A chemical investigation of the Australian pasture soil-derived sp. S4S-00245B09, supported by chemical, bioactivity and cultivation profiling, yielded a new class of terpenyl-quinolin-4(1)-ones, goondolinones A and B ( and ), featuring an unprecedented fused seven-membered ether. Structures were assigned to and on the basis of detailed spectroscopic analysis, including X-ray analysis of , and biosynthetic considerations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe canine heartworm, , is among the most important parasites of dogs in the United States and worldwide, and may cause severe and potentially fatal disease. Current diagnostic recommendations rely on serological detection of an adult female antigen, and visualization of microfilariae in the blood. Therefore, a reliable diagnosis can be only performed approximately six months post-infection.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs one of the causative agents of lymphatic filariasis in humans, has been established as the laboratory model of choice for studying this infection owing to its viability in small animal hosts, with the domestic cat being significant among these. The usefulness of individual feline infections is highly dependent on the levels of circulating microfilariae in the blood; thus, characterizing the course of microfilaremia benefits our understanding of this model. In -endemic regions, cats are also known reservoirs of infection, and describing microfilaremia in a controlled setting may improve transmission modeling.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe NIH guidelines for survival bleeding of mice and rats note that using the retroorbital plexus has a greater potential for complications than do other methods of blood collection and that this procedure should be performed on anesthetized animals. Lateral saphenous vein puncture has a low potential for complications and can be performed without anesthesia. Mongolian gerbils (Meriones unguiculatus) are the preferred rodent model for filarial parasite research.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Amblyomma cajennense F. is one of the best known and studied ticks in the New World because of its very wide distribution, its economical importance as pest of domestic ungulates, and its association with a variety of animal and human pathogens. Recent observations, however, have challenged the taxonomic status of this tick and indicated that intraspecific cryptic speciation might be occurring.
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