'Candidatus Pasteuria aldrichii', an obligate endoparasite of the bacterivorous nematode Bursilla.

A novel bacterium of the genus Pasteuria was discovered parasitizing bacterivorous nematodes of the genus Bursilla, in selected bermudagrass (Cynodon) field plots in Davie, FL, USA. Soil containing this bacterium was sampled and supplied with bi-weekly inoculations of cultured species of the genus Bursilla in order to build and maintain a source of endospores for continuous in vivo conservation of the bacteria for further study and characterization. 16S rRNA gene sequence similarities supported its congeneric ranking with other members of the genus Pasteuria that have been identified from nematodes and cladocerans. There were, however, no clear sister candidates for this organism, which supported the evidence of endospore ultrastructure and host-range studies, suggesting it belonged to a novel taxon. Because members of the genus Pasteuria cannot yet be isolated, definitive type strains could not be maintained; therefore, the name 'Candidatus Pasteuria aldrichii' is proposed for this organism.

Histological comparisons of fergusobia/fergusonina-induced galls on different myrtaceous hosts.

The putative mutualism between different host-specific Fergusobia nematodes and Fergusonina flies is manifested in a variety of gall types involving shoot or inflorescence buds, individual flower buds, stems, or young leaves in the plant family Myrtaceae. Different types of galls in the early-to-middle stages of development, with host-specific species of Fergusobia/Fergusonina, were collected from Australian members of the subfamily Leptospermoideae (six species of Eucalyptus, two species of Corymbia, and seven species of broad-leaved Melaleuca). Galls were sectioned and histologically examined to assess morphological changes induced by nematode/fly mutualism. The different gall forms were characterized into four broad categories: (i) individual flower bud, (ii) terminal and axial bud, (iii) 'basal rosette' stem, and (iv) flat leaf. Gall morphology in all four types appeared to result from species-specific selection of the oviposition site and timing and number of eggs deposited in a particular plant host. In all cases, early parasitism by Fergusobia/Fergusonina involved several layers of uninucleate, hypertrophied cells lining the lumen of each locule (gall chamber where each fly larva and accompanying nematodes develop). Hypertrophied cells in galls were larger than normal epidermal cells, and each had an enlarged nucleus, nucleolus, and granular cytoplasm that resembled shoot bud gall cells induced by nematodes in the Anguinidae.

Dementia family caregiver training: affecting beliefs about caregiving and caregiver outcomes.

OBJECTIVES: Family caregiving is an integral part of the care system for persons with dementing disorders, such as Alzheimer's disease. This study tested role-training intervention as a way to help family caregivers appreciate and assume a more clinical belief set about caregiving and thereby ameliorate the adverse outcomes associated with caregiving. DESIGN: Training effectiveness was tested in a trial in which family care receiver dyads were randomly assigned to training beginning immediately or were placed in a wait-list control group and assigned to receive training in 5 to 6 months, following completion of data collection. SETTING: A community-based 14-hour training program provided in seven weekly 2-hour sessions. The training program curriculum was built on a stress and coping theory base. Recruitment and randomization were ongoing. Programs were begun every 2 months over a two and one half-year period for a total of 16 programs. PARTICIPANTS: Community health and social service agencies referred primary caregivers and at least one other family member of community-dwelling persons with dementia to participate. MEASUREMENTS: Data reported in this paper were gathered from each participating family at entry to the study and 5 months later. Standard measures of beliefs about caregiving, burden, depression, and reaction to care receiver behavior were administered to caregivers. A standard measure of mental status was administered to the person with dementia and standardized instruments were used to gather information from caregivers concerning care receivers' behavior and abilities to perform activities of daily living (ADLs). RESULTS: Data were analyzed from 94 caregiver/care receiver dyads with complete sets of data. Treatment and control caregivers and care receivers were similar at baseline, and care receivers in both groups declined similarly over the 5-month period. Significant within-group improvements occurred with treatment group caregivers on measures of beliefs about caregiving (P = .044) and reaction to behavior (P = .001). When outcomes were compared, treatment group caregivers were significantly different (in the expected direction) from those in the control group on measures of the stress mediator, beliefs (P = .025), and key outcomes, response to behavior (P = .019), depression (P = .040), and burden (P = .051). There was a significant positive association between the strengthened mediator, the caregivers' having less-emotionally enmeshed beliefs about caregiving roles and responsibilities, and the outcome, namely improvements in burden (P = .019) and depression (P = .007). CONCLUSION: A caregiver training intervention focused on the work of caregiving and targeted at knowledge, skills, and beliefs benefits caregivers in important outcome dimensions. The results suggest the benefits of providing information, linkage, and role coaching to dementia family caregivers.

Measuring the physician perspective on quality of care in health plans.

Physicians provide one source of information about the quality of care in health plans, but concerns exist that physicians cannot distinguish quality from financial considerations or other underlying attitudes. We examined whether physicians can (a) distinguish different domains of health plan quality and (b) distinguish health plan quality from their underlying attitudes. We analyzed data on 419 generalist physicians from four health plans. Three scales assessed physicians' perceptions of facilitators and barriers to high-quality care in the plans and the clinical capabilities of plan physicians. Structural equation modeling indicated that physicians could distinguish domains of health plan quality. Physicians could also distinguish plan quality from their attitudes toward the plan, but plan quality was more highly correlated with general managed care attitudes than expected. These data suggest that physicians can provide information about health plan quality, but it will be important to validate these measures against patient outcomes.

Fergusobia/Fergusonina-induced Shoot Bud Gall Development on Melaleuca quinquenervia.

Fergusobia nematodes and Fergusonina flies are mutualists that cause a variety of gall types on myrtaceous plant buds and young leaves. The biology of an isolate of the gall complex was studied in its native range in Australia for possible use in southern Florida as a biological control agent against the invasive broad-leaved paperbark tree, Melaleuca quinquenervia. Timed studies with caged Fergusonina flies on young branches of M. quinquenervia revealed that females are synovigenic with lifetime fecundities of 183 +/- 42 (standard error; SE) eggs and longevities of 17 +/- 2 days. None of the male flies but all dissected female flies contained parasitic female nematodes (range = 3-15), nematode eggs (12-112), and nematode juveniles (78-1,750). Female flies deposited eggs (34 +/- 6; 8-77 per bud) and nematode juveniles (114 +/- 15; 44-207 per bud) into bud apices within 15 days. Histological sections of shoot buds suggested that nematodes induce the formation of hypertrophied, uninucleate plant cells prior to fly larval eclosion. Enlarged size, granular cytoplasm, and enlarged nucleus and nucleolus characterized these cells, which appeared similar to those of other species galled by nematodes in the Anguinidae. Observations of ovipositional behavior revealed that female Fergusonina sp. create diagnostic oviposition scars. The presence of these scars may facilitate recognition of host use during specificity screening.

Validity of residents' self-reported cardiovascular disease prevention activities: the Preventive Medicine Attitudes and Activities Questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: This article describes the development, reliability, and validity of three cardiovascular disease (CVD) prevention subscales-CVD prevention behaviors, perceived importance, and perceived effectiveness-of the Preventive Medicine Attitudes and Activities Questionnaire (PMAAQ). METHODS: The PMAAQ was administered three times to University of Minnesota family practice residents (178) over 2 years (91% response rate). Stability measures were calculated, and validity was demonstrated in four ways: content validity through an expert panel; calculation of internal consistency reliabilities; demonstration of divergent validity; and external validation via a separate chart review. RESULTS: High internal consistency reliabilities among the subscales were seen (Cronbach's alpha = 0.77 to 0.92). Divergent validity was verified by low intercorrelations among the subscales (r = -0.23 to 0.27). Two-month test-retest scores ranged from Cronbach's alpha = 0.47 to 0.64. Significant correlations were seen between the chart review scale and both the CVD behaviors subscale and the PMAAQ smoking scale (r = 0.25 and 0.36, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Results indicate that the PMAAQ can validly and reliably measure residents' CVD prevention behaviors and provide insight into their preventive health care attitudes. Further, the independence among the subscales suggests that importance and effectiveness by themselves do not affect behavior and that other factors are likely to be important in influencing physician behavior change.

Histological Comparisons of Parasitism by Schistonchus spp. (Nemata: Aphelenchoididae) in Neotropical Ficus spp.

Syconia (enclosed infructescences) infested with host-specific species of Schistonchus (Aphelenchoididae) were collected from six species of Ficus (Moraceae) native to Florida or Panama. They were sectioned and histologically examined to assess the effects of parasitism. Parasitism by Schistonchus spp. was associated with hypertrophied cells, tissue necrosis, and the presence of an exudate in all species. Occasional hypertrophy of the outer epidermal cells occurred on seed florets, wasp florets, and on the endothecial cells of male florets in F. aurea (subgenus Urostigma) from Florida. Aberrations of the inner mesocarp occurred under the hypertrophied cells on seed florets. In F. laevigata (subgenus Urostigma) from Florida, Schistonchus sp. infested immature male florets and was associated with hypertrophy of endothecial cells, epidermal cells of the anther filaments, and anthers. Schistonchus sp. also caused aberrations of the anther filament, anthers, and pollen. Ficus poponoei (subgenus Urostigma) and F. glabrata (subgenus Pharmacosycea), both from Panama, had hypertrophied outer epidermal cells on seed florets. Ficus poponoei also had Schistonchus sp. within the pedicel of an aborted floret, with hypertrophy of the cortical parenchyma. Ficus trigonata (subgenus Urostigma) from Panama had hypertrophy of the outer epidermis of seed florets. When the outer epidermis on these florets was missing, the inner mesocarp was hypertrophied. Ficus maxima (subgenus Pharmacosycea) from Panama had hypertrophy on the outer epidermis of seed and aborted florets. Schistonchus spp. were not found in wasp larvae or pupae in any of the Ficus spp. examined. Hypertrophy was never observed in the absence of Schistonchus spp.

Nematodes Associated with Fig Wasps, Pegoscapus spp. (Agaonidae), and Syconia of Native Floridian Figs (Ficus spp.).

Syconia in successive developmental phases from Ficus laevigata Vahl (F. citrifolia Miller sensu DeWolf 1960) (Moraceae) and successive life stages of its fig wasp pollinator, Pegoscapus sp. (P. assuetus (Grandi) sensu Wiebes 1983) (Agaonidae) were dissected to elucidate their association with two undescribed species of nematodes. Parasitodiplogazter sp. (Diplogasteridae) are transported by female Pegoscapus sp. into the cavity of a phase B syconium as third-stage juveniles (J3), where they molt to the J4 stage and greatly increase in size in the hemocoel of the fig wasp after it begins to pollinate and oviposit in female florets. The J4 exit the wasp cadaver in a phase B or early phase C syconium, and molt to adults that mate and lay eggs. New J3 infect the next generation of female or male wasps as they emerge from their galls in phase D figs. Mated entomogenous females of Schistonchus sp. (Aphelenchoididae) are transported in the hemocoel of female wasps to the fig cavity of a phase B syconium. Female Schistonchus sp. exit the wasp and parasitize immature male florets causing an exudate, the development of hypertrophied epidermal cells of the anther filaments and anthers, and aberrations of the anther filament, anthers, and pollen. At least one generation of Schistonchus sp. occurs in the male florets. Entomogenous females appear at about the time that fig wasps molt to adults in their galls in late phase C syconia. Another Schistonchus sp. was recovered from females of P. mexicanus (Ashmead) (P. jimenezi (Grandi) sensu Wiebes 1983) and from the syconia of F. aurea Nuttall and appears to have a life cycle similar to that described for the Schistonchus sp. from F. laevigata.

Parasitism of Hoplolaimus galeatus on Diploid and Polyploid St. Augustine grasses.

'Floratam' and 'FX-313' St. Augusfinegrasses (Stenotaphrum secundatum) were compared in a time-course experiment for host suitability and susceptibility to the lance nematode, Hoplolaimus galeatus. Nematode densities were determined in the soil and acid-fuchsin stained roots 42, 84, 126, 168, and 210 days after pots containing 230 cm(3) of autoclaved native Margate fine sand/pot were infested with 104 +/- 9 nematodes and maintained at 25 +/- 2 C in the laboratory. 'FX-313' was a more suitable host for H. galeatus. Numbers of H. galeatus reached a maximum at 210 days after inoculation, with 5,550 and 4,120 nematodes (adults plus juveniles)/pot for 'FX-313' and 'Floratam,' respectively. Root and shoot dry weights of both grasses were not affected by H. galeatus throughout the experiment. Three polyploid, 2n = 30 to 32 ('Floratam,' 'FX-10,' and 'Bitterblue') and three diploid, 2n = 18 ('FX-313,' 'Florida Common,' and 'Seville') S. secundatum genotypes were inoculated with H. galeatus (99 +/- 9/pot) and compared with uninoculated controls 210 days after inoculation. St. Augustinegrass genotypes differed as hosts of H. galeatus. 'FX-313' and 'Florida Common' represented the high and low extremes, respectively, for nematode reproduction (9,750 and 5,490 nematodes/pot or 4,239 and 2,387 nematodes/100 cm(3) of soil). However, differences in root and shoot growth were not detected 210 days after inoculation with H. galeatus.

Dynamics of Belonolaimus longicaudatus Parasitism on a Susceptible St. Augustinegrass Host.

St. Augustinegrass (Stenotaphrum secundatum) cv FX-313 was used as a model laboratory host for monitoring population growth of the sting nematode, Belonolaimus longicaudatus, and for quantifying the effects of sting nematode parasitism on host performance in two samples of autoclaved native Margate fine sand with contrasting amounts of organic matter (OM = 7.9% and 3.8%). Following inoculation with 50 Belonolaimus longicaudatus per pot, nematodes peaked at a mean of 2,139 nematodes per pot 84 days after inoculation, remained stable through 168 days at 2,064 nematodes per pot, and declined at 210 days. The relative numbers of juveniles and adults demonstrated senescence after 84 days. Root dry weight of nematode-inoculated plants increased briefly to an apparent equilibrium 84 days after inoculation, whereas root weights of uninoculated controls continued to increase, exceeding those of inoculated plants from 84 to 210 days (P < 0.01). At 210 days, uninoculated plants had 227% the root dry weight of inoculated plants. Transpiration of FX-313 was reduced by nematodes (P < 0.0001) at 84 and 126 days after inoculation; reduction was first observed at 42 days and last observed 168 days after inoculation (P < 0.05). OM content affected all plant performance variables at multiple dates, and generally there were no inoculation x OM content interactions. OM content had no effect on nematode numbers per pot, although there was a slight (P < 0.05) increase in the number of nematodes per gram root dry weight in the low-OM soil compared with the high-OM soil.