Nosema locustae (Protozoa, Microsporidia), a Biological Agent for Locust and Grasshopper Control

Effective locust and grasshopper control is crucial as locust invasions have seriously threatened crops and food security since ancient times. However, the preponderance of chemical insecticides, effective and widely used today, is increasingly criticized as a result of their adverse effects on human health and the environment. Alternative biological control methods are being actively sought to replace chemical pesticides. Nosema locustae (Synonyms: Paranosema locustae, Antonospora locustae), a protozoan pathogen of locusts and grasshoppers, was developed as a biological control agent as early as the 1980s. Subsequently, numerous studies have focused on its pathogenicity, host spectrum, mass production, epizootiology, applications, genomics, and molecular biology. Aspects of recent advances in N. locustae show that this entomopathogen plays a special role in locust and grasshopper management because it is safer, has a broad host spectrum of 144 orthopteran species, vertical transmission to offspring through eggs, long persistence in locust and grasshopper populations for more than 10 years, and is well adapted to various types of ecosystems in tropical and temperate regions. However, some limitations still need to be overcome for more efficient locust and grasshopper management in the future.

Subcutaneous ticks: a first report in a golden jackal, and their absence in non-canid carnivores

Background Ticks are hematophagous arthropods which normally attach to the surface of the host’s skin. Their aberrant presence in the subcutaneous tissue of a few carnivores, predominantly foxes, has been reported. However, there have been no reports of this phenomenon in other carnivores such as mustelids or golden jackals. Our aim was to investigate the host spectrum for this aberrant localization of ticks. Methods Between 2015 and 2020, a total of 198 carcasses of 12 species of carnivore were examined by parasitological necropsy. When a subcutaneous tick was found, the nodule was removed, carefully dissected, and stored in ethanol. The morphological identification of the subcutaneous tick was carried out to species level. Results A single subcutaneous tick was found in one carcass, that of a golden jackal (Canis aureus). The tick was identified as a female Ixodes ricinus. All the other carcasses were negative for the presence of subcutaneous ticks. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first report of a subcutaneous tick in a golden jackal. This finding broadens the host spectrum of subcutaneous ticks, and reinforces the idea that, among carnivores, this phenomenon only occurs in canids.

Subcutaneous ticks: first report in a golden jackal and their absence in non-canid carnivores

Background: Ticks are hematophagous arthropods which normally attach to the surface of the skin of the host. Their aberrant presence in the subcutaneous tissue of a few carnivores, predominantly foxes has been reported. However, there are no reports in other carnivores such as mustelids or golden jackals. Our aim was to investigate and broaden the host spectrum for this aberrant localization of ticks.Methods: Between 2015 and 2020, 198 carnivore carcasses from 12 species were examined by parasitological necropsy. When subcutaneous ticks were found, the nodules were removed, carefully dissected, and stored in ethanol. The morphological identification of the subcutaneous ticks was carried out to the species level.Results: A single subcutaneous tick was found in one carcass, a golden jackal. The tick was identified as a female Ixodes ricinus. All the other carcasses were negative for the presence of subcutaneous ticks.Conclusion: The present paper represents the first report of a subcutaneous tick in a golden jackal (Canis aureus), extends the host spectrum for this unusual phenomenon and reinforces its presence only in canids among carnivores.

Subcutaneous ticks: first report in a golden jackal and their absence in non-canid carnivores

Background: Ticks are hematophagous arthropods which normally attach to the surface of the skin of the host. Their aberrant presence in the subcutaneous tissue of a few carnivores, predominantly foxes has been reported. However, there are no reports in other carnivores such as mustelids or golden jackals. Our aim was to investigate and broaden the host spectrum for this aberrant localization of ticks.Methods: Between 2015 and 2020, 198 carnivore carcasses from 12 species were examined by parasitological necropsy. When subcutaneous ticks were found, the nodules were removed, carefully dissected, and stored in ethanol. The morphological identification of the subcutaneous ticks was carried out to the species level.Results: A single subcutaneous tick was found in one carcass, a golden jackal. The tick was identified as a female Ixodes ricinus. All the other carcasses were negative for the presence of subcutaneous ticks.Conclusion: The present paper represents the first report of a subcutaneous tick in a golden jackal (Canis aureus), extends the host spectrum for this unusual phenomenon and demonstrates its presence only in canids among carnivores.

A New Paradigm of Developing Therapeutics to Infectious Diseases by Combining Insights from Nature and Engineering

Broad host-spectrum antibiotics not only kill pathogens, but also beneficial commensal bacteria of the host microbiome that play crucial roles for health. In Nature, bacteria kill other bacteria much more selectively than antibiotics do. Because there is metabolic cost involved in producing molecules to inhibit others, evolution endowed bacteria with bacteriocins to kill those who are similar enough to compete for the same niche, while leaving more distantly related bacteria, intact. The presence of such narrow host-spectrum antibacterial molecules suggests that by engineering and reprogramming what is found in nature, it may be possible to develop highly effective yet selective therapeutics to infectious diseases, either as purified drugs, or as live bacterial therapeutics. Here, I propose a new paradigm of developing highly selective therapeutics by combining insights from Nature and engineering and applied this against foodborne pathogens, one of the most common causes of bacterial infections for humans.

Subcutaneous ticks: first report in a golden jackal and further proof for the negativity of non-canid carnivores

Background: Ticks are hematophagous arthropods which normally attach to the surface of the skin of the host for the blood meal. Their aberrant presence in the subcutaneous tissue of few carnivores, predominantly foxes has been reported. However, there are no reports in other carnivores such as mustelids or golden jackals. Our aim was to investigate and broaden the host spectrum for this aberrant localization of ticks.Methods: Between 2015 and 2020, 198 carnivore carcasses from 12 species have been examined by parasitological necropsy. If subcutaneous ticks were found, the nodules were removed, carefully dissected, and stored in ethanol. The identification of the subcutaneous ticks was carried out at the species level.Results: A single subcutaneous tick was found in one sample, a golden jackal and was identified as a female Ixodes ricinus. All other carcasses were negative for subcutaneous ticks.Conclusion: The present paper represents the first report of a subcutaneous tick in a golden jackal (Canis aureus), extends the host spectrum of this unusual phenomenon and demonstrates to date its presence only in canid carnivores.