A new species of cixiid planthopper (Hemiptera: Fulgoroidea) in the genus Oecleus Stål, Oecleus sergipensis n. sp., is described from Sergipe State, Brazil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCoconut plantations are attacked by the lethal yellowing (LY), which is spreading rapidly with extremely destructive effects in several countries. The disease is caused by phytoplasmas that occur in the plant phloem and are transmitted by Haplaxius crudus (Van Duzee) (Auchenorrhyncha: Cixiidae). Owing to their phloem-sap feeding habit, other planthopper species possibly act as vectors.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe present study was carried out to determine if group 16SrIV phytoplasmas, causing lethal yellowing (LY) disease, are present in Van Duzee (Hemiptera: Cixiidae) insects associated with palms in Yucatán, Mexico. feral insects were captured from palm foliage at two locations (Chicxulub Puerto and CICY, Mérida, where LY-type diseases are active) and evaluated individually for the presence of phytoplasma DNA by a group 16SrIV-specific nested PCR assay. The results showed positive detection in insects in a proportion of 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn this study, the taxonomic position and group classification of the phytoplasma associated with a lethal yellowing-type disease (LYD) of coconut (Cocos nucifera L.) in Mozambique were addressed. Pairwise similarity values based on alignment of nearly full-length 16S rRNA gene sequences (1530 bp) revealed that the Mozambique coconut phytoplasma (LYDM) shared 100% identity with a comparable sequence derived from a phytoplasma strain (LDN) responsible for Awka wilt disease of coconut in Nigeria, and shared 99.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMembers of the family Trypanosomatidae infect many organisms, including animals, plants and humans. Plant-infecting trypanosomes are grouped under the single genus Phytomonas, failing to reflect the wide biological and pathological diversity of these protists. While some Phytomonas spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe distinction between plant trypanosomatids and opportunistic monoxenous insect trypanosomatids has not been demarcated clearly due to the mass placement of all trypanosomatids isolated from plants into the arbitrary genus Phytomonas spp. The advent of molecular markers has been useful in distinguishing plant trypanosomatids from the rest of the Trypanosomatidae family. Here we have examined the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) locus for classification purposes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeverely immunocompromised human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) patients can develop various opportunistic infections due to bacteria, viruses, fungi, or protozoa. Here we report the first isolation of a flagellated protozoan genetically closely related to Herpetomonas samuelpessoai, which is usually a parasite of insects, from the blood of an HIV-infected patient.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPhytomonas spp. are members of the family Trypanosomatidae that parasitize plants and may cause lethal diseases in crops such as Coffee Phloem necrosis, Hartrot in coconut, and Marchitez sorpresiva in oil palm. In this study, the molecular karyotype of 6 isolates from latex plants has been entirely elucidated by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and DNA hybridization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe sequences of minicircle conserved regions from various plant trypanosomatids have been determined and analyzed. The goal of this study was to add another tool to the arsenal of molecular probes for distinguishing between the different trypanosomatids occurring in plants: systemic trypanosomatids multiplying in the sap, those from the laticiferous tubes, and those developing in fruits, seeds or flowers but not in the plant itself and that are frequently considered as opportunistic insect trypanosomatids. As some plant intraphloemic trypanosomatids are the causative agents of important diseases, a clear definition of the different types of trypanosomatids is critical.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA flagellate of the family Trypanosomatidae was isolated from fruits of Lycopersicon esculentum (tomato) in southeastern Spain. The isolate was successfully adapted to in vitro culture in monophasic media. The morphology showed the kinetoplast to be positioned towards the middle of the body, and the typical opistomastigote form characteristic of members of the genus Herpetomonas.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have determined the sequences of 5S rRNA and spliced leader (SL) RNA genes, and adjacent intergenic regions for representatives of all known trypanosomatid genera parasitizing insects. The genetic loci have been analyzed separately as well as by a combined approach. Several isolates, assigned by morphology to different genera (Leptomonas spp.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe have isolated and biochemically characterized two iron superoxide dismutases activities (SODI and SODII) from a plant trypanosomatid isolated from Euphorbia characias. The isoenzyme FeSODII has immunogenic capacity, and the positivity of the anti-SODII serum persists to a dilution of 1/40,000, by Western blot. In addition, Western blot has been used to test the positivity of the anti-SODII serum against antigen fractions (SOD) from 17 isolates belonging to the family Trypanosomatidae and for which we had previously determined the isoenzymatic profile.
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