Molecular characterization of viruses found in honeybee (Apis mellifera) colonies infested with Varroa destructor and Nosema cerana in Egypt.

Honey bees (Apis mellifera) have a vital role as pollinators of various crops in the global food supply. Honeybee colonies in Egypt have recently experienced an unexplained rise in annual loss due to a phenomenon known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD). In the current study, honey bees were collected from 14 sites from eight governorates in Egypt. The genetic diversity among the collected honey bee populations was investigated using the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). The amplified COI regions were sequenced, analyzed and aligned with other GenBank entries. The nucleotide variability of the CO1 gene was estimated. Multiple viral, varroa mites as well as Nosema ceranae infections were tested in honey bee populations using conventional and RT-qPCR. Based on sequence analysis of the COI, six clearly separated mitotypes were characterized for the first time in these sites in Egypt. Sequence analyses showed that most mitotypes belonged to the A lineage and are very close to the Egyptian native bees, A. m. lamarckii found in the gene databank (NCBI) with 98% similarity. Low genetic diversity between the collected samples was observed. Our results elucidated the detection of Nosema cerana; deformed wing virus (DWV), kakugo virus (KV), black queen/cell virus (BQCV), Israel acute paralysis virus (IAPV), varroa destructor virus-1 (VDV-1) and VDV-1/DWV virus in all regions under investigation in addition to varroa mites. These findings highlighted the importance to maintain proper quarantine measures as well as identify the spectrum of exogenous infectious agents in healthy hives over time which would help in developing more effective control and treatment programs against honey bee viruses and pathogens to facilitate efficient breeding programs and establish a more booming beekeeping industry.

Enhanced wound healing activity of desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) vs. shrimp (Penaeus monodon) chitosan based scaffolds.

Chitosan (CS) has received great attention in tissue engineering, especially in wound healing acceleration. In this study, chitin was isolated from desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) and shrimp (Penaeus monodon) then deacetylated to chitosan. Then, chitosan was characterized by degree of deacetylation (DD), molecular weight (M.Wt), swelling index (SI), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) and X ray diffraction (XRD). The chitosan was then casted into 2D scaffolds and was pictured using scanning electron microscope (SEM). In a comparative study, primary cell cultures of neonatal (1-2day old) mice skin tissue, supplemented with 10% fetal calf serum, were seeded onto locust chitosan based scaffolds (LCSBS) and shrimp chitosan based scaffold (SCSBS). Their attachment percentage was determined after 1h. The cell proliferation rate was tested for 5days on LCSBS and SCSBS. Wound healing activity progress of LCSBS and SCSBS was tested in vivo using histopathology, and results revealed that seeded and unseeded LCSBS accelerated healing in contrast to SCSBS. The data demonstrated that LCSBS shows a high degree of biocompatibility in vivo. These results suggest that LCSBS is a potential substitute for the development of low cost implantable materials to accelerate wound healing.

Molecular phylogeny and identification of the peach fruit fly, Bactrocera zonata, established in Egypt.

The genetic structure of the Egyptian peach fruit fly (Bactrocera zonata (Saunders) (Diptera: Tephritidae)) population was analyzed using total RNA from adult females. A portion of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI), 369 bp was amplified using RT-PCR, and was sequenced and analyzed to clarify the phylogenetic relationship of B. zonata established in Egypt. The data suggested that the gene shared a similarity in sequence compared to Bactrocera COI gene found in GenBank. Molecular phylogenetic analyses were performed based on nucleotide sequences in order to examine the position of the Egyptian population among many other species of fruit flies. The results indicate that four accession numbers of B. zonata (three from New Zealand and one from India) are closely related, while the Egyptian B. zonata are close to the 71 accession numbers of Bactrocera include one B. zonata from New Zealand. These two B. zonata from Egypt and New Zealand showed a close relationship in neighbor-joining analysis using the seven accession numbers of B. zonata. In addition, a theoretical restriction map of the homology portion of the COI gene was constructed using 212 restriction enzymes obtained from the restriction enzyme database to identify the Egyptian and New Zealand B. zonata.