sole species present and fewer than two when M. raptor was present. No negative impact of M. raptorellus on M. raptor was observed. Neither species had a substantial effect on the success of the other at higher host:parasitoid densities.

Human ophthalmomyiasis interna caused by Hypoderma tarandi, Northern Canada.

Human myiasis caused by bot flies of nonhuman animals is rare but may be increasing. The treatment of choice is laser photocoagulation or vitrectomy with larva removal and intraocular steroids. Ophthalmomyiasis caused by Hypoderma spp. should be recognized as a potentially reversible cause of vision loss.

Molecular characterization and relatedness of Haematobia irritans (horn fly) populations, by RAPD-PCR.

Haematobia irritans is a hematophagous parasite of cattle that causes significant economic losses in many parts of the world, including Brazil. In the present work, one American and four Brazilian populations of this species were studied by Random Amplified Polymorpht DNA (RAPD) to assess basically genetic variability within and between populations. Ten different decamer random primers were employed in the genomic DNA amplification, yielding 117 fragments in the five H. irritans populations. In Drosophila prosaltans, used as an outgroup, 81 fragments were produced. Forty-three of these fragments were shared by both species. Among the H. irritans samples, that from Rio Branco (Acre State, Brazil) produced the smallest numbers of fragments and polymorphic bands. This high genetic homogenity may be ascribed to its geographic origin (in the Northwest of Brazil), which causes high isolation and low gene flow, unlike the other Brazilian populations, from the South Central region, in which cattle trade is very intensive. Marker fragments (exclusive bands) detected in every sample enabled the population origin to be characterized, but they are also potentially useful for further approaches such as the putative origin of Brazilian populations from North America. Similarity indices [Nei & Li, 1979, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 76: 5269-5273] and phylogenetic trees, rooted by using the outgroup and produced by the Phylogenetic Analysis using Parsimony (PAUP 4.0-Swofford, 2001) program showed the closest relationships between flies from Sao Jose do Rio Preto and Turúba (both from São Paulo State, Brazil) while flies from the geographically distant Rio Branco showed the greatest differentiation relative to the others.

Stomoxys calcitrans parasitism associated with cattle diseases in Espírito Santo do Pinhal, São Paulo, Brazil.

The stable fly has been of great significance to livestock production in the county of Espirito Santo do Pinhal; it has a painful bite, sucks blood, and carries many diseases. The aim of this study was to establish a relationship between the parasitism of Stomoxys calcitrans, manure management, cattle diseases, and technical support. According to the farmers the stable fly reaches its highest level in the rainy season, the same period in which diseases were detected. Most of the farmers said that they did not receive technical assistance. The association of inappropriate manure management, verified in this survey, with the low frequency of technical visits, resulted in a low level of technology utilization. Better technological assistance could moderate the stable fly infestation and help manage serious cattle diseases.

Immunization of bovines with concealed antigens from Haematobia irritans.

To evaluate an immunization procedure using antigens from Haematobia irritans intestine (AgHiI), four bovines (group I) were inoculated with AgHiI mixed with Freund's incomplete adjuvant containing Lactobacillus casei, three bovines (group II) received AgHiI, and three bovines (group III) received saline solution. At day 35, blood was collected from each animal to feed H. irritans flies. There was no difference in the fly mortality observed in the three groups. The percentage of reduction of eggs oviposited by each female in 8 days (%RE), as compared with group III, was 29.45 for group I and 11.02 for group II. Antibody levels (AbL) to AgHiI were higher in group I than in groups II and III. A high correlation between %RE and AbL was observed.

Effect of aggregation of horn fly populations within cattle herds and consequences for sampling to obtain unbiased estimates of abundance.

Reanalysis of counts of horn fly, Hematobia irritans (L.), obtained from a variety of cattle herds indicated that aggregation of the flies within herds decreased as mean fly density increased. Aggregation was also related to the proportion of fly-resistant and fly-susceptible cattle in a herd. Herds were grouped according to their degree of horn fly aggregation. Low aggregation herds included larger framed Angus, Horned Hereford, Polled Hereford, and Red Poll breeds. Moderate aggregation occurred with Brahman, Charolais, small-framed Angus, mixed cows, and Hereford x Charolais cross. High aggregation occurred with Chianina and mixed herds. Relationships between the sample means and variances varied among aggregation groups. A resampling approach was used to determine the influence of random sampling of a herd on the proportion of horn fly population estimates within fixed percentages of the true mean. The proportion of sample means within +/- 5, 10, 15, and 20% of the true means varied with the proportion of the herd sampled, the mean and variance of fly density, and herd size. Recommendations for obtaining sample size to estimate fly density within a fixed percentage of the true mean are given.

Stomoxys calcitrans: preferencia por regiões do corpo de eqüinos para alimentacao / Stomoxys calcitrans: feeding sites preferred on equine body

Fazendo parte de um trabalho de sazonalidade, desenvolvido com eqüinos no município de Espirito Santo do Pinhal -SP- Brasil, avaliou-se a quantidade de moscas presentes no corpo de eqüino, bem como a sua distribuiÇão nas diferentes regiões zootécnicas. Verificou-se que as moscas picavam e sugavam o sangue principalmente nos membros torácicos, onde se obtiveram os percentuais mais elevados (13,9/S= 6,5). quando comparados às demais áreas do corpo. Quando se consideravam os membros torácicos, as moscas picavam principalmente nas regiões abaixo dos joelhos, se concentrando principalmente na canela, Isto pode ser devido a dificuldade em mover os membros torácicos, que suportam a maior parte do peso corporal dos animais, e devido ao fato de que o reflexo cutâneo, não atinge de modo eficaz as área abaixo dos joelhos

Presencia de Haematobia irritans (L)(Diptera:Muscidae) en ganado lechero estabulado de Aguascalientes, México: Informe preliminar / Precence of Haematobia irritans (L) (Diptera:Muscidae) in confined dairy cattle in Aguascalientes, Mexico: preliminary report

Con el objetivo de detectar la presencia de la mosca hematófaga Haematobia irritans en ganado bovino de la región lechera del estado de Aguascalientes, México, fueron seleccionados al azar 60 establos, los cuales se visitaron una vez por mes durante el periodo de mayo a julio de 1997; los establos mantienen al ganado, de raza Holstein, en confinamiento bajo el sistema de estabulación libre. En cada visita se eligieron al azar 10 vacas en producción, se sujetaron y con una trampa entomológica se colectaron moscas del dorso, costado y frente de las piernas, los especímenes se trasladaron al laboratorio para su posterior identificación taxonómica. Se encontró a Haematobia irritans en la totalidad de los establos y en el periodo de estudio; además se colectaron sobre el cuerpo de los animales ejemplares de Stomoxys calcitrans, Musca domestica, Fannia canicularis y Muscina stabulans. La presencia de Haematobia irritans en ganado lechero estabulado en una región semiárida es un hallazgo importante, aunado al hecho de que convive con Stomoxys calcitrans, especie hematófaga común en los establos. Se concluye que Haematobia irritans se encuentra presente y ampliamente distribuida parasitando al ganado bovino lechero estabulado de Aguascalientes

Observations on Sudanese camel nasal myiasis caused by the larvae of Cephalopina titillator.

Forty-four camels slaughtered at Nyala abattoir, western Sudan, were examined for infection with the larvae of Cephalopina titillator. The infection rate was found to be 100 p. 100. The parasitic burden ranged between 8-243 per animal. They were recovered throughout the year. The first stage larvae were noticed from December to May, indicating the breeding season of the fly. The larvae were found to cause visible pathological lesions on the nasopharynx. These were also demonstrated histopathologically. Bacteriological examinations revealed the presence of Pasteurella haemolytica and Klebsiella ozaenae as possible causes of pneumonia, and Corynebacterium species which could possibly cause pyogenic infections locally. Organisms from the camel environment like Bacillus and Proteus species were also isolated.

Myiasis caused by Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner, 1862) in the Arabian camel (Camelus dromedarius) in the Peninsula of Sinai.

Massive myiasis caused by Wohlfahrtia magnifica (Schiner, 1862) in camels in the Southern Mountainous zone of the Peninsula of Sinai is described. Wohlfahrtiosis seemed intimately related to the climatic and ecological conditions of the area, particularly altitude, precipitation, pasture, rodents and ticks. The clinical features resembled those described in sheep in Israel and in camels elsewhere. Treatment with diazinon and synergized pyrethrum in pine oil proved effective.