Mosquito control still relies heavily on synthetic molecules, which can lead to the selection of resistant populations and undesirable environmental problems. This study described the preparation of a nanoparticle of the plant-derived molecule, -myrcene, with chitosan, and the assessment of its toxicity against larvae of the yellow fever mosquito, . By producing fluorescent chitosan nanoparticles, we were able to observe their distribution in the digestive tract of larvae of .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChikungunya and Mayaro fevers are viral infectious diseases characterized by fever and arthralgia, for which there are currently no effective vaccines or treatments. The urgent need for novel antiviral agents against Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) and Mayaro virus (MAYV) has led to interest in plant-based compounds that can disrupt the viral replication cycle. (L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBiology (Basel)
June 2024
With the growing demand for sustainable and safe agricultural practices, plant compounds emerge as a solution for biological activities. Here, we evaluated the potential of using essential oil to induce plant resistance and to control phytopathogens () and insect pests (). We conducted a chromatographic analysis to unveil the essential oil components.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCassava ( Crantz) is a staple crop widely cultivated by small farmers in tropical countries. However, despite the low level of technology required for its management, it can be affected by several diseases, with anthracnose as the main threat. There is little information about the main species of that infect cassava in Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlants (Basel)
May 2024
The γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors play pivotal roles in the transmission of neuronal information in the nervous system of insects, which has led these proteins to be targeted by synthetic and natural products. Here, we assessed the insecticidal potential of the essential oil of (Gardner) Sch. Bip.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacaba ( Mart.) is a native palm tree from Brazilian Amazon and Cerrado biomes. This tree produces a small, rounded fruit with dark skin and approximately 1.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeotrop Entomol
April 2024
The protection of soft-skinned fruits against Drosophila suzukii has relied primarily on the efficacy of a few synthetic molecules. Despite their short-term efficacy, these molecules can cause environmental pollution, unintendedly affect non-target organisms, and fail to provide sustainable control. The shortfalls of using synthetic pesticides warrant the search for alternatives, such as essential oils extracted from plants, with greater eco-friendlier properties.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDrosophila suzukii (Matsumura) (Diptera: Drosophilidae) is an invasive species that causes serious damage to soft-skinned fruits. The use of plant-based biorational insecticides (plant extracts and essential oils) to control this pest has grown extensively. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to examine the current status, trends, and perspectives of these studies, with a focus on the plant families and major compounds used as insecticides to control D.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is known for its Cry and Vip3A pesticidal proteins with high selectivity to target pests. Here, we assessed the potential of a novel neotropical Bt strain (UFT038) against six lepidopteran pests, including two Cry-resistant populations of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda. We also sequenced and analyzed the genome of Bt UFT038 to identify genes involved in insecticidal activities or encoding other virulence factors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInsects
August 2023
, an invasive insect pest, poses a significant threat to various fruit crops. The use of broad-spectrum insecticides to control this pest can reduce the effectiveness of biological control agents, such as the parasitoid . Here, we evaluated the toxicity of newly synthesized lactone derivatives on and their selectivity towards .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEthiprole, a phenylpyrazole insecticide, has been increasingly used in the Neotropical region to control stink bug pests in soybean and maize fields. However, such abrupt increases in use may have unintended effects on non-target organisms, including those inhabiting freshwater ecosystems. Here, we evaluated the effects of acute (96 h) sublethal exposure to ethiprole (up to 180 μg/L, which is equivalent to 0.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of imidacloprid is a common pest control practice in the Neotropical region. However, the imidacloprid unintended sublethal effects on Neotropical aquatic non-target arthropods and undesirable consequences for aquatic environments remain unclear. Here, we assessed the susceptibility of Chironomus columbiensis (Diptera: Chironomidae) larvae to the neonicotinoid imidacloprid and evaluated whether sublethal exposure types would trigger sex-dependent adaptive responses (e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFis a Gram-negative, immobile, aerobic nosocomial opportunistic coccobacillus that causes pneumonia, septicemia, and urinary tract infections in immunosuppressed patients. There are no commercially available alternative antimicrobials, and multi-drug resistance is an urgent concern that requires emergency measures and new therapeutic strategies. This study evaluated a multi-drug-resistant whole-cell vaccine, inactivated and adsorbed on an aluminum hydroxide-chitosan (mAhC) matrix, in an sepsis model in immunosuppressed mice by cyclophosphamide (CY).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArch Microbiol
March 2023
Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a biological alternative to the indiscriminate use of chemical insecticides in agriculture. Due to resistance development on insect pests to Bt crops, isolating novel Bt strains is a strategy for screening new pesticidal proteins or strains containing toxin profile variety that can delay resistance. Besides, the combined genomic and proteomic approaches allow identifying pesticidal proteins and virulence factors accurately.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe phosphate-solubilizing microorganism is essential for soil quality and plant development and can serve as an alternative to reduce such Brazilian needs for importing phosphate overseas. Here, we isolated and selected bacteria from Brazilian Cerrado soils capable of solubilize phosphate. We obtained 53 bacteria isolates, of which 23 could solubilize phosphate at a pH of 7.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of formulations containing botanical products for controlling insects that vector human and animal diseases has increased in recent years. Plant extracts seem to offer fewer risks to the environment and to human health without reducing the application strategy's efficacy when compared to synthetic and conventional insecticides and repellents. Here, we evaluated the potential of extracts obtained from caninana, (L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe use of plant-based products has been shown to efficiently inhibit fungi-mediated diseases in agricultural crops. Here, we extracted and evaluated the composition of noni, L., essential oil and assessed its activities against in L.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPyriproxyfen is a juvenile hormone analogue that is commonly used to control the immature stages of mosquitoes in both artificial and natural water reservoirs. Recently, concerns have been raised regarding the community effectiveness of pyriproxyfen in preventing vector-transmitted diseases. Such concerns have been based on the unintended effects on non-target organisms and the selection of resistant mosquito populations.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRNA interference (RNAi)-based pesticides are promising novel pest management products that might reduce environmental impacts compared to other pesticides. Their sequence-guided mode of action facilitates a high species-selectivity, preventing harm on non-target organisms. However, there is currently no consensus on the minimum needed sequence similarity for efficient RNAi in insects and studies have shown that adverse effects in non-targets cannot always be ruled out a priori.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFInteractive movements of bees facilitate the division and organization of collective tasks, notably when they need to face internal or external environmental challenges. Here, we present a Bayesian and computational approach to track the movement of several honey bee, , workers at colony level. We applied algorithms that combined tracking and Kernel Density Estimation (KDE), allowing measurements of entropy and Probability Distribution Function (PDF) of the motion of tracked organisms.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSublethal exposure to insecticides can trigger unintended responses in non-target insects that may disrupt reproductive and developmental performances of these organisms. Here, we assessed whether sublethal exposure to the pyrethroid insecticide deltamethrin in early life had sublethal and transgenerational effects on the reproduction (i.e.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFor many decades, insecticides have been used to control mosquito populations in their larval and adult stages. Although changes in the population genetics, physiology, and behavior of mosquitoes exposed to lethal and sublethal doses of insecticides are expected, the relationships between these changes and their abilities to transmit pathogens remain unclear. Thus, we conducted a comprehensive review on the sublethal effects of insecticides and their contributions to insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, with the main focus on pyrethroids.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVet Parasitol
December 2021
Rhipicephalus microplus, known as the cattle tick, is a cause of great economic losses for dairy cattle farming because of its high frequency of occurrence and the difficulty in controlling it. This research characterized the chemical profile and evaluated the in vitro toxicity of crude Lithraea brasiliensis extract and its isolated compound against acaricide-resistant and acaricide-susceptible R. microplus strains.
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