The Influence of Selected Insecticides on the Oxidative Response of Atta sexdens (Myrmicinae, Attini) Workers.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are generated as products of normal cellular metabolic activities; however, the use of pesticides to control leafcutter ants leads to unbalanced ROS production. We evaluated the effects of two insecticides (fipronil, sulfluramid) and metallic insecticide complex (magnesium complex [Mg(hesp)2(phen)] (1)) on the superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione (GSH) and the overall antioxidant capacity using two different methodologies: total radical-trapping potential (TRAP) and oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC). Media workers of Atta sexdens (C.

Transmission Electron Microscopy as a Tool to Study the Toxicological Effects of Thiamethoxam in Workers of (Myrmicinae, Attini).

Thiamethoxam is a neonicotinoid that has been used to control insect pests. The literature reports a few behavioral studies evaluating the toxic effect of thiamethoxam in ants; however, there are scarce studies at the cellular level. The present research evaluated the effects of thiamethoxam in labial (LG) and mandibular glands (MG), fat bodies (FB), and Malpighian tubules (MT) of workers of Atta sexdens, using transmission electron microscopy.

Transovarian Transmission of Blochmannia and Wolbachia Endosymbionts in the Neotropical Weaver Ant Camponotus textor (Hymenoptera, Formicidae).

Camponotus is a hyper-diverse ant genus that is associated with the obligate endosymbiont Blochmannia, and often also with Wolbachia, but morphological studies on the location of these bacteria in the queen's ovaries during oogenesis remain limited. In the present study, we used the Neotropical weaver ant Camponotus textor to characterize the ovary using histology (HE) techniques, and to document the location of Blochmannia and Wolbachia during oogenesis through fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH). This is the first morphological report of these two bacteria in the same host with polytrophic meroistic ovaries and reveals that Blochmannia is found inside late-stage oocytes and Wolbachia is associated with the nuclei of the nurse cells.

Detrimental effect of deltamethrin on the central nervous system (synganglion) of Rhipicephalus sanguineus ticks.

Ticks are ectoparasites of medical and veterinary importance, which transmit many infectious agents, causing significant damage to the hosts. The "dog tick" Rhipicephalus sanguineus is responsible for transmitting several pathogens to dogs, motivating researchers to investigate efficient and sustainable control methods. Currently, chemical acaricides currently in use target the central nervous system (synganglion), which is responsible for controlling all the systemic functions of the ticks.