Improved diagnostic capabilities and a desire to reduce or refine the use of animals as soiled bedding sentinels (SBS) have driven interest in developing the use of PCR-based testing methods, such as exhaust dust testing (EDT), for routine rodent health surveillance. We compared the absolute and quantitative PCR results from EDT filters with SBS mice by routine screening via a panel of 19 infectious agents including agents known to be excluded or present in the colony. In this study, EDT and SBS were compared at days 0, 90, and 180 in 3 facilities ( = 12 rooms) with animals housed on IVC racks ( = 19 double-sided and 23 single-sided racks).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe prothoracicotropic hormone (PTTH) is a well-known neuropeptide that regulates insect metamorphosis (the juvenile-to-adult transition) by inducing the biosynthesis of steroid hormones. However, the role of PTTH in adult physiology and longevity is largely unexplored. Here, we show that loss-of-function mutants are long-lived and exhibit increased resistance to oxidative stress in .
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cecidomyiid fly, soybean gall midge, Resseliella maxima Gagné, is a recently discovered insect that feeds on soybean plants in the Midwestern United States. R. maxima larvae feed on soybean stems that may induce plant death and can cause considerable yield losses, making it an important agricultural pest.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe cecidomyiid fly, soybean gall midge, Gagné, is a recently discovered insect that feeds on soybean plants in the Midwest US. larvae feed on soybean stems which may induce plant death and can cause considerable yield losses, making it an important agricultural pest. From three pools of 50 adults each, we used long-read nanopore sequencing to assemble a reference genome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFLyme disease, caused by Borrelia burgdorferi sensu stricto and most commonly transmitted by Ixodes scapularis Say (Ixodida: Ixodidae), is the most common tick-borne disease in Maryland. Because B. burgdorferi s.
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