Identifying the sex chromosome and sex determination genes in the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus.

Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is globally one of the most economically important ectoparasites of cattle costing the agriculture industry billions of dollars annually. Resistance to chemical control measures has prompted the development of novel methods of control. Recent advancements in genetic control measures for human and other animal vectors have utilized sex determination research to manipulate sex ratios, which have shown promising results in mosquitoes namely Aedes aegypti and Anopheles stephensi.

Biochemical characterisation of Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase from the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, highlights potential new acaricide target.

Management of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus, presents a challenge because some populations of this cosmopolitan and economically important ectoparasite are resistant to multiple classes of acaricides. Cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (CPR) is part of the cytochrome P450 (CYP450) monooxygenases that are involved in metabolic resistance by their ability to detoxify acaricides. Inhibiting CPR, the sole redox partner that transfers electrons to CYP450s, could overcome this type of metabolic resistance.

Periviscerokinin (Cap; CAPA) receptor silencing in females of Rhipicephalus microplus reduces survival, weight and reproductive output.

Background: The cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus, is a vector of pathogens causative of babesiosis and anaplasmosis, both highly lethal bovine diseases that affect cattle worldwide. In Ecdysozoa, neuropeptides and their G-protein-coupled receptors play a critical integrative role in the regulation of all physiological processes. However, the physiological activity of many neuropeptides is still unknown in ticks.

Pyrokinin receptor silencing in females of the southern cattle tick Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus is associated with a reproductive fitness cost.

Background: Rhipicephalus microplus is the vector of deadly cattle pathogens, especially Babesia spp., for which a recombinant vaccine is not available. Therefore, disease control depends on tick vector control.

Three-Dimensional Culture of () BmVIII-SCC Cells on Multiple Synthetic Scaffold Systems and in Rotating Bioreactors.

Tick cell culture facilitates research on the biology of ticks and their role as vectors of pathogens that affect humans, domestic animals, and wildlife. Because two-dimensional cell culture doesn't promote the development of multicellular tissue-like composites, we hypothesized that culturing tick cells in a three-dimensional (3-D) configuration would form spheroids or tissue-like organoids. In this study, the cell line BmVIII-SCC obtained from the cattle fever tick, () (Canestrini, 1888), was cultured in different synthetic scaffold systems.

Effects of essential oils on native and recombinant acetylcholinesterases of Rhipicephalus microplus.

This study reports the action of essential oils (EO) from five plants on the activity of native and recombinant acetylcholinesterases (AChE) from Rhipicephalus microplus. Enzyme activity of native susceptible AChE extract (S.AChE), native resistant AChE extract (R.

Disruption of the odorant coreceptor Orco impairs foraging and host finding behaviors in the New World screwworm fly.

The evolution of obligate ectoparasitism in blowflies (Diptera: Calliphoridae) has intrigued scientists for over a century, and surprisingly, the genetics underlying this lifestyle remain largely unknown. Blowflies use odors to locate food and oviposition sites; therefore, olfaction might have played a central role in niche specialization within the group. In insects, the coreceptor Orco is a required partner for all odorant receptors (ORs), a major gene family involved in olfactory-evoked behaviors.

Simulated dynamics of southern cattle fever ticks (Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus) in south Texas, USA: investigating potential wildlife-mediated impacts on eradication efforts.

Background: Cattle fever ticks (CFT), Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) annulatus and R. (B.) microplus, are vectors of microbes causing bovine babesiosis and pose a threat to the economic viability of the US livestock industry.

Pictorial dissection guide and internal anatomy of the cattle tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini).

Ticks are pests and vectors of diseases that are of public health and veterinary importance. The cattle tick, Rhipicephalus microplus (Canestrini, 1888), is one of the most studied tick species because of its impact on livestock health and production in the tropical and subtropical parts of the world, costing the cattle industry billions annually. Control methods have evolved throughout the years but so has R.

Control of Rhipicephalus annulatus resistant to deltamethrin by spraying infested cattle with synergistic eucalyptus essential oil-thymol-deltamethrin combination.

The current study investigated the synergistic effect of combinations containing deltamethrin (D), Eucalyptus essential oil (E), and the thyme essential oil component thymol (T), against a field population of Rhipicephalus annulatus in Egypt that was characterized to be resistant to D. Solutions of T, E, or TE at concentrations of 1.25-5% were combined with 5% deltamethrin at different dilutions (0.

New World screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) myiasis in feral swine of Uruguay: One Health and transboundary disease implications.

Background: Feral swine (Sus scrofa) are highly invasive and threaten animal and human health in the Americas. The screwworm (Cochliomyia hominivorax) is listed by the World Organization for Animal Health as a notifiable infestation because myiasis cases affect livestock, wildlife, and humans in endemic areas, and outbreaks can have major socioeconomic consequences in regions where the screwworm has been eradicated. However, a knowledge gap exists on screwworm infestation of feral swine in South America, where the screwworm is endemic.

Differential vector competence of Ornithodoros soft ticks for African swine fever virus: What if it involves more than just crossing organic barriers in ticks?

Background: Several species of soft ticks in genus Ornithodoros are known vectors and reservoirs of African swine fever virus (ASFV). However, the underlying mechanisms of vector competence for ASFV across Ornithodoros species remain to be fully understood. To that end, this study compared ASFV replication and dissemination as well as virus vertical transmission to descendants between Ornithodoros moubata, O.

Physiological and molecular correlates of the screwworm fly attraction to wound and animal odors.

The screwworm fly, Cochliomyia hominivorax (Coquerel), was successfully eradicated from the United States by the sterile insect technique (SIT). However, recent detection of these flies in the Florida Keys, and increased risk of introductions to the other areas warrant novel tools for management of the flies. Surveillance, a key component of screwworm control programs, utilizes traps baited with rotting liver or a blend of synthetic chemicals such as swormlure-4.

Research on Integrated Management for Cattle Fever Ticks and Bovine Babesiosis in the United States and Mexico: Current Status and Opportunities for Binational Coordination.

Bovine babesiosis is a reportable transboundary animal disease caused by and in the Americas where these apicomplexan protozoa are transmitted by the invasive cattle fever ticks and . In countries like Mexico where cattle fever ticks remain endemic, bovine babesiosis is detrimental to cattle health and results in a significant economic cost to the livestock industry. These cattle disease vectors continue to threaten the U.

Integrative taxonomic description of the chewing louse Tricholipeurus lipeuroides infesting Odocoileus virginianus veraecrucis white-tailed deer in Veracruz, Mexico.

Chewing lice (Phthiraptera: Amblycera, Ischnocera) represent a component of the ectoparasite fauna associated with large sized mammals as deers. However, the diversity of chewing louse species infesting deer remains to be fully characterized in the Neotropics. Little is known about the chewing lice infesting the extant fourteen subspecies of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in Mexico.

Detection of single nucleotide polymorphism in the para-sodium channel gene of Rhipicephalus annulatus populations from Egypt resistant to deltamethrin.

Rhipicephalus annulatus field populations collected from small cattle farms in Beni-Suef province in Egypt were evaluated for deltamethrin resistance by toxicological in vitro bioassays (adult immersion test-AIT and larval packet test-LPT). Moreover, a quantitative PCR high resolution melting (PCR-HRM) technique was used to detect nucleotide substitutions in the voltage-gated sodium channel (Na-channel) gene. By the in vitro bioassays, the examined ticks were phenotypically categorized as deltamethrin susceptible (populations El-Wasta - A, and El-Hakamna - C) or resistant (populations El-Wasta - B, El-Hakamna - D, EL-Halabia - E, and Kom-abokhalad - F).

Landscape Ecology of Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Ixodida: Ixodidae) Outbreaks in the South Texas Coastal Plain Wildlife Corridor Including Man-Made Barriers.

Landscape features and the ecology of suitable hosts influence the phenology of invasive tick species. The southern cattle fever tick, Rhipicephalus (Boophilus) microplus (Canestrini) (Ixodida: Ixodidae), vectors causal agents of babesiosis in cattle and it infests exotic, feral nilgai, Bosephalus tragocamelus Pallas, and indigenous white-tailed deer, Odocoilus virginianus (Zimmerman), on the South Texas coastal plain wildlife corridor. The corridor extends from the Mexico border to cattle ranches extending north from inside Willacy Co.

Molecular detection of Rickettsia species in ticks collected in the Mexico-USA transboundary region.

Zoonotic tick-borne diseases, including those caused by Rickettsia species, continue to have serious consequences for public health worldwide. One such disease that has emerged as a major problem in several countries of the American continent is the Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever (RMSF) caused by the bacterium Rickettsia rickettsii. Several tick species are capable of transmitting R.

Humoral immune response of pigs, Sus scrofa domesticus, upon repeated exposure to blood-feeding by Ornithodoros turicata Duges (Ixodida: Argasidae).

Background: Ornithodoros turicata is an important vector of both human and veterinary pathogens. One primary concern is the global spread of African swine fever virus and the risk of its re-emergence in the Americas through potential transmission by O. turicata to domestic pigs and feral swine.

Ectoparasites of Cattle.

Diverse groups of ectoparasitic arthropods cause significant morbidity and mortality in most of the approximately 1.49 billion head of cattle worldwide. Hematophagous ectoparasites (ie, blood-feeding flies, myiasis-causing flies, lice, mites, ticks) are the most important in cattle.

Small-Molecule Inhibitors of Inward Rectifier Potassium (Kir) Channels Reduce Bloodmeal Feeding and Have Insecticidal Activity Against the Horn Fly (Diptera: Muscidae).

Bloodmeal feeding by the horn fly, Haematobia irritans (L.), is associated with reduced milk production and blood loss that ultimately prevents weight gain of calves and yearlings. Thus, blood feeding by H.