Mortality Rate of House Flies (Diptera: Muscidae) Exposed to Insecticidal Granular Fly Baits Containing Indoxacarb, Dinotefuran, or Cyantraniliprole.

The mortality rate of a field population of house fly (Musca domestica L.) was determined for a granular fly bait containing the active ingredient indoxacarb, which was compared to two commercially available granular fly baits containing either dinotefuran or cyantraniliprole. Indoxacarb was applied at three different application rates 0.

Evaluation of a digital flocculation reader for the rapid plasma reagin test for the serological diagnosis of syphilis.

We described the ASiManager-AT digital flocculation reader to demonstrate concordance between visual and digital readings of the rapid plasma reagin test for detection of antibodies in the serum of patients with syphilis. A qualitative and quantitative rapid plasma reagin was performed on each serum samples giving a concordance of 98.6% and 99.

Surface immunolabeling and consensus computational framework to identify candidate rare outer membrane proteins of Treponema pallidum.

Treponema pallidum reacts poorly with the antibodies present in rabbit and human syphilitic sera, a property attributed to the paucity of proteins in its outer membrane. To better understand the basis for the syphilis spirochete's "stealth pathogenicity," we used a dual-label, 3-step amplified assay in which treponemes encapsulated in gel microdroplets were probed with syphilitic sera in parallel with anti-FlaA antibodies. A small (approximately 5 to 10%) but reproducible fraction of intact treponemes bound IgG and/or IgM antibodies.

Response of Reticulitermes hesperus (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae) colonies to baiting with lufenuron in northern California.

The objective of this study was to evaluate lufenuron termite bait (1,500 ppm) for the elimination of colonies of Reticulitermes hesperus Banks (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae). Dispersion of colonies in six baited and six unbaited sites near Placerville, CA, was determined by genetic (microsatellite) analyses. Twenty-one colonies of R.

Secondary syphilis in cali, Colombia: new concepts in disease pathogenesis.

Venereal syphilis is a multi-stage, sexually transmitted disease caused by the spirochetal bacterium Treponema pallidum (Tp). Herein we describe a cohort of 57 patients (age 18-68 years) with secondary syphilis (SS) identified through a network of public sector primary health care providers in Cali, Colombia. To be eligible for participation, study subjects were required to have cutaneous lesions consistent with SS, a reactive Rapid Plasma Reagin test (RPR-titer > or = 1 : 4), and a confirmatory treponemal test (Fluorescent Treponemal Antibody Absorption test- FTA-ABS).

The potential of backscattering interferometry as an in vitro clinical diagnostic tool for the serological diagnosis of infectious disease.

Backscattering interferometry enables the detection of syphilis antibody-antigen interactions in the presence of human serum, showing promise as a diagnostic tool for the serological diagnosis of infectious disease with potentially quantitative capabilities.

Broad specificity AhpC-like peroxiredoxin and its thioredoxin reductant in the sparse antioxidant defense system of Treponema pallidum.

Little is known about the mechanisms by which Treponema pallidum (Tp), the causative agent of syphilis, copes with oxidative stress as it establishes persistent infection within its obligate human host. The Tp genomic sequence indicates that the bacterium's antioxidant defenses do not include glutathione and are limited to just a few proteins, with only one, TP0509, offering direct defense against peroxides. Although this Tp peroxiredoxin (Prx) closely resembles AhpC-like Prxs, Tp lacks AhpF, the typical reductant for such enzymes.

Cryo-electron tomography elucidates the molecular architecture of Treponema pallidum, the syphilis spirochete.

Cryo-electron tomography (CET) was used to examine the native cellular organization of Treponema pallidum, the syphilis spirochete. T. pallidum cells appeared to form flat waves, did not contain an outer coat and, except for bulges over the basal bodies and widening in the vicinity of flagellar filaments, displayed a uniform periplasmic space.

The general transition metal (Tro) and Zn2+ (Znu) transporters in Treponema pallidum: analysis of metal specificities and expression profiles.

Acquisition of transition metals is central to the struggle between a bacterial pathogen and its mammalian host. Previous studies demonstrated that Treponema pallidum encodes a cluster-9 (C9) ABC transporter (troABCD) whose solute-binding protein component (TroA) ligands Zn(2+) and Mn(2+) with essentially equal affinities. Bioinformatic analysis revealed that T.

Diagnosis of gastric syphilis by direct immunofluorescence staining and real-time PCR testing.

We report on a case of gastric syphilis in a patient with chronic dyspepsia. The diagnosis was established by serology and the demonstration of spirochetes in diffusely inflammed gastric mucosa by staining with a fluorescent monoclonal antibody specific for pathogenic treponemes and by the detection of specific treponemal DNA sequences by a real-time PCR.

Eggshell composition of squamate reptiles: relationship between eggshell permeability and amino acid distribution.

Most snakes and lizards produce eggs with flexible shells that interact with the environment to maintain water balance. Geckos produce rigid eggshells that are independent of an external source of water and can be oviposited in more open, dryer locations. In this study, we analyzed and compared the amino acid composition of 24 lizard species, six snake species, and four outgroups (including avian and reptilian elastin and chicken eggshell).

TP0453, a concealed outer membrane protein of Treponema pallidum, enhances membrane permeability.

The outer membrane of Treponema pallidum, the non-cultivable agent of venereal syphilis, contains a paucity of protein(s) which has yet to be definitively identified. In contrast, the outer membranes of gram-negative bacteria contain abundant immunogenic membrane-spanning beta-barrel proteins mainly involved in nutrient transport. The absence of orthologs of gram-negative porins and outer membrane nutrient-specific transporters in the T.

A monoclonal antibody that conveys in vitro killing and partial protection in experimental syphilis binds a phosphorylcholine surface epitope of Treponema pallidum.

Immunization with purified Treponema pallidum outer membrane vesicles (OMV) has previously resulted in high-titer complement-dependent serum bactericidal activity. In this study, OMV immunization resulted in the isolation of a monoclonal antibody, M131, with complement-dependent killing activity. Passive immunization of rabbits with M131 administered intravenously conferred significant immunity demonstrated by the failure of syphilitic lesions to appear at 29% of intradermal challenge sites (7/24) and a mean delay of approximately 8 days to lesion appearance at the remaining sites (17/24).

Susceptibility of Treponema pallidum to host-derived antimicrobial peptides.

LL-37 displays potent broad-spectrum activity against a number of pathogenic bacteria and is the only cathelicidin thus far identified in humans. In this study, we examined the capacity of human LL-37 and the similar CAP-18-derived peptide from rabbits to exert antimicrobial activity against the causative agent of syphilis, Treponema pallidum. We found that both peptides, as well as a truncated version of human LL-37 that contains its bactericidal domain, could exert rapid, but salt-sensitive antimicrobial activity against T.

Insertion of fluorescent fatty acid probes into the outer membranes of the pathogenic spirochaetes Treponema pallidum and Borrelia burgdorferi.

The authors examined the ability of octadecanoyl (C(18)), hexadecanoyl (C(16)) and dodecanoyl (C(12)) fatty acid (FA) conjugates of 5-aminofluorescein (OAF, HAF and DAF, respectively) to insert into the outer membranes (OMs) of Treponema pallidum, Borrelia burgdorferi and Escherichia coli. Biophysical studies have demonstrated that these compounds stably insert into phospholipid bilayers with the acyl chain within the hydrophobic interior of the apical leaflet and the hydrophilic fluorescein moiety near the phospholipid head groups. Consistent with the known poor intrinsic permeability of the E.