Impacts of fungal entomopathogens on survival and immune responses of Aedes albopictus and Culex pipiens mosquitoes in the context of native Wolbachia infections.

Microbial control of mosquitoes via the use of symbiotic or pathogenic microbes, such as Wolbachia and entomopathogenic fungi, are promising alternatives to synthetic insecticides to tackle the rapid increase in insecticide resistance and vector-borne disease outbreaks. This study evaluated the susceptibility and host responses of two important mosquito vectors, Ae. albopictus and Cx.

Structure and regulation of the NK-lysin (1-4) and NK-lysin like (a and b) antimicrobial genes in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

Nk-lysin (Nkl), an antimicrobial peptide (AMP) product of natural killer cells and cytotoxic T cells in mammals, has recently been characterized in a number of finfish species. In this study, we identified six genes with sequence homology to Nkl and characterized their patterns of mRNA expression and abundances in rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss). The cDNA sequences for the six Nkls encoded precursor peptides of 128-133 aa in length, and mature peptides of 109-111 aa in length.

Geographic Distribution of Bacillus thuringiensis Cry1F Toxin Resistance in Western Bean Cutworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Populations in the United States.

The western bean cutworm (WBC), Striacosta albicosta (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae), can be a severe pest of transgenic corn in the western Plains and Great Lakes regions of North America, including on hybrids expressing the Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) Cry1F toxin. The level and geographic distribution of Cry1F resistance are not completely known. Neonate S.

Comparison of Real-Time PCR, Bacteriologic Culture and Fluorescent Antibody Test for the Detection of in Urine of Naturally Infected Cattle.

Cattle are susceptible to infection with multiple serovars of pathogenic leptospires, resulting in abortion, stillbirth, premature birth, reproductive failure and milk drop syndrome. Cattle also act as a reservoir host for . serovar Hardjo which is excreted from renal tubules via urine into the environment where it persists in suitable moist conditions.

Intrapopulation Antagonism Can Reduce the Growth and Aggressiveness of the Wheat Head Blight Pathogen .

is a causal agent of Fusarium head blight (FHB), a disease that reduces yield and quality of cereal crops and contaminates grain with mycotoxins that pose health risks to humans and livestock. Interpopulation antagonistic interactions between isolates that produce different trichothecene mycotoxins can reduce FHB in wheat, but it is not known if interactions between isolates with a shared population identity that produce the same trichothecenes have a similar effect. Using isolates from the predominant populations in North America (NA1 and NA2), we examined intrapopulation interactions by comparing growth, disease progression, and toxin production of individual isolates with multi-isolate mixes.