Bat-associated ticks as a potential link for vector-borne pathogen transmission between bats and other animals.

Background: Potentially zoonotic pathogens have been previously detected in bat-associated ticks, but their role in disease transmission and their frequency of feeding on non-bat hosts is poorly known.

Methodology/principal Findings: We used molecular blood meal analysis to reveal feeding patterns of the bat-associated tick species Ixodes ariadnae, I. simplex, and I.

Fleas of wild carnivores in Romania: diversity, distribution, and host-associations.

Background: Fleas are important hematophagous insects, infesting mammals and birds with a worldwide distribution. Fleas of medical importance have been reported from various carnivores worldwide, such as felids, canids, or mustelids. Romania hosts a wide carnivore diversity, but very little is known about flea species that parasitize these animals in Romania.

Season and host-community composition inside roosts may affect host-specificity of bat flies.

Bat flies are one of the most abundant ectoparasites of bats, showing remarkable morphological adaptations to the parasitic habit, while the relationship with their hosts is characterized by a high level of specificity. By collecting bat flies from live hosts, our intention was to elucidate the seasonal differences in bat fly occurrence and to describe factors regulating the level of incipient host specificity. Our results indicate that the prevalence and the intensity of infestation is increasing from spring to autumn for most host species, with significant differences among different fly species.

Simplifying Access to Targeted Protein Degraders via Nickel Electrocatalytic Cross-Coupling.

C-C linked glutarimide-containing structures with direct utility in the preparation of cereblon-based degraders (PROTACs, CELMoDs) can be assessed in a single step from inexpensive, commercial α-bromoglutarimide through a unique Brønsted-acid assisted Ni-electrocatalytic approach. The reaction tolerates a broad array of functional groups that are historically problematic and can be applied to the simplified synthesis of dozens of known compounds that have only been procured through laborious, wasteful, multi-step sequences. The reaction is scalable in both batch and flow and features a trivial procedure wherein the most time-consuming aspect of reaction setup is weighing out the starting materials.

Nickel-Electrocatalytic Decarboxylative Arylation to Access Quaternary Centers.

There is a pressing need, particularly in the field of drug discovery, for general methods that will enable direct coupling of tertiary alkyl fragments to (hetero)aryl halides. Herein a uniquely powerful and simple set of conditions for achieving this transformation with unparalleled generality and chemoselectivity is disclosed. This new protocol is placed in context with other recently reported methods, applied to simplify the routes of known bioactive building blocks molecules, and scaled up in both batch and flow.

Molecular epidemiological study of focusing on central and southeastern Europe.

is a geographically widespread protozoan parasite of birds. In this study, oropharyngeal swab samples were collected in Hungary and Romania from 99 columbiform birds, including 76 feral pigeons (: 42 kept for racing, 32 with urban and two with rural habitat), four common wood pigeons (), 16 ring doves () and three Eurasian collared doves (). These samples were analyzed for the presence of using molecular methods.

Diastereoselective Radical 1,4-Ester Migration: Radical Cyclizations of Acyclic Esters with SmI.

Reductive cyclizations of carbonyl compounds, mediated by samarium(II) diiodide (SmI, Kagan's reagent), represent an invaluable platform to generate molecular complexity in a stereocontrolled manner. In addition to classical ketone and aldehyde substrates, recent advances in radical chemistry allow the cyclization of lactone and lactam-type substrates using SmI. In contrast, acyclic esters are considered to be unreactive to SmI and their participation in reductive cyclizations is unprecedented.

Asymmetric Total Synthesis of (-)-Phaeocaulisin A.

The therapeutic properties of (ginger and turmeric's family) have long been known in traditional medicine. However, only recently have guaiane-type sesquiterpenes extracted from been submitted to biological testing, and their enhanced bioactivity was highlighted. Among these compounds, phaeocaulisin A has shown remarkable anti-inflammatory and anticancer activity, which appears to be tied to the unique bridged acetal moiety embedded in its tetracyclic framework.

Argasid Ticks of Palearctic Bats: Distribution, Host Selection, and Zoonotic Importance.

The soft ticks (Ixodida: Argasidae) are ectoparasites of terrestrial vertebrates with a wide geographic distribution, occurring on all continents. These ticks are obligate blood-feeders, most of them show high degrees of host-specialization and several species in arid and tropical regions are important parasites of livestock and men. Species commonly occurring on domestic animals and man are generally well-known, with many studies focusing on their ecology, distribution or vectorial role.

Recent advances in the chemistry of ketyl radicals.

Ketyl radicals are valuable reactive intermediates for synthesis and are used extensively to construct complex, functionalized products from carbonyl substrates. Single electron transfer (SET) reduction of the C[double bond, length as m-dash]O bond of aldehydes and ketones is the classical approach for the formation of ketyl radicals and metal reductants are the archetypal reagents employed. The past decade has, however, witnessed significant advances in the generation and harnessing of ketyl radicals.

First record of Ixodes simplex found on a human host, with a review of cases of human infestation by bat tick species occurring in Europe.

Ixodes simplex is a bat tick species, a common parasite of the Schreibers' bent-winged bat, Miniopterus schreibersii. Its distribution is linked to the range of its host, free stages occurring exclusively inside the underground bat shelters. Here we present the first case of human infestation with I.

First report of the bat fly species in Romania.

Bat flies are haematophagous ectoparasites, highly specialised to bats and are also considered to have vectorial potential for several pathogens like spp. or spp. In Romania, past studies mostly focused on the ectoparasitic fauna of cave-dwelling bats, listing the occurrence of 10 bat fly species in the country, with only scarce information on bat flies infesting crevice-roosting bat species.

Wide Distribution and Diversity of Malaria-Related Haemosporidian Parasites ( spp.) in Bats and Their Ectoparasites in Eastern Europe.

Malaria is responsible for major diseases of humans, while associated haemosporidians are important factors in regulating wildlife populations. , a haemosporidian parasite of bats, is phylogenetically close to human-pathogenic species, and their study may provide further clues for understanding the evolutionary relationships between vertebrates and malarial parasites. Our aim was to investigate the distribution of spp.

Impact of abiotic factors, habitat type and urban wildlife on the ecology of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) in urban and peri-urban habitats.

Background: Ticks are increasingly acknowledged as significant vectors for a wide array of pathogens in urban environments with reports of abundant tick populations in recreational areas. The study aims to contribute to a better knowledge of the abiotic and biotic factors which impact the ecology of hard ticks in urban and peri-urban habitats in Romania.

Methods: Questing ticks were collected by flagging in seven recreational locations, from four types of habitats in Cluj-Napoca, Romania: parks; gardens; a cemetery; and peri-urban forests.

Biotic and abiotic factors influencing the prevalence, intensity and distribution of and in red foxes, from Romania.

To understand the importance of host' habitat choice in determining parasite burden, we studied the distribution of two helminth parasites of the red fox () in south-eastern Europe (Romania): and , both widely distributed respiratory nematodes parasitic in various carnivores. Even though the life cycle and biology of the two nematodes follow a different pattern, both parasites appear to be co-distributed and often co-infect foxes with variable prevalences across their range. Between July 2016 and August 2018, 550 red foxes, were collected by hunters in different localities from 22 counties of Romania and examined by necropsy.

Cascades, Catalysis and Chiral Ligand Control with SmI₂; The Rebirth of a Reagent.

This review focuses on recent developments from our laboratory in the field of radical reactions mediated by the archetypal reductive single electron transfer (SET) reagent, SmI₂. Namely, we have expanded the scope of reducible carbonyl moieties to esters and amides and have exploited the resultant ketyl radicals in radical cascade reactions that generate unprecedented scaffolds. Moreover, we have taken the first steps to address the long-standing challenges of catalysis and chiral ligand control associated with the reagent.

Bats and ticks: host selection and seasonality of bat-specialist ticks in eastern Europe.

Background: Parasites may actively seek for hosts and may use a number of adaptive strategies to promote their reproductive success and host colonization. These strategies will necessarily influence their host specificity and seasonality. Ticks are important ectoparasites of vertebrates, which (in addition to directly affecting their hosts) may transmit a number of pathogens.

Illustrated redescription of the male of Ixodes simplex Neumann, 1906.

Ixodes simplex is a tick species of bats, mainly reported from Schreibers' Bent-winged bat, Miniopterus schreibersii, all over its host's range. While being a common parasite of cave-dwelling bat species, the initial description of males is poor (based on a sole damaged specimen), lacking distinctive features. This study describes the male of I.

Gold-Catalyzed Direct Alkynylation of Azulenes.

A novel catalytic method for the direct C-H alkynylation of azulenes is developed. The gold catalyzed functionalization of this special carbacycle is achieved with hypervalent iodonium reagent TIPS-EBX under mild reaction conditions. With the aid of the developed procedure, several TIPS alkynylated azulene derivatives were synthesized bearing important functional groups for further functionalization.