Update on tick-borne rickettsioses in mainland Portugal: emerging threats and potential vectors.

Background: Tick-borne rickettsioses (TBR) are emerging, neglected, zoonoses, caused by intracellular α-proteobacteria of the genus Rickettsia, that pose a growing public health concern. The aim of the present study was to evaluate rickettsial infections in questing ticks collected from four different ecological areas in mainland Portugal.

Methods: Over a two-year period, a total of 707 questing ticks were collected.

Ecotoxicity of bioinsecticide spinosad to soil organisms: Commercial formulation versus active ingredient.

Spintor® (SPIT®) is a commercial formulation of a bioinsecticide with the active ingredient Spinosad (SPIN). Despite the efforts of regulatory agencies, there still is a lack of information regarding short- and long-term exposures to soil-dwellers, as well as effects at environmentally relevant concentrations. This work aimed to evaluate the effects of SPIT® and SPIN, on the oligochaete Eisenia fetida, and the arthropod Folsomia candida.

Embryonic and larval zebrafish models for the discovery of new bioactive compounds against tuberculosis.

Tuberculosis (TB) is a world health challenge the treatment of which is impacted by the rise of drug-resistant strains. Thus, there is an urgent need for new antitubercular compounds and novel approaches to improve current TB therapy. The zebrafish animal model has become increasingly relevant as an experimental system.