Flies (Insecta, Diptera) collected in the environment of dairy farms as carriers of Rotavirus A and betacoronavirus.

AIMS: We aimed to investigate the prevalence of rotavirus and coronavirus in dipterans that commonly inhabit the environment of dairy farms. METHODS AND RESULTS: We collected 217 insect specimens from nine dairy farms, which were examined through hemi-nested RT-PCR followed by Sanger sequencing in search of VP1 and N genes for rotavirus and bovine coronavirus-BCoV, respectively. With a predominance of Muscidae (152/217 = 70%) 11 families of Diptera were identified. Rotavirus A (RVA) and betacoronavirus (BCoV) were detected in 14.7% (32/217) and 4.6% (10/217) of the dipterans, respectively. Sequencing of the amplicons was possible for 11.5% (25/217) of RVA and 0.5% (1/217) of BCoV, confirming the presence of these pathogens. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the role of dipterans as carriers of RVA and BCoV of great relevance for public and animal health.

Interactive Key for Third Instar Larvae of Neotropical Blow Flies (Insecta, Diptera, Calliphoridae): the Contribution of Computational Tools to Assist in Species Identification.

Calliphoridae (Insecta, Diptera), popularly known as blow flies or carrion flies, as most are necrophagous comprises one of the most relevant families of insects on forensics. Currently, more than 1500 blow fly species are known, the majority of which can be found in the Old World. In the Neotropics, it is estimated that there are approximately 20 species of forensic importance. In view of the taxonomic impediment associated with the identification of immatures, in this study, we present an interactive identification key for third instar larvae of necrophagous Calliphoridae species. This key includes 12 Neotropical blow fly species of forensic importance, more than 70 pictures, schemes, and definitions glossary and is free to access.

How much epigenetics and quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping tell us about parasitism maintenance and resistance/susceptibility to hosts.

Interactions between the environment, parasites, vectors, and/or intermediate hosts are complex and involve several factors that define the success or failure of an infection. Among these interactions that can affect infections by a parasite, it is possible to highlight the genetic and epigenetic mechanisms in hosts and parasites. The interaction between genetics, epigenetics, infection, and the host's internal and external environment is decisive and dictates the outcome of a parasitic infection and the resistance, susceptibility, and transmission of this parasite. Epigenetic changes become important mediators in the regulation of gene expression, allowing the evasion of the parasite to immune host barriers, its transmission to new hosts, and the end of its development cycle. Epigenetics is a new frontier in the understanding of the interaction mechanisms between parasite and host that, along with information from the gene regions associated with complex phenotypic variations, the Quantitative Trait Loci, brings new possibilities to investigate more modern and efficient approaches to the treatment, control, and eradication of parasitic diseases. In this brief review, a general overview of the use of epigenetic information and mapping of Quantitative Trait Loci was summarized, both in genes of parasites and hosts, for understanding the mechanisms of resistance and/or susceptibility in parasitic relationships; also, the main search platforms were quantitatively compared, aiming to facilitate access data produced over a period of twenty years.