Stock Colony Research Articles

Influência do aumento do número de pupas hospedeiras de Cochliomyia macellaria (Diptera, Calliphoridae) no desenvolvimento do parasitóide Nasonia vitripennis (Hymenoptera, Pteromalidae) em laboratório

O desenvolvimento pós-embrionário, a produtividade, a taxa de parasitismo e a razão sexual de Nasonia vitripennis (Walker, 1836) criada em pupa de Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775) foram estudados. Densidades diferentes de hospedeiro foram usadas (proporções 1:1, 1:2, 1:3, 1:4 e 1:5) com tempo de exposição de 72 horas, em cada uma delas. Fêmeas nulíparas originárias da colônia estoque foram individualizadas em tubos de teste cobertos com algodão hidrófobo e contendo as pupas hospedeiras. Cada tratamento constituiu-se de 10 repetições. Depois da exposição, as vespas foram descartadas e as pupas hospedeiras foram individualizadas em tubos de teste até a emergência dos adultos de C. macellaria ou N. vitripennis. Amostras das pupas hospedeiras não expostas ao parasitismo e recebendo o mesmo tratamento experimental foram usadas como controle. Os parasitóides mostraram um desenvolvimento mais lento em relação ao aumento da densidade de hospedeiros. Houve uma diminuição na produção de parasitóides por hospedeiro em densidades elevadas. A razão sexual tendeu para um desvio para nascimento de fêmeas com o aumento da densidade do hospedeiro. Os índices de parasitismo mostraram uma diminuição quando o parasitóide foi exposto a mais de duas pupas hospedeiras.

Desenvolvimento de Nasonia vitripennis (Walker, 1836) (Hymenoptera: Pteromalidae) em pupas de Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius, 1775) (Diptera: Calliphoridae), utilizando diferentes densidades do parasitóide

O desenvolvimento pós-embrionário, a produtividade da pupa, a taxa de parasitismo e a razão sexual de Nasonia vitripennis (Walker) criadas em pupas de Cochliomyia macellaria (Fabricius) foram estudadas. Diferentes densidades do parasitóide foram utilizadas (proporções 1:1, 2:1, 3:1, 4:1 e 5:1) com exposição de 72 horas. Fêmeas nulíparas originárias da colônia estoque foram individualizadas em tubos de ensaio cobertos com algodão hidrofóbico, contendo uma pupa hospedeira. Cada tratamento foi constituído de 10 repetições. Após a exposição, as vespas foram descartadas e as pupas hospedeiras foram individualizadas em tubos de ensaio até a emergência dos adultos de C. macellaria ou N. vitripennis. Amostras de pupas hospedeiras não expostas ao parasitismo e recebendo o mesmo tratamento experimental foram utilizadas como controle. O período pós-embrionário foi significativamente mais curto na proporção 2:1 (13,73 dias) e mais longo na relação 5:1. Os picos de emergência ocorreram no 14º dia após a exposição do parasitóide ao hospedeiro para todas as relações, com exceção da relação 4:1(13º dia). A produtividade de N. vitripennis não variou significativamente entre as diferentes proporções. Conforme o número de parasitóides aumentou foi observado uma maior duração do período do desenvolvimento pós-embrionário e um aumento na proporção de machos na prole. A taxa de parasitismo apresentou queda quando o hospedeiro foi exposto a cinco parasitóides.

Effect of mating frequency on fecundity and longevity of the predatory mite Kampimodromus aberrans (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

The effect of single versus multiple mating on longevity and fecundity as well as the number of matings required to maximize a female's reproductive success of the predatory mite Kampimodromus aberrans Oudemans were studied under laboratory conditions. Newly emerged adult females of the stock colony of K. aberrans were placed individually on a bean leaf disc, and maintained at 25 degrees C and 16:8 LD. A young male remained with a female for limited periods or continuously. Mating was a requisite for oocyte maturation and oviposition. Females which mated three to four times during their life and females in continuous presence of males, laid significantly and considerably more eggs than single-mated females. Virgin females lived the longest, and those in continuous presence of males the shortest. In all cases and irrespective of the number of matings, the sex ratio of the offspring was male-biased in the first three to four days of oviposition period, and female-biased in later days.

Clonal structure affects the assembling behavior in the Japanese queenless ant Pristomyrmex punctatus

The queenless ant Pristomyrmex punctatus (Hymenoptera: Myrmicinae) has a unique society that differs from those of other typical ants. This species does not have a queen, and the workers lay eggs and produce their clones parthenogenetically. However, a colony of these ants does not always comprise members derived from a single clonal line. In this study, we examined whether P. punctatus changes its "assembling behavior" based on colony genetic structure. We prepared two subcolonies--a larger one comprising 200 individuals and a smaller one comprising 100 individuals; these subcolonies were established from a single stock colony. We investigated whether these subcolonies assemble into a single nest. The genetically monomorphic subcolonies (single clonal line) always fused into a single nest; however, the genetically polymorphic subcolonies (multiple clonal lines) did not tend to form a single colony. The present study is the first to demonstrate that the colony genetic structure significantly affects social viscosity in social insects.

Multilocus sequence typing of historical Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates collected in Southeast Asia from 1964 to 1967 provides insight into the epidemiology of melioidosis.

A collection of 207 historically relevant Burkholderia pseudomallei isolates was analyzed by multilocus sequence typing (MLST). The strain collection contains environmental isolates obtained from a geographical distribution survey of B. pseudomallei isolates in Thailand (1964 to 1967), as well as stock cultures and colony variants from the U.S. Army Medical Research Unit (Malaysia), the Walter Reed Army Institute for Research, and the Pasteur Institute (Vietnam). The 207 isolates of the collection were resolved into 80 sequence types (STs); 56 of these were novel. eBURST diagrams predict that the historical-collection STs segregate into three complexes when analyzed separately. When added to the 760 isolates and 365 STs of the B. pseudomallei MLST database, the historical-collection STs cluster significantly within the main complex of the eBURST diagram in an ancestral pattern and alter the B. pseudomallei "population snapshot." Differences in colony morphology among reference isolates were found not to affect the STs assigned, which were consistent with the original isolates. Australian ST84 is likely characteristic of B. pseudomallei isolates of Southeast Asia rather than Australia, since multiple environmental isolates from Thailand and Malaysia share this ST with the single Australian clinical isolate in the MLST database. Phylogenetic evidence is also provided suggesting that Australian isolates may not be distinct from those of Thailand, since ST60 is common to environmental isolates from both countries. MLST and eBURST are useful tools for the study of population biology and epidemiology, since they provide methods to elucidate new genetic relationships among bacterial isolates.

Transmissibilidade do vírus da leprose de cercas-vivas, quebra-ventos e plantas daninhas para laranjeiras através de Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes)

O ácaro Brevipalpus phoenicis (Geijskes) é transmissor do vírus da leprose dos citros, doença responsável por significativa redução da produtividade. Objetivou-se avaliar neste trabalho a possibilidade de algumas plantas utilizadas como cercas-vivas e quebra-ventos, além de plantas daninhas de pomares cítricos serem hospedeiras do vírus da leprose. O experimento foi realizado em laboratório e casa-de-vegetação na FCAV/UNESP, Jaboticabal-SP-Brasil. De uma criação-estoque de ácaros, criados sobre frutos de citros (Citrus sinensis) contendo lesões de leprose, foram transferidos 100 ácaros para uma unidade experimental das seguintes espécies: Hibiscus sp., Malvaviscus mollis, Grevillea robusta, Mimosa caesalpiniaefolia, Bixa orellana, Commelina benghalensis, Sida cordifolia, Ageratum conyzoides e Citrus sinensis, e mantidas em casa de vegetação por um período de 90 dias. Depois desse período, 160 ácaros foram recuperados dessas espécies vegetais e transferidos para quatro mudas das variedades cítricas 'Natal' e 'Valência' (20 ácaros/planta), e foram mantidas por 60 dias em casa de vegetação. Decorrido esse período, quantificou-se o número de lesões de leprose presentes nas folhas, ramos e caules das mudas cítricas. Em mudas cítricas da variedade 'Natal', foram observados sintomas da leprose decorrentes da transferência de ácaros provenientes de C. sinensis, A. conyzoides, C. benghalensis e B. orellana. Na variedade 'Valência', sintomas de leprose ocorreram em mudas infestadas com ácaros criados sobre C. sinensis, S. cordifolia benghalensis, B. orellana e A. conyzoides. Mudas cítricas das variedades 'Natal' e 'Valência' não manifestaram sintomas de leprose com ácaros procedentes de M. mollis, Hibiscus sp., G. robusta e M. caesalpiniaefolia.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus--genes or intrauterine environment? An embryo transfer paradigm in rats.

The familial predisposition to Type 2 diabetes mellitus is mediated by both genetic and intrauterine environmental factors. In the normal course of events, maternal genes always develop in the same uterus, thus restricting studies aimed at investigating the relative contribution of these factors. We have developed an embryo transfer paradigm in rats to overcome this difficulty. Euglycaemic female Wistar rats were superovulated and mated with male Wistar rats. The following day, fertilised eggs were transferred into pseudo-pregnant female Wistar rats or hyperglycaemic Goto Kakizaki (GK) rats. Pregnancies were allowed to go to term. Offspring were weighed at 6 weeks, 3 months and 6 months of age and an intravenous glucose tolerance test was carried out at 6 months of age. Offspring from Wistar into Wistar embryo transfers (n=20) were not significantly hyperglycaemic compared to the non-manipulated Wistar stock colony (n=26). However, offspring from Wistar gametes reared in hyperglycaemic GK mothers (n=51) were significantly lighter at 6 weeks of age (156+/-4.1 g vs 180+/-6.1 g [mean +/- SEM], p<0.01) and significantly more hyperglycaemic at 6 months of age (fasting glucose 6.6+/-0.18 mmol/l vs 4.8+/-0.21 mmol/l, mean blood glucose during glucose tolerance test 14.3+/-0.31 mmol/l vs 11.1+/-0.28 mmol/l, p<0.01) than Wistar gametes transferred back into euglycaemic Wistar mothers. When GK rats were superovulated and mated together, transfer of 1-day-old embryos into pseudo-pregnant Wistar dams did not alleviate hyperglycaemia in adult offspring. In GK rats, a euglycaemic intrauterine environment cannot overcome the strong genetic predisposition to diabetes. However, in Wistar rats with a low genetic risk of diabetes, exposure to hyperglycaemia in utero significantly increases the risk of diabetes in adult life.

Isolation of a Genetic Marker Linked to theBhGene by Genetically Directed Representational Difference Analysis of Closed Colony Japanese Quails

Abstract Disappearance of the coloration pattern of the plumage and whole body hemorrhage is caused by an autosomal dominant black at hatch (Bh) mutation in the Japanese quail. In this study, we adopted genetically directed representational difference analysis (GDRDA) to obtain a genetic marker linked to Bh from our closed colony stock. A DNA pool of 10 wild-type (+/+) quails was subtracted from another DNA pool of 10 quails heterozygous for the Bh mutation (Bh/+). After analysis of 106 clones isolated by three series of GDRDA using three different restriction enzymes, one clone was shown to detect a restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) between +/+ and Bh/+ quails. A genomic region flanking the polymorphic restriction site was cloned by inverse-PCR, and a PCR-RFLP maker linked to the Bh mutation was developed. The marker showed no recombination with the Bh mutation in 101 quails analyzed. This is the first report in which a genetic marker linked to a specific gene was successfully isolated by G...

Selection of Anopheles dirus for refractoriness and susceptibility to Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis.

Two lines of the Oriental malaria vector mosquito Anopheles dirus species A (Diptera: Culicidae), one fully refractory and one fully susceptible to Plasmodium yoelii nigeriensis (an African rodent malaria parasite), were established after 17 generations of mass selection, followed by single female selection for one or two generations. Prior to selection, the stock colony of An. dirus was 17% refractory. Both lines of An. dirus produced abundant ookinetes that started to invade the midgut within 24h post-infection, as seen in histological sections. In most of the refractory mosquitoes, oocysts stopped development <12 h post-invasion, indicating a rapid defence mechanism. Dead P. y. nigeriensis parasites were apparently localized as small melanized spots (2-5 microm) seen in wet preparations of mosquito midguts dissected 5-7 days post infective bloodmeal. In some refractory An. dirus females, apart from the spots, a small number of totally encapsulated oocysts (c. 10 microm) were also present. These larger melanized parasites predominated in a few females: they appeared 2-3 days post-infection as a secondary delayed defence mechanism. The progeny of reciprocal matings between susceptible and refractory lines had approximately 50% susceptibility. Backcrosses of F1 hybrids with susceptible or refractory lines increased or decreased the susceptibility of backcross progeny accordingly. Overall, these results suggest polygenic control of susceptibility to P. y. nigeriensis infection. The refractory line of An. dirus showed normal susceptibility to natural infections of the human malarias P. falciparum and P. vivax from local patients.

Activities of glycogen phosphorylase, alanine aminotransferase and aspartate aminotransferase in adult worms ofLitomosoides cariniirecovered from pyridoxine deficient cotton rats (Sigmodon hispidus)

This paper demonstrates that the activities of glycogen phosphorylase (GP), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) are reduced in adult worms of the filarial nematode Litomosoides carinii recovered from pyridoxine-deficient cotton rats when compared to worms recovered from pyridoxine-sufficient controls. GP, ALT and AST activities were determined in adult worms L. carinii recovered from cotton rat hosts over a 20-week experimental period. Activities of GP, ALT and AST in the parasite showed a direct correlation with the dietary pyridoxine intake of their host. Throughout the experiment, enzyme activities were significantly lower (P < 0.001) in worms from rats fed a pyridoxine-free diet ad libitum that in worms from rats fed either a stock colony diet, a pyridoxine-free diet ad libitum with daily supplementation of 100 micrograms pyridoxine or limited amounts of pyridoxine-free diet with daily supplementation of 100 micrograms pyridoxine. The lower than normal activity of GP, ALT, AST and other enzymes dependent on the biologically active derivative of pyridoxine, the coenzyme pyridoxal-5-phosphate (PLP), interferes with the protein, carbohydrate and lipid metabolism of L. carinii and may in part cause the reduced establishment, development and growth of the parasite in pyridoxine-deficient hosts.

Fat accretion and growth in the rat.

AbstractThe normal course of fat accretion in male rats from birth to 3 years is described. The relative amount of fat and relative size of fat pads increased steadily throughout life (except for a brief cessation in fat accretion at weaning), in a manner closely related to body weight and independent of age. Several new rat strains with extremes of growth or fat accretion, fed the same diet, were used to define and illustrate courses of fat accretion: very large and very small non‐obese strains and a hereditarily obese rat. Rats of different known strains fed a variety of more refined diets show a course of fat growth different from that obtained with stock diets. Several types of obesity are discussed: insulin obesity, nutritional obesity, and hereditary obesity. Hereditary size and growth of the rat were readily (in a few generations) altered up or down, by consistently using the largest or the smallest 25% of the population for breeders. It is probable that the large increase in size of some laboratory rats over the past 40 years has been accomplished not only by improvement in stock diets and colony conditions, but also by selection for increased hereditary size.

Blackleg potential of potato seed: determination of tuber contamination by Erwinia carotovora subsp. Atroseptica by immunofluorescence colony staining and stock and tuber sampling

SummaryTwo methods to determine numbers of the blackleg pathogen, Erwinia carotovora subsp. atroseptica, in tuber peel extract were compared; (1) growth and cavity formation on crystal violet pectate (CVP) medium (Pérombelon, Lumb &amp; Hyman, 1987) and (2) immunofluorescent colony (IFC) staining (Van Vuurde &amp; Roozen, 1990) using an antiserum against the bacterium conjugated with fluorescein isothiocyanate. Detection, identification and quantification of the bacterium based on the differential effect of temperature on growth in the CVP method were severely restricted and in some cases could not be done at low peel extract dilutions containing &gt; 106 saprophytic bacteria ml“1 and &gt; 103 cells ml‐1 of E. carotovora subsp. carotovora. In contrast, although recovery was c. 50% relative to growth of E.c. atroseptica alone on nutrient agar, numbers of the bacteria could be determined by the IFC method regardless of numbers of saprophytic bacteria and E.c. carotovora present. Moreover, the tedium of counting colonies on a UV microscope could be avoided by automation using an imaging system on photograph film negatives of the microscope fields.Readily accessible tubers from the top layer of one tonne boxes in commercial stores were c. 10 times less contaminated than those from the middle of the boxes. For the two methods of peel extract preparation examined, the estimated sample size needed with an allowable error of log1010 E.c. atroseptica cells ml“1 extract with 95% confidence, was c. five tubers per box and 14 boxes for extract prepared from individual tubers and c. three lots of 10 tubers per box and 10 boxes for extract from 10 pooled tubers. A blackleg potential index for seed stocks was proposed based on the summation of the weighted number of individually tested tubers in different classes of contamination level.

Red deer as a farm animal

In Hungary, arable lands worth less than 17 gold crowns have been declared areas of unfavourable potential, for which subsidies are available. This area, covering more than 1.7x10 6 ha amounts to 25.4% of the total land. This fact has prompted us to devise a reasonable strategy for the utilization of such land by the emerging farmsteads. Based on foreign experiences, multipurpose rearing red deer on farms can be recommended as an alternative for these areas. Applying this technology, a model farm of 60 ha was established at Kiskunfelegyhaza. At present, this farm operates with a stock colony of about 230 red deer. The minimum farm size acceptable from an ecological point of view aspect was estimated. The facilities (fence, feeders, capture equipment, etc.) and capture methods were tested. Nutrition technology was analysed for optimization and indices of refund. To improve the technology, a model farm of 10 ha has been established at Babat.

Book Review: The Coldest Harbour of the Land: Simon Stock and Lord Baltimore's Colony in Newfoundland, 1621–1649

Book Review: The Coldest Harbour of the Land: Simon Stock and Lord Baltimore's Colony in Newfoundland, 1621–1649

The Coldest Harbour of the Land: Simon Stock and Lord Baltimore's Colony in Newfoundland, 1621-1649

The Coldest Harbour of the Land: Simon Stock and Lord Baltimore's Colony in Newfoundland, 1621-1649

The Coldest Harbour of the Land: Simon Stock and Lord Baltimore's Colony in Newfoundland, 1621-1649

In 1624 Simon Stock, a missionary priest of the Discalced Carmelite order in England, began correspondence with the recently founded Congregation of the Propaganda Fide in Rome in an attempt to interest it in the establishment of a novitiate for English priests of his order. Luca Codignola draws on the letters of Simon Stock and material in the archives of the Propaganda Fide and the Carmelite order to present a fascinating picture of seventeenth-century Catholic colonization.

Zinc transfer among proteins in rat duodenum mucosa.

Duodenums from freshly killed stock colony rats were incubated in Krebs buffer containing carrier-free 65ZnCl2 for periods of time between 5 and 60 s. Mucosa cytosol was separated and fractionated by gel filtration on Sephadex G-75. 65Zn was present in two main bands of protein with molecular weights of about 45,000 and 6,500, but the ratio between them rose progressively with time of exposure to the isotope. Addition of metabolic inhibitors greatly lowered the 45,000/6,500 ratio for 65Zn. It is concluded that when zinc enters the mucosal cytoplasm during absorption, it rapidly binds to the 6,500 protein in a passive way and is then transferred to the protein of molecular weight 45,000 by an active process.

Trace Element Studies in Weanling Rats: Maternal Diets and Baseline Tissue Mineral Values

The initial nutritional status of experimental animals can influence their response to subsequent dietary regimens. In the present study, we determined the variations in minerals in diet NIH-31, a breeding colony stock diet, and in tissues of weanling rats nursed by dams fed this diet. Inductively coupled plasma-atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) was used to determine nine elements (Ca, Cu, Fe, K, Mg, Mn, Na, P and Zn) in diet and in liver, kidney, spleen, duodenum and femur from 22- to 26-day-old rats. Wet digestions were performed in mixtures of nitric, perchloric, and sulfuric acids (diets and soft tissues) or nitric and perchloric acids (femur). Solution concentrations ranged from <25 ng/ml for the trace elements to >100 µg/ml for the major elements. Large variations in mineral content were found between batches of commercially prepared NIH-31 diet; relative amounts of Cu, Fe, Mn and Zn varied markedly. Significant differences in concentrations of major and trace minerals in liver, kidney, spleen and duodenal tissue were found among groups of weanling rats obtained from the same supplier at different times. Mn was readily quantitated in all tissues except spleen, where it was below detection limits. The precision obtained with the ICP-AES methodology has significant advantages for establishing variations in tissue mineral levels.

Integration of insect sterility and insecticides for control of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westwood (Diptera: Glossinidae) in Tanzania. I. Production of tsetse flies for release

AbstractA colony of Glossina morsitans morsitans Westw. was established in the laboratory in Tanga, Tanzania. After being expanded to the planned level of 60 000 flies, the stabilised colony was used to support a field trial using surplus males that were sterilised and released. The production system consisted of an adaptation of the in vivo rearing techniques developed at the Tsetse Research Laboratory, England. Goats were hosts for 90 % of the production; the balance was fed on rabbits. Techniques were developed to standardise the pupal off-take from stabilised colonies in each of three separate insectary units. Puparia were collected daily and kept separately until 52% emergence had occurred; these emerging flies, mostly females, were used to replenish the stock colony as needed. Further eclosion was prevented by chilling the remaining puparia (mostly males) quickly at 4°C and then storing at 10 ± 1°C for up to four days prior to irradiation and shipment to the field. About 68 % of the males produced were available for sterilisation. During the 15-month period of production in support of the field experiments, 1·3 million puparia were produced; 0·6 million of these puparia were released at a production cost of $220 per thousand.

Nestmate recognition and incompatibility between colonies of the acacia-ant Pseudomyrmex ferruginea

1. Compatibility between workers of 21 different colonies of the acacia-ant Pseudomyrmex ferruginea was examined. The colonies were reared from foundress queens in the greenhouse, on a clone of Acacia hindsii. Widespread incompatibility between colonies was encountered in these tests. Since diet and nesting environment are uniform, these results strongly suggest that the ants are producing recognition pheromones. 2. Worker brood from a stock colony was separated into groups of larvae and pupae, and each group was reared by a different foster reproductive female. The absence of antagonistic reactions between workers reared in the different groups indicates that the reproductive females are not the direct source of colony recognition pheromones.